Valerie Grimmhart stood in the Seattle Airport baggage claim, watching the arrivals escalator. She checked her watch for the fifth time.

Any minute, now. Surely.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, a distant flash of turquoise caught her eye. Valerie looked up and saw her younger sister, Eris Grimmhart, bright blue hair and all, descending the escalator.

She looked… very pretty. When Valerie had last seen her (had it really been four whole years?), she’d barely been an adult. She had worn the proper clothing that their parents had always required. Now, she wore a short black skirt, thigh-high socks, and a white loose-fitting top. Her turquoise handbag provided a splash of color that matched her hair, her cat-ears, and the tail that hung out and back from beneath her skirt. She was very eye-catching. Valerie might have done a double-take if she weren’t… well. Her sister.

Instead Valerie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She hesitantly raised her hand and called out, “Eris!”. She waved.

Eris looked towards her, her eyebrows raising, and smiled as she locked eyes with Valerie. “Valie!”, she yelled. Valerie grinned back.

Eris started to run towards her sister, suitcase clattering behind her as she towed it along. As she reached Valerie, Eris threw her arms around her. Valerie stood there for a second, hesitating, before wrapping her own arms around Eris and hugging her tight. She rubbed Eris’s back as Eris set her chin up onto Valerie’s shoulder, her hair pressed against Valerie’s cheek.

From Eris’s hair, Valerie caught the scent of her sister’s shampoo. The same one she’d always used. Valerie breathed in deeply. She felt her anxiety disappearing as the smell transported her back to their childhood. To before Eris had left. She basked in that moment, letting the peace and love she felt wash through her. Some passers-by glanced at them curiously, but she ignored them.

Eventually, the younger Grimmhart pulled her head away and looked up at Valerie. She frowned slightly and said, “I missed you, you know.” Valerie felt her sense of peace waver. She sighed and looked diagonally down at the ground.

“I’m… sorry,” Valerie managed to reply. “I just… I should have messaged you more. Should have even come to visit you in Berlin.”

Eris nodded slowly and then smiled a small smile. “Yeah. That would have been nice.”

“I… Yeah,” Valerie sighed. “I’m sorry. I was just so busy, and then at some point I got guilty over the fact I hadn’t messaged you, and then it was hard to think about facing you and I—”

“Shhhh, Valie.” Eris interrupted Valerie with a finger held up to her mouth. “I forgive you. And…” She smiled a mischievous grin. “I’m gonna make you make up for it now that we’re living together.”

Valerie raised her eyebrows. “Oh?”

“Yep! You’re gonna be the perfect older sister. I’m gonna make you take me out for ice cream at least once a week.” Eris’s grin changed to a smug one.

Valerie started to smile. “Oh is that right?”

“Yep! And you’re paying!”

Valerie rolled her eyes and grinned, then laughed softly. She pulled Eris into another hug, then kissed her on the forehead. “I’m just glad you’re back.”

“… So you are gonna pay, right?” Eris continued to grin as she poked her sister gently in the side.

“Ow. Yeah yeah yeah. Fine.” Valerie laughed as she beamed down at her younger sister. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed this.

“Good.” Eris looked smug for another second before she nodded sideways towards the bag carrousel. “We should get my bag.”

They stood silently in front of the carrousel, waiting to spot Eris’s bag. Eris spoke up. “It did suck, you know. I mean it’s not your fault. But. The way our parents just… sent me away.”

Valerie frowned, then sighed. “Yeah. Yeah it was really shitty of them. Pissed me off. Still does, honestly.” She wanted to say more. About how unfair it was. But she held back. It was nothing Eris didn’t already know.

Eris continued, arms crossed, “I just… I try so freaking hard to prove myself to them, but they just refuse to see past the fact that I’m catkin.” Her cat-ears flicked in annoyance.

