"I suppose now I'll have to wait for dinner," Io said lightly as he turned to his only remaining companion, wondering if she had, somehow, heard the mindful exchange between him and Luka.

"Yes," the girl came to agree rather indifferently, gazing at him with eyes that were slightly duller than before sundown. They remained silent after her response, each wondering if the other was uncomfortable in its abyss.

Io buried his face in Luka's coat for comfort, hoping to hide—as well—his current inability to converse without reverting back to his questionable self. Not uncertainty, no. Not necessarily. Just questions.

He opened his mouth to speak. "Do you, um, remember—"

"Yes?"

"When I asked you for your favourite food..."

"Yes."

"You said," he took a deep breath before trying his best to pronounce the name of the dish, "ma...la? Sia...?"

"Ma La Xiang Guo."

He smiled, nodding excitably. "Do you know how to make it? Can I learn from you? How does it...how does it taste like?"

"Spicy," she considered briefly. "I haven't made it in a while. It requires a lot of preparation, and ingredients."

The moon phoenix nodded in understanding. "Ah...I see. You like spicy food?"

"Sometimes, yes."

"Did you knnow Vaughn likes it too?"

"The vulture?" She blinked, unsure if she had heard him correctly. "How did you know?"

"I asked him."

It sounded to the girl a ridiculous matter—something so unimportant, it wouldn't have crossed her mind. "You seem to be very well-acquainted."

"If by that you mean sworn enemies then yes," Io laughed, "or so that's what he would have said, I'm sure." She couldn't bring herself to feel amused, but was sure that the girl in the past would have felt something along the lines of that emotion.

Io was about to ask her something else when a sharp knock interrupted their conversation, signalling the arrival of his meal.

"Come in," Jing permitted. A middle-aged woman in the facility's uniform entered with a smile, wheeling in a tea cart with the first two tiers filled with fragrant dishes. "Is this from the kicthen?"

"Yes ma'am. Mr. Viktor had requested that Mr. Tori not consume anything beyond the kitchen in the next few days. I made these myself."

The phoenix nodded and received the dinner trolley, thanking the lady before she took her leave.

"I'll test the food," she said right after the door was closed, removing the dish covers to reveal an array of fragrant greens and pineapple rice. Io was quietly grateful for her offer.

"It smells good," he commented lightly, moving along as she tried each and every dish. Jing nodded.

"It is. They were careful with the spices as well. There's nothing that would enhance or trigger heat." Silently amazed by the extent of her knowledge, Io asked if such knowledge was common amongst predators—for whatever reason.

"Not general, I suppose. I am familiar with spices on the whole," she handed him a fork and spoon having tested every dish. "We used them a lot back home."

"Ah," Io nodded understandably, thanking her as he received the utensils and started on the pineapple rice. The bak choy with mushrooms was particularly delectable as a combination. Everything on the menu was considerably mild, unlike the dishes from the previous night that consisted of spicy kang kong and chilli pepper stew with carrots.

The boy couldn't quite tell if it was native Filipino cuisine but he had the general impression that the Philippines was a very culturally diverse country regardless, since Jeremiah had made a passing comment about sushi and french fries being his go-to on a study night back home. Perhaps an array of cuisines was somewhat characteristic as well.

"How is it?"

"Mmhm, mmerub," was all the phoenix managed to catch from an occupied Io, who feverishly hoped that his lack of appetite would not prevent him from finishing the generous servings of food. Unfortunately, it did.

"You don't have to force yourself to finish everything." Jing said as she drew towards the doors of the balcony, intending to allow the entrance of an occassional breeze. She stood staring at the darkness beyond for a moment, as though forgetting where she was before returning to his side, quiet.

Io was having a hard time cleaning his plate of pineapple rice, not to mention the dishes of fried cabbage (tossed in sunflower oil, reminding him of his mother's cooking back home) and steamed egg. He asked the other Eye for help.

"Would you like some? Aren't you hungry?"

