Everyone's a Catgirl! Ch. 342: Pinch Point (Patreon)

Melody was quick to dismiss herself once their meal and discussion had concluded. Slithering out of her seat, she gave Tristan her thanks and detailed where he could find Kalaya and Teima before departing for the Arch Tower. 

“What do you want to do?” Destiny asked as she slipped her hand into his.

Tristan furrowed his brow and pinched his chin with his pointer finger and thumb. Speaking to Teima first did indeed sound like the most reasonable course of action. But his knowledge within the realm of construction was minimal at best. There was a chance he could manage through the conversation if their discussion stuck to trade and coin, but if Teima was as stubborn to change as Melody had claimed, then it was likely that she’d go to any length to discredit him.

“Alright,” he said, nodding and rising from his seat. “Let’s pay Teima a visit. We’re not going to accomplish anything by sitting around here.”

The girls gave various sounds and gestures of agreement, rising from their seats and checking their bags and belongings before they left. Tristan left five Bells on the table, then followed his Party outside.

The streets of Shulan were bustling at this hour. There wasn’t a single alley or wall that wasn’t adorned by some catgirl peddling her wares. Fine jewelry, fresh foods, and even the occasional smith hollered and spat out their best sales pitch as he strolled by.

Kittens, dirty and malnourished as they were, stayed mainly out of sight, tucking themselves into tight corners and narrow passageways where the sun didn’t reach. Their skin was pocked with sores and welts, matted by blotches of dirt and grime. The whites of their eyes held hope for a future they would most likely never see. In them, Tristan saw himself. His vision blurred, and he quickly wiped away the evidence that seeped out of the corners of his eyes. 

It doesn’t have to be this way, he thought, clenching his jaw.

Destiny remained glued to Tristan’s side the entire time they walked. She kept her hands in her lap as she walked, smiling up at him whenever he looked at her. He would smile back, then look over his shoulder to see the ever stalwart Yanni, hand beneath the hilt of her sword, her vibrant green eyes like a pair of emeralds constantly searching for threats. Lara was unusually tight-lipped, and Tristan wagered that it was due to the severity of their mission.

“Is that it?” Destiny asked as she pointed to a tall building painted red and black with numerous arches. Surrounding it was a scarlet wall that stood twice as high as Tristan, with small decorated dragons cresting its make every few meters.

“I think so,” Tristan said.

“It looks imposing enough,” Lara remarked.

“Let’s see if anyone’s home, then.” Tristan marched up the stone steps to the gate. Now that he was up closer, he saw that it was a pair of thick swinging doors. They bore rows of large studs along the rims, and two identical birds with exaggerated plumes were etched into the wood of each door. Settled into a stone alcove was a faintly glowing garnet. He looked to Yanni for support. “Do we touch this?”

Yanni nodded. “Yes, Tristan. Place your fingers upon the jewel, and it will respond to your touch.”

“What happens afterward?” he asked, his fingers inches away from brushing the stone’s surface.

“If it has a sister, then whomever possesses the matching stone will be able to communicate with you from a short distance away.”

Tristan nodded. “Alright. I’ll try it.” He touched the stone’s surface, and a gentle hue of red sparkled within the stone. A feeling resembling static electricity swept over his body. The hairs on his skin stood, and a tingling sensation tickled his brain and teeth.

“Teima residence. Do you have an appointment?” A terse voice that sounded hollow resonated inside his mind.

“Uh, no,” Tristan said, startled by the sudden voice.

“Would you like to schedule an appointment now?”

Tristan licked his lips. “No, I’m not here to schedule an appointment. My name is Tristan Erato. I am Shi Island’s man. I wish to speak with Miss Teima. Would that be possible?”

“Not without an appointment.”

Tristan glanced at his Party. Destiny tilted her head curiously while Lara gaped slightly. He guessed they weren’t able to hear anything this woman was saying.

“I’m here on official business from Mistress Emberlynn,” Tristan stammered, but quickly recovered. “It’s important that I speak with Miss Teima immediately.”

“Miss Teima does not speak to anyone without an appointment,” the voice repeated.

“I have a letter from Cailu Raloquen, giving me permission to act in his stead. Would that expedite this process at all?”

“No. You must have an appointment.”

She can’t be serious. The words of Emberlynn and Cailu aren’t enough? Tristan stifled a sigh. “When’s the earliest I can see her?”

The sound of shuffling papers came as Tristan patiently waited. “Miss Teima can speak to you in eight days,” the voice at last said.

This time, Tristan scoffed. “I don’t have eight days. What I have to say is exceptionally important. I spoke to Melody and—”

“That is the soonest you can see her.”

Flashbacks of breaking into Magni’s castle came back, sending a chill down his spine. Was a meeting not going to happen unless it was on her terms?

“Can you send her a message at least?” Tristan asked.

“Yes,” the woman said after a pause.

“Tell her that Tristan Erato, Shi Island’s man, is here on business on behalf of Cailu Raloquen and Mistress Emberlynn. I wish to discuss the manner in which Teima conducts business.”

“I will do that. Would you like the appointment slot?”

