Upon arriving near his shop's alleyway, familiar voices drifted through the air.
"Are you sure this was where he took you?"
"Yes, big sister." Kip's voice carried wounded pride.
Alissa pinched her nose softly.
"Kip, i never said you are lying..but you might be mistaken. I was just making sure."
A soft sigh followed escaping her mouth.
"Come on, let's go. He probably brought you here because it's an abandoned alleyway where no one would overhear your conversation."
Kip's ears drooped audibly in the silence that followed.
Disappointment radiated from the small cat-boy as his sister dismissed their search.
Noah quickened his pace, rounding the corner just as two figures began to exit the alleyway.
He barreled straight into the taller figure—a young cat-girl walking distracted. The impact sent both tumbling backward, landing on cobblestones.
Kip, trailing behind his sister, immediately bristled with protective jealousy as he saw her fall from the impact.
His yellow eyes locked onto the fallen stranger.
Sir Noah? When did I get promoted to nobility?
As her brother muttered the name, understanding flooded her amber eyes.
"Alissa," she introduced herself, her voice soft clearly nervous.
Noah found himself staring.
Where Kip possessed sharp, mischievous features, his sister carried an elegant beauty that transcended species. Black fur covered her arms and face, while silver ears, the same shade as moonlight, twitched every now and then.
But what drew Noah's attention most was her tail.
It's wagging so much!
It was a back-and-forth motion that betrayed her excitement despite her appearing composed.
The sight pulled an involuntary smile from Noah's lips as she spoke.
"We've been looking for you, Sir Noah."
"We needed to thank you properly for your kindness."
Kip bounced on his toes, his ears perked with energy.
"I told you it was here! I wasn't wrong!"
Alissa's gaze never left Noah's face, searching for something.
The wagging tail continued its gentle rhythm. Noah wondered if she realized she was doing it.
She came looking for me. Just to thank me? Despite being sick?
"You didn't need to find me," Noah said, standing and offering Alissa a hand up. "I told Kip he was free. That includes both of you."
She accepted his help, rising with fluid grace. "Freedom was your first gift. Proper thanks is our responsibility."
First gift? What's the second?
Her tail wagged faster now, betraying excitement that her composed expression couldn't quite hide.
Noah's smile widened.
Something told him this conversation was just beginning.
Noah guided the cat siblings into his humble shop, immediately aware of how bare the space looked through their eyes.
One rickety stool, empty shelves except his precious inventory.
"Sorry about the accommodations. There's no proper seating to offer you."
Alissa's hands fluttered frantically in the air, her silver ears twitching with embarrassment.
"It's okay, it's okay! We can stand perfectly fine."
She's being polite, but those trembling legs tell a different story.
Noah retrieved his lone stool, positioning it near the counter.
"If you get tired, please sit. No need to stand on ceremony."
Alissa's expression turnes into gratitude as she nodded.
Her tail gave a subtle wag of appreciation.
She's still recovering. Probably trying to look strong for her brother.
Noah's gaze sharpened as he studied her posture.
"How are you feeling? The illness from before?"
"Everything's fine now."
Her response came too quickly, too bright.
His eyes narrowed slightly, catching the way she avoided direct eye contact. Her tail betrayed her again, wagging with nervous energy that contradicted her confident words.
Noah shifted his attention to Kip, who watched his sister with obvious concern.
"How is she doing? Did she eat the bread I gave you?"
Kip's ears drooped. "She only ate a quarter."
A quarter? Of healing bread?
"We barely have food," the young cat-boy continued, his voice small.
"So we're using the healing bread as regular food too, so we don't starve. She even forced me to eat some of her portion."
Of course she did. Sacrificing her own healing to feed her younger brother.
Noah looked back at Alissa, who had suddenly found the shop's floorboards fascinating. Her tail had stopped wagging entirely.
Pride and love. A dangerous combination when you're starving.
He sighed, moving toward the shelf.
His fingers closed around a fresh golden loaf.
"Here." He pressed the bread into Alissa's surprised hands. "Eat this. All of it."
"I can't—" she started to protest.
"You can and you will."
Noah's tone suggested no argument.
"Consider it payment for finding my shop and bringing me such a heartwarming reunion."
Kip's eyes brightened.
Alissa stared at the warm loaf, her composure finally cracking. "Sir Noah..."
She shook her head, pushing his hand away with trembling fingers.
"I can't. I'm sorry. You've done so much for us already, spent so much."
Tears spilled over, tracing down her dark fur. She turned her face away, her shoulders hunching with shame and weakness.
'Too much. His kindness is too much.' She thought.
Noah's gaze turned to Kip. The young cat-boy's eyes had gone wide with panic, the kind of desperate confusion that comes from seeing your pillar of strength crumble.
He rarely sees his sister cry.
Kip looked between them, helpless. His ears flattened against his skull as he searched Noah's face with desperate hope.
'Maybe sir Noah can pull another miracle. I'm really bad in those times, I don't know what to say or do.'
Noah stepped closer to the trembling cat-girl. His hand settled gently on her head, his fingers threading through the soft fur between her ears.
She tensed at first—every instinct screaming against accepting comfort. But something in his touch was comforting.
Slowly, her rigid posture melted.
"It's okay," Noah murmured, continuing the gentle stroking motion. "It's just bread."
"It's not, though." Her voice cracked with her suppressed emotion.
"This bread must be expensive. I can't take it without doing anything in return."
She needs to do something in return. Very dignified.
Noah studied her tear-stained face, then glanced at Kip's anxious expression. An idea began forming—one that could solve multiple problems at once.
"Alissa." He kept his voice soft, fingers still moving through her fur. "What are you good at?"
The question seemed to calm her. Her breathing steadied under his gentle touch.
"What do you mean?" She tilted her head, her amber eyes meeting his for the first time since breaking down.
"People have different talents." Noah's hand maintained its soothing rhythm. "A baker bakes bread, a carpenter works wood. What are your skills?"
Understanding dawned in her expression—hope replacing despair.
"I'm good at cleaning, cooking, household management." Her voice grew stronger with each word. "Things like that."
She glanced at her brother. "Kip's excellent at cleaning too, though he hasn't learned cooking yet."