The Tangle she told him to take care of me

Raleska had finished her tirade, only to be balked by the string of words the boy uttered next. She huffed -she didn’t know anything about time. His adage went above her head and well beyond it. 

She was puzzled by the show of force in his next statement. Drageda’s count was unknown to her, and she could not fire back with certainty given she hardly knew the full total of Rusalka’s band, either. 

Flummoxed, Raleska was coming to the realization she had liked it better when he had been paying attention to things other than her. The way he looked at her was not as validating as she thought it would be. If anything, it seemed to deconstruct her. 

Even more confusing was his off handed comment, which caused her hackles to absolutely stand on end. Flaring outward like an offended porcupine, Raleska quickly shot down his assessment. You don’t abandon family. Her gaze took on a hardened edge. You didn’t give me your name. Why?