Chloé stretched, yawning as she woke up. After completing the temple’s ritual, she and Mika had opted to spend the rest of the night within it, rather than face the cold outside. Mika in particular was still sleeping soundly within Chloé’s stomach, and she blushed happily as she felt a small flutter of movement just behind her navel as he began to stir.

“Good morning,” she said, her voice rumbling all around Mika as he blinked sleep out of his eyes.

“Good morning,” he muttered, looking around the confines of her stomach. He brushed a hand across the “wall,” causing Chloé to giggle from the sensation as he stood up. “So, what now?” he asked.

“We’ve got to go meet Oklahoma… and Emilia,” Chloé said slowly.

“Right,” Mika muttered, “I guess the easiest thing to do is to head to that town Emilia mentioned, it shouldn’t be too hard to find.” He shivered, thinking about the cold outside, “Do you mind if I stay in here? At least until we’re closer?”

“I was just about to ask,” Chloé asked happily, patting her tummy and causing a few vibrations along the interior of her stomach.

Chloé slithered along the path back up to the surface, regarding the sharp angular carvings on the wall a final time as she went. She briefly considered searching for a treasure room like the previous temples had contained, but decided against it. Her understanding of money was still fuzzy, but she was certain that they had enough, or at least that Emilia seemed to have a lot of it.

Emilia, Chloé thought grimly, I really hope you’re a friend too… She glanced down at her belly, where Mika was likely relaxing and enjoying the warmth. The revelation of what had happened to his parents, and Emilia’s part in it, had left Chloé wishing she could have done more to comfort him.

She slithered to the top of the temple, observing the Scottish landscape as the sun barely peaked through thick gray clouds. The village they were to meet at was said to be twenty kilometers to the east, and given the sparse landscape it would be easy enough to cloak herself, no one would get close enough to see through the illusion anyway.

Chloé froze, hearing rocks tumbling nearby. She immediately camouflaged herself, her scales taking on the rocky black and grey color of the mountain behind her, along with the clouds overhead. She kept herself hidden, holding her breath as she looked around, trying to turn her head slowly to avoid causing her illusion to shimmer.

“I-I saw you already!” a woman shouted, stumbling out from behind a rock.

Chloé glanced down, seeing a woman in a thick coat waving at her nervously. She had a large camera hanging around her neck, along with an obnoxious nose ring.

Chloé gulped, then focused, concentrating on combining two of her abilities. It was stressful, almost painful, but she felt herself shrinking down to her human form, her tail splitting into legs as she descended, all while maintaining the camouflage.

Mika’s world rumbled, “Chloé, what’s going on!?” the stomach seemed to contort around him, closing in from the sides, but at the same time expanding beneath him. The shape seemed to change, and the consistency of the liquid he was sitting in grew thicker.

At the very last second before her transformation was complete, she let her skin become human, and with what would appear to an observer to be a quick flash, she was standing before the stunned woman, fully human… And naked.

“H-Hi,” Chloé said through chattering teeth, clutching her arms to herself to fight the cold.

“Holy shit!” the woman shrieked, jumping back, “Y-You’re the snake woman!”

“I am not!” Chloé stammered, “You probably just saw Nessie!”

“Nice try,” the woman beamed, “but I’ve seen Nessie loads of times, and you’re no Nessie, snake-woman! ”

“Who are you!?” Chloé asked, shivering as the wind bit her skin.

“Gloria Chesterfield, Weekly World News,” the young woman explained, “and I’ve been following you all over the world, bringing my readers the truth!”

Within Chloé’s now human stomach, Mika was looking around in confusion. Unlike in her snake form, there was no light in her now very human digestive system, and the pooled liquid around him wasn’t soothing and warm, in fact it was starting to itch his arms slightly.

“Chloé!? Did you turn into a human?” he shouted as loud as he could.

“Yeah, I was trying to avoid being seen,” She scowled, looking up at the journalist, “I didn’t manage it though.”

“Who are you talking to?” Gloria asked, looking around, “Are you working with one of the cat-people?”

Mika started to shift inside of her, and Chloé blanched. Unused to having him in her human belly, it was making Chloé nauseous. She fell to her knees, gagging. Within her Mika looked around in surprise for a moment, then shouted as he was vaulted upwards.

