by Hickory Mack
“He can’t help his nature, it’s who he is. There isn’t a soul here he couldn’t have to bed, if he really wanted. Except you. It’s important that you remember that. He can’t make you feel anything you don’t naturally feel. Your bond with Lord Makkai will make you impervious to his influence magic, which I’m sure is why he felt secure leaving you with him,” Yuuki said.
“Bonds are interesting things. Has Lord Makkai mentioned that witches will sometimes bond with more than one mate? He’s hundreds of years old, it wouldn’t be secret knowledge to him,” she added, knowing she was towing the line, but wanting to see where the girl stood on the issue. The answer was not promising for Kai.
“What?! That’s gross! I can’t love two people like that. I can’t,” Chiori said.
“Why not? Is it a human teaching, to only have two people in a loving relationship?” Yuuki asked, genuine curiosity on her face. Chiori blushed.
“People don’t take a second life partner, it’s disloyal. Not to mention gross,” Chiori repeated herself and Yuuki shook her head.
“I’m sorry you’ve been raised to feel that way. It is common among witches and fae to take more than one lover, sometimes three or four of them. You’re a mix of both, yes?” Yuuki’s eyes took on a far-away look. “I wonder if monogamy is more common among certain lines of fae.”
“I have Lord Makkai, and he is already so much more than I deserve, I don’t want anyone other than him,” Chiori said, leaving her spot in the doorway. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore, Yuuki.”
“Okay. Would you like to go see the chicks for a little while, before it gets too dark out?” her purple eyes flashed up and Chiori smiled, she loved having a friend that adored the chicks as much as she did.
“Yeah. I think I have a name for the littlest hen. What do you think of Mikka?” Chiori asked, leading the way into the gardens, chattering along the way, their conversation already forgiven, but not forgotten.
Chapter 26
The following morning Fen intercepted Chiori and Nakia on their way to see Haruka for her class schedule. He handed Chiori a parchment paper with her classes written out for the rest of the week and explained that adjustments would be made for the following week if needed. She scanned over them, noticing that she had Kai every day, and both Sen and Moscow every other day. Except tomorrow.
Her free days were not together like a weekend. She had tomorrow, which was Wednesday, and Sunday off. Chiori stumbled over her own thoughts, she hadn’t even known what day of the week it was until reading the schedule.
“Your actions yesterday have caused a rift in the house. Some are defending you, for saving the swan, and others stand behind Haruka. Please try not to cause any more trouble. Start with today. Cause no trouble today. Give me some time to repair the tension you’ve created and stay out of Haruka’s way,” Fen said. He looked to the side and back.
“For what it’s worth, Lord Makkai was very interested in your choice of actions.Having that swan around is useful. His methods may have been different than yours, but I believe he would have stopped the swan, rather than kill her. You did well,” Fen said, giving a small bow.
“I didn’t help stop him because she’s useful, I did it because I like her. It’s good to know, though. I’ve been worried he’d be angry with me for burying Haruka,” Chiori said and Fen grimaced. She glanced at Nakia. “Do I have to wait until I meet the next group of girls before I can choose to keep some permanently?”
“You’ve already claimed the swan as your own, remember?” Fen said and Chiori cringed. “She is under the direct protection of the Lady of House Makkai.”
“I wasn’t sure if that was going to be taken seriously, heat of the moment and all,” she said. “If it’s okay, I want to keep Mai, and Yuuki, and Nakia. If they want,” Nakia’s lively eyes looked surprised for a moment, and she nodded slightly.
“If that’s what you wish, it will be done. Ani will remain with you today and tomorrow, another will replace her then,” Fen stated.
“If I may?” Nakia inquired, getting an approval from Fen. “Lady Chiori’s… Activities have kept us moving constantly. We can keep up, but if events like this keep happening, we will need to be able to absorb days like yesterday more easily. Mai really should have been able to rest.”
“You want a fifth,” Fen said.
“Yes,” she returned.
