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Blade is in the library, sitting in one of the plush chairs. Technically speaking, he’s rotated 180 degrees so his feet are propped on the back of the chair and his head is hanging off the seat. He thought it would be fun to try looking at the library from a different angle today. He has a book in his hand that he rotated along with himself because it turned out not to be any fun to try reading it upside down.
He hears footsteps outside the library and pauses to analyze them. Too light for Little Yakumo or Little Morvay, too heavy for Little Aster. Just right for Garu-Garu. He guesses it’s him and not Karu-Karu because the latter doesn’t often come to the library on his own. Blade carefully puts a special bookmark in to hold his place. He doesn’t need it, but O~livine made it for him, so he likes to use it anyway.
“Hi, Blade.” Garu-Garu stands 1.2 meters away from him, wrapping his arms around himself.
Ah. Today is not a talking-and-playing day. Today is a reading-and-cuddling day. Blade immediately flips himself around and holds out his arms for Garu-Garu to sit on his lap and snuggle close.
“What kind of book should we read?” Blade asks.
Garu-Garu shakes his head. “I don’t want to read.”
Blade is a little confused. Garu-Garu always wants to read together when he’s in this kind of mood. It must be extra bad if he doesn’t even want that. They sit together quietly while Blade tries to think of something.
“It’s just…” Garu-Garu says. He rubs his little nose. “Everyone went home except for you and me and Yakumo, and the fun is over…and I miss all the others.”
Blade is about to tell him that they’ll see O~livine and Little Ed when they come for the sleepover, but he holds back. He remembers that Darling told him sometimes people like to talk about things that make them sad and just have someone listen to them. He can do that, at least! He squeezes Garu-Garu a little tighter, making him squirm and then giggle.
“Blade! I’m trying to be sad here.”
“But I made you laugh.” Blade touches the tip of a finger to the tip of Garu-Garu’s nose.
Garu-Garu sighs. “It’s a little lonely when everyone goes home. I know I have you and Yakumo! And Master, when he’s not helping the others, and Big Bro comes to visit when he can. I just wish everyone could stay together all the time.”
Blade analyzes what he’s said. He’s learned that sometimes humans and yokai say something that’s a little bit different from what they mean. He thinks maybe Garu-Garu isn’t really expressing that he wants the whole clan to be at the mansion spending every minute together. So what does he mean?
Before he can come up with something, Garu-Garu readjusts himself. “Is it still okay to read a book together?” he asks.
“Of course it is! I have a new book I borrowed from Little Ed that he says is one of his favorite adventure stories. We could read that one.”
Garu-Garu’s eyebrows go up. “Um…are you sure it’s the kind of book we can read aloud?”
“It’s not one of Little Ed’s sexy books, so we should be fine to share it.” Blade beams at him.
Cheeks bright red, Garu-Garu covers his laughter with his hand. “Okay.”
While they read together, a little part of Blade’s mind is back on what he can do to help Garu-Garu feel less lonely when so many of the others are away. An idea starts to form, and he tucks it away for later when he can go ask for help.
Darling is folding laundry when Blade comes to his room. He looks up and grins, setting a shirt back in the basket.
“Did you need me for something?” he asks.
“Yes! Darling, do you have any extra shirts I can have?”
“Have?” Darling repeats. “Mm, what do you need one of mine for? I don’t think it would fit you.”
“It’s for a secret surprise. I need one that Darling isn’t going to wear anymore.”
Darling nods and opens a drawer, taking out a soft, old undershirt. It’s a nice shade of green. “I was going to use this for scraps, since it’s been washed so much it’s almost falling apart. But I remembered Garu wanted one.” He looks from the shirt to Blade. “I could probably save a different piece of clothing for him…”
Blade quickly snatches it before Darling can change his mind. “This one is perfect!” He starts toward the door.
“Wait, Blade!” Darling stops him. “Is—is that really all?”
