"We don't have duties anymore," Riley beamed brightly. "Priest Hill, the highest authority here said that."
"We are useless for today." Dylan chuckled.
"That's not what he said." Ava replied immediately.
Zihan quietly took the tray from Riley's hands before it tilted more and placed it carefully on the table near the bed.
Ava began pouring water into the small earthen cups arranged beside it. The clay cups held moisture and felt cool against her fingertips.
Dylan dragged a small wooden stool beside Garima's bed and sat down backwards on it, arms folded over the back rest.
Zihan took Hill's place near the window. Riley skipped happily and claimed the chair beside him.
Ava handed the bowls around. And settled beside Garima with a bowl of her own.
Steam curled upward from the stew, invading their noses with delicious aroma.
It smelled far richer than usual.Thick broth. Neatly cut root vegetables and brown chunks of meat.
"What is this?" Garima asked.
"Recovery stew," Riley declared proudly. "Priestess Donna cooked it herself, she threw in everything she thought would make you heal faster."
"Wait, till you taste it," Dylan said "Donna is the best cook, a bit dangerous too."
"She uses everything recklessly," Ava sighed."She cooks by instinct. And has no sense of measurement."
"Once she made soup that tasted like wet soil." Zihan added.
"She was experimenting." Riley defended immediately.
"It tasted good." Dylan said.
Ava looked offended. "Your standards are catastrophic."
Garima wrapped both hands around the earthen bowl. The warmth seeped slowly into her palms and fingers, easing the aches in her body.
She took a careful sip.
The broth was thick and savory with something earthy underneath.
"It's good," She admitted after a moment. '"But there's definitely a smell."
"Oh it's Anguilrays," Ava explained. "Long river creatures with silver scales and too many fins."
Garima paused. River Eels
"That's the meat?" She asked.
Dylan nodded grimly "And they always smell like that."
"You stop noticing eventually." Zihan said.
"That sounds very less reassuring." Garima replied.
Riley brightened suddenly, clearly abandoning the topic of food.
"Oh! there's this novice–Bren, the one with the missing tooth.? He was teaching me a southern card game earlier."
"You mean the one you robbed blind?" Dylan asked.
"I used strategy," Riley corrected. "Priest Hill's been teaching me."
"Then Hill's strategy must be ancient warfare at this point." Dylan laughed.
"Don't cheat." Zihan said automatically.
Riley ignored him with confidence being used to his lectures.
"It's called Fren-Ark," He continued enthusiastically. "There are painted tiles. Animals on one side. Flowers on the other. You build sequences but destroy other people's sequences using River creatures."
"Anguilrays count as sequence breakers." Ava added immediately.
"They absolutely should not," Dylan argued.
"They do in the northern rule revisions."
"Who revised a card game?"
"People with standards."
Zihan looked at Riley. "You memorized the rulebook."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Riley looked genuinely confused by the question. "How else would I know the rules?"
"I made the mistake of reading it too." Ava admitted quietly.
"You voluntarily read a rule book?" Dylan stared.
"I read everything."
Garima looked up with sudden recognition."I also read everything."
"I know." Ava said, smiling softly.
"That explains so much." Zihan said with a straight face.
Riley pointed between the two girls. "I have found my own people."
"You are everyone's problem." Dylan corrected, looking exhausted.
They ate for a while after that.
The atmosphere softened. Bowls clinked with spoons. Wind rustled faintly. Busy footsteps echoed through the shrine halls.
Then Riley spoke again.
"When are you teaching us about disease?"
Ava immediately turned towards him. "Riley—-"
"It's fine," Garima interrupted. "I can start from tomorrow."
"No." Dylan said immediately.
"You heard Agatha," Ava added. "Rest."
Garima sighed. "You all are becoming authoritarian."
"We learned from the best," Riley said solemnly.
"The shrine raised tyrants." Dylan agreed.