Valerie placed an arm around her sister, her hand holding Eris’s shoulder. She nodded softly. It had nothing to do with Eris’s lineage. She was as much their parents’ daughter as Valerie was. Instead, she had the simple misfortune of being born on the night of a total lunar eclipse. Some claimed that the moon goddesses “smiled” on the catkin such nights. But Valerie thought it might be more a curse than a blessing. Catkin were looked down upon by much of society. And while their parents should have been smarter than that, they thought having a catkin daughter reflected poorly on their image. They hadn’t disowned Eris, but they had distanced themselves from her, using their substantial wealth to “strongly incentivize” Eris going abroad for university. It was, in Valerie’s opinion, fucking stupid. The grip she had placed on Eris’s shoulder tightened.

Valerie forced herself not to dwell on it. Instead, she said, “You’ve always been a very competent mage, Eris. Maybe they’ll take their heads out of their asses and see that, someday.”

Eris sighed. “Yeah.”

“And,” Valerie added, “at least they’re giving you a chance now.”

Eris scoffed bitterly in response. “Really?”

“I—… Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. They never should have sent you away in the first place. And they should trust you a lot more than they do. I just meant… Maybe they’re setting us up to work together because they’re changing. Or getting better, at least?”

The work Valerie was referring to was family business. The sisters had been tasked with performing Ley Line maintenance in the Seattle area. Access to the Mana those Ley Lines generated was a large contributor to the Grimmhart fortune.

Eris looked vaguely hopeful. “Maybe…” Then she frowned. “Or maybe they’re having you babysit me so I don’t fuck anything up.”

Valerie laughed. “I’m definitely not babysitting you. I haven’t done that since you were like ten. And I refuse to be an accomplice to their nonsense. Besides.” Valerie looked at her sister and grinned. “You’re way cooler than they are.”

Eris chuckled. “Woah there, Val. Keep being super nice to me and I might get suspicious.”

“Oh, sorry, you’re right. Gotta meet my weekly calling-you-a-dork quota,” Valerie said through a laugh.

Eris grinned back at her. “Damn right! And you’ve got four whole years to catch up on, so you better get started.”

“Fiiiine. Dork.” Valerie squeezed her sister’s shoulder. “But seriously. I’m glad you’re back. And I’m excited to spend time with you again.” She kissed Eris’s head tenderly, right behind her cat-ear.

Eris leaned her head softly against Valerie’s shoulder. “Yeah. Me too, sis.”

They stood there for a few minutes, Eris still resting against her big sister’s shoulder. Valerie felt relieved. She’d really been worried that she had fucked up their relationship by barely contacting Eris while she’d been away. But Eris had forgiven her, and just as important, their relationship seemed… Pretty much the same as it had always been. More or less. Time would tell. But for this moment, Valerie decided to just enjoy her sister’s company.

Eventually Eris spotted her bag. Valerie was certain she’d seen it go around once or twice already. Maybe more? Her sister was probably tired from the trip.

Baggage in tow, they made their way to Valerie’s car and headed towards home.

Or so Valerie had expected. But Eris had insisted that Valerie start paying off her ice cream debt that day. She’d even hit Valerie with those pleading puppydog eyes (or whatever the catgirl equivalent was). And how could Valerie possibly say no to that? How could any older sister say no to that? Impossible.

But she could still negotiate a little bit.

“Would froyo be an acceptable alternative?” Valerie asked, one eyebrow raised. She glanced at Eris.

Eris appeared to consider. “Hmmmmmmmm. I dunnooooo. That’s not what you promised.” She put a hint of skepticism into her voice.

“I know a really good place, though,” Valerie said, doing her best to pay attention to the road. She knew Eris was just having fun anyway. This was just their banter. “Honestly, it might even be better than ice cream. This is kinda a good deal for you.”

“Hehehe. Alright fine. But I get to pick the place next time,” Eris said.

Valerie smiled. “I guess that’s fair.”

“Damn right it is,” came Eris’s response. “But to be clear, you’re paying either way.”

