Mystery

Blanc, fuming, stalked through the deserted streets until he made it all the way back to the place he had been just before he had met the stupid Prince Loki again. He stopped in front of a nondescript, dirty, two-story cottage slightly set apart from the others on the street. He let out an angry breath through his nose and stepped forward, knocking on the door. The knock had an unusual rhythm; not simply a normal knock-knock-knock that one would normally use to request entry.

A moment passed, and then the door swung open.

"Back so soon, Lune?" a soft female voice asked mildly.

"Bad news," he muttered. "I need to talk to him."

"He probably doesn't want to hear it," the female said, sounding slightly distasteful as she closed the door behind the white neko when he stepped in.

"He needs to hear this," Blanc rephrased.

"Hmm. Well, he's a bit busy planning the revolution. I don't think he has time. I'll see if I can grab someone else who has time to listen to a little kit's complaints," she said smoothly, walking away.

"Chatte Noir Soir," Blanc said, gritting his teeth as he said the neko's name respectfully.

She turned back momentarily, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, Chatte Blanc Lune?" she returned the favor of using his full respectable name, though slight disdain was evident.

Blanc sighed, looking at the woman. It still put him on edge to look at her. Chatte Noir Soir's resemblance to her daughter was uncanny. It was like looking into the future; this was probably exactly what Noir would look like when she reached the peak of her prime. "It's not a complaint. This is actually important," he said, slight menacing in his voice. He had not told either the mother or daughter of the other's existence.

The older Noir gave Blanc an appraising look, but was obviously unimpressed. "I'm sure," she sneered before turning away again, heading to find someone for Blanc to talk to.

Chatte Blanc Lune pinched his lips together. She would treat him with more respect if she knew what he knew. But it would work out in the end. He had important information for Chatte Rouge Catalysseur.

Loki walked down the street, feeling a kind of pang in his heart. He was personally happy that he wouldn't have to deal with Blanc through this ordeal of hiding the nekos… but Noir and Marron were dejected and quiet.

After Blanc's dramatic exit, there had been a long moment of stunned silence. Then the girls had awkwardly started clearing out their meager belongings, stuffing spare shirts and cloaks and pairs of pants into sacks. Blanc's clothes were left untouched in the bin.

"We'll leave the coins we pinched today," Noir said quietly, dropping the small pouches into the bin, covering them with the clothing. "Just in case Blanc should need them."

And then, by unspoken consent, the prince and two neko girls left as well, leaving the nearly-barren hideout. And now they walked on the street towards the middle of the city. For the second time that day, they walked in silence, unable to find any words. Loki had to keep glancing back to make sure that they were still following him, they were so quiet.

Finally, as they drew closer to the busy heart of the city, Loki cleared his throat and turned around. "I… Now is probably a good time to cast the illusion on you," he said, trying to sound confident and unperturbed. But the truth was, just the girls being so distraught made him feel a little down.

Noir dragged her gaze from the ground and looked Loki in the eyes. "What are you going to do, exactly?"

"I thought I might make you look like a pair of servants."

Both Noir and Marron's faces twisted in grimaces. "Servants? Really?"

"Well, that's the only thing I can think of that wouldn't be at all suspicious," Loki said defensively. "What else am I supposed to do? If I made you look like a pair of guards, everything would be thrown off by your height and coordination. I could make you look taller and broader, but your steps would be short, and it would look odd. If I just make you look like a pair of servant girls, then the only thing I'll need to do is cast an illusion on your clothes and ears and tails."

Noir and Marron exchanged bitter looks. "Alright," they muttered.

With a sigh, Loki looked at the girls carefully. He deliberated for a moment, and then nodded. "Alright; let's go." He turned on his heel and began walking away.

Marron and Noir blinked in surprise. "But you haven't done any-!"

Noir was cut off as Marron suddenly gasped, looking at her comrade. "Noir…" she looked down at herself as well.

Noir paused. Her eyes widened. Her round-pupil eyes. She appeared to be garbed in a simple white dress that went down to her shins. She looked at Marron, similarly clothed. And… Marron had no cat ears and no tail. Her amber eyes were not slit-pupiled. Noir frowned. She could still feel her tail and ears… But glancing back, she could not see the long appendage, and she guessed her cat ears were invisible as well.

