Chapter 7: The Mysterious City

After an arduous climb down the Pyramid Mew finally emerges out the entrance an stretched his arms to the sky. His angry little anchor named Kairi dragged her feet out of there a second later and immediately said, "Why does this place need so many stairs?!"

Mew turned around and said, "Bet you wish this place had an elevator now huh princess?"

Kairi swung her head aside and declared, "I-I enjoy the exercise!"

Mew stared down at her trembling knees and smiled as he thought, "Liar. Your knees are shaking like a couple-a rattlesnake tails."

Mew's smile was the thing Kairi laser focused on a she leaned in and growled, "If you have something to say, say it!"

"Nah I'm good," Mew gently replied, waving one hand up by his hip, "Some things are better kept in my head."

"When has THAT ever stopped you before?" Kairi squinted his way.

Mew recoiled a bit and gave credit where its due by muttering "Ouch". But after that mild burn wore off he smiled and said, "Well anyways, I'm feeling a tad thirsty right now, so-"

"Swallow your own piss." Kairi bluntly told him.

"Ok one, ew. Two, let me finish," Mew said hastily in a display of some impatience, then slowed down to remark, "Third, I was hoping you knew a good place to go juicing."

"What?" Kairi looked perplexed by his terminology, so Mew saw fit to correct it.

"You know, a place to quench to thirst?" Mew looked at Kairi blinking and went, "No dice?"

So for the third time he asked, "A hot spot to go to when you need a cold one on a hot summer's day?"

Kairi gave him a completely blank stare as lifeless as the moon. Mew closed his eyes and sighed, "A juice bar. I'm talking about a juice bar."

"Oh," Mew finally got a reaction out of Kairi, "Well why didn't you just say that?"

And it was just as bitter as the rest of them. Kairi brushed her hand off her arm and said, "Just go South and you'll run into one eventually."

Mew raised his brows and nudged at her, "Can you take me there?"

"I told you I'm NOT your tour guide." She defiantly replied.

Mew leaned back, wagged a hand around, then gave her a bit of a sneer, "Well you leave me no choice. I'll just have to ask your mom."

Mew started to turn back around only for Kairi to run in front of him with her back turned. She stamped her feet down and let out a very intense growling, "Follow me."

Mew smiled and cocked a bit of an attitude as he said to her, "Why thank you princess."

"Die one thousand deaths..." Kairi grumbled through her pinched teeth, her tone as ferocious as a demon's.

The two started walking. Well, Mew did anyways. Kairi's "walking" could be described as a person trying to navigate stilts through thick marshland.

She was reeeeeaally angry, and though Mew knew he was to blame he didn't understand why.

"...Well, that's not entirely true." He thought with his eyes squeezed shut, "She didn't exactly get the best first impression of me."

The memory of said encounter being something he very happily threw into the big trash pile in his mind...At the edge, on the off-chance he maaaaybe would like to salvage it. Then he rolled his eyes and thought, "But its not like she's given me a chance to explain myself."

He stared down at Kairi's back. He noticed her movements were so stiff that her limbs might as well be made of wood. And considering the time spent with her he kinda had to re-evaluate those scuff marks on her legs.

"I thought she was more of a scrapper but..." As Mew continued to stare at her legs he found his eyes wandering to her butt then up to her head.

He had a tiny smile as he remarked, "The ponytail's cute, really adds to the tomboy look she's got."

He started blushing and let up a tiny cough that sold him out to Kairi on what he was doing. She turned and with a foul scoff said, "Quit staring."

Mew hastily came up with an excuse, "O-Oh I was just...admiring your scars of battle!"

"What kind of answer's that?!" Mew shouted in his head.

"That was a crappy pick-up line," Kairi pinched her lips. Her cheeks became a tint of pink as she turned around, "The mother wasn't good enough so you creep on her daughter...You're shameless."

"That's not..." Mew bites his teeth and pulls his head back with a huge sigh, "The leaps in logic this girl makes I swear..."

He was in an unpleasant minefield with Kairi, where every answer he gave would, not could, set off a bomb. He shook his head and thought, "Guess there is some truth in television when it comes to girls."

So to avoid her actions blowing up in his face Mew held his head up high. He then tried to change subjects, "So how was your fight going with Venus?"

"It was going fine until you butted in!" Kairi stated bluntly.

"So you were winning?" Mew spoke with genuine intrigue. Kairi spun around and declared, "You think I'm a liar?!"

"And there goes another mine..." Mew groaned aloud, but then kept to his thoughts a bit.

