I continued to bash my head against the table as Moonwatcher shook the rain from her shoulders.

"Nice to see you all again. Hope you've been doing well."

I snarled.

"Better without you."

She frowned.

"For your information, during my hiatus, I attained a higher state of being, and my outlook on life has subsequently changed as well."

"But you're still you, Moonwatcher," I pointed out bitterly.

"That's Lady Moonwatcher Dionsbane to you! Anyway, I know we parted on somewhat bad terms, what with me leaving you for dead and all, but that's ancient history."

"Uh-huh. So you changed your name to Lady Moonwatcher . . . uh . . ."

"Dionsbane. Subtitle: Defender of the Jurassic Realms . . . But it's just Lady Moonwatcher Dionsbane, for short."

"How is that short?" Zia snapped.

Moonwatcher crossed her arms.

"Quiet, you!"

She pranced across the room, stopping in front of me. I glared at her as she poked my snout.

"How have you been, my shining star?"

I puffed air through my nostrils.

"I dumped Owen."

Moonwatcher's jaw dropped.

"JESUS CHRIST ON A BICYCLE! I'VE GOTTA FIX THIS!"

I flinched as she whipped around and zipped out the doors, which swung loosely behind her. After a brief moment of silence, Zia stood up.

"Well, we're fucked," she grumbled.

I hated to be pessimistic, but I agreed with her on that front. Franklin didn't seem too hopeful either.

"This blows. On the bright side, at least I have an excuse to skip my date."

If my head could have exploded from utter confusion, this would be the breaking point. Talking dinosaurs, I could handle. Dragons and bats, I could handle. But Franklin having a date was about as likely as a flying pig squeezing water from a stone under a blue moon on the twelfth of Never.

Zia noticed my face and laughed.

"While you were away, Gunnar and I arranged a date for Franklin. We decided it was time for him to put himself out there, and hijinks ensued."

"The real hijinks shall occur once his date starts, because part of the deal was that we'd help him out by feeding him information through an earpiece," Gunnar explained.

I sighed deeply.

"This never works in sitcoms, so what makes you think that it'll turn out fine in real life?"

Gunnar beamed.

"Because we have spunk and moxie."

I stared at him.

"Do you guys need me to stop this from turning into a terrible disaster?"

After a beat, they all piped up at once.

"Yeah."

"Maybe."

"Definitely."

I sighed.

"Fine. Tell me your plan, step by step."

***TSJWFKFEW***

"Ooh, ooh! How about if you buy a single flower and place it on her pillow? Do you two have a special flower that represents your love?"

"No," Owen grumbled as he shoved a pile of laundry into his closet.

"Well, then, how about running after her in the rain, and while you're dripping with water, you make this big, romantic speech, and-"

"Moonwatcher, enough!" he barked, "Claire and I are finished, over, done! We're NOT getting back together!"

She narrowed her eyes.

"You say that like it hasn't happened three times already."

Owen grunted.

"Believe what you will. In any case, it's none of your business."

"Actually, a significant portion of my 'business' relies on your ship."

He clenched his fists.

"Moonwatcher, I swear-"

"Do you still love her?"

"Moonwatcher!"

"Do. You. Still. Love. Her."

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"Yes. Always. But that doesn't matter. We're incompatible. We've become different people."

"You were always different people."

"But we were both human."

Moonwatcher rubbed her chin.

"It's so bizarre . . . the other Owen had very little trouble getting used to a saurian relationship. It was mostly Claire's self-loathing that got in the way. According to my calculations, the toxicity in this relationship is caused by your comparatively fragile ego, which has had the result of specifying the source of Claire's internalized hatred, rather than it being a product of nebulous societal pressures."

"Huh?"

"You're a dick to Claire. She's more afraid of you than society at large."

Owen sat down on the bed.

"I didn't mean to hurt her."

"You called her a monster."

"Only because I was afraid of what people would think if they knew that I was in love with a dinosaur."

She twisted her mouth.

