#nmfic — Public Fediverse posts

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 37
#Wss366 Yellow #TimeTravelAuthors Whatever

I hadn’t been able to get her to give up the plan of rescuing Okiku-san, but I convinced her to stay away from Lookback Ridge and the presence there. Instead, she drew a magic circle and the required runes in her garden.

On the chosen night, the full moon shone brightly over the neat rows of herbs in her yard. The plants gave off a faint purplish light that I associated with magical energy. The faintly scented of shiso, rosemary, and mugwort hung in the air.

As the hour of the ox arrived, Sumika cast yarrow stalks, said the time was favorable, and stepped out into the moonlight. She began chanting and slowly danced backward, wither-shins around the chalked lines. I perched on her shoulder, remaining quiet. Now wasn’t the time for me to be clever.

Gradually, a fog arose, first hiding the garden plants, then the stars, and lastly the house. Only the moon remained, casting a diffuse, silvery light. While all this was happening, the circle began to sparkle, giving off a violet radiance. The mist sang back to us in a woman’s voice. As the singing grew louder, a #yellow flickering glow, like a fire, appeared off to one side.

The voice abruptly ceased singing and spoke. “So he has sent someone after all. Welcome, sister. Join me by my fire where it is warm. We have much to discuss, and my time is short.”

#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 37
#Wss366 Yellow #TimeTravelAuthors Whatever

I hadn’t been able to get her to give up the plan of rescuing Okiku-san, but I convinced her to stay away from Lookback Ridge and the presence there. Instead, she drew a magic circle and the required runes in her garden.

On the chosen night, the full moon shone brightly over the neat rows of herbs in her yard. The plants gave off a faint purplish light that I associated with magical energy. The faintly scented of shiso, rosemary, and mugwort hung in the air.

As the hour of the ox arrived, Sumika cast yarrow stalks, said the time was favorable, and stepped out into the moonlight. She began chanting and slowly danced backward, wither-shins around the chalked lines. I perched on her shoulder, remaining quiet. Now wasn’t the time for me to be clever.

Gradually, a fog arose, first hiding the garden plants, then the stars, and lastly the house. Only the moon remained, casting a diffuse, silvery light. While all this was happening, the circle began to sparkle, giving off a violet radiance. The mist sang back to us in a woman’s voice. As the singing grew louder, a #yellow flickering glow, like a fire, appeared off to one side.

The voice abruptly ceased singing and spoke. “So he has sent someone after all. Welcome, sister. Join me by my fire where it is warm. We have much to discuss, and my time is short.”

#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 99: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus

#Wss366 Cocktail #TimeTravelAuthors 05/13. Wednesday POST-SIZED snippet (optional word: peace)

While I waited for a servant to lead me inside, I consulted with Emily. The thought of an authentic local meal thrilled me, as did the idea that I could get someone to guide us to St. George’s Shrine later. That was if I could carry off this masquerade. The fact that my host and I didn’t speak the same language worked in my favor; while that I knew nothing about the Coptic faith ran against it. I could only hope that the scholar was as unfamiliar with their dogma as I was.

As if sensing my thoughts, Emily asked, “Do you think you can carry this off?”

“Yeah, I’m conversant with medieval Christian mysticism. I can always whip up a #cocktail of French and German metaphysical nonsense. That should work unless they’re familiar with Coptic beliefs. That’s what this robe is, Coptic. I’m more worried about what will happen when they find out I’m a woman. I have no idea how they’ll react to a holy matron instead of a holy man. It’s a rather chauvinistic era.”

“Aren’t they all?” The bitterness in her tone was clear.

I had to agree. Heaven knows there were still people who wanted to repeal a woman’s right to vote in my time. It never stopped. However, there were more pressing issues for me currently.

“I’ve got it, a mask and a holy vow,” I said.

I manifested a porcelain mask similar to the one Countess Bathory had used.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“Frightening. It’s too fancy. You want something more sacred and less sepulcher. Think humble poverty.”

“More of gravy and less of sepulcher,” I muttered. It was a joke that left Emily puzzling.

The Dickens reference may have gone over her head, but the image of the three Christmas ghosts spurred my imagination.

I reformed the mask into a crude wooden representation of Tiny Tim, a #peaceful but haunted smile on his face, combined with a crown of thorns.

Emily sighed and said, “It’ll do.”

#TootFic #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 99: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus

#Wss366 Cocktail #TimeTravelAuthors 05/13. Wednesday POST-SIZED snippet (optional word: peace)

While I waited for a servant to lead me inside, I consulted with Emily. The thought of an authentic local meal thrilled me, as did the idea that I could get someone to guide us to St. George’s Shrine later. That was if I could carry off this masquerade. The fact that my host and I didn’t speak the same language worked in my favor; while that I knew nothing about the Coptic faith ran against it. I could only hope that the scholar was as unfamiliar with their dogma as I was.

As if sensing my thoughts, Emily asked, “Do you think you can carry this off?”

“Yeah, I’m conversant with medieval Christian mysticism. I can always whip up a #cocktail of French and German metaphysical nonsense. That should work unless they’re familiar with Coptic beliefs. That’s what this robe is, Coptic. I’m more worried about what will happen when they find out I’m a woman. I have no idea how they’ll react to a holy matron instead of a holy man. It’s a rather chauvinistic era.”

“Aren’t they all?” The bitterness in her tone was clear.

I had to agree. Heaven knows there were still people who wanted to repeal a woman’s right to vote in my time. It never stopped. However, there were more pressing issues for me currently.

“I’ve got it, a mask and a holy vow,” I said.

I manifested a porcelain mask similar to the one Countess Bathory had used.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“Frightening. It’s too fancy. You want something more sacred and less sepulcher. Think humble poverty.”

“More of gravy and less of sepulcher,” I muttered. It was a joke that left Emily puzzling.

The Dickens reference may have gone over her head, but the image of the three Christmas ghosts spurred my imagination.

I reformed the mask into a crude wooden representation of Tiny Tim, a #peaceful but haunted smile on his face, combined with a crown of thorns.

Emily sighed and said, “It’ll do.”

#TootFic #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 99: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus

#Wss366 Cocktail #TimeTravelAuthors 05/13. Wednesday POST-SIZED snippet (optional word: peace)

While I waited for a servant to lead me inside, I consulted with Emily. The thought of an authentic local meal thrilled me, as did the idea that I could get someone to guide us to St. George’s Shrine later. That was if I could carry off this masquerade. The fact that my host and I didn’t speak the same language worked in my favor; while that I knew nothing about the Coptic faith ran against it. I could only hope that the scholar was as unfamiliar with their dogma as I was.

As if sensing my thoughts, Emily asked, “Do you think you can carry this off?”

“Yeah, I’m conversant with medieval Christian mysticism. I can always whip up a #cocktail of French and German metaphysical nonsense. That should work unless they’re familiar with Coptic beliefs. That’s what this robe is, Coptic. I’m more worried about what will happen when they find out I’m a woman. I have no idea how they’ll react to a holy matron instead of a holy man. It’s a rather chauvinistic era.”

“Aren’t they all?” The bitterness in her tone was clear.

I had to agree. Heaven knows there were still people who wanted to repeal a woman’s right to vote in my time. It never stopped. However, there were more pressing issues for me currently.

“I’ve got it, a mask and a holy vow,” I said.

I manifested a porcelain mask similar to the one Countess Bathory had used.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“Frightening. It’s too fancy. You want something more sacred and less sepulcher. Think humble poverty.”

“More of gravy and less of sepulcher,” I muttered. It was a joke that left Emily puzzling.

The Dickens reference may have gone over her head, but the image of the three Christmas ghosts spurred my imagination.

I reformed the mask into a crude wooden representation of Tiny Tim, a #peaceful but haunted smile on his face, combined with a crown of thorns.

Emily sighed and said, “It’ll do.”

#TootFic #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 99: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus

#Wss366 Cocktail #TimeTravelAuthors 05/13. Wednesday POST-SIZED snippet (optional word: peace)

While I waited for a servant to lead me inside, I consulted with Emily. The thought of an authentic local meal thrilled me, as did the idea that I could get someone to guide us to St. George’s Shrine later. That was if I could carry off this masquerade. The fact that my host and I didn’t speak the same language worked in my favor; while that I knew nothing about the Coptic faith ran against it. I could only hope that the scholar was as unfamiliar with their dogma as I was.

As if sensing my thoughts, Emily asked, “Do you think you can carry this off?”

“Yeah, I’m conversant with medieval Christian mysticism. I can always whip up a #cocktail of French and German metaphysical nonsense. That should work unless they’re familiar with Coptic beliefs. That’s what this robe is, Coptic. I’m more worried about what will happen when they find out I’m a woman. I have no idea how they’ll react to a holy matron instead of a holy man. It’s a rather chauvinistic era.”

“Aren’t they all?” The bitterness in her tone was clear.

I had to agree. Heaven knows there were still people who wanted to repeal a woman’s right to vote in my time. It never stopped. However, there were more pressing issues for me currently.

“I’ve got it, a mask and a holy vow,” I said.

I manifested a porcelain mask similar to the one Countess Bathory had used.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“Frightening. It’s too fancy. You want something more sacred and less sepulcher. Think humble poverty.”

“More of gravy and less of sepulcher,” I muttered. It was a joke that left Emily puzzling.

The Dickens reference may have gone over her head, but the image of the three Christmas ghosts spurred my imagination.

I reformed the mask into a crude wooden representation of Tiny Tim, a #peaceful but haunted smile on his face, combined with a crown of thorns.

Emily sighed and said, “It’ll do.”

#TootFic #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 99: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus

#Wss366 Cocktail #TimeTravelAuthors 05/13. Wednesday POST-SIZED snippet (optional word: peace)

While I waited for a servant to lead me inside, I consulted with Emily. The thought of an authentic local meal thrilled me, as did the idea that I could get someone to guide us to St. George’s Shrine later. That was if I could carry off this masquerade. The fact that my host and I didn’t speak the same language worked in my favor; while that I knew nothing about the Coptic faith ran against it. I could only hope that the scholar was as unfamiliar with their dogma as I was.

As if sensing my thoughts, Emily asked, “Do you think you can carry this off?”

