Everyday Life with Bubbles Ch. 14

Author's Note: No sex for this chapter. Just Bubbles, and her usual chaos.

Also, nicked something from a consistent reader. Hopefully it comes as a nice surprise/present.

---

Bubbles scratched her stomach on the climb through the hole to the outside world. She also tumbled head over heels and hit her chin on the dirt outside. She would have loved to blame the stupid handcuffs that were still in place, but the entire world knew that she was just a giant klutz.

Inny-Inny bounded up and wrapped a cloak around her, clasping it around her neck before kissing her cheek.

She opened her mouth to tell him off, and the ratboy instantly vanished. Little asshole probably knew exactly what he'd done wrong. Not that she could really yell much about it, considering he had just saved her ass... And she had told the goddess that she was thinking of him as one of hers.

The neko awkwardly reached over her head, pulling the hood up and over her ears, before hiding her handcuffed wrists underneath the cloak. A quick look around told her that she was still within the walls of the city prison. She was just in the yard.

She moved slowly, keeping to the edge of the building and hopefully staying out of sight. The guards weren't expecting anyone in the yard, they had no reason to see her, but human vision is drawn to movement.

Bubbles ground her teeth together, pissed that Inny-Inny had simply taken off. But angrier that her goddess expected her to take over the city right after fucking her stupid... And still not removing her magic blocking cuffs! It'd only take one freaking fireball to get her out of here.

She pouted, looking at the wall of the prison in irritation. It wasn't like she had the coordination to climb a brick wall at the best of times. She might be neko, but she was still Bubbles. In handcuffs? Not a chance.

"Remember what she told you." The goddess whispered in her ear, "Follow the bunny."

"What bunny?" Bubbles snarled, tail flicking angrily.

Speaking was the wrong thing to do.

"Alarm! Prisoner escape!" A voice from above her yelled, followed instantly by the ringing of bells.

Bubbles winced and took off sprinting away from the wall and any hope of actual escape. She couldn't climb, so she needed to find somewhere to disappear before anyone decided to completely end her.

A couple arrows bounced off the corner of a stone wall as she ran by it, making her yellow eyes go wide with fright and her bowels make an uncomfortable gurgle.

Where was her Nina when she needed someone to actually toss a knife?

Bubbles jerked to a stop as she stepped onto the end of a rake, that had been lying in the yard. Her eyes watered in agony, and she stared down at her soft foot and the prongs of copper now protruding right the way through.

Another arrow whizzed by, close enough it brushed her hair and scored her cheek. She bit her lip, stomped her other foot onto the handle and ripped the first one free. Bleeding and crying, Bubbles went down onto all fours and sprinted as fast as she could.

It was an awkward and loping stride, not exactly a nekan sprint, but it was all she could do not to fall over. Her foot screamed in pain, especially with the mud and dirt that was crammed into the fresh wound. Her shoulder still hurt from where Inny-Kiel had got her with the throwing knife, the day before.

This wasn't just the world bullying her, anymore.

Bubbles could remember, vaguely, having one of the lords of the gutter take issue with her existence when she was younger. Even though he'd put out a kill order on her, she'd managed to survive it by hiding and running.

It had taken a few days, but she'd managed to earn enough by singing to pay that fat bastard off. In the mean time, however, his little posse had managed to break her tail and she had taken a crossbow bolt through one of her shoulders.

Yet, that was it.

All she had to do was break a bone, and she'd officially be in the worst shape of her life. Except maybe the time an angry incubus had tried to suck the life out of her, because she'd told him she was happy to remain a virgin, and wasn't interested in his stupid stuck-up attitude.

Considering what Sharhalla had told her about being a claker-well, breaking a bone was probably only one extra clumsy movement away. She had been feeling a little delicate since helping the man's red with Ninaein's surgery. A sort of hollow feeling she'd figured was just horror at the time, but hadn't entirely faded.

Sharhalla. Fanhalla.

Bubbles had never considered that the city might be named after a dragon or something. Another arrow hit, piercing the back of her ankle and slamming her face-first into the dirt. Reminding her, with just a small taste of excruciating pain, that she really shouldn't be considering it, right at this moment.

She let out a sobbing caterwaul, and dragged herself over to a wall, and lifted her hands above her head. She just couldn't do this.

Two guards burst into the yard, swords drawn and pointed at her. One of them growled at her, "On your feet, prisoner!"

She leaned into the wall and very slowly drew herself up. Trying to keep her handcuffed hands above her head as she did. The man gestured with his sword angrily, "Move it!"

