It was a long, exhausting night as it was, but trouble was still far from over. The shape-shifting potion worked on Onyx while injured, but it was uncomfortable and he felt like the effect would wear off at any moment. Rolo went to deliver the wolf’s corpse to any retives he had and bury him, while also collecting the reward for hunting the monsters. Ulva finally managed to make her wings work again and gave Onyx some feathers to help him while she went to get a healer to patch her own injuries.

  Meanwhile, Onyx had to rush into the room they had rented in the Lunar Inn without the owner seeing him all injured, then finally turned back to his dragon form and just sat there, alone, with only his thoughts for company and the events of the night occupying his mind while he waited for Ulva and Rolo to return.

  He had messed up. A lot. He couldn’t stop thinking about the wolf that had died, how it was completely preventable, and then how he had lost control and injured Ulva. Had she gotten hit differently, she could’ve died! The wolf’s words echoed in his mind, “That dragon may kill you by accident when he’s scared and injured.” Was it correct? Was he really a dangerous monster that couldn’t be controlled?

  Onyx gnced at Zoey’s neckerchief, lying there on the counter, bloodied and with holes torn into it from the vampire’s fangs. He breathed deeply and let out a shaky sigh, dropping to his knees and resting his head and arms on the bed, tears slowly trickling out of his eyes. The more he thought about everything, the more it hurt.

  A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. He quickly wiped his tears and faced the door. “Wh-Who’s there?”

  There was a pause, then “It’s me” from Ulva.

  Onyx sighed in relief. “Come in.”

  Ulva opened the door and stepped inside. Her right arm was wrapped in bandages and hung to her neck with an arm sling. There were bandages on other parts of her body as well, and she wore only a gown, no doubt to ease the process she had taken to patch her injuries. She carried a small bag that contained medical equipment.

  Onyx sat on the bed, the furniture protesting with a creek. He was unable to meet her gaze. “How…How is it?”

  He could hear Ulva sigh before responding. “Better than it looks. It’s fractured, so I believe I will have to keep it like this for a day or so, with the help of my feathers.”

  Onyx nodded. He heard Ulva’s pawsteps as she approached the bed, pausing for a moment before speaking again. “Now, let me take a look at you.”

  The process was long, as Ulva inspected his wounds and applied the right mix of substances, bandages, stitches, and her healing magic. Sometimes she had to stand on the bed to get better angles for her work, and she would often get…too close. As if his shame of what he had done wasn’t enough, he was now embarrassed, too.

  “There,” Ulva said, taking a step back and eyeing Onyx upside down as if to admire her work. She let out a long sigh, then sat on the bed beside him.

  There was a long, awkward silence. Onyx started sweating and shifting in his pce, scrapping the depths of his mind for anything to say, but he found nothing. Finally, he opened his mouth to talk, gncing at Ulva. She was just sitting there, looking up at him with big, curious eyes, her right eye partially covered by hair as usual. And then he defted without saying anything. As if in response, Ulva’s ears fttened, and she turned her gaze to her p.

  “I’m sorry,” Onyx finally managed to speak.

  Ulva’s ears twitched, her gaze returning to him.

  Once again, he failed to meet her gaze, staring at the floor instead. “I…don’t know what came over me. I’m saying the truth when I tell you I didn’t see you. I really didn’t. I was just so…angry and focused on the battle.” His ears fttened. He felt tears threatening to fall from his eyes, but he held them back. He dared to gnce at Ulva as he asked, “Are you…afraid of me now?”

  Ulva’s eyes widened, before darting to the floor. “No…No, I’m not. I know you didn’t mean it. I was just…shocked. And with everything else happening…” She scratched her neck. “I do wish you were more careful, but given the circumstances, things were too much for both of us. So I’m not mad, or afraid.”

  Onyx sighed in relief, although he still felt guilty. “Thank you. And…I know exactly what you mean. The monsters, and that wolf…”

  Ulva gripped her gown tightly upon hearing Onyx’s words. “Onyx…can I be honest with you?”

  Onyx tilted his head, almost taken aback by the change in her tone and demeanor. “Of course you can.”

