Chapter Text
Her room is near entirely coated in darkness. Above the mantle of her bed, her silk thin curtains flow in mesmerizing, meaningless patterns that are visible to her only thanks to the meager glimmer of light that seeps through her window, gilding the translucent cloth in a ghostly pale glow. The same gentle light reflects faintly off the rooms wooden walls and furniture, casting them in a barely perceivable gradient of deep night time blues.
The breeze that blows through the window and makes her curtains dance is cool and gentle, bringing with it the distant smells of mist, pollen and damp soil. As it drafts past Kanako’s face, her nose twitches reflexively. The smell is odorous, but nostalgic, like that of a rainy day, and the cool nip of the drafty air feels pleasant against her fur. A welcome respite from the hearthy warmth her home in the Dunes usually confronts her with.
She lays sprawled out in her bed, resting her arms above her head. She has traded her daywear out for a breathable pair of pajamas, her bedsheets were cast down to cover only her feet, her eyes were forced shut, opening briefly once every few minutes to take a sweeping look around the room. Despite her patience and desires, sleep evaded her.
The night couldn’t have been much more comforting. The ambient warmth of her home, and the Dunes themselves paired perfectly with the chill of the breeze. Her fur kept her comfortable against any fluctuations in temperature, her bed was warm and soft, yet still she lingered on the edge of consciousness, unable to slip away into proper slumber.
It wasn’t exactly a mystery as to why. Neither her nor her guest could entirely stop thinking about the events of the evening. The argument between Starlo and Ceroba still caused little bubbles of anxiety to rise in both of their hearts, distracting them endlessly. It seemed no amount of breathing in the mellow, homely air, nor any period of eye closedness would calm their fears or bring them rest.
Neither soul could accurately judge how long they had been lying awake, and frankly, the real length of time didn’t matter. They were awake, and they were bored. Kanako decides they both need closure on the matter.
‘Hey Clover.’ Kanako thinks to herself. It’s hard to describe what a gentle thought would be like, but this was definitely one of them. It was a whisper of a thought. A mere invitation to engage.
‘...Yeah?’ Clover responds, equally placid. ‘What’s up?’
‘Well I was just kinda noticing, you seem… Nervous? Or uncomfortable? N’ you can’t sleep, right?’ She discerns.
‘Guess I’m just thinking bout’ some stuff is all…’ Clover responds cautiously but gently. ‘I’ll try to reign it in if it’s botherin’ you.’
‘N-no it’s okay.’ Kanako assures. ‘I can’t sleep either. It’s just… well if you wanted to, I mean, you could tell me what’s wrong? Maybe that will help?’
‘Oh. R-right. Well, I guess I just feel bad for Starlo is all. I’m worried about em, I mean.’ They admit, sounding unsure of themselves.
Kanako hums a low note in understanding. She pushes herself upright in bed and scootches backwards to the head of the bed, leaning her back against the headboard. She brings her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them in a show of self solidarity.
‘So am I.’ She consoles. ‘That fight was scary, I’ve never heard them yell at each other like that.’
There is a pause while both children sit on the words they had exchanged, contemplating what they were feeling. Kanako feels a second concern weighing her mind down. Briefly, she debates whether Clover needs to know, before throwing such thoughts aside.
‘I’m also worried about my mom.’ She admits.
‘Huh? Why?’ Clover responds. ‘She held her own well enough.’
‘Well I guess… But she sounded distressed, right? Not panicked or anything but like… on edge? Like she was waiting for something awful to happen the whole time.’ Kanako explains.
‘Yeah maybe.’ Clover concedes. ‘Starlo sounded heartbroken.’
‘Mmh-’ Kanako hums in acknowledgement.
They sit in silence once again, looking up Kanako can see the barest hint of orange light peeking through the edge of her door, right at the bottom of the staircase. Distantly they hear the sound of another door opening and closing, followed by the barely perceivable sound of the bath faucet being turned on.
‘It can’t be that late at night if Ceroba is only doing that now.’ They both conclude at the same time, the novelty bringing a smirk to Kanako’s face.
After a further few moments of consideration, Clover raises their voice again.
‘Say…’ They drawl. ‘I’m havin’ a thought here.’
