The day was going so well.
I was resting in a fancy spa bath at the nexus, surrounded by floating rose petals and wonderful smelling candles. Bubbles lingered in the water, and some female employee yokai lingered in the room with me. I was telling my story to a group of them, and they listened well.
"I cannot believe they would do that to you, its so cold-blooded." A fennec fox yokai scowled.
"Classic guys, they're so crude." A snake yokai added. Though they were employees, I had invited them to relax with me since I was also an employee, just of a different tier.
"Its so neat to get to meet a human though, no wonder you bring in so many visitors." A canary yokai said. "You're beautiful, and many of us don't get to meet humans, let alone one who isn't scared of us."
"Im not afraid of what's different I guess.. but I shouldn't have gotten so close, I let myself fall too hard." I sighed, receiving a pat on the shoulder from the maned wolf yokai next to me.
"You don't have to worry about him now, you've got us, big mama's staff is like family." A nearby yokai with a face mask added.
"I do guess we are like a family, huh."
I shifted my gaze to the glass ceiling to look at the underground view, not expecting to see a mutant red eared slider at the glass. He was making all sorts of gestures as I blankly stared, before pulling out a pad of paper and a pen.
'Babe' was roughly scrawled on the paper as leo smiled. I figured he was here taunting me. "We have an unwanted visitor." I said, pointing at the ceiling.
"On it." Two guard hawk yokai went to the balcony, and soon the turtle was chased away. My eyes stung. Was I not enough for leo and the others?
A body pulled me close. The maned wolf yokai had pulled me into a hug. As my shoulders shook, I clung to her fur and began to let out my pent up emotion in the form of tears. Though I didn't see it, I felt several yokai joining the hug.
Maybe I really was better off here.
After all, they seemed to understand what I was going through.
"There's my favorite little human- oh, sweetie are you alright?" Big mama asked, the spider yokai approached the group hug. I sniffled. "Im fine.. just lingering on the past a little too much I guess..."
She cooed. "Its okay, we all do that sometimes even though we may not want to. I was once in love, and it didn't work out at all." I nodded at her sympathy and acknowledging of our common situation. "We'll do our best here to make you feel better."
"There's an upcoming nexus tournament I came to tell you about, but if you'd like the day off that's perfectly understandable." Big mama cooed at me as if I were a baby. "No, I'll go." I steeled my nerves. "I want them to know I work with the nexus now."
———
Tonight was a special match.
Tonight I was going to show off my status here, to flaunt what I'd made for myself and how I'd risen from my own ashes like a phoenix.
I dressed in a flattering dress handmade by big mama with her infamous silk, and dressed up like a whole goddess. Being honest, I felt like a goddess.
A betrayed, heartbroken, homesick goddess.
I stayed in my penthouse room, staring at the view of the city in a long fuzzy bathrobe. A short while ago I was exploring with friends and tromping through a maze for 'the worlds best pizza'. How times seem to change.
On a rooftop nearby I saw a figure land. A familiar figure with a familiar sword on it's back. I stared without expression at the mutant I once gave the title of lover as he worked up the courage to try and get to my balcony. I closed the curtains and exited my room, heading to the arena with a glint in my eye.
It's showtime.
-with leo-
I saw her approach the window and I jumped to a nearby roof. Her gaze landed on me, and it felt like I was finally breathing after holding my breath. I went to get closer, but the curtains of the window fell shut.
It felt like I had been stepped on, crushed. Something was wrong, I could see it in her face and yet I couldn't do anything about it since she was in that damned hotel, and big mama would have any of us thrown out.
The broadcast ad said I could see her at the nexus, so that's where I'd go.
