When I woke the next day, Keke’s golden eyes greeted me. She was still in her nightgown, body parallel to mine, and her hair waterfalled over her shoulder and the blankets. She had her elbow bent, propping the side of her head up at an angle with her hand. Her ears perked as I stirred.

I yawned. “Were you watching me sleep?”

A light blush tinted her cheeks, and she fretted her lip. “Maybe.”

I smiled. Through the small window behind her, I noticed the sun was much higher than I’d expected. “What time is it?”

“Nearly midday. I thought you could use the sleep.” She moved to touch my face with her hand, then paused. Her gaze said she wanted to ask for permission, but the events of the day before seemed to be holding her back.

I lifted my arm and gently touched her wrist, guiding it the rest of the way to my face. She rested her warm fingers against my cheek, and her shoulders relaxed. “I’m sorry about yesterday,” I said.

“No, don’t be.” Keke shook her head. “I realized that I may have pushed you too hard. To talk, I mean. That’s not fair.”

“Sometimes I, well, I just don’t know what to say,” I admitted.

“I think we all have moments like that.” She traced my cheekbone with her thumb and searched my face. “I—” she blinked and took a deep breath, “I was like that when my mom died.”

The pain that wracked her features drove straight through my heart. She so rarely talked about her mom. Of course I’d wondered about it, but it seemed time and time again like a sore subject. “I can only imagine how hard that was,” I replied.

She nodded. “There were full weeks where I didn’t say a word. Cannoli and Aurora—oh, that was Cannoli’s mom’s name,” she explained quickly. “They took me in and cared for me.”

“You were still young, then.”

“Yeah. I’d barely turned fourteen. Not quite old enough to live on my own yet.” Keke let her hand fall on my pillow, just inches above my hair, then leaned her head against her shoulder. “I guess, when I’m around you, I forget how difficult a time that was. I just… I want to see you smile and take your pain away.”

I shifted my arm beneath hers and snaked my hand beneath the blanket. Cupping the back of her neck with my palm, I traced the slope of her jawline with my thumb. I dropped my voice to a whisper—as if anyone else would hear me anyway—but the question I needed an answer for felt so damn raw. “When did it stop hurting so damn bad?”

She snuggled closer to me, tucking her head beneath my cheek and wrapping her arms around my chest. “I don’t know. Sometimes it still hurts. But, one morning, I woke up and had breakfast with Cannoli and asked if we could go fishing. By the time we had lunch, I’d talked more than I had in months. Every day after that, it got just a little bit easier.” Her ears tickled my cheeks, and she wrapped her tail around my legs. “I know it’s not what you want to hear, but you just need time. And we’ll all be waiting for you.”

I kissed the top of her head and returned her embrace. “Thanks, Keke.”

“Mmhmm,” she hummed into my top, hugging me tighter.

We stayed that way for some time, my thoughts drifting away with each exhale of Keke’s warm breath against my skin. For the first time in a long time, I felt relaxed.

“So, why were you watching me sleep again?” I chuckled, then tickled her sides. “Hm?”

Keke squeaked and squirmed beneath my touch. “Matt!”

“I’ll just keep doing it until you tell me,” I teased.

“Aha! Let’s get—ha!—lunch! Please!” she squealed.

I sighed dramatically. “Fine. Don’t tell me.” After a few more well-aimed pokes, I kissed her cheeks. “Yeah. Alright. I’m hungry.”

She leapt from the bed, her thin nightgown resting on the very tops of her thighs. Her hair was still messy with sleep and our tussle, and her grin rivaled the afternoon sun. “Out of bed, then, sleepyhead!”

We decided on Junonia Inn for lunch after a quick peek at Keke’s empty food stores, and then Cannoli didn’t answer her door. Let me go on record to say that checking Cannoli’s availability to cook us lunch was Keke’s idea, not mine.

Not like I was going to protest, but still.

The Inn’s restaurant was quiet, and nearly every table empty. A stray catgirl here or there sipped their stew or enjoyed a cold ale with a friend. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to spot Ceres seated with Tristan and Ara in a corner booth.

“No Cannoli, huh?” I remarked to Keke.

Keke shrugged. “She said she needed some time alone. Generally, when she’s upset, she spends a lot of time in prayer. Aurora was very strict on Saoirse’s teachings with her.”

“I see.”

“Ho there, Matt. Keke,” Hilda, one of the waitresses that frequently worked the inn, greeted us with a bright smile and a wave of her hand. Her hair was cropped at her chin, and her build suggested she’d pumped way more [Strength] than necessary for a barmaid. Then again, I’d seen her single-handedly carry a barrel of ale over one shoulder before. So there was that.

“Good afternoon, Hilda.” Keke returned her smile and wave. “We’ll take two bowls of whatever’s hot and some tea. I think we’ll sit over there.” She pointed to where our companions were seated.

