Only after Durandal, Elysia, and Eden stepped inside did they see Pardofelis emerge with her head down. She held a plate of slightly burnt fish.
"It's fine. We can still eat it."
Eden saw that only the surface had charred. She picked at it with her chopsticks and found the flesh beneath still tender, with a rich, savory scent, so she offered a few words of comfort.
"Mm."
Pardofelis nodded, though she still looked glum. She'd made this meal for the people who'd helped her, after all. Even a small flaw was enough to get her down.
But her mood soon changed. Once all the dishes were on the table and everyone started raising glasses of cola and juice, chatting about anything and everything, she was all smiles again.
The warmth of the scene brought a slight sting to Pardofelis's eyes. She'd never shared such a lively meal before, so she ducked her head over her bowl to hide her tears.
Durandal and the others noticed, of course, but pretended they hadn't. Ah, the young did get embarrassed so easily.
After lunch, Durandal and Elysia said their goodbyes. Eden, however, handed them her room key and slipped an arm around Pardofelis's shoulders.
She declared that she'd be making herself at home here for the rest of her stay and asked Durandal to check her out of the hotel. She'd fetch her bags herself once dusk fell and the heat eased.
That brought another blush to the girl's face. Eden and Durandal put it down to youthful shyness again, but Elysia blinked, as though she'd caught a hint of something more.
Still, Elysia kept her thoughts to herself. Pardofelis was young, and it was far too early for anything like that. The girl probably hadn't even noticed her own feelings yet.
Of course, keeping quiet didn't mean Elysia couldn't enjoy the show. She had a feeling that keeping an eye on Eden and Pardofelis over the next few years would prove quite entertaining.
--+--
After leaving Pardofelis's home, Durandal and Elysia didn't head straight back to the hotel. Instead, they took a detour to search Sundown Alley.
Yesterday, Eden had reached out to Connie and told her about Pardofelis's past with a group of stray cats. With her fine drawing skills, she'd even sketched the cats based on Pardofelis's descriptions.
Those pictures gave Connie a clear reference as she searched the area's surveillance footage. One black cat stood out in particular. With hardly any effort, Connie found footage of the aged cat in a corner of Sundown Alley.
Cats couldn't live as long as humans. Pardofelis was fifteen now, so it was something of a miracle that the black cat who'd cared for her as a small child was still alive.
Of course, Honkai energy might've played a part. People and animals with poor resistance and adaptability to it could die from exposure with ease. On the other hand, those who resisted and adapted well could gain remarkable strength and vitality.
The black cat had thus lived past a typical cat's fifteen-year lifespan and reached its twenties. Only now was it showing signs that its life was nearing its end.
Following Connie's directions, Durandal and Elysia made a few rounds of the area where the cat often appeared on camera. They soon found it, surrounded by cats of all ages.
When the two approached, the other cats grew wary. They looked ready to rush forward and fight, but the black cat stopped them. Its eyes held an almost human awareness.
That surprised both Durandal and Elysia. No wonder it'd sheltered Pardofelis as a child. It clearly understood people to some degree.
Still, that wasn't unheard of. Back at Schicksal, Śeṣa, the Honkai Beast that served Miyuki, the Third Herrscher, could also understand humans. It could even communicate with Miyuki without trouble, though it couldn't speak a human language.
Durandal also had memories of Stan. But unlike a Honkai Beast, the black cat before her was simply a rather unusual cat.
Durandal crouched in front of it and asked in a low voice, "You can understand me, can't you?"
A hint of confusion crossed the cat's eyes. It didn't know why this human had sought it out or started talking to it, but it nodded all the same.
Something about her presence made it feel drawn to her. At the same time, she gave off a certain pressure. Between the two, the cat behaved itself.
"You're close to dying of old age..."
Durandal ran her right hand over the black cat, copying the way she remembered petting Stan. At first, it squirmed a little. It was a stray, after all, and wasn't used to a human's touch. Even when it'd cared for Pardofelis, it hadn't let her pet it.
But now, it didn't dare resist. Besides, this human was far too good at this. Before it knew it, a pleased little mew slipped out.
The cat's face took on a look of annoyance. It didn't dare direct that look at Durandal, though, so it turned on the other strays instead.
They weren't nearly as clever as their leader. They just stared back, looking lost, with no clue what they'd done wrong.
Life on the streets had left the black cat rather dirty. Yet even Durandal, who couldn't stand dirt, found herself quite taken with it.
After petting it for a while and getting her fill, Durandal said, "Come with me. I'll find you all a safe home. As for you, Dr. Mobius's stigmata experiment has succeeded, so we can put a stigmata fragment into your genes, too. Even if you can't live another fifty thousand years, reaching a hundred shouldn't be a problem."
That was perhaps a little too much for the cat to take in at once. It took quite a while to work out what she meant. Then a look of delighted surprise crossed its face, and it nodded in eager agreement.
"Good."
Durandal hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. The cat had kept hiding from Pardofelis, after all. She'd assumed it didn't like much contact with humans.
"But first, let's stop by a nearby vet clinic and get you a proper bath."
With that, Durandal scooped the black cat into her arms. She took the lead and headed for the nearest vet clinic.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL