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Everyone's a Catgirl! Ch. 239: Tropical Storm
🕑 Added 2023-09-08 00:25:23 +0000 UTCIt’d been two days since Ravyn and the others left Shulan. They returned the record book to Melody, as requested, beckoning for a carriage only an hour later. For an extra fee, the coach agreed to take them the rest of the way to Zhuli.
The nights spent camping out with the coach—whose name was Lily—were uncomfortable at first, but Ravyn quickly acclimated. To Ravyn’s benefit, Lily had a similar sense of humor. That made things somewhat more tolerable.
The carriage’s interior was lined with intricate reds and browns and was incredibly comfortable. Ravyn’s gaze lulled outside the curtained window when it came to a sudden stop. Moments later, the shuffling of feet approached the door. A knock followed, and Lily pulled it open.
“We’ve arrived!” Lily said proudly, her arm extended in a large sweeping bow. She was dressed on the modest side for a woman who did most of her business in Shulan—long sleeves, a high neck, and traveling leathers. Considering Lily’s Zhuli roots, however, Ravyn figured her reserved choice of clothing had something to do with that. Zhuli women were always prudish. “Thank you kindly for taking a ride with me!” She held out her palm, and Ravyn set two one-hundred Bell coins in her hand. “Ohhhh, fancy!”
“Thanks for not hitting any of the fucking rocks on the way,” Ravyn said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
They’d hit a rock nearly every fucking minute.
Lily was quick on the uptake. She flashed a toothy grin, a natural fit for a face pocked with freckles. Her orange ears flattened against her head as she whipped her long braid over her shoulder. “Only the best for you!” she said, reciprocating the tease.
“Thanks a bunch, Lily,” Tristan said as he exited next. He rubbed the back of his head. He’d spent most of the ride having his head knocked against the back of the carriage no matter what position he tried to sit in. At least the walls were padded. Destiny and Lara followed shortly after, offering their own thanks to Lily.
The sun had just set, casting an ominous glow over the city of Zhuli.
A myriad of emotions swept over Ravyn. She wanted to cry, to scream, to smile. She hadn’t been back to Zhuli since the day she left on her adventure. Without a single letter to her mother in the last five years, Emberlynn no doubt had many questions for her daughter.
Most of which Ravyn wasn’t sure she was ready to answer.
“My goodness, what a beautiful city!” Destiny marveled, a hand mere inches from her lips.
Zhuli had grown much since Ravyn had last seen it. It still retained its rustic appearance—at least as far as the marketplace and residential areas were concerned. What surprised her was the moat. There was a river that had always run through Zhuli, and it seemed to taper off directly into the new fortification. Five large towers surrounded the city on the inner side of the moat, each complete with a catgirl at the top. Built with its back against the mountain, this meant there was but one way in and one way out.
“It’s bigger than it was last time I was here,” Ravyn said.
“When was that?” Lara asked, taking to her side.
Ravyn raised a brow and stepped to the right, away from the airy blonde. “Not long enough. Come on, let’s go.” She beckoned them with a hand.
“Hurry up, hurry up! Squawwwk!” Bally cried.
Ravyn and the others made their way into the city while Lily set up her horse and carriage at a stable outside the moat. Despite the improvements they’d made to the city, it still smelled like home. Fresh green scents from the nailbark trees that flourished throughout Zhuli and the damp smell of algae baking in the sun from the river. A pang of longing vibrated in her chest, and she swallowed hard against it.
As the sun continued to set, catgirls carried step ladders to the front of their homes to reach into the lanterns lining the streets outside. One by one, the lanterns began to glow, their sterile white light just dim enough to allow one to see without being blinded.
“Remarkable,” Tristan said as they passed a lit lantern. “How does that work?”
“Gemstones,” Ravyn said flatly.
“Are they Enchanted?” he asked when Ravyn didn’t elaborate.
“Yes,” Ravyn said, stopping to look at a home to their left. The buildings were made of sturdy brown wood so dark, they appeared black at night. Unlike the grand and ornate structures of Shulan, Zhuli bore browns, whites, and varying shades of black and gray. “Courtesy of my mother, no doubt.”
“I’m a little nervous meeting the famed Emberlynn,” Destiny said, a pink hue coloring her cheeks.
Ravyn regarded her over her shoulder. Mother would like Destiny very much, she was sure. “So long as you dance to her tune, you’ll be fine. Come on.”
Ravyn guided the group across a path of winding streets and pathways leading up to a large castle nestled against the mountain. Catgirls passed by on occasion, pulling large carriages of goods down the incline. Ravyn couldn’t hide the smile that crept onto her face. She recounted the times Maya and Isabelle had soared down this incline with a cart of their own, shouting all manners of obscenities.
And now they’re gone.
Ravyn stopped when they came up to a large pair of thick, wooden doors. The family insignia—a pair of birds circling a star in flight—brought with it the memories of countless parties and business deals behind these walls. The Bells that were exchanged, the devious words shared, and the constant red glow.
