Alley Cat Part 3

The two beastmen children scrambled back, unprepared for their hiding space being exposed. ‘Shitshitshit!’ Bisky clenched her teeth. She knew that her partner was a master of escape and carried knives concealed under his poncho, but he was a thief, not a fighter. Bisky had only gotten into a few minor scuffles since arriving in Xyxphiria, but now it was time to figure out if choosing the classification of ‘brawler’ gained her anything. She extended her claws and pivoted her body so that she was in front of Pip.

Mahannana stood with her hands clasped in front of her body, trying to look as relaxed and unthreatening as possible. She studied the two children. A cat girl and a Tanuki boy, both of whom couldn’t be older than eight or nine. The girl’s hair, ears, and tail were a mix of pale gray and blue-gray. ‘She’s our thief, then. Ears, fur, small, a female voice, abnormal agility and strength; it all fits.’ The boy was wearing an oversized, faded poncho and tattered pants, with bandages wrapped around his wrists, ankles, and torso. Mahannana couldn’t tell if they were just a fashion choice or he actually had injuries. The cat girl was wearing incredibly short cutoff shorts, a strip of turquoise fabric tided around her chest that just barely functioned as a top, a dark vest, and black leather boots and gloves. The girl’s hair was spiky and flew wildly around her face. The pair of kids looked like they were used to fighting to survive and they clearly hadn't been cared for by anyone else in a while.

“I might be a novice, but I’m still a mage, and my teacher says I’m a prodigy. I wouldn’t take me lightly.” “Doesn’t matter. I can still shred you to ribbons, bitch!” The girl snarled, shaking her sharp claws menacingly. ‘Gotta protect Pip! No idea what this moron has planned, but I doubt she’s going to have any mercy after we robbed her stupid friend!’ Bisky felt the sweat trailing down her neck. She was abnormally strong, being a beastman and all, and her stats should have been significantly enhanced by her taking on the ‘brawler’ class, but she had no clue how this worked. ‘Fuck...it seemed so easy when it was just a game, but there’s no auto-guide to tell me what to do now...!’

“Hey, if you’re going to kill anyone, kill me! I’m the one who robbed people, so leave my friend alone!” Pip screamed defiantly, shoving Bisky out of the way. “Shut the hell up!” Bisky yelled back, turning to him in a frenzy. Despite her harsh words, Pip saw how desperate and scared she really was. The cat girl turned to the woman in pink and did her best to give her a wide demonic grin. “The little shit doesn’t know what he’s talkin’ about. I’m the one who took that wallet from that moronic looking jack-ass with the long hair! And I kicked those two bitches in the face! Your friend was asking for it, walking around with his wallet visible in his pocket for the world to see! And so oblivious that he wouldn’t have realized it was gone if someone hadn’t squealed!” She laughed.

Mahannana wasn’t fooled by the girl’s swearing and bravado. The look in her eyes was that of a scared, cornered child. The two might have been thieves, but they were still kids who only had each other. Besides, fighting was never what she planned on doing, anyway. “I’m not going to argue that Mr Aqua can be a bit weird, and I'm not here to hurt you. Judging by where you’re living, I’m sure you need the money more than we do. You can keep it. The gold, I mean.” As much as Mahannana despised eye contact, she forced herself to look steadily into the girl’s eyes. ‘I need to convince her I’m being honest.’

“W-what?” The little girl looked at her suspiciously, clearly suspecting a trap. “I’m serious. We have enough money. But, please, I’m begging you to just give me the wallet itself back.” The girl’s eyes went wide, and her stance loosened in confusion. “But it’s just an old piece of junk,” “I know. But it’s special to Mr Aqua and he’s been sad ever since you took it. It was his father’s and it’s the only thing of his he has. He doesn’t care about the money, and I don’t, either. Mr Aqua has done nothing but help me and my Mama since we ended up in this world and I promised him I’d get his precious keepsake back. So, please, I’m begging you...” Mahannana did a deep bow at the waist, her head hanging low. “...please give me it back. Please.”

Bisky was frozen to the floor, unsure what to do. Whatever she had thought the mage would do after breaking into their base, it sure wasn’t this! ‘But she seems like she’s being honest, though.’ Bisky eyed her. ‘And she hasn’t made any attempt to hurt us. Ugh, this really hurts my pride, but if I can just give it to her and get her to go away...’ “Hey, Pip, is that okay with you?” Her friend looked incredibly relieved and happy, so Bisky didn’t feel so guilty about cooperating. Pip had lived on the streets far longer than she had and he had an innate talent for reading people. If he thought everything would be fine if they cooperated, then she’d do it without complaint.

“Yep! I already took the money and knew the wallet wasn’t worth much! If that’s all you want, good!” “Wait.” Bisky interjected. “First, you need to do something for us.” She retracted her claws as a sign of goodwill. “If you promise not to turn us in or tell anyone that we’re living here, then I’ll give you the wallet back.”

Mahannana nodded. “Of course I won’t tell anyone. I promise. It’s none of my business and, as annoying as this was, you didn’t hurt us...much. You are clearly just trying to eat and stay alive.” Satisfied, Bisky ducked behind the crate that was their table and dug under the loose floorboard for the wallet. “Here.” She threw it at the woman’s feet.

Mahannana immediately picked it up and examined it. ‘It is Aqua’s! Thank goodness!’ A relieved grin spread across her face. ‘But these kids...’ She looked up. The boy and girl were waiting anxiously for her to leave. ‘They might be stealing but...they’re living in an abandoned building together and the girl’s been stealing food from people’s gardens. They’re all alone and no one is taking care of them. It’s not my place to pry but...’ “Thank you! I promise I won’t tell anyone about you guys. Here.” She slipped a small bag out of her dress and threw it over to the girl. “You need it more than me. And, anyway, stealing is dangerous. Be careful.” She turned to leave, incredibly happy with the outcome. Her meager savings from her deliveries was a small price to pay to get Aqua's precious item back.

Bisky looked at the bag in her hands with her mouth agape. ‘She didn’t-! What sort of moron gives more money to the person who robbed them? Who is the world is this lady?’ Despite all her questions, Bisky’s mouth refused to open. “Wait!” The woman paused in the doorway as Pip called out to her, unfazed by the unprovoked act of kindness.

“How did you manage to find us? Bisky is too smart to ever let anyone follow her home!” Bisky beamed with pride at her friend’s confidence in her. The woman stared at them. 

“You might have looked around, but you never looked up. I’m a mage, remember?” With that confusing and slightly terrifying remark, she ducked under the sheet and disappeared.