by Hickory Mack
He played some more and Chiori looked around the study, listening attentively. It was so masculine in here. The floors were bare save the cushions they sat on. There was a desk, and a chair made from a smooth fabric that looked warm to the touch. An empty fireplace stood near one wall, and she assumed magic must protect the flammable rice paper. The scent of past fires lingered.
Shelves of books and scrolls and maps lined the opposite wall, and the final wall was open to the garden, on the opposite side of Chiori’s rooms, letting in the light. Makkai stopped playing and told her they only had time for one more, asking if she had any requests. She left her cushion and kneeled next to him on his.
“I don’t know what it’s called,” she said, humming a few bars. The tune was a well ingrained memory from her childhood. Makkai listened, his ears perked, then had her repeat herself two more times, thinking hard.
“I think I’ve got it, but if I’m right, this is not the right instrument, and I need two more voices,” he said. “It’s only about fifty or sixty years younger than Wonderful World.”
Makkai plucked the strings a few times, practicing, then played. He couldn’t remember all of the words, so much of it was hummed, but the words he did remember were right on, his voice hitting the haunting notes perfectly. He finished and looked at Chiori, her eyes were misty.
“Yes, that’s the one,” she said. “Thank you.”
“I’ll figure out the rest and we’ll do it properly next time,” he promised. “Where did you hear that?”
“My mother used to sing it to me,” she said.
“Safe and Sound.” Makkai muttered, thinking it was a strange song to sing to a child. “We’ll do another, something happier.”
“No, it was perfect, really. Thank you,” Chiori leaned into him until he put his arm around her shoulders and he sighed into her hair. She noticed he refrained from breathing in her scent as he usually did.
“Alright, if you’re sure,” he said, “it’s dinner time. We wouldn’t want to let Milly’s meal grow cold and waste her efforts. Or make your teacher wait too long.”
Gideon was waiting near the pagoda when they arrived. Lord Makkai apologized for keeping him waiting and gave Chiori a hand up the stairs. He helped her with the chair, holding it for her when she sat.
“Thank you, my Lord,” she said, smoothing her kimono.
“You are very welcome,” he answered, taking his seat, followed by Gideon who flashed her a big, easy smile.
“Hello Lady Chiori, I hope your bath was leisurely and enjoyable,” he said. She hadn’t enjoyed it at all, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. Why did he have to be so friendly? She couldn’t even look at him properly. Gideon was very much an adult, though he looked younger than Makkai. He was ridiculously hot.
“It was fine, thanks,” she said shortly. Lord Makkai made a choked, amused noise that he covered with a small cough. Calm down. She told herself. Quiet thoughts.
“The terms of Gideon’s contract are going to be a bit different than usual because, though he is here for you, he cannot be beholden to you if he is to be your instructor,” Makkai said.
“My student cannot also be my master if I am to have any authority in this situation,” Gideon smiled again, easily simplifying Makkai’s words and revealing those sharp teeth of his.
“I don’t think that will be a problem, in my Lady’s case,” Makkai said, glancing at her, a bit of pride in his eyes.
“I won’t by any means be a taskmaster, but she’s still a child, and children can be unpredictable in their moods and their willingness to put effort in. No offense meant, Lady Chiori,” Gideon said. Chiori scowled. She’d always been an exemplary student.
“I guess it remains to be seen. Now, I’m going to put this plainly, so there are no miscommunications or misgivings between us should anything happen. I have never had one of your kind here. The witches of your coven did not divulge this bit of relatively important information before sending you. As judgmental as it sounds, had I known ahead of time, you would not have been invited into my home.”
“As I’m sure you are aware, one single attempt to feed on anyone in this house without consent, or any attempt to manipulate anyone into consent, I will kill you myself,” Lord Makkai said seriously. Chiori’s wide eyes darted to her future teacher, but he seemed at ease with the threat.
