Smells Like Cat Food

My head bounced against Yahime's stiff body as she carried me under her arm like a sack of rice. The cat boy, Shiro led us, snaking us through buildings and alleys. It was strange that such a small, sparsely populated town had so many buildings, but the more I looked the more I realized how superficial it all was. Most were dilapidated and abandoned, long forgotten homes and storage sheds frozen in time by the winter cold until spring thawed them to rot.

To his credit, Shiro had taken Yahime's true form in stride. Bixey hadn't hesitated to tell him Yahime was a Dusk and Shiro had simply nodded like her word was all the confirmation he needed. I expected more resistance, like a denial of her existence or refusing to travel with her. Instead he'd just nodded in thought and guided our escape.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"That's a good question," Bixey laughed. She was running at Shiro's heels and had been bullying him relentlessly to the point I worried he might just turn us over to the guards to make her stop.

"The hideout is up ahead," Shiro said. "But don't be surprised when you get inside."

The cryptic warning gave Bixey pause and she tossed a worrying look over her shoulder. I didn't know what she'd noticed since arriving in Edgeton, but everything about the town was wrong. There were too few people to support such a large garrison of troops and the troops had too good of equipment for people stationed weeks from the nearest trading hub. The air was rife with corruption, seeping into the fabric of the town and I was afraid of how deep it went.

Dreams of Aurelie's life had plagued me nightly and while being forced to relive her life was traumatic, it came with a major perk —the more of Aurelie's memories I obtained, the more of her other knowledge I obtained as well. My knowledge of the Goldsplain Empire, the political dynamics, the economy. I knew everything Aurelie had ever learned about them. Not that the memories made me a genius. I still had to actively recall them like any other memory which often left me feeling frustrated. It's annoying recalling every answer a second too late.

But where and why? No company, or empire, can survive this type of embezzlement indefinitely. That means someone is dumping an ungodly amount of money into this town. For what? The Exiled couldn't invade the empire if they wanted to otherwise they already would have. So who is paying for all this and why?

The mystery dug its hooks into me so much that I cried out in surprise when Yahime set me down in front of an exceptionally rundown looking shack. It sat with several other buildings at the base of the western mountain a literal stone's throw from the massive tower I'd seen towering above the wall in the distance.

"Why is the secret hideout literally next to the watch tower?"

"It's not a watch tower." Shiro's voice was sharp and partnered with a condescension that made me want to pluck his white fur out hair by hair. "That's where the garrison Captain, Murus, lives."

"Bold choice!" Bixey slapped Shiro across the back several times, laughing. "Those dumb humans would never suspect the resistance camp to be at their feet."

I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic.

"This wasn't our base before. I built it after the last one was raided." His head hung and he balled his fists. "Most of us didn't make it out and the ones that did…"

"Are they imprisoned?!" I didn't want to deal with a prison break, but I wasn't going to standby while that pig Murus had his way with innocent people.

"Worse! They ran home like cowards! The lot of them! At the first sign of trouble they abandoned the cause."

I was glad Shiro wasn't looking at me. I didn't even try to hide my disgust. How could he think people valuing their lives was worse than being captured and tortured for fun? Was that what it meant to be a revolutionary? More likely it was Shiro's grandiose image of what a revolutionary should be.

So why did the inside of the hideout contradict it all?

"This place is nice!" Bixey's eyes sparkled in the faint sunlight shining through several small holes in the ceiling. "And clean!"

It was exceptionally clean given the actual hideout was in the cellar of an overgrown shack. What I found more interesting, though, was the polished furniture and well stocked pantry.

"I guess you have a lot of surplus food since it's just you," I said. "And where'd you get all this furniture?"

The cat boy shrugged both at me and took off his cloak. "It was here when I found the place. The food I pilfered from Murus's personal kitchen. Bastard probably doesn't even know what he has to begin with."

"No doubt," I laughed dryly. I was glad I'd ordered Yahime to stand at the entrance just in case.

"She's right, though," Bixey joined in. "You've got it made! Screw fighting the empire, just enjoy what you've got here!"

"Shut up, Bix. More people will join, just you wait. Until then, it's up to me to maintain this place and maintain surveillance."

Bixey poked Shiro's hero complex some more before finally settling herself onto a slightly torn sofa in the center of the room. There were other chairs with it, all surrounding a massive low-set table with a crudely drawn map on it. Even when examining the map closer it was impossible for me to tell what the map was of. I hoped not the continent because the shapes and distances were wildly wrong.

"…That's why I'm saying we help each other! If you help us cross the wall, I'll make sure to send you youngins just as dumb and eager to die as you."

"It's not a matter of getting me people. It's impossible to cross right now. There's rumors of monsters closing in and now they're out searching for us. It'd be suicide to try and cross now."

"Then we can wait it out until things settle down. You've got plenty of food."

"I need that too—"

"Enough. If he doesn't want to help, he doesn't have to help, Bixey. Let's just get across ourselves or go over the mountain."

She grimaced at my mention of the mountains but didn't argue. Despite her playful attitude, she'd come to the same conclusion I had.

"W-Wait!"

Shiro's blue eyes were wide like a kitten's, tugging at my heart and I suddenly felt like I was doing something wrong by suggesting we leave.

"You can stay. I'd rather that than something happen to you."

"Then it's settled! We'll stay until the patrols lighten and then cross. I can't wait to take you to Stonewood, Kyomi."

"Kyomi? Isn't that—"

Both Bixey and I were on Shiro before he could finish his sentence. While I hadn't told Bixey the whole story, she knew Aurelie was on the run from the Empire and had a substantial bounty on her head. Whatever posters they'd dispersed must have been drawn by some artisan artists.

"My name is Kyomi. Got that?"

Shiro groaned as Bixey pressed her knee into his stomach. I'd grabbed one of his arms; she'd tackled and mounted him.

"Key-oh-me. Got it Shiro?"

"I got it! Now get off me already. Why I'm being beaten for having seen a poster…"

He rubbed his stomach as he sat up and glared at Bixey. To my surprise she seemed ashamed and even apologized to him for overreacting.

They claim to be close, but they act like long lost acquaintances at best. Ooo! Maybe they have some sort of romantic backstory I'll get to learn! This is set in a romance game. Not that there's been any romance at all.

"The sooner you lot get gone, the better," Shiro grumbled. "I'd invite you to stay awhile, but after the fiasco you caused today, the sooner you reach Purga, the better."

"I couldn't agree more," I said. "When's the soonest you can get us past the wall?"

"Tonight if we're lucky. Despite how he looks, Captain Murus takes his job seriously so he'll probably send multiple patrols to look for that Seele pack you two made up."

"We didn't make it up. We just neglected to tell them that they're already dead."

"It's the same thing, Bixey! What do you think they'll do when they find out?"

She shrugged with a smirk. "If you get us past the wall, I'll never know."

A tsunami of unease swallowed me, drowning me in anxiety. Yahime would defend me if something happened. I'd be fine. Right?

09:55:34