The Little Crow

Chapter Thirteen - [Off the Record]

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.