‘...What is it?’ Kanako inquires, already suspicious of their tone of voice.
‘Well, if we’re both so worried about Star, and your mom just introduced herself to the bathtub… Why don’t we, y’know, just go see em?’ They propose.
‘Clover-’ Kanako starts.
‘It’s a great idea!’ Clover asserts, cutting her off. ‘Ceroba already put us to bed, she won’t come knocking. All we gotta do is sneak right out a window or somethin’. And be back before dawn o’course.’
‘Clover. We can’t just… leave the house?! It’s the middle of the night!’ Kanako responds.
‘Ugh, don’t tell me you’re afraid we’ll run into a human now?’ Clover teases. ‘It’s the same old path you n’ I have both walked many a time before. Uhh, you probably more than me.’
‘Well… I guess. But mama wouldn’t like that at all! What if she checks on me and I’m not there, or something does happen and she won’t be around to protect us?’ Kanako contends.
"We can handle ourself, besides don't you wanna see Star n’ everyone too?’ Clover pries.
‘I mean I guess, but it’s not like we can just leave the house?’ Kanako reminds them.
‘Sure we can!’ Clover asserts, sounding confident. ‘I promise it’s not really as hard as your brain will make you think it is. Ya just kind of… do it!’
‘I don’t know…’ She responds, leaning her head on her crossed arms.
‘Well I’ll be there with you, and I can help you. It’ll be less scary with me by your side.’ Clover encourages.
“Hhhh…” She sighs. ‘Fine. But only cause we can’t sleep. How should we do this?’
‘Well hold up a sec, I really gotta know, have you seriously never snuck outta your house before?’ Clover prods.
‘N-no? I never needed to sneak anywhere?’ Kanako responds defensively.
‘Geez. Okay then.’ Clover starts. ‘What’chure probably lacking in is what we call audacity. It’s a funny thing really, just follow my lead and it’ll be a cakewalk.’
‘Okay…’ Kanako says anxiously. ‘What should we do first?’
‘Well get some outdoorin clothes on for a start.’ They reply.
‘R-Right.’ Kanako affirmates.
She slides out of her bed, her feet landing softly on her rug. She strides carefully through the darkness, over to her chest of draws, from which she withdraws a haori, a belt and a pair of socks, from beside her dresser she picks up her boots. She brings them all back over to her bed, resting herself down upon it. She slides on the socks, then the boots, then throws the haori over her mint green pajamas, and finally stands and fastens the belt around her waist, keeping the jacket in place.
‘That’ll do. Now what?’ She asks.
‘Head out down to the hallway, open your door careful like.’ Clover responds with calculated exactness.
‘Can’t believe I’m doing this…’ She bemoans.
She slowly saunters off towards her staircase, her boots making little thuds as they collide with the floorboards. The rim of her door at the bottom of the staircase is faintly glowing orange as scant rays of light find their way through. The sound of the bath distantly running becomes barely more perceivable as she moves closer, before stopping entirely as she begins her descent down the stairs.
She nervously grips the door handle and slides it open, the orange light of her home spilling into her room, barely lighting up the walls and furniture nearest to the door, turning their blue gradients magenta. She glances down towards the ground briefly as her eyes adjust to the change in brightness.
When she looks back up she sees the hallway barren of any activity, as she should expect. It was well lit for this time of night, the whole room was a consistent shade of reddish orange. The light spilled freely out the windows, keeping what little natural light may have been found at bay, instead the contrast made the cave outside look like an empty black void. It was noticeably silent except for the muffled sounds of the wind outside, the almost unhearably distant sounds of water being disturbed in the bathroom, and her own breathing.
‘Kinda feels empty and not at the same time. It’s weird.’ Kanako observes.
‘I bet that’s how Ceroba felt when she moved out, however long ago.’ Clover posits.
‘I guess so.’ Kanako moans. ‘Anyway… what now?’
‘Well can we get out a window do you reckon?’ They inquire.
‘Nope, they don’t open wide enough.’ She informs them.
‘Well the hard way then, through the front door. Maybe take your boots off when you sneak on past the bathroom.’ They advise.
