So it's finally my turn to get sick. It isn't the flu or anything, no worries, but as far as colds go it's pretty wretched. I keep having to go in search of tissue boxes wherever I go, and then there's the buildup in the back of my throat that makes me cough. And when I cough, my head hurts. On a lighter note, I recently got to watch a collection of studio ghibli films! I loved them! My favorite has to be Howl's Moving Castle, though. That one just hit all the right notes with me.
Onto the story.
A buzzing shakes me from my dreams. Groaning, I turn over in bed and grope around for my phone. I might as well answer it. It's not like I was sleeping very well, anyway. I flinch back at the sudden light, a message lit on the screen.
Wear your best and come to this address. You have half an hour.
It's from Uta. I throw off my covers and drag myself out of bed, flicking on the lights. With such thin walls, I can hear Mom's breathing in the next room over. I move carefully as not to wake her.
What could it possibly be for Uta to contact me so early? Or late. Is it even morning yet? I check my phone to find it's almost one a.m. And what does he want me to dress up for? And thirty minutes? That doesn't give me anytime to make myself up nicely.
The closet creaks when I open it. From it I grab out the nicest dress I have and a shawl I knitted a few years back that seems to match. Although it isn't too warm out, the nicest shoes I own are sandals, so that's what I put on. Once dressed, I run my fingers through my hair and a thought strikes me.
I text Uta back, I need time to get my mask.
Ten more minutes
He really isn't giving me any room to dawdle, is he? But his allowance for time confirms my suspicions. Wherever we're going, I'm meeting with ghouls.
I'm about to step out of the room when I hesitate, eyes settling on the pillow sitting alone in the middle of the room. It's a measly cover, sure, but better than leaving it in plain sight. Uta probably wants me to bring that, doesn't he, since if I get into a tight spot, I don't have a kagune to save me.
The world I'm entering is dangerous. Uta's made it quite clear that if I want to be a part of it, I have to be able to fight.
Without the time to debate it, I grab the gun from beneath the pillow and wrap it safely in my shawl before dashing out the door. I don't bother to wait for a taxi, not caring how strange I look as I rush down the streets to reach the cafe. When I arrive, though, I have to catch my breath before I enter. The cafe's already closed, so I go in through the back that Touka always leaves open. I use the light of my phone to find the safe. My fingers fumble with the lock in my haste, but it isn't long before I've retrieved my mask and am closing it back up.
Without a choice, I hail a taxi this time. Of course the driver asks why someone so young is out so late, but I wave him off, telling him my business is important. No one's waiting where I'm dropped off, but I send the taxi away anyway and check the time again. I'm a minute late.
"You brought your mask?"
I jump half out of my skin when Uta appears beside me, the image of him eating flashing through my mind. "I did."
"Did you bring the gun?"
"I did."
"Come." He slides a wonky-looking mask without a face on and turns, offering his arm to lead me by. Mouth dry, I tense my hand to keep it from shaking and place it in the crook of his arm. We enter deeper into the quiet, concrete jungle that seems to have been long abandoned until we come to a staircase going down to the basement of a building. At the top, a small sign reads, Pet Show Tonight Only: 1:20am-3:30am. I jerk away when Uta nudges my hair with his nose, glaring at him questioningly.
"You didn't wear perfume," he notes. Ah, I forgot. Usually Hanako reminds me.
"Is my smell that noticeable?" I worry, eyeing the bare skin of my arm. I pull the shawl around myself tighter.
"It isn't," he assures me, "so long as they don't pay attention. Your scent will be masked by the number of ghouls. Now, your mask?" As I fit the face of the mockingbird onto my head, a purple-haired woman in a masquerade mask waltzes past us and down the steps, nodding a brief greeting to Uta.
"This event is primarily social," Uta informs me as we descend after the woman. "I promised you connections, and this is me keeping my promise."
I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, my mask blocking the back half of his head. "Do you want a thanks?"
"Not at all."
"Welcome!" A man with an elaborate, jeweled mask shakes Uta's hand. "I'm delighted that you could make it! And who might this be?" He tilts his head in a way that gives me the impression his gaze is on me.
