Chapter 8
Under the morning rays of the sun, the round plaza shone like an enormous jeweled brooch. Its colorful slabs combined into a highly abstract image, meant to symbolize the diverse areas of knowledge that lead humanity to dominance. However, most people that crossed the vast space didn't bother to look downwards, except for some schoolchildren that amused themselves by skipping from color to color while their teacher was distracted with a map of the area.
"It's meant to be seen from one of the terraces," Kaito informed his companion, after he noticed how Gakupo was staring intently at the ground, trying to make sense of the image. The human then pointed to the flat roofs of most of the buildings lining the plaza. All were vaguely Ionic in style, with several white columns decorating their entrances. Only the museum that housed Old Titania had a sloped room and a front pediment decorated with scenes of the final destruction of the Warm Isles.
When the endling saw the figures carved in marble, he froze and unconsciously dropped the crutch to the ground. Kaito followed the direction of his gaze and cringed: among the many stone combatants, a wind fae laid on his back, its wings and chest pierced by the bayonets of several human soldiers.
"Here you go," a middle-aged passerby picked up the crutch and handed it back to Gakupo, who was still mesmerized by the war scene. He mumbled a distracted, "Thank you," barely looking at her.
"Sorry, he's still a bit sick," Kaito added to the woman.
"No worries, dear. Though if he wants to sit down for a spell, there are some benches over there." The woman pointed to their left, towards one of the exits of the plaza, and resumed walking.
Once the woman was sufficiently far away, Kaito whispered, "Are you ok? Perhaps we should go back to Hiroshi's-"
"I remember it," Gakupo said in a choked tone. "Bones snapping like twigs, and then the booming. I could felt in my chest, every time. Every time I wondered for a second, 'Am I dead?' after the weapon cried out…but I lived."
Kaito's throat constricted for a second, as he observed the fae's faraway expression. He could only speculate as to the nature of the carnage being replayed inside Gakupo's mind at that moment. Helplessly, he just squeezed the fae's arm. "Look, let's go. There are many things I could show you in the city, there's no need for you to be here."
Gakupo shook his head. "She's waiting for us."
"This is completely unnecessary," Kaito complained, but helped Gakupo approach the short queue before the museum entrance. Given the value of the items inside, it had actual human guards in addition to the usual electronic surveillance. The men were standing at both sides of the door, examining the visitors with special detection wands as the men and women entered and exited the building.
"What are those?" Gakupo asked, curiosity overcoming his previous discomfort.
"They are scanning the people for hidden objects. See that warning at the side? We aren't supposed to carry any food or beverages, or sharp and bladed objects."
"Bladed…?"
"Apparently, people have tried to take souvenirs." Kaito smiled a little. In all honesty, he would love to have a lock of Titania's hair, as morbid as it sounded. His free hand touched the little velvet bag hanging from his neck and his smile widened.
One of the first things Kaito did when he began living in the city was to visit the famed Queen of the Fae. After his visit, he spent several days daydreaming about what could've happened if he had met the queen during her life. 'If only things could've been different,' was the recurrent thought bouncing around his head, until the daily grind made the striking image of the queen sink into the back of his mind.
And now, impossible as it would've seem to Kaito only months ago, he had a living, breathing fae in his arms (quite literally), as beautiful as the broken queen or more; unlike the frozen and distant idol, the endling was warm and sweet, and utterly his. Emboldened by that thought, Kaito peeked around and when he saw that no one was staring at them, he kissed Gakupo's cheek. In response, Gakupo again made that little purring sound, making him chuckle.
After a couple of minutes of waiting, they finally reached the door. The wands flashed in response to the metal in the crutch, but the guards just waved them in politely.
The space inside was one big room, divided with panels that hid the actual dimensions of the museum. The panels displayed photographs, paintings and accounts of the war against the fae, plus audio codes for data assistants. In between the panels, crystal cases displayed different items like broken fae helms, weapons for both sides and more. Titania's 'crypt' was at the other end of the building.
Kaito and Gakupo waded through the crowd slowly, stopping before every museum piece or image. At first, Gakupo just observed everything in silence, with wide eyes. His companion was left to wonder how much of what the fae was seeing actually meant something to him; he was still learning the language, for starters.
As if on cue, Gakupo asked softly "What is 'diminishing resources, ill spent'?" He read the words from a panel to their left, slurring them a bit.
