The events of the afternoon with Theavi made Niall rather uneasy. He did try, however, to assume it was nothing but he found it hard to not worry. Something was bothering this girl, and if it was left unchecked, yes that would be bad for her but it could potentially put a pause on his own plans.

When Niall came into the office the next morning, a little earlier than usual, Mrs. Railer greeted him with a warm smile. "Coffee, sir?" She asked as she handed him a stack of letters.

"Please," Niall responded as he took the letters and flipped through them.

Mrs. Railer was about to walk off to grab the coffee, but she paused. "Oh, I nearly forgot," she turned to face him. "Miss. Rhaanan called me about a half an hour ago and asked me to inform you that she isn't feeling well."

Niall raised a brow, his lips parting slightly.

Obviously, she wasn't sick.

"She's not coming in to work today?"

"No, Sir."

Niall let out a soft breath. "Alright, thank you for letting me know." He decided to let that go. If taking some time to herself would make her feel better, then so be it.

But then the next day came, and Niall received the exact same news from Mrs. Railer when he came in that morning. "Again?" Niall asked. He then sighed. "Can you get Luana to go check on her? Make sure she asks if Miss. Rhaanan needs anything."

"Of course, Sir."

That afternoon, when Luana came strutting into his office, she gave him one of her lazy salutes before sitting in the chair on the other side of Niall's desk. "I went and checked on her as per your request, Sir," she started, "and it seems like she's got some sort of cold. Her eyes are all red and puffy and she's all pale... covering herself with blankets too."

Niall frowned, concerned. "Did you grab her what she needed?"

"She said she needed nothing, but I went out and grabbed her some cold medication from the pharmacy anyways," she smiled. "And I got her some soup too."

Though Luana was often incredibly aloof, Niall knew he could count on her to be a good friend. "Good," he said, pleased. "If she really does have a cold, then be careful with yourself too. I don't want you getting sick as well."

Luana chuckled, slouching back in her seat, "I wouldn't mind it... especially if it means I get a few days off."

Niall snorted before tapping his finger against the desk. "Drop the receipts off with Mrs. Railer before you go, I'll handle the costs and pay you back."

Luana stood up. "No problem, Sir," she said, saluting him again. "I'm more than happy to pay for a friend."

He smiled at her more sincerely this time. "Thank you, Luana."

And then the next day came. This time, judging by his words with Luana, Niall did expect that Thea wouldn't be there and he was right.

However, as it was the third day, his concerns worsened.

Though taking a break when you are sick was certainly a good thing to do, he was quite certain that Thea did not seem to be the kind of person who would do that. Sure, he barely knew the girl but from the little he did know, she seemed like the kind of person who you'd need to force to take a break. So, despite Luana's confirmation of her illness, he still wondered if there was more to it than simply a cold.

His work day came to an end close to seven that day and when he made it to his car to finally head home and relax for at least a little while, he paused.

He thought about Thea once more, and after a short sigh, he turned around and began heading towards the Greenwood Hostels... but only after stopping by the pharmacy.







When Niall arrived at the Greenwood Hostels, he was greeted warmly by the Hostel Matron. "Here to see Thea, I presume?"

Niall nodded as he tucked his cap under his arm and unbuttoned the top button of the coat of his uniform. "I hear she's sick," he said. "Just wanted to check up on her."

"She's been locked up there for days," the matron sighed. "If she is sick, she should be getting some fresh air."

"I'll be sure to let her know," Niall said, nodding his head at the woman before making his way up the stairs.

When he got up to the fourth floor, he realized immediately that he forgot he'd have to pass through the living area before getting to the rooms, and so he had to hide his surprise when he caught the attention of the five women who were sitting around the dining table.

"General Killian!" One of them exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise."

Niall nodded his head at them. "Ladies."

"We just finished preparing dinner, would you like to join us?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not planning on staying too long," Niall responded with a smile, though annoyed by the fake courtesy. It was obvious they didn't want him to eat dinner with them. "I just came to check on Theavi, then I'll be off." He didn't wait for them to respond to him. Instead, he made his way out of the living area and down the hall to one of the last rooms on the floor, knocking on the door when he reached it.

After the door slowly opened, the surprised and exhausted looking Thea looked at him. "General Killian?" She was wearing a blanket over her shoulders, which made her look quite child-like and as Luana had stated, her face was puffy and she did, in fact, look a little ill.

"Good evening," he said. "You've been off for quite some time so I thought I'd come and check up on you."

She hesitated. "You didn't have to do that."

"No, but I was growing concerned," he said as he handed her the paper bag he was holding from the pharmacy. "I bought you some honey and lemons, to have with your tea. Hopefully that helps."

She took the bag, looking even more surprised, but then she smiled and opened the door a little more widely. "Would you like to come in?"