“Yeah, I’m conversant with medieval Christian mysticism. I can always whip up a #cocktail of French and German metaphysical nonsense. That should work unless they’re familiar with Coptic beliefs. That’s what this robe is, Coptic. I’m more worried about what will happen when they find out I’m a woman. I have no idea how they’ll react to a holy matron instead of a holy man. It’s a rather chauvinistic era.”

“Aren’t they all?” The bitterness in her tone was clear.

I had to agree. Heaven knows there were still people who wanted to repeal a woman’s right to vote in my time. It never stopped. However, there were more pressing issues for me currently.

“I’ve got it, a mask and a holy vow,” I said.

I manifested a porcelain mask similar to the one Countess Bathory had used.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“Frightening. It’s too fancy. You want something more sacred and less sepulcher. Think humble poverty.”

“More of gravy and less of sepulcher,” I muttered. It was a joke that left Emily puzzling.

The Dickens reference may have gone over her head, but the image of the three Christmas ghosts spurred my imagination.

I reformed the mask into a crude wooden representation of Tiny Tim, a #peaceful but haunted smile on his face, combined with a crown of thorns.

Emily sighed and said, “It’ll do.”

#TootFic #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 36
#Wss366 purple #TimeTravelAuthors Whatever

I never did figure out a way to tell her this was a bad idea. The allure of a romantic adventure was too strong to overcome with mere words.

Besides, there were some good reasons to cast the spell. It would be interesting. Mistress would be happy. Watching a real-life yuri romance bloom would be entertaining. Disaster lesbian romances were such a fun trope, and Sumika was the epitome of a disaster lesbian. More practically, I supposed all witches had their allies, and Dōken-shin wasn’t the worst. He certainly wasn’t Mephistopheles or a soul-eating shinigami. At least I hoped not.

Preparation took time. She purchased an Edo-style #purple silk kimono, antibiotics (my suggestion), and a map of Himeji Castle. Money was harder to come by. We bought strings of worn Ming cash coins, but a dealer sorting through them dismissed many as modern copies or inappropriate for the era. We made up the difference with small pieces of cut silver. My estimation of Sumika increased. She was still a bubblehead, but she thought through the process, listened to my advice, and spared no effort in preparing.

Then, after she obtained a week off work, we were ready to go.

Edo Japan, here we come!

#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 36
#Wss366 purple #TimeTravelAuthors Whatever

I never did figure out a way to tell her this was a bad idea. The allure of a romantic adventure was too strong to overcome with mere words.

Besides, there were some good reasons to cast the spell. It would be interesting. Mistress would be happy. Watching a real-life yuri romance bloom would be entertaining. Disaster lesbian romances were such a fun trope, and Sumika was the epitome of a disaster lesbian. More practically, I supposed all witches had their allies, and Dōken-shin wasn’t the worst. He certainly wasn’t Mephistopheles or a soul-eating shinigami. At least I hoped not.

Preparation took time. She purchased an Edo-style #purple silk kimono, antibiotics (my suggestion), and a map of Himeji Castle. Money was harder to come by. We bought strings of worn Ming cash coins, but a dealer sorting through them dismissed many as modern copies or inappropriate for the era. We made up the difference with small pieces of cut silver. My estimation of Sumika increased. She was still a bubblehead, but she thought through the process, listened to my advice, and spared no effort in preparing.

Then, after she obtained a week off work, we were ready to go.

Edo Japan, here we come!

#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 36
#Wss366 purple #TimeTravelAuthors Whatever

I never did figure out a way to tell her this was a bad idea. The allure of a romantic adventure was too strong to overcome with mere words.

Besides, there were some good reasons to cast the spell. It would be interesting. Mistress would be happy. Watching a real-life yuri romance bloom would be entertaining. Disaster lesbian romances were such a fun trope, and Sumika was the epitome of a disaster lesbian. More practically, I supposed all witches had their allies, and Dōken-shin wasn’t the worst. He certainly wasn’t Mephistopheles or a soul-eating shinigami. At least I hoped not.

Preparation took time. She purchased an Edo-style #purple silk kimono, antibiotics (my suggestion), and a map of Himeji Castle. Money was harder to come by. We bought strings of worn Ming cash coins, but a dealer sorting through them dismissed many as modern copies or inappropriate for the era. We made up the difference with small pieces of cut silver. My estimation of Sumika increased. She was still a bubblehead, but she thought through the process, listened to my advice, and spared no effort in preparing.

Then, after she obtained a week off work, we were ready to go.

Edo Japan, here we come!

#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 36
#Wss366 purple #TimeTravelAuthors Whatever

I never did figure out a way to tell her this was a bad idea. The allure of a romantic adventure was too strong to overcome with mere words.

Besides, there were some good reasons to cast the spell. It would be interesting. Mistress would be happy. Watching a real-life yuri romance bloom would be entertaining. Disaster lesbian romances were such a fun trope, and Sumika was the epitome of a disaster lesbian. More practically, I supposed all witches had their allies, and Dōken-shin wasn’t the worst. He certainly wasn’t Mephistopheles or a soul-eating shinigami. At least I hoped not.

Preparation took time. She purchased an Edo-style #purple silk kimono, antibiotics (my suggestion), and a map of Himeji Castle. Money was harder to come by. We bought strings of worn Ming cash coins, but a dealer sorting through them dismissed many as modern copies or inappropriate for the era. We made up the difference with small pieces of cut silver. My estimation of Sumika increased. She was still a bubblehead, but she thought through the process, listened to my advice, and spared no effort in preparing.

Then, after she obtained a week off work, we were ready to go.

Edo Japan, here we come!

#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 36
#Wss366 purple #TimeTravelAuthors Whatever

I never did figure out a way to tell her this was a bad idea. The allure of a romantic adventure was too strong to overcome with mere words.

Besides, there were some good reasons to cast the spell. It would be interesting. Mistress would be happy. Watching a real-life yuri romance bloom would be entertaining. Disaster lesbian romances were such a fun trope, and Sumika was the epitome of a disaster lesbian. More practically, I supposed all witches had their allies, and Dōken-shin wasn’t the worst. He certainly wasn’t Mephistopheles or a soul-eating shinigami. At least I hoped not.

Preparation took time. She purchased an Edo-style #purple silk kimono, antibiotics (my suggestion), and a map of Himeji Castle. Money was harder to come by. We bought strings of worn Ming cash coins, but a dealer sorting through them dismissed many as modern copies or inappropriate for the era. We made up the difference with small pieces of cut silver. My estimation of Sumika increased. She was still a bubblehead, but she thought through the process, listened to my advice, and spared no effort in preparing.

Then, after she obtained a week off work, we were ready to go.

Edo Japan, here we come!

#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 35
#Wss366 Film #TimeTravelAuthors 05/11. Do your characters ever undo anything?

“I'm not in love with her,” Mistress finally said. “I don’t know her. She has been dead for how many years?”

“My pardon, you are not in love, and you are not blushing.”

I hurried to answer her question from memory rather than give her time to continue protesting. "Banchō Sarayashiki is an Edo-era story, so it's been about two or three hundred years."

“And how is that supposed to work? I’m not getting involved in necromancy. I’ve watched enough horror #films to know these things never work out in the mortals’ favor.”

She fingered the wound where I had stabbed her, probably remembering how the kami had almost trapped her before. “Besides, I doubt it’s smart to accept favors from Dōken-shin.”

“Getting cold feet, little lady?” It was my contrariness coming through. She was actually wise not to involve herself with Arakawa Dōken.

While I tried to figure out how to steady my perch, i.e., take back the comment, she studied the spell.

“Oh, I get it now!” she said. “This will allow us to go back in time, and we can save her.”

“Time travel,” I thought. “That would be exciting. Still, what about time paradoxes?”

“Like a romance novel!” she said, clapping her hands.

That last statement worried me.

#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 35
#Wss366 Film #TimeTravelAuthors 05/11. Do your characters ever undo anything?

“I'm not in love with her,” Mistress finally said. “I don’t know her. She has been dead for how many years?”

“My pardon, you are not in love, and you are not blushing.”

I hurried to answer her question from memory rather than give her time to continue protesting. "Banchō Sarayashiki is an Edo-era story, so it's been about two or three hundred years."

“And how is that supposed to work? I’m not getting involved in necromancy. I’ve watched enough horror #films to know these things never work out in the mortals’ favor.”

She fingered the wound where I had stabbed her, probably remembering how the kami had almost trapped her before. “Besides, I doubt it’s smart to accept favors from Dōken-shin.”

“Getting cold feet, little lady?” It was my contrariness coming through. She was actually wise not to involve herself with Arakawa Dōken.

While I tried to figure out how to steady my perch, i.e., take back the comment, she studied the spell.

“Oh, I get it now!” she said. “This will allow us to go back in time, and we can save her.”

“Time travel,” I thought. “That would be exciting. Still, what about time paradoxes?”

“Like a romance novel!” she said, clapping her hands.

That last statement worried me.

#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 35
#Wss366 Film #TimeTravelAuthors 05/11. Do your characters ever undo anything?

“I'm not in love with her,” Mistress finally said. “I don’t know her. She has been dead for how many years?”

“My pardon, you are not in love, and you are not blushing.”

I hurried to answer her question from memory rather than give her time to continue protesting. "Banchō Sarayashiki is an Edo-era story, so it's been about two or three hundred years."

“And how is that supposed to work? I’m not getting involved in necromancy. I’ve watched enough horror #films to know these things never work out in the mortals’ favor.”

She fingered the wound where I had stabbed her, probably remembering how the kami had almost trapped her before. “Besides, I doubt it’s smart to accept favors from Dōken-shin.”

“Getting cold feet, little lady?” It was my contrariness coming through. She was actually wise not to involve herself with Arakawa Dōken.

While I tried to figure out how to steady my perch, i.e., take back the comment, she studied the spell.

“Oh, I get it now!” she said. “This will allow us to go back in time, and we can save her.”

“Time travel,” I thought. “That would be exciting. Still, what about time paradoxes?”

“Like a romance novel!” she said, clapping her hands.

That last statement worried me.

#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 35
#Wss366 Film #TimeTravelAuthors 05/11. Do your characters ever undo anything?

“I'm not in love with her,” Mistress finally said. “I don’t know her. She has been dead for how many years?”

“My pardon, you are not in love, and you are not blushing.”

