Meetings in Secret
Mao Mao walked into the kitchen, finding Badgerclops and Adorabat pouring themselves a bowl of cereal. Ever since Minori arrived, they've eaten five star meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Looking back, Mao Mao saw Minori wrapped up tightly in a blanket.
Tanya stepped into the kitchen, arching her back as she stretched her arms into the air. "Morning Mittens, what's for breakfast?"
"Well, it looks like we'll be feeding ourselves today," Mao Mao grumbled, moving over to the counter, he took up the box of cereal. "What's on the itinerary for today?"
Badgerclops held up piece of paper as he took a bite of cereal. "We're starting the day off with a quick patrol, then king has a meal we need to taste test for poison, afterwards is hero training with Adorabat while I have a nap on the couch."
Mao Mao grunted. "Sounds like Tuesday."
"Sounds like you have a good system in place," Ashaki stood in the doorway, her fur sticking up in places from all the tossing and turning in her sleep. "May I?" Ashaki gestured to one of the seats at the table.
Badgerclops and Adorabat's mouths fell open, the milk and cereal waterfalling back into their bowls. They heard that another one of Mao Mao's sisters is in the kingdom, but this is their first time meeting her.
Ashaki sat down at the table, giving Adorabat and Badgerclops a look over. "Interesting." Her eyes squinted, she looked past the metal hull of Badgerclops' arm, seeing all the intricate wiring and workings. For such a limited space, there was quite a number of weapons packed into it. The craftsmanship is master level. As for the child, much like other sweetypies, her anatomy was nothing like Ashaki had ever seen; her bone structure was incredibly dense, and her skin had a thin layer of phlegm on it that was slowly coagulating, forming another layer of skin. "Very interesting."
"Hi! I'm Adorabat," the blue bat flapped her wings.
Badgerclops, on the other hand, felt the calculative gaze that swept over him. For whatever reason, he felt the need to cover himself.
"A pleasure to meet you," Ashaki said back.
"Where have you been?" Tanya folded her arms.
"I've been up at the castle, combing through its archives," Ashaki answered quickly. "And I'm almost done with it."
"I'm guessing you'll leave when you're done?" Mao Mao surmised.
Ashaki tilted her head in thought for a moment. "Perhaps, but I also would like to study the Ruby Pure Heart. Despite the kingdom's namesake, there's not a single book about it in the archives."
"Really?" Tanya actually found this perplexing. "Not a one?"
"None so far," Ashaki leaned back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling. "If it's anywhere it's in one of those last books."
Mao Mao turned his head at the sound of sheets ruffling, seeing Minori stir from her rest. She righted herself into sitting up on the couch, the fur on her heat stood up, pointing this way and that.
Minori arched her back as she threw her arms to the side. Her eyes held shut from grogginess, through slits she could make out the black and green of Ashaki. Her mind immediately went back to the night prior, and promise Ashaki asked of her.
Minori jumped up and went into the kitchen, about to ask Ashaki how her night went, but stopped as the words rose in her throat. Instead she said, "good morning everybody!"
"Morning," Adorabat called back. "We're partnered today!"
Minori fist pumped in the air. "Hell yeah! Let's ruin some monster's day!"
Ashaki raised an eyebrow. "You have a child doing hero work?" She questioned. "What is your relation with her?"
Mao Mao rubbed the back of his head, letting out a small chuckle. "Well, when we met Adorabat, Badgerclops and I sort of took her in as a ward of the state."
"What's a 'ward of the state'?" Minori asked.
"It means she's an orphan and they adopted her," Ashaki answered. Minori processed the information for a moment before gasping.
"Ashaki! Do you know what this means?"
"Do tell," Ashaki's tone spoke volumes that she had a general idea of Minori's thought process, and knew what she was thinking.
"This means we're aunts!" Minori plucked Adorabat and swung her around in large circles. "From now on, you can call me Auntie Minori!"
