Sugar and Spice

The second semester of university was proving to be quite a different experience from the first. It was only the first week back after break, and Mitty already had so many exams to study for she may as well forget about doing anything else.

To make things worse, Alexis wasn’t in any of her classes. Not that they really had those anymore--they were more like student-led study sessions--but it would’ve been nice to see her puzzling over some poem or other, if only to see her small muzzle scrunch up in that adorable way it did whenever she was thinking hard.

Mitty left her last class of the day with tired eyes and a stiff back, but at least she was done. She glanced at the kitchens as she went past, figuring Gui and Ace were busy baking away. She smiled.

The smile faded instantly when she saw who was standing by the campus gates. “Kyra,” she greeted with a raised eyebrow.

“Mitty,” replied the rabbit-girl. “How was class?”

“Fine.” Mitty frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Waiting for you.”

“Why?”

“I felt like walking back with you.”

Mitty bit down the second ‘why’. Kyra apparently lived close by, so they’d been walking back together every so often. Mitty missed the peace of her solo strolls, but she had to admit Kyra wasn’t the worst walking companion.

They left the gates together, Kyra keeping close beside her. “Heard back from Bramble’s yet?”

Mitty ignored the urge to roll her eyes. If she was going to be friends with Kyra, she was going to do it right, even if her instincts fought her every step of the way. “No,” she replied. “But it should be any day now.”

“Don’t worry, even if you don’t get in this time, they’ll definitely take you next semester.” Kyra smiled. “I’ve seen your work. I know you have what it takes.”

Mitty paused. “Thanks…” she murmured, staring at Kyra for a moment before regaining her composure. “Would you ever consider them?”

“Hm, maybe. But I have other plans. The Haldwell Times, and such.”

“So close to home?” Mitty raised her eyebrows. “I expected you to jet off to, like, Havran, or something.”

Kyra chuckled. “And I expected you to be the homebody. Bramble’s main branch is in Tananshia, isn’t it?”

Mitty rubbed her neck. “That’s assuming I ever get that far. For now, I’m just shooting for their office here.”

“Fair enough.” Kyra adjusted her glasses. “Speaking of jetting off, would you be interested in going to the beach?”

“What?” Mitty blinked at the sudden topic change. “Where did that come from?”

“I have a few tickets to The Beachhouse, valid for a month. Was thinking of going with Gui and Ace in a few weeks. Would you and Alexis be interested?”

The ‘no’ almost flew out of Mitty’s mouth. Going to the beach was her idea of a nightmare, but she couldn’t rob Alexis of the opportunity. “Isn’t that the glorified swimming pool place?” she asked. “They use illusion magic to make it look like a beach, right?”

“And feel like one, too!” Kyra added. “Earth users maintain the sand, Water users keep the sea clean… Isn’t it amazing what magic users can do?”

“Mm-hm.” Mitty kept one eyebrow raised. “Why not just go to a real beach?”

Kyra gestured to the melting snow on the sidewalk.

Mitty cleared her throat. “Right.”

“You don’t have to decide now,” said Kyra. “Run it by Alexis and let me know in a couple weeks, okay?”

Mitty sighed inwardly. She should be happy to be invited out by a friend, but why did it have to be a fake beach, of all places? She understood the need for warmth in the dead of winter, but they could get that at a mall just as easily!

Then again, maybe lounging with Alexis wouldn’t be so bad...

“I’ll think about it,” she said. “Thanks for, uh, inviting me.”

Kyra beamed at her. “No problem!”

The rest of their walk passed with idle chatter. By the time Mitty got home, she was more than ready to spend some time alone. Kyra might not be bad company, but there was only so much of her Mitty could take.

She set about making her dinner, letting Alexis' latest pop music recommendation play from her phone. She hummed along, her fluffy tail swaying back and forth as she cooked. It wasn't long before her energy returned and she was practically dancing, tossing chopped vegetables in pans to the beat of the music.

"Lexi does have good taste," she said as she slammed a drawer shut with a sway of her hip.

Thank Vacerus she can't see me.

The loud chime of a notification interrupted the music, and she cursed in surprise. She turned the heat down on the stove and checked her phone.

Her breath caught in her throat.

There it was, in red--an email from Bramble Publications. Mitty opened it instantly, trying to stop her hands from shaking.