I hurried to answer her question from memory rather than give her time to continue protesting. "Banchō Sarayashiki is an Edo-era story, so it's been about two or three hundred years."

“And how is that supposed to work? I’m not getting involved in necromancy. I’ve watched enough horror #films to know these things never work out in the mortals’ favor.”

She fingered the wound where I had stabbed her, probably remembering how the kami had almost trapped her before. “Besides, I doubt it’s smart to accept favors from Dōken-shin.”

“Getting cold feet, little lady?” It was my contrariness coming through. She was actually wise not to involve herself with Arakawa Dōken.

While I tried to figure out how to steady my perch, i.e., take back the comment, she studied the spell.

“Oh, I get it now!” she said. “This will allow us to go back in time, and we can save her.”

“Time travel,” I thought. “That would be exciting. Still, what about time paradoxes?”

“Like a romance novel!” she said, clapping her hands.

That last statement worried me.

#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 35
#Wss366 Film #TimeTravelAuthors 05/11. Do your characters ever undo anything?

“I'm not in love with her,” Mistress finally said. “I don’t know her. She has been dead for how many years?”

“My pardon, you are not in love, and you are not blushing.”

I hurried to answer her question from memory rather than give her time to continue protesting. "Banchō Sarayashiki is an Edo-era story, so it's been about two or three hundred years."

“And how is that supposed to work? I’m not getting involved in necromancy. I’ve watched enough horror #films to know these things never work out in the mortals’ favor.”

She fingered the wound where I had stabbed her, probably remembering how the kami had almost trapped her before. “Besides, I doubt it’s smart to accept favors from Dōken-shin.”

“Getting cold feet, little lady?” It was my contrariness coming through. She was actually wise not to involve herself with Arakawa Dōken.

While I tried to figure out how to steady my perch, i.e., take back the comment, she studied the spell.

“Oh, I get it now!” she said. “This will allow us to go back in time, and we can save her.”

“Time travel,” I thought. “That would be exciting. Still, what about time paradoxes?”

“Like a romance novel!” she said, clapping her hands.

That last statement worried me.

#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 98: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus

#Wss366 gloss #TimeTravelAuthors 05/9. Saturday excerpt (optional word: hide/hidden)

Emily soon joined me in the courtyard. After the turbulent street filled with crowds, vendors, and beggars, the citrus-scented space was peaceful or should have been, if it hadn’t been for the cry of a young female voice, saying, “Oh… makaristos Agios Ilarionas… éna tháuma…”

I followed the sound and saw a girl of about ten wearing a white dress that matched the flowers dangling near her face. Her bright eyes and #glossy black hair were barely visible through the second-floor’s vines, where she #hid.

She continued, “Pappoú. “Pappoú. éna tháuma.”

“We’re in the soup now,” Emily said.

As we watched, a gray-haired man armed with a stout cudgel joined her. The girl spoke rapidly to him, gesticulating wildly.

After shooing her out of sight, he called down to us, “Pois eisai?”

I held my hands in the air and said in French, “We’re friends. We mean you no harm.”

The man’s face screwed up, puzzled, and then he shouted into the house. Another man appeared. I guessed he was a scholar from his somber black robes and lean countenance.

The two men spoke while Emily and I conferred. “What should we do?” I asked. “Time-trip to our meeting with the monk?” By “monk,” I meant our former guide.

“Wait,” she replied. “There’s a pattern of things going sideways when we do that.”

It was true. Twice now, tripping had put us in life-threatening positions. First, there’d been the meteor impact, and then there was the less-than-friendly reception we’d just experienced. It didn’t always happen, but it occurred enough to make one wary.

“Who are you?” the scholar called down in accented French.

“I am Bijou, a traveling pilgrim,” I said, bowing. “I mean you no harm. My only wish is to bless your house.”

Out of sight, I heard the girl say, “Pappoú. éna tháuma.”

“She says you performed a miracle, passing through a solid wall.” The man said, making a sign against the evil eye.

“It was God’s blessing upon a humble mendicant. I was seeking St. George’s shrine when outlaws tried to stop me. God is great, and many are his miracles.”

The two men conferred again, and while they did so, Emily addressed me. “Lying it on rather thick there aren’t you?”

“Better than being mistaken for a sorcerer,” I said, crossing myself as if uttering a prayer. “Besides, this is an age of wonders.”

Their conference over, the scholar called to me, “Holy one, would you bless our house by partaking a humble meal with us?”

“It would be my honor,” I said. Luck had finally smiled on me.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

Prince Charming Part 2
#FanFic WanderingWitch #SnowWhite
#Wss366 Hedge / #GreeneryDay Japan

Ahead, light streamed through a honeysuckle-draped arch. The air was sweet with their scent, buzzing with the song of bees.

“Hum,” I thought and then laughed at my pun. It looked as though there was a grassy clearing ahead. The sun would feel nice there. I could lie in the grass and eat the bread I’d bought at the last town. But wait, there was someone already there: a tall, handsome man standing next to a proud horse. The man’s elegant hunter’s outfit made it clear he was some kind of noble—“too bad.”

He looked up, smiling. “Have you come to see her too?”

“See who?” I asked and approached cautiously, peering through the grass to see what he was looking at.

There, in the middle of the clearing, was a crystal coffin. Inside was a woman wearing a brown peasant dress. Among the wilted remains of wildflowers that someone had placed on the lid was a bouquet of fresh roses.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” the man said. “I could stroke her hair all day.”

“Yes, it’s lovely,” I said. It was too: an amber-brown, lightened in streaks by the sun.

“And you are?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t want the Queen to hear I came here, so you can just call me Prince Charming. Many people do.”

“So you visit often, Prince Charming?” My sarcasm went unnoticed. I had met nobles like him before. Their charm chiefly resided in the threat of violence. That and the power to wave away such aggression as the victim’s fault.

I hadn’t failed to notice the short silver hunting sword at his side.

“Yes, she is so lovely. How can I resist? I’ve named her Snow White. Doesn’t she deserve it?”

“She is quite lovely, Your Highness. But I hear that if you kiss a sleep enchanted woman, she will wake. Have you tried that?”

“I’ve heard the same, but youth’s beauty fades with time. The lovely bride of today is a wrinkled hag tomorrow. I will let her sleep so she never fades. A gem forever brilliant for me to view.”

The poppies and bluebells nodded in agreement; whether to my ironic thoughts or his statement, I didn’t know.

The honeysuckle odor had suddenly cloyed, and clouds cast shadows on the grass.

I smiled and departed. I could eat my lunch elsewhere.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #FairyTale #Mythpunk #NMFic

Prince Charming Part 1

#FanFic WanderingWitch #SnowWhite
#Wss366 Hedge / #GreeneryDay Japan

The day had started well. A gentle wind scented with verdant greenery stirred my hair. Bright violets bloomed along my path, mingling with yellow buttercups and brilliant orange poppies. Thrushes and titmice flitted in the #hedges. It was truly the kind of day where wandering the byways was a goddess-given blessing.

So wondrous was the day that I didn’t even mind the occasional burr that attached itself to my mage’s robes or the dense foliage that forced me to walk. The moss-covered path was easy on my feet. The occasional brook sang to me. Butterflies as bright as the star brooch of my profession delighted my eyes.

Who was this young woman so enamored with life?

It was me, Elaine the Wandering Witch.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #FairyTale #Mythpunk #NMFic

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 33 Part 1
#Wss366 Mug

“Ack!” I screamed.

With aggressive footsteps, Mistress rushed into the room, arms swinging, and head thrust forward. It screamed danger.

“Fly away!!!”

She wore a nightgown and a wrap around her shoulders. Her eyes were as fierce as Dōken-shin’s had been when I bravely stood up to him.

I quailed, taking off for the top of a bookshelf. From there, I shouted down, “Crack. The book! The book!”

She moved, and I crouched, ready to take off if she threw something at me.

Instead, she stood in the middle of the floor, arms on her hips, glaring up at me. “This is the middle of the night. It had better be worth it, 'Crow!'”

Discretion being the better part of valor, I decided not to correct her this time. “It’s the book. You have to see it,” I cawed.

“What book? What are you talking about?”

She moved again, and I hopped back.

“Can I come down? You won’t hurt me?” I asked.

She nodded, and I flew down to a desk near the window. Through the glass, the moon shone aqua-blue, illuminating a messy pile of papers and books. A cold #mug of cocoa lay amid remnants of last evening’s meal. In the center of the mess rested an open volume, which I pecked at. “See? It’s here.”

Sumika approached, asking, “What’s here?” She stopped short and stared. “That’s not where I left the grimoire. How did it get here?”

Indeed, the Madousho Mōrō, aka Grimoire Obscuriea, lay with its pages gleaming in the soft moonlight.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 96: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus

**#Wss366 Shining #TimeTravelAuthors 04/29. Author's choice/promo

“Come,” said the hooded figure, beckoning toward the rear of the tavern. “They love not sorcerers here. Nor foreigners, as your clothes mark you.”

I followed him closely across the crowded floor, flanked by two guards. The murmur of complaint that continued wasn’t reassuring, but the crowd parted for our guide as if he were Moses at the Red Sea. As we reached an exit, he turned and addressed the room. While I didn’t understand the words, they silenced the complaints.

Beyond the door, we emerged into a dusty alley stinking of refuse or worse. Overhead, the sun blazed down, #shining hot enough to fry one’s brains. I wished I could change my clothes to the coarse linen tunics worn by my guards, but it seemed unwise to resort to “sorcery.” It was a balance between looking outlandish or confirming I was a sorceress. I made the obvious choice not to make things worse.

“We should hurry,” our host said in French. “The Franks will know of your arrival soon. They govern with Satan’s iron fist.”

I translated for Emily, who nodded and kept pace with us.

We threaded our way through twisted alleys, drawing suspicious stares and the occasional sign against the evil eye. The people we passed were of a swarthy cast, wearing loose robes, tunics, and turbans. They spoke a multitude of languages, none of which I understood.

There was a sense of tension and distrust beyond what our mere presence could explain. There were furtive glances up and down the street and hushed voices instead of gossip.

“Do you think we're in Nicosia?” Emily asked me.

“Are we in Nicosia?” I, in turn, asked our guide.

“Nicosia, 907 Anno Martyrum or 1191 by your calendar.”

“Yes,” I said to Emily. “And I think he knows we're time-travelers. Why else would he tell me the year?”