Kaito took another look at their surroundings before replying. There was a girl looking at them, who smiled cheekily at him before turning a corner, but no one else was paying attention. Good, considering he was going to explain things that any human of Gakupo's age should know. "People…humans thought that fae weren't using the land they had efficiently. Once the Industrial Revolution began and humans begun to use more and more fuels and raw materials, the attempts to encroach into non-human land became more insistent and violent."
"Additionally, for the first time we had weapons strong enough to rival magic. And unlike fae and other magical beings, anyone could use a machine gun or a bomb with a minimum of training. Magic users could be taken out at a distance, by even the lowest soldier."
Gakupo tilted his head to the side, looking as if he was mulling over the information he had just received. "Land…Fuels and raw materials…What for?"
"Hmm, well, you've seen enough of the city to know we have all types of things. Life is very comfortable for most humans."
"Life of fae is transformed into happiness for human," Gakupo remarked.
Kaito scratched his head, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "I suppose you could see it like that."
Gakupo nodded, though it seems more like a response to one of his own thoughts, more than a reaction to Kaito's words. His resigned expression made Kaito's stomach lurch.
"We should go see Titania now, Gakupo."
"…Yes."
Just then, a flash briefly illuminated the fae's face from the side. He and Kaito turned around, surprised, and saw the girl from before with a data assistant in her hands. "You are boyfriends, right? You look so cute together!" She gushed.
"Erm…" Kaito replied eloquently, red-faced.
"We look cute together," Gakupo repeated, as if trying out the words. "I like that," he smiled.
But what made her think it was ok to take our photograph without permission, Kaito thought irritably. Meanwhile, the girl was still prattling and smoothing her bob haircut, asking Gakupo about their relationship. Suddenly, warning alarms began to ring inside Kaito's head: the questions were not only intrusive, but aimed towards learning how long Gakupo had lived in the city, and what places he frequented.
"Excuse me, we are running a bit late," Kaito cut her off and basically dragged Gakupo away. The girl remained in place, a vaguely amused smile in her face.
"What are you doing?" Gakupo asked, adjusting to Kaito's pace with difficulty.
"There's something wrong about that girl. We've better go see Titania and leave," Kaito explained. He actually just wanted to take Gakupo away as soon as possible, but the fae was sure to complain if they left without taking at least a quick look at the queen.
With all the people going in the same direction, they quickly lost sight of the strange girl. In front, a curious sight gradually became visible: a crystal cube rested over a low platform, surrounded at all sides by a fence. Inside, there was a flower-shaped bed where Titania laid, hands primly clasped together over her chest. Her teal hair spilled all around her head like a shiny waterfall. Fake butterfly wings of gossamer contrasted with her sleeveless white gown; from Kaito had read, her true wings had been destroyed after the last battle, the first of many cruel and pointless gestures during the victory celebrations. Like Gakupo, parts of her body were covered with tiny opalescent scales, so the strong lights that illuminated the cube from all directions made her neck and shoulders sparkle, as if covered in diamonds. Her eyes were closed, and her face was mercifully calm. Like every time he saw her, Kaito wondered how a girl so young and fragile had been able to lead her people for so long. Titania had undoubtedly been truly magnificent, a fitting reflection of the more extravagant tales regarding the fae.
When he managed to tear his eyes off the fallen queen, Kaito found Gakupo staring at him with an odd expression. "Is there something wrong?"
For a moment, Gakupo just kept studying his expression. Then he shook his head slightly, without saying anything.
"I told you coming here wouldn't change things. She's far beyond our reach now," Kaito whispered.
Gakupo gave no indication that he heard Kaito; he just looked at the preserved body with a grim expression.
"We should go," Kaito suggested.
"Do you admire her?" The endling asked abruptly, his eyes still on Titania.
"Huh? Oh, of course I do. But come on," Kaito gently guided the fae away from the display. He continued talking as they walked. "I've read a lot about her, actually. Most literature is biased against fae, but if you read between the lines you'll realize how talented and brave she was. I'd love to be able to talk to her, even once."
Gakupo grunted something unintelligible, perhaps in his mother tongue.
"I'm sorry you didn't find this as enlightening as you hoped." It was the expected result, but he wasn't about to say 'I told you so' to Gakupo.
"You guys are leaving so quickly, what's the matter?" A voice remarked from behind them, causing Kaito's stomach to jump. It was a voice he had heard very recently, but now it dripped poison behind it's fake sweetness. Without stopping, he turned his head around partially and saw it was the short-haired girl again. This time around, she was accompanied with several young men that looked distinctly unfriendly.
