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(Leana stuck her tongue out at Hades, if only a moment, when he refused the nick-name… She’ll still use it.)

As she listened to Alessio… Leana’s heart warmed and bubbled like a brook. Father loved Alessio. He knew him. He named him.

He… always seemed to make people feel valuable. Be they a senator whose carriage lost a wheel. Or a begger who wandered to the house, for a meal. He treated them equal, but loved. Like he couldn’t think of a higher honour than serving people, and reminding them they were seen…

Her eyes burned. Missing Nithel’s strong arms around her. His nervous laughter, when she’d do or say something strange. His stories of song… that would stretch long into the night, until all the kids were cuddled against the parents and sound asleep… She didn’t want to cry. Wouldn’t. If she thought about her mother, she would. Or Dom, or Bethan, or Herman, or even Grandpa…

One step at a time. I have to find Father. If Nithel stuck by this boy. If he refused to abandon or give up on Alessio, Leana would stay with him, too. Come what may.

“We should be leaving soon,” Alessio swallowed, but spoke steadily. Leana nodded quickly, lips pressed together. “Gather anything that seems reasonable to you, I’ll be back in a moment. I just have to… see to a few things.”

Leana’s brows quirked at that. When he bowed, they quirked a bit more. It seemed like a goodbye. She would have followed, if he hadn’t just said he’d be back. As he walked away, Leana put an open palm on her chest.

Alessio stopped, and tugged at his hood a moment. Then he jerked the fabric and the hood fell away. Leana cocked her head. She’d wondered why he kept it on. Now she wondered why he took it off. He glanced around, then darted away.

Leana sighed, and turned back to the table, after casting Saeb Lyn a tentative glance. She pulled a tablecloth from a table, being careful not to let anything fall off the board as she did so.

Next, she strode to the well-dressed-servant-fellow, who still hung around. “I need bread, unleavened if you have it. Enough to last four people, a week, if leavened. Three weeks, if unleavened. If you have water skins, or something that would work like them, I need four of those. All filled with clean water.” She pulled her shoulders back and held his gaze by lifting her chin. “Lead the way.”

She followed him, bringing the club and tablecloth. Even if they don’t have the bread on hand, it won’t take too long to make. 

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@ragnarok @ethan-leonard @this-is-not-an-alien