Jing declined politely. "My appetite...isn't the best sometimes."

"Oh..." Io's shoulders fell as he looked apologetically at the leftover rice on his plate. "That's a pity. It's delicious. Does anything increase your appetite, then?"

She gave the question some thought. "Spicy things, I guess. Or...fresh air."

"Ah!" The moon phoenix had eyes that lit up upon her words, as though an idea had formed within those strange-looking orbs. "Shall we go out onto the terrace?"

"It's only a balcony," Jing corrected, appearing slightly hesitant. "You should stay inside. The night is cold."

Io pouted. "But I wanted to see the view! Oh, and I'm really full. Don't they say that standing aids digestion? I mean my ma—mother used to say that. To my dad."

The phoenix was quiet as she stared past the balcony, observing the shadows of the trees as they swayed in the cold. "You will have to wear a coat."

"I have Luka's," Io gestured promptly to the one draped over his shoulder, propping himself up. "Let's go. I've always wanted to have a balcony back home, really. I think it's a nice place for conversations."

"And moon-watching," he added with a laugh, turning to Luna.

His companion focused her attention on a single word—conversation. The cause of it unbeknownst to her but rather obvious to an outsider. She rarely held any.

They went out to the balcony, leaving warmth behind and stepping out into the cold. Io rested his arms against the white victorian banisters, slightly refreshed by the breeze. He could hear voices from afar. Incoherent. Perhaps a conversation over dinner two floors below.

"I have a lot of things to say," Io breathed as he turned to look at the girl with an apologetic smile. "Will you listen?"

"Questions?"

"Yes, and...no." Jing blinked in response, waiting for him to continue.

"I mean it's not as if I can't figure out some stuff on my own, and I've had a clear mind for quite some time already, so—why should prey suppress their heat when predators don't do the same? Should it be that certain people are punished for doing the same thing others do?" He couldn't resist. Launching into the question. The one that plagued his mind.

His companion remained silent, staring at the mass of darkness down below—a forest of trees.

"The sexuality of prey has been a difficult subject. They like to consider it as an evil. A sin that tempts one from...order."

He found her phrasing particularly odd and clunky, as though extracted from a religious text itself. Io decided that he could be blunt.

"We're not permitted by the school to express anything sexual in public. Like heat, for example. But predators are?"

The Chinese girl paused to think. "Yes. They flaunt it, actually."

Io laughed, vaguely recalling the time when Luka was surrounded by female predators and the unusual expressions that he wore during the time. "I see."

"But you don't experience it?"

"I don't. And neither do you, at night."

The boy nodded in understanding, turning away.

"In fact, I don't experience a lot of things," she went on quietly, without warning. Io found himself slightly surprised by her initiative, but fairly pleased at the same time. "I feel one emotion, and that is exhaustion. I feel tired. I don't even know if it is considered an emotion."

"Well, it should be if it isn't," Io encouraged, a lunar glow in his eye. "It is an emotion as important as everything else."

She turned to stare. "Being tired is?"

"Yes. At least that is what I believe."

"It is a very different form of tiredness," the girl avoided his eye and looked instead towards the darkness.

"One that lasts a lifetime?" Io followed her gaze and said the words for her. "One that desires a different form of sleep?"

She saw him for the first time and was startled by his eyes. By what he could see.

"You...you know."

"Perhaps I do, perhaps I don't. It would depend on what you consider knowledge," he answered in a difficult manner, smiling all the same. "But yes, I know what you mean. I know that you've been doing all you can, and it is something that I, and I believe a lot of people, appreciate."

"At least I hope they do," he added as though looking to correct himself consistently. "You see, I flew today."

"You flew?" She felt something inexplicably out of her reach within that instance. Something deeply joyous and immensely tragic at the same time. "When was it?"

