Everyday Life with Bubbles Ch. 10

%4%E%6%5%7%8%7%4%5%4%6%9%

Author's Note: This one you can consider a salve for your heart, after what happened in "Tauli".

%6%D%6%5%3%A%4%2%7%5%

"Ni-na! Nina-nina! Ni-na!" Bubbles sang as she skipped along the muddy path, fingers intertwined with the bemused thief. The bright catgirl stomped in every puddle, doing her best to dance that her wife had come back to her, alive.

Ninaein walked slowly, idly, as Bubbles dragged on her arm. The thief wasn't as unstable as she had been the day before, but she certainly wasn't in her full health, yet. The constant paranoia of the woman, however, seemed to have somewhat faded. She was barely even snarling if Sana came close to them.

Bubbles lifted and kissed her hand, "Loves her. Loves her!"

"She got that when Bubbles woke her up with the right kinds of kisses." Ninaein smirked. "Not as worried about her blood pressure, now?"

"Mmm... Bubbles is in heat." She shrugged, excusing herself.

Sana looked back at the two of them, smiling in amusement, "Does Ninaein know much about the village, ahead of them? Erientyara say that they meet everyone else there."

"Not a clue." The Coiner shook her head, "Ninaein is from the city. She visited the homeland, just the once. When she was little. She doesn't much remember it, other than it was freaking hot. She doesn't remember any of the villages on the road."

Bubbles jerked to a stop and sniffed, "She thinks she's going crazy. We're inland, aren't we? Leaving forest? Then why does she smell... Salt water? And fish?"

"Not crazy." Ninaein sniffed, "Mmm... Nekan temple! Oh gods! She hasn't thought about those in years!"

Sana squealed excitedly, bouncing on her heels, "Koi fish! She smells koi fish!"

Bubbles frowned, looking in the direction of the scent, "But it isn't the way we going. It's off the road. Hidden."

"Tell that to her tummy." Ninaein scoffed, as Bubbles' stomach growled loudly. "Up for a heist, wife?"

Sana stopped bouncing, "Stealing from temple seems like bad idea. 'Specially after actual goddess fucked our Bubbles."

"Never mention, again." Bubbles glared at her sister, and then rubbed her cheeks, thinking. She kicked at the ground a couple times, and then sighed heavily. "Ninaein distract the priests? Bubbles steals fish?"

"Bubbles falls over. She should be the distraction." Ninaein disagreed.

"I can distract." Erientyara offered with a heavy shrug, "And I am not neko. I don't have a bounty on my tail."

Ninaein burst out laughing, "A salamander? Get into a nekan temple? As if. They're warded. Secrets of the clans. You'll get lost before you find the first gate."

Bubbles kissed her girlfriend's neck, and issued a calming purr, "Don't need be rude about it. Nekan temples are rare outside homeland. They're secret places, Erin. Safe places, made by hooktooth, in last war. Places for the hiding."

The royal salamander made an irritated face, "So you can rest there, but I can't?"

"We're planning on stealing their fish. No resting for the wickeds." Bubbles giggled, "Mmm... Is Sana in on this?"

"No." The catgirl shook her head, "Would they let her offer a prayer, before they desecrate temple?"

"Stay put if you're going to be nothing more than a coward." Ninaein sneered.

Bubbles blew out her cheeks, thinking to herself. She wasn't quite as mean as her wife, and though she had a problem or six with the gods right now, that didn't mean that she thought that it was a good idea not to acknowledge them. Stealing from their place without saying sorry seemed like a bad idea.

She frowned, "Mmm... Maybe Sana can go first. Make apologies to Luna and the others? Bubbles not really wanna go for round two. Well, she does. She reaaallly does. But not yet. Once a day seems like enough fuckery?"

Ninaein rolled her eyes angrily.

The salamander burst into irritated flames, "I am just supposed to wait here, whilst you three go off to... Steal some fish?"

Bubbles shrugged, "Mmm... She makes sure to bring a big piece for the Erin? Her tummy sounds hungry, too."

Ninaein laughed and elbowed Bubbles before walking towards the scent, "Come on. You've never pulled a decent heist before, wife. Just played some half-interesting bait."

"Not wife, yet! Soon."

Ninaein purred and swished her tail.

%6%2%6%2%6%C%6%5%7%3%

The gates were easy to find for a neko. Big and red arches, sticking out like sore thumbs in the thinning forest. The enchantment on them was racist in nature. A weapon created during a war when humanity was doing their best to eliminate the existence of the tribes.

Anyone who wasn't neko, walking through one of the arches, would immediately find themselves lost and confused. They would forget the reason that they were there. It was a cruel weapon of the hookteeth, but it was less violent than the alternative.

