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 Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 5:39 pm
"...You're kidding. I look just like you."
Apparently this defense did not hold water.
"You told me I was born during a blizzard."
This did not work either.
"Ein... I know this is weird, but you're eighteen now... We thought this would be the best time to tell you..." his 'mother's gaze downcast while her hand gripped onto who he had come to know as his father's knee. She was shaking. Clearly she wasn't ready to tell this to him just like he wasn't ready to hear it.
The man chimed in next, "And you were born during a blizzard... that was what the people at the foster care told us... but they left out where."
So, it was just luck that we lived in a place where it snows a lot...[to be continued]
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 6:00 pm
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 6:46 pm
It's what I get, I suppose, Ein stepped up to one of the windows and tried to peer inside. Nothing. Too dark to see, it was almost as if the glass was actually pitch. Curiosity, that was what he was trying to pass it off as but no, that was a lie. What Jordan had managed to tell him really had been intriguing, more so than just innocent curiosity. He wanted, needed to know more about this. The snow woman...
Just thinking about her brought a new found determination. This shop, this Daeomonolgie, he was going to go in there and he was going to figure out if it was real. Oh, how he hoped. His sneakers squeaked as he turned quickly on his heel, stepping up to the front door. The knocker... "Is... is that a hand?" Carrying a look of disgust, he reached out and brushed a finger against it. Gross. Disgusting. Vile. It didn't deter him in the slightest. "Hello..?" he made a fist and knocked on the nearest place he could reach that was away from that hand. There didn't appear to be an hours notice so he could only wait and hope they were open...and friendly. Lately Tae-yul's sister had been cleaning everything. Dusting the bookshelves, sweeping the wooden floor under the heavy Oriental rugs and when that didn't leave the floor in a condition that satisfied her, she'd begun to polish it on her hands and knees until Tae-yul had yelled at her to go home. She'd gone, for a time. Edward knew she'd be back.
He knew this because he'd just realized she took one of their books with them, probably on accident. And that the windows were absolutely made of grime. There was no way she'd be able to stay away. Which is why, when the knock on the door came, he didn't bother to answer. He put a book back on the shelf and stood so he could clearly see the door. But the windows there were filthy, too. He couldn't see anything. Smiling a little, he looked back to the stack of the books on top of the shelf.
"Come in," he called, already opening the cover of a thick but new-seeming tome. "Hae-min, you know you were told to go home-" Then he looked up as the door opened-
"Do forgive me," he said, an expression of surprise on his face, "How are you, sir?"A call sounded from behind the door and startled him. It seemed even more out of place than the shop; not a demonic shriek or perhaps some old witch cackling, but it sounded like a regular human being. That was a comforting thought as he pushed inward on the red wood and it creaked, parting from the frame to show him the long rows and high stacks of books. Tons of them, everywhere, and a black haired gentleman who was dressed far more resplendent than himself.
"Hae-min, you know you were told to go home-"
Before he stopped himself, Ein's face bunched up. It seemed he was expecting someone, just not him. "It's alright," despite his reassurance, he couldn't bring himself to crack a joke about people often mistaking him for a woman by his step or some other such nonsense. That hadn't happened to him before. He turned and closed the door, all the while staring at the book the man was looking over, "I'm okay, how about yourself?" It seemed odd that they would be exchanging pleasantries in a place such as this but appearances were often quite deceiving, he was learning how true this was, now, very rapidly.
However, he was impatient as always, "I was wondering, actually... I'm trying to research something? I don't know if this would really be the best place to look, but..." he trailed off, stopping himself from going on a tangent, "Do you think you might have any information on something called a snow woman? A Yuki-onna?"The fact that the man looked nothing like Min told Edward just how much he needed to either sleep or actually open the door when someone knocked. He shut the book, his index finger remaining in place to save the page, and ran the other hand through his hair. His faux pas excused, he shrugged one shoulder and said, perfectly nonchalant, "I am quite well, thank you for asking."
He picked up the book and tucked it neatly under one arm, having had a feeling that this would end at the desk with the contracts inside. A rag had been left underneath the book and he folded it neatly with one hand, set it aside next to a can of some Korean product that looked something like the lemon brand of Pledge. This place was normal. It was a good place, to Edward. He smiled warmly at the man, waiting for the man to get to the point. I'm trying to research something...
