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Episode 5: Coincidental Catastrophe!

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"ANYTHING?" Chase said into the intercom, a silver earring dangling from his right ear. Y/n walked across one of the wooden beams as a small cat, claws latching to the wood underneath. Nikos responded in it, scoffing as he leaned against the wall. Galena was right beside him, keeping her hands interlocked behind her back.

The snake boy spoke, "She's a cat. It'd be too obvious if she said human words, dumbass." He could see Chase's eyes narrow from a distance, rolling his eyes. Akane, who was sitting at the corner in a circular shaped table, watched Y/n leap from the top of the bar and down onto her lap, the girl running a hand through the h/c fur.

A small purr left her throat, eyes scanning the crowd. Her eyes narrowed at a girl on stage. It's the same blonde haired mage from before! She hissed, claws unsheathing. Akane noticed the reaction, letting Y/n wander behind her and transform into her human form to quickly say something in the intercom.

"The dancer on that stage; she's one of the mages from before! I can only assume the rest of her team is with her!" She exclaimed softly while Akane covered her, an invisible barrier around Y/n as she continued to speak. Galena perked at that, fists curling inwardly at the idea that they were the reason that Y/n had come back heavily injured and beyond tired.

Chase nodded, "That isn't our problem for now. However, I want you to look around a bit more. Nikos, send out one of your snakes." Nikos complied, a snake slipping out from his right sleeve and slithering down to the ground. His tongue stuck out before going back in as he speedily slipped through people's feet, going underneath the stage.

Y/n transformed back into a small cat, hopping from one table to another. The men were either too drunk or too horny and desperate to notice her presence. She hid in one of the corners, curling up and letting out a catty yawn. Her eyes narrowed, watching the blonde haired girl hide behind the curtain as another took her place.

She deduced it quickly, realizing that Gemini, one of the zodiac keys, took her place. However, like Chase said, it wasn't their business. Watching Chase exchange the expensive lacrima and a wad of jewels. With the pile of currency, he pocketed it inside his cloak before giving a curt nod. The snake coiled back up to Nikos's arm, disappearing.

Grabbing a hold of Galena's hand, he led her out while Y/n slipped through one of the cracks of the bar, reappearing in front of the two. Chase soon exited while Akane teleported out, grabbing the money from Chase and teleporting it somewhere safer as well. "Our work is here is done," The leader cracked a smile, tilting his head.

Y/n, still content in her cat form, crawled up to him and curled around the back of his neck. She didn't really feel like trekking into the forest. Chase pet the top of her head before nodding towards the array of trees, "Let's go. The next boat doesn't leave until tomorrow afternoon and I'd rather we spend our time here. Think of it as a mini vacation,"

He added the last part, seeing Nikos grow slightly agitated. The snake boy always hated staying in one spot for so long. Everyone slowly made their way to the forest, but Galena got tired halfway, leading to Nikos carrying her effortlessly on his back. The place they were camping out at was almost a mile away since most of the area in Stella was a part of the city and capital.

After finding the already built shelter, they hid themselves in the foliage as Akane put up an invisible barrier around their camp. Y/n hopped down from Chase's shoulders, transforming midair to land on the logs surrounding the bonfire that he had just set up. Nikos set down Galena on the pile of soft leaves and some rags that they'd always had.

Draping them over her as a comfortable blanket, he watched her curl up in comfort, falling deeper into sleep. He took a seat beside Y/n, letting her rest her head on his left shoulder. Akane sat across from them, continuing the habit that she always did, poking at the fire with a nearby stick. Chase wandered around, looking up at the fruit.

He was close to reaching for one, but Y/n stopped him. "Don't," She spoke quietly, causing Nikos to glance at her briefly and for Akane to even tilt her head up. Chase blinked, turning towards her with an inquisitive expression on her face. "Those fruits aren't poisonous, but they do have their own side effects. They smell weird and it has an odd tinge to it."

Nikos nodded along, his snake-like instincts kicking in. Though his hearing didn't have quite the boost, his sense of touch, smell, and eyesight was highly amplified. Chase let his hand drop, the one that was subconsciously reaching for the food in the first place. He looked back at the others, watching Akane prod the flames. "Did you get anything from the shop?"

She dipped her head, confirming his question. "It's not very much, but I got a sweater. None of the phone cases were very appealing." The girl reached up to undo her pigtails from the stressful and tight ties they were in. Her black hair draped down to her shoulders into two parts, but it was quickly gone as she redid her usual hairstyle.

"I thought the phone cases would be pretty. Everything's so sparkly here," Y/n murmured quietly, looking towards her minor. Akane blinked at her, magenta eyes showing a bit of consideration as she reflected on what she saw in the numerous shops she toured at. "There's such a thing as too sparkly."

Y/n nodded silently. Chase looked towards Nikos. "What about you? You were with Galena, so what did you two see?" Nikos shrugged, a small sigh leaving his mouth. "She dragged me around to some of the cutesy shops," That statement elicited a snicker from Chase as he waved his hand to continue after the snake boy gave him an irritated glare.

"But she didn't get anything. Things here are really fuckin' overpriced." 

Just as he finished that sentence, a rustling on their lefts caused them to be alert. Akane's barrier started buzzing with electricity as Y/n turned into a large hound, growling and baring her fangs. Nikos grew alert, both of his snakes out as his blood red eyes sharpened, heightening his senses.

The foliage rustled some more before Zash, their client from earlier, burst through. He seemed to be on edge for some reason. "I need your help." They all shared a look, blinking briefly.

The fuck?