The next time I opened my eyes, the sight that greeted me instantly brought confusion. There was no night sky above me, only a wooden ceiling, and I felt a familiar Mareep wool blanket beneath me instead of grass. I was in the room Cyryl and I shared. I turned my head to look at Cyryl's bed. They were in it, dead asleep with their hair sprawled out across their pillow in a tangled mess.

   Growing even more confused, I sat up. Dew let out a squeak as she was disturbed from her sleep. I gave her an apologetic look before whispering, "Good morning." Her eyes narrowed for but a second before she smiled. Her presence was comforting like usual, but I was still puzzled. When did I get here? I didn't remember ever going to sleep, or even going inside.   

   Dew jumped up onto my shoulder while I got out of bed. Any possible sounds I could've made were muffled by the rug under my bare feet. My boots and cloak had been removed and placed in their usual spots, though I was still wearing the clothes I wore yesterday. 

   I reached out a hand to part the curtains, and I got a small glimpse of the outside. It was dawn, the sun maybe halfway over the horizon. I looked over my shoulder at the sleeping Normal magician. Nah, I'd let them wake up on their own. Judging by the open book half-hanging off their bed, they'd stayed up late reading, likely waiting for me.

   For a couple minutes I watched the world outside the window. I was still finding this whole thing a bit strange. Besides not remembering going to sleep in here, maybe it was because I'd woken up on my own, or that I hadn't dreamed about anything? All of yesterday seemed like a dream, really.

   I then stiffened. Where was Rangi?

   I didn't expect to see him in the dining room when I entered it, unless he joined Iga and Alan's morning tea. The latter two were there, of course, along with Bard who was curled up at Iga's feet. But there was no sign of my brother.

   "Good morning, Loto," Iga greeted me. "Did you sleep well?"

   It took me a moment to choose which words I wanted to say. I choked back the obvious question, giving my knee-jerk response to that. "Ah, y-yeah, good morning. And yeah, I did."

   "I'd be surprised if you didn't. You certainly looked like it when Rangi brought you in last night," Alan said with a quiet chuckle. My face heated a bit from embarrassment. Rangi had brought me in? I couldn't believe I'd fallen asleep outside like that.

   "He left to find a room last night. I invited him to have breakfast with us, and he seemed more than happy to accept. I figure he'll be here in an hour or two," Iga said. I groaned internally. An hour or two? I was getting hungry at the mere mention of food.

   This is why I don't like waking up so early, I thought.

   "But on a more somber note, he also told us some other things. What happened to you two as well as your parents..." She gave me a sad smile. "You know our condolences go out to you."

   "Th-thanks," I said, lowering my head a little.

   "I regret judging him so quickly. A simple explanation was all I needed," Iga admitted, slight guilt in her voice.

   Alan gave his wife's hand a comforting squeeze. "You know there's nothing wrong with caution, darling," he said. "After all, you're the one who told me that in the first place."

   Nothing wrong with caution... Even if those words weren't directed at me, they did make me feel a little better.

   The sun soon fully rose, and there was no sign of Rangi, or Cyryl for that matter. I decided I'd go wake them up, like a good adopted older brother would do.

   Sure enough, they were still asleep, and that book was still hanging off the bed. I closed it and put it aside so it wouldn't fall. While Dew decided to rouse Pidge with a hearty static shock, I thought it'd be better to be a bit kinder to Cyryl. I gently shook them awake, calling their name quietly. It took a moment before they stirred, their eyes scrunching shut tighter before they opened.

   "Good morning, Loto," they answered with a yawn as they sat up. "I tried to stay awake for as long as I could. I thought you would come back inside."

   "I can see that," I said as I looked pointedly at the book I'd set aside.

   Cyryl smiled sheepishly. "I did wake up once, though. However, you were asleep."

   Pidge let out a screech as he awoke, startling both me and Cyryl. His reflexive peck at the dresser was dodged by Dew, who angrily squeaked at him.

