The next morning, Lola woke to the sound of someone rummaging in the kitchen. She sat up immediately, panic coursing through her body, her fight or flight instincts on full alert.

Then the events of the last night came rushing back to her, and she relaxed, letting out a sigh. What did I just get myself into?

She glanced at the clock: 8 am. Perfect. Her shift started at 11, so she was right on time- maybe she could even snag herself some time to write this morning. With a grunt, she vaulted herself out of bed and walked into the kitchen to see what all the fuss was about.

Danae was standing next to the counter with a butter knife in hand, still wearing the same outfit as yesterday. Although, Lola supposed, since she could change her appearance she probably didn’t have to worry about getting dirty. Next to her, the two crows were perched on the counter (Lola sighed to herself- those damn birds), next to a mug of dark tea and… a singular slice of bread.

The bread was lying directly on the counter. It looked like someone had halfheartedly attempted to spread a slab of butter across it, and there was a wilted sprig of cilantro perched on top. To top it all off, a miniature mountain of what looked like pepper was piled in one corner. The effect was… peculiar, and honestly a bit pathetic. Lola looked at Danae.

“I made you breakfast,” she said, gesturing at the toast(?) and the tea.

It took Lola a moment to figure out how to respond to this. The gesture was admittedly very sweet, although unnecessary. “Aw, thanks,” she said, smiling, “I appreciate it a lot! But don’t feel like you have to do anything for me- I’m letting you stay here for free. You don’t owe me anything, okay?”

Danae looked slightly uncertain, but nodded anyways.

Lola eyed her ‘breakfast’. On one hand, Danae really did seem genuine, and it would be rude to outright refuse a meal, but on the other hand, it certainly wasn’t the most appetizing-looking thing she’d ever seen. After a moment’s thought, Lola decided to go for the tea. That was a safe choice, right?

With a smile, she reached out and grabbed the mug, taking a sip.

!!!!!!

Was that chili powder?

How many spices had she put in this thing??

Eyes watering, Lola gently put down the mug. Whatever concoction was in there had probably just taken about ten years off her life. She looked up to see Danae gazing at her expectantly. “How does it taste?”

She looked so sincere, Lola didn’t have the heart to tell her the truth. “It was… good. I usually prefer it with sugar, though.”

Danae nodded. “I will remember that.” Outwardly, Lola smiled, but inside she groaned. Is she going to try to make me breakfast every day?

Lola grabbed a plate to put the toast on (with absolutely zero intention to eat it) and set her ‘meal’ down on the table. Then, she went to go make herself a bagel. Danae was still standing there, and Lola glanced over and smiled apologetically at her. “I’ll probably still be hungry after eating the… toast, so I’m gonna make myself some extra food. Are you hungry? Would you like a bagel?”

Danae shook her head. “I’m okay. I don’t have to eat if I don’t want to, and I wouldn’t want to impose.”

Lola laughed to herself. What a polite houseguest! Much better than her old roommate. Although, at least her roommate had known how to cook...

She put some cream cheese onto her bagel, along with a few slices of avocado and tomato, and sat back down at the table. Danae drifted over, along with her crows, and Lola gestured for her to sit.

They sat in peace for a short while, Lola munching away on her bagel and pretending to sip at her ‘tea’. One side of the table was set against the wall, right next to a window, and Lola gazed out at the city skyline contemplatively. A misty haze hung over Shrikeport, grey clouds rolling into the distance above tall iron skyscrapers. Lola silently hoped it would rain again.

Although the silence wasn’t uncomfortable, Lola decided she’d had enough of being alone with her thoughts, so she reached over to turn on the radio. Strains of classical music began to drift through her apartment, soaring violins weaving through a gentle flute melody. Perfect for a quiet morning, Lola decided, and didn’t change the station.

All of a sudden, her wonderful calm reverie was interrupted by the loud squawking of one of those. Two. Horrid. Birds. Lola rolled her eyes over from where she’d been gazing out the window in order to glare icily at the bird in question. “Must they… always do that?”

