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Everyone's a Catgirl! Ch. 250: Kitten
🕑 Added 2024-01-11 03:54:36 +0000 UTCRavyn furrowed her brow as she sipped her cup of tea. Gone was the kind and empathetic mother who wished only for her daughter’s safety and happiness. The businesswoman had arrived, and she was as cutthroat as they came. Bally hopped down onto the table to Ravyn’s right, and the [Sorcerer] braced for what would no doubt be one of the coldest conversations of her life.
Emberlynn coughed into a handkerchief before continuing. “Let us proceed with introductions first. My name is Emberlynn of San Island, as my daughter has no doubt informed you. I am the owner of Emberlynn’s Fine Arts and Jewelry,” she said with her fingertips pressed lightly against her chest, “and mother to Ravyn of San Island and Sophia of San Island.”
The mention of Sophia made Ravyn’s eye twitch.
Tristan nodded when Emberlynn met his gaze. “My name is Tristan Erato. I am here on behalf of Cailu Raloquen, and I serve as Shi Island’s man. It is a pleasure to meet you, Emberlynn.”
Emberlynn’s sharp gaze landed on the maids next, shifting between one and the other.
Destiny fidgeted with her hands in her lap. “M-My name is Destiny… of Shi Island.” There seemed to be some hesitation in her tone. Ravyn tilted her gaze toward her, away from her mother, and raised her brows. The maid took a deep breath, then straightened her posture. “I have journeyed with Tristan to assist him. I came from the Venicia School of Etiquette, and am an experienced [Alchemist].”
Emberlynn nodded, looking at Lara next.
Lara blinked. “My name is Lara of Shi Island.” She shut her mouth, opened it, then shut it again. “I also came from the Venicia School of Etiquette. My specialty lies in conjuration magic.”
Emberlynn raised a brow. “You are a [Conjurer], then?”
“Yes! I am!”
“Rare ones, you are. Do the Elements speak to you as they do with my daughter?”
Ravyn nearly dropped her cup, tightening her grip just as it was slipping. Fucking what?
Lara paused. “I… That is…”
Emberlynn smiled, albeit barely. “Do not be alarmed, child. I know many [Conjurer]s pursue such a Class when they are able to hear the voices of the Elements. I am an [Arbiter]. I am no stranger to the mystique of magic. You need not be afraid to express your ability.”
Lara looked beyond relieved. “Y-Yes! I can speak with the Elements! Wind and Fire are with me as we speak!” She clapped a hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice. I’ve begun to realize that I get strange looks whenever I say such things.”
Emberlynn hummed. “Perhaps we could discuss whether you would be interested in tutoring my dear Sophia. We shall leave that until later, however.”
Lara blinked. “Of course!”
You have got to be fucking kidding me. They exist? No, that’s not right; it’s all speculation. Mother is just delusional from her sickness. There is no evidence that the Elements have any sort of willpower or consciousness.
Ravyn cleared her throat. “Mother? Can we please continue?”
Emberlynn’s sharp gaze returned. “Yes. Pardon my digression.” She adjusted her posture and placed her clasped hands on her lap. “Let us continue. You state you are here on a missive from Cailu Raloquen.”
His name alone sent chills down Ravyn’s spine.
“Yes, that is correct,” Tristan nodded. “He expressed concern with the conditions of San Island and wished to make better on his promise to take care of it. He fears that brute force alone will not suffice. Rather than simply protect, he wishes to provide future generations the means to not only survive, but to live.”
Ravyn suppressed the urge to whistle. The boy’s got a mind for diplomacy. I’ll give him that.
Emberlynn narrowed her gaze slightly. Ravyn was intimately familiar with that expression. Now that she better knew her partners, it was time to dance.
“An honorable notion, to be sure,” Emberlynn said. “For which areas does he find his presence does not suffice?”
Careful, Tristan. She will trap you and put words in your mouth. Don’t play into her game.
Ravyn had to be careful as well. Dancing with her mother when it came to business was dirty and calculating. If you couldn’t think a few steps ahead, then you’d already lost. She’d been unaware of how her mother felt in regard to San Island’s conditions, but the tone and word choice revealed that well enough. She’d need to keep her interactions polite and wait her turn to speak. Attempting to clarify anything Tristan said would paint him in a bad light, giving him the appearance that he was unable to speak for himself.
