“Lana?” Hector uttered her name in his partial awareness.

Lana yelped. Jon, in a gut reaction, brought the gem behind his back.

Hector stirred as he sat up from Charlotte's lap, turning left to right in an attempt to find his other sister.

Charlotte calmly leaned over and whispered into Hector’s ear. Once she finished, Hector dumbly sat up and trotted around the couch and back into the hallway. Jon watched as Hector finally turned and disappeared into his room.

With an assurance that Hector was fully away for the night, Jon brought the gem back around. He had a thought that Charlotte had asked Lana to give Hector a day off before she had even brought it up at dinner.

He didn’t get to dwell on that thought. Lana hadn’t made any mention of the fact that Jon hid her, instead just continuing her admonishment as soon as he brought her back around.

“Do you realize what type of trouble he could be in? He has to-”

“Hector needs to get some rest in his body,” Charlotte said. “His body’s a wreck, and he’s a wreck-”

“It doesn't matter if he’s a wreck,” Lana exclaimed. “Do you realize-”

“Now don’t talk about your brother that way!” Charlotte said with a pout. “I thought you were better than that.”

“Better than that? You mean better than Dad?” Lana gave an incredulous delivery and Jon just accepted the new normal. “I am better than Dad! I actually care about Hector’s-”

“Ah-ha!” Charlotte exclaimed, pointing at the gem.

Lana sharply inhaled.

“What I meant to say…” Lana began again in a calmer tone, “...is that Hector has a tight schedule. He can’t afford to miss things. Him and Mallory-”

“They need rest,” Charlotte continued. “Why are you working him so hard?”

“Because he’ll never be able to work again after this.”

Charlotte ceased to give a sly retort this time around. Jon still wanted to know what made Charlotte exclaim earlier.

“You don’t know that.” Charlotte’s tone had become quiet. “You-’

“Hector’s gonna be King.” It was Lana’s turn to interject now. “Or even worse, a Lord who has to answer for another King. And our father. They’ll never let him out.”

“Even so,” Charlotte began, “your brother-”

“My brother’s gonna be more miserable than ever after this,” Lana pressed on. “This is the last thing I can do for him before he has to go back. You know how hard I had to fight just to get this extra mission for him and Mallory? The Period of Power has really thrown the other lands into disarray. A Highlander participating in Resden politics openly? I-”

“You don’t have to lecture me about political connotations,” Charlotte said. “I taught you all you know.”

More silence from Lana. She then quickly brushed back her hair before continuing.

“I was only talking about… forget it.” Lana shook her head side to side. She spoke again when she stopped.

“Then you know what Hector did was really stupid, right? I can only assume that’s the reason you came back-”

“How dare you be so presumptuous?” Even with Charlotte’s sharp response, it was hard to tell if she was offending or only posturing like usual.

Lana didn’t seem bothered by it. She kept talking.

“I don’t know how I’m gonna protect Hector if he’s gonna make the entire world come after him."

“Well, that’s the problem.” Charlotte grimaced. “You can’t protect him.”

Jon imagined that Lana replied with her own grimace.

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“I’m not afraid of anyone hurting Hector,” Lana finally said after the short silence.

“He’s gonna have more power than you,” Charlotte said dismissively. “More power then Dad, really.”

“Enough power to hurt a lot of people,” Lana said. “And if that ever happens, he’ll hate himself, and…”

Jon watched Charlotte open her mouth before covering it with her hand. She watched Lana talk with intense curiosity.

“I don’t know what I’ll be able to do to stop him…”

Lana looked down to the floor, ashamed.

“Now. that sounds like a proper older sister!” Charlotte exclaimed, eroding Lana's short moment.

“I doubt you would understand much of what that means…”

“Ouch!” Charlotte put her hand to her cheat in feigned pain.

“I didn’t mean in that way!” Lana said regrettably. “I just mean it in the way that father-”

“It’s fine,” Charlotte cast the comment away with a small wave of the hand. “Burn’s noted. But since we’re on the subject, how’s it going between you and Macy?”

Lana didn’t answer, but this time, Jon felt the shift in the air. He also felt uncomfortable because he was partly involved in the answer.

“So she called you, then,” Charlotte confirmed.

