A window slid open upstairs. Nima leaned out, hair in wild braids.
"Soup in five minutes!" she called. "Sweet potatoes again."
Auri poked his head beside her, gave a quick "Chip!"—phoenix for breakfast soon—then disappeared.
2 A Quick Breakfast
Inside the kitchen the steam was thick. Nima stirred congee while humming a victory song she had written the night before.
"Carbs equal power," she told Kent again when he sat down. She ladled porridge into bowls, added diced sweet potatoes and a spoon of pickled radish. Auri fluttered overhead, fanning the fire with slow wing beats.
Grandpa tasted the congee, smiled, and tapped his bowl. "Good fuel."
They finished fast, rinsed dishes, and split tasks:
Kent and Grandpa—tilling and measuring two more seed beds.
Nima—fetching water and later polishing Silver Muse's rune plates.
Auri—acting as flying scarecrow, hunting worms that might chew young shoots.
The plan lasted exactly ten minutes.
