KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

  The knocks echoed against the metal doorframe while Nico stared at the ceiling from his hotel bed. They rang out to him as hollow, percussive reminders that his life still involved other people.

  KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

  A streak of light that evaded the drawn blackout curtains stabbed him directly in the face as he turned onto his side. The clock on the nightstand read 10:45 AM.

  KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

  He tossed to his other side and stared at the sheets he tossed over the floor length mirror. Hotels and putting mirrors right next to the bed. He buried his face between two pillows, and let out a slow, muffled groan.

  KNOCK—

  “Fuck it.”

  He heard the swear through the pillows, through the locked door, through the fragile hope that this was all a bad dream. Arcanite architects, understandably, didn’t prioritize soundproofing as much as Lycans did.

  Something sloshed. Nico’s ear twitched as he rolled over to face the door. Water was seeping in through the seam by the door handle, trickling neatly onto the deadbolt and pooling along the chain lock. He lifted his head just enough to squint his eyes into a glare.

  “Are you serious.”

  He watched the puddle freeze into a solid block of ice, then turn with the deadbolt in a polite mechanical click. The handle under it turned from the outside, but the door stopped with a metallic clunk of the chain lock stiffening, only able to open a sliver. Before Nico could celebrate the effectiveness of the safety precaution, a dull thud sounded out.

  The door swung open under a single, unreasonably strong kick. Shards of frozen metal chain scattered across the carpet. Nico flopped face down into his pillow with the despondent grace of a man too tired to exist. He prayed with his entire being to no god in particular that today would be the day object permanence favored him.

  The weight of another pillow pressed firmly onto the back of his head.

  “It’s time to party, loser.” Kai’s voice was as affectionately monotone as ever.

  “It’s not even noon,” Nico mumbled into the pillow. His tail gave a slow, miserable flick.

  “You’re going to make everyone worry.”

  The pillow eased up just as Nico accepted suffocating as his harbinger for peace. Admittedly, despite it not even being noon yet, he hadn’t left his hotel room in two days since unraveling the lunar fall rift. His body still ached and his brain felt like it had been left drowned in the lake.

  Even if he had to miss out on the festival, he had solid reasoning for staying indoors. The outside was unsafe; it was where he was lured into two consecutive high-grade rifts (plus one okay one) by a suspiciously attractive immortal. It was best for him not to leave, lest he be catfished into a third rift.

  Admittedly, watching his hotel door get busted open reminded him Kai always defied his sense of reason. Still, Nico wasn’t going to accept defeat laying face down.

  “Who’s ‘everyone’?” Nico muttered as he turned his face away from the pillow.

  “Me and the high school girl.” Kai brushed past him to fling open the curtains. Nico hissed and pulled the blanket over his head as sunlight filled the room.

  “She’s in college,” he corrected weakly.

  “Okay, creep.” Kai began rifling through Nico’s luggage with too much familiarity. “You’ve got plans.”

  “No, I don’t,” Nico said automatically, only half sitting up. His ears stuck out at conflicting angles, fluffy and chaotic.

  “Effie’s expecting us for brunch. I promised on our behalf.” Kai had already picked out an outfit for him, tossing clothes onto the blanket the fox was sheltering under.

  Nico groggily blinked. “Why would you—”

  A toothbrush was shoved into his mouth mid-protest. “We have to leave in 10 minutes,” Kai stated.

  Nico sat there in silence, toothbrush hanging limply from his teeth, brain catching up with his body. Somewhere in the blur of exhaustion, he reflected on how many of their adventures started like this: with Kai breaking in, asserting dominance via hygiene, and refusing to let him sink into existential rot.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “Lani’s doing well, by the way,” Kai added while tidying Nico’s hair. “She’s excited to be under guild supervision. Even under the context of monitoring her health because she was in a rift for a year.”

  Nico nodded slowly. The thought of Lani, bright and eager, now quiet somewhere in a hospital room, sat heavy on his chest. He splashed water onto the thought and let out a quiet sigh as he washed his face, avoiding looking into the bathroom mirror.

  Kai was already at the door, tapping his foot impatiently. Nico took one last glance at the bed, feeling fully not rested. Actually, feeling nothing at all in the hollows of his exhausted soul. But he went out the door anyway. Because apparently, it was time to party.

  ***

  The dim sum house floated like a lily on the canal. Slatted walkways, underlit by a bioluminescent glow, stitched together the rafted seating areas. Virid servers drifted past on round lily pads with carts of food while Ori servers coasted overhead, delivering specifically ordered items.

  “No I get it, he’s hot.” Kai said, one ear crooked, as he looked through their stacks of steaming bamboo baskets.

  Effie’s antennas perked up as she tapped on her phone. “Ohhh he is~”

  She showed her phone screen to Kai, who paused to take a good look, then nodded. Then to Nico, who stared blankly at the picture Effie found of the Sage. It was a bust shot of Zhou in a black suit at some gala. His hair was pinned back with silver adornments that caught the light as they held the silver hair in a neat bun. The crystals in his hair looked like frost, and were complimented by thin chains that connected his ear cuffs.