"I swear its like she's put up a huge wall that's impossible to penetrate..." Mew then glanced aside and realized, "...M-Maybe penetrate's not the right word to uuuuse..."

He then flinched slightly and looked to the left, "Yo princess. Incoming, nine o'clock."

Kairi's head turned to the right where her forehead was then knicked by a crushed soda can. She winced and the can clanged onto the ground. Mew didn't react to the hit and just stared at the aggressors.

It was a trio of teenagers. Neatly dressed, normal, everyday teenagers. Two guys and one girl. All of them laughing and wagging their fingers at Kairi.

Kairi reacted as expected. Hostile. Volatile. Her face were bright red and she gnashed her teeth like a crocodile. She was a powder keg ready to blow and those three dumbasses were going to feel her wrath.

Before Kairi rolled up her sleeves and went charging took two fingers and pinched her shirt collar to hold her at bay.

"W-What are you...?" She turned her frustration on him. Probably for the best, even if it gave the rowdy teens more ammo.

"Nice leash, bitch!"

"Bet your master scratches reeeeeeal good!"

The teens had found their fun and ran off. When they were safely out of earshot Mew said, "Forget them, they're just teenagers."

Kairi turned sideways and growled, "You...are just like them!"

While Mew was stunned Kairi backhanded his wrist to make him let go. There its shown that she got a small cut on her forehead from the can.

Mew pointed at her head and said, "You're bleeding. Let me-"

"N-No, stop it!" Kairi backed up and covered the wound under the lip of her cap. Mew withdrew his hand and let her be.

She quietly mumbled, "They're all just jealous...of my bloodline."

"..." Mew stared at her until she turned around and said "We're almost there" in a tone of defeat.

Mew thought about that statement she made for a bit. There was sincerity to her words, but just how much exactly? It seemed like one half was honest, the other half a lie. But what was what?

And that wasn't the only question he had.

"Why is this city imitating Earth society? What could cause an entire populace to turn on one girl? Why would a tyrant make promises to help others? ...And why would they trust him?"

Those questions and many more led Mew to one conclusion: "There's a mystery to unravel in this lost city."

He then pretended to tip the lip of an invisible hat and with a smile thought, "And Detective Mew is on the case!"

After that prior bit of drama Mew knew he could use a light pick-me-up of humor. Luckily for him another shameless parody of a famous company was ready to deliver that much needed pinch of laughter.

Him and Kairi's stopped in front of a small building that was white and green. On display above the front door is a round sign with good ol' Lady Liberty on display – only she was supporting flashy sunglasses and a rather smug grin. On top of that, the store itself was called "Sunbucks".

Mew shook his head and chuckled, "They didn't even try..."

"Here you go," Kairi said in her standoffish tone, "Now I'm out of here."

She tried to walk past Mew but he waved his hand out and said honestly, "I could really use a recommendation of what to get."

Kairi turned and had this little off-center pout that really sold how tired she was. So Mew put on an earnest smile and told her, "Help me with this and you'll never see me again."

"Never again?" Kairi raised her brows.

"Never again." Mew replied.

"Never ever?" Kairi repeated as she tilted her head.

"Never ever ever!" Mew assured her.

She closed her eyes and grumbled, "I don't believe you but fine."

She fluttered her right hand out and said, "Go in, I'll be right behind you."

Mew shrugged and went for it. He ventured through "Sunbucks'" doors and was greeted by exactly what he expected from commercials of its Earthly counterpart.

A comfy atmosphere helped by warm lighting, soft browns and greens, and a delectable selection of drinks and pastries under the front counter. There were a few people sitting around enjoying coffee or other lighter drinks. Mew, however, kept his eyes squarely on the store's barista.

And ivory haired cutie with light eyeshadow wore the company's mandatory black outfit and green apron. She had a mild smile and part of a tattoo under her left sleeve. She didn't look too happy to be here so Mew saw it was his duty to flip her disposition around

He walked up to the counter, took a deep breath in, and thought to himself, "OK Mew, time for your A-game."

He leaned up against the edge of the counter, looked the girl in the eyes, then gave her the almighty shoulder nudge of confidence, "Wheeew. Turn down that smile, you're gonna leave me blind."

The girl's eyes narrowed and she looked straight over Mew. Mew closed his eyes and thought, "Haaa...Face it Mew, you got about as much game as the Tamba Bay Buccaneers."

"Oh, its you." The barista growled to a rather obvious target of disdain.

