6

A year had passed since Leonard's awakening. His progression on developing his pathways was going smoothly, along with his body's physical improvements from Emilia's combined training methods. She had kept a close eye on his progression ensuring he didn't stray too far from the original pathways she'd rebuilt. And grudgingly true to his brother Ashton's words she was starting to rub off on him more than he liked to admit.

In addition, Leonard experienced his first birthday within his new life too, thankfully for his own sanity the calendar was relatively similar to his previous life with only a slight name and numerical difference. With 31 days making up each month and 12 months making up a year. Meaning that as of Octovis 15th he turned 6 years old and got to truly experience being a child again as his family and the house staff spent the day celebrating his birthday. The entire event had been a wonderful experience as well as a reminder of just how loving this family was when it came to their own.

Regarding his seclusion, he personally didn't mind the idea of remaining hidden till his 7th birthday, but his parents were worried that it would cause some social awkwardness when he grew up. Thus later on it was revealed by both his parents that he would be meeting with the family members of close associates to his parents.

Which leads to Leonard currently standing inside his home at the entryway waiting alongside his mother. He himself had dressed as smartly as he could as he wore a white long loose sleeved shirt with a blue cravat to match his mothers dress along with a black doublet vest over the top fastened up with it's silvery buttons. His trousers were more beige than cream in colour and had an almost similar texture to trouser ware from his previous life. It was a simple outfit but his mother had put strict emphasis that he was to look presentable and to ensure that he was respectful at all times when meeting with their guests.

He didn't quite understand who it was or their significance in visiting but he deemed it paramount to ensure he didn't disappoint his parents' expectations of him. Looking upwards to his mother he could only admit that she looked radiantly beautiful, with her blonde hair styled into a long plaited ponytail going down her back. She wore a very 18th century dark faded blue corset dress with long sleeves wrapping her slender arms all the way up to the tops of her shoulders. Giving prominence to the gapped window from her neck to the tops of the cleavage blessing the display of her pushed up bust for exaggeration. To finish with her straight skirt going all the way to the bottom nearly hiding her feet as small golden accents were weaved into the fabric only to add to her nobility.

He couldn't help but stare at his mothers appearance as she stood looking forward awaiting their guests only for her to notice his attention on her and looked down towards him with concern, "Is everything okay Leonard?"

Realizing he was staring he quickly replied, "Everything is fine mother, I just couldn't help but notice how radiant you look today." He presented his best winning smile in hopes of alleviating her worry.

Smiling back in response, "Well aren't you the gentleman. I'm sure such words would also be appreciated by our imminent guests."

"Of course mother, but why is it only the two of us who are participating in this meeting? Wouldn't it be better to have had everyone else present as well?"

Shaking her head slightly she answered, "Not for this meeting. We decided it would be better to keep today's interactions to a minimum; so you and me are the winning pair." She sounded happy at the fact it was just the two of them for the day despite their arriving guests.

"All you need to do is be as loving and kind as you are when you're with your siblings and the staff here and all will be fine, I promise dear." Leonard still looked at her inquisitively, curious on where his siblings were right now and why it was decided only the two of them would be a part of this meeting.

"Understood mother… But where are the others if you don't mind my asking."

She reached down and brushed some of his hair to the side as she looked down on him gently, "Worry not, your brother and sister are with your father today. Every month he takes them both to the training fields that the military has access to and gauges how much progress they're making in their training. It's become a tradition at this point for him and he takes their progress very seriously."

Asking by reaction he knew his father was pretty loose when it came to military procedure sometimes, "Is that allowed?"

She sighed a little, "Not in most places no, but it's seen as something similar to an unofficial perk for the garrisoned troops here to allow their children access to the training grounds. So long as they respect and maintain proper procedure and don't overstep certain boundaries."

Leonard thought about this and couldn't help himself from releasing his thoughts, "Why not just make it a public thing for all the schools within the city then? Organize end of the month training events within the facilities; allowing for monthly progression tests and consultations? You could even have the stationed soldiers guide them on proper movement or techniques they picked up over their time of service."

