Daily Wednesday Short: Kyo 02

Space is not the final frontier. Far from it.

Any immortal can tell you the void awaits all.

                                                                                                        Lacus

Kyo woke up to the alluring scent of a breakfast prepared and waiting. While munching on fried fish in bread crumbs with generous helpings of milk, Sene explained the day’s schedule. It consisted of visiting Kyo’s old home and taking anything away that hadn’t been looted yet. Then they would visit Mr. Gretchen, the merchant. After that would be a trip to Talos the Butcher. Those were the only two people that would miss her, and thus they needed to be informed. Once those things were taken care of, the real excitement would begin.

“I get to design my workplace?” Kyo said with a milk mustache framing her shocked expression.

“Indeed. Robert wants to make sure you are completely comfortable. Comfortable kittens are productive kittens.” Sene said as she ate her food with grace.

“Can there be traps? Oh! Can there be magical traps?” Kyo said, her eyes bright as she continued to devour the second helping of breakfast. The idea of eating three times a day was rapidly growing on her. It was probably why Sene and other older women were so tall. They got to eat more!

“Why would you want magical traps built in your laboratory?” Sene asked with a raised eyebrow.

“To prevent the other slum children from stealing my things!” Kyo exclaimed, waving a breadstick like a sword. “Those black-hearted children always put their paws on my things when I’m gone. If I didn’t trap everything, there wouldn’t be anything left to get!”

Finishing her meal, Sene wiped her mouth before she said, “I’m certain something can be arranged. While I don’t think there is anyone that would go against Lion’s word in his territory, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.” After a moment of further thought, Sene nodded and said, “Yes, we can arrange for mundane and magical traps around and within your lab. The cost won’t be an issue at all, I suspect.”

Kyo swiveled in happiness on her chair before finishing her breakfast. She was about to leap into action before Sene showed her the milk mustache in a small portable mirror. Moments later, a wet cloth wiped all traces of the mustache away, leaving a flawless kitten behind.

“Ready!” Kyo swayed in bouncy glee.

“Excellent. Let’s grab a few guards and head out.” Sene said, rising from her chair with less haste.

Several muscle-bound young males and female Cat tribe members arrived in short order to escort Sene and Kyo. It was an eye-opening experience watching the kind motherly figure of Sene organize a tightly knit guard unit. Kyo had three of the men entirely assigned to her own, while four more took overwatch, and three more accompanied Robert’s wife. Two of the guards were female and escorted Sene personally to tend to anything she needed. The female last guard was also directed to take care of Kyo's needs.

It didn’t slip Kyo’s attention how the male members kept taking covert glances at Sene. It was apparent any female favored by Robert the Lion would be a paragon of the species. Sene moved with constant grace that Kyo decided would be worth emulating. When the kitten grew just as tall with just as fluffiness, she could lure a mate worth working with, too!

A rich mate with endless food supplies and exotic experiment materials! Kyo thought as her eyes glazed over. The female accompanying her saw her grow dazed and lifted her to speed up travel. Purifying crystals will be easy, but perhaps I should consider making something more combat effective than just healing potions.

The idea of creating a drug that could aid in fighting fueled Kyo’s sense of adventure. It occupied her thoughts until they arrived at the hole in the wall that led to her old hovel. The men arrayed themselves on the rooftops above and facing both ends of the alley. Sene and the three handmaidens all accompanied Kyo inside.

She had only been away for a few days, but the entire living space looked ransacked. Kyo’s eyes roved over the crushed and spoiled food supplies and the missing meat stores. The water source had been fouled, and the most apparent treasures were taken. A spare set of needles and the backup desert body suit were gone.

Kyo ignored everything to search carefully along the wall where she kept her treasured friend. When she went out on trips, she sealed the only companion she had behind the wall. It took a few moments before she sniffed out the right brick set. Wiggling the bricks out, a small bonsai tree starting to brown was revealed.

“Oh? A Shunka-En Bonsai?” Sene said, her eyes flashing in the dim light.

“I found it in ruins preserved in a sealed glass that had recently broken,” Kyo said, lifting the small tree slowly.

“Have you never thought of selling it? These are rare enough that almost any noble would buy one.” Sene said, moving forward to get a closer look at the tiny tree.

“Who would buy it from me instead of murdering me and selling it for themselves,” Kyo said, dead eyes.

