"None of your teachers showed any hint that you would fail. You were, by all accounts, being courted by every department you showed the least bit of interest in. So, do you have a preference for what you want to study?" Mal was slumped down on a comfortable couch chair in her office, already reaching out magically to her well-hidden freezer that was full of tubs of ice cream.

"Transformation." Kaz didn't question the green fire that bore him a tub of ice cream and a spoon. He reached out his right hand to take them, and for a moment felt the dark magic ripple over his skin in sympathy with the death magic he now carried.

"Your next few years are going to be busy. Too busy to spend on dalliances with young ladies." The top was off Mal's tub before it even reached her. She grasped the tub with her skeletal arm and got the first spoon-full in her mouth.

"Uh, but what about if—"

"You don't understand. One subject normally takes up all your school time. You are effectively enrolling in three. Now, there is some overlap, but not so much that you aren't going to be busy every day of college and, almost certainly, right into the night."

"So it will take longer. I can handle that." Kaz took a big scoop of ice cream and, just from the taste alone, almost melted. "Damn this is good."

"Normally this is explained to students at the end of their first year. The path of magic mastery is both dangerous in and of itself and is a danger if an unstable individual leaves the course prematurely. You know the saying about a a little information?" Waiting for Kaz to nod, Mal had herself some more of the ice cream. "It goes double with magic. What you will learn over the coming years will be magic, but tempered with an understanding of what that magic does. One without the other is a great problem.

"So, we have curses to ensure students either finish their courses or are rendered so magically weak that they can't harm a fly."

Kaz let out a little groan. "Let me guess, they get worse over time, but attending class keeps them at bay?"

"First thing but not the second. Curses aren't easy to work. The moment you take-on a second year path, it will start to affect you. When you graduate, it is cured. Spending more than about six years to complete any course would render you unable to continue."

"Okay, so if a course normally takes three years, what would it take for me to complete two at once?"

᱿You're still talking? Ugh, I'm going back to sleep.᱿ Miaow struggled to keep her purr going under the circumstances. It wasn't that she had a thing against Mal, but the old lich didn't really spark any opportunities for Miaow to have fun.

This coming at the problem sideways annoyed Mal a little, but not as much as the hole in her school's flexibility bugged her. "If you're allowed to share certain topics between the two, probably five."

"Would three take—?"

"No, not six. Three topics would probably take seven. I'll talk to the department heads personally and you will be permitted to count any credits from previous classes in the next one. You will do them sequentially, and that's final." Mal gave Kaz a sharp look—not that her normal looks weren't already fairly sharp, but this was practically a monofilament wire. "If there's one thing this whole mess has taught me, it's that I've been taking too many risks with students."

"So?"

"Pick one of the three. You can study that first and I'll organize things from there. Once you've completed your course, you can pick another."

Standing up and walking to the cooler Mal had hidden behind a panel in her office, Kaz put the tub of ice cream back. "I'll take transformation. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go make sure my pets are okay and let my friends know I'm not dead anymore."

Figuring that Mal would have asked him to return if she had anything more to say, Kaz left and walked out of the administration building. He froze at the doorway, however, as Jaybird, Puff, Eisaku, and his two griffon friends were waiting there. The garappa in particular surprised him with his presence. "Uh, what's goin—?"

Puff raced forward and wrapped her wings around Kaz (and by extension Miaow) and squeezed him. "I'm so sorry! Are you both okay? Did they hurt you?"

Kaz was more worried about Puff than answering. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a good squeeze. "We're both fine. Things are complicated, though. Right now I just want to go home and sleep."

"Ah…" Jaybird looked among the two griffons and the yokai standing beside them. "Mal had us move your things. Something about one of your relatives paying for a house for you to live in. Anyway, we can show you there."