He made his words sound simple and straightforward but Ailene couldn't help but feel troubled that her son's innocence might cause trouble for him later on. "Leonard, as lovely as that idea is, having people of common and noble status receiving similar treatment so openly would start to raise concerns with the actual higher ranked families living here and the surrounding regions."

Unperturbed by his mothers words he responded, "Then just have them split off into different groups, have the common children work with the soldiers and the children of higher ranked families go work with the knights? It's only for one day at the end of each month and if active service members don't want to do it just hire veterans from both statuses that have retired."

"…You seem to feel very strongly about this don't you?"

He nodded, "Emilia taught me that the first few weeks of our awakening are some of the most important – that we can improve a lot just by having someone guide us on how to strengthen our mana cores and pathways. How many people would be so much stronger if they had access to the facilities and the knowledge of soldiers and veterans that have experienced so much? Even if just for one day of the month?"

Getting drawn into the conversation with her son she wanted to prod his mind more on these ideas he had. After her own experiences and problems when she and Brenton made their relationship public, the social differences caused them numerous challenges they needed to face together, some leading to extreme resolutions from both of them.

"So you think that children can improve their training by just having lessons with regular soldiers within a single day?" Voice soothingly inquisitive.

"Yes, maybe not to the degree like myself, Ashton and Illiana have with Emilia but it would undoubtedly make a difference and certainly add a boost to their confidence and motivation knowing they were getting guidance from fully trained and experienced people." Having finished his piece he realized just how much his ramblings sounded so out of place for someone his age. Yet he couldn't stop himself because he knew that proper education really did make a difference in a persons growth.

His mother turned silent from his words, giving the impression she was entertaining the thought of what he mentioned. For Leonard this was a trait of his mother which he loved dearly, whenever he or any of his siblings made their thoughts known she would always take their words into consideration but at the same time she would challenge them on the matter. Hoping they could see the topics they were discussing from multiple angles helping to broaden their understanding.

"You talk about motivation and confidence and I can see that if they did have this monthly meeting it would make sense. However, I have to ask as you are receiving a higher degree of training from someone on a frequent basis, what would you consider to be your motivations? I've heard plenty from Emilia about your progress and dedication. Yet, you've never spoken about your own aspirations. In fact you've willingly gone along with everything asked of you so far without question."

Stumped, he hadn't expected his mother to take the discussion in this direction and felt troubled because she was right. He had never truly voiced his thoughts on the matter openly – Emilia had some understanding as to what his motivations were and that was only after months of poking and prodding him as they spoke more openly to one another. Concerning his own family, he realized he had been unconsciously keeping them at an arms length with regards to his true feelings about the awakening, his isolation and his motivations.

However, before he could voice his thoughts, within him at this moment began a struggle of emotions he had become all too familiar with during this past year. His mind being that of someone much older was juxtaposed to his younger body which more often than not caused friction in how he wanted to act at times – a lingering of a past soul he surmised.

Right now was one of those moments, his childish self was wanting to keep his thoughts away from his mother, desperate to keep it a secret – thinking she would be ashamed not only by his selfishness but also the fear of letting others come to better understand him bringing the possibility of rejection.

Unfortunately for his inner child, his older mind won out – aware that by locking out his mother from his thoughts he'd only be putting undue worry on her combined with his own experience with the sadness of having so many unspoken words he never got to share with his previous parents.

Taking a deep breath he fought through the discomfort and shared how he felt when he and Emilia had their first lesson. His voice grasping for those echoes of wonder that he'd felt back then. Though ensuring that he sealed away the one truth he could never reveal. "It's like magic to me. When Emilia told me about all the things which we could do with mana, I felt excited. I wanted to run faster, jump higher. To experience that impact of freedom as the wind hits my face in doing so. I want to experience channelling my mana into cool things and learn how it works and feels. I want to pilot those huge knight frames that I keep hearing about from Illiana and Ashton and learn everything I can about them. There's so much I want to do mother, but I think… the most important of all is that I don't want to disappoint you and father…"

This time Ailene was caught off guard – his surprising confession making her unsure on how to respond to her son's feelings.

