Page 68 of Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal
“I’m Tenma.”
“Clan?” he pressed. “House?”
“I’m human, so I don’t have those things. But my surname is Subaru.” Turning a little, he said, “Here’s Quen. He’s from a fine house and clan. Will you greet him as well?”
Inti studied Eloquence’s proffered palms and interpreted it as an invitation to transfer. Quen’s superior strength came in handy as he swung their new partner up onto his shoulders.
“No wonder you like high places. You’re related to one of the monkey clans,” Quen remarked. “Have you met Goh-sensei yet?”
“Maybe, maybe, monkey,” he answered softly, and proceeded to pull apart Quen’s braid.
Tenma may have surrendered Inti, but the crosser hadn’t fully released him. Inti’s tail was quite long, and its end was loosely wrapped around his wrist.
“My turn,” said Isla, hands outspread. “Although I won’t be able to lift you.”
Inti blinked down at her, then slid to the floor. When he fully straightened, it was possible to tell that he was a little taller than her.
With an impish smile, he echoed, “My turn,” and swept her up.
“Gently,” Tenma whispered.
“Like you,” Inti said, giving him a thin-lipped smile. Then he solemnly addressed Isla. “You are bright as an angel. Are you descended from the sky or from trees?”
So he was capable of full sentences.
Isla giggled. “I am both the child of reavers and a reaver in my own right. Would you like to meet the rest of our class?”
“Please.”
“Set me down first.”
Inti obeyed. Returning to Tenma’s side, he announced, “She is brightest, but you are best.”
“Me? Why?”
Stealing the glasses off his face, Inti squinted through them, then peered over the frames, straight into Tenma’s eyes. “Is a reason required?”
And in that instant, Tenma was absolutely positive that Inti was shamming. Not about his fear, since the Amaranthine had all picked up on that, but this monkey business. He was playing the fool, but he knew what he was about.
“No.” Tenma hesitated. “I’m afraid I don’t know much of anything about the customs of the monkey clans.”
Inti’s gaze skittered around the room before he sprang, flinging his arms around Tenma’s neck as he clambered toward a perch on his shoulders. In the process, he spoke softly, his words tickling Tenma’s ear. “That makes two of us.”
THIRTY
Sense
Dismissed early for the purpose, the entirety of Class 3-C escaped to the rooftop since Hanoo had declared that anyone who was continually—probably instinctually—seeking the highest point in any room would probably love the view.
Quen gently disentangled Inti from Tenma, perching the crosser on his own shoulders. Pointing across the treetops, he said, “That’s Starmark land. I’ll let our Kith know about you. If you need a place to run or climb, you’re welcome. And if you needme, anyone you find inside—Kith or Kindred—will show you the way.”
Inti locked his ankles together and wrapped his arms around Quen’s forehead. Covered by the general chatter of their classmates, he simply said, “Good doggie.”
“My brother’s a crosser.” Quen tipped his head, trying to see Inti’s expression. “He’ll love you on principle. He has an understandable fascination with anyone sporting a tail.”
“Half?”
“Yes, Ever and I share a father—Harmonious Starmark.” This was strange. Not many people hadn’t heard of their clan, but Inti didn’t seem to recognize Dad’s name. “He’s one of the Five.”