Blade grins. “For now.” He giggles, tilting his head. “Did Darling want some alone time?”
“Uh…” Darling’s face is bright red. So cute! “We haven’t seen each other in a while…”
“Don’t worry! We can do that later. I need to go do some other things first. When I get back, I’ll come see Darling, and we can have lots of sex!”
Darling laughs, still blushing. He really is the cutest. “All right. But I’m holding you to that!”
Blade gives him one last happy smile before dashing out the door. In the hallway, he runs into Little Morvay, who looks sleepy. He’s attempting to transport several large bins toward the entryway.
“Morning, Blade.” He looks at the shirt. “What’s that for?”
“A surprise. Could you give it a quick hug before I go?”
Little Morvay laughs. “Sure, I guess. Why?” He takes the shirt.
“Mm, well…” Blade explains his plan.
Little Morvay only shakes his head. “Sounds cute. Hey, do you think you could help me with this? I’m supposed to put a bunch of stuff into the carriage to deliver to the Water Temple for Father Olivine.”
“Sure! I’m going there later, so I can take it to him.”
Blade easily lifts the boxes Little Morvay was lugging. Together, they place them in the carriage. Blade gives Little Morvay a hug, noticing his scent of wild plums and exotic liquor and leather. He takes the shirt back and hops into the carriage.
Blade’s next stop is to visit Little Ed in the capital. In his lap, he has a small bag with Darling’s old shirt and some other supplies. As soon as he’s seated, he takes out the shirt. It mostly smells like Little Aster’s laundry soap, but he can also smell Darling’s essence on it—a bit like his hair product and freshly cut grass and warm sand at the beach. And of course, now he’s added Little Morvay’s scent too.
When the horses start, Blade looks up, wondering why Little Chick wants to come along. He sticks his head out the window and calls to him to come inside.
Little Chick swings himself into the carriage and plunks down next to Blade. “What’s that for?” He points to Darling’s old shirt.
“It’s a special surprise!” Blade says.
“Hm. What sort of surprise can you make with an undershirt full of holes?” He picks it up off Blade’s lap.
“Do you really want to know?” Blade puts a hand on top of Little Chick’s.
“You don’t have to tell me.” Little Chick shrugs and pulls his hand away.
Blade leans over and whispers in his ear. He enjoys the way Little Chick’s eyebrows rise as he talks. His heart goes five beats per minute faster, and his eyes open wider while his mouth makes a cute O-shape. He definitely must like what he hears.
“Actually…that’s a very good idea, Blade.” He offers a kind smile, the sort Blade loves because he doesn’t get to see it on Little Chick’s face very often.
“You could help,” Blade says.
“By…doing what?”
Blade answers by way of putting his arms around Little Chick, the old shirt pressed between them. He holds him close, tugging so his head rests on Blade’s chest. Little Chick smells like catnip and candle wax and the extracted plant essence he sometimes adds to his experiments. He squirms a bit and chuckles softly.
“You could have just said you wanted a hug.”
“Hm, but the hug isn’t for me!” Blade explains what he’s doing.
“I see. All right, how about an exchange? Let me check you over. I’m curious about something with your gemstone. After that, I’ll hug you and that shirt all you like.”
“Okay!”
So for the first half of the trip, Blade lets Little Chick poke and prod his belly and his chest and his gemstone, even though it makes him feel hot and a little weird.
“Have you had any problems with your essence recently?” Little Chick raises and lowers Blade’s arms one at a time, then does the same with his legs.
“Nope! Everything is A-OK.”
“Noted.” He scribbles something in a tiny notebook.
After that, Little Chick lies in Blade’s lap, his head pillowed on the old shirt while Blade plays with his hair. It’s soft and thicker than Darling’s. He closes his eyes, his lips curling up in a shy smile. Blade hums a little tune.
When the carriage arrives at the bustling main street and the driver opens the door, Papa Bird swoops in and blinks at Blade, who fishes a treat out of his pocket and hands it to him. Little Chick laughs.
