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keydekyie · 3 months

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The Summer Road

❈ The Moth and the Bear III ❈

Prologue

7416 words, no content warnings

Lera groaned. She’d been the healer’s apprentice for a year now and expected to be woken before sunrise on occasion, but expectation didn’t make the experience any easier. The sky was still mostly black when her mother came into the bedroom and lit the lantern.

“Artem is here,” Lera’s mother whispered, gently brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. “He says Emiliya needs you right away.”

Lera swatted at her mother’s hand. Why did she still insist on waking her up so sweetly, like she was a baby? She was turning fourteen soon. It was undignified. She rolled over and crammed her face into her pillow, but nevertheless grunted an acknowledgement.

As soon as her mother left the room, Lera dragged herself out of bed and got dressed. If the healer had sent a messenger to get her rather than coming herself, that meant she was busy with something important. Maybe an emergency? Lera’s stomach twisted in excitement and anxiety. She hoped it wasn’t anything too gruesome… but perhaps just a little bit gruesome?

Maybe someone had stepped in a snapjaw trap again? Or been attacked by direroden? Or what if they had some sort of horrible boil? Or a foot twisted the wrong way around?

Lera shook her head and tried to banish the guilty thoughts.

Her hair was already in two black braids from the night before, so she was able to dress herself quickly and get going. Imagination still running a bit wild, she bade a quick farewell to her mother and stumbled out onto the porch into the cool, crisp morning air. She was wide awake and all prepared to launch herself off the porch in the direction of the healer’s hut, but Artem was there to stop her short with a firm hand on her shoulder.

“Whoa, hold it, Lera,” he grunted. The middle-aged messor was twitching in agitation, and his voice was strained. “I’ll explain on the way. There’s no need to be so hasty.”

Lera threw a glance over her shoulder to the doorway, where her mother and father were watching with attentive concern. Artem gave them a respectful wave before turning to lead Lera down the steps and onto the street.

The smell of spring blossoms and dew drifted up from the scattered village gardens as they made their way towards the healer’s hut on the edge of town. Artem didn’t speak to Lera again until they were out of her parents’ earshot, and even then, his voice was nothing but a low, troubled hiss. “Did you hear what happened to the ferry?”

Lera’s heart flipped again. “I heard the line broke as it was crossing, but… wasn’t that days ago? Did something else happen?” Another accident already? What has that damned unreliable ferry done this time? Capsized? Caught fire?

Artem shook his head. “What else did you hear?”

“Well, I… at the inn, they were saying when the line broke, they were rescued by a, uh…” Lera stumbled over her words. This was the part she’d dismissed as a tall tale when she heard it, some kind of prank the village jokester Yuri had convinced all his fellow ferry-goers to play on the rest of the village.

“Any excuse for a party,” Lera’s mother had sighed indulgently, rolling her eyes as Lera and her passed by the inn days ago. Inside, half the village had been celebrating the rescue of the ferry from certain doom.

Lera had laughed about it. It was so like Yuri to orchestrate an elaborate thing just to stir up revelry. As Lera was smiling to herself, she’d heard Yuri belt out joyfully: “Mead for the Medved’ Beis!”

So silly. Haha.

But Artem wasn’t laughing. The messor’s face was drawn taut, jaw clenched and eyes darting this way and that like a frightened cave rat. “Rescued by a what, Lera?”

Lera didn’t reply. She felt suddenly small and exposed walking down the road like this. She glanced around at the village, but nothing looked amiss. There were no toppled trees, no crushed houses. Not yet, anyway.

“I don’t know how much choice any of us have here,” Artem went on once it became clear Lera wasn’t going to answer, “but I’m sure Emiliya will understand if you’re too afraid-”

“I’m not afraid,” Lera blurted, like a liar.

Artem didn’t look convinced, but he kept moving.

They were nearing the healer’s hut, but Artem shifted into a wary hunch, quietly leading Lera on a roundabout path that took them behind a storehouse. Lera was surprised to find several other people hiding there, some of them huddled on the ground with huge eyes, and others peeking around the corner of the storehouse to watch the healer’s hut like eavesdroppers.

Artem put a finger to his lips as he joined those crouching down in the cover of the storehouse, then gestured for Lera to look.

Heart in her throat, Lera inched towards the corner of the storehouse, quietly stepped up behind a fisher’s son, and leaned out.

What she saw confused her, at first. From this distance and in the dim pre-dawn light, she couldn’t be certain what the shadows meant. There was the healer’s hut, which looked perfectly normal, and there was Emiliya the healer, standing on the porch in her nightgown, silver hair glowing in the lamplight thrown from the nearby window. She hadn’t dressed yet, having just been woken moments ago. Woken by what?

There was something wrong with the scene, something surreal about it, like a wavering image in a pool of water. A huge dark mass, the color and shape of inconsequence, lay there in the middle of the road. Lera didn’t remember there being a bush that big in front of the healer’s hut. The top of the thing was taller than the hut's thatched roof.

The mass shifted, and suddenly the illusion broke. It was no bush at all, but a creature, an enormous, furry creature the size and bulk of a house. It was laying down with its back to the storehouse and had its face hidden in the crook of its arm.

The healer was reaching for the creature as though to reassure it somehow, but had stopped herself. Concerned, but unsure.

Then the creature raised its huge head.

All anyone ever said to Lera about Medved’ Beis was that it was bad luck to mention them. No one had ever explained how big they were, or how their shoulders bore a hump like the top of a mountain. No one had ever mentioned the subtleness of their presence, the way the eye wanted to slide off of them as if they were nothing more than foliage.

And no one ever mentioned anything about them being able to speak.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” it asked the healer, in a voice like the creaking timbers of a riverboat in a storm. Everyone watching from behind the storehouse corner flinched at the sound.

“Um…” The healer looked amused, somehow. “If I think of anything, I’ll let you know.”

Lera was dizzy. This was so bizarre.

“Do you see it?” Artem whispered to her.

Lera almost laughed at him. Do I see it?! There was a gigantic monster laying in the road not forty feet away, and Artem was wondering if she’d seen it.

The creature’s big round ears twitched, and then it turned to look at them, and Lera had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming in surprise.

It was looking at them, with enormous human eyes on a human face.

She and the rest of the eavesdroppers all threw themselves back behind the meager shelter of the storehouse, as though the ramshackle building would do anything to stop that beast. Lera and the fisher’s son crouched down beside each other against the splintery boards of the storehouse walls, holding their breath.

Artem was glancing between Lera and the healer’s hut in alarm, but as the seconds passed, nothing happened. In fact, it was Emiliya’s voice Lera next heard.

“Well,” the healer chuckled, “perhaps you could help by moving a little? It seems my apprentice has arrived, and she’s a little skittish.”

The Medved’ Beis grumbled, “Right…” as though this were such a normal thing, such a reasonable thing to be asked. There were a series of low thumps that sounded more like trees being felled than footsteps, and then silence again.

Lera looked at Artem, who nodded to her, and she steeled herself to peek around the corner again.

The Medved’ Beis had moved around to the side of the healer’s hut and was sitting there on its haunches like a great hulking guard-rodi, staring with its flinty black eyes. Staring at Lera.

Lera’s knees were wobbling. Emiliya, who was waiting patiently for her on the stoop, waved encouragingly to Lera with one hand.

Between the corner of the storehouse and the hut’s stoop lay about forty feet of empty gravel road with absolutely nothing to sneak around or hide behind. Lera was going to have to either stride right out there in the open or not go at all. Not going at all definitely seemed like the more prudent option.

But there was Emiliya, the healer, Lera’s master, waving for her to come forward. So despite all orders from instinct and intelligence screaming for her to do otherwise, Lera took a deep breath and strode out.

As a child, Lera had once spent an afternoon watching a shiny green beetle crawl across her kitchen floor. The beetle was acutely aware of her and of its need to flee, but Lera entertained herself by cutting off its escape routes with her feet and hands. At the time, she’d laughed at the beetle’s impotent attempts at escape. She’d enjoyed the game at the beetle’s expense.

Luckily for Lera, the Medved’ Beis didn’t seem interested in tormenting her as she had the helpless beetle. It just sat and stared. Even so, the creature’s cold, suspicious glare was menacing enough. As she made for the hut’s stoop, doing her very best not to look up at the giant creature watching her approach, Lera suddenly felt for that beetle.

Without meaning to, Lera was running by the time she got to the stairs. She clambered up and past the healer into the hut with less grace than a newborn weglet.

“That’s my girl,” Emiliya murmured to her as she passed, patting her on the back with a wizened hand, and underneath all the astonishment and nerves, Lera did feel a flourish of satisfaction.

The healer closed the door behind her as Lera looked around the familiar hut. There were two other people present: the healer’s husband Serhiy, who was stoking the stove in the corner, and a stranger Lera didn’t recognize, a young woman who was sprawled on her side on the sickbed like a drunkard asleep in a gutter.

“Lera, get her a blanket, just a light one,” the healer ordered, gesturing to the young woman’s unconscious form. “We need to bring down her fever and get the air in here medicated as quickly as possible.”

Accustomed to being put to work as soon as she stepped into the hut, Lera had no trouble springing into action. She took a quilt out of the bedding cabinet and draped it over the girl, then went to help Serhiy prepare the stove to boil water. Meanwhile, the healer was gathering the ingredients for a fever tincture from the shelves on the north wall.

It all felt quite natural. There was a sick patient, and they were going to help her. Lera almost forgot that there was anything amiss. She tried to pretend there wasn’t.

Once the fire in the stove was roaring happily, Lera helped Serhiy lift the big cauldron of water on top. The healer was finishing up the tincture and waddled over to the sickbed, swirling the cup with one hand. Her hair ran in a silver river down her crooked back, an odd sight. Usually the healer was much more put-together and had her hair up in a bun by the time Lera got to the hut.

“Put a handful of chamiweed in the water, Lera,” said the healer. “There’ll be more we need to add, but that will be a good start.”

Lera opened a nearby cabinet and found the big brown pot of dried chamiweed. She took a generous fistful and sprinkled it into the cauldron. The cold, spicy scent clung to her hand.

“Serhiy, please go outside and collect some fresh huilgrass. Lera, I need you to help her sit up.” The healer’s voice was calm and even as she gave orders. Perhaps that was why Serhiy didn’t hesitate as he nodded and went out the front door.