With a groan, Miaow began to softly purr in the back of Kaz's head. ᱿Looks like it was more than just death. Life is changing for us too.᱿

᱿Yeah. I wonder how Jaybird went with all the spells I had on the room?᱿

᱿Probably cut through them like a hot knife through butter. They're a good witch.᱿

"Thanks, Jaybird. I—" Kaz was reminded of Eisaku's presence as the garappa loomed over him. "Eisaku, sorry about our fishing day."

Looking at Kaz, Eisaku sniffed the air. "You stink of death. There is more to your little adventure than we all suspected."

"Yeah. From what I remember, some goon was trying to get into Stef's good books. He used a sleep spell on Miaow. I woke up when she went to sleep, and he used it on me as well. I managed to resist it a bit and—" Kaz winced. "A yokai found me."

"Yui. Told her not to touch mages, but she won't learn," Eisaku said, then spat on the ground. "Now she's dead-dead."

"She killed me. Mal—Mal got someone to help guide me back and put me back into my body." Kaz wasn't sure how much he should tell about Hel, Garmr, and everything that had happened. "I don't know if I should talk about who helped me until I find out more about her."

On alert, Miaow pondered the choices they had. ᱿Smart. Hel sounded like she has her own enemies that could become our enemies if you drop her name.᱿

Looking between Kaz and Eisaku, Puff let out a little distressed chirp. "You're going to be okay, though, right?"

"Yeah. Actually I'll be more than okay in the long run, but right now I feel like I died and had my soul shoved back into an almost-dead body for—How long was I missing?" Crouching, Kaz reached out toward Claws and Queen.

Claws was surprised when Queen walked closer and rubbed her cheek against Kaz's thigh. He himself was far more relaxed and let Kaz's hand rub his chin and neck. "We thought you were gone."

"I thought I was gone. I guess you're both cool with moving?" Kaz dared to reach to Queen's neck and give it a rub.

Looking up at Kaz, Queen gave his wrist a nip with her beak to remind him to be careful, though she did like the attention. "Wherever the pride goes, we go." It was the best justification she could come up with that didn't involve her expressing her emotions on the matter. She liked having Kaz around—particularly when he hunted for her food.

"Well, I guess you could lead the way then." Gesturing to Jaybird, Kaz looked at Eisaku again. "You didn't buy the whole son of——thing, did you?"

"Not for a second, but it was fun to explore living a different way. Is it alright if I eat bad people?" Eisaku walked along beside Kaz. "Because I really like eating people and bad people deserve to be eaten, right?"

"How about we keep going with no for now? Let me see how it feels to do some fishing and we'll talk again."

Looking around, Eisaku spotted a puddle and started diverting toward it. "Want to come for a swim? I'll get you there faster."

᱿He just wants to ogle you as a mermaid again.᱿

Kaz mentally rolled his eyes. ᱿I know that, but he's also kinda worked for it. I didn't realize he was just playing along.᱿

Miaow made a soft snorting sound. ᱿You'll get better at judging people and creatures.᱿

᱿I hope so.᱿ Kaz moved to walk with Eisaku. "I'll see you guys at the house, I guess. Going for a swim."

Jaybird looked at me with surprise, then shrugged. "See you there, then. Why didn't we just send Eisaku?" they asked Puff.

Shrugging her shoulders too and held up her phone in front of her face and parted her beak in a silly, tong-out grin then took a selfie. "Don't ask me, I'm just a familiar." She booped Jaybird on the nose and resumed walking beside her mage.

Using his left hand, Kaz worked a don't-notice-me spell over himself and felt it hang on him like a dress. He reached down and took his shoes, socks, shorts, and underpants off.

Eisaku walked a circle around the puddle. It was barely wider than three feet, but he judged that more than enough. Reaching into the heart of the little puddle with his will, he bound it to his home lake, then stepped into it and sank into the water.

For a Garappa, having somewhere to bind his home that was protected and warded was worth avoiding his favorite food for. It was an easy life for Eisaku, and he swam happily in circles around the puddle-entrance he'd just made, waiting for what beauty Kaz would enter the water as—and he wasn't disappointed.

