The room somehow became quieter after that.
Not calmer.
Just quieter in the exact way situations became right before something incredibly unnecessary happened.
Aldric's crimson eyes narrowed at the cat.
The cat stared back without even the slightest trace of fear.
Its paw remained resting possessively atop the bottle.
Draven continued piloting the fortress as though none of this concerned him in the slightest.
Blue mana light reflected across his face while navigation sigils rotated steadily around the control seat.
Aldric's eyes narrowed further.
"Remove your damn paw," he said flatly.
The cat looked at him.
Then—
"Meow."
Its tone sounded almost dismissive.
Aldric's eye twitched faintly.
"…Try me."
A thin crimson glow flickered briefly around his fingers.
"I'll rip off your damn paw."
Silence.
The cat stared at him for another long second.
Then—
"Meow."
Completely unimpressed.
And before anyone could react, it turned away from Aldric entirely and smacked its paw directly against Draven's forehead.
Tap.
Another meow followed immediately.
"Meow."
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The small black paw repeatedly smacked against Draven's head with absolute confidence.
Kaelira stared.
The cultist stared.
Even the half-conscious pilot opened one eye from the floor just long enough to witness the scene.
"…I'm hallucinating from exhaustion," he muttered weakly.
Draven continued piloting the ship for several seconds while being repeatedly assaulted by cat paws.
Then finally—
"Stop that."
His voice remained calm.
The cat immediately froze.
Silence filled the room.
Aldric smirked faintly and took another drink.
"See? Even the damn cat knows who outranks it."
The cat ignored him completely.
Instead, it calmly climbed down from Draven's head onto his shoulder before curling loosely against the side of his neck.
Then—
"Meow."
Its paw lifted again.
Tap.
Directly against Draven's cheek.
Tap.
Draven slowly glanced at it out of the corner of his eye.
The cat paused instantly.
Perfectly still.
Watching him carefully.
Several seconds passed.
Then the paw lifted again.
Tap.
Tap.
Kaelira immediately covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
The pilot, still on the floor with his eyes closed, muttered:
"…That cat has absolutely no survival instincts."
The cat meowed again while lightly batting Draven's face once more.
Draven stared at it for a brief moment.
Then looked away.
"…Aldric."
Aldric raised a brow.
"What."
"Give me a bottle."
Silence.
Aldric stared at him.
Long.
Hard.
Then slowly lowered the bottle from his mouth.
"…You're asking me," he said carefully,
"for my alcohol."
"What does it seem like."
Another long silence filled the control deck.
The ship hummed steadily around them.
Blue mana light pulsed softly across the walls.
Aldric continued staring at Draven like he had just personally declared war on him.
"…For the cat?"
"Yes."
"No."
Draven lightly scratched beneath the cat's chin with one hand while still controlling the ship one-handed.
The cat immediately began purring loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
Then it looked directly at Aldric.
"Meow."
Aldric's expression flattened into pure offense.
"…That little bastard is mocking me."
"It definitely is," Kaelira said immediately.
The cat tapped Draven's cheek again.
Purring.
Completely victorious.
Draven spoke without emotion.
"It wants the bottle."
Aldric looked genuinely horrified.
"The hell it does."
"Meow."
The cat's eyes narrowed.
Aldric narrowed his eyes right back.
An invisible battle of hostility immediately filled the room.
The cultist quietly stepped backward.
"…My lord," she said carefully,
"should I perhaps go get one for—"
"Just give me the damn bottle."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even the hum of the mana core felt quieter after Draven spoke.
Aldric stared at him.
Draven stared back calmly from the pilot seat, one hand still resting against the controls while blue sigils rotated lazily around him.
The black cat remained draped across his shoulder like royalty overseeing negotiations.
Its tail flicked once.
Aldric slowly lowered his drink.
"…What exactly was that supposed to be? An order?" he asked flatly.
The room suddenly felt dangerous.
Not loud.
Not explosive.
Worse.
Quiet.
Kaelira immediately stopped smiling.
Even the cultist went completely motionless.
On the floor, the pilot cracked one eye open again before silently deciding this was absolutely not a situation he wanted to be conscious for.
Draven's expression didn't change.
For several long seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then finally—
Draven answered calmly.
"…Now I'm asking."
Aldric's eyes narrowed.
"For something that isn't yours," he said slowly,
"you sure don't sound like someone asking."
Another pause stretched between them.
Sharp.
Heavy.
Then suddenly—
Aldric scoffed.
"Tch."
With a flick of his finger, one of the bottles lifted itself from the floating crate beside him and shot across the room.
Straight toward Draven.
Kaelira's eyes widened slightly at the speed.
The bottle spun once through the air—
then stopped instantly in Draven's hand.
Caught effortlessly.
Not even a drop spilled.
The black cat's eyes immediately locked onto it.
"Meow."
Victorious.
Aldric leaned back lazily in the air with visible irritation.