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“Well, Alessio, that’s your name right? It means you can move away, get a job, and live somewhere without your parents but you can’t make those choices yourself without someone signing off for you. If that makes sense.” ‘Alixer’ was saying.

He got the wrong name. Nathair watched scrunched in his corner in the room for lack of anything else to do. Then again, maybe the stranger just figured talking to the boy would be safer than talking to the grownu-adult, Nithel. He looked really disoriented and nervous so it could be either. But Alessio had just darted off before Alixer could reply.

“We are considered adults at 17 and we’re giving complete independence from everything at 18. I’m pretty close. Sorry, this is super awkward.” He was. (Me: sorry about my rude very character, Alixer is adorable!) “I’m introverted but I can’t get my mouth to stop moving in new situations. A lot of people think I’m odd the 1st time they meet me. Which, I am but it still feels awkward when people tell me I am.”

He talked a lot. Nathair didn’t exactly mind it but he wasn’t sure what to do so he just watched, gritting his teeth and trying to look normal and not attack anybody.

 

The girl – Crorie, nodded mutely but Alessio wasn’t sure if that was a yes or if she was just too scared to say no. He just knew he responded well to touch and Leana had and most people seemed too as long as they weren’t startled…For several second, he just stood there awkwardly not sure what to do.

“You can say no? If you want?” The boy attempted softly. And she shrugged so he had even less of idea whether or not he should. In the end, he held her gently, very gently so she could push free with barely an effort. But he didn’t let go, he wanted her to be warm and safe, the way he’d felt when Nithel held him the first time.

“We’ll be friends? And stick together and protect each other?” Alessio could’ve said he’d protect her but that would be just another controlling force in her life for her, somebody who could promise something and take it at back any moment.

“Don’t touch me!” Burn yelled cause Alessio to jump and grasp his sword, his arm still wrapped tightly around Crorie as if to shield her. Mr. Woodwall still held Burn’s shoulders and was talking to him soothingly.

“He asked you not to touch him!” Alessio growled, or well, he meant to sound intimidating but he just sounded several pitches higher than usual. He didn’t like Woodwall he didn’t trust Woodwall, it made his skin crawl how much he reminded him of…

And everyone continued to just talk over him, he was beginning to remember how much he hated being a little kid…(Where was Nithel he wanted to stay right beside Nithel really really close so if/when they get teleported again he won’t lose him)

Arsene wandered over a little anxiously like he was looking around for the spider. He was still a grownup no fair!! The colorful thief glanced at them and then at Big So-John (lol nobody’s told him Hades’ real name yet)

“And who might you be?” Arsene asked. With his most impish smile, Alessio pointed at his annoyingly-still-older-and-much-taller-than-him friend.

“Look it’s an idiot!” He quipped.

 

Nathair had almost successfully spaced out but this kid inched toward him. And leapt back with a noise between a growl and a yelp when he got too close to touching his hair. Yasha was dead he was dead he couldn’t hurt him he was dead.

“Are you a non-human? Like my family?” He wanted to make ‘friends’-

“NO!? Just shut up get away from me!!” Nathair yelled clamping his hands over his ears like that would shut Yasha out-it wasn’t Yasha! Whoever it was, he’d still see him as a monster and hurt him.

 

Alessio froze, finally noticing Nathair after his outburst. He…oh he was a child…still a child. Was he even in control of…it, yet? How could he even look at Nathair, but he was just a child, it would’ve been…It would’ve been right before Nathair snapped.

“Look. If you are able to make decisions – exercise free will – you are human.” Had he ever heard anyone tell him that? Nathair assumed they were all lying, the boy could see it. “And any…jerk who tells you otherwise is wrong.”

With his widely expansive vocabulary around nobility and soldiers and sailors, child-Alessio could supply a huge number of words in several different languages that Search might’ve been thinking.

“Okay? Introduce them to me and Burn. We’ll take care of that.” So he wasn’t safe in this world either, he was just lucky…

“Um. Yes. What do you want to tell me?” She was stumbling on before he could ask any questions. “Look. Half the…unfortunates we were with turned to kids. You are Hades? Right?”

Still holding Crorie’s hand, Alessio carefully crept to Nathair, ready to bolt at any second. Nathair stared at him like a cornered animal, panicked, recognition flickering in his gaze. That might be a good thing or that might be a horrible thing, and Nathair watched him irresolutely.

We both know how this ended last time…

Nathair flinched as Alessio reached out, and put a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s ok,” he said, and smiled at Nathair with all the confidence and comfort he didn’t feel at all. And they both knew he wasn’t talking about anything that was happening now. Or anything that’s happened yet.

Will this change anything?

“Trust me.”

 

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