As soon as her voice broke the silence of the medical room, Mae immediately leaned closer to her twin. One hand rose to Zee's cheek gently, thumb brushing against her skin as relief flashed across her face before she buried it beneath a softer expression.
"Hey, sleepyhead," Mae said quietly, trying to keep her tone light. "Have a nice nap?"
"Huh…?" Zee murmured weakly, her expression clouded with confusion at first. "What are you talking abo...!"
The memory hit her all at once.
Her eyes widened violently as her body tensed. "Xain! Where is...!" She tried to sit upright immediately, panic flooding into her voice, but Mae quickly grabbed hold of her before she could move too far.
"Calm down," Mae said firmly, pulling her back before she could stumble out of the bed. "Stay calm. Come on."
"Is she up?" Larkin pushed himself off the floor the moment he heard Zee's voice and walked over toward the bedside. "Do you know how much we were worryin' about you?"
But Zee barely seemed to hear him.
"You don't need to worry about me!" she said desperately, her eyes darting around the room as though Xain might somehow be there. "Where's Xain? He... he got taken over by Annie! Did you guys fix that? Is he okay?"
Every word came out faster than the last, her entire focus locked onto a single thought.
Larkin looked into her eyes for several long seconds before his expression slowly dimmed. He shut his eyes briefly and shook his head before looking away.
"He's not here, Zee," he said quietly. "No one knows where he is."
He did not lie to her. He knew that would only make things worse.
The change in her expression was immediate.
The panic drained from her face all at once, replaced by something far more fragile as she tried to get out of bed anyway. Mae tightened her hold immediately, refusing to let her go.
"Let me go, Mae!" Zee cried, struggling against her. "I have to find him! I have to make sure he's safe!"
But Mae only pulled her closer instead, wrapping her arms around her firmly and pressing Zee against her chest before she could push away again.
"Stop it, you idiot," Mae muttered quietly. "Just stop and breathe." Her voice softened after that. "Stop worrying about him for one second and think about yourself for once."
Zee still struggled weakly against her, still trying to push free, but the resistance had already begun fading.
Then Mae spoke again, quieter this time.
"Or think about me maybe?" she asked softly. "I'm getting lonely here without you worrying about me at all."
The words felt deliberately chosen, almost teasing on the surface, but there was unmistakable sincerity beneath them.
Zee froze.
Her arms stopped trying to push Mae away entirely. Instead, they began trembling as tears rapidly formed in her eyes.
"I-I'm sorry..." she cried weakly before finally wrapping her arms tightly around her older twin sister.
Mae immediately held her closer, one hand gently patting the back of her head.
"It's okay," Mae whispered. "You love him. It makes sense. I'm not mad." A faint smile crossed her face despite everything. "It just hurt a little, you know?"
Zee clung to her tighter after hearing that, burying her tear-stained face into Mae's chest as her crying finally broke free completely.
Larkin watched the two sisters quietly for a moment before glancing toward Drack. The half-orc had already begun raising a hand slightly in understanding before giving a small nod.
Neither of them belonged in this moment.
Without saying another word, the two men quietly left the medical room, leaving the twins to have their moment together, alone.