The call reached Ernesto’s ears as he wandered from his daughter’s side. He enjoyed seeing the girl, but she never seemed particularly interested in the company, and had no desire to follow her father around – or her mother, judging by Selenium’s absence. He was as laid-back in fatherhood as everything else, however, and didn’t worry too much about her wandering the Lagoon – the other men should know whose she was by now and leave her well alone.

So he turned his attention to the call instead and headed in that direction. It had not come from far away, and it didn’t take him long to track the owner down. Oswin, the fierce little fighter he had been up against, and to his surprise, Selenium, were walking along together. Selenium looked distressed, but as someone who so rarely got distressed himself, Ernesto didn’t know immediately why.

He greeted his companion with a warm smile and bob of his head as he approached them with a nicker, still limping a little from the fight. Then he turned his attention to Oswin, although the playful smile lingered on his lips.

“Back so soon, mi querido?” he asked, tilting his head at her. The question was teasing, but honest – he had expected her to be back at the Peak by now, deciding who to send his way. “I see you’ve made a friend.”

ernesto
heartbreak is savvy and love is a bitch