Spotting Salka leaving her room, I call out to her before she can reach the dining area. “Sal! Don’t leave right away, please?”

  She turns her head to me, looking a bit worried… before nodding, and backing into the hall again, waiting.

  Running into the kitchen quickly, I grab the food we prepared last night. Just a packed lunch for the stubborn girl we’ve got living with us.

  Wrapping it up in a bag, I run out and hand it to her, which she looks at it, and me, confused. “...what… why?”

  “So you don’t get hungry out there, duh. I know how tiring doing physical labor is, I mean I do the heavy lifting in the cafe here. So you need some good food.”

  The surprised look on her face makes me smile, glad she’s showing more emotions now. Well, she’s been hiding them all this time, but her shell is better than Lulu’s honestly.

  And… that worries me.

  Shaking her head a little, she tries to hand it back. “I’m fine, I can get myself some food.”

  “Nope, it’s yours. I don’t want you getting hurt out there.”

  Sighing, she goes to walk away… pausing ahead of me for a moment, before she quickly leaves with the food.

  ‘Good, time to get back to work.’

  ***

  Slipping into Sal’s room to grab her laundry, I spot something odd. A journal… I think this was Mira’s….

  The sudden grief and somberness hits me… but not enough to stop me in my tracks for long.

  ‘Well, I don’t think she ever used it to begin with… so if it helps Sal, it’s fine.’

  After placing it on the desk, I walk out the room with the basket of all our laundry, going into the kitchen to wash it by hand. It might not be perfect, given I usually use the bathtub, but I’m waiting for Sal to get home. She went to bed without eating last night, according to Lulu.

  Plus… I do want to talk about what she did earlier.

  Sighing to myself, I continue scrubbing clothes. “Why is it hard to be nice to people?”

  “I know, right?”

  Letting out a shriek, I snap to my right and see Lulu cracking up laughing. “Sis!”

  “Haha… alright, sorry, but it’s your fault for being so unobservant.”

  Grumbling, I shake my head and return to the clothes.

  “...so… waiting for her to get back?”

  “Yeah…” my voice is somber, and quiet. Lacking its usual energy. “Just… she’s confusing. Why can’t she just accept us being nice?”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Her ears lower a bit as she looks at me, her own voice quiet. “She just… she doesn’t know how, I think. She mentioned her brother when telling us about Reta… so I think him… dying, has something to do with it. Making a cold person colder.”

  I don’t notice the look of recognition on her face in my annoyance.

  My tail flicks with frustration. “I don’t get it. She should be leaning on us for help now, not trying to push us away.”

  ‘Is it my fault? Am I pushing her away? Maybe she just can’t like… exotics like us? Cats, like us?’

  “...then ask her.”

  As I look at her in confusion, her ear flicks to the door. “You have a way of speaking to people, Yuyu. Even if I don’t admit it or you don’t see it. You’re not just the strongest of us, you’re the most open to your emotions… why do you think I always vent to you?”

  Nodding slightly, thinking about what she said, she quietly walks away.

  ‘Is that true? …I mean, I know it is, I’ve lived with her a long time. But… still.’

  Hearing the front door open, and the lights turning on, I glance to the right as she enters the kitchen. “Sal, how was work?”

  Seeming surprised that I’m out here at this time, she pauses with a wad of cash in her hand, and an empty lunchbox in the other.

  “I… it was fine.”

  Watching her place them on the counter, she watches me for a moment.

  “You don’t need to give us money, you know.”

  Sighing, she leans against the doorway, only half watching me and half thinking. “...I should. You’ve given me more than I ever deserved. So I do need to.”

  My tail flicks, annoyed at her stubbornness. As much as I appreciate that sentiment, she’s risking herself just for us. “...you’re wrong. We gave you what you deserved- and now, I think it’s less than that even.”

  Looking at me confused, her eyebrows raise as she goes to retaliate- but I cut her off, my voice raising a bit, sounding like Lumi, or Mom, with the agitation. “I could smell the blood on you this morning, and could hear your groans of pain last night. You’re hurting yourself out there for this, and making your wounds worse.”

  Spotting the guilty look starting to show on her face, I put the clothes I’m washing down and let out a sigh, feeling bad for making her feel guilty. “...we want to help you, so please, don’t make it difficult. We care about you, and even if you don’t get it, it hurts us to see you getting hurt or denying our help.”

  Finally I let out a breath and look at her in silence, before I slowly return to washing clothes.

  It takes several moments of silence before she speaks again.

  “I… I just don’t get it… why? Why do you even care to deal with me?”

  Taking a shallow breath, my voice comes out as a near whisper, only audible as I shut off the water. “Because… we get how it is to lose family too. It hurts, it hurts and every day you just remember where they were and what they used to do. The memories that you’ll never share with them. The things they used to cherish and love. So… even if we’re sad about Reta, it can’t be as bad as you must have it, with both working with her enough to trust one another with your lives… and to lose your family too.”

  My tail stills as I take a shuddering breath, remembering our little sister, before shaking my head. “You’re still here… and so are we… so… it’s our way of working through the pain too. To help you, or at least do what we can.”

  Suddenly, my hoodie doesn’t feel nearly as warm, a shiver running up my spine. And looking at my breath making a cloud in front of me, I question if it’s actually that cold suddenly-

  The warmth of arms wrapping around my stomach and a soft chest against my back catch me off guard, my tail shooting up. Somehow, Sal covered that ground and I didn’t even notice.

  “...I’m sorry… I won’t deny you anymore… but me giving you the money is still what I want to do.”

  Slowly, my tail curls lightly around her leg, and a bittersweet smile finds its way on my face.

  ‘...I think I get it now.’

  Leaning back into her and nuzzling her cheek a bit, much to her surprise, I feel a few tears of hers rubbing on my cheek. “Yeah… I get it. Just heal up before you go out again, alright?”

  With a quiet nod, she lets go and vanishes into her room quickly, a blush visible on her face for a moment as she leaves.

  ‘That… went better than I expected.’