Lera came around to the head of the bed and prepared to haul the young woman into a sitting position. Her hands shook as she rolled the woman onto her back. She’d had to do this many times before (Emiliya insisted you should never, ever give a sick person something to drink while they were laying down) so it wasn’t the action itself that made her so nervous, it was keeping herself from looking out the window above the bed.

Lera positioned her arms under the woman’s shoulders and heaved her up into a sitting position. She was much heavier than she looked, with hard, well-muscled arms and shoulders, and her skin was piping hot to the touch. Her breath came shallow and rapid, and she shifted slightly in Lera’s arms, too weak to hold herself up. She felt strange, inhuman, but Lera told herself it was just because of the context.

Context being: There was a gigantic monster thing right outside.

The healer carefully poured the tincture into the girl’s mouth, and when it was done, she nodded to Lera and stepped back. Lera let the girl back down onto the bed, perhaps a little roughly. She was just so heavy. Lean and muscular and tough.

“What’s wrong with her?” Lera asked.

The healer put the cup down in the dish basin. “Let’s see if we can’t find that out, shall we?”

With Serhiy still excused, Lera helped the healer undress the woman to give her a proper examination. With the quick, desperate way the woman was breathing, Lera expected to find some sort of horrible sucking wound to her ribs or chest, but there was nothing wrong with her anywhere, save a few odd scars and some missing toes. The most notable thing was a scar on her upper calf, a gash several inches long and likely a ghastly thing when it was fresh, but even that looked like it was more than a year old and well healed.

“She’s a smith, I’ll bet,” Emiliya said. “They always end up with a thousand little scars. It’s a wonder they don’t all die of lockjaw.”

“Is that what’s wrong with her? Lockjaw?”

Emiliya gave Lera a wry look. “You tell me.”

Oh great, Lera thought. She’d walked right into that one. With a nervous sigh, she looked down at the girl again. “She has a fever.”

“Well I told you that,” the healer snorted. “Look carefully. Ask more questions. I’m sure you’re full of them.” The healer’s voice turned down a touch, growing more solemn than Lera was used to, as she murmured, “I certainly hope you are. I know I am.”

While Lera considered this, they dressed the sick woman in a soft nightgown and set her clothes aside. The healer took a rag from a drawer and dipped it in the nearby washbasin, wrung it out firmly, then handed the rag to Lera, who draped it over the sick woman’s forehead.

“Any thoughts?” urged the healer.

Lera watched a bead of sweat drip down the woman’s face, then looked up. “She helped rescue the ferry?”

The healer nodded.

“Yuri said she fell in the river,” Lera continued. “But that was days ago. Didn’t she come to the party at the inn?”

“Indeed. I met her there, and she seemed healthy at the time, but these things sometimes take days to develop.”

“Could she… have caught something? From the river?”

“In a way. Do you remember what karaerien means?”

“Vengeful water.” Lera stiffened, heart dropping. “It’s lung-fever, from inhaling water.”

“That’s right. Tell me what you know about lung-fever.”

“I know it isn’t good. Many die from it.”

“Who dies from it?”

“Um… mostly elders and children and babies, but-”

“How old do you think this woman is?”

Lera looked at the woman’s face. She was twitching in her sleep, turning weakly this way and that. She had a long face, the sort of face that makes a person look rather solemn and older than their years, but she didn’t look old. “I’d say… twenty?”

“Young, then.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think she’ll live?”

Being asked so bluntly made Lera squirm, but that was just how things were with Emiliya. “Yes, she seems strong. I think she’ll live, if we treat the lung-fever.”

The healer nodded slowly. “What’s the treatment for lung-fever?”

“Bedrest and humid air. Plenty to drink. Um… keeping the fever down.”

“Yes, good.” The healer smiled. “The fever should go down in the next day or so now that we’re treating it, and when it does, she will wake up and start coughing enough to bring the roof down. What then?”

“Same as before, really. Warm drinks will help, but the coughing will clear the infection out. We shouldn’t try to stop it.”

“Perfect,” said the healer, “but now comes the tricky part, my dear. There’s no guarantee she will live. She may be young and strong, but the fever is very bad and coughing has sapped all her strength. If she dies, what should we do?”

Lera opened her mouth to give an automatic answer, then snapped it shut again. Usually when someone died in the healer’s care, the family would be told first and invited in to say their goodbyes. It was always such a slow, upsetting process, but it was something Lera was familiar with, at least.

But where was this woman’s family? Her friends? She was a traveler. As far as they knew, she had no one.

No one but the Medved’ Beis.

“I don’t… I don’t know,” Lera said.

The healer fixed her with a keen stare, and her yellow-green eyes flashed as she asked, “What do you think that creature outside will do if his friend dies in our care, Lera?”

Lera whispered, “I don’t know.”

The woman on the sickbed murmured wordlessly, her voice small and wavering. Lera turned the wet rag on her forehead over.

“Neither do I,” said the healer. “Hopefully we won’t find out.”

Boots tromped up the steps outside, and the healer called out, “Come in!”

Serhiy had returned with an armful of silvery huilgrass. He set the bundle down on the worktable and turned to them with a hearty sigh.

“Well,” he chuckled, “it’s been quite a morning.”

✧

The sun had risen, the air was thick with medicated steam, and everything was quiet. Lera was busy grinding up huilgrass into a mash at the worktable across from Serhiy.

The healer was sat in a chair beside the sickbed, stripping the leaves from a sprig of tansy. Just when Lera was starting to relax and let her mind wander, the healer turned to her apprentice with a knowing smirk and said, “Someone needs to fetch more water.”

Someone. Lera glanced hopefully over at Serhiy working across from her, but he just pursed his lips and kept his eyes on the knife he was chopping huilgrass with.

Lera was always the one to fetch water. It wasn’t proper for the elderly healer or her husband to have to carry the heavy buckets. Besides, it wasn’t far. It wouldn’t be hard.

The stone pestle Lera had been using clattered to the tabletop, and Lera jumped at the sound. She’d dropped it. Her hands were shaking.

“Well?” Serhiy grunted, not looking up.

“I-I’ll go,” Lera said. She got to her feet and ambled to the door. It had been a few hours, after all. Maybe the creature outside had gone away?

Lera crept out the door as quietly as possible, trying not to let it or the floor of the porch creak. Tentative as a field mouse, she peeked around the corner of the hut.

She was met with two giant black eyes watching her from yards away. Lera yelped and scrambled back inside.

Serhiy and Emiliya were staring at her with sardonic expressions.

“It’s still out there,” Lera explained, heart pounding as she leaned her back on the door.

Serhiy laughed. “Oh, you don’t say?”

Lera went beet red, gaping at him. Had the old man forgotten what a Medved’ Beis was?

The healer said, “We need more water, Lera.”

“Wh-what should I do?”

“Try to pretend he isn’t there,” Serhiy replied, as nonchalant as if they were discussing one of the steward’s nosy cronies.

“But, what if…“ What if it grabs me, or stomps on me? What if it chases me? What if it’s hungry? Lera fidgeted as her imagination went a bit out of control.

The healer’s face changed, a little concerned, as though she could see the things in Lera’s head. “Perhaps you should go with her, Serhiy.”

“Or perhaps you two should go out there and talk to him yourselves, eh?” Serhiy grumbled, and at that moment, Lera remembered something:

Serhiy had been on the ferry when it was rescued.

That creature outside had rescued him, rescued the charming Yuri, Jessa the messor’s wife and their five year old daughter Chaya, Lera’s aunt and uncle and their daughter Roza, and half a dozen others. Roza was a year younger than Lera and her best friend. Lera hadn’t even asked her about the incident yet, so sure was she that it was merely one of Yuri’s wild tales. Guilt and confusion twisted up in Lera’s throat.

With her hand on the door handle, Lera swallowed hard and took a deep breath. She was going to get that damned water. The door creaked when she threw it open this time.

Lera kept her eyes down as she marched back out onto the porch and around the other side of the hut where the buckets and carrying pole were kept. She lifted the pole to her shoulders and was all prepared to stride right down the road past the Medved’ Beis and not even look at him, as Serhiy had suggested, but she stumbled to a stop in the shadow of the stoop.

Tension gathered in Lera’s chest and started to escape as an involuntary whine, like the squealing lid on a pot of boiling water. She rallied herself, then stepped out.

Lera meant to walk calmly with her head held high, but as before, she found herself running, squealing all the way. She did her best not to look at the creature that was most definitely watching her as she scurried past.

Finally, she made it to the turn in the road where a big hedge of marshlion blocked line of sight again. She stopped to catch her breath, readjusting the carrying pole, then peeked out from behind the bush.

The Medved’ Beis looked… rather a lot like Emiliya and Serhiy had just looked when she’d run back into the hut. He was staring at her with one round eyebrow raised and a mocking smirk on his lips.

Oh great. Lera blushed again and hid behind the marshlion bush. She was making such a fool of herself today. Well, this fool has a job to do.

Lera made the rest of the short trek to the well and filled the buckets. By the time she finished and made her way back to the marshlion bush to peek out from behind its hairy green leaves, the Medved’ Beis had laid down and wasn’t watching for her anymore. He was curled around the rear corner of the healer’s hut and was resting his chin on one arm, staring into the middle distance. His bulk made the hut look miniature.

With full buckets, Lera knew she wouldn’t be able to run this time. It took her a moment to gather her nerve, but when she got going again, the Medved’ Beis didn’t look at her. As she walked past him, he kept his gaze fixed on some meaningless spot on the ground, pretending to ignore her.

Despite herself, Lera slowed to a stop in front of him, looking him over. His eyes flicked to hers.

It was quite a lot of creature to be scrutinized by, but there was something about his face that captured Lera’s attention. Perhaps it was just because every minute movement was magnified by his size, but his face seemed so open and unguarded; hopeful, somehow, despite a somber cast that was scrunching up his eyes. He seemed young, likely the same age as the woman in the sickbed. Even though Lera’s knees felt weak, she couldn’t help but be captivated.

“Has she woken up yet?” the Beis asked, voice low and rumbling and quiet like distant thunder.

Lera shook her head, and then she saw something very interesting.

Many times since beginning her apprenticeship, Lera had witnessed the healer give people bad news. Lera always watched their faces carefully, and every time she saw something a little different, and a little the same: grief, anger, frustration, hopelessness, despair, and every combination thereof.

And on the Medved’ Beis’ huge face, Lera saw the same.