Mew looked back and saw Kairi standing around with her arms crossed and smile smug, "Oh I didn't recognize you Matilda. You look different without your padding."

The barista squeezed her eyes closed and tried to stay professional as she replied, "I realize I didn't need them."

"Was that before or after your boyfriend broke up with you for wearing them?" Kairi asserted with a snicker.

Matilda widened her eyes and started to yell, "That's because you popped them you big-breasted sk-"

"Whoa!" Mew swung his arms at both girl's face and stepped into the overwhelming role of mediator, "Ease up! We're out in public for crying out loud, people are watching!"

Both girls showed maturity by raising their heads and letting out an angered "Hmph!" to Mew's intervention. Mew stood up and rubbed the back of his head while thinking, "Can't catch a break here can I?"

Matilda then made a vengeful comment with a wide sneer, "Take your boyfriend and leave the store. You're not welcome here."

"B-Boyfriend?!" Kairi reacted to it but Mew was nonplussed by it.

"Hey hey hey," He said while waving his hand around towards the barista, "That's not very hospitable. Whatever beef you have with the princess has nothing to do with me."

Mew closed his eyes and asserted his rights in as polite a manner he could muster, "I'm a customer. Just let me get a drink and we'll be on our way."

Matilda grit her teeth and manifested something resembling a grin after a few seconds of forcing it. She then asked Mew with a frazzled tone, "Can I take your order?"

Mew looked up at the menu written in chalk and put a hand to his chin. He rubbed it slowly, drawing out his decision much to the barista and Kairi's respective annoyance.

After about a minute of him standing around both girls yelled in unison "Hurry up already!" and Mew wagged his hand out and said, "Alright alright already..."

He then snaps his fingers and says, "One strawberry lemonade please."

"...Coming right up." While Matilda went to deal with this order Mew turned to Kairi with a question tickling the tip of his tongue.

"Sooo, fellow classmates?" He asked with a grin.

"...If you can call us that." Kairi replied, her tone aggravated to the point it was clear she wanted nothing to do with the subject.

Mew slowly blinked once and then thought, "...Maybe I've pressed her enough for one day."

In what was potentially his smartest move all day, Mew turned away from Kairi and waited for his drink to arrive. It took ten seconds longer than expected but when the generic brand plastic cup dropped on the counter filled with a luscious reddish-pink liquid, Mew delightfully picked it up and bowed his head slightly at the barista.

"Thank you very much." He started to turn and make his way for the door.

"Hey! You forgot to pay!" Matilda exclaimed.

Mew turned around and fluttered his eyes a few times. He then looked back up at the menu and realized there were indeed prices labeled next to the items he could buy. He then started blankly towards the counter and wondered, "Oh right, of course there'd be an economy..."

Feeling stupid for that little mental slip up, Mew would feel even stupider once he instinctively reached towards his right pocket and realized something very important.

"Wait crap, I don't have any money..." Mew's hand froze up on the lip of his pocket as a couple sweat drops formed on his face.

Primed and vulnerable to attack on two fronts, it was Kairi who took the first strike with her bitter tongue, "This idiot just arrived in Sancturia, he doesn't have any money."

"Oh, really?" Matilda crossed her arms near her shoulders and glared at Mew, making him sweat more.

"Out of everything that could unite them, it had to be me being a dumbass..." Mew put the drink down, punched his chest lightly a couple times to cough, then raised a finger up to say, "Give me ooone moment."

He quickly whipped over to Kairi and nudged her off to the side away from Matilda's prying eyes. He then leaned in close to her face and whispered, "Do you got any money on you?"

"What? No! I'm not giving you money! Go get a job!" Kairi sputtered in disbelief. Mew pushed a finger up against her lips and went "Shhhh" to try and calm her down.

Then he retracted his hands, waved them up close to his chest, and muttered through gritted teeth, "No no no just show me the money and I'll make a copy of it."

"Oh. Fraud. That's soooooo much better!" Kairi glared his way.

Mew grinned and chuckled nervously before responding with, "L-Look its just one time ok? I reeeeeeaally need a drink."

Kairi squeezed her eyes shut and groaned, "Ugh, whatever...If it'll get you out of my hair faster..."

She reached into her back right pocket and pulled out a roughed up black leather wallet. She reached inside and pulled at something green. Mew tried to catch a glimpse at what else she had in the wallet out of an innocent sense of curiosity, but she clamped the insides shut the moment she saw him.

