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“Who are you? What are you?” Demanded a boy and Alessio paled, darting a glance at him as if to say ‘do you want to die!?’ That was…Ohel…wow he looked…different as a kid…

“He meant no disrespect!” Alessio squeaked, thrusting an arm in front of Ohel as if to shield him. Yeeting out the window was looking better and better by the second. He had to tilt his head up to see the man’s face and that honestly made him feel even smaller. And everything was too loud, being alone was always safer…

“We are terribly lost, I’m afraid.” Nithel said, “All of us.”

Alessio backed up a step, then ducked behind Nithel’s arm, clinging to his sleeves childishly as he peered out. Even though that was “unseemly behavior in a prince”. It was nice to finally know a grownup who’d protect him. Even if it was…cowardly…

He bit his lip giddily. Maybe if he got really lucky, he could convince Nithel to adopt him and he’d never have to go home and he’d have a sister and a real family and none of the bad things would happen…Except…then ‘Ander would be alone with them. And…Alessio buried his face in Nithel’s arm (and very tentatively grasped at the tips of his shiny gold hair)

“Do you know where my parents are?” Child-Sherlock said in a tiny voice, and Alessio peeked up. Glancing from Sage/Sherlock to Arsene, the boy got a sinking lump in the pit of his stomach. They died, didn’t they? Alessio blinked rapidly, racking his brain for a way to comfort him.

“Is that a spider?” Sage pointed at the floor at a strange fuzzy black dot with legs everywhere. Curiously, Alessio craned his neck until he nearly lost his balance. All at once, the Angry Lady crushed it with her foot like it wasn’t worth anything even though it hadn’t done anything at all!

Alessio made a stifled noise like a hurt puppy.

Then it popped upright again, even larger stick legs with fuzz all around it. Whoaa. He mouthed, completely enraptured. Gently, Sage picked up the creature and held it.

“Can I keep him?”

Shyly, carefully, Alessio peered out again, father and father until he finally stumbled closer, his eyes sparkling with fascination. He darted a bright look at Nithel, and tugged him along by his sleeve to Sage and the ‘spider’, clutching tight enough his tiny knuckles turned white. If you stopped touching somebody, they could disappear and that was not going to happen!

“What is it?” he burst “What’s it eat? Can I hold it?”

@ragnarok @kimlikesart @hannahrenner