‘Right.. I’ll just do that then.’ She says. She sits on the stairs as she removes her boots, standing up swiftly once she has, and anxiously sneaks off down the hall.
Her padded feet race silently over the smooth wooden flooring, as she passes the bathroom she holds her breath, from within she can hear the muffled sounds of water sloshing about lazily. Her mother seems distracted enough.
Passing through the open sliding door, they reach the entryway without much hassle. Kanako takes a deep breath to settle her nerves.
‘Guess I just… go through, huh.’ She proclaims unconfidently.
‘Yup. Straight on through. Be gentle with the door.’ Clover says assuringly.
‘Alright…’ She acknowledges.
Her hand wraps around the handle of the door, settling into a firm grip. Her head darts left and right, paranoia compelling her to ensure she isn’t being watched. Slowly and warily she turns the handle and nudges the door forward, wincing every time it makes a sound.
‘Okay I know I said be careful but let’s not stand around all night, kay?’ Clover hastens.
‘Thought you also told me not to make any sound?’ Kanako counters.
‘There’s a good middle zone to it.’ They respond.
‘Alright, alright!’ Kanako accepts, pushing the door open in one swift motion and decisively stepping through into the night.
After spending a few more cautious seconds sliding the door shut, she turns to face the night.
Looking around, it wasn’t quite as dark as the windows had made it seem. Looking up revealed nothing aside from the huge black void that concealed the cavern's ceiling, but the pathway, and even some of the distant hills and mountains could just barely be made out through the inky darkness. The warm light from inside her home drifted out into the perimeter of the estate, colouring the otherwise unlit sand in its natural yellows and oranges like a beacon of colour in a sea of desaturated blues.
Seeing the warm light fade away into cold darkness drove Kanako's apprehension upwards. It was as if the world itself was telling her that leaving home would only lead to trouble for her. The wind blew stronger against her fur outside, unlike in her room she could feel the chill seep through to her skin, it was a notably windy night. Not quite cold enough to be unpleasant, but still an unignorable reminder that she was exposed out here.
‘I really dunno if this is a good idea, Clover…’ Kanako remarks, anxiously cradling her left arm with her right.
‘What’s wrong?’ They ask earnestly.
‘I-It’s just. Doesn’t feel very inviting.’ She replies’
‘That’s just cause you’ve never seen the night on your own. It’s pretty nice once ya get to know it.’ They assure, speaking with the intonation of someone with experience in the matter. ‘...The underground isn’t dangerous, right?’
‘No. I guess not. Just feels weird.’ She explains.
‘I understand the feelin’.’ They assure her. ‘Sometimes all ya gotta do is just take the first steps down the path in front of you. The panic will go away soon enough.’
‘And I’m guessing you know this all firsthand?’ She estimates.
‘Mhm.’
‘T-Then I’ll trust you.’ She concludes, taking another deep breath in to still her nerves.
She sits herself down on the ground, pulling her boots back over her feet, before quickly standing again. Tentatively, she steps forward, across the patio and down its broad stairs.
It takes two strides to reach the bottom of the stairs, a solid wooden thud ringing out each time her booted foot comes down upon them. She takes another step forward, her foot now landing on the sandy ground with a gritty crunch. Apart from the omnipresent drone of the wind there was almost no noise to be heard, only making it easier to hear every sound she herself makes.
She continues down the path, her empowered stride quickly decaying to a tentative shuffle as she grows further and further from her home. Without even having to turn around she could feel the warm light growing more and more distant. It wasn’t long before she had reached the dilapidated cobblestone pathway that leads beyond the gate of the estate. Feeling the texture change beneath her feet again, she turns and looks around.
When she had looked out into the underground from her porch it had seemed like the light disappeared the further down the path she looked, but from here the house itself seemed a little less bright, as if the meager light in the environment followed her as she walked. She finds it a little easier to see further down the path then before, and home looks more like a place sitting alone then a place she was separating herself from. It was hard for her to describe how it felt exactly.
She takes a deep breath in, the slightly damp nighttime air tickles at her nose. The pleasant smell from her bedroom is still noticeable in the air, but it’s a bit different out here. More water and less complexity. Somehow equally comforting.
‘Not so bad, right?’ Clover chimes in.