“My apologies, they’ve used this underhanded tactic before to help me gain experience outside of the coven. They don’t want to lose me to boredom as they find my talents quite useful. No hard feelings, I’ve worked with others under the same conditions, it’s not an issue. I’m old enough to have complete control over myself, so there will be no wonton devouring of anyone. I can hunt outside of here,” he agreed easily enough.
“Good. You will come to me with reports at the end of each week, I want to be kept up to date with Lady Chiori’s education, and I am to be notified immediately of any mishaps sustained while she is in your care. There are eyes everywhere in this house, failure to report such things are grounds for immediate dissolvement of the contract,” Lord Makkai said.
“Agreed. On my end, I will require advanced notice if you are to be taking my student for any length of time while she is supposed to be engaged in studies. I will need to be able to adapt our work based on the length of time she will be gone. A set schedule needs to be in place, so I can plan my hunting time,” Gideon said.
“Agreed,” Lord Makkai looked at Chiori and smiled apologetically. “No more impromptu field trips.” Her mouth twisted into a frown. “She will be given two days a week to rest, all of her tutors will be given the same instruction.”
“One day a week will be sufficient,” Gideon countered.
“She is a Lady. Two days.”
“All the more reason for her to learn quickly. The demands to be placed on her because of the place you are giving her will be many. She needs to learn now how to handle the stress in a more forgiving atmosphere before she can step into that role. I stand by giving her one day,” Gideon repeated.
“One is fine,” Chiori put in quietly, her hands clasped in her lap, she looked up at Makkai briefly. “I can handle it.”
“Compromise. Two for now, until Airi says she is physically capable of handling the stress. Using her magic almost killed her this week. When she is cleared, it can be dropped to one day, under supervision,” Lord Makkai said, though he was clearly unhappy about it. Gideon looked at Chiori, appraising her.
“I was unaware her health is so fragile. I will agree to your compromise,” he said. Chiori was angry with herself for giving Makkai any reason to believe she couldn’t handle this.
“Your instruction will be coordinated with her other tutors, each will need to be provided with an acceptable amount of time to be a part of her education. You must agree to be amicable with the other tutors, no intimidation tactics or use of powers to shorten their time with her.”
“All instructors will submit their requested schedules to the Magistrate, Haruka, who will then create an actual schedule for Lady Chiori to follow each day,” Lord Makkai said. Gideon was quiet for a long time with this one, and Lord Makkai sipped his sake, waiting patiently.
“Who gets the final say in what she’s learning?” he asked.
“My Lady does, of course. She will need basic education, but once that is finished she will be free to continue studying whatever she wishes.” Chiori smiled at that, pleased that she would be able to explore her interests instead of spending hours memorizing arithmetic for the sake of passing a test, as was the practice of the school in Tallow.
“Agreed,” Gideon said, and Chiori thought he was all too certain his subject was one she would be interested in.
The food came then, Nori and Sora in the lead and the pair of men that only ever seemed to be around at meal time followed. They brought covered platters and plates, setting one large and one small plate in front of each of them. Water and tea were given to all three of them, and another bottle of sake w
as set between the men. Nori passed out small bowls of roasted root vegetables and crisp brussels sprouts to each of them.
When everything was set, the covers were removed with flourish, all four servers gave a quick bow and then retreated without a word. Chiori waited, taking her cue from Lord Makkai, but she had trouble holding still, the meal looked amazing.
Directly in front of her was a vegetable lasagna roll, with white sauce covering the noodles and little basil leaves on top. Next to it was a small bowl of golden white Miso soup, and adorable little garlic biscuits cooked in the shape of hamsters.
She watched Gideon, wondering what he would do, but he seemed oblivious to how a Vampire was supposed to behave. He clapped his hands together once in thanks, dipped his head and cut a piece of the lasagna free, popping it into his mouth. Yet another thing the teacher’s in the human’s nest had gotten wrong. In their version of the truth, Vampires could only drink blood, and they certainly couldn’t come out in the daylight.