"The moonfeather prowler came back." Zihan suddenly. Off topic.
Garima blinked. "The what?"
"It was a stray," Zihan explained."Grey feathers, large wings. Priest Hill found him injured three years ago"
"It was smaller back then." Ava added.
"Ugliest creature I had ever seen." Dylan said.
"I don't remember, I was ten." Riley said.
"His official name is Devotion," Zihan said. There was something almost fond in his voice. It suited him poorly and completely. "Priest Hill named him during an emotional moment"
Garima knew those kinds of people.
"Everyone calls him orb." Riley said immediately.
Garima stared. "Orb?"
"Believe it, he is shaped like one." Dylan confirmed.
"He disappeared a month ago. We thought he wandered off permanently." Ava continued ."But I guess he came back"
"He used to sleep on the grain sacks in the kitchen." Riley said. "The priestesses kept moving him. But he kept coming back."
"He doesn't let anyone touch him." Dylan added bitterly. "He bit me twice."
"You annoyed him." Zihan said.
"I stood near him."
"Exactly. He needs his space."
Garima looked around curiously. "Where is he now?"
Zihan was silent for a moment. Then sighed.
"Under the bed."
Everyone turned.
"He has been following Garima since last night."
"What?" Dylan nearly dropped his bowl. "Why didn't you say that earlier?"
"He is not dangerous." Zihan replied calmly.
"He attacked me."
"Agatha says he has good judgement." Ava offered.
Dylan stared at her.
"She was talking about something else at that time," Ava admitted. "But the point still stands."
Garima was already trying to climb out of bed.
Pain immediately stabbed through her ribs.
"What are you doing?" Dylan yelped.
"I want to see him."
Nobody missed the smile on her face.
Garima was getting excited. That sounded like a cat. Was it a fantasy cat?
Carefully, Garima lowered herself from the bed. And knelt beside it. Her entire body protested. Her ribs throbbed sharply.
She ignored all of it.
Slowly she leaned down. And found two golden eyes staring back at her from the darkness underneath the bed frame.
The creature was enormous. Round enough to be named Orb. Soft grey fur covered most of the body, while feathered wings folded tightly along his sides. His face looked strangely between owl and cat—round cheeks, sharp eyes. He didn't have whiskers or a beak.
He stared at her with an exhausted expression of a creature disappointed by humanity as a whole.
Garima was accustomed to the death stares of cats. It didn't matter.
"OMG" Garima gasped. It was like a cat.
Orb blinked once then looked away.
"Devotion." She tried. He didn't respond.
"Orb?" One ear twitched.
Garima grinned slowly.
"Aloo."
Both ears perked up instantly.
"Impossible." Riley whispered.
Dylan nearly fell off his stool laughing.
Garima carefully held out her hand.
Orb sniffed them with suspicion. He paused. Then slowly pushed his head against her palm.
Ava's eyes widened."He doesn't do that,"
"He barely tolerates us." Riley added.
"He likes me." Zihan corrected calmly.
"He tolerates you." Dylan replied.
By now everyone had ended up kneeling beside the bed trying to look underneath it.
Riley was half lying on the floor.
Dylan kept trying to shove Zihan lower so that he could see better.
Ava had a hand over her mouth trying not to laugh.
Garima looked at them all crowded together on the floor over a round feathery creature named Orb.
And suddenly she loved this moment. Warm food. Stupid arguments.
People pressed shoulder to shoulder around a bed.
Laughing hard enough to snort. Pretending not to smile. Shoving and pulling at each other.
Garima slowly lowered herself into the floor. Despite everyone protesting immediately.
Orb stared at her. Then waddled forward and curled against her side like a pillow.
Riley gasped.
"Aloo likes her."
"Aloo?" Dylan repeated through laughter.
One by one they started whispering it towards the creature.
"Aloo."
"Aloo."
"Aloo."
Orb closed his eyes, irritated.
And for a while— everything felt gentle.