Chloé cupped her hands over her mouth just in time to catch the now tiny Mika as he flew past her lips. He looked up in stunned surprise, blinking the gunk from inside of her stomach out of his eyes as he tried to make sense of the situation.

“Whoa, is that a tiny man?” Gloria asked, leaning over Chloé excitedly. Her camera came up, and there was a flash as she took a picture of the stunned Mika.

“Chloé, why am I small!?” Mika asked, gripping her fingers as he looked up at the other woman.

“I guess this is what happens if you’re in my stomach when I change sizes?” Chloé offered sheepishly.

“Amazing,” Gloria said in a low voice, “so the snake woman eats guys, turns human, and then makes them small…” She reached into her pocket, withdrawing a small notepad and pencil, jotting it down.

“Who is this!?” Mika asked, gesturing up at Gloria.

“Gloria Chesterfield, star reporter,” she said with a smile, “I’ve been hot on the tail of one of the cat-women, a blond one, and she led me right to you!” She pulled a tape recorder from her other pocket, grinning excitedly, “Now I want to interview the snake-woman and her… Pet? Snack? What’s the relationship here? Inquiring minds want to know!”

“Uh, I really don’t want the whole world reading about this,” Mika groaned, looking down at his tiny form.

“We’re on the run from some pretty bad people,” Chloé said solemnly, “it wouldn’t be a good idea to give anything away.”

“Bad people!?” Gloria asked eagerly, “Tell me more!”

“Well they’re called-“ Chloé began, but a glare from Mika cut her off. She cleared her throat, looking down at Mika, then to Gloria. “What should we do about her?” Chloé asked quietly.

Gloria paled, “W-What do you mean by that?”

Mika slowly grinned, making eye contact with Chloé as her fingers curled around him, “She says she’s been following us for a while now, surely she knows how voracious your appetite is?”

Chloé blinked in surprise, then understood what Mika was getting at, grinning mischievously “Yeah, and I’m getting pretty hungry…” She licked her lips, looking at the now shaking journalist.

“I-I’m warning you,” Gloria said shakily, fishing in her coat’s pocket, “I’ve got pepper spray!”

“I love spicy food,” Chloé taunted, standing up with a smirk.

“I won’t tell anyone!” Gloria shouted, “Just please don’t eat me!”

“Just remember,” Chloé grinned, holding Mika up over her head, “this is you, if you break your word!”

With that she opened her hand, letting Mika fall, flailing through the air for a brief moment before catching him in her mouth. Mika didn’t have long to reflect on the differences between the human and the naga versions before a powerful suction drew him downward. Chloé’s spit pooled around him for a brief second as she tilted her head back, swallowing loudly for the journalist’s benefit.

Gloria watched, spellbound, as the small lump that was Mika quickly traveled down Chloé’s throat, disappearing into her belly. With a grin Chloé looked down at her again, and a moment later the air shimmered. Chloé’s legs closed and fused into a tail as she grew, stretching up into the sky until her shadow was falling over the now thoroughly terrified reporter.

“Ah,” Chloé sighed, rubbing her belly as she looked down at Gloria, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get going…”

Mika sighed in relief as he lay back in Chloé’s Naga stomach. It was a much more hospitable place than its human counterpart, and he was certain he’d regrown too.

“Chloé,” he called, “get her camera!”

Chloé paused, reaching down to Gloria with a pair of pinching fingers. The journalist squeaked in surprise and fear as the giant fingertips closed around the camera, lifting it up over her neck. She squeezed, crushing the camera as easily as if it were a blueberry.

“Hey!” Gloria protested, looking on in despair as the pieces of plastic and glass fell to the ground.

“Remember!” Chloé called, causing the ground to rumble as she slithered away, “No pictures of me!”

Gloria waited until Chloé had gone a few hundred yards, then scowled. With a defiant glare she reached into her pocket, withdrawing her cell phone and opening up the camera. While it wasn’t as good as the professional grade one Chloé had destroyed, it was better than nothing, and she managed to get a few shots of the giant Naga’s back before Chloé’s scales shimmered and her camouflage kicked in.