"She's a little mockingbird I've been taking care of lately," Ute explains lightly.
"A pleasure to meet you," the man nods to me. "For this occasion, you may call me the Host. I rent this place from a friend once a year to hold this show. I do hope you enjoy it. And if you're feeling a bit peckish, there are plenty of competitors looking to sell." I nod, silent. So, the 'pets' being shown are human. They're been shown off and sold to be eaten. Of course Uta wouldn't bring me somewhere normal.
"We came to admire, not to buy," Uta assures the man.
"Feel free," the man allows, gesturing for us to enter. We do.
Inside, the lighting is dim except for spotlights focused on still individuals. Men and women, boys and girls sit alone in each spotlight, dressed in expensive threads and touched up with makeup. The blank, dead expression on their faces remind me heavily of the way Chisa had looked after I'd shot her. I don't realize they're actually alive until I notice the one nearest breathing. The realization causes me to tighten my grip on Uta's arm
"Many ghouls don't view humans as people," Uta murmurs to me. The sudden whisper tenses me even more. "Does this surprise you?"
"No," I mumble. "It's just…"
"You are a ghoul, tonight, Mockingbird. You have no need to fear."
Although I am, in fact, shaking in my sandals, I refute it. "It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that the….pets, unsettle me. They look like the mannequins from your shop with faces and wigs."
"They're meals with decor. Have you ever heard of gourmet ghouls?"
"They're always on the news, along with binge eaters."
"Like gourmets pursue meat of quality flavor, there are those who seek out appearance primarily. A naturally blonde asian like you, for example, would sell for a high price."
I can't see his face through the mask, but I get the feeling he's teasing me. Gnawing nervously on my cheek, I nudge him roughly. He actually laughs at my reaction! With the cover over his face, my only hint to his amusement is the low chuckle I just barely catch over the murmur of the crowd in the shadows. Upon hearing this, my anxiety seems to settle. I don't allow myself to relax completely, though, fingers wrapped firmly around the gun beneath my shawl.
"Anyway," I say pointedly, "why are those people just….standing there? Don't they know what's happening to them?"
"They are pets," he reminds me. "They've been raised by ghouls since their youth. They may be human, but they are hardly people anymore."
"What do you mean I'm not allowed to taste?"
My eyes are drawn to the woman who we'd seen entering. Her hand gestures sharply towards a young boy dressed in old, European style clothes as she argues with a masked man in a suit.
The man responds, "You are free to eat, so long as you pay first."
"It's a waste to pay if I don't know whether it'll be worth eating!"
"My apologies, miss. The rules cannot be broken."
Her lips set in a scowl, she snaps her hand back down to her side and slinks away. To my surprise, Uta yanks me into motion to follow her. While I'm being pulled, my toes stub the ground and I wince. We only stop when the woman ghoul has isolated from the rest of the onlookers. She watches us approach, silent.
"Kanae," Uta greets, bowing slightly. Unsure of what to do, I also lower my head.
"Why are you here?" she questions, crossing her arms. Her impatience is clear in her pursed lips, if not obvious enough from her tone.
"I came to watch," he says simply, turning his head to scan the room. "I haven't been out since the auction. You, Kanae, have been the one who's uncharacteristically active."
"I'm looking for a delicacy," she claims cryptically. She nods to me. "And what is you're planning?"
"This is Kiyoko, a little mockingbird," he introduces. I extend my hand to shake, but she doesn't in return. For a second I fear that I've done something wrong, but then she grabs my hand. "It occurred to me that she might be of some assistance in your search."
Kanae drops her hand, and I can feel her eyes examining me under her mask. "And how, may I ask, could this mademoiselle help me if she doesn't know what I'm looking for?"
Yeah, Uta. What exactly are you signing me up for?
"As it happens, she's acquainted with a certain half ghoul." Kanae stiffens as he speaks. So this has to do with Kaneki? Again? Why does he seem to come up whenever ghouls are involved? I get that he's an unusual case, but how important is he, exactly?
"Acquainted?"
Bothered to have Uta speaking for me, I take it upon myself to answer. "I have the means to contact him at my convenience, if it would help you."
"And why, I pray, would you assist me?" she inquires.
