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Alessio buried his face into Nithel’s shoulder, wanting everything to stop, to just be safe for a few minutes.

There was so much he wanted to say and so many questions he wanted to ask. But he also didn’t want to move or breathe or do anything that might break the spell. Really he just didn’t want to be alone, with no one he could depend on.

Gradually, Nithel moved some, loosening his embrace somewhat. Alessio wasn’t ready to let go but life wasn’t going to just stop because he wanted it to. So he reluctantly looked around, starting to come up with a plan. They’d have to get moving.

There were more people now, that loud blind guy and his friend and…Ohel was crawling free from his glass cage. Are you ok…? Actually Alessio had all but forgotten him but he felt kind’ve sorry for him now. Not enough to trust him or willingly talk to him too often but…kind’ve sorry.

Arsene was pestering Nathair.

It would be ok, it’d be fine, c-calm down. As long as no one rejected Nathair or thought…as long as everyone was fine with him, Nathair wouldn’t have a reason to hurt anyone. As long as they stayed out of his way and…

Alessio clenched his jaw while the man talked to Leana. Alessio couldn’t stand the sound of his voice. He couldn’t. stand. hearing it. Not just in his head now. He couldn’t take it. Just make him go away! He hated him, he hated him so much.

Except he didn’t, and that scared him more.

 

Nathair watched Leana hobble a step and drop to the ground, digging at her bloody foot. Well. She actually listened. He’d just said that to be annoying…

Speaking of, he really should get the rest of that glass out of his foot – if just for appearances. Right now, though, he was watching Alessio, who was deliberately glaring at the floor, or anywhere away from him. But the boy still stalked past him to kneel beside Leana and offer a ripped strip of fabric to her with a very clumsy sort of gentleness.

Nathair glanced at the girl and Nithel, and smirked a little.

“Mm, you always wanted a sister, didn’t you?” Nathair remarked, causing Alessio to go completely rigid, flushing bright red. He was too easy. “And you haven’t said anything, have you?”

This, at least, got a flustered glower in his actual direction.

Back in time when the kid practically worshipped him, that could be the subject of his babbling not infrequently. In fact, he used try to adopt people all the time and have a ‘new sister’ and he wouldn’t hug anybody unless they were ‘family’.

He really missed that time, now Alessio seemed determined to starve him of any attention.

 

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