That night, Jaiden lay sprawled on his bed, exhausted. Clawdine sat on the floor nearby, tail lazily curled, fog faint around his edges. "You're… less awful than I expected," Jaiden muttered. Clawdine raised an eyebrow. "Low standards." "You're annoying," Jaiden added. "But you make things… less dull." Clawdine considered that. "This environment is tolerable," he said finally. Jaiden snorted. The room fell quiet again still messy, still chaotic but no longer overwhelming. Jaiden stared at the ceiling, cards scattered everywhere, and realized something strange. The chaos hadn't disappeared. But it didn't feel as heavy as before. Weeks passed. Clawdine became fully solid, fully human, except for his faint wolf traits. Jaiden laughed, cried, and tripped through daily chaos with him. But then the truth began to settle in.