She then pinched a green piece of paper between her fingers and fanned it out, telling Mew with a tired gasp, "Here, take it."

Mew plucked it out of Kairi's hand and then stared blankly at it. It was rectangular, had the number "5" on each corner, and on the front was the portrait of a respectable man wearing a suit and a nice black beard. And above the portrait was-

"Wait, back up..." Mew returned to the man's portrait and squinted at it for a few moments. The portrait was staring back. Even in ink form the man's gaze displayed a powerful intolerance for injustice and a level of honesty far beyond his years.

Mew widened his eyes and blurted out in his head, "Abe Lincoln?!"

Mew swiftly flipped the paper over and saw the literal Lincoln Monument inked on the back. Hell, the only noteworthy difference between this and a normal-ass dollar bill was that the "United States of America" label had been replaced by "The United City of Sancturia". Otherwise the fonts, inks, and spacing used was a perfect match.

With a mind frazzled to the point of him feeling dizzy, Mew stumbled about in his mind until arriving at one answer, "W-Who's the fraud supposed to be here...?"

He shook his head and then looked at Kairi, throwing out a quick question in hopes that his confusion would be sorted out, "H-Hey princess, who is this person?"

Feigning ignorance hurt him a lot, but at least Kairi was willing to answer...In her usually blunt way.

"That's Abraham Lincoln." Was the correct answer.

"He's a famous Aurian who was born on Earth and became President of the United States." Not so much...

Mew squeezed his eyes shut and screamed in his head, "I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!"

He pushed his eyelids open and grit his teeth as he dared to ask, "And lemme guess, all your currency has portraits of other famous Aurians?"

Kairi utters "Duh" like Mew's the only one who should be losing his mind here...Which wasn't really inaccurate, all things considered.

Without a hint of irony to her tone Kairi began to say, "George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson-"

"O-Ok I get the picture..." Mew had to stop her before he started thinking to deeply about 'Benjamin Franklin, the Father of Electricity and wielder of the almighty Kite Drive'.

He shook his head and then turned back around to the counter with five-dollar bill in hand. Kairi uttered a "H-Hey!" because of Mew's obvious change in plans regarding her money.

Mew leaned over his shoulder and stated, "Don't worry princess I'll pay you back whenever I get ahold of my wallet."

Now the tables were turned and Kairi was the one tilting her head and looking all befuddled. Mew honestly just wanted to forget what he just learned and so quickly handed the dollar over to Matilda, got the change to Kairi, then took his drink and left the establishment.

A sip of that sweet nectar was more than enough to take his breath away and put his mind at ease. While taking another drink he thought, "Well...at least they use fresh produce!"

Indeed, the quality of strawberries reminded him a lot of the stuff he had in his garden. After a bit of walking and drinking Mew noticed something was up.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Kairi trailing him like some little pouting puppy. He chuckled and told her, "You don't have to follow me anymore princess."

"I-I know that...!" She exclaimed, putting up a rough front, "My house is this way!"

Mew accepted that, at first anyways. But when he started walking more towards the left than straight ahead he looked back and still saw Kairi following him. This time she was glaring.

Mew stopped and turned around to tell her, "Your house isn't this way."

Kairi narrowed her eyes until they were a millimeter open and growled at him, "You better not be planning on sneaking back into the Pyramid."

Mew wiggled his grin and said in a sing-song tone "Maaaaaaaaybe" but then wagged his left arm back and told her honestly, "Not today princess. I'm just going to relax and look around."

"...Whatever." Kairi gave a rough and tough shrug then turned to the right and started wandering off. But she didn't leave without pointing a finger at each eye and then gesturing them at Mew.

And she did keep good to her word. Mew was now all by himself, free to explore Sancturia at his leisure. Not that there seemed to be much to see, but Mew held out the slimmest bit of hope that he'd find something. Hopefully it'd provide an answer rather than more mysteries.

Mew wandered for a good hour or so. Sancturia was very large and a lot of the houses ran together design-wise. The other facilities, however, made for good indicators of when he was walking in circles.

But finally, he found something that caught his interest. There was an onyx statue standing twelve feet tall over a few houses. Mew walked up to it and saw that the statue was standing on a square pedestal. It depicted a man with his hand extended outward, a cape draped over part of his arm. The way his arm was positioned was a display of power and authority. He had a burly body and sagely robes. But the most important detail about the person's character would have to be on his face.

Sadly when Mew leaned his head back and stared up at the face, all he saw was a bunch of white spray paint covering it up. On top of that, the graffiti artist had taken the time to apply a red nose and pink blush on their cheeks.

