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Than hadn't been able to take more than a few steps before he stopped and turned back to his siblings, blinking. He certainly hadn't expected such a vocal response to him going to get cleaned up. Of course, Than probably didn't understand how long a time really passed between his visits. It wasn't something that normally occurred to him. "Okay, Okay, I'm not going without you." He chuckled a little nervously, starting to walk again only when he was sure that his siblings were at his sides. He took his time walking, knowing that he could easily outpace the trio with his longer legs. At first when he heard what Trilla had to say he thought that was just her way of saying she wanted to spend a little more time with him, which he would have said was just the way she was, but any topic where Trilla and Eecheb agreed was more serious. He doubted both would be saying the same thing if it was just wanting to spend a day with him or something of the sort. "Ah-- this is a little surprising, to tell you the truth," Than was almost unsure of what he should say, although he knew he had things he could and couldn't do. "I didn't know I was that important to have around often. There's not all that much for me to get done back at the tower." Than scratched at the back of his head, perhaps scraping away a few specs of dirt from his scuffle, and then he tilted his head back, walking down the street looking blindly toward the sky. "You know what, I don't even know why I avoid the tower so much. It's not like there's a big difference where I am from my standpoint. I guess it's just because I train alone these days; I don't take lessons from Uncle Sho or Slayer anymore, so I just go off and train on my own time. A pretty stupid reason to avoid home isn't it?" Turning his face back to the direction he was walking, Than smiled a little and took on a more light-hearted tone to address Eecheb. "What? Me? Teach you to be stronger? I don't really know what I could do to help you get stronger. You're already pretty tough on your own. Besides, your big brother isn't all that strong.... I wish I could say I was."

Thanatos was having a difficult time understanding why he felt so nervous, if that was the right word. Maybe cornered was a better word, even though he wasn't actually in any danger right now. Really, it was probaby neither of those. It was because moments like this brought him back to the person he'd been before and when the kids were born. The small, weak, and insignificant Thanatos who just wanted everything to be peaceful, who had at one point loved Kaiori, who had cared deeply for everyone in the Black Company, and who was the last threat anyone faced. It was all altruistic, non-sensicle babble to him now. Yes, that Thanatos would have loved to hear what Trilla and Eecheb were saying now. That Thanatos would have gladly responded 'of course! I'll wait down in the cafeteria at breakfast every morning if you like!' Just imagining the cheerfulness of his character created a violent urge in the back of Than's mind which was suppressed no more than a moment later. "Heh, I really must be horrible at this big brother intuition thing. I'm here in the same place day after day and I still had no idea..." He could even feel the sadness on Trilla's face; she was just too expressive with her atmosphere. "I guess you're right, Eecheb. I shouldn't be surprised at all. I'm just really dumb for not understanding. It's true that I've missed you guys to. I remember all of you pretty much every day, but I've just let my training become too important and too much of a habit. But you guys win." Than inhaled deeply, and held his breath for a few seconds, before he breathed it all out. Then he straightened up and spoke clearly. "All right then, I'll make sure I take one day off a week to come back home...... you know what, just make it two days. I can take up the slack on other days."

"Hey, whoa!" Than's surprise was again somewhat stupid. It wasn't like there was any other possible action that would follow the excitement, especially not with his siblings. "You guys might be growing up, but you're still just as excitable." He sighed contently, knowing Micha wasn't far behind either of them. It was refreshing to see them so enthusiastic. "All right, not so tight now; I can't walk if you keep hanging onto me so much." He started walking again, patting Eecheb's head with his right and and Trilla's with his left. He was less tense now than he had been a minute ago when the children first asked, but he was still figuring in the back of his mind how he was going to keep up with the training he'd been doing so obsessively and still make good on his word.

Micha wouldn't find himself falling that far behind. Than was attentive enough to know that the boy had stopped and refused to leave him behind. Than turned around when Micha had stopped for a few seconds and called out to him. "Oi, Micha! Come on, buddy, we're waiting on you. We either move together or we don't move at all, ya?" He smiled back toward the boy, even though he couldn't see, and only resumed walking once Micha had caught up. Sure he didn't display the same ecstatic bursts of his brother and sister, but Than was no less going to keep him involved than his siblings.

"Yeah I don't really think I have any choice but to take a shower right now, bro. I'm pretty sure these pants are ready to be laid to rest for good too. I need a new get up anyway. It's not exactly gonna look good if I walk around with dirt for a shirt." He chuckled again, once more patting Eecheb before making a joke hopefully the boy could appreciate. "The dirt just gets in the way of my muscles, after all." Soon enough, he was walking up the flight of stairs to the entrance of the tower, all three of his siblings just a few feet from him. "Huh, that's strange. Proto doesn't seem to be here right now."

"I've got some clothes I can take for now. Maybe I'll find something useful later." Than had barely finished his sentence when he heard Nana's voice and looked up in the direction it came from, just in time to hear her realize how out of shape he was. "Ah, busted......... Not that bad, right?" Sure, Eecheb and Trilla had some dirt and grass, but that was nothing compared to Than. He had dirt and mud smears all over his arms, torso and pants. The pants themselves had another problem in that they were shredded and torn. They were probably a small wind storm away from total destruction below the knees. At least his shoes were in one piece. "Maybe just a little above average?"

Sheparding was probably a good way to describe what Nana was doing to the four of them. After lining the meat up and inspecting the rot so to speak, Nana would load the chain gang onto the elevator and ship them off to get their new uniforms, and then it was off to the mess hall. At least the food was good, Thanatos thought. Most of the time they were eating Than was quiet, letting Trilla and Eecheb be the one's to converse with Nana. Either that or he was talking to Micha in his own silent language. After the meal, Than would be the one quickest to hop in a shower and the quickest to get out. He was in long enough to wash up but not long enough to make himself well groomed. He figured he'd be unfashionable soon enough anyway. Within the hour, Nana would probably be able to find that all the kids but Than were in their rooms. A cursory inquiry by any means would tell her Than was on the bottom floor again, in the lobby.

"Gah, I swear I need to find away to make this piece of junk sturdier." He was reclining in a kind of high chair, higher than the ones you'd find at a dining table, with his mechanical arm resting on a covered counter. His arm had its plating removed and its innards exposed. On the other side of the counter, Proto beeped back at Than's comment and continued tinkering with his arm using several hand tools he'd brought with him. At least it wasn't a major fix that required the entire arm structure be repaired. "Dammit, Proto, you know I was talking about my arm...."

The initial response to Nana would be Proto's familiar beeping rather than Than, who followed up shortly after. "Yeah. I'm right here." Than didn't have a problem with Nana being present while Proto finished working on his left arm. "It's okay to come in. I wouldn't look directly at Proto while he works though; the light might not be good for your eyes." Proto's tools gave off intense light whenever he was making a solder or another electrical contact. Such light was obviously no problem for Thanatos, but it could still damage an unprotected eye. Than himself looked much cleaner now. He wore black dress pants like the others he'd had before they were shredded, but for now he was shirtless, probably because he didn't want to wear one and because it would get in the way of Proto's work. "Proto's just fixing up my arm. The wrist is busted."