They walked across the courtyard with Kajai following after them, through the school and onto the street. Pershana was more colorful up close. While the streets were lined with cobblestone, the buildings took on different organic shapes. One shop looked like it came from 18th century France, while the home next to it was shaped like a incredibly large boot. There was a flower shop hollowed out from a large tree, and a blue brick bakery sitting next to it. The denizens of Pershana were the same--no two were similar in anyway or fashion. Kajai viewed it all with open adoration on his face. It was all oddly different, yet strangely cohesive. They walked to a quiet end of town which appeared to be mostly residential. The sky seemed to shift left and right above them before turning purple.
“Looks like we lost an hour.” Griselda shrugged at Kajai. “That happens. Well, sometimes. Often we skip sunset and go straight to twilight.”
The sky changed again, this time to a rosy orange.
“Nevermind.” Griselda said. “I suppose we were in a swing just now.”
“That’s insane.” Kajai stared at the sky. “How can you live in a place where time refuses to behave?”
“Because time is irrelevant.” Griselda replied. “It doesn’t matter when, how, or why, things continue. Just ignore it.There are more important things to worry about.”
They stopped in front of a large jack o’ lantern wearing a pointed hat, surrounded by fog. On closer inspection, the glowing pumpkin was a two story home with two windows carved into the ‘hat’ and the glowing eyes acting as another pair.
“Our ancestor carved this house out you know.” Himiko said, beaming.
“Yes, from a pumpkin swiped from a fairy’s garden.” Griselda added. “Excellent work.”
“It's amazing.” Kajai said in awe.
“It’s even better on the inside.” Himiko remarked. “So in we go.” The jack o’ lantern’s mouth widened, allowing them to enter.
A pair of crystal wind chimes jingled as they entered. Kajai was surprised to find that the house was twice as large on the inside. They walked through a short hallway, the halls of which were lined with old talismans and dried herbs.
The dark wooden floor creaked beneath their feet. Piles of books, old knick knacks and heirlooms filled the foyer which lead to the kitchen and stairs. The kitchen featured an iron stove straight out of the 1800s, a wooden table, four chairs, and several cupboards. In three corners of the room stood tall iron stands featured several long, dripping candles that illuminated the room. An enormous cauldron sat in the corner, big enough to hold both Tsukihime sisters. A warm breeze pushed through the house, carrying the scent of salt.
“She left the sea breeze going again.” Himiko said, yanking a blue piece of parchment off the wall. The breeze dissipated.
“Well, at least she only uses it when you’re out.” Griselda said, walking into the kitchen.
“I can feel myself getting scales.” Himiko rubbed her arms. “It’s the worst!”
Petalbroom floated up the stairs and Nekobroom put itself away in one of the cupboards.
Himiko collapsed onto a chair. “I’m tired…”
“You’ve been using magic without a conduit.” Griselda replied, reaching into a cupboard. “What did you expect?”
“Come to think of it, witches need something to invoke magic because there’s only so many spells they can do on their own, right? The more powerful you are, the more casting you can do.” Now with a living source to confirm his musings, Kajai was ready to ask questions.
“That’s right.” Griselda replied. “A being can only cast so much on their own--That’s why we have spell jewels to act as conduits to generate and or amplify our spells.
The average caster can muster three spells a day. How many can you handle these days sister?”
Himiko removed her hat. “I haven’t tested my limits lately, but I’ve done ten in a day without jewels...I’ve performed seven so far today.”
“Seven?” Kajai repeated with curiosity.
“Yes.” Himiko counted them on her fingers. “One to keep the wind from messing with my hair, another to keep my hat on my head, another to keep dust out of my eyes, another to keep you on Petalbroom, one to get across the barrier between our worlds, another to balance on Petalbroom...I know I did something else…”
“Your stockings?” Griselda assumed.
“Oh, right. Can’t risk getting a run in them.”
Kajai raised an eyebrow. “That’s…”
“Impressive, right?” Himiko tossed her hair to the side.
“Yeah….” Kajai mentally added, ‘And extremely wasteful.’
“Impressive.”
The candles were all extinguished, and soon they were enveloped in darkness. Kajai stood still, eyes squinting in the dark. Several candles were lit, the cauldron began to bubble, and in the dim lighting, Kajai saw the table had a new occupant.
She was a woman with dark red hair. It was mostly pinned up into a bun, except for several strands that curled around her round face of pockmarks and warts. Her eyes held the same amethyst color as Himiko’s.
“Castandra.” Kajai whispered.
Castandra Tsukihime, mother of Griselda and Himiko, wife of Herxes, was not a woman easily deceived. She rose from her seat, revealing her thick voluptuous figure.
“It has been quite some time since your kind has come to this house.” She towered over Kajai and held his face up with her long, bony fingers. Her blood red nails punctured his face. “Where are they?”
Kajai winced at the prickly sensation of her nails. “W-Who?” Everything began to blur.
“Mama, be careful with him!” Himiko pleaded.
Griselda sat at the table, propping her chin in her palms as she looked at Himiko. “You should take your own advice, dear.”
“I...don't know...what...you’re talking about…” Kajai felt dizzy. Was he spinning, or the room? Either was possible at this point.
“Who are you?” Castandra asked.
“Ojunko...Kajai…”
Her eyes narrowed. “Who are you really?”
“Mama stop!” Himiko begged. “Grizzy, make her stop!”
Griselda studied her nails. “He’s a mortal, Mother. You might break him.”
“Mortal?” Castandra let go and Kajai found himself on the floor.