"Leonard I –"

Yet just as she was rallying her words the front door to the house soon opened and in walked Marie accompanied by two individuals whom both Ailene and Leonard had been awaiting.

Leading from the front Marie stood before her employers and slightly bowed forward. "Mistress Ailene and young Master Leonard, please allow me to present both Lady Liarra and young Lady Felicia of the Hyo family."

The conflict of emotions within had faded some after Leonard voiced his feelings to his mother and just as Marie stepped off to the side did they vanish entirely – fascination and interest taking their place as the two most captivating individuals he'd ever laid eyes upon stepped forward.

The mother who stood tallest wore a similar in design dress to his mother giving that 18th century flair but a rich dark green with simple patterns of gold woven through the collar and cuffs. It's fitting was just as tight as well around the waist area, again intending for the exaggeration of her assets size with a semi corset belt like garment. She had a more softer motherly appearance compared to Ailene along with sapphire blue eyes and black wider than average pupils that added to her endearment. Her hair too was much thicker; pulled back and tied into a stylishly large bun as its natural tone of white glowed as blots of black were dotted around in random patches here and there. Giving base for her large feline like ears atop her head to appear more prominent, rising above her well styled hair.

Yet his attention was pulled away from the motherly woman by the appearance of her daughter. To him she came across as a feline fairy dressed in a very fluffy looking white and blue ribboned dress. Small in height with thick white hair like her mothers but cut short with slightly curled tips, her ears smaller but prominently on display above her hair too albeit they were currently flattened atop her head. Hey eyes were that of a lighter shade of crystalline blue to her mothers as she eyed both he and his mother warily, openly displaying her pupils which weren't dilated like her mothers but rather black tightened slits.

He couldn't make out much of anything else about her from there, as he realized she was trying to hide herself as much as possible. Gripping as cover to what he could only assume was her mothers thick furred feline tail which maintained that same white prominent colour and splattering of black dots.

Adorable. That was the first thought that came into his mind upon seeing her. Then fear. Witnessing her nervousness so openly on display left him feeling a little uncertain on how to approach the two until he heard his mothers voice to the side.

"It's a pleasure to have you visit us Liarra. I know this meeting was somewhat brought about by those boys of ours but I can't help but be thankful in getting to finally meet you in person."

Turning he saw his mother perform a similar bow to Marie only with her right hand did she pull up a side of her dress slightly as she did so. His mothers words and actions snapped him back to reality and just as she bowed he followed swiftly in her actions and bowed too, only for his right arm to go behind his back with his left handspread across his chest.

"Thank you for the warm welcome Ailene. When I heard Nicholas's suggestion for our meeting I was a little unsure, but after all the help we received from Brenton in ensuring we settled fully after Nicholas' transfer was finalized, I couldn't just ignore the chance to also get to meet you as well." To Leonard, Liarra's voice was softer than Ailene's yet still held that motherly tenderness, looking up, he saw Liarra do a similar bow to his mother in return, only to realize that her daughter was still hiding behind her tail.

He watched as she manoeuvred the appendage forward with practised ease leadingFelicia to chase the tail in a panic with hopes of maintaining her own sense of concealment.

Maintaining her bow, Liarra whispered indirectly to her daughter, "Felicia, you need to show proper courtesy, just like we practised remember?"

Again moving her tail as an extra limb, she used it to push her daughter forward from behind.

"I-i-it's a please t-to meet you. Y-you have a v-very lovely home and a-a very beautiful dress." She performed a similar bow with a slight shakiness through her arms but she nonetheless completed her introduction.

"Thank you Felicia, your words make me very happy. And I must say you also look wonderfully charming in your dress too, isn't that right Leonard?" The hidden aggression in his mother's words didn't go unnoticed as she addressed him. Thus taking the initiative he decided to follow along with his mother's words as he looked into the young girls eyes, letting off a small smile.

