Chapter 187 Conflicted
Daniel watched Jonah begin to speak, listening intently to his words. However, it became evident that Jonah's voice had not fully returned, as his raspy tone indicated he was still recovering. Despite this, Daniel seemed to understand Jonah's message. He started to laugh through his tears.
Aleshia was confused about why Daniel was laughing and didn't understand what had caused his sudden change in demeanor. Lucia noticed her confusion and offered her best guess about the situation based on what she had understood from Jonah. Despite being deflated from the spell, she tried to explain what she had understood from Jonah's raspy voice. "I believe it was an inside joke or a joke at his expense. What he said or tried to say was, 'Hey, how have we been?'"
Puzzled by the phrase, Aleshia still seemed confused. "I don't understand the joke," she said, frowning.
"Me neither," Lucia said in agreement.
After a few minutes of silence for the sobbing Daniel and Jonah, Aleshia spoke and agreed with Lucia, deciding to stay in the room instead of leaving like before. They no longer felt like outsiders; They felt sympathetic and ready to assist with anything the two needed, moved by the heartfelt scene.
Meanwhile, Daniel propped Jonah up and brought a waterskin to his lips. After dribbling some water into Jonah's mouth to help hydrate him, Daniel left the room to fetch some crushed nuts mixed with water, which he then turned into a paste. When he returned, Daniel carefully spooned the paste into Jonah's mouth, ensuring he could swallow it before offering more.
After Jonah had eaten a good amount of the food, Daniel turned to Aleshia, his gaze focused on her, or rather, on the witch hat she was now wearing. He said appreciatively, "I know I have said this many times before, but thank you, especially considering everything you two have done for us. I wish to repay everyone else in this room, and I understand I will be receiving your generosity, but I have no clue how I can repay you." Daniel said sincerely, bowing his head.
Aleshia felt conflicted, having never encountered a situation like this before. She said, "I understand. We don't require much in terms of repayment. The only things we would ever want are friendship and information. So, please, there is no need to overthink repayment."
In Aleshia's mind, she wondered, "Don't you think his attitude is changing way too quickly for us, Lucia?"