"Today. When I saw Luka being...different. Behaving...differently," he paused to swallow. "Is it bad? I'm assuming that he behaves in a certain manner on an average day but what is an average day? Who am I to determine his norm? Should humans even have one? A norm. Should we continue to perceive someone in a certain manner?"

He thought again. "Is this why we think people change? Because we believe that what we think of them is who they are, but that isn't necessarily the case? In fact, is that even the case at all?"

The girl stared back at him, unable to comprehend half of what he had said for he was speaking a little too quickly; spilling his thoughts.

"I'm sorry I reeled off," he apologized in a sheepish manner. "I tend to do that a lot. Either way, I flew. And, well, I think it's got everything to do with the shock. And the heat, maybe. I was scared."

He drew his knees closer to his chest. "Afraid of many things. I get scared a lot, by the way. So much that I sometimes think I'm always scared," he laughed into Luka's coat. It smelled pleasantly of rain.

"You shifted because of your desire to run?" His companion deduced from his words, pointing out his problem quite accurately. Glad that she understood what he was trying to say, Io nodded.

"You're right. I did."

"Fight or flight, you chose the latter?" She rephrased her question, receiving a lunar smile in return.

"You're right, and did you just make a pun?" He added all of a sudden, slightly amazed. It was, to him, very funny. Jing had (in a way) pointed out that his flight was instigated by fear and that it was not advisable to be driven by something so negative. She would understand. Although the latter part, she didn't add.

"Does fear necessarily have a negative connotation?" Was what Io proceeded to ask with genuine curiosity, tilting his head to the side in thought. "Does confidence necessarily have a positive one? How about joy—and sadness—and everything else?"

He was talking to himself, she knew, but could not resist hearing his thoughts in his unguarded state.

Perhaps there were no positive or negative emotions in an objective manner, only the human experiencing these emotions might perceive them to be. It is not necessarily bad to be sad, and not necessarily good to be happy either.

"You know, maybe I'm not that afraid of being fearful. I guess that's why I always am. Fearful."

She blinked at this, thinking it was all part of her imagination. A heart and mind that looked upon a world that remained dull for her eternity.

Indeed, the phoenix was familiar with the phrase 'have no fear' as with 'be fearless in your pursuit'; 'live your life without fears' being one of those not entirely foreign to her as well. These words, often the epigrams of heroes and protagonists—those blessed, blinding human beings that had the gall to tell another whose world grew on fear—held little to no meaning for a person of her standards.

They had expected her to change within five words and less; to color her world in a single breath, a fraction of a second. It was almost...almost frustrating.

"You? Fearful?" She managed after a moment, wishing to confirm what she had assumed was her mind setting something colorful into flames and turning it into ash. Grey.

"Always."

Even so, he was confident in his declaration. As though proclaiming himself the main character of a story—just different. One that harboured so much fear, it wouldn't vanish. In fact, one that didn't wish for it to vanish at all.

Iolani Tori loved to fear.

It was something he so recently discovered and could never bring himself to tell. Not one. Not anyone at all, it was hard.

"I...might not be afraid of being fearful, actually. I mean I know you are," he added very quickly, wishing he hadn't phrased it in that manner for it was blunt and unrefined—revealing the side of him that he thought he'd left behind when he left his home.

She gazed at him blankly.

"I am not afraid of fear because it is, to me, at least...to me," he struggled to express something that could not be expressed in words, "fear is an emotion as important as any other—as important as joy, as sorrow...as everything we aim to be. Which is, most of the time, happy. I assume."

"We aim to be happy. But why don't we aim to be sad, to be angry—to fear, to feel? Why is happiness superior to everything else, when everything else is, as well, proof that we are human, that we feel, and that we are alive?"

And it was at this very moment, one that the phoenix would remember for her years of ruin and flames, when high up in the lonely sky she so reigned for years, she found that she was not alone.

There was a moon. Right in front of her, as though fetched from the sky itself—an eye—so pure and sublime she could not believe it was there.

Yes,

Why was happiness superior?

