Christian left the shovel just inside the porch’s yard door, on the mat left there to keep it from making a mess, and closed the door behind him. The ferals had ample food and water in bowls that kept it from freezing, and a few minutes of extra work had cleared a path for them between shelter and gazebo. This was only a brief respite in the snow, but it had been coming down in big fluffy flakes with minimal wind, and the temperature wasn’t extreme, so he wasn’t worried about them. The big orange male had assured him that all the regulars were accounted for and none were injured. That meant he could let it go at his everyday baseline level of concern for their higher-risk lives.
He kicked off the old running shoes he placed there for quick trips outside and placed them on the mat to dry, then peeled off his gloves; without bitter cold to contend with, and for such a short time outside, one of Cecilia’s sweaters was adequate.
What he was going to do someday when all her gifts wore out past using, he had no idea. It seemed unlikely that he’d ever muster the patience to learn to knit, and he was still working on how to incorporate magic into objects anyway. That was a bridge he’d have to cross eventually, but he hoped it wasn’t soon.
Nails tapped a rapid rhythmic beat on the window of the front porch door.
He recognized it, and dashed along the length of the porch to open the door quickly. “Pearl, hi! Come in!”
“Not a bad time?” she asked, as she always did.
He shook his head. “I was just out looking after the ferals. I was going to do some laundry but that can wait. No work shifts today and no housecleaning. Shall I go get us some tea?”
“I’d like that.”
“Make yourself at home, of course.” Alexandra was willing to tolerate her in the porch, but still insisted that the house was off-limits, and Pearl always respected that. Mostly for her sake, he’d added a couple of the most comfortable chairs he’d been able to find at thrift shops to the porch; cats liked sleeping in them, but they gave him and Pearl an indoor place to sit when the weather made the yard problematic during her irregular visits.
Pearl perched in her usual chair. “No infirmary cats? That’s a good sign.”
“I had one until a couple of days ago, but he’s back outside now. Just as well, he hated every minute of being in here no matter how often I explained. I’ll be right back.”
In the kitchen, he put the kettle on, and retrieved the tray from its home on top of the fridge. He heard the lid of the washing machine bang as it closed, heard the water come on, and Eric stepped from the back alcove into the kitchen proper.
“Cats are all good?” he asked amiably.
“They’re fine, and we have company. “
“We do?”
“A two-tail kitsune who drops by now and then. She got hurt while she was exploring the area and stayed here for a bit while she recovered, and in return she taught me a few things. I think she visits when she’s bored, but I’m not arguing.”
“Huh. Here, if you’re making that for a kitsune, use the raspberry-hibiscus green.” Eric got the box from the cupboard and passed it to him. “Trust me, she’ll like it better.”
“Really? Wish I’d known that before. Or that she’d said something. I don’t know how many times we’ve had tea together.”
“They don’t object to black, Earl Grey is better, but they love fruity berry herbal mixtures and green tea. Maybe it’s a fox thing, foxes are omnivores and some times and places they eat a lot of fruit. I honestly don’t know, but I’ve never met a kitsune who was an exception.”
“Okay, so I just learned something. Cool. Grab three cups and come join us? I don’t think she’ll mind.”
“Sure. I think the only cookies are from the bakery, I’ve been slacking off, but that should be okay.”
“You aren’t living here to be the household cook, no matter how much I’m enjoying the home-cooked meals and all the other goodies.”
Eric laughed. “I know, but I don’t want to get out of practice. It’s not a big deal, and I like my cooking better than most of the take-out options. Your meals are simple but they’re good. Mark’s just hopeless, which isn’t a surprise at all. So, when I can around classes, you’re stuck with my cooking.”
He wasn’t just doing the cooking three or four nights a week. As near as Christian could tell, Eric had quietly taken over paying household bills and planning grocery trips so that they never seemed to run out of things they needed. It made sense that he’d learned to cope with all that as Margaret’s mobility deteriorated, and his tendency to be methodical and organized made him a lot better at it than Christian—far too often, Christian forgot about bills and paid them once he got reminder notices, and shopping trips were more instinctive and impulsive than planned. It still made Christian feel a little guilty along with his gratitude and relief.