Dear Mitty,

Thank you for your interest in Bramble Publications. Due to the high volume of applications...

She skimmed over the rest of the text until she found what she was after.

We regret to inform you that you have not been selected on this occasion.

Her breath left her. She stared at the words.

Not been selected.

She read it again. And again.

Her limbs were weak all of a sudden, and she leaned against the wall. The pop music droned on.

Beat, beat, beat.

She stared at the floor for a minute. Then she stared some more.

The music changed tracks. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let the lively synth wash over her.

Beat… beat… beat.

"Well, that's okay," she told herself. "I knew it'd be tough. I always have the next semester." She straightened her back and put her phone down.

This wasn't a surprise. Bramble's was quite competitive even when applying through the university's internship program; there was absolutely no leeway given outside of it. How could Mitty think she was good enough to jump the system? She was just a decent student with an interest in writing, a dime a dozen among Haldwellers, and no better than anyone else. It was a good thing this happened. She needed this.

She just had to get better.

Mitty turned her attention back to the stove. The vegetables were overcooked.

"Shit…"

***

"Alexis, that's the wrong flour."

"Oh, right! Is it this one?"

"No. Here, let me get it."

Mitty knelt down beside Alexis, taking the bag of flour from the shelf. Their eyes met, and Mitty quickly looked away, but not before she saw Alexis' cheeks colour. She cleared her throat and shot up, slamming the flour into her shopping basket.

Alexis giggled.

"Anyway, um, what else is on the list?" Mitty asked. "Eggs?"

"Mitty, we already got those."

Mitty looked down at the carton of eggs in her basket and frowned. "Right. Yes."

Alexis stood up to meet her. "Are you okay?" she asked. "If this is weird for you--"

"No," Mitty protested instantly. "Uh, I mean, I'm fine and it's not weird."

"You sure?"

Mitty sighed. "Alexis, I really appreciate your, uh, attentiveness, but drawing attention to it just makes it worse."

"Oh. Sorr--I mean, okay."

Mitty snorted. She’d hoped things would be less awkward by now, especially since their next date would be less date-like, but some things were just hard to overcome, it seemed. It wasn’t a surprise that Alexis had managed to talk her into this, and well, maybe it would be fun, provided they didn’t draw attention to it being a date.

She smiled as she remembered their conversation earlier that day. She’d called Alexis, and the girl immediately caught on that Mitty was out of sorts.

“I got rejected by Bramble’s,” Mitty admitted.

“Oh, no. I’m sorry, Mitty.” Alexis had sounded as though the world had fallen.

“It’s fine. I can just try again next semester.”

“Yes, but… No, you’re right. It’s just, well… are you okay?”

Mitty finally allowed herself to sigh, and nothing followed it for long enough that the silence itself seemed to sigh in turn. Then, “I will be, yeah.”

“Hmm.” Alexis frowned audibly. “Do you want to come over?”

“Uh.” Mitty fiddled with her hair. “I, um.”

“No?”

“No, not no!” Mitty winced. “I just--you kinda caught me off-guard.”

A giggle. “Well, if you do, we could maybe bake something together?”

Mitty’s eyes widened. “Really?” She couldn’t stop her smile, but was quick to revert back to her neutral expression even though Alexis couldn’t see it. “I guess, if that’s what you want.”

“I think it’d be a fun way to take your mind off things,” said Alexis, “and I do wanna see the famous baker Mitty in action.”

Mitty rolled her eyes, smiling. “Sure, whatever.”

And so they now stood in the baking aisle of the supermarket, picking up supplies for their date. Alexis had never explicitly called it that, but wasn’t anything they were doing together now considered a date? Was that how couples worked?

Best not to think about it. Mitty swatted the thought away, and they continued their shopping.

As was the nature of grocery shopping, they ended up buying more than they intended, so they both had to carry heavy bags back to Alexis’ apartment. Most of the extras were Mitty’s addition, and thankfully Alexis didn’t say anything about them. She just smiled as always, carrying her weights with only the twitch of her lips indicating she was under any strain.

“I can carry another,” said Mitty, though her arms protested against her words. “Gimme.”

“No, no, it’s fine, I’ve got this!” Alexis raised her arms--”Wuah!”--and almost faceplanted into the ground.