It sometimes amused him how people would try to beat around the bush. Perhaps he and Tae-yul were so careless about the things they did because they had never seen it as 'wrong'. Both of them had been born into families of mystics, and demon-summoning was where their aptitudes lay. And suddenly...
"Of course I can answer your question about the Yuki-onna," said Edward, a little miffed but still perfectly, icily polite. "Would you please follow me to the desk?" He turned perfectly on one heel and walked back to the desk.Though he had only just entered, it seemed something was bothering the man. He couldn't pin point what or how much it was affecting him but his tone had dipped from pleasant to uncaring to cold in a very short amount of time. Had he done something wrong? Perhaps jumped the gun on asking such a thing or had been impolite some how. Missed some sort of courtesy custom he was unaware of?
Whatever the case, the man didn't seem adverse to assisting him and directed him further into the shop. ...That's it? Literally all he had to do was ask and information was going to be brought out, just like that? It seemed too easy, suspicious even, but Ein wasn't about to turn back now. The brunet followed as instructed, dipping his hands into his pockets to shield them from the cool air. He was careful not to stand too close to the man, highly aware of personal space with people he was unfamiliar with.
"Thank you..." his words came out hesitant but sincere, the man's politeness making the atmosphere all the more foreboding, "I, uh.. Well, I've been trying to look into it for a while but there just doesn't seem to be enough about it, you know?" Ein was certain this would make him sound strange but what was strange in a shop that had a hand on its front door? In truth, it was research; yes, that was an understatement but he was looking for knowledge so at least he wasn't lying. He only hoped he could get the certain bits of information he was after without too much of a hassle or revealing a great deal about himself.
It was then he realized that he might have to give his name out. Damn, a name could be traced. His first thought was to lie but... something about this place... He was never good at coming up with names, especially not on the spot. He should have had a long hard think about this before entering but it was too late, now. Far too impulsive.Plenty of things would be considered strange in Daemonolgie, foremost among them Ein's desire to use a false name. Of course he couldn't know about Banshee- especially if he found it awkward to come out and mention that he was interested in summoning a demon. Edward wanted to make a snide comment.
But he didn't. Instead he smiled, one corner of his mouth quirking upwards. "Do forgive the mess, we're clearing the shop for spring cleaning," he said. It didn't have to be done right then, but the lady insists and the lady shall have- especially since he didn't want to cross Tae-yul. As of late, he'd been even harder to deal with. Almost as if he was expecting something to ramp up, to get worse than it already was, but other than the ridiculous weather, Edward could think of nothing about to change anyway...
"The Yuki-onna, you say," he said casually. "May I ask your intent as to summoning her?" Though his attention, and the coldly interested gaze, remained on Ein, several books had already been placed side-by-side on the desk.Spring cleaning. That's right, Winter was over now. Bittersweet. Ein offered a quick smile to Edward when he apologized for the mess, not finding it a big deal, himself. If anything, it sort of added to the old atmosphere of the shop though he wondered if this was merely an accident or possibly their intention.
"The Yuki-onna, you say," the way he said it caused Ein to do a double take. Well, it seemed any charade he had brewing prior to this was just shot down and killed. Already, the man had deduced that he intended on bringing the Yuki-onna out into the world, if that were even possible. He really didn't know for sure, it all seemed suspicious, but it seemed like something that was worth trying. "My intent.." he sighed quietly, running his hand back and forth along the corner of the desk, anxiously repetitive. "You see, Mister..." Ein left a pause for Edward to give a name before continuing on, "There's been some things that I've recently found out but don't really understand, not yet... My intent, really, is just... Well, clarity, I guess. I think she can help me get it."
He was certain he sounded either insane or like an idiot, sneaking in that occasional big word to try and sound smarter than he actually was. At least he wasn't talking out of his a** like he was planning on doing before. Biting his lip, Ein couldn't help but wonder if that was really a good enough answer. Maybe not. This man probably wouldn't understand unless he gave the whole story but that was so personal, wasn't it? Sort of like giving your life's story to a clerk at a hardware store when all they asked you was what you were going to be using that screwdriver for. He rapped his knuckles on a book, possibly more displeased. "If you are not intending to be forward with me, I will not be able to help you," he said flatly. "Working off minimal information is, to say very little, dangerous. Especially when you seek to use the summoner's art."