Oh, no. Kaito almost tripped due to nervousness, but managed to keep himself and Gakupo going. With effort, he answered as casually as he could, "We have other things to do." A quick look at Gakupo told him that the fae had sensed something was off, given his slight frown.
"That's a shame. I was wondering if you wanted to have a drink with us," the girl continued. Her group and her were deftly following Kaito and Gakupo, coming closer and closer.
"Thank you, but not today." At least they were in a place so crowded that violence wasn't likely to go well for these goons, whoever they were.
"Hmm, I really must insist. It's not every day I met someone with blue hair," the girl replied just as them were stopping through the door. For a second, Kaito felt tempted to ask Gakupo to transform and just fly them away from the plaza. But no, a fae flying in a place like this would get shot in a second.
"It's just dye."
"No, it isn't. We've done our homework…Kaito."
Those words made Kaito stop despite himself. Gakupo wobbled by his side, caught off guard. The Pale Line mentioned Gakupo was seen in the company of someone with blue hair, Kaito remembered with a jolt. Even if they didn't know his name, it turned out to be uncommon enough that these hunters had managed to figure out his identity.
Kaito turned to look at the girl. She met his eyes with a malicious smile. "Leave us alone," he growled before he resumed walking again.
"Not a chance. They are offering a ton of money for him." As she said this, her friends quickly surrounded the duo.
"What's the problem, you fags can't run?" One of the young men laughed coarsely.
"They're already on their way here. Give it up," another one said.
"What do we do?" Gakupo muttered almost imperceptibly, but Kaito had no answer. He wasn't strong enough to get into fisticuffs against so many people and win. Gakupo obviously couldn't help, given his mobility issues. A quick escape was out from the list of options, for the same reason. Going to the guards for help against the group was even worse, since the gang was bound to mention Gakupo's true nature, causing him to change.
"Oh, here they are already," A third boy mentioned as a black car rolled into the plaza, clearly ignoring the traffic signs forbidding entry.
No! Without thinking, Kaito attacked the nearest young man, leaving Gakupo to crumble to his knees. The girl and one of the boys jumped to restrain the fae while the remaining two rushed to attack Kaito from the back. Kaito managed to grab his first opponent and pushed him in the direction of his friends, then jumped backwards. The young man crashed with one of them, but the other dodged him and lunged at Kaito; they tumbled to the floor, with the bounty hunter on top.
Kaito began to sense people shouting nearby, but most of his attention was focused on parrying the blows coming from above. Then, suddenly, a beloved voice began to sing. The familiar notes sent a chill down Kaito's spine, just as the crowd around them screamed. Even closer, Kaito heard gasps and the now familiar sound of clothes being torn apart.
Gakupo sang again, and the clothes on the back of the young man straddling Kaito caught fire. He screamed and rolled off, letting Kaito struggle to his feet. As he did, he noticed that the rest of the gang was plagued by small fires on their clothes as well. Gakupo rose to his feet with wings outstretched and stretched his arms towards Kaito.
Kaito hesitated, and turned to look at the black car. Four men in black suits had already descended from it and were running in their direction with, armed with metallic bats. From the other side, the guards from the museum were coming closer with weapons drawn. The visitors to the plaza were escaping disorderly in all directions.
"Let's go!" Gakupo embraced him impatiently.
"They'll shoot you!" Kaito cried out, fighting to pry himself free.
"We have to try!" Gakupo pulled him closer and jumped into the air singing, but before he could rise a couple meters of the ground, his song broke into a pained scream and they plummeted back down, rolling on the hard slabs of painted stone.
"Gakupo!" Kaito struggled to sit, rubbing his head. His eyes widened when he saw Gakupo twitching on the ground, screaming in agony. A sudden realization made him examine the 'metallic bats' in the hands of the Pale Line thugs with more attention, and he confirmed that they were the same model of baton the maintenance man at the museum had used on Gakupo once. Two of the men were pointing the batons in Gakupo's direction, with a third speeding towards Kaito and the last one, the only one without any visible weapons, rushing to meet the guards.
"Don't hurt him, please! You don't-" Kaito began saying, before the Pale Line man bum-rushed him, making him land once again on the ground. Without uttering a word, the man pulled out a handkerchief soaked in something and pressed it against his mouth and nose. Before Kaito could realize what was going on, he was sinking into darkness.