"Indeed, I feel as if I've been enchanted by a fairy from the elven myths I've read about." He felt inwardly ridiculous about his words, having never dealt with other people of similar age or status to him. He could only take to referencing some comments Emilia made about having been flattered upon in the past.

Her reaction was instant as her eyes opened wide and an almost animalistic look of panic over came her. Until a hand was placed on her shoulders from her side as her mother took to making her presence known to her daughter.

"Your words are very kind to my daughter Leonard. Please don't take offence to her lack of mannerisms in responding to your compliments."

"Not at all, if anything I apologize that I put Felicia into an uncomfortable situation. That was never my intent." He bowed forward quickly, inwardly reproaching himself. Before bowing though, he took a quick glance to Felicia to see if she was okay only to see a slight flush contrasting her pale ivory skin and a glimmer of sadness on her face.

Ailene chuckled off to the side, "Maybe we should have Emilia prioritize your etiquette lessons for a while, as your mother I'll be worried if things don't get smoother in the future. Don't you think so Leonard?" Her cheery voice broke through the awkward atmosphere; resetting it at Leonard's expense. Which to him felt all too welcoming hoping for a change of pace.

Maintaining her momentum she continued, "Liarra, might I suggest a change of scenery? Our gardens are well cared for by our chef Wesley, he likes to tend to it's care in consideration that he uses it to grow his own herbs that he uses in his cooking. The flowers add a wonderful background display to their colourful aroma's."

"That sounds delightful, by all means please."

In agreement with their guests, Ailene decidedly lead their party to the garden with Leonard bringing up the group from the rear. Looking down and feeling disappointed with himself at his failed attempt at a good first impression; a hand reached down to his shoulders and offered it a slight squeeze. He didn't need to look up to know it was Marie and a small smile of comfort embraced his face in just having her presence their to ease him. Hoping things would get better as the day went on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sounds of weapons clashing and cries of struggle and engagement filled the air of the training grounds within Frederice's military compound. Currently in a dried dirt squared arena walled off by a wooden fence were a father and son finished with their most recent engagement against one another – displaying differing states of damage. Wooden weapons were the allowed weaponry within these grounds but they had the unique property of allowing mana to be channelled through them; strengthening it's overall properties.

Ashton was kneeling on the floor, a slick sheen of sweat dripping from his face as he was barely holding himself up by using his sword as a crutch – gasping for breath. A number of marks were seen across his body and his padded armour signifying that he'd been hit by his opponent multiple times.

As for his father Brenton, he was stood opposite ever poised. His own sword resting on his shoulder and his own armour as clean as it had been when they started, looking down at his eldest in severe appraisal.

Meanwhile, Illiana and Jenson were both outside of the arena. Illiana slouching herself along wooden fence as she looked bored and slightly tired with her own layer of dirt and sweat now drying. Whilst Jenson stood at attention; attire entirely out of place as he maintained focus on his masters engagement and ready to intervene should his assistance be necessary.

"Ashton! I know you have more left in you than that. You're hesitating in your swings, your reactions are as fast as a mule dragging a knight frame and your footwork is all over the place." Brenton's harsh reprimand was authoritative, leaving no room for rebuke.

"Your minds elsewhere and not focussed on the fight. Which can only mean one thing!" A sudden pause and slight smile crept onto his face following his incoming declaration. "You've finally found a woman you're interested in!"

Whatever authority radiated from Brenton's posture evaporated immediately. As a sequence of reactions followed his announcement from his daughter's body perking up screaming out, "Really!?" to his son's silently loud display of a strong scowl of annoyance overthrowing his once tired face.

"What? It's not that? Then come on. You can't make me understand what's wrong if you don't tell me. And we both know when it is that you speak loudest."

Although provoking, Brenton got to understand Ashton better than he let on over the years, struggling with voicing words, his eldest chose to take action rather than anything else. It often lead to a few social mishaps amongst his own age group but he never caused trouble with the intention of doing so.

"...one."

