"Yeah. I was kinda scared I'd lost him. Even went to libraries and things to look up whether that happened, daemons just leaving their humans."

"I don't think it does but sometimes they're gone for months, I've heard a couple years on the high end."

"Yeah I read the same thing. It was kind of equal parts relieving and scary."

Nod. "I imagine people with fish or seals or whatever are justifiably worried that their daemon will swim off and get lost. Not a lot of landmarks in the water."

"Yeah. I'm happy with my falcon. Even if he was so unreasonably upset with me about something he agreed to."

Luca, being a falcon, cannot roll his eyes. He manages to convey this sentiment anyway.

Path hoots softly.

"Come on I'm just ruffling your feathers it's been years."

He makes a huffing noise but nibbles on Sadde's hair affectionately.

They arrive at Denny's. Isabella displays her clan tattoo and the hostess looks it up in a booklet and gets them a booth and menus.

Sadde continues to have very few opinions about food and will pick some whatever.

Isabella gets an original grand slam and an iced tea.

"Bon app."

"Bon app? You hope my next phone download works out?"

"It's short for bon appetit! The French say it."

"I was aware but think it sounds dumb abbreviated."

"I'll refrain from saying the shortened version in the future then."

"If you prefer to exclusively talk in ways that don't sound dumb to me be my guest."

"Seems courteous."

"We're being courteous? I should quit making fun of silly abbreviations then."

He grins. "Seems less annoying, then. No reason to use specific silly abbreviations that you specifically find dumb."

"If you like." She sips her tea. "I am so hungry, probably we should have broken for lunch sooner."

"Probably. We got a bit too engrossed. Did you ask anything interesting?"

"Nah, I was just practicing, I don't want to overinterpret results later."

"Makes sense. One of the questions I want to ask once I'm proficient with it is how to make more."