“Didn’t know you were in the habit of carrying around treats for Father. Well, bye for now!”
He hops out with a wave and disappears into the crowd. Blade carries the shirt and follows his sensors to locate Little Ed. He tracks him over several streets until he finally catches up to him at a stall, talking to the owner.
“…third time this week,” the owner is saying. “And I’m not the only one, either.”
“I am aware,” Little Ed tells him. “We’ll be sure to catch and reprimand the thief.”
“That’s just it, he’s not taking much. Seems like his point is to cause trouble, not to get free food.”
Little Ed nods. “We’ll get to the bottom of it.”
He turns around and nearly bumps into Blade, who is standing a bit too close. Little Ed starts to lose his balance as he tries to back up, so Blade grabs him and sets him upright. Little Ed clears his throat, going a bit red in the face.
“Ahem. Blade? What are you doing here?”
“I came to find you!”
“For what purpose?”
Blade holds up the shirt. “I need you to give this lots of hugs for me.”
“Erm…” Little Ed looks around and lowers his voice. “Is this some sort of trick from the Grand Sorcerer? Because if it is—”
“No, no!” Blade says. “Not that. Darling doesn’t even know I’m here.” He whispers to Little Ed.
“Ah, I see. That is…a surprisingly good idea. Unfortunately, I do not have the time. I must keep an eye out for the criminal who is causing trouble for the owners of several stalls in this district.”
“I could help,” Blade offers. “What are they doing?”
“Distracting the vendors, making a mess, and stealing a single item. We’ve made a list of the likely places they might go next.” Little Ed shows it to Blade.
“Okay! I’ll go here and see if I spot them. What do you want me to do if I find them?”
“Keep an eye on them until one of us arrives on the scene.”
Before Little Ed can give any more instructions, Blade is off in the direction of a fruit stall. He thinks about the map Little Ed showed him. All the stalls have fresh bread, eggs, and produce from the same small town, which gives Blade an idea. He hides near the stand and waits.
It doesn’t take long before he sees what Little Ed was talking about. But he doesn’t have a chance to hold them there or stop them before they’re escaping into the crowd with the angry stall owner yelling after them. Blade makes a split second decision and gives chase. He jumps up onto the rooftops behind the stalls, keeping an eye on the thief.
He times his leap back to the street just as the thief slinks around a corner. Without warning, Blade lands right in front of them. The thief turns around to run the other way, but Blade is quicker. He reaches out and grabs the person before they can get away. Even though Blade was supposed to wait for the knights, he thinks it’s faster to go where he left Little Ed and deliver the thief.
When he arrives back at the first stall, the thief is limp in his arms and pale as a ghost from Blade’s shortcut over the rooftops. Blade sets them on their feet in front of Little Ed, and they immediately flop onto the ground.
“I’ll do whatever you say, just don’t make me go for another spin with him!” The thief points at Blade.
Little Ed keeps his composure, but the three knights behind him are obviously trying not to laugh. Two of them step forward and grab the thief, hauling them to their feet.
“Go question this person,” Little Ed tells the other knights. “Find out why they’re targeting stalls from the same town and what their real goal is.” He turns to Blade. “Erm. Ahem. Thank you, Blade.”
“You’re welcome, Little Ed!”
“I, ah, suppose I have some time to help you with your project now.”
They head for one of Little Ed’s favorite bakeries, where they buy two slices of cake that Little Ed says are one of the best Blade will ever try. Blade doesn’t have the heart to remind him that he can’t tell if cake is “good” or “bad,” only what’s in it.
While they enjoy their treats, Little Ed holds onto the shirt, tucking it up close to himself like Blade instructed. From how near they are to each other, Blade catches Little Ed’s scent. It’s like spiced honey and sweetened tea and vanilla beans. Blade explains his whole plan, and Little Ed gives him a warm smile.
