Arcana's Path

"Rin!" Chelsea squealed when she eventually made it up the stairs and into the creepy witch's hut. The girl pounced on her in a cuddle, and nearly knocked her over in the process.

She patted the young witch on the head, and turned to see Violet angrily tapping her foot. "Uh... Chelsea, I think someone wants to have a talk with you. So... Which way is the bathroom? And please don't say a bush outside."

"Oh, down the hall. Second door on the left." The girl said, and then saw Violet's face. "I am so dead."

Rin half-ran from the awkward conversation to come, before losing the rest of what her upset stomach had managed to hold in after arrival. She was feeling extremely glad she hadn't eaten breakfast yet.

She was also really weirded out by how Chelsea really did seem to be living in a creepy shack in the middle of a creepy forest filled with fog. Yet somehow had the same porcelain toilet that Rin expected to find at a residential.

"You know you can't leave! Are you trying to get everyone killed? Is that what you're doing, Chel? Bring on the apocalypse, then! Get it over with!"

She cringed and put her hands over her ears as she heard the raised voices.

"What the fuck do you mean you went out with Kina last night, as well!?"

She understood that Chelsea had made a big mistake in leaving her home, and coming to Rin. Yet, she wasn't exactly holding it against the young girl.

"I don't care if Ardet-lili was there! Not even I can keep you safe, Chelsea McGibbon!"

If it weren't for Chelsea...

"Rin, you can come out now."

She unclenched and walked out slowly and saw an exhausted looking Violet. She smiled sadly at the woman, "You're just like her mum. Suppose you can stop calling yourself my wife-mother, because there's a limit to the weird. Don't need a sister."

Violet rolled her eyes and took her hand, interlacing their fingers to walk out into the main area. "Still going to be your triple goddess. Anyways... Chelsea here is an absolute abomination in the kitchen. So, do you mind sharing your pancake breakfast?"

"The lasagna the other day was nice." Rin said in confusion.

Chelsea giggled from where she was lying on her bed with a book, trying to look like she hadn't just had a lecture, "Actually that was from my fridge. Violet makes my lunches."

Rin rolled her eyes, "No wonder it was good. And no wonder you don't want to learn how to cook if she'll force herself to do it for you. Okay. I suppose my stomach has settled."

"Then find a seat." Violet instructed and began grabbing ingredients and bowls out, "This chef is getting to work."

She turned to look at the other witch, "Um... Thanks. For the other day."

"You cheered up Vi." Chelsea shrugged, "Which is amazing. Never seen her go from stressed out to happy so quickly... Did you fuck her?"

"Violet." Rin glared at the witch's back, "You wanna explain this to me? Like why every damn person you know thinks I'm your fucking girlfriend?"

She shrugged, "They obviously realise I like you. And assume it's mutual because you haven't run the other way."

Chelsea rolled onto her side, "Seriously? You're... Not?"

"No!"

"Wow. Total waste." The younger witch shook her head, "I would totally hit that. Except she got annoyed and said I was way too young for her."

Rin winced, "Yeah... You two, creepy age gap."

"Don't." Violet pointed a spatula at the younger witch, who just grinned and laughed, "So... You didn't tell her?"

Rin raised an eyebrow, "Tell me what?"

"Vi is way older than she looks. She's a witch. Youth is sort of a package deal. The more powerful you are, the longer you take to age." Chelsea grinned, "Me, for example. Don't I look amazing for forty five?"

"We also mature slower, so you're still a youth at heart." Violet sighed, "Which makes you way too young. You're mentally twenty."

Rin grinned and looked over at Violet, "So, I kinda saw this one coming. Especially with how motherly you can be... But...?"

"I know, right? She's got the total grandma vibe." Chelsea burst out giggling.

Violet sighed heavily, "Nineteen twenty-seven. Okay? I was born in 1927. There. Not like age is one of the most taboo things to talk about in witch friggin' circles! Chel!"

Rin counted on her fingers and stared up at her, "You're ninety-four!?"

"Yes, no. Sorta." Violet sighed heavily, "Physically, sure. But I'm closer to twenty nine, mentally. And sorta physically, too. I age slower, because magic. But talking about my age is going to get real weird, real fast. Because I am also way older than ninety four."

"So when you said magic has a ton of drawbacks, you forgot the eternal youth." Rin said jealously.

The witch looked at her pointedly.

