Fowlhunter [GL]

The lady named Mrs Tionn stayed in a simple apartment away from the town centre. The bus dropped them off at the stop, rolling away in a cloud of steam, and they took a short walk through the city park before they reached the complex. Mrs Tionn pushed the pram in—a baby was gurgling between the blankets. The cats Fireball and Galaxy were curled up on the little one’s lap. Jemi Garen walked in with them. Lastly, Ennanis folded her wings behind her back and squeezed in, trying not to hit anyone with them.

“Why haven’t you greeted the young ladies yet?” Mrs Tionn was telling Josie. “Quick, call them jiejie.”

“Hi, jie,” Josie gave the two women a cursory look.

“It means big sister,” Jemi supplied by Ennanis’ ear. “The Tionns are from the south… Out of respect, children use it to refer to older women.”

“Or ayi,” the little boy said.

“That’s for older older women,” Jemi glared at an unrepentant Josie, who stuck his tongue out at her. He then started reaching for Ennanis.

“Don’t touch the jiejie’s wings, sweetie,” Mrs Tionn said.

“It’s okay,” Ennanis said. Delighted, Josie started scrabbling at her feathers.

“You didn’t even let me touch them,” Jemi said wryly, watching them.

Ennanis glanced at her. “You can later if you want. Touch them as much as you like.”

“Wh-” Jemi did not seem to expect this reply, violet eyes widening. Next, she scowled in irritation. Then she hid it by turning to smile at the mother. “Mrs Tionn, to think that you still live in the same place after all these years.”

“Yes, well, it’s a good home,” Mrs Tionn beamed. The elevator chimed, and they all piled out. “It’s a bit more crowded now with the new baby in the family, but we make do.”

“Mina’s nooooot happy,” Josie said emphatically, letting go of Ennanis’ wings so the angel finally could walk upright instead of being dragged along. “She has to share her room with Doug because her room’s the bigger one. Serves her right.”

“Don’t talk about your younger sister like that,” Mrs Tionn said, albeit half-heartedly, for Josie jumped, “What? I’m right!”

They reached the doorstep of their unit, the front of which decorated by potted plants, and several pairs of shoes and slippers were aligned on the front steps. Mrs Tionn unlocked the gate and undid her sandals. Following her example, Ennanis popped off her boots while Jemi unlaced hers. Josie shoved his shoes next to theirs and ran up the steps inside.

“We’re home~” Mrs Tionn called out. “You’ll never guess who I met on the street.”

“Who? Is it our old neighbour? Yeah, he moved back in recently, dropped off a loaf of sourdough here this morning, home-baked and everything. You should try it…” rumbled a voice, before a man walked out from the back, still holding a spatula. His eyes widened at the gold-haired woman standing on the steps. He gawked, rubbing his eyes. “I must be due for an eye check… Jemi? Is that you?”

“Evening, Mr Tionn,” Jemi waved awkwardly. “Your wife invited me over for dinner. I hope that’s okay with you.”

“Okay with me? Bah!” Mr Tionn huffed, waving his spatula. “You little runaway! Where have you been all this time?” His eyes zoomed in on the tall angel standing next to her. “You brought a friend too?”

“Not a friend,” Jemi quickly said, before realising what it sounded like. But it was too late—Mr and Mrs Tionn gasped in unison.

“She’s your girlfriend?”

“No-”

“Ohh, sorry, your wife?”

“No!” Jemi blurted. Her face was flushed extraordinarily pink. “We’re not dating! She’s just, well, someone I’m… with.”

“We are allies,” Ennanis supplied from beside her. Her wings flapped once.

The couple gave them dubious smiles. “Yeah, okay dear,” Mrs Tionn said. “Help me hold Doug while I fold the pram, will you?” Meanwhile, Mr Tionn disappeared back into the kitchen.

“I really don’t think I should-” A squealing infant was dumped in her arms. “Ummmmm.” Panic spread across her face; violet eyes blinked towards Ennanis, but the angel had made herself scarce, helping Mrs Tionn unload the grocery bags while she folded the pram. Breathing fast, she awkwardly shifted little Doug so that he lay in the scoop of her soft cloaksleeves, his head leaned against her chest. Giggling, he tugged at the tail of Jemi’s scarf, poking his hand through the diamond-shaped hole curiously. Jemi didn’t stop him as he happily stuffed the red cloth in his mouth and started drooling on it.

She stared at the baby, as if transfixed.