  Ulva nodded, her expression obscured by her hair. “I…honestly didn’t think much about the accident. It was more of…additional shock on top of the thing that was pressing my mind the most. That wolf…died because of me, because I let him slip from my paws. I failed…hard.” Her frame trembled, and Onyx could see droplets on her p. “I failed as a fighter, I failed as a healer. A while ago I killed, then told myself it was necessary, that I could still be a healer. And now this? What am I going to tell myself this time? What…am I even supposed to be anymore?” She was fully shaking and sniffling now, more tears wetting her gown.

  Onyx didn’t know how to react. He stared silently for a moment, then tried to say something, and failed. Was he even supposed to say anything? Or just stay there and let her talk and cry? In his current state, struggling with a simir problem to hers, he was afraid he would only make things worse.

  Hesitantly, he reached out and spread his palm over her back. She seemed to flinch a little to the touch, but she didn’t protest. He felt her warmth and the trembling of her body as she cried. She turned to face him, face wet with tears. She wiped her eyes, and in doing so her hair was messed up, revealing the burns on the right side of her face and neck. He didn’t want to draw her attention to that, and instead stayed in the moment.

  “I…don’t know what to say,” Onyx admitted, patting her on the back. “Your concerns are valid, and I feel guilty for what happened, too. However, I’d hate to see you abandon being a fighter or a healer over this. It’s your life in the end; do what you see fit. But just know that I’m here for you, no matter what you choose.” Damn it, I’m just saying whatever is coming to my mind! Am I even making any sense?!

  He was snapped out of his thoughts when wet fur was pressed against his arm, as Ulva embraced it. But she quickly retracted. “I’m sorry! Your arm is injured!”

  Onyx ughed it off. “It didn’t hurt.” Although it did sting a little.

  Ulva sighed, looking up at him again. “Thank you. For listening. I…needed that.” She reached to adjust her hair, and realized that her scars were exposed. She instantly turned her face the other way as she tried hastily to fix her hair.

  Onyx felt sorry for her and how self-conscious she suddenly became, quickly thinking of what to say to put her at ease. “Ulva, it’s fine. You…don’t have to worry about them around me.”

  Ulva paused, her paw staying still in her hair. “But…they’re so…unsightly.”

  “Not to me.”

  She turned to face him again, strands of hair ying across her right eye. “Do you…really mean that.”

  A little smile pyed on Onyx's lips as he nodded. “You know I’m terrible at lying.”

  Ulva averted her gaze, covering her right side with her hair again. “You’re…just saying things. No one likes to see such horrendous marks, especially not on a woman.”

  Onyx clenched his hands. How much has she suffered because of these scars? She’s like a different person when they’re exposed. And besides, I’m not a liar! “Ulva, I mean it! They’re not horrendous. You’re beautiful!” Onyx bit his tongue, flinching from his own words as he realized what he had just said. Oh no…oh no! I did it again! I said whatever came to my mind without thinking! What am I going to do now?!

  They both turned their faces the other direction after that.

  After a tortuous period of awkward silence, Ulva finally spoke, softly and faintly, “Say it.”

  Hesitantly, Onyx turned to face her again. “What?”

  Ulva turned her face until she was facing her p, her paw fiddling with her hair. Her ears were twitching, and visibly redder than usual. “Say it again…please?”

  Onyx gulped, his heart racing. He felt the room temperature rise even further. Despite her current injuries and the crying, she looked so pretty, all shy and flustered like that while pying with her hair. He felt his heart beat even faster the more he focused on her details. Screw it, there’s no going back now! He cleared his throat before speaking, “You are…beautiful, Ulva. There, I said it!”

  Ulva slowly turned to face him again, her paw letting go of her hair as her purple eyes met Onyx’s blue ones.

  Onyx felt himself sweating more and felt his face heat up. He wanted to look away, but at the same time, he couldn’t. Without knowing, they had both inched closer, fur and scales brushing against each other.

  Then, Onyx noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Looking at the door, it was half-open, and behind it was Rolo, staring at them with his usual stoic face, yet Onyx sensed a tinge of judgement in that look. Slowly, Rolo closed the door.

  “No!” Onyx excimed, lunging at the door, swinging it open and pulling Rolo inside, holding him tightly by the shoulders. “It-It’s not what it looks like! It’s not!”

  Rolo looked up at him and spoke calmly. “Stop shouting.”

  Onyx released his grip on him. “Sorry!” He gnced behind him and saw that Ulva had rearranged her hair as usual.

  Rolo sat on a chair in front of the bed, while Onyx returned to his seat on the bed next to Ulva.