He blinked and looked at the ground, and his whole countenance dimmed, like a flame turned down in a lantern. He looked… sad. So indescribably sad. So sad that for a moment Lera felt almost like she was tipping forward and being sucked down into the gloom with him.

She leaned over to set the waterbuckets down, and suddenly the Beis’ bear-like ears flipped back. He shook his head as though to clear the expression off of his face, and just like that, all the sadness Lera had just seen was replaced with a cobbled-together mask of vague annoyance.

And Lera had seen that before as well. She smiled sympathetically at him.

“Try not to worry,” Lera said. “She’s young and strong.”

“That’s what the healer said, but death doesn’t care if you’re young and strong,” the Beis grumbled, looking down at his claws. “It takes what it wants, with whatever tools it has.”

“Death can’t want anything, it’s not a person, it’s just the absence of life.” It was something Lera had heard her mother say, but she flinched internally as she quoted it. Her master held a very different opinion.

The Beis smirked at her darkly. “You think that makes it any better?”

“I uh…” Lera stammered, terrified she’d said something to offend him. “I don’t- I mean, I guess not.”

The Beis stared at her for a second, a touch of disdain in the turn of his mouth, then he looked down again and dug at the grass with one shovel-sized claw. “Maybe giving desire to death makes losing to it sting a little less.”

Lera let out the breath she was holding, happy she hadn’t irritated him too much. She almost leaned down to pick the water buckets back up, but hesitated when she glanced up at the Medved’ Beis again. He was still digging idly at the grass, but the mask was slipping and the look of despair was peeking through. Lera couldn’t help herself.

“What will you do?” she asked quietly, “if she dies?”

“Go home, I guess…” he sighed.

Lera knew she ought to be thankful he hadn’t said, “I’ll destroy this tiny village and everyone in it.” Going home didn’t sound like all that bad a thing to Lera. The words were benign, but the way the Beis said them made it seem like the very last thing he wanted to do. Alongside the resignation on his face, there was something more urgent, more weighty. Fear? What did he have waiting at home for him that was so terrible?

Just then, the sound of approaching feet down the gravel path caught their attention. Lera turned to see a group of people making their way down the road, shoulders squared and footsteps heavy with conviction. They were coming down from the opposite side of the hut from the Beis, so they couldn’t have seen him laying there.

“Oh, bother…” Lera grumbled.

“What? Who is it?” asked the Beis.

“It’s the steward. Just a moment, I’ll take care of it.” Lera left the buckets where she’d put them and went to meet the group.

“‘Scuse me,” Lera said loudly.

The steward and his three assistants tried to ignore Lera and made to go straight into the hut, but Lera quickly shuffled over to stand at the base of the stairs, blocking their path with her arms out.

The steward rocked back in surprise, gaping down at Lera as if she’d just materialized out of thin air.

“Did you need to see the healer?” Lera asked.

The steward wrinkled his nose at her, indignation taking the place of surprise. “Yes, I must see her right away.”

“Is someone sick?”

“No.” The steward started to step around Lera, but Lera grabbed the stair banister to block him.

“You can’t go in. If you need to speak to the healer, I’ll get her.”

“And who are you to stop me?”

“I’m her apprentice.”

The steward’s face twitched with annoyance, but he stepped back. “Fine. Fetch her, quickly.”

“What shall I tell her is the reason?”

“Just get her already, child!”

Lera bit her lip, trying to maintain her grip on her manners. “If I can’t give her the reason for your visit, she’s just going to send me back out here to get one.”

The steward scoffed and looked to one of his helpers, a brick wall of a man who blinked dully back at him like a frog. The steward stared at him a moment, as one would stare out a window to gather one’s thoughts, then turned back to Lera with a pout under his trimmed beard.

“We’re going to move the stranger from the healer’s sickbed to the inn,” the steward explained.

Lera frowned. “Why?”

“We cannot have the sickbed taken up by a… by a…” The steward waved his hand around contemptuously in the air. “What if someone else needs it? One of our own?”

“Does someone else need it?”

“Not yet, but-”

“Then that sounds like a stupid idea,” Lera huffed, then started, surprised at herself. She resisted the urge to clap a hand over her mouth and hurriedly said, “But I’ll tell the healer what you want. Give me just a moment, please.”

The steward straightened his long robes with a scornful flourish. “Very well.”

Lera first went to fetch the water buckets. The Beis was watching her with a worried frown, so Lera put a covert finger to her lips as she took the buckets off the carrying pole. The steward hadn’t noticed him yet, but it would certainly be hard to miss the Beis’s rumbling voice.

“I’ll be right back, sir. Thank you for your patience,” Lera mumbled to the steward as she passed him again to carry the buckets inside.

Healer Emilyia was still sitting beside the sickbed with the tansy in her hands. She didn’t look up from her work as Lera hauled the buckets over to the stove.

“Was that Maxim outside?” Emiliya asked.

“Yes,” Lera grunted as Serhiy helped her lift one bucket up to pour carefully into the pot. “He wants us to move her to the inn.”

“We aren’t moving her,” Emiliya said firmly.

“Right…” The first bucket was enough to fill the pot, so Lera left the second in the corner for later and prepared to take the empty one back outside. “Why would he want to move her, anyway? We have spare cots if someone else comes ill.”

“I doubt Maxim’s concerned with that,” said Emiliya. “He’s just throwing his weight around again.”

“He may be attempting to head off rumors,” Serhiy suggested. “You know how Lord Arseni is about Medved’ Beis tales, and this has become rather more material than most tales he ventures to quash.”

Lera sighed, “So, what should I tell him?”

Emiliya growled, “Tell him to go suck up a lungful of river water.”

Lera went back outside with the empty bucket, to find the steward and his gang waiting where she’d left them in various poses of impatience.

“She said we can’t move her. She’s too sick.” Lera set the bucket down beside the door and came to stand at the top of the steps.

“Wegshit,” the steward grumbled, and started to come up the stairs. “Let me speak to her.”

“No!” Lera barred the way. Standing on the topmost step put her eye-to-eye with the steward, which contributed to her boldness. “You aren’t in need of healing. There’s no reason for you to be here. Good day.”

The steward drew himself up, practically vibrating with frustration. “Why you insubordinate-”

“Good day!” Lera said again, louder. Her legs felt wobbly, but she held steady.

The steward opened his mouth to say something else, then seemed to reconsider. He glanced down the road, where several neighbors were now watching the conversation with barely respectful interest.

The steward twitched, then without another word, turned and marched back down the steps and up the street the way he’d come. His helpers scrambled after him.

Lera let out a tense breath through her nose, watching the steward vanish around a corner, then ran down the steps to fetch the carrying pole she’d left in the grass.

The Beis’s eyes were wide as he watched her.

“It’s alright,” Lera assured him. “I got him to leave, for now.”

“You sounded like you knew what you were doing. I worry he won’t give up easily, though.”

Lera planted the carrying pole on the ground like a walking stick, satisfaction warming her chest at the compliment. “He’s always meddling with the healer’s business, we’re quite used to it. He wants to be the boss of everyone.”

“Yeah…” the Beis grumbled. “I figured that.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t let him bother her.”

The Beis nodded, though he didn’t seem entirely assured.

Lera found herself staring at his face again. It was surprising how absorbing his expressions were, how human. “You don’t seem… you’re not what I expected a Medved’ Beis to be like.”

The Beis exhaled heavily and rolled his eyes. “And you mean that as a compliment?”

“O-oh, I just meant you’re, uh…” Lera gripped the carrying pole in front of her chest. “You’re… more nice than I expected you’d be?”

“‘Nice…’” Shaking his head, the Beis scoffed and kept his eyes on the sky.

“Well fine. I’ll take it back,” Lera snickered. “You’re a grouch.”

Pursing his lips, the Beis glanced at her again, but he looked amused. “Don’t you have work you’re supposed to be doing? Or something?”

Lera started. The healer was probably wondering what was going on. She fidgeted awkwardly for a moment, wondering what the conventions for leaving a Medved’ Beis’s presence were. Should she bow? Salute? Wave?

“Right. Uh, bye then,” she said quickly, and hurried on her way.

✧

Lera had only returned to her work grinding herbs for a few short moments before voices outside the hut brought her back out. The steward and his men had returned, dragging with them a young man who seemed quite reluctant to be there.

“Sirs, really, I’m fine! The healer said I should just stay off it!” the young man pleaded, trying in vain to wriggle out of the grips of the men who were hauling him. He was holding one foot up, and his lack of balance made it impossible to get enough traction to stop himself.

“No, you’re very ill,” the steward said dramatically. “Does he not look ill, friends?”

“Pallid as a corpse, he looks,” grumbled one of the helpers.

“Deathly ill,” said another.

The young man whimpered, eyes bulging as they dragged him. Evidently he knew better what was lurking around the healer’s hut than the steward did, or perhaps simply believed what he’d heard.

Lera sighed. She knew this young man, a worker who often took odd jobs around the village. Several days before, he’d tripped on an old plow left in the grass, and his toe had swollen up like a ripe plum. The healer had said it was merely bruised, but that it was healing fine and needed not to be aggravated; for example, by the steward’s cronies forcing him to walk around pointlessly on it.

The group had arrived before the hut, and Lera crossed her arms as she took her place at the top of the steps.

“Can I help you, misters?” she said.

“This man needs to be seen by the healer right away!” said the steward, head held high.

“Does he, though?” Lera grumbled.

“He does!”

“I don’t think he does…”

The steward gasped, “You would turn away a sick man? You would leave him to die?”

“He’s not going to die. He has a stubbed toe.”

“Look at him! He can hardly stand!”

The worker stammered, “I can stand-”

“No you can’t, you need help,” the steward snapped, then turned back to Lera. “Can’t you see he needs help?”

Lera sighed, shuffling her feet. The steward was right; she couldn’t turn the worker away, but neither could she let the steward in. She turned for the door. “Let me ask-”

“He needs to see the healer right away!” the steward said, and then waved for his helpers. “Help him inside, men.”

“Wait, hold on-”

The steward’s men lifted the worker by his armpits and made for the stairs, holding him up like a battering ram.

Something moved in Lera’s peripheral vision. In the excitement she’d almost forgotten about the creature hanging around the side of the hut. By the steward and his group’s sudden stillness and wide eyes, they hadn’t expected it at all.

The Beis had gotten to his feet and was hunched beside the porch, glaring stiffly down at the steward with a look of pure loathing.

