"Those would be the million dollar questions, wouldn't they?" Mitsu said, her voice carrying a sing-song note. She took a long drink of the bright pink drink in her hands, eyes studying the boy in front of her with a look that was just a bit too seeing. She was tiny and wraithlike, and looked very much like she couldn't handle any sort of confrontation at all. All a ruse, of course. She could handle more than most people could dish. "If I knew, I wouldn't be talking about not knowing, would I? I'm even making a conspiracy board."
His eyes turned to the crowd, an annoyance plastered into his face. A low, animalistic growl slipped from his bared teeth.
Cole took her arm once again and pulled her into the corner booth, where they were both hidden from view.
“Ok look. I want to know if I could potentially be in danger because my life is shitty enough as is. I already have a psychotic Lesser Soul after me and the entire Western Kingdom of dragons to deal with. I’m not in the mood to be messing around. I heard clearly what you said and I’m not stupid.”
"Stupid or not," Mitsu said—this time uneffected by the sudden change in surroundings—as she crossed her arms. Her sleeves were shorter today than usual, as she'd been weirdly warm all day, so her scars were on full view. "You seem to be missing the point. I don't know anything." Her face grew a bit more serious, eyes darkening and flickering with something near haunted. "If I did, I wouldn't be here. I'd be finding it. Next time you want answers, growling at someone isn't the way to go. Just a heads up." She moved to slide from the booth, drink left on the table.
The Halfa bit down on his tongue to fight the strand of curses he wanted to let loose. He scratched at the scales on his neck through the fabric of his shirt, feeling much more uncomfortable.
“Do you have any leads then.” He said suddenly, watching her as she stood. His tone had changed and was now much softer. “If you’re going after it then I want in.”
She paused, looking out at the crowd of people in the cafe as she thought. Going against her better judgement, the Kitsune pulled a slip of paper from her bag, along with a pen. She scribbled something down, before setting the paper on the table and grabbing her drink. "If you want int, then meet me here. I'll tell you everything I know. Long as you promise not to tell anyone else. This stays between the people involved."
“I have no one else to tell.” Came the rumbly response. Cole remained seated, staring at the paper with narrowed eyes. Shihiro complained to him. Cole merely blocked him out and sighed deeply.
Mitsu cast one last glance over her shoulder, straw to her lips and eyes narrowed but understanding, before she was gone. Disappearing into the crowd. Now all she had to do was wait. If he showed up at the house, then he showed. If he didn't… oh well.
The Halfa didn’t get up for quite some time. He relaxed himself instead, listening to the chatter of customers die down as the rush ended. It was only when Heather called for him did he move, wandering bitterly back behind the counter.
The rest of his shift went by smoothly and soon he was closing up, munching on the slabs of salt he had brought along as a snack. The mineral was the easiest to find and did wonders for his fire breath. The only downside was that his human body needed more water after so much salt.
He watched the clock, grinning when the time struck the end of his shift. He said his goodbyes to Heather, noting the fact that she was currently downing an entire bottle of tequila, before heading outside.
Mitsune, meanwhile, was baking.
She never ate the desserts herself, hating the amount of sugar in them and the knowledge that each bite had so many calories to burn off she’d be crying by the end of a work out. So instead, she gave them to her neighbors. They appreciated it, and liked seeing the light return to her eyes after doing so. Because baking had been one of her father’s favorite things, and it made her feel closer to him.
She was making cupcakes now, swapping pan after pan in and out of the oven as she mixed frosting. The music playing from her phone on the counter was up beat and light, and she danced around to it, finding herself free of the weight on her heart. It only ever happened while baking.
It took him a few moments to return to his place, the train ride rather awkward as a rather large, black and shadowy creature sat next to him. It stared down at his small stature and scoffed, getting off on the stop before Cole’s apartment. He visibly relaxed when it left and made the trek to his apartment without a worry.