"Badgerclops and I later learned," Mao Mao continued. "That she wasn't a ward, but a runaway with a father who works too much."
Minori stopped spinning, looking back towards Mao Mao and Ashaki. "Does this mean we're not aunts?"
Mao Mao gave a so-so gesture with his hand. "I just think of it as having three dads," Adorabat said cheerfully. Adorabat's eyes went wide with realization. "Ooh, that means I have five aunts!"
"Yeah you do!" Minori put Adorabat on her shoulders. "Come on niece! Let's go beat the shit out of some monsters!" Adorabat whooped along with Minori!
"Minori!" Ashaki called out. "Language!"
"Would you relax? I've said much worse in front of her." Minori played it off nonchalantly, much too Ashaki's annoyance.
"If you're going to talk in foul language," Ashaki raised her hand to the corner of her lips, touching her thumb and forefinger together, the paw pads on her fingers glowing an emerald green. "I'd rather you not talk at all." Ashaki pulled her fingers across her mouth.
Minori opened her mouth, but whatever she said was lost in silence. Minori's eyes went wide, her hands went up to her throat. Her lips moved but, but the words she spoke never reached anyone's ears.
"I don't see why I should," Ashaki responded to Minori's silent demand for her voice. "Especially if you're going to talk like that."
"Woah~," Badgerclops' eye widened. "How'd you do that?"
"It wasn't anything particularly impressive," Ashaki shrugged. "Just some minor mystic arts."
Adorabat gasped. "You're magic?!" She screeched, a twinkle in her eye. The look on her face was soon sweeped off her face and replaced with a look of confusion. "But Mao Mao said magic was the art of illusion and lies."
Ashaki rolled her eyes. Yet another thing she's explained countless times. "He's correct, but the mystic arts is not magic," stated Ashaki. "How do I explain it? It's like a form of super-science."
"Super-science?" Badgerclops said skeptically. "That's not a thing."
"Oh really?" Ashaki leaned over and placed her hand on Badgerclops' shoulder.
Much to Badgerclops befuddlement, he raised his arm, and began slapping himself in the face. Badgerclops yelped at each slap, he wasn't doing this intentionally. Attempting to avoid his own hand, he detached himself from Ashaki's touch. Finally getting control of his arm again, he looked at Ashaki, with a hint of fear. "How'd you do that?!"
"The brain sends electrical signals throughout our bodies, and using my own electricity, I overwrote your brain signals to make you do what I wanted," Ashaki held up her hand, a spark of electricity arced between her thumb and forefinger.
"Your sure that's not magic?" Tanya asked skeptically. If taking control of another person's body wasn't magic, what was.
"It isn't," Ashaki confirmed. "Magic breaks the laws of physics and nature all together, meanwhile, mystic arts merely bends them to be more favorable of the user."
"Well if that's the case, it sounds like magic the stronger of the two," Tanya waved her hand through the air, as if pretending to use magic herself.
"Stronger? Yes. Better? Arguable at best." Ashaki's tone took on one of disdain and disgust. "You don't break the rules of the world lightly. The world has a way making you regret it."
The statement hung in the air for a moment. Mao Mao and Tanya exchanged glances. The silence was immediately broken by Minori slamming her hands on the table, causing Adorabat's unattended cereal to spill a little. Minori mouthed something at Ashaki, pointing at her mouth.
"Oh, right!" Ashaki put her fingers to the corner of her mouth, and made an unzipping motion. "Okay."
"Please stop that!" Minori cried. "You know how I feel about you doing that without my permission!"
Ashaki's eyes glazed over, like her mind had gone somewhere else. "You're right, you have told me. I apologize."
"You say you apologize, but your tone doesn't match!" Minori pointed at Ashaki, scowling at her elder sister.
"Should I just come back then?" Said Violet's monotoned voice, the Mao now stood in the doorway to the kitchen.
"No need," Minori pushed past Violet. "I'm on the clock."
