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Hector tilted his head to the side a little as he considered his next words. He kept his arms folded, because he wanted to be sure that he didnt give off a false sense of aggression. A servants hands were arguablythe most dangerous part of their body, after all.
Do you wanna know why I didnt attack you while your guard was down? said Hector.
Sure, said Leo.
It was because you kept all of my Rainlords alive. That definitely hadnt been the reason, but it sure sounded good, Hector thought. You didnt have to do that.
Leos gaze turned to the floor, and he fell silent one more time.
I thought... maybe you dont have to be my enemy. And seeing yousitting there, looking kind of... lost... I thought maybe you needed some help.
...Hence why you asked if I was alright, said Leo.
Yeah.
Well... Leo bit the inside of his bottom lip for a second. You werent wrong, I spose. I have been feeling kinda... lost.
Chalk another one up for Rasalased, Hector thought.
More than kinda, actually, Leo continued. Im pretty much atthe end of my rope, if Im bein totally honest. He looked up at Hector again. Did the big cats reaper tell you that about me, too?
...Big cat?
Roman, said Leo.
Oh, so he did know Romans name. Ah... Hector couldnt actually remember if Voreese had mentioned anything about Leos state of mind. Hedidnt think so, though. He only recalled Rasalaseds words about it.No, but... his reaper did mention that he was worried about you.
...Really?
No. It was an easy way to score some brownie points for Roman, though. Really.
Leo eyed Romans encased head.
Hector saw the opening and took it. ...Now, why dont you give him back to me?
Leo was quiet again, and Hector could practically see the gears turningin his head. At length, Leo finally said, Whatll ya give me in return?
Agh, of course. What do you want? said Hector.
...Id like your protection as well, said Leo.
My...? The word was left stranded.
Your protection, reiterated Leo. From Sai-hee, specifically. Yknow. The same protection youre giving to your Rainlords.
Was this fucking guy serious? Was he being sarcastic? What the fuck was happening, right now?
Silence was all Hector could conjure as a response.
...Is that a no? said Leo.
Okay, seriously, what the fuck? It didnt sound like sarcasm.
Did this guy actually believe everything that Hector had just said? Hed expected considerably more skepticism. Had Roman and Voreese just been that good at talking him up?
Why so quiet all of a sudden, bro? said Leo. You just said you could protect all the Rainlords from her, so why not me, too?
Ah, wait a minute... This was a test.
Okay.
That made more sense.
Kind of.