Mitty sighed, taking one of Alexis’ bags and almost dislocating her shoulder in the process. “Vacerus, Lexi, why didn’t you tell me this was so heavy?”

“Wait, no, give it back, I can carry it!”

“No.”

“Mitty!”

Mitty gently swatted Alexis with her tail. “Come on, let’s go before our arms fall off.”

Alexis grumbled in protest, but didn’t try to take the bag back. The two of them plodded like turtles in the street, the world heavy on their shoulders. They didn’t say much, too busy trying not to topple under the weight of their loads, and thanking Vacerus that Alexis did not live far.

“Alexis?” an unfamiliar voice called out.

Oh, really? Now? Mitty turned to see a short chinchilla-girl in a yellow coat staring at Alexis, and her glare fell away instantly. Was this…?

“Honey?” Alexis gasped, and a wide smile crossed her face. “Oh my gosh, Honey! It’s been ages!”

“Gosh, I know, right?” The chinchilla-girl, Honey, clasped her hands together. She had the voice of a bird, but the kind heard at four in the morning on a sleepless night. Mitty clenched her jaw. “Oh, jeez, how’ve ya been?”

“Good! I’ve been good!” Alexis took a step forward. “Been busy at uni, you know. With stuff.” She tried to wave her hand but only succeeded in stumbling, and she giggled far too easily. “How about you?”

“Oh man, it’s been insane in Chrome’s Edge!” Honey spread her arms out, almost hitting a passerby in the process. “I’ve been so busy, I haven’t had time for anything but uni, and let’s not even get into the weird stuff going on in the city.”

We’re really doing this now? My arms are numb over here!

“Busy, huh? Tell me about it!” Alexis grinned. “So what are you doing back in Haldwell?”

“Oh, I was just on my way to Angel’s party.”

Mitty’s eyes narrowed.

“Angel’s party?”

“Yeah! C’mon, you remember Angel, dontcha? It hasn’t been that long since high school!”

“No, no, I remember Angel, of course.” Alexis’ tail flicked.

A bus pulled up and emptied itself of passengers. Mitty watched the steady stream of Vistians file out, with others shortly filling their place, and found herself wondering if they should grab it. She made to move, but as she did, Honey spoke again.

“Well, I gotta run, my train’s due in, like, 5 minutes.” She made a face. “Was nice seeing you, Alexis!”

“Of course! Nice seeing you too!”

Honey waved at her and jogged away, blending into the myriad of Vistians out on the streets. The bus closed its doors and drove away.

Mitty’s frown deepened. “Friend of yours?” She didn’t know why she was asking. It was more of a formality than anything. She knew; of course she knew; yet she’d just let that chinchilla walk away.

Alexis clenched and unclenched her sleeve, eyes still on the girl who’d disappeared.

Mitty bit her lip. “Alexis?”

“Huh?” Alexis blinked, her grey eyes focused on Mitty once more. “Oh, um, yeah, she’s a friend.”

Mitty raised her eyebrow.

Alexis looked back into the distance. “I didn’t know Angel was having a party…”

Mitty held her tongue.

Alexis sighed, then turned fully back to Mitty, smiling. “Well, I’m not surprised I didn’t know, but it is what it is.” She gently brushed Mitty’s tail with her own. “Doesn’t matter now.”

Mitty barely registered that they were in public, flicking her tail back against Lexi's. “Alexis, are you okay?”

“Yeah! I think. I mean, it sucks, sure, but I have you now, and everyone else.”

Mitty didn't want to push it. She didn't know exactly how close Alexis had been with her old friends, but she remembered those dull grey eyes from a month ago. She fought back against her instincts and twirled her tail around Lexi’s, daring herself not to look away. “If you’re sure,” she said.

Alexis looked back at their tails in surprise, her lithe blue entwined with Mitty’s fluffy white like long, soft ribbons. She wiped her face, sighed, and smiled at Mitty. “I’m sure.”

Mitty smiled back. “Good.”

They uncurled their tails and continued on their way, stumbling together through the streets of Haldwell.

***

Alexis’ apartment was clear of containers, papers, and other miscellania that tended to fill it. A cheerful melody played from her laptop--Mitty recognised it as background music from a game--and the curtains were open, letting the last of the winter’s white light in before dusk fell. Alexis’ counters had even been pristine before she spilled the flour.