   "Pidge, could you go out to the dining room?" Cyryl asked. The bird stopped his attack to look at Cyryl, tilting his head. He then flew out the door. Dew chased after him before I could stop her, her whiskers still sparking.

   "Wanted him outta your hair?" I asked.

   Cyryl nodded. "For this, yes." They hesitantly met my eyes. "Truth be told, when I woke up, I didn't just see that you were asleep. I also heard my parents and your brother conversing in the dining room."

   "O-oh, you did?" I said, frowning.

   Cyryl nodded. Their gaze then fell to the sheets as they nervously wound a strand of hair around their fingers. "I, um, I eavesdropped on their conversation," they admitted. "I-I heard everything, and that includes what Rangi had to say about you two." I already knew what was coming next, and I braced myself for it. "I'm sorry about what happened to your parents."

   I took in a breath, closing my eyes. Really, I didn't get why I thought there wouldn't be any more pain to feel, because there was still that dull but relentless ache in my chest. "It's fine... I already had a feeling that they were gone, but I guess I just hadn't fully accepted it until Rangi told me." I felt fingers hesitantly graze my arm, and my lack of a reaction gave Cyryl permission to pull me into a hug.

   "Then does that mean you'll be all right?" they asked cautiously. "Y-you'll stay okay this time?"

   I nodded. "Don't worry, I won't shut down again. I don't know what they would've wanted, but I don't think it would be for me to wallow in misery." I certainly didn't want to. I pulled away from Cyryl, giving them a comforting pat on the shoulder as I did so. "Now let's go have breakfast. A good meal will cheer us both up!" I said with a grin.

   As we reentered the dining room, a knock sounded at the front door. A small spark of intrigue and excitement ignited in me when I heard it. I went to answer it, and of course, it was Rangi.

   He looked significantly less frazzled today. His hair seemed to have lost the war his brush waged against it, as it'd been ensnared in a neater Ponyta-tail. However, his bangs still hung in his face, and there was a stubborn cowlick that defiantly stuck out on the left side of his head.

   "Good morning, Lotario," Rangi said as he stepped in. "You look quite alert now. It seems like you needed that sleep, hm?"

   "I guess so. Th-thanks for bringing me in," I said, nervously ruffling my hair with a hand.

   Rangi chuckled. "I used to do that a lot. When you were younger you'd fall asleep while we stargazed, and I would have to bring you in."

   "Is Rangi here?" Iga called from the kitchen. "Things are almost finished, Loto, so could either you or Cyryl help set the table?"

   I turned back to Rangi for a moment. "Go sit down. I'll be right back," I said and headed for the kitchen with Cyryl.

   Things were less tense at breakfast. It seemed like now that everyone knew what had happened, Rangi was more open to conversation. But at the same time, I could tell he was more invested in the scrambled eggs on his plate. I couldn't help but crack an amused half-smile when I saw him struggling to hold his fork properly.

   "I don't think you would object to having the day off today?" Alan asked me as the meal concluded. "Or the next few days for that matter."

   "Can I, as well, Father?" Cyryl asked.

   "Of course not. You still need to help me out," Alan objected. Cyryl's gaze fell, and they tried to mask their sulk with a blank look. I'd never seen them act like that before. "But on that note, I believe it's time we take our leave," Alan said as he stood.

   The pair left—with Pidge flying manically to keep up with Cyryl—and by then the rest of us had finished eating. I didn't know if Rangi had anything planned, and I was about to ask when Iga chimed in.

   "Could you two pick up some things for me?" she asked. "I shouldn't have been surprised that the brother of Loto ate like him as well, but I guess I was still caught off-guard."

   Rangi's lips pursed. "My apologies for that, Mrs. Nosek," he said with a dip of his head.

   "You don't need to apologize," she said. She handed me the list as well as a coin purse. "I find it more humorous than anything." I could see a slight look of relief on Rangi's face when she said that. It seemed like Rangi would be joining me and Dew when we went out, whether I liked it or not.