Ravyn would offer her input when the time was right.
Tristan kept his expression serious. “I would first ask you a question.” Emberlynn nodded her consent. “I had the privilege of seeing one of Melody’s record books. A woman from the Arch Tower. Do you know of her?”
“Of course I do,” Emberlynn said with a hint of irritation.
Ravyn took a sip of her tea. Damn it, boy. Of course she does. She knows everyone. Assume she knows unless stated otherwise. Part of her blamed herself for not giving Tristan a crash course on how to speak to Emberlynn. She wished desperately to link her mind to his somehow. To speak to him in a way Mother couldn’t detect. But she knew no magic that could perform such feats. Not that it mattered. Being a powerful [Arbiter], Emberlynn would know the instant she tried.
“I should have expected as much,” Tristan said with a curt nod.
Good recovery. Keep going. It’s your turn to talk, still.
“Mister Raloquen expressed concern with the wellbeing of San Island’s children, primarily,” Tristan continued, clasping his hands and setting them on the table. “The record book I borrowed detailed concerning reports regarding nyannies and residences. As I am sure you’re familiar with Melody’s methods, I was hoping you could explain the situation.”
“Why come to me? Why not ask Melody?” Emberlynn asked.
“Ravyn mentioned you by name, expressing that we needed a master’s touch.” He glanced at Ravyn, and she offered him a subtle smile. “I would be remiss to assume any one person is responsible for an island’s shortcomings. I must simply stress that Cailu and I wish to see the island prosper even more than it already has.”
She’s going to bring up the children next.
“So, you and Cailu are in agreement that the kittens suffer under our management,” Emberlynn said. “A bold claim.”
Push her. Push her. Ravyn’s grip tightened around her cup. Her heart pounded against her chest, and even Bally seemed a bit uncomfortable under the oppressive air of the conversation.
“A true claim,” Tristan said firmly. “I apologize if I have overstepped. Zhuli seems like a beautiful place to live. Many of its residents have their own businesses, their own families, and want for little more. It is peaceful here, serene even. I may go so far as to say that it is a paradise.” Tristan smiled at Ravyn, then looked back at Emberlynn. “However, I fear you are not completely aware of the situation in Shulan. The kittens pickpocket from anyone who comes near. They’re dirty, and in dire need of food, clean water, and clothes.” He shook his head. “If not for Ravyn, my [Cat Pack] would’ve surely been stolen.”
Emberlynn leaned into the palm of one hand, tapping her index finger against her cheek. “You do overstep your boundaries. You do not understand.”
“Then help me understand. I see these kittens, and in them I see myself,” Tristan said with a pained expression. “Something needs to be done about it.”
“If I may,” Destiny said with a hand held up. Emberlynn gestured for her to continue. “What Tristan says is true. Before my sister and I came to the Venicia School of Etiquette, we lived in Leche.”
Emberlynn sat up, a curious look on her face. Ravyn watched carefully—anything that would reveal her mother’s cards.
Destiny continued, “I am no stranger to the terrors of Nyarlea. The four of us have traveled to Ichi Island and seen the worst of it. Kittens and their mothers begging for coins, malnourished, desperate for water, and unable to leave due to the harsh desert beyond.” She shook her head. “It was enough to break my heart, and I see a similar issue in Shulan.”
Good. She needs to hear it from another person who doesn’t live here, who doesn’t have a bias against her own island.
“Please,” Lara said, “what must be done to help the children?”
“Mother,” Ravyn at last said. “What if it was me in the streets? Or Sophia?”
“To hypothesize such speculation is absurd,” Emberlynn growled. “That is not the circumstance here.”
“Cailu has sired how many children at this point? He even sired my sister.” Ravyn’s fingers curled at the words. “I have traveled to each island, Mother. I have witnessed firsthand what they struggle with. How they get their food, how they survive, the dreams that are smashed against the stones. The kittens are our future. This situation you have is unsustainable. You know that.”
