Page 155 of Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
“Right!” He turned his hand under hers, twining their fingers together. “Easier to show than tell. Ready, Sensei?”
After murmured assents, a hush settled on the room. At first, nothing happened, but Tsumiko wasn’t surprised. Awareness had come slowly with Deece as well, like gradually waking from a restful sleep and finding someone kind sitting at your bedside. So she waited for some hint of personality to ripple the calm.
Michael murmured, “No need to be shy, you two. The way’s made.”
Tsumiko slowly shook her head. Still nothing. Of course, it wasn’t an empty nothing, like the blank echo of something absent. There was a warmth to this waiting space. All they needed was for Hisoka’s reaction to stir at the edges of her awareness.
Maybe the connection wasn’t working after all?
“Sensei,” Michael chided. “Are you dallying just to spite Lapis? Or have you suddenly developed a shy streak?”
“I have no wish to unsettle Miss Hajime.”
“If I wasn’t holding her back,youmight be unsettled.” There was an edge to Michael’s cheerfulness. “Don’t underestimate the lady of this house.”
Tsumiko asked, “Why would anyone be afraid of me?”
“Instinct,” said Michael. “But this isn’t about comparative class or magnitude; it’s connection. We may not be tending, but there’s trust involved.”
“Something that cannot be rushed,” said Hisoka.
“Granted.” Michael jostled the leader of the Amaranthine world with his elbow. “But it won’t be won or lost if we don’t provide opportunity.”
“Sly boy. Quoting me to corner me?”
“Nonsense, Sensei. I have you by the tail.” Michael closed his eyes and smiled. “But I promise not to pull.”
And there it was at last, the gentle pressure of a personality other than her own, because she could feel Hisoka Twineshaft’s affection for Michael. Fierce, steadfast, and enormous as it reverberated through the calm. Only then did Tsumiko’s perception shift into focus. She’d been waiting for Hisoka to emerge from the waiting warmth and show himself. But he hadn’t been hiding at all. Hisoka wasn’t with her in that calm place. He was the calm.
. . .
Argent adjusted the angle of a chunk of aquamarine stone that didn’t need changing. He put it back. If it weren’t for the houseful of guests, he might have busied himself with dusting. Or even polishing silver. Not that he missed his household duties. But the wait stretched his patience to the breaking point.
“Feeling snappish?” Lapis sidled up to check the crystal. “Do you distrust our feline overlord?”
“Should I?”
Lapis only offered a low laugh.
Voices rang along the hallway, and Gingko burst into the room. He only made it a few steps before Naroo-soh caught up and hauled him into an embrace that looked more like brotherly harassment than affection.
“Roo-nii!” he growled. “Enough, already! I saw youyesterday!”
“And leave a packmate neglected? You are like a brother to my brother and dear as you are adored!” Naroo-soh rubbed his cheek against Gingko’s in the kind of playful display usually reserved for little ones. “Where is your usual enthusiasm?”
Gingko’s growl deepened, but his struggles were about as serious as his tormentor’s, given the wag in both their tails.
Then Michael escorted Tsumiko into the room, closely followed by Hisoka, and Argent relaxed somewhat. All signs pointed to peace. She must have decided to trust Twineshaft in full. A needful step if they had any hope of defeating the bonds that had made his life a misery, and to do it while preserving the life he wished to share.
Argent wouldn’t let them take any risks.
Michael scanned the room. “Is everything ready?”
“Long since.” Lapis jibed, “Cats and their dalliances.”
Hisoka remained unperturbed. “Can the wind blow any way but its own?”
Lapis acknowledged the dragonish proverb with a sweeping bow in Tsumiko’s direction. Argent was still trying to decide if Tsumiko had been insulted when Adoona-soh strode into the room.