"Are you two coming or not?" Loki called back, glancing over his shoulder with a slight smirk.

Marron and Noir, still in shock, trod numbly after him.

"Now," Loki said slowly. "When we enter the market, you keep your eyes downcast and don't speak unless spoken to. And don't pay any mind to anyone. All you have to do is follow me closely, and no one should suspect anything."

"This is brilliant," Noir breathed, still staring at the aesthetically-Aesir Marron. "But… so weird… Marron, how do I look?" she demanded, spreading her white skirts a little.

Marron shrugged. "You look… Aesir. It's really quite strange."

Loki glanced back at them, smiling slightly at their awed expressions. Personally, he kind of preferred how Noir looked as a neko as opposed to Aesir. But he didn't really need to tell her that. That would get rather awkward rather quickly. "Come on, you two," he said, chastising them gently.

The girls nodded and hefted their sacks of belongings, catching up to him quickly, looking sheepish.

Fifteen minutes later, Loki had managed to lead them through the streets and up to the front gates without any trouble. But it was when they reached the front gates that there was slight cause for worry. Loki's step faltered when he saw a line of soldiers standing across the place where the front gates used to be, leering at everyone who looked at them too long.

Noir and Marron swallowed nervously, shifting from foot to foot. They would have asked Loki what they were supposed to do, but they had been instructed to not speak. And Loki couldn't reassure them, either; a prince would never speak kindly to his servants. So Loki just threw them a meaningful glance over his shoulder and beckoned for them to follow him.

Loki stepped forward confidently to the line of soldiers. "Guards, allow me to pass and return to the palace."

"Prince Loki," the man in the middle of the line saluted. "We have been given orders to search anyone who wishes clearance to the palace. Since the gates have been destroyed by the rebels. We have taken its place as protections, and will not let anyone unwanted pass."

Loki very plainly rolled his eyes, showing a display of aloofness to exaggerate his nonchalance with the situation. Hopefully his nonchalance would convince the guards he had nothing to hide, and was doing nothing wrong. "Admirable, captain. May I pass now?"

The captain, head held high, surveyed the three imperiously. He was obviously taking his new duty of guarding the gates far too seriously. "Who are the two ladies there with you, Your Highness?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Servants. What do they look like to you?"

The captain narrowed his eyes and gestured to two soldiers. The two sighed and stepped forward to inspect the girls.

"Do you really think I would be bringing in something dangerous, Captain?" Loki asked haughtily, cloaking his nervousness with disdain towards the captain.

The girls stood stock-still, waiting for the soldiers to make their inspection and be done. But they couldn't help but fear… what if there was some way for them to tell that they were not Aesir?

"What do they carry in their sacks?" the captain asked suspiciously.

"Clothing," Loki scoffed. "Look for yourself. I have nothing to hide. And if you keep detaining me here much longer, I'll report it to my father that you were taking advantage of your post."

The captain suddenly stiffened. "Alright, you may pass," he said hastily, and gestured to the line of soldiers. Immediately, they all parted, and Loki strode through, feeling relieved. The girls followed hurriedly, careful to keep their eyes downcast. The three could feel the soldier's eyes on their backs until they entered the palace and disappeared around a corner.

Loki sighed as they entered the entrance hall, finally out of the soldiers' sight. "Well then… that went… well, it could have gone worse," he said fairly.

Noir and Marron let out the breath they had been holding and looked at Loki in disbelief. He merely shrugged.

"Um…" he looked around quickly to make sure no one was watching. There was no one. So he returned his gaze to the girls and smiled softly. "Well, all we need to do is get you somewhere to lie low while I find a more permanent place for you to stay."

Noir raised her eyebrows. "You didn't plan this out particularly well, did you, Prince Loki?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "A bit of an extemporaneous plan, Noir. I'll take you two to my chambers, and I'll go to the library and find a good hiding place for you on the maps of the palace. Come on."

"Ooh, Prince Loki taking two girls to his chambers," Noir whispered to Marron, who clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggle.

Loki heard, and felt heat rising to his cheeks. He didn't even trust himself to make a retort to that particular observation. So he just continued walking like he hadn't heard. Though he knew the girls were smirking and snickering behind him.

