Page 112 of Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal
Kimiko drew back enough to see where Argent’s famous son stood with Akira. She’d beg an introduction to the half-fox later, but she was more surprised by the quick change Akira had undergone. Isla’s father was fussing with the folds of a formal ensemble the color of flames. “Suuzu, is he wearing your crest?”
“He is.”
Guided by the phoenix’s obvious pride, Kimiko decided that now was not the time for gossipy tidbits. Reaching for his hand, she gave it a quick squeeze. “He looks good in your colors.”
Suuzu’s soft trill was self-deprecating. “He looks embarrassed.”
But just then, Akira spotted them and offered a small wave and a crooked grin.
“Don’t be silly, Suuzu,” Kimiko said. “He’s as proud as you are.”
“Hold your heads high,” said Adoona-soh. “You especially, Kimiko Miyabe.”
She eased out of the wolf’s embrace, belatedly offering her palms.
Adoona went one better, her big hands settling around Kimiko’s wrists. “I can see why Harmonious is so taken with you. I admire your resolve to tread a path less traveled.” Leaning closer, the she-wolf confided, “The chase was mine, as well.”
Nowthatwas a story Kimiko wanted to hear.
“Your attention, please.”
Hisoka’s well-modulated voice carried across the buzz of conversation, which tapered off enough for Kimiko to catch the sound of her mother. Up on tiptoe, she spotted Mama near the center of the room, chattering at Lapis Mossberne. He acknowledged Hisoka’s call with a lazy twirl that must have created a sigil, for Mama’s voice was suddenly muted. Silenced by a barrier. With supreme poise, the attentive dragon guided Kikuko Miyabe to her husband’s side. Kimiko was sure she was talking the whole way and cringed.
“You are like your mother,” remarked Adoona-soh.
Kimiko was stung.
Adoona’s expression betrayed amusement. “You do not care for the comparison.”
“Mama is ….” There was no good way to finish that. Kimiko tried again. “I don’t want to be like her.”
“Resemblance takes many forms. Will you hear the favorable reports that have come back to me from Kith and Kindred alike?”
“Reports?” she echoed, uncomfortably aware that she was whispering instead of listening to Hisoka’s welcoming remarks. Like Mama.
“Wolves often weave the day’s surprises into their song, and many are glad to have crossed paths with you.” Adoona’s voice was low, sure. “A seeker of connections, an improviser of courtesies, a granter of smiles.”
Kimiko had a hard time believing that those she met in passing actually remembered her. Surely a reaver of her rank wasn’t worth noting. Here today, gone tomorrow. Then again, she cherished each happenstance. Weren’t they wonderfulbecausethey were so fleeting and so rare?
“Others are brighter,” she protested.
Adoona cupped her cheek. “Do not complain of lesser lights to one who cherishes the moon.”
It took a moment for that to sink in.
The she-wolf wasn’t finished. “Kikuko Miyabe entered this room as if it were her own, and by her courtesies made us welcome.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. She’s very … in charge.”
Suuzu made a small sound. Was he hushing them? No, he was trying not to laugh.
Adoona said, “I know three Nightspangle whelps whose praises multiply. Hisoka purrs at the very mention of your name. Isla, who outshines whole constellations, looks up to you. And in a shocking turn of tricks, Argent approves of you.” Her tail swung wide. “Eloquence may speak for the Kith, butyoushall speak for your den. Much as I do.”
Kimiko still wanted to protest. “I’m not anything like Mama. Everyone knows that’s Noriko.”
“The elder daughter?” scoffed Adoona. She certainly didn’t shy away from confrontation. “She has your mother’s form, but she has your sire’s doting, deferential nature.”
Just how much had transpired in the short time she’d been off with Eloquence and Ever?
