Shan joined the second shift for dinner, sliding onto the bench with an exaggerat-ed groan. "I'm starved," he announced, grabbing at the bread in front of him. "I couldn't wait any longer." "You’re looking better," Jahree observed, eyeing Shan with a thoughtful tilt of his head. Shan grinned through a mouthful of food. "Finally got some proper rest," he said between chews, sounding more alive than he had in days. Lanni leaned forward from her seat across the table, a hint of teasing in her voice. "Maybe you should bunk with someone on the night shift." "Perhaps," Shan said with a chuckle, wiping crumbs from his mouth. "Although I'm sure I'd end up keeping them awake instead." “With your hearing, you should be outside for the night shift,” Lanni continued her tone now a little more serious. Shan nodded, his expression softening as if contemplating it. "I know. The cold doesn't get to me like it does Tell." Tellic, who had been quietly listening while enjoying his food, broke his silence with a scoff. "If they don’t post me out there, how will they hide the fact there's a troll on the squad?" His voice was light, but there was a bite of truth behind his words. Lanni's face darkened with a frown. "I get tired of everyone trying to hide differ-ences. It's exhausting." Tellic grinned, though there was a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Oh? And you’re so different from the rest of them?" Lanni sat up straighter, her eyes flashing with indignation. "How many others have you seen as pale as I am? Or as short? Your captain had the nerve to ask Rantar if I was even of age to serve. And don’t even get me started on Lady Barta—she wanted me to wear makeup for the first party I worked to hide my complexion.” "Did you?" Jahree asked curiously, leaning in as if drawn into Lanni’s orbit of fiery resistance. "No." Lanni shook her head, fire still in her eyes. "It wasn’t in the contract when they hired me, and they saw me then. Lady Barta was furious. But no one else cared." She let out a small, satisfied smile. "She tried the same trick with my uncle, too. He laughed right in her face and told her that he answered to the Crown and they didn’t care what he looked like. Neither did they care about me. I’m just glad she didn’t ask me to wear stilts." Shan burst out laughing, the image of tiny Lanni wobbling on stilts too much for him to handle. "That would have been priceless!" "Yes, laugh it up." Lanni rolled her eyes, though a smile tugged at her lips. "It’s all about appearances around here. She wanted Jahree, Jahan, and you to cut your hair, Marn to shave, and Zan to stop wearing jewelry on duty.” "Jewelry?" Shan asked, puzzled. "What jewelry?" "His earrings," Lanni clarified, her tone sharp but amused. "Those are his hearing charms," Tellic said, his voice rising with irritation. "They help him hear." Lanni nodded, taking a sip from her cup. "Captain Trema said as much. He told Lady Barta none of you were breaking any regulations, and he wasn’t going to ask you to change anything." "Good," Shan said, looking relieved. "I’m surprised she didn’t come after me for these." He pulled a small ball of beeswax from his ear, holding it up with a mock flourish before stuffing it back in. Lanni smirked. "She probably didn’t notice. And, like Zan’s charms, they’re for medical reasons. If she pushed too hard, she’d have to answer to Loka. And Loka doesn’t take kindly to that sort of nonsense. I’ve seen her stare down the Ertonian Senate, and no one crosses them. They’re harsher than the King’s Council here." Tellic and Jahree shared a look before rising from the table. “We need to get on duty,” Tellic said, offering a quick wave before heading toward the door. Jahree fol-lowed, leaving Lanni and Shan alone at the table. Once they were gone, Lanni turned to Shan, her voice quiet but direct. "I’m sup-posed to help you with your magic." Shan froze, his easy demeanor slipping. "Why?" His brow furrowed, concern creasing his forehead. "I’ve never been able to cast. No one else in the squad can either." Lanni’s gaze was steady. "No one else leaks magic like you do, though. Captain Trema asked me specifically. He mentioned something about broken bowstrings." Shan’s face fell. "That. I was really hoping that wasn’t me." "It was." Lanni's voice softened, as though sensing his embarrassment. "I once caused all the wine bottles at a party to explode. No one was hurt, thanks to another mage shielding it, but… no one ever realized it was me. They wouldn’t even let me get trained." Shan blinked in surprise. "Shades… What did you do?" "I snuck into the college," Lanni said, grinning mischievously. Shan laughed, shaking his head. "I never wanted to go to the college." "Basic control was all they really gave me," Lanni admitted. "I needed personal-ized help—and so do you." "Did Loka tell you that?" Shan asked, wariness creeping back into his voice. "Loka? No." Lanni shook her head. "She doesn’t discuss patients with me unless it’s an emergency. Captain Trema is the one who asked me. I can start working with you during your downtime. Or, if you’d prefer, someone else will come to help cover your shifts." Shan blinked, surprised. "All this just for me?" Lanni smiled, shaking her head. "No, not just for you. There are others in the group who need some special attention, too." Shan relaxed slightly, curiosity replacing his earlier discomfort. "How are you go-ing to work with me if you’re always in the kitchen?" Lanni’s grin widened. "The nice thing about not needing much sleep is having a lot of free time. And for all Lady Barta’s complaints, she doesn’t care when I’m in the kitchen as long as meals are served on time." "You don’t use magic to help, do you?" Shan asked, raising an eyebrow. Lanni’s smile softened. "Not if Sifa’s around. It makes her nervous." "Sifa and Lamin… they’re Yarb, aren’t they?" "They are," Lanni confirmed, rising to her feet. "I should get going before the day shift rolls in. We’ll talk more later." #fantasy, #magic, #dragons, #hiddenlands