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Leana feels his arm tense at her question, before he gave a smile… too sweet… and patted her hand. You’re lying to me. (With his smile.) But his answer cuts away whatever distrust started to form, she knew many men who put on false smiles… to hide their pain…

“Because my parents were very bad and hated me, next question?”

I’m sorry. Leana’s eyes sadden. Why do you keep your name? But before she can speak, one of the cages explodes like a tree.

She squeaks and ducks behind Nathair, grabbing his shoulders.

“I’m back from the dead, Old Snake!” Arsene shouted.

“Arsene?” Leana whispered, and peeked out, sucking in a shocked breath.

“YOU!” Someone else shouted.

“Pardon me for a moment, Old Snake. I’ve got something to attend to. If you could wait just a second…”

*understands why Nathair’d want to change his name*

Nathair nodded and shifted his weight. (Likely painfully.) The twins flew at each other, acting like they planned to kill.

What-! No. 

“I think we might need to get out of the way now, mm?” Nathair murmured and grabbed Leana’s shoulder, leading her to a farther part of the room.

Stop. I’m not a child anymore, no matter how I wish to be. She resisted the urge to jerk free. To go shout at Arsene and his apparent twin.

“Don’t cry now, child, I’m sure it’s not as bad as all that.” He brushed her tears away from her cheeks, teasing a gentle smile.

Too intimate. Leana gives him a very fake smile, and took two steps away from him. “Thank you. It is.” Don’t touch me like that. “You shouldn’t keep walking on your foot, it’s pushing the stuff further in.” Not that I’m taking that advice. “Excuse me.” She pulled from him, pivoted, and stifled a wince as she took a step toward the maniac men. “Arsene! Stop it! The both of you! What are you doing?”

A hand shot out from another cage. Bloody. Glass sprayed everywhere.

Leana’s hands clapped over her face again, and she might have said a foul word. Tsk tsk tsk.

Alessio. A jagged clear blade in one bleeding hand, as he shoved between the twins. His other one looked like skinned meat. It’s blood. Just blood and flesh. You’ve seen worse before. *running thoughts/reassurances* Then, THEN, Alessio started burning.

Leana squeezed her eyes shut, and slumped to her knees, fighting to believe this was real… and praying it was just an awful dream.

—-

Nithel’s cage jerks, as something rams it, it rocks before righting itself. He falls from his crouch, releasing the lever. Zounds!

A few moments later the cage splintered, like lightning striking a tree. Nithel ducked in the bottom, putting his arms over his head, as shards landed on his back and arms. He gasped a moment, hesitantly lifting his eyes to see the chaos before him. Two young men fighting and glaring at each other. Another young man breaking from another glass cage. A man off in the shadows. Others struggled in other glass tombs. And… a young woman standing in the middle.

His stomach clenched. Oh, Holy One? Is it her? He couldn’t see her face, because of her hands, but he was almost certain. “Leana?”

Flames ate at everything. The fighting froze. Nithel’s eyes were arrested from his daughter. Alessio?  Alessio’s face was a mask of fury, but cracked the smallest bit as their gazes met. Alessio.

He looked back at Leana and saw she’d collapsed to her knees.

Oh, Holy One. Why did You allow her to come here? To be part of this madness? He glanced at Alessio once more, eyes filling with pain (for Alessio). But then he scrambled toward Leana, doubting it could be her, hoping it wasn’t… but…

______

Ohel jerked more at the lever, and nothing changed. Panic started to creep in again, tightening his gut. I might suffocate. But he was at a loss, as to what else he could do. Besides keep pulling. So he did.

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@this-is-not-an-alien @hannahrenner @ragnarok 🐀