The steam from Ryunosuke's tea had thinned, but the warmth between him and Marisol lingered—steady, familiar.
She tapped her finger against her mug, her expression growing a little more serious. Not heavy—just… thoughtful.
"There's something else I wanted to talk to you about," she said. "Before I go."
Ryunosuke looked up. "Go?"
Marisol nodded. "I'm heading back to Mexico for a couple of months. Something came up with the property down there. And honestly… I just need to be home for a while."
He leaned back slightly, surprised. "Is everything okay?"
She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "It will be. Just finances, mostly. I'll spare you the boring adult details. But I already talked to your mom about it."
He raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"She said yes."
"To what?"
Marisol took a sip of tea before answering. "Emily's going to stay with you two while I'm gone."
Ryunosuke blinked. "Wait—like, live with us?"
"For a little while. She'll be in your room—on the floor, probably, unless you two can negotiate better terms," she teased. "It's only temporary. Amelia said it was fine. More than fine, actually."
"She did?" he asked, half in disbelief.
"She thinks it'll be good for both of you. Emily could use a little structure. And you…" Marisol paused, watching him with that quiet, knowing look. "You could use someone who asks too many questions and never stops talking. You know. A friend."
Ryunosuke groaned. "She definitely never stops talking."
Marisol grinned. "She gets that from me."
He couldn't help but smile. "I already have two friends who drive me crazy. She'll push me over the edge."
"Probably. But maybe that's not such a bad thing."
They let the silence return for a moment. Outside, a gust of wind swept fallen leaves across the sidewalk, plastering them against the café window in a brief, wet mosaic.
"She okay with all this?" Ryunosuke asked softly.
"Emily? Yeah. She's nervous, but she likes you. Always has." Marisol's voice softened. "Even if you treat her like a little sister who broke your favorite toy."
"She did break my favorite toy."
"You were eleven," she said, laughing. "Get over it."
Ryunosuke looked down at his sketchbook. Lilith's eyes stared back at him.
This time, he closed the book gently. Slowly.
Marisol noticed, but said nothing.
"She'll arrive tomorrow afternoon," she said, finishing her tea. "Try not to scare her off with your brooding artist energy."
"I'm not brooding," he muttered.
"Tell your face that."