However, walking through the arches, Bubbles felt... Odd.

She glanced sideways at her girlfriend. Ninaein was glaring and had her mouth twisted into a foul expression. Which Bubbles wasn't able to tell if was just her Coiner being her usual self, or if they felt the weirdness, too.

Bubbles looked sideways to the easier neko to read. Sana was looking down, fiddling with the edges of her sleeves. Clearly embarrassed to be visiting a sacred location in a whore's outfit. Maybe they could beg some kind of clothing exchange, with any monks that still served?

Her eyes went wide and her head snapped up.

She knew what felt so strange about the temple. The nekan temples were hidden places, secrets. Her twitching ears, however, could hear a language that wasn't common, human, or nekan.

"Kitsune." Bubbles hissed, showing off her fangs, as her ears flattened out.

Ninaein nodded, idly producing a knife to scratch at one of her teeth, "Wouldn't worry about it. From what Nina can hear, they're just talking about normal things. Problems getting blueberry stains out of dresses. She thinks foxes lived here, long time."

"Kitsune?" Sana glanced over at them, confused, "Why fuck there be kitsune living in... Our temple?"

The thief shrugged, "Traitor Emperor tried to hunt and kill them. Maybe a smart one figured out a map or something. Found a way in... But do we care? Are we caring? She thought we were just here for fish. And whatever Sana wants."

"Don't take it personally. Nina hates everyone." Bubbles said quickly to her sister.

The catmaid smiled back at her, "No, she doesn't. She just pretends, because it's easier than admitting to feelings. Her Ninaein is just as protective of the people around her as the Bubbles is. Little bit nuts, but protective."

"Changed her mind." Ninaein said and glared over, "She hates Bubbles' new sister. Entirely. Can she kill her?"

Bubbles giggled, "No."

"Can she kill her if she waits until Bubbles is asleep?"

She glared at her girlfriend, "Fuck no. No more talking about killing her Sana."

"Fine." Ninaein rolled her eyes, "But she's not saving her, neither, if she gets into trouble. Refuses."

"Sana isn't completely helpless." The catmaid sneered, "She might not be fancy like Coiner, but she was a whore. She knows how to deal with dickwads."

"Almost exclusively." Ninaein retorted.

Bubbles rubbed her temples, "Stop it... What other things she hears? Bubbles doesn't speak kitsune. She used to drink with one, but he never spoke."

Ninaein's ears flicked back and forth, "We've been spotted. They have a gate guard. Apparently they're deciding whether to try and fool us, or kill us. She doesn't think they're the nice kind of kitsune. Just the regular kind."

"Or they're just scared." Sana scoffed, and waved down the path, holding up the cord from her neck. "Hello! Just travellers."

The thief tsk'd in irritation, but Bubbles smiled. "Pilgrims. Nina can act, can't she? She doesn't just play the big girl?"

"Nina's going to punish you for that, later." The thief hissed.

A brown-tailed fox in darker brown robes appeared visibly at the end of the pathway. He stank as badly as all kitsune did, but Bubbles didn't really mind. Her nose was far more fixated on the smell of the fish behind him.

The kitsune's tail was standing up and bristling. Sana wasn't wrong that they were scared.

Bubbles bounded ahead of Ninaein, smiling broadly and shaking the man's hand before he could pull it away. The fox looked at her with suspicious orange eyes, as she looked beyond him and spotted the pond. "Do you mind if Sana goes to pray? Last few days... Bad for all of us."

The fox frowned, "We prefer our isolation here. I... Understand... If you feel a connection with this place, but it would be better if you leave."

Bubbles looked at him in concern, "You... Not heard. Empire sentenced us all to death. All neko. Empress Vanhern kill our Toofy. Neko got nowhere to go."

The fox's face became sympathetic, "Ah. All the same... This is not a safe place for you. The resentment here is..."

He trailed off as Bubbles wandered away to the edge of the pond. She crouched by the edge, staring down at the giant red and golden fish that raced up to her, splashing water everywhere. It was extremely hard for her not to just reach down and grab two and shove them in her mouth, but she figured that they were probably religious symbols to the kitsune hiding out here.

"Which goddess?" Sana whispered to the man, "She has generally served the Green Goddess, but her sister has connection with Luna."

"We worship the Golden Kitsune." The priest offered.

Bubbles giggled, "She probably not so happy to see Bubbles here, then. She and Luna... They not getting along, right now. Not that Bubbles really understand what gods do and that. But she thinks they arguing."

Ninaein sighed heavily, "Fish are weird. Did fox train them? To approach people?"