“True, true,” Sene said before one of the handmaidens interrupted.

“Madam, we have the intruder’s scent. Orders?” said the oldest.

“There is no need for those that steal from the unfortunate to have a presence in our territory,” Sene said with finality. The handmaiden bowed and exited the hovel. Kyo watched as two men peeled off from guarding to follow the handmaiden out of the alleyway.

It was clear to Kyo that they were heading to visit retribution upon those who had dared to invade her home. She shrugged. As long as they didn’t bring her severed body parts, it was fine. The people who caused her precious friend to turn brown deserved to suffer.

“Do you want me to carry the tree while we head to Mr. Gretchen’s place of business?” Sene asked kindly.

Kyo nodded and said, “How will you carry him?”

Sene replied, “There is a tiny portion of my ring that can carry living objects. It is specially designed for plants, so there won’t be any problems. Walking the streets with a stalk of green gold isn’t the best option for any of us.”

Kyo nodded, and her friend vanished into Sene’s ring. A few moments later, it appeared on the older female’s upturned palm. Kyo observed the tree, letting her Plant Manipulation IV inform her how happy her friend was at the new location. She immediately decided she needed a ring dedicated only to keeping her best friend happy, safe, and sustained.

Space ring for best friend. Kyo thought adding it to her mental checklist right next to negotiations must occur with food.

“Now that everything valuable is recovered, we’ll visit Mr. Gretchen now, ok?” Sene said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Kyo had the strange sensation that Lion’s wife was very displeased at something.

Kyo nodded in agreement, and the group was off. It took less than fifteen minutes to arrive at Mr. Gretchen’s shop. The speed was primarily because foot traffic scrambled out of their way. The throng of people who typically traveled the roadway melted away into the alleys like runoff waters. It was mesmerizing to see how quickly people moved when Lion’s crew passed by.

Mr. Gretchen’s merchant shop was built into a two-story home on one of the more affluent walkways near the Bazaar. The bottom floor served customers, while the top floor was reserved for living quarters. Kyo had heard rumors of special resting quarters on the top floor, but she wasn’t quite sure what they were for.

“Mister, Gretchen, I presume?” Sene said upon entering the shop and zeroing in on the man behind the counter. Almost her entire entourage of guards and handmaidens arrayed out behind her as a single man blocked the shop’s entrance.

“No, no, I’m not Gretchen. I’m just filling in for the Boss. My name is Timothy, miss.” The shop owner said.

Kyo tilted her head and said, “That’s Mr. Gretchen. He’s the one I’ve always dealt with.”

Sene’s eyes seemed to grow darker as Mr. Gretchen glanced down and blanched upon seeing Kyo. He hadn’t noticed her among those accompanying Robert’s wife.

“Lying is a bad habit, Mr. Gretchen,” Sene said, stalking forward.

Kyo missed the words exchanged between both of them. A strange bubble of shadows engulfed both Sene and Mr. Gretchen. Kyo was initially alarmed, but she relaxed after seeing that no one else had an issue with it.

Turning to the youngest handmaiden, Kyo asked, “What are they talking about?”

The younger girl looked severe, saying, “You most likely, Lady Kyo.”

Kyo said, “Me? Why about me?”

The younger girl replied, “This shop sells different types of meat. I bet they were planning to sell young meat here.” She was about to say something else, but the older handmaiden slapped her head. The younger girl fell silent with an apologetic glance at Kyo.

Kyo was even more confused than before, but she shrugged. Sene knew what she was doing, so everything would be fine. The Lion wouldn’t let something happen if it didn't serve his purpose. With that thought, Kyo watched the shadow bubble dissipate in motes of darkened flecks.

“We’ll be leaving now,” Sene said brusquely. Kyo observed that Mr. Gretchen was white as a sheet. Even his brown furry parts had turned chalk white in a short time.

She wanted to ask what had happened, but the terrified look on the merchant’s face caused Kyo to hold her tongue. She vaguely suspected something adult had occurred and didn’t want to know the details. Sene, Robert, or even her Patron would inform her if necessary.

Ignorance is bliss! Kyo thought, exiting the shop and following Sene.

Talos the Butcher was far from Mr. Gretchen’s shop, but Sene lifted Kyo to carry her snuggly. The rocking motion of being carried caused the kitten to drift off into a short cat nap as they traveled to the next destination.