A struggling voice almost like a whisper reached Brenton's ears as it barely breeched through the sounds of the facility. What he heard nearly visibly shook him. Never had he heard Ashton openly voice his fears or concerns; often taking the initiative in seizing ways to resolve them with the guidance of others. Brenton understood all too well what this fear of his was like. His son would be leaving on his own soon to join the Arocsdeen Royal Academy just as both he and Ailene had when they were given the opportunity.

Discrimination amongst the nobility and commoners was forbidden entirely on it's historic grounds. Yet, having attended the academy himself and meeting Ailene there did he understand all too well just how deep the reach of the nobility could extend to if it didn't care for ramifications. Though given that it was upon the property of the royal family it often lead to severe consequences resulting in a strong dissuasion to overstep boundaries.

Being from a commoner background and entering within the academy by himself, he knew his son wouldn't necessarily have as much of a hard time as he had. Yet, he wasn't going to allow such fears take root and cloud his son's mind as they once did his. Thus ending his reminiscence he didn't comment on what he'd heard only waited to see what actions his son would take before proceeding.

Struggling to push himself back to his full height, Ashton found whatever strength he could muster and readied his body for combat once more. Brenton, however, could see the slight discomfort and uncertainty in his son's eyes. Deciding it was time to intervene more severely, Brenton took the initiative to act upon what he heard from Ashton's brief whisper of fear.

Lowering his sword from his shoulder he pushed it to the ground placing both his hands to rest atop its blunt pommel. "Ashton!"

His voice boomed. Breaking through the atmosphere that resided within the training grounds making it loud enough that even the other arena's and their combatants could clearly hear his words.

"You are strong! You are the son to both me and your mother! We're proud of who you are and how much you've achieved in your training!"

Ashton having never seen this side to his father watched on in a daze, his stance forgotten as all attention was honed in on his fathers following words and actions which were directed at him.

"You! Are the elder brother to both Illiana and Leonard! Who look up to you in both aspiration and inspiration!"

Illiana too had stood up to full attention from her fathers outburst. Whatever boredom or tiredness she felt swiftly switched to intrigue upon seeing her fathers common jokester appearance become overshadowed by this sudden powerful figure of authority and strength before her.

"So if you should find that all gone! With nobody by your side! Then rally them! Through your actions! Those people will join you! And they will stand by you! For you are strong! And your strength is in your actions!"

The entire training grounds was in silence. Brenton couldn't care less about onlookers or hearsay to what just happened, what he cared about most of all right now was ensuring his words got through to his son. That the word 'lonely' would never be echoed through his mouth again, knowing full well his son was capable of attracting loyal people to his side through his actions and not by words.

For Ashton. Upon hearing his fathers words, whatever doubts and discomfort troubled him vanished. They were words spoken to him. For him only. Aimed at helping him. His confused and troubled thoughts were burnt away by an intense heat coursing throughout his entire body. Happiness, understanding, gratefulness, eagerness. So many more emotions were flooding within him at this time. Desperate in wanting to voice all of them to his father – but he couldn't. No words could truly express his emotions within this moment.

So he decided. He'd show him. Show that his words rung true. That he was strong. Only, within his mind he added his own thoughts to his father's statement forged with pride. His family was strong too.

An energetic smile crept up onto his face that even upon Brenton's notice surprised him a little.

And with that Ashton took an immediate stance, gathered all his strength in his legs and launched himself forward. Rushing in a straight line to his father and jumping just high enough to gain an advantage in a single overhead strike as he aimed his swing downwards.

The entire action caught his father off-guard but he skilfully adjusted to his son's actions with an all too knowing eager smile of his own in response to his reinvigorated opponent.

Raising his blade up to meet his son's. Their clash let out an all too loud of an impact as their mana strengthened weapons began their timbered symphony of differing echoes giving rise to the father son cacophony of combat.

Meanwhile, watching on from the fencing outside the arena, Illiana was surprised by the entire sequence of events that happened all too suddenly. First with her father and his outburst to Ashton. Then with her brothers response in a sudden rush attack against her father. Followed by the shock in seeing the shared smiles between the two as they focused on each others point of attack.

