Author's Notes:

-Greetings readers! I'm lucky and skilled enough to get another chapter out to you in a reasonable timeframe, and it's on Halloween. Happy Halloween, everyone! Hope you enjoy the frights and festivities! And as much as I'd like to say this chapter will be scary in the "spirit of the season", it's... actually more wholesome than anything else. But I hope you enjoy it all the same.

So enjoy your tricks and treats, drink some apple cider or pumpkin spice latte, do a Samhian ritual, or whatever you do to celebrate the season.

Now, with that said, let's begin.

"And we're done," Dr. Smith told her.

The camera focused on the upper half of Blake breathing a sigh of relief. "Oh gosh…"

"You handled it pretty well though."

"Well, at least it's over," Kali told her.

A few small snips were heard. "The strings shouldn't bother you know." The doctor held a few small strands in her hand before discarding them. "Now all you need to do is check your strings once a month to feel that your IUD is still in place and come back in a month or so to ensure it settled in properly."

Blake looked at her mother with widened eyes. Would they, or even just Blake, even be able to return within four weeks to this doctor? Or would they already be on the road to face the monster she feared most? She wasn't sure, but she hoped she had more time- both for the followup appointment and to build a stronger and better Bookworm Army.

"Dr. Smith, you are needed in the NICU." a voice from a walkie-talkie announced.

She sighed. "I better go. If you have any questions, concerns or anything else to say, feel free to call the office or my work number."

"Thank you," Blake told her.

The doctor left the room, leaving the two catwomen alone.

Blake got up from the table and let her feet land on the ground.

"Are you alright?"

Blake sighed. "I think I'm okay. The IUD insertion wasn't as bad as I thought. But the insertion of the speculum to get it in there hurt more."

Still, I'm just glad that things aren't worse…

She went to where she had placed her clothes and drew back the curtain. Within a few moments, she was fully dressed again. She heard a vibration on her Scroll and was about to check it when suddenly, her stomach rolled in agony for a moment or two, much to her confusion.

But the pain left almost as quickly as it came. With a sigh, she tried to dismiss it.

The scene cut to the cat ladies, now exiting the facility. Blake held her stomach in discomfort.

"How are you feeling?" Kali asked.

"Cramping up, but I should be fine." Blake answered.

"Perhaps you'll feel better lying down. Or with a heating pad."

"Maybe," she softly agreed. "We still need to get back to the hotel." She looked at the streets, but there were no taxis in sight. "Where's a cab when you need one?!"

The older catwoman smiled. "Don't worry, I've already summoned a ride. He calls himself John. Can't tell if that's a fake name or not, but he says that we'll be here in about ten minutes in a black car with a big bumper sticker of a Nevermore on it."

Blake took a seat on the nearby bench, clutching one arm over her stomach. Kali took her hand, hoping it would be over soon.

A clock transition went by; Less than ten minutes later, a black car pulled up to the area. Sure enough, it had a Nevermore sticker outlined in white on the backside. As the ladies opened the backdoors of the car, they were greeted by a dark-haired, handsome, yet kind gentleman.

"Hello ladies. Your chariot driver John has arrived." The two got into the car. "Where are we heading today?"

"Wind's End Hotel." Kali instructed him.

"Gotcha. Would you like some music for the ride?" John offered.

"I don't mind one way or the other." Kali answered, buckling up. She turned to her daughter. "Blake?"

"No thanks."

He nodded in understanding as Blake put on her seat belt. "Very well. If you have any questions or concerns, just give me a shout."

Soon they put themselves in the backseat of the chair, shut the doors and the driver took off. Blake looked out the window, trying to ignore the building pain in her stomach.

What was she trying to ask me earlier? Blake wondered. Was it about me and Sun? The future?

She didn't need to say anything else. Or perhaps felt that she couldn't. Kali took her hand, but Blake didn't meet her eyes.

Does she want grandchildren? Does dad?

But Blake didn't dare ask those questions. Not in her current emotional state. Not with everything on the line. And certainly not with her uncertain future.

[Wind's End Hotel; 3:56pm]

Sun and Ghira were shown in their hotel room, overlooking a blueprint of Haven Academy.

"Alright, we've figured out all the entry points." Sun said with a smile. "Now we just need to figure out what direction the White Fang will attack from and lock down there."

