DanMachi: The Golden Cicada

Stray-Cats

From the bar, Anya looked at the tavern as the people came and went almost rhythmically. A quiet morning. Not many of them stopped to talk with her, they were more interested in eating something quick before starting their days. The cat-girl yawn while pointing her eyes into an isolated table at the corner of the room. She looked straight into the lonely monk while he reviewed his research. Her eyes sparked and her lips formed a mischief smile with the mere sight of his concentration.

"Ah, poor big guy," she giggled in silence, "He doesn't know I've been messing with his things. It's so fun to watch him fighting with himself."

However, the look on the girl behind her wasn't as pleased with the situation.

"Anya... have you talked with Ryuu recently?"

"Nyah? Oh, Ryuu, right," she turned to watch directly at Syr, "Nyot really. She have been lonelier than usual lately, since she returned from that little trip with the silly giant overrr there."

"Do you think he..."

"Nyo, I don't think Little Rocky would stay quiet if that would be the case."

"Yeah, you're probably right, but...," rubs her forehead, "Things complicates every day, if you know what I'm talking. We're nyot exactly stopping the train."

She giggled and looked at her friend with a relaxed smile. "Nyou're worrring too much, dear. Nyour good friend Anya has everything under control here."

"Again, I appreciate your efforts, but this isn't a solution at all. And I don't think stealing papers from his night table would help us for much longer. What's gonna happen when he starts to suspect?"

"Then we're gonna throw the body to another's house," she replied with all naturality.

Syr's gaze locked into hers for a couple of moment while she tried to process the words that came from her mouth. "Are you implying... that we should incriminate someone else? Anya what t—"

"I knyow it sounds bad!" she went ahead, "But consider it for a mew-ment. He's nyot going anywhere until finding Gale... but he doesn't knyow how GALE looks like, does he? Nyow, Orario is full of terrible people, and I don't mean just idiots, but REAL terrible people. We could just convince him of—"

"Stop," she raised her voice a little "That is... a terrible idea. Things can go straight to hell if something goes wrong... but..."

The thought sank on Syr's mind for a moment. At first, she was all against the idea of punish anyone else for their own mistakes, but the more she considered it, more tempting it became. It could actually be a solution. However, the risk was also too high. There were many things to have in mind with this — it wouldn't be just the impression of a distracted monk anymore.

"No... no, what am I even doing thinking about this? Ryuu would never agree to something like this."

"But she doesn't need to knyow," Anya smirk with a hint of mischief. "Besides, we wouldn't be doing anything wrong. It's just a matter of finding someone who can also be responsible of other crimes."

"No... I mean, it does sounds plausible, but... What are we gonna do if the other members of the Buda Familia come to see the fake Gale?"

"Nyothing. It wouldn't be our problem anymore."

"Oh, dear heavens..." Syr rubbed her face between her hands, "Anya, you just... You can't... Go distract him for a while, ok? I do need to think about this and can't do it while he's literally plotting under my nose."

With a sigh, the cat-girl stretched her muscles and moved around the bar. "As I said, there's nyothing to worry about when Anya is on the job."

A smile was on the face as she walked away from her friend. The poor Syr couldn't let go that bad feeling on her mouth. It was like a bad augury, a premonition that something terrible could happen at any moment. Very different from the feline woman, who with both elegance and relaxation walked around the tavern until she was face to face with the shaven-headed monk.