Flow of Crimson Wine

The shimmer of the night air brushed against the feline’s pale skin ever so slightly as she walked down the road, magic filling the air, almost vitriolic in its nature. Rose Garden was always a place where live thrived, even as the Sun abandoned its subjects and forfeited its majestic throne. Not only that, it moved along with culture as well. Lacrimas full of colorful magelights floated in the casings of street lamps ever so elegantly, illuminating the stone-paved streets with the most curious rainbows. People moved to and fro in droves, yet none of them paid attention to the short girl.

While she already started conducting business that could be described as awfully shady at best, Kuro was not yet very well known among anyone in Fiore, much less this cheerful and lively city of Rose Garden. She was a stranger, a foreigner to these people. Something which allowed her to move about without having to worry about hiding away her appearance at every waking moment. Though, still, she wore the silken black cloak, the hood over her head to cover the cat ears from peering eyes. Whether the locals were welcoming toward her kind or not, she dared not risking being persecuted this early on.

A disguised visage she would soon betray anyway, as one particular establishment had caught her interest. A large structure, mainly constructed out of wood, but also reinforced with decorative stone at the base. From inside, a warm and cozy light spilled over through the slightly opaque windows which lied ever so dormant, adorned by blooming flowers. Were places like this rare? Or was this world completely different from the one that Kuro knew? Spending such a long time on the road, having no place to call home and forced to avoid any and all human settlements, she simply did not know.

It was curiosity that killed the cat, but this one was prepared to do the killing instead if it came down to it. And so this feeling inside of her heart, tugging her ever so closer, lead her to the front door. Next to it, on the wooden wall, hanged a chalkboard with very clear writing on its surface. ”Exclusive wines stocked, come and have a taste while they last!” After being subjected to so much work, just to establish a foothold in this new land… perhaps she could unwind a bit, right?

She was even dressed for the occasion, as she rarely put on something that would not have at least a faint sense of nobility. Swinging the wooden doors open, the warmth of the well-decorated interior struck her so suddenly that she nearly froze completely still in the doorway. It has been years since she saw a place like this last, and it wasn’t even a royal establishment, just a fairly run of the mill restaurant with an owner that held a good sense of decorating and architecture.

Daring to remove the cloak completely, she left it hanging by the entrance and cautiously found her way to the nearest empty table. Despite the beauty of this place, there were not that many guests. It made sense to those who were aware of the fact that the establishment itself was quite new, though Kuro was completely in the dark on this matter. It raised a bit of suspicious within her, but then again, she was far more paranoid about others staring at the single girl with cat ears and tail who sat completely alone, waiting for a waiter to arrive. Oh, how she wished that her sister would be here with her…

The wait for something to happen certainly was not a long one, it seemed. Though what transpired was not something the young girl expected in the least, as instead of a waitress or a waiter, a stranger from the outside approached. She had noticed him the moment he came in, naturally. Her senses were more sharp than those of many humans. Even something as subtle as opening and closing of the door could easily catch her attention. But she did not stare at the newcomer for long when he first entered, as he clearly was of no interest to the girl at all.

It appeared that this assumption turned out to be wrong. With the words he uttered, Kuro could not help herself, but to start directly at him, her big, round crimson eyes almost peering into his very soul. Yet, the moment she parted her lips to give him her reply, another person found themselves next to the table. A young and visually appealing waitress with a somewhat round face, emerald green eyes, and a long, brown hair. Someone who could easily work as a model if they dared to expose their physical form in front of the hungry gazes of masses.

“Are you ready to order, miss, mister?” Those red eyes of hers, almost appearing like two blood moons floating in the sea of endless darkness, turned to her, then back to the strange man. After a few mere seconds of consideration, the feline girl nodded. “Yes, we’d like to order now. I was hoping to take you on the offer posted outside, about the wine.” It was then that her gaze pierced the man again. Perhaps a challenge to this little game of life. Clearly, he had been invited to sit at the table now.

