Stranded

The place was reeling... Lily looked around in abject horror as she walked- it was like none of them knew what to do with themselves. She'd found a town, and now pulled up the hood on a jacket she'd found in her new pack, trying to make herself scarce. There were fires, and screams of horror... but, she noticed, that the burning homes were in the process of being put out. The demons were working together... then, was it only an accident? What, exactly, was going on-

So distracted, she was, that she accidentally collided with somebody else, and looked up slowly, blinking under her hood.

"I apologize, miss." The young man she'd run into seemed distracted, eyes darting around- fairly normal, he might have been a human if not for the onyx horn protruding cruelly from his forehead, scar tissue around the base.

"What's going on, here? I don't understand," Lily spoke quietly, and he looked down at her, shaking his head.

"I wish I knew, exactly... when the forestry changed colors, everything changed; the wave of magic made lamps explode, everything has gone haywire, and the animals are abuzz... anything fueled by magic has gone haywire. Now excuse me, I've got to go-"

"Wait, please-" Lily cleared her throat, pleading quietly. "Can you please tell me where I can find an exit to this place? Underland, I mean. I... fell down a rabbit hole, and now I'm lost. Very, very lost."

"Er..." He shook his head, shrugging, and pointed behind him, toward the road he was approaching from, and that Lily traveled on. "A day's walk that way, there's a military base, you can ask the Cheshire cats to lead you out, they're agreeable. Though, can't say for sure what'll be going on there with the queen gone... I really need to go now, sorry," He sighed and hurried on, leaving Lily relatively alone there, on that small road in the outskirts of a village united, for once in their lifetimes. 

"Mn..." She continued on, mulling it over. People lost, because of their missing queen... that was always what it boiled down to, wasn't it? The wolves, slave to their curse. Underland, slave to Cthulu. Mir, slave to the triplet queens. Starria, slave to a king, slave to a god. Hina, slave to the orders of those above her... she didn't know why, but something unpleasant churned in her belly, and so she continued on, trying to distract herself, boots scuffing on the dirt as she walked.

===

"Hina?" The badger girl looked up, blinking quietly as Nao approached.

"What's up?" She asked quietly, in answer, smiling tiredly and moving aside so that the brunette could sit down beside her.

"I've been thinking, and... I don't really think that I'm..." Nao swallowed, glancing away. Hina nodded, quietly, understanding.

"I understand, Nao."

"I love you, Hina. I swear that I do." Nao smiled, closing her eyes. "I really, really do... but this kind of life, it's not for me. I wasn't made for this."

"Trust me... I understand, and I won't take it personally."

"I would ask you to come with me, but I know you." Nao whispered, moving to lean her head on Hina's shoulder, breathing slowly. "Do you remember when you met me? What happened, that day?"

"I do," Hina snorted softly. Tears pricked at the backs of her eyes as she remembered, smiling out to the tree line and wrapping her arm around the Chochin Obake's waist. "You were just ten yen short for lunch, and that bastard at the market was being a jerk about it, so I paid for you."

"Yeah... and that's who you were back then. It's who you are now. You want to help others..." Nao sighed, closing her eyes, pushing her head into the side of Hina's breast. "When we got reincarnated, I thought it was such a cool thing, I was excited... but this has been a nightmare, one after the next. Without you, I think I'd have lost my sanity a long time ago."

"I... I'm glad that I was able to be an anchor for you like that," Hina whispered, voice thick with emotion. "S-So where are you going to go?"

"I think... I think I'm gonna go home, Hina. Do you suppose my parents are still alive?"

"I should think so, yes. I'd love to come with you, but..."

"Yes, Hina. You're a hero- you're made for this. You're going to heal, you're gonna bounce back, and become a force of good. Me, though? I'm just a normal girl... I wanted to work at a bank. Always liked the atmosphere."

"What's the quote...?" Hina pondered, closing her eyes.

"In another life, Hina. I'd have loved to just do laundry and taxes with you..."

"Yeah. Me too, Nao..."

"Just, promise me one thing, will you?" Nao whispered, slowly turning her face up.

"Anything." 

"I..." Nao hesitated, and slowly leaned up, kissing the badger girl one last time. "Don't... Don't come and visit me, Hina. Don't tempt me to come back. Let me have my normal life back... that was it for me, I can't do any more adventures like that." She cried, as she spoke, fat tears rolling slowly down her cheeks, and Hina smiled, her own eyes never opening. "I don't think that I'll love anybody else, after this. I'll always remember this- becoming angels, fighting tooth and nail for good... the way we ended the racist government of Starria together, especially... but... I always liked the idea of becoming a crazy old cat lady. I know I'll have to move every so often, and change identity, but... let me have my normal life, okay, love? I'm so tired, and I'm the only one who doesn't belong..."

