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Than smiled and his right hand patted Eecheb's knee twice after Than deduced which direction Eecheb was pointing. "You must have some good sensibility, that was pretty quick. My feelings say the same thing." Than started walking in the direction of the Peace, which luckily wasn't that far off, and kept his smile. "I guess if you've grown then Trilla and Micha have too. I think I miss being around you guys as often as I used to. As long as you guys are happy, I don't mind that much though." Than's fondness of his past memories with his brothers and sister were genuine, memories he wouldn't trade for the world. Now his time was mostly occupied with training and personal endeavors, but there were few days past when Than hadn't thought of his siblings. He did sometimes wish his visits weren't as sparse as they were, but at the same time it was partially if not completely or their sake that he had decided to embark on his journey of self-discipline and change.

Than wasn't oblivious to Eecheb's pride in his feat and expected it even. There was no reason for Eecheb not to revel in the accomplishment, however small it was in the overall scope of what he could learn. Hopefully he could do the same for Trilla when they found her, and she could practice by finding Micha. "It's been a long time since I first learned how to sense things like that, but now it's one of my best tools. All of my training now feels like it's training my wits. I spent a lot of time last year just doing physical training.... you know, making sure my body was strong enough to do what I wanted it to do." At first, Than had found it difficult to relate to Eecheb. Even from infancy, his little brother had been about brawn, and Thanatos had been comparatively soft and gentle by comparison. But after all his hard work, Than was starting to feel like he could actually relate to Eecheb in something that matterd, and he liked to believe he could perhaps teach Eecheb a thing or two about what it meant to be strong, since he was sure Eecheb could be stronger than he himself ever could. "Hey Eecheb....... I want to know...... what do you think makes a person strong?"

"'Be smart,' huh?" Than seemed content and somewhat amused with the response. It was just after Eecheb's response that Than started ascending the stairs to the Peace, still carrying Eecheb. "That's probably a lot simpler than what most people I know would say, and maybe it's actually a better answer." What Than didn't mention was that 'most people I know' also included himself. Thanatos wasn't content to simply have this notion of strength and not be able to explain it, but he too had trouble dictating what strength was with words. "I'm just glad I'm not the only one who thinks that. Maybe all my training can actually be worth something after all. So then, if that's what you believe, how do you plan to become strong?" It was a question Than expected Eecheb to give some answer to, but it wasn't a question that needed an answer. He merely wanted to instill the question in Eecheb to think about, perhaps for quite some time, if not years even. About the same time, Than and Eecheb reached the main area of the Peace.

Than didn't mind that Eecheb didn't give him a response. He doubted anyone could give him a response that would satisfy him. Sure, perhaps he simply wanted the thoughts to stay with Eecheb so that at least he had the potential to make something out of them, but it still unsettled him that he felt he had in fact expected a response. It was probably best he just let Eecheb handle the question, lest Than feared he would actually start trying to wrangle an answer from him. "Ah, sounds like the little princess is having a fun time!" It was a general statement Than made loud enough to be heard by his other siblings.

It wasn't difficult dealing socially with Trilla, not in the least. But, whenever she set her sights on someone to run to, things quickly turned into a rather important physics problem. Than had more than the experience necessary to solve said problem with ease though. Than knelt down on his left knee, letting himself slump forward a little. At this point Eecheb was free to get down if he wanted to. As Trilla came running up to him and made contact with Than, he let his body straighten up and his left leg slide back, reducing the impulse caused by Trilla's enthusiasm. Once all the moving stopped, Than wrapped his arms around Trilla and hugged her back. "I'm happy to see you too, Trilla." He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Hmm hmm, did you tug Micha out here with you again?" He asked softly, knowing from past experience that it was rare that Micha could avoid being an accomplice in his sister's adventures whether he liked it or not.

"It's a wonder your brother can even keep up with you day after day. " Another kiss on Trilla's forehead and Than started to stand back up, letting Trilla's arms slide away from his neck and taking hold of him at the waist instead. Apparently she wasn't bothered, yet, by Than's rather unkempt, battle worn clothes. Than kept his right hand on Trilla's head, lightly stroking her hair with his fingertips. "Eecheb lead me to the two of you on his own. I don't think he'll have trouble finding either of you two anymore." It was only one step for Eecheb in using his senses, but at least it was a skill Than hoped the boy would continue to practice and make use of. Even if he only used it daily to find people, it would make it much easier in the future to master more advanced techniques involving sensing auras.

Than chuckled quietly, hearing Eecheb' reiteration to Micha. Of course, now he was starting to pick up on the sound of the grass Micha was toying with in his mouth. It was odd to hear something, anything, coming from Micha. "Hmm, now what're you chewing on, Micha? I think you're actually making more noise than I heard out of you all last year." He chuckled again, reaching his hand away from Trilla for a moment and patting Micha on the head. Afterward, Than rubbed his neck for a second, and remembered that his current clothing wasn't exactly formal wear anymore. In fact, they were closer to rags. "Hmm.... I should get back to my room and change. I'm pretty sure mom or dad would be pretty displeased if hey saw me looking ragged like this. That, and these pants are no real good anymore...."

Than patted Trilla on the head when she spoke toward someone that wasn't actually present in the citadel. "There's no one there, Trilla." He chuckled, not berating the child, just telling her that her utterance would be fruitless. He didn't have the experience to determine Trilla was giving a response to something she had picked up by somewhat telepathic means. Hopefully Mastema would be able to understand implement something that kept Trilla's abilities in check until she could control them. "So, am I heading back alone or does anybody want to come back with me?" Even while waiting for a response, Than would turn around and start walking back to the stairs leading to the Peace. He really needed to get home and clean himself up before he decided to do anything else that would destroy his attire entirely.