~Amelia~
Uncle Alan did the hug first.
That was the thing about him, he always led with the hug, arms out before he even finished crossing the distance, like the physical contact was the priority and everything else came after. I'd loved that about him since I was small. He hugged like someone who understood that people needed it and wasn't embarrassed about that being true.
"You look tired," he mentioned, against the top of my head.
"Good morning to you too, Uncle."
He pulled back and held me by the shoulders, looking at my face the same way. "I mean it. Have you been sleeping?"
"Enough." He raised an eyebrow. "Mostly enough," I added. "It's been a week."
"Tell me about the week."
I thought about where to start. Aiden exiled, Lucy permanently expelled, Blake's letter, the ritual, the alliance proposal, the training session. I ended up just saying: "Inside. I'll walk you through it."
He looked at me for another second. Then he nodded and picked up his bag and followed me in.