“You can’t stop me from bringing the news to people!” Gloria muttered under her breath. With a grin she looked down at the massive tunnel she’d seen the Naga emerge from, “now, let’s see what secrets you have to-“

There was a rumbling sound, and rocks tumbled from the hill as the earth shook. Gloria watched in stunned silence as the tunnel’s floor seemed to lift, sealing the ancient ruins shut once again.

“Son of a bitch,” Gloria growled, stomping her foot angrily.

…

Oklahoma swirled the fine Scotch whisky in the glass for a moment, sipping it as she sat across from Emilia in the booth of the small tavern. There were few other patrons, the town they’d settled in was far from any of the main thoroughfares or tourist areas, and even so nobody else seemed particularly interested in the pair of foreigners. Satisfied that they weren’t being eyed up by anyone in the tavern, Oklahoma sipped the whiskey, savoring the rich smokey flavor before clapping her glass back down on the table.

“I really prefer bourbon,” she commented, “but when in Rome…” She glanced at the glass again, “you’re paying, right? This stuff is like thirty bucks a glass… wait, no pounds… shit, that’s like fifty bucks a glass.”

“I moved a few million dollars to secret accounts for our use,” Emilia replied, causing Oklahoma to nearly choke on her drink, “We should be able to travel in luxury, when our route permits it.”

“A few million…” Oklahoma chuckled, “I think I’ll have another, and I’m telling the barkeep to leave the bottle.”

The door opened, and Chloé and Mika walked in from the gloomy street outside. Chloé was dressed in one of Mika’s spare outfits, the clothes hanging slightly loose on her petite human frame.

“Did you complete the temple’s ritual?” Emilia asked quietly, fighting the urge to adjust the wig she was wearing to hide her ears.

“We did,” Mika said, looking down at her with an oddly serious expression on his face.

“Tell her,” Chloé said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Mika took a deep breath, “I remember everything,” he said slowly, “from when I was a kid, the temple, my parents, you. ”

“Hold on,” Oklahoma said, looking at Emilia, “you knew his parents?”

“She was there when they died,” Mika said, crossing his arms. “Weren’t you?”

Emilia’s face went pale, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she searched for the words. With a shaking hand she reached into the front pocket of her jacket, pulling out a handful of small green leaves. She rubbed them under her chin, purring slightly as she felt herself calming down.

“What is that?” Oklahoma asked curiously.

“Catnip,” Mika said.

“Yes,” Emilia said with a sigh, tucking the leaves back into her pocket, “Let’s go up to our room to discuss this, would that be okay?”

“If it’s a trap or something, I’m warning you-“

“Yes, Chloé will eat me,” Emilia said with a weak smile, “I expected that might be a possibility… but I promise you, my intentions are good.”

“Let’s go then,” Mika said, jerking his head towards the stairs.

Emilia got up, slowly following Chloé and Mika towards the rooms. Oklahoma shrugged, knocking back the rest of her whisky in one quick motion, then leaving the glass as she joined them.

The room was cozy, with a pair of twin beds covered in thick quilts and an old box-set television arrayed against one wall. Emilia sat on one of the mattresses, looking up at the trio and trying to find the best place to begin her story.

“I’m very sorry for what happened,” Emilia began, “I didn’t know they would kill your parents, that they would try to kill you…”

“I know you were sorry,” Mika said solemnly, “I saw you cry. What I want to know is why it all happened in the first place?”

“That is a long story,” Emilia said, slowly reaching up to her head. She pulled the wig free, revealing her twitching feline ears, and as she shifted on the mattress her tail popped free from the top of her pants, swishing back and forth behind her. “I guess I should start at the beginning of everything. It was just before what human historians call the Bronze Age. I was the Neko clan’s storykeeper then-“

“You were what in the what age?” Oklahoma interrupted, “I didn’t do so well in school, but wouldn’t that make you-“

“At least four thousand years old,” Mika remarked. Part of him knew he should be surprised, but with all of the other amazing things he’d seen and done, the immortal sitting across from him was no longer as worthy of excitement.

“Yes,” Emilia said with a nod, “I don’t know how long the humans and the Naga had been living together then, our people mostly kept to ourselves.” Her ears went flat, and she looked down at the floor, “Our people… we have certain abilities, things we used to protect ourselves and stay hidden.”

“Like that mind scrambling you did on me?” Oklahoma asked.