With a sigh, he opened a drawer in a manner that was deceptively quiet. Why did everyone seem to believe that demon-summoning was something shameful? Look at his family, after all! The Faustes had been demon summoners for at least three hundred years. Seven hundred was the favorite number, and it was over one thousand at the outside; was there something inherently disgraceful about him?
Luckily for Edward, his expression remained politely curious as he pulled out the half-sheet of neat parchment. "Please sign at the bottom, if you've decided to go through with this," he said. "Also, attempting to use a false name will be met with..." He didn't bother to finish the phrase. A redheaded shadow appeared just behind his left shoulder.Idiot, you're an idiot... he let out a sigh, hanging his head in shame at Edward's words and gave a defeated nod. Whether it was shameful or dangerous, it stood that demon summoning was tricky business and he would likely need all the help he could get, if it was truly legitimate. "I'm sorry, I don't mean any disrespect, I've just... never done this before," Ein attempted a lighthearted chuckle but it came out more like a cough while the man pulled a drawer out.
A peace of paper was turned towards him, a contract it seemed. He hesitantly took it into his hands and skimmed it over before Edward spoke again. Ein paled but he had already decided not to do that some moments before. The perfect reinforcement to this decision suddenly loomed over the dark haired man's shoulder and Ein's mouth dropped open. Black skin, red hair, white voids for eyes, so bottomless they looked even more haunting than the darkness.
Real...
Some moments later, Ein became painfully aware of how fast his heart was going and just how long he had been standing there, staring. He quickly spat several apologies before looking down at the paper once again. If it was real, truly real like this being behind him proved, then the Yuki-onna, too... "I think she can help me find my family. My real family. At the very least, I hope to be a good companion..." Hopefully that was a better, more in depth explanation for the man. All things considered, Ein wasn't against divulging everything to him, now. If it was all real, what would be the harm after summoning a demon?
His hand moved shakily across the parchment, trying hard to make his name legible, his real name, Ein Barrè. "Thank you... for being patient with me.""It is no problem," said Edward, signing his name alongside Ein's. "Mr. Barre. I must admit I am not, personally, familiar with the methodology for summoning the Yuki-onna. However, I'll give you the text which shall inform you; I suppose I must trust that you'll return it to me in one piece." As he spoke, he rolled up the parchment, tied the ribbon around it neatly, and locked it away. A small tome, much smaller than the Book of Muse he'd given to the last man to come seeking a demon, was held out. It had a cast-iron lock, and the edges of the pages were rough but covered with silver gilt. The key was attached through the lock, on a ribbon of navy blue silk.
He tapped the fingers of his free hand on the desk. "I believe you shall have to wait for the final snow of the season," said Edward thoughtfully. "But that should be the only restriction on time."RP in Thread; thank you, zige!
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Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 3:05 pm
The beads were another story; a little research turned up that they were prayer beads from the Shinto religion. Due to his location, there weren’t any real Shinto practitioners around to let him borrow them or buy them, so the purchase was online and set to next day delivery--they didn’t disappoint. There was still the possibility that he had been ripped off but they didn’t turn out too expensive, so he was of the mind that he could try again if the beads failed him; as long as he had that chunk of ice, he could try for as long as he needed.
It had said that ’One must keep a child of the last snow alive, dressed in beads of prayer’ so, to be safe, Ein wrapped the beads around the ice and let it rest in the ice box for another day or two. There didn’t appear to be any specific date this ritual had to be performed, just that the snow had to be the last of the season and it was starting into March; hopefully Mother Nature wouldn’t play him a bad hand and make him start over.
Not being one to wait and see, Ein removed the bead-wrapped ice from the freezer late that night. So as not to make a mess, he also took a large plate to set it on and rested it against his grey carpeted floor. The room was small but comfortable; it had a full sized bed, a walk in closet, a long cabinet with a small television set and a desk in the corner with a computer. The walls were a light blue color and were plastered with various posters of bands, shows, comics and games, as well as a naughty poster taped to the ceiling above his bed--something to look at every night.
Pulling the book out from his closet, Ein put it down in front of the plate, fingers turning the yellowed pages in large clumps until he reached the desired one. “A piece of the last snow must become part of the Summoner…” he whispered aloud, frowning after. Become a part of him? It seemed clearer before he planned on doing this, some how, but in any case he figured the easiest way for that to happen was to eat it so he pushed the book aside and retreated back to the kitchen to fetch a knife.