She cringed and stared at her feet, "Oh. Because of that."

"Yeah. Now shut up. And... Pancakes up!"

Rin watched as Violet spread the maple syrup and began cutting the pancake, offering it to her on the end of a fork. She frowned, "I can feed myself. Do we always have to have this conversation?"

"Yes." Violet replied innocently. "I just want to pamper you."

"Not in front of the kid." Rin snatched the fork, causing Chelsea to fall off the bed as she laughed at the both of them.

The older witch nodded slowly, "Going to hold you to that."

"Oh, for..." Rin sighed heavily and shook her head, "You really like screwing with me, don't you?"

"Yup."

She shook her head and dug into the food. It might have only been a day, but Violet's cooking was absolutely addictive. Going without it for so long had been agony.

Well, she'd had the slice... But in the middle of all the tears, that hadn't exactly lasted long. Not even long enough for her to be consciously aware of the taste.

Chelsea eventually joined them at the table, but still with her book. Which was apparently something weird and creepy. The writing was moving around on the page.

"Studying magic?"

The girl nodded, "Mmm. I failed my exam yesterday. So if you can help Vi forget she threatened to give me another today, that'd be awesome. You two could kiss, instead?"

"Eugh." Rin rolled her eyes, "If you could stop with the voyeuristic craving that'd be great."

"Just trying to get more than you." The girl teased, holding up her fork with a whole pancake on it.

---

"Ew!" Kina scrambled out of the bed, staring at the weird husk that was vaguely shaped like her date from last night. She cursed as she hit the back of her head on her set of drawers, before landing on her butt.

A head ducked in the doorway, "Oh, shit. I wanted to have that cleaned up before you woke up. I am so sorry. I forgot that it happens right after hibernation, and I get sick if I don't and... I'm rambling. Sorry. Just give me a minute, and then I swear I'll fix it."

"What in the hell?" She rubbed at the back of her head, "What the hell are you? And that... Stuff!?"

The man called from her kitchen, "Sorry, again! I mean, I didn't think it was going to be too freaky. You being a neko."

She reached up desperately and checked her ears and glamour and found it intact. She walked into the kitchen, glaring, "And what are you, a warlock?"

"Eh... No." He shook his head and flipped the pan, tossing an array of ingredients, "I'm a snake. Which is why the eh... Skin. Sorry. I was in hibernation for a while. And I just completely forgot."

Kina reached up and took off the glamour, letting it unravel as her ears and tail popped out. "So I guess I don't have to hide that one."

"Don't you mean to say that the cat is out of the -"

She hissed at him angrily, and her date burst out laughing. He cracked an egg into the pan and flipped it twice before laying out a perfect omelette in ridiculous timing.

Kina smiled weakly, "Not bad... Eh..."

"Echo." He reminded her and rolled his eyes, "Well, you eat up. I'll clean up. And then I suppose I'll head on out. I didn't think you were drunk enough to not remember my name."

"Sensing a little judgement." She said angrily, but took the plate over to her table and sat down. She ate a mouthful and her tail shot straight up as the taste exploded. It was totally unfair that he was an amazing cook.

There was even bits of extremely tender tuna mixed in with the rice.

She paused, her mouth slowing as she chewed and glared back at the bedroom. "Did you choose friggin' tuna because you know I'm a fuckin' cat?"

"It was all you had in the cupboard!"

She shrugged. That was probably true, and far less racist of him than she was thinking. She was kind of surprised that she hadn't picked up that she wasn't sleeping with a mundane last night. Had he been glamoured, too?

But knew she was a neko?

He hadn't actually told her what he was. There were a whole bunch of reptilians, most of which were called snakes as a slur, and shed their skin.

Sniffing the air, she couldn't really tell, either. He faintly smelled of maybe... Potatoes? The apartment was too full of the smell of recent sex for her to really get a bead on it. Her scent was the strongest.

He came back in with recently washed hands, "All cleaned up. Not a single cell left behind, promise. I'm really sorry, again, Kina."

"Huh. So we did talk before I jumped you?" She asked somewhat pathetically.

He sat down across from her with a laugh, "So... Do you want the highlights reel from last night, before I nick off?"

"Yeah." She rubbed her face tiredly, "Sorry. I had a really bad day yesterday, and may have gone looking for trouble. Not a comment on you, really. For a one night stand, you're a perfect gentleman. If that counts."