"Why not," he said as he stepped into the room. Elorians didn't wear shoes in their home, and though this was a simple hostel room, he still slipped out of his boots, leaving them near the door. Then, when he turned, he was pleasantly surprised at how clean Thea managed to keep her tiny little apartment. Though the kitchen, bedroom, living and dining area were all in the one room, she kept everything neat and in its place, making it look much larger than it really was. Even the small decorations, including the plants, were a good touch, adding some colour to the otherwise dull room. Clearly she was slowly managing to make it feel more like home.

Taking a seat at the only real seat there was in the room, General Killian looked over at Thea. "How are you feeling?"

"Not feeling entirely great," She said. "But, General Killian–"

"Just Niall," he said. "We're off the clock, no need to keep this up when we're not working."

She seemed surprised by that. "Really?" she asked after a hesitation.

Niall smiled, resting his elbow against the tiny little table and his cheek against his closed fist, feeling the exhaustion of a week's worth of work beginning to hit him all at once. It was always like this when he left Achlis. Usually, while he was there he was fine, on top of his game and feeling up to working longer if he needed to. But as soon as he left and made his way home, all of that would crumble and he would be exhausted.

He wasn't home right now, but the homeliness of this room may have been getting to him.

"Yes, Theavi, it's nicer to be less formal, isn't it? A little less tiring"

She sat on her bed, facing him. "Well in that case, you can call me Thea. All my friends call me Thea."

Niall smiled. "Alright Thea," he continued. "Do you possibly know when you'll be coming back into work?"

After a moment of hesitation, she looked down at her hands. "Tomorrow," she said. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"You think you'll feel entirely better by tomorrow?"

"I hope so."

Niall nodded slowly. "Alright," he started. "Well, off the record, but I'd like for you to tell me how you think things are going with your work."

She looked at him. "Off the record?"

"As in I'll pretend you never said any of this whenever we're discussing it during work hours."

A skeptical smile formed on her face. "Really?"

"Really," he said. "You can ask Luana, I keep my word. I feel like sometimes it's easier to talk honestly when we're not sitting in the middle of Achlis, me on one side of the desk and you on the other. And sometimes we have the most productive conversations when we are 'off the record.'"

After watching him for a moment, probably thinking of what to say, she eventually looked down at her hands, seeming to think that there would be no harm in talking. "Rue is adamant about not wanting to speak with me," she finally said. "He doesn't trust me."

"It's because he's smart. Smarter than most," Niall responded. "Don't let that get to you."

She looked at him. "But... his life..."

"I'm not surprised that you already feel the need to protect him," he said. "You may not believe this, but trust me, there was a point where I felt that way too."

She did look surprised by that.

"The best advice I can give you, Thea, is to try to appeal to him at an emotional level. We don't know much about him, but his persistence and his desire to protect his Crow brethren really only proves that he is a trustworthy, noble man, no matter how harsh or mean he may be to you," he said. "His stubbornness shows his strength, not your weakness. Instead of fearing it, admire it... that will benefit you way more, especially since you will be giving him a reason to admire you as well."

Thea looked as if she was surprised by this advice.

"If Rue is anything like the man I imagine him to be, he admires strength and confidence."

She frowned before muttering, "I'm neither strong nor confident."

"At least you're honest," he said with an amused smile. "Though, that being said, the ability to be honest is a form of both confidence and strength."

Thea let out a little laugh.

"Off the record," he continued. "I will do everything in my power to continue to postpone his execution, as I've been doing for months now, and in turn, I will do everything I can to give you more time. But I cannot guarantee anything. The Secretary of Defence is an impatient man and wants more than anything to have Rue's head... which is why, on the record, I will continue to tell you to hurry up and that your time is limited."

She watched him carefully, a look Niall was familiar with, a look of someone who was trying to read him. "You... don't want him dead?"

"I don't," Niall agreed. "It would be unfortunate to lose a man of such honour, don't you think?"

Thea nodded, seeming to be looking at this a little differently now.

That pleased Niall. It was what he had hoped for.

However, despite the slight motivation he now saw in her eyes, she didn't seem to look much... better. He figured now that it really was something else that was infiltrating her mind. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" Niall asked her. "I may be able to help in regards to whatever it is that's bothering you, but only if I'm told what it is."

She looked at him with a small smile. "No, you've helped plenty," she said. "I'm going to keep trying... to keep working with Rue."

"Alright," he said. "Good."

"Thanks," she said, with a smile. "It's really nice to know that you're on his side."

He hesitated, but chose to nod. "But before even that, I'm on your side. I'm on the side of everyone who works for me. So if you need any help with anything, don't hesitate to ask."

She looked more relaxed now, a gentle smile on her face. "Thank you, Niall," she said. "Maybe I'll make you tea? I can use the honey and lemons you brought."

He smiled back. "That would be lovely."