“Along with the size changing ability you witnessed,” Emilia nodded. She breathed out slowly, “It was my friend-“ she paused a moment, hesitating, “It was a Neko named Natasha who upset things, she came upon a human in the wilderness. As was our custom she shrank him, but instead of returning him to the boundary of our territory as we normally did, she simply swallowed him, as though he were a mouse.” Emilia paused, conflicting emotions passing over her face, “She gained immense power from it, for a time anyway, and the euphoria consumed her, she needed more.”

“So she started eating people,” Mika said slowly, “The Naga did too, didn’t they?” He looked back at Chloé, who shifted uncertainly.

Emilia chuckled sadly, “The Naga ate evildoers, occasionally they would take the sick or dying, Natasha would descend on caravans or villages of humans and take them all. ” She looked up blinking away a tear at the memory, “She wanted me to join her then, to devour the humans together… but I refused, I couldn’t stand it.”

“The others didn’t have the same reservations, did they?” Chloé asked, crossing her arms.

“No, almost everyone joined her, and by the time they’d descended on the first human city the curse had afflicted most of our clan,” Emilia continued. “Those of us who didn’t partake in the feast followed anyway, what else could we do?”

“You could’ve fucked off,” Oklahoma cut in.

Emilia scowled at her, “I beg your pardon?”

“If your family is doing something shitty, sometimes you’ve got to fuck off,” Oklahoma said with a shrug. She looked around at them, “What? That advice kept me out of jail lots of times.”

“We didn’t have that option,” Emilia insisted, “and they were always the same to us when they’d been sated, our closest family and friends, we couldn’t just abandon them, no matter how bad we felt about the humans.”

“I think I know what happened to you next,” Chloé growled, looking away.

“Yes, we encountered your people,” Emilia said bitterly, “or rather, we encountered the humans who followed you, who worshiped you.” She sighed, “the war was brutal, our males were always more aggressive, and we didn’t realize how many of them we’d lost until we were on the brink of collapse. The Naga and the humans suffered too, but we were destroyed, scattered to the four corners of the globe. It took centuries for us to start finding each other again… and we haven’t found a male to this day.”

“And so coming after Chloé and me is what, revenge?” Mika asked angrily, “it sounds like your people got what was coming to them.”

“Revenge yes, but not just against you, against everyone, ” Emilia said bitterly. “Natasha knows more about the secrets of the Naga than I do, she thinks that whatever is in the Temple of Eternity will allow her to win… forever.”

“So why didn’t you stick with her?” Oklahoma asked curiously, “I mean if you’ve come this far, why not ride it out?”

“I found another way,” Emilia said, swallowing nervously, “another way our species could survive, could thrive again… A male human who is compatible with us, who could give us children.” She forced herself to look up at Mika, and his mouth slowly gaped as he realized the implication.

“No,” Mika muttered, “That’s… Are you sure about this!?”

Chloé went to Mika’s side, squeezing his arm tight, “You can’t have him!”

“He’s the only one!” Emilia pleaded, “He’s our only hope for the future!”

Chloé growled angrily, and her skin flashed. She started growing towards the ceiling, causing the boards to creak as her head and back made contact. Her legs pressed together, and the first scales sprouted across her ankles.

“Chloé!” Mika snapped, “Stop!”

Chloé’s growth paused, and then, like a balloon deflating, she slowly shrank back down with a scowl, her legs becoming human once more as her feet planted themselves on the floor.

“Mika is already spoken for,” Chloé growled, giving Emilia a hateful glare that made the Neko’s ears go flat against her skull.

“So am I part cat?” Mika asked finally.

“A little,” Emilia said hesitantly, “somewhere very far back probably…”

“Look, Emilia,” Oklahoma began, “I don’t really know much about this cat and snake stuff, or ancient civilizations, or any of that, but can you tell us what we can do to beat this Natasha woman, Ouroboros as a whole? I’m guessing we can’t just call the cops on her.”

“I don’t have an easy answer,” Emilia replied solemnly, “She’s after the same thing you are, she wants to open the Temple of Eternity, to use what’s behind those doors.”

“Which is?” Mika asked.

“I don’t know,” Emilia admitted, “whatever it is, it’s something incredibly important to the Naga, something of immense power. If she gets it…” Emilia sighed, “I think that’s the end, for everyone.”