Soft material against his cheek, so very soft. Warm, perfumed air touching his skin. Gakupo groaned, clutching the pillow with one hand. No matter how comfortable this human bed was, there was still soreness to his back and neck from the night before. Perhaps Kaito had slept on top of him? And where was Kaito anyway? He couldn't sense him nearby…
You can't escape us!
The cold voice suddenly resonated inside of his head. In a flash, he recalled the plaza, the crowd parting at the sight of him and Kaito's panicked expression. And the pain, the horrible pain biting at his connection with the magical energies.
He opened his eyes and pushed himself into a kneeling position. He was in a heavily decorated room, on a wide bed. Just like the hotel room he had shared with Kaito, this one seemed to have many mirrored surfaces. Perhaps it was fashionable amongst humans. He observed his naked reflection with bemusement.
"They took the clothes Kaito chose for me," he said, growing angrier with every syllable. Torn or not, they were an important gift.
The only thing he was wearing at the moment was a slave collar; it felt like the hand of a blight spirit, squeezing the life out of him. He tried to sing, and immediately the feeling increased, forcing him to lean forward, gasping for air.
He distantly heard the door creak open, and the sound of footsteps. "Now, now cutie, behave yourself, and the collar won't hurt you."
Dizzy, the endling waited for a few seconds until the choking sensation and nausea subsided, then he looked up.
The small, jolly man they had met on the alleyway was sitting on a nearby couch, smiling affably. He gestured with his hand, beckoning the fae, then patted one of his thick thighs. "Sit with me and I'll explain how things are going to be from now on."
Gakupo stared at him blankly.
"I know you can understand me, cutie. My associates heard you talking to that boy. How about we drop the pretense and speak plainly?"
"...I'm listening."
"I told you to sit here with me. It wasn't a request." The smile on the man's face remained unchanged, but his eyes glinted dangerously.
Gakupo considered his options for a second. His temper demanded nothing less but to be as uncooperative as possible: on the other hand, if he couldn't work magic, he would have to escape using other means. And the first step was to lull his captors into complacency. He pouted childishly and rose from the bed.
"Very good," the man said amicably. Once Gakupo was seated on his lap, he nodded approvingly, running his hands along the endling's skin. "Very good indeed. A shame about the scars on your arm, but the rest of you makes up for it." Despite his admiring tone and the way he was touching him, there was something very dispassionate about his attitude. He was examining a new product, testing to see if it worked properly. Gakupo turned his face to a side, repulsed by the sensation. At that instant, all he wanted was to punch the smug man into oblivion.
The jovial man chuckled, then grabbed Gakupo's chin and forced him to stare back at him. His other hand continued its humiliating exploration, causing the fae to bite his lip. "There is room for feistiness here, I'll admit. Some clients do love taming a cute little beast…" At this point, his fingers squeezed hard, making the fae squirm and gasp. "However, I prefer well-behaved children, remember that." His grip loosened, and he patted Gakupo's head.
"Do as you are told, and you'll have anything you want. Toys, jewelry, delicious food; your life will be a thousand times better than what you had out there."
"And then I'll get sick and die," Gakupo pointed out bitterly. "I can't live stuck inside of this room."
"Who said you had to? Once you prove we can trust you, we'll allow to free reign of the facility, like the other fae. We aren't a cheap freak-show like that museum. Furthermore, we monitor the health of all of our active assets closely. You especially, as our first boy- we couldn't possibly squander a business opportunity such as this."
"Business opportunity?" Gakupo repeated with uncertainty.
"Many prospective clients in the past requested we had boys as well. And now we can finally start aiming for that market." The man caressed Gakupo's cheek and continued in a confidential tone, as if sharing a wonderful secret, "All of our online announcements regarding you have generated thousands of views. Many powerful men have already confirmed they will come to the auction."
"What's auction?" The man's words were difficult to understand, not that Gakupo had any doubts that they meant bad things for him.
"Your first night with a client is important, cutie. Many are willing to pay a lot of money to be that client. The one that pays the most wins."
The fae didn't have an answer to that. Was he supposed to be proud of the fact they considered him a valuable tool? Apparently so, since the man certainly expected him to act grateful.
"Don't be nervous, the girls will teach you some techniques before the auction," the man reassured him, mistaking his silence for fear of not performing correctly. It was so off-base that it almost made the fae laugh. "You're supposed to be innocent and submissive, just do what the client asks and you'll be fine."
