“No you don’t.”
Fate looked out over Krakens Hole again. The colourful rooftops and the bustling harbour. The strange little collectionof monsters and magic and chaos all living together somehow, against every logical expectation.
A small smile touched her mouth. “No,” she admitted quietly. “I really don’t.”
Beside her, Baba Yaga kicked her leg warmers irritably.
“These itch.”
“You chose sequins.”
“I was emotionally vulnerable and I have a weakness for sparkles.”
“That’s not how fabric works.”
Below them, movement near the path caught Fate’s attention briefly. Spencer returning toward town. Alone this time.
Baba Yaga noticed too.
“Oh,” she crooned immediately. “That one’s doomed.”
Fate hummed thoughtfully. “Not doomed exactly…”
“Oh please. He’s already looking at her like she invented breathing.”
“To be fair,” Fate said mildly, “sheisrather lovely.”
Baba Yaga pointed accusingly at her. “You put them together on purpose.”
“I nudged.”
“You meddled.”
“I curated.”
Baba Yaga barked out a laugh. “You absolutely meddled.”
Fate returned calmly to her nails. “Only a little.”
The older witch leaned back on her swing, gold sequins flashing painfully in the sunlight. “So,” she said casually, “what are the current odds?”
Fate considered it. “The Dragon and the Kraken bounty hunter?” she paused. “That sounds like a dodgy porno.”
“Yes and agreed, I would watch it though.”
A pause.
“Seventy percent.”
Baba Yaga gasped dramatically. “You’re getting sentimental.”
“I’m getting accurate.”
“The male literally arrived to kidnap her.”
“And yet,” Fate said softly, “he hasn’t.”
That shut Baba Yaga up briefly, because they both knew what that meant.
