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Neued had been overtaken.

Alek knew he was concerned in a general sense. He certainly didn't want the entirety of Tendaji to be invaded by anyone, Oban or otherwise. The thought made his stomach flutter and his shoulders shrug convulsively under his autumn cloak. But he found he was far more preoccupied by selfish thoughts, worries that he would be caught and subjugated by cruel, heartless warriors. He imagined he had barely been through anything at all two winters ago. He imagined things could be so much worse.

He thought about his sister and the way he'd avoided her since his return, the way he'd run off to battle and come back without any thought to how she might feel about his absence. It was childish. With all that was going on in the world, the least he could do was confide in his twin.

It was a chilly afternoon just before sunset when he abruptly shifted his efforts from hiding from Kayin to looking for her. He had focused on the former for so long that when he finally did turn the corner and find her, he jumped, fighting the flight response that shot through him, locking his knees.

"Kayin! Hi." Alek cleared his throat. "Hello."

He stared, holding his breath until he began to see spots. Maybe this had been a mistake. Surely it wasn't too late to just leave. Alek inhaled softly, his vision clearing. Who was he kidding? Of course it was too late. This discussion was long overdue. He couldn't turn away again, not after he'd gathered enough courage to take the first step.

Why had he waited? It wasn't like he hadn't seen her at all during this time, but speaking to her properly was a different prospect altogether. He had been so afraid of disappointing her, disappointing everyone, that he had tried to start a life he wasn't suited for, one full of fighting and death. It was only when the whole of his existence was threatened that it seemed he had the courage to just live.

"I've been avoiding you." He laughed then, nervously. Like that wasn't obvious. "I know you're well aware of that and..." Alek swallowed. Even though he hadn't missed the chilly way she'd replied, he couldn't dwell on it or he wouldn't be able to continue. "I can't keep hiding with things the way they are. I wanted to be stronger so I wouldn't burden you, but I might never be strong again. And we don't have time for me to... hide in the exhaust caverns like a child."

The prentice felt a wave of apprehension buffet him as his throat went dry. Kayin was the strongest of his sisters, or at the very least he'd always thought so. He had expected anger and disappointment from her, both reactions he could have tolerated since he often felt those things toward himself. But upset? Fear? For him? Hearing her admit she'd been on edge chilled him to his core. And the timbre of her voice didn't help. He felt slightly faint, as though he was slipping away, which was surely what would happen if she dismissed him from her life.

Had he been a more rebellious youth he might have held his tongue and refused to admit he'd been wrong, but Alek would never be rebellious again. He crouched beside her before lowering himself onto his knees, bending close so he almost couldn't help but be in her line of sight. It was easier here where he didn't have to stand. In that they were the same.

"I might have been once, but I'm not anymore." But she already knew that, didn't she?

You were my brother. You were my best friend. You were strong.

"I'm so very sorry, Kayin. I won't hide or wander off anymore. I promise." It itched at him, the feeling that he couldn't actually keep that promise. It wasn't fair. He added, "I... I'll tell you when I think I'm going to do something stupid, at the very least."

He sat up straighter, a few of his nerves finally chipping away as she laughed. It felt good to earn back even that small bit of effortless camaraderie they had once shared. Not so... hopeless. Alek nodded, outwardly cementing his promise and silently vowing again to try to keep it.

"Well. We're quite the pair," he said softly, glancing away under her scrutiny before looking back with a faint smile. I'd like to introduce Nothing and Not Much of Anything. "I was working toward becoming a mage once, wasn't I?" he continued, a teasing lilt of self deprecation in his tone. "It's like I had forgotten." In some ways he had. He swallowed. "Do you think you might like to train? Together?"

It had been too much for Alek to hope she would answer positively, but he replied as if he had expected her affirmation anyway, his hands shaking as he did so. He tucked them into his sleeves.

"Mind you, I have no idea how to just... pick up spellcasting." He was pretty sure his mentor was long gone, and his studies had always been more theoretical than practical. Magic didn't come easily. Sometimes he wondered if he was meant to be a mage at all. "But I'll find out the... specifics, I guess. Soon. And we can still spar. Surely I can flail a knife around." He paused and turned away, nearly at the end of his manufactured confidence.

"So." He sighed, his small smile returning. "What have you been doing?" Alek knew he had messed up by holding himself apart for so long, but today was the day he was trying to come back. He had to continue trying, no matter how awkward and uncomfortable it might have been.

He followed her to her feet, though it was more of a clumsy scramble than he'd intended. "You're right. I probably would be better at flailing because you wouldn't flail in the first place. You would just... slice everything up with no effort at all. It wouldn't even be a competition." He held his impulse to stick out his tongue. Even if they were getting along, it was probably too soon for all-out brotherly teasing. If she wasn't keen on telling him what she had done in their time apart, then he would speak of other things.

"You know what I could beat you at though? Music... things. I could play and you could sing." It was an honest enough suggestion, but when he realized that he had basically just told her to do something so that he could show her how much better he was at it, Alek ducked his head, his cheeks darkening faintly. "Or I could just play for you. After I got an instrument."