#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

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

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

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

“One plate…”

“Two…”

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

“Three…”

“Four…”

“Five…”

The moon hung above in an ice-black sky.

“Six…”

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

“Seven…”

“Eight…”

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

“Nine…”

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

Muddy lotus
The water purify
Fragrant dawn sun

Then it departed as the water swallowed me once again.

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

#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch

Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Airisu POV) Post 30
#Wss366 Verdant #EarthDay edition

“So that’s the story of my first visit to the shrine,” Sumika said, finishing her saga.

I looked up from my hunt for cracker crumbs that had fallen between the car seats to reply, “And that didn’t clue you in that the kami there had an interest in you?” I asked, cocking my head and giving her a one-eyed examination. What kind of bubblehead had I hooked up with?

“I thought it was just some guy who’d come to our rescue.”

“Just some guy!?”

“Well, initially I believed it was a kami, but as I got older, I convinced myself that it was superstitious nonsense. Sis said they were both a couple of crazies.”

“You’re the weirdest witch I’ve ever heard of!”

“And you are the rudest crow ever to exist.”

“Clicky, crack. Don’t bet on it.”

At that moment, we pulled into a gravel turnoff and parked.

“We’re home,” she said. “My father owns it and rents it to me cheaply.”

We’d arrived at a rundown house surrounded by a surprisingly #verdant herb garden. Someone had put a lot of work into it. There were rows of rosemary, thyme, sage, and a bunch of Japanese herbs I didn’t recognize.

“Your garden?” I asked.

“Yeah, it helps me relax, and I use them in my magic. I told you I’m a whiz at potions.”

As soon as we were out of the car, I started hopping around the plants. “I’m impressed,” I cawed. “Why so many European species?”

“Those are the herbs Ariel-san is familiar with. She has been teaching me.”

“What’s this one?” I asked, pecking at a parsley-like leaf.

“Mugwort.”

“And this one?”

“Don’t peck at that! It’s devil’s trumpet, datura, jimsonweed.”

“Ack!” I called and hopped away. “Poison, poison; You are a witch!”

“You sound proud of that.”

“I am. You’re my witch. A witchy witch. Where’s the nightshade hedge?”

She looked troubled by my comment, but just said, “Let’s go inside. I’m tired, and we need to eat.”

“Chicken Nugs!” I crowed, flying up to Sumika’s shoulder.

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