---

Bubbles limped along, one ankle with an arrow still in it, the other foot pierced by a rake. She was forced up a flight of stairs, down a long corridor that seemed to have a half dozen more guards. These ones just looked stupid, though. Not like real guards.

They were wearing fancy clothes, and clean shaven faces. The sword handles were polished. Ceremonial bastards, maybe. Or they might be dangerous as fuck bodyguards for someone important who was up themselves enough to force murderers into looking pretty.

At the end of the hallway was a redwood door, with a silver bell hanging from a long cord. A servant in a suit, like a lord's butler or something equally arrogant, rolled his eyes at their approach. "I assume this is the escaped prisoner?"

"Yessir."

The man sighed and pulled the cord twice in an efficient manner, "His lordship has a guest, but they may wish to see the prat, as well."

Bubbles chattered her teeth at the bastard.

As the door swung inwards, the hilt of a sword smacked her across the back of the head, dazing her. The whole world disappeared for a moment, and it came back full of sparkles and bright lights. The neko swayed on her feet, struggling to focus.

The guard shoved her ahead of him, into the room. She collapsed to her knees, blinking and ears twitching. Noise came back with a roar of static, as she rubbed tiredly at her eyes. She mumbled weakly, "If they're going to kill Bubbles, could they get it over with?"

Two figures were sitting in the room. One was a human man, inclined behind an ornately carved desk, and puffing away on a curled and burning leaf. Tangled Spice, from the smell of the putrid thing. He had a black beard, and a single silver earring.

The other, surprisingly enough, was an exotic.

They were wearing armour, steel, not leather. It wasn't clean either. Marked from battle, and general wear and tear. It may have been recently polished, but there was no mistaking it for something ceremonial. This one was a real fighter, a soldier. Not just a pretty thing on display.

The exotic's skin was dark, and her short-cropped hair was a silky jet black. Two very tall ears stuck up through the black, but the fur on those was just a tinge darker than the hair. The insides of the ears were still a bright pink, and the woman's eyes matched them. Somewhere between a bright pink and a sickly red, swirling as she looked down at Bubbles with disdain.

"Apologies, m'lord, your holiness." The guard behind her put a hand to his chest, "This is the woman who broke out of our secure block."

The exotic sneered, "A nekan refugee. Not even a fighter, by the stink of her."

"Better than an Empire's bitch." Bubbles shot back at the buneko. "They murder our Empress. The chosen one of Golden Kitsune. And you say that you serve at temple? You trash. Nothing but soggy biscuits!"

The bunnygirl blinked in surprise at the attitude, "Perhaps... You have some bravery."

"How did she escape?" The lord asked tiredly.

"A rat. They've disappeared, but we believe that they tunnelled into the rest yard, m'lord. From there, they attacked the wall directly. We're not sure how, but they broke the wall of her cell."

"A bond." The buneko said, the last dregs of her scorn fading. "That ratata will do anything to save and protect this cat. Death and injury will be seen as nothing but annoyance. Find it, immediately."

The guard bowed, "Yes, your holiness."

"What do we do, in the meantime? Do you recommend we keep the cat alive?" The lord asked the exotic tiredly. "As bait?"

Bubbles cocked her head, "You're a paladin, aren't you? Holy knight? She only heard rumours about those. Toofy didn't like having them in her city, 'cos Empress liked betrayer gods."

"I am the holy knight, Avician, of the Order of the Forgotten Cave. First Sword of the Long Cast." The buneko said formally.

The neko was instantly confused. The woman hadn't named a holy order, not even one that Bubbles might not have heard of, before. She'd named a nekan tribe and clan. Bubbles' own tribe and clan.

The bunny wasn't who she said she was.

Problem was, Bubbles didn't have the faintest clue what to do with that information. She wasn't a politician, and she didn't know diplomacy or how to be subtle. She couldn't even flirt without being incredibly obvious about it.

"Bubbles is a bard?" She replied and shrugged, "She was just trying to go to... Homeland. Somewhere safe. Not like she wanted to get arrested at city gate."

The lord sighed, "The Empress has issued orders that all cats must be killed on sight. Merely imprisoning you, and condemning you to slave labour, is a mercy that could bite me in my ass. I am showing you kindness."

The neko nodded slowly, "Huh... So um... Before Lord Dickface makes his decision, he should probably know that Bubbles not just bonded to a rat. He stole her wedding bands. A Coiner and succubus are her wives."