"You understand how that's just as bad, right? I mean, if you truly cared about Claire's well-being, you'd have stood by her instead of confirming her worst fears. It should have been you and her against the world, but instead, it was you and the world against her."

Owen glowered.

"I wasn't trying to-"

"But you did: that's the problem. If you wanted Claire to be happy, you should have been supportive of her, not ashamed."

"I'm not ashamed of Claire!" Owen protested, "It's just the dinosaur-bits that I don't like. And don't you tell me that those are part of the deal, because she wasn't always this way."

"But now you only see her as a dinosaur."

"What? No! Of course not! She's still fierce and confident and-"

"And you destroy those aspects of her every time you cut her down. You may do it to calm your own inhibitions, but in the end, both of you end up hurting. Especially Claire."

Slowly, Owen turned his head.

"Yeah. That's why we can't be together. She's growing and changing, and I'm just . . . stuck."

Moonwatcher rubbed her chin.

"Maybe you just need a push in the right direction. What was the point of divergence between you and the other Owen? What experience taught him humility, dependence, respect . . . OH, I KNOW!"

She darted out of the room and returned with a stick in her hand. Owen crossed his arms.

"What the hell is th-"

He jolted as Moonwatcher flicked the baton, sending a flurry of sparks his way. Suddenly, he dropped to the ground. He hadn't fainted; his feet were still firmly planted, but his head was only a few inches above the floor. He pushed himself up using his arms and rubbed his nose irritably.

"Moonwatcher, I think I've had enough of your practical jokes."

"Oh, it wasn't a practical joke, Owen. It was magic."

He licked his paw and ran it over his face.

"There's no such thing as magic."

"You live on an island populated by dinosaurs."

"That's science!" he squeaked, whiskers twitching, "But I don't believe in mystic nonsense."

"Then you might wanna take a look at your reflection."

He rolled his eyes as Moonwatcher pulled a mirror out of her pocket and set it on the floor in front of him.

"What? Do I have something in my- AAAAAAAAAH!"

He shrieked when he saw the reflection of a rat.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Moonwatcher shrugged.

"I turned you into a small rodent. I was aiming for a Jerboa, but this is more fitting, I think."

He patted down his fuzzy face in panic.

"No, no, no, no, no! I can't be a rat! How am I supposed to-"

"Relax. It's only temporary," she assured him, "The spell will wear off at midnight. Until then, I suggest you use this transformation as a learning experience. Why don't you go find Claire? Show her what happened."

He huffed.

"Damn right, I will! I'm going to tell her what you did to me, and she'll-"

"Tear me to shreds? She's not an attack dog, Owen."

He tapped his tiny foot.

"Listen, lady. I know that you can change me back. If that stick of yours can make me a rat, it can make me a human, and I'll bet it can change Claire as well."

Moonwatcher crossed her arms.

"Okay, then. Let's make a deal. If you can convince Claire to help you, I'll turn you both into humans . . . Assuming that's what Claire wants, of course."

Owen's ears drooped.

"Oh . . . I suppose she might not be interested in changing back . . . But if we could make her human without asking first, she'd forget all about the dinosaur stuff, I'm sure."

"It sounds like you're trying to make decisions for her . . . again."

He frowned.

"I'm just doing what's best for her."

"Right, because that worked so well in the past . . ."

He marched towards the door.

"I'll get her to change her mind. You'll see."

He stopped in his tracks, staring up at the doorknob, which was several feet above his reach.

"Um . . ."

Moonwatcher shrugged.

"You'll have to do this on your own."

He shot her a foul look, then wiggled under the door. He stormed down the hall, tail dragging behind him as he fumed.

"I'll show her . . . I'll show everyone."

He yelped in fear as he was lifted by the tail. Maisie smiled at him, holding his wriggling body in front of her face.

"Hello, there. I've never seen a rat walk on two legs before . . ."

Owen thrashed around, clawing at the air in desperation.

"Maisie, put me down! I'm not a rat!"

She cocked her head.

"Gee, you sure do squeak a lot. Are you hungry?"

He bared his teeth.

