Page 34 of Fumiko and the Finicky Nestmate
But a true answer, nonetheless.
Riindi offered a soothing cascade. “Next time you call, ask for Father. He is nearer the reaver outpost, so he could bring Letik. I am sure he would be delighted to speak with a distant daughter.”
So simple. Juuyu laughed softly. At himself. “This is why I called you Riindi. You always see what I should have.”
“Let us speak again. Soon.”
“Perhaps.”
“I insist. Promise me.”
Juuyu was puzzled by the lightness in her tone. It smacked of teasing. “Why do you think that will be necessary?”
Riindi blithely answered, “Intuition.”
TWELVE
Teeming
Fumiko picked at her breakfast, too distracted by the guests at their table to eat. Sinder was at the center of everyone’s attention, lively and laughing. Colt was nearly as personable, but he took a slower pace and tended to speak to people one-on-one.
“Did the other one make it in last night? The one Melody mentioned?” asked Dru, one of the interns who lived over the library. Though she took her share of shifts shelving books, she was officially apprenticed to Melody Skyflutter. At fifty, Dru was the youngest reaver currently residing under Zuzu’s branches.
“Juuyu,” supplied Sinder. “He did. Thanks for asking. You’ll have to forgive him. He’s a bit of a workaholic. Prone to long hours.”
“I brought his breakfast tray to the guesthouse earlier,” reported Antigone. “But he was already gone.”
“Sorry about that!” Sinder explained, “Juuyu’s filling in for our leader, so he’s kind of doing two jobs right now. Things will balance out once the rest of our team is in action.”
“Did I hear someone else is coming?” Dru asked.
“Sure is.” Sinder traded a look with his teammate. “You’ll probably start seeing him around … by next week.”
“If you’re lucky,” interjected Colt.
“He does make himself scarce. Unlike me.” With a winsome smile, Sinder asked, “Is that last muffin spoken for?”
Colt passed it to him. “I fear all of us will be scarce from time to time. Apologies if that makes us poor company.”
Fumiko would have to break it to Zuzu later. That these weren’t potential husbands. That they had work nearby. Such a silly misunderstanding. She really hoped no one else had noticed her getting her hopes up.
“Where’s that lovely bat crosser?” asked Portia.
“He works the night shift, so he’s catching a nap,” said Sinder.
“Hallow usually stirs by lunchtime, and he has a big appetite.” Colt smiled at Antigone. “If you’d be so good …?”
“Leave it to me!” She flexed and patted her bicep. “I do love cooking for folks who know how to eat.”
Fumiko could feel the intern’s attention swing her way and pretended not to notice.
“Gochisousama deshita,” murmured Akira, pushing back from the table, shuttling his dishes to the sink, and bolting upstairs.
With a laugh, Sinder explained, “He’s grateful for the meal and on to his next task.”
Fumiko abandoned her breakfast to hurry after him. For once, the ladies let her go without argument. Another nice thing about having a house full of guests. She hoped they’d stay for a long, long time.
In his room, Akira had dragged blankets from the pile he’d made the previous night. Turning to her, he asked, “Do you have time to help me? I want to put these things away, but I don’t know where they go.”
