Page 55 of That’s My Orc, Tusk Off

I printed another label, this one for a shelf that already had four labels on it. This would be the fifth. My hands were steady. Steady hands meant controlled thoughts.

Except I’d just printed a label exactly like the one already stuck to the shelf.

I stared at it before ripping off the old one and throwing it away.

“You know this won’t fix anything,” Greth said.

“I’m not attempting to fix things. I’m doing my job.”

“You’re hiding.”

I set the label maker down on an empty section of the shelf with a bang. “I’m working.”

“At midnight.”

“The facility operates at all hours.”

“Why, Traig?”

I turned around and slid down the shelf unit beside him until I was sitting on the floor, my back against the metal.

The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead.

Minutes passed. Greth had never been bothered by silence. He used it the way other people used words to fill space with meaning.

“The letter?” he finally asked.

I nodded. Drogar must’ve mentioned it.

“Willa?”

Always Willa.

I tightened my jaw. “I received an adoption inquiry for Rue. I began the paperwork. It’s what we do here when applications arrive.”

“Without informing Willa, I assume.”

“It’s a preliminary review. There are multiple stages before⁠—”

“Why not tell her then?”

I pulled my knees up and rested my forearms on them. “The family has experience with other creatures, though not bloombacks. They have a big farm. Good references. Their teenage daughter is excited to take Rue to country fairs next summer. Rue would fit in well with the family.”

“And Fern?”

“Fern had a temporary problem when we took Rue from the enclosure. Nothing abnormal. They’ve been together for months. They’re friends. It’s nothing more than that.”

“She stopped eating.”

“For two days. She ate again after that.”

“Because we put Rue back in with her.”

I dragged my hands over my face. “This is a good opportunity for Rue.”

“But?”

“Willa believes they’re bonded.”