“I wish you well,” he says. “This is a kindhearted way to show your friendship. Where are you headed next?”
“I’m visiting O~livine at the Temple.” Blade takes the shirt back.
“Please give my regards to Father Olivine while you are there. And thank you again for your help today.”
“No problem!”
They part ways, and Blade waves cheerfully to Little Ed before going back to the carriage. He’ll visit O~livine first, and then he needs to think of a way to find Lord Jackass.
At the Temple, there are lots of people bringing things inside. Curious, Blade follows them. In the main foyer, several priests are going through boxes and sorting through the contents. O~livine closes a box and looks up, smiling when he sees Blade.
“Ah, hello, Blade!” He steps around the boxes. “I’m so sorry, but I’m in the middle of going through the donations people are bringing. We do this once a month, and it’s a lot of work.”
“I could help!” Blade offers. “I brought some more boxes from Little Aster’s mansion for you.”
“Oh, um…” O~livine looks around at the dozens of boxes. “Well, we are a little shorthanded today, but I don’t want to impose…”
“It’s all right! I’ve already helped Little Chick with an experiment and Little Ed with catching a villain. I don’t mind.”
O~livine laughs. “A villain, eh? Sounds like a story I’d love to hear while we go through these. I’ll show you what goes together.”
Blade quickly sorts the donated items exactly the way O~livine showed him. He doesn’t quite follow the system—it’s not how he would choose to organize them. But he wants to do his best so he can get O~livine’s help on the next part of the project.
At last they’re done, and O~livine looks around. He turns to Blade. “That was quick. It would’ve taken us several more hours to box everything without you.”
“It made me so, so happy to do it,” Blade assures him. “Do you have some time free now?”
“Since we finished in about half the time I expected, I have a little while. Did you need something?”
Blade opens the bag and shows him the shirt. “I need help learning how to sew this.”
O~livine develops a little wrinkle between his eyebrows. “Do you mean fix the holes? I think it might be better to turn this into scrap fabric.”
“No, I want to make something else with it.” Blade shows O~livine the drawing he did before getting the shirt from Darling.
As soon as he understands, O~livine looks so, so happy. “What a kind and thoughtful idea, Blade. Come with me. I have just the right tools for this.”
Together, they go to O~livine’s room. He brings out his sewing basket, a tin of buttons, and some other leftover scraps of fabric, ribbon, and yarn. For the next hour, they work together to cut, measure, and stitch.
Sitting right next to him, Blade inhales O~livine’s scent. It’s a mix of the Temple’s incense, fresh milk, and sunflowers. The extra bits of fabric are infused with the same fragrances.
When they’re finished, Blade looks at the end result. It’s exactly as cute as he hoped! He gives O~livine a big hug and a kiss on the cheek that makes him all blushy. He can’t wait to make sure he’s visited everyone else before delivering the extra-special final project.
“Thank you, O~livine! It’s perfect.”
“You’re welcome, Blade. I hope the recipient likes it.”
Leaving the Temple, Blade finds the carriage again and returns to the mansion. The first person he bumps into happens to be Little Yakumo, looking distressed. His eyes are all shiny, and his lips are quivering.
“Little Yakumo, what’s wrong?” Blade asks.
“Oh. Oh, it’s nothing, Blade. I-I…excuse me…”
He tries to skirt around, but instead, Blade catches him and hugs him tightly. Little Yakumo stiffens at first, and then his muscles relax. Blade feels his heartbeat and breathing slow down. Blade rubs his cheek against him, inhaling his scent. Little Yakumo smells like freshly baked bread and rich coffee and the earth after it rains.
“Why are you sad and worried?” Blade asks.
“Um…well, Mr. Aster asked me to make some desserts for his business meeting, but—but—I got so nervous that I burned the first batch! And now I don’t have time…”
“I can help!” Blade beams at him.
“N-no, that’s—that’s all right…” Little Yakumo is shaking again.
