Chapter 62: Chapter 62 Callisto’s secret hideout

Kat found herself returned to earth in her bedroom. Looking around in surprise everything seemed to be in place but that wasn't the issue. *Didn't I get summoned from the dining room? Why am I back here?*

User Kat has assigned this room as Destination Home. You will default to being returned to this room.

*Wait, why didn't I end up at the orphanage then? If this is a matter of settings didn't you say I couldn't change those until rank 1?*

User Kat's place of residence was automatically updated when entering into a contract with Individual Vivian.

*Well, that's something I wish I'd known earlier. What would I have done if I'd ended up in my old room*

User Kat would have walked to Vivian's house.

Kat just glared at the unhelpful text for a moment. Dismissing and resummoning her attire to fix anything that was out of place she carefully opened her bedroom door and looked around. She sensed no movement in the hallway and paused for a moment with slight indecision. Eventually with a shrug Kat headed downstairs.

Just as Kat reached the bottom of the stairs she was met with a pair of angry glares from Vivian and Sylvie and a sympathetic one from Lily who had all taken up residence in the lounge room.

"Well Kat, what do you have to say for yourself" said Vivian glaring at Kat with her hands on her hips.

The intimidation this provided was undermined by her tongue sticking out and her cheeks puffing out, so Kat responded in kind. "I went on a grand adventure to a world known as the accountant's offices"

Taking up a seat on the free armchair Kat lamented that it just wasn't as comfortable as the ones in the accounting offices.

"We were seriously worried Kat" said Lily whose point was undercut slightly by the book still open on her lap

"I've been going on summonings every week for a month now, why is it just becoming a concern" said Kat.

"I wasn't worried. I knew you'd be fine" said Sylvie puffing her cheeks out to match Vivian from her lap.

"See Lily, Sylvie wasn't worried" said Kat smiling at her friend.

Lily decided the best response to this was to hide her face behind her book and not comment.

"Well anyway, the real reason I wanted to talk to you Kat is about Callisto, I'm sure she's seen your note so perhaps it's too late. You probably need to talk about this hole thing with her soon" said Vivian hugging Sylvie tighter who responded by snuggling into her arms.

"Yeah…" said Kat trailing off.

Finding the ceiling to be fascinating Kat took the chance to observe it closely while Vivian and Sylvie grinned in response. *Should I just go for it like with Gramps? Probably. I'll double check with Vivian first though just in case.*

"So, Vivian, is there anything I should be aware of. I'll go talk to Callisto now if there is no problem" said Kat

"Nah, well, nah. You need not concern yourself with the whims of my roommate it will work out" said Vivian with a cheeky grin and a glint behind her eyes.

*That sounds so much like trouble. I doubt Vivian would lie, it's just, clearly she isn't telling me something.* Sighing Kat stood up and made for the stairs.

"I take it Callisto will be in her room?" asked Kat

"Of course" Vivian replied with a shooing motion before returning to hug Sylvie.

"Can't I go with Kat?" asked Sylvie turning around to face Vivian and pouting.

"Nah, they should probably sort this out amongst themselves. Don't you think Sylvie" said Vivian.

At this point Kat was already making her way upstairs so she missed the nod Sylvie had in response and the concerned glance Lily shot her way. Climbing the stairs Kat strode towards Callisto's door that stood alone at the end of the upstairs hallway. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Kat knocked twice on the door.

After a moment the door cracked open and a single blue eye appeared. "Ah, you must be Katarina" a sharp intake of breath and a short pause later Callisto continued "I see, that name offends you. Kat then, please come in"

The door swung open to reveal a room completely filled with different projects. The room was surprisingly large, twice the size of Kats but somehow Callisto had managed to make it feel small. Scraps of paper littered the floor, crumpled and discarding clustering around one of the three desks within the room. The first desk surrounded by paper contained rows of pens that lined the sides of it, while the top was filled with a surprisingly neat stack of paper in the corner and two sheets outlined in front of the chair. The desk had quills patterned on the legs but other than that was quite plain.

On the opposite side of the wall to that Callisto had a desk with a computer, this one however while suffering less from paper cluttered had neat orderly rows of wires that snaked and coiled around the desk, weaving patterns through the wood. The computer itself seemed to make up parts of the desk as well, Kat could identify at least two separate towers containing parts, but it looked like some others were part of the desks design of circuitry and wires someone, presumably Chekov, had carved into the sides.

The third and final that lined the back room commanded the most space by far. It wasn't pressed against the wall like the other two, instead it surrounded the chair assigned to it on both sides covering over half the room by itself. All sorts of drawers and shelves of various sizes lined the tops and underside of the desk and it had a series of faint carvings depicting everything from cogs and gears to fairies and elves.

It was only after taking everything in that Kat truly became aware of the fact that the room was hardly lit. The bulbs in the ceiling giving off the barest necessary light for a human to operate by… perhaps even a bit less, and while this didn't affect Kat's vision it was a bizarre sight. The second strange thing that struck Kat about the room was the distinct lack of additional furniture. The was no closet or bed in sight, and the room despite its increased size compared to her own did not seem to have the space for either of these fixtures even if they were hidden from her at the moment.

As Kat stepped into the room and Callisto let the door softly close behind her Kat felt herself pulling in. Her wings were folded against her back and her tail had coiled itself into a loop and flattened itself enough to phase completely through her kimono. Kat slowly turned to face Callisto, now more unsure than ever as to what she would see and yet she was still surprised at what she found

Callisto stood taller than even Kat by about a head, Kat found this strange as the eye that had peered back at her seemed to have matched her eyeline before perhaps indicating someone of smaller statue or hunched back but derailing these thoughts Callisto stood with perfect posture even looking down at Kat slightly. Her eyes were blue like Kat's own but they seemed to have a crazed light to them that made them glow despite their dark shade.

Callisto's outfit was even stranger, at first glance you could be mistaken for thinking it was an elaborate maid outfit, and yet so many things failed to line up with this idea. Firstly it extended so far as to brush against the floor, hiding her feet from view, with the sleaves ending in large drooping sleaves that would have been completely impractical for any sort of house work Kat knew Callisto regularly participated in from the meals and cleaned rooms Vivian insisted was never of her own doing. And the colour scheme seemed to further emphasise its impracticality. The main body of the dress was a pristine white with the frills outlining the neck and sleave edges a deep blood red.

Callisto's hair as well stood out to Kat, it was easily as long as her own after her transformation. Kat couldn't tell quite how far it fell from the front especially with the full-length dress in the way but from the brief glimpse of it as she moved Kat was sure that extensive.

"I would guess that you have been suggested by Vivian to pay to me a visit" said Callisto "It seems she truly has gone through with this adoption business she has so ill conceived"

Pausing to place a sleave in front of her mouth Callisto continued "Of course, I suppose that isn't really why you're here. The question of whether or not to adopt to young ladies was already made before I was consulted so I could only agree. It does however seeeem. That. You. Both. Are. Interesting"

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