Kitsara's mouth had slowly fallen open, jaw slack with disbelief. Blossom looked like she was about to clap at my amazing performance. Vex was visibly fighting back the urge to break out into hearty laughter. Iris was dying from sheer cringe.
But Raika?
Raika… was thinking.
She stared at me, blinking once. Then again. The water trickled down her temple as her twitching stopped. Her jaw unclenched.
"...Big battle later… many ugly cat die… more glory… hard challenge…" she muttered slowly, the words rolling around her head like puzzle pieces snapping into place.
Then she nodded. Seriously.
"Yes… I rest now. Save strength. Get big victory later."
Vex's soul visibly left her body.
I gave a slow nod of approval. "Smart thinking."
"Good talk," she said with a small nod in my direction before slumping back into the bath with a satisfied smile.
Silence returned for a beat.
Then, Kitsara burst out laughing, so much so that her three tails flopped over the water on repeat.
