A/N – Really sorry this is such a short chapter but I've been super busy recently and I wanted to update! There'll be longer updates once the holidays begin but for now I don't have much time to write. Hope this chapter will do for the time being! I also started to illustrate bits on my new tumblr; lloydart . tumblr . com (without the spaces). Enjoy!

By all accounts, Lloyd was a fully integrated member of the house now. He was quickly eased into the weekly grocery shop, (which now included items of food he liked or wanted to try), as well as having a say in their gaming nights and film marathons. Elsa checked on him less and less and even gave him back his 'fake' swords. It was a sign that he was really becoming a solid part of their lives.

This realization made him more uneasy then happy though; he didn't want a new life or a new world, he wanted his old one and seemed to be getting further and further away. Not that he wasn't enjoying himself, but things felt serious now. They felt final.

He decided to go out for a walk on his own.

Amy watched him through the window with dismay. Her attempt to join him had been flat-out refused.

"What's wrong with Lloyd tonight?"

Elsa shrugged. "Man stuff,"

Reimi looked up from the television show she and Elsa were watching, opened her mouth as if to speak, then thought better of it and turned back to the screen, silent.

"Ohhhh, I wanna go too," Amy continued to whine.

"Look, while he's out, why don't the three of us just relax," Elsa remarked dryly. "It's nice having the house boy-free, even if it's just for a little while. I can't walk around naked with him here,"

"You never did that anyway," Reimi laughed.

"Not to your knowledge," Elsa smiled. Reimi couldn't tell if she was joking and shook her head in mock-disapproval.

Amy made a few more unintelligible noises before joining the other two seated around the television.

"It's not like he's going anywhere special, he's just walking up and down the main road. I could go out too?"

"The main road?" Reimi echoed.

"Leave him be," Elsa commanded and Amy stayed silent, eventually becoming too wrapped up in the show to remember her annoyance. Reimi excused herself and headed to her room, turning on her small MacBook computer and heading online.

Lloyd came back a few hours later.

Amy had long since gone to bed, knowing she had an early start the next day, and Elsa was still engrossed in her television dramas but Reimi was waiting for the telltale knock and rose silently to answer it.

'We should get Lloyd a set of keys…' she mused, crossing the space between the living room and the door. Although would Elsa think that was a step too far?

Any plans she had begun to formulate were cut short, however, when she saw Lloyd's face. His eyes were cast down, despondent and his greeting words held no warmth. He had been crying, is what her instincts told her.

"Welcome back," she said timidly, her breath making little eddies of cloud in front of her as the cold air rushed in.

"Thanks," he murmured, trudging inside and taking off one of his new jackets, a few specks of rain glistening on its collar.

Elsa raised a hand in acknowledgement but didn't face away from the TV.

"Do you… do you want a drink, Lloyd?" Reimi continued slowly, unsure.

"No, I should get to bed," He still hadn't looked at her.

As he was about to walk away she gently grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey, Lloyd? I found out there's a monthly seminar at a nearby university, concerning other dimensions and worlds. Maybe… Maybe it would be worth going to see one?"

Lloyd's eyes widened and he spun back. "R-really?"

"Yeah, well, actually I got tickets, I hope you don't mind,"

Lloyd beamed. "That sounds great, that would actually be really really great. Thank you, Reimi!" he surprised her with a quick hug, Reimi blushed and pushed him away quickly.

"Amy's already asleep now but I can ask her about taking you tomorrow,"

Lloyd's face fell a little. "Amy?"

"Well, I could only get two tickets and I thought…," she trailed off, not really wanting to carry on the conversation.

"…Why don't I just go with you? If it's close to our work, doesn't that make more sense?"

"Uh…," Reimi looked over her shoulder at Amy's closed bedroom door.

"Don't you want to go with me?" Lloyd asked, sounding a bit hurt.

Reimi immediately turned back to face him. "Of course I do!"

"Okay then," He smiled at her and she felt her heart beat a little faster. "Let's discuss it some more tomorrow,"

As they said goodnight and Lloyd headed to bed, Reimi sat down on the sofa next to Elsa. She looked at her out of the corner of her eye and realized her housemate had fallen asleep. She waved a hand in front of her face to be sure. No response. Reimi sighed in relief.

Elsa was never one to take sides or tattle-tale but Reimi felt the need to gain her approval that she had done the right thing. However, if Elsa was now asleep then it wouldn't matter. She stood up, turned off the TV, grabbed a blanket to drape over her then also headed to bed.

As the bedroom door closed, Elsa's eyelids fluttered open.

"Good for you, Reimi,"