"No. We did not." The priest replied, "And... Usually... They don't. You said she has a connection with Luna? There are not so many who serve the gods, in this age. Is she a prophetess?"

Sana sounded uncertain, "She... Doesn't think we really know how the Bubbles is connected with Luna. A shared vision, yesterday. The goddess... Choosing Bubbles. Saying that she marked for her."

"No wonder." The priest muttered, "We cursed the path. So that no neko able to find it."

Bubbles hesitantly lifted a paw over the fish, ignoring the others. She burst out laughing as the tiny creatures started spitting water at her hand, tickling her. It was almost as absurd as a bunch of foxes taking over a neko temple to hide away and worship the goddess of Mischief.

Ninaein tried to actually sound reasonable, "Our empress was connected to Golden Kitsune. Now, she murdered. Can we at least grieve for her, before you turn us out?"

"We have prepared a shrine to the Empress." The kitsune replied, "All of us... Heard Twenty Four die. If you would come with me? Including your sister. I am afraid those fish are not for eating."

Bubbles pouted but stood up. She brushed down her hands, and then she heard the fish scattering back across the surface. She glanced sideways at the pond, a little confused. Something weird had just happened, and she wasn't quite sure what.

Was Sana right? Was she marked by Luna, now?

She skipped over to Ninaein and took her hand. All three of them could hear the other kitsune, but the foxes were staying out of the eyeline. Bubbles couldn't understand the native tongue being barked back and forth, but by the barely restrained sneer on her girlfriend's face, they probably weren't saying nice things.

Not that Bubbles would be saying anything nice, in their position. Wasn't like any catgirl had lifted a single claw when the traitor emperor was hunting down the kitsune. The rift between their people was bone deep. An ancient and humming song, deep in their souls.

She was too young to really remember the Empire's foxhunt, as it came before Toofy, but she did remember the older streetcats talking about how foxtails used to hang by the guard offices near the gates. The kitsune had good reason to fear everyone.

She supposed that those would be cattails, now.

They entered the temple, or one of the temple buildings, and the smell of wafting incense made Bubbles' nose crinkle unpleasantly. It wasn't something subtle, like her kind would use.

Sana, however, breathed in sharply and raggedly. The catmaid spying the shrine to the side of the building. A painting of Toofy lay there. The empress standing atop a fallen salamander, whilst pointing an accusing finger, and the sun exploding something nasty in the same direction.

A dozen incense sticks burned around the portrait, as the catmaid approached, tail down and head bowed. Bubbles crawled into a seat as her sistren made her saddened prayers. It was sort of nice that even foxes could miss the loss of their empress.

"You're not praying?" The man asked her nervously, tail bristling nervously.

Bubbles looked up at him with her pale yellow eyes, "Loss is private. No neko likes another close by, when we pray. After, yes. Lots of tears and hugging. But not during prayer. Like to give each other space. Especially if we don't have sacrifices to give, like food or milk."

"Milk?" The fox asked in confusion.

She nodded, "Mmm. When not afford anything else, most kitties bring a bottle of milk. We like 'em, so we figure the dead do, too."

Ninaein moved behind Bubbles and started to massage her shoulders, "You lot have been here, a while. Long enough to start thinking you own the place."

"Don't." Bubbles growled at her, "Luna said we have safe place in homeland. We not there, yet."

"Prophetess? Not prophet?" The fox asked her in confusion, "Yet you've heard from... The goddess of the moon?"

Bubbles went red, "She um... She... Did things. To Bubbles."

"In front of the rest of us." Ninaein snarled, "Couldn't fucking move as her own god took her wife. Ninaein hated it. Bubbles didn't mind it, so Ninaein tries not to complain, but she doesn't like gods, now. They do whatever they want."

Bubbles rolled her eyes, "Nina didn't even think gods were real, yesterday."

"Neither did you."

The kitsune leaned on a pew, "None of us here have met any god. We hear things, sometimes. Heard it when Twenty Four became empress. And when she died. Heard no more bells."

"Everyone heard no more bells. Whole fuckin' world." Ninaein sneered.

Bubbles rolled her eyes, "She didn't. She was too young. Bubbles is only about twenty? She's a year younger than the princesses. How old is Nina?"

"Not saying."

The priest gave a small smile, "I am nearer... Three hundred. My people are especially long lived. Yet... It seems that the gods have a soft spot for nekos, and not the kitsune."

"Because we're good at being bad." Bubbles grinned, "Golden Kitsune is chaos mistress. Don't take it too badly. She just likes things that can go around messing things up for everyone else. Though... Apparently she doesn't like Bubbles. Luna said that. That Bubbles irritates her. No idea how. Bubbles didn't even really have a job."