“Of course, doll. I’ll have that right out,” the barmaid replied with a cordial nod, then dismissed herself to the kitchens.

Ceres spied me first, then jumped out of her seat and bowed low. “My Lord! I did not know you would join us. I would not have…w-well,” she stammered and blushed, then gestured to her dress.

I hadn’t realized it from far away since the outfit was still primarily black, but she was wearing an ensemble much more akin to the style of Ni Island. A long-sleeved blouse with a white sash tied around the front paired with a pleated black skirt. White thigh highs topped with black ribbons hugged her sculpted calves, and polished leather ankle boots completed the look.

Holy shit, that’s adorable. I rubbed the back of my neck and shifted the weight of my feet. “You look great, Ceres.”

“Really?” She beamed. “Oh, thank you! I must confess, the fashions of this island are just so charming! Tristan and Ara were kind enough to help me choose!”

Tristan blushed furiously, hiding his face behind his tankard. “Ara was a lot more help than I was.”

“That was nice of you, Ara,” I said.

Ara hummed a noncommittal response and spooned another helping of soup into her mouth. Thanks to traveling with her for some time, I understood her embarrassment versus her frustration. This was definitely the former. She was clearly not used to being complimented—not by anyone.

“Mind if we join you?” Keke asked.

“Certainly! We would love nothing more! Please, take a seat!” Ceres gestured to the empty bench behind her.

There was plenty of room on Ceres’ side of the table, so Keke scooted in first, then me. Ceres smoothed her skirt beneath her legs and sat back down.

“How are you feeling, Matt?” Tristan asked carefully, avoiding directly meeting my eye.

So, some thread of what happened with Yomi had reached Tristan’s ears. I glanced at Keke, then Ceres.

“He was really worried about you. We all were,” Keke provided.

“Since we do not know if this heathen [Dark Priest] will dare show her face afresh, we believe it imperative that everyone in our traveling company at least is made abreast of the situation,” Ceres added.

“After what she’s done? She would be a fool to chance such a thing,” Ara growled.

The anxiety I’d just barely shed began to prickle once more at the back of my neck, creeping down my spine like a thousand-armed beast. Tiny flecks of annoyance, anger, and a burning desire for this whole situation to be over danced along my skin like a hot breeze.

Keke must have caught on, quickly interjecting, “We’ll handle her if that day ever comes. There’s nothing for it right now.”

I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair. Time, Kelmer. Just give it time. “I am feeling better, thanks,” I said, then immediately jumped subjects. “Saphira told me there’s a city close to here with some hot springs? Abalone?”

Keke grinned, latching on to the change immediately. “Abalone is great. It’s a catgirl’s paradise. Hot springs, manicures, massages, and great food! It’s only a couple of hours away.”

“That sounds divine!” Ceres clapped her hands, eyes glittering with excitement. “Is it a difficult journey?”

Keke shook her head. “Not at all. There’s a road that leads straight there, and it’s traveled all the time by girls from Junonia. Obviously, there are a few roaches here and there, but nothing we can’t handle by now.”

Tristan ladled a spoonful of soup, then watched it as he spilled it drop by drop back into the bowl. “Is it alright? If we go, I mean?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” I asked.

“Every day the young Master is away from his island could cause harm to those we’ve left behind,” Ara explained, switching her stare between the three of us.

There were a dozen things I wanted to say in response, the most burning a comment on Celestia’s practices of keeping Tristan locked up. Even so, Ara had a point. Throughout my travels from San Island to Shi, I’d felt like I’d neglected my territory. “Well, we need to wait for Espada to finish Ceres’ armor before we travel to Ichi since we have no clue what’s waiting for us. That’ll take a couple of weeks.”

“And we’ve all been through a lot,” Keke finished for me. “I think it would be best to take some time off. See more of the island and refresh ourselves before we face Ichi Island.”

Tristan repeated the scooping and dribbling of his soup. Meanwhile, Hilda returned with our bowls of piping hot stew, and a freshly brewed pot of tea that she poured into cups for Keke and me. Ceres took a third teacup from the tray and filled it, watching Tristan and Ara carefully.

“Whatever you decide, young Master, I will remain by your side,” Ara reassured him.

Tristan set the spoon down, drummed his fingers on the table, then looked at Ara. “What do you want to do, Ara?”

Ara paused, her eyes wide and her ears flattening back on her head. “I beg your pardon?”

“I think you’ve more than earned a vacation. Is it not something you’d like?”

Ara mouthed silent words, then cleared her throat. “I-I believe I would enjoy it, yes—”

Tristan smiled and took her hand. “Then let’s go.”

Ara flushed, Ceres gasped with delight, and Keke laughed beneath her breath.

“It’s settled then. Let’s spend a few days in Abalone,” I said.