Cole’s apartment wasn’t nice. In fact it was barely hospitable. The cream-painted walls were colored a near black in some areas and brown in others; the air stank of rotting furniture and mildew; and the floors were covered in mysterious stains he didn’t dare analyze. If the cockroaches didn’t bother him then the rats would, scampering about while he was trying to sleep.
It was awful but it was affordable. Shihiro kept reiterating the idea that this was all until the whole ‘any half-Dragon is impure’ thing blew over. Cole knew it was a front to give him hope. After all, he could read the thoughts and intentions of the other soul bound to his soul.
(Shall we skip to their fated meeting?)
((Sure! If mitsu isn't baking again, she'll be working on her conspiracy board lmao))
(Haha, I love that! Cole would usually be reading. He's actually a soft boi but he don't like that. I'll start!)
Cole glanced down at the paper in his hand once more, sighing deeply at the address. He was there alright, but was slightly confused to where 'there' was at. He glanced around, rather nervous this was going to be some cruel joke. Maybe that female was the killer she spoke of…
Cole didn't want to think that way.
Baking. Again. That's what Mitsune was busy doing. More cupcakes, though this time there was a valid reason. One of her neighbors had come over, a panicked mess with one of her younger kids on her hip and a request. So Mitsu had told Anya she would of course whip up something for the bake sale at the elementary school, and drop it off the next day. It wasn't like she had anything to do, anyway. That's why you're making cupcakes instead of something easy to cut into squares. Because you've got nothing better to do.
The house Cole was at was old. It was large, and had been sold at such a cheap price that Mistu's father had been wary. But there was nothing visibly wrong with the house. The cause of the price had been something entirely different, actually. Rumored to be haunted, with a handful of murders coloring it's past, the price of the house had dropped. But the family living there were well aware that the ghosts hanging around wanted nothing more than someone to talk to.
Cole felt a chill deep down inside his chest and instantly knew that Shihiro was trying to make him turn back. ’Its not worth it. We want to live, remember?’ The old dragon hissed.
The Halfa knocked instead, taking in the old scents that assailed his nose. He could feel other presences around, leaving him restless as he waited for an answer
The knock on the door carried clearly, even over Mitsu's music. The perks of her ears. She set down the bowl of batter she had been using an icecream scoop to distribute into the muffin tins, slipping from the kitchen to answer the door.
Smiling and covered in flour, Mitsune swung the door open, ears perking at the sight of Cole. "Oh! You actually came! Come on in, I'm in the middle of baking, but I can talk and bake at the same time. Take your shoes off at the door." She instructed, ushering him in and closing the door behind him. Her shoes were the only ones near the door, the other pairs set neatly on the rack and looking like they hadn't moved in a little while. "It's a tiny bit messy, hope you don't mind that."
The smells coming from inside were heavenly. The male smiled weakly at the female and nodded gently. As he stepped inside he slid his shoes off, setting them next to her’s. They were in rough shape, full of holes and scuffed up. There were faint flecks of blood across the toe but it didn’t seem concerning, more like he had gotten a bloody nose and hadn’t bothered to cover it.
“It’s perfectly fine. It’s amazingly clean in here.” His nose twitched as he entered and slowly took off his jacket, revealing the ruddy scales that trailed down his neck and shoulders. “What are you making?” He asked, ignoring his growling stomach. He hadn’t eaten anything other than salt since yesterday. “It smells heavenly.”
"Cupcakes!" Mitsu chirped, plucking his jacket from his hands and hanging it on the rack by the door. She motioned for him to follow her, tiny and too-thin frame even more obvious now that she wasn't hiding underneath an oversized hoodie. She was, in fact, wearing a pair of tighter sweat pants and a tank top, obviously expecting to stay home all day. "Anya, my neighbor, came by and asked me to help out at her kids' bake sale tomorrow. I've got a batch that should be finished cooling, care to taste test for me?"
There was that too-careful look. Those ears of hers picked up the slight growl in his stomach, and she had noticed the change in his stance as soon as the smell had hit him. He was hungry. And since she may have once again gone overboard baking—and was deep down a good person—why not feed him?
