I glare at her.
“Yeah, and I need a shower,” I say. “I’ve been handling water-soaked cardboard for the last three hours.”
“We’re not going to help with cleanup?” Posey asks. “There’s a lot of people down closer to the shore that looked like they had a lot worse damage and we could definitely help out.”
I run my hand through my hair as I redo my ponytail into a tight bun on top of my head.
“I do want to help everybody out, but I think the best way we can do that is by getting that ward back up and running to prevent something like this happening again tonight or tomorrow or who knows how soon.”
“Are we not gonna talk about the octopi?” Rose says.
“There’s really not much to say,” I tell her. “They were here when we got here. Apparently the kraken I met with last night sent them. They said that we need to get the ward up and running again and that they’re here to make sure we can concentrate on that.”
“Do you think you can send a few to my shop?” Rose asks.
“Send them to her shop. It’s not good,” Fig echoes, and then turns her head to preen a wing.
I slap myself on the forehead, beyond annoyed at myself that I didn’t even have the decency to ask how Rose’s shop had fared in the storm.
“How bad is it, Rose?” I ask.
“It’s really not too terrible,” she says. “For the most part there’s just some light water damage on the floor. I think some of the wood will have to be popped up or whatever they do to fix it. I keep the instruments up high enough that none of them were damaged, but Posey set up a dehumidifying spell on them just in case. Some sheet music managed to get soaked through and ruined, but nothing that can’t be replaced. We got lucky compared to some of the other people out here.”
“I should have asked as soon as you walked in, Rose. I’m sorry.”
“To be fair, the whole octopus army you have going on here — that vibe sort of overrode anything that I had to say. Well that and you and Caleb’s looming marital bliss.” She grins at me while I sputter, Caleb chuckling. “That said, I wouldn’t mind if you could send some of these critters over my way.”
“If I knew how to direct the Octopus Army, I would.”
No sooner have I said that than several of the octopi slither out a crack in the window that I hadn’t even noticed was there. It’s no wider than the palm of my hand, and all four of us stare at them as they somehow contort themselves out the window.
“You learn something new every day,” I say.
“Octopi are really clever creatures,” Caleb says. “They can fit into all kinds of small spaces.”
We all stare at him for a beat.
He shrugs.
“What? It’s common knowledge.”
“Okay,” Posey says.
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Let’s go check on Hazel and see if Grandma and her have come up with any kind of solution.”
“How bad do you think it’s going to get, Ivy?” Posey asks. “Caleb gave us the broad strokes last night, but we’ve been waiting to hear from you.”
I look at Rose and Posey seriously.
“I don’t know, but I don’t have a good feeling about it if we can’t get the ward back up and running as soon as possible.” I shrug.
“So pretty bad.” Posey pets Oatmeal, and the ferret leans into the affection.
“Well,” Rose says, clapping her hands together and rubbing them like an evil villain, “I’ve always loved a challenge.”
“Oh, is that why you failed precal in high school and college algebra?” Posey asks innocently.
“There was absolutely NO reason for me to have to take math at those levels for music,” Rose snaps.
