Page 61 of Hummingbird and Kraken

Ro waved his hand, slowing him down. “If that’s granola, I would love some. With yogurt, please. I didn’t bring you any fruit today because I came by on a whim.”

“Thanks for coming! I was bored out of my mind. And lonely. Tell me about shifting.” Declan got up and prepared two servings while Ro talked.

“Well, I kept my clothes in this bag,” Ro held up a thin, brown polyester bag, “and I can loop it over my head or carry it in my mouth. Otherwise, I’m not sure what to tell you. It’s just like being a coyote.”

Nope. That wasn’t a good enough explanation. “Does everything look the same?” Declan handed Ro a bowl.

“No, actually. Mostly because I can’t see anything in the distance. And colors are different. I can see blue and yellow, but anything that would be red or green just looks gray.”

“Wow. I’d love to paint that, sometime. Like a coyote’s view of the world.”

“I don’t think about color as much, though. My nose can tell me the history of wherever I am, at least for the past few days if it hasn’t rained. And this is really good, by the way.” Ro gestured with his spoon.

“Thanks! I wonder if I could work scents into the painting somehow. Maybe painting in the layers of events, or even mixing essential oils into the paints… Man, I’ve had so many good ideas since I got here.”

“I can’t envision that at all, but I’d be excited to see it when you’re done. Just don’t make the scents too strong, or it might bother actual shifters’ noses.”

“Got it.”

They each took a few bites of the granola, which really was pretty tasty. He started thinking about how he’d lay out the canvas, but a sinking feeling settled in his stomach. He didn’t have any canvases.

Maybe he should get Ro’s advice.

He tried to pull his thoughts together in his head, but he couldn’t quite figure out what to say. It had been a few weeks since he’d talked with Geir about jobs and money, and he thought they’d figured everything out. Yet somehow, days kept passing and he still didn’t have the tools he needed to find work or make his art.

The idea of asking Geir for a credit card or money in his account made him feel nauseous. He wanted to be taken care of, but that was more of an emotional thing. He didn’t want to splash money around or take advantage. Even worse, he didn’t want Geir to think he was trying to use him for his money. He didn’t want Ro to think that either.

It was easy to imagine that Geir didn’t care about his interests. After all, no one else ever had. Maybe, despite Geir’s promising words, he still didn’t expect Declan to stick around. Or maybe there was something about the way that Geir withdrew from the world that made it hard for him to notice or care about such trivial things. Declan was beginning to notice, from the way that Geir talked, that eternity was a really, exhaustingly, long time. Maybe his art really was trivial.

He tested out a few ways to bring up the topic in his head, but everything he considered sounded like some whiny, defensive version of “my rich Daddy didn’t buy me what I wanted.”

No, this was something he would have to figure out on his own. He’d been through much worse before, and he would make things work out somehow, like he always did.

“So, how’s Tier?” he asked instead.

Ro rolled his eyes, but he was getting more used to Declan’s gentle teasing. “He’s fine, I’m sure.”

“What did you bring him today?” Declan had discovered that Ro brought the Chief food every day. Which had to be the cutest thing ever.

“Blueberry muffins.”

“Seriously? How come your man gets blueberry muffins and I don’t?”

If Ro’s skin weren’t so dark, Declan knew he’d be able to see him blush. “He’s not my man. And you made granola anyway.”

“Yes, but I could have muffins and granola. The important question, though, is whether Tier liked them.”

Ro ducked his head. “He said he did. I mean, he always says that, but who knows if it’s true.”

“Um, that’s what guys do when they like you. I made this horrible sort of bean thing my first week here and Geir said he loved it. He’d had, like, three or four bites before I tasted it and realized I’d put in way too much salt.”

“I think people do that when they don’t want to be rude.”

“Or when they’re crazy about you.”

Ro sighed, but he didn’t complain this time.

“Hey, tell me what you think about this color.” Declan leaned forward to give Ro a closer look at his eyeshadow. He’d gone for a more dramatic effect today, with green fading into purple.