At least they were going to let him speak with the fae girls before the auction. Gakupo focused on that, shutting out the rest of the man's words. Once Titania's identity was clear, they'd find a way to escape. But that meant acting as 'innocent and submissive' as the man hoped, at least for the time being. So he sighed and lowered his head in apparent defeat. "I'm ready to serve you, owner."
"Call me Master, cutie." The man grinned, as if enjoying a personal joke. "Ah, remember this?" From a pocket of his jacket, he produced a familiar necklace with purple gems and fastened it around Gakupo's neck. It was loose enough to rest over his chest, under the collar. "Since you're being so reasonable, you can have it."
"Thank you Master, it's really beautiful."
"Good boy. Now let me stand, there. I'll send someone along with food, you must be starving."
The man rose from the couch a bit stiffly, and then went for the door. As his chubby hand touched the knob, Gakupo suddenly blurted out, "Master, can I ask you something?"
The man's eyes flashed again dangerously, but he only uttered a disinterested, "Yes?"
"Is Kaito- the boy that was with me safe?"
"Oh, don't worry. We agreed that any further trouble was unnecessary and he went home unharmed," the man answered mildly and opened the door. Gakupo managed to glimpse a luxurious corridor without windows before the door was shut and locked again. He sighed, this time for real; for the moment there was nothing to do but sit and wait.
"I hope that Kaito is doing well, at least," he mumbled in a low tone. Despite everything, the memory of Kaito's smile calmed him, just a bit. He didn't allow himself to dwell on the possibility that the Master of the Pale Line was lying. It was impossible to accept.
Clink, clink, clink, clink…
It was surprising enervating to hear the constant twinkling of the jewelry hanging off him. The chain crossing his chest, the ornate necklaces, armlets, bracelets and anklets, even the colorful pareo wrapped around his hips had jingling decorations hanging from its borders.
Perhaps it was just a matter of getting used to it. All the girls Gakupo had seen in his first walk down the corridors of the Pale Line seemed at ease with the jewelry covering them. Silver and gold mixed freely with russet, brown and ivory fur; so far, the girls he'd seen had all been earth fae of some kind, with bushy tails and perky animal ears. Like him, they were outfitted with slave collars.
Next to their delicate and colorful figures, the few clients at that hour seemed completely bland. They were middle-aged and old men, presumably wealthy businessmen, looking very satisfied with themselves and the world around them. A couple glanced in his direction as he went from place to place, though most were sufficiently occupied with their chosen girls.
After wandering past several posh rooms, Gakupo reached a big room with an indoor pool. There were small trees and bushes in marble planters all around it and a vaulted crystal ceiling. A fae girl was doing laps in the pool, and a couple of clients lounged placidly on deckchairs. One of them noticed him and waved his hand beckoning him to come closer.
Filled with trepidation, Gakupo obeyed. The client was an Asian male with greying hair, wrapped in a bathrobe. By his side stood a petite fae with long pale hair, with the pink ears and tail of a mouse. Fine white fur covered her limbs, growing thinner as it approached her torso. In contrast, her stomach and exposed chest were completely smooth. The girl had a crystal bottle in her hands, which she used to fill the man's cup every so often.
Gakupo kneeled by the side of the deckchair at the same time he noticed a spark of irritation behind the mouse girl's carefully constructed smile. Her client either ignored it or didn't even realize it, focused as he was on Gakupo. He sat up and cupped the endling's face with his hands, examining it closely.
"So you're the one I've been hearing so much about. I can see why," he smiled, displaying his crooked front teeth. "I thought they were keeping you locked away until the auction, though."
"I was allowed by the Master to inspect my…my new home." Gakupo lowered his eyes to avoid the uncomfortable stare.
"You could inspect IA's room with me," the man replied with a laugh, and stood up, forcing the endling to do the same.
"Mister Takano has me, he doesn't need this one!" The mouse girl, presumably IA, lifted her tail in the air and pouted. Her glare was more than a little confusing for Gakupo, since it wasn't like he was purposefully trying to take her client away from her.
The client ruffled her soft pale hair. "You're coming too." IA still looked rather nonplussed, but nodded and placed the bottle on a nearby table. "Come on," he said directed towards Gakupo, and began pulling him by the forearm.
Out of thin air, one of the black-suited thugs appeared. Though his face remained as stony as ever, he politely addressed Takano. "Excuse me, but the boy isn't servicing clients at the moment. We're terribly sorry for the inconvenience."
Takano gave an exaggerated sigh, still smiling. "It did seem too good to be true." He picked up IA in his arms, making her squeak. "But we can do without him, right IA?"