Still wearing his jacket and shirt, Kaz shed his legs and skin (below his waist) to grow a long and very fishy tail. His chest grew outward and his hair billowed in the water behind him. All his missing clothes were safely tucked away in his jacket pockets, of course, but he wasn't thinking about that. Eisaku's eyes were on him, they were big, and the Garappa swam closer and then in a loop around him.

For a few moments Eisaku considered what would happen if he groped Kaz. He'd get a moment of happiness and probably lose his safe place. It was hard for an old lech like himself to hold back, but instead of leading the way straight for the surface, he instead swam around in his lake—and to his joy so did Kaz.

Normally, to swim in a Garappa's lake was either asking for death or worse—depending on its tastes—but Eisaku was in a difficult position so far as his kind went, and he opted instead to give Kaz a tour.

Swimming lazily through the water, Kaz could see all kinds of odd treasures half-buried in the mud of the lake. He approached one, but made sure not to touch it, only to have Eisaku speed around and put himself between Kaz and what looked like a small silver knife.

It wasn't an important trinket to Eisaku, just a fancy knife that someone had dropped while he choked the life out of them over two hundred years earlier. He plucked the knife from the mud and turned it over, remembering the man who'd been fishing when he'd dropped it.

When Eisaku pointed up to the surface, Kaz swam as quick as he could. ᱿He seems a lot more tolerable,᱿ he thought to Miaow.

᱿Way more look but don't touch, which I'm fine with. Mostly.᱿

Not slowing as he reached the surface, Kaz was surprised to find himself jumping out of a swimming pool before landing back in it again with a splash. Shapechanging back to his human form, Kaz trod water and slowly made his way to the ladder in the pool. One glance down revealed the bottom was nowhere to be seen.

Eisaku surfaced right beside Kaz and set the knife on the paved edge of the pool. "You were looking at this?"

The knife, when Kaz picked it up, was far lighter than anything that size should be. "It caught my attention. Whose was it?" He climbed up and out of the water while Eisaku jumped out beside him.

"A fisherman dropped it in my lake. When he jumped in to get it, I strangled him and ate him." Picking up the knife himself, Eisaku judged the weight of it. "It's a little light for a good weapon, but I believe there's some magic in it. You could try studying it."

᱿Careful. Ask him if it's a gift or in trade.᱿

"Is this a gift or a trade for something?" Kaz didn't touch the knife that Eisaku was holding out to him (handle first).

"A—" Eisaku pondered what exactly it could be. "Ah! Neither. It is a payment to you for living on your land."

Not hesitating now, Kaz took the knife. "A fisherman had this?"

"Well, he was fishing at the time. That's why I made it quick for him." Shaking the water off his loose shirt and shorts, Eisaku nodded at the back of the house. "That's yours."

Using a spell to dry himself off, Kaz reached into his pocket and pulled out his shorts and underwear. "I guess I'll have to wait for the others to arrive since I forgot to grab the keys from them. I think I need to call my aunt, too."

Eisaku shrugged his shoulders and walked around the pool to where he'd set up a deckchair, fishing rod, and large pot of sake. His hat, of course, was sitting on the chair. "That sounds like a problem for you. Tell me when you want to do some fishing."

"And you tell me when you get too hungry—we can go get some pork ribs or something." Kaz grinned and, with his clothes back on, walked around the side of the house and to the front just as Puff arrived driving his car. He walked up as they climbed out and asked, "When did you learn how to drive?"

"I picked it up here and there. My followers want me to upload a video with you, you know?" Puff, tapping away on her phone with her feathers, walked around and right up to Kaz. "Now I want a big hug with you."

"Which one of us?" Kaz asked.

"Both." Puff didn't wait, leaning against Kaz and pulling him tight against her with her wings. "You first."

᱿Do you think you can give me control again?᱿ Miaow was worried, and it came through in her tone.