"The bad thing is that there's no telling which direction the White Fang will approach from." Ghira began. "And if our inside agent can't find…"

A knock was heard on the door, stopping Ghira's sentence in its tracks. He quickly covered the blueprint with a crudely drawn picture of a duck.

"Just a moment!" The door swung open as Blake and Kali entered the room. He smiled in relief. "Oh, it's you. Thank goodness."

Ghira set the picture aside as Sun ran up to his girlfriend. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Not great. The insertion was a success, but I've been cramping since we exited the hospital's doors."

She collapsed onto the bed.

Sun blinked. "Oh dear… Is there anything I can do?"

"If you could get me some water that would be nice."

He went to fulfill her request.

She plugged in a small device, placing it over her stomach before putting a sheet and small blanket over most of her body. As she tried to alleviate her symptoms, she breathed in.

Ghira looked at Blake. "Did the doctor figure out your heritage?"

"As far as I can tell, no." Sun set a cold water bottle nearby on a nightstand. "Or if she did, then she didn't say anything." She groaned. "I thought IUD cramps weren't supposed to hurt this much!"

"That is a bit strange." Kali noted. "The doctor warned us that insertion could be painful, but didn't say much regarding afterwards."

"Is this an unforeseen side effect?" Ghira questioned. "Something Dr. Smith failed to warn Blake about?"

Sun blinked, a sudden realization dawning upon him. "Maybe… Or could it be… that her actual period has started as well?"

Blake widened her eyes and stopped sipping the water. She pushed the sheet, blanket and heating pad aside and ran to the restroom, quickly locking herself inside. The others looked on in silent concern. Kali's eyes narrowed nervously.

Behind closed doors, she looked at the toilet paper she had used, and sure enough, there was a big splotch of blood on it.

Oh, this is really bad timing!

She reached for a pad.

Then again, when was the last time you had a period?

She sighed, searching through her memories. The last time she remembered having one was a few days before she and Sun arrived at Wind Path. But she was sure that, in spite of everything that went wrong, in spite of what happened and nearly happened to her the night Sienna fell, that she had a period after that. But why couldn't she remember it? Was it that she was too busy wrapped up in plans to stop Adam Taurus and fighting her inner demons that she completely forgot it happened? Or was she so stressed that another period hadn't occurred for all those weeks she had been hiding here?

She wasn't sure which was more terrifying. How much had stress truly affected her?

A knock was heard. The camera showed Sun outside, asking, "Are you alright?"

Moments later, Blake opened the door. "Sadly, it seems Sun was right. Period cramps plus IUD cramps... Oh, this sucks…"

She crawled back under the covers, burying herself in the warmth of her sheet, blanket and heating pad, now fully warmed up.

The monkey faunus grimaced. "Oh… I was hoping I was wrong. Sometimes it sucks to be right."

"Still… it's better than the worst case alternative." Blake stated.

Nobody said a word, but they all understood. But what was there to even say?

"Just try to rest." Kali advised. "Hopefully the worst of it will dissipate within a few hours."

Blake leaned back, burying herself in warmth. Her head crashed against the pillow as Ghira began, "And… when you're comfortable with it, there's someone I'd like to introduce you to."

"Alright, I'll bite; who is it?"

"A new recruit." Sun answered. "And get this; she's a full on huntress and can unlock aura."

At this, Blake looked up, a hopeful fire in her eyes. "Oh, that's great news. I'd like to meet her."

"As would I." Kali seconded.

"Do you want to see her now?" Ghira asked for confirmation.

"I do." she affirmed. "She'll understand why I'm burying myself under blankets."

"Alright then. Let me summon her here."

Ghira was shown dialing a number on his Scroll.

Sometime later, Urdina Morris entered the room. "You rang, Mr. Belladonna?"

"Indeed I have. There's a few people I'd like you to meet." He gestured to Blake and Kali, the former now having a small stack of three books by her side. "My wife Kali, and my daughter, Blake, the other two leaders of this organization. Kali and Blake, this is Urdina Morris, huntress of what was once team LUNA."

"You're a huntress?" Kali asked in confirmation.

"Quite so." She showed a digital version of her license on her Scroll. "Licensed and operating for the past two years. Soon to be three."

Blake briefly smiled. "I'm glad that you've joined us. We're going to need all the help we can get." Her smile faded, both from cramping and at her revelation. "Some of our recruits have abandoned us without warning or cause."