Tristan pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. “Yes, please.”

“Very well. Would noon suffice for the time?”

“It would.”

Tristan waited for the span of a few breaths. “Your appointment has been scheduled. Is there a location we may contact you if a sooner spot opens?”

“The Geisha Inn.”

“Thank you. Will there be anything else?”

“You’ll deliver my message?”

“Yes.”

Tristan frowned. “Then no, not at this time.”

“Very well. Please remove your hand from the garnet to remove the link.”

Tristan did as he was told and shook off the disturbing sensation in his nerves.

“What happened?” Destiny asked.

“They won’t see us without an appointment. Even with Cailu and Emberlynn backing us, Teima only sees people who have appointments.”

“No exceptions?” Yanni asked as she stared at the ground.

“None whatsoever.”

“Well, that’s stupid,” Lara said, yawning. “If you’re here for such an important reason, wouldn’t they want to see you?”

Tristan shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s go back to the Geisha for now and—”

Suddenly, the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps came from behind the gate. Tristan stopped, and moments later, a wooden clank followed. One of the heavy doors slowly cracked open inwardly, the wood straining with the effort.

A dainty woman with long, black hair dressed in a decorated kimono gestured for them to enter. “Please, Mister Tristan. Come this way.”

Tristan released a sigh of relief and made his way toward the door. Destiny, Lara, and Yanni followed close behind. Once they were inside, the woman shut the door and secured a large plank of wood on a pair of black hooks installed in the doors.

“Please remove your shoes and place them there.” The woman pointed to a small platform made up of thin, yellow pieces of wood. She waited patiently while Tristan and his Party removed their shoes, then bowed at the neck slightly. “Very good. Follow me.”

Tristan followed her up a small flight of stairs connected to a walkway that oversaw an elaborate series of interconnected streams and ponds. Within the water were all manner of aquatic life, from fish to frogs to snails and everything in between. Lilypads floated across the water’s surface, and the occasional sound of bamboo striking the rocks of their fountains echoed across the grounds.

The bridges were shielded from the sun by soft pink fabric that hung over them in arches, draping the sides in neatly tied tassels. A gentle breeze played with the tips of Tristan’s hair, and a pair of catgirls were enjoying tea under a gazebo on their left.

He craved his easel.

The black-haired catgirl led them down the center path, toward the large structure. Wedging around the structure were two smaller, identical buildings. A handful of catgirls poured out of the leftmost one, an older catgirl with graying hair shaking the hands of those who exited after her.

“Here we are,” the woman said at last, stopping in front of a pair of wooden sliding doors just like the ones they’d seen in Zhuli. She barred them with her arm, then descended to her knees, resting on her calves. “Miss Teima, Tristan is here to see you now.”

“Send him in,” said a woman from inside.

“You may enter,” the black-haired woman said as she glanced toward Tristan.

Tristan pushed one of the sliding doors away. Littering the room were countless sheafs of papers and documents. On the floor, pinned to the wall, the ceiling, scattered about on the room’s center table, everywhere. There wasn’t an inch of floor that wasn’t covered.

“Well, come in,” said a silver-haired woman seated at the table. She sat across from him in a kimono that looked moments away from falling off. One side had fallen down her shoulder, exposing half of her breast. The sash was coming undone, and it was riddled with dark stains. “Sit anywhere you like.”

“I don’t want to hurt your work,” Tristan said. There wasn’t a single spot of floor he could find where he could sit comfortably without wrinkling or crunching something.

“Just kick them out of the way,” the woman said, pantomiming the action with her hand.

“My apologies.” Tristan couldn’t simply kick the papers out of the way. He quickly, but gently, pushed the numerous piles of paper aside to make room for himself and his Party members. Once he had, he ushered them inside and shut the door. “Are you Miss Teima?”

“Indeed, I am.” She reached for a long, thin pipe draped across a golden saucer, then retrieved a handful of herbs and tucked them into one end. A flame came to life at the tip of her pointer finger, and she brought it to the hole. Teima wrapped her full lips around the shaft at the other end and breathed deep. Tiny crow’s feet branched from the corners of her eyes as she did, prompting Tristan to place her age in the thirties. She leaned back on her elbow and puffed out a cloud of blue smoke. 

“Thank you for seeing me,” Tristan said with a small bow.

Teima waved a hand through the smoke, brushing it toward Tristan. He coughed. “So tell me; what does the implacable Cailu Raloquen wish of me?” she asked.

“For me to fix the island’s economy,” Tristan said carefully.

Teima sputtered a laugh, silver tendrils wafting through her teeth and between her lips.

“I’ve brought a plan that I’ve run by Emberlynn in Zhuli, Melody, and now I need to run it by you.” Tristan felt Destiny shift nervously beside him. 

Teima’s kimono slipped down her shoulder another inch. It didn’t seem to bother her at all. She pulled drags from her pipe for a long time, and Tristan worried that he’d be waiting for the appointment after all. She reached toward the saucer, turned the pipe, and delicately tapped the ash inside the metal. Tristan swallowed hard.

“Alright, then, Shi Island’s man. Tell me this plan of yours.”