Chương 6: Episode Two Hundred and Fifty: Normal Mornings

A soft snore caused me to smile as light filled my room. Then a wiggle accompanied the snore, near my pillow. Indigo's head rested on my pillow, though I didn't know how long she had slept there. Still, I didn't want to wake her, so I carefully climbed out of bed to get ready for the day. We needed something simple for breakfast, and tasty. One thing came to mind. Waffles. I'd frozen some the last time Indigo wanted them, so I only needed to warm them up for both of us.

Before I left the room, I whispered her name ever so softly. Within seconds, Indigo burst from bed and flew tight circles over my head.

"Breakfast!" she chirped as I opened my door. She dove over the balcony, and I made my way down the stairs. The blank wall across from my door weighed on me, but I wouldn't feel bad about it. And more importantly, Betty better not feel bad about it. We would rebuild the shop into what we wanted, as a family. Two hot waffles waited for us on plates in the now smaller kitchen. Indigo hovered in the air looking around at the lack of space. There was only one oven instead of two.

No stainless steel was visible anywhere other than the appliances. Instead, a wooden counter with a small island filled the space. The fridge remained the same, along with the stove, and the microwave. We had less counter space, but it wasn't like we'd ever used it all anyway.

"This feels cozy," I said as I entered the kitchen. Maple syrup waited on the island as well.

"Oh, the waffles look amazing, Betty!" Indigo suddenly nodded and landed on the island. She glanced at the missing spot for the Cat, then back, like she didn't want me to catch her looking.

"You don't need to prepare breakfast," I said to the shop, with a small pat on the wooden counter top.

"I don't mind doing it." A buzzing rose to meet my hand, but then faded away. I cut up my waffle, then Indigo sheepishly glanced at me with half her waffle in her mouth.

"Me hungry…" She set it down and used her claws to cut it up a little more. I added butter and syrup to mine with a chuckle. Then, I dug in.

"Is he not coming back?" The question came from Indigo after she'd cleared her plate of waffle, with only one little piece left that she poked at.

"He'll be back. We have lessons, or something," I added with a smile.

"The Cat's family, he's stuck with us. It's just that he has a bigger family than just us, and they haven't seen him for a long time."

"Lady Twilight said he's a Fey Lord. But, Fey Lords and dragons don't mix…" She trailed off and glanced up at me, her eyes a little watery.

"But what about us?"

"I promise, he is stuck with us." I lifted her in my arms.

"I didn't save him to never see him again." A damp spot appeared on my shirt, but I didn't say anything about it. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Our family is only getting bigger, not smaller," I added. I patted her back.

"We now have so many elves to get to know! You already know Liluth, and she's a nice person." Indigo nodded her head.

"She loves the library, and shows me hidden passageways to explore."

"All of his family might not be as amazing as she is, but they are some part of the Cat as well." The image of two parents getting divorced entered my head, and almost made me laugh. The Cat and I were not like that, and wouldn't be. He was my friend, almost one of my brothers, or maybe more like a grumpy uncle. He needed someone like me in his life.

"This is just like when you met my brothers, and my father." Now she'd met two of them. Onyx and Creulean. Only a few more to go. The promise I'd made to Onyx rested heavy in the back of my mind. That I'd visit before I signed another contract, though, technically, I hadn't signed one. I'd actively resisted signing one. I chuckled to myself. I'd sidestepped a contract with the Fates, and now I needed to figure this out on my own. Indigo pulled away and stared at my face.

"You smell like maple."

"I hope so, I just soaked my waffle in it," I said while laughing. She launched out of my arms and flew out of the kitchen. I let out a sigh of relief and patted the counter again.

"Betty, we can do this." The front of the shop appeared like any normal day, ignoring the empty space, but one thing glowed that hadn't ever glowed before. The register. Indigo sat on the counter and stared at it with her head titled.

"That's new," she said as I entered the room.

"It is," I said, joining her. A tab opened automatically, next to the one that was the inbox. It had been the Cat's inbox Now, I guess, it was mine. But the new tab I hadn't ever seen before. It was a message board with a posting of items.

"Old shovel with runes engraved along the handle. Should help with digging," I whispered as I read. More and more of them appeared. Some were old, others were new postings based on the time stamps. The inbox also had a multiple of unread messages. I flipped over to those, since I hated having unread emails. The first were all directed to the Cat, about items he had said he was searching for.

"This feels like a place to start…" I mumbled. The empty spots on the shelves practically screamed at me. We needed more inventory, and this could be a way to get it.

"This might take some time…" I muttered to myself again, as I started going through the emails one by one. A notepad appeared next to my hand.

"You need coffee," said Indigo, breaking my concentration. I jerked, almost in shock.

"Yep, I do," I agreed. I moved away from the register, and to the espresso machine.

"Something simple, and basic." Though, the first thing that came to mind wasn't either.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" No reply came. She wasn't on the counter anymore, and for a split second I panicked before using my magic. A golden thread appeared that stretched to her hideaway. Then she appeared with the portable speaker I'd gotten her. Indigo carefully flew it across the room and landed on the counter with it as I made a maple latte for me and a hot chocolate for her.

"We need music for work," she said.

"Music is good," I said, trying not to smile too much.

"There is music that makes it easier to work, or study or relax. I'm taking a course on it," she said with a nod. That didn't sound like any of the courses I'd set her up with. For a second she froze then glanced up at me.

"I might have added a new music course, when I finished the old one…"

"Sounds like an interesting one," I said, as I set her hot chocolate down near her.

"It is so much fun! Much better than the last one. This one is all about the human brain, and what music does to it," she said, talking excitedly. She nodded as she spoke, then she turned on some lofi music.

"I can work to this," I said. I sat on the stool and grabbed the tablet from the register before setting it on the counter. My laptop appeared near Indigo.

"We can work together," said the little dragon, inching just a little closer to me before pulling up her course work. I went back to the first message to the Cat. I found the set of scales you wanted… Let me know where to send it.