Chapter 22: One More at the Table

"I’m coming!" I yelled, rushing down the stairs. "What is it..." I asked, my voice dropping from a yell to a sigh of disbelief.

On one side of the living room, Katrina stood on all fours. Her tail stood straight as she hissed loudly.

At Ignis.

"Katrina, calm down," I said, waving my hand. "This is my..." I interrupted myself with a thought. "This is our butler, Ignis."

The robot’s eyes shifted, inspecting Katrina.

"Sire, is this another guest? Will she be staying the night?" he asked.

I exchanged a glance with Katrina. She had calmed down, but her tail had yet to lose its poof.

"He tried to sneak up on me!" Katrina spat.

"I did no such thing!" Ignis shot back, taking a few tiny steps forward.

Using the Celestial Market, I ordered a myriad of ingredients, placing them on the dining room table afterward.

"Ignis, can you handle cooking today? I’ve got something I’d like to show Katrina," I asked, interrupting the dispute.

"At once, Sire," Ignis responded, giving a small bow before slowly leaving the room.

Nerves began forming as anticipation built. I tried my best to dismiss them, but they persisted. Not wanting to wait any longer, I grabbed Katrina’s wrist and gently led her to her bedroom.

She slowly waved her tail in hypnotic sways as we climbed the stairs, gradually increasing the speed as we neared the top. By the time we reached the room, it was moving fast enough to send a gentle wave of air through the hallway.

"I find it my responsibility to care for you moving forward," I said, reaching for the doorknob. "I’m sure in time, you’ll find yourself happy here..."

"I’m already happy!" she said, interrupting me. "Not only did you save me from those asshole guards," she looked around, gesturing to the manor. "And now I have a home." She lowered her head and turned her body toward mine, bowing low. "I’m so sorry for trying to steal from you the other day..."

Hit with a wave of joy and fulfillment, I turned the knob while smiling widely, pushing the door open. The room was dark at first until I flipped the switch. Once illuminated, Katrina gasped loudly, leaving my side in a blur of orange.

"What is... are..." She paused, continuing after a few seconds. "Are you sure? This..." She gestured around the room. "...is this all for me?" she asked, her voice soft as she rubbed the soft fabric of her comforter.

At this moment, I understood one thing painfully clearly: This feeling, this warmth I was experiencing. It was more than just an emotional reaction; it was a sense of duty. I would do anything to protect her. A purpose.

With confidence, I answered her. "Absolutely. This is your room for as long as you want to stay," I added, the words resonating with her somehow as her ears tucked low.

"Why would I leave? Are you going to hurt me in any way?" she asked with a matter-of-fact tone.

Without even thinking about the question, I shook my head vigorously and said, "Definitely not here," and then nervously laughed until I felt a warmth wrap around my body.

Cracking my eyes open, my eyes met Katrina’s. Her big, golden-orange irises were gleaming. She squeezed me tight, holding it for a few moments before backing away.

"Thank you, Sam," she said, continuing her inspection of the room.

I sat on her bed, watching as her eyes shifted from thing to thing with open curiosity. Her tail quivered each time she found something new to look at.

"I take it you didn’t have much before?" I asked. Her tail went stiff and then slumped over. "That bad?" I added.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve had any place to call a home..." she said, lowering her voice as she turned toward me. "Most times, I was lucky to sleep with something over my head. In the slums, there weren’t very many safe spots." She paused and walked over to me, sitting down. "This is the first bed to call my own since I lost my family years ago..."

My gut wrenched as I hurt for her, solidifying my cause.

I began to speak, but my words stopped short. The smells of cooking meats began to permeate the air, causing my stomach to grumble. Looking at Katrina, I cracked a smile and gave her a tight hug.

"Let’s go see what Ignis has prepared for dinner," I said, walking to the door, opening it, and then gesturing to the hallway. "Ladies first."

Her tail resumed its normal swaying as she walked past me. The aroma grew in intensity as we walked down the stairs. The sounds of simmering echoed off the walls as we rounded the corner, entering the dining area. Ignis stood in front of the oven, Damara at his side.

"What is he cooking, Sam?" Damara called, pointing at the large pot. "It’s been bubbling and hissing. It even burned me as I was trying to get a closer look."

"Hey! Good job, Ignis!" I said, patting my robot butler on the back. It produced a loud ping noise each time. "You weren’t lying when you said you could cook anything," I said, noticing another smaller pan on the upper-left burner. "Gravy too!"

I had given Ignis the ingredients for a large meal of hearty fried chicken and mashed potatoes. The gravy was his idea, it seemed.

Once the cooking was done, I set the table with the help of Damara as Katrina helped Ignis move large plates full of food. Once everyone had a place set at the table, we sat.

"This smells delicious," Katrina said, a bead of drool working its way down. "Thank you for the meal."

Everyone echoed her, and we dug in.

"Hey, Damara," I called. "Do we have anything to do tomorrow?"

She looked up from her plate. A glob of gravy stuck to the side of her face, almost blending in. She smiled wide and said, "Nope. Have any plans?"

I grinned ear to ear as I pulled out my phone, opening the Celestial Market app. I scrolled and began planning for tomorrow.