Page 63 of Family Found

“Let me.” Inkiri took the socks from my hands and changed them for me right after I’d sat down at the table.

“Vinné.” Sonyo sat back down and pushed a plate toward me.

Lissir crunched down on another piece of candy. “We’re not allowed to have any, Sonyo says.”

“But we have these green, squishy things.” Fellisse held up a gummi worm before sucking it into his mouth.

Nokim put a mug of coffee down in front of me. “There are so many treasures in the big cities. I’m sorry, this isn’t quite what you like. It is a chocolate mocha. I found the machine and some ingredients in an abandoned store a few streets from here.”

“Oh! That’s perfect.” A sweet pick-me-up sounded like just the right thing. My mouth watered at the thought of beautiful carbs, and I realized I wanted sugar badly. The coffee was half gone by the time Inkiri was done with the socks and had sat down next to me.

Vergis hummed. “Yeah, fucking so loud normal conversation is impossible would make a person thirsty.”

I ate a piece of vinné, which thankfully was the sweeter kind I’d already had once at the Raiken.

“Sorry about that, but no one told me you guys were here.” I gave Inkiri some side-eye.

“You were distracting, sadir. I forgot,” Weirdo Husband lied.

“Whatever. My dads went home last night. They took… You know. They took Aragis.” Vergis shrugged, and since he was sitting next to me, I reached over to squeeze his hand once. “Anyway,” Vergis went on, “Dad’s coming back in a bit.”

Lissir leaned forward to catch my eye. “Hove asked that we join him in the Buttery for some food whenever you feel up to it, Rory. Nokim, you should make him another mocha.”

The machine rattled. “I’m already at it.”

Vergis sighed. “On it. You’re already on it.”

Nokim blushed and said nothing at all.

“The Buttery?” I asked.

“Oh, Buttery,” Sonyo said, then added more in Lugarra.

Inkiri clicked. “It’s the hall of food, Sonyo says.”

Vergis looked up from his phone. “Just an old and fancy dining hall. Bit ostentatious for my taste, but that’s academia for you.”

I stuffed some more vinné into my mouth. “Well, I don’t care, but I like the idea of food. Sorry. Anyone else want some of these? They’re so good.”

Fellisse chuckled. “Magic makes you hungry, doesn’t it?”

“All the screaming makes him hungry,” Vergis grumbled.

Nokim put another coffee down in front of me and took the now-empty cup away. “I’ll make you another chocolate mocha too, Vergis.” Nokim clearly enjoyed using the new machine.

“Can you make one for Ink as well?”

Inkiri nodded. “Yes, please, if you don’t mind, Noki. Vergis first, of course.”

Fellisse sighed loudly. “Very well, I’ll try that chocolate mocha also, even if it isn’t a café au lait.”

Lissir nodded. “In that case, so will I.”

Nokim said something to Sonyo. The kid tried pronouncing “chocolate mocha” but ended up with “cocomocho.”

We all laughed, he laughed with us, and it felt good to just sit here with everyone. I sensed the land in the distance too, happy once more that the veils no longer allowed monsters through. I got the sense that it really liked the flowers it had made.

Chapter 20