   The sun shone down on us brightly as we made our way into Waywyn's town proper. Because of the good weather, the streets were abuzz with people and Pokémon. Rangi quietly observed them while I took a look at the list. The first couple items were different types of produce, so that was what we'd be getting first.

   The magicians of Waywyn never had issues with showing off their magic-altered forms or abilities out in the open. It was only practical for those like Grass and Normal magicians. Who wouldn't want the extra reach vines granted? And multiple copies of yourself made shopping and carrying easier. I was used to it. Rangi, evidently, wasn't.

   He badly hid discomfort as his gaze flitted about. He even flinched when a Fairy magician whizzed past his head, her giggling like tinkling bells as two other children ran after her. I knew they were Flying magicians, and luckily they hadn't decided to sprout their wings like their Fairy-type friend.

   "You okay?" I asked Rangi.

   He hesitated, watching the Fairy and Flying magicians before responding. "Yes, I am."

   I didn't exactly get his reaction. "You spent years around my mother and me, so why're you so freaked out by magicians?"

   "I'm not 'freaked out' by them. I'm simply not comfortable around crowds," he said, shaking his head.

   "Whatever you say," I said, sharing a look with Dew. I was able to locate a stand selling the first duo of items pretty quickly. After giving the seller a quick greeting, I began searching the small piles of fruit.

   "I'm relieved that the Noseks seem to trust me," Rangi said. "I truly didn't intend to sound so suspicious yesterday. I just wanted you to know the situation before I told them."

   I nodded as I pointed out what fruits I wanted. "Yeah. They're really nice, but they're also really wary about certain things," I said. The seller's Ambipom quickly gathered up my selections, which mainly consisted of peaches. For all his simplistic dishes, Alan made a killer peach pie.

   "I can tell, though who wouldn't have been wary?" Rangi responded. "Especially since I have Justice."

   The seller looked at me and held out her hand. "That'll be sixteen incos." As I paid, Rangi stepped in and selected two more peaches. He added his own incos to the small pile I was pushing to the seller and slipped the fruits into his satchel. Hopefully he knew what he was doing, because peaches did bruise easily.

   We continued on, checking off things as we went. Rangi purposefully tried to make conversation with me, which I hesitantly maintained. The light levity his voice held reminded me of Kari's, and that gave me some much-needed comfort.

   Finally everything was checked off the list, and my arms were aching from the strain of the bags. Even with Rangi carrying most of it, I still held more than I usually did. Rangi and I were more than happy to drop everything off back at home, and we were back outside as soon as our hands were free.

   "Do you have any plans?" I asked Rangi.

   "Yes, though they can be completed in my own time. All that matters to me right now is properly reconnecting with you, and not by me just listing off information."

   As hesitant as I still felt around him, I could appreciate that. "O-okay."

   We didn't have any place in particular we wanted to go, except for the bazaar since Rangi wasn't in a hurry to go back to such a busy place. We instead walked the paths along the town's edges, enjoying the quiet and making more idle chat.

   At one point there was a lull in our conversation, and Rangi took this time to reach into his satchel and take out the peaches he'd bought before. "Are you hungry?" he asked as he offered one to me. I nodded, and he handed it over.

   I wasted no time in sinking my teeth into the sweet flesh of the fruit. Peaches were a special kind of amazing. Usually a fruit being soft and fuzzy wasn't considered a good thing, but that was the opposite here. I thanked Rangi as I took another bite, not caring that a couple drops of juice were dripping down my chin. Any interest that Dew had in the fruit was lost then.

   "Do you mind if we sit down in the shade somewhere for a moment?" Rangi asked while taking a bite of his own peach.

   "If we went more towards the town center," I responded as I wiped my mouth. "I know the other magician hunters have been caught, but..."

   Rangi raised an eyebrow. "You're worried about coming across any more?"

   I swallowed. "Well, yeah."

   "If anything, you should be more worried about me," Rangi said with a laugh. "None of them are magicians themselves, and are they in possession of any enchanted weapons? No, they aren't." He put a hand on Justice's hilt. "You have no need to worry, che'lu. I'll keep you safe."