Blade pouts. He knows the others think his food creations are strange, but it’s only because he takes care to make sure the most important, nutritional ingredients are included. If Little Yakumo says they need to follow a special recipe, Blade can easily comply.
“If you show me what to do, I can do it.”
Little Yakumo blinks and wipes his eyes. “O-okay.”
Blade follows him to the kitchen, where everything is lined up already for a second try at the Amazing Business Meeting Dessert. All the ingredients are out, and there are tiny, flower-shaped pans for baking. Little Yakumo closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens them, his whole expression is different.
“First we have to measure and mix,” he says, handing Blade a bowl. “Sugar, butter, and eggs first.”
Little Yakumo does the scooping, and Blade does the stirring. In no time, they have a thick, golden batter. Blade pours some into each pan, taking care to keep them exactly the same. Little Yakumo slides a tray full of the small treats into the oven.
“Can you use your timer?” he asks.
Blade sets his internal timer for the exact number of minutes. In no time, the flower cakes begin to smell good. Blade helps Little Yakumo clean up the kitchen while they wait. Once they’ve wiped down the counters, they sit at the table together.
Pulling out the gift from his bag, Blade sets it in Little Yakumo’s lap. “Can you give this lots of hugs for me?”
Little Yakumo squeezes it. Unlike the others, he guesses right away what it’s for. “He’ll like this,” he says, smiling.
“I hope so!”
“Did Father Olivine help you make it? This stitching looks a lot like other ones he’s done.” Little Yakumo touches the yarn.
“Mm-hm! We had a nice time sewing together.”
Blade’s timer is up, and Little Yakumo removes the cakes from the oven. He gives Blade’s gift lots more hugs while the cakes cool enough to take them out of the pans. Blade tucks the gift back in his bag so they can drizzle honey onto the cakes and add red berries. Little Yakumo places them on a pair of fancy plates.
“Let’s take these to Little Aster together,” Blade suggests. “Then you won’t have to carry both all by yourself.”
Little Yakumo knocks on the door to Little Aster’s study, and the two of them are invited in. Little Aster seems surprised to see Blade as well, but not more surprised than his guest—Lord Jackass. That does make Blade’s job a little easier, since he won’t have to find a way to get to Solaria. He still has to get both Little Aster and Lord Jackass to agree to his request, however.
Lord Jackass, for his part, looks as explosive as ever. He has his arms crossed, and he’s tapping his foot. Ignoring the plates of Little Yakumo’s desserts, he continues glowering at Little Aster.
“Your plan mostly benefits you. Offering me this—” he waves his hand at the cakes “—doesn’t make me more inclined to agree.”
Little Aster giggles, but there’s malice behind it. “I merely thought that we could both use a break.”
“And yet, you produced this specific treat, meaning you thought it would sweeten the deal.”
Blade looks back and forth between them. There isn’t much he can do, since he isn’t involved in the trade between them. But he might be able to at least break the tension. He reaches into his bag and pulls out the gift, handing it to Lord Jackass.
“What is this?” Lord Jackass turns it over in his hands.
Blade explains. “And I need you to give it lots of hugs, please.”
Lord Jackass looks up at him and stares for thirteen seconds before he huffs out a short laugh. Standing behind him, Blade can smell spiced meat and sun oil and mulled wine.
“There may be some lesson here in your generosity,” Lord Jackass says, holding Blade’s gift close and running his fingers over the stitching much as Little Yakumo did. He turns to Little Aster. “Very well. I will try one of these cakes, and we can continue our negotiations.”
Little Aster’s smile softens into something more genuine. “You won’t be disappointed. I promise, we’ll find a solution that works for us both.” He takes the gift from Lord Jackass.
When he hands it back to Blade, his own scent is more noticeable—iron and candy floss and makeup powder. Little Aster has a very cute smell. Blade puts the gift back in the bag, and he and Little Yakumo slip out of the study.