The air crackled with tension, but no one moved. The steward’s assistants were slowly letting the young worker’s arms slip through their grips until he hung awkwardly by his elbows, though he made no attempt to escape.

“You’re not going in there,” the Beis finally rumbled.

The steward twitched, then shook himself off and straightened up, chin in the air.

“You’ve no authority over me,” he said, voice hitching as he tried to maintain his poise. “His High Excellency Lord Marko Arseni himself has granted me stewardship of Nadporatzhe and its commonality, and the power to order it as I see fit. Your kind has no jurisdiction here.”

The Beis blinked and wrinkled his nose in confusion. “What does… what?”

“This is none of your business!” the steward squawked, puffing out his chest.

The Beis just stared at the steward in stunned bewilderment, huge fluffy ears going eschew. The steward nodded sharply, taking the Beis’s silence to mean he’d won, and started to move towards the stairs again.

The Beis shook off his confusion, pinned his ears, and snarled.

It was a thick, raw sound, heavy with a genuine threat of violence. Bared fangs held the same implication as bared knives: that they were ready and able to bury themselves somewhere painful and inconvenient if something about the current situation didn’t change immediately.

The steward went stiff and ashen. His helpers stumbled backwards, dropping the young worker onto his backside in the dirt.

Lera realized she was now watching the confrontation from between the slats of the porch banister. Somehow, she’d crouched down without noticing.

The steward attempted to gather his nerve again, stammering out barely understandable contentions as he took unconscious steps backwards. “To be… of all the schemes and… and stunts,” he blurted, puffing himself up like an affronted magpie.

His helpers’ eyes darted between him and the creature staring them all down. This was definitely more than they’d signed up for.

The steward babbled on, “To have a haksa in our healer’s care, it’s unconscionable. It’s preposterous. And to then have her pet demon bar the way-”

The Beis jerked forward with another snarl. The porch railings Lera was gripping vibrated with the sound.

Apparently, that was enough for the steward. With an undignified yelp he turned on his heel and trotted away with his robes held up. His helpers scrambled after him, leaving the stricken worker sitting forgotten in the road.

The Beis shook out his mane with a disgruntled snort and sat back, watching the steward’s retreat.

“He’d better not be back,” the Beis grumbled, “unless he fancies getting flattened.”

Lera straightened up from behind the banister and made her way down to the worker, who was cautiously trying to get to his feet without taking his eyes off the irritated creature sitting just a few steps away.

“Come on, now,” Lera grunted, hauling the worker up by one elbow. “Did you want to see the healer? Or shall I help you back to your house?”

“Uh… ”

The Beis looked at him, black eyes narrowing.

“Home. Home please,” the worker whimpered, trying to hobble away without Lera’s help.

“Ah, alright alright. Hold on.”

Lera helped the worker back along the road, but it wasn’t long before several others came out from behind cover to take over. The young man thanked her quietly as Artem the messor came over to take Lera’s place.

“Good job, Lera,” Artem whispered, patting her shoulder.

Lera stopped and stood in the middle of the road with her hands on her hips, watching the group help the worker limp slowly home, and all at once, she felt much older than she had when she woke up that morning.

When she turned back to the healer’s cottage, the Beis had retreated back out of sight on the other side of the hut. Lera hurried over, coming to find him laying with his shoulder pressed to the cottage wall. His eyes were downcast and round ears tucked back. He looked worried again, but this time seemed almost ashamed, as though expecting reproach for his behavior.

“What’s wrong, now?” Lera sighed. Moody thing.

“Nothing, I just…” he mumbled, wincing, “I probably should have let you handle that.”

“No!” Lera barked. “Oh, no no. What you did was great! Gods of the pines, I just wish my master had seen it.” Lera put a hand to her forehead and laughed. “Oh, the look on his face. I hope I remember that always.”

“I just hope I’m not stirring up too much trouble.”

“Oh please, stir up all the trouble you want. Storm blows rain through the door and troubles out the window, that’s what my mother always says.”

The Beis chuckled under his breath, then his eyes unfocused and he leaned his head wistfully against the hut wall.

“My name’s Lera, by the way. I should have introduced myself earlier. What is your name?”

The Beis replied without looking at her, “I’m Ruyak.”

“What’s it mean?”

This question surprised him. Ruyak blinked and cocked an eyebrow at her. “Why do you want to know that?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to be rude. I’ve never heard such a name before, and it reminds me of the language my master sometimes uses. She’s taught me many words, but that one I don’t remember.”

Ruyak considered that for a moment, eyes cautious, and Lera opted to change the subject. “Is there anything you need?”

“No. But… when Kaelin wakes up, will you tell me?”

“Of course.”

Ruyak closed his eyes. “Thank you, Lera.”

Lera nodded, then turned and made her way back up to the porch. She ran her hand along the dry, splintery banister, momentarily swept up in a vision of the future, of a time decades from that moment.

Lera would tell this story to her children. She would call them over and gather them ‘round, smiling in the playful way her mother did when telling stories. She would kneel down and look into their eyes importantly.I met a Medved’ Beis once, Lera would say to them. He was nice.

The Summer Road ebook preorders are available now!

kindle and everywhere else

Paperbacks are coming soon!

#aaah it's happening!!!!#book III is available for preorders!#tmatb #tmatb iii #indie author #authors on tumblr #g/t writing #sfw g/t #monster writing #the moth and the bear #grace o'hare

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qkrovv · 8 months

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what are some ships you like ? (hmmm i wonder if mac and cheese will be on the list /silly)

i wonder... GOSH i really wonder if Mac n cheese are on number 1 in my ship list.... yeah yeah... I dont know........ Buddy, i think they on last place.. Not my favs at all...... Jokes a part! I'm not sure if you mean general ships or only Cookie run ships so i'll stick with the cookie run ones. I got mainly rarepairs as my favourite ships, so they mostly dont make sense! but anyways, here are some: Latte cookie / Roguefort cookie; Black pearl cookie / Captain Ice cookie; Dark Choco cookie / Whipped cream cookie; Cherry Blossom cookie / Caramel Arrow cookie; Affogato cookie/ Clotted cream cookie; Langue de chat cookie / Capuccino cookie ( CAPCHAT IS LIKE THE BASIC YURI SHIP COMPARED TO THE OTHERS--- LMAO); (im totally not using this as an excuse to show some of my rarepairs...) BUT HEY.. IN THE END I LOVE MAC N CHEESE. SO I GUESS ALL THIS LIST IS ERASED WHEN I SAY IM THEIR 1ST FAN EVER AND THAT THEYRE LITERALLY THE FIRST COOKIE RUN SHIP THAT MADE ME INSPIRED ENOUGH TO MAKE THOUSANDS DRAWINGS OF THEM IN A NON JOKINGLY WAY.

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romancemedia · 1 year

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I couldn't help, but make a post about Miyo and Kiyoka's meals together. It's really sweet about how far they've come in their relationship since they first met and them eating meals together is a prime example of that.

Due to his previous bride candidates being spoiled selfish brats, Kiyoka was cold and stern while Miyo braced herself, expecting to be mocked and treated cruelly as she was before with the Saimori family.

The first meal they had together was far from perfect. He accused her of trying to poison him for crying out loud! And their first dinner together was uneasy and scary (for Miyo anyway and who could blame her?).

But seeing that Miyo was truly different compared to all of his previous brides-to-be as well as Yurie defending her, Kiyoka gave Miyo the first apology she's ever had in her entire life and another chance to make breakfast for him the next day! The result, he enjoyed and complimented her cooking, allowing her to break out into tears of joy for the first time in her life!

Since then, slowly yet slowly, Miyo and Kiyoka grew more comfortable around each other at dinner time and Miyo was happy that he continued to enjoy her cooking and ate every last bite. They even begin to break the ice by making more effort in conversation, another step in their blossoming relationship.

Eventually, Miyo and Kiyoka's relationship proved real and true, each seeing the other for who they really are and loving and accepting them. Now their meals together are filled with so much love and happiness, allowing Miyo and Kiyoka to be themselves without any worry or fear of rejection. They are truly happy and comfortable together with the added bonus that Kiyoka playfully teases Miyo occasionally!

In the beginning, Miyo and Kiyoka were complete strangers who were expecting the worse, but now they've become a loving couple, opening their hearts and finding true love, which continues to be shown through each meal together.

#My Happy Marriage #Netflix #Anime #My Thoughts #Miyo x Kiyoka #Miyo Saimori #Kiyoka Kudo

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insanitynikoru · 29 days

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just love the ppnkgxppg art sm !! ! <33 if by chance can you explain your dynamic between them?

yhh >:) tbh my dynamics can shift depending on the context (for ex if i'm entertaining aus or scenarios). +it's kinda hard to explain their dynamic w/o also talking abt my hcs for each character bUT ANYWAy dsjgk

bratubbles: starting w this one cus they're kinda the more « normal » pair (aka i don't ever think abt them so i don't have much to say, rip). they are,,, black cat/white bunny (barfs); brat being kitty, bubbles being bunny. not exactly "opposites attract" but also not entirely compatible. brat values her independence and borders avoidant tendencies (but also not really?) making her more passive in the relationship. kinda has a habit of making bubbles cry. bubbles is like her little pet. she loves her, but also has to resist the intrusive urge to grab her by the ears and swing her around. and bubbles is just,,, "i can fix her :pleading:" kind of gross bs

i don't have much on this one sorry chat 💀 i'd have to rly sit down and think about them at some point

brutercup: my hcs for brutercup closely align with my friends @/saschy123 and @/gkt-tummyaches !! if u ever see their hcs, just know that i nod in agreement. brute is the epitome of toxic/abusive, dominating and anti-social, and bc eats it up cus she's a little guy and loves brute sm. sadist x masochist vibes both in kink and in general that's pretty much it asjkf

soft/bottom brute does not exist in brutercup pls- brute is just not a good person. 'soft' tendencies exhibited by brute are more for her own personal gain or power trip rather than for the sake of the relationship. bc is 100% aware of it but simply doesn't give a fuck because she knows what she signed up for.

blosserk: this one [grins evilly] my fave <3 (if that wasn't obvious jksdg) i like making this one suffer !!! esp berserk !! doomed yuri, complicated, yummy. they are terribleee at communication. berserk sucks at trying to convey what she feels correctly and blossom takes it as criticism, and will resort to stonewalling techniques in the right circumstances. both of them expect a lot of change from one another but both of them are too stubborn to put in the effort to change themselves, making them constantly in and out of the arguing phase. they always have problems !! on a more wholesome note, they have cute dates; picnics and shit *rolls eyes*

a different dynamic i have with blosserk is more unrequited. berserk crushes on blossom but the latter doesn't feel the same. i have/had a whole au surrounding this as a kid that's just a whole failed enemies-to-lovers arc where berserk tries to reconnect with blossom on more neutral terms but blossom is too arrogant and cannot look past her former reputation of being a villain. role-reversal; ends up being the one that gives berserk a hard time than the other way around. ex-lovers kind of feel. berserk is very self-destructive when i think abt this dynamic. i like this one better cus i play with it more + there's more angst potential 🥰

#ppg #ppnkg #ppg x ppnkg

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yuri-review · 11 months

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Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games (2020 - ?)

Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games is a currently 5 volume long ongoing yuri manga series by Ejima Eri. It's an unhinged tale set in an all-girls school where gaming is strictly forbidden, but our main characters, Mitsuki Aya and Yorue Mio, ignore that and game it out anyways! Could the mutual love for 2D fighter games blossom into something more?

(The answer is... yeah, probably! Full review under the cut!)

The writing and plot: 3.5/5

In terms of plot, Young Ladies at the start has very little actual plot, focusing more on gaming as is appropriate! The later volumes introduce a tournament arc and more complicated character relations, which are a welcome addition after getting acquainted to the characters and the mechanics of the game they play, Iron Senpai 4. Did I mention that there's a made up game with all the fleshed out mechanics and character roster of a fighting game? It brings with it a LOT of explanation of game mechanics, which are a fun read if you're even mildly interested in it, but not completely relevant if you're not. Overall, I enjoy the writing!

The characters: 4/5

As is often the case with less plot heavy manga, the characters serve as one of the main pulls to this manga, and they serve their part well! Our main duo has a fun dynamic and individually unique personalities. By unique I actually mean that characters like them don't show up all too often! Aya and Mio are very distinct characters with fun and exaggerated traits to them, but they're still grounded in reality. The rest of the cast is enjoyable as well, and I particularly like Yuu! Oh, and might I mention that in the spirit of True Gamers, the characters are all incredibly intense to varying levels! As my final comment on this category, I'll mention that the character designs are super cute ^^

The yuri: 3.5/5

We're not quite there yet but I know we're getting close to the full yuri experience and ohhhhh I cannot wait! Aya has been a gay mess from the very start, and SPOILERS with an apparent awakening to these feelings, she's becoming more and more of a mess.

Various short segments:

The humor: 4/5, it's a fun manga! The jokes hit most of the time, not that much to say about it.

The art: 5/5, I can't believe I've forgotten to include this segment in my previous reviews! I love how intense the art can be, and the designs of the fighting game characters are so fun!

Conclusion: 3.5/5

I read it all in one go, and I have no regrets! It's very enjoyable for SURE but I hesitate to give it a higher rating before it ends. Go give it a shot though!!

#yuri review #yuri manga #yuri #young ladies don't play fighting games #action yuri #recommended

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imhereformysciencefriends · 11 months

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@mcyt-yuri-week Day 2: AU

This work is explicit! Read on AO3 here.

Meet me down by the river, Bring the pumpkin seeds, the autumn stone, Meet me down by the river, Bring the cherry flowers, the breath of spring, Meet me down by the river, Bring summer’s fire, winter’s wet cold, Meet me down by the river, Bring your candlelight, and your voice to sing.

Gem sang softly to herself as she approached the designated place, candlelight flickering across her face from where she held the slowly melting wax in one hand, big baskets slung over her shoulder of her other arm and flowers braided all throughout her hair.

At the river’s bank stood Lizzie, pumpkins growing hilter skilter all around her, her massive pumpkin-turned-house behind her and nestled in the big, broad leaves. Gem once again felt a pang of jealousy: she could never grow pumpkins that big. But Lizzie had been doing this witch stuff a bit longer than Gem, and every witch had her strengths and weaknesses—er, opportunities for growth!

In this case literally.

“Gem!” Lizzie greeted, her plain blue robe fastened loosely around the waist, nothing but that and her hat and her cheerful attitude adorning her.

“See, you were smart. You just built on the river. You don’t have to hike ten billion miles.”

Lizzie chuckled, gathering her hair behind her before letting it fall loose. Not much point trying to put it up now, since she’d just be letting it back down in a minute anyway.

“But if you didn’t live up on the mountainside, who’d bring me the flowers?” she asked with a grin and grabby hands, and Gem giggled as she handed ‘em over. Beautiful pink blossoms, collected by the hundred.

Gem stretched her arms above her head, hardly sore from carrying the baskets of flowers but happy to hold her arms at something other than a ninety degree angle for the first time in a few hours. Lizzie got to work scattering the blossoms amongst the candles circling the campfire. Above the campfire, low flames and lower heat, hung the “stewpot,” a hollowed out pumpkin with potatoes and wild hare simmering inside (and knowing Lizzie, it had been simmering for hours already). Gem set her own candle amongst the other lights, scattered some flowers of her own until there was a “walkpath” of pink and green encircling the inner candles, but encircled by the outer. Gem nudged one of the candles in the outer ring, wanting it just a touch further from the blossoms they spread out.

“Alright!” Lizzie said, hands on her hips and feet stanced wide, proudly surveying the area. “That about does it, I think! Ready for dinner?”

“Just us tonight?” Gem asked. Usually they had at least a couple guests, novice witches or curious friends wanting to see if the rumors were true themselves.

“Just us! I might’ve made too much stew, now that you mention it.”

“Eh, anything leftover’ll soak into the ashes afterwards,” Gem waved off, taking a seat at the edge of the fire and using half of the “lid” of the stewpot to ladle out some stew and bring it to her lips. Lizzie took the other half and did the same, the two enjoying companionable silence and anticipation together. The potatoes and hare were really just to have something in their bellies before the event started, they weren’t important the way the pumpkin was important.

Lizzie finished first, and waited for Gem to have her fill—but not too full—before the pair stood, stretching lightly. The final dregs of dusk finally slipped away, casting them all in the cold blanketing darkness of night, but the candles were numerous enough that neither worried about mobs. Not that mobs tended to get too close, anyway, when such magics were stirring.

“Well come on then,” Lizzie urged, tugging loose the cloth belt around her waist and letting her blue robe drop to the cool earth, fall’s breeze prickling her skin.

“Excuse you! Not all of us can just wander out here from across our front yard! I had to dress for mountain climbing you know,” Gem said, peeling off her own layers. Her bare toes curled against the cool grass and flower petals, goosebumps breaking out with each layer she removed. She’d appreciate the cold in a minute, but right now forcing the layers off was nearly unbearable.

“I could help?” Lizzie offered with a waggling of eyebrows and a cat’s grin, and Gem stuck her tongue out.

“You’ll help me plenty later,” she said as she undid her pants and yanked both sturdy denim and lacy underwear down and off her. She kicked her pantleg off her ankle with a huff, then entered the candlelight opposite Lizzie, the campfire crackling lazily between them, flower petals soft beneath her feet.

”Meet me down by the river…” Gem started, her voice hitting high, clear notes. Around them, Autumn brushed against their skins, the hairs on their arms and the backs of their necks prickling.

Lizzie’s voice joined with Gem’s, and the two started walking clockwise along the floral path, taking their time to start. Against their ears, both could hear the far off giggling of Spring.

The fire, untouched by human hands, began to rise, no additional kindling added but its flames burning higher and hotter, so that the pumpkin in its middle was obscured. Cold pressed in like hands against a window pane, outside the outer candles’ ring, but did not seep in any farther into the fire’s glow.

The first song finished, then the fun really began.

They forfeited walking, and began to dance.

Naked and wild, they danced, and they sang, Gem’s red hair blazing in the firelight, Lizzie’s pale skin gleaming in the moon. Gem’s voice was louder, but Lizzie’s less prone to stumbling over half-forgotten words, carrying when Gem’s memory faltered.

They both began to sweat, despite Autumn’s presence, dancing and twirling and stomping and waving their arms about wildly, no drumbeat except their feet upon the earth, no strings except the chords of their voices. Wild, bold, joyous, the witches sang and danced under the full moon and like water into a skein they felt the magic join them, enter them. Wild as the hare they caught and ate, wild as the seasons in their capricious natures, wild as the moon that loved the ocean and the sun that loved the moon, wild as magic had always been, would always be.

Gem felt it pool inside her, cold as ice water but not chilling her. Hot as a match but not burning. It glinted and glistened and ran and laughed and sang with them. Oh, how the magic sings. Voiceless and louder than thunder, the magic eclipsed the mortal voices of the witches that summoned it hither, and Gem never could tell at this point in the dance if her mouth was open because she was still singing or because that was necessary for how hard she was breathing.

Half-mindless with euphoria and adrenaline, the dance turned into a chase. Still wild, still rhythmic, still singing, Gem and Lizzie now lept like springing deer, pursuing one another as animals in flight.

Lizzie was smaller, and dexterous, but Gem was a historically sore loser, with physical aptitude to match. Lizzie tried to chase, at first, and then attempted to outrun, but her lithe little legs were no match for Gem on a hunt, and soon her freckled arms tangled around pale skin, rushing her so the two collapsed onto the ground. A rush of petals exploded around them at the force of their descent, and Gem grinned, eyes half-glazed over with the song and dance and base instincts of the hunt. Lizzie giggled up, perhaps even more moon-drunk than Gem, and Gem bent to lay claim to her prize.

Lizzie moaned into her mouth, arching up off the pretty pink petals, her pretty pink hair splayed out, messy and askew, upon the blooms. Gem caressed her body with the wild fervor of a witch in dance, and Lizzie gave as good as she got, tangling fingers in wild red hair and hiking her spread legs up over Gem’s thighs and hips.

The punishment of ‘losing’ the chase was, of course, that Lizzie was forced to lay there and take it as Gem sank her mouth to Lizzie’s lower lips and sucked like a drowned man gasping for air. That Gem won the hunt and so could touch and grope and surge and act while Lizzie was subjected to her whims. The punishment for ‘winning’ was, of course, that even as Gem squeezed palmfuls of soft flesh and thrust her tongue into her folds, Gem’s own cunt hung wet and dripping and exposed and untouched.