“So we just won’t open the doors,” Chloé said suddenly, “Natasha can’t ever get in then, right?”

“No,” Mika said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “even we if made new identities, hid ourselves for the rest of our lives… she’d still be out there, and she’s got all the time in the world to think up new ways to get her revenge on humanity.” He smiled and looked at Chloé, “Besides, I think your people, your goddess , set this up. Why else would another Naga be here, after all this time?” He turned to Emilia, “and apparently she’s come together with the only human compatible with you. That’s one hell of a coincidence, isn’t it?”

“There’s another level to this,” Emilia nodded, “I don’t understand it, but the Naga had ways of… planning, that went beyond even the long term thinking that has carried the Neko clan so far.”

“Divine providence, or something like it,” Oklahoma muttered, “Okay then…” She slapped her knees, “What’s next?”

“The temple in Kemet,” Emilia said, “Egypt, I mean…” she shook her head, “it’s odd how the names change… We’ll go through Constant-“ she chuckled again, “Istanbul, I’ve already arranged a private traincar for us.” She glanced at Chloé, “I’ve also paid a local shepherd handsomely for his flock, they’re about two miles outside of town, if you need to feed that is.”

Chloé stared at Emilia for a moment, then started towards the door, “Thanks,” she muttered.

“I’ll come too,” Mika said, following Chloé towards the door. The pair left, leaving Oklahoma and Emilia alone once again.

“Do you think they hate me?” Emilia asked Oklahoma nervously.

The pilot raised an eyebrow, “You’re alive, aren’t you?” She chuckled at Emilia’s uncomfortable expression. “Look, even after all the mind scrambling you pulled on me, I do think you’re trying to help, and Chloé and Mika think so too, or else I think you’d be inside of a snake-girl’s belly right now.”

“I almost was anyway,” Emilia muttered with a shudder.

“That was because you tried to steal Chloé’s man,” Oklahoma laughed, “I wouldn’t try that again.”

“I’m not trying to steal Mika like some lovesick schoolgirl!” Emilia snapped, “He’s the last hope for my people!”

“Whatever,” Oklahoma chuckled, laying back on the bed, “I’d maybe follow up on that after saving the world.”

…

Chloé belched, tasting mutton on her breath as she sat next to Mika in the rented car. The feeding had left her feeling hungry still, but it was better than nothing, and while eating human food in her human form was satisfying in some ways, it didn’t provide the same energy as her Naga form did.

“We’ll continue south to London,” Emilia said, pointing to a road sign as Oklahoma steered, “I’ve got a friend there who will take care of everything for us!”

“LOOK OUT!” Mika shouted.

Oklahoma swore angrily as she steered the car out of the way of the oncoming vehicle at the last second, earning them an angry honk.

“Sorry,” Oklahoma called, “I forgot they drive on the left over here.”

“I’ve always hated automobiles,” Emilia shivered.

…

London Victoria Station bustled with activity as the four of them walked along the tiled floor, the century old stonework contrasting sharply with the modern light up displays and trendy cafes and shops lining the concourse. Mika’s brow furrowed as he read the sign on the boarding platform Emilia was leading them to.

“The Orient Express?” he asked, turning to Emilia.

“It’s the finest way to reach Istanbul,” Emilia said eagerly, “I’ve traveled on trains the world over, and this is one of my favorite routes.”

“What’s the Orient Express?” Chloé asked.

“I’m pretty sure it’s a book by Agatha Christie,” Oklahoma replied.

Emilia tutted in disapproval, “The book takes place on the train,” she said in exasperation.

“So, it’s like an Amtrak?” Oklahoma asked.

Emilia balked, “Are you seriously comparing the Orient Express to an Amtrak train!?”

“I haven’t ever been on either,” Mika said, “do we have tickets waiting? Or-“

“Emilia!” a woman called, bounding forward eagerly. Emilia waved, suddenly smiling as the petite auburn haired woman all but leapt into a hug. She was well dressed in a corporate fashion, a pantsuit complete with a name badge identifying her as an employee of the rail line.

“Cécilia!” Emilia giggled, “It’s so nice to see you again!”

“She’s one of them,” Chloé muttered under her breath, “She’s too light on her feet for a human.”