They got a tray of tea and cookies together quickly, and Eric joined Christian, back through the living room to the porch’s internal door.
“Pearl? This is...”
“Eric!” Pearl flung herself at him for a hug, briefly just a blur of motion. She got high enough to wrap her arms around his neck, despite at least a foot’s difference in height; Eric, maybe on reflex, closed both arms around her to support her. The blond couldn’t answer her until after she’d given him a sound kiss.
“Okay, I guess introductions aren’t needed,” Christian said, setting the tray on the table.
“Hi, Pearl,” Eric said, a bit breathlessly, lowering her carefully back to the floor. “You’re friends with Chris?”
She nodded. “He was thoughtful last spring when I needed help, and I like him. And it’s fun watching him learn new things, he’s so good at it.”
“I’ve noticed that. Give me a sec to grab something to sit on, I’ll be right back.”
“I’m not going to distract you from university stuff?”
“It’s fine. I do try to have a life outside of classes. And I’d find a way to make at least enough time for tea and a cookie with a charming lady.”
She giggled, while he stepped back into the main house. He didn’t ask why they were staying on the porch, Christian noted, but quite possibly the answer was that obvious.
“You’re from Jade’s clan, I take it,” Christian said.
Pearl nodded, re-seating herself and smoothing the skirt of her soft-coloured dress. “Kitsune aren’t territorial at all, but it’s common for the members of a clan to be in the same general part of the world. Very broadly speaking, anyway. The same continent, for certain. Not every kitsune you meet around here is necessarily from our clan, but the odds are higher.”
“Did you know about Eric living here?”
She tilted her head to one side. “Oh, Jade might have mentioned it. I realized I hadn’t been here to see you in months, it was warm enough to sit outside in the shade last time, so I needed to do something about that. So how have you been doing?”
“Well, the things you taught me saved my life.”
Her eyes widened in alarm. “What? I mean, I’m very, very glad if they did, but... how?”
Eric returned with a kitchen chair, quiet enough that he disrupted Christian’s account of the attack only minimally.
Pearl growled, a rather high-pitched sound that could be considered canine only if the canine was a small puppy. “How dare they! They treat liminals very badly, and now they outright assault you, in part for being a friend to a number of liminals? I only thought it would be fun for you to learn, not that it would be necessary! But I’m extremely glad that you were able to find a way to use it to break her nasty yucky curse.”
Eric handed her a cup of tea. “I’m glad too. It wasn’t an attack a lamia could have done anything about even if she’d been right there. That did not put her in a very good mood, I might add, but she did say some things that might mean she’s feeling... hm, maybe appreciative is a good word, that your lessons mean she still has her witch.”
“Maybe it will help her accept that I don’t have any bad intentions or ulterior motives.” Pearl was still scowling, though. “I don’t like her. The witch who did that.”
“She was pretty upset once she realized she’d been about to sacrifice Amber,” Christian said. “And I don’t think she was expecting almost my whole feral colony to show up to protect me. I’m pretty sure she’s not a threat anymore. I just wanted you to know that your lessons saved me and I’m really grateful for that, above and beyond how fascinating it all is.”
The scowl vanished, replaced by a smile. “You’re very welcome. At this point, I think trying to count favours back and forth is much too complicated. Friends don’t have to do that anyway.” She raised the cup to take a sip, and her eyes widened. “Oh! That’s good!”
Eric flashed Christian a conspiratorial grin. “There are cookies too. Plain oatmeal ones from a local bakery.”
“That’ll go nicely with this. So. Aside from wicked witches throwing curses at you, how have you been? It’s been a long time since I talked to either of you, and what with moving here and all, I’m sure a lot has happened since then.”