At this, Urdina immediately expressed her sorrow. "Oh no…"

"I know." Blake leaned her head back into the pillows. "It's horrible."

"I understand. Broken loyalty… is a horrible thing to witness. But one's definition of loyalty can be heavily skewed. A misplaced priority." Urdina blinked, holding her necklace. The light purple oyster shell rested in the palm of her hand. "My sister Aoi accuses me of being a traitor because I am a huntress. And perhaps because I never joined the White Fang like she did. And sometimes I've thought the same about her. Our mother hates seeing us fight, but the truth is that our family is fractured. Mom peacefully left the White Fang, but Aoi fully joined them.

She let go of the necklace, letting her arm fall back. "But it matters little. Whether or not I can convince Aoi to leave them, I'll be by your side until the very end."

Blake smiled at this thought. "Thank you. Both for joining us, and for your honesty."

She held her necklace again. "You're welcome."

"That's a pretty necklace." Kali complimented.

"Why, thank you." She paused. "It was a gift from mom. Me and Aoi are fraternal twins, so she gave us these similar yet distinct necklaces as a reminder of our bond. She gave Aoi a nautilus shell, and me an oyster. By now, Aoi's probably gotten rid of hers… Just goes to show how damaged everything is."

Sun thought to himself, Something's not right. As happy as I am to see a huntress on our side, I can't help but think about the recruits that seem to be abandoning us. But how? Why is this happening? Are they dirty traitors? Or is there something even worse going on?

Meanwhile, Ren was shown in the kitchen, chopping up some radishes and preparing other ingredients for that night's dinner. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Oscar were shown all talking amongst themselves in the living room nearby, the members of the original team JNPR resting on the couch while Oscar had already pulled up a chair. Nora was shown holding the kitten she found earlier in her arms.

"So, you got a pet cat?" Oscar asked.

"I found him while I was walking around the city. No collar, no name… But he has one now! His name is Pancake."

Jaune smiled. "Pancake. How fitting."

Ren briefly stopped his prep work to explain, "Pancakes are her favorite food."

Nora set the kitten down to rest on her lap, holding up her hands in surrender, completely unashamed. "Guilty as charged."

Oscar smiled. "That makes two sweet tooths I know. Sweet teeth?"

They all chuckled, Nora laughing the loudest.

"Well, Pancake, welcome to your new home." Oscar greeted him.

He extended his arm, trying to reach the cat. Sensing his approach, Pancake hopped from his owner's lap to Oscar's. He meowed as Oscar gently petted him.

"Aw, I think he likes you!" Nora exclaimed.

Ruby opened the door, entering with a few bags of various supplies. "Hey Nora, I'm back! And I got all the pet supplies you requested."

"Ah, thank you! Now to give this cat a much needed bath."

Nora took her kitten off of Oscar's lap but Pancake resisted. He meowed several times, protesting what was to come.

A few moments later, Ruby set down the pet supplies into the room. Then she searched through one of the bags and pulled out the item Nora needed- a big bottle of pet shampoo to clean his fur.

Ruby smiled, handing the bottle to her friend. "Here you are."

Nora took the bottle, holding it in her left hand. "Thank you."

"You need any help bathing him?"

"I think I'm alright, but if you have any tips to give that would be appreciated."

"Just make sure the water's warm. You don't want it too cold or too hot, or it might hurt him. And, you probably don't need me to tell you this, but try not to get soap into his eyes."

"Got it. Thanks."

Ruby smiled as she left and Nora, kitten and cleaning supplies in hand, went down the hall to the nearest bathroom. Pancake still meowed a bit but he had stopped squirming. Closing the door behind her with her foot, she set Pancake down, turned on both the sink faucets and after about ten seconds, tested the water. Believing it was warm enough but not scorching hot, she picked up her cat, protesting again and placed him into the sink.

Nora soaked his fur and splashed some water on him.

"It's okay. You're okay." She petted him, hoping to calm him a while. "You're a good boy," she said.

As she petted him, she took a quick look over the instructions on the bottle. She took in the knowledge quickly and began her work, rubbing the shampoo all over him. He hissed briefly as she tried to scrub him down.

"There we go. Do you feel better?"

Pancake remained silent. Still, he was cleaned and patted dry with a towel, his hair poofing up like a cloud.