A small chunk was just right; Ein let it melt a little on his tongue before swallowing, let it go down easier, and then pulled the book onto his lap, “Before the piece fully becomes one, the Summoner must lean close and breathe against the ice.” Simple. Ein set the book aside and pressed his hands against the carpet, edging close enough to the ice to feel the cold without even touching it. A deep breath, he opened his mouth and exhaled against the ice.
The beads shuddered, the ice began to give off much more mist than would be normal, it became thick like smoke and the temperature in the entire room dropped significantly. He felt like he was outside in a snow drift without a coat and Ein’s arms instinctively wrapped around his torso as he pulled himself away from the ice and back against the wall. What he was seeing didn’t seem to make real sense; the wispy smoke trail from the ice hovered in place, getting thicker, growing. A glance down to the ice on the plate spoke volumes as the beads had snapped and the ice froze over the onto the carpet, creeping its way slowly away from itself as a thin layer of frost.
It… It worked…? What he wanted but not what he expected.
Hovering still, the mist began to move, float, showing no signs of dissipating. It grew larger, almost taking form, swimming through the air until it gently placed itself in front of the ice and became whole.
Perfect white skin, blue lips, cold eyes. The woman. The Yuki-onna.
“Human…” she addressed him callously, eyes locked onto the ice between them, hands resting gently in her lap as sat with rigid attention, “Why have you called me?” Then, her gaze shifted, boring holes into Ein as he shivered, his own breath coming out in clouds.
“I… I need… help…” it came as a whisper and he looked down at himself in surprise. Frowning, he reached up with one hand and tugged the thick comforter from off his bed, rolling it around himself like a cocoon. This seemed to amuse her, if only slightly; the faintest tug at the corners of her mouth as he wrapped himself until only his head were visible.
Her eyes kept an indifference and whatever semblance of a smile had appeared for that fraction of a second was long gone, “What could I possibly offer in the way of help?” The question was snide even if her face was blank. The Yuki-onna shook her head gently, breaking eye contact, and began scrutinizing the room; with each new discovery, she seemed to be more put off, especially when she caught notice of the ceiling’s accessory. Lips thinning into a small scowl, she raised her hand up and motioned towards it. Frost formed beneath it, melted, and poster ripped from the weight of the water on its back.
Ein cursed under his breath, beginning to think this was a terrible idea. The Yuki-onna seemed to think otherwise, “Help…” she repeated again, her frosty breath invisible against the cold. Bowing her head, the snow woman stood and stepped over the large chunk of ice, kneeling down to the same position she had been in front of him. “Humans are fickle things… Fickle in interest, fickle in motivation, fickle in word… You, too, are fickle.” He opened his mouth to protest but her pale hand rested against his lips--it felt like he was holding a piece of ice to them. “The word of another is the most important thing to anyone; if one does not stand by their word, they are worthless, nothing. You, who have called me, must show me how true to your word you are before any… help,” she spoke the word as if she abhorred it, “Is thought about.”
“How?” it was quiet, only able to be spoken as he leaned very carefully back from her fingers. She didn’t respond but removed her hand, standing once more and leaning back; silently, she was pulled up just a few inches from the ground and floated behind the ice once more.
“No word of this. If I find you’ve spoken about me, I will kill you. You are young and this is why I do not kill you now. I do not like being ordered…” her hands retreated into the long sleeves of her robe and a bare foot, pale as the rest, gently nudged at the ice on the floor, “Are we clear, human?”
Perfectly. 
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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:59 pm
When he woke, it was in a hot sweat. The comforter he had wrapped around himself was no longer acting as a security blanket or keeping him warm, it was being detrimental and overheating him to the point of nausea. Ein fumbled and fell on his side, looking like a pathetic worm with a human head, and wriggled himself free, kicking and punching toward the cooler air that awaited outside. As he stood, there was a loud and disgusting slosh noise and he could feel wetness seeping through his sock so fast it was as if he had just stepped in a river.
His carpet was waterlogged where the plate sat, no remnants of the ice safe for the residue it left after melting. The book still sat on the floor near it, luckily out of reach from the water and, so, undamaged. It was still open to the summoning page and it was then that everything came flooding back.
