Blinking at first, Riku swore he heard him wrong. His mother, sick a lot? Somehow, he felt his cheeks get a little red, especially at Lea's quick glances. It was comforting to hear someone else was like that--but at the same time, having it be Lea's mom made him feel self-conscious. So he must've seen that a lot... no wonder he seemed to freak out a lot, despite knowing what to do.

"Maybe--" he started to venture, wondering if this was the right thing to say. "... that's something else you can do, when we go back. You can learn her recipe and make all of us pancakes." There was a teasing quirk to his smile, but also some hope--hope that Lea hadn't lost everyone.

There was a lot to be said about parents; almost everything was hideously varied, but if Lea could smile like that at just the memory, he had to wonder how he'd smile if he had his mother around.