Chapter 437: Deep Thoughts with Kat.
Once Kat had finished her explanation of the recipe, she was looking to use the group lapsed into a semi comfortable silence. Kat didn't really know where she wanted to take the conversation. Well, that wasn't true, she wanted to talk to Kamiko and go over many things.
Such as 'is this normal for Gluttony demons' or 'have you ever eaten here before' followed by 'are you ok with me leading the charge here' and several other questions relating to the situation but Kat held her tongue. She knew that she'd be overheard by Freddy and after seeing how she reacted to some slightly mislabelled sauce she wasn't willing to risk setting him off by mentioning something else.
Freddy seemed like a laid back guy, all easy smiles and casual gate with, an honestly kind of goofy look to him. He was plain, but the chef's hat bobbing around on his hand, held in place by either magic she didn't know of, or actually connected to his scalp – something she wasn't willing to discount either – kept him feeling like a nice neighbourly sort that you could hang out with and have a nice chat with in an afternoon.
That wasn't his true face though. His easy going attitude hid a passion for food and a dedication to the artform of 'cheffing'. His accent didn't help show off that passion either, but now that Kat had seen, and felt, the effects of getting truly upset by something it was hard to just have a casual conversation behind him without worrying about it.
Kat glanced over at her friend, trying to see how she seemed to feel about the whole thing. Despite Kat easily settling her face back to it's resting form without the tension Kamiko seemed to feel, it was Kamiko who truly looked the most at ease at this moment. As much as Kat has attempted to perfect the face of a mostly apathetic acquaintance, the other kids at the orphanage would tell you her resting face looks more like a cross between someone who is watching children happily play around, and someone who is ready to start handing out punishments.
Of course, these weren't close to Kat's real thoughts either now, or most of the time back at the orphanage, it was indeed simply where Kat's face rested when she was unconcerned with the world. Now though, it was slightly pinched at the edges. Her smile not quite relaxed, but taught at the edges, clearly set in their position and not softly resting in place. Kamiko though, she seemed to have cheered up completely.
Her shaking had subsided and her natural smile had come back out to play. She walked easily, following behind Freddy with a slight extra bob to her tiny wings that couldn't come from the light steps she made following after him. She just seemed to be pleased with everything for some reason, though, if Kat paid a little more attention she'd see the glances in her direction, indicating she was simply happy to be with a friend, a feeling that she'd carried for this entire week. Well… Greed was a bit harsh on her.
Still, Kat was left without anything to do but stew on her thoughts, knowing that Freddy would hear any she voiced. *And isn't that a pain. There is no way Freddy is anything less then Rank 3, and my hearing would be good enough to catch everything shared between me and Kamiko if I was in his position before taking into the extra boost from demonic energy.
I just… I wonder how she can recover so quickly. Or is it me that's dragging things out? It's not like I'm scared of him personally, but I am scared of the effect it had on Kamiko. As nice as she is… it seems I have more willpower. Though… that is perhaps a scary thought when you realise that willpower might matter much more in a world where magic exists.
I think I can understand a bit more why the triplets tried to interrogate me. It might not have been the fact that I was her friend, but the issue is that she hadn't had a friend before that and they needed to know I wasn't using some power of mine to simply feel in the place of one.
Is that a thing succubi can do? Friendship pheromones? I've at least figured out they can do… other things with their powers. I've picked up what type of work they enjoy from how everyone says it even if I don't really like to think like that. Still, even back on Earth I believe the term is 'sex sells' and it isn't just speaking about the act itself. Pretty individuals are simply nicer to look at then those who are not.*
Kat bit back a sigh at that thought. *It makes me wonder how nice I actually looked before. I mean, nobody really approached me, not seriously anyway, on the romantic side of things. Then again, it's not really like I had that many friends either.* Kat smiled once again, thinking of Lily, someone who, despite her timid nature, had really stuck by Kat since they'd actually became friends.
*Man, I'm not sure I gave her enough credit when she stuck by me when I panicked through those first few weeks. A lesser person, hell a lesser friend would have run, or maybe freaked out a little bit. Ok, she did freak out about the tail a bit but as soon as she got over her shock she started buckling down and helping me figure things out.
Anyway, I'm getting distracted. I've not really gone out too much since the change, and I do wonder how much more attractive I look now.* Of course, Kat was very ignorant of the fact that her change had barely touched her looks outside of the extra features. Her skin was slightly paler, and that was about it appearance wise. It felt softer, and her muscles were stronger, with much nicer hair… but without touching her you'd certainly never see the difference.
*I wonder if it'll make a difference in the future? Do I even want it to? I think I have to be considered attractive now even if I wasn't before. Comes with the territory doesn't it? Still, I… I don't know if I want that. I've never been interested in the physical side of things. Never looked at someone in the way a few novels we've been assigned for English has described.*
Kat actually did sigh this time. She felt herself rapidly leaving the topic of food, but couldn't really bring herself to care. The worry that had been building draining out of her as she let out the breath.
*I'm getting silly. Perhaps hanging around with Succubi so much recently, meeting Kamiko and her family has me thinking about if that's a path I want to go down. Kat hardly needed to think on that one. I think… it isn't really. I have no interest in having kids… or well, not physically having kids.
I'd probably just adopt. Though… I do worry about if I'd just start an orphanage accidentally if I went down that route. Too easy to fall into the old habit of looking after every wayward child nearby if I went that route.
A bigger question, is if I do find someone, what am I going to do about my lifespan?* A small, traitorous part of Kat that new she wasn't being honest with herself on a number of the things running through her head whispered 'it's already being dealt with' but she ignored it. *It might become a big concern if I start looking.*
*Even if we ignore the fact that lifespan extending items aren't that rare for demons, or likely all that valuable considering we just get it all by default… if I picked a human they might just go crazy. I've heard it say a few times that the human mind isn't built for immortality. Hah, I wonder if the demonic mind is. Does my improved memory help or hinder me in that regard?*
Kat chewed her lip before dismissing the lifespan issue entirely. *Maybe I shouldn't be thinking about this. I've always been told that looks aren't everything, and that when you find someone it will be what's inside that's more important. What inside her mind that matters.*
Kat of course, missed the fact, that in her musings she was starting to fill little details in. Despite her clear desire not to truly get physically involved with someone, the romance was something she was starting to consider slightly. The deep emotional connection that seemed to glue Kamiko's family together. It was something she somewhat lacked at the orphanage. Sure she shared it with Gramps, and now to a lesser extent Sylvie, alongside Lily as well. With Vivian and Callisto working up to something. But the other kids never filled that role. They stuck together yes, but it wasn't quite a family. Faces changed and kids filtered out too quickly for that to really happen, and Kat was wondering, what she wanted going forward.
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