"I want to see everything you'll allow," Adam said. He kept his arms folded over his chest, feeling wary and unwelcome. Supposedly he belonged here, but he didn't feel that yet, and it was hard to believe that he ever would belong in a place like this. "Don't say that the temple chooses. If it decides not to let me in somewhere, fine. You choose what to show me."

Persephone kept winding around his legs and it was soothing, though Adam didn't know what to do about it. He squatted, patting at her carefully. When she seemed amenable to touch and kept pressing closer to him, he picked her up. The two of them squirmed for a moment, figuring out legs and arms and distribution of weight, but Adam caught on quickly enough to how she wanted to be held, and cradled her somewhat like Alec had done with the other cat. She head-butted him and Adam shyly laid his cheek against her forehead. Affection like this was alien to him, and he didn't have any experience handling cats.