Emily nodded again, while my guards gave me an evil glare. The youth soon explained, “It is best not to speak the language of the invaders. Al-Malik Rīchārd is not well-loved.”

As he finished speaking, shouts and the sound of running feet broke the uneasy murmur of the street. Soon after, men ran past us in disorganized ones, twos, and threes. Cries of “Hoi Naítai,” “Hoi Phrángoi,” “Al-Faranj,” and “Fursān al-Haykal” filled the air.

My guards drew their daggers, and we turned to retreat, only to be met by the crowd surging back, milling about like trapped sheep.

“Alas!” our guide cried. "The Franks! We've been betrayed!"

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 96: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus

**#Wss366 Shining #TimeTravelAuthors 04/29. Author's choice/promo

“Come,” said the hooded figure, beckoning toward the rear of the tavern. “They love not sorcerers here. Nor foreigners, as your clothes mark you.”

I followed him closely across the crowded floor, flanked by two guards. The murmur of complaint that continued wasn’t reassuring, but the crowd parted for our guide as if he were Moses at the Red Sea. As we reached an exit, he turned and addressed the room. While I didn’t understand the words, they silenced the complaints.

Beyond the door, we emerged into a dusty alley stinking of refuse or worse. Overhead, the sun blazed down, #shining hot enough to fry one’s brains. I wished I could change my clothes to the coarse linen tunics worn by my guards, but it seemed unwise to resort to “sorcery.” It was a balance between looking outlandish or confirming I was a sorceress. I made the obvious choice not to make things worse.

“We should hurry,” our host said in French. “The Franks will know of your arrival soon. They govern with Satan’s iron fist.”

I translated for Emily, who nodded and kept pace with us.

We threaded our way through twisted alleys, drawing suspicious stares and the occasional sign against the evil eye. The people we passed were of a swarthy cast, wearing loose robes, tunics, and turbans. They spoke a multitude of languages, none of which I understood.

There was a sense of tension and distrust beyond what our mere presence could explain. There were furtive glances up and down the street and hushed voices instead of gossip.

“Do you think we're in Nicosia?” Emily asked me.

“Are we in Nicosia?” I, in turn, asked our guide.

“Nicosia, 907 Anno Martyrum or 1191 by your calendar.”

“Yes,” I said to Emily. “And I think he knows we're time-travelers. Why else would he tell me the year?”

Emily nodded again, while my guards gave me an evil glare. The youth soon explained, “It is best not to speak the language of the invaders. Al-Malik Rīchārd is not well-loved.”

As he finished speaking, shouts and the sound of running feet broke the uneasy murmur of the street. Soon after, men ran past us in disorganized ones, twos, and threes. Cries of “Hoi Naítai,” “Hoi Phrángoi,” “Al-Faranj,” and “Fursān al-Haykal” filled the air.

My guards drew their daggers, and we turned to retreat, only to be met by the crowd surging back, milling about like trapped sheep.

“Alas!” our guide cried. "The Franks! We've been betrayed!"

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 96: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus

**#Wss366 Shining #TimeTravelAuthors 04/29. Author's choice/promo

“Come,” said the hooded figure, beckoning toward the rear of the tavern. “They love not sorcerers here. Nor foreigners, as your clothes mark you.”

I followed him closely across the crowded floor, flanked by two guards. The murmur of complaint that continued wasn’t reassuring, but the crowd parted for our guide as if he were Moses at the Red Sea. As we reached an exit, he turned and addressed the room. While I didn’t understand the words, they silenced the complaints.

Beyond the door, we emerged into a dusty alley stinking of refuse or worse. Overhead, the sun blazed down, #shining hot enough to fry one’s brains. I wished I could change my clothes to the coarse linen tunics worn by my guards, but it seemed unwise to resort to “sorcery.” It was a balance between looking outlandish or confirming I was a sorceress. I made the obvious choice not to make things worse.

“We should hurry,” our host said in French. “The Franks will know of your arrival soon. They govern with Satan’s iron fist.”

I translated for Emily, who nodded and kept pace with us.

We threaded our way through twisted alleys, drawing suspicious stares and the occasional sign against the evil eye. The people we passed were of a swarthy cast, wearing loose robes, tunics, and turbans. They spoke a multitude of languages, none of which I understood.

There was a sense of tension and distrust beyond what our mere presence could explain. There were furtive glances up and down the street and hushed voices instead of gossip.

“Do you think we're in Nicosia?” Emily asked me.

“Are we in Nicosia?” I, in turn, asked our guide.

“Nicosia, 907 Anno Martyrum or 1191 by your calendar.”

“Yes,” I said to Emily. “And I think he knows we're time-travelers. Why else would he tell me the year?”

Emily nodded again, while my guards gave me an evil glare. The youth soon explained, “It is best not to speak the language of the invaders. Al-Malik Rīchārd is not well-loved.”

As he finished speaking, shouts and the sound of running feet broke the uneasy murmur of the street. Soon after, men ran past us in disorganized ones, twos, and threes. Cries of “Hoi Naítai,” “Hoi Phrángoi,” “Al-Faranj,” and “Fursān al-Haykal” filled the air.

My guards drew their daggers, and we turned to retreat, only to be met by the crowd surging back, milling about like trapped sheep.

“Alas!” our guide cried. "The Franks! We've been betrayed!"

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 96: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus

**#Wss366 Shining #TimeTravelAuthors 04/29. Author's choice/promo

“Come,” said the hooded figure, beckoning toward the rear of the tavern. “They love not sorcerers here. Nor foreigners, as your clothes mark you.”

I followed him closely across the crowded floor, flanked by two guards. The murmur of complaint that continued wasn’t reassuring, but the crowd parted for our guide as if he were Moses at the Red Sea. As we reached an exit, he turned and addressed the room. While I didn’t understand the words, they silenced the complaints.

Beyond the door, we emerged into a dusty alley stinking of refuse or worse. Overhead, the sun blazed down, #shining hot enough to fry one’s brains. I wished I could change my clothes to the coarse linen tunics worn by my guards, but it seemed unwise to resort to “sorcery.” It was a balance between looking outlandish or confirming I was a sorceress. I made the obvious choice not to make things worse.

“We should hurry,” our host said in French. “The Franks will know of your arrival soon. They govern with Satan’s iron fist.”

I translated for Emily, who nodded and kept pace with us.

We threaded our way through twisted alleys, drawing suspicious stares and the occasional sign against the evil eye. The people we passed were of a swarthy cast, wearing loose robes, tunics, and turbans. They spoke a multitude of languages, none of which I understood.

There was a sense of tension and distrust beyond what our mere presence could explain. There were furtive glances up and down the street and hushed voices instead of gossip.

“Do you think we're in Nicosia?” Emily asked me.

“Are we in Nicosia?” I, in turn, asked our guide.

“Nicosia, 907 Anno Martyrum or 1191 by your calendar.”

“Yes,” I said to Emily. “And I think he knows we're time-travelers. Why else would he tell me the year?”

Emily nodded again, while my guards gave me an evil glare. The youth soon explained, “It is best not to speak the language of the invaders. Al-Malik Rīchārd is not well-loved.”

As he finished speaking, shouts and the sound of running feet broke the uneasy murmur of the street. Soon after, men ran past us in disorganized ones, twos, and threes. Cries of “Hoi Naítai,” “Hoi Phrángoi,” “Al-Faranj,” and “Fursān al-Haykal” filled the air.

My guards drew their daggers, and we turned to retreat, only to be met by the crowd surging back, milling about like trapped sheep.

“Alas!” our guide cried. "The Franks! We've been betrayed!"

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 10: Post 96: 1191, Nicosia, Cyprus

**#Wss366 Shining #TimeTravelAuthors 04/29. Author's choice/promo

“Come,” said the hooded figure, beckoning toward the rear of the tavern. “They love not sorcerers here. Nor foreigners, as your clothes mark you.”

I followed him closely across the crowded floor, flanked by two guards. The murmur of complaint that continued wasn’t reassuring, but the crowd parted for our guide as if he were Moses at the Red Sea. As we reached an exit, he turned and addressed the room. While I didn’t understand the words, they silenced the complaints.

Beyond the door, we emerged into a dusty alley stinking of refuse or worse. Overhead, the sun blazed down, #shining hot enough to fry one’s brains. I wished I could change my clothes to the coarse linen tunics worn by my guards, but it seemed unwise to resort to “sorcery.” It was a balance between looking outlandish or confirming I was a sorceress. I made the obvious choice not to make things worse.

“We should hurry,” our host said in French. “The Franks will know of your arrival soon. They govern with Satan’s iron fist.”

I translated for Emily, who nodded and kept pace with us.

We threaded our way through twisted alleys, drawing suspicious stares and the occasional sign against the evil eye. The people we passed were of a swarthy cast, wearing loose robes, tunics, and turbans. They spoke a multitude of languages, none of which I understood.

There was a sense of tension and distrust beyond what our mere presence could explain. There were furtive glances up and down the street and hushed voices instead of gossip.

“Do you think we're in Nicosia?” Emily asked me.

“Are we in Nicosia?” I, in turn, asked our guide.

“Nicosia, 907 Anno Martyrum or 1191 by your calendar.”

“Yes,” I said to Emily. “And I think he knows we're time-travelers. Why else would he tell me the year?”

Emily nodded again, while my guards gave me an evil glare. The youth soon explained, “It is best not to speak the language of the invaders. Al-Malik Rīchārd is not well-loved.”

As he finished speaking, shouts and the sound of running feet broke the uneasy murmur of the street. Soon after, men ran past us in disorganized ones, twos, and threes. Cries of “Hoi Naítai,” “Hoi Phrángoi,” “Al-Faranj,” and “Fursān al-Haykal” filled the air.

My guards drew their daggers, and we turned to retreat, only to be met by the crowd surging back, milling about like trapped sheep.

“Alas!” our guide cried. "The Franks! We've been betrayed!"

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku Omen (Sumika POV): Post 31
#Wss366 Kindle

As soon as I found Airisu a place to roost and went to bed myself, I fell into a sleep as deep as a well.

Once again, I found myself in a stranger’s body. This time, the sky was nothing but a circle above. Stone walls encircled me. But I paid no attention to that; my focus was on a set of plates that hovered in the air.