“-Okay, thank you.” It seemed like all too soon when Mrs Tionn lifted the baby from Jemi’s arms. When Jemi stood there, looking unsure of herself, the lady inclined her head, “Please have a seat on the couch or anywhere. Dinner will be ready in just a moment.”

“Please don’t feel obligated,” Ennanis reiterated.

Mrs Tionn smiled again. “Not at all. Just make yourselves at home.” She hurried into the kitchen with the groceries, where the sounds of sizzling and steaming echoed from.

“Isn’t there anything we can help her with?” Ennanis said, looking back and forth. “You should stay far away from the kitchen,” Jemi said pointedly, sitting on the couch. She crossed her stockinged legs. The television ahead was playing footage of a game of flying discus. “Sit already. It’s impolite to keep pushing.”

“Oh,” Ennanis flopped on the cushion. “Social norms are still hard.”

“Well, it has been a while since your last friendship lesson,” Jemi mused.

“I’ve got your payment,” Ennanis rustled the chocolate bag at her side.

Jemi rolled her eyes. “At least it’s not raw fish this time.”

Ennanis shot a grin at her. She leaned her head back on the couch. “Stars, it’s so good to finally be honest.”

“......” There was a lapse of silence, filled by the broadcasted shouts of the discus players. Then the family’s housecats came prowling around the corner. Fireball leapt into Jemi’s lap, a ball of ginger fur, and she stroked it fondly. She smiled. “The last time I saw Fireball, she was still so small… that was over ten years ago. She’s old now. Still lively as ever though, apparently.”

“Isn’t that a male cat?”

Jemi chuckled. “Oh, the family started by calling it a she, and they got used to it, so she’s just a her now. Galaxy—the tortoiseshell—she’s female.” Galaxy was staring up at Ennanis, tail curling. “You can try petting her. She gets scared easily though. She might run off if you touch her.”

Ennanis leaned down, reaching her hand out tentatively, then began petting the cat, mimicking Jemi’s motions on Fireball, tracing the different-coloured patches on the tortoiseshell. The feline purred, swishing her tail around. Ennanis then curled her hands below her belly and lifted her into her lap.

“Wow. She really likes you,” Jemi stared. “Maybe it’s ‘cause your hands are warm.”

Ennanis scratched under Galaxy’s chin. “How’d you get to know this family?”

“Hm. It was ages ago, a little after I joined the Beasts. Before I was old enough to participate in the battle,” Jemi chewed her lip. “I think I was fifteen? Yeah, like thirteen years ago. Oh… yeah, I remember now. That was after Amanita killed half the Beasts.”

“I’m sorry.”

Jemi looked at her. She sighed. “It’s not your fault, it’s hers. And you didn’t know.” She rubbed Fireball’s back idly. Gone was the fresh, blind anger from the Cockatrice at twenty years old, who had staged the execution of Ennanis’ petrified mentor in front of her to break her. Jemi Garen, at twenty-eight, was still angry, but it was a slow-simmered, focused sort of anger.

“Anyway, I couldn’t go back to the den after that. I could not face myself. So I escaped to the nearest town, which happened to be here. I hunkered down among the stray cats in the dumpster. Several people approached me, but I screamed at them until they left me alone. Until one night, I passed out. When I woke up I was in a bed in the Tionns’ apartment. I panicked, but my body was too sick to go anywhere at that point. So I stayed. They let me live under their roof. They didn’t have kids at the time, just the cats. I knew how to hunt already, so at least I earned my keep. They taught me a lot about living in the undercloud, in the way the Beasts couldn’t do for me. Family meals, trips to town, beach picnics, I was the flower girl at one of their friend’s weddings. When I was too unwell to go out, they stayed home and watched discus matches with me over fried banana chips. For the first time I felt like just a normal teenager.”

“And then?”

“And then I ran away,” Jemi said.

Ennanis looked at her.

“I didn’t wanna keep imposing on them,” Jemi sighed. “They treated me like I was their kid, but I wasn’t a normal child. I could never be one. I was already a Beast by then—I needed my Lunaki refuels, and it was getting harder to explain why I had to sneak away every few nights. Queen Medusa also needed me…” she trailed off at that, staring blankly at the TV. Fireball meowed, nuzzling her palm.

Ennanis hesitated for a moment. Then her feathers fluttered; she slid her wing over and wrapped it around Jemi’s hunched shoulder. She knew Jemi had sensed her coming; Jemi knew that Ennanis knew that. They sat there just like that, until Mr and Mrs Tionn emerged from the kitchen.