  “How…did things go?” Onyx spoke. He noticed bandages on Rolo’s body as well, and parts of his armor were missing.

  “Bad, but not worse than I had expected,” Rolo replied. “That wolf was an orphan, but he had retives. They buried him.”

  Onyx gulped, his heart sinking. “Did you…tell them everything that happened?”

  Rolo’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you serious? Of course not. I simply told them how he stuck his nose in the battle and how we were overwhelmed by monsters. They were still mad, however.”

  Onyx faced Rolo fully, his eyes widening. “But…why? They deserve to know the truth! It was our fault.”

  Rolo scoffed. “If you want to tell them, go ahead. I won’t stop you. They’re already pissed, and they will not understand.”

  “Understand what?” Ulva asked.

  Rolo sighed, rubbing his face. “Look, maybe you’re expecting me to tell you that it’s fine, that it wasn’t your fault. But I won’t. You did mess up.”

  Onyx frowned at his p, his hands clenching. “We know.”

  “Good,” Rolo continued. “Deal with that reality and accept it. However, it wasn’t entirely your fault.”

  Onyx looked up from his p, his frown softening.

  “For one, I hesitated as well,” Rolo admitted.

  “Because of me,” Ulva chimed in, her gaze turning downwards.

  “That’s why I said it wasn’t entirely your fault,” Rolo continued. “On top of my slip up, no one anticipated that the thunderbird would be someone’s pet, and the monsters themselves were not normal. I have never seen a thunderbird that big, and the camazotz was somehow a mix of different vampires. I think we have a good idea who may have caused that, but that’s a different story. You were thrust into an extraordinary situation for trainees. It unfortunately just happens that someone’s life was entangled with your mistakes. I understand all of that, but that wolf’s retives will not.” Rolo adjusted his seating, leaning forward. “Is it still wrong to withhold the full truth from them? Perhaps. That’s up to you to decide. As for me, I relinquished their part of the reward, as everyone there participated in the payment.”

  Onyx and Ulva nodded.

  “As for you,” Rolo pointed at Onyx. “You need to control yourself. Battle can be exhirating, it can change a person, and you can lose yourself in it. You must learn to avoid that. I will help you train in that regard, but only you can control it.”

  Onyx nodded, his ears dropping. “Understood.”

  “I don’t want you to think this hunt was a complete failure,” Rolo added. “Yes, we made mistakes and a life was lost as a result, but we did hunt down the monsters. Who knows how many more lives would’ve been lost had we not?”

  It wasn’t much, but Rolo’s words brought Onyx a bit of relief. Still, something irked him. “Rolo, I’ve been meaning to ask…what if I turn into a vampire?!”

  Rolo blinked twice, then tilted his head. “Why would that happen?”

  Onyx raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean? I was bitten by a vampire. Twice! You said it exhibited attributes of other vampiric creatures. Maybe it could turn me!”

  “Wait, you don’t know?”

  “Know what?”

  “Onyx, dragons are immune to vampirism. At worst, vampire venom may weaken them temporarily, but you can’t turn.”

  Onyx sighed in relief.

  “Besides, if you could turn, you would’ve turned within minutes. You’re safe.” Rolo sighed, then stood up. “Now, I’ll leave you two alone.” He turned to face the door, muttering, “You seem like you need that.”

  Heat returned to Onyx’s face instantly. “I told you it wasn’t like that!”

  Without responding, Rolo walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

  There it was again; the pressure, the awkward silence. Onyx twiddled his fingers, thinking of what to say next, but all he could do was clear his throat and say “So”, followed by nothing.

  “Thank you,” Ulva finally spoke. “For…what you said before Rolo came in. It means a lot to me.”

  Onyx quickly turned to face her, smiling.

  “I…wish to say something in return,” Ulva added, her thumbs almost wrestling with each other. “But I’m not sure if you’ll like it. It’s not something people usually use to describe dragons.”

  Onyx blinked in confusion, then chuckled. “You can say it. I won’t be offended.”

  Ulva crossed her arms and turned her face the other way. “Like how you didn’t get offended back in the forest?”

  Onyx scowled. “Really? You’ll bring that up now?” He crossed his arms and puffed his cheeks, turning his face the other way as well.