“Granted,” Fen came back without hesitation. “It isn’t surprising, actually, Lord Makkai wanted us to be prepared for the possibility, even as many as six if needed. It’s only fair that Ani stays her full four-day rotation, after that, two more will be added.”
“Ani is not happy in my household,” Chiori spoke up. “She confided in me last night that she would rather discontinue her rotation, if possible.” Nakia glanced at Chiori, she had not been told of the encounter. Fen took pause at this.
“She’s a very disciplined individual, one of the best we have,” he said, but after thinking on it a moment longer he allowed it. “I can see how your unpolished antics would grate on someone with her skills after a short time. You are chaos embodied. You may relieve her of her duty, but I have no one with her skills to offer you in replacement. The next two will be prepared and join you during your lunch break. Was there anything else?”
“I do have one more request? If, in the future, my teachers need to use someone demonstratively, can they run it past you or Haruka for approval first? Make sure the person is a volunteer instead of being roped into something they may not necessarily want to do? Yesterday, that wasn’t Mai’s idea. She lost control, but she wouldn’t have done it in the first place if it hadn't been asked of her,” Chiori said. Fen rubbed his chin and his little eyes glittered.
“We did not have that information before, it may even help nudge Haruka in the right direction, fostering a bit more leniency for your interference. I will speak to each of your instructors personally this morning,” he agreed easily enough.
“Thank you, Fen!” Chiori said with a smile. The boar nodded his head and excused himself, walking toward Haruka’s office. Nakia nudged her as they walked back for breakfast.
“Are you sure you want to be stuck with us?” she asked.
“Only if you don’t mind being stuck with me. I’m grateful to all of you for what you’ve done the past couple of days. I’m sure I haven’t been the easiest to deal with,” Chiori shrugged.
“You’ve got that right. It’s been livelier around here since your arrival,” Nakia said, her face placid but her eyes laughing. “Who do you have first?”
“Winry, which is probably a good thing,” Chiori motioned to the spread of food on the table. “If you guys keep feeding me this much for every meal, I’m going to get fat!”
“Nah, first we need to get you healthy, you skinny thing you,” There was a second place setting and Nakia sat down with her. Chiori noticed there was definitely less on Nakia’s side.
“We never had this much, even before we moved to Tallow. Mostly bits of meat and tinned food,” Chiori said, biting into her tofu scrambled breakfast burrito. She looked inside, potato, mango and salsa mixed with the tofu.
“I don’t understand it,” Nakia replied. “Humans have had more than long enough to figure out farming practices within the nests. Their agriculture industry has always been barbaric, even before their society was dismantled.”
“Barbaric? In what way?” Chiori asked, drinking her tea, more peppermint, and a hint of raspberry.
“How much do you know about what happens in the south? How the humans are-”
“Farmed by vampires? They brought it up. Our colony was formed by a pair that escaped. They were maids,” Chiori said it so nonchalantly it was disturbing.
“It sounds like your nest's founders must have been pets, because usually, humans are treated like they raised farm animals,” Nakia said.
“Most males are killed at birth, their blood sold as a delicacy. A select few are kept for breeding. Exceptions are mad
e if their mothers were beautiful, then they're kept as potential sex slaves. Those rejected are milked and drained dry the day they no longer pass a certain health threshold. Can’t make money off a corpse, nobody wants coagulated blood.”
“The women are kept in small rooms, three or four in each. Like cattle they are raped and impregnated immediately after their first moon cycle, long before reaching maturity. You would already have birthed your first child,” Nakia let that sink in.
“They used to tie the woman to a pair of posts and have a breeding male brought in. Now they're tied to a table for insemination. It’s cheaper; they don’t need to maintain as many breeding males.”
“Humans worshipped the child of a virgin, while forcing animals into virgin births a billion times a year. Now every breeding female goes through it. If they’re on schedule, she’ll birth her fourth child by age fifteen.”
“In these ‘farms’ a breeding female will be used up and dead by age twenty. Do you know what uterine prolapse is?” Nakia asked, her eyes unfocused. Chiori shook her head, the food forgotten on her plate.
