It was later in the evening when I left Nixie’s house, and I wondered who to track down first. I was starving, so the girls would be hungry by now, too. Lucky for me, I found everyone sitting at a long table in the Junonia Inn.

“Matt! We saved you a seat!” Tristan waved when he spotted me.

Keke and Cannoli tapped the empty space on the bench between them. It reminded me of the picnic tables you’d see in parks, but carved from wood instead of molded plastic. I took a seat and Ravyn slid me a mug of ale.

“It’s a little warm. Figured you’d need a drink after that bullshit,” Ravyn grumbled.

“Thanks. Warm is fine.” I gulped down half the mug before I continued. “You guys eat yet?”

Ceres and Ara shook their heads.

“We were waiting for you, Sir Matt,” Ceres said.

“That was nice of you.”

Frida approached the table, balancing three bowls and five more mugs on a large tray. The bowls were stocked with peanuts, and she exchanged them for the three empty ones on the table. Wonder how many of those they’ve gone through already.

Buttons jumped from Cannoli’s shoulder to the table, then sprang head-first into one of the bowls. His blue body vanished beneath the shells, sending a few peanuts flying from the bowl. Ball took to the one closest to Ravyn, snapping one between his powerful beak.

“Looks like everyone’s hungry,” Frida chuckled. “Portia lugged in a helluva catch today. Plenty of fish for searing.”

There was a resounding “Yes, please!” from the girls at the table. Tristan and I exchanged glances and shrugged. I couldn’t imagine anyone could cook up a fish like Cannoli, but the tavern hadn’t failed us yet.

“Sounds good to me. And can I get another one of these, please?” I downed the rest of the ale and passed it to Frida.

Frida added the mug to the tray next to the empty bowls. “Coming right up, Matt. Anyone else need anything?”

“Just fish!” Cannoli cried happily.

“Fish it is. Be back soon.” Frida excused herself, and Cannoli hummed in bliss.

It was impossible to describe how relieved I was to see Cannoli smiling again. She probably still had a lot on her mind, but I hoped she’d let us help out as much as we could. Even Ravyn had dedicated herself to the cause. Something I never thought I’d witness for myself.

“So, how do we think the trip to Venicia is going to go?” Tristan asked.

“Not well. We all get along like a house on fire,” I admitted.

“That’s putting it lightly,” Ravyn added. She grabbed a peanut and tossed it to Ball. The parrot squawked and caught it, cracking into the shell with a happy chirp.

Ara entwined her hands and set them on the table. “I believe Celestia’s intentions are…sound.”

That’s a reach.

“How could that be?” Ceres asked, giving a voice to what I’m sure we were all thinking.

Ara cleared her throat and inspected her fingers. “She wishes to see all of Shi Island prosper. Her restoration efforts are genuine.”

“But you had no idea how bad things were in the other cities,” Keke pointed out. “Catania was living underground.”

“I understand that. However, Celestia informed me that the island had begun to diminish long before she took the role of Head Mistress. And things must get worse before they get better,” Ara replied calmly.

Cannoli stroked the top of Buttons’ head when it appeared between the peanuts. “How could locking Tristan in a room help the island get better, though? Wouldn’t that only make things worse?”

“That would depend on what she’s using his money for,” Ravyn said dryly.

Tristan tilted his head and pursed his lips. “What money?”

I felt Keke tense next to me. So, he didn’t know about the Quests either. It would make sense—he’d never distributed his Skill or Stat points before we’d met. He had no reason to use the iPaw once Celestia got her claws into him. I debated letting Ravyn tell him, but she’d handled it less than tactfully so far.

“The men in this world get a series of chain Quests,” I explained carefully. “For successfully impregnating catgirls.”

Tristan blinked. “Is that why my Level is so high?”

Keke and I nodded.

Ravyn snickered. “This is gold.”