   "Ne dene," Dew squeaked, her eyes narrowing. She definitely didn't like having her abilities dismissed. Rangi apologized, and she simmered down a bit, though she still squinted at him.

   Still, I shook my head. "Please no. I-I just don't want to. If you wanna sit somewhere, then we might as well just go back to the Noseks'."

   Rangi looked almost hurt by what I said. While guilt panged me, I still didn't back down. "All right," he said.

   That night, like usual, I tried to jot down notes while Cyryl read aloud from one of their encyclopedias and our Pokémon slept. Unlike the usual, I could tell there was a less-noticeable vigor in Normal magician's voice. I glanced over at them, and I was surprised to see that their nose wasn't buried in the book.

   "You okay?" I asked, which woke Dew up. She watched curiously as Cyryl nodded, still looking at the book. Their expression was downcast. And they thought that I wore my emotions on my sleeve. "It's Rangi, isn't it?" That drew their gaze to me. "Do you not like that he's here?"

   Their gaze drifted back to the book's pages. "Um, while I'm happy for you, I'm concerned about something," they said. "Do you do you think Rangi would be interested in returning to Verelum with you? If so, would you agree to leave?"

   I froze, my mind blanking instead of coming up with a response. Like usual, Cyryl kept going.

   "I only ask because it surely is a possibility. And if it's presented, I don't want you to go." They winced. "I-I know, you're likely thinking that I'm selfish, and I understand that you do! I give you my most sincere apologies for—!"

   "Cyryl, stop!" I said with a nervous laugh. They did stop, which I was grateful for. "You're not being selfish for wanting me to stay. To answer that question... I-I have no clue!" And I was being honest then. I really didn't have any idea, since the thought hadn't even crossed my mind. I didn't want to leave Cyryl behind, but I didn't want to separate from Rangi again. Lack of memories and trust or not, he was still my brother. "But he hasn't asked it yet, so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

   "I suppose that is a better response than what I was expecting," Cyryl said solemnly, placing the encyclopedia on their book stack. "I'll accept it."

   I watched them silently as I turned out the lamp. They couldn't be faulted for feeling a bit envious about all of this, anybody would.

   "De?" Dew squeaked, her tail twitching. She looked equally as torn.

"Do you like that he's here?" I whispered to her.

She tilted her head as she thought, only to nod. I didn't think she'd agree. But then she dug her nails into my shirt protectively, her whiskers crackling faintly.

"I don't think he'll separate us," I said. "I won't let him if he tries to." She relaxed at that. "Besides, we don't know if he's really intending to ask until he does," I said. Her ears drooped, but she still seemed to agree. She then curled up in her usual spot, falling asleep quickly. I gave Cyryl one last look before laying down myself. Only time would tell if Rangi would ask or not, and I really didn't want to incite it.

   Another morning came, and with it another breakfast with Rangi. He seemed to be making a conscious effort to not eat as much as he had before, which pleased Iga. Even with help, mostly from me, she still did a majority of the cooking on her own. It was her turn at the bookstore today, so Alan remained at home.

   "Are there any errands I could run?" I asked him, wanting to get out of the house.

   "There aren't, actually," he replied. "You and Rangi can just enjoy some more time together." I held back a sigh. I'd have to thank him later for letting me take so much time off.

Rangi took note of my choice of words. "You don't like that I'm accompanying you?" he asked.

Both "yes" and "no" wanted to leave me at the same time. Logic and emotion fought as I tried to think of a response. "I don't mind," I then said. "I'm just not used to having someone else around besides Dew on my days off."

"As long as you're okay with it," he said.

   Following some aimless strolling, Rangi and I ended up standing under a shop awning a street away from the bookstore. It was still relatively quiet here, so he didn't complain. I quietly observed him along with Dew, wanting to speak but not sure what to say. It didn't take him too long to notice me, and he offered me a hesitant smile.

   "Is everything okay?" he asked.

