***Isolde***
Arthur was only gone for a few minutes or so.
"Sorry, Isa. The kid got away." Arthur sighed. "He was struggling like a toddler. Some lady knocked him out before running off with him."
Eiran face palmed. "He can't even be a man?"
Isa laughed. Eiran probably could have been nicer about it, but that boy was childish.
"What did that boy do?" she asked.
Josh squeezed his son's hand.
"I came by to check on the princess. She was unconscious in the living room. When I came in, that runt looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He grabbed his puppy and ran off after that."
Isa's eyes widened. "Do you know what happened to the princess?"
"Someone spoke to the princess after she woke up," Arthur said. "Apparently, he was researching a questionable topic. He asked the princess about it. When he didn't like her answer, he got upset and shocked her."
"And he hurt you?" Isa asked.
"He was stupid enough to come back for his belongings." Eiran clenched his fists. "He made a weird noise after I got angry at him. I threw his puppy off out of instinct after she nipped me. He got angry and shocked me."
Isa sighed. "I'm not saying what he did was right, but I think he was trying to protect his puppy. I don't think he would have come near me if I didn't have his puppy."
"Puppies don't know better. Someone who's maybe fifteen should."
Josh furrowed his eyebrows. What could he be thinking?
"Would you like something to eat?" Isa asked.
"That would be great," Arthur said.
***Amethyst***
"Could you grab his puppy out of his coat? I need to get him settled in bed. I could continue carrying them like this, but that might not be the most comfortable for them."
Cy got Honey out of the coat and cradled the sleeping puppy like a toddler.
Ame was very careful as she carried the redhead upstairs. The last thing she wanted to do was to injure the boy more than he already was.
Cyan went ahead of Ame to open the door to the master bedroom. She pulled the sheets back before laying the puppy by the foot of the bed. "Do you mind if I check out the kitchen?"
"Of course not."
Cyan then slipped out of the room.
Ame gently took off the sling and propped his injured arm up with a pillow before tucking him in.
"Alastair, I'm sorry." Ame spoke in a gentle voice. "You're safe now. Just get better, alright?"
Ame left the door open a crack on her way out.
Cyan was still admiring the kitchen when Ame came in.
"How is he?" Cyan asked.
"Let's give him time to rest in peace. He'll probably be out for at least a couple hours."
"Alright..." Cyan took a breath. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"I did want to talk you," Ame said. "Would you like some coffee or cookies?"
"No, I'm fine."
Ame put on a pot of coffee before grabbing a box of cookies out of the pantry.
The blonde set the goodies on the kitchen table before sitting down.
"What did you want to discuss?"
"Since you already cook for a living, I imagine you'll be doing that for him often. I should give you an idea of what he eats." Ame grabbed a cookie out of the box. "He loves noodles, waffles, ground beef and salmon."
"Alright. Good to know." Cyan messed with the neck of her shirt. "Do you mind if I change my clothes?"
"Of course not. You can pick one of the guest bedrooms."
"Thank you for this opportunity."
The girl then ran upstairs.
Ame let out a deep sigh as she sunk into the chair. Now was probably the best time to call Hannah.
She picked up the phone right away.
"Hey, Hanny."
"Let, you sound tired..."
Ame took another breath. "I just got home. I had to knock Alastair out."
"Uh oh. Tell me everything."
Ame sipped her coffee. "Alastair was trying to run away from these people but couldn't. Since he was sparking, he was probably gearing up to fight them. With his broken arm, I don't think he stood a chance."
"Probably not... Especially if they were ganging up on him." A pause. "Why did you have to put him to sleep?"
"I scooped him up to get him out of there. He struggled against me. It was that or let him get himself more hurt."
"Let, that's never easy. Ran and I have to take the brunt of it. I think it's more frustrating and scary for them than it is for us."
"Probably..."
"Where is he now?"
"In bed. He'll probably be asleep for a couple hours. Hopefully his puppy can soothe him if he needs it."
"What about his blanket?"
"It should be in his backpack, right?" Ame got up. "I have to grab it."
Ame used her teleporting powers rather than go all the way upstairs to grab it.
"Hanny, this thing is filthy. I have to wash it before I can let him have it."
"I hope you can do that before he wakes up then..."
"Probably forty-five minutes. He's probably worn out by his ordeal, so that should be enough time to return it."
"While you're at it, will you fix his phone?" Hannah nearly shouted. "I want to talk to my son."
"I plan to give him something better. I just haven't had the chance."
Hannah's unease dripped through the phone. "Well, do it soon."
Ame went and threw the blanket in the washing machine. "I also found a girl who agreed to help care for him."
"You did?" Hannah paused. "Can I talk to her?"
"Hang on. I have to get her."
Ame then teleported to the upstairs hallway. Since the remaining spare room was open, she went to the other door and knocked.
Cyan opened the door. She had changed into a pink sweatshirt and navy-blue sweats. "Hey. Did you need something?"
"My friend asked to talk to you."
Cyan tilted her head. "How come?"
Ame put her phone on speaker.
"Hi." Ame was sure Hannah was smiling. "I'm Hannah. Ame said you agreed to help care for my son."
Cy paused before saying, "Yeah."
"It's nice to meet you. Ame gave you some tips, right?"
"She told me a few of his favorite foods."
"I'll give you another one then. If you want him to calm down, sit and wait for him to look at you before trying to talk to him."
"Thanks."
A pause.
"Sorry, Ame. I have to go. I need to take care of a little bear cub."
Click!
"No, they don't have a pet bear."
Randel might have been similar to Ame, but she didn't think he was crazy enough to ask for one.
"Okay. Good." Sweat beaded her brow. "I was wondering."
Cyan's eyes drifted toward Ame's wrist. She had a shiny purple terminal. "No way! Is that the newest model?"
"Yeah. I got it recently. I have a spare one I could give you."
Her eyes were the size of saucers. "You can't be serious!"
"How old is what you have now?"
Cyan's cheeks reddened. She pulled a paper thing smartphone out of her pocket. "I bought this with some gift money when I moved into my dorm..."
"Here, have it. I insist." Ame put a cyan band on Cyan's wrist. "A fine working lady deserves to work with the best tools."
"I'll make it up to you somehow."
Ame turned her back. "I'll leave you to settle in now."