"Actually, I wonder that myself," I admit, drawing Uta's attention. Kanae shifts her head to Uta, curious. "You see, it's true that I have goals of my own, but a certain someone has taken the reigns from my hands. He seems to think that I'll get something out of assisting you, and I am merely trusting that."
"I see." She falls silent, studying Uta, who's studying me. Obviously, Uta's surprised by my honesty, but what exactly did he expect me to say? I can't come up with such a blatant lie on the spot like that. "I shall keep your offer in mind, Oiseau Moqueur, but I'm afraid I would prefer to avoid having anything to do with that wretched mutant. Now if you'd excuse me, I have no reason to stay if I cannot taste the merchandise. Au Revoir."
"Oise...what?"
"Kanae is French," Uta whispers in my ear. Louder, he proposes, "Why don't we accompany you out? We came to spread our wings, but it's boring."
"How blunt," she cracks a smile. "If you insist, I have difficulty refusing a clown."
"A clown?"
I didn't realize the question had slipped through my lips until Kanae's attention returned to me. "Did you not know who you came with, Oiseau Moqueur?"
"Apparently not." Is a 'clown' important? I've never heard Hanako use the term, but is it something a ghoul should know about? Uta says nothing to this newfound knowledge of mine, his facial expression hidden behind his mask so I can't read it. Even if the mask weren't there, though, I get the feeling that his face would appear as blank as usual.
Uta pulls me closer, causing me to stumble a bit, as he makes way for Kanae to lead. She passes and we fall into step barely behind her. My chest lightens significantly as we step out from the darkened basement and into the light of the moon. No soulless gazes wander to settle on me out here.
"What is it you're after?" Kanae suddenly asks. I think she's talking to me until Uta responds.
"Something to pass the time."
"Surely, you've got something planned." She glances at us over her shoulder as she walks. "Someone like you always does."
He doesn't answer, and I peek up sideways at him. God, he's hard enough to read normally, but when he's in this elaborate suit and faceless mask, it's like he's some sort of AI. Or living statue. Or god. Something utterly beyond the understanding of a normal person.
"This is the Kaede from the Hiroshi squad, reporting three ghouls encountered in the fourth sector."
About two blocks ahead of us, a man and a woman with shining silver briefcases stand in wait. It's the woman who's speaking. Kanae immediately falls into a defensive stance, my fingers tightening around my gun. Uta, as incomprehensible as ever, doesn't flinch. With my hand still hooked in the crook of Uta's arm, I can feel that he doesn't even so much as stiffen.
"They seem to have emerged from an underground gathering, as we expected. We'll engage these three, but backup is requested."
"We'll engage," the man repeats, his voice a little less steady, "but send skilled investigators. One of the ghouls is No Face."
The woman tenses at this, her expression growing wary as she eyeballs us. "Just my luck, I guess, meeting a clown."
I prepare to pull out my gun, but Uta stops me with a hand over mine. "There are only two. You can flee without being pursued."
"But…" He's telling me to leave? Isn't he the one who told me to be ready to kill? Not that I'm arguing, but isn't that hypocritical?
In a low voice, he reminds me, "It would be dangerous to reveal to Kanae your vulnerability, at the moment. She's searching for a meal. Be aware, Kiyoko. You may be skilled in imitation, but what a mockingbird does best is fly."
He doesn't give me time to process his words or actions, taking me by the hand and unraveling me from him. Then, gently, yet with clear intent, he shoves me towards a clear path. Recalling the consequences from the time I'd refused to run from the doves before, I take off full speed ahead.
Well isn't this an eventful chapter. Somehow, I imagine Kiyoko kinda like a strawberry that's slowly being dipped into chocolate. Is that strange? It's pretty accurate, though. Except it's not nearly as delicious. And now I'm craving chocolate strawberries... I really shouldn't do that to myself. I'm a desserts girl. I don't necessarily like all things sweet, but I'd say I like most sweet things. I like the fancier desserts, though. I can be regular vanilla ice cream, but I'd take almost any other flavor over it first. Get what I mean? No? Well, regardless, I can't eat any ice cream that'll make my congestion worse. I'll just have to get well soon.
Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!