   "O-oh, yeah, everything's fine," I lied. Well, partially lied.

   "I'm sorry if I've been coming off as imposing," Rangi apologized. "Even if you hardly remember me, I still remember you, and we were close."

   I swallowed, wetting my dry throat, before responding. "I-it's fine." I glanced away. "I know I haven't been really receptive either."

   "I've noticed that," Rangi said. "Alan told me last night what you went through before you met his family. I'm shocked that you managed to survive for as long as you did, and I feel horrible that I wasn't able to find you sooner." 

   My gaze fell to the ground. Rangi didn't know everything that had happened to me. Nobody did, really. Some events, like what happened with Dahlia and that pirate, would remain shoved away in the furthest reaches of my consciousness. They'd only be allowed to haunt my thoughts and mine alone. Then what Rangi said next snapped my attention back to him in an instant.

   "Your friend Kari, I'm guessing he was the one who took my Gracidea charm?"

   My eyes widened as I looked at him, and he seemed to regret what he said when I did. I tensed as I waited for him to say something horrible about Kari, and Dew was already priming her whiskers with electricity. I could see her scowl out of the corner of my eye, and she looked ready to kill.

   "I... I suppose he liked it, since he didn't try to sell it, yes?" Rangi said.

   I chanced a response. "He did. Kari loved jewelry, but he never got to have anything as nice as that pendant before."

   "It is one of a kind, rose quartz and jade with a bit of gold," Rangi mused, frowning. "While I won't deny that I'm upset he stole it, at least he appreciated it for what it was, rather than as just something to pawn off."

   I stared at him, opting to bite my tongue rather than let anything I'd regret saying spill out instead.

   Rangi squeezed his eyes shut, sighing deeply. "Dammit... I feel like I'm just pushing you further away with each new thing that comes out of my mouth." He buried his face in his palm. "I'm already not the best speaker, so that just makes things worse."

   "Again, it's fine. It's not your fault that I'm more cautious now. And it's not because I don't trust you..." I trailed off.

   Rangi's lips pursed as he frowned in concern. "Does... it have to do with why you don't seem to like being touched?" He didn't press any further with this, just waited for my response.

   I couldn't not answer him. No, not could, I did want to answer. I wanted to reply because I chose to, not out of an obligation to. "Somewhat, yeah. But there's other things."

   "I won't ask if you don't want to tell me," he said, looking away.

   Things fell silent between us again, and the tension quickly filled the space out words had left.

   "I-I'm sorry, Rangi." I could feel my throat beginning to close up as I spoke. "You're probably feeling even worse than me right now. You finally see your brother after two years, only for him to not remember you or even try to talk with you."

   "Why are you apologizing? You can't help that those things happened to you. This world unfortunately isn't kind to those who want to survive, and especially magicians. It's a rotten hand to be dealt for sure." His gaze grew distant, though it lasted for but a moment as he looked at me and smiled. "I'm fine with this, as long as I know that you're okay. You truly have no idea how much I've missed you."

   I closed my eyes, trying to hold back the tears that were forming. That didn't stop a few of them from escaping, and I quickly wiped them away. Maybe I really could trust him? For how many times my faith was misplaced, it also hadn't been. Kari and Dew as well as the Noseks... Rangi could've just been another one of those few people. I couldn't stop the caution, but I could maybe try to let my walls down, I could accept him. "Thank you," I said.

   Rangi smiled softly. "Of course, che'lu."

—~*~—

The next morning, I awoke in a better mood than I honestly could remember. It was almost to that tantalizing level of bliss, and that lifted my spirits even more. I laid in bed for a few minutes, reveling in the lightness and warmth that filled me. This really had been it, it'd just taken a few days to set in!

   Sadly, it was another early morning. Since I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, I joined Iga and Alan for their morning tea again.

   "You're becoming a bit of an early bird, aren't you?" Alan joked as I sat down.

   "I wish I wasn't," I replied, propping my elbows on the table and resting my chin in my hands. I couldn't help but wear a slight smile, which Alan and Iga thankfully didn't notice.