“One plate…”

“Two…”

I was cold, so cold. Water lapped around my waist, numbing the bruises from a beating. The weight of my waterlogged kimono threatened to drag me into the dark depths.

“Three…”

“Four…”

“Five…”

The moon hung above in an ice-black sky.

“Six…”

It was a sphere, not unlike the white china plates that passed through my hands.

“Seven…”

“Eight…”

Smooth, flawless plates, beautiful like a woman’s skin with fine blue lines like veins.

“Nine…”

“Caw, caw!” I looked up, my counting interrupted. On the rim of the well perched a crow. The moon #kindled a violet fire around its silhouette. “Caw, caw! Wait! She is coming,” it said, then croaked out three lines of verse:

Muddy lotus
The water purify
Fragrant dawn sun

Then it departed as the water swallowed me once again.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku Omen (Sumika POV): Post 31
#Wss366 Kindle

As soon as I found Airisu a place to roost and went to bed myself, I fell into a sleep as deep as a well.

Once again, I found myself in a stranger’s body. This time, the sky was nothing but a circle above. Stone walls encircled me. But I paid no attention to that; my focus was on a set of plates that hovered in the air.

“One plate…”

“Two…”

I was cold, so cold. Water lapped around my waist, numbing the bruises from a beating. The weight of my waterlogged kimono threatened to drag me into the dark depths.

“Three…”

“Four…”

“Five…”

The moon hung above in an ice-black sky.

“Six…”

It was a sphere, not unlike the white china plates that passed through my hands.

“Seven…”

“Eight…”

Smooth, flawless plates, beautiful like a woman’s skin with fine blue lines like veins.

“Nine…”

“Caw, caw!” I looked up, my counting interrupted. On the rim of the well perched a crow. The moon #kindled a violet fire around its silhouette. “Caw, caw! Wait! She is coming,” it said, then croaked out three lines of verse:

Muddy lotus
The water purify
Fragrant dawn sun

Then it departed as the water swallowed me once again.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku Omen (Sumika POV): Post 31
#Wss366 Kindle

As soon as I found Airisu a place to roost and went to bed myself, I fell into a sleep as deep as a well.

Once again, I found myself in a stranger’s body. This time, the sky was nothing but a circle above. Stone walls encircled me. But I paid no attention to that; my focus was on a set of plates that hovered in the air.

“One plate…”

“Two…”

I was cold, so cold. Water lapped around my waist, numbing the bruises from a beating. The weight of my waterlogged kimono threatened to drag me into the dark depths.

“Three…”

“Four…”

“Five…”

The moon hung above in an ice-black sky.

“Six…”

It was a sphere, not unlike the white china plates that passed through my hands.

“Seven…”

“Eight…”

Smooth, flawless plates, beautiful like a woman’s skin with fine blue lines like veins.

“Nine…”

“Caw, caw!” I looked up, my counting interrupted. On the rim of the well perched a crow. The moon #kindled a violet fire around its silhouette. “Caw, caw! Wait! She is coming,” it said, then croaked out three lines of verse:

Muddy lotus
The water purify
Fragrant dawn sun

Then it departed as the water swallowed me once again.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku Omen (Sumika POV): Post 31
#Wss366 Kindle

As soon as I found Airisu a place to roost and went to bed myself, I fell into a sleep as deep as a well.

Once again, I found myself in a stranger’s body. This time, the sky was nothing but a circle above. Stone walls encircled me. But I paid no attention to that; my focus was on a set of plates that hovered in the air.

“One plate…”

“Two…”

I was cold, so cold. Water lapped around my waist, numbing the bruises from a beating. The weight of my waterlogged kimono threatened to drag me into the dark depths.

“Three…”

“Four…”

“Five…”

The moon hung above in an ice-black sky.

“Six…”

It was a sphere, not unlike the white china plates that passed through my hands.

“Seven…”

“Eight…”

Smooth, flawless plates, beautiful like a woman’s skin with fine blue lines like veins.

“Nine…”

“Caw, caw!” I looked up, my counting interrupted. On the rim of the well perched a crow. The moon #kindled a violet fire around its silhouette. “Caw, caw! Wait! She is coming,” it said, then croaked out three lines of verse:

Muddy lotus
The water purify
Fragrant dawn sun

Then it departed as the water swallowed me once again.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Okiku Omen (Sumika POV): Post 31
#Wss366 Kindle

As soon as I found Airisu a place to roost and went to bed myself, I fell into a sleep as deep as a well.

Once again, I found myself in a stranger’s body. This time, the sky was nothing but a circle above. Stone walls encircled me. But I paid no attention to that; my focus was on a set of plates that hovered in the air.

“One plate…”

“Two…”

I was cold, so cold. Water lapped around my waist, numbing the bruises from a beating. The weight of my waterlogged kimono threatened to drag me into the dark depths.

“Three…”

“Four…”

“Five…”

The moon hung above in an ice-black sky.

“Six…”

It was a sphere, not unlike the white china plates that passed through my hands.

“Seven…”

“Eight…”

Smooth, flawless plates, beautiful like a woman’s skin with fine blue lines like veins.

“Nine…”

“Caw, caw!” I looked up, my counting interrupted. On the rim of the well perched a crow. The moon #kindled a violet fire around its silhouette. “Caw, caw! Wait! She is coming,” it said, then croaked out three lines of verse:

Muddy lotus
The water purify
Fragrant dawn sun

Then it departed as the water swallowed me once again.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 27
#Wss366 Crow

“A ghost!” Mori-san’s voice shook.

“Shhh,” Sis hissed.

“Shine! Just die! Wither up and die. Shine, shine, shine!” the spirit raved, the leaves crunching as it approached.

For a moment, I thought the wraith was addressing us, and I froze. I felt its unseen eyes on me.

Instead of advancing toward our encampment, the specter floated into the grove, stopping in front of one of the ginkgo trees. As terrified as I was, I couldn’t help but notice it blocked our retreat down the trail. Escape would mean plunging into the dark forest surrounding us.

Silence fell, and I held my breath. Mori-san was trembling next to me, and I heard Sis breathing heavily.

The ghost hovered close to the ground and continued to mutter. Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared, growing until it surrounded the figure. The glow revealed an apparition wearing a white kimono. Thankfully, its back was turned, obscuring its face. I imagined a bloated, black visage with paralyzing eyes.

I dropped my gaze in case the spirit spun around, and I saw feet in incongruous sneakers. Relief flooded my body for a moment. It was a woman, not a yuurei! Then the feeling fled. How was a crazed human any better!?

Finally, three lights appeared, floating up until a crown of candles settled on her head.

“Ushi no koku mairi,” Sis whispered. “Who’s she cursing?”

Suddenly, Mori-san was in motion. “I’m getting out of here,” she said, bolting out of our camp.

“Iyada!” Sis grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet, and followed her friend.“Idiot!”

The white-clad woman loomed before us, blocking the way. She turned, so the candles illuminated the face of a college-aged female with round features, tangled short hair, and deeply slanted eyes. She held a mallet in one hand and a straw doll in the other. On her breast was a mirror. The scene was straight out of a horror movie.

Mori-san tried to dodge past her, but the woman dropped the hammer and grabbed her instead. The instrument fell to the ground, sparks flying as it struck a rock. The two of them spun around. I was so close to them I could see spittle fly as she shouted, “Vermin! Spies! Die!”

My shoulders crashed through the brush alongside the trail. Branches whipped at my face as Sis and I tried running past. Blinded, I tripped when my foot hit a root, causing my sister’s hand to slip from mine.

The next thing I knew, Mori-san had seized my shirt, pushing me into the woman. “Take her!”

We all stumbled, and our captor lost hold of the Sis’s friend. She dropped the doll and grabbed me by the hair. “Blood for blood! I’ll give you to him!” she #crowed.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 27
#Wss366 Crow

“A ghost!” Mori-san’s voice shook.

“Shhh,” Sis hissed.

“Shine! Just die! Wither up and die. Shine, shine, shine!” the spirit raved, the leaves crunching as it approached.

For a moment, I thought the wraith was addressing us, and I froze. I felt its unseen eyes on me.

Instead of advancing toward our encampment, the specter floated into the grove, stopping in front of one of the ginkgo trees. As terrified as I was, I couldn’t help but notice it blocked our retreat down the trail. Escape would mean plunging into the dark forest surrounding us.

Silence fell, and I held my breath. Mori-san was trembling next to me, and I heard Sis breathing heavily.

The ghost hovered close to the ground and continued to mutter. Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared, growing until it surrounded the figure. The glow revealed an apparition wearing a white kimono. Thankfully, its back was turned, obscuring its face. I imagined a bloated, black visage with paralyzing eyes.

I dropped my gaze in case the spirit spun around, and I saw feet in incongruous sneakers. Relief flooded my body for a moment. It was a woman, not a yuurei! Then the feeling fled. How was a crazed human any better!?

Finally, three lights appeared, floating up until a crown of candles settled on her head.

“Ushi no koku mairi,” Sis whispered. “Who’s she cursing?”

Suddenly, Mori-san was in motion. “I’m getting out of here,” she said, bolting out of our camp.

“Iyada!” Sis grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet, and followed her friend.“Idiot!”

The white-clad woman loomed before us, blocking the way. She turned, so the candles illuminated the face of a college-aged female with round features, tangled short hair, and deeply slanted eyes. She held a mallet in one hand and a straw doll in the other. On her breast was a mirror. The scene was straight out of a horror movie.

Mori-san tried to dodge past her, but the woman dropped the hammer and grabbed her instead. The instrument fell to the ground, sparks flying as it struck a rock. The two of them spun around. I was so close to them I could see spittle fly as she shouted, “Vermin! Spies! Die!”

My shoulders crashed through the brush alongside the trail. Branches whipped at my face as Sis and I tried running past. Blinded, I tripped when my foot hit a root, causing my sister’s hand to slip from mine.

The next thing I knew, Mori-san had seized my shirt, pushing me into the woman. “Take her!”

We all stumbled, and our captor lost hold of the Sis’s friend. She dropped the doll and grabbed me by the hair. “Blood for blood! I’ll give you to him!” she #crowed.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 27
#Wss366 Crow

“A ghost!” Mori-san’s voice shook.

“Shhh,” Sis hissed.

“Shine! Just die! Wither up and die. Shine, shine, shine!” the spirit raved, the leaves crunching as it approached.

