"Thank you for coming, Leanne," Sanaki said earnestly as she welcomed her inside Mainal Cathedral. "Tell me; what brings you and your brother here on such short notice?"
"Miss Naesala," Leanne answered, smiling.
"Ah, of course. But if you'd told us beforehand, we could have provided you with an escort…"
Leanne shook her head. "Nealuchi miss Naesala, too," she explained. "His idea."
Sanaki chuckled. "I'm surprised he didn't move in with us when Naesala did."
"He wanted to, believe me. I was still hoping to keep whatever sanity I had left, however," Naesala commented, startling Sanaki. "Hello, Leanne. I missed you too."
Leanne only smiled and ran over to wrap him in a hug, cooing in the ancient language.
"Nealuchi will be coming shortly - what, no hug for me?" Reyson asked as he came up after Leanne. When Naesala opened his arms, he shook his head. "No, no, I'm not hugging you again. The last time I did you picked my pocket."
"We were eighty, Reyson. Why do you even still remember that?" Naesala sighed. "I only wanted to see if you'd notice. I was going to return it."
"And when I didn't notice after two weeks?" Reyson pressed.
"I was… getting around to it. Help me out here, Leanne!" Naesala pleaded. "WouldI ever steal from your brother?"
"Yes," Leanne replied with a grin.
"There, you- wait, what?"
Leanne giggled.
"-And that's why Nestling is still afraid of thunderstorms," Nealuchi concluded dramatically. "The end."
"Did he really hide under his bed, Nealuchi?" Sanaki asked, as Naesala attempted to ignore them both. "And cry whenever he heard thunder?"
Nealuchi chuckled. "Every time."
Sanaki smirked. "Does he still do that?"
"No," Naesala interjected, still refusing to look at them.
Nealuchi glared at him. "I wouldn't know - you don't even let me see you any more!"
Naesala rolled his eyes. "I'm over a hundred years old, I had to move out at some point," he pointed out.
"But you were such a cute child, Nestling. Ah, how I miss those days…" Nealuchi murmured to himself.
"I'm surprised you don't have any grandchildren yet," Sanaki commented.
"So am I, my dear. So am I," he sighed.
"You'd love them, I'm certain. Why don't you?" she pressed.
He shook his head ruefully. "I would like to have some, but… there's no helping it. After all, Nestling is-"
Naesala coughed, and Nealuchi finished, "…busy."
Sanaki raised an eyebrow. "Uh…huh."
"Leanne?" Sanaki asked. "Could I talk to you?"
Leanne nodded.
"There's something that's been bothering me for a while," Sanaki began.
"Tell. I listen," Leanne replied.
"…Have you noticed anything… strange about Naesala?" Sanaki asked.
"Like… what?" the heron asked.
"Well… He's - however old he is - and he hasn't ever been married, right?" Sanaki questioned.
"Uh-huh," Leanne said.
Sanaki continued, "And since he came here, I've never seen him even talking to any other girls, except Tanith and Sigrun once or twice, and that was about politics. And Queen Elincia, but she doesn't count, he has to talk to her."
The heron blinked. "Uh-huh…"
"And one of the maids kept flirting with him - half-dressed, even! - and he didn't so much as blink." Sanaki took in a breath. "Is he…?"
Leanne stared at her for a few moments, and then patted her on the head. "You learn later," she said simply.
"What? Do you know why he's acting so strangely?" the empress asked. "Please tell me!"
Leanne shook her head. "He tell you himself. If he wants."
Sanaki sighed. "That's… not very reassuring."
"Sorry."
"You ought to tell her."
Sanaki stopped walking and looked at the door she'd heard the voice through. Oh, that was the guest room Reyson was staying in, wasn't it?
"It's hardly her business," Naesala's voice replied.
Well… it couldn't hurt to listen. She could always pass it off as an accident later if she was caught, which she didn't intend to be.
"She likes you. Or haven't you noticed?" Reyson continued.
A long pause. "…I have suspected it. But she'll grow out of it," Naesala added quickly.
"And what if she doesn't?" Reyson pressed. "You need to let her know you don't feel the same way."
"Isn't that obvious? She's so young." Were they talking about her? Because Naesala was… old. Maybe they meant Leanne…
"She's a girl with a crush, Naesala." Sanaki could almost picture Reyson's expression. "Didn't you ever have a crush on someone older than you?"
"Remember the reason we're having this discussion?" Naesala reminded him.
"You have a point… Anyway. You don't have sisters, but I do. They ignore everything they don't want to see," the heron prince stated.
"…I suppose you would know, but-"
Sanaki chose that moment to open the door.
Reyson looked over at her from the bed, unsurprised. "Good afternoon, Sanaki. Naesala, don't you have something to say?"
Naesala sighed. "…May I speak to you a moment?"
"Of course," Sanaki agreed easily.
She led him outside the room, where he fidgeted for a moment before beginning, "There's something you ought to know."
"Yes?" she said.
He sighed. "…I'm asexual."
Sanaki blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
"As in, not attracted to anyone, of either gender?" he explained.
"…Are you sure you didn't mean to tell me that you were gay?" Sanaki asked.
Naesala snorted. "I'm sure."
"Oh." She paused. "So Leanne is…?"
"My friend," he answered instantly.
"Reyson?" she questioned.
"Also my friend," he replied.
Sanaki thought a moment. "Tibarn?"
Naesala raised an eyebrow. "Still hates me. How low did you think my standards were?"
"…oh." Sanaki cleared her throat. "I - err - didn't like you. So you don't have to worry."
"Good to know. Will that be all, Sanaki?" Naesala asked.
"I… suppose." She paused. "Naesala?"
"Yes?" he answered.
"Why do you wear revealing leather jackets if you aren't trying to flirt with people?" she asked. "I can understand the rest, but not that."
He blinked. "Because I look good in them, of course. Isn't that obvious?"