(Split partly to allow alternate takes, but mostly because I was nearly asleep by the time I got the last chapter posted.)
"And anyway," Karyn said, "I think there's more to the stone itself than we know at this point."
Jon raised an eyebrow, her tail gently lashing behind her. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, think about it." Karyn continued to work at her hair. This was still an odd experience for Jon, but she had to admit it was kind of soothing, at least when she didn't have to yank at a particularly stubborn tangle. She craned her neck a little to get the angle just right. "I mean, for one thing, didn't your grandfather's note say that the stone had a limited range? Like, a mile? Even just our neighborhood is more than a mile radius. But your wish somehow affected the entire world. Why is that?"
Jon frowned. "Hey, yeah. I...I have no idea, frankly."
"Me neither. Maybe it was a passing comet or something. Or maybe some people can just get more out of it than others, who knows? But obviously there's more to it than we thought we knew, or than your grandfather knew. So who's to say that it might not have some way of turning up despite technically being lost? Tons of magic items do that in stories."
The sphinx-girl sighed. "If we're going with that line of argument, who's to say that it doesn't have some way of losing itself just when you need it the most? There seems to be plenty of that with this stuff, too. Or maybe it's like in The Magic Walking-Stick and it deliberately screws with you when you use it for the wrong reasons."
Karyn shrugged. "Well, if it does, then you're no worse off than you already were. Anyway, I'm just trying to cheer you up."
Jon smiled in spite of herself. "I know. Thanks."
The cat-girl grinned. "Hey, you're my friend. Even if you do have barbecue sauce all over your face and paws."
Jon blinked. "Huh?" She glanced down. "Aw, hell. I guess I should've asked for just plain." She looked around for anything she could use as a napkin, but the only thing that would've worked were the bedsheets, and she had a feeling that, even with her mother trying to be supportive, that was liable to get her a Look. She made to get up and go to the bathroom for a Kleenex, but Karyn was still working on her hair and it was kind of hard to make herself want to leave. She glanced over at her friend, who gave her an I-won't-tell-if-you-won't smirk. Ah, screw it, she thought, shrugging as she began licking the barbecue sauce off her paw, then wiped her face off with the damp fur. The feeling of her rough tongue on the soft fur was a new one, as was the taste of her coat. She felt embarrassed to be doing this, but she consoled herself with the thought that it was hardly anything that most human guys wouldn't do on a picnic, and at least nobody but Karyn was watching...
"Hey, don't look now, but we've got company," Karyn said. Jon started and looked around, seeing nobody in the room or at the door, but Karyn was pointing to the window. She looked up to see a cat sitting on the porch roof and peering in at them with an expression of mingled curiosity and indifference.
"Wonder what he wants?" Karyn mused.
