"He's not being a perve. There is a perfectly mundane reason for this and don't call him crazy!" Lana responded.
Kattie looked at the girls and chimed in from nearby, "remember Mrs. Green said she would make it so you didn't have to hide him? She told General Mike that you have a baby beast and she also told Mona Bree which I needed to talk to you about."
"It's more about keeping him warm, honestly. What's this about mona Bree?"
Kattie smiled, "She wants to meet you and Caser this evening."
Lana looked stunned.
Layla looked shocked, "you have a beast in there?"
She nodded, "For clarification, Vorden saw me tuck a beast kitten in my shirt on that last portal planet we were on. He wanted to get a better look at it, so he approached me and even helped name it. He promised to keep it secret only if he could help me care for it. I didn't want anyone to know about little Caser. I have been hiding him in my shirt when in public. So, he can pet Caser, and I can get my studies done, he's been sitting, leaning against the wall and I have been leaning on him so he can pet the kitten inside my shirt. Yeah, it sounds weird, but it kept the secret and kept Caser warm." She sighed.
Layla asked, "Can I hold him?"
Before she could respond, Kattie and Vorden both said no at the same time with a concerned look on their faces. However, Vorden, not thinking about the reason, reached in her shirt to pull little Caser out.
Suddenly Lana screamed, "Vorden!"
He paused then looked at her, then at her chest area and noticed blood. "SHIT!" and he took his hand off the tiny beastie. The others could hear him saying "sorry" over and over again under his breath and Lana knew what was going on in his head as he reached for her pot in her bag. She took the pot then leaned in so only he could hear. "Sil, I'm okay. I'll be healed up in a jiffy. He didn't mean it. Come visit me later."
Vorden gave her a "thank you" smile.
"Layla, the reason you cannot hold him is for the past week, he has gotten more and more attached and doesn't want anyone but me to hold him. He freaks out unless at least one of his paws is touching me as demonstrated just now by Vorden and the amount of blood on my shirt. Give me a second to heal myself then I'll coax him out and you can pet him before I feed him."
Layla nodded, fully interested now at what kind of beast can fit in that type of spot.
Lana healed herself then peeked down her shirt, "Do you want to come out and make some friends?" Caser didn't seem sure so she spoke softer, "Vorden didn't mean to scare you. He's proud of you and wanted you to meet some of his friends. Do you want to come out? You can still stay with me, it's okay. I have you."
Layla watched as tentacles wrapped around Lana's throat and a beast suddenly was sitting on her shoulder about the size of a kitten, just 2 weeks old. Layla was enraptured as Lana told her to approach slowly. Lana looked at Caser, "Caser, this is Layla. She is in Vorden's class. She is a nice person and just wants to say hi and give you a pet, okay?"
He started purring very softly which got stronger once Layla decided to get over the nerves and touch him. "He's so soft!"
Lana grinned, "Just please don't try to take him off my shoulder..." She casted a glare Vorden's way.
Vorden half-smiled, "Are you okay?"
She sighed and nodded, "yeah. I'll live."
Lana turned to Caser, "do you want to sit on my bag from now on, until you get bigger and can walk beside me?" Caser leapt to her bag. He put his front paws on her shoulder, leaving his tentacles around her neck and purred. She chuckled, "Right." The group could then see a green vine come up from the ground then cover her from bottom to top.
"Layla, after the day you've had, I was wondering if you'd like to join Kattie and myself at the spa in the morning? It's my treat."
Layla agreed.
Logan asks, "Lana, do you and your friends want to join us at a cafe?"
Lana shook her head, "Maybe later. Right now, I'd like to meet with my friends in my room," as she made eye contact with each one of them, "and discuss what we can do for Dobin to celebrate his victory." She turned back to Logan, "This is a monumental day for him. I know he needs to fight again tomorrow and maybe he will win, maybe not. But he finally got to show that he is not so weak as he was. I'm so very proud of him and I want him to know that."
Logan nodded then looked to his friends, "Go ahead and I'll catch up in just a few minutes." Lana said the same thing to friends seeing that Logan wanted to talk to her in private.
"Lana, I have been thinking about your sandwiches and your kitchen," Logan said. "Most things I invent come straight from my own head. That kitchen came through inspiration from you. I only produced it because of how well it was working for you. A lot of travelers are now buying them and using them when they are planning to be away from shelter overnight. Since I have you to thank for this invention, you will now be getting monthly payments of 3% of the profits from them." He then added money to her watch. Lana's jaw dropped. She never expected anything like this. "Also, your sandwiches. I notice when I eat them, I feel a surge of energy and I'd really like to learn more about your ability. Could you show me more when we return to school?"
Lana nodded still in a daze, "yes but it will have to be at the Agricultural Club so you can see a bigger extent of what I can do. I have a theory on the energy because we have noticed it as well. I imbue everything I grow with my own energy which I believe is why everything is so big and has a better nutrient profile. I also have another thing I'd like to check out if you are willing to give me feedback?"
Logan nodded, "anything for science."
Lana smiled, "I didn't know if I'd have a place to grow food here, as I already explained. I'd like to make you two sandwiches a day and have you describe if the energy level is changed in any way. I have a theory but I want to keep it to myself for right now. The toppings are grown fresh each day but the bread was made the night before we came here." Logan nodded and they parted ways to meet their friends.