Creepy Followin' Person

Hey Inorin,

Hope you're well. Actually, scratch that. You BETTER be fucking well because I'm coming to find you even if I get beaten down over and over. Even if I have to go realm by realm, I WILL find you. And when I do, you're getting the biggest punch to the shoulder for making me worry like this.

Oh, guess what? I can ascend now! Yeah, that yellow bar thingy filled up after I punched a bunch of spider monsters. Not too shabby for your little niece, right? Bet you never punched spider monsters when you were seventeen. But I'm staying put for a day or two because something's fishy about this place.

You're also never gonna believe this, but I made a friend. Her name's Qing Qing, and before you ask, no, she's not imaginary like that time I tried to convince you my reflection counted as a friend.

I know, I know. Me? Making friends? Haven't done that since I got expelled. Haven't even tried since you disappeared. But here I am, being dragged through some crazy upside-down city by this cute girl with wings who thinks I'm worth hanging out with.

Wait, crap, she told me not to call her cute. But this is a letter in my head, so screw that! she's adorable and kicks ass and I bet you two would've gotten along great. She's got that same energy as you whenever you're one drink in. OH, I almost forgot to mention that she has WINGS. Actual fucking wings!

Wait, why am I writing this letter in my head again? Oh yeah, GUESS WHERE MY NEW FRIEND JUST TOOK ME? A BAR. THAT’S RIGHT, YOU DRUNK! GUESS WHO’S ABOUT TO HAVE HER FIRST DRINK? Remember all those times you snatched the sake away from me? 'You're too young, Kuroha! 'Not until you're older, Kuroha!' Well, who's laughing now?!

"What's so funny?" Qing Qing glanced back at me, probably wondering why I was cackling like a maniac.

"Just thinking about my aunt having a heart attack."

"Your aunt?"

"Long story."

I stared down the glass in front of me. The "Dragon's Breath" glowed an unnatural blue, wisps of vapor forming on its surface. Nothing like the cheap bottles of sake Inorin got.

Peng sat across the high table, its beady eyes bearing straight into mine.

"What are you looking at?"

"Peng."

"Drinks aren't made to be stared at!" Qing Qing chirped, giving my shoulder a playful punch. "Drink up!"

I'd fought Rust and Black Legs. How bad could one drink be?

My fingers clamped around the glass base. Before I could overthink it more, I tilted my head back and chugged.

"Wait, don't-" But Qing Qing's warning came too late.

My eyes watered as the room started spinning, everything taking on a weird blue tinge. How did I even end up here? One minute Qing Qing was dragging me through the city, next thing I know I'm in this weird bar built into the side of the cliff where everything's upside down and-

I slammed the empty glass down, trying to focus on Peng who had somehow multiplied into three identical Pengs? All three of them gave me that dismissive side-eye I grew to hate.

"I meant to do that," I declared to the Pengs, my tongue feeling oddly numb.

I gripped the table's edge as waves of heat crashed through my body. Holy shit, this was why they called it Dragon's Breath. My throat felt like I swallowed burning coals, and my stomach was churning like a furnace.

"You're supposed to sip it!" Qing Qing's laughter echoed through the bar's ceiling.

"Now you tell me?" I wheezed, tugging at the high collar of my borrowed hanfu. The silk felt suffocating against my burning skin. When Qing Qing had first dragged me through those doors, past the bouncer telling us to wear a mask and hanfu, I'd been too distracted by the place itself: all dark wood plus tables built right into the cliff face and windows opening to the ravine.

My borrowed mask, a sleek black thing with golden accents, suddenly felt like it was melting into my face. Sweat trickled down my neck as the drink worked its magic. Or curse. Yeah, definitely a curse.

I should've said something about being seventeen when Qing Qing brought me here. But seeing all these masked figures in their hanfu's, drinking and laughing without a care about rank or rules, it felt like I stumbled into some secret adult world I wasn't supposed to see.

Plus, after years of watching Inorin snatch bottles away from me with that stupid grin of hers… well, screw waiting. I wanted to know what the big deal was.

Now I knew. It tasted like regret.

"Peng."

"Shuuut uuup," I muttered, pressing my forehead against the cool wood table.

I turned my head on the table, jabbing a finger at Qing Qing's blurry outline. "And youuuu... haven't told me anythin' yet! We've just been drinkin'!"

"That's because drinking makes everything more fun! Stories taste better with alcohol, you know?"

"Storiesss don't have taste! Unless... wait, do theeey?"

"Peng."

"What do youuu know?"

Qing Qing's shoulders shook with laughter. "Fine, fine! So, this city, Longfeng City, it's run by Lung-"

"Lung? Like the... the breathing thing?"

"No, like- never mind. Anyway, I work for him in the Feilong Corp. We're like police, but cooler and-"

"Cute girl going off track," I sang. Did I just say that out loud?

Qing Qing's cheeks flushed pink above her mask. "R-right! So during the day, everything's normal. But at night..." She leaned in dramatically. "The Black Legs wake up."

"Huh?"

"Those spider things we fought! They sleep at the bottom of the ravine during the day, but at sunset they-"

"Spiders?" I jerked upright, nearly falling off my stool. "Nobody said anything about spiders! I hate spiders!"

"At sunset, Lung flips the entire city upside down so-"

"He WHAT?" I grabbed Peng, spinning it. "Is that why everything's spinny?"

"No, the city flips to create a gap between-"

"THE WHOLE CITY SPINS?" I pressed my face against the window, the lights blur together. "Are we spinning right now? Why aren't we falling?"

The room swayed as a shadow fell across our table. Someone spoke, their words swimming through my alcohol-filled brain like fish in murky water.

"Wazzat?" I squinted up at the towering figure.

"What are you doing here?" The voice cut through the haze, deep, male.

"I'm off duty! I can do what I-"

The tall blur cut her off by looming closer. Qing Qing's voice got smaller as she backed away. Something about that made my blood boil.

I leaned forward, trying to focus on Mr. Too-Tall-For-His-Own-Good. The room stopped spinning just long enough for recognition to hit me.

"YOU!" I jabbed my finger at his chest. "Yer that creepy stalker from before! Always followin' Qing around like some... some... creepy followin' person!"

"I suggest you-"

My fist connected with his face before he could finish. His mask went flying as he stumbled backward.

"STOP BEIN' SUCH A DICK TO MY FRIEND! YER JUST JEALOUS 'CUS SHE'S AWESOME AN' YER A BIG DUMB CREEP!"

The man - tall and lean with a perfectly trimmed goatee - barely flinched from my words. His fingers traced the edge of his fallen mask before lifting it gracefully.

"How... barbaric." He slid the mask back into place, adjusting it with care. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced, though I can't say I care to remedy that oversight."

"Tha's 'cus yer too busy bein' a creep!"

"I see. Qing Qing, I expected better judgment from you. This... individual has clearly been a negative influence."

I burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the bar. "ME? A bad influence? That's rich comin' from the guy who won't let her do anythin' fun!"

"I would strongly suggest you find different company to keep." He turned away, ignoring me entirely. "Someone more... suitable."

"Suitable?" I stumbled forward. "Y'know what'd be suitable? My fist suitable-ing yer face again!"

"Kuroha, maybe we should-" Qing Qing started.

But I was already launching myself at the creep, ready to rearrange his face.