“Mm?” Danae looked over. “Oh, my crows? They do that to tell me things. They wanted to let me know that you’ve only been pretending to drink your tea.”

Lola flushed. “I…”

Danae let out a breath that might have been a quiet laugh. “Don’t worry about it. Next time, if you don’t enjoy something I make, just tell me. I won’t be offended.”

Lola decided to change the subject. “So, you can talk to crows?”

“Not every crow. Just these two.”

“Are they your familiars?” Lola knew a few magicians that used a ritual to bond with an animal companion, allowing them to help focus the magician’s magic and sometimes even share emotions or thoughts. She’d never heard of it happening with a spirit before, but at this point she was used to being surprised by all kinds of random new mystical things being possible.

Danae, however, shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I believe it’s something different; it’s as though their souls and mine are one, somehow.”

“Huh.” A thought suddenly came to Lola. “Do they have names?” If these crows were going to be her new rivals, she might as well know their names in order to properly curse them.

Danae actually looked pleased at the question, lighting up. “Yes! This one is Rova,” She pointed to the crow that was currently pecking away at Lola’s nice chair. “And this one is Dulun,” She pointed at the other crow, which was currently tracking its unhygienic claws all over Lola’s countertops. Lola certainly didn’t regret letting Danae stay… but she definitely would have preferred it without the crows. Although she supposed it was in the name, Crow Queen and all that.

“They are my closest companions, Rova and Dulun,” Danae said, rather affectionately. “I hardly remember anything, but in all that I do remember they are by my side.”

Lola smiled at that. “Aw, that’s sweet. I wish I had a companion like that, but I haven’t had a pet since I was in middle school.”

“If you don’t mind me inquiring, what sort of pet did you have?”

“I had a goldfish! What was its name…” She snapped her fingers, trying to remember. “Oh! I remember- King Louis XIV!”

Danae looked amused. “You named your goldfish after a… French king?”

Lola laughed. “Yeah, I think that was the year I first got really into history,”

“Do you still like history? Is that… what you do for a job?”

Another laugh escaped her. “Not quite. I majored in Comparative Literature, with a minor in History, but I work at the Haven Cafe, in the Old Town district. Depending on how long you’ve been in the city, you might have been there- it’s a pretty popular place for the, you know-” She gestured at Danae and her crows. “-unusual folks in Shrikeport.”

“Hm.” Danae nodded thoughtfully. In the background, the radio started playing a new song, this time a cello suite with high lilting flute accompaniment.

“I have a shift at 11 today, actually,” Lola said as she stood, grabbing her dishes and taking them over to load into the dishwasher. “I guess... hm…” She turned back to face Danae. “You could stay at the apartment if you’d like, or come with me. Cato usually swings by on his break, so maybe we could tell him about your situation.”

“Could I come with you? I think-“ Here she paused, hand unconsciously drifting up to her face. “I think the sooner I can talk to your mage friend, the better.”

Lola nodded. “I agree. Do you think the whole memory thing is related to whatever happened to you?” Lola had met one or two spirits at the coffee shop before, but they’d always seemed aloof and unapproachable, something very clearly not human. She had no idea if having memory issues was a regular part of being a spirit or not.

Danae definitely wasn’t human, but she was somehow much more approachable, softer around the edges somehow.

“I… I think it might be. I’m just-“ A flicker of irritation crossed Danae’s face. “It’s just so hard for me to be sure of anything.”

“Well, why don’t you come with me this afternoon then- I’m sure that we’ll be able to find someone at the cafe who can help us.” The word caught on Lola’s tongue: us. She was surprised at how natural it felt, although it had been less than a day.

It wasn’t going to last, she reminded herself. Once they found out how to fix whatever was wrong with Danae, she’d leave and Lola would be by herself again.

But it was nice, to be part of an ‘us’ again.