Minori left the house in a huff, Adorabat perched on her shoulder. Mao Mao and Badgerclops started prepping to leave themselves.
"Where are you two off to?" Tanya asked.
"We're off to taste test the king's food," Mao Mao answered.
"Yeah, don't get me wrong, it's been fun hanging with you all," Badgerclops added. "But we've really been shirking some of our sheriff duties with everything that's happened."
With that, Mao Mao and Badgerclops went down to the garage and left on their Aerocycle. Tanya turned to Violet, "you want to hang out today? See what else this village has to offer?"
Violet held up her hands. "Apologies, but I think I'll catch up with you later, I wish to talk to my sister."
Tanya shrugged. "Alright, see you around!" Tanya waved on her way out, and Violet gave a small wave back, a small smile hiding beneath her hat.
Sitting down next to Ashaki, the two sat in silence for a moment. "I was able to gather what you asked," Violet told Ashaki. She began to reach up into her hat, but Ashaki held out her hand to stop her.
"Later," Ashaki said. "I want the three of us to speak in private. We need to speak about what happens going forward should the worst case scenario come to be."
Violet took a moment. And finally nodded.
Late into the night, after everyone had gone to bed, the three sisters met up in the garage/Badgerclops' workspace/Violet's guest room.
Minori sat on a work bench, her legs swinging from side to side. Violet sat on the couch, her arms folded beneath her large sleeves. Ashaki stood before them, hands on her hips, and head down.
"So..." Ashaki finally said. "A quick summary, we stand here, a month away from the deadline of the pact, and only three of us are present."
"Let me summarize," Minori stated. "We're screwed!"
"You don't know that," Violet retorted, her voice cold.
"Of course we are! Brunhilde hasn't shown interest in the pact for a long time, and Hinata, the one who suggested the stupid thing, is nowhere to found!" Minori's words, although pessimistic, we're not without truth. If neither of the two showed up soon, things may become less than desirable.
"Brunhilde will show," Ashaki stated.
Minori rolled her eyes. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because..." Ashaki paused, remembering the image. "I had a vision."
Minori and Violet leaned forward, their attention captured by their sister's statement.
"A vision?" Violet whispered.
"Well that's great," Minori said sarcastically. "Like there wasn't enough shit hitting the fan."
"If I could finish," Ashaki interjected. "One of the images I saw was the silhouettes of two feline figures dueling. I'm debating on the second figure, but the other was definitely Brunhilde."
"I believe it," Minori nodded. "She's huge! You couldn't mistake the shadow of someone like her."
"So we know she'll be in Pure Heart sometime soon," Violet said, holding her chin in contemplation. "Which leaves Hinata."
"Let's move on from this please," Minori rubbed her temples.
Ashaki folded her arms. "For once, I'm inclined to agree. We're in a precarious situation now. Either she shows or she doesn't." She cast her eyes to the floor. "And we'll need to figure out what we'll do should she not."
The three went silent. Ten years ago, when they formed the pact initially, they included a caveat to it, should they not be able to fulfill the promise to themselves.
"I think I have a few ideas of what I can do afterwards," Minori said.
"That makes one of us," Violet replied, much to Minori's surprise.
"But... you're always prepared," Minori stammered.
"Not this time," Violet said beneath her hat. "I never actually considered the repercussions of this pact. Wasn't until a few months ago I started thinking about it." Violet looked over to Ashaki, hoping to get the heat off her. "How about you Ashaki?"
Ashaki looked up to the ceiling, lost in thought for a moment. She fought the fought the urge to pull out her phone and look at pictures of a certain someone a fifth of the way around the globe. "Yeah, I have some ideas."
"Well, if it's all the same to you two," Minori hopped of the desk, making her way up the stairs. "I'm turning in for the night."
"Have pleasant dreams, little sister," Ashaki said, much to Minori's discomfort.
"You need to work on your socializing."