‘I guess so. I just hope mama doesn’t go check on me or anything.’ She replies. ‘Kinda lonely out here, though.’
‘It’s quiet.’ They posit. ‘Maybe you ain’t a fan of that. We can keep walking then and be at town faster.’
‘That’s true, I guess. I’m just nervous is all.’ She admits.
‘Less than before though, right?’ Clover inquires expectantly.
‘...Yeah. Less than before.’ Kanako accedes, feeling strangely comforted by that realization.
Slowly she turns away from her home, laying her eyes back upon the path before her. Taking measured, half confident steps, she moves on towards Oasis Village.
It isn’t a long walk. The stone path ends as quickly as it starts, giving way to sand and the occasional patch of inconsistent stone where the path used to reach. Not before long Kanako passes through the great gilded gate that keeps her family's estate sealed off from the rest of the Dunes, the grand brass icon sitting on the gate's front glinted ever so slightly under an imperceptible light.
The stretch between her home and the town passed hastily. Her steps were timid but steady in pace, and the dark night never became any less inviting than it already was. She glanced back to her house on occasion, seeing the light grow further and further until it was just like a distant star, at least that’s how Clover described it.
As she approaches the town’s perimeter she hears a new sound break through the steady howl of the wind, it sounds to her like a group of distant voices, too distant still to make out who was talking or what was being discussed. Of the buildings she could make out on the town's perimeter, none had their lights on, they seemed quiet and still, as she would expect, yet as she drew closer the sound only grew louder.
She approaches the town, still as nervous as when she first left her home, seeing such a familiar place as Oasis Valley looking so different was a strange emotion to say the least. It wasn’t outright bad, but it was a harsh contrast to the relaxed but vibrant town she was used to. Almost all the buildings were silent, doors and windows closed. No light so much as drifting out through the cracks in the doorframes.
The darkness clouded the outer edges of the town, in its center an ethereal light shone off the oasis, the opaque black water shining with white streaks of diffuse light, or at least it was mostly white.
As Kanako walks towards the oasis, she realizes its leftmost side was reflecting a more intense orange light than the rest of the waterbody. She looks to her left in curiosity and sees the light originating from the cafe, from a lone dim bulb hanging over a little patio table alongside the source of the voices she had been hearing.
It was a meager collection of monsters, perhaps only four or five, sitting about with drinks. They seemed wrapped up in whatever they were doing, she doubts they’d notice her.
She idles in her cloak of shadow for several moments, observing the collection of monsters as they chuckle mutedly to one another over inaudible jokes.
‘What do you think they’re doing out here?’ She asks her guest.
‘I dunno… There was a big old party out earlier, wasn't there? Maybe this is the afterparty?’ They posit.
‘Yeah, maybe.’ She accepts.
Seeing people out this late, enjoying the night made Kanako feel childishly naive in a way she does not appreciate, being scared of the dark was for little kids, not boss monsters like herself. She looks about the cavern once again, taking in the scene. The dark may not be as scary as it first seemed, but disobeying her mother still was. Regardless, she took some newfound comfort in the familiarity of the wind blowing through her hair.
‘Either way, no sense in stopping here, right?’ Clover asserts.
And wordlessly, she moves on.
She treks her way around the oasis and down the sandy stairs on the far side of town, the cacophony of merry voices fading into the background ambiance as she moves further away. The lower level of town was as sleepy and silent as the top layer, Kanako glances up and down the facades of the large sandstone buildings scattered about the land, curiously watching the shadows contort ever so slightly under an imperceptible light.
As she enters into the tunnel leading out of the town, the voices cut out entirely, leaving her with only the muffled sound of the wind and her own footsteps to keep her company, though she was starting to get used to that.
The interior of the tunnel was easily the darkest area she’d been in yet, very little light of any variety trickled in through the thin crevices serving as windows. It is only thanks to the straight carpet leading through the building that she is able to pace her way through without bumping into a wall or pillar.
Not before long she emerged out the other side, the wind once again gusting against her face. This part of the dunes was much more open and flat then the more mountainous area near her home, she could see further out here. On the horizon there was one rough hill dotting the landscape, she knew on its other side sat the Wild East, her destination. It wasn’t long now. The journey had started to lose its tension, instead her anxieties had begun to shift away from being alone at night towards a new source, what she’d do when she reached the town.