He shrugged, "Not really. I was sort of hoping it wasn't just... But anyways. You ran into me when we were at the Hatrick. Wizard bar, but they let in all sorts. Even the occasional mundane, if they're in the know."

"Yeah, I know it."

Echo nodded, "Right. Well, you came in with a friend. A pretty little witch who... Ended up blowing my friend under the table, leaving us awkwardly alone. So you called for shots."

"How on earth did you think this would be more than a one night stand?" Kina laughed, "We got plastered together."

Echo shrugged, "Well, you did."

"What do you mean by that?" Her ears flattened and her eyes narrowed to slits.

He glanced down and shrugged, "I'm technically, like venomous? So I've got a crazy high constitution. You're not getting me drunk off anything short of dwarven moonshine."

"I had sex with a venomous... Something. Whilst off my ass with..." She winced as one of the memories crawled through the fog, "Shit. Sanguine. Vampire's vodka. Wow, how am I not hungover and puking everywhere?"

"Me."

Kina raised an eyebrow, "Come again?"

"You were really into play biting last night, and I wasn't about to sleep with a drunk, so I sobered you up a heap with my own bite. Apparently not enough." Echo hung his head, "I... Didn't mean to take advantage."

"I did. So, chill. I went looking to get laid, dude. I'm in heat." Kina laughed at his chivalrous shame.

"Well, all the same." He shrugged, "It is good to meet you again. I am Echo Lacerta."

Kina's head jerked back and she made a face, "Lacerta? Like Valant Lacerta? Ekaida's son?"

"Yikes. So you know about him..." Echo cringed, "Uh... I'm sort of related, yeah."

She rubbed her temples, "Valant Lacerta is the grandson of Eos. Son of Ekaida, queen of the monsters. So, yeah. I know the Lacerta family name. They're freaking divines."

"Never asked to be." He mumbled pathetically.

Kina felt a little guilty at that, and with the way he'd been treating her... "It's okay, dude. My last name is Aki. Daughter of Melvin Aki."

"You're... Eos' granddaughter?"

She cringed, "... Yeah. Get it all out of your system. I'm supposed to be a demigod or something. But I never wanted any of that either. Ran the fuck away, first chance I got."

"I'm Valant's son."

Kina blinked twice, and then her nose crinkled, "Oh god. Oh god. That means that we're... Cousins, right? Oh, shit."

"Once removed." His cheek spasmed, "But... Kinda? But considering grandma literally gave birth to herself, with her brother, I think it's a little bit less... Weird... Sorta?"

Kina glared at him.

He shrugged and stared down, "How the... They had to have had a hand in this, right? For the two of us to end up in the same place at the same time?"

She hadn't thought about that. It was absolutely obvious in hindsight that their ancestors were messing with the both of them. Probably either trying to hook them up or breed a new generation of demigod that would actually do what they wanted.

The neko sighed heavily, "You haven't talked much with them either, have you?"

"Never even met any of them." He shook his head.

Kina winced, "Me neither. The assholes. Well, apart from Astraea, but I basically just shit myself and ran away. Don't think she even noticed me."

"I met Arcana once. That count?"

She laughed at him, "No. She's our generation. Also, one of my friends. So, if we're vaguely related, does that mean you're going to stop being weird about not telling me what species you are?"

"It's... Rare." He said cautiously, "And... Well... There's serious baggage."

"Everyone expects nekos to be submissive little sex fiends." Kina said angrily, "If anyone can understand about racial stigma, it's me. So... What are you?"

"Traditionally, what I am is evil. And murderous. And hates humans and nekos and kills them for fun." He said doubtfully. "Promise you won't... Attack or run?"

She looked at him with concern, "Come on, dude. Echo. I promise I'm not going to judge you. After all, we already... Did everything."

"Basilisk."

She was very wrong when she'd thought she could cope with whatever he had to say. She'd fled to the bedroom and slammed the door before she even became aware that she'd moved at all.

A strand of unkempt hair hung across her vision and she was hyperventilating. Her chest hurt and she felt like she was cornered in a room with a starving lion.

Her ears were twitching and swivelling, trying to locate any sign of the predator.

She heard him call out to her, one last time, "Sorry."

Then the front door closed.

Kina felt herself collapse and then she punched the wall angrily. She'd never had instincts take over her like that, before. There she was, promising to treat him right and not be a racist asshole... Right up until he said that one word.

