If they were talking about literally anything else, this would be a perfect morning. Alina closes her eyes (they feel so soft now! It's weird! Had she forgotten what they felt like, or were they really different than before?) and takes a dainty sip of sweet and refreshing tea. Her neck knows nothing but the pleasures of this shawl and her nose, which is dainty and refined and not a twitchy pink button thank you very much, breathes in nothing but the smell of pancakes. Her ears are the only things reminding her not to try and slip inside this moment forever. 

"Hmmmm." Alina half sighs, half muses. 

There's been so much crying, lately. And all of it the very best kind. When she'd steeled her heart and left home again, all she'd meant to do was stop an evil maniac from getting his hands on the staff of creation. She'd [i]hoped[/i] she'd be able to learn something about a medicine that might cure her mother, after rescuing Dandy maybe, but never, even if you gave her her life to live twenty times over, would she had guessed she'd find anything [i]this[/i] good. It was a lot off her mind. More than she deserved. Seeing Jess in Momma's lap, this time while she's old enough to properly hold onto the memory, is almost too much for her heart to hold. When everything's over... she's going to paint this, she decides. No making that mistake again. She'll paint Momma and Mommy and both of her sisters, all together and with so much love, they'll have to put it in a gallery. It'll be her first real masterpiece. 

...No, not like that. She'll need to paint Eupheria, too. And figure out what to do with her in general. Get her away from this place for a while, for starters. Too much pain here. Too many memories. Too much temptation. Maybe keep her busy? Hm, but what court positions would be open? Maybe... she'd talk to Mom about inventing a new one. Royal, uh... Joybringer? The Lady of Smiles? Eh, it's a work in progress. Alina's fingers brush over her shawl and she turns her head just enough to watch her great-grandmother cooking. She can't keep the smile inside of her, or the tiny sigh of relief. She's so lucky. Alina Cascade is the luckiest girl in Hyperborea. She takes another sip of tea. 

"Jess is right, he's not scared of me. He probably never will be. And he [i]must[/i] be out of moves by now, right? It'd be nice to... rest for a little while. I feel like I haven't slept since Argossa. But... is it really ok? What if he doesn't stay still? I wouldn't sit around waiting for me if I were him."

She purses her lips. And then her stomach growls indelicately. Pancakes. Pancakes are an essential part of any strategy meeting. Does Eupheria make them with chocolate chips?