Arcanus

[9]

    There was a literal pile of rocks outside. The sticks that Katrina had carried back had grown to full-size tree logs, stacked and arranged. Large leaves covered almost every inch of them.
    Katrina drew back a curtain of leaves, and tried to summon her blades, but unlike in the shadowy clearing, she couldn't.
    Trying to shake the ominous feeling off, she crawled into the place she and Bat would sleep until Mari healed.
    It was dark, and the floor was cool. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting of the shelter, she saw two large piles of leaves, presumably beds, in two corners. A small wooden table near the door, and a shelf. That was it.
    Bat rubbed her arms. It wasn't exactly cold in the shelter, but it wasn't exactly warm and cozy either. As if the make matters worse, it was in the Arcanus Forest, a place of danger and monsters.
    "I'm going to take a bath." Bat hesitated, silently hoping Katrina would tag along so she wouldn't feel as afraid crossing from the house to the shelter, and the shelter to the house.
    "I'll come too." Katrina rose, throwing her leather jacket onto a bed. "It's been a long day."
    Bat averted her eyes from the assassin. As much as she insisted she had forgiven Katrina, and how much she knew she depended on her, Katrina would always be stained with her cousin- and countless other innocents' blood.
    The walk to the cottage was silent, except for the crunch of leaves underfoot.
    Lis barely looked up as they walked in.
    "Uhhhh...should we take off our shoes?" Bat asked, breaking the silence.
    "Mmhmm." Lis said sleepily. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
    "...okayyyyy."
    Bat took off her bright red high heels uneasily. As much as she trusted Lis and Seraphina, she didn't really want to take them off. They were her only weapon.
    Bat walked barefoot across the stone floor, and stuck a pinkie toe into the hot spring.
    It was hot, and Bat wasn't sure why she expected otherwise.
    "The privacy curtain is to your right." Lis called.
    Bat looked to the right. Spotting a wooden handle jutting out of the wall, she pulled it, and a paper privacy wall was drawn out.
    "The handle connects to a hook on your left."
    Feeling embarrassed about not being able to find the hook, she quickly hooked the handle on. Now she was hidden behind the curtain. She fingered the hem of her shirt for a second, then dove into the water fully clothed.
————
    They were back in the shelter, both in new clothing that Lis had let them borrow. 
    Laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, Katrina's head swam with questions for Bat.
    "What's the Eros Company?" Katrina decided to start simple and not personal.
    Bat exhaled. "It's a company." She paused if it weren't obvious. "And at the company, we uh, we set people up. We're match-makers, and we um, we do makeovers for people."
    "That's it?" Katrina was faintly disappointed.
    "We also...we have several departments in the company."
    "Like?"
    "There are the Agents, the people who take records on others so the Matchers can match people. Then there are the, uh, the umm, the Beautyologists, who make you pretty. Then there are the..." Bat swallowed nervously, and lowered her voice. "There are the Pleasures. They're...they're people that other people use for...pleasure." Bat's voice was weak and shaking. "Every initiate at the firm starts out as a Pleasure, and work up to become a Manager, who just writes records and gets the most free time, while overseeing people in their department. Managers make a lot of money."
    "You- you were a Pleasure...?"
    Bat forced out a laugh. "Thankfully, no. Kylie bought me a position as a Beautyologist. Others...others weren't as lucky."
    Something about her tone told Katrina she wasn't lying, but she wasn't telling the truth either.
    "You're a Matcher now?" Katrina guessed.
    "Yeah." Silence followed her response. "I know you're dying to ask me something."
    Surprised, Katrina tried not to use her one chance at a good response on a "How did you know?" Question.
    "Back in the Forest, you said... you said you loved a girl."
    Bat laughed dryly. "That's not a question. And that's not true."
    "You're lying." Katrina insisted. "Tell me. I won't judge."
    "You also said you didn't kill Kylie."
    "Well...that was necessary." Katrina objected.
    "To protect your reputation?"
    Katrina had no answer, and instead shifted positions on her bed.
    "Good night, Bat."
    "G'night Assassin Katrina. Don't murder me in my sleep."