It wasn't his fault that he was one of Ekaida's monsters. It especially wasn't his fault that every other basilisk that she had ever heard of had to be put down by a hero because they were pure evil and enjoyed murdering cats for fun.

Every single one.

Kina shivered and looked back at the door handle. She'd heard him at the front door, heard it close... She was probably just being paranoid in thinking that he might have faked that he had left.

Her claws came out as she stood up, took a deep breath and reached for the door handling with a trembling hand. She barely cracked the door open, looking around suspiciously.

Her nose twitched back and forth, but she couldn't really tell. His smell was too subtle for her to discern it clearly, and now it was almost faded and hidden beneath his cooking.

Had that been the idea? Is that why a one night stand had been cooking breakfast for her in the morning?

He could have killed her in her sleep, of course. But from what she remembered, his kind were stealth hunters. They preferred live and struggling prey over something quick and simple.

She couldn't wait behind the door forever.

Her tail curled around one of her legs, and she pushed open the door silently, leaping into the kitchen and skittering across the floor behind the island.

She waited, breathing hard, and then popped up her head and looked around. Floor, ceiling, roof. Under the kitchen table, over the top of the bookshelves, everything.

There was nothing.

Well, almost nothing. There was a note on the table, but if it was a trap, then that would be the bait. She might be feeling paranoid and ridiculous, but she didn't want to chance it.

Not that there was anywhere else in her apartment for him to hide. She only had three rooms, total. The bathroom connected to the bedroom, and she had been hiding there, so he had to be either in this room, or gone.

She didn't know if a basilisk could camouflage. Really, all she knew was that they were insane hunters who tended to kill her kind for fun. Every basilisk in history was either a monster or a serial killer, which was sort of the same terms but in different cultural contexts.

Eventually, she became convinced he wasn't waiting, and approached the note slowly, glaring at the scrap of paper.

"I'm sorry. Really. Try and forget and have a good morning. Echo Lacerta."

Kina fell to the ground again, and punched the floor weakly. She'd finally met a guy who wasn't a total asshole, one who she wouldn't have to hide the fact she was a neko around, and didn't even mind that she had just been using him for sex... And she'd acted like a total freak.

Which was when another memory from last night filtered through her thick skull, and she remembered his fangs biting into her shoulder. It had burned, but in her mood at the time she had loved it, and... He really had helped her clear her head.

Tried to sit on the couch and talk to her to see if she was thinking, and she'd basically ignored him and torn his clothes off. A neko in heat was not a very patient creature.

She reached up tentatively, her sensitive fingers finding the two points on her shoulder. They were even smaller than the mark you might get from a vaccination, no permanent damage at all.

She shivered as she realised that she wanted him to bite her again.

Her raging hormones were completely incapable of deciding between abject terror, or awe-inspiring lust, when it came to remembering the man that she had dragged into her bed last night.

It was almost enough to make her forget that he was technically family. Almost. Her grandparents might be a completely screwed up mess of incest because they were the gods, but she was two generations removed from that and...

Kina winced. The day she had found out she was living in a world that belonged to humans and not to nekos had been bad enough. The day that she learned that she didn't even fit in with her own kind had been shell shocking and she had never really recovered.

For the most part, she glamoured herself, went to work, and pretended to be human. Unless she was in heat, she avoided the entirety of the magical community.

All it took was a handful of lost hairs and an enterprising alchemist, and then the community's balance was upset by another asshole trying to gain the magic that she had been born to.

Arcana. Chelsea. Violet. Her.

Four of the children intended to be a new generation of the gods. Three that had rejected that heritage. Four that were doomed to die because only true divinity can protect you from that kind of magical power.

It ate you alive.

There were others, as well. She'd heard the rumours here and there. A djinn with a taste for men. A lost daughter of a powerful witch. A vampire with surprising abilities, who was probably just Ardet-lili. Others.

When it came to the gods, they knew how to be prolific. If they wanted a new generation of divinity, they would damn well go out and fuck for it. Sometimes without regard for the willingness of the victim. Mostly without regard for their emotions.

Echo said he was Ekaida's offspring, but had never met any of them. It wasn't exactly an unusual story. The only weird thing about it was the two of them crossing paths, which was about as subtle as a warhammer between the eyes.

She found herself wondering if Echo had magic as well, and if he had her own problems with it. Apart from legends about his kind having mysterious powers and a hunger for evil, she really didn't know anything about them.