For a moment, I thought the wraith was addressing us, and I froze. I felt its unseen eyes on me.

Instead of advancing toward our encampment, the specter floated into the grove, stopping in front of one of the ginkgo trees. As terrified as I was, I couldn’t help but notice it blocked our retreat down the trail. Escape would mean plunging into the dark forest surrounding us.

Silence fell, and I held my breath. Mori-san was trembling next to me, and I heard Sis breathing heavily.

The ghost hovered close to the ground and continued to mutter. Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared, growing until it surrounded the figure. The glow revealed an apparition wearing a white kimono. Thankfully, its back was turned, obscuring its face. I imagined a bloated, black visage with paralyzing eyes.

I dropped my gaze in case the spirit spun around, and I saw feet in incongruous sneakers. Relief flooded my body for a moment. It was a woman, not a yuurei! Then the feeling fled. How was a crazed human any better!?

Finally, three lights appeared, floating up until a crown of candles settled on her head.

“Ushi no koku mairi,” Sis whispered. “Who’s she cursing?”

Suddenly, Mori-san was in motion. “I’m getting out of here,” she said, bolting out of our camp.

“Iyada!” Sis grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet, and followed her friend.“Idiot!”

The white-clad woman loomed before us, blocking the way. She turned, so the candles illuminated the face of a college-aged female with round features, tangled short hair, and deeply slanted eyes. She held a mallet in one hand and a straw doll in the other. On her breast was a mirror. The scene was straight out of a horror movie.

Mori-san tried to dodge past her, but the woman dropped the hammer and grabbed her instead. The instrument fell to the ground, sparks flying as it struck a rock. The two of them spun around. I was so close to them I could see spittle fly as she shouted, “Vermin! Spies! Die!”

My shoulders crashed through the brush alongside the trail. Branches whipped at my face as Sis and I tried running past. Blinded, I tripped when my foot hit a root, causing my sister’s hand to slip from mine.

The next thing I knew, Mori-san had seized my shirt, pushing me into the woman. “Take her!”

We all stumbled, and our captor lost hold of the Sis’s friend. She dropped the doll and grabbed me by the hair. “Blood for blood! I’ll give you to him!” she #crowed.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 27
#Wss366 Crow

“A ghost!” Mori-san’s voice shook.

“Shhh,” Sis hissed.

“Shine! Just die! Wither up and die. Shine, shine, shine!” the spirit raved, the leaves crunching as it approached.

For a moment, I thought the wraith was addressing us, and I froze. I felt its unseen eyes on me.

Instead of advancing toward our encampment, the specter floated into the grove, stopping in front of one of the ginkgo trees. As terrified as I was, I couldn’t help but notice it blocked our retreat down the trail. Escape would mean plunging into the dark forest surrounding us.

Silence fell, and I held my breath. Mori-san was trembling next to me, and I heard Sis breathing heavily.

The ghost hovered close to the ground and continued to mutter. Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared, growing until it surrounded the figure. The glow revealed an apparition wearing a white kimono. Thankfully, its back was turned, obscuring its face. I imagined a bloated, black visage with paralyzing eyes.

I dropped my gaze in case the spirit spun around, and I saw feet in incongruous sneakers. Relief flooded my body for a moment. It was a woman, not a yuurei! Then the feeling fled. How was a crazed human any better!?

Finally, three lights appeared, floating up until a crown of candles settled on her head.

“Ushi no koku mairi,” Sis whispered. “Who’s she cursing?”

Suddenly, Mori-san was in motion. “I’m getting out of here,” she said, bolting out of our camp.

“Iyada!” Sis grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet, and followed her friend.“Idiot!”

The white-clad woman loomed before us, blocking the way. She turned, so the candles illuminated the face of a college-aged female with round features, tangled short hair, and deeply slanted eyes. She held a mallet in one hand and a straw doll in the other. On her breast was a mirror. The scene was straight out of a horror movie.

Mori-san tried to dodge past her, but the woman dropped the hammer and grabbed her instead. The instrument fell to the ground, sparks flying as it struck a rock. The two of them spun around. I was so close to them I could see spittle fly as she shouted, “Vermin! Spies! Die!”

My shoulders crashed through the brush alongside the trail. Branches whipped at my face as Sis and I tried running past. Blinded, I tripped when my foot hit a root, causing my sister’s hand to slip from mine.

The next thing I knew, Mori-san had seized my shirt, pushing me into the woman. “Take her!”

We all stumbled, and our captor lost hold of the Sis’s friend. She dropped the doll and grabbed me by the hair. “Blood for blood! I’ll give you to him!” she #crowed.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 27
#Wss366 Crow

“A ghost!” Mori-san’s voice shook.

“Shhh,” Sis hissed.

“Shine! Just die! Wither up and die. Shine, shine, shine!” the spirit raved, the leaves crunching as it approached.

For a moment, I thought the wraith was addressing us, and I froze. I felt its unseen eyes on me.

Instead of advancing toward our encampment, the specter floated into the grove, stopping in front of one of the ginkgo trees. As terrified as I was, I couldn’t help but notice it blocked our retreat down the trail. Escape would mean plunging into the dark forest surrounding us.

Silence fell, and I held my breath. Mori-san was trembling next to me, and I heard Sis breathing heavily.

The ghost hovered close to the ground and continued to mutter. Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared, growing until it surrounded the figure. The glow revealed an apparition wearing a white kimono. Thankfully, its back was turned, obscuring its face. I imagined a bloated, black visage with paralyzing eyes.

I dropped my gaze in case the spirit spun around, and I saw feet in incongruous sneakers. Relief flooded my body for a moment. It was a woman, not a yuurei! Then the feeling fled. How was a crazed human any better!?

Finally, three lights appeared, floating up until a crown of candles settled on her head.

“Ushi no koku mairi,” Sis whispered. “Who’s she cursing?”

Suddenly, Mori-san was in motion. “I’m getting out of here,” she said, bolting out of our camp.

“Iyada!” Sis grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet, and followed her friend.“Idiot!”

The white-clad woman loomed before us, blocking the way. She turned, so the candles illuminated the face of a college-aged female with round features, tangled short hair, and deeply slanted eyes. She held a mallet in one hand and a straw doll in the other. On her breast was a mirror. The scene was straight out of a horror movie.

Mori-san tried to dodge past her, but the woman dropped the hammer and grabbed her instead. The instrument fell to the ground, sparks flying as it struck a rock. The two of them spun around. I was so close to them I could see spittle fly as she shouted, “Vermin! Spies! Die!”

My shoulders crashed through the brush alongside the trail. Branches whipped at my face as Sis and I tried running past. Blinded, I tripped when my foot hit a root, causing my sister’s hand to slip from mine.

The next thing I knew, Mori-san had seized my shirt, pushing me into the woman. “Take her!”

We all stumbled, and our captor lost hold of the Sis’s friend. She dropped the doll and grabbed me by the hair. “Blood for blood! I’ll give you to him!” she #crowed.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 26
#Wss366 Murder

Dusk soon rolled around, blanketing us in twilight shadows. My sister and her friend talked while I watched violet fireflies flit over the spring. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted, which was supposed to be a good omen, something about its call being related to the triple jewels of Buddhism.

When the last of the light departed, we began exchanging scary stories. I told a tale about the ghost in our school bathroom. “If you knock three times on the third stall at 3:00, she’ll appear and ask you to play,” I said.

“Yes, yes,” Mori-san interrupted. “And if you agree, she’ll drag you down the toilet and off to hell.”

“No, she cuts off your head and plays ball with it,” I responded. “And if you’re going to be like that, I won’t tell any more stories.”

“Big loss,” she said.

Sis finally stepped in. “Leave her alone. She’s only in the sixth grade. Besides, that’s how the story went at our school.”

After that, I wouldn’t speak and eventually dozed off while the other two girls talked.

My sister roused me later, saying, “Wake up! It’s the hour of the ox. If anything’s going to happen, it’ll be now.”

I was sleepy and cold, but sat up anyway. The cicadas had fallen quiet, and the fireflies had disappeared. When I peered out from where we’d hidden, the ginkgo trees were barely visible, like silent monks waiting for something. Even the wind seemed afraid to disturb the stillness.

Yawning, I muttered, “I want to sleep.”

I was about to close my eyes when Mori-san spoke. “Hush! Someone’s coming!”

That woke me up. Who could it be at this hour? Was it an oni or the lady with her head on backwards?

Soon, we heard a female voice ranting: “Shine (die), shine, shine! I’ll #murder you, cunt. I’ll kill you!” A peal of laughter followed.

The railing grew louder and louder until an apparition appeared, floating up the trail. I shivered; it was an onryo, the most terrifying type of ghost, bent on revenge, coming to get us.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 26
#Wss366 Murder

Dusk soon rolled around, blanketing us in twilight shadows. My sister and her friend talked while I watched violet fireflies flit over the spring. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted, which was supposed to be a good omen, something about its call being related to the triple jewels of Buddhism.

When the last of the light departed, we began exchanging scary stories. I told a tale about the ghost in our school bathroom. “If you knock three times on the third stall at 3:00, she’ll appear and ask you to play,” I said.

“Yes, yes,” Mori-san interrupted. “And if you agree, she’ll drag you down the toilet and off to hell.”

“No, she cuts off your head and plays ball with it,” I responded. “And if you’re going to be like that, I won’t tell any more stories.”

“Big loss,” she said.

Sis finally stepped in. “Leave her alone. She’s only in the sixth grade. Besides, that’s how the story went at our school.”

After that, I wouldn’t speak and eventually dozed off while the other two girls talked.

My sister roused me later, saying, “Wake up! It’s the hour of the ox. If anything’s going to happen, it’ll be now.”

I was sleepy and cold, but sat up anyway. The cicadas had fallen quiet, and the fireflies had disappeared. When I peered out from where we’d hidden, the ginkgo trees were barely visible, like silent monks waiting for something. Even the wind seemed afraid to disturb the stillness.

Yawning, I muttered, “I want to sleep.”

I was about to close my eyes when Mori-san spoke. “Hush! Someone’s coming!”

That woke me up. Who could it be at this hour? Was it an oni or the lady with her head on backwards?