“She… we talked… but…”

“To you or at you?”

Lana might not have spoken right away, but a small moan slowly made its way from the gem.

“She likes me less than Hector does,” Lana admitted. “Hector’s mad at me all the time, but Macy just hates-”

“Macy’s just spicy,” Charlotte said dismissively. “She called you.”

“To spit in my face,” Lana said. “She hates me.”

“She just called you to see your reaction to her,” Charlotte responded. “That means that she still cares about what you think of her.”

“Really?” There was the smallest bit of hope in Lana’s voice.

“Macy never called me once,” Charlotte continued. “She has it hard. Harder than anyone. She’s alone. I had Majorie and mom. You have Hector, and Hector even has Mallory. In fact, you and her have the most in common.”

“Then what do I say to her?” Lana asked desperately.

“Next time she gives you a rant or something, tell her you’re proud of her,” Charlotte said. “Or even yet, tell her how much how strong her form’s become.”

“She already knows that,” Lana said. “I don’t want to tell her redundant-”

“Tell her that you’re proud of her growth,” Charlotte repeated. “In fact, don’t even wait. Next time you see her, tell her. Even tell Hector.”

“Hector listens to you,” Lana said sadly. “He always does.”

“Well, he wants to hear it from you,” Charlotte said back. “Honest.”

“I am not so deserving of this…” Lana gave a long sigh. “They shouldn’t be looking for my validation. It means nothing in the long run.”

Charlotte looked as if she was about to respond, her mouth tightening to open. She then looked at Jon and shook her head.

“Never mind that,” Charlotte said, omitting her other thought once again.Jon wondered how she was able to draw so many different threads from the conversation. He watched her masterfully change the conversation again.

“How are you?”

“Me?” Lana’s shoulders picked up, even when her expression remained serious. “Why me? I don’t need-”

“I’m coming over to see you,” Charlotte said. “As soon as I can.”

“No, no, no way.” Lana swished her head left to right again. “That’s not right. I’m busy. I can’t take a break-”

“You’re my sister,” Charlotte explained. “I’m coming to see you. It’s been a long time. Not get some rest. And promise to let Hector get rest as well.”

“I-”

“And he’ll get the job done on time.“Right, Jon?” Charlotte winked at him.

Jon nodded. “Yeah.”

“So go to bed,” Charlotte commanded. “Now!”

Lana snorted, but her shoulders soon shrunk in defeat.

She pushed herself from the table as if she had to pry herself away from it.

“I’m off,” she announced dutifully.

“Not until I see you in bed,” Charlotte demanded.

Even if Jon couldn’t see it, the gem seemed to weigh itself down from the massive eye-roll Lana must have been given.

Lana’s image then fizzled a bit, becoming unintelligible static. The was a steady stream of footsteps, the sound of a door opening, and a plop onto a mattress before the image reformed itself into Lana. She seemed to be sitting, but with a lot more space around her. Her body may have looked more relaxed, but her expression was solemn like always.

“Take the armor off.”

“No!” Lana crossed her arms over her body. “Jon’s here.”

“Going commando underneath our armor, are we?” Charlotte teased.

It took Jon a few moments to realize that Charlotte insinuated that Lana wasn’t wearing any clothes under the armor. He coughed in awkwardness.

“I am not!” Lana declared with the mildest shrill in her voice. “I mean…”

“Just promise me you’ll get into bed, my dearest,” Charlotte said with a wide smile on her face. “Okay?”

“Okay…”

“And eat properly! Make yourself a good meal! Like I told you?”

Lana made a bit of a huff.

“Okay,” Lana seemingly acquiesced. Dad’s supposed to bring me some fresh materials from the castle tomorrow.”

“Good.”

Lana made one more look at her invisible surroundings. She then reached over to her shoulder and unhooked an unseen buckle. The sleeve of her armor dropped down from her arm, revealing the sleeve of a shirt whose color Jon couldn’t recognize through the green shading.

“Good night, sister,” Lana said dutifully through the gem, although Jon felt a bit of disdain in her voice. “Good night, Jon.”

“Good night, Lala,” Charlotte said sweetly.

Lana stared without comment for an extra moment before fizzling out of existence.