***
“Hey! I’m back!” I call.
East squeals and runs into the bedroom, heading straight for my bed, which he’s already claimed as his. He lays right down and curls up for a nap. I watch him with a smile, feeling my heart swell with love for what has to be the thousandth time today.
“Lief, can you watch him?” I ask.
“Sure. I’m kind of tired myself,” Lief yawns.
While he lands on East and curls up for his own nap, I head upstairs in search of Alessia. I don’t find her in her bedroom, and when I check the bathroom, she’s not there, either. I frown; it’s getting late, so she should be back by now. The sun’s already set an hour ago.
Is she still training, I wonder?
I leave the room and close the door quietly behind myself, heading for the staircase. Following the usual route, I make my way to the training courtyard, only to find the spellglass bright, the training dummies set up, and Alessia hacking away at them.
“Hey, Alessia!” I call.
She continues to train like she didn’t hear me. I frown, wondering if she’s so focused on what she’s doing that she genuinely didn’t hear me, or if she’s outright ignoring me again. I descend the staircase and walk out into the courtyard, waiting patiently within her view by the copse of trees. She continues hacking and slashing away at the training dummies like a madwoman until she splits them all in half, panting heavily. Only when she turns away and sheathes her sword does she address me.
“What do you want, Aurelio?”
Ignoring her tone, I respond, “I’m here to see what you’re up to, that’s all. You weren’t in the room when I returned.”
“I’m busy. Leave me alone.”
She tries to leave the courtyard without so much as a backward glance. Twitching with irritation, I run to catch up with her, snatching her arm before she can pull away from me.
“Alessia, I’m worried about you.”
“Don’t.”
“You can’t tell me to do that.”
“Yes, I can. You can’t control me, so stop worrying. It’s just stressing you out unnecessarily.”
“What’s going on with you lately?” I question. “You’re avoiding me like the plague, and you’re brushing Mina aside like she doesn’t matter to you. I get it, you’re busy, and you’ve got a lot on your plate right now, but even when you were busy before, you gave us the time of day.”
“I don’t have any time at all right now. Leave me alone.”
She tries to yank her hand out of my reach, but for once, I decide to stand my ground. I grip her wrist as hard as I can, and she gets tugged back my way. She shoots me a glare over her shoulder.
“What’s wrong with you? I gave you an order, Aurelio.”
“Is that all I am to you? Some servant?”
“No. But you’re really pissing me off, and my word is above yours. Let me do what I need to do, Aurelio.”
“What you need to do is take a moment to relax,” I point out. “If you push yourself too hard, you won’t have anything left to give when the time comes around to perform.”
“I don’t care. I’ll push harder and do it anyway. Now, get off me!”
This time, she grabs my arm, wrenches it painfully, and throws me to the ground. The impact is hard enough to knock the air from my lungs. I cough on the ground, my gut fizzling with frustration.
“Alessia, stop!” I command.
She whips around to look down at me, her eyes burning with a bright blue fire. “Why? What are you going to do, Aurelio? Force me to come to bed? You can’t stop me!”
“I know I can’t, but I’m going to try anyway! It’s my job to take care of you, remember?”
