Kael's brow furrowed.
"What about my father?"
Yue waved a hand lazily.
"I've been keeping an eye on him."
Kael turned to her, squinting.
"And not your unconscious master?"
Yue didn't blink.
"Actually… that responsibility was already taken."
Kael gave her a long, slow look.
Then paused.
Waited.
From beneath his hair, something moved.
A thin, shadowy tendril slipped out from the cuff of his ear—inky black, with a faint shimmer of violet in the torchlight.
It uncoiled, slithered down, and perched on his shoulder.
Kael stared at it.
Venom—tilted its blob-like head.
Or the closest thing it had to one.
It… wobbled.
Almost expectantly.
Kael blinked.
"Are you… asking for a head pat?"
He didn't know. He'd never had a pet.
Or anything remotely pet-adjacent.