King’s crown, what a stupid way to start the day.

Even dolled up like a priestess, Lotus’ having to sneak out on the road like she’s some kind of criminal. Oh, she’s all smiles, but any minute, she’s gonna remember that breakfast they didn’t have. Don’t you tell her about all the food they got in the packs, you think she forgot? She said it earlier. Listen next time, idiot. Handfuls of bread and fruit are a rotten meal for a damn demigod. Who is, in case you hadn’t noticed, carrying her own umbrella. [i]She[/i] should be carrying it, except this thorny arm’s no good, and Lotus’ hugging on the other one, so, she can’t. She can’t, alright?! She can’t do a damn thing about any of it, she just has to keep walking, and try to act like [i]any[/i] of this is okay and-!

[i]“Sorry.”[/i] The word explodes out of her, like the first rock in a dam breaking.

Lotus blinks up at her. “Han…?”

“I said [i]sorry.[/i] My sister’s an idiot, okay?! She’s a nosy, useless [i]ditz[/i] who thinks she should’ve been born a Princess and acts like it happened anyway. If I’d have known [i]Sagacious Crane’d[/i] be there, I’d have carried you to the next inn myself, and you’d be having an actual morning today.” She snorts. “So there. [i]Sorry.[/i]”

A chime. A bell. A clear and perfect note, cutting through the hum of the morning drizzle: “Oh!”

“Oh? Oh…bad? Oh good? Oh, something?”

Lotus says nothing. Lotus props the umbrella on her shoulder, that she could use both hands to squeeze Han’s arm.

“What’s ‘oh’?!”