My head tilted.
“Even if they smell like food, they’re not. Which, by the way, I seriously disagree with your findings.”
I blinked, bemused, just as the door clicked open. Koa leaned in the frame, shirtless and blinking at me. His long brown hair was tousled adorably. His fire-touched brown eyes widened when he saw me.
“Rune?” His voice was low, rough from fatigue. “You okay?”
I nodded, feeling my face warming. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. I just heard you talking. It kind of threw me off because it’s so late.”
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh. Yeah. I was talking to Ragnar.”
“…Ragnar?”
“My tortoise.” He stepped back and gestured for me to go inside. That stabbing urgency in my bladder eased just enough to make curiosity win out, so I slipped in after him.
Koa’s room was almost the same as mine. White bedding on his bed that was pushed against the wall, a desk, a nightstand, and a wardrobe. But, his room had some additions.
“Oh my Fates,” I breathed, spotting the tortoise over near the corner. “He’s so cute.”
Ragnar, a surprisinglyheftytortoise with mottled green-brown coloring, stood in the middle of a little open habitat Koa had made out of low walls, scattered rocks, and warm stones that glowed faintly with runes that did different things.
“He’s not in a cage?” I asked, moving closer. “That’s sweet.”
“Nah. Tortoises are land creatures. They’re not like turtles. They don’t need water to swim in all day. They need warmth, dirt, and space to roam. Ragnar’s got it good here, but he did have it better back at home. He had a whole room to himself. However, he gets depressed when I leave, so I cleared it so he could come with me.”
“Aw, so you’re very close, then.” I knelt.
Ragnar blinked slowly up at me.
I extended a finger and gently pressed against the edge of his shell. He shifted toward me, like he approved. So I stroked along his shell again. “I wasn’t sure if they liked pets.”
“He likes you, apparently,” Koa said with a smile.
“He’s got good taste.”
Koa laughed. “I suppose I do, too, then.”
“Do you?” I glanced around the room and noticed a half-taken-apart music box on his desk, surrounded by tiny tools. “What’s that?”
“I do.” He followed my gaze. “Oh. Uh, it’s my sister’s. I like fixing broken things, and this one… it’s important. Sentimental to her.”
“You have a sister?”
“Yeah. Her name’s Sora. She’s three years younger than me. She and Mom were actually with me before the entrance exam. You probably didn’t notice her. She left before I met you.”
I couldn’t remember seeing Koa with anyone, so I guessed they’d left before I could notice them. “Is she a Phoenix too?”
“Yeah. Blonde hair, ember-flecked brown eyes like mine. She’s sweet but super guarded. This music box is one of the few things she’s ever really cared about. Our dad gave it to her.”
“Your dad?”
He nodded, and pain flickered in his gaze.
I frowned. “How old is Sora now?”
“She’s fifty-five.”
I blinked. “Wait, I thought you said she was younger than you by three years?”
