Cutie was already up, sitting by the fire, preparing breakfast. He looked up when she approached and smiled.
"Morning," he said softly.
"Morning." Kaya sat beside him, accepting the cup of warm juice he offered.
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, watching the sun rise over the mountains.
"The gifts are still there," Cutie observed, glancing at the pile.
"Yeah. I'll deal with them later."
"Veer handled it well," Cutie said with a slight smile. "Only broke two noses and one arm."
Kaya laughed, the sound light and genuine in the cool morning air. "Well, at least he just broke their arms and all."
She turned to Cutie, who was tending the fire, and tilted her head curiously. "What did 'you' do?"
Cutie paused, ladle hovering over the pot, his blue eyes meeting hers with feigned innocence. "What would I do?"