After they were certain Minori was out of earshot, Violet and Ashaki moved to the desk.
"So you've looked into what I asked you?" Ashaki said. Violet nodded, reaching into her hat, she produced some files. Putting them on the desk in front of them, a few papers spilled out. Ashaki quickly looked through the files, glancing at one piece of paper, quickly memorizing it, for a couple seconds before moving onto the next.
Among the files were also maps and pictures of individuals who you would find on a wanted list in almost every kingdom.
"I was able to narrow down the possible locations of their base to three cities and towns," said Violet as Ashaki went through the last piece of paper. On some level, Violet was a little insulted, it took her five years to get that intel, and Ashaki went through it in as many minutes.
Ashaki splayed the papers out so that she could look at them all at once. They were so close. Dusk is virtually within reach now. "You have something you need to say?" Ashaki noted the uneasy look on her sister's face.
"I don't like that we're going behind our family's back," Violet said. "Keeping secrets isn't my way of doing these kind of things, especially from our sisters."
"I know, but you're aware that Minori, Brunhilde and Hinata are on the impulsive side. Can you really say with certainty that our sisters won't rush their strongholds guns blazing if they knew what we knew?" Ashaki was met with silence at what she said. "We will only get one shot at bringing down Dusk. We can't afford to waste it."
Violet nodded, affirming her understanding of the situation.
Unbeknownst to any of the sisters, a fly sat on the wall, its wings vibrating as it took off. Up the stairs and into the living room, where Minori was nowhere to be found. Light spilt into the room from the adjoining kitchen. Minori quickly, albeit silently, threw together a quick meal that she stuffed into a basket. Before anyone could catch her in her mischief, she crept over to the door, casting one final glance back at the tanuki, sound asleep in her leaf bed.
Once the door was shut behind her, the fly buzzed over to the tanuki, landing next to the bed. With puff of smoke, the fly reverted back into Tanya Keyes. Sliding back into bed, she dissipated the clone of herself, pretending to be asleep.
After a few minutes had passed she heard steps of padded feet marching up the stairs and into the attic. The steps were lighter than Violet's, so those must've been Ashaki's steps.
This place needs some guest bedrooms, Tanya thought to herself. After what felt like hours, she crept out of her bed and tip toed her way outside, slowly sliding the door behind her. Tanya breathes a quick sight, and walked away from the HQ. Once she believed she was out of earshot, she pulled a phone out from a hidden pocket in her cape. She dialed the first name in her contacts.
The phone rang a few times before it was answered. A groggy voice slurred its words into the mic. "'Ello? Who ish dis?"
"Biggs, it's Tanya," Tanya said.
"Tanya?" Biggs voice sounded more aware this time. "Do you know what time it is?"
"I'll make it up to you, but first, what can you tell me about Dusk?" Tanya listened closely when she was met with silence. She could hear some rustling on the other end of the line.
"Where did you hear about them?" Biggs asked, his voice became more shaken, paranoid.
"So you know about them?"
"Any informant worth his salt knows about the most dangerous organization on the globe," Biggs said.
"What do you know?"
"Not over the phone," he responded. "I'll meet you where I keep my keys." The line cut off.
Biggs had spoken a code phrase that they had set up a long time ago. Whatever Dusk is, they have their fingers in the airwaves, compromising communication.
Tanya slipped the phone back into its hidden pouch. Taking another look around, she made her way back to the HQ, slipping back through the front door. The house was as silent as it was when she snuck out. Tanya could make out some light snoring coming from the sheriff's room.
Standing before her bed, she lifted the duvet to slip back into the bed. Something fell and clattered above her head, the sudden noise stopped her in place, her heart jumping into her throat. Did Ashaki knock something over in the attic?
Waiting a few more minutes, Tanya listened for any rustling of sheets or the groans of someone being disturbed from their sleep. No sounds followed, and Tanya quickly slipped into bed again, this time, falling asleep for real.