Well, until she was finished with Lizzie, at least, the witch’s howls of pleasure crescendoing in the magic as a wolf’s to the moon. Gem gave her shaking body not a moment of reprieve, crawling up with little pink petals sticking to her sweat damp skin. The moment she was able, she lowered herself to Lizzie’s panting mouth, fingers parting her own folds, orange bush wiry against her too-sensitive skin. Everything was too much, right then, magic pooled in her and the song resounding in her skull, but neither was it enough.

Lizzie took to her task enthusiastically, Gem gasping and rocking her hips down on her face. Lizzie’s arms came up to grasp around Gem’s thighs, and Gem switched to burying her fingers in pink hair, wild with abandon and careless of Lizzie’s comfort. This far into the lust-blind haze of magic and adrenaline, neither would feel it if either of them even was in any pain. Even moon-drunk, Lizzie knew how to use her tongue, and it wasn’t long before Gem was wailing and gasping as well, back arched in the candlelight and silver of the moon.

As her paroxysm crashed over her, so too did the magic reach its climax within her. She could feel it imbuing her, not just filling her but permeating her every inch, from the dips of her ankles up the lengths of her legs, to the peaks of her nipples and the flush in her cheeks. All throughout her the magic sank, and only then, with both their bodies fully penetrated, did the song finally reach its end.

Gem and Lizzie collapsed limply into the flower petals, breathing raggedly and neither able to focus their gazes. Gem fumbled blindly outwards, her hand reaching Lizzie’s by sheer luck, and the two clasped as their bodies desperately sucked in air.

Awareness returned slowly. The candles were all burned low, wax melted off whatever shallow dishes they were set in, or sometimes just flowing out directly into the grass. The fire was once again low and flickering. Gem was naked and sweaty and cold.

She groaned. She sat up slowly, feeling out her muscles carefully. Didn’t seem like she’d pulled anything.

“Lizzie, get up or I’m gonna eat the whole thing myself,” she muttered, stretching slowly from side to side, shivering now that she was aware of it.

Lizzie gave a groan of her own. “Not if I get there first you won’t.”

The two staggered to their feet like fumbling fawns and descended upon what remained of the stewpot, its outside blackened and charred to a crisp from the ritual but the insides soft and gooey and perfect. They ate with their hands, shoveling soft pumpkin and leftover stew into their mouths with a fevered hunger that lingered from the dance, each heedless of how it smeared around their mouths and cheeks and noses, each up to their elbows in pumpkin guts and blackened ash.

Only once the pumpkin was entirely demolished did their senses return to them, genuinely in full.

“Okay, I know it’s traditional to wash off in the river, but it is too cold for that! Lizzie, I’m stealing your shower first.”

“It’s my shower!” she whined.

“Well I won, so there!”

Cleaned up and redressed, the two collapsed into Lizzie’s bed together, exhaustion hitting them along with the late hour.

“Mhnmhng, that should… probably last us a few months, don’t you think?” Gem mumbled as they laid together in the dark.

“Maybe. I kind of have some things I want to try out that are heavy on the magic cost, so I might need to insist on doing it again next full moon.”

“You’re runnin’ me through the wringer here Lizzie,” Gem deadpanned, earning a small giggle from her companion.

“Oh, you love it.”

Gem huffed, and in lieu of answering merely snuggled Lizzie closer.

#slsmp #mcytyuriweek2023 #life smp #nsft #lemon dldr #witch au #magic au #mcyt yuri week #my writing #haro writes #prompt: au #thank you to everyone who popped over to my ao3 and left a nice comment I am kissing you so tenderly on the back of each knuckle #mcyt #gemlizzie #geminitay #ldshadowlady

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aubins · 1 month

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she is rasping and literally crawling toward yuri with big wet eyes because the week has been very unkind to her and she's a little scraped up from getting caught in a wilderness trap but don't even worry about it. however! she reaches them and her fluffy head perks up.

"yuri! yuri, we weren't on the same island last week, and bernie didn't want to miss you just in case—" rustle, rustle. from her belongings, she fishes out a lilac-ribboned box. inside there is makeup, carefully curated and dorothea-certified of course, along with a flower accessory she'd made herself. its blossom is the color of their eyes, which she is doing her very best to meet now, thank you very much.

(in fact, she's trying so hard that it pinches her brow just slightly. eye contact will always be her worst enemy but god if she isn't pulling out all the stops to show her earnestness. they deserve that much and plenty more.)

"happy, uh, early birthday...!" the gift is ushered into their possession. then her arms flap at her sides, and she blurts: "please don't get eaten by alligators, okay?! wait, are there alligators on this island? w-well, don't get eaten by anything! please. um, yes." nod, nod. "i don't get this whole competition thing, but you're still bernie's dear friend. and bernie really, really wants to keep being friends by the time your next birthday comes, too."

a pause. then, lips curl into a silly, fond smile that bernadetta can't help but make. "a-and it doesn't have anything to do with this weird island, but, um... you make me happy. so i hope this makes you happy, too."

Yuri Leclerc does not celebrate their birthday.

Sometimes, there are exceptions. Like the treats and surprises of a certain red-haired girl or the odd greeting here and there from Abyssians who have known them for long enough to learn it. Yet no matter how routine these exceptions start to become, they will always be just that: exceptions. Because, for so long, the day they'd said was theirs never really was their birthday anyway. Because, a long time ago, the boy who was born on their actual birthday died on the streets of Adrestia.

“Bernadetta,” is their hummed greeting as their gaze flicks over her, pleased— well, always pleased, really, to see her, and even more so when she appears to be in relatively one piece— their usual smile curling at the corner of their lips. “That for me?” they ask, tone teasing as she fishes the box from her belongings. It's not even my birthday yet, is the follow up, already upon the tip of their tongue when—

“Happy, uh, early birthday...!”

And Yuri blinks, stunned for a moment, because no, they think, they will never quite get used to these exceptions. Even as Bernadetta shuffles the gift into their hands, babbling that they shouldn't get eaten by alligators, if there even are any— “No,” they think they hear themself say automatically, first instinct always to reassure, “I haven't seen any alligators. And I won't get eaten, so don't even worry about it.”— and that they're her dear friend— “...ah?” is the only sound they make in response to that one, a little quiet and a little confused, because there's no automatic answer to it, not one that they want to give to such a genuine effort anyway.

They glance at the box now in their hands for a beat, then pull it open gently, as if afraid it might break. “You didn't have to,” Yuri says, gaze immediately attracted to the collection of makeup within. They know, of course, what it costs, and suddenly mean it doubly so. “Must've cost you a pretty penny. You should've spent it on yourself.” And even if some people would say it just to be humble, humility has never been one of their features. They know what they do and do not deserve.

After all, Yuri is no stranger to gifts like these. Makeup and jewelry offered to them because only the finest of accessories should decorate the most beautiful dolls— and never for free, of course, because nothing in this world is ever for free, and they are quite used to trading both face and body.

They kept them all, no matter how they loathe them sometimes. They may be prideful, but they are not foolish. There is a trunk under the floorboards beneath their bed in Abyss filled with their hoard, bountiful enough to convince someone they are a magpie and not a mockingbird. Bountiful enough to remind them that, now, the Savage Mockingbird can take a noble's expensive gift and slit his throat while wearing it if they wanted, then toss it without a second thought to disappear within their collection.

But while Bernadetta is a noble, she is not like them. (But how do you know? asks a voice. Yuri silences it. They just do— they must believe that.) Not because of this island, she says next, and as much as Yuri can guess where her mind tends to spiral to, they wonder if she can do the same. Because they would have thought it next, yes, wondered about an objective handed to her in the interim that perhaps needed completing or some other game their hosts wanted to play. Even with the reassurance, they might have still wondered.

But maybe it is because it is Bernadetta, because she had known them before they were Yuri, and know all the secrets and vulnerabilities that come with that, because no matter how many times she says she has forgiven them, Yuri is used to bracing for betrayal, that the mockingbird pauses. Briefly, yet completely and utterly struck still mid-flight.

And then they believe her, even when the first instinct ingrained in them is not to.

“It...” they start, then pause. Correct themself. “You make me happy, Bernadetta. With or without the gift. But thanks for thinking about my birthday.” Because it's nice to be thought about, in the end. If it needs to be put simply for her, without the mess of their past, then it— and she— makes them happy. Bernadetta doesn't need to know the rest. Yuri grins, then plucks the flower accessory from the box to hold out to her. This one, they can think about without straining their smile. No shadow haunts it; this one is just Bernadetta. “Help me put it in my hair?”

Next birthday, we'll still be friends. But they do not say it aloud. This one is a promise all for themself. Yuri resolves not to break it.

#toahappyland2024 #hermidetta #.𖥔 ݁ ˖　﹙　i worry that love is violence .　—inbox.　﹚#quietly shuffling all this under a cut because it's kind of embarrassingly long LOL #like i need to queue this post i cannot watch it go onto the dash in real time i am so mortified by its length #i have a lot of thoughts on yuri's relationship with his birthday. and his thoughts on getting gifts like this.#and this ask hits both those points so ummm yeah #anyway excuse me while i blow up. or something. what the fuck sen /pos #bernie deserves everything in the world ever #and she got this guy with emotional constipation and various intimacy & trust issues instead #sorry about that #i promise he likes & appreciates the gift he's just got issues #can't just think oh what a nice gift thank you! gotta think Why Is She Giving Me This Specifically #ummm because it's your birthday? and you like makeup? what kinda question..#BUT THANK YOU FOR THE ASK SEN I ADORE & APPRECIATE YOU ALWAYS #sorry it devolved into like a meta drabble part way through mfksdjflksdjf

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wackytheorist · 2 months

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Ayup! I'm Prism, I noticed your egg for Poll's Summer Camp is just a picrew for now. I was wondering if you'd like me to draw her? I really love drawing them, it'd take 2-3ish days. I drew my egg, Macron, as well as 2 others, Chip and Blossom. Anyway, I've just been offering to draw 'em for anyone who doesn't seem to have art.

(she's super cute btw)

Have a great day!

Thanks for the ask

Though I do have some art of yuri, thank you for offering to draw her, I love that!

(And Macron looks adorable as well :D)

#asks

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hashirun · 1 year

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Asagao to Kase-san (2018) directed by Takuya Sato

Asagao to Kase-san (or Kase-san and Morning Glories) follows the relationship of high schoolers Yui Yamada, a quiet but cheerful girl who loves gardening; and Tomoka Kase, an outgoing and popular girl who is ace of their high school's track and field team.

