Why do we still allow SmallPond visitors? They have no understanding of what Awakened society truly is like. They believe their tiny Holdings, often based around nothing more than a Hub, are the height of power.

  They might know that something exists past the wall, they might even have regular contact with some of their local Deep Holdings, but what is that when compared to the majesty that is a true Pond. Where the only Unawakened are the young. Where everything is built with Awakened in mind, and even smaller Families are looked up to.

  Who cares that they sometimes find their way past the wall, that they 'have potential'.

  At least they were born to an Awakened family.

  ~ * ~

  She's focusing on her coffee, Anya sent and Seb stopped himself from sighing in relief.

  Good, he answered as he started plating the eggs and bacon.

  Handing the first plate over to Anya he carried the other two over to the table and waited for the two of them to join him before sitting. When Phelann looked as though she was going to say something he interrupted her by pointing out the food would get cold. A few bites later Anya offered her a refill before she could get more than a single word out.

  The meal appeared silent and calm, as they took turns eating, ensuring one of them was always ready to keep Phelann from apologizing or trying to explain what had happened. They'd agreed to be encouraging and helpful, to let her open up and not force the issue.

  Finally he heard her put her fork down nearly hard enough to rattle the table and he did the same, although much more gently.

  Do we let her? he asked.

  I think it's time, Anya answered.

  "Why?" Phelann began, her voice nearly cracking. "Why aren't you letting me apologize. Why did you keep offering me food and coffee every time I tried to tell you what I did wrong?"

  "Was there something wrong with the food?" Seb answered. "You seemed hungry."

  "I was, thank you- No! Why are you being nice? Why aren't you angry that I snuck into your house?"

  Seb glanced at Anya and nodded.

  "Why would we be angry?" she asked.

  Seb saw Phelann staring before managing to find an answer. "I was in your house, I was-"

  "You were tired, you didn't want to travel home just to turn back around a few hours later," Seb finished, repeating her words from the night before.

  "It's your couch, your house-"

  "Was the bed more comfortable?" Anya asked, inserting herself between Phelann's words.

  "Yes, it- why!? Lady Lysanya, Lord Sebastian, why-"

  "Anya," Anya interrupted.

  Anya?

  You told her to call you Seb, remember? she answered.

  "Lady?" Phelann asked.

  "It's Anya, same as Lord Sebastian is Seb," Anya explained in a softer tone.

  "But it isn't proper."

  "Fay-Lahn," Seb said, his words causing her to nearly bolt out of her chair as she spun to face him.

  Seb? She asked us to call her Feh-lan, Anya sent, her confusion evident.

  She asked to call our Seer Liaison Feh-lan, he sent back.

  "You were sleeping on our couch. You looked like you were terrified we were going to what? Fire you? Punish you?"

  "As your Seer Liaison I-"

  "Yes," he interrupted gently. "Our Seer Liaison should not be sleeping on our couch. Our Seer Liaison, which to be clear is still you, isn't here right now. We're meeting her in two days as planned. We're sitting here having breakfast with a friend who needed somewhere to sleep last minute."

  "A friend?" Phelann asked.

  "Yes," Anya joined in. "Seer Feh-lan is our liaison. But right now we're eating breakfast with our friend Fay-Lahn."

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  Seb could feel Anya try not to wince as she pronounced the name. She'd gotten it right, or at least it sounded right to Seb. From Phelann's look it was close enough for her as well.

  "Fay." The words were barely a whisper. Phelann's face was nearly buried in her coffee mug as she spoke.

  "Fay?" Anya asked, nearly as quietly.

  "My friends called me Fay."

  Called? Seb sent, trying not to frown.

  I heard.

  "Would you like us to call you Fay?" Anya asked.

  Phelann didn't answer out loud but Seb could see her nodding ever so slightly.

  Anya, could you start more coffee?

  Seb waited until Anya had stepped away, still in earshot but no longer a third presence at the table.

  "Fay," he began even as he saw her tense slightly. "What's wrong."

  "You aren't angry," the words were muffled, half choked. "I've been sneaking in. I've been sleeping on the couch, I've been hiding and you aren't angry."

  "Do you want us to be angry?" he asked.

  He saw her head snap up, her eyes now nearly as red as they had been haunted first thing this morning. "No."

  "Do you want us to be upset?"

  "No."

  "Do you sleep better here?"

  Seb!? he felt Anya nearly sputter in his thoughts.

  "Usually," Phelann answered.

  Anya started to come back to the table, the pot of coffee not yet brewed and he glanced up at her. Wait?

  "Do you want to talk about it?"

  "No," Phelann answered then paused and frowned. "Yes- No!"

  "Would you like more coffee?" Anya asked from the kitchen.

  "Yes!"

  Seb nodded as Anya came and refilled their mugs before sitting next to Phelann at the table.

