They’d pry food from my cold dead hands, and even then, I’d demand a last meal.

“I wonder how it will taste for me now?” Angel said, looking down at the food in front of her, which consisted of a creamy chicken pasta, with spices and dried tomato and lots of vegetables. In my opinion, it was one of the best dishes that had come out so far. Others might have disagreed, especially those around the table filled by a huge fish carcass, which smelled a tiny bit rotten. They clearly did not eat in the same food pyramid as I did, but that was cool. As long as they stayed downwind, no one needed to judge.

“Here we go,” Angel said, a pasta curl sitting on her utensil.

I found myself holding my breath, hoping that someday soon, she would need to eat in the same manner as myself. She popped it into her mouth and started to chew. Over and over, her brow furrowed, and I was about to hand her a napkin to spit it out when she swallowed.

No one spoke as we stared.

“It’s good,” she said suddenly. “It tasted good.”

She smiled broadly at me before near bouncing in her chair, acting nothing like my centuries-old friend. This new joy had come with her rebirth, and in a way, she felt younger and more vulnerable. No less badass, of course, but more emotional.

“Do you require food for energy now?” Shadow asked her as she ate another forkful of pasta.

“Both,” she told him, her eyes locked on the food. “I found I could meditate in Honor Meadows for energy, but an empty feeling persisted that’s only easing now as I eat.”

“Just like me,” I said happily. I’d never had admitted it to anyone, but I had been mildly concerned that food would no longer taste good to me after my own rebirth. Thankfully, I’d worried for nothing. “Twinning at its finest.”

Angel dropped the utensil into her bowl, turning to me with a sudden serious expression. “I’m honored to be your twin,” she said.

I blinked at her. “There’s some sort of context here I’m missing, isn’t there?”

“Twin souls, separated at birth,” Shadow said from beside me, still just sipping his lethal drink.

Turning back to Angel, I reached out and grasped her hand, squeezing it tightly. “Twin souls. I’m honored as well.”

This made her happy and even though I still really didn’t understand the significance, sometimes it was enough to just make them happy.

Happiness was all I wanted for Angel, and all the rest of our friends.