"What? Of course you belong-"

"No. Aurelia is a magical being who was born and raised here, who seeks justice for all. Emily is a Starrian refugee. Charlotte is an Underland refugee, and you... you never even considered going home for good. Me...? I'm just a girl, and I'm tired of being here. So, please... promise me?"

Silence, for a long moment.

A long, slow sigh.

"Yeah. I promise, Aika."

"Thank you, my Hikaro. I love you."

"Can we just stay like this a bit longer, before you go?" Hina whispered, small, crystalline tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Yeah. Just a bit longer, my love."

===

The knife was at her throat before Lily could even react- she didn't see the attacker, but dared not move as a low, feminine voice hissed into her ear.

"Why are you here, and who are you?"

"My name is Lily, and I'm just looking for the army barracks in the area- a civilian told me I could ask for help, here." She winced, as the knife bit into her skin, blood beading along her neck, but held as still as she could, save for a few involuntary thrashes of her tail. "I mean it, I got nothing else in mind. I took a fall through a strange hole in the ground, and now I'm here- I just want to find my way home. A civilian sent me here."

"Uhuh. A civilian huh? Not just some guy? You're not a normal civvie, so how about you be honest before I cut this pretty head off and throw it to the most eager bidder?"

"I swear, I'm n-not hiding anything!!" Lily huffed in response, tensing. "I'm military back where I came from, a trained assassin. I've got no reason to lie to you, I was just hunting down some golem in the woods and fell through a hole in the roots of a tree!!" She lied easily, praying it would work- after all, what more useful skill was there, for an assassin, than being able to spin a convincing story on the fly.

"Hm... I'll put my weapon down, but follow me alright? No funny business, I'll take you to speak with our leader, and it's really just help you want to ask for, you can ask her. Alright?"

"Yeah, thanks," Lily grunted, and suddenly the knife was gone- before her stood a young woman of maybe twenty-five or thirty years with deeply navy-colored hair and cat ears, a tail to match.

"Sorry for the suspicion- shit hit the fan when our queen disappeared, and everybody who was only behaving due to their fear of her is running wild. There has been more murder and rape in the last few days than perhaps the last few years. We're stretched thin, trying to keep the peace and organize some sort of jail."

"I see, I'm sorry to hear it," Lily spoke carefully, guarded. "I uh, I understand then- what if I was here to try and plant a bomb on the barracks or something. Can you just, take me to your leader, please?"

"Course. Let's go," The catty woman turned and strode off; despite her home in the hell of lust, Lily noticed, as she walked, that the woman was dressed smart, with dark, slim black pants and a top to match. Fitting into the lower parts of her back there were subtle pieces of armor, and along her limbs, as well- even her tail, navy blue, was coated in pieces of black armor and carried a blade fastened near the tip. She looked at home, here, though, among the trees and their violet leaves, despite her almost militaristic gear.

She remembered, as they walked... wasn't one of Hina's women...? She remembered the electric purple hair, and the cat features... was she part of this brigade...?

"Hey, I'm just curious, and I understand if you can't answer, but can you tell me anything about yourself? Your group I mean, don't worry. Just making conversation," Lily added, speaking up. Though her guide did not look back, instead navigating expertly through the dense, tall grass. It scratched at Lily's calves, and she felt a flare of arousal every time the grasses brushed against the bare skin of her hands or ankles, but she tried to ignore it, swallowing. Seems that Cthulu dying, and the world being purified... didn't undo the sexual nature of some things, huh...? 

"No reason I can't share a bit." The guide stated factually. "My name is Edith. I serve in the ninth Cheshire Band. We're a police force, formerly serving under Cthulu. For months, we wished she'd vanished- and now, she's just dead. Gone. We plan to seize control and make this place better." 

"Make it better how? Become totalitarian and kill anybody who doesn't conform?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "Ah, that sounded horrible, sorry. It was a genuine question, though."

"No. we believe in fair trials, and checking the facts before punishment. A world ruled by fear isn't one worth living in, and with the world no longer attacking us left and right when we dare step out off the beaten path, now, we're going to be able to make this place better. With time, maybe we can even utilize our paths to other worlds for the better, and accept visitors, or let people leave- but we've got hard work to do." As she spoke, she paused, and Lily realized that the foliage had gotten so thick she could no longer see a way forward- and apparently, that was the idea. At a touch from the navy cat, a piece of the plantlife fell away, revealing a doorway, and she disappeared inside.