Valerie giggled, coming to a stop at a red light. “Of course,” she said. Valerie really didn’t mind. Her parents had always provided far more than enough for living expenses. For her, at least. She was pretty sure they hadn’t been as kind to Eris. Though that didn’t stop them from using money as a carrot to manipulate her. Like when they had made her go to Europe. Was there something similar going on right now? Maybe. Probably, even. Did that mean Eris didn’t actually want to be here?

Valerie sighed, shook her head, and silently chided herself. She should be enjoying her time with her sister, not dwelling on their parents’ bullshit.

Eris frowned at her, and got serious. “Val… You okay? You’ve got that look.” Damn. Valerie’s sister knew her too well.

Valerie sighed again. “I just… I was thinking. Do you actually want to be here? Living and working with me? Or is this just because our parents forced you to again?”

Eris tilted her head thoughtfully. “I mean… Okay look. Our parents clearly did want me here. They did their them thing. But… Even if they hadn’t, even if I’d had a totally free choice in this, I think I would have wanted to come here. Like…” She took a breath. “I really did miss you. You’re my sister, and also, like, my best friend. I mean it’s been a while but still. I love you, ya know.”

Valerie glanced at her sister in surprise. She hadn’t quite expected that kind of sincerity. It meant a lot. After a pause, she said, “I love you too. And… thank you.”

“Hmm? For what?” Eris asked.

“For reassuring me.”

Eris smiled. “Of course, Valie.” Valerie chuckled softly in response, prompting Eris to ask, “What’s up?”

“Oh nothing,” Valerie replied. “I guess we’re just both being suspiciously nice today.”

“Hah! Don’t get used to it, nerd,” Eris clapped back.

Smiling, giggling, and bantering, the two continued their drive to the frozen yogurt place.

Parking opportunities were sparse, as they tended to be near downtown Seattle. Eventually Valerie managed to find a metered spot a short walk from their destination.

As Valerie finished paying, she noticed she had been feeling something. It was almost like a warm tingling hum, deep within her. Not a physical one, though. It was… well, “magical” was really the only word Valerie knew to describe it. She knew that the feeling was her Aether Core, the heart of her magical being, Resonating with a nearby Ley Line. She tuned the Resonance closer to draw just a little bit of Mana from it, feeling it flow through her Aether Vessels, distributing the Mana throughout her body.

Valerie extended her hand, palm up, and let the Mana flow into it. A small flame, like that of a candle, manifested above her palm, kept alight by the Mana. It was nearly invisible against the bright daylight. Valerie smiled at it, feeling satisfied. It was good to stay in practice with this sort of thing. Valerie glanced at Eris, who was checking her phone, and asked, “You feel that?”

“Hm?” Eris replied, then glanced at Valerie’s little flame. “Oh. The Ley Line. Yeah of course. We drove right past it.”

Valerie frowned. “We did?” She let her flame disappear. The Mana continued to flow through her,

“Yeah.” Eris pointed at a building across the way and smirked at Valerie. “It’s right in that movie theatre, dumbass. Were you not paying attention?”

Valerie rolled her eyes in return, grimacing a little. “Oh shut up. I’m not a dumbass. And how could you possibly know that it’s there?” She knew her sister was bullshitting; there was no way she could know that. For even a well-trained mage to locate a Ley Line without equipment, they’d need to do a triangulation.

“Fiiiine, you’re not a dumbass. It is there, though. I can feel it,” Eris insisted.

“No it’s not,” Valerie scoffed.

“Bet,” came Eris’s immediate response.

Eris convinced Valerie to come see if she didn’t believe her. And it was on their way to the froyo place anyway. So Valerie acquiesced. She was slightly surprised that, as they got closer to the theatre, she could feel her Core resonating more strongly. The sisters walked into the theatre lobby together and, yes, now that they were close enough, triangulating the Ley Line by walking around was relatively easy. It was sort of like playing a game of hot-or-cold. It was definitely in the building, seemingly in one of the theatres on the left side. That made sense, in retrospect. Strong human emotions tended to attract Ley Lines. Though their locations frequently shifted, so it was difficult to keep track of them.

