"So, what was the problem with Indigo being awake with the Crocodile?" I asked, curiously.

The cat shuddered. "The Crocodiles, as you call them, hunt small flying creatures in the swamp they live in. Anything smaller than them is fair game. Nothing nearby is furry, so I wouldn't register, but Indigo? She looks similar to a flying lizard they eat regularly."

I opened my mouth, then closed it before nodding. That was a pretty significant reason to keep her where I could see her. Though, I nudged her cat bed lightly with my foot and her eyes opened. A claw reached out and poked the stop button of her player.

"Done now?" she chirped.

"Yep, you are free of your comfortable bed."

Indigo crawled to her feet then shot into the air, carrying her player toward her hideaway. "Smells weird," she chirped softly as she flew across the room.

I chuckled as I finished my tea. "Is that all today, or can we hit another task on the list this afternoon?"

The Cat blinked. "It isn't a race."

"I figured I'd ask."

He let out a sigh. "We can complete the next task this afternoon, after lunch."

It was about the time I normally made something for lunch, so I headed toward the kitchen. "Are you interested in anything in particular?" Sandwiches were pretty normal, along with wraps, since I couldn't mess them up. We'd been eating a ton of take out for dinners, and I needed to get out of that habit. My progress on learning how to cook had lagged after the newness of having whatever food I wanted wore off. Now, cooking felt like a chore, but maybe I just needed to reframe it.

Maybe pasta with a meat sauce. That wasn't hard, and the sauce came in a jar. About an hour later, I placed bowls of shells in a meaty tomato sauce with cheese on top in front of the Cat. My bowl had a little more cheese.

"Indigo, how much cheese do you want?" I asked, holding up the shredded mozzarella. I sprinkled some on top.

"More," she chirped. "Keep going…"

Finally, I dumped the rest of the cheese I had onto her pasta, which had to be about half of what was on her plate. Hopefully, cheese was healthy for her.

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I dug in with a fork and watched as the Cat's food disappeared like normal.

Indigo ate slowly, careful to cover each shell with at least three pieces of cheese and some of the sauce before eating it. It was the first time I'd seen her not just dive into her food, sometimes literally. Maybe her tastes were changing with the growth she was going through.

The pasta was decent, but I'd put a little too much red pepper flake into the sauce. My eyes watered, but I didn't comment, just made a mental note to watch it next time. Now I just needed to come up with something for dinner that was different. There was enough pasta left over to feed us for a week of lunches, so at least that was covered.

"So, what's the next customer?" I asked, changing my thoughts.

The cat glared at me from over his food. "You know, you could wait until we're done eating before moving on to more work."

I smiled, and my focus went back to my food. Indigo's food was slowly getting eaten with her new method. I had to admit I was proud of her.

"Plus, this afternoon is weird, even by my standards," added the Cat, grabbing my attention again. Though, this time his plate was empty. I quickly finished my food.

"Weird?"

"It involves a ghost, and a necklace."

"Ghosts are a thing?" I asked, though I wasn't sure why I was surprised. Magic itself was strange.

"Yes. We need to contain the artifact."

The last time we'd needed to contain an artifact, it had been that evil book. A shiver went up my spine and Indigo's head snapped in my direction. I gave her a reassuring smile.

"It will be fine," I muttered, so she would go back to eating. Though, I didn't know how I felt about ghosts. Were ghosts just dead people?

It took Indigo forever to finish up her food, but we both waited patiently for her to eat until she was done. Then it was time to head back to the front of the shop.

The shop had changed into less of a bookshop and more of what felt like a secondhand store. The center table was covered with crystals, bowls, and candles, while a case appeared on the right hand wall filled with things that looked expensive like gems. It gave off the vibe of a witchy new-aged shop one would visit in some alley in London.

"Let's get this done, so I can nap," stated the Cat.

I waited behind the counter as the door unlocked. Indigo flew toward her hideaway and landed on the bookshelf with care.

It took about fifteen minutes for the door to open with the bells ringing. By that point, I had made myself an afternoon tea and sat on my stool, sipping it slowly.

In walked a young woman, someone near my age, with a stricken look on her face. Her brown eyes darted all over the shop before landing on me.

"Welcome to Meow, how can I help you today?" I asked with a soft smile. So far, there was no sign of a ghost.

"I heard from a friend that you might tell if objects are cursed," she said, so softly I had to focus to hear her.

"We can help with that." At least, I hoped so. The Cat added nothing, but he watched her carefully.

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