Two days had gone by in a blur for Pen, recuperating mostly, with a little bit of help from a friend. Her little monsters are loose, pitter-pattering around to keep an eye on things and act as a last line of defense in case something happens. And one of them in particular is a bit more curious.

The Alraune hops up onto the bed next to the sleeping lump that is Freya, scaling her like a hill and walking along her torso on light feet to look her in the eye. It remembers her pretty well, and has always been fond of her. It's a little sad seeing her like this, it thinks, so it bends down to rub her cheek with one sackcloth hand...