“Yes, of course! We have a new selection of wines that the owner might put on the list permanently. Currently, we are offering them to customers with a discount and gathering feedback to help us decide which ones will be the best choice. And for you, mister?” The girl now asked the person that she could only assume was Kuro’s companion. After all, they were by the same table, and it appeared as if they were talking together when she first came and asked for the order. In the meantime, the bakeneko only curiously wondered how he would react to all this.

Acknowledging the man’s order, the waitress jotted everything down on a small piece of yellowed paper in her hand, obviously not ensure that she would not forget their orders after taking to few other costumers that were waiting. This left the two mages once again alone, somewhat awkwardly being there without much verbal interaction happening. Finally, Kuro would sigh and once again point those crimson red orbs of hers at V. “Not very good at picking on subtle cues, are we?” With that, she pointed at the seat on the other side of the table.

The fact that he was still standing there, obviously in at least some discomfort was just plain strange. They already ordered together, too. The waitress would soon bring them the wines together, as any person would automatically assume that they were here together. And so with that explicit permission out and about, the Bakeneko simply waited for the man to finally get in the chair and make himself comfortable. She grew a bit curious as to what he wanted, considering he approached her here so blatantly. Perhaps he knew who she was and what she has done?

Regardless of that, she was cautious. While on the outside she appeared completely calm and relaxed, her eyes were tracking every bit of moment around her, that frail body of hers ready to react. She might not have been physically strong, but she was fast and flexible. Not that it would be too necessary, no one would dare to start anything too obvious in a place like this, full of people. Only her fluffy black tail swayed from one side to another behind her back, suggesting the cat’s curious nature. But not always did the curiosity kill the cat, especially if it was a smart one. “So, always try to pick girls like that?”

The girl would dare to lean slightly to the side, one of her arms on the table as it moved up to support her head, that small and pale palm of hers now resting easily against her own cheek. She appeared almost emotionless as her eyes continuously stared at the man who took his seat in front of her, observing every little movement of his. Strangely enough, they all appeared rather honest and perhaps even slightly sloppy, hinting at the fact that he was not here for some malicious intent or could even try something against her if he tried.

Letting out a simple “Hmm…” as she listened to him, almost sounding like a low hum of sorts, the girl’s tail curiously danced behind her back before her free hand would be moved in front of the girl, her index finger extended and pointing up as if a small warning gesture that he was to stop talking because there was possibly something wrong. “One’s upbringing can mean nothing in the face of life-altering events which can happen at any point down the line. You’d best to start learning if you wish to read between the lines of those you choose to converse with.”

For some reason, Kuro was trying to lecture him. She herself wasn’t quite sure as to why. Perhaps because this was her first proper contact with another living being in so long, her maternal instincts carelessly took over? It made her sigh as she closed her crimson eyes momentarily, only to open them seconds later and gaze upon the man again. “I suppose you may call me ‘Kurome’ if you need an identification like a name. But if that is not your intention, then I am left to wonder why you decided to sit with a complete stranger like myself.”

She did not quite return the gesture of a bow due to the lazy posture her body was still in, the one hand supporting her head while the other returned to rest on the table’s top. Still, she was curious. Was she about to be a target of a scam? Or perhaps he really was a rune knight spy? Or… was he really just such a careless civilian that he would approach a necromancer in hiding without knowing? Somehow, all of the options appeared equally terrifying, given the girl’s current situation and predicament.

So even a man like this was capable of conjuring some form of retort when in this kind of situation. Frankly, Kuro wasn’t quite sure what to think of him after having a taste of his mannerisms and taking a good look at his lacking physique. But she knew very well that neither of the two was a good indicator of how he truly was. There were many monsters hiding in plain sight, wolves in sheep’s clothing. And the cat girl sitting across V was very much one of them, making sure that her true nature would not be unveiled in front of others, at least not yet.

As the man continued talking, the waitress from before showed by their side once more, in her hands a large plate with a number of wine bottles. Each one of them was completely different, showing that the ‘Wine Tasting’ was truly that and nothing else. Putting them all down, the young girl smiled and eyed the two costumers. “Please, don’t be intimidated by the volume. You may drink as much as you want and we will bill you exactly for the amount of wine you had, taking back the rest. And please, make sure to give us your feedback once you are done!”