Compared to earlier she could see that her father was happy with Ashton's newfound strength. And for her to now see Ashton smiling so carefreely was equally surprising as it made her just as happy. Thinking about home and how she couldn't wait to tell the others about today landed her thoughts on Leonard and his reaction, giving way for a brief spout of eagerness in their return. Hoping he too was having just as much fun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leonard was not having fun.

Having been seated within the gardens well crafted gazebo, conversation was immediately struck up between Ailene and Liarra as though they were long lost sisters. They took control of the topics discussed and referenced with an almost unnatural enthusiasm, periodically having either of their children enter the discussion only to find themselves soon pushed out from the pace of topics changing.

An inward sigh of annoyance was Leonard's only reprieve at his discomfort in feeling like nothing more than an ornament on display. Looking to Felicia he noticed that she too was not as enthused about the current situation as she gazed downwards to the floor appearing lost a little in her own thoughts of boredom.

Deciding he'd had enough of just sitting around Leonard decided to take the initiative in escaping this wooden prison.

"Mother. Might I perhaps go and take a walk around the gardens for a moment?" Thinking he'd have a better chance of her agreeing he figured bringing Felicia into this might improve his chances. "I could escort Felicia around the outer pathways and show some of the herb beds which Wesley has planted."

Whatever topic was being discussed between the pair of mothers ceased immediately upon Leonard's question almost as if to declare his interruption was a sin. Though he knew his mother better than that as he could see the gears in her head turning in order to calculate if leaving their children with one another was such a smart idea.

Almost panicking in response out of fear she might refuse, he was about to broach having Marie accompany them until Liarra interjected.

"I think that's a wonderful idea."

Not only mother and son but Felicia herself were caught flat footed by Liarra's agreement to Leonard's request. Ailene knew beforehand from Brenton that Liarra was very protective of her daughter so felt suspicion in her eagerness to allow the two to go off together.

Whereas for Leonard he felt inwardly exulted. To not only get away from the tedious discussions that were ongoing but also at the chance of a second opportunity with getting along with Felicia. He'd felt embarrassed that he'd said something so audacious on a first encounter, so he wanted to prove to his mother that he wasn't inept at interacting with other people – previous life failures be damned.

Thus pushing himself out from the table and standing up he walked around to Felicia's side and offered her his hand.

The unsure look on Felicia's face gave rise to worry and fear that he might be refused by her again and could only watch on as she turned to face her mother. Liarra in response simply looked down at her daughter showing no signs of coming to her help, her face giving the visible question of 'what are you going to do?'

Whatever internal struggle was ongoing within Felicia ceased the moment Leonard felt her soft smaller hand reach itself into his. He closed his grip tenderly almost afraid her hand would break should he rush this fragile connection he was presented with.

Leading her away from their parents, Leonard escorted Felicia out to the outer edges of their family garden following the same stone path he'd ran along throughout his training this past year. Multiple flower beds had been planted along the pathways to allow a wonderful mixture of smells to fill their noses as they walked. However, despite their colourful surroundings an all too familiar monotone silence was shared between the two – internally Leonard knew he needed to make the first push forward. Yet, that same grudging feeling from earlier returned, pushing back his attempts to speak openly with Felicia. By reaction he simply clenched his stomach tight, locking that growing ball he was oh so familiar with. Refusing to let hesitation and worry cloud his judgement as they had done so previously to his regret.

"I'm sorry for dragging you away from your mother like that, I hope I wasn't being too forward in getting you to join me."

He made his voice sound as soothing as he could, though it wasn't all too difficult given his age. He was just thankful it allowed him to hide his nervousness better.

"It's fine. I wasn't all too comfortable with just sitting there doing nothing as mother kept talking about things I barely know anything about."

Her response felt a lot more natural compared to earlier when she appeared entirely thrown off by his compliments. Thinking that she was perhaps feeling more comfortably adjusted to the new environment he decided to follow up the discussion, hoping to keep her engaged.

"I've never seen my mother as animated as she seemed when talking to your mother like that, I think those two are fast approaching becoming friends."