“Halt!” one of the two guards at the gate said, the spear’s point held toward Ravyn. She gripped it with both hands, her gaze veering from Ravyn to the others. “State your business.”
“Catherine,” Ravyn said, forcing a smile. Catherine was stubborn, but she had a good heart and a strong sense of justice. “Don’t you recognize me?”
The blue-haired catgirl frowned, then slowly her eyes widened, and a gasp escaped her lips. “Cecily!” She shook the shoulder of the guard beside her—who seemed to be dozing off—and pointed at Ravyn. “It’s Ravyn! It’s really her!”
“Hah? What! We getting attacked?” Cecily cried, shaking her head.
Catherine sighed, then smacked the back of Cecily’s head. “No, you roach! It’s Ravyn! Look!” She pointed.
“Woah!” Cecily carefully set her spear down, then jumped over and threw her arms around Ravyn. Bally yelped, flapping away and landing on the ground beside his master. “Is really you! Is really you!” She’d had awkward speech patterns ever since she was a kitten, but her body language always spoke volumes.
“Y-Yeah, sure is,” Ravyn said, patting Cecily’s back with reluctance. “Just give it a rest, okay?”
Cecily parted, her hands held firmly on Ravyn’s biceps. “Hmm. Where has been?”
“Long story. Is Mom home?” Ravyn asked.
The two looked at each other briefly, then nodded in unison. “Yes, she’s home,” Catherine said. “She misses you, you know. She’s always talking about you.”
Ravyn shrugged away Cecily’s grip, then crossed her arms. “I figured. I need to talk to her.”
“As if Mistress Ravyn needs permission to enter,” Catherine said, turning around and walking over to a small slit in the wall. She said something indiscernible, then nodded and walked back over to where Ravyn stood. Seconds later, the doors began to open, revealing a long snake-like walkway that led up the mountain to the Emberlynn Estate. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Yeah. Likewise,” Ravyn said, unsure how she felt. “[Civilian Mode].” Ravyn’s Ichi Island garbs disappeared, replaced by the intricately embroidered dress of San Island. As comfortable as the new gear was, it left little room for her skin to breathe. She turned toward Tristan and his Party. “You should return to [Civilian Mode] as well.”
“Of course,” Tristan said, nodding. “[Civilian Mode].”
Destiny and Lara followed suit, though little changed about them. Ravyn did note, however, that Destiny made less sound as she walked. Perhaps due the bottles and tinctures that were no longer strapped to her waist and legs.
Lara was still… Lara.
As the gate’s doors shut behind them, Ravyn breathed a sigh and Bally fluttered down and landed on the crook of her arm. She let him rest, and the familiar waddled sideways up to her shoulder. She scratched under his beak, and he clicked his beak in a soft purr beneath her touch. “Come on, let’s get this shit over with.”
“Catherine and Cecily seemed happy to see you,” Lara said, quickening her pace so she stuck close to Ravyn. “Are you friends?”
“Sorta,” Ravyn said.
“That’s a striking castle,” Destiny said in awe.
Ravyn looked up. Sure enough, the Emberlynn Estate was just as she remembered it. For all of Zhuli’s reticent culture, the estate sure didn’t look the part. Oh, sure, it still had the same colors and patterns many of the other homes and businesses in the streets, but the wood was finer quality, the paint crisp and perfect, and why in the fuck did she import so many plants? Was that some cheap trick to appear the sophisticated and immaculate catgirl of culture and commerce?
It made her sick.
“Sure fucking is.”
She couldn’t wait to get this over with. Of all the times she had to meet her mother, why did it have to be now? No doubt Emberlynn would try to convince her to stay and mend after such a brutal and overwhelming series of events. This was not the way this was supposed to play out. She was supposed to introduce Matt to her mother. Not Tristan—
Matt?
Ravyn frowned and felt a brief hint of heat in her cheeks. “Fuck,” she murmured.
“Are you okay?” Tristan asked, jogging to keep up with her. “You seem a little…preoccupied.”
“It’s just been a long time,” Ravyn sighed. “We have a lot of things we have to talk about.”
Night had fallen by the time they reached the doors to the mansion. Ravyn put a hand to her chest, breathing in slowly through her nose, then exhaling through her mouth. She rapped her knuckle against the door and waited.
“I’m so nervous,” Destiny whispered as she moved closer to Tristan.
“I’m sure she’s a wonderful lady,” Tristan said with a charming smile. The boy sure knew how to bewitch any catgirl within a hundred feet. He wrapped one arm around Destiny’s shoulders, hugging her close. “You’ll see.”
Destiny smiled, and Ravyn turned back to the doors, gagging just as someone answered the door.
A young woman with blonde hair that curled at her shoulders and vibrant green eyes answered. She wore an outfit just like Ravyn’s, though hers was more modest, covering every inch of skin from the neck down to her ankles. It was colored red and black, and three silver rings pierced her left ear.
“Welcome. What brings you to the Emberlynn Estate?” the woman asked, one brow cocked in suspicion as she eyed their group.
“You must be new here,” Ravyn said. “My name is Ravyn. I’m Emberlynn’s daughter.”