Chiori took a bite, chewed it and had to sit in silence to the count of ten to stop herself from making embarrassing noises over how good it was. There was smooth butternut squash inside, with a pureed layer of pecans. She didn’t know what the sauce was, but it was amazing.
Their talk of the contract was not suspended over the presence of food. Chiori was careful to split her focus between eating her meal without spilling on her clothes and what the men were saying. It felt like they were things she ought to know if she was going to be spending a lot of time with the man.
“The last thing we need is your name. While bound by our contract you will take the name Kai,” Lord Makkai said. Chiori saw how serious both of them looked. Gideon took less time thinking on this one, which she’d thought would be more important to him. That led her to wonder how many times he had taken a contractual name.
“Agreed,” Gideon said.
“Tomorrow my Lady will be formally introduced to the household staff, and you will be introduced as her magic tutor. She will be given the rest of the day to organize her house and meet the first of her staff. You will have time to finish settling in, submit your schedule request and plan your curriculum. The morning after, she will be turned over to you and the rest of her tutors.” A red scroll was on the table, with golden tassels at each end. Lord Makkai looked at Chiori askance. “You are okay with all of this?”
“Yes, my Lord,” she answered.
He opened the scroll, which contained every point they had agreed upon, down to the smallest detail. He then produced a small knife and a pen from the sleeve of his kimono and pricked his thumb, pressing his bloody print onto an empty space at the bottom, writing his perfect signature below. Passing the items to Gideon, the ritual was repeated.
“You are now Kai, a member of my household. Welcome,” Lord Makkai said warmly.
“Thank you, my Lord,” Kai answered. All three of them finished eating and Lord Makkai stood.
“Here we separate, are you able to find your way back to your rooms?” Lord Makkai asked, receiving a positive reply. “Until tomorrow then.”
“I forgot to save some for Airi,” Chiori said when Kai was gone and Makkai laughed.
“Not to worry Little One. I asked Milly to send some to her. She talks a lot of trash, but Airi is well taken care of around here,” he assured her.
Nori stepped forward and accepted the scroll.
“Take that to Haruka, please,” he instructed, then pulled Chiori close without hesitating, it was becoming a habit to keep her near. “Ready?” he asked. Chiori felt the barrier slip around her and nodded. They appeared again at the Matriarch tree, and Makkai held her steady until she could stand on her own two feet.
She skipped ahead a few steps and twirled, arms outstretched, watching the long sleeves of her kimono glide in the air around her. Laughing she kicked off her shoes and spun around and around until she was breathless and spent. Makkai was chuckling at her when she stopped, her cheeks flushed with exertion.
“What are we going to do? More fond memory making?” she asked.
“Is there anything specific you want to do?” Makkai asked.
“Yes,” Chiori answered immediately. “I want you to tell me a story about your past. I want it to take so long you forget to bring me back to the house tomorrow. I’ll stay out here with you forever.”
“Little One…” Makkai started.
“We can have Milly’s cooking every day, because Airi is right. She’s a kitchen goddess of some kind,” Chiori kept talking.
“You can have Milly’s cooking every day,” Makkai said.
“I won’t have to meet scary demon teachers, or live inside, or sleep or do anything else without you,” Chiori said quickly, her words starting to overlap each other. Makkai sighed and walked over to her.
“And I can take a bath alone, and you can put me in a bubble I’ll never complain about. I’ll be your pet, I don’t care,” she said. He set his hand on her shoulder. “I want to stay with you.”
“I want that too,” Makkai said and pulled her in for a long, tight hug.
“You’re the Lord, you can do whatever you want. If you say I can stay, nobody else can do anything about it,” Chiori said.
“Actually, it’s because I am a Lord that I cannot do whatever I want. It’s required of me to think of how my actions affect everyone else. One of my responsibilities is making sure the needs of everyone in that house are met, that they’re all safe, and happy. I have the strength to protect them, and that is why they come. Making sure they’re cared for is why they stay,” Makkai said.
