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‘What, run you all over town in the snow?’ It’s my turn to act humble It was really cool I am well aware

‘Yeah, like that’s all it was I don’t even kno you did some of that stuff’ There’s a brief pause before he adds, ‘But don’t tell ic,’ I say siic: You can tell thebelieved

Except, apparently, in the case of Mik ‘I believe it,’ he says ‘This is pretty hts are like’

Pause Consider Unpause ‘You ientle inflection of of course ‘Every hen I’ and typical after the show It’s how I punish ining you doing, like, secret errands over the rooftops, or vanishing through trapdoors that leave no seam when they close, just traces of silver dust’

It’s like he’s describing Karou Secret errands and vanishing and trapdoors? And it hits me that Mik thinks I’m mysterious

It is, hands down, the best coiven I could tell hihts are really like – that they’re spent lolling at Poison Kitchen with Karou over sketchbooks and tea, -s, bashful ‘I don’t know Or‘Peacock footprints,’ I repeat

‘This poem I read,’ he says ‘It had this line about "anyone who’s woken up to find the wet footprints of a peacock across their kitchen floor," and ever since, I’ve kind of wanted to Uoing with it Peacock footprints That could be arranged, I think, because I bet a scuppy could handle that, but then this sense of inti up The idea of…being there for that, and vice versa It’s like a glimpse of the future – a possible future, so far beyondof being a kid in a roorown-ups are up there in their oorld, a bunch of distant heads talking about things you can’t begin to understand

Waking up with so with therown-up heads Me, I’etting thwacked in the face when the dog wags its tail

Metaphorically speaking

It’s not a revelation, or any kind of decision to limmer of decisions to come, soon or not soon In adolescent fantasyland, the kiss is the happy ending On the planet of grown-ups, I a

I look at Mik intently, wondering where he falls in the spectrurown-up expectations

(And PS, if you use the word grown-up, you probably aren’t one)

‘You’re like that,’ he’s saying ‘Like peacock footprints Unexpected And this night was like that Auy who just wakes up and finds the footprints’

‘Wait What? I thought you did want to find the footprints’

‘I do, but not just I wanted to do soesture that encoiven the recent detour of esture opens up to include the dock, the violin lying there, the strea past ‘Not that it’s much It was the best I could do on the spur of theit completely ‘It’s totally peacock footprints I didn’t expect it at all’ I don’t mention the brief despair breakdown it caused back in the Lyceuument with myself over whether or not he was a jerk

‘Good’ With a little worry frown, he says, ‘I hope it didn’t hijack your plans’

I shake reat’ What wereto play it by ear after the courtyard, with the thought of going soin to melt Where is the ice orb, anyway? He hasn’t already e? My heartbeat skitters at the thought ‘Do you, uht, and I realize belatedly that he’s been leaning down to bring his face nearer to mine Now he offers entleman ‘This way, please, h his, and he escorts me to the end of the dock, past his violin case, and reveals…more peacock footprints

Not literally

There’s a rowboat tied up at the end of the dock, swaying gently below us in the dark water In the htful and unexpected tableau, it’s set up for tea I recognize the tea tray at once as belonging to Poison A silver teapot, ‘arsenic’ dish and ‘strychnine’ pitcher, thite china cups on saucers, and there’s the ice orb glinting like crystal, and also…a bakery box Bakery box OhAnd tea…and a bakery box…in a rowboat…I look up at Mik, in awe ‘How did you--?’

‘The twenty minutes,’ he says ‘I walked really fast But even so, I couldn’t have done it if that crazy guy with the eye patch wasn’t such a fan of you I got the definite feeling that he wouldn’t have let the silver out the door for anyone but you’

‘Well, there is one other person My best friend We go there a lot Iave me this ten-second silent stare, and I’m pretty sure that if my intentions weren’t honorable, my face would have melted’

Hmm I hope his intentions aren’t too honorable Wait Or do I? I hope his intentions are , and that’s all For now ‘I’lad your face didn’t

‘Me, too Would you like some tea?’

‘More than words can say’

There’s a little ladder at the end of the pier and I cli not to set it rocking and spill the tea I’ht, anyway, so it doesn’t move too much until Mik climbs down after me

‘So the tea’s froht around the corner ‘What about the boat?’