The rabbit was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he failed to see little Layla flying over and hovering in front of him. Matt didn't jump but gently extended out his arms to see if Layla wanted to let him hold her.
The little girl looked back at Sander and then rushed into the Loplin's arms. Matt held the little girl close, pondering about who the rabbits in his vision were earlier. Were they family?
Or some random parent and child he had seen or failed to save in his journeys? No, that couldn't be since his emotions were more connected as if he had been in that position. But since when was the Loplin a family person? Or even had a kid?
"You oki?" squeaked Layla as she snuggled in the Loplin's arms.
"Hm? Yes?" replied the bunny, facing the little Dragoon.
"You no feel well?"
Ah, even her speech is also affected, thought Matt as he embraced the girl. It was adorable to a certain level but it's going to be quite difficult for him to understand her. The Ankou had a smug expression as he stood up to leave.
"Well, I should be off then. You can find me in the kitchen finishing my tea," said Sander as he waved goodbye to the duo.
"Good, we don't need you anymore," hissed the Loplin as he stood up to move to the bed.
"Aww… Then make sure she doesn't cry again," said the Ankou as he closed the door behind him.
Sander stopped in the hallway while pondering about the Loplin's persistence in not letting the Dragoon know about his identity. It isn't that bad, it's not as if he was the one who killed her parents... Nor is Matt a bad person. Hell, the rabbit showed genuine concern for Layla.
The Ankou closed his eyes, trying to read into the Loplin's memories again. What might he have done? Sander then widened his eyes before realizing it. Memories can sometimes be annoying to him as he can never keep track.
"Is that why he doesn't want to tell her? For fear that Layla might hate him? Well, that's interesting..."
As the Ankou had his mini-revealtion, Layla refused to be placed down by Matt so the poor rabbit had to hold her a bit more before finally calling it quits and lying down.
"My body hurts, sweetheart…" mumbled the Loplin as he rested on the bed.
Little Layla knew what he meant and complied, crawling beside him to cuddle. Matt was genuinely too tired from the day's events to even bother about anything anymore.
But one thing was for sure, Matt knew that the days to come weren't going to be easy for any of them. Between the rising of Tiamat to the Shadow Trio appearing, the Six Kingdoms were about to be thrown into chaos because soon, the creatures would learn.
They will surface after seeing their primordial kind turn against the citizens. A force that even the combined efforts of the Royal Guard won't be able to handle.
There would be so much worry and stress, not knowing if the place will still be habitable by all after the creatures rise and wage war on them.
How many townsfolk will suffer? How many homes will be destroyed? How many hearts will be broken? How many lives will be shattered? How much blood will be shed across the plains again?
Matt's head started to spin but all the bad thoughts faded away whenever he looked at the smiling and sleeping Dragoon beside him. The Loplin cursed at his mind for wandering around so much and forced it to sleep. The future could wait, for now, he must sleep.
Meanwhile, the Ankou sat at the kitchen table, enjoying his tea while also staring into nothingness.
"For a being who has a tight and packed schedule, you sure look like you've got your heads in the clouds," noted Teemo as he walked into the kitchen.
"And I thought you weren't coming out from your secret dungeon?" asked the Grim Reaper.
"Unfortunately there isn't a way to make coffee in that place nor would I want to risk doing so. Also, where are the two?"
"Both are sleeping while I have been here just emptying your cookie and supply and drinking tea," answered the Ankou, biting another cookie.
Teemo made himself a pot of black coffee and sat with the Grim Reaper. The Felidae then made a mental note to bake a bunch of cookies tomorrow when he had completed one part of the armor. Maybe he could even get Layla to help with the baking.
"Usually I don't fancy having any visitors in my house unless they are here for one night stand, but with those two around, it feels…"