"Coiner's Guild. How... Irritating." The man sneered.

Bubbles smiled slowly, "She's also bonded to a salamander. One who is very emotional at the moment, and is apparently part of some royal line. Lord Dickface can fuck with that, if he wants. She wonders if her dragon might be able to become king?"

"And now you've stretched incredulity." The man rolled his eyes, "Take her away."

"Stop! There was no lie." The paladin moved to their feet, one of which started drumming on the floor anxiously, "Name this salamander."

"Erin... Tara? Bubbles bad at dragon tongue." She shrugged.

The lord went white, "Erientyara."

"The same draconic princess who dug the deepest shaft in your mines?" The buneko asked anxiously, and the lord nodded.

Bubbles grinned, "She got Luna to give the Erin new egg. So um... She doesn't think it very safe to try and make Bubbles into a slave. Her girls would not be very happy about it."

"I will take responsibility, m'lord." The paladin said breathlessly, "I will hide her, until we can establish a safe way to enact the orders that we must."

"Agreed." He nodded, "I never met her. The prisoner was never recaptured. Get her out of here."

The guard backed out of the room, as the paladin grabbed Bubbles by her hair and yanked her to her feet. They pulled her hood up, and looked at her seriously. "Stay close. You're a temple acolyte, following their knight. Keep your mouth shut, or things will get more complicated."

---

Bubbles rubbed her nose on the back of her hand, and sniffed, "So, this is your house? Now... What fuck going on!?"

"Easy, your grace." The buneko pulled a key from her belt and unlocked the handcuffs, taking the horrible things away. "I have been looking for you, for some time. It was the Coiner's Guild in the capital that informed me, indirectly, that her grace had escaped the initial purge. We're lucky Lord Kalvin is so easily swayed by fear. Though... If Lady Erientyara makes a mess, we will have trouble on our hands."

"She will. Bubbles not lie." The neko rubbed her wrists, and then jumped onto the solid but boring bed in the small and underfurnished cabin. Pulling up her feet to look at the damage. "Got bandages?"

"Healing spells." The buneko knelt in front of her with a wet cloth, and started wiping at the mud. "I... Can tell lie from truth, your grace. You have truly married a... Coiner?"

"Who the fuck is she? Why she know Bubbles' clan when she only found out from her Nina? Why the damn fuck is holy fucking anything hunting for Bubbles!?" She snapped.

"I serve a holy order. But your surmise is correct, I was attempting to confirm her grace's identity." The pink-eyed bunny said with a hint of awe. "I am the holy knight, Avician. However, my order is that of the Goddess' Scythe. It's an order dedicated to performing acts of vengeance, on behalf of -"

"Luna." Bubbles rolled her eyes. "Got that, when Silver Neko told her to follow bunnygirl. Now... Fucking... Explain!"

"The Long Cast were recently destroyed by a series of Darkthorn attacks. The entire royal family was killed." Avician's foot bounced nervously as she continued to clean the neko's feet. "A journal was found, detailing an illegitimate child. Instead of them being killed, as would be proper, the grandson of the clan leader abandoned their child."

"Luna!" Bubbles screamed, "She still not want to be fucking queen!"

"Your grace! Please!" The buneko's eyes darted to the door, "We cannot allow you to be discovered."

She seethed, tail twitching back and forth. "Bubbles is not interested in being queen of no shit. She's not interested in having fucking responsibility. She's a street cat, you whore of god. So, drop any fucking dreams, or Bubbles is going to drop fucking fireball."

"You can cast a fireball?" The bunny looked at her with extreme respect, "I have seen that spell sway many battles. It is unfortunate it takes so long to cast, relegating the mage to the back of the battlefield, until the appropriate moment."

Bubbles stomach twisted nervously, "Uhm... How long be normal?"

"Ten minutes or so. Those who are divine champions, or utilise shortcuts such as charged crystals or scrolls, can so much as halve it." The buneko said curiously, "How does this concern her grace?"

She rubbed her face, "Fuckin' Luna."

There was a brief tingle in her feet, as she felt the wounds and even small scratches close up. The strange sensation moved up her, like vines or tentacles, and she felt her muscles relaxing under it. Her skin healing and closing with each quiet little tingle.

She dropped tiredly onto the bed, "Well, fuck. Luna said she was doing it, whether Bubbles wanted it or not. By time sun goes down, Fanhalla will be hers, and safe for exotics."

"Your grace?" The buneko said in surprise, "My orders were to locate you, and extract you back to the homeland. You speak of and to the goddess, something that is rare for even a prophetess to be able to do. Is that merely a... Habit?"