Cécilia turned to the rest of them, beaming, “you don’t have to worry, I’m no friend of Natasha’s, come on, this way!”

Cécilia led the group onto the train, taking them by a side boarding door away from where the rest of the passengers were waiting. Bringing them through the narrow corridor on the train, she opened the door to reveal a luxurious suite with gilded décor, the large windows looking out onto the train platform.

“Wow,” Oklahoma said, stunned, “I don’t think I’ve stayed in a hotel this nice…”

“Nothing but the finest for you four,” Cécilia said excitedly, “I’ve also prepared a few changes of clothes, they’re in suitcases in the storage closet there,” she pointed to the small door on the wall.

“Thank you Cécilia,” Emilia said, shaking the other disguised Neko’s hand, “I know you’re taking a big risk by helping us out like this.”

“I don’t care what Natasha does,” Cécilia said flippantly, “I’m never following her again!” She looked over the four of them one final time and nodded, “You get settled in to your rooms, I’ll have the kitchen send you a bottle of champagne.”

“So there are other Nekos that aren’t working for Natasha?” Mika asked when she’d left.

“Most of us followed her once we started coming back together again,” Emilia replied, “but there are still individuals and groups of us out there that don’t. Cécilia followed her for a long time, but she’s fallen away over the years… I guess she saw the writing on the wall before I did.”

The train pulled away from the station slowly, picking up steam as the London scenery passed by outside the window. Mika helped himself to one of the champagne flutes, playfully sharing a toast with Chloé and Oklahoma, both of whom had changed into a pair of formal looking dresses from the provided outfits.

“I’ve got to say, this is a lot better than traveling around in smuggler’s planes,” Mika chuckled, glancing out the window.

“Hey, I got you where you were supposed to go,” Oklahoma said defensively, “not many outlaws have access to a train!”

“Not anymore,” Emilia muttered, “That was always a problem I had with visiting America, every time I took the Union Pacific line some thug decided that was the day he wanted to rob a train.”

Oklahoma frowned, “So you were in the old west?”

Emilia shuddered, “I traveled through the west, I never much cared for the frontier.”

“Who robbed you, exactly?” Mika asked curiously.

Emilia rolled her eyes, but pulled her grimoire, the massive and ornate tome she carried with her everywhere, out of its bag. She flipped through the pages, finally finding what she was looking for.

“There was a degenerate named Jesse James the first time,” Emilia read, “he stuck a gun in my face and took a diamond necklace from me. Then the second time I traveled by train in the United States the train I was on was robbed by someone calling himself Sundance. He took all of my money, but let me keep my jewelry.”

Oklahoma’s mouth dropped open, “You were robbed by Jesse James and the Sundance Kid?”

“I didn’t care for any of them,” Emilia sniffed, “needless to say, I stayed off American trains for a decade or so after that.”

“I really need to ask you about your life in detail sometime,” Mika chuckled, “you’re a historian’s dream come true.”

…

The train continued south through the Channel Tunnel, eventually bringing them into France. While the suite was nice, the group quickly dispersed to explore the other cars, leaving Emilia to read through her grimoire in peace. Oklahoma headed to the bar car, eager to see how much of a tab Cécilia had included with their cabins. Mika and Chloé had gone to the dining car, sharing a meal together as they observed the countryside roll by outside the window, bathed in the orange glow of the sunset.

“This is a beautiful place,” Chloé said dreamily, looking out the window. She reached across the table, holding Mika’s hand, “When this is all over, could we go see more of the world?”

“I’d like that,” Mika agreed, enjoying the scenery with her. “Do you want to order dessert?”

“Is it chocolate!?” Chloé asked eagerly.

“I’m sure they’ll have something chocolate,” Mika laughed. “Hold on, let me run back to the cabin real quick and see if Emilia or Oklahoma want anything.” He stood up, walking to the end of the car.

…

Cécilia chewed her lip, watching Mika exit the car. She followed after him, his scent lingering in her nostrils. The next car was an empty lounge car, with sofas lining the walls and folded up card tables lining the wall. This late in the evening most of the guests had retired, and Mika turned around immediately when he heard the door click shut behind him.

“Oh,” he said, smiling, “Hi Cécilia, I was just heading back to the room for a minute…” he trailed off, something about the way the woman was approaching him was unnerving.

