Re:Zero FF Beatrice Heart Crossing

Chapter 7: The Perils of Fishing

The sound of rustling trees filled the small room of the lodge where the boy and spirit slept. A small cat girl knelt over them and softly spoke as four children looked in from the doorway.

Niki: "Friends, huh? Hard to believe when yer cuddlin' up on each other like this... tsk tsk."

Girl 1: "Oh, they're holdin' hands!"

Boy 1: "Gross!"

Girl 2: "No it's cuteee!"

Boy 2: "I wanna poke em'!"

Niki: "Now, now, we don't wanna wake em' up!"

The sound of rustling and voices caused Beatrice to stir from her slumber. Her first sight was Subaru's sleeping face, which made her burst into a dopey smile.

Girl 1: "Awww!

Beatrice glanced up toward the source of the voice and found five sets of eyes staring down at her. Her eyes opened wide and tears formed in the corners. Her smile contorted into a grimace before her mouth opened to let out an ear-splitting scream.

Beatrice: "Ahhhhhhh! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!"

Niki and the four cat children ran out of the room, closing the door behind them. Subaru sat up after being jolted out of his deep sleep to see Beatrice squeezing a pillow on the verge of tears.

Subaru: "Beako, are you okay!? What's wrong?"

Beatrice: "..."

Subaru: "Beako... please talk to me..."

Beatrice: "...they saw..."

Subaru: "They saw?"

Beatrice: "They saw us... sleeping..."

Subaru: "I see..."

Beatrice: "H-holding hands... in a c-couple's bed... my maidenhood is ruined, in fact."

Subaru: "Calm down, Beako. This is how we've been sleeping lately. I don't think it's anything to be embarrassed about."

Beatrice: "It's not?"

Subaru: "Not at all. I promise your maidenhood is intact. How about I go talk it over with Niki and find out about breakfast?"

Beatrice: "That is fine, I suppose..."

Subaru rose from the futon and exited the room to find the culprits that had earned Beatrice's wrath. Beatrice sat on the futon and calmed herself as she looked around the room and saw that Niki had left a change of clothes for the two of them. Beatrice changed out of the baggy pajamas from the night before and into the purple sleeved tunic and skirt that Niki provided. She slipped on the sandals and tied a pink ribbon around her hair. This was the first time she had tied her hair back into a ponytail and she found herself wondering if Subaru would like it. She caught herself mid thought and spoke her mind aloud.

Beatrice: "Is it really normal, I suppose?"

Subaru followed the sound of prancing cat children to the main sitting room of the lodge where he had dinner the night before. It was an open area with a table close to the ground and several mats. The walls were covered in tapestries and small drawings of other cat people, some of them appeared to be drawn by children. Now that the sun was up he could see that the windows were open and light was pouring in through the large front door that had been propped open. A slow breeze blew through the room as Subaru noticed a small tail sticking out from behind a curtain. Subaru instinctively grabbed it from the ground and was met with a shrill scream from Niki.

Niki: "Ahhh! Don't cha know it's rude to touch a lady's tail!"

Subaru: "As rude as watching someone sleep?"