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Everyone's a Catgirl! Ch. 280: Hope
🕑 Added 2024-10-21 06:12:14 +0000 UTCYomi had nearly forgotten what it felt like to be completely awake with full [Energy]. It’d been two weeks of Saoirse-free sleep. Two weeks without nailbark, or waking up with a fever, or sleeping through Ruyah’s cries.
For the first time since she’d arrived at the outpost, she took Ruyah outside for personal enjoyment. Her interactions with the others living there were typically limited to quick runs to their small market for food or supplies, or to scrape more nailbark from the nearby trees. But today, she held Ruyah in her arms, wandered around her house’s outskirts, and let her daughter guide them.
“Oooh!” Ruyah waved her chubby arms at a tall green stalk. Tiny orange and red flowers dangled from the branches, swaying gently in the breeze.
Yomi paused and bent the flower closer to Ruyah’s hands. “Do you like these? They’re called sundrops.” She smiled as Ruyah stroked the splayed petals with just her fingertips. She was so careful for a kitten. Like anything she touched would shatter. “In [Alchemy], they make a tincture that helps with sore tummies.”
Ruyah hummed and fiddled with the plant, her eyes wide. She tugged a few to her nose and sniffed, then sneezed.
“Bless you.” Yomi laughed. “Oh, right. That saying’s from Finn. I’ll have to explain it to you when you’re older.”
“Oh, hey! You’re outside!” a voice called from behind her.
Yomi turned to see a catgirl she didn’t recognize. Her brown, scruffy hair was tied back with a bandana, and large golden hoops dangled from her ears. Her white blouse cut above her abdomen, vanishing behind a brown belt that held it down and displaying a taut stomach. Dark, fitted pants hugged her waist, complete with a pair of tall brown boots. If Yomi had to guess, the woman was somewhere in her thirties. The scars on her sides and face were ragged, but long-healed.
“Sorry, have we met?” Yomi asked.
“I introduced myself once, but you looked as tired as a hibernatin’ fishcat.” She laughed. “You look much better now. The name’s Trivia.”
Yomi blushed. She’d felt like a walking dead, and all of her memories from the last days were fuzzy. Some of them she wondered if she’d dreamt. “I’m sorry, Trivia. Well, um, I’m Yomi.”
“That much I gathered. And your little darlin’ is Ruyah, right?” Trivia maintained her smile as she reached for Ruyah’s hand.
“That’s right.”
Ruyah clasped Trivia’s finger with a giggle. “Nice to meet ya again, little one.”
“Have you lived here long?” Yomi hoped that if she’d asked these questions already, Trivia wouldn’t mind answering one more time.
“About five years now, I reckon. Traded a life at sea for one on the land.” She gently pulled her finger away from Ruyah and crossed her arms.
“Oh? Were you a ferry for one of the islands?”
“Nah. Worked on Nyarlothep’s merchant ship for a long time. Had a good crew up ‘til I left. Things got a little outta hand.” She shrugged. “But this isn’t so bad.”
What did you do? Yomi couldn’t help but wonder. Nimbus had made it very clear that everyone in the outpost was guilty of something. But it was against their customs to press for details. This place was an escape, not a prison.
“Do you ever go back to the sea? I imagine you miss it,” Yomi said. They were a week away from the nearest shore, so to pack up one’s livelihood up and relocate wasn’t to be taken lightly.
“‘Bout once a year, if I can. But enough about me. Are ya feeling better?”
“I am. Thank you.” Yomi kissed Ruyah’s forehead. “It’s a beautiful day outside, and she deserves more time in the sun, I think.”
“You had us all worried for a spell.”
Yomi blinked. “Really?”
“O’ course. There aren’t many of us here, so word travels pretty fast. Nimbus and me were talkin’ about calling in a [Bishop] for you.”
“N-no. You don’t need to do that.” Hiring a [Bishop] on any island was expensive. Hiring one from Ronona would likely cost every Bell Yomi had. Besides, she had come dangerously close to confessing her crime. A [Bishop] would likely have tipped her decision. “I’m a [Dark Priest] and I still have a few elixirs from the [Hermetic] that helped me with Ruyah.”
Trivia raised an eyebrow. “Huh. Well, guess it’s good we decided to wait, then.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Can I get you both somethin’ to eat? My treat.”
At the mention of food, Yomi’s stomach stirred. “Oh! That would be great. Thank you.” She’d been able to cook soups for herself and Ruyah, but she hadn’t had a meal prepped for her since her stay at the nursery.
“This way, then!”
The outpost didn’t have a pub or inn as much as a single food stall. Yomi had grown up eating from such stalls on San Island, and the sight of it wracked her chest with a nostalgic pang. She remembered Finn sitting on the barstool next to her, saying how he’d always wanted to eat at one after seeing them in ‘anime.’ Ravyn had called him a ‘baka’ while Yomi helped him try to recreate the perfect anime meal.