But they weren't smirking and snickering for long. Soon they were staring open-mouthed around at the magnificent palace. Loki led them through back hallways and less-used passageways so that they would be less noticed, but even the smaller halls were grand, appearing to be made of pure gold, and high ceilings curved gracefully into the walls lined with tall windows, which granted view to the gardens, and as they climbed staircases, they could see the city from hundreds of feet in the air.

Loki paused as the girls suddenly gasped behind him, and he heard their footsteps as they rushed to the windows. He turned and saw they were gawking, faces close to the panes of glass, hands gently pressed to it. Loki slowly walked to join them and peered out.

"That's the Rainbow Bridge!" Marron breathed excitedly. "Right?"

"Mmhmm," Loki nodded. They had finally reached a height where they were above the buildings that blocked the view of the Rainbow Bridge. The three could see it in the distance, a ribbon of multicolored translucence, suspended in the air over the sea and emptiness beyond. "And there on the end is the Observatory. Heimdall resides there, the Gatekeeper."

"And the Byfrost, right?" Noir asked.

"Yes," Loki confirmed.

"Have you ever been there? Have you ever travelled by Byfrost?" Noir asked

"Many times," Loki shrugged.

The girls glanced back up at him. He just looked at them and shrugged. "Come on."

The girls continued looking in awe at the palace, but Loki didn't stop and wait for them anymore, so they had to just catch up with him.

He finally stopped in front of a pair of huge double doors. "Here we are. Er…" He glanced around the empty hall nervously before opening the door and gesturing for the girls to enter first.

Once again hiding snickers, the girls sauntered inside. They stopped and gaped once again. The room they found themselves in was huge. It was a sitting room, with three different couches, four cushiony armchairs, two tables, and countless bookshelves. Green, gold, and black were the predominant colors, except for the dark brown hardwood floors in between plush carpets. Loki smiled slightly as he closed his door behind himself as he stepped inside.

"This is your room?" Noir asked in awe.

"Well… yes. One of them. There's other rooms attached to this sitting room… a bedroom, a privy, a dressing room, and a safe room in case of emergencies, protected by magic in the event of an attack on the castle …" he trailed off as he noticed the disbelieving expressions on the girls' faces. "Anyways," he said hastily, recalling that their previous home could have fit inside his closet. "I'll remove the illusion on you two now."

"Oh, good," Marron sighed in relief. "It's so odd to look at Noir and not see her tail twitching in amusement."

Noir scoffed. "It's odd to not see your ears twitching nervously every few seconds."

Loki just smiled, and the girls were once again nekos, dressed in worn tunics and breeches, cloaks and fingerless gloves of the same color as the tails and ears that had reappeared on their bodies. "That's better," Loki murmured.

"Better?" Noir asked, raising an eyebrow. "So you admit that the Aesir are funny-looking…"

Loki rolled his eyes. "I said no such thing. You two can have a look around. There are plenty of books to entertain yourselves with, and… I'll be back. I'm going to the library, but I'll be back in just a few minutes. It shouldn't take long. Alright? If anyone knocks, just don't answer. If someone comes in, just hide."

"We're not stupid, Loki," Noir gave him a pointed look. "We did just live on the streets for years… we know what it's like to be inside a place you're not supposed to."

Loki smiled faintly. "Alright. Then I'll be back in a few moments." He backed out of the room, sighing. The girls really did seem bitter about Blanc leaving. A dark cloud seemed to hang over them now. He bit his lip thinking about it. He wondered if Noir had liked the white neko as more than just a friend.

He shook himself at the thought and strode down the hall towards the library. He forced himself to dismiss the jealousy in his heart at the idea of Noir and Blanc as more than friends.

"Well, then," Noir murmured, looking at Marron with raised eyebrows. "We have the prince's chambers to ourselves for a little while, hmm? What do you say we explore? See what kind of books he's interested in," she winked at the brown neko and headed to the opposite side of the room, lined with bookshelves. Marron trailed behind her, and they began perusing the shelves and volumes.