Little Yakumo breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Blade.”
He gives him a hug and a head pat before heading back to his own room. From here, Blade needs to head to the Wood Territory. He sets out on foot to see Quin-Quin. He has a question for him as well as wanting him to be part of the mystery project. It’ll be easy enough to find him, and maybe he can take Blade to Ku-Ku.
Fortunately for Blade, when he arrives at Quin-Quin’s home, he can tell Ku-Ku is already there. He hears both their voices inside and pauses to make sure he’s not interrupting anything. Darling has told him many times how important it is to make sure it’s okay to go into someone’s room or home.
Since he doesn’t hear anything other than some conversation, he knocks on the door. It’s Ku-Ku who answers it, although Blade isn’t sure exactly what his expression means. He doesn’t look angry or surprised, but he doesn’t look pleased, either.
“It’s for you,” Ku-Ku says to Quin-Quin.
Quin-Quin looks up from the net he’s weaving. “Blade? Is everything all right?”
“Yes! I came to ask you a question and show you something.” Blade plunks the bag down on the table and pulls out the completed project.
“Hm,” Quin-Quin says. “What is that?”
“It’s a present,” Blade tells him and then explains.
“That’s kind of you,” Quin-Quin says. “I’m sure it will be appreciated.”
Blade steals a glance at Ku-Ku, who still has his gaze on the item in Blade’s hand. His eyes are softer now, and his small smile looks happy. Blade files this information away, thinking he might someday want to make a gift like this for Ku-Ku.
The moment passes, and Ku-Ku turns his sharp eyes on Blade. “What question?”
“Hm?”
“You said you had a question. What is it?”
“Oh! Well, I was wondering if Quin-Quin knew of a way to make sure the scent in this doesn’t fade.”
Quin-Quin frowns. “I haven’t ever done anything like that. I’m not sure.”
“Oh.” Blade pouts a little, thinking about what he might do instead.
“I might be able to help.” Ku-Ku is suddenly right next to him, and he holds out his hand for Blade to place the gift in it.
Ku-Ku presses his nose to the fabric, and while he does, Blade checks out his scent. He smells like lavender tea and burning flower petals and crisp, clean linens. Placing his fingers on the material, he infuses a little bit of essence, and the scents Blade has gathered become stronger.
“Whoa, that’s super cool!” Blade has to stop himself from hugging Ku-Ku.
“I assume you need us to add ours?” Ku-Ku asks.
“Yes! That’s why I came to visit.”
Ku-Ku exchanges a glance with Quin-Quin, who nods. “Then you’ll need to help us first.”
“Okay!” Blade agrees. “With what?”
Quin-Quin sighs. “There’s a small creature making a nuisance of itself. It’s gnawed a hole in my roof, got inside, and chewed up some of my furnishings. I don’t want to injure it, but I do need to catch it and stop it from continuing.”
“I did offer to help,” Ku-Ku says. Both his face and his voice sound like a warning.
“And I was clear on why I would prefer to do it myself,” Quin-Quin answers, his own face and voice unchanging.
“I have tons of experience building things! Do you need me to fix the roof?”
The others exchange a glance. Quin-Quin says, “That would free me to catch the animal.”
Ku-Ku bares a fang. “I can handle that. You’ve seen my traps, no? I won’t kill it.”
Quin-Quin looks torn for a moment. At last he mutters, “Troublesome. Fine. I will fix the indoors while Blade takes care of the roof.”
Without hesitation, Blade exits the house and leaps up onto the roof. He spots the hole Quin-Quin mentioned and sets about patching it. When he finishes and returns inside, Ku-Ku is dangling a large mouse by its tail. Top-Top is there too, squeaking furiously, alternating between the mouse and Ku-Ku. Quin-Quin, meanwhile, is struggling to keep a straight face. Blade wonders how he’s able to be so mad while also trying not to laugh.