  Despite the unexpected validation, Nico still found himself upset at their reaction.

  Sensing his friend seething over dim sum, Kai started placing food on Nico’s plate for him. Effie joined in, sliding a bamboo basket his way.

  " How was the date otherwise?” Effie giggled. A gleam caught in her glasses as she pushed them back up.

  “….”

  Nico looked at the contents of the baskets instead. Top: steamed lotus buns glazed to a shine. Bottom: golden pan-fried pork buns. He had eaten a lotus bun that night. Zhou leaned in to take a bite of it; close enough that Nico could count his eyelashes. He took a pork bun from the basket.

  “You went along because you think you have a chance,” Kai said while refilling Nico’s tea cup.

  “There are so many negative things I took from that statement,” he replied, taking a sip of tea.

  The delicate scent of jasmine rose from his cup. The tea was bright and floral while Zhou’s jasmine scent was sweeter, almost honeyed. He put the comparison down before he screamed.

  “I mean you’re not wrong,” Kai seemed to be enjoying himself.

  " For which part?” Nico asked, biting into a crawfish shumai. It was his favorite so far. As he reached his chopsticks out for another, he saw the ribbon was still tied on his forearm.

  “I think you two would look really good together!” Effie nodded so enthusiastically one oh her cattails bounced out of place. As she smoothed it back, she asked, “How tall is he??”

  Kai turned his head and covered his mouth, catching his laugh before chives came out with it.

  Nico gave it a thought. “He’s a little shorter than Kai, like here.” He held his hand parallel to the floor at about his chin, indicating how tall Zhou was relative to him.

  “Kyaaaa! It's the perfect height difference!” she exclaimed, all conviction as her antennae shook with excitement.

  She even paused eating to smile at Nico with her head held in a flower position in her hands. Not to be outdone, Kai also smiled with his chin rested on his hands, still holding his chopsticks, flapping his ears at Nico. Effie’s laughter rang through the restaurant; Kai’s tail flicked against his chair.

  Nico’s mouth curled despite himself, but he caught it before it went too far. He sighed as he ran a hand through his bangs, pulling them back. “So are we going to be concerned that he’s here yet or—”

  “We’re on holiday right now loser,” Kai stopped his workaholic friend from talking shop at the table.

  “It’s good you still got a small break from work! The festival is my favorite time of year,” Effie said with a laugh as she scrolled through the restaurant menu on a tablet. A cart stopped beside her with a wooden creak. Steam rolled from the baskets as she picked her items— one for herself, one for Kai, two for Nico.

  Nico was used to dealing with Kai scratching at him but Effie was on a whole other level. Her ability to diffuse while still making fun of him was remarkable. Her upbeat tempo made him feel extra guilt, since he had pulled all of them into work during the holiday. Kai, Effie and her team had stepped up without complaint. They provided care for Lani after she was expelled from the rift, along with all the others.

  So it didn’t feel right for him to sulk.

  “Yeah the view from the lake was really special,” Nico cheered up.

  Effie slid another bamboo basket toward the fox with a satisfied hum. “The crawfish ones are my favorite too.”

  Nico picked up a dumpling, still steaming.

  Honestly, he was still irritated about being dragged into the rift. But he had to admit, seeing the lunar fall moon was a worthwhile return. How it balanced against the lake felt different from watching it hang in the sky. It was a place where wishes could truly reach the moon. No wonder Lani was insistant on how it mattered. He hadn’t expected it to change that much; the moon had already been beautifully full all night. Still, the memory lingered, leaving behind a small, aching warmth he hadn’t known he would miss.

  Another cart rolled up beside their table, stacked high with sealed baskets. Kai pointed to three of them without looking or asking what they were.

  Effie curiously opened the lids and saw all crawfish items, then laughed, “Oh! You got them all right.”

  “It’s a Lycan thing,” Kai replied.

  A half-eaten dumpling fell out of Nico’s chopsticks. Kai put another one onto his plate.

  “…”

  Right. He was a Lycan too.

  Nico stared down at one and a half dumplings, wide-eyed.

  Was he drunk off the moon?? Was that why he agreed to jump over that huge ass gap at the aqueduct??

  He shoved the full dumpling into his mouth, suddenly very aware that this was not a line of reasoning he wanted to pursue further.

  Effie nudged the last sesame ball onto Nico’s plate, antenna swaying. “But y'know, the lake is a step closer to being rehabilitated now." She smiled at him, sincere and warm. “I’m sure a lot of people have been looking forward to it.”

  Nico, mouth full, nodded in response. His ears flushing pink gave away the pang of shyness he felt from being thanked. Effie was too powerful.

  *lycan waxes poetic about the moon for 3 pages, uninterrupted*

  I guess they'd all have custom hats to fit their horns/ears/antennae.