The sandy pathways that snaked their way through this part of the dunes were longer than in the other section. Trawling down their lengths, feeling the sand grit beneath your boot, could prove to be a more monotonous experience. Kanako found she had little to say or think about as she meandered down the path. Her attention was caught by a few points of interest, such as a massive cactus monster sleeping in the middle of a sandy field, or the wishing well, which Clover informed her doesn’t work, but apart from that she was pretty bored.
She knows the path well enough, and she knows it won’t be long before she reaches the town, so as she turns a bend, passing by a broken old wooden cart, her nerves begin to build. Clover seems to notice this tension as her footsteps begin to slow.
‘What’s the matter, Kanako? You alright?’
She stops fully in her tracks, her stance becomes less confident.
‘Well… Just remember, back at home, Starlo told mom she wasn’t welcome here anymore. And well. I’m just worried he was also talking about me when he said that… I don’t wanna go in there and just get yelled at or whatever…’
‘Oh.’ Clover exclaims, taken aback by the concern they hadn’t honestly even considered.
‘Kanako, I’m sure he wouldn’t do that to ya. You were friends with him before, and ‘sides, you never really did anything wrong.’
‘I don’t know...’ She replies. ‘Even then. I don’t know what I should even say!’
‘Say what you need to say. And, well, if he does seem upset ‘bout you having my soul, if you need to, you can tell him how I’m still here. I reckon it would be alright if he knew, might even cheer him up a bit.’
‘Wait, really?? Wouldn’t that be dangerous for you?’ Kanako asks, surprise evident in her voice at Clovers concession.
‘Heh, I’m sure Star can keep a secret if ya ask him to, especially an important one such as this.’ They assure her.
‘Well alright then, Clover. I’ll trust you on this.’ She accedes.
Slowly she resumes wandering forward, down the path leading to town. So far she could make little out, it was still just a bit too far to be revealed from behind the cloak of shadow. She focused her gaze on the fencing on either side of the path, watching as it emerged from the dark that lay ahead of her, alongside several cactuses and the occasional rock.
Not before long the outer framings of several timber structures began to poke through the dark. Their old, sand covered windows reflecting meager sheens of light towards her, betraying their unclean state. As she continues forwards into the town, it opens up to her more and more. First the big gate out the front of town, then the bell in the center, reflective in its own right, and eventually the facades of all the old buildings she remembered from her youth.
As she came to stand in the town square for the first time in over a year, a familiar sound caught her ear, one she recognised from earlier in the night, the sound of a group of people talking amongst themselves.
She cast her gaze upon the now revealed town. Most buildings were quiet and sleepy, just like those in Oasis valley, with two noteworthy exceptions catching her attention. One was the hospital, a weak light from within indicating that the facility was not yet closed for the day, for whatever reason. Apart from the light she could detect no other signs of activity in it, and she wasn’t quite close enough to look in. She wasn’t here for that anyway.
The other building still active was, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Saloon. It was pretty obviously the source of the cacophony of voices she could hear, the group within sounded quite a bit larger than the small gathering of monsters by the cafe, and substantially more rowdy. There was a faint guitar and piano music emanating from within as well, whatever was going on, they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Kanako slowly trudges forwards, her feet dragging clumsily over the ground, her heart fluttering with growing anxiety. Her gaze is set on the saloon doors, on the homely orange light pouring out across the rickety wooden deck and cutting away the darkness. Every now and then a monster dashes past the doors from within, cutting off the rays of light and leaving her alone in the night, if only for a moment.
She soon comes to the shoddy wood stairs that lead to the deck. Through the gaps in the door she can now make out several silhouettes idling within the building, none yet familiar to her. She gulps as she begins her assent, her boots making the stairs creek under her weight. The wood of the deck responds similarly as she stumbles across it. It was a familiar sound to her, one she hadn’t heard in a long time, but in her current position the nostalgia did little to calm her nerves.
She finally reaches the odd looking swing doors. Stopping in her tracks, she takes a deep breath in and clenches her fists.
She leans up to the door, not daring to brace herself against it, and peeks in through the gap in the middle.
