Chapter 4

'Dear Journal 13 August 20XX

I'm currently stuck on a miniature cruise spaceship that is being driven by a crazed loon with cat ears. I don't trust this cat or Winter as we're calling them, nor does Marcella, but Samira seems to be the only one who isn't fazed by them. Samira is the only one brave enough to ask them questions, which are mostly yes or no questions.

She never asks anything that needs explaining. I think she's slowly getting the Cheshire to warm up to her, she never did that with me... I guess it's because I'm not a mass-murdering demon alien.

But the person who truly concerns me is my imbecilic sister. Marcella has a type. It's not good in any way, she's attracted to rebels and villains. She also has a thing for fox "Kitsune", dog "Inu" and cat people, or "Neko's" as she calls them, she has a problem but at least she isn't a furry.

I hope she doesn't catch feelings for them. That would be bad, to put it mildly. I'm not really sure if I should trust them or if they even are telling the truth about our parents basically selling their souls to snake people but... '

"London!" Marcella yelled, bounding towards her sister who was sitting at the empty bar. London quickly closed her journal before her sister could read anything, "What are you doing?"

"Figuring how much alcohol I'll need to make sense of this." She replied dryly, while Marcella rolled her eyes as she headed to the cupboards of alcohol, "Isn't it too early for..." She randomly grabbed a whiskey and a wine bottle, "'Spiritus est Peccator and Sanguis Angeli?"

"I don't think you should drink those" Marcella paid no attention to it as she put the bottles back and continued to scroll through the collection. "They sound interesting. I've never heard of these before...Wonder what else they've got."

"Poison de la Mort, Luxúria Líquida, Zielen, Fuil Ghorm..." Marcella continued. "They sound grim." London sighed.

"I'd recommend Luxúria Líquida, it's great for beginners like you lot." A voice interrupted, it was Winter, still, wearing the strange mask. "Aren't you supposed to be piloting the ship?" London muttered.

"Have ye ever heard of Auto-Pilot?" Winter replied back with a twinge of annoyance before turning their head towards Marcella, "Could ye pass me the Zielen?"

Marcella took out the ghost-decorated grey wine bottle along with two wine glasses. Before she could even open the drink, Winter already unscrewed the cork with their claw. They put the drink back down on the counter before slowly pressing a button on their mask that revealed their slightly dry lips and chin, their skin was slightly tanned, and surprisingly not completely covered in fur and scales like their neck.

"Want some?" Their voice was far raspier than it sounded in the mask, which made Marcella nodded slowly, "London?" she asked, "Sure, why not?" Winter began to pour the drink, filling the glasses at a half-point before passing them to the siblings.

London took a sip of the drink, despite the earthy scent, it had an indescribable lemon and berry taste that left her mouth feeling dry after she was done, she also felt a bit fuzzy.

"Where's Samira?" London asked. Winter sighed in response, "Your crush should be at the door about now." London gave them a confused and slightly red look on her face before looking at the door where Samira stood holding a digital notepad, walking towards the other three before taking the seat between Winter and London.

"Care to join us, Samira?" Marcella asked, holding up her glass, "Sorry, I don't drink." She said whilst looking at the information on her screen.

"Oh well more for..." Before Marcella could finish her sentence, Winter was already wolfing down the remainder of the wine in the bottle. When they finished, they licked their chin clean like a cat.

"Could ye pass the Poison de la Mort?"

"Why so you can get drunk?" London scowled. Winter gave a little hiss-sounding chuckle, "Hate te break it to ya love, but I cannea get drunk. Oh and half of these aren't yer traditional alcohol"

"Then why do you all this alcohol?" Samira questioned out of general interest, "Simple, it's either the temporary replacement for my usual food or I can always turn you into my lunch. Well, yer innards, specifically yer souls, blood, and maybe yer livers if we want to get technical. So ye better give me my drink." Marcella handed Winter the whiskey bottle, who eagerly opened it

Marcella wasn't particularly fazed by the cat's words, "What do you mean by 'non-traditional' alcohol?" Winter took a sip of the drink, again directly from the bottle, "These drinks aren't made the way humans make them, there are other more exotic ingredients in the mixture. In fact, the Zeilin you two just drank had fae souls in them."

The Weaver-Wrens looked at each other, then at the glasses of empty drinks, they recently finished. "Relax they don't have any effect on humans apart from the fact you lot can get drunk quicker than normal unless yer lightweight," Winter said while continuing to take small sips from the

"Fae?" Samira asked, "Aye, think fairies, but meaner and look a bit like those sheep people you humans always fetishize." They said taking another sip.

"Furries?" Marcella asked, "That's what they're called? I thought it would be more creative..."

"What's in the one you're currently drinking?" Marcella asked while Samira took a photo of the drink, with her e-pen out ready to take down notes, "Poison de la Mort, 'Death's Poison' in English, has reapers and angels blood, and then it's your average alcohol. I wouldn't drink it if I was human though."

"Why's that?" Samira asked still taking notes as Winter drank, "Well for starters because of the reaper's blood it could disintegrate your skin, but if I were to rid the drink of the reaper's blood, the angel's blood, and the alcohol will make you pass out if yer a lightweight."

"We could drink angels blood?" Samira asked still taking notes.

"If it's diluted, yes. If not then it could leave you high or worse." Winter finished the bottle off when the A.I. system informed the crew of their arrival in Mournfall.

"Come on, let's go, they won't stay 'ere forever." Winter said resetting the mask to the way it was before, covering their whole face as they walked away Samira and Marcella trailing behind them, leaving London to herself.

'I don't think they're lying.' She wrote. 'I just pray I'm not wrong.'