So Alfred had written to Ari, but not to her. Zelda worked her lower lip between her teeth for a beat before releasing it, trying to contain the different feelings that brought up — she was annoyed, but she was also worried. Because if Alfred was writing to Ari, and if he was sending reports to the Minister's office, and he just wasn't writing her, then — then he just wasn't writing her. And what could that mean?

But there was something wrong with Ari, a look on his face and that weird long blink, and she could not worry about Alfred when Ari was right here in front of her. Zelda was uneasy, because she didn't know how to do this emotional stuff with Ari — she was exceedingly ill-equipped for all of this, especially in tandem with the waiting.

Also, it didn't make sense — Dio was fine, he'd just told her that.

She released the block and reached out to touch her fingers to his elbow. "Ari?"

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