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“It’s alright…” Nithel attempted.

“But he-!”

“Get up!” Ohel yelled, leaving Alessio flushing with fury.

“I don’t know if I can?”

“You looked buff enough, back in the other place. Like you could carry my adult-self. So move.” He growled dangling on top of Nithel. (Alessio was kind’ve jealous, he kind’ve wanted a piggyback ride now…) But he was also mad at Ohel for talk so mean to his Not-Dad.

“Your cowardice and insulting speech is becoming only to the knaves of Avonia,“ Alessio challenged, even though he…didn’t really know what that meant, but he’d read it a book and it sounded cool. “Get down right now so I can fight you in a fair dual!”

“But it’s not poisonous,” Sage was saying, “And it’s not even big enough to take someone’s leg off.”

“I didn’t mean it that way, I…haven’t ever seen a spider able to do that.” Nithel said, and addressed Ohel screaming on his shoulders. “Alright…I’ll try.”

Before Alessio could add any more protests Nithel arose. And toppled on top of Ohel.

Pointing at them, Alessio squealed with laughter. Any hard feelings he might’ve had completely dissolved.

He jumped when somebody appeared behind him, and spun around with a hand on his hilt, suppressing a nervous laugh.

“Uh, hi. I’m Alixer.” The dark-haired person with…circular glass balanced over his eyes said.

“Uhh…” Alessio gaped up at the strange man.

“We-You-“ Nithel stammered, tossing Ohel’s legs off of him as he sat up. With – probably a fairly tired sigh – he continued, awkwardly. “I am Nithel son of Father. And…what does your name mean? A substance that turns others into gold? A healing tonic? I…Something else?”

Alessio had never met anybody with a name Nithel couldn’t translate automatically. He stared at the man, and then peeked at Ohel glaring daggers at Nithel.

“Oh, uhh, Alessio!” He suddenly remember to introduce himself, and gave a quick bow. “Long life to you and your kin.”

Whoops, he bit his lip trying to figure out the proper polite greeting and then remembered nobody greeted anybody a normal way here, so he couldn’t blend in too well! Maybe he should mimic Nithel’s greeting. Except, he didn’t know what his name meant, and he didn’t know for sure who his father actually was.

After a second, Alessio ducked behind Nithel and turned to Ohel with a friendly (though still impish) crooked smile.

“We can be friends now!” He said, reaching out his hand for Ohel to help himself up.

 

Nathair didn’t move, but he could hear Leana sigh and scoot beside him. Still keeping her distance though.

He was waiting to become comfortably numb again.

Maybe the first time he was a child, before Yasha before any of that. Maybe then he would’ve tried to apologize. Instead he clenched his jaw and tried to force the tears to stop. She was going to leave anyway, or hurt him or…

He sat in silence. By now they would’ve drugged him until the ghoul urges (and every other emotions) weren’t so intense. But right now he was on his own, and he didn’t have enough experience to really curb it. Normally Nathair would ‘cope’ by gnawing his own arm if it got uncontrollable. That would…disturb them.

So Nathair his chin in his knees, determined to not look up at the red sparks flickering hungrily in his vision.

 

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