He had done it. He had followed the instructions and summoned the yuki-onna. …Hadn’t he?
She was nowhere to be found.
”…Yuki-onna?” his voice quivered, throat still opening after waking up. There was no response. Had it all just been a dream? Did he do what the book said to do and waited for so long that he just fell asleep? Thinking back, he remembered that the woman had seemed displeased with the poster above his bed and dismantled it, and so he looked.
Yes! Hard, physical evidence! The wetness that had caused the poster’s collapse was now gone but his sheets where the water fell was still damp and the power was ripped right in two, from the middle, either side hanging down like a paper, bikini covered gateway.
Ein cleared his throat and tried again, louder this time, stepping over the wet plate to where he remembered her sitting when she was summoned, ”Yuki-onna?”
The only response was a sharp knock against his wall from Jade’s room.
What time was it? That only happened when she was trying to sleep and she always went to bed late. His eyes darted to the digital clock on his desk.
1:36AM
That was six months ago.
In a flurry of confusion, Ein continued his normal routine of going to school and studying, having dinner with his family. He even passed, despite how distracted he was with thoughts of the blue haired woman, and was set to go to his senior year. Every night, before bed, he would read through the book, getting a chapter further each time. He never bothered to replace the poster above his bed, either, but instead took it down and covered the area with idle drawings he had done in class.
As days tuned into weeks turned into months, Ein was beginning to accept that it all was just a dream. The poster was likely a coincidence; perhaps there had been some moisture trapped behind the poster for quite a while and it broke at that moment, which probably woke him for a very short amount of time and he tied it into his own dream. She, the yuki-onna, was most likely a fabrication. After all, nothing on earth, not even a demon, could look… well, that beautiful. This was how he assured himself he wasn’t crazy but the reality was very disappointing.
Sure, he had gotten the book for free but it was probably on loan or something. He signed a contract, after all, but there were no nasty bills or phone calls and it was already months since he’d taken it and signed that paper. Had that even been real? The ghostly woman who had stood behind the man… He couldn’t remember what she had been referred to as, if at all. Maybe she was just a hallucination because of how stressed he was about the whole situation, too, and Ein was willing to believe that, as well.
The disappointment sent him in a funk; as Summer set in, it was very apparent that even if it were real, he wouldn’t get another chance to try until next Winter. Carefully reading the book had indicated it could be the first or last snow of the season, but either one was still such a ways off. The book and the snow woman had taken up most of his thoughts, especially in the Summer, and Jordan was starting to worry. He wasn’t as sociable as he usually was but Jade was just convinced he was sick so she made sure to tell their parents--or her parents, as the case was--and they asked him to get more rest and not stay up so late reading.
Occasionally he was fed soup but of course that didn’t do anything but taste okay. He wasn’t ill, he was just… sad. Simply that. Sad and confused. It wasn’t something he could speak of to seek solace; if he told Jordan or a member of his family that he had tried to summon a demon because he was so desperate for answers about his real family, they could call him crazy or just be entirely dismissive. Besides that, dream or not, the yuki-onna’s words stuck in his head quite clearly.
”No word of this. If I find you’ve spoken about me, I will kill you.”
Being killed was a big worry, but there was something that bothered him more. Whether fake or real, she had entrusted him with the knowledge of her existence and if he spoke of her without her consent then he would be betraying her. Even a demon would probably be sad if they were betrayed and the thought of her in anguish… Ein had to excuse himself a few times from dinner and class because of these feelings. Perhaps he was a little too in tune with his emotions, often getting teased for it by his older sister and some of the seniors before he was one, but that was who he was.
He sat himself against the lockers outside of his classroom, sliding down to a sit and tugging at some of his hair. If he didn’t calm down and keep himself from leaving class, his grades were bound to start slipping.
Just concentrate on breathing, then go back in… You’ve already told them you’re having ‘family problems’ which is vague enough to be true… They won’t question that unless you keep doing this. …Calm. Breathe…
His heart rate declined and he felt himself deflate with a large exhale.
”Sumimasen… are you alright?”
Ein slammed his head back against the lockers as he looked up, causing him to fold again and wrap his hands around his skull. He hadn’t even heard anyone approach; no footsteps, breathing, nothing.