“Do not speak to me of things you do not understand,” Emberlynn hissed.
Don’t let your temper get the best of you, Ravyn reminded herself. “Then help us understand. One day, those children will be adults. I am sure we can all agree that we can’t have thieves still running the streets ten years from now.”
An uncomfortable silence swept over them. Emberlynn leaned against the other arm, blinking. She drummed the fingers of her other hand against her decorated chair, her food barely touched. Seemed no one had the nerve to eat while—
“Incredible food,” Lara said, carrying a piece of fish to her mouth. “Try it, sister!”
Do you have no fucking ability to read the room?
Destiny picked up her fork with a shaky hand, then delivered a piece of the same cut of fish to her mouth. Her expression brightened, and a light gasp escaped her lips. “Oh my goodness, you’re right!”
I can’t believe this.
To Ravyn’s surprise, Emberlynn smiled, gesturing for Tristan to take a bite next. The poor boy—or man, rather—had his hands clasped for so long that she had to imagine they’d picked up a significant amount of sweat. Unsurprisingly, Tristan wiped his hands on his pants beneath the table and reached for a helping of soft, sticky rice using his spoon.
“Thank you,” Tristan said before taking a bite. “Oh wow.”
“How is it?” Emberlynn asked.
“I’ve never had such amazing rice. My compliments to the chef.”
“Yukari will be delighted to hear that.”
Somehow, Lara had penetrated the thick air around them with ease. Once she, Destiny, and Tristan dug in, Ravyn suddenly felt the pangs of hunger and gave in. Emberlynn joined in moments later, and the conversation became more lively, more lighthearted. Emberlynn laughed at Ravyn’s expense, and she fought hard to hide her burning cheeks.
“She’s always been like that,” Emberlynn giggled. “‘Fuck this,’ ‘fuck that,’ ‘fuck you.’ Goodness, the words that come out of her mouth. You can barely tell I ever raised her!”
Tristan and his Party laughed as Ravyn hid her face. Talk about a tonal shift.
“She kind of scared me when I first met her,” Destiny said. “She poisoned me and my sister.”
Saoirse’s tits, why did you have to say that?
“I-I didn’t poison you!” Ravyn exclaimed. “I, we…had shit to do.” She clapped a hand to her mouth, and she shrank beneath her mother’s judgmental gaze.
“It’s fine,” Emberlynn snickered. “It doesn’t matter. Just be you. That’s all a mother could want.”
Ravyn frowned. “You mean it?”
“Don’t I? I have missed you for so long, my daughter.” She raised her cup of tea, her smile growing wider. “It feels wonderful to have you in the home again.”
“Y-Yeah,” she groaned.
“Which reminds me.” She set her cup down, glancing between her and Tristan. “Now that I know you’re alive, maybe I’ll live long enough to be a grandmother.”
“No, no, no, no, no,” Ravyn said, shaking her head. She could barely look at Tristan. “Not with him. Uh, no offense.”
Tristan spurted. “None taken.”
“I take it that means you have someone in mind?” Emberlynn asked.
Ravyn started, and images of Matt came to mind. She missed his laugh, his snarky attitude about everything, his combative personality. Still, he had a heart of gold, and his actions spoke louder than his words. Of any man she’d met, she had no doubt he could accomplish anything if he set his mind to it. The memory of their night together crept in at the seams…
No!
“None,” Ravyn said, smiling wide. “Not…yet, that is.”
Emberlynn scoffed. “If you say so.” She set her cup down, looking at Tristan. “As much as I am enjoying this lovely conversation, I think it would be best if we discussed why you came here. You came here for a master’s touch. To solve the issues of San Island, you will need it.”
“Then…you are willing to review how kittens are treated? In Shulan especially?” Tristan asked.
“I am. But do not mistake our prior conversation for play. If the issues run as deeply as you say, then this is not something we can solve overnight.”
“I am open to any suggestions you have.”
Emberlynn’s business face returned. “Good. Listen, and listen well. You are not going to like what you hear.”
Ravyn set her cup down, her plate half-finished. The dance would continue.
I hope you can pull it off, Tristan.
