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"My goodness, how can that child be so lazy."

With the sun already above the horizon, Kel gradually came to, roused by the sound of Nesta and Harrow bickering outside her door.

"Now, Dear, it\'s just fine for a man to sleep in every once in a while."

"But to make his friend do his chores instead? I must not have knocked enough sense into him with the spoon last night."

"It\'s alright, Ma\'am. I purposefully allowed Kel to keep sleeping. Really."

"Haaaa. Whatever you say, Young Man."

The shuffling of feet faded back into the main room, and Kel breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Harrow and Dash managed to talk Nesta down from a harsh scolding.

Honestly, at eighteen-years-old, she never thought she\'d have to worry about being reprimanded by a guardian. The child left in her couldn\'t help but wonder if this was what it felt like to have parents.

When Kel finally ventured out of her room, Nesta greeted her with her usual pleasant smile.

"Have some food, Boy," she insisted, motioning toward the rickety table where only a single plate remained.

Luckily, it seemed like Dash had managed to appease the woman\'s anger entirely.

After excessive words of gratitude, a heaping spoonful of gruel and a promise to wash the dishes later, Kel bolted out the door to find Harrow and Dash.

In her groggy morning state, she\'d almost forgotten that Dash was leaving today.

She had discovered the news the previous night while questioning Dash about his words during dinner as she set up a makeshift bed for him on the floor.

"You never told me where else you have to go now.." she\'d broached quietly, spreading a large musty quilt.

"It\'s nothing to worry about," Dash had responded with a sigh as he patted her head. "I\'ll be back before you know it."

"Are you going to Pandreia again?" Kel had persisted, unwilling to let the topic drop.

"... Not this time," Dash answered, forcing a smile.

"Just tell me," Kel had grumbled, slamming the spare pillow onto the ground.

Why did Dash always insist on keeping things secret from her?

"I\'m going back to Mevani\'s capital," Dash had finally caved to her pouting. "There are some unpleasant rumors floating around that may require my attention."

"...When are you leaving?"

"In the morning."

"Oh."

Kel hadn\'t brought the subject up again after that. Despite Dash\'s repeated passionate declarations that she was more important than his duty, it seemed, in the end, he couldn\'t abandon his post after all.

It wasn\'t that she wanted Dash to abandon everything for her (or so she told herself), but once again, Kel found herself bitterly wondering which of Dash\'s words she could trust.

The untrustworthy man in question and Harrow were preparing Dash\'s horse for departure when Kel burst outside.

"Kel," Dash smiled as she approached the two men.

"So you\'re heading out now?" Kel mumbled in response, sifting a pile of dirt with the toe of her shoe.

Dash gave her a sympathetic look and opened his arms for an embrace.

"I am leaving, but I\'ll be back after a month at most," he said softly, wrapping his arms around her.

"What are you doing?" Kel hissed, glancing at Harrow who was busy attaching saddlebags to the horse\'s saddle.

Spending a good chunk of her life as an androgynous-looking soldier in a predominantly male army, she knew the practices of affection between males very well.

And they never hugged each other like this.

"Harrow will have a strange misunderstanding," Kel insisted again, pulling away.

"What misunderstanding?" Dash teased quietly. "Isn\'t our relationship like this?"

"Dash!" Nesta\'s cheery voice echoed through the yard, cutting Kel off before she could properly express her exasperation.

The woman strode up to the pair of childhood friends, holding a small wrapped bundle in her hands.

"It\'s not much," she smiled, offering the bundle to Dash, "but I made you some bread for the road."

"B-bread?" Kel whispered as the delicious scent of fresh-baked pastry filled her nose.

The people of Tael hardly ever wasted the energy and supplies to make things as soft and tasty as baked goods. As a result, it\'d been months since Kel had sunk her teeth into anything so delectable as bread.

"I\'m afraid you\'ll make Kel jealous by giving this to me," Dash grinned, unwrapping a corner of the bundle until a bit of plump, golden crust emerged.

With a wink, he tore a bite-sized piece off the loaf and held it out to Kel.

"I\'m not jealous!" Kel blurted, crossing her arms. "You take it."

"Hmmm, ok," Dash shrugged, his eyes gleaming devilishly as he slowly pushed the steaming morsel in between his lips.

Kel looked away, swallowing the saliva that had pooled in her mouth. First the hug and now this piece of bread--Dash was really acting like nothing had changed between them.

If things were truly like the old days, though, Dash would have definitely shared that brea-

"Here," Dash breathed into Kel\'s ear, tucking the remaining bread into her hand as Nesta turned to assist Harrow.

Before Kel had a chance to refuse his gift, Dash backed away with a grin.

"Thank you for everything," he said to the old couple as he climbed on his horse. "I\'ll be back soon!"

Then with a wave and loud "hyah!" Dash set off, disappearing in the cloud of dust kicked up by the horse\'s eager hooves.

"Ah, shall we get to work then?" Nesta yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "Those dishes aren\'t going to clean themselves."

Kel nodded absently, staring at the ever-shrinking dust cloud moving southwest toward the capital.

With the coveted loaf tucked into her tunic sleeve, she turned to follow Nesta and Harrow back into the house.

Just as she reached the door, however, her ears pricked at the sound of horse hooves rapidly approaching.

Whirling around, she saw a man on a strong brown horse, galloping toward her.

"... Dash?"