Kaz, still hugging Puff, noticed Miaow sounded a bit odd. ᱿What's wrong? I'll try to.᱿

᱿It's just that after what happened last time, I wouldn't expect you to—᱿

᱿Don't you dare, Miaow. What happened wasn't your fault.᱿ Kaz let go a little of Puff. "Okay, let's see if I can get this on the first try."

Puff let out a trill of laughter. "Last time I just had to get you all flustered, but you don't seem as easy to fluster like this."

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Yeah, I just—" Kaz froze as Jaybird took hold of Puff's arm, then pressed themselves tight against him. It was enough—it was plenty enough. ᱿Here, go now!᱿

᱿Got it! We owe Jaybird.᱿ Miaow felt as muscles twitched and moved under her control. She looked down at Kaz's body and, given the baggy clothes, easily slipped into a buxom catgirl and wrapped her arms around Puff.

Kaz felt a warm relaxation flood through him. Tiredness was only part of it, but he still lacked his full strength from the whole dying thing. ᱿Don't spend too long playing, this body needs rest.᱿

Miaow started to purr and rubbed her cheeks along the sides of Puff's beak. "Mmhmm. Sorry, Puff, but we need to let this body have some rest. Do you two want to chill and watch—Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because we're living here too." Puff clacked her beak and then trilled. "Now come inside and lay on the couch so I can snuggle you properly."

Jaybird facepalmed and poked Puff in the shoulder with a finger. "What Puff means to say is we were living here while you recovered—to look after your stuff and the house. If you want, we can move back to—"

᱿Tell her she can stay.᱿ Kaz was fighting a yawn that would never fully eventuate. ᱿It'll be nice to have people around us still.᱿

"Kaz says he's happy to have you both here, and my own preferences are well-known." Miaow kissed Puff's cheek.

᱿I can't stay awake. Take good care of them, Miaow.᱿

Miaow felt the moment Kaz fell asleep. She was still astounded by how easily he'd trusted her—astounded and a little worried. He'd given her big shoes to fill. "Kaz just fell asleep and I don't think I'm far behind him."

"Well, come inside then. We can get you a blanket to lay down on the couch and I can see if I can keep you purring all night." Puff guided Miaow inside, following Jaybird, and took her through to the modest living room. "We had to get some of this stuff second-hand, but it's all good."

Passive, willing to be led, Miaow was purring away softly until she was on the couch, with a blanket over her, and her head laying on Puff's lap. That's when she started purring a lot louder. "So, do your followers still want to see me?"

"Oh! They'll love my little kitty. Let me set the quality low on this phone…" Puff kept up tickling Miaow's neck with one wing while she thumbed her way through her settings on the other. "Okay, turn your head just—perfect. Now—"

The sound of a fake shutter cycling several times signaled the phone taking the pictures.

"You did a blep! Oh gosh, they'll love this." Adding the filter she'd worked out would make the image look as fake as possible, Puff put it out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. "We need to do a stream sometime."

Yawning to the sound of the phone taking more pictures, Miaow couldn't help but pull faces and pose for Puff. "Why is your phone chirping like that?"

"Replies, comments, faves—they love your blep. There's an argument going on about what program we used to make the models and how much work it took to pose them just right." Puff was giggling as she started replying to various comment threads.

"What do you tell them?"

"I just use a wink emoji every now and again. It drives them nuts and they keep trying to work out how particular effects were done. Do you think it would freak them out more or less if they knew this is us?"

"So, what now?" Miaow, despite all her desires, could feel the lethargy of her body weighing heavily—pinning her in place.

"Now they want to see the underside of your paw. Something about beans."

Bringing a leg up under the blanket, Miaow poked it up beside her head and looked up at Puff expectantly.

"M-Miaow?"

"Yeah, Puff?"

"Never mind." Puff took the picture, trying to tap down her libido in the wake of finding out how flexible Miaow was. "How was it?"

"What?" Pulling her paw back under the blanket, Miaow yawned and turned just enough that she could put her head on Puff's lap.

It was a heavy topic, but Puff felt at least somewhat confident that Miaow should talk about it. "Are you okay with everything that happened?"