  A few seconds passed, and Ulva giggled, causing Onyx to face her again. His cheeks defted as a smile threatened to appear.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…” she cleared her throat. “I pressed the matter when you didn’t want to talk about it. I understand now.”

  Onyx sighed. “No, I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” He tilted his head as he eyed her. “Now, will you tell me what's on your mind? What you wanted to say in return?”

  Ulva hugged her tail as she gazed at the ceiling. “Well, I think…I think you’re…kind of…” she stuck her snout in the fur of her tail, slightly muffling her next word. “...cute.”

  Onyx had never felt his face get so hot so quickly before, his ears and standing up on point. He quickly averted his gaze, holding his tail in his p, his heart fluttering. The tip of his tail was traitorously wagging at the speed of sound.

  Suddenly, the door flew open, and standing there was Lily, panting, her right hand wrapped in bandages. She stared at them for a moment, a hint of disdain in her eyes. “What…is happening here?”

  “Lily?!” Onyx stood up, followed by Ulva. “What’s wrong?”

  Lily took a moment to catch her breath, leaning against the door frame. “Damn, that was a long run!” She lifted her face up to look at them. “The others…in a clinic in the fox district. I’ll…tell you the details on the way. It was madness!”

  Onyx was getting more and more worried by the second. “Lead the way.”

  “Wait!” Lily raised her hand. “I…need a moment. And some water.”

  After a cup of water and giving Lily a moment to rest, they fetched Rolo, gathered their belongings, and Onyx took the shapeshifting potion once more, which worked better now that he was patched up, but it still felt uncomfortable, and he had to tighten the bandages. Then they were on the way to the fox district. As they walked, Lily retold to them everything that had happened, how they had met Eivor and faced multiple soul spiders, including a giant one.

  “And then…” Lily continued. “We were all injured one way or another, except Autumn, and we had four survivors in need of assistance. Me and Autumn were simply not enough to drag everyone to the closest healer, at least not in time. That was when Dyle rose to his feet. He carried your mom, Eivor, Alphonse, and the other three survivors. Me and Autumn followed him until he delivered them to the fox district, then he colpsed. The guards helped us deliver everyone to a clinic.”

  Onyx looked at her in awe. “Dyle did that…even though he was heavily injured, too?”

  Lily nodded. “I’ve never seen him like that. He looked so…intense.”

  Onyx nodded. “I hope mom is well.”

  “The healers told us she was fine, but she was still unconscious.‘

  Onyx was still worried despite the reassurance.

  “So what happened to you,” Lily asked. “You three look like you went through a lot as well.”

  Onyx’s gaze turned to the ground, sighing. He then proceeded to retell the events that had transpired during his hunt with Rolo and Ulva.

  “That’s…awful,” Lily said after he was done, looking at him sympathetically and pcing a reassuring hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”

  “So, we both fought abnormal monsters,” Rolo said, catching Lily and Onyx’s attention. “I’ve never heard of a soul spider growing that big. It would require it to consume a huge number of people, which would take a long time. I find it hard to believe that this all took pce without anyone or any Yeager catching wind of it and putting a stop to it before it became that bad.”

  Onyx scowled, clenching his paws. “Do you think we interrupted something by hunting those monsters?”

  Rolo crossed his arms. “Time will tell.”

  They finally arrived at a building in the fox district, a rge wooden board hanging outside with “Hana’s Clinic” inscribed on it. The building was clean and the wood was painted white and red. Walking inside and putting down their belongings, they were greeted by a white cat kemono with bck ears. Onyx spotted Autumn sitting next to a human while a vixen, most likely a nurse, was inspecting him. Onyx assumed it was Alphonse. He looked exhausted and barely awake. Autumn was huddled close to him. Suddenly he heard the unmistakable scream of Dyle. All of them rushed to the room he was in. Inside, Dyle was wrapped by multiple bandages, and there were two vixens holding his arms in pce while a third one held a needle near his arm.

  “Please, stay still!” The vixen with the needle commanded with a ‘huff’.

  Dyle chuckled. “Come on, sweetheart, no need for that. I’m doing just fine!”

  The vixen held his chin and looked into his eyes with a sultry smile, then quickly pricked his arm with the needle and withdrew, all in a moment. Dyle yelped, pcing a hand on the spot once the other two vixens let go of him.

  “This is why I have trust issues,” Dyle grumbled.