For years she had harbored a flame so painful; burning in a cage so dark, a sun she had not the strength to contain but was fated to do—her mind trapped within herself. 'Happiness is a mindset' was what she had been told to remember and, by doing so, control the flame within for every single one of them thought it so simple.

Was it?

Then there was him, the one who came along with the most frightening of ideas: that happiness was not the greatest of emotions, not unachievable but at the same time not what one should strive to achieve. Out of the world—literally, that was what it was.

As foreign as the idea was to her, the girl was in love with it. That she didn't need to force herself to feel happiness, feel obliged to put on a smile or a demeanor in front of others and just...just, be.

It was an idea so imperfect, it was beautiful.

All of a sudden, the night was very, very bright for the girl. Jing had the moon in her face and she knew it. Before her eyes was a light so magnificent, she thought herself staring at something out of her universe. Indeed, what had been dull and dark for her was now (under a different light) a shade of silver, a color that had been missing from her world for quite some time.

"Is that her?"

She didn't sound very surprised to herself, and it was this very lack of shock that ironically made her pause and reflect. "You really are the moon." She raised her gaze to meet the eyes of his second Avian.

Luna appeared to smile. Good evening. So glad to finally be of your acquaintance, young lady. You must be Sol's friend.

"Friend?" Jing blinked. "I am his Winged, yes."

Io laughed.

Then you are his friend. Just like Io is to me.

The thought of an Avian being the friend of their Winged was a very different take on the relationship between the two. Altogether, a strange perspective. One she knew would have to come from a mind unlike the rest.

"You turned out to be...very different from who I thought you were and yet," she frowned, as if trying to read his eyes that followed her own. It resembled having her very own moon cast its light on the cage within. "You are the same."

His eyes—moons—saw through and observed every part of the darkness in her own and for a moment, Jing wondered if he had been doing this for the longest time.

"It might just be unconscious," it was characteristic of him to dish out a vague answer, too which his Avians laughed and shared a little burst of mirth. Lyra landed on his shoulder with a chirp. "I don't think I necessarily see through people. Who knows? Maybe the very assumption of being able to see through someone signs our naivety as humans. I just see what you see, that's all."

Io released a sigh soon after. "In fact, I don't understand the people I wish I understood. Thinking I knew Luka was a mistake. What do I know about him anyway? That he likes company and the scent of fresh laundry?" He sighed again, upset with herself. "How does that amount to knowing a person?"

Jing listened to his concerns with a quiet disposition, realizing that she had grown fond of his moments of uncertainty—finding it most human amongst his other otherworldly-qualities.

She couldn't help but feel a spark of surprise at the thought of Luka Sullivan liking company. Even to her, it was absurd. The phoenix found it more accurate to assume that 'company' referred (very specifically) to Iolani Tori's. Indeed, it was a better fit in the larger picture.

"I once thought I knew someone as well," the girl turned to Io with eyes that were slightly less guarded. "I guess not."

"But does it matter if we do?" He searched and found his answer unexpectedly fast. It was the result of consistent questioning within his cage, never stopping even in his sleep. "Even if we realize we didn't know that person very well, does that therefore make them less important to us?"

"Surely not. Whether or not I know Luka, he is still important to me. I know this already."

It reminded the girl of the time when she witnessed him at his lowest point.

"Did you think you knew the canary as well?"

He swallowed at the memory, understanding his weakness. "Yes."

"And she is still important to you, even after..."

"Yes, and no."

He knew the answer to the question that plagued his mind every second of his life—whether forgiveness was due, whether it was enough to make him forget; if it played a part in his love for her that ended in disappointment. "She is important as someone who has caused me much pain; as a lesson to be learnt, but nevertheless important as a friend still."

"Do you hate her?"

"I don't know," he said honestly. "I still don't know."

The sheer amount of uncertainty Io had within his cage was, to the phoenix, unexpected. To the majority, Io was a symbol of strength and stability. Yet his very lack of ground did not seem too uncharacteristic of a mind that was high in flight, and was in some senses, humanly comforting.