The girl, he realized, gasped in surprise and squatted down next to him, hovering a hand over his injured cranium, ”Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, are you okay?”
Her voice was so familiar.
”I-I’m okay,” he stood, with her help. The girl had grabbed his coat’s sleeve and pulled him up without asking but he appreciated it nonetheless. Keeping one hand on his throbbing goose egg, he looked over at her and finally took in her appearance. Short, black hair in a cropped style, white skirt, white sweater, blue gloves, white stockings and her eyes were such a pale blue they looked almost ghostly while still managing to be vibrant--he was at a loss as to how that was naturally possible. ”Ah… thank you.”
She released him, stepping back before straightening her skirt. Ein’s eyes were unintentionally drawn to the area and he noted that it had hiked up quite far when she bent down to see if he was okay. He averted his gaze quickly.
”Oh, dozo, don’t worry about it. You just looked pretty forlorn, sitting there by yourself. Are you in trouble?” It was then he noticed, besides her eye color, they were quite thin and slanted. That, coupled with her use of foreign words and a rather thick accent drew him to one conclusion; Japanese exchange student.
”Trouble…?” Ein was at a loss until he remembered they were out in the hall. Sitting like he was, it would seem that he had been sent out of the class to any passerby. ”Oh, no, I’m not… I asked to leave the class for the minute to get some air.”
What was it about her? The voice was kicking at him like he was a thin glass window but he just wouldn’t shatter completely. The tone and mannerisms were all wrong but it was her voice. She had held a distinct Japanese accent herself, which was unsurprising given her origin, but she was very formal where as this girl… And even the hairstyle, though the color was completely different, was identical. Why?
Why was she so similar to her?
”That’s good,” she smiled, and such a warm one it was, but it was brief. Her attention drifted to what was around them, over her shoulder, leaning in slightly to the closed doors of the nearby class rooms.
Another smile glossed over her features, but this one was smug and with purpose. Her eyes lowered but she kept them on Ein’s as she moved over and took a rough hold of his pea coat’s shoulder. ”You’ve told no one, I see… It’s eating away at you.”
Cold.
Even though the glove, her hand was ice cold. Her breath, chilled on the warm air caused it to be visible.
His voice was caught in his throat, only managing to choke out a ”You…” that sounded like an awkward squeak.
”Yes… I do, so, hate warm weather… So, human. It’s been a long while. Do you still have need of me or have you moved on?” Callous, as always, but her tune seemed to have changed. She was interested now when she had been thoroughly put off when he first encountered her.
Reality…
”I need you… I do…” Ein kept his voice as low as hers, not wanting to garner any unwanted attention. His heart was going crazy and he couldn’t tell if the warmth rising to his face was from the cold she was breathing, the excitement of it all or… ”Please…”
Her gloved hand loosened its grip, slowly traveling down his arm. Goosebumps. ”What do you want?” She was leaning in very close, keeping her voice barely above a whisper. If a teacher or another student walked by, their current situation would be exceedingly compromising. Maybe that was what she wanted. ”What ‘help’ can I offer you?”
She remembered. After all that time and only a short, fleeting conversation, she had remembered exactly what he was asking for.
”I want help… finding my family. I think you’re the only one that can really… truly help me to do that…”
All sound seemed to cease at the instant he stopped speaking. The disguised yuki-onna paused in her motion, hand moving no lower nor higher and her face was a blank slate, impossible to discern. For a while, she didn’t even blink but soon her hand found his and she tightly grasped it, interlocking their fingers.
”I can help you with this. However, you’re still bound not to speak of me as I am. If you do, I will still kill you. If I find information for you that you can’t possibly have figured out without such help, you must keep it to yourself. Do you understand?”
It felt like he was holding a chunk of ice with no gloves. The very tips of her nails were peeking out of the wool, poking at his soft palm, making it feel all the colder. Once again, just like when he was summoning her, he found himself short of breath. It had to be the proximity; the first time, especially, it was impossible to look away from her and… now, she was so human and shapely, practically pressing herself against him.
Ein shuddered, ”Yes. I understand.”
The yuki-onna leaned forward just slightly more, brushing her freezing lips against his warm ones. ”We have a contract.” Just as she finished speaking, the bell rang and students burst from the doors, hollering and running. Surprisingly, no one paid a single bit of attention to them in their incriminating position but they both quickly righted it and the yuki-onna fell back into character.