When Lily stepped through, her eyes widened, a sense of awe coming over her- the inside of this place was surreal, like another dimension all its own. The clear blue sky seemed to vanish under an enormous palace, but the castle was mirrored; normal, until about halfway up, and then with another, inverse building attached, extending into the air and forming the overall impression of some sort of twisted hourglass. The architecture was like nothing she'd ever seen, a palace with arching spires, towers, ramparts, and small walls... seeing it in reverse made her feel afraid as though she was a thousand miles up, and about to plummet.

"Eyes on the ground, girl. Our leader will be coming out of meetings and taking a break in her office right now, so it won't be a very far walk," Edith called softly, snapping Lily out of it, back to the present moment, and to the grand doors they approached. There were two guards, lightly armored and holding small blades, a young woman and man, both with those same catlike features, but they didn't so much as look at Lily as she followed Edith inside, to a grand hall carpeted in red, empty save for a maid cleaning. The ceiling overhead was arched, painted with a tapestry of demons and vulgar imagery that made her blush, looking down again as she was led onward.

Through a series of doors and small hallways, Lily lost her bearings until, suddenly, Edith was leading her into a small office. The walls were lined with packed bookshelves, and in the center of the simple room sat a young man with a shock of messy, snarl purple and black curls framing his face. He looked up, smiling, and extended a curious look to Edith.

"Edith, my dear, you bring company with no announcement whatsoever?"

"Sorry, boss. I found her in the woods and she just says she needs some help. I figured with everything going on, I didn't want to risk stepping on your toes and making any decision one for myself."

"I see. Thank you, then, Edith. Might you leave me alone with the girl?"

"Course," the navy Neko nodded, turning on a dime and leaving, shutting the door behind her and leaving Lily feeling like a fish out of water. When she looked back, the young man waved to a chair across the desk.

"Please. Take a seat, you look exhausted."

"Yeah. Sorry." Lily shook her head, confused, and slowly sat down - the chair was comfortable, leather.

"Now I assume that if you were here to cause any harm," the young man before her spoke, adjusting a small bow tie at his collar. "You wouldn't be such a fool as to walk into a den full of what may be among the most skilled non-god warriors in the universe. That being said, I'll trust that your intentions are pure. So tell me, what you exactly is it that you want? Speak to me as if I am a friend, if you would," He added, folding his hands and shrinking back with an unnervingly large smile full of needly fangs.

"A-Alright." Lily swallowed, glancing down at the weapon at her waist, then back up at him- and she would swear his smile got bigger, as it to lock her... "I'm lost. I..." She paused, hesitating as his eyes glinted with something worse- her blood ran cold, her eyes grew wet, and she suddenly couldn't bring herself to lie. "I helped kill Cthulhu. I was a distraction. I did it to save my friend from her... But my friend left me and I just want to go home," she warbled, fat tears spilling slowly down her cheeks. "I want to go home, I'm tired, I'm barely an adult and this is too much for me."

"Hm..." The man smiled just the same as he deliberated, leaning forward now, folding his hands under his chin. "Tired, you say... Of course, I should ask, are you expecting me to transport you for free?"

"I don't know," Lily whispered honestly, losing herself in his eyes- they were surreal, terrifying, bottomless. "Everything in life is transactional, so name your price..."

"Hm... The world is changing, and a pawn offers herself into my service, in exchange for a way home... Where to use you..." Still smiling, he looked away toward a bookcase, eyes unfocused, thoughtful. "Yes, everything in life is transactional, that's how things are... But then, what if I'm tired of the way things are? With that God dead, things can change for the better, at last. You know what?" He turned back, now, and Lily shrunk into her chair as he leaned closer. "I'll send you away for free with only one condition; deliver a message to your people for me. A written one."

"W-What?"

"One of my goals is to establish free trade between a handful of worlds. Deliver a proclamation of peace; it will have instructions to contact me. Deliver a letter. All I ask. What say you?"

"Really? I-I mean it sounds great, but it seems..."

"Too good to be true? Let this be among the first acts of kindness I commit as the new proxy leader of Underland, girl." He was smiling, and thought his eyes were bottomless... Lily couldn't find a reason to argue, couldn't sense anything hostile or manipulative.

"A-Alright,"