Within the first two months, there was New Year’s Day (a holiday they largely spent sleeping after having saved the world), then a holiday for a man named Martin, then Lunar New Year (which was somehow different than the first New Year), then something called Groundhog Day (perhaps they named many holidays after weasels and rodents?) and finally, today, Valentine’s Day.
“This shape represents the heart as the source of romantic emotions?” The dented teardrop was an epigraph that appeared to be repeated as an ornamentation on many of Daniella’s clothes and possessions and Tray found it charming to realize that it meant affection and connection.
Assuming he could trust Robin’s words.
Robin, insufferably, pretended to be fully versed in human customs and traditions, despite the fact that they had been there less than a full year and absorbed all of their informationfrom television and the Internet. They spun wild stories about weather prediction by a rodent for Groundhog Day.
And they had assured Trey that missing this occasion would be a terrible slight. It was still unsettling that Trey’s mighty mentor was the size of a slight doll and as diminished in power as they were in height, but Trey was inclined to defer to their advice.
“Is making my keyheartsof paper the only way to prove my love for her on this occasion?”
“Cooking for your partner or taking her out to dinner or buying flowers and candy is another traditional method,” Robin said. Trey was sitting on a stool at the end of the kitchen counter where Robin stood, leaning on a broken off hanger that served them as a cane.
The kitchen was very little less mysterious than it had started, filled with appliances that were nearly magic if not actually enchanted. Trey thought it was probably wise that he did not attempt to cook yet. “I cannot afford to buy my key gifts or sweets,” Trey observed. This world required a great deal of documentation for employment, and it grated at him that Daniella worked for wages while his knightly skills went to no use.
“That’s why you’re going to make her a card.” Robin pointed down at the phone lying on the counter, where he had pulled up a series of pictures. “Pinterest has some ideas.”
Trey obediently scrolled through the photos, admiring the frilly cards and pithy phrases.
“Tell me more about this holiday,” he said. “I wish to make my key feel cherished for this event of romance. Who is Valentine? Is he a mighty fighter or a great lover?”
Robin gave a snort of laughter. “Neither, I fear. St. Valentine—two of them, actually—were martyrs of the church, executed on this holy date. The holiday got all mixed up with pagandrunken fertility revels, and now the humans here are stuck with a commercial monstrosity that requires fragile relationships to prove their worth with costly presents.”
“It does not sound romantic,” Trey said skeptically. But Robin seemed sincere in his desire to save Trey heartbreak, and Trey truly did wish to honor his beloved key. A holiday of devotion based on gifts seemed like an opportunity he wouldn’t want to miss.
Trey went into Daniella’s bedroom with a frown of concentration. He didn’t wish to poke too much or disturb her personal belongings, but he needed supplies for this endeavor of expression. Fabio, her loyal Afghan hound, followed him curiously into the room and leapt up onto the bed to supervise.
Paper was easy enough to find; Daniella had a thick stack of it on a desk by an appliance that sometimes made a whirring noise. But it was all white paper, not the lovely scarlet hues of the examples on Pinterest. She had red clothing, but Trey knew that her wardrobe was precious and left it untouched.
Wait! There was adornment she used on her lips in the bathroom, which might be applied to a white canvas. Fabio shadowed him down the hall and stood in the doorway with his tail wagging cautiously. Trey opened Daniella’s drawer of cosmetics and stared in wonder. Here was a whole palette of soft, romantic colors. There were also small bottles of vibrant color in the back of the drawer, in several shades of red. When Trey opened them curiously, they gave off a foul smell of warning, but proved to have tiny brushes within. Clearly, these were made for artistic purposes.
Trey took a stick of the lip color, a palette of sparkly pink powder, and three of the bottles.
Fabio trailed after him and sat beside him at the coffee table as Trey spread out his supplies.
Robin was strong enough to fly again, and they fluttered from the kitchen to join him. “What are you going to do with all of Daniella’s makeup?”
“Something romantic,” Trey declared, scrolling the pictures on the tiny screen. “Something meaningful.”
He was already familiar with the concept of cards, and it was simple enough to fold a sheet of the paper in half to approximate one. The blank canvas was intimidating.
What should he say? The internet was full of pithy suggestions:I love you, You complete me, Be mine.But none of them felt quite right.
Trey bent his head to his task, determined to please his key, and uncapped one of the tiny paint bottles.
2
DANIELLA
Daniella dashed up the front steps and paused at the front door. Coming home to Trey was always a mix of dread and delight. He was her favorite person in the whole world, and she finally felt like she understood her dog Fabio’s eager greetings because everything got brighter and happier and safer the moment that she saw Trey.
(She also genuinely wanted to lick him.)
But there was always the question of what he had managed to break, fight, or light on fire while she was away.
Tips had been meager that day—everyone was saving their money for extravagant Valentine’s Day dinners out, and Daniella had seen plenty of grouchy singles who resented the paper hearts and sparkles that decorated the cafe.
She sympathized with their bitterness. This was the first year she’d had a partner to celebrate with, and he didn’t even know what the holiday was. Daniella had avoided mentioning it because Trey, bless his big heart, threw himself into everything he did with the same enthusiasm as Fabio did. After the Groundhog Day fiasco, Daniella had done her best to avoid exposing Trey to commercials and television in general.