"Yes, Mister Takano!"
"Good girl." He began walking towards one of the exits, with IA clinging to his neck. Before he crossed the door, Takano turned partially. "See you at the auction, Gakupo." The mouse girl peeked at the endling over Takano's shoulder and made a face at him, just before the pair disappeared from sight.
"Don't engage the customers," the man of the Pale Line said acridly and walked away without waiting a response.
Gakupo scratched his head, puzzled at the fae girl's reaction. It didn't look like she was attracted to that man Takano, so why the hostility? Nevertheless, it was a shame that he couldn't speak to her alone; there was something about her that demanded more careful attention, a strange sensation barely surpassing the threshold of his senses. Perhaps IA possessed a great power that the slave collar was keeping at bay.
Pensive, the endling sat on the border of the pool, submersing his legs to his shins. He leaned back, letting his eyes absorb the sky beyond the crystal ceiling. There was something off about it, he gradually noticed, in the speed of the clouds traversing the blue space and the intensity of their hue.
"It's artificial," a voice informed him in the language of the Warm Isles, along with the sound of a small splash.
His gaze travelled downwards, and he found that the girl he had seen swimming back and forth when he entered the room was now resting her arms on the border of the pool, right next to him.
"We're underground," she continued, pushing her long dark locks out of the way. "Oh, I'm Mew, by the way."
"Gakupo."
"I knew that." She smiled, showing her sharp teeth. Like IA, she was an earth fae, but she had greyish cat ears and spotted fur. "Everyone is talking about you."
"Oh."
"IA is just pissed that you're stealing her popularity as the most requested escort. Once things are back to normal, she'll be more sociable."
Gakupo's eyes widened. "She likes being used like this?"
Mew let out a loud chuckle. "Not everyone comes here as old as you or me. IA doesn't know any other life beside this." Despite her tone, her merriment doesn't reach her eyes. "She's lucky, in a way- hunger, cold and the fear of the hunted mean nothing to her."
"I'd rather die of starvation or exposure than to be a coddled toy."
"Proud words," Mew smiled ironically. "But maybe you'll feel different once you get a taste of all the Pale Line has to offer. You must've heard the speech by now: we're valuable and worth every expense. It's not a lie, let me tell you. The world belongs to humans, but at least in here we get to share a bit of their wealth."
"…I can't accept this." How could he? Simply give up on all he knew, and trade his hopes for pretty things and a full stomach? Besides, Goya and the others were counting on him.
And there was his human, his shy, wonderfully brave and wise human. He couldn't go through life without seeing Kaito again or hearing his laugh. He couldn't let the clients of the Pale Line mar the memory of Kaito's love with their touch.
"You gain nothing by making things harder for yourself," Mew said, interrupting his thoughts. "…But I guess it's up to you, isn't it? All I ask is that you be patient with IA. She's our little queen."
"Queen?" Gakupo repeated slowly, as an idea began forming inside of his head.
"It's just a manner of speaking, but there's always been something special about IA. You feel it too, don't you?"
"Now that you mention it…" Gakupo turned to look at the door at the far end of the room. Could it be that the little mouse girl was Titania?
"I think the humans feel it was well, although they probably aren't aware of it on a conscious level. That's part of what makes her so popular with them, I bet."
"Mew, the Master said some of you girls would teach me, um… what to do with my first client. Do you think IA would agree to help me with that?" I have to talk with her in private, somehow.
Mew climbed out of the pool and sat by his side, dripping wet. She examined his face with interest. "What's this? Do you fancy her?"
"I…"
"It would be a laugh if the boy she's so concerned about became her lover."
Gakupo averted his eyes, analyzing the situation. Perhaps it was a good idea to let Mew and others think his interest in the mouse girl was romantic, until he was sure he could trust them. "She is very cute," he said, adopting an air of shyness.
"Ehehehe, that's just lovely. Tell the Master she's the one you want, and I'll speak with her. How about that?"
How accommodating. Even as he nodded in agreement, Gakupo felt some suspicion. Could it be that the Master ordered Mew to approach him? "Why are you being so helpful?"
Mew laughed again, scratching behind one of her ears. "I'm bored, Gakupo. This existence isn't exactly mentally stimulating, so being a busybody is all I have left to amuse myself. Now, if there's anything you'd like to ask me, speak. My next client should be here in half an hour."
Gakupo nodded, determined. "Yes, tell me as much of this place as you can." The more information he had about the Pale Line, the easier it would be to find a way to escape them.