“Here we are!” Trivia’s announcement tugged Yomi back to the present. She pulled one of the barstools back and motioned for Yomi to sit.
The stall was outdoors, and the grass was always cut flat for the chairs’ weighted feet. There were enough for four people—five if you really squeezed in—and a white canvas awning protected the catgirl in the kitchen and shaded the diners.
They sat at a wooden counter, and a catgirl with long white hair tied back into two braids waited beside a large cooking pot and a metal grill over a stoked fire.
“Heya, Augie. How’s the huntin’ been?” Trivia greeted as she scooted her chair up to the counter.
“The spirits were kind to me this week,” Augie replied with a grin. “I caught plenty of blue phen and a rotusk with horns as wide as my bow.”
Trivia licked her lips. “Would I have to trade my tail for two plates of rotusk? It’s been a mighty long time since I’ve had me one of those.”
“You give me plenty of spices to make up for it, Trivia. These ones are on me.”
“Aaahaha. I love you Khasstead girls!” Trivia slapped the counter with one hand. “Augie’s the best [Hunter] we got, Yomi. Do right by her and you’ll never go hungry.”
Yomi made a mental note. Augie’s name sounded familiar, but she was glad to have confirmation. “Thank you both.”
“Are you feeling better, Yomi?” Augie asked as she repositioned her leather apron to her center.
“Yes, thank you very much.” It seemed the whole outpost really had talked about her. She glanced down at Ruyah, hoping to hide her embarrassment. “Do you have anything I can feed my kitten?”
“Of course. Little bits of blue phen are perfect for a growing catgirl.” Augie placed a wooden mug full of ale in front of Trivia, and a steaming cup in front of Yomi. “You seem like a lady who enjoys tea.”
Yomi smiled. “You would be correct.”
“San Island always has the best tea,” Augie said, then gestured to Yomi’s attire. “That’s where you’re from, right?”
“It is. Actually, I have a few teas from San with me that I’d be happy to share,” Yomi replied. She reached into her [Cat Pack] and pulled free a selection of teas for Augie to take. She didn’t carry much outside of snacks for Ruyah and a few potions in her inventory anymore, so the tea took up very little room.
“Spirits cradle you, Yomi. I don’t remember the last time I’ve had San Island tea. Thank you.” Augie clapped her hands and accepted Yomi’s offering. “Alright. Two plates of rotusk and one kitten plate of blue phen, coming right up.”
Trivia, Augie, and Yomi exchanged words easily, and Yomi discovered a need in the outpost for someone knowledgeable in [Alchemy]—a role she could happily fill. There was one other [Acolyte] that Trivia mentioned could use training, and both Trivia and Augie fawned over Ruyah with familial adoration that warmed Yomi’s heart.
“This is delicious!” Yomi exclaimed after her first bites of rotusk. She’d had plenty of expensive dining on San Island and in Ronona, but this meal topped them all.
“Told ya! Best [Hunter] around!” Trivia laughed.
“You both flatter me.” Augie bowed. “It is my pride to provide.”
Ruyah contentedly gummed away at her bites of blue phen, reaching for more between bites. The warm camaraderie in the atmosphere was contagious. Despite being an outpost composed of outcasts, it was clear that many were open to helping one another. For the first time since Finn’s Party, Yomi felt welcome and wanted. Here she could have a use and make a new life for herself.
When they finished eating, Augie procured a small pouch from her [Cat Pack] and passed it forward to Yomi. “Here. A trade for your tea.”
Yomi tipped her head and accepted the pouch. “What is it?”
“Cookies from Ronona.”
“Aw, damn! Where are my cookies?” Trivia whined.
Yomi fumbled the pouch and had to catch herself. “Are you sure you want to give these to me?”
Augie smiled. “Yes. Consider them my welcome to you. Both to our village and to your good health.”
“Thank you, Augie. Truly.” Confectionaries were still worth a fortune the last time Yomi had seen them sold. Even on San, where sugar was best grown, it was still sold at a premium.
Ruyah yawned in Yomi’s arms and nuzzled her cheek against her mother’s chest. “I think it’s nap time,” Yomi murmured.
“Don’t be a stranger, Yomi. Please, let me know if there’s anything I can help you with to settle in,” Augie said. She scooped the plates from the counter and slid them into a basin filled with water.
“What she said. Whatever we can do, name it,” Trivia echoed with a salute.
“You’re both very kind. Thank you.” Yomi stood and nodded her head in the closest gesture to a bow that she could manage with Ruyah in her arms. “I will do my best to help, too.”