"Spell casting… spell casting… a history of spell casting… sorcery… sorcery and spell casting… a history of sorcery… Ah, here's something interesting," Noir brightened as she trailed her fingers down a row of books. "Hmm." She pulled the book out and inspected it. "A fairy tale book, Marron. What do you say we make him read it to us when he tucks us into bed?" she asked cheekily.

Marron shook her head. "Stop pretending you don't like him, Noir. You're terrible at it. Ever since Blanc left, you've been kind of cold to the prince. You should stop."

"I thought you didn't trust him?" Noir quirked her eyebrows.

"Well," Marron tugged on her fingerless gloves. "I don't know. He did bring us here, right?"

Noir nodded slowly. "And…?"

"The way he was acting made me think differently," Marron said evasively.

"Think differently about what?" Noir pressed, grinning, wanting to hear her friend say it.

Marron laughed a little. "He might actually like you, Noir. So don't push him away now."

Noir scoffed and flapped the fairy tale book at Marron. "I'm not a princess in a golden tower, Marron. I really don't think we're going to have an issue with this." She gently patted Marron's head.

Marron sent her a distasteful grimace, but then just smiled. "I'm going to go look around."

Noir pretended a shocked expression. "Going into the prince's bedroom? Scandalous, Marron!"

Marron shook her head, smiling. "You're silly."

"If it's taken you this long to figure that out, Marron, then you're the silly one." Noir winked. "Now scoot and tell me if you find anything interesting in his bedroom." She began flipping through the book of fairy tales as Marron wandered off, peeking into the other rooms attached to the one they currently occupied.

Noir found herself engrossed in a tale about a prince who sought help from a white cat to prove himself worthier than his older brothers. In the end, the white cat turned into a princess and was married to the prince. She thought the story was silly, but amusing nonetheless. After she had read it once, she reread it, scoffing at its senselessness. But she froze, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end suddenly…

When Marron's blood-curdling scream rent the air.

Loki, in the library, was searching through the section with building plans and maps. He had been here just the previous day, looking for the prison's plans and map. Now, though, he was looking for the palace. He had already found several, but which accounts were reliable was questionable. After thousands of years, some passages had been caved in, remodeled, or removed. But there were also new passages that had been built. Loki simply had to pick through the many documents and decide which of hundreds of rooms and passages would be fitting to hide Marron and Noir in.

He started to open a book on the history of the palace and was momentarily lost in a story of one of the first kings, who had—Loki shook himself. He couldn't afford to get lost in his books right now. He snapped the book closed and added it to a large pile that he had on a small table. He had to keep reminding himself that he was here to simply get the books, but would actually go through the information within when he got back to his room, and he would consult with Noir. And Marron, he added as an afterthought. But he was really only thinking and caring about Noir.

With a sigh, he lifted the stacks of books and rolls of parchment into his arms, strolling back out of the library and heading back towards his room.

And that was when he heard the scream of a terrified girl… coming from the direction of his room.

Note from LoquaciousQuibbler: Ooh, cliffhanger! ;D What's got Marron wailing in fright? I've already got it planned, I'm just curious as to what y'all think it might be… I'll be surprised if anyone can guess it. But if you do, then you get a major shout-out in the next chapter.

And ermergerd did we just throw Noir's mother into the mix? *snap* oh, yes, I did. Thank you to .7 for the idea of bringing Noir's parents into the mix somehow. It's not in the same way you suggested, but I did like the idea of bringing parents in… so yeah.

And to the Guest who suggested that Loki use his powers of disguise to smuggle the nekos into the palace? Bingo;) that's exactly what happened.

And in case you missed it last chapter… (I said it at the beginning of the chapter, so you might have forgotten by the time you finished) I wrote the one-shot of Loki and Blanc sharing a bed. It is called Keeping Me Up, and you should check it out and review it.

MidnightShadow101 pointed out that since all black nekos are called Noir, that Loki's and her ship name should include her personal name that makes her individual… Etoile. I thought it was a fair point… but then I realized that, if Noir decided to change her last name, which nekos often do, then it would also cause a lot of confusion. So… Not sure what to do. The only constant in her name is Noir, but it is also the general name of all nekos with black hair, ears, and tail… thoughts? Please favorite, follow, review, or PM me. Suggestions are always welcome.