Chapter 17: Choosing the victim
Allen and Fina strolled through the bustling downtown of the human town, their feet crunching the gravel paths as they passed by colorful market stalls. Fina’s tail flicked behind her with every step, her ears twitching as she observed the strange humans around her. She was a cat girl, but the humans didn’t seem to care. In fact, they mostly gave her wary looks, like they weren’t sure if they were supposed to treat her like a regular person or just an animal in need of a leash.
"Some of these humans look at me like I’m about to pounce on them," Fina said with a sly grin, flicking her tail so it swished dangerously close to Allen’s leg.
"Maybe you should, just to mess with them," Allen replied, glancing sideways at her. "A little ’don’t stare at me’ intimidation tactic."
Fina’s eyes sparkled mischievously. "I was thinking more like a ’don’t make me claw your face off’ look."
Allen chuckled, shaking his head. "Keep it in the bag, Fina. We’re here to blend in. Not get arrested or cause an international incident."
"I’m not the one who’s going to get us in trouble," Fina quipped, then her tail swished again, this time purposefully knocking over a vendor’s sign.
The poor vendor—a balding man with a thick mustache—looked up, surprised, but Fina simply gave him a sweet, innocent smile. "Oops. My bad."
Allen bit his lip, trying to suppress a laugh. The sign was already half off its stand, and the poor guy didn’t know whether to scold Fina or just pretend nothing happened.
"Careful there, Fina," Allen warned, reaching out to steady the sign before the vendor could do anything. "You’re not in a beastkin village anymore. These humans don’t take well to pranks."
"Eh, he’s fine," Fina said with a shrug, looking over at the vendor with a wink. "He probably thinks I’m cute. It’s a cat thing."
The vendor muttered something unintelligible but just waved his hand, clearly giving up. They continued their walk.