“Balls!” she gasped, almost dropping the bag of flour then and there. Her pink apron, already stained thanks to her fight with the whisk, now had flecks of white dust on it.

Mitty chuckled. Unlike Alexis’, her blue apron was stain-free. “Don’t worry, we need to roll the dough in that anyway.”

“Oh, really? Then I meant to do that!” Alexis replied with a smug smile.

“Uh-huh.” Mitty smirked and rolled her eyes. “Have you never baked before?”

Alexis looked away. “Uh. Maybe?”

Mitty almost quipped about baking with Alexis’ parents, but thought better of it. So instead she clicked her fingers to get Alexis’ attention back. “Wanna roll the dough?”

“Can I? What if I do it wrong?”

“Then I’ll help.”

“Okay.” Alexis gingerly scooped the dough from the bowl and laid it down on the counter with all the gentleness of a mother putting down her baby. Her hair hovered over her face as she rolled the dough, and she continuously blew at it and shook her head.

Mitty sighed. Silly girl. She quickly washed her hands and took out a scrunchie from her pocket. “Maybe tie your hair up?”

“Huh?” Alexis looked up, and Mitty pointed to her own long, pink ponytail. “Oh, right! I can’t believe I forgot!” She was about to touch her hair, but her formerly pale blue hands were now coated in white, and so they hovered awkwardly above her head. “Oops.”

Mitty snickered. “Here.” She gently took Alexis’ silky cobalt hair in her hands, and ran her fingers through it as she tied it up. The sweet scent of lavender wafted from her hair, and Mitty stopped suddenly. She swallowed, her eyes wide. Alexis’ hair was so soft, so delicate, and oh dear Vacerus she was holding it!

What am I supposed to do now? Oh man, her hair's so much smoother than mine, it’s like she just washed it! I don’t wanna let go but oh man I’m being so weird right now!

Then again, they were dating now. She was allowed to touch Alexis’ hair, and it wasn’t weird. Heck, even before they were dating she was probably allowed, but…

Baking, Mitty, baking!

She refocused on the dough on the counter and hurriedly finished tying Alexis’ hair up, her hands withdrawing at light speed.

“Th-thanks,” Alexis stammered, and her cheeks were pink, her eyes were wide, and Mitty felt like sinking into the floor.

That was weird for her too, wasn’t it? Oh Vacerus, Mitty, you dumbass! You should’ve just let her do it!

Alexis stared at Mitty for a second longer before slapping her hands on the dough with a loud “Right!”, kicking up a cloud of flour in the process.

Mitty sighed, quick to recover her composure now that her attention was back on the dough. “Right. C’mon, let’s get this in the oven already.”

They continued prepping, with Mitty helping Alexis where necessary, and before long they were ready to put the dough in the oven. Alexis opened the oven door and immediately drew back as heat blasted her face, gasping in surprise.

"Lexi, have you never used your own oven before?" Mitty asked.

"I have!" Alexis insisted. "I'm just a little… scared of it."

"Of your oven?"

Alexis gestured to the large oven door with floury hands. "It's so big!"

Mitty couldn't help snickering. "What, afraid it’ll suck you in?”

Alexis pouted, tugging her apron. Then she turned away. “Maybe.”

Mitty bit her lip to keep from laughing harder, then handed Alexis the tray. "Here. I promise I'll pull you out if it tries to eat you."

Alexis gave her a deadpan look. "Thanks." She stooped down, flinching back from the heat, and shoved the tray in the oven with the speed of a cheetah. She carefully closed the oven and dusted her hands. "There!"

"Congrats." Mitty washed her hands and removed her apron. "We'll check on it in about 20 minutes." She set an alarm on her phone.

Once Alexis cleaned herself up, they hovered by the oven, music filling the silence. Mitty rubbed her arm. Alexis swayed on her heels. They looked at each other. Blinked.

What do we do now?

"So!" Alexis said.

"So…" Mitty said.

The music played on.

"You look cool with your hair up," said Alexis.

Mitty rolled her eyes and looked away. "Yeah, well, you look cute."

Alexis giggled, giving Mitty's sleeve a little tug. "Come on, take the compliment! Or, hm." She smiled. "You look cute, too."

Mitty's eyes widened. She glanced at Alexis, saw her beaming face, and looked away instantly. Her insides turned to mush.

