Rule number three of being an Arbiter: Arbiters cannot feel emotion, for they are dummies.
Kiko has heard this several times, and she planned on following the rule, but she cannot help what she does. Kiko is the youngest Arbiter to ever work, after...
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Chapter 6: 'Friends'
Kiko finally leads Mitch and Jake into the neighborhood, Whistleberry. The neighborhood was basically a train station with several paths leading away from it. Whistleberry is a smaller neighborhood, with only twenty homes inside its tiny cave. Though there are only twenty shelters, there are several rooms inside each, so many Arbiters stay with others.
Kiko walks down a narrow path towards a house that is buried into the cave wall. The home is old fashioned, with wood and stone to make the house. The rest of the house she cannot see because it is buried into the rocks.
Kiko opens the door to the house to reveal a living room with the same design idea as her bar. It was darker than most, and it has several fishtanks. The wooden island stands on the other side of the room, and the kitchen is behind it with the same wooden countertops. The couch in front of them was a soft navy color, and it has navy chairs to go with it. The coffee table has a few new magazines sitting on it, and a cup of steaming coffee rests on it. A staircase climbs upwards, and a hidden black button sits on a wall beside it.
Kiko sits down, and the rag doll cat from earlier appears, leaping into Kiko's lap. Taking sips of her coffee, she stroke the cat gently. "Please, have a seat. This will be your home, so I assume I mustn't have to say to make yourselves at home." She says, the migraine starting to disappear.
Jake and Mitch sit down, looking at the fishtanks. "So...you like fish?" Jake asks, furrowing his eyebrows.
Kiko shakes her head. "No, Apollo enjoys looking at them. I also have some jellyfish somewhere in there." She says, pointing to the jellyfish that was making its appearance.
Mitch snorts. "Apollo is your cat, correct?" He asks. Kiko nods. "Then your cat enjoys looking at fish? Why doesn't he eat them?" He asks.
Kiko frowns. "Apollo is a she, and Apollo doesn't appreciate the taste of fish. She's a tame cat with no taste for fish." She explains, getting up to go to her kitchen. Jeez, the least you could do was get the gender correct. Kiko thinks as she refills her coffee cup.
Jake sighs. "Mitch, just shut up. But where are we going to sleep? Is it upstairs? Because I really want to go ahead and hit the hay. It's been a long day, you know?" He says, his gentle smile reaching his emerald eyes.
Kiko shakes her head, pouring the coffee into Apollo's water bowl. "No, quite the opposite actually." She walks over to the stairs and presses the black button.
The stairs lift up silently, revealing more stairs going downward. "Your rooms are down there." She notices Mitch's horrified expression. "Do not fear, there is a button for you to get out." She adds, nonchalantly.
Mitch shakes his head. "No, that's not it." He points to Apollo, who was drinking the coffee from the water bowl. "Why would you give coffee to your cat? Isn't that, like, poison or something?" He asks, his eyes already widened