“The Quest also gives you Bells each time you complete it. I’ve only completed it once, but from what I can tell, the Bells increase every time.” I ran a hand through my hair. “There might be a cap, but you’d have to check your iPaw to know for sure.”

Tristan flushed, then summoned his iPaw. Ara laid one palm on the screen and caught Tristan’s attention.

“Young Master, are you certain you want to know?” she murmured.

“I…” Tristan paused, toying with the point of one of the cat ears on the device. “Is it all gone?”

Ravyn opened her mouth to say something, but I caught her eye and shook my head. You’ve said enough.

“More than likely. Celestia shared with a few of her closer confidants that she was using it to enrich the economy across the cities.” Ara released the screen in favor of Tristan’s arm, then continued earnestly, “Venicia flourishes thanks to your efforts.”

Tristan exhaled a huge breath and shook his head. “I mean, it’s not like I needed the Bells before. Knowing that it exists doesn’t change the current situation. I don’t have good equipment or weapons like you guys. I’m dragging the Party down.”

Ara’s eyes lit up. “That is not a lost cause, young Master. I earned plenty in Abalone to purchase you a fine set of equipment. Please allow me to?”

“That’s your money, Ara. I don’t want to—” Tristan began.

To my surprise, Ceres interrupted him. “You should let her, Tristan. It would bring her much satisfaction.” She looked at me. “The ability to serve the ones we care about is the highest honor for the members of Shi Island.”

Tristan blushed, then nodded. “Alright. I would appreciate the help.”

Ara smiled and shrugged her shoulders like a well-groomed cat. “We will find you the best equipment that money can buy!”

“That’s nice and all, but can we get back to Celestia?” Ravyn stretched, then threw another peanut to Ball.

Frida returned with seven plates heaped with fish, vegetables, and fresh bread. The conversation paused as we tucked in, each of us managing to clear half of our meals before talks continued.

Ceres dabbed her lips with a napkin and spoke first. “Celestia took her current position after I graduated. I remember hearing the news. However, the Defiled situation was already problematic by that time. So, what Ara says concerning Celestia’s restoration efforts may hold some weight.”

“Then let’s say that she is trying to help,” Cannoli mused. “What if she’s just not sending enough of the money to the other cities? Or if it’s not being received by the right people?”

It wasn’t too much of a stretch of the imagination. Any person in a difficult situation would do whatever it took to survive—whether that meant Venicia girls were pocketing the Bells for themselves or were robbed during their travels. Jazz’s band had been ready to strip us down and string us up if it came to it.

“In that scenario, we would need to devise a different distribution method for Tristan’s hard-earned Bells. Something more secure that ensures goods like food and potions makes it into the hands of those who need them,” Ceres said.

“Our first priority is Lynn, but it sounds like we have to sit down and talk to Celestia. Figure out what her plans really are,” I said. “There are a lot of ‘what if’ scenarios here.”

“Yeah. Like what if she has a bunch of girls waiting to sink Portia’s ship as soon as we’re in sight of the dock?” Ravyn proposed.

“Would she really do that?” Keke asked.

Ravyn shrugged. “If she thinks that we kidnapped Tristan, and he’s the only thing keeping Venicia running, how do you think she’ll react?”

“I’ve been wondering about that myself,” I admitted. “Part of me says she won’t try to hurt Tristan or me, but I worry about what she’d do with the rest of you.”

“We won’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen,” Tristan said, his expression suddenly serious. “I want to help Ara and Lynn. I want to save my island. It should never have reached this point.”

“You don’t have to do it alone, Tristan. We’ll help you,” Cannoli said with a smile.

“Yeah. We’re in this together, remember?” I added.

“But I call dibs on roasting Celestia if it comes to it,” Ravyn said, stabbing her fork into the fish. “Her ass is mine.”

“Roast the bitch! Roast the bitch! Squaawk!”

For the first time in weeks, I felt like everyone was back to their usual selves. Even if it wasn’t entirely set in stone, we had a plan. One that we’d see through together.