"Maisie! I swear to god . . ."

She cradled him in her arms.

"Let's get you some food."

He lost his balance when she skipped down the hallway. As his ears bobbed up and down, he tried to get her attention.

"Maisie! Listen to me. I. Am. Not. A. Rat."

She stopped skipping and frowned at him.

"You sound sick. Are you dying?"

"No, Maisie, I'm not dying, and-"

"There, there. I'm going to find a nice, warm blanket for you to sleep in."

As she wagged her finger in front of his nose, Owen's lips tightened. Maisie made kissing sounds at him.

"You're so cute! Yes, you- OW!"

She yanked her finger back as he nipped her skin. Shaking away the sting, she glared at him and held him by the tail once more.

"Fine. I'll just feed you to my mom."

Owen's beady eyes bulged with terror.

"MAISIE, NO!"

She ignored his warning, instead making her way towards the restaurant where Claire was date-coaching her friend.

***TSJWFKFEW***

Franklin took a deep breath.

"I can do this. I can be suave. I can charm her."

"Can you count by twos and tie your shoes?" Zia asked flatly.

I glanced into the restaurant, where Franklin's date, a young girl named Lulu, was waiting.

"Alright, Franklin. We're here for you. Just follow our instructions, and you'll be fine."

I scanned him quickly. He was pale and sweaty, not unlike someone who had just eaten a plate of expired clams. Instead of expelling a diarrhoea fountain from his ass, however, I expected him to spew word-vomit. That being said, it was my job to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening, and me being me, I had everything under control. Man, it felt good to be in charge again.

I rested my paws on Franklin's shoulders.

"Are you ready?"

He made a squeaking sound.

"Good," I replied, "Just remember, try not to smile with your teeth showing. I don't think you've mastered the predator look yet."

We had practiced earlier, but Franklin's grin was somewhere between awkward and threatening. I briefly wondered if I was any better, having not checked myself in the mirror, but decided to focus on the task at hand. I nodded confidently.

"Hop to it, Franklin, and remember, if something goes wrong, you can always try again with someone else."

Zia punched him in the arm, and he almost fell to his knees.

"Go get her, tiger!"

He nodded dizzily. Gunnar patted his head.

"You'll be okay, Franklin. I used to be afraid of things too, but there comes a time when you look deep inside yourself, and- You know, maybe we should wipe you down, first."

I dabbed Franklin's face with a napkin. He looked ready to pass out.

"I can't do this."

"Of course you can," I assured him, "You travelled to a dinosaur-infested island, remember?"

"Girls are scarier than dinosaurs."

Zia rolled her eyes.

"Just get in there, you wiener!"

He took a deep breath.

"Okay, okay . . . here I go . . ."

On his first step, he spun around.

"No, no, no, no, n-"

He yelped as Zia pushed him inside. I adjusted my headset as I heard his clumsy hoofbeats approaching the table.

'Lulu . . . hi!'

"Compliment her," I instructed.

'You're looking very . . . uh . . .'

"Radiant. Say 'Radiant'."

'. . . absorbant.'

I slapped my forehead.

"How is that even close? Okay, walk it off. Walk it off, buddy."

Lulu said something in reply, but it was too muffled to make out. I gulped.

"Um, tell her that what she said was neat."

'You sure?' he whispered.

"Yes. Just do it!"

'Wow, that's neat!'

A pause. More muffled speaking.

'No, I didn't mean that your grandmother dying was neat, just- Oh, okay. Yeah.'

Zia rolled her eyes and grabbed the headset.

"Amateurs. Just repeat what I say, Franklin. 'Wow, you're even prettier than I expected'."

'Wow, you're even prettier than I expected.'

"Your profile picture doesn't do you justice."

'Your profile picture doesn't do you justice.'

I snorted.

"Zia, is that really the best you can do?"

She smirked.

"I'll have you know that I'm Isla Nublar's most popular lesbian."

Three guesses what happened next.

In response to Franklin's assertion, Lulu's voice adopted a concerned tone. On our end, we fumbled with the headset, finally passing it to Gunnar. He gulped uncertainly.

