Mina had always expected Dracula's castle to be a bit more exciting. Or maybe it was, if you weren't stuck at the entrance. Alone.
It wasn't that she envied Soma, especially not when he came back limping and bruised, but...it had been hours, she had forgotten her phone and portable VR glasses, and there was only so long you could watch bats fly past without going a little bit mad.
"Miiiiiiiiiinaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Mina automatically turned to look, then blinked a few times in confusion. Soma didn't look hurt at all as he trotted up to meet her with a big dumb grin on his face. That wasn't normal at all.
"Hey, guess what?" he said when he got to her, panting a little with the exertion. "I was going through the library, and, uh-"
"You brought books?!"
"Er, no." He scrambled to continue on seeing her expression. "They were all in some language I didn't recognize. English letters, but not English. I dunno. But I did get a soul and I think you'll like it. Tah-dah!" He held out his hand, made a dramatic pass over it with the other, and all of a sudden he was holding a kitten.
Which promptly snarled and scratched Soma's hand until he dropped it, whereupon it ran up the nearest statue and looked down on them, still spitting and hissing.
"Ow." Soma rubbed at his hand with a rueful look on his face. "Sorry, Mina. But hey, cat! You like cats, right?"
After so many years together, Mina had thought she was used to her friend's weirdness. But no, this was a whole new level. "The cat is terrified, Soma! What did you do to it?"
"Nothing! I swear!"
Blatant lies, but ignorable ones. Mina slowly walked over to the statue, keeping her eyes on the little kitten the entire time. The kitten returned the favor.
"Here, kitty, don't be scared," she said as she held out one hand. "I won't hurt you. Neither will that doofus over there. It's all right now, don't be scared. Soma, do you have any meat?"
"No, sorry. Actually, I should probably get going, unless Arikado stopped by since I last came."
"Nope, not a peep. Be careful out there, okay?" Mina kept her hand held out, even as she turned her attention away from the cat. It wasn't good to crowd.
Soma waved as he ran off again, and Mina resisted the urge to tell him to be careful again. He was still alive, wasn't he? It would be fine. If she kept telling herself that, it might be true someday.
At least she had something she could deal with on her own now. Mina turned her attention back to the kitten...just in time to see it explode and leave a scrawny young girl clinging to the statue. She glared at Mina.
"Wha- Are you the- ow!" Mina cried out as the girl swung her broomstick at Mina's outstretched hand, giving her a nasty crack on the knuckles.
"Death to intruders!" the girl shouted while still swinging her broomstick around. Mina retreated, holding her hand.
That seemed to satisfy the girl, who launched herself off the statue with her broomstick. She floated along for a few seconds, just long enough for Mina's jaw to drop open in wonder, before she dropped out of the air and smashed into the ground.
"Are...are you all right?" Mina asked, edging a bit closer.
"Death to Lord Dracula's enemies!" The girl popped up again, waving her broomstick, before sprinting off. She had an odd, hopping gait, and Mina suspected she'd at least scraped her knee in the fall.
Mina stared after her. She had to admit, that hadn't been boring.