Her mental processes had been slowing, but now she was comfortable and had a nice place to lay, Miaow could think on the topic from the safety of being past it. "Kaz holds the keys to my freedom, to some extent. It would be terrifying if he weren't so nice. He didn't have to pick me and let me have his body like this. But…"

"But he drives most of the time and you are a passenger." Puff started slowly petting Miaow, and the purr she got was answer enough about whether it was well-received.

"It's true I don't get a lot of say in things. There's history between his family and me, and that history plays a big part of why I am so comfortable. I'm not sure if it was our dating or death that has changed his outlook, but he focuses a lot on what I would want now. Time will tell—Right there. That ear. Yesss…"

Puff held up her phone in her other hand and started typing. "This is better than having just a girlfriend. I have a girlfriend and a cat."

"You have a girlfriend who is a cat." Miaow closed her eyes and surrendered to the intensity of her own purr.

----------------------------------------

Kaz woke up feeling warm, cozy, female, and fuzzy. He couldn't really complain about the female part, or fuzzy, but cozy was interesting. Puff was laying half on top of him with one of her wings around him, the tips of her feathers cradling the back of his head.

Sensing movement and recognizing that her snuggle-partner's breathing had sped up, Puff nuzzled her beak into the fluff under Kaz's neck and rubbed his ear a few times. "Miaow?"

"She's still asleep. You don't mind? I could really use some more hugs."

Puff let out a tweeting giggle and squeezed a little tighter. "Fine by me. You want to change into something more comfortable?"

"This is pretty comfortable already. How is Miaow dealing with all this? Did she tell you?" Kaz chose to ignore the way Puff straddled one of his legs. He trusted her not to go too far and it was better for both of them if he just relaxed.

"She's a little worried about her autonomy, but said something about past history with your family was involved. I'm a little worried too." When Kaz started to purr, Puff let out a little tweet of surprise. "What would have happened if you didn't take her as your familiar?"

At first Kaz struggled against his need to purr, but in his current form that was an undertaking far beyond him. "She would have become trapped. She needed magic and acceptance to survive outside of the prison my—my mom made for her. I know why she did it, and I can respect her for it, but I am still going to make things right."

Blinking in surprise, Puff let out a soft sigh. "There's no second layer."

"Huh?"

"You. You're so open and nice. Most people have a second layer—their own motivations that they like to keep hidden." Reaching her wing up, Puff booped Kaz on his nose. "You wear your heart on your sleeve."

"I mean—" Kaz was struggling with the concept. "I'm not shallow. I have—I sometimes lie to people, or don't tell all the truth."

"I didn't say you were shallow. Your emotions are deep, but you don't hide them. As for lies—you couldn't be a mage without lying." Puff giggled as Kaz's eyes slowly uncrossed after the boop. "I think that's why the griffons and Mr. Eisaku trust you so much. You don't lie with your heart."

Kaz kissed Puff's cheek. "Then in the spirit of me being completely open, Puff, I think I need to use the bathroom."

Laughing, Puff climbed off the couch and tossed the blanket over the back of it. "Down the hall, first door on the left. Knock first if the door's closed."

Standing up and then realizing he had no pants on, Kaz checked the couch and found the shorts he'd worn when he'd gone to sleep. "Had fun, did we?" There was no accusation in his tone, but he did start to feel a little uncomfortable in Miaow's form.

"I kept my shorts on, but I'm not sure when Miaow took hers off." Turning, Puff held out her phone and frame Kaz over her shoulder. "Hold still a moment, aaaaand there."

"Wait, is Miaow okay with you taking pictures of her like this?" Kaz asked.

᱿Mmm, I'm fine with it. More attention is always nice.᱿ Miaow disliked the fact that she couldn't yawn while in Kaz's head. ᱿Can you yawn for me?᱿

"Scratch that, she just woke up and said it's fine." Opening his mouth a little wider, Kaz let out a yawn and arched his back for it—just like a feline. ᱿How's that?᱿

Purring, Miaow replied, ᱿Thank you. It was perfect.᱿

"I—I hadn't really thought of that. Sorry, Miaow. And sorry to you, too, Kaz. There's just so much new stuff I need to learn." Blowing out a long and oscillating tweet under her breath, Puff set her phone down and shapechanged into a little bird. "I'm going to go and wake Jaybird."