"Uh, uh . . . ask her what she wants off the menu."

'What do you want off the menu? . . . Oh, the crab cakes. That's a good choice . . . No, I've never tried them before.'

"Make small talk about the food."

'Do you eat often?'

Gunnar snuffed.

"I think you meant to say 'eat here often'. Try to salvage it."

'I'm only asking because it looks like you eat a lot.'

Gunnar's lips tightened.

"Franklin, what are you doing? . . ."

'What I meant to say was that you must have a lot of experience with dining.'

Gunnar pulled on his eyelids.

"I give up."

We all yelped as Moonwatcher dug her way up from the ground like a rabbit. She tossed her shovel aside and rested her chin on her palm.

"Salutations. Has anyone seen Eli?"

I batted my eyes.

"No, actually. It's weird, but he hasn't been-"

"Not to worry. I'll find him."

Before she could go back down, I caught her by the shoulder.

"Hang on. What do you need him for?"

"Um . . . I'm looking for his medication. He won't be needing it anymore, so I'll be donating it to someone else. Probably a human, since dinosaurs can't get AIDS. I mean, unless Eli somehow passes it on, but I doubt that that will be a problem, since he's cured. I do have a bunch of infected gasoline samples, though. Should probably get rid of those. But first, I must find Eli's pills!"

"Ha! I get it!" Zia honked.

"Yes, and be careful, because Eli kills."

"Do you pay Eli's bills?" Gunnar chuckled.

"I-"

Pushing her back into the hole, I cleared my throat.

"That's enough. Be on your way, Lady Moonwatcher Dionsbane."

"Hey, you got it right!"

"Yup."

"I guess you must not hate me as much as I thought. Not as much as I hate myself, anyway . . . Well, bye, then!"

"Bye."

When she dragged the dirt back into the hole, I sighed.

"Poor Eli."

Zia shrugged.

"At least she's not our problem anymore."

"Yeah, but-"

I sniffed the air, suddenly alert.

"Huh. Maisie's coming."

Right on cue, she stepped out of the jungle, scanning the ground intently.

"Hi, Maisie!" I cooed, "You looking for something?"

"Yes. I got you a present, but I lost it."

"That's okay, Maisie. It's the thought that counts. Where's Owen?"

"No idea."

I crossed my arms.

"Maisie, you know you're not supposed to go out alone."

"I'm safe. It's just dinosaurs, out here."

I nuzzled the top of her head.

"What if you got lost or hurt? No one would know where you were."

She smiled and gave me a hug.

"Okay, Mummy. I won't go out alone anymore."

I licked her cheek.

"Good girl. If you need someone to walk with you, just call a person you trust, like me or my friends. Speaking of which, I guess we'd better see how Franklin's doing . . ."

I opened the door and caught sight of a very upset Lulu, who was probably minutes away from climbing out the bathroom window. Her eyes darted back and forth, searching for an escape route. I took a step towards the table.

Suddenly, Lulu leapt to her feet and shrieked in terror. When Franklin looked down, he shrieked too, only louder and shriller. Something was scampering under the table. Not everyone panicked right away, but a few people nearby were alarmed by the screams. Finally, Franklin managed to squeeze out a single word.

"RAT!"

The chef dashed into the dining area.

"It must have escaped from the kitchen! Grab it!"

I lowered myself to the ground, quills standing upright.

"I can handle this."

***TSJWFKFEW***

Owen turned around just in time to see Claire crouching behind him. She had that look in her eye. He stepped away from her cautiously, but she sprung forward without warning, and before he could so much as squeak, he was inside her maw. Terror clawed at his tiny heart, and he shrunk into a furry ball. Disgusting as this dark, moist world was, he was more afraid of the fact that Claire hadn't recognized him, that she was going to eat her ex boyfriend without a second thought. Even though they had split up, a part of him still believed that they were meant to be together, so realizing that all this "destiny" stuff was a lie hit him hard. And now he was about to be eaten.