  Onyx’s shoulders slumped, looking at Dyle with disdain. “You know what? It’s my fault for getting worried about you.”

  Dyle’s features lit up upon seeing them. “Onyx!” He hopped off his bed and held Onyx by the shoulders. “You won’t believe what happened! I kicked so much a…a…” Dyle’s arms and legs wobbled, and his weight was slowly leaning on Onyx.

  “Easy,” Onyx supported the alligator’s weight. “Did they give you a sedative?”

  “I’m…not sure. But my arms and legs are extremely fatigued!”

  “You should not have done that, sir!” A vixen scolded from the room’s door.

  Onyx led Dyle back to his bed and helped him settle on it. “Lily told me everything. You fought well.” Onyx’s eyes widened slightly. “Where is my mother?”

  “Here, Onyx,” Lily called. “I'll show you to her room.”

  “Onyx,” Dyle called as Onyx turned around to leave. His expression was serious. “Your mother…did a lot as well. Maybe even more than me. She’s strong. She’s a warrior.” Then his brows furrowed and his fists clenched. “I want to fight her one day!”

  Onyx eyed him with a bnk expression, then smirked. “Is that your death wish?”

  Dyle growled. “We’ll see about that!”

  “Sure thing,” Ulva said, approaching Dyle with a few feathers in her paw. “Take this for now.”

  Lily led them to a nearby room. Inside was Raksha in a robe, bandages around her body and one wrapped around her head. She was propped up on the pillow so she was almost sitting, and beside her bed was vixen helping her eat from a bowl of soup. She eyed them with a hazy look as they entered, smiling widely. “Ooonyx, my boy!” Her voice was zy and weirdly stretched. “Are you good? Anything bad happened?”

  Onyx raised an eyebrow, sensing something off about his mother. “Mom…? We were…injured, but everything has been taken care of. Are you alright?”

  She threw her paws in the air. “Never been bedder!”

  The vixen beside her giggled. “She’s still under the effect of the sedative. Normally it wouldn’t be this strong, but because she used too much magic, it took a bigger toll on her than anticipated.”

  Raksha gnced at the vixen, then at Onyx. “Whatever she said.”

  Onyx stifled a chuckle. Ulva looked like she was holding back as well, while Lily seemed ready to burst already.

  “I’m gd you’re doing well,” Onyx walked over to the side of the bed, leaning forward. “I heard it was a tough fight.”

  Raksha blew a raspberry. “It was nuffing. Big, gross bastard. Dyle, he was…something, arlight, but I had to scold him a lot. And that…brute Eivor was a pain in the butt.”

  Onyx smiled sheepishly. It was clear she was jumbling the events together. “Sounds…exciting!”

  Raksha’s eyes lit up. “It was! It brought back so many memories. When Alexander would return from a hunt and we’re both…exhausted. We would light up the firepce and…put candles in the bedroom and then we–”

  Onyx quickly held his mother by the shoulders, gently, trying to say anything to stop her. “Alright, then! That’s enough for now. You should just eat and rest, okay?” He chuckled awkwardly, his face getting warmer. He heard Lily behind him burst into ughter. The vixen nurse was giggling as well.

  Raksha frowned and pouted. “But…I haven’t told you what happens–”

  “I have a pretty good idea what happens next!” Onyx excimed, leaving the bed and rushing to the room’s entrance.

  “Wait,” Raksha called. “Are…Autumn and Alphonse okay? What about…Dyle? And the other survivors?”

  Onyx gnced back at her, his expression softening. Even in that state, she was still concerned about others. He smiled. “They’re doing great.”

  Raksha smiled and leaned back against the pillow. “Goood.”

  Ulva approached her, handing her a few feathers. Raksha smiled warmly at her and patted her paw as she took the feathers. With that done, they left the room.

  “Hey,” someone called to them as they walked out of the room. It was Alphonse.

  Onyx and the others approached him.

  “You people…you helped Autumn,” Alphonse continued. “And saved me. Your mother, that croc…I’m in your debt.” He sighed. “Thank you.”

  Lily smiled. “You’re welcome! But he’s an alligator, not a crocodile.”

  Alphonse eyed her for a moment, then chuckled. “My apologies.”

  The vixen beside him stood up. “You are doing great, sir. You just need rest and nutrients.”

  Alphonse dismissed her with a nod.