   "Rangi's quite the night Rowlet," Iga commented. "I feel bad admitting that I almost fell asleep while we were talking last night. But he seemed so much more talkative than before that I didn't want to force him to stop."

   "You're not the only one," Alan chuckled. He then turned back to me. "He told us about the rest of your family and his plans now that he found you. I'm sure you haven't given it much thought yet?"

   I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

   Alan seemed to realize his slip-up. He gave me a pained and apologetic look while Iga lightly smacked his arm. "He hasn't told you, has he?" she sighed. "Well, I'm sure he will today."

   Yeah, he'd better, I thought. But what did he mean by that? I figured Rangi had some idea of what to do next, but "the rest of your family?" I instantly took that statement at face value.

   Were there more members of either of our families? If so, were they still alive?

   I probably shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. But by the time I'd thought of that, the rest of me had leapt headlong off Tranquelum and was plummeting to the clouds below. Besides, the impossible had already happened with Rangi even coming back into my life. I had no reason not to come to that conclusion.

   But then I felt a worried twist in my chest. There had to be a reason why Rangi didn't tell me before... right? Still, there was that one part of me that always doubted everything. Was I already going to regret putting my trust in him?

   No, be positive. I wanted the warmth to stick around. But what I came up with didn't seem positive at all. Did he not tell me because the rest of our family was also gone, and he didn't want to cause me any more pain than I'd already been feeling? I know, morbid as hell, but it only made sense. Needless to say, waiting for Rangi to come back was agonizing. Then again, when wasn't waiting tortuous?

   When Rangi showed up at the door, I didn't even hesitate in speaking. "Rangi, I wanna talk to you about something. Right now."

   His eyebrows rose in surprise at my sudden boldness. "All right. I wanted to speak with you about something as well."

   The house wasn't exactly the best place for a conversation like this, so we stepped outside before I asked.

   "So I heard that you talked with Iga and Alan last night about our family," I said. "But he mentioned something about 'the rest of your family' in relation to us. What did he mean by that?"

   "That actually has to do with what I wanted to address," he said. "I wanted to talk about our next course of action. See, I'd... like to bring you back to Verelum with me."

   I knew it.

   "I know that might sound strange. Why leave a family that can sufficiently provide for you behind? Well, you would be returning to another. Just because Father and Natia are gone doesn't mean it is only us two."

   My heart skipped a beat. Rangi saw my look and took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket.

   "Read this," he said. It was a letter, the handwriting eloquent and easy to read.

   "Dear Rangi, how is my strong nietu doing? I can finally say that the Green Lotus is a success! If only you and Lotario were able to see it... But the day I'm writing this marks the two-year anniversary of Natia's and Enele's deaths and Lotario's disappearance, and hopefully one of your leads proves to be fruitful. You know I look forwards to the day that the three of us can reunite and put these tragedies behind us. I love you and wish to hear from you soon. Love, Guella."

   I read the letter over several times, letting its contents truly sink in. "Y-you're kidding," I said.

   "I don't lie unless it's for a good reason," he said. "But she's been waiting for us."

   My fingers clutched the paper tighter, wrinkling it. While I was happy, at the same time a pit opened up in my stomach. My guella, my grandmother... she was still alive as well.

   "Why didn't you tell me about her before?" I asked.

   "If you didn't trust me before, then why would you believe me when I said our grandmother was waiting for us?" He did have me there. "I know you don't remember, but Guella was trying to open an inn in Primrose City so we'd have more money. She was away in the city for two weeks when all of this happened, and she was supposed to meet up with us. before we left. But the letter we'd sent didn't reach her in time, so we had to leave her."

   In the depths of my consciousness, I could recall something like that. My mother was hoping for Guella to meet with us, but it never happened.

   Rangi took the letter and handed me a couple more. They were all from her, talking about the inn, me and Rangi, her own life... I could almost picture the woman behind them. Did she have green eyes? Or were they brown?