Even though Claire could neither hear nor understand him, he wiggled his nose and whispered, "I'm sorry, Claire. I love you." Tears poured down his cheeks when he realized that he was going to die in the shape of a rat. Nobody would know what had happened to him, and that was probably for the best. He had already fucked up Claire's life so badly that this might damn near destroy her. Or not. It wasn't like he meant anything to her anymore.

Gradually, Owen began to wonder what was taking her so long. He had been sitting on Claire's tongue for longer than he should have been allowed to, given her violent impulses.

Oh, god, was she tasting him?

But then, she opened her mouth, and he felt the scruff of his neck being pinched by two massive claws. They were just outside the restaurant. Claire set him down on a stone fence.

"There you go. You're free now."

Owen looked up at her, whiskers twitching.

"You didn't eat me . . ."

She laughed.

"What're you doing, staring at me like that? Gosh, natural selection must be taking a day off."

Owen's lip quivered.

"I really need to stop doubting you . . ."

She frowned and waved her paw at him.

"Go on. Shoo!"

He crawled towards her extended finger.

"Claire, I've made a terrible mistake. All this time, I thought you had to need me for us to be in love, but you loved me even when I was useless to you, and I took that for granted."

She rolled her eyes and turned away.

"Fine. I hope a hawk grabs you."

Owen shrieked with fear.

"Wait! Don't go! Claire, I need you to understand!"

He charged after her, but her stride was far wider than his, and he had difficulty keeping up.

"Claire, I love you! I've always loved you! I was wrong! If loving you means loving you as a dinosaur, I'll do that! I was afraid that people would look down on me, but as long as I have you, I don't care what anyone else thinks! And I'm not ashamed, Claire, I'm not! You're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, and being a dinosaur doesn't change that! I'd be proud to call you my-"

He grunted as she kicked him away. He made a desperate dash for her leg.

"Claire! Please, listen to me! I know I've done wrong by you, but-"

He choked as she yanked him off her heel forcefully.

"Get away from me, you lousy vermin!"

"Claire, no!"

She threw him into the trees. When he hit the ground, he saw a flash of red. Through doubled vision, he could see her turning to leave.

"No . . . Don't go . . ."

He wobbled to his feet, then staggered forward on aching limbs. He was losing her. He hobbled through the grass desperately.

"CLAIRE! I LOVE YOU! . . . CLAIRE!"

He yelped as a hand lifted him off the ground. Moonwatcher set him down on her palm.

"How's your day going?"

"I need to catch up with Claire before it's too late!"

She clicked her tongue.

"I see. How are you going to communicate with her when you're a rat?"

"I . . . I don't know. I'll find a way."

"Maybe you should write her a note."

"Yes! That's perfect! Can you write down what I say?"

She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket.

"Sure thing."

Owen cleared his throat.

"Dear Claire, I'm really, really, really sorry . . . um . . . I love you . . . Let's talk later . . . Signed, Owen."

Moonwatcher frowned.

"I think you can do better than that."

Owen took a deep breath.

"Claire, you're the person who matters the most to me. Always have been. I know I screwed up, and I really don't deserve another chance, but if you'll take me back, I promise to be everything I should have been from the start. You're not a monster. You're kind, beautiful, and perfect in every way. I love you. Signed, Owen."

Moonwatcher finished writing the letter and handed the paper to Owen.

"Here you go."

When she set him on the ground, he glared at her.

"Can't you give me a ride?"

"Naw, I don't want to interfere. Good luck, though."

He sighed, taking the paper in his mouth, and bounded through the damp grass. Moonwatcher looked down at her watch.

"Perfect."

***TSJWFKFEW***

On the way back to the hotel, I crossed paths with Eli. Actually, he seemed to be in the process of seeking me out. I smiled when I saw the bouquet of tropical flowers that rested on one of his arms.

"Hi, there!" I twittered.

He swallowed, throat wobbling.

"Hey. I got you some flowers."

"What for?"