Clean kitten in hand, Nora returned to the living room just as a knock was heard.

"I'll get it," Ruby offered.

Jaune looked at the cat, nearly laughing. "Why does he look so grumpy?"

Nora set her kitten gently on the floor. Not long after she set her cat down, he scampered away.

Ruby opened the door to find her honorary uncle there.

"Uncle Qrow!" She quickly threw her arms around him. "You're here! You're back!"

"Oh!" He smiled. "Glad to see ya, kiddo." The hug ended as he smiled at her. "You really missed me, huh?"

"I'm surprised you didn't message us to say you were here," Pyrrha remarked.

Outside the door, Anastasia stood a few feet from Qrow, out of the line of sight from the training heroes, the flower basket in her hands and suitcase standing up beside her. Yang stood behind the huntress, even more obscured from view.

"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise."

"How was Zephyros?" Jaune asked.

"The journey took a while, and there were some… okay, many delays, but in the end, it was successful. To that end, I have a few surprises for you." He turned out the door, calling out to someone. "Anastasia, please come forth."

Baggage and flowers in hand, Anastasia Chrysanthe came forth, a calm, professional demeanor on her face.

"Is that… the huntress you mentioned?" Ren inquired.

"Indeed so." Qrow confirmed. "Team AVNRR and Oscar Pine, meet Anastasia Chrysanthe, the flower huntress of Zephyros."

The flower huntress bit her tongue, not wanting to come off as rude right off the bat.

Man… if this is the defense for Haven Academy, I can see why they need my help. These young ones will need it.

She set the basket of flowers down and looked at them, giving a slight smile. "I see Ruby of what was once team RWBY is here. The members of team JNPR, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and of course, Pyrrha Nikos. I'm glad to see you're in good health despite all of the attempts of the Trojan Alliance to take your life."

Jaune gave her an inquisitive stare. "Wait… aren't you one of the bodyguards for that Aquarian Mayor Garnet Scarlatti?"

A brief flashback of Jaune and Pyrrha (disguised as Rouge) was shown as they realized Garnet Scarlatti and her bodyguards were watching them.

"I was." she began carefully. "I missed my family dearly, so I… resigned."

Pyrrha gave her a wistful look. "I suppose you don't know how Scarlatti learned about me being Rouge Gorlois, do you?"

Anastasia, crestfallen, turned to Pyrrha. "One of the guards from the west gate realized the faults in your story as 'Rouge of team LUNR (Lunar).' Then she compared the signatures of 'Rouge Gorlois' and 'Pyrrha Nikos', realizing some of the letters looked exactly the same. From there, she sent out team SOLR, Tyrian, and many other fighters and civilians to apprehend you."

"Oh…" She looked down. "Then everything that happened in Aletheia…"

"Please, don't blame yourself for this." Anastasia quickly told her. "Even if you hadn't signed the autograph, she likely would have realized the truth all the same. And I wouldn't have been able to stop it either way…" She gave a soft sigh of restraint. "I knew Pyrrha was innocent, but couldn't say anything at the risk of execution. I'm thankful that I'm away from that entire mess, and hopefully Scarlatti will get the punishment she deserves… if she hasn't already."

Nora eagerly nodded, knocking on a wooden table near her. "Agreed."

"And... who might you be?" Anastasia asked tentatively, turning to the youngest one.

"My name is Oscar Pine. I'm just a farmhand with little combat experience." he began. "But I hope you feel comfortable working with us."

Anastasia nervously smiled.

"It wasn't easy to convince her to come with me." Qrow admitted. "She had a few conditions attached."

Oscar looked up in confusion. "Conditions?"

"There's five of them. Really four since the fifth one has already been met. To quickly summarize, Anastasia will be allowed to purchase scented soaps and other smell-good products. Second, she's not going to be training anyone."

Ruby looked a bit disappointed at that. "Aw…"

"If you ask her nicely, you might be able to practice combat with her, but don't press your luck too often. Third, she wants honesty, which is understandable. And finally, she will be allowed to write to her family members and, if they ever fix the CCT tower in Vale, she can contact them by phone as well."

Oscar asked Ozpin, Honesty? Does she know about magic? About… this?

It's hard to tell. Ozpin responded. I better not show myself until we can be certain.

"And what was the fifth condition?" Ren asked.