"But I think I understand now—that it is okay not to know," Io chewed his lower lip in thought, holding onto Luka's coat. "We can know, and we can pursue knowledge but in the end, if we cannot attain it, it is alright."

Jing could not help but feel the need to tease. "Are you speaking about attaining Luka, or attaining knowledge of him?"

Io turned to her with flushed cheeks and eyes wide in surprise, shaking his head and waving his arms frantically. "W-what? I don't think I know what you mean," he looked away nervously. "What does it mean to have someone? To attain a person—what does that mean? I don't understand."

"I suppose the latter encompasses the former. Knowledge of Luka would come before him, as a person," his companion reasoned calmly, an amusement so unfamiliar bubbling within her cage. It was addictive. "You seem most unsure whenever it comes to the people closest to you."

He hadn't wished to be told such a truth by another, but was not hesitant to accept it either.

"I think so too."

Jing smiled; the rarest of all smiles. A treasure.

"I know someone who can help you with that."

Io blinked in confusion, proceeding to follow her gaze only to meet another. This one, he thought he knew at once.

"It is time for me to go," the girl rose from her seat and found—to her surprise—lighter feet. "He has been waiting for you."

__________________________________

"He smells like a one-night stand."

The raven turned to look at Reux. "Who?"

"The sparrow," his tongue ran over his lips in a carnal instance. "His scent reminds me of a very well-made bed. The kind that's perfect when you enter a hotel room and makes you wanna," he stopped short. Smirked. "Mess it up."

The raven made a face. "You and your tastes."

"What?" Reux cracked a smirk, popping an uraro cookie into his mouth. "Weren't you the one who jumped him and picked a fight with that eagle? Dumb as fuck."

She shoved the shrike aside and left him at the doorway, laughing eyes fixed on her back. "What's with you ravens? Can't take a joke?"

"I'm not like you people."

"Really?" The shrike mocked with a disgusting snort. "Care to explain what happened to you back there?"

"I was just...overwhelmed, okay?" The raven managed defensively, striving to establish her point. "Prey are disgusting."

"Mmhm, I can tell from your zero count. And I know what you mean by overwhelmed," Reux sounded like a child ready for his next toy—the one he'd spotted by the latest store. "The first predator to have another predator as prey...I like the sound of that."

The raven looked over her shoulder with wary eyes. "You think the sparrow is a predator?"

Reux shrugged. "Explain his reaction to the administered cure. Explain the hair—the eyes. If he isn't a dual, a don't know what he is."

"You best not let anyone catch you saying that or Kirill will have your neck," the raven warned before turning away to take her leave.

The shrike wasn't paying the slightest attention to her words. In fact, brooding over the prospects of having Iolani Tori as his prey was, to him, considering the gains of adding something exquisite to his collection. A very special collection.

________________________________

He breathed in the air of the night—waiting to see if the other would do something about the scent that lingered. React in a certain way.

When he didn't, Io decided to break the silence by speaking first but on rare occasions (times like so), he was glad he didn't have to be.

"You're still wearing it," the eagle closed the distance in a couple of strides, adjusting the coat over Io's shoulders that belonged to him. Io glanced at the place Luka's fingers had brushed, blinking at the note of warmth.

"It's a nice coat," he returned lightly, unsure of what to say. "You were waiting for me?"

Victoria landed on the railings of the balcony, keeping her distance while they conversed.

"I don't like waiting," came the surprising response from Luka. He was becoming less and less comprehensible to Io, and the latter wasn't sure whether he liked it or not. "I've only ever done it recently."

"For some people," he added, and Io was suddenly very aware of what he was getting at—even if Luka himself wasn't.

"Why?"

The eagle lowered his gaze only to find a pair of lights reflected in his companion's.

"I don't know."

