"I can't wait to meet Princess and give her one of these," I muttered, blowing on my fist, preparing for the moment I set my eyes on Princess. I swear on the Moon Goddess, I am going to punch her. How dare she plan to take my pups from me?
My fist stayed in front of my face for a moment. I stared at it, imagining the impact, imagining her expression when it finally landed.
The thought almost made me smile. Almost.
I dropped my hand and looked across the room.
I stared at Malo, who happened to not listen to what I had been saying for the past 20 minutes.
He sat across from me, his back slightly hunched, his eyes open but distant. His fingers rested on the table, unmoving.
He looked like someone whose body had shown up, but the rest of him had stayed somewhere else.
"Malo," I called.
No response. He didn't blink. Didn't move.
His eyes were open, but his mind was somewhere else.
"Malo!" I shouted.
This time he heard me.