With a gleeful smile, she left just as quickly as she arrived, leaving the two with about a dozen, if not more, bottles of wine. Looking at them closely, some were rarer than others. They even ranged from red through white to even pink ones. As if knowing exactly which one to open up, Kuro shifted into a more mannered position and poured a bit into her glass, filling it about half-way. The particular one she chose seemed quite a bit different from the rest, mostly because it was far more viscous than one would expect from such a drink.

With the light reflecting from the glass, it almost made it seem as if the cat lady was about to drink blood. She certainly did not hesitate with having a taste, licking her lips afterward as a smile appeared on her face, a somewhat more sadistic look now directed on V. “Perhaps. But a real mistake also does not leave one with the option to learn anything at all anymore.” Clearly hinting at the fact that a true mistake would mean one’s demise.

Putting the glass back on the table, she traced one of her index fingers across the rim of her drink while continuously gazing at the man across her. She had to process the answer that he gave her a moment ago, one about the invisible strings of fate. Naturally, someone like Kuro did not believe in such ascended forces. “Humanity. What a fickle and fragile thing, driving even the most level-headed individuals to do the cruelest things imaginable~” Speaking in an almost teasing manner, she drank the wine again.

After all, she was no human. And no humanity resided within her. But in the past, she certainly felt the ‘need of humanity’. One that lead humans in her village to murder most of her kind out of fear. Pitiful fear for their own humanity and the possibility of losing it if they continued living together with Yōkai. Yes, there was not much else she could comment on. Or rather, she had no desire to. Mocking humanity was something she could do for days, but not here. Not in a place where it could backfire horribly. And yet, she did not let any of her hate and bitterness show, like a true cat demon.

Only a shred of humanity remaining. What a strange thing to say, even if it was in a good spirit. Kurome narrowed her gaze a bit as she continued to watch him, the words escaping from his mouth before he attempted a toast to their meeting. Naturally, the cat girl barely reacted. Her neutral expression lied once again unchanged, as if there was nothing in this world that could possibly stimulate her in any way. Her finger merely remained circling the edge of her glass as if it was some sort of a game to keep her occupied before she could finally leave.

Not that such was actually the case. Once V asked for some recommendation, those crimson red eyes would finally slide to the side, almost looking as if she was about to roll them around in annoyance for a second. She didn’t, but there was a bit of a sigh before she spoke again. “A chance meeting… with a man who uses a single letter as his name and doesn’t even drink wine despite ordering it. The meeting is looking more forced by the minute, rather than a chance one.” Strangely enough, there was once again not a single hint of malice in her words.

Instead, her hand trailed to the side and grabbed one of the bottles, sliding it over in front of the man. A brand that was widely accepted as the number one choice for family meetings, your classical red wine. Nothing too sweet or bitter, a good medium for an affordable price. She was actually somewhat surprised to find it here, as it sounded like they were interested in testing only the fancier kinds of wines in order to add them to the menu permanently. But somehow, it came in pretty handy right now with this wine novice.

“And to say that you have only a small bit of humanity left alone in you… almost sounds like something that an old-fashioned villain would say. But at the first sight, you appear to be perfectly human… perhaps, are you not?” Making it seem as if it was simple curiosity present in any being that lived and breathed, the cat girl decided she should try to find out as much as she possibly could about her companion. What was he trying to achieve here, really? Who was he and why was he saying such cryptic words? She wanted to make some sense out of it.

Kuro did her best to continue listening to the man. His words were… well, sometimes they made sense. Other times they seemed like excuses. How could a living being have absolutely no idea of who they actually are? Such concept was preposterous to the yōkai, as she was rather proud of her own heritage. The long claw-like nails which adorned her slender fingers might have even slightly dug into the wooden table’s surface in frustration at that moment. And there was not a single second when those red eyes would be moved away from observing his physical form, until the girl finally had enough.

The entire conversation was starting to turn rather awkward, perhaps thanks to her own inability to skilfully and casually converse with others. With her head now completely averted to look over the other tables in this place, she had no idea what to say. Then, she finally snapped. Or rather, her conversational skills did. If her mind as a whole were to no longer give a single thought to this whole situation, blood would probably flow. Instead, she just ever so suddenly slammed her hand against the hard surface of the table.