The moment was soft. Soft; how strange a word to describe a thing so fleeting—brief as a moment was. It was however, for all intents and purposes, just that. The world that existed independently of their own was becoming increasingly soft around the edges, something the chill of the night had so ruthlessly sharpened.

A moment, inherently short and characteristically insignificant in the external world was—to the pair who were looking at each other for a very long time—long. Looking.

Just looking; until they could see.

"I...realized something. Today," Io was the first to speak after having met the other's eyes for a very, very long while. Almost like a stranger, seeking an escape from the cold, warming by the embers of a flame. The remains of a fire.

Luka listened, and though he was still and had close to no indication of interest, Io could see it in his eyes.

"I've been wanting to tell you all afternoon," he looked away, "but I couldn't. For some reason. Or for no reason at all."

The eagle understood, leaning closer. "I realized."

"That's not what I wanted to tell you, uh," Io blinked awkwardly. "It's something else."

Luka was quiet for a moment. "...I realized."

And then they laughed.

The moment softened once more, settling deep within the cages they'd forgotten to lock. It was the kind of forgetfulness that often plagued the minds of those too foolish for arms. For protection against the chill of the dark.

"I. Well," Io went on so bravely. "Luka, you are—"

"Me too."

"—you are very impoortant to..." he began to register the words and felt his world grow. "...Me."

*

Had he heard him correctly? Io had no way of confirming if he did. Two words were so brief, so fleeting.

Should he repeat? Luka didn't know if he should. Was it strange if he did? Saying the same thing again, was it too imposing?

Each waited for the other.

Waited.

And waited.

One would have thought the wait forever but that was only until something sharp and deadly darted out of the darkness; heading for Io's eye he could see the tip of its blade hurtling fast towards him—a dagger. A muscle flinched to evade the attack he knew was coming and opted to fall sideways or at least rise and run but within a blink it was between his eyes—

A furious spread of an eagle's wings were enough to knock the blade out of its trajectory, sending it away from its target and towards the banister where it fell with a clink. The wings on Luka's back stilled around that he wished to protect, waiting. On guard.

Victoria was left to inspect the dagger, which she found wasn't anything special.

"Luka?" Io stood up in a flurry, turning to Luka as he checked for injuries. "Are you—are you hurt?"

Io stepped in front of the other to see the expression on his face but was stunned to witness yet another he'd never seen before. Fury.

The embers in Luka's eyes were alit; darting around the fireplace that was his core, the pupil—sparked by a rare emotion he'd never let himself experience ever again. Sharp eyes searched the darkness for the source of danger but a gust of wind denied access to movement in the forest. The trees rustled and swayed accordingly, leaving the shadows alive. He couldn't see.

"I see him."

Luka blinked, turning to his companion who had spoken within a beat of his heart. He followed his gaze but made out nothing. "There," Io pointed. The eagle looked again, and even Victoria perched higher up could not see a thing. "It's a...a sparrow?"

Io frowned—eyes a shade of moonlight turning darker in confusion. "Luna, did you see that?"

Those are my eyes you have, Io. You are looking at what I see.

He bit his lip, raising his gaze to meet Luka's. "Are you alright?"

The eagle understood it was his duty to tell the truth; under such circumstances however he thought differently, and felt it necessary to keep his friend sheltered. "I'm fine."

"I don't think I am, actually," Io shocked the other thoroughly. It wasn't the first time. "Will I be able to sleep with this at the back of my mind?" His lower lip trembled before fear was reigned with a bite. "I saw it. The tip. I saw it shine."

He paused, swallowing.

"I almost thought it would be the last thing I'd see."

Luka felt the chill of the night filter through the wings on his back—thin, caressing. The initial shock of the attack faded, giving way to an alternate reality that was beginning to form at the back of his mind.

His friend; a knife between his eyes. Dead.

He looked away, afraid that the image would scar. Io was alive. That split second mattered. It mattered, and could have mattered more, but did not. He was alright.