“You smell different from the other humans,” Cécilia growled, “It’s been a really long time since I’ve been… tempted. ” She took a deep breath, and another step forward. “I thought I had this beaten, I’ve been living among humans for so long now, and never once even thought about it.” She giggled a little madly, “Emilia was proud of me, I was proud of myself even.”

“Thought about what?” Mika asked, the hair on the back of his neck standing up.

“I guess there’s just no getting away from this,” Ceclia whispered, slowly pulling her wig off, letting her feline ears flicker in the air as her body tensed.

With a yowl she pounced, tackling Mika to the floor of the train car. Mika gripped her arms, ready to throw her off, but her arms were suddenly stronger, bigger, no… He looked up in shock as she rose up over him, becoming a towering colossus as he shrank into the carpet.

“CECELIA STOP!” he shouted.

“I don’t think I can,” she said, cupping her palms under his tiny body. She stood up, stroking his back as though he were a pet mouse. “I don’t think I want to!”

Mika’s eyes went wide as she lifted him high, her mouth opening like a massive dark tunnel below him. He screamed, flailing as she released him. He fell downward, landing on her soft tongue as it extended out of her mouth, drawing him deep into the dim cavern of her mouth.

“MMM…” Cécilia groaned, savoring his taste.

Mika struggled against her massive tongue, unlike Chloé’s there was no playfulness in the way it slammed him against the roof of her mouth, and he winced in pain as it flipped him over, roughly kneading his entire body along her cheek. Saliva dripped around him, quickly soaking him and sticking to his body, making his movements even more difficult.

“HELP!” he shouted, trying to crawl out as her mouth opened for a split second. Cécilia noticed, then with a giggle closed her lips around him, slurping him back in like a noodle at the last minute.

The sound of a door opening in the car caused Cécilia to pause, and she saw Emilia entering the car with a smile.

“Hi Cécilia, do you know if Chloé and Mika are still in the dining car? I thought I might join them for a while.” Cécilia froze, not wanting to open her mouth as Emilia got closer. The sight of her friend seemed to shock some sense of shame back into her, and she shook her head slowly.

“I guess I’ll check for myself,” Emilia commented.

“Emilia?” Chloé frowned, entering the lounge car from the other side, “Have you seen Mika? He left a bit ago and isn’t back yet…”

“Chloé!” Mika shouted as loud as he could.

Beneath her wig Emilia’s feline ear flicked, picking up the muffled cry. She whirled around, making eye contact with Cécilia. The brown haired Neko tilted her head back, ready to swallow, but Emilia’s hand shot out, striking her in the throat.

With a cough Cécilia spat Mika out, and Emilia snatched his tiny body from the air with lightning reflexes.

“Hey!” Chloé shouted, sprinting forward, “Did she just try to-“

“I-I’m sorry!” Cécilia sobbed, “Emilia, I didn’t mean to, he just smelled so good! ”

“What the hell is going on in here?” Oklahoma asked, sliding the door open.

“She’s trying to eat Mika!” Chloé shouted, pointing at Cécilia.

“What!?” Oklahoma looked around frantically, grabbing an empty bottle of champagne floating in a nearby bucket of half melted ice. With a clatter she broke the bottle against the wall, holding the jagged point towards Cecelia, “Get away from him!”

“Don’t hurt her!” Emilia shouted, moving between Cécilia and Oklahoma, “it’s the curse! She’s not thinking clearly!” She placed Mika’s tiny form on the floor, and a split second later he was at his full size again, blinking in stunned surprise as Oklahoma pulled him to his feet.

“Cécilia, focus,” Emilia said slowly, “you’ve kept it under control for so long…”

Cecila nodded, swallowing as she forced her tears away, “I can’t, not while he’s here!” she pointed at Mika.

“Mika, if you and Chloé could please go back to our cabin?” Emilia asked quietly.

Chloé moved past the sobbing Neko, taking Mika’s arm in her own and leading him away. Emilia turned back to Cécilia, sighing with relief as she saw the tension leave the other Neko’s body.

“Are you under control now?” Emilia asked, extending a hand.

“Y-Yeah,” Cécilia breathed, taking her hand and standing back up. She looked at Oklahoma, “S-She’s not the same, I’m safe around her.”

