The feeling of moving upward ceased. The doors they had entered slid open and a gust cold wind came through it. The two of them stepped out of the room. It must have been an elevator, because they were now in an open air area, surrounded by wood and stone buildings. it looked like a market square in a MMO, but bigger, and deserted. It wasn’t all that surprising that no one would be there though. It was just past dusk and there were no signs of electricity.
Not too far off a light could be seen to be coming towards them. Jason griped the disc in his pocket, preparing to use it. He took up a defensive stance and used his left hand to keep Rina behind him. The light grew closer revealing a waving figure behind it. The figure took on the shape of woman in light, but official looking clothing. When she got closer he could that she had pointed cat-like ears on her head poking out of shoulder length dark red hair, her face was covered in a in fur and resemble a calico cat’s fur pattern, and she had a tail swishing back and forth as she quickly jogged over to them. She was shouting to gain their attention so when she saw that they were looking at her she stopped and quickened her pace just a fraction more.
Jason didn’t know what to think. Approaching them was a living breathing cat-girl. He had never heard an abduction story of cat-girls, well, except for the kind that are pure fiction and the creation of perverse authors. to say he was surprised was an understatement. Rina on the hand was pushing Jason’s arm aside to see the cat-girl better. As the day had progressed she had gone from frightened to truly excited to explore the new fantastic world she found herself in and now there were cat-girls in this new world too. It wasn’t too long before thoughts of playing with this creature entered her head, but to the outside world she just looked like a wide-eyed little wanting to see something she had never seen before in real life nor did she ever expect to.
The cat-girl slowed down as she approached them, eventually coming to full stop. She looked as though she was going to say something, but instead she bent over huff and gasping for air. Jason raised a brow as he relaxed his stance and his grip on the disc. A hand rose up from the cat-girl with a single digit raised as he was making noises of confusion. She breathed heavily, took one large deep breath, and returned to an upright posture.
“What are you doing up here so soon?!” the cat-girl shouted at him.
“Wha…?” Jason mouth very confused by this person.
“They said they had a new group of people and to expect them to start coming to the surface tomorrow morning. It’s night now! I just got off of work and relaxed and you just had to come to the surface! Couldn’t you just wait?! Don’t you people sleep? Eat? Sleep? Bathe? Sleep? Relax? SLEEP?!” the cat-girl said.
“Well, yeah, but…,” Jason said.
“Then why are you here?! There is a perfectly good bed in the barracks!” she pumped her fists and bounced excitedly.
“Is there something wrong with it?” he asked.
The cat-girl was flustered and made a bunch of sounds, but none of them were sensible.
“Are you really a nekojin?!” Rina asked, with eyes wide, following her tail and looking as if she was going to pounce on it.
The cat-girl stopped her flustered actions and followed the sound of the voice back to its source. Seeing Rina, she gasped, taken aback by her, “What is a child human doing here? And what are you doing with this one? Aren’t you tired? Children should get proper sleep!”
Jason’s face grimaced thinking about Rina’s situation, “Hey. Cat girl, what do you want with us?” he asked angrily, wanting to stop the line of conversation the cat-girl was going down, believing that would hurt Rina if it continued.
The cat-girl’s eyes snapped back to Jason, “I’m not a cat girl. I’m a Sil`phane! You monkey boy!” she shouted at him with a huff.
“Right. And what do you want?” Jason asked, ignoring that she had attempted to insult him.
“You! You…,” the cat-girl stuttered before stopping herself. Recomposing herself and taking another deep breath, she straightens out, brushes the wrinkles of her clothes out, and begins again, “I am Mittana and I am from the local Debris Reclamation Association. We provide help new arrivals to adjust to their situation and provide support services to all Debris residences, especially those who wish to rise in the ranks.”
Jason’s hand quickly took the disc from his pocket, attached it to his waste, activating it, and, in the same movement, draw the dagger from its sheath, raising the blade’s edge to Mittana’s throat.
“Are you saying you’re from the group that abducted us?” he sneered at Mittana, glaring at her with piercing furious eyes.
Mittana leaned back away from the dagger, but Jason kept it at her throat, until she fell to the ground. “No… yes… I mean, the Sil`phane the run Debris did, but I don’t have any say in what they do!”
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Keeping an eye on her as she spoke, Jason decided that she wasn’t hostile and put the dagger away, “I believe you. For now. Did you say that your association is offering to help me? In what way?”
“Yes! Yes. Yes,” she said, standing up. She cleared her throat trying to hide that she was flustered, “The DRA offers any information we can and are allowed to give you. We also help arrange groups to achieve various goals, manage requests, exchange some things that can be found while fulfilling requests for credits, provide training, offer storage of anything you may want for a fee, help manage your arena schedule, and a number of other services.”
“So, an adventurers guild?” asked Jason.