The film is based on the manga series of the same title by Hiromi Takashima. It kicks off around the time the two get together, and focuses on the challenges they face due to their differences: both in their personalities and the worlds they live in. As a star athlete, Kase is always surrounded by people - teammates and friends alike, leaving Yamada feeling left out and lonely.

There's a scene where Yamada watches Kase compete in a tournament. Kase, of course, finishes first, and is immediately surrounded by her supporters celebrating her victory. Yamada then decides to leave instead of approaching Kase. Kase calls her on the phone asking where she is, and sounds down when Yamada tells her she left because she didn't want to be a bother.

However, their differences are exactly what they admire and love about each other. Yamada sees Kase as someone cooler than even the boys in their school, while Kase thinks Yamada is amazing for taking care of the plants in their school without seeking for recognition. They both want to be closer to each other, and they both get miserable at the thought of being away from each other with graduation looming and Kase getting a sports recommendation at a university in Tokyo.

Anyway, I've also read the manga and while I like the film well enough, I would've appreciated it more if they adapted the manga into a series instead. This way, they'd be able to better show how Kase and Yamada's love blossomed and how their relationship progressed.

It goes without saying that I like yuri manga and anime, but I especially like Asagao to Kase-san for having a main character who's obviously boyish and is also a runner. While it's not strictly a sports manga / anime, I appreciate how their story - both their relationship and their future - is still in some ways shaped by the fact that Kase is a talented and sought-after athlete. I enjoyed scenes where Kase is on the track - training or competing or getting scolded by her coach or bickering with fellow athletes.

#yuri #anime #manga #film #asagao to kase san #kase san and morning glories

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justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms · 4 months

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Please may I have Blue exorcist headcanons of being Rin and Yukio's guardian/"mother" and Yuri Egin's younger twin sister named Hana which means "flower blossoms" in Japanese..Hana was the only living relative of the Okumura twins when her older sister died giving birth to Rin and Yukio and Hana helped Shiro raise them after her twin's death regardless of the difficulties. Hana is a Senior Exorcist as a Knight, dragoon user, doctor and Aira and Tamer since the age of 9. Hana married Shiro, became his wife when the twins and Ame were a year old. Hana became a widow and single mother after Shiro died protecting Rin when he discovered that he was Satan's son. Hana is a human woman and mother and exorcist 40 years old.

Childhood and background:

Hana and her older twin sister grew up homeless despite having Niko, Okumura and Obaba as their caretakers before meeting Shiro and Hana didn't know back then that Shiro would evidently become her husband when they are adults. After the deaths of Niko, Okumura and Obaba when they died in an accident when they were children. The twins were raised in the True Cross academy shortly afterwards and became exorcists. Falling in love with Shiro happened gradually and there was ups and downs as well as frustration after frustration and then there was Satan..he only trusted the Egin twins for some reason and considering how he met them when they were 6 and then what had occurred afterwards when Hana discovered that her sister was pregnant with twins and then there was the blue night that occurred and she lost her sister. She swore that day that she will not let anything happen to them as what happened to her sister and raising her sister's children and her own son was hard work but she is an extremely hardworking mother and exorcist at the same time.

She held Yukio when he had nightmares or when he was frightened by demons and comforted him when he cried. She treated Rin like a normal person and she doesn't see Rin as any different and she stayed incredibly patient when Rin lost control of his emotions. She helped Ame over his shyness and taught Himawari that it was okay to be herself. She knew how to be a parent..she wasn't a perfect Mom by any means as not all parents are perfect but she is an extremely kind and a hardworking mother anyway.

Appearance:

Exactly like her late twin, Yuri Egin. She is mostly in her exorcist clothes but her casual clothes on her day off is mostly a sweater and trousers..typical mom clothes.

Personality:

Loving and caring as well as extremely protective and she is a kind mother to the Okumura twins as well as to her own son and daughter and a caring wife to Shiro. Extremely selfless and a hardworking young woman as a mom and exorcist. Hana is a very kind and gentle soul, with a deep love and care for her work as a mother and exorcist. As a exorcist, she has a sharp wit and is not afraid to voice opinions when necessary. She is known to be the most accomplished and excellent exorcist at True Cross and tutors the younger exorcists or pages..she is Rin's teacher. She did actually smack Ryūjj when he called Rin out for being Satan's son.."how dare you call him out like that you nasty little boy! He is not like Satan! I get it. I hate what Satan had done but don't you dare call my son out ever again!". She is extremely hardworking as an exorcist and as a mother. She lives with her children in a apartment which is fully paid for and Rin and Yukio lives there as well. Hana is a Senior Exorcist with Dragoon, Knight, Aira, Doctor and Tamer as her Meisters..she is quite busy all the time as a mom and as a exorcist and Teacher so when Himawari's older brother Ame couldn't look after Himawari due to his busy schedule..Himawari is left with a trusted exorcist babysitter/nanny who would then be in charge of dropping her off school and picking her up from school and all the business as a childminder and protector. Don't be fooled, Hana is a mom and a lovely woman but mess with her kids or with the innocent and you will absolutely regret it and she is a Senior Exorcist.

The Okumura twins, Ame's childhood and Himawari's babyhood:

Hana had always been the patient mother during their childhood and always got up to them during their infancy when Shiro was too tired and her lack of stress and her love was what her adopted sons and biological son sensed. She was there for their every single milestone..when they crawled, first steps, started speaking and so on..she was there for them.

Hana had always been able to calm Rin down when he had trouble with his feelings and helped him cook properly when he was interested in learning from her. Hana helped Yukio when he was frightened by demons and held him in her arms when he had nightmares or was frightened by demons considering that she can see them too..she comforted her children when they cried and gave them advice when they were troubled by something and broke up their fights and arguments when they disagree on something as there was no need to shout at each other. She spent time with all of her children despite how busy she may be and after she had Himawari when the Okumura twins and Ame were 5..she still remained a caring mother.

Shiro Fuijmoto's biological children:

Ame (it means "Rain" in Japanese) Fuijmoto age 15 looks a lot like his Dad, Shiro Fuijmoto when he was a kid appearance wise but his personality is different from Shiro's as Ame is cautious and he did feel like he was Rin's babysitter/Dad more than his brother due to Rin's Spontaneous and reckless behaviour much to Ame's exasperation. He had high grades because he studied hard. He is a good guy and he didn't really care that Rin and Yukio are Satan's children..they are still like his younger brothers. Ame is a good older brother to Himawari despite the times that he messes up as an older brother, he wasn't perfect but he is a good brother and he loves Himawari..his nickname for his sister is "Hima". He is extremely respectful towards women and treated them with respect..he wasn't a pervert unlike his Dad. He looked after Himawari when she was sick and he is a caring/kind brother and a kind son and he is a Senior exorcist at True Cross for his dragoon user and Doctor and Knight and Tamer (he tamed white foxes as his familiars) Meisters, he was quiet and focusing mainly on his work. However, he has a sharp wit and is not afraid to voice opinions when necessary. He is known to be the most accomplished and excellent exorcist at the True Cross and he teaches his peers in the academy as he is a teacher. He saw demons since infancy after receiving a tempaint from birth. Hana's pregnancy with Ame at the age of 25 was unexpected and Shiro was understandably, he had mixed emotions about becoming a Dad when he found out about Ame and how he is the father. Ame is extremely hardworking as an exorcist and is most respected in his field as a Senior Exorcist.

Ame is not and I mean not someone you want to anger, harm his sister or make her cry and you'll regret it tenfold. Ame had a lot of fangirls and he was confessed to by 10 girls daily and it was a regular occurrence for him to receive love letters and then a lot of gifts on Valentines day and on his birthday and on special occasions or the times he was practically surrounded by fangirls like Yukio as well. Falling for Shiemi was a bit awkward for him but she liked him as well considering how often he visited her and he was ridiculously patient. Ame rarely got angry but if he got angry you knew that you messed up big time..hurt his friends, make his sister cry or do something cruel or anything negative like that and he'll make you regret that. Ame is a pretty good cook and he can cook seriously complicated stuff and whatever you want..he can cook. He also broke up fights and arguments..

Ame always held Himawari in his arms when she was frightened by demons as she saw them since infancy because she received a tempaint from the age of 2 months old and he went as far as sleeping in the corner of her room in a armchair despite how uncomfortable he may feel when she had nightmares. He had a habit of giving her piggyback rides after his training sessions with Shura and she felt delighted at his attention. She always loves cooking with Ame and he always felt proud to show off her food creations to his colleagues and to his friends (Himawari made his lunches sometimes and he felt proud to tell people that she made this brilliant dish.). He always hid his bad feelings from her..he doesn't want her to worry about him as Himawari is observant enough about him and she always asked him what was wrong and she reminded him that she is here for Ame as much as he was here for her but his tendency to want to protect her make him hide his bad feelings from her; he doesn't want her to worry about him. She always asks him multiple times if something is wrong and she always reminded him that she is here for him as much as he does for her. When her birthday comes, he always knows what gift to buy you , but he never gives it to her directly, he prefers to leave it somewhere he's sure she will find it. Ame is the type of brother who casts a death glare to every single person who flirts with Himawari, but won't interfere unless if the age gap is too big, if it's Renzō or if he has a bad feeling with the them. Ame won't interfere in Himawari's platonic love life in general, but if someone dare to hurt her on purpose, Ame's protective side'll come back and they'll have to deal with the angry big brother of hers. Ame does make sure Himawari can defend herself if one day he can't do it himself, he teaches her his Meisters or help her to improve hers if she is struggling with it. He often buys Himawari her favorite foods, make dinner for her and eat with her. He likes to be able to know how she feels and how's her day had been; just spending time with her, knowing she is safe and sound. If Himawari has a nightmare, he'll let her sleep in his bed if she wanted to. He does not want her to feel alone and want her to know he'll always be by her side.

Appearance:

He dressed entirely similar to Shiro during his teenage years and he looks like Shiro big time due to strong resemblances excluding the glasses..he had much better sight than his Dad. His left eye is unusual though as he had a star in that eye. https://images.app.goo.gl/M4G3Jz2xxbYNQkqw5 (his left eye)

He is pretty tall for his age.

Abilities:

He is a highly skilled marital arts champion exactly like Yor from Spy x family and all the training as a child with his Dad had paid off.