"For your performance in the paddock, the other day. I realized that I never properly congratulated you, and I thought . . . Gosh, it seems silly now, but-"

I took the bouquet and inhaled its scent.

"This was really nice of you, Eli."

"Oh, it's the least I could do. After all, you're the one who- AH!"

He stumbled backwards as that same rat zipped between his wheels. I shook my leg when it latched onto me.

"Not you again!"

The rat tried to drop a piece of paper in my paw.

"I don't want your garbage!" I snapped, "Shoo!"

It stuck the paper between my toes. I picked it up and marched to an alleyway near the grocery store, preparing to toss it into a recycling bin. The rat scurried up my back and grabbed the paper as it fell. I caught it between two fingers and crumpled it up, tossing it far away.

"Fetch."

The rat did not leave. When it continued to squeak insistently, I grabbed it by the tail and shoved it into an empty box. I could hear desperate scuttering coming from inside. I placed both hands on the lid to keep it from escaping. Lumbering back to Eli with the box in hand, I sighed deeply.

"I'm sorry about that. I have a pest problem."

He laughed.

"I guess Maisie's getting a fancy rat."

"Yeah."

He quirked a brow.

"Were you planning to have a snack, later?"

I laughed.

"Okay, you caught me. But in all fairness, rats are high in protein."

"Hey, I won't judge."

We beamed at each other. I scuffed my claws shyly.

"I guess I'd better be going now. Thanks for the flowers, Eli."

He chuckled warmly.

"No problem. I just hope it wasn't too weird. Seems more like a dance recital thing, instead of . . . whatever you were doing."

I shook the rat until it shut up, then bit my beak, smiling.

"You know, people only seem to bring each other flowers when they're in a relationship . . . or looking for one."

After a pause, Eli scratched his neck.

"About that . . ."

. . .

I said yes, of course.

***TSJWFKFEW***

The rat, who had gone quiet after my conversation with Eli, was sitting in the corner of the box when I opened it. I thought it might have peed, because the cardboard surrounding its body was dark and wet, but its eyes seemed to be watering. I lifted it up by the waist.

"Do you have an eye infection, little guy?"

The rat did not answer, instead choosing to remain absolutely still as it stared at me. I cocked my head.

"I was considering giving you to Maisie like Eli said, but I guess I could still eat you, as long as Owen doesn't see me."

I guess rats must not be smart animals, because it didn't struggle as I held it in front of my open beak. After a pause, I lifted it away.

"No, you know what? I'm in a good mood, and I don't need to comfort eat. This is your lucky day, little guy!"

I set the rat down on the ground, and it didn't move a muscle. I leaned down to get a better look.

"Gosh, you really are sick."

Slowly, it turned to face me. It reached out and placed a paw on my beak.

"Not too wise, either."

It leaned forward and pressed its snout against mine. I might have been imagining things, but I thought I could feel fuzzy lips. It pulled away slowly, ears drooping. I watched it wander into the night.

"I hope you don't get snatched up by some predator. You're safe with me, at least. I won't hurt you."

Its pink tail slipped into the grass, and I never saw that rat again.

***TSJWFKFEW***

As the poor rat slunk down an abandoned path, he passed Franklin, who had given up on chasing after his date. She was obviously not interested in a relationship, or she'd have tried to contact him by now. Since his eyes were turned low, he noticed Owen right away, and promptly kicked him to the side.

"This is all YOUR fault!"

He skittered away.

"Yeah, you'd better run!"

Franklin heard a loud sobbing sound coming from a dark alley, and mustering all of his courage, went to investigate. He saw a large Sinoceratops holding a note in her front feet.

"Perry?"

"HE STILL LOVES HER!" she blubbered, "OWEN WANTS CLAIRE, NOT ME! I'M SO ALONE!"

Franklin's lip quivered.

"Me too. I called my date fat, and she got mad at me."

Perry wiped her nose.

"Well, that's silly. Being well-fed is one of the most attractive features in a mate."

"I guess you're pretty popular, then, huh?"

She sniffled.