Soon, we heard a female voice ranting: “Shine (die), shine, shine! I’ll #murder you, cunt. I’ll kill you!” A peal of laughter followed.

The railing grew louder and louder until an apparition appeared, floating up the trail. I shivered; it was an onryo, the most terrifying type of ghost, bent on revenge, coming to get us.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 26
#Wss366 Murder

Dusk soon rolled around, blanketing us in twilight shadows. My sister and her friend talked while I watched violet fireflies flit over the spring. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted, which was supposed to be a good omen, something about its call being related to the triple jewels of Buddhism.

When the last of the light departed, we began exchanging scary stories. I told a tale about the ghost in our school bathroom. “If you knock three times on the third stall at 3:00, she’ll appear and ask you to play,” I said.

“Yes, yes,” Mori-san interrupted. “And if you agree, she’ll drag you down the toilet and off to hell.”

“No, she cuts off your head and plays ball with it,” I responded. “And if you’re going to be like that, I won’t tell any more stories.”

“Big loss,” she said.

Sis finally stepped in. “Leave her alone. She’s only in the sixth grade. Besides, that’s how the story went at our school.”

After that, I wouldn’t speak and eventually dozed off while the other two girls talked.

My sister roused me later, saying, “Wake up! It’s the hour of the ox. If anything’s going to happen, it’ll be now.”

I was sleepy and cold, but sat up anyway. The cicadas had fallen quiet, and the fireflies had disappeared. When I peered out from where we’d hidden, the ginkgo trees were barely visible, like silent monks waiting for something. Even the wind seemed afraid to disturb the stillness.

Yawning, I muttered, “I want to sleep.”

I was about to close my eyes when Mori-san spoke. “Hush! Someone’s coming!”

That woke me up. Who could it be at this hour? Was it an oni or the lady with her head on backwards?

Soon, we heard a female voice ranting: “Shine (die), shine, shine! I’ll #murder you, cunt. I’ll kill you!” A peal of laughter followed.

The railing grew louder and louder until an apparition appeared, floating up the trail. I shivered; it was an onryo, the most terrifying type of ghost, bent on revenge, coming to get us.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 26
#Wss366 Murder

Dusk soon rolled around, blanketing us in twilight shadows. My sister and her friend talked while I watched violet fireflies flit over the spring. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted, which was supposed to be a good omen, something about its call being related to the triple jewels of Buddhism.

When the last of the light departed, we began exchanging scary stories. I told a tale about the ghost in our school bathroom. “If you knock three times on the third stall at 3:00, she’ll appear and ask you to play,” I said.

“Yes, yes,” Mori-san interrupted. “And if you agree, she’ll drag you down the toilet and off to hell.”

“No, she cuts off your head and plays ball with it,” I responded. “And if you’re going to be like that, I won’t tell any more stories.”

“Big loss,” she said.

Sis finally stepped in. “Leave her alone. She’s only in the sixth grade. Besides, that’s how the story went at our school.”

After that, I wouldn’t speak and eventually dozed off while the other two girls talked.

My sister roused me later, saying, “Wake up! It’s the hour of the ox. If anything’s going to happen, it’ll be now.”

I was sleepy and cold, but sat up anyway. The cicadas had fallen quiet, and the fireflies had disappeared. When I peered out from where we’d hidden, the ginkgo trees were barely visible, like silent monks waiting for something. Even the wind seemed afraid to disturb the stillness.

Yawning, I muttered, “I want to sleep.”

I was about to close my eyes when Mori-san spoke. “Hush! Someone’s coming!”

That woke me up. Who could it be at this hour? Was it an oni or the lady with her head on backwards?

Soon, we heard a female voice ranting: “Shine (die), shine, shine! I’ll #murder you, cunt. I’ll kill you!” A peal of laughter followed.

The railing grew louder and louder until an apparition appeared, floating up the trail. I shivered; it was an onryo, the most terrifying type of ghost, bent on revenge, coming to get us.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 26
#Wss366 Murder

Dusk soon rolled around, blanketing us in twilight shadows. My sister and her friend talked while I watched violet fireflies flit over the spring. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted, which was supposed to be a good omen, something about its call being related to the triple jewels of Buddhism.

When the last of the light departed, we began exchanging scary stories. I told a tale about the ghost in our school bathroom. “If you knock three times on the third stall at 3:00, she’ll appear and ask you to play,” I said.

“Yes, yes,” Mori-san interrupted. “And if you agree, she’ll drag you down the toilet and off to hell.”

“No, she cuts off your head and plays ball with it,” I responded. “And if you’re going to be like that, I won’t tell any more stories.”

“Big loss,” she said.

Sis finally stepped in. “Leave her alone. She’s only in the sixth grade. Besides, that’s how the story went at our school.”

After that, I wouldn’t speak and eventually dozed off while the other two girls talked.

My sister roused me later, saying, “Wake up! It’s the hour of the ox. If anything’s going to happen, it’ll be now.”

I was sleepy and cold, but sat up anyway. The cicadas had fallen quiet, and the fireflies had disappeared. When I peered out from where we’d hidden, the ginkgo trees were barely visible, like silent monks waiting for something. Even the wind seemed afraid to disturb the stillness.

Yawning, I muttered, “I want to sleep.”

I was about to close my eyes when Mori-san spoke. “Hush! Someone’s coming!”

That woke me up. Who could it be at this hour? Was it an oni or the lady with her head on backwards?

Soon, we heard a female voice ranting: “Shine (die), shine, shine! I’ll #murder you, cunt. I’ll kill you!” A peal of laughter followed.

The railing grew louder and louder until an apparition appeared, floating up the trail. I shivered; it was an onryo, the most terrifying type of ghost, bent on revenge, coming to get us.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai

The Mad Frank's Dreams: Post 9 Of Garrotes and Battle Plans

#FanFic #TheApothecaryDiaries
#Wss366 Hinge #MastoPrompt Mend

Mao eyed the garrote in Chue’s hand, then the cell, and finally Chue herself. Mao waited for her companion to explain.

“I’ll strangle the one with a cudgel while you throw the blanket over the other. Hold on to him and don’t let go. Everything #hinges on whether you can keep him busy until I've dealt with the first one. Can you do it?”

Instead of answering, Mao nodded and asked, “How long until they come back, and what if there are more than two?”

“Who knows how the bones will fall, but the moon hasn't turned its face from us yet.”

Mao clicked her tongue at the courtly language but said no more.

With the plan settled, the two waited. Mao held the blanket in her lap while Chue pretended to entertain her with the flags or to #mend the pennants. Each of them listened and watched the door, waiting.

The hours crawled by, and the light that crept through the boarded window dimmed. Mao had slumped, and her face had turned a sick green. Another one of Chue’s candies helped, but Mao’s hands still shook, and her eyes were dull. When Chue felt her forehead, it was hot, and her hair was damp with sweat.

“You should sleep,” Chue said.

Mao shook her head. “If they come, I need to be ready.”

“As you will, but only until there is no light. Then, go to sleep. I'll wake you if I hear anything.”

Mao nodded again. As much as she hated to admit it, sleep was the only reliable remedy for a head injury like hers. She would just have to hope there was no internal bleeding.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #ApothecaryDiaries #NMFic #Serial

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 9: Post 91: 1912 #Titanic 1 of 2

#Wss366 Lean #TimeTravelAuthors 04/11. Point

Emily nodded in response to my question, so I began reading the first letter.

This was my first trip, so I started conservatively and jumped ahead a week to find the newspaper I needed for Professor Skully. However, time-pressure swept me all the way to April 2026. Things haven’t improved there. According to a student paper, there’s a war in the Middle East. ICE-Nine was running unchecked and was pepper-spraying protesters and killing opposition figures. The newspaper claimed that i9 was behind my murder.

MY MURDER!!!

Why didn’t you guys warn me about that? If I knew more, maybe I could avoid being killed!

I stopped reading to say, “Burned.”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference,” Emily said, shrugging. She then rolled onto her back and said, “Continue.”

I went to visit Professor Skully to learn more about my death. However, I found i9 agents in our building, accompanied by the creepiest rabbits I’d ever seen. At least you warned me about them. Rather than risk being caught, I traveled home right away.

“What do you make of that?” I asked Emily.

“You can travel into the future, but it’s unreliable. You can return to your starting #point. And that you’ve stirred up the Illuminati/Knights Templar/Lapin Cabal. Whatever we’re going to do, they want to stop it.”

“Lapin Cabal, I like that.”

“Did you notice anything else?” she asked.

“Nope, that sums it up. Oh, there was the abbreviation for ICE-Nine.”

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

The Mad Frank's Dreams: Post 8 The Robe of Wonder

#FanFic #TheApothecaryDiaries
#Wss366 Spat

Mao scanned the small room, taking in the boarded window, the heavy door, and the image of the Crucifixion on the wall. Her gaze lingered on the latter for a moment, then she refocused on Chue.

“What do they want?” she asked.

“The Shaoh wish to make trouble, while The Mad Frank dreams he can use you to bring down fire and destruction upon Li.”

Mao lay back down, muttering. Chue couldn’t make out most of what she said, but picked out “wind in his head,” “apocalypse,” and “mushroom princess.” Then, with a sigh, Mao began breathing evenly, asleep.

When she awoke, she looked at Chue and said, “I’m glad you’re here. What are we going to do?” Her voice was uncharacteristically feeble, and Chue reproached herself once again for failing to protect the Prince’s favorite.

“First, eat and drink. You’ll need energy,” she said.

Mao looked at the cold, congealed millet and turned green. She pushed the bowl away but took a swig from the gourd, #spat, and then took another swallow. “Maybe I could eat something salty.” Nodding at the congee she said, “That would just make me sick.”

Reaching into her robes, Chue pulled out a golden crystal. "Honey candy. I was saving it for you." Her eyes fixed hungrily on it, but she handed it to Mao.

Mao put it in her mouth and then, speaking around it, said, “What else do you have?”

"They took most of my things, but they missed this." She pulled out her flags with a flourish, grabbed the far end of the braided silk cord, and snapped it as if wrapping it around something. It was a remarkable feat done with only one hand.

“Miss Chue has been practicing.”

#MicroFiction #TootFic #ApothecaryDiaries #NMFic #Serial

The Mad Frank's Dreams: Post 8 The Robe of Wonder

#FanFic #TheApothecaryDiaries
#Wss366 Spat

Mao scanned the small room, taking in the boarded window, the heavy door, and the image of the Crucifixion on the wall. Her gaze lingered on the latter for a moment, then she refocused on Chue.