“You’ll understand, when you get to know and care for them. You’ll want the same. Making a personal sacrifice for the good of everyone eventually becomes second nature.”
“How is being separated something that will help everyone?” Chiori challenged.
“You’ll be a better leader if you’re educated,” Makkai said simply.
“I don’t like it,” she said.
“Go change out of your kimono. I’ll think of a story to tell you by the time you return,” Makkai said, handing her the bag and spinning her around so he could untie the Obi at her back. He took out her hair comb and handed her that, too. She gave him the saddest look, her big eyes nearly gray with emotion, but she obeyed, taking quick, tiny steps into the cabin to change behind the screen.
Makkai sat against the trunk of the matriarch tree, pulled out his flute and played a couple of songs until Chiori returned, sitting as close to him as she could. He handed her his flute, showed her how to blow into it and left to change into his own pajamas. They had an hour until sundown, but if they were going to be telling stories, it was better to be comfortable.
He’d never heard his flute make noises like that before. Try as she might, Chiori’s first attempts were terrible. She was obviously having fun with it, though and he found her enthusiasm adorable. He watched her playing for a minute and decided to make her one of her own. Then he decided he’d be the one to teach her to play it, if she was interested.
He sat next to her and she stopped playing, giving him the flute and scooting closer. Makkai gave in and deposited the child on his lap, so she could snuggle in as close as she wanted.
“I have a twin sister,” he began. “Her name is Lili, and for most of our youth we were inseparable. Between us there are an uncountable number of adventures worthy of a tale. The parents of foxes with lineage like ours will often decide there are no pure foxes worthy of their line. To keep the bloodline clear of impurities, siblings will be paired and married. From the beginning our mother made it clear that it was not to be the case for Lili and I.”
“Our mother had borne us for Inari, Lord of the Fox Gods, and not her brother. She wanted the same fate for us. Betterment of the species, she said, we would be Inari’s gift to the fox clans. Marriages were arranged for us by the time we could walk,” Makkai said, his mouth drawn down in a frown. Chiori’s hands clenched into fists. He was engaged to someone else.
“Don’t worry,” he said kindly, “the engagement was broken long ago.”
“I didn’t particularly care about our arranged marriages, it seemed like something so far away I would never have to worry about it, but Lili hated it. She rebelled against it as hard and often as she could, but even as cubs, her fur was lighter than mine. My fur as it is now is an anomaly among foxes, as far as I know, I’m one of a kind. It wasn’t always this way. I was a dark red fox, it marked me as a mischievous child, maybe even a bad kid, but I was red and that made me acceptable among our kind.”
“Our fur lightens as we age. The last time I saw Lili she had five tails, and she was already nearly blonde. By the time we earn our ninth tail and attain Godhood, it is pure white. Hence why they call me the Devil’s Fox, as I am the embodiment of evil, the furthest thing from Godhood they’ve ever seen.”
Chiori held a strand of his midnight black hair. She’d known there was something strange about his coloring when the hunters had been so freaked out by him, but she hadn’t known how significant it was. Chiori wanted to protest. Her Makkai wasn’t evil! She held her tongue and listened.
“We were young, the first time we met Lili’s betrothed. He was a deep red, even darker than I, with a black mask, black on his legs and tail, too. A trouble making scoundrel. We were fast friends, but we didn’t know who he was, and he didn’t know who we were. Just a bunch of fox cubs playing in the woods. Lili couldn’t fully transform yet, so we stayed away from the human populations. We played all day and all night, every day for weeks,” Makkai said, smiling at the memory.
“When Lili found out who he really was she was devastated, convinced he’d been fooling her the whole time. She’d had this idea in her head that she would hate her betrothed until the day she died and it was difficult to reconcile that idea with someone she had grown fond of. She spent decades in denial, avoiding Pied like the plague. Then, one day, she gave in.”