Looking around the building she is surprised just how active it is. So many people sat within you might assume it was just past 5. Most tables inside have at least one monster sitting at them, most have two or three. Some unseen individual in the back was shredding away at the piano, playing thematically appropriate music. The many figures within the establishment tugged at the back of Kanako’s memory, many seeming familiar to her, but only a few were truly recallable.
On the far left hand side of the building, almost by the one of the staircases, three of these familiar monsters sat around a rickety table. The squirrel looking one, the one hiding behind his hat, and the big pink guy. Kanako remembers them as members of Starlo’s posse, but names were escaping her at this moment. Notably, Starlo wasn’t with them.
He and the other member of his group, the fishy one, end up being found on the far right side of the bar, chatting with the bartender as she attempts to hold the fort against the substantial tide of patrons. Kanako watches as she deftly cleans glasses, organizes bottles and keeps the bar clean, all without breaking attention away from whatever Star was discussing. Outside of her, everyone else seems less animated.
Shaking her mind back to attention, she finishes her cursory sweep of the saloon, no one else caught her attention. Of everyone there she cares about, none were facing her direction, she is fairly certain no one at all had seen her. It still feels like she’s standing in a separate world. She spends several more moments peeking in through the gap, keeping an ear out for anyone who might be coming up behind her. Her hand rests heavily against the door, exerting not quite enough force to begin to open it.
‘Kanako. What’s wrong?’ Clover interjects.
Kanako sighs, lowering her hand off the door.
‘I dunno. It just doesn’t feel right.’ She responds.
‘What doesn’t?’ They ask.
‘I don’t know! What if they don’t wanna see me again? What if I just make things worse? I was gone for ages, and Starlo was so sad about you, and I just… I don’t know.’ She exclaims, her tail sinking between her legs.
‘You think he wasn’t sad about you?’ Clover rebukes.
‘I- I mean I guess so, but that was ages ago and you only di-’
‘They ain’t gunna forget about you or replace you, Kanako. They cared ‘bout me I guess, and Star was angry at your mom, no doubt, but you never did anything wrong. They’ll miss you just like you miss them, and I bet they’re concerned the same way we are too.’
‘I still just… don’t know what to do…’ She admits.
‘Walk in there. Just walk in there, play it beat by beat. They won’t hate you.’ They assure her.
Kanako takes a deep breath in, exhaling it with a determined shake of her fists.
‘Okay.’ She says. ‘But you have to help me.’
She raises a hand and places it once again against the door.
‘I will.’ They promise.
She closes her eyes, takes another breath in, and pushes her body forwards. The doors give little resistance as they swing open, and the wood under her boots starts feeling a lot more solid and even all of a sudden. Even when closed, stepping into the light has her eyes strain for a moment.
She comes to a stop a few feet in and cautiously opens her eyes, it wasn’t as bright as it first seemed. A couple of heads from a nearby table, from monsters she doesn't recognize, swing towards her. She gulps and quickly looks away in response.
Around the saloon, monsters who were glancing about occasionally waved their eyes towards the entrance, most who did didn’t end up looking away. The whole building begins to quieten, slowly at first, then all at once it goes silent as more and more monsters cue in to something being off by the entrance. The last sound to cease is the piano in the back.
More and more heads turn. In mere seconds almost the whole bar is staring down at her. The only sounds she could hear were the scraping of chairs readjusting, the occasional impatient cough, and her own shallow breathing.
She scans the crowd. The looks on their faces range from unemotive to uncomfortable to a few who seem downright belligerent. Starlo’s posse were among those who had directed her their attention, their faces were harder to read, closer to blank, but with a tinge of sadness, or perhaps regret. It seems obvious to assume that stories of her mothers actions have already been spread throughout this crowd.
The pressure from their stares is oppressive. Kanako lowers her gaze. Automatically, she starts fidgeting with her hands.
Several long moments pass in silence, occasionally, in the background, one monster or another will clear their throat impatiently.
‘This was a terrible idea.’ Kanako thinks to herself, still staring at the floor in front of her feet. ‘We should just go.’
‘No. No, just wait a minute.’ Clover assures her.