“I don’t know what that is, but if it sounds like it then it’s probably similar!” Mittana said.
“And why did you decide to come yell at us?” Jason asked.
“We’re supposed to greet those that come to the surface and indoctrinate… initiate? No that’s not it either. We’re supposed to give them information and show them around. We have to do this for everyone. I just got off work and wanted to go to sleep, but you showed up so I had to rush over! As I said, don’t you sleep?!” Mittana became more excited as she talked.
“Oh! I get it! We stopped Mittens from taking her nap! Sorry Mittens!” Rina chimed in.
“It’s Mittana! Mit - Ta - Na!” Mittana said, getting down on eye level with Rina.
Jason chuckled at the scene playing out in front of him.
Rina reached out and petted Mittana, scritching her ear, “Awww, Mittens, don’t be grumpy. You can go take your nap. We won’t stop you.”
Her fur bristling from Rina’s petting, Mittana’s arm shot out to strike her, but found it held by Jason. He yanked Mittana to her feet and pushed her back. His eyes bore holes through her, while Rina backed away and hid behind him.
“Don’t touch her.” Jason said fiercely.
“But but but… She. My ears!” Mittana complained.
“She’s a kid and you’re an alien. How would she know how you’d react. It’s even worse that it’s your job to introduce people to your world and help them adjust,” he scolded.
Mittana’s jaw dropped listening to him scold her. He was right. She was wrong. If he complained about her then she could certainly lose her job. But just because it was her job to help new people didn’t mean she had to let them do that she thought. Mittana pouted and fidgeted. There was only one thing she could do.
“Uhmm. Uhhh. I’m sorry. I just don’t like people doing… that.” Mittana said with a tinge of embarrassment in her voice.
“It’s ok. We’re new and you must be hard working. Not to mention we’re holding you past your bedtime. Who isn’t cranky when they’re force to stay awake when they want to sleep,” he said with a smirk.
Mittana nodded vigorously, “I knew you’d understand! I’m really good at my job… even though you’re the first new comers in a while…”
“I think we should let you go get some rest. Continue this in the morning. Maybe? And like you said it is getting late, it would bea good idea to find a place to get some sleep. You know a place?”
“Absolutely! But it looks like you guys spent a lot so I don’t think you’ll have much to be spend. Down that road and to the left is the cheapest place to get a room in the city. I hope you haven’t made the mistake of spending all your credits! Otherwise you’ll have to sleep on the streets or something.”
“I think we’ll be good. Thanks, Mittens. We’ll go take a look and hope we have luck,” he said as he turned to leave alone with Rina.
“Your welcome. Have a good night… and HEY! IT’S MIT - TA - NA!” she shouted and began chasing after them, but Jason and Rina had begun running at full sprint while laughing and Mittana quickly gave up the chase. She stamped her foot and huffed watching them go down the road she had directed them towards.
After a few minutes they found a building with a sign hung over a torch lighting it to reveal the image of a bed on it. The two attempted to enter the door, finding it unlocked. As they stepped in side they scanned the interior. There were a few tables with chairs flipped on them, a hall to the back, a set of stairs heading up to the second level, and a desk that appeared to be for checking in. Behind it there were several keys hanging up, what looked to be document sorting boxes, a board with several posters on it, and a few knick knacks in a cabinet. On the desk there was a book, a bell, a computer screen attached to the front of a pedestal facing the customer side of the desk and other facing the other directions.
Jason rang the bell. At first there wa no reaction, but after about 30 seconds in the back could be heard creaking and then foot plodding loudly coming down the hall towards them. The next moment a towering black skinned creature appeared from the hallway entrance. The creature was about 7’ tall. The majority of it was a thick muscular torso. Its arms were covers in heavy going from its knuckles all the way up over its shoulders and connected around its back at its spine. The fur continued traveling up the back of the creatures neck connecting with what would be hair to humans. Its form was very masculine and so as the assumption goes they believed it to be male. His face had deep inset eyes with brown sclera, a wide nose with nostrils turned up, and when he smiled long sharp canines could be seen. His lower body was covered with baggy pants but could be seen that his legs were about half as long as one would expect on a human. This was complemented with arms half again as long. He walked over behind the desk, giving gestures greetings.
“Welcome. Welcome. How may I be of service to ye?” he asked with a deep voice.
“We’re looking for a place to spend the night,” Jason said.
“It will be 200 credits,” the creature said with a puff of disapproval as he caught sight of Rina.
“You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me. That stupid cat said this was the least expensive place around and we can’t even afford a single room,” Jason said with exasperation in his tone.
The towering alien’s pleasant smile was now gone. His face was contorted into a look of disgust. His lips curled. His eyes twitched. This gentle sleepy giant now appeared to be a very menacing threat that could easily rip apart a man with no effort.
“There be a premium for scum that take advantage of children.”