Chapter 63: Ch61. Cheshire
Sarissa’s fingers remained tight around the hilt of her sword, her knuckles white, even as the cat-like figure before her stretched lazily, absolutely unbothered by how close he had come to losing his head.
But what Cheshire just said... Just the fact that he knew not to trust Shinji, it was enough to shake her foundations. However, she did not waver.
"You still haven’t answered me," she said, her voice steady despite the strange coil of unease twisting in her gut. "Why are you here?"
"Ah, straight to business. I do appreciate people who don’t waste time." Cheshire’s ears twitched, his grin unwavering, his tail flicking idly behind him. "As I said, first of all, I come in peace, so you can dismiss your sword. If you want to, that is... I just had to come meet you."
"Meet me?" Sarissa scoffed. "You make yourself look human, waltz into my War Room under false pretenses, and tell me you had to come meet me... You sure don’t talk like a stalker. Not at all."
"Perception is everything, my dear Sarissa. I assumed my usual form might cause... Unnecessary reactions." Cheshire tilted his head vaguely at her still-drawn blade. "And yet, here we are."
Sarissa exhaled sharply, weighing her options. If he was here to kill her, he would have made a move already. If he was the real Cheshire, that is.
The cat was old – ancient even, judging by the way he carried himself – and he did not seem to be the type to act without reason. That alone made him even more dangerous.
However, Sarissa still had her fire, and it was enough to do some damage if push ever came to shove.
"Fine." She lowered her sword but didn’t dismiss it. "Talk. But if you waste my time, I’ll test how many lives a cat really has."
"How delightful. You remind me of someone." Cheshire chuckled, eyes glinting with something unreadable.