Kanako breathes in deep, attempting to muster her courage.
She looks up again, seeing that most people in the bar haven’t moved their gaze. She looks around the crowd, her eyes crossing over the people before her. On her left, the table full of Starlo’s friends are sharing silent whispers between one another while looking at her, occasionally one or the other will shoot a glance over at Starlo himself.
She looks over to him. He and the bartender look… confused mostly, she thinks. The bartender-
‘Dina.’
‘Right. Dina. I remember now.’
Dina looks between Starlo and Kanako with expectant confusion. Starlo himself seems lost in his mind, even if he is facing Kanako. The person beside them–
‘Moray.’
‘Moray. Of course.’
‘Don’t forget.’
‘I won’t!’
Moray looks between the three of them. They look to Kanako with concern, then their gaze shifts to Starlo, with a similar look of expectant confusion, then lastly, they look to Dina, with whom they share a brief sympathetic gaze.
Only a few more moments of this status quo pass before Moray seems to grow tired of it.
With a groan, they push the barstool they were sitting on back and rise to their feet, their hair covering their eyes as they look forward at her.
With little hesitation, they turn and pace, cautiously but gracefully, around the bar counter, walking over to where Kanako stood by the entrance. A few patrons had begun murmuring between themselves at this point, breaking up the intensity of the previously immense silence. They walk right up to Kanako, almost as tall as her mother, they tower over her.
It’s intimidating. And seemingly they realize this, for when they reach her they kneel down, perching themself on one knee at her eye level.
They regard her for a moment. Studying her with cautious eyes, occasionally looking up past her. Kanako had shifted her hands to her side by the time they came near, gripping at her jacket.
After a minute, they speak, their voice calm but concerned.
“And what exactly are you doing out here so late, young lady?” They inquire, almost muttering.
Kanako takes a moment to respond, in the end not being able to meet Moray’s gaze.
“Just wanted t’ see everyone again.” She answers, unsubtly trying to keep her composure.
“Is that so?” Moray responds inquisitively. “Well, you’ve got everyone here half scared to death thinking that your mother is going to walk in any moment and start yelling at somebody, heheh.”
They look around the saloon as they chuckle, a few monsters nod in agreement.
Kanako shakes her head vigorously.
“S-She’s not here! I snuck out…” She asserts. Moray’s attention snaps back to her.
“You did, did you? Just to come and hang with us?” They stand, putting their hands on their hips.
“Uhuh!” Kanako nods, her heart beating fast with nerves now that she felt she was getting somewhere.
“Oooh’s” “Ahhh’s” and “Mmm’s” emanate out of the crowd as they process what they were hearing from the young fox. Several monsters turn back to face one another, exchanging jokes or picking their bottles back up.
“Well then.” Moray states, stretching out a hand towards Kanako. “How bout you come with me.”
Cautiously, Kanako reaches up and takes Moray's hand in her own. Their blue skin was smooth and silky, but still tough, and when they closed their hand around hers, their grip was vice-like in its strength.
They turn towards the bar, and slowly lead Kanako over to it. Kanako finds her footwork has grown sloppy and ungraceful all of a sudden, probably because of all the adrenaline slowly wearing off.
Moray leads her over to one of the closer barstools, releasing her hand, swiftly bending down and lifting her up and onto the seat before she even has time to say “woah”.
Kanako looks around the room from her new vantage. A substantial quantity of the bar’s patrons are still staring at her and she wilts under their gaze. Dina has directed Kanako her full attention, and is looking over her actively with that same look of curious concern from before. Moray pulls up a seat beside Kanako, they lean their head against their right arm, which itself is propped up against the bar.
“Y’know Star,” Dina starts. “From everythin’ you’ve told us so far bout’ what happened, I really wouldn't ’ve assumed Kanako here did anythin’ wrong.”
She glances between Kanako and Starlo as she talks, leaning with her right arm against the bar in a particularly suave manner.
Starlo scratches the back of his head, looking conflicted, before loudly sighing to himself. His posture loses its edge and his shoulders slump. He shakes his head almost unnoticeably.
“Naw… You’re probably right, Dina.” He concurs, directing his tired gaze towards Kanako. “I really doubt she did anything egregious either.”
