The Rooftop

Morning 3 of the Moonlight Festival

"You're not a hotdog..."

Those were the first words I heard as I woke up, groggy and more exhausted than I thought possible. My head pounded as if it were hit with a hundred hammers. My skin itched, covered in dried sweat and blood, and... all my hair was gone...

And then I saw her, or rather her heart shaped sticker...

I tilted back and looked at her through my cracked glasses, mint-colored hair framed her face, and wide pink eyes stared down at me, unblinking and deeply confused, like I was some kind of puzzle she couldn't solve.

"Korra," I groaned, my voice hoarse. "What are you doing?"

Her ears twitched, and she tilted her head, completely unfazed. "Just checking."

"Checking what?"

"That you're not a hotdog, obviously."

"...Are you stupid?"

Her face twisted into a pout, it was actually somewhat adorable...

Groaning, I tried to sit up, only to realize we were in a patched-up tent. The worn fabric was held together by scotch tape and uneven stitches. Glancing out through a tear in the tent, I saw we were on a rooftop, surrounded by a handful of other beastmen. They wore tattered clothes, their eyes dead with the kind of exhaustion that comes from living on the edge.

We were still in West Cirque; that much was clear. The ruined remains of Rockaburger City were visible in the distance, workers cleaning up the aftermath. Through all the craziness of one night, I nearly forgot the reason I was even killed in the first place. The giant white wolf…

Below us, vendors were setting up stalls for the final night of the Moonlight Festival. On this rooftop, the beastmen were busy with their own preparations, grabbing cardboard signs and salvaging scraps. This was their workday.

A tall black rabbit approached, his posture stiff but not unfriendly. "Glad you're alive. Your friend dragged you here, and we did what we could for your emergency treatment."

I blinked, unsure how to respond. "Uh... thank you."

He handed me five seeds. I was... perplexed to say the least.

He nodded toward the ladder leading down. "Get yourself something delicious. You need it."

Before I could respond, he turned and walked off, his fur stained and unkempt as he joined the others.

I barely had a moment to process before Korra yanked me back into the tent.

"Alright, Su-su!" she announced, hands on her hips.

"Sukafu," I corrected, groaning. "Pronounced Sue - Cough- oo!"

"Su-su!" she continued, "Tell me, why did you lie to me? Why did you say you were a hotdog?!"

"What is wrong with you?! I never said I was a hotdog!" I pointed to the corner of the tent, where the severed head of a hotdog mascot costume sat, its wide grin mocking me. "The owner of Rockaburger City, ran me over with his car, and the only job he offered me was wearing that dumb costume!"

Korra crossed her arms, her pink eyes narrowing. "Well, you're not wearing it now, so it's safe to assume you lied. And angels can't lie, Su-su. You're an angel now, remember?"

"Angel?" I froze, memories of the night before flooding back. Liberty, the celestial magic, the unbearable pain. "Oh... right... I am an angel now..."

Her ears shot straight up. "HA! Two for two! I told you angels and gods were real~! That makes you a double liar~"

"YOU'RE the one lying! I never said anything about being a hotdog!"

"First impressions are everything," she said matter-of-factually.

"You almost got me killed last night!" I snapped. "Where's my 'thank you' for surviving?!"

She smirked, her cheeks turning red. "Nye-he-he! I already gave you my body last night, Su-su. That's thanks enough~ You couldn't keep your paws off of me!"

"Like HECKLE I would!" I shot back, then paused. Heckle? Did I mean hell?

Korra grinned, completely oblivious to my confusion. "You were so grabby last night! Screaming, too~!"

I glanced at her, still wearing clothes stained with my blood. She'd clearly been through her own battle, one just as scary as mine. For a moment, I hesitated. Then, reluctantly, I lowered myself my gaze caught on the floor.

"Did they capture that monster...?"

She smiled, "No... But don't worry about that monster~ Let your senpai take care of him~"

"Senpai?" I tilted my head.

Korra nodded, her expression surprisingly serious. "You're in the world of the supernatural now, Shiori. Roles like senpai and junior mean more than you think. Every word you say, every step you take~ It all matters now."

I raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly does that mean?"

"It means I'm your senpai," she declared proudly. "The universe aligned itself. Think about it. 10 billion people across 10 billion years and we just happened to meet. If this is my role in life, I plan to dedicate my all to it!"

"This doesn't mean you won't get killed by the giant white wolf...," I muttered.

"Well, Let me worry about my enemies!" she said with a grin.

We sat in silence for a moment, the weight of her words sinking in. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something strange. A single strand of my hair had started growing back—black at first, but then shifting to white as it lengthened.

Korra's eyes widened, her grin spreading into something mischievous. "You're just full of surprises, Su-su."

I stared at the strand, my chest tightening:

White hair often indicates an angel that is tied to a Goddess.