Cole trailed after her hesitantly while shoving his hands in his pockets. He had a nasty habit of picking at his scales when he was nervous.
“I… yes. I’ll taste.” His amber eyes focused on her, taking in her appearance. She was obviously different like he was and that made him slightly less nervous. “I’m sorry if it’s rude to ask but you aren’t human either right? Are you a fox of sorts?”
"Kitsune is the proper term." Mitsu said, leading the way into the kitchen. She headed straight for the fridge, gathering up the icing she had set in there to keep chilled. As she frosted cupcakes, she nodded to the three person dining table in the corner of the kitchen. "We used to be fox spirits of sorts. After one of my ancestors fell in love with a human, the bloodline slowly ended up with this. What you see right here. I've got the senses of a fox, and some of the features, even in a more human form." She explained, absolutely happy. Both with the chance to talk to someone, and with the opportunity to talk about what she was. Not many people asked, just avoided her. Or stared. "You smell different. Reptilian, I think. Can I ask what you are?"
“Did the other fox spirits approve?” He asked slowly, taking a seat at the table. He still seemed tense but it was mostly because Shihiro was. Their emotions were linked in a sense that Cole felt Shihiro and Shihiro felt Cole.
When the topic came to his species Cole shifted slightly. “Partial dragon changeling… more specifically a ruddy widow-maker.”
"They didn't. For years, my family was ostracized, until we migrated from Japan to America. Though, we did still deal with a different kind of hate." Mitsu pulled a face, placing a couple different cupcakes on a plate. They were beautifully decorated, and looked like something straight out of a baking catalogue. She brought it over, setting it down in front of Cole.
"Dragon? That's pretty cool, actually, but I'm not super versed on dragons. Well, mr. dragon. It's nice to meet you. Call me Mitsu."
Cole nodded gently, taking another look around the kitchen he had been led to. “There is a lot of hate here… far too much in my opinion.” He sighed deeply, the decorated cupcakes drawing his gaze. They were gorgeous. He was a little too excited to try one. “How did you decorate this so well?”
The dragon scoffed softly at her comments. “Would you be surprised if I told I’m not versed on my own species either? They’re awfully proud, especially this kingdom. The Eastern and Natatorial kingdoms are much kinder.” He made a face as he bit into the cupcake, humming at the taste. “These are wonderful.” He purred, his rough voice rolling like light thunder.
Mitsu's ears twitched at the sound of his voice, and she couldn't help noting house nice it sounded. He would make great audio books. His compliments had her cheeks turning a light shade of pink, unused to praise much. Usually because she refused to accept it. This time, though, she mumbled a thank you. "Do you never wish to know more about who you are?"
"When I was a kid, I took a bunch of baking classes at the community center in my neighborhood. Cooking, too. They weren't the best, but they were free, and got me into competitions. I did a couple of those, though I only won one. The best part was meeting people who could teach me all these tricks and things they did, different flavor styles and cultures in food. I loved it. Plus, it got me out of the house, which wasn't something I could do without money most of the time."
“I do. I honestly just want to be allowed home.” His expression turned sour quickly. One downside of sharing a body with another soul was the simple fact that there were too many mixed emotions and not enough expressions to cover them all. So Cole was always changing expressions.
“You’re good. I like the cupcakes. I think they’ll be good for your neighbor’s thing.” Though much less rude than he had been before, Cole still seemed a little distant.
"I hope so. I would hate to make such a huge mess of things that I ruin it. I'm pretty good at that." She huffed a soft laugh, the sound light even though it was quiet. In fact, she looked decently relaxed. Though, the dark shadows under her eyes weren't currently hidden by makeup, leaving it obvious just how little sleep she'd been getting. The house felt haunted, though not by ghosts. By the memories of the living.
"I guess you came here for a reason, huh? What is it you want to know. I'll answer every question with as much information as I can. Which….isn't as much as I wish it could be."
