A nearby pie-eating contest involving wiggle-berries nearly made me gag.
Disgusting things.
Some Monsters apparently loved them.
Psychopaths.
I kept my attention split carefully between the environment and Amrin herself while we moved through the festival.
No threats nearby.
No sign of Gunner.
Good.
Because if that Wolf looked at her wrong tonight, I genuinely might commit murder in formalwear.
Eventually we reached Professor Franco.
I pressed a gentle hand against the small of Amrin’s back, guiding her forward supportively.
She squeezed my hand once before letting go.
A tiny gesture.
But intimate enough to tighten my chest painfully.
Brave little butterfly.
“Professor, excuse me,” she said.
Her nervousness radiated through the bond immediately.
I wanted to kiss it away.
Instead I stood quietly beside her while she handed over the assignment folder.
Franco practically lit up reading it.
“This is very thorough, Miss Cordoza!”
Pride surged through me immediately.
Of course it was thorough.
She worked harder than anyone gave her credit for.
The professor looked toward me next.
“Ah! Sten, good to see you. Excellent celestial mapping work as always. Oh, and Uzzi Stregovich told me to tell you he’d be giving you a call.”
I nodded politely.
I knew all about the Witch matchmaker from Earth. But now was not the time.
Professor Franco turned back toward Amrin.
“Alright, tell me quickly now, what did you discover?”