Quin-Quin says, “So your friend here was coming round to get food from you and gradually gnawing up my furniture for the sawdust for his nest. And he was doing all this because—” he turns his glare on Ku-Ku. “You burned his old one.”
Ku-Ku looks utterly unbothered. “You aren’t the only one whose house this pest has been sneaking into, old friend. I hardly destroyed his only nest, but you didn’t ask whether he was being honest about why I did it.”
The room is suddenly silent. Top-Top then begins berating the mouse, who looks appropriately contrite after the tongue-lashing. Top-Top pushes him outside, and they take off for who knows where.
Quin-Quin turns to Blade. “Topper will take care of him for us. Now, let me see your gift.”
Blade hands it to him, inhaling the scent of tree sap and wood smoke and handmade soap. Ku-Ku kindly shows him how to use his own essence to preserve the scents he’s collected. And then Blade is off, back to the mansion. Time to present his gift.
Blade is in the library again, but this time, instead of sitting upside down in his chair, he’s bouncing. He asked Garu-Garu to meet him there, but he didn’t explain why. Fortunately, Garu-Garu didn’t ask too many questions.
Footsteps approach, and Blade listens. Too light for Little Yakumo or Little Morvay, too heavy for Little Aster. Just right for Garu-Garu. Instead of waiting for him, Blade flings open the library door and grabs Garu-Garu, making him squeak.
“Blade!”
He giggles until Blade sets him down at one of the tables. Then Blade pulls out the gift, all wrapped up courtesy of Darling once he understood what was going on. He sets the present on the table and pushes it closer to Garu-Garu.
“But it’s not my birthday or Kleinmas or anything,” Garu-Garu protests.
“I know that.” Blade grins. “Remember when you said you were feeling lonely?”
Garu-Garu blinks. “That was just this morning.”
Was it? Blade’s internal timer must be malfunctioning again, although it was fine when he was baking with Little Yakumo. It’s been a busy and fun day, so it seems Blade didn’t notice.
“Well, now I have something special for you to cheer you up. Open it!”
“Hm. Okay.”
Garu-Garu tugs on the ribbon, and then he carefully unwraps the gift. He gasps when he lifts the lid. Slowly, carefully, he removes the plush wolf from the box.
It’s made from Darling’s old green shirt, but O~livine helped make eyes and a nose and a mouth out of yarn. They made a cute little outfit, too, that looks very much like Garu-Garu’s everyday clothes. It even has a jaunty hat. Everything on it is soft, and Garu-Garu pets it gently with his fingers.
He hugs the little plush close, and then he finally notices the special thing about it. His eyes go super round, and Blade hears his heart beating faster. He buries his nose in the plush, inhaling deeply.
“It—it smells so good! Like everyone all at once. How did you do it?” Garu-Garu’s eyes are shiny with tears.
“I visited everyone so they could give the plushie hugs. So now you have everyone’s hugs, and when you feel super sad like this morning, all you have to do is hold it and it’s like everyone is here.”
Garu-Garu leaps out of his chair and launches himself at Blade, wrapping his arms around him and trapping the plushie in between them. He curls up in Blade’s lap, crying tears that Blade assumes must be happy because he’s still smiling.
“This is the best, best present ever,” Garu-Garu whispers. “I’m going to keep it in my bed forever. Thank you, Blade.”
“You’re welcome, Garu-Garu!” Blade hugs him back.
“Do you want to bring a book to my room and read together?”
“Yes! That sounds like a lot of fun.”
Blade picks Garu-Garu up and gives him a piggyback ride like they sometimes do after a sleepover. Later, after he’s asleep, Blade will slip out and go visit Darling for their alone time. But right now, he’s happy to snuggle up with Garu-Garu and finish the adventure book they started earlier.
Together, they curl up in Garu-Garu’s bed, the book between them and the special plushie tucked up under Garu-Garu’s arm, exactly where it belongs.