The eagle felt, for the first time, a mild gratitude towards the length of his wingspan. The wings on his back were enough to shield the small frame beside him, perhaps twice over. Luka had a brief but vague notion of wrapping Io in his wings, downy feathers providing a considerable amount of protection and warmth. Yet the very thought seemed to him slightly inappropriate.

It was like cuddling.

"Thanks. I—I really, could have...I mean, I wouldn't be thinking right now. If not for you," Io turned halfway towards his companion, stopping to stare at a spot on the banisters before he realized that his vision was a blur.

"Thank you." He managed in a whisper. Victoria came over, nudging his shoulder with her beak.

"We should go in," Luka closed the distance between them, in a way that he would be between Io and the darkness. "It might happen again."

Luna took off, a blast of wind hitting the pair in their faces as she did so—propelling her weight upwards and into the night sky. The eagle assumed that his friend had said something in private to his Avian, perhaps about the attacker or scouting the area at the very least.

"You're right," the moon phoenix breathed deeply, holding on to the sides of his shoulders for comfort.

The time they took to move from the balcony back to the room; shut the cold with a bang and return to what Io considered an enclosure was unusually long, forcing the eagle to come to terms with a desire of his own. It was selfish of him to hope, he understood but it was the inevitability of hope—its strange invincibility that he could not resist.

Luka wanted to be wanted, and it led to ideas.

Such as, stay the night.

Io noticed no such thought as he returned to the fainting couch, embarrassed at the sight of his half-hearted dinner and consequently messy table. "I'll clear this—"

"I'll do it," the eagle insisted on taking care of every mess, returning the dishes and utensils back to the trolley by the door. "You should rest."

Io paused with a nod, slightly stunned by his inability to will his limbs to serve their function. "Um, okay." Then began his slow realization of the end.

Their time together. It was coming to an end.

All of a sudden, Io felt the need to raise a selfish request on his part. He, too, understood the inevitability of hope in which he did not resist. It led to ideas.

Such as, stay the night.

Luka noticed no such thought as he cleared the table and prepared to wheel the trolley back to the kitchen, informing his friend otherwise. "That sparrow you saw. I will report it to Viktor."

"I don't know who it was."

"An intruder?" The eagle had a hard time comprehending the anxiety in his cage that was beginning to grow. "It was clearly aimed at you."

"Is blatant assassination becoming a trend?" Io laughed quietly, looking at his friend, trying to extend the moment. "Suddenly everyone thinks it's a viable career option."

Luka shared his amusement, reveling in the manner he had put it across. Endearing. But the moment was getting longer, and the night was never enough.

"I have to go," he said finally, opening the door. His feet were slow to start.

"Wait—"

The eagle turned.

Io had a hand over his mouth. So it had been unintentional.

"I...can you," he avoided eye contact, nervous all of a sudden under his gaze. "Can you stay?"

_____________________

A/N: *lenny face* AH WELL hello dears thank you for waiting as usual. You are so, so patient. Well, I'm sort of back on track with my update schedule, so :D yay! Oh, and I was wondering if I should be uploading the Disney edition first before the next chapter or should the next chapter come first...and I don't know which HAHA. Will you guys be fine with anything? 

I was also thinking of what I should call you guys because I have a name for my readers who read the Baked series (Bakers). I was thinking of Captains :> Hello there Captain Cheral :D Hello there Captain Jean :> if you have any cool suggestions please do tell me over here :')

Also, there were so many things in this chapter that I don't know which to discuss in my AN hahaha! Well, to sum up--Io understands his other Eye, talks about depression, meets his love bird, love bird confuses and pampers him, they talk about feels, and aRe GoiNg to Stay the NIGHT. Totally not part of my fantasies. 

As for the literary devices, there's way too many here for me to point out ;-; I might get increasingly harder for me to do all that in my A/Ns because Cuppie is developing as a writer and now everything is even more complex than it was I CANT BELIEVE IT yay. 

Thank you for reading.

-Cuppiecake