“If it’s all the same, I’ll keep this for now,” Oklahoma said, nodding down at the broken bottle.

“I can’t believe I did that!” Ceclia muttered, tears welling in her eyes again, “I just… I would have…” She sniffed, wiping her nose, “Do you think he’s going to recover? I didn’t traumatize him, did I?”

“I’m sure Mika will be fine,” Emilia said, stroking Cécilia’s hair.

“Yeah, I think he gets off to getting eaten,” Oklahoma commented. Emilia shot her a dirty look, and she just shrugged, “What? I’m not judging him, I’m just saying…”

…

“I guess we know what that curse is about,” Mika said, sitting next to Chloé on their suite’s small sofa.

“I almost feel bad for her,” Chloé said, hugging Mika close.

“She was fighting it,” Mika said, remembering how she’d looked, “she really didn’t want to do it, but it was like she was addicted or something, she couldn’t stop herself.”

The two looked up as the door slid open, and Emilia and Oklahoma entered the room, “Cécilia would like to beg for your forgiveness,” Emilia said softly. “She really tried her best to resist, but the curse… it affects all of us who devour humans.”

“But not you?” Mika asked.

“I’ve never eaten one of you, so no,” Emilia replied solemnly.

“Tell her I forgive her,” Mika sighed, “I’m pretty sure she reacted that way because I’m…”

“Special,” Emilia smiled, “yes, your scent sticks out rather strongly in an enclosed place like this. Seeing the curse first hand, you can see why I’m so desperate to help my people, to show them another way…” She sighed, “I’d hoped that with a long enough absence the curse would dissipate, the urge disappears, but the memories and the longing are all still there…”

“Let’s get some sleep,” Mika decided, “we can talk about this more tomorrow.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea,” Emilia nodded, “by tomorrow evening we’ll be in Istanbul, I’ve made arrangements to get us to Egypt via an overland route, we’ll want to be well rested.”

Emilia and Oklahoma retired to their shared room, and Mika and Chloé slipped beneath the covers of the bed. In each other's arms, they fell asleep to the rhythmic clacking of the train tracks below.

…

Charboneau smoked a thin cigarette, pinched in the claws of his prosthetic hand. He exhaled slowly, skimming Emilia’s reports through the years. The computer had been one of Emilia’s personal ones at one point, and while most Nekos preferred to keep records of their lives in their massive grimoires, ever at their side, Emilia had at least partially embraced the digital age.

“What are you looking for, exactly?” Yukia asked, bored as she leaned against the wall of Emilia’s old lab.

“A hunter has to know his quarry,” Charboneau replied, “Emilia travels by train whenever she can for example, it seems she has a somewhat romantic attraction to them.”

“Yeah,” Yukia chuckled, “I’ve really gotten attached to airplanes myself, you humans did a good job with that one.”

“I’ll be sure to pass the Wright brothers your regards,” Charboneau said, amused. His good hand clacked across the keys, and a moment later a list of contacts came up. “It seems that Emilia knows several of your people who are not followers of our dear Princesse.”

“Not everyone wanted to get back under Natasha’s leadership again,” Yukia shrugged, “there are a few rogue bands out there, part of the Archivist’s role was to keep track of our entire history, so she would usually be the one to go talk to them.”

“And this one is evidently very high up in a European rail company,” Charboneau said, smiling, “I think I know who she would go to for transportation if she is in Europe, and going by the latest issue of the Weekly World News…” he glanced at his copy of the tabloid, laying across the lab desk, “They were in Scotland recently.” He clicked the computer off, walking back to Yukia with a smile. “Let’s go, my things are already on the private plane.”

“Should we get Higgins?” Yukia asked curiously.

Charboneau paused, “No,” he decided, “That man… he is too cold, a man in this line of work should either enjoy it, or quit. There is no point in doing anything if it doesn’t bring you joy, after all.”

“And you liked doing these kinds of jobs?” Yukia asked with a grin.

“Oh yes,” Charboneau chuckled as they walked to the elevator, “Natasha and I had such fun in my youth, a fleeting thing for her I’m sure… Don’t tell me you’re a sentimental type? I don’t like to restrain myself when the time comes for violence.”