“Humans did the same to pigs. Bred them until their insides fell out. Now it happens to those women. Some say it’s karma come calling on humanity. I say it’s disgusting. Remember that, next time you feel inclined to be so flippant about what they go through.” Nakia scolded, taking a drink of her tea.
“I didn’t know. They didn’t teach us those details,” Chiori said quietly, her hands folded in her lap. “Is that why we don’t eat meat here?”
“Even the carnivores of this house do not eat animals. Haruka is vicious, he’ll devour another demon, especially snakes. Lord Makkai is the same. He will eat a man's limbs while he is still alive but there are lines he won't cross. Why harm a creature that has never harmed you? An animal is an innocent. It will never do anything to deserve death by our hands. Another demon, or a human behaving maliciously however, they’re fair game.”
“I will remember,” Chiori said.
“See that you do. It is important to give proper weight to the suffering of others. Now finish eating, or you’ll be hungry far before lunch. Winry is an energetic creature, you’ll have to work to keep up,” Nakia instructed. Chiori did as told, finishing her burrito, eating one of her two bananas and drinking down her miso soup.
“Good,” Nakia said, “Milly will be pleased to see she can fill that stomach of yours. So far you have sent back every single plate empty.” Chiori looked at Nakia’s plate and saw one bite of her burrito had been left.
“Explain, please,” Chiori said, feeling overly full.
“If Milly, or any of her people were serving us, as they will at more formal meals, they would be paying close attention to our plates, our bowls, and our cups. An empty cup will be refilled. The same goes for an empty plate. It’s like saying to them non-verbally that you want some more. Leave a bit to signal that you are full, and do not need your plate to be filled again. Milly has been worried that we haven’t been feeding you enough. This will help ease her mind,” Nakia said, poking the left-over banana.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me? I could have told her I’ve been eating everything in sight because I love her cooking,” Chiori protested. “Milly’s food makes me happy.”
“Because it wouldn’t have made any difference. You need all the foods we can get in you. Your hair is thin and lackluster, your skin is dry, your nails brittle, your eyes dull, your body painfully underweight. I don’t mean any of that as an insult, it is what it is, so don’t let it get you down about yourself,” Nakia added when she noticed Chiori wilting under her words.
“We are healing those things from the inside, one meal at a time. Airi has taken a hand in what herbs and spices should be used in your meals, to make sure you're getting the nutrients you need. I happen to think you’ll be stunning when you’ve had a chance to thrive.”
“All I’m going to be able to think of is my bad hair and dull eyes,” Chiori frowned.
“Ugh, you've been conditioned to be so insecure! Never you mind about that. Eat when you’re hungry, drink the tea and lots of water, enjoy the baths. You have all the time in the world to sparkle and shine. There have already been improvements since you’ve arrived."
"When you first woke up from your coma, you were a proper wreck. You stand straighter now, you’re learning to look people in the eye, even if you can’t hold it long. The hollows under your eyes are gone. Focus on the good. Don’t let the perceptions others affect you.”
“That’s a human thing?”
“Absolutely it is.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Me either,” Nakia said, standing and stretching. “You ready?”
“Yes, but shouldn’t we find Ani before class? I’m supposed to release her from her duties,” Chiori said.
“We can do that after. Our talk took a bit longer than it should, if we go looking for her, you’re going to be late. You need to change into something more suitable for sweating in,” Nakia said. Chiori looked down at her knee length dress, wondering at how quickly Lord Makkai’s preferences had changed the way she dressed, even when he wasn’t around. “Ah crap. You’re right, let’s go.”
Chiori and Nakia arrived in Winry’s classroom in a flurry of activity, fearing they were going to be late. Chiori had changed into a pair of soft grey shorts, a white tank top and a black hoodie. Nakia had grabbed a thong to put her hair into a quick ponytail and off they went.