"The dignity of this statue has been taken away on a one-way trip to Clown Town..." Mew sighed with some dismay, as he had hoped to learn more.

He takes one last sip of his drink, puts the empty cup down, then crosses his arms and examines the whole thing over. It wasn't just the face that had been defamed. The base of the statue had a few expletives drawn onto it such as "Bastard" and "Asshole".

With a catty smile he murmured, "Hmmm, now who do I know that uses such coarse language?"

Then he grinned and thought to himself, "Guess I know who our little tagger is now."

"Hrrrmmm..." Another voice he hadn't been bothered by in a while deigned to make a reappearance. With his nasally laughter the demonic 'D.' remarked, "Oooh how fascinating..."

Mew sighed and remarked with a bit of bite in his voice, "And here I thought you went to sleep...Forever."

"D." promptly ignored that and voiced his intrigue, "I knew that name sounded familiar..."

Mew could literally feel the demon's grin stretching inside of his head as he spoke, "Who would've guessed that little mewling dog would grow up to rule this wretched city..."

"So you also met Gravitus?" Mew took a slight interest in.

"Back when he was Damascus, yes, I may have seen him once or twice..." "D." then went from casual to scornful in the blink of an eye, "Do you honestly believe I ever came to this city willingly?"

"Doesn't matter to me," Mew stated firmly, "But since you do know about him..."

"'Can you tell me more about him'?" "D." replied with a cheeky rendition of Mew's tone of voice, "Ohohoh I could...But I won't! No no no, its much more fun spectating this little charade you've involved yourself in."

Mew sighed and ruffled his eyebrows a bit as he remarked, "You do nothing but spectate. Make yourself useful for once."

"...Fine. I will tell you one thing, but only because it'll undermine that witch's attempts at secrecy."

Mew knew what he'd ask on the spot. He stared up at the statue's face and said, "You called Gravitus a dog. Does that mean he used to serve someone?"

"Yes. He was an underling of the Ten Sages, the reigning sovereignty at the time, and the bloodline from whom that witch descended from."

"So he used to be a servant. What did he do for them? Do you remember?"

"One thing. That's all you'll get out of me."

"...Fine." Mew wasn't unsatisfied, that little tidbit brought a lot more things to light than he was expecting.

"So Gravitus used to serve under one of Auris' parents. And her bloodline ruled Sancturia..."

"They're all just jealous...of my bloodline."

Mew echoed what Kairi said and wondered if, perhaps, he had it all wrong. Maybe there was no half-truths, maybe the whole thing she said was the truth.

"I wonder, wonder, wonder what is true..." "D." tauntingly danced his spindly fingers on the space he rented inside of Mew's head.

Mew just rolled his eyes and murmured without a care, "Go back to sleep 'D.'"

"Oh I will never sleep. And now...neither shall you." With that haunting sentiment the demon retreated into the quietness of Mew's head.

Mew rolled his fingers down his chin and couldn't deny that the demon was right, "With all these questions he's probably right. I'll be thinking about them from dusk til' dawn."

"Grgggglll..."

Mew flinched and looked down at his stomach. He could see his skin rumbling up against his shirt slightly. Rubbing his tummy to give it a little comfort, he chuckled and admitted, "Three fights and no breaks in-between...I'm honestly shocked I didn't hear ya complaining sooner."

He then turned around and surveyed the city for places to eat...Which only lasted a few seconds before he closed his eyes and grumbled, "Oh right, no money..."

He then held his arms against his chest and murmured, "Well I could just head back home and pick up my wallet..."

He closed his eyes and sighed, "Buuuut then I'd have to come right back here, eat, then return back home, go to bed, come back here again in the morning, rinse and repeat until I witness Gravitus' defeat..."

Mew wasn't even sure this place would have motels. It surely wouldn't make any sense for there to be any, but...

"Haaaa..." He took a hand up to the back of his head, started rubbing it, and hesitantly remarked, "Well, I guess I've got no choice..."

A few minutes later...

Mew knocks on the side of a house's front door door, props himself upright, then wiggles a little stiffness out of his shoulders as he takes in a very deep breath and waits for a response.

"Here goes nothing..." He dreaded as the cloth door parted and Kairi stood on the other wise, immediately going from docile to grumpy the moment he blinked.

Mew waved his hand up and remarked, "H-Hey...Any chance I can uhhh, spend the night?"

Next Time: An Awkward Dinner