Christian left the shovel just inside the porch’s yard door, on the mat left there to keep it from making a mess, and closed the door behind him. The ferals had ample food and water in bowls that kept it from freezing, and a few minutes of extra work had cleared a path for them between shelter and gazebo. This was only a brief respite in the snow, but it had been coming down in big fluffy flakes with minimal wind, and the temperature wasn’t extreme, so he wasn’t worried about them. The big orange male had assured him that all the regulars were accounted for and none were injured. That meant he could let it go at his everyday baseline level of concern for their higher-risk lives.
He kicked off the old running shoes he placed there for quick trips outside and placed them on the mat to dry, then peeled off his gloves; without bitter cold to contend with, and for such a short time outside, one of Cecilia’s sweaters was adequate.
What he was going to do someday when all her gifts wore out past using, he had no idea. It seemed unlikely that he’d ever muster the patience to learn to knit, and he was still working on how to incorporate magic into objects anyway. That was a bridge he’d have to cross eventually, but he hoped it wasn’t soon.
Nails tapped a rapid rhythmic beat on the window of the front porch door.
He recognized it, and dashed along the length of the porch to open the door quickly. “Pearl, hi! Come in!”
“Not a bad time?” she asked, as she always did.
He shook his head. “I was just out looking after the ferals. I was going to do some laundry but that can wait. No work shifts today and no housecleaning. Shall I go get us some tea?”
“I’d like that.”
“Make yourself at home, of course.” Alexandra was willing to tolerate her in the porch, but still insisted that the house was off-limits, and Pearl always respected that. Mostly for her sake, he’d added a couple of the most comfortable chairs he’d been able to find at thrift shops to the porch; cats liked sleeping in them, but they gave him and Pearl an indoor place to sit when the weather made the yard problematic during her irregular visits.
Pearl perched in her usual chair. “No infirmary cats? That’s a good sign.”
“I had one until a couple of days ago, but he’s back outside now. Just as well, he hated every minute of being in here no matter how often I explained. I’ll be right back.”
In the kitchen, he put the kettle on, and retrieved the tray from its home on top of the fridge. He heard the lid of the washing machine bang as it closed, heard the water come on, and Eric stepped from the back alcove into the kitchen proper.
“Cats are all good?” he asked amiably.
“They’re fine, and we have company. “
“We do?”
“A two-tail kitsune who drops by now and then. She got hurt while she was exploring the area and stayed here for a bit while she recovered, and in return she taught me a few things. I think she visits when she’s bored, but I’m not arguing.”
“Huh. Here, if you’re making that for a kitsune, use the raspberry-hibiscus green.” Eric got the box from the cupboard and passed it to him. “Trust me, she’ll like it better.”
“Really? Wish I’d known that before. Or that she’d said something. I don’t know how many times we’ve had tea together.”
“They don’t object to black, Earl Grey is better, but they love fruity berry herbal mixtures and green tea. Maybe it’s a fox thing, foxes are omnivores and some times and places they eat a lot of fruit. I honestly don’t know, but I’ve never met a kitsune who was an exception.”
“Okay, so I just learned something. Cool. Grab three cups and come join us? I don’t think she’ll mind.”
“Sure. I think the only cookies are from the bakery, I’ve been slacking off, but that should be okay.”
“You aren’t living here to be the household cook, no matter how much I’m enjoying the home-cooked meals and all the other goodies.”
Eric laughed. “I know, but I don’t want to get out of practice. It’s not a big deal, and I like my cooking better than most of the take-out options. Your meals are simple but they’re good. Mark’s just hopeless, which isn’t a surprise at all. So, when I can around classes, you’re stuck with my cooking.”
He wasn’t just doing the cooking three or four nights a week. As near as Christian could tell, Eric had quietly taken over paying household bills and planning grocery trips so that they never seemed to run out of things they needed. It made sense that he’d learned to cope with all that as Margaret’s mobility deteriorated, and his tendency to be methodical and organized made him a lot better at it than Christian—far too often, Christian forgot about bills and paid them once he got reminder notices, and shopping trips were more instinctive and impulsive than planned. It still made Christian feel a little guilty along with his gratitude and relief.
