Hirune's eyes glistened as she stood up and took a step towards the red hooded girl, "Wait for real?"
"Why would I lie about my identity?" The girl responded. A pair of wolf ears flicking up from beneath her hood pushing it off her head.
Hirune squealed, "And you have soft fluffy wolf ears! What's next, you have the fangs of one too?"
Little Red Riding Hood bared her teeth, showing some sharp k-9 teeth.
"You do! Aren't you the cutest little thing!" Hirune said as she kept on inspecting the girl. Every small insignificant detail she noticed about her and her four clawed hood making increasing her awe.
"Well anyways, that's enough about me. Sorry wolfy I'll introduce ya properly later. I don't really care about why you ate young McDonalds. I just want to know if you know where Ivan Tsarevich is."
Hirune stopped. The name sounded familiar but she could only recall certain aspects of it.
"Did he ever meet a gray wolf? And is he Rasstani?" Hirune asked trying to remember where she'd heard the name.
"Yep! Checks both boxes! He's also from a fairy tale if that helps," Little Red Riding Hood responded with a bright smile.
Hirune slapped the side of her fist on the palm of her hand, "The prince of Rasstan Ivan Tsarevich! I've only heard of him in the fairy tales this lady named Kopna used to read to me before she left Triste. Sorry I don't think I can help you."
Little Red tilted her head, "Some lady read you fairy tales of him? What is he, some type of fictional character to you?"
"Yes."
Little Red sighed, "Whatever, I'll be on my way now. Have a good night."
The red hooded girl whistled and in a red blur she was gone.
Not thinking much of it, mostly due to how tired she was, Hirune walked back over to the barn and went to sleep in a large patch of hay.
***
She grunted as she slammed her cup of coffee on the round coffee table, "She just doesn't get how much of a toll a loss like that can take on someone, y'know? It's so annoying how she thinks she's little miss perfect and because of that we have to go along with her plans. Sorry but just because you're the daughter of the Mother Goddess it doesn't mean you get to boss everyone around, be heartless, and think you're right about everything!"
The frustrated sharp toothed and uniquely blue haired woman's coffee spilled.
"I've got it," another woman with a lighter shade of blue hair and an extremely lax demeanor said with a smile as sweet as raw sugar. A tentacle moved around from behind the maiden and wiped the table with a handkerchief.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to vent to you on my short visit Skasila," the darker blue haired woman said closing her citrus orange eyes.
"Come on Kala, you look tired. You've been at that job since you were little, met and lost many. The loss of someone close is devastating no matter how many times it happens. I'm happy to listen," Skasila said all of her tentacles appearing from behind her back.
"Anyways enough about me, how's that little trouble maker Pi doing?" Kala said as she tapped a keypad on the table a bit. 1321, the order number for a coffee. It was surprising to Kala how many things that she liked required this order number.
"Pi is... Pi, hasn't changed in the slightest. Still stealing my prosthetic at the worst occasions," Skasila laughed. "I'm too soft on him. I guess it's because he's such an adorable upper spirit when he's not messing with me or Philos."
Kala's eyes suddenly widened, "Oh! Sorry I almost forgot, happy thirty sixth anniversary!"
Skasila smiled softly, "Thank you! Don't worry about forgetting it I understand it's all the stress. You know, I already know you'll say no because I've proposed this before, but what do you think about working here instead? A nice little Cafe connected to a library. Quiet and peaceful, away from all the danger, what do you say?"
A cup of coffee came out from the center of the table. Kala took a sip, "As usual, no."
"Can't say I didn't try," Skasila said yawning.
"For someone who constantly talks about--" Skasila wrapped one of her tentacles around Kala's mouth as though Kala couldn't bite her. "How calm and peaceful this job is. Yeah, yeah, just because it's calm and easy it doesn't mean I don't get exhausted from it."
They went quiet for a bit, Kala couldn't help but think it really was a peaceful little place. Nice light wooden flooring and walls, a little lifted bit of floor by a singular glass wall with a row of coffee tables on it giving you a nice view of the outside. The register was nice and tidy, neither overly cramped nor empty, right next to it a doorway that lead to the massive library part of the place.
It was nothing like Ellen's hideout. It also didn't have a waver you had to sign about how you could lose your life.
As she went to take another sip of her coffee, she felt a yank on her tail. She reflexively thrashed her tail as though she was in combat and swallowed hard to not spit out her coffee.
The next second the sound of tables and glass breaking was heard followed by the blare of a car alarm and whails of a little kid.
Skasila stood up and sighed, walking over to the scene as Kala turned around. Behind her, two little kids stood there, staring at her with their eyes full of fear. Further behind then lied a crying child in between a bunch of pieces of broken tables surrounded by glass.
Skasila looked at the two other children after checking up on the crying child, "He'll be fine, he isn't hurt."
The two kids ran over and clung to her tightly and cried into her arms. They were trembling from fear.
Kala walked over to the kid on the ground. He wasn't hurt from the outside, though he definitely broke all of his ribs and possibly his back. It was surprising he was alive.
"Juan Ponce's Caomo Thermal Baths," Kala said pressing her hand lightly on the kids chest. A bunch of water clear as ice flowed out of her hand and covered the kids abdomen.
She kept her hand there for a couple seconds before pulling it away. The water soaking into the kids clothes, though they somehow managed to stay dry.
The other two kids stopped crying and looked at the woman they once found terrifying in awe.
Skasila looked at the trio and gave them a soft tired smile, "Listen you three, we understand you were curious about her tail but it's rude to touch people's tails without permission. You see, Nom-Nom Lemon here has been through a lot of scary stuff which made her tail move on it's own when you yanked it. Now say sorry and ask kindly if you can touch it."
The three of them walked up to Kala and stared at her with sorry eyes for a bit. "Sorry for yanking your tail miss Nom-Nom Lemon, can we touch it? If you don't mind."
Kala laid down, "Sure, I'll be asleep though. Healing your friend there took a lot out of me."
The kids cheered and started playing with her tail. The second she felt comfortable with the feeling of all the little hands on her tail, Kala was out like a light.
Skasila walked over to a telephone on the wall and called a number. It rung for a couple seconds before a male voice finally answered, "Yes? Who is this?"
"Hey honey, do you mind comming out for a bit? Kala is asleep, I'm slowly drifting off, and your artifact could be really useful for a couple repairs here in the front," Skasila said twirling the cable around her finger.
"I'll be there soon dear, though if I may ask, did someone yank Kala's tail again?"
Skasila smiled as she curled her lip in. She made a pop sound with her lips as she spoke, "yep. The entire front was destroyed again."