"Ah, that did it." Alexis giggled again, behind her hand. She took a step closer. "You like being called cute, don't you?"

Mitty turned her body away from that smiling face, her stomach flipping. "Shut up."

"Well, you are cute. Especially right now."

"W-where is this coming from?" Mitty wouldn't dare look at her.

"I dunno. I just can't help teasing you a bit."

Mitty bit her lip. Had she gone that soft?

She smiled.

"Mitty? I didn't go too far, did I?"

Mitty turned back, unable to drop her smile. "No, you didn't." Still, she had to defend herself somehow. "But look at you, brave enough to prod me." Her eyes narrowed in a smirk. "Yet you almost cried when you couldn't remember my name."

"That was, like, six months ago!" Alexis objected. "And I wasn't going to cry!"

Mitty took a step forward. "You sure? I remember it quite well."

"You do?"

Mitty bent down slightly so her face was level with Lexi's, their noses close. "Of course."

"When we first met…" Alexis murmured breathlessly, unflinching in front of Mitty's gaze.

Mitty paused, wondering what was up with that reaction. Then she realised, and her eyes widened as her heart skipped a beat. She withdrew instantly, straightening up. "Oh, come on, don't get sappy on me."

"Is it not important to you?"

"Of course it is!"

Alexis giggled.

Mitty blushed hard. "What?"

Alexis' tail wagged. "You make it too easy, Mitty."

"You are surprisingly devious."

"And you are unsurprisingly cute."

Mitty tried her best to glare at her, but her lips kept twitching upward.

Alexis laughed behind her hand.

"Stop it." Mitty tried to sound stern, but her heart was melting. How could it not, when Lexi looked so adorable laughing? It made her snicker, too, despite her best efforts to stop it.

Alexis' body continued shaking with mirth, and before long Mitty joined in, the two of them tossing playful back-and-forths as they waited for the timer to ring.

By the time they calmed down, the oven was close to finishing. Mitty felt warm, and it wasn't because of the oven. She rubbed her cheeks to try cooling them down, her head and heart light. She hadn't realised just how good it was to let herself go.

And it was all because of the smiling girl in front of her.

Mitty sighed the vestiges of tension away. She moved closer to Alexis.

Stopped.

Alexis was still smiling, but tears spilled down her cheeks.

The music faded, and Mitty no longer felt the oven’s heat. She stood and watched her friend’s eyes moisten. Watched her smile shake. The smell of baking dough was cloying, suddenly.

It took a moment to find her voice, and when she did, it was quiet. "Lexi? What's wrong?"

"Hm?" Alexis looked up at her. "What do you mean?"

"You're crying."

Alexis drew back, her glistening eyes growing wide. "No, that's, just, it's…" She quickly wiped her eyes, but more tears took their place, and her breath shook.

Mitty’s body begged her to look away. Instead, she asked, "It's what?"

Alexis' shoulders trembled with her breath, barely heard over the music, which came back in full force like a mocking fanfare. She looked so small in front of the oven. Her mouth worked, but no words came out, tears filling her silence.

It wasn't the sobbing of the damned, with pouring noses and heaving breaths, nor was it the misting eyes of the sentimental. It was reserved, trying to move on despite the body saying otherwise, quivering but dignified. And yet she stood there like a cat drenched in the rain, her eyes unfocused as they continued to spill.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, her breathing slow, her mouth slower.

“Don’t be,” Mitty replied, equally quiet. “It’s okay.”

“We were having fun, I shouldn’t be--I shouldn’t…”

“Hm?”

“This was supposed to cheer you up, and I’m--”

“Don’t worry.” Mitty had a hunch what was up, but she held her tongue. Instead, she put her hand on Alexis’ shoulder. She didn’t move closer. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Alexis swallowed, and all at once, her breath quickened in a flurry of sobs as she gave in. She covered her face and cried quietly, leaning against the counter for support. All the while, Mitty’s hand did not leave her.

“I wasn’t told,” she hissed between sobs, her voice muffled by her hands. “Angel never mentioned a party to me. Angel hasn’t even s-spoken to me since high school.” Her tail bristled. “But Honey knew. Honey knew. Who else knew, and I didn’t?”

Ah.

Mitty held back a large sigh, dread creeping through her chest. She didn’t say anything.