They got a tray of tea and cookies together quickly, and Eric joined Christian, back through the living room to the porch’s internal door.
“Pearl? This is...”
“Eric!” Pearl flung herself at him for a hug, briefly just a blur of motion. She got high enough to wrap her arms around his neck, despite at least a foot’s difference in height; Eric, maybe on reflex, closed both arms around her to support her. The blond couldn’t answer her until after she’d given him a sound kiss.
“Okay, I guess introductions aren’t needed,” Christian said, setting the tray on the table.
“Hi, Pearl,” Eric said, a bit breathlessly, lowering her carefully back to the floor. “You’re friends with Chris?”
She nodded. “He was thoughtful last spring when I needed help, and I like him. And it’s fun watching him learn new things, he’s so good at it.”
“I’ve noticed that. Give me a sec to grab something to sit on, I’ll be right back.”
“I’m not going to distract you from university stuff?”
“It’s fine. I do try to have a life outside of classes. And I’d find a way to make at least enough time for tea and a cookie with a charming lady.”
She giggled, while he stepped back into the main house. He didn’t ask why they were staying on the porch, Christian noted, but quite possibly the answer was that obvious.
“You’re from Jade’s clan, I take it,” Christian said.
Pearl nodded, re-seating herself and smoothing the skirt of her soft-coloured dress. “Kitsune aren’t territorial at all, but it’s common for the members of a clan to be in the same general part of the world. Very broadly speaking, anyway. The same continent, for certain. Not every kitsune you meet around here is necessarily from our clan, but the odds are higher.”
“Did you know about Eric living here?”
She tilted her head to one side. “Oh, Jade might have mentioned it. I realized I hadn’t been here to see you in months, it was warm enough to sit outside in the shade last time, so I needed to do something about that. So how have you been doing?”
“Well, the things you taught me saved my life.”
Her eyes widened in alarm. “What? I mean, I’m very, very glad if they did, but... how?”
Eric returned with a kitchen chair, quiet enough that he disrupted Christian’s account of the attack only minimally.
Pearl growled, a rather high-pitched sound that could be considered canine only if the canine was a small puppy. “How dare they! They treat liminals very badly, and now they outright assault you, in part for being a friend to a number of liminals? I only thought it would be fun for you to learn, not that it would be necessary! But I’m extremely glad that you were able to find a way to use it to break her nasty yucky curse.”
Eric handed her a cup of tea. “I’m glad too. It wasn’t an attack a lamia could have done anything about even if she’d been right there. That did not put her in a very good mood, I might add, but she did say some things that might mean she’s feeling... hm, maybe appreciative is a good word, that your lessons mean she still has her witch.”
“Maybe it will help her accept that I don’t have any bad intentions or ulterior motives.” Pearl was still scowling, though. “I don’t like her. The witch who did that.”
“She was pretty upset once she realized she’d been about to sacrifice Amber,” Christian said. “And I don’t think she was expecting almost my whole feral colony to show up to protect me. I’m pretty sure she’s not a threat anymore. I just wanted you to know that your lessons saved me and I’m really grateful for that, above and beyond how fascinating it all is.”
The scowl vanished, replaced by a smile. “You’re very welcome. At this point, I think trying to count favours back and forth is much too complicated. Friends don’t have to do that anyway.” She raised the cup to take a sip, and her eyes widened. “Oh! That’s good!”
Eric flashed Christian a conspiratorial grin. “There are cookies too. Plain oatmeal ones from a local bakery.”
“That’ll go nicely with this. So. Aside from wicked witches throwing curses at you, how have you been? It’s been a long time since I talked to either of you, and what with moving here and all, I’m sure a lot has happened since then.”