Winry stood in the middle of the classroom, two mats in front of her, leaning on a long, sturdy stick. Chiori was struck by how small she was, only an inch or so taller than herself. Her short, dark brown hair was covered by a beaded green scarf, she wore a green tube top and a pair of loose fitted sweatpants.
“Thought you were gonna be late, huh?” she grinned. “You slid in on time. Nakia, I have tea and a cushion for you over there by the door. If you have need to do anything during this time, feel free to do so. Nothing dangerous or wild in this class. Today.” Winry winked.
“Thank you, but I am not to leave my Lady,” Nakia said, arranging herself on the cushion and pulling a book out of her side bag.
“Suit yourself. Lady Chiori, if you could stand here on the mat, feet shoulder width apart please,” Winry requested. Chiori moved to do so, looking at her feet several times to see if they were the right width. “We aren’t going to do anything very vigorous to start with, I want to challenge you enough to see strength and stamina improvements, but slowly. I’ve done a lot of reading on witch and fae anatomy. You’re still so young! Too young to put a lot of strain on those joints and bones.”
Winry walked around her in a slow circle, eying the way Chiori stood and bore weight, her posture, her size. Everything.
“Hold your arms out to the side please. No, at shoulder height.” She adjusted Chiori’s arms and walked around her once more. “You can put them down. Now stand on one foot, I want to see your balance on each side.” She watched her for half a minute, then had Chiori switch feet.
“Stronger on the left than the right,” Winry muttered when Chiori put her second foot down. “Don’t think I’m letting you off easy. We’re going to do things a little differently to achieve your best, but you’re still going to work hard.”
“I will,” Chiori said.
“We’ll see how much you mean that when your muscles are trembling and you want to give up. For today we are going to do some basic yoga poses, it will give me an idea of where your flexibility, strength, balance and mind set are sitting. Then we will go for a short hike in the forest. We’ll have to stay on the grounds, Lord Makkai’s rules,” she said, stepping back to her own mat. Winry sat down, crossing her legs and set the backs of her hands on her knees. Chiori quickly followed her example.
Winry gave her a quick pep talk, putting her into a positive place mentally. She rose and demonstrated what she called downward facing dog. It looked simple until Chiori was expected to do it and the back of her calves burned. She couldn’t q
uite put her heels on the floor. Winry walked another circle, touching her belly to tighten her core, touching her calf to bring her feet slightly forward and make the pose slightly easier. When Chiori was able to touch her heels down and hold the pose, Winry praised her and moved on.
They moved through ten poses of varying difficulty, Chiori toppling over more than once. Especially when she was put on her hands and knees and then told to lift her right leg directly behind her and her left arm directly in front of her, leaving her completely unbalanced. They ended with the Warrior pose, sweat dripping down Chiori’s temple. She felt her inner thigh hollow as Winry described and struggled to hold the pose, her arms and legs shaking with the strain.
“Good. Gently lie on your back, hands palm down, resting on the mat,” Winry commanded, waiting for Chiori to do so before continuing. She talked her through the breathing exercises to relax her muscles. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been run over by a truck,” Chiori said dramatically. Winry smiled.
“Perfect! Difficult, tired, but not in any pain, or you would have said as much. Now get up, I have some cold water here. Then it’s time for our hike,” Winry said. Chiori groaned but dragged herself up and over to her water cup. She looked over and spotted Nakia very clearly trying not to grin.
“There are trainers near the door that will fit you.” Winry tossed her a towel to wipe her brow and neck. “You might want to rinse off before your next class.”
“I already checked, they gave her half an hour between you and Ichio, plenty of time to hose her down,” Nakia said, losing her effort and grinning at Chiori’s narrowed eyes.
“Great! Let’s go!” Winry said and marched out the door, leaving the other two to scramble after her. Chiori snatched her trainers up and had to trot to keep up with her teacher’s long stride. They went through the front door, pausing only long enough to put shoes on. Chiori took a moment to look around and was cheered to see that the repair work was already done. Until she remembered that she hadn’t so much as picked up a twig to help and felt guilty instead.