When Yomi returned home, she realized she was humming. It was a lullaby her mother had sung to her every night as a kitten. She’d never thought to sing it to Ruyah—she didn’t think she had a good voice for it. But as Yomi laid Ruyah in her cradle, she sang.
“Cares you not, therefore sleep, while over you a watch I’ll keep…”
Ruyah’s eyes grew heavy and she yawned again. Yomi tucked the blanket around her form, and Ruyah pulled her stuffed bunny close.
“Sweetly dream of velvet skies, attuned to this, your lullaby…”
She was asleep before Yomi could finish the song. But she sang the rest anyway, hoping it would help gentle her dreams.
“I did not know you sang, Yomi of Nyarlea,” Belial’s soft voice said from the doorway.
“I didn’t know demons watched over their summoners,” Yomi teased.
“You are an exception.”
She slowly stood, careful not to disturb Ruyah, then went to the doorway and took Belial’s hand. “I’m glad you came. I wanted to give you something.”
“Hm?”
Yomi closed Ruyah’s door and they moved to the common room. Belial took a seat on the floor as he usually did. Yomi hesitated, then positioned herself to sit in his lap. “Is this alright?”
“Yes.” He stroked her hair. “It is good to see you in high spirits. You have a lovely voice.”
Yomi’s face burned as she reached into her [Cat Pack]. “My high spirits are thanks to you, Belial.” After withdrawing the pouch, she pulled one of the cookies free. “Have you ever had a cookie?”
There was a long pause, and then a sound like blending a growl and a throaty laugh. “Demons do not need to eat.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“No. I have never had a…cookie.”
“Good.” She placed it in his fingers and pulled one out for herself. “You’re perfect to share these with, then.”
“What of Ruyah?”
Yomi’s jaw slacked. Belial… Why did this demon care so much about her? About her daughter? She’d read the [Demonologist] book front to back at least a hundred times, and there was no mention of a connection like theirs. “Um, there was one more in here I saved for her.”
“That is well, then.” He held the cookie up to his long muzzle and sniffed. Then nibbled on the end. “Oh! That is very…sweet?”
“Yes!” Yomi took a small bite of hers and hummed with contentment. “These are very rare in Nyarlea right now.” She rubbed her cheek against his fur and relaxed into his embrace.
“I am surprised you would share it with me.” He took another bite. “I can see the appeal.”
“It’s because I—” Care? Love? Is it possible to love a demon? “I wanted to thank you. For everything you did.”
Belial moved his tail to rest in her lap as the silence enveloped them. It was a sign that he was thinking. And he liked it when she played with his tail while he thought things through. So play, she did.
“I admit, I do not understand our bond, Yomi of Nyarlea. There are no other masters I serve as such. There are no other masters that I feel as such.” He finished his cookie, and his hand returned to stroking her hair. “I will do all that is in my power to protect you and Ruyah. You have my word.”
Yomi chewed her lower lip and set her cookie aside. She wrapped her arms around Belial’s back and buried her face in his chest. “Thank you.”
“Mm.” He let his hand fall past her hair, then traced her spine with his fingertips. “And you…may continue to request of me whatever you wish.” His husky voice was low and heated.
She giggled. “Is that what you want, Belial?” Though she could feel his answer beneath her thighs.
He stroked her tail, and she shivered. “Yes.”
Yomi had never heard a sweeter word.
—
A sharp knock on the door tugged at the edges of Yomi’s consciousness. She moaned and turned to her side, pulling her blankets up to her bare shoulders. The second knock forced her to sit up.
She blinked away her heavy sleep and looked around. Belial was gone, though she knew he could only stay by her side for so long. Too many masters to serve.
“What time is it?” she grumbled. She swung her legs over the bed and moved to the closet to retrieve her silk robe. The sky outside her window was pitch black, and the moon’s glow barely reached the top. It was late. Very late.
Fear set in, and she went to check on Ruyah when the third knock came. Ruyah was still sound asleep in her cradle, her stalwart bunny beside her. Yomi sighed in relief before padding barefoot to the door. She tied her robe tight, then opened it.
Yomi’s blood turned to ice.
No…
A tall woman in white robes brought her hands to rest on her stomach. Her dark, curled hair glittered with dozens of tiny sapphires that caught the light of the moon. She wore the golden mask of Saoirse’s prophets, and her blue eyes seemed to glow behind it, piercing into Yomi’s soul.
No!
“Good evening, Yomi. May I come in?”
Yomi panicked. There was only one force that had stopped Saoirse from harming her. She screamed his name. “Belial!”
The demon appeared at her side without hesitation, looking from Yomi to the prophet. “You—”
“This is quite unnecessary.” She raised her hand, palm facing Belial, and a white light erupted from its center.
Yomi blinked away the flash’s remnants from her vision. Belial was gone.
“Now,” the prophet said as she lowered her hand, “let us speak.”