“I thought we all just moved on after high school, because… because our chat was quiet. I thought…” Alexis gripped the countertop as though her life depended on it, one hand still on her face. “Did they ever even like me?”

Mitty waited.

“This whole time, I…” Alexis’ body shook in earnest, now, her fur standing on end. “I dreamed about them. About my old life. Constantly. I missed them. I… I mourned the life I used to have.” She clawed at the counter.

Mitty felt a knife twist in her chest. She wanted a lot of things, right then. She wanted to give Angel a piece of her mind. She wanted to punch that stupid Honey chinchilla in the face. She wanted to tell Alexis that it didn’t matter, because her old friends sounded like jerks anyway. But more than anything, she wanted Alexis to smile again.

She reached forward and wrapped the small sobbing girl in a hug, feeling her shake in her arms.

“I’m such an idiot.” Alexis did not hug her back, but leaned into her. “I had a feeling I liked them more than they ever liked me, but it, it’s, I… I was stupid for ever thinking I was one of them.”

“You’re not stupid,” Mitty soothed. “And you’re not stupid for feeling upset about this, either.”

Alexis finally looked up, her eyes red. “But I am. I shouldn’t be breaking down about something like this when we’re hanging out. When this was for you.”

"Lexi, it's okay." Mitty brushed Alexis' hair from her face, fingers tracing her damp cheeks. "Sure I was disappointed I didn't get into Bramble's, but there's always next time. Don't worry about me."

Alexis sniffed.

"You're too sweet. Those friends don't know what they're missing."

"M-Mitty…"

"Besides, you're not alone anymore. You have the newspaper club. You have new friends." Mitty looked away from her girlfriend's earnest eyes. She knew she was just regurgitating Alexis' earlier affirmation, but she had to make her believe it. "You have me."

Alexis said nothing.

"You don't need them anymore. They're not worth it anyway."

Alexis exhaled quietly in amusement. "Mitty, that's kinda mean."

"It's true."

"I don't know. Maybe they just forgot…"

Mitty stared firmly at her. "Lexi."

"But they're nice! They just--"

"Lexi, do you see what you're doing?"

"Yes, but I don't want to think badly of them." Alexis sighed, pressing herself against Mitty. "They don't deserve it."

Mitty sighed, too, but tried to keep it light. She gave the girl a squeeze and released her. "Fine, fine."

Alexis took Mitty's hand. "But thank you for cheering me up. I feel better already."

Mitty raised her eyebrow.

"I do! If you weren't there, I'd feel a lot worse."

"Glad I could help," Mitty mumbled, suddenly keenly aware of Alexis' fingers lacing with her own. She cleared her throat.

Alexis giggled softly, rubbing her thumb against Mitty’s. “You really are adorable, Mitty.”

Mitty’s ears flattened against her head as she looked down, and she would have pulled away if not for Alexis’ fingers locked with her own. Alexis tugged her hand gently, drawing her gaze up to that small smile and those big, shining grey eyes.

She could endure a bit of teasing if it meant this.

Alexis gave her hand one last squeeze before letting go. Her tail wagged slowly as she rubbed her eyes, then let out a rather undignified, snotty sniff. “Oh, jeez, I need a tissue.”

Mitty chuckled as Alexis searched for her tissue box. The music sounded light again, and the oven warmed her once more. She smiled, knowing what would cheer Alexis up. “By the way, Kyra invited us to The Beachhouse.”

“What?” Alexis leapt up and slammed her head against a cabinet. “Shit!”

Mitty snorted before she could stop herself. “You okay?”

Alexis rubbed her head with one hand while holding a tissue to her snout with the other. “Ow ow ow…”

Mitty rooted through Alexis’ fridge to find something cold. She took out a bag of peas and placed it gently on Lexi’s head. “Sorry. Didn’t see a cold pack.”

“Thanks.” Alexis blew her nose, wincing. “So did Kyra really invite us?”

“Why would I lie.” Mitty raised her eyebrow.

“Sorry. I’m just so surprised.”

“Me too, to be honest. But the offer’s there if you want it.”

Alexis nodded vigorously, jostling the bag of peas, then groaned. “Ow.”

“I figured you’d want to go.” Mitty hid her misgivings with a smile. “Then I guess we’ve got something to look forward to.”

Alexis beamed, her tail wagging in full force. “I guess we do.”