Walking down the hallway, Kaz found the bathroom open and went inside to take care of his morning needs. It was only after he was done with using the facilities that he realized he'd gone through his morning routine still in Miaow's form. "Guess I was more comfortable like this than I thought."

᱿Oh? You like being a curvy kitty?᱿

"It's nice. Your body is every bit as fit as mine—maybe a little more, actually. There's also something odd, but it's just like He—" Kaz froze before finishing Hel's name out loud. ᱿It's just like Hel said, every body we change into is us to our core. There is nothing static about us anymore.᱿

᱿Us. I like it being us. But, Kaz, don't feel you need to keep this form for my sake. We're so mutable now there's no reason to ever be static.᱿

Kaz looked in the mirror and quirked one eyebrow up. ᱿Miaow, are you telling me I should slip into something more comfortable?᱿

᱿You should always slip into something more comfortable, is what I'm telling you,᱿ Miaow was purring up a storm. She might not have woken up cuddled in Puff's wings, but playing around with transformations with Kaz was, in her mind, never going to get old. ᱿Why not try something different?᱿

᱿Different, huh?᱿ Kaz bit his lower lip in thought. He reduced his breasts down to nothing, replaced his female reproductive system with a male one, thickened the tail fluff and changed it to snow leopard spots, changed the fur on his ears to match, and modified his body to be more masculine in general. ᱿Cat guy.᱿

᱿Cat boy,᱿ Miaow corrected.

᱿Not what I'm looking for. Cat man.᱿ Kaz added a few inches to his height and broadened his shoulders a little.

᱿Mmmm. Kitty like. Definitely not a cat boy.᱿

᱿Let's file away cat boys for later.᱿ Kaz just smirked at Miaow's laughter and looked around for a towel before spotting one hanging from a rack on the back of the door. He took it wrapped it around his waist, and opened the door—

Just as Jaybird's hand was raised to knock on it. They were wearing a loose shirt and shorts—the least amount of clothing they'd ever been seen in by Kaz before. "Y-Y-You're still using the bathroom?"

Kaz held out his hand, palm up, and smiled at Jaybird. As soon as they returned the gesture, taking his hand, he smiled. "I'm done with the bathroom."

The shock of seeing someone so early in the morning was softened by Jaybird's time with Puff, but this was Kaz, and he was a big cat person with the broadest chest Jaybird had ever seen. Well on their way to full panic-town, Kaz offered Jaybird a detour to chill-ville and his touch—and emotional state—balanced out Jaybird and let them breathe again. "Thanks, Kaz."

When Jaybird's hand lingered, Kaz realized he was taking up the whole doorway. Stepping back and to the side, he guided Jaybird into the bathroom. "You're always welcome." When Jaybird finally stepped past him, Kaz stepped to the doorway and felt them pull back their hand somewhat hesitantly.

Stepping out into the hallway, I was face-to-beak with Puff. "Hey, uh, which room's ours?"

᱿Ours.᱿ Miaow's purr was loud and she didn't care.

"Down here on the right. We didn't want to intrude, so most of your stuff is still boxed up." Puff hadn't missed the ours Kaz had said either. "You want some breakfast, or does Miaow want breakfast?"

Miaow could appreciate what Puff was trying to do, but she felt she owed it to Kaz to uphold the letter of their contract. ᱿You can drive during the day, that was our deal.᱿

᱿Screw the deal. Do you want to snuggle your girlfriend over breakfast?᱿

᱿I snuggled her all afternoon and night.᱿ It felt wrong for Miaow to be denying herself some hedonistic glee, but she wanted to help Kaz understand that she trusted him and appreciated him. ᱿And I think she might be our girlfriend.᱿

Kaz didn't have a comeback for that. "Miaow has declared this my time to drive. I tried to talk her into it, but she was adamant." After a quick detour to find a pair of shorts and a shirt, he took a seat on one of many stiff-looking wooden chairs in the kitchen. "Whatever is going for breakfast will be fine. I'll have a bite to eat and then go for a run."