“Kajai!” Himiko knelt down at his side. “Are you alright!?”
“I...What..?” Kajai blinked at her. His mind was foggy, as if he were waking from a long dream. “Where…”
Himiko pulled him up into a sitting position. “You’re going to be alright. Mama just has a bad habit of poking around people’s minds.”
Castandra sat back down. She flicked her wrist, and a bottle of sherry appeared on the table. “Is that how you see it?” Her face seemed to melt and reform, now giving her the looks of a woman in her early twenties. “How do you expect a woman to react when she finds out her youngest daughter is engaged to a man she never brought home to the family?” She looked Kajai up and down. “Is that a man? Or some other type of being? It’s hard to tell with that dopey face.”
“How did you know we were engaged?” Himiko let go of Kajai’s back and he fell back onto the floor with a thud.
“What was that about being careful?” Griselda rolled her eyes.
Her voice was the last thing he heard before everything faded away, and Kajai allowed himself to slip into darkness.
When Kajai awoke again it was to the tinkling of chimes and the heavy scent of lavender and vanilla. His body was resting on something soft, and he saw the cosmos stretching out above him.
Kajai blinked twice. He turned onto his side. He was definitely indoors. There was a chair covered in clothing, a desk hidden under a pile of books, and a long mirror to the right of the four poster bed he laid upon. He sat up, and looked down at the patchwork quilt beneath him, made of swatches of different fabrics. The walls were covered in faded red and purple wallpaper decorated with maps, shelves of knick-knacks, and childhood possessions. Kajai saw the figurines from Familia Mart now on display as well. ‘This is Himiko’s room…’ An incense burner sat on her wooden nightstand, shaped like an angry black cat. Purple smoke rose to the ceiling and wafted out of the window.
Petalbroom hovered at the foot of the bed. “He is awake!” The familiar squawked, floating out of the room. “Lady Griselda, the mortal is awake!”
Kajai rolled off the bed and stood on the worn round carpet that surrounded it. The ceiling above was bewitched to show the stars, he remembered that now. He walked over to the window where a curtain of colorful beads blocked his view. Pushing them to the side he saw a lamp post hop down the street and into place before illuminating a patch of cobblestone with a green flame.
“I’m dreaming.” Kajai said before pinching himself. “Ow!”
“Not quite the reaction I wanted.” Griselda said from the doorframe.
Kajai spun around. “Griselda? What happened?”
“My sweet mother went sieving in your mind. Looks like it didn’t have any bad effects...so far. Do you remember the wedding?”
“No, what wedding?”
“Yours.”
“What!?”
“It was so grand! You and Himiko standing back to back, hands interlocked, stark naked in front of the whole town under a full moon…”
“Ehhhhh!?”
Griselda laughed. “Ohh ho ho ho! Now that's a lovely face! All red like a ruby! Ohhhh ho ho ho!” Her laughter made him think of an old witch, but he kept that to himself.
Kajai scowled. “That didn’t actually happen, did it?”
Griselda pouted. “Oh, don’t get all serious on me now, little brother in-law.”
Kajai sighed. “Someone has to be serious around here. So where is Himiko?”
After leaving Kajai in the questionable care of her sister, Himiko headed out to seek the guidance of the most knowledgeable man in Pershana. She walked to the end of the residential district, a long cluster of townhouses, brownstones, and mismatched homes that sat squished together, creating a literal border from the forest. Squished among the houses was her destination: a shop that resembled a large turnip. The inside could be summed up with one word: clutter. There were books as far as the eye could see, dust lingered in the air and no furniture could be found, except for two chairs on the other side of the room. One chair was currently occupied by a dozing elderly man. His skin was reddish brown in color, and he wore heavy dark red robes, intricate and ancient in their design. His bald speckled head reminded Himiko of an egg. She sat in the chair across from him.
“Mr. Bortlemunn? Hello? I have a problem.”
His eyes peeled open as if he had not just been snoring. “Miss Tsukihime. I know what brings you here.”
Himiko blinked. “You do?”
“I will make an assumption. It is something to do with the Arlton boy.”
“Kazuto?” Himiko frowned. “Well, somewhat. Let me explain…”
Himiko recanted her recent days to the elderly man.
“Ah, I see.” He rubbed his chin, his long thin nails scraping the surface. “But what is the issue you mentioned?”
“Hwaa!? I'm engaged!”
“Yes, but not to the Arlton boy. Is this not what you wanted?”
Himiko was speechless, her mouth hanging open as she tried to find the right words. “H--W-Hii…”
“If that book was bound in Thoth’s name,” He cut off her stammering, “then its words will always be true. In time, you may marry the mortal. You know how marriage contracts work for casters.”
“Yes.” Himiko choked out. “Depending on the initial contract, two casters can be bound for life, their powers become intertwined. But Kajai is mortal. How can we have a contract like that? How does this work?” Tears of frustration were building in her eyes.
“That I do not know. But I advise you to take this development as a blessing. It may even be that your union was always meant to be.”
Himiko looked as though she wanted to say something in protest but she let him continue.
“With it, a new door opens for you. Not just the caster’s way, but the mortal life.” His tight face pulled into a smile. “Couldn’t this be the adventure you are constantly searching for?”
Himiko stared at him, her gaze distant. All her life she had come to him for advice. He was like a grandfather to her, always ready with words of wisdom when she felt lost.
As confused as she had originally felt, his words had resonated with her.
He was right. Up to this point, she had always chased excitement and hunted for adventure. Still, this wasn’t what she had in mind…
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