He could see Felicia was slightly happy by his observation, "I don't think my mother has that many friends, she often had me by her side whenever she talked to other people so I think maybe I stopped her from making any."

That smile turned sad as she finished her sentence, in Leonard's eye he felt his heart hurt at seeing her brief happiness plummet all too quickly. Decisively taking action, he stopped walking – turning to face her fully her hand still in his as he voiced his intent clear to her ears.

"Then lets become friends too."

He was watching her reaction carefully. Wondering if he had again been too forward in his approach only to noticed that those slightly dilated eyes of hers that once showed her comfort started to close in, thinning in their display of her growing anxiousness.

Not willing to lose out on this opportunity he decided to lay it all on the table for her to understand his reasons.

"I don't have any friends either. I haven't really been allowed out of the house a lot and so it's been hard to talk to people that aren't either my family or the staff that work here. I really wanted to make my first friend today so I tried to impress you when we first met… Only, I feel like I might have scared you off with my enthusiasm when complimenting you earlier…"

He spoke truthfully on his feelings hoping that she'd understand he was in a similar situation to herself. He realized that in his explanation he was still holding onto her hand and out of fear of perhaps alluding to him forcing her to answer he let go almost on instinct. Yet, as he did so he realized that her grip had tightened around his refusing to lose contact with him.

Looking down at his hand then back up he realized that Felicia was again struggling with something internally so he decided to take her actions as a good sign.

"Feli–"

"Me too."

Her voice breaking through his own with more strength that he'd heard from her all day.

"I also want to have friends. Whenever I travelled with my mother through the city and saw children playing in the streets I always envied how much fun they were having. How effortless they made it look to ask someone if you could join them… But I always felt scared and intimidated."

Her voice saddening towards the end as her ears, once straightened due to anxiousness lost their strength and flattened themselves against her head again.

"My mother. She doesn't tell me a lot about her past… but she always had me by her side as if to protect me from something. So I'm scared – scared that by doing the things she protected me from it might lead to me getting hurt."

He understood. Only all too well of the things which she was referencing.

"Me too." A strong whisper of affirmation to Felicia's worry.

"I'm afraid too of getting hurt – about the possibility of being rejected or betrayed. But at the same time, I'm tired of it. Tired of missing out on the possibility of making a connection with someone. Someone who I can have fun with. Someone who I can share stories with and laugh with."

Through his rising voice Felicia for the first time looked up into Leonard's eyes and saw the sincerity he was speaking to her with. And as she did, Leonard in turn could see those once sharpening irises begin to dilate.

"So I'll ask again. Felicia, do you want to be friends with me?"

It wasn't her voice that responded to him first but the grip of her hand in his as it tightened with more strength than he realized she held. Desperate almost in its attempt at not letting this chance get away from her. He had to channel his mana a little to endure it's pressure.

"Okay…"

A surprisingly strong happiness welled up from within him upon hearing her answer and before he even realized what he was doing, he reaffirmed his grip on Felicia's hand once more, matching her grip in strength – scared of losing that contact. In doing so, he moved ahead of her almost dragging her along as he was caught up in his excitement.

"C'mon! I said I'd show you the herb beds we have, you'll love the smell there, its more refreshing than it is colourful with all these flowers around!"

Startled by Leonard's action Felicia rushed to match his steps as despite wearing a dress she surprisingly managed to easily maintain the pace he was setting. Yet within she couldn't help but blurt out a question.

"Wait! Leonard! what do friends do exactly?"

Her question halted his enthusiasm a little – within a second, multiple memories from his past life filtered through his mind as visions of people he'd seen associate themselves as friends through their interactions together.

He thought about mentioning any one of these recollections, believing any one of them to be a possible answer to Felicia's question, but inside he felt it was wrong. That those memories weren't his experiences. So considering he was speaking so openly today he decided to simply let out his own beatific smile, one that could rival even Illiana's as he proclaimed with excitement.

"I don't know! But let's find out together!"

And with that he carried on with eager steps leading them to their first shared moment as friends.