"Bubbles not crazy." She rolled her eyes, and sat up, "You can see her lady bits, right? See how it wet? When the fuck did Bubbles have time to screw anyone? No guards touched her. But there's stuff."

Avician took a hesitant glance through the cloak to the naked neko's bush. The woman coughed weakly, "I uh... Smell neko. Female neko, on you. I don't actually... Uh... Smell a... Male."

"Goddess has a dick. When she wants." Bubbles flopped backwards again, "Best fucking dick she ever did fuck, even if goddess doesn't actually care if Bubbles want it or not. Sorry. Goddess' touch... Puts her in heat."

"You are suggesting heresy." The buneko said sourly.

"Luna fucked her Bubbles. Twice." The neko ignored the woman, feeling tired of everything. "Doesn't matter that Bubbles already married her Nina and her Kaia. Doesn't matter that she misses her Edric, or maybe even Shin. Six months ago, Bubbles was a virgin by choice. Now she got her own fucking clan. Everyone wanna go and play with her."

"Gods... And mortals..." The paladin stood up, placing one hand onto the hilt of their sword.

"Fireball." Bubbles said, almost lazily.

The bunny hit the roof, leaping higher and faster than anybody that the neko had ever seen move. Right as the back wall of the pissant little cottage turned into tiny fragments flying outwards and away from them.

A pile of armour hit the ground, trembling in terror, and the catgirl yawned, "It's cold outside. She's never going to be your fucking queen. Got it?"

"Y-your grace." Avician stood up slowly, the paladin staring at where her wall used to be in abject horror. The look eventually became one of realisation, and then annoyance.

The catgirl in the cloak pulled it tighter around her, and then curled around into a ball. She pulled the pathetically thin sheet that the bunny used as a blanket over her and tried to snuggle down into it.

She really was cold, though she did have to admit the weather in Fanhalla was a good deal warmer than the capital had been. Closer to a cold spring day than the end of winter. No chance of snow, but plenty of wind and rain.

"I really wish you hadn't done that." Avician drummed a foot on the ground. "I can't hide you here, and I have to explain why my wall exploded to my neighbours. There are plenty who would report your presence."

Bubbles yawned, "Won't matter by sundown."

The bunny tsk'd in annoyance and turned to face her, "You repeat that. However, with the greatest respect, your grace... There is no resistance here. The temple can hardly protect you. There are few options to get you safely out of the city, let alone... Put a crown on your head. That cannot happen here, only in the homeland. You may be the heir of a tribe, but you have no claim to Fan-"

The crash outside the building was almost as loud as Bubbles' fireball had been.

In less than a blink of an eye, the paladin reacted to the threat. The newcomer was still covered in flames as they stumbled backwards a foot, the tip of the bunny's sword broken off in-between their scaled breasts, and a huge gash stretching from their chin, through their lips and across one eye.

Bubbles sprang to her feet with a horrified gasp, "Friend! She's a friend!"

Erientyara cocked her head sideways, her right hand around Avician's throat, her left discarding the armour that she had just torn from the knight's body. Neither of them appeared impressed with the other.

The salamander dropped the bunny unceremoniously, who landed lightly on her feet and patted at her burnt hair.

The neko flinched as she realised that the more injured of the two was her dragon. The salamander could undoubtedly kill the paladin, but taken by surprise as she was, Erin would have paid dearly for such a victory if the both of them hadn't immediately stopped.

"Your eye." Bubbles whispered, bottom lip trembling.

Erientyara sneered, "It'll scab over by tomorrow. A few days from now, you won't even notice it, kitten."

As if to demonstrate her hardiness, the woman pulled the broken metal from her chest and tossed it to the ground. She kept her blue eyes fixed on the buneko the entire time, daring the woman to react.

"She saved me from prison." Bubbles said quickly, "She doesn't entirely get it, but Avician working for temple. Bubbles' tribe, in homeland, have lost royal family. Apparently by some fuck, Bubbles is heir. Avician came to fetch her."

"I know precisely who Avi'cia'n, First of the Goddess' Scythe, is." Erientyara sneered, lifting the edge of her mouth to display her many fangs. "This bitch, kitten, is the woman who struck down Nin'aei'n."

Bubbles pounced before she realised what she was doing. Her pale eyes lighting up as she channelled every ounce of magic that she possessed. Her claws sank into the woman's shoulders as she bit down on their neck, hard.