"She wanted time to prepare for the trip and to attend her sister's wedding."

Ren scrunched up, trying to resist scratching his head.

Conditions? Most, if not, all these requests are reasonable. Why would she specifically ask for them? the lotus warrior wondered. He briefly blinked in terror. Was she abused?

Before resuming a calm demeanor.

Anastasia gave a small smile. "I was able to see my family for a brief time before Mr. Branwen and his associate showed up." She sighed, her smile fading. "But it took me a while to get here because there was a mechanical issue with the train."

"What was wrong with it?" Jaune asked.

"We were running dangerously low on combustion dust about halfway through to power the train because the conductor had made the mistake of leaving the dust-to-energy conversion machine running while the train wasn't moving. And because we were in the middle of nowhere with the CCT down, we couldn't get more dust sent to us. So basically, we had to huddle everyone in the front of the train to abandon the back half, which was really uncomfortable, and go at a much slower speed to get to our destination safely.

"Oh, and I had to fight off Grimm."

A brief flashback was shown; Anastasia handing her flower basket and suitcase to a civilian, exiting the train to fight a duo of Nevermores, unleashing plant dust attacks to try and blind them.

Then it showed Anastasia, flowers and suitcase back in hand, glaring at the conductor along with several other people.

"That conductor is probably going to be fired." Anastasia finished.

"And while she went through all that, me and my associate stayed at the inn of Ye Olde Bar while waiting for her to arrive."

"Associate?" Ruby questioned under her breath.

"That's the other surprise." Qrow announced, turning back to the door. "You can come out now."

Qrow faced them once again and Ruby squinted as she heard footsteps from outside. A long haired silhouette seemed to obscure the entrance until a familiar face stepped into the light. Yang soon entered the room, much to their surprise.

The silver eyed girl looked at her older sister, almost tearing up. "Yang?"

"Ruby…"

The blonde brawler rushed to her little sister, immediately putting her arms around her.

"Yang… I've missed you." Ruby answered, letting tears fall.

And she returned the embrace, holding her sister closer than ever. "I love you so much, little cookie monster." She sniffed. "I've been so scared for you… So worried."

"Aw, you're such a softie, sis."

Yang almost cried. "You don't even know the half of it."

The two ended their embrace, happy to see each other.

"I have a feeling there's a lot that needs to be said," Oscar said, drawing their attention.

"So, anything happen while I was away?" Qrow asked.

"Well Nora's adopted a cat." Ruby answered. "He scampered off but he couldn't have gotten too far."

The three of them took in the information, but it was Qrow that remarked, "A cat, huh? That's a bit surprising."

"His name is Pancake and he's the cutest ever!" Nora told him.

"That would explain why I saw Ruby in the distance carrying a bunch of pet supplies," Yang remarked.

"I'll settle in while you two catch up." Anastasia announced. "Also, I'd like to get a water vase for these flowers before they dry out."

Anastasia grabbed her bags and went to look for the nearest available empty dorm room.

Yang looked at Ruby, remorse and forlorn. "Qrow told me what you had been through a lot… I tried so hard to protect you from him… and I couldn't. I'm so sorry…"

"What do you…?" Ruby began, before connecting the dots together. "Tyrian?" At this, Yang sobbed. "Yang… please…" Ruby held her hand out, placing it on her sister's left shoulder. "Don't blame yourself. We're okay."

"Nobody's dead. Nobody else has gotten a serious long-term injury."

Nora folded her arms over her stomach, thinking about what happened to her not too long ago. But she wasn't sure she wanted to admit that to Yang yet. Or even Anastasia. Unless Qrow had already told one or both of them.

Luckily, Ruby's question spun the conversation into a new direction. "Does Anastasia know about… magic or anything like that?"

"She doesn't." Qrow answered.

A nervous pause vibrated throughout the room. "Should we tell her?" Jaune asked.

"We probably should, but how would we explain it to her?" Ren wondered.

It was a tricky matter. Would she leave them for it? And what would happen if they told her? What would happen if they didn't?

"We'll worry about that some other time." Qrow told them. "In the meantime, take some time to relax."

Soon thereafter, an oven timer was heard going off in a series of beeps.

"Well, that timer's telling me that my cookies are ready." Ruby went into the kitchen to shut off the timer. "Come on, I've made plenty for everyone."

