"Hey, dear—I never caught your name," I said to the catwoman leaning over the castle wall.
"That's because I didn't give it," she replied, delight curling in her voice.
"You know, a ninja wouldn't stand so boldly in the open. Too much attention," Beta said, slipping out of the dark with Mésos in tow. I noticed the faintest shift in the catwoman's posture, subtle but sharp.
"Natsuki," she said at last, her eyes fixed on the distant sky.
Regina stirred at the name but said nothing. She sat apart from us, quiet and stubborn as ever.
"Are you a Genin, miss Natsuki?" Omega asked.
Luna was off with the elf delegate and the Church. Derek and his men were busy clearing up, giving the rest of us this brief moment of leisure.
"Who said I was a ninja at all?" Natsuki's calm reply carried no warmth.
"But you are from Therian, no?" Jasmine pressed suddenly.
"That is correct. Is that a problem?" Natsuki didn't move from her post.
"You should be more worried about your companion. The blonde doesn't look well. And the other one? She'll either end up tied to a pole and burned as a witch—or laid out on a medical table."
She didn't gesture or raise her voice, yet I caught the twitch in Regina's hands.
"I suppose we all have things we're hiding," Beta said with a smile, turning back to watch the setting sun.
"The Church or the Dwarves—you don't want to fall into their hands," Jasmine added.
"Dwarves?" Mésos, who had been silent until now, asked.
"Why ruin the surprise? You'll meet them soon enough."
"I'm guessing the Shuǐ Lóng clan is still in power?" Violet spoke to Natsuki.
No answer came—but none was needed.
"Luna. Luna. Luna…" Regina murmured quietly, scribbling into a little book she'd started keeping.
"So. We'll be leaving soon," Omega said softly.
Let's hope everything holds together, I thought as I spoon-fed dinner to Regina.
"By the way, that gilded cage symbol the Church wears—does it mean control?" I asked.
"Hm?" Jasmine tilted her head. "The cage is their emblem. It says they'll fight back—and that if it takes caging a god itself, so be it. It's also meant to symbolize safety, a haven built by human hands." She gave a little wave as she strolled off toward the blonde elf from before, who was deep in conversation with one of the ambassador's attendants.
His arm had regrown—missing only the hand. Curious. He caught my eye, nodded, and I nodded back.
"Oh, right. We leave tomorrow. Thought you'd want to know," Jasmine said with a grin as she walked ahead.
I glanced around. Regina had fallen asleep, Omega still pestering Natsuki. Why won't she just leave her know? My eyes returned to Regina's pale face.
"Humans are strange creatures," Mésos murmured behind me.
"Huh. Really unusual, I'd say."
"When do you think they'll arrive?" I asked, watching Luna at a distance.
"Who knows. Maybe during the Unlight—if my hypothesis is correct." She lifted her gaze to the pale moon.
"The Unlight, huh? And what even is that?"
"An anomaly in an already abnormal world—or so Derek says."
"…Are you going to say your goodbyes?" I asked.
"Goodbyes? No. It's better this way. Didn't even greet them when we first met—so why now?"
"Hm." That was all I said as we turned to rejoin Omega.