Valerie looked at Eris and conceded, “Alright. Yeah, you win.”

“Damn right I do,” said Eris smugly.

Valerie chuckled a little and smiled. “Honestly I’m impressed,” she admitted. “How’d you know that? Did you triangulate it as we drove by?”

Eris smiled brightly. Valerie thought she probably enjoyed the praise. “Thanks,” Eris said. “But… No, I didn’t triangulate it. I mean maybe? I dunno. I just know it’s that way.” She pointed nearly in the direction Valerie had triangulated. A few passers-by looked at her, looking almost slightly worried. They hurried away.

Valerie tried to accept that. “Huh. I mean you’re right so I guess I can’t argue. I’m just curious how you knew that.”

Eris shrugged. That damn shrug of hers was still a thing, then. Eris’s shrugs were frustrating to Valerie. Normally it just meant her sister was done thinking about something, while Valerie’s brain almost always wanted to dive deeper. Valerie wanted to ask more questions, but, it was probably no use. Oh well. Even if it was frustrating, it was honestly kind of cute. “Anyway,” Eris cut through Valerie’s thought, “I won the bet, so you owe me double ice cream this week.”

Valerie smiled and laughed. She gently punched Eris’s shoulder. “Fine. Well-earned.” Eris smiled back with a cheesy grin. Valerie felt her heart soften slightly at the sight. “And speaking of,” Valerie continued, “let’s get us some ice cream. Or. Froyo. Same difference.”

Eris nodded excitedly, and the two of them walked out of the lobby and continued on their way.

The froyo place they went was called Rudy’s. It was a small, comfortable place. The only customers were Valerie, Eris, and two other people waiting in line. The lighting was warm and not too bright. A bevy of flavors and toppings were available, though thankfully there were suggested combinations that made the choice much easier for Valerie. There was one employee working the shop at that moment: a punkish-dressed woman, with a side-shave, dyed-red hair, and a stud in her nose. Valerie was pretty sure her name was Christine.

As Valerie and Eris waited, Eris sighed, and leaned her head on Valerie’s shoulder. “Fuck,” she said, sounding quite tired. “I think the jetlag just caught up to me.”

Valerie instinctively brought her hand up to Eris’s head, petting it gently. “Understandable,” she said. “We’ll get you right home after this. Did you manage to sleep on the flight?”

“… Kinda,” came the exhausted reply. Valerie just nodded in response, and smiled softly. She gave her sister a small kiss on the top of her head, right between her cat-ears. Gosh, the smell of her hair was so peaceful.

Eventually it was their turn. Eris was the first to order. As Christine handed her the cup of frozen yogurt, Eris nodded towards Valerie and mumbled, “she’ll pay for mine.” Valerie smiled, nodded, and then watched as Eris went to sit down at a table.

Her heart warmed as she thought about how glad she was that Eris was back. They were going to get to spend so much time together. That excited her. And also… gosh, she looked so cute sitting there. In the sort of way that made Valerie just want to protect her. Her thought was interrupted by Christine saying something to her.

Valerie shook her head and turned back towards Christine. “Sorry,” she said. “What were you saying?”

Christine chuckled. “I was just saying you two look like a cute couple.”

The gears in Valerie’s brain clunked. “I. Oh! No, no, we’re not—I mean. We’re. We’re sisters, not. Y-yeah.” Valerie stammered and chuckled nervously, a hot blush rising in her face, as Christine quickly caught her meaning.

“Ohh. Oh! Oh I see. Haha. Sorry, that’s what I get for assuming. My bad.” Christine made a slightly embarrassed face as she said it. “Anyway. What can I get you?”

Valerie was glad to be distracted from that topic, and eagerly engaged in the transaction. Once done, she went to sit with Eris, who was busy eating what appeared to be the “Death by Chocolate” combination. Valerie had gone with something more fruity.

