---
Mia's laugh startled her; it softened the day's angle. She talked about kai's worker ant stories. "He sleeps like a thief," she said. "Fast, guilty, and only when he thinks no one is watching. He doesn't steal enough food to blame him for it. But if there is dried fruit within reach, he thinks no one can count."
Akayoroi's eyes warmed. "Then I will count them for him and leave exactly one more than he expects. A king should suspect generosity."
Thea made a noise that wanted to be a scoff and ended up being a fond huff. "If you all turn him into a legend, I'm going to write a very plain account of him snoring," she warned.
"He does not snore," Mia said, shamefully quick, then groaned softly at herself.
Luna's eyebrows climbed, pleased and wicked in a friendly way. "Noted."