  "We don't have to talk about it unless you want to," she said when Phelann glanced at her.

  "Later?" Phelann asked.

  "Whenever you want," they both said, the slightest flicker of coordination over the band letting them, for once, not sound like they were interrupting one another.

  A further quick exchange was all they needed to come to agreement on their next question.

  "We do want you to decide one thing right now," Anya said. "Do you want the guest room or the spare suite upstairs?"

  "Do I-?" Phelann asked, confusion replacing every other emotion she had been showing.

  "You're not sleeping on the couch again," Seb stated. "We have two spare rooms, the one you used last night after we showed up, or the suite upstairs with it's own bathroom and storage."

  When she hesitated Anya leaned in, not touching her but close enough to seem as though she was about to. "Fay, you don't have to use the room, you can leave it empty, or move in full time. Whichever you choose is yours, it's Fay's."

  Seb kept his face calm, his smile as natural as he could as Phelann glanced between them, searching for something. When she finally smiled he let himself relax.

  "The suite? I'd have my own bathroom?"

  Seb! This time Anya sent her shocked reaction before he could.

  "A bathroom with a shower and tub. And a closet," he agreed.

  "The suite," Fay said, this time clearly confident in her words. "Why are you home early though?"

  ~ * ~

  "I'm ruining your plans," Fay complained, again. "You two should be out celebrating."

  "Fay," Anya answered, trying not to sigh. "We are celebrating. You're part of the celebration."

  "But I-"

  "Fay," Anya cut her off. "We can celebrate more than one thing. We're celebrating hitting level 4 together and we're also celebrating our friend getting a new place to stay."

  Anya glanced over at Seb as he kept out of the ongoing argument. When they told Fay that they were home early to celebrate hitting level 4 she started insisting she should leave and go back to her dorm. Rather than address that detail directly they expanded their celebration to include gaining a new roommate and friend.

  Seb had managed to talk her down from leaving and even gotten her to agree that she should celebrate. However she kept insisting she should be celebrating on her own rather than with them. Anya had been trying to reassure her but was starting to feel like she was repeating herself.

  Help? she sent.

  "Fay," he said as he came back into the conversation. "We want you to celebrate with us. We can all go out together, or I can run to the store and we can make a dinner together."

  Anya resisted the urge to glare at him, he knew she'd been looking forward to their dinner out, neither of them were bad cooks but the restaurant was better, plus it had desserts. Eating in wouldn't be nearly as tasty, but if it convinced Fay that she was part of it she would-

  "Go out? You mean they have Chefs in the Shallows?"

  "Fay!" Seb tried not to laugh. "I don't know what Seer Sean told you were the food options but yes, there are Chefs."

  "Everywhere he mentioned sounded little better than a food creator. Something called 'Fast Food' and how there were new chains opening up."

  Anya reached over and flicked Seb's shoulder when he laughed. She'd had no real idea about what the Shallows had to offer until she'd left the Holding and she'd grown up surrounded by it. How was Fay supposed to have any idea.

  "Ignore him," she said with a smile. "Those options you were told about exist and sometimes they are worth eating at. The coffee we brought you that day we were late was from a chain. They make it the same all over."

  "That wasn't special?" Fay asked.

  "It was a better chain. But no, it wasn't anywhere special," she answered. "He took me to a small coffee shop the day we met. The coffee was good, even if-"

  She trailed off with a frown. She hadn't intentionally thought about that coffee shop or about Rios in months. How was she supposed to explain that the coffee was good but that the whole situation still felt like a nightmare at times.

  "The coffee was good," she finished.

  "If the food is good," Fay began before hesitating. "I wouldn't mind trying it someday. When I'm not wearing clothes I slept in?"

  Anya smiled and made a point of looking Fay up and down before shaking her head. Their builds weren't drastically different, but a couple inches of height would be enough to make anything nice look oversized.

  "I don't think I have anything that will fit you if we were to go out. But I can find you something clean to wear if you want? Or would you want to head home to grab a change or two?"

  "No." Fay said quickly, shaking her head. "They'd wonder why I wasn't in the lab. They'd ask questions, try to get me to talk to them."

  "Who would?" Seb asked.

  "Maybe no one?" Fay answered after a moment. "Everyone should be at work, only the staff are around during the day."

  "We could go with you and help?" he said.

  "No, you can't." Fay stated and frowned. "They only allow Seers into the dorms, only allow those past the wall into the building. They'd think we were-"

  Fay trailed off with a blush.

  Sneaking in for privacy? he guessed.

  Maybe? Probably better to eat in tonight then, she sent with a hint of disappointment. You owe me dessert.

  "Then we're eating in," Seb stated and headed for the door. "I'll pick up enough for all three of us and be back soon."

  I'll make it up to you, he promised.

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