Valerie opened her mouth, paused, and then asked, “did you hear what she said?”

“Hmm? No.” Eris didn’t sound very engaged.

“She… well. Probably not important,” Valerie mumbled. But despite Valerie telling herself it wasn’t important, she dwelled on it for a while longer as she ate her frozen yogurt. It had just been a silly mistake on Christine’s part, of course. Well. Not that silly. It was understandable. Valerie and Eris had been quite physically affectionate, right in front of her. That was just how they were. And Valerie was glad that hadn’t changed.

Maybe… maybe she shouldn’t tell Eris about it, though. She didn’t want to make their affection awkward. It might discourage Eris from seeking that kind of affection in the future. And Valerie definitely didn’t want that.

Not that Valerie felt that way about her sister. The way Christine had clearly thought. Obviously. That would be weird. Well, not that there was anything wrong with being weird. But that was weirder than weird. Valerie was a normal type of weird. And, well, even if Eris was super pretty (and she definitely was), that didn’t really mean anything. She could acknowledge that Eris was attractive without being attracted to her, per se.

Eris was snapping her fingers in front of Valerie’s face. “Valie? You’re brooding. What’s up?”

Shit. Well, there was no way Valerie was going to explain all that. That would absolutely make things awkward. She stammered out, “Oh… Nothing. Nothing important.”

Eris nodded slowly in response. Valerie was sure she was going to push. But Eris just shrugged. She was probably too tired. Valerie internally breathed a sigh of relief, and then pivoted, asking about Eris’s time in Berlin.

Eris didn’t tell much. But she had been attending magic university. Graduated near the top of her class, apparently. She’d even been involved in local Ley Line maintenance.

“Really? Wow. I’m proud of you,” Valerie told her with a smile. Eris smiled back, which only made Valerie smile more. What a precious smile Eris’s was.

Valerie filled Eris in on what she’d been up to, in turn. After Valerie graduated from magic university in Seattle a couple of years back, she’d continued on as a grad student. Her studies focused primarily on the science of Mana transference, which quite interesting actually. “There are all kinds of devices—”

“So basically, you’re a fucking nerd,” Eris cut in, smugly.

Valerie grinned. “Basically, yeah. I guess I am,” she chuckled.

Eris let Valerie continue. She explained Mana receivers, that could be tuned to specific Ley Lines and harvest their Mana from a distance even as they migrated, and Mana transmitters, that could be used to send this Mana to personal devices, supplying a mage with a consistent Mana source that was larger than what a human produced naturally, and that wasn’t reliant on nearby Ley Lines. In fact, this service was the core of their family’s business. Of course, there were many complications. Sending Mana over such long distances was lossy, and they hadn’t figured out how to store significant quantities of it yet, but—.

“A gigantic fucking nerd. Just by the way,” said Eris, leaning her cheek on her hand, supported by her elbow on the table.

Valerie giggled. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I just think it’s neat!”

Eris nodded. “I guess we should talk about what our parents are having us do?”

Valerie sighed in response. “Maybe let’s save that for tomorrow,” she said. “When you’ve actually had some rest.”

“Mmm. Good idea.” Eris was clearly a little out of it at this point.

“Here,” Valerie said, taking Eris’s finished dessert cup and throwing it out. She extended her hand to her sister. “Let’s get you home.”

Eris was half asleep as Valie helped her out of the car. She leaned up against Valie’s chest as Valie put her arm around her, leading her inside. Eris sighed gently. Valie felt so safe. If only she could stay like this a while.

Instead, Valie led her up the stairs, one at a time. Still holding Eris. Supporting her as she stumbled slightly.

They reached a bed. Eris managed to kick her shoes off before falling into it. She felt Valie cover her with a blanket. Then she felt a kiss on her forehead, followed by Valie whispering, “I love you. Good night”. Eris smiled. So warm. So safe.

Eris drifted off to sleep.

And for the first night in four years, she didn’t have any nightmares.