Leona’s Family (pt3)

Leona says he received messages and “a whole heap of presents” from his family for his birthday, offering to give them to the prefect as there is probably nothing he wants. Leona says, “The real trouble is the birthday present I got from my nephew Cheka. He was blowing up my phone all day when it was scheduled to be delivered. ‘Has it come yet?’ ‘Do you like it?’ That kinda thing,” so he hung up the phone.

Leona says that Cheka sends him presents like stuffed animals and picture books: “They’re such dumb, sweet presents, it actually brought a tear to my eye. Yeah, thanks kid…Sheesh.”

Cheka also calls Leona all day during Halloween for the purpose of saying, “Happy Halloween,” and Leona again hangs up the phone.

(He immediately excuses himself from the party, but we do not know if it was to call Cheka back, to get to a more private place in preparation for an angry call from his sister-in-law, or for another reason entirely.)

We meet Cheka in the main story when he escapes his attendants to visit Leona in the school’s infirmary, asking to be taught how to play spelldrive and “riding Housewarden Leona like a horse,” according to a shocked Jack.

Ruggie observes, “So THIS is why you never want to go home to visit your family!”

Leona will occasionally reference having to babysit at home and Cheka following him around, and when he see Cheka again during the Cloudcalling event, he physically clings to Leona.

Vil observes, “He pays no mind to Leona’s scary demeanor and simply keeps running around at his feet…What an innocent child. I can hardly believe they’re related.”

Cheka insists on playing a game with Leona, ignoring his refusal.

Cheka is the reason that Leona is now at NRC: Leona had already been taught everything that is offered at NRC before receiving his letter of acceptance and initially ignored it–

“But when Cheka was born, things…changed. The idea of staying at home was like gnawing on a bone long after the meat’d been stripped clean. So I came to school the year after I got the invitation.”

Leona has repeatedly stated that he hates children but he seems adored by Cheka and popular with animals such as Grim and Zero.