Chapter 403: Social Kitten
"Even now, they could be under attack by a horde of monsters. You’d want us to reach them before that happens, wouldn’t you?"
Naira hesitated, biting her lip as the words sank in.
The native girl’s fingers twisted into the fabric of her worn tunic.
She stood frozen with her eyes darting between Bastet, Nyx, and Aria - never once landing on Kaiden. It seemed looking at his visage was too much for her heart.
The weight of their words pressed on her chest. She’d been taught since childhood that outsiders brought ruin. That speaking with them risked punishment. Not just for her, but for her whole kin. Yet the image of her poor mother eaten alive by these vile creatures... Alone in the wild, maybe surrounded right now, kept flashing through her mind.
Her breathing quickened. She looked away, torn between fear and instinct.
Bastet watched the internal struggle play across her face. Then she turned fully toward her. She rested a warm, steady hand on the girl’s shoulder. When Naira finally looked up, Bastet’s golden eyes met hers without a trace of impatience.
"Drastic times call for drastic measures," Bastet decreed. "Rules exist to keep peace when life is ordinary. But this isn’t one of those times. You’ve seen what’s happening. If we wait, the monsters will reach your people first. We’re not your enemies, Naira, we’re here to help and nothing more. I promise."
The girl’s lip trembled, but she didn’t look away.
Aria, seeing the ongoing internal struggles, spoke up. "If it helps, you can say we forced you. Pretend we captured you and made you tell us where they are. Or better yet, we followed you back without you knowing and captured you once we found what we were looking for. That way, you won’t get in trouble for helping."
Bastet turned toward the Moon Valkyrie and lifted one brow in amusement. "That’s not bad," she said with a low purr in her tone. Then her grin widened, sharp and feline. "Besides, it would make sense. We even have a monster in our midst." Her lips parted to reveal her cute feline fangs, and her tail swished behind her butt.
But Naira shook her head vehemently. "No. You saved me. I won’t lie to make you look bad, you might lose your life..."