  "We've been exchanging letters ever since we were separated, and the first one you read was from last month," Rangi said. "She's been so worried about her precious Lotario."

   "And you want us to go back to Verelum?" I asked.

   Rangi nodded. "We wouldn't have to leave right this minute. Perhaps in a couple days so you can say your farewells," he said. "And of course Dew can come with us. It'd be cruel to separate someone from their partner Pokémon."

   But that wouldn't be enough time... Wait, what was I thinking? I couldn't leave. "Hold on a second," I said.

   Rangi frowned, puzzled. "What is there to hold on about? We could make it three days if you'd like, but no more. Unless..." His eyes narrowed. "You would want to leave me and Guella behind?"

   I stiffened. "N-no..." The pit in my gut grew deeper, making me feel sick. "I've known the Noseks for nearly two years though. They saved my life and treated me like family ever since. I know you and Guella are family, but I don't know you as well as I know them. Does that make sense?"

   "I suppose so," Rangi muttered, looking somber.

   "It's not like I don't wanna go, but at the same time I actually don't." I buried my face in my hands. "I-I need some time to think about this."

   Rangi gave me a sympathetic look. "All right. However, it can't be too much time. After all, she's been waiting for us for so long. I would like an answer by the end of this week."

   The end of this week... That was two days. "Okay."

   Later that night I found myself in the bathroom. I'd just finished washing up and was ready to go to sleep. Well, that was what I would've been ready for if I didn't have the weight of Rangi's question pressing down on me. So much for feeling lighter before.

   Cyryl had been staring at me the whole time during dinner, and yet I didn't say a single word to them. I'd hardly even looked at them. It hurt me the whole time to ignore them, since it reminded me of what I'd done when Kari had died. I knew I couldn't do it to them again. They'd done nothing wrong, they didn't deserve it. I grabbed hold of the doorknob and took a deep breath before leaving.

   I lightly knocked on our bedroom door. I got no response, so I hesitantly opened it. Cyryl was in bed, though they weren't asleep or reading. They were sitting criss-cross on the blanket, their hands folded in their lap, like they'd been waiting for me.

   "He asked you, didn't he?" they said before I could get a word out. I nodded, and their expression fell. "And how did you reply?"

   "I told him I needed some time to think," I said. "But I'm sure he thinks I'm going with him."

   "How long?"

   I ran a hand through my hair. "Two days," I said with a sigh.

   Cyryl's eyes widened. "So soon?" they asked weakly. "Wh-what do you think you're going to do?"

   My teeth clenched as I grimaced. "I... I have no idea still," I admitted. My legs felt weak, so I sat down on the bed next to Cyryl. I swallowed thickly. My thoughts were swimming, making me feel dizzy. I leaned my head against Cyryl's shoulder and closed my eyes.

   "Loto, don't worry. You'll figure something out," they said comfortingly. "And if you can't, I'll help you. It'll be okay."

   I let out a short laugh. "Even now, you're tellin' me to be positive."

   "It's difficult to do so right now, though," they said.

   We sat there in silence. The only times we were silent together was when we read, but my notes and Cyryl's encyclopedias were the farthest from our minds at the moment. Even so, it was... peaceful. Would I be able to keep doing this?

   Eventually, Cyryl's breathing slowed, and they began to slouch. I smiled, amused at how they'd fallen asleep on me. Through some miracle, I managed to push them off me and lay them down without waking them up. I stood and pulled the blanket over them, even if they were laying across the bed. Pidge didn't seem too happy with me half-assing things, but it wasn't like he could do any better.

   The urge to stargaze struck me, and luckily Dew didn't object to this. Unfortunately, I could still hear Iga and Alan our in the kitchen with Rangi, so I'd have to find another way out. It was a good thing the window existed.

   I sat down in the grass right under the window, keeping it slightly ajar. Even with Dew snuggled up against my neck, I felt so much more alone as I sat there. I spent the majority of the night staring up at the sky, and I fortunately didn't fall asleep.