"Are you certain it was a goddess? And not a... Mage?"

Bubbles scratched her nose idly, "She feels that's not safe conversation to have under temple roof."

The fox nodded slowly, "Two signs... So far."

"Huh?" Bubbles cocked her head.

The man sighed heavily, "First, the fish approach you instead of fleeing. Secondly... Look down. You are surrounded by light. Began the moment that you entered. I have no reason to doubt the gods find you more intriguing than the rest of us."

Bubbles looked at her hands, and the sparkling dust around them. She giggled and clapped her hands, causing a poof of silver and gold to go scattering outwards. She grinned up at the fox, "Mmm... She used to drink with a kitsune. He always drank brimstones, in quiet. Can we drink with priests? They know we not danger, right?"

"The others want you gone. Signs or no signs." He shook his head.

Ninaein touched her necklace's sheathe, "Let me put it another way. Stop your other bastards from talking about killing my wife, or I'm going to start opening up a few arteries around here."

Bubbles jumped to her feet, "Behave, Nina. They just scared. Don't follow her."

The statue to the goddess of the moon lay abandoned in a corner of the room. The silvery nekan goddess depicted as curled up on a throne. The statue was covered in fur and hair, swarmed by dust bunnies.

Bubbles wasn't sure what to do, so she knelt and bowed her head to it. She prayed silently, whispering inside her head. Apologising that they were about to steal the woman's fish, and thanking her for the mind-blowing sex the day before.

She wasn't exactly sure about the last bit. She'd thank Sharhalla and Rali, but did you thank a god for fucking them?

How exactly did you have a conversation with a goddess?

There was a hiss, and Bubbles' fur stood on end as she felt a snake curl around her ankle, before climbing up her until it was arranged around her neck like a terrifying creepy scarf. She stood up very slowly, and walked even slower back to where Ninaein was casually threatening to kill the priest and the rest of the kitsune.

Bubbles coughed nervously, "Um... Help?"

Ninaein scoffed, and the white-scaled snake dropped writhing and headless to the ground. The priest fell backwards over the pew, running and barking in his stupid language.

Bubbles poked at the dead snake, "Did you have to scare him? Gonna be hard enough to sneak back to the pond, already."

"Huh? Oh, that wasn't her, kit." Ninaein laughed, "Apparently a white snake is some religious shit."

Sana approached, "That's true. They're common in the homeland, but associated with the goddess. With Luna. You probably freaked him out, Bubs."

"Don't call her that." Ninaein pointed a knife.

Bubbles glared between the two of them, "Nina. If you ever use that fucking knife on her sister... I will never speak to you, again."

"Don't pout." The knife disappeared, and the thief hung an arm around her shoulders, "Nina knows who is in charge. Her mistress will always be her mistress."

"Hurt her, and I'll hate you." Bubbles emphasised each word.

Ninaein sighed, "Gods, you actually like the bitch, don't you? Fine, fine. Nina will stop threatening to skin her in her sleep."

"And the other threats."

The Coiner shrugged and started walking away, "One at a time."

"She actually threatened to skin you?" Bubbles whispered under her breath to Sana. The other catgirl shrugged, as if she'd stopped listening to the thief a while ago.

"Oi! Bubbles! You wanna get out here!" Ninaein yelled.

She rubbed her eyes and headed out the front of the temple building, "The fuck is it no... Da fuck? Nina?"

"She doesn't know." The thief shrugged.

Sana stifled a laugh, "Obviously, they realised you actually god-touched, Bubs."

"Don't. Call. Her. That." Ninaein snarled, twitching.

Bubbles stared at three rows of kitsune, wearing dark brown outfits, all of them on their knees and bowing their heads to touch the ground. Each had an offering, that they were lifting out in front of them. It wasn't technically a heist, if it was a present, was it?

She rubbed her cheek, "Is it weird that she feels guilty for ripping off kitsune?"

"Yes." Ninaein laughed.

Sana shrugged, "Eh. It isn't like the goddess wasn't parading you around as being her thing. What's the harm?"

"Erin gonna be pissed already. We taking forever." Bubbles commented, "Have you seen royal dragonbitch? She gonna burn Bubbles hair."

Ninaein shrugged, "Hey... Priest freaks. There's a salamander down at the road. Mind calling her up if you're putting on a feast for our Bubbles? Hanging here sounds like fun. But not without everyone around."

Bubbles glared at her girlfriend who shrugged, "What? It's better than trying to grab a mouthful and scarpering. Live it up a little. Don't we deserve that, after everything?"