Though with her own lack of physical strength, the noise produced was barely even heard by other customers and all of the glasses present on top of it did not move a single inch in response. “Did you perhaps sit here because you saw someone inhuman, a filthy animal that dares to dine amongst the noble humans? Just here to make fun of individuals like me? Giving me a name like that and then claiming you do not even know what you are, what else could this be if not some kind of twisted jest!” It might have come as a surprise to V, but this was a fairly normal reaction from Kuro.

After all, her past was filled with oppression and murder. A past she dared not disclose to anyone, as she was of the opinion that she would surely be only met with more ridicule from others. She glared at the man, very clearly displeased. But at the same time, she did not know what she was even expecting out of him. To apologize? Or maybe continue with some actually cruel words towards her? Or for him to just get up and leave? In only a few seconds, she relaxed her muscles and leaned back into her chair with a sigh, now only eying the red wine glass in front of her.

Was it a mistake to come to this place?

OOC: Sorry for the delay, school is keeping me more busy than usual

Kurome appeared surprisingly calm as she listened to the man try to defend himself. Though she still wasn’t exactly buying the whole idea of him now knowing what he was. Could he not sense his self? Test his self? It just seemed like a cheap lie to hide something more twisted that lied beneath. But for now, she would take it at face value. Changing position a bit, the small girl placed her feet on the seat and hugged her legs, resting her head on her knees for a bit. Though there was not necessarily a connection of understanding that formed as she listened.

“I am not from the jungles of Joya if that is what you mean.” She knew not of any other place on this continent where beings with features like hers were common. But apparently, that tribalistic nation was full of tribes consisting of cat folk. Though by the tone of his words, she figured he might have not meant such a place, and so she added a bit more. “Or from anywhere on this continent, for that matter…” There was also a place called Midi, as far as she heard. Some yōkai might have existed there, but not her.

“I’m-” A sudden presence cut her off as she turned her head to the side. It was the waitress from before, smiling just as before. Though there was a slight hint of discomfort when she looked at how Kuro was sitting, her shoes perhaps dirtying the front of the seat a bit now. Not that she commented on it at all. “Do you have everything you need? Are you enjoying the evening?” The cat girl sighed a bit under her breath. “Yes, though I think we might be departing in a moment. My partner will pay for our bill.”

Her eyes locked onto V, as if she was a predator who was about to devour its pray. And yet, there was a sense of seductive allure that she was giving off. Her tail swayed from side to say, her ears twitching ever so slightly. And her words as if they were sweetened by the finest honey. And above all, a devilish, mischievous smile with the word: “Right?”  “Understood! I will bring you your tab right away!” With that, she disappeared once again.

Cats were often skittish creatures, one that would not approach someone they did not know. Kurome was often like that, herself. But today, she felt something… slightly different. This man, who had introduced himself under the name V, approached her instead. And there was something in him that intrigued the feline girl. However, it did her no favors to simply continue lazing about in this restaurant and drinking wine. There was someone she needed to check on, after all. It has been long enough. This was why she decided to end their little conversation… for tonight. She still had some plans.

But for now, her glances and smiles were still playful, especially after he agreed to pay. The moment the waitress disappeared again, Kuro would lean her head against her knee once more and close her eyes for a bit. “A habit? It is a price. After all, you had such a wonderful show. Checking out my legs in this position like that… perhaps sneaking a peek beneath a lady’s dress as well? It was well worth it for you.” A teasing that left little time for rebuttal as the waitress returned and asked V to pay up, which he did without any hesitation.

The Bakeneko would leap off of her chair and snatch the coat she had come in with, once again putting it on to hide away her identity. But before she would leave, she passed by the fragile looking man on her way toward the front door. “I hear that cats like to gather on an abandoned pier in Hargeon at night of the month's last day. Perhaps there is something of interest there. I am sure we will meet again.” And just like that, she would swiftly leave the establishment and disappear into the crowded streets. The end of the month was still a few days away.