He rarely made hot-headed and rash decisions unless under extreme duress and he preferred to go into things with a plan of action.

He is a Senior Exorcist and Rin's teacher for a reason.

Ame's Childhood:

Ame had always seen demons ever since he was a small child. Ame had always been the protective brother of the Okumura twins even when he was a little boy. He defended Yukio when he was bullied and spent most of his childhood climbing trees and other things while rescuing stuff that heartless bullies thought it would be funny to leave up there to make poor Yukio weep in a helpless manner because he was unable get it down. He always calmed Rin down when Rin couldn't control his feelings and comforted Yukio when he cried. Ame is the same age as the Okumura twins.

Himawari (it means "Sunflower" in Japanese) Fuijmoto age 10 is Ame Fuijmoto's little sister and she looks a lot like Hana. Himawari is a cheerful, considerate, and kindhearted individual. She loves her family and She also seems to care especially about her older brothers Ame, Rin, Yukio and vice-versa, to which she always hopes to play with them whenever possible. Himawari has a very close attachment to her parents, as she refers to them as "Mama" and "Papa"..she is extremely sweet and she is certainly a very energetic kid. Himawari is very mature despite her age, helping her mother with chores. She also takes after her paternal grandfather being patient, supportive, and understanding of her often-absent big brother figure! Yukio and actual biological big brother Ame and their exorcist duties which kept them busy all the time considering, but yearns for them to be home sometimes and she does worry about them. However, Himawari is not without temper; she can become very confrontational when provoked. Showing a strong attachment to her favorite plush, she quickly showed an intimidating side which is as enough to make her brother Rin run away and hide from her and also cause her father and Yukio to be terrified of her. She is showing potential of being an exorcist regarding her first time as a Tamer and Doctor and Knight as her potential Meisters when she summoned a baby Greenman demon and when she actually treated someone's injury and showed impressive skill with a sword. Himawari doesn't care that Rin and Yukio are Satan's children..she is still glad to have them as her brothers which is endearing to hear.

Appearance:

Very similar to her mother and she bore a strong resemblance to Hana and Yuri Egin. She wore similar clothes to Hana.

Other things about Ame Fuijmoto and Himawari Fuijmoto:

1. The reason why Ame is the oldest of the siblings is because his birthday is the 26th of December which was the day before the Okumura twins were born.

2. Ame trained as an exorcist from the age of 6 and became a Senior exorcist at the age of 11.

3. Harm their sister and the Okumura twins and Ame will make you regret it.

4. Himawari took it pretty hard after her beloved daddy (Shiro Fuijmoto) had died protecting Rin..everyday she stayed in her room and cried..Ame felt helpless and heartbroken as all he could do was hold her in his arms as she cried..watching her go through this was heartbreaking and it was like that her cheerful personality had disappeared for a while but it was thanks to Kuro who brought her personality back gradually little by little.

5. Ame is admittedly rather perverted on an occasion and he kept his dirty thoughts to himself..he blamed his Dad for those habits which totally rubbed off on him.

6. Ame jokingly pretended to feel rejected when Shiemi actually asked Himawari out of curiosity who her favourite brother was and Himawari said it was Yukio and she didn't care that he is Satan's son..she still loves him dearly and admittedly Yukio felt touched and thought she was extremely sweet and actually gave her an affectionate big brother hug.

7. Ame didn't trust himself with the laundry anymore after he had accidentally put Himawari's toy panda in the wash along with his clothes and Rin's and it bursted..it took several people and 4 hours of frantic searching for another replacement as he did not want to face a livid Himawari for days on end because he accidentally destroyed her stuffed panda like what had happened to her jumper.

8. Himawari is actually much wiser than she actually looks and she is a talented swordswoman and I mean extremely talented and it did catch Shura off guard too when she managed to beat several grown demons without a beat.

9. Ame felt hurt and understandably extremely angry when he found out that his father was a clone because his father, Shiro was originally part of Section 13's experiments to create new bodies for the Eight Demon Kings. A clone of Azazel, Shiro was the fourth in a series of clones. Shiro is actually born a clone from the Asylum, a facility that gathered orphans and trained them to become exorcists, with a branch called Section 13 serves as experimentation lab to create a suitable vessel for Lucifer. In Shiro's case, he was a clone of Azazel. Resenting the place, Shiro escaped and met the orphaned Yuri Egin and her younger twin sister and for a while they stayed together until the Asylum retrieved him together with Yuri and Hana who are able to see demons. Desperate for freedom, Shiro strikes a deal with Mephisto to make him exorcist, though even after reaching the rank of Paladin, he was still bound to the Section 13 albeit having more freedom. During this time, he formed a close relationship with Yuri and her twin, and even possibly fell in love with Hana despite having rejected her earlier love confession and it was clear how far it had went with Hana when she became pregnant with..Ame and Hana became very ill for 9 months and Yuri couldn't help because she was pregnant with the Okumura twins. Ame looks exactly like his Dad but that doesn't make it any easier for him and poor Himawari actually cried for hours after finding out

10. Ame is willing to go far to rescue his little sister Himawari and after she was captured by a enemy group by a woman who was obsessed with trying to revive her late daughter..he went through hell to rescue her with many dangerous obstacles in his way regarding extremely dangerous people reducing him to an injured exhausted mess but he pushed on for the sake of his sister.

11. Himawari is an important person to Ame and he does care about her.

12. Ame poured Mephisto's bad food out of the window once and it actually burnt a hole in the grass and Ame questioned his ingredient choices when a fly just died after trying it. He was a bit iffy to let Himawari eat any of it and didn't let her eat any of it for safety reasons.

13. Ame and Himawari are immune to Blue flames and to hellfire flames as well..it would probably explain why Himawari hugged Rin when he was in a feral mode in the forest when he was exposed as Satan's son by Amaimon and she only hugged him to calm him down and she was in tears when she begged him to calm down.

14. Well..Hana is actually Rin and Yukio's auntie but after Hana lost her sister to childbirth..Hana adopted the Okumura twins despite that Hana had Ame to raise as well and yes it wasn't easy and raising two half demon children and her own son all at once was both mentally draining and exhausting but she never once had given up on them not even once (this was 5 years before Himawari was born when Hana took the Okumura twins in)

15. Hana will trust Yukio and Ame to babysit their sister when either he or Ame or both are free if the exorcist babysitter is unavailable because they do know what to do in an emergency..Hana does love her adopted son Rin deeply but he does tend to act immature and the last thing that she wanted was for Himawari to be in some kind of danger because he was spontaneous again. If both Yukio and Ame are busy..Hana will most likely let Izumo kinda babysit but she does feel iffy about Shiemi.

16. Ame did have pretty fond memories of Himawari's babyhood and back then Himawari couldn't say Yukio's name properly and called him "Yui.." Hana did feel pretty sympathetic when Shiro always talked about those days in a gloomy voice a bit like when Himawari took her first steps..it was towards Yukio and to be honest..it actually made his day after a horrible day in school with bullying issues and she made it clear that he was her favourite brother like how Rin and Ame are. Hana is pretty fond of those days despite how difficult it was back then raising half demon children and her own children.

17. Himawari never finds danger..it always finds her. She was captured twice by extremely dangerous people for different reasons.

18. Himawari was pretty insecure about her moles as some heartless kids in her class did make fun of her for her appearance and they learnt to never do it again after Rin glared at them for making her cry.

19. One of the many things that Himawari hates is her rain..it rains everytime she cries and it wasn't an ability she loves due to isolation she felt due to her peers hating her for unintentionally ruining events and it was way beyond her control.

20. Hana became a widow after Shiro's death but her children is what kept her going.

Yuri Egin's relationship with her younger twin sister (Hana Egin) and how she reacted when she found out that her little sister was pregnant with Ame before her death

Shiro Fuijmoto's relationship with his wife (Hana Egin now Hana Fuijmoto because she took his surname) and with his biological son (Ame Fuijmoto) and biological daughter (Himawari Fuijmoto) before his death

Rin Okumura's relationship with his guardian/mother (Hana Fuijmoto) and with his older brother (Ame Fuijmoto) and with his younger sister (Himawari Fuijmoto)

Yukio Okumura's relationship with his guardian/mother (Hana Fuijmoto) and with his older brother (Ame Fuijmoto) and with his younger sister (Himawari Fuijmoto)

Shiemi Moriyama's relationship with her boyfriend (Ame Fuijmoto) and with Himawari Fuijmoto (Ame Fuijmoto's younger sister) and with Hana Fuijmoto (Rin and Yukio and Ame and Himawari's mother).

Izumo Kamiki's relationship with her friend, Ame Fuijmoto and with Ame Fuijmoto's younger sister Himawari Fuijmoto as well as with Hana Fuijmoto (Rin and Yukio and Ame and Himawari's mother)

Ryūjj Suguro's relationship with his friend, Ame Fuijmoto and Ame Fuijmoto's younger sister Himawari and with Hana Fuijmoto (Rin and Yukio and Ame and Himawari's mother)

Konekomaru Miwa's relationship with Ame Fuijmoto and Ame Fuijmoto's younger sister Himawari and with Hana Fuijmoto (Rin and Yukio and Ame and Himawari's mother)

Renzō Shima's relationship with Ame Fuijmoto and Ame Fuijmoto's younger sister Himawari and with Hana Fuijmoto (Rin and Yukio and Ame and Himawari's mother)

Shura Kirigakure's relationship with Shiro Fuijmoto's wife (Hana Fuijmoto) and with her children (Ame Fuijmoto and Himawari Fuijmoto)

Kuro's relationship with Hana Fuijmoto and her children (Ame Fuijmoto and Himawari Fuijmoto)

Ame and Himawari's relationship with their mother (Hana Fuijmoto)

Yukio Okumura's relationship with his guardian/mother (Hana Fuijmoto) from childhood

Rin Okumura's relationship with his guardian/mother (Hana Fuijmoto) from childhood.

Yukio's relationship with Himawari during his childhood and during her infancy..

Hi! Thank you for your request! It's been a while!

Just an announcement: Preferably, I would like requests to be a bit shorter than this. I certainly don't mind the extra information but it makes it difficult for people to read.

This is why I've put the headcanons in a separate post and linked the original ask for anyone who wants to read it. Try to keep requests to the basic information and then dm me the extra details. Thank you!

The headcanons can be found here!

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