But he recovered quickly. His eyes took on the gleam of a man about to play his trump card.
"I didn't harm you." He said smoothly. "In fact, I did you a FAVOR."
Riley's jaw dropped. "A FAVOR?!"
"Think about it." Luca stepped forward, and his voice dropped into something gentler, almost thoughtful.
"When you drank that milk, what did you feel? Warmth. Comfort. A sense of...nostalgia."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"You were transported back to when you were very small. When all you had to do was sleep, and drink your mother's milk, and play, and repeat."
"No responsibilities. No burdens. Just warmth and love and safety."
The courtyard had gone quiet again. A different kind of quiet this time.
"I gave you a few minutes of that feeling back." Luca said. "A taste of childhood. A reminder of what it felt like to be completely, utterly cared for."
He spread his hands. "If that's not a favor, I don't know what is."