  “Sir! You can’t leave just yet!” A vixen was protesting.

  Onyx searched for the source of the voice and found none other than Eivor, bandaged and stripped of his armor, stepping out of a room.

  “I said I’m fine!” Eivor shot back, freeing his arm from the vixen’s grip. He then eyed Onyx fiercely, limping his way towards him. “You!”

  Onyx growled. What now?! I feel like if I get pushed even once the potion will wear off!

  Rolo stepped in front of Onyx as Eivor reached them, crossing his arms. “I’m not in the mood to deal with your mood swings, Eivor.”

  Eivor narrowed his eyes at the snow leopard. “Rolo? What are you doing here?!” His eyes darted between him and the others, then chuckled. “I see. Have you finally made friends?”

  Rolo snorted. “You’re the st one who should talk about ck of friends. At least I don’t have an attitude that pushes people away from a ten mile radius.”

  Eivor ughed, then gripped his side and coughed. “You bastard! I can’t ugh right now.” He rubbed his nose. “Now be real with me, what are you up to? This isn’t like you. You’re a lone wolf. Well, lone leopard.”

  Rolo shrugged. “Not much. He’s my apprentice. He will become a Yeager.”

  Eivor took a step back, visibly shocked. “You? A teacher?!” He ughed. “You’ll get him killed!”

  “Hasn’t happened yet.”

  Although it came close to happening, Onyx mused.

  “Whatever, just step aside for a moment,” Eivor said, pcing a paw on Rolo’s shoulder.

  Rolo quickly grabbed Eivor’s arm, his eyes narrowing at the wolf. “Don’t try anything.”

  Eivor scowled at him, then freed his arm. “Rex, princess.” He then eyed Onyx. “As for you, I still haven’t forgotten what you did. Luckily for you, though, I’m not in the mood to give you a spanking, especially not in a clinic.” He patted Onyx on the shoulder forcefully as he passed by him. “Let Rolo train you well. You’ll need it the next time we meet.”

  “Eivor,” Rolo called, prompting the wolf to stop in his tracks. “You’re not the only one who has faced odd monsters.” Rolo dropped his voice to whisper. “Have you, by chance, come across a red fox using blood magic?”

  Eivor stood silently for a moment, then replied, “Nothing of the sort.”

  Rolo nodded. “Watch out, then. I’d like to know if you do.”

  Eivor chuckled. “As you wish.” With that, he limped his way out of the clinic.

  Lily snorted. “Lovely character.”

  “You insulted him so much,” Onyx noted. “Yet he wasn’t riled up by it.”

  “We used to be friends,” Rolo responded.

  “What?!” Onyx and Lily excimed in unison.

  “Why didn’t you mention that before?” Onyx asked.

  “It wasn’t important,” Rolo replied.

  Ulva approached Alphonse, leaning forward and offering him a couple of her feathers.

  Alphonse looked up at the she-wolf, puzzled. “What is this?”

  “Healing magic,” Ulva replied with a smile.

  Alphonse thanked her and took the feathers, then returned his attention to Autumn. “So, what happened next?”

  Onyx noticed the calico telling various events to Alphonse. She looked excited, awed, and a little scared, talking so much and mimicking different sounds and noises. She contrasted much with the shy, polite cat he had first met. Meanwhile, Alphonse listened intently. Onyx wanted to ask her about her spatial magic. He wanted so badly to see something like that in person, but he felt that wasn’t the right time.

  Onyx also took notice of how Rolo was staring at Alphonse every now and then, and soon Alphonse took notice as well.

  “Something the matter, mate?” Alphonse asked.

  Rolo stared bnkly at him for a moment. “Have we met before?”

  Alphonse crossed his arms and returned his gaze to Autumn. “I highly doubt it.”

  Rolo rubbed his chin, looking away. “Thought so.” Rolo walked towards the exit where the cat with the white fur and bck ears was; Onyx followed. “The rooms for Dyle and Raksha. How much do I have to pay for one night?”

  The cat checked the papers in front of her, then gnced up at Rolo again. “Nothing, sir! Everything has already been paid.”

  Onyx raised an eyebrow. “By who?”

  The cat checked her papers again, humming. “He just left recently. Mister…Eivor?”

  Rolo stared bnkly for a moment, then faced the exit, smiling faintly and chuckling as he walked. “Sly bastard.”