As soon as she was outside, Stell pulled out her pipe and her matchbox. She sat on the edge of the porch, her little legs dangling off the edge. Holding the end of the pipe between her teeth, she tried to strike the match, but in her agitation, she couldn’t seem to get it to light.

“For the love of—!” she muttered. Then she closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath. After a moment had passed, she tried again, and this time the match lit on the first strike.

For a long while Stell just sat there on the porch, puffing on her pipe. The sun had gone down by this point, leaving the streets in a dwindling twilight. The last of the day’s traffic was starting to die down, too, bringing with it a quietness that covered the city like a blanket. It was actually quite peaceful. But Stell couldn’t bring herself to enjoy it.

Her ear twitched as she heard the front door of the inn open. The wooden boards of the porch creaked as heavy footsteps approached her.

“My, isn’t it a beautiful night,” she heard Nakoa say. She glanced up at his towering figure to see him looking up at the sky, head thrown back with his hands on his hips.

“Hmph. It’s too chilly,” she retorted.

“Not that that’s ever stopped you,” Nakoa said with a chuckle. Stell harrumphed, but refused to reply otherwise.

“Mind if I sit here?” Nakoa asked as he bent down.

“It’s your porch. Do as you please,” Stell said.

With a grunt, Nakoa sat on the edge of the porch next to Stell. He propped one leg up on the porch and rested his elbow on that knee. Then he went back to looking up at the sky.

“Those drawings Dee showed us looked mighty familiar,” he eventually said.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Nakoa,” Stell said, tapping some of the ash out of her pipe.

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Nakoa gave her a sideways glance before looking back up at the sky.

“Ya know, I was nervous, too, when my son took his first trip outside of Vaimea,” he said. “Him and his friends wanted to spend the weekend out exploring around Carnlan Skerry. I was afraid that he wasn’t ready to make such a long trip without us, but he assured us that they had everything taken care of, and that everything would be alright.

“And you know what? He was. Came back a couple of days later no worse for wear. In fact, it seemed to me that he had actually grown up some while he was gone. Seems like the same thing’s happened to Dee, too. She’s a lot more confident and self-assured than she used to be.”

“Of course she is. You don’t think I didn’t notice?” Stell said.

“I’m positive you did. That’s why I’m confused.”

“About what?”

“Come on, Stell,” Nakoa said, shifting around in his seat. “You’ve avoided the subject for nearly eighteen years, now. But Dee is growing up. Sooner or later, she’s going to start asking questions, and she’ll expect you to give her the answers.”

“I know, I know!” Stell exclaimed. Then she sighed. “I know. I just… I’m not ready.”

“We rarely are,” Nakoa said.

They sat in companionable silence for a long moment. Then there was a squeak as the front door of the inn opened.

“Oh! Um… don’t mind me,” Xan said. He sidled around the side of the inn and disappeared into the shadows of the alleyway. Nakoa watched him go, then turned back to Stell.

“He’s a good lad, ya know,” he said.

Stell scoffed. “Not even you are a perfect judge of character,” she said.

“No. But I do like what I see in him. After all, he and Miss Taika managed to bring Dee back home safely.”

“Sure. But he still crashed my boat.”

“And he owned up to it, by the sounds of it. That’s mighty big of him. And mighty big of you for giving him the chance to make amends.”

“And like I said before, don’t get used to it. It’s only fair that he pay for what he broke.”

“Including the wine barrel?”

“Yes, including the wine barrel! Do you know how much I’m going to have to shell out to Councilman Woods for it? Bloody thing’s going to cost me at least a month’s worth of profits.”

“And it would take him the better part of a year just to pay you back, even with a fair wage.”

Stell harrumphed, looking away. “Well, then maybe next time he’ll keep a better handle on his animal.”

Suddenly they heard rushing footsteps. Xan dashed around the side of the inn, breathing heavily.

“Woah, there! What’s wrong?” Nakoa asked, holding out an arm to stop him. Xan skidded to a halt and looked at the old Simian with wide eyes.

“Shadow’s gone!” he gasped.