"That's sweet of you to say, but I'm afraid that I'm not as attractive as you think I am. Nobody wants me. I don't know what it is, but people just don't seem to like me."

"I know the feeling."

"Maybe it's because we're both Sinoceratopses."

Franklin looked down at his feathers.

"Uh . . ."

"Partly, anyway. You're close enough for me."

After a pause, Franklin started crying. Perry wrapped her arms around him. He sniffled.

"I try so hard to be brave, but it's impossible! My friends keep helping me out because they can't see that I'm a lost cause. I disappoint them over and over, but they're always there for me, and I can't do the same for them, because I'm not brave enough to be a decent friend."

"Courage isn't the most important part of friendship."

"That's easy for you to say! You're a big, fat dinosaur!"

"Thank you."

"You have literally nothing to be afraid of. I'm small and meek and terrified of everything."

"You're not afraid of me . . ."

"YES, I AM!"

He wept into her arm. She sniffled, then started weeping too.

"I gu-guess some people are j-just meant to be alone."

Franklin nodded, wailing in agony.

"I HAVE AN UGLY HORSE-BUTT!"

They both shrieked as Moonwatcher burst from a garbage can.

"That you do, Franklin, but not to worry! Unless you're the monkey from Indiana Jones, there's no reason to be upset about bad dates."

He frowned.

"Easy for you to say! You can't even have sex!"

"Yes, but it's not as hard as it seems," she asserted, eye twitching, "So listen, if you need a good cry, don't be afraid to let it out."

"I wasn't, until I had reason to expect people lurking in garbage cans, randomly."

"What can I say? It's where I belong," she quipped, "And on that note, I timed this evening perfectly. Went off without a hitch."

"Good for you," Franklin replied flatly.

Moonwatcher mussed his hair.

"There, there. Something good is coming for you, I promise. And Claire's not doing so bad either."

***TSJWFKFEW***

Indeed, Claire was giddy with glee, rolling around on her bed like a lovestruck teenager. She had promised herself that she wouldn't call Eli until the next day, but she couldn't help it. She dialled his room number, twirling the phone cord around her claw, and wagged her tail with excitement when he picked up.

'Hello?'

"Hi, Eli."

'Claire, what are you doing up? It's almost midnight!'

She giggled.

"I just wanted to talk to you. If it's too late, we can-"

'No, no. It's not too late. I will always make time for you, Claire.'

She grinned.

"This is so exciting!"

'I know! I was afraid you'd say no, but-'

"Eli, I've been ready for this for a long, long time."

'I kind of figured, but I wanted to be sure. I'm so glad we're finally doing this. It just feels right, you know?'

"Exactly! You're so great, Eli."

'Aw, thanks. You're even better.'

"So I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

'Yep. Six o'clock.'

"Six o'clock."

'I can hardly wait.'

"Me neither."

Claire kicked her feet in the air idly.

"Eli?"

'Yeah?'

"I was wondering if we could swap rooms."

'Ah, right. My room's closer to Maisie's. Do you wanna switch right now?'

"I mean, I'd love to see you again, but I don't want to rush things . . ."

'Ah, well in that case, I'll skip my follow-up question.'

She bit her beak with excitement.

"Were you going to ask me to move in with you?"

'Only if it seemed like you wanted to.'

"I'm there. Just give me a few minutes."

She hung up, gathered what few belongings she had, and sprinted down the hall. She danced back and forth on her feet as the elevator began its climb. When the doors hissed open, she made a sharp turn, but nearly bumped into Owen, who was coming from the other elevator. He wasn't looking well. Claire gulped.

"Owen, hi . . ."

He said nothing. Claire's quills bristled.

"Is something wrong?"

After a long silence, he shook his head and began walking to his room. Claire considered following him, but decided against it. Instead, she sped down the hall towards Eli's room, and flung her arms around his neck as he emerged. She hung from his body, purring with delight, and he revved his engine in reply.

Down the hall, Maisie pressed her ear against the wall and fell back with concern, hugging her knees.

She had never heard Owen sob like that before.