╔═════☩══♛══☩═════╗

"It was just a night-stand- you can't be mad at me for leaving," 

"You-you," the girl blubbered. 

"Sorry sweetheart. At least you have the memory."

╚═════☩══✦══☩═════╝

Cole winked at the pilot as he stepped off the ship onto the platform below. Her glazed eyes begged him to say something but he just heaved his bag over his shoulder and stalked from the ship to the floating platform. But he stopped when he heard her footsteps running after her. 

"You still need to pay for your travel," she said, gathering herself better now. 

He looked at her dead in the eyes and laughed. "I believe I already did, Cee," he smirked slightly. 

The girl's face bloomed into a deep shade of red. She stuttered, trying to think of something to say to make him pay. 

"Unless you'd like to take this matter to court and have me explain why I believe I shouldn't pay," he offered. His smirk widened as the girl shook her head, the red spreading down her neck. Her sweater had been pulled far up her neck for multiple reasons, some because of Cole, but when she noticed him staring at it, she fidgeted with her sweater. 

"N- no," she managed and turned, walking back to her ship, tail between legs.

"I couldn't imagine you to be with the likes of that kind," a man from the patio around the floating bar called to him. Cole sighed a little, managing to keep his posture the same as before and walked over to the man.  "Seeing as you are a respectable-looking man,"

He laughed and placed his bag down in front of him after crossing the bridge between islands. "I look like a respectable-looking man?" he questioned.

"Anyone from below does," he gruffed when he said 'below'. Cole tried not to stiffen at the hostility towards his homeland, he knew people would view him, and his homeland, that way. They were at war, after all. If one could call it a war.

"Well, then your kind will find us a very different people once you get to know us," he said. "Especially where I come from below."

"I assume not a well-bred place when you're hanging with her kind," he said. 

Cole's tail twitched under his shirt, and even though he knew his jacket covered it, he still clasped his arms behind his back and rocked on his feet. 

"Not all are lucky enough to be royalty below," was all he could say before picking up his bag and brushing past the man to the inside of the pub.

He knew it would take a while to get used to the hostility of the Upwards, but he was already harder than he first imagined. He was...not accepted. Anywhere. Nor was the pilot. 

He paid for his room and climbed the stairs, making sure to enforce his training of not putting that bounce in his step climbing the stairs. He made it successfully to his new room without causing suspicion to arise, and he opened the door with a flick of the key on the pad. 

The room was nicer than expected. Although, he didn't know what he had expected. 

There was a bed, sizeable enough for two if one wanted. A nightstand by the bed, a little dresser in the corner next to a dilapidated lamp that most likely didn't work. And a bathroom the size of a numisma. 

He didn't even hesitate or look around, he just plopped his jacket on the hook and flopped on the bed. He so wanted to release his tail, but he knew it would cause suspicion when hair appeared on the floor nothing like his head's. So, he just settled to take a shower. 

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

Kane grabbed her shirt from the floor and pulled it over her head. Another one down. She would have to catch the next ship up if she were to make it to Dr Owe's monthly meeting in time. 

She couldn't look at the blood on the floor as she leapt over the body and gracefully opened the door. She didn't mind killing the man, he had gone too far. Too fast. Too much. 

As she breathed in, a sickly frown crept on her face. The man had been with a companion. She should've known. There was another suitcase on the floor next to the other bed and when she opened it, she found it empty with just a note. 

I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly. I had to go before they got me.

Kane took the note from the case and tucked it in her pocket. She couldn't bear to have such plain evidence of something going awry in this room. 

She stepped over the body again and looked around the room again. Unhappy memories arose again. All the others who went too far too soon. All the others she had killed. 

So she ran. Like usual. 

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

Kane stepped off the ship, handing the pilot money and stalking off. She kept her head high. She was the queen of this place, she should act like it. 

The men of the patio whistled at her and she answered their call by stepping over to them daintly. 

"Hello fellas!" she called from a little distance away. Some were surprised of her approaching, but most just smirked at her. And she knew why.

Her shirt was incredibly too thin, short, and tight-fitting. Her pants matched that style, and her walk didn't help. She knew she was calling for that attention, and she knew what she was doing by attracting it. 

"Hey, pretty," one said, raking his eyes over her attractive figure. "Have a place to sleep tonight?"

"Of course, what kind of irresponsible lady has no place in her homeland." as she got closer, one of the men had a closer look at her and frowned. 

"You can call yourself a lady all you want, but you ain't one with those ears," he said, smirking slightly, thinking it got under her skin. And he was right. But he didn't have to know that. At least not for long.

"They aren't my only feature," she said slyly. The man smirked, looking at the others around him like, I've got her now. 

Kane swallowed, remembering her stance. "At least they are my only unimpressive feature, unlike you," she said, waving a hand at all the men. They all oo-ed and whooped. She wondered how much each had consumed from the bottle that night alone. Too much, she knew. 

Enough to blame it on, she knew that too. With thought and her plan in place, she smirked, her lip curling.

"Unlike my brothers here, I have impressive features, I assure you," the man said. "If you'd like, I can prove it to you tonight."

"Prove what I already know?" she asked, setting the bait even more. 

"Nah, I'll prove that and the fact that that ass isn't the only thing that makes you attractive." the man said, and as she repulsed on the inside, she knew the trap was laid. Everyone has already forgotten about her ears, they were mentally creating images of her later in the day. The plan had worked. 

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

Ahem. Um, I denounce ever writing this, I promise. 

Nope, I love this. Oop. 

~ ash~ 

-out.