᱿You don't need to run. You can make your body as fit or flabby as you like.᱿

᱿But I like running. Dad got me started doing it when I was young, and it's always been a good way to clear my head and work out what to do with the day.᱿ Kaz wrestled with the idea. ᱿So it's not a waste of time, it's time I need to myself. Running is just the way I do it.᱿

"I was just making some toast. You like apricot jelly?" As she spoke, Puff couldn't help but notice the little tells Kaz had when he was conversing with Miaow. It was a relief for her that they talked so much, but she really wished it was her girlfriend in control. And, that's when it hit Puff. "I'm jealous."

"Huh?" Kaz asked.

"Never mind. This is a problem for me to deal with. Do you want butter on your toast, or just the jelly?"

"Nah. Just the jelly is fine. I like it when it soaks into the toast." Kaz spotted Jaybird walking in and smiled at them. "Good morning. Sorry about earlier."

Blinking, reminding themselves that Kaz was meant to be there (and not that his cat ears looked cute, though they did), Jaybird decided a yawn was their best bet. "It's okay, I was just a little surprised to find someone."

"You've got your armor on now?" Kaz asked as Puff slid a plate with two slices of toast in front of him. "Thanks, Puff."

"My armor? Oh! My hoodie. Yeah. I like it because I can pull the hood up and hide from the world." As Puff walked past, Jaybird reached out to her and touched her feathers. A warmth spread through her—like facing the dawning sun with closed eyes—and Jaybird felt themselves unwind a little more.

"So, I've been meaning to ask, what's going on at school now? I mean, Mal said I passed and now I have to pick a major. I went with transformation." Kaz picked up the first slice of toast and bit into it. "Mfff, that's good."

"Yeah, we pick our major and there are three months before classes start for that." Jaybird, charged up on positive emotions, felt far more comfortable talking now. "Sorry, but I'll never get a better time to ask. What's the deal with you three?"

᱿Three? Oh! You, me, and Puff.᱿ Miaow started giggling. ᱿If Jaybird could figure that out, so will most people who know us.᱿

"Huh? What do you mean?" Puff asked.

Jaybird snorted. "You said yourself, you woke up snuggling Kaz, and he seemed mostly okay with it. So, I'll ask again. What's the deal with you three?"

Puff looked at Kaz then back to Jaybird. "I—Uh—We were—I mean—"

᱿Oh hell, but she's cute when she's flustered. Hug her, Kaz, hug her and kiss her cheek. Tell her it's from both of us.᱿ Miaow was practically bouncing up and down in Kaz's head.

"She says I should hug and kiss you now, but I don't know as we're—you and me—are that close yet. Would a hug be okay, though?" Kaz gave Puff a hopeful look. The truth was he wasn't sure what he was doing, but he liked Puff enough that being casual close friends would be nice.

Soul-searching, Puff took a deep breath and started putting her thoughts into words. "Kaz, I like you, but I don't want to sleep with you. Hugs are nice, though, but I don't want you getting the wrong idea."

᱿Aww.᱿

᱿I don't—Wait, let me say this out loud.᱿ Kaz started over. "I don't mind waking up to cuddles and hugs, but I'm not into you that way either." As he spoke, Kaz could see what he hoped was a relieved expression on Puff's face. Her eyes were expressive, but her beak made it hard to pick out exactly what she was thinking.

Puff considered the words and then nodded. "This seems like the best fit. But you have to promise not to get freaked out waking up in more—uh—compromising cuddles."

It was a relief that it was as simple as that, but part of Kaz had to wonder what life would do to complicate it. "Well, I promised my—uh—new friends I'd do some research for them. I guess I have a few months to get that sorted out. I might start with the city library."

"You mean the non-mage one? Why wouldn't you get an idea about the mage version? It'll be more accurate." Jaybird got their own toast—having been cooking it while Kaz and Puff were talking—and looked back at Kaz.

"I like to explore the differences. Mages haven't exactly existed in a vacuum, and while I bet most of the important stuff I need will be in mage-written books, there could be stuff missing that will only be in non-mage stuff." Spotting where Jaybird got a glass out, Kaz stood and fetched a glass of water for himself.

Miaow sighed into Kaz's thoughts. ᱿It would have been so cool if you two got it on too.᱿

Kaz tried not to roll his eyes. ᱿You just want to watch.᱿

᱿Yes.᱿

Finishing his toast and gulping down the water, Kaz stood up and carried his plate and glass to the sink, only for Puff to intercept him. "What—?"

"I'll wash those. You go for your run." Puff leaned against Kaz a little, then whispered, "And let Miaow know I'm glad she's back, too."

As soon as Kaz was out the door, Jaybird bounced their chair around to get close to Puff. When Puff didn't comment, they let out a little giggle. "I only want one thing, so come on—spill it."

"About Kaz or Miaow?"

Jaybird almost vibrated with excitement. "Now I want to know two things."

"Miaow's enthusiastic, almost to the point where I have to struggle to keep up with her. She's a lot of fun, though, and embraces life like it was beer at a frat kegger." Puff sipped her juice while tapping away on her phone with her off-wing. "Kaz is an enigma wrapped in a puzzle that—when I finally got to the middle of—found the most sweet and precious thing. I wanted to dislike him, given he has Miaow trapped in his head, but they've both convinced me the prison is the best thing for her right now—and that leaves me confused."

"Confused? Don't you remember their contract?" Constantly amazed by how Puff could converse and type on her phone at the same time, Jaybird reached up and booped their familiar on the top of her beak. "Earth to Puff."

"Sorry. Just wondering if I should talk about either of them. I know Miaow said I could call her my girlfriend, but Kaz seems more private, you know?" Puff's feathers danced over the touchscreen. "Besides, we're not exactly dating, we just both like cuddles and find ourselves in close proximity."

Jaybird leaned sideways and rested their head on Puff's shoulder. "I envy your energy sometimes, but then I remember I just need to touch you to get the full force of it. You're amazing, Puff."

Chirping and turning toward Jaybird, Puff tilted her beak and nuzzled against Jaybird—one of the few moments when she completely ignored her social media. "I never knew there was so much out here in the real world. You're far more amazing than you give yourself credit for, Jaybird, but I know why I was drawn to contract with you.

"You're the perfect mirror of myself. Not mirror like identical, you fill the gaps in me and make us a whole."

"You're my confidence. You're my stability. You're my ability to walk outside with my hood down and say hello to someone walking past." The glow of emotions coming off Puff felt, to Jaybird, akin to a flame for a moth, only she didn't get burned. "That day I first met you had been the scariest of my life. It took my twelve tries to walk into the school, but then he was there. I didn't know he was completely new to magic for a while, but he picked up on my telempathy after only a few minutes. He wouldn't let go of my hand after he did."

"You never told me about this. That's so sweet of him." Puff tried to get her head around Kaz, but there was still a lot to him that, while not hidden, wasn't immediately obvious. "I should bake him a cake."

Jaybird slowly extricated themselves from Puff's hug, which led to Puff furiously typing on her phone. "We don't have any of the ingredients for cake except water. We should probably fix that."

"Well, we need to fix that. Kaz deserves a cake." Standing up, Puff stretched her wings. "And I could do with a fly. All this tweeting leaves me craving being a bird for a while."

It took several seconds for the pun to trigger Jaybird, but when it did they let out a groan. "That was terrible, but let's wait for Kaz to get back from his run. He might want stuff at the shops, and I don't think he took his phone."