And as they went to the kitchen, they all had warm, fuzzy feelings inside. With a pair of pink oven mitts, Ruby set the hot tray onto a couple of floral potholders.

"These smell delicious," Yang remarked. "You've always had a knack for making desserts."

"Sometimes if you want something good, you have to make it yourself." She chuckled. "Were I not training to be a huntress, I'd probably be a pastry or dessert chef."

Yang cracked a joke at her expense. "There's one problem with that life goal; You'd eat your entire stock!"

Ruby burst with laughter, the spatula in her hand against her arm. "I laugh, but that could really be a problem." She began prying cookies to unstick them from the tray before turning to Nora. "Could you get out some small plates and some glasses? And the milk?"

"Sure," she answered.

Nora stepped up to the cabinet and got out some dishes at Ruby's request.

It's a good thing I got an extra gallon of milk while I was out. Ruby thought.

Soon enough the cookies weren't stuck to the tray and thankfully none of them had broken apart.

"You go first," Ruby told Yang.

Yang took the spatula and took two cookies.

"Isn't it kinda unorthodox to have dessert before dinner?" Ren asked.

"Hey, we've all been through a lot in the last few weeks," Ruby stated as Nora took her fill. "Plus we're celebrating not only Qrow's return, but his success in finding both a huntress and Yang. I'd say that's worth breaking the rules."

"Well, it's more like Yang found me, but you're not wrong, on any account." Qrow remarked with a slight grin.

A line had formed, with Pyrrha going next, then Oscar, then Qrow and finally Ruby herself. Soon everyone there had their milk and cookies. Even Ren, who took only one and actually opted for green tea to drink, and Qrow had some black tea.

Ruby was shown at one end of a dining table with chairs, Qrow at her immediate left, followed by Oscar and Ren. On the other side of the table was Yang to Ruby's right, followed by Jaune and Pyrrha. At the other end of the table was Nora, along with an empty chair between her and Ren.

"So you fought off a whole bunch of bandits? That's so cool!" Ruby remarked.

"Hardly broke a sweat." Yang nearly smirked.

Anastasia blinked and smiled upon entering the room. "Do I smell cookies?"

"Indeed you do! Help yourself," Ruby told her. "There's also some milk if you want."

"Don't mind if I do," Anastasia said, getting a plate and glass for herself.

"I wasn't sure if you were going to join us," Pyrrha began nervously.

Her smile grew brighter. "I just wanted to set my stuff down. If we are going to be working together, I believe I should get to know the people I'll be working with."

Soon she joined them at the table, taking a seat next to Ren.

Not long after, the flower huntress bit into a cookie. "Mhm… These are really good!"

"Why thank you." Ruby smiled. "So where'd the bouquet of roses come from?"

"Flowers from my sister's wedding." Anastasia answered. "I actually plan on making flower art to preserve them. I'm gonna need some books for the drying process. Do you know if the school's library is open?"

"It should be in theory." Ren remarked. "I got a fiction book from them just the other day. With the staff gone, we could theoretically borrow all the books we want."

"Haven't read a book in years," Anastasia admitted.

Nora asked Ren, "A book? Anything I'd recognize?"

"Probably not. Ever heard of a book called Spin the Dawn?"

"Can't say that I have," Nora remarked. "The title sounds interesting though!"

She bit off part of a cookie, looking at Ren lovingly as he began to describe the book. "It follows the story of a poor starving seamstress trying to become the kingdom's Imperial Tailor. But there's a lot of competition. And she also has to disguise herself as a man due to the kingdom's strict laws. Oh, and did I mention that there's also magic and secrets involved?"

"Hmm… That actually sounds pretty promising," Nora admitted. "I don't read very often, but maybe I could read that book after you're done with it."

Ren chuckled. "Would Pancake even let you though?"

Soon Pancake entered the dining room, his fur noticeably not as puffed up as it was earlier. He gave a small series of meows.

"Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear," Qrow joked.

Anastasia set one of her cookies down, taking her first look at the kitten. "Aw… he's so cute."

Soon Pancake jumped onto her lap, much to the huntress's surprise.

"Oh hello there." The kitten nestled up against her. "Does he like being petted?"

Nora curled up her lips in a small smirk. "He certainly does!"

Anastasia pet Pancake gently, and soon he began to pur. As they continued to chat over cookies, everyone felt at home.