“What do they want?” she asked.

“The Shaoh wish to make trouble, while The Mad Frank dreams he can use you to bring down fire and destruction upon Li.”

Mao lay back down, muttering. Chue couldn’t make out most of what she said, but picked out “wind in his head,” “apocalypse,” and “mushroom princess.” Then, with a sigh, Mao began breathing evenly, asleep.

When she awoke, she looked at Chue and said, “I’m glad you’re here. What are we going to do?” Her voice was uncharacteristically feeble, and Chue reproached herself once again for failing to protect the Prince’s favorite.

“First, eat and drink. You’ll need energy,” she said.

Mao looked at the cold, congealed millet and turned green. She pushed the bowl away but took a swig from the gourd, #spat, and then took another swallow. “Maybe I could eat something salty.” Nodding at the congee she said, “That would just make me sick.”

Reaching into her robes, Chue pulled out a golden crystal. "Honey candy. I was saving it for you." Her eyes fixed hungrily on it, but she handed it to Mao.

Mao put it in her mouth and then, speaking around it, said, “What else do you have?”

"They took most of my things, but they missed this." She pulled out her flags with a flourish, grabbed the far end of the braided silk cord, and snapped it as if wrapping it around something. It was a remarkable feat done with only one hand.

“Miss Chue has been practicing.”

#MicroFiction #TootFic #ApothecaryDiaries #NMFic #Serial

The Mad Frank's Dreams: Post 8 The Robe of Wonder

#FanFic #TheApothecaryDiaries
#Wss366 Spat

Mao scanned the small room, taking in the boarded window, the heavy door, and the image of the Crucifixion on the wall. Her gaze lingered on the latter for a moment, then she refocused on Chue.

“What do they want?” she asked.

“The Shaoh wish to make trouble, while The Mad Frank dreams he can use you to bring down fire and destruction upon Li.”

Mao lay back down, muttering. Chue couldn’t make out most of what she said, but picked out “wind in his head,” “apocalypse,” and “mushroom princess.” Then, with a sigh, Mao began breathing evenly, asleep.

When she awoke, she looked at Chue and said, “I’m glad you’re here. What are we going to do?” Her voice was uncharacteristically feeble, and Chue reproached herself once again for failing to protect the Prince’s favorite.

“First, eat and drink. You’ll need energy,” she said.

Mao looked at the cold, congealed millet and turned green. She pushed the bowl away but took a swig from the gourd, #spat, and then took another swallow. “Maybe I could eat something salty.” Nodding at the congee she said, “That would just make me sick.”

Reaching into her robes, Chue pulled out a golden crystal. "Honey candy. I was saving it for you." Her eyes fixed hungrily on it, but she handed it to Mao.

Mao put it in her mouth and then, speaking around it, said, “What else do you have?”

"They took most of my things, but they missed this." She pulled out her flags with a flourish, grabbed the far end of the braided silk cord, and snapped it as if wrapping it around something. It was a remarkable feat done with only one hand.

“Miss Chue has been practicing.”

#MicroFiction #TootFic #ApothecaryDiaries #NMFic #Serial

The Mad Frank's Dreams: Post 8 The Robe of Wonder

#FanFic #TheApothecaryDiaries
#Wss366 Spat

Mao scanned the small room, taking in the boarded window, the heavy door, and the image of the Crucifixion on the wall. Her gaze lingered on the latter for a moment, then she refocused on Chue.

“What do they want?” she asked.

“The Shaoh wish to make trouble, while The Mad Frank dreams he can use you to bring down fire and destruction upon Li.”

Mao lay back down, muttering. Chue couldn’t make out most of what she said, but picked out “wind in his head,” “apocalypse,” and “mushroom princess.” Then, with a sigh, Mao began breathing evenly, asleep.

When she awoke, she looked at Chue and said, “I’m glad you’re here. What are we going to do?” Her voice was uncharacteristically feeble, and Chue reproached herself once again for failing to protect the Prince’s favorite.

“First, eat and drink. You’ll need energy,” she said.

Mao looked at the cold, congealed millet and turned green. She pushed the bowl away but took a swig from the gourd, #spat, and then took another swallow. “Maybe I could eat something salty.” Nodding at the congee she said, “That would just make me sick.”

Reaching into her robes, Chue pulled out a golden crystal. "Honey candy. I was saving it for you." Her eyes fixed hungrily on it, but she handed it to Mao.

Mao put it in her mouth and then, speaking around it, said, “What else do you have?”

"They took most of my things, but they missed this." She pulled out her flags with a flourish, grabbed the far end of the braided silk cord, and snapped it as if wrapping it around something. It was a remarkable feat done with only one hand.

“Miss Chue has been practicing.”

#MicroFiction #TootFic #ApothecaryDiaries #NMFic #Serial

The Mad Frank's Dreams: Post 8 The Robe of Wonder

#FanFic #TheApothecaryDiaries
#Wss366 Spat

Mao scanned the small room, taking in the boarded window, the heavy door, and the image of the Crucifixion on the wall. Her gaze lingered on the latter for a moment, then she refocused on Chue.

“What do they want?” she asked.

“The Shaoh wish to make trouble, while The Mad Frank dreams he can use you to bring down fire and destruction upon Li.”

Mao lay back down, muttering. Chue couldn’t make out most of what she said, but picked out “wind in his head,” “apocalypse,” and “mushroom princess.” Then, with a sigh, Mao began breathing evenly, asleep.

When she awoke, she looked at Chue and said, “I’m glad you’re here. What are we going to do?” Her voice was uncharacteristically feeble, and Chue reproached herself once again for failing to protect the Prince’s favorite.

“First, eat and drink. You’ll need energy,” she said.

Mao looked at the cold, congealed millet and turned green. She pushed the bowl away but took a swig from the gourd, #spat, and then took another swallow. “Maybe I could eat something salty.” Nodding at the congee she said, “That would just make me sick.”

Reaching into her robes, Chue pulled out a golden crystal. "Honey candy. I was saving it for you." Her eyes fixed hungrily on it, but she handed it to Mao.

Mao put it in her mouth and then, speaking around it, said, “What else do you have?”

"They took most of my things, but they missed this." She pulled out her flags with a flourish, grabbed the far end of the braided silk cord, and snapped it as if wrapping it around something. It was a remarkable feat done with only one hand.

“Miss Chue has been practicing.”

#MicroFiction #TootFic #ApothecaryDiaries #NMFic #Serial

Least Kan Lakan be Forgotten: April Fools Edition 3 of 3

#FanFic #TheApothecaryDiaries
#Wss366 Fool / #AprilFools #MastoPrompt Cruel #WordWeavers April Fools.

Mao took a sip under Lakan's watchful gaze.

“What’s that?” he asked.

Clack!

“Is it good?”

Mao shot En'en a piercing look. “Come on, woman,” she thought. “Tell him.”

Clack!

Onsou leaned down and whispered, “It’s a scholar’s elixir.”

The relief Mao felt didn’t reach her face. Her ally had failed her, but the enemy had come to her rescue.

Lakan watched as she took another drink. “Can I try some?” he asked.

Mao hesitated, then pushed the juice toward her father, and finally beckoned to En’en.

When En’en leaned down, Mao said in a stage whisper, "Tell him he shouldn't drink that."

“That should placate Grams,” she thought. “I tried to warn him, as if the Freak would ever listen.”

En’en repeated, “She says not to drink that.”

“Anything my daughter can drink, I can,” Lakan said, taking a swallow. “Ahg! What’s in there?”

“Sweet flag, polygala, and ginseng,” Onsou said.

Lord Kan took another sip and made a sour face. “One more,” he said, taking a gulp, then stuffed a large handful of sugared walnuts into his mouth.

Clack… Clack… Clack…

“Lord?” Onsou said, frowning at his lord’s last move.

Clack!. Mao captured Lakan’s pieces, breaking his formation.

Lord Kan blinked, picked up a piece, and then set it down again. “I need to take a nap,” he said, his head sinking to the table.

“Then I am no longer needed,” Mao announced, rising.

Once they were out of the room, Yoa asked, “What happened?”

Mao smiled. “Onsou forgot to mention the alcohol from the ginseng tincture.”

#MicroFiction #TootFic #ApothecaryDiaries #NMFic #SliceOfLife #FathersDay

Least Kan Lakan be Forgotten: April Fools Edition 3 of 3

#FanFic #TheApothecaryDiaries
#Wss366 Fool / #AprilFools #MastoPrompt Cruel #WordWeavers April Fools.

Mao took a sip under Lakan's watchful gaze.

“What’s that?” he asked.

Clack!

“Is it good?”

Mao shot En'en a piercing look. “Come on, woman,” she thought. “Tell him.”

Clack!

Onsou leaned down and whispered, “It’s a scholar’s elixir.”

The relief Mao felt didn’t reach her face. Her ally had failed her, but the enemy had come to her rescue.

Lakan watched as she took another drink. “Can I try some?” he asked.

Mao hesitated, then pushed the juice toward her father, and finally beckoned to En’en.

When En’en leaned down, Mao said in a stage whisper, "Tell him he shouldn't drink that."

“That should placate Grams,” she thought. “I tried to warn him, as if the Freak would ever listen.”

En’en repeated, “She says not to drink that.”

“Anything my daughter can drink, I can,” Lakan said, taking a swallow. “Ahg! What’s in there?”

“Sweet flag, polygala, and ginseng,” Onsou said.

Lord Kan took another sip and made a sour face. “One more,” he said, taking a gulp, then stuffed a large handful of sugared walnuts into his mouth.

Clack… Clack… Clack…

“Lord?” Onsou said, frowning at his lord’s last move.

Clack!. Mao captured Lakan’s pieces, breaking his formation.

Lord Kan blinked, picked up a piece, and then set it down again. “I need to take a nap,” he said, his head sinking to the table.

“Then I am no longer needed,” Mao announced, rising.

Once they were out of the room, Yoa asked, “What happened?”

Mao smiled. “Onsou forgot to mention the alcohol from the ginseng tincture.”

#MicroFiction #TootFic #ApothecaryDiaries #NMFic #SliceOfLife #FathersDay