He pushes himself up a bit, taking in a breath to recompose himself, and he starts to saunter around the bar to where Kanako is sitting.
He comes within a few meters of her, before slowing to a halt and leaning against the bar again, looking over her with his weary, but silently caring eyes.
“It’s been about a single day since you got back, little missy, and you’ve already started causing trouble for your mother again, have you?” He drawls. His voice an indistinguishable combination of rough and tired.
Kanako chuckles nervously at Starlo’s remark, feeling only slightly at ease. Starlo still didn’t quite seem comfortable himself. Nevertheless for the first time in this cursed reunion, the pair look at one another and both smile. Two different smiles, one of anxiety, the other of exhaustion, but they both meant the same thing in this one moment.
Starlo sighs, stepping over to Kanako’s side.
“I have to admit, I am a little relieved to see you again. You gave us all quite the scare when you fell down.” He says, laying a hand on her shoulder.
“And so… what,” He continues, “you just snuck out here to say hi?”
“W-Well, it has just been so long since I saw you all. A-and I heard you and mama arguing-” She responds wearily. Starlo turns away hearing her last remark, wincing not so stealthily.
“We- I was worried. I wanted to check on you I guess.” She finishes.
“Heh. Is that so?” Starlo starts. He walks around Kanako to take the barstool on her left. On her right Moray is listening in on their conversation intently, as is Dina from behind the bar.
“I’m doing alright, Kanako. Your mom just did something I don’t think is right is all, and I felt the need to give her a piece of my mind about it.”
The smile he gives her as he speaks doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“You mean taking Clover’s soul?” Kanako asks him.
He blinks at her in surprise. In his head he faults himself for not putting two and two together. Of course she’d know what happened with Clover considering where their soul is currently located. He takes more than a moment to compose himself and respond.
“Yeah… Don’t get me wrong, Kanako, You being okay now is a wonderful development, I doubt you’d find many who’d disagree, but that don’t mean I think it’s right how Clover had their soul taken from them like that. It was cruel.” He explains to her, finding he has to keep himself from getting emotional.
Kanako looks away from him, down at her hands resting on the bar, the silence around them is less uncomfortable now, but more mournful, she can’t yet tell which she likes less.
“Yeah.” She mewls. “I guess. M-mama says all humans who fall down here get their soul taken. Even if it’s mean.”
Starlo scoffs quietly to himself, raising his arm to Kanako's shoulder again.
“That, Kanako, would be what we call a self fulfilling prophecy. Of course it’s gonna be true if the people who claim it are the same people who act on it.” He explains, looking off into the distance as he does. “And it certainly isn’t a good justification for doing cruel things like that to people.”
“Yeah…” Kanako simply responds.
She looks to him like she didn’t quite catch all he said, not a surprise considering how late it is, she looks like she is starting to have trouble keeping her eyes open.
“Y’know, you should be in bed at this hour, you look tired as hell, kid.” He teases, allowing some energy to re-enter his voice.
“I am tired.” She exclaims in response. “But y’know. Couldn’t sleep without seeing you guys.”
“Heh, well at this point we may as well make it an occasion.” He announces, turning to the bar. “Dina, how bout a root beer for the kid before she collapses on us?”
Kanako’s smile turns much more genuine.
“As you say, boss.” Dina chuckles, reaching under the counter. “You’ll be payin’ for her though.”
Starlo winks at her, shooting her a rogue finger gun.
“O’course ma’am. Gotta support your local businesses.” He jests.
“A-actually, I have a question, Star.” Kanako interjects, looking up at her friend.
“Oh? What’s that?” He inquires.
“Well, I was wondering… What are you guys all doing out so late?” She asks, looking broadly across the saloon.
“Ah.” Starlo stammers, “I suppose you could call it something of a morale building exercise.”
He looks down at her, the concerned look on her face conveys that she understands what he means to some degree. He smiles and pats her on the back reassuringly.
As he looks back to the rest of the saloon, Dina arrives with Kanako’s root beer, also handing Starlo a bottle of something that she guesses she can’t have. She takes a sip of her own drink, the sweet carbonated liquid triggering warm nostalgic memories in her mind. She smiles sheepishly.