"My name is Tsukino Oyuki, hajimemashite.”
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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 5:01 pm
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:42 pm
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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:11 pm
Suddenly, you awaken. You are alone. A look at your clock reveals it is midnight--outside the window, the full moon is dark; a streetlight flickers and dies. You feel eyes on your back, and you realize that someone is in your room. There is a soft mumbling, words unintelligible, monstrous--like an inhuman throat is trying to produce human words. Turning slowly, you see a dark shadow in a corner, rocking itself back and forth. Back and forth.
Any attempt to illuminate the monster is thwarted; the darkness of its corner is impenetrable. Your demon does not answer your calls. When you speak to the figure, it doesn't answer, unless there's a slight alteration in the unintelligible mumbling.
Finally, when you approach the shadow-monster, it vanishes.
There is no trace it was ever there.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:16 am
Sighing in frustration, his head slammed back against the pillow. The lights outside occasionally moved with a passing car, casting strange shapes from his windows with sudden reds that disappeared as soon as they were there. Raising a hand to wipe his brow, questions of what was going on with him tonight raised to the surface only to be dashed away with but a single word; Yuki-onna.
With her recent desire to scare everyone out of their minds in the house, why should it not happen to him, as well? This was, however, much more subtle than what she had been doing to the other members of the household and Ein pouted in distaste. Maybe her aim wasn't to scare him, but slowly drive him down the road of insanity. As this train of thought ended, one of the vibrant bulbs illuminating his street began to flicker. Off and on, off and on. Off... off. Wonderful, it had gone out and there was barely any light in his room now, save for the fiber optic spinning at the corner of his desk.
Rolling over and pulling the pillow over his head, he grumbled in exhaustion, "Please stop, Yuki..." only to be met with an equally mumbled response. Ein froze. He hadn't understood a word of what she had said to him, perhaps a slip into her native tongue? Continuously, she did that while masquerading at his school, it wouldn't be that surprising. "...In English?" More mumbles and he could feel the hair on his neck standing on end.
The air wasn't cold like it normally was when she was around, he couldn't see his own warm breath. It was, however, much darker than when he put his head beneath the pillow and he quickly pulled it back out. Mumbling. It was more audible now, but still impossible to understand, almost unintelligible. It sounded so... wrong.
Light brown eyes turned to look for anything strange, finding nothing in either corner he was facing, but rolling over revealed a deep blackness in the corner nearest his bedroom door.
This wasn't Yuki's doing.
"Y-... Yuki..." it was barely even a whisper. Ein was finding it difficult to find his voice in the presence of such a strange entity. Perhaps summoning the yuki-onna was a bad idea after all. Could this have been a side effect? Did he make himself open to possession and now he would be plagued by strange visions constantly? Calm down and shut up, you sound crazy... Taking a deep breath, Ein reached for his cellular once again, refusing to break eye contact with the shadow. As he stared, a form became visible; black as the rest of the darkness, but it was in motion. Rocking. Holding its head in its hands, mumbling and rocking.
Flipping the cell open and shining the light at the corner revealed nothing; the bright light was engulfed in darkness, swallowed up, and before Ein had time to adjust the light, it shut off. Useless. What could be done now? Yuki wasn't around, if he called for her very loud his family would be alerted and maybe even this thing would attack? "Yuki!" he tried again, more terse. Still no response from the ice woman. The thing's mumbling seemed to have gotten a little louder, though, and more erratic, as well as its rocking. As if it were becoming desperate.
"Y-...you. Hello...?" there wasn't much else for him to do. It was stupid of him, this thing was clearly otherworldly and however stupid it was for him to attempt and successfully summon a yuki-onna was only minute stupidity in comparison to attempting speech with some shadow being he knew absolutely nothing about without his demon present. Where was she? Why wouldn't she answer him? "...Are you trying to find the yuki-onna?" hopefully the two were connected in some way, that was the only thing keeping Ein rational about his speech, "Because... I don't know where she is right now. If I knew, I'd have her talk to you." More frantic rocking, faster mumbling. It seemed whatever he was doing was only making this thing worse.
Ein's stupidity, however, knew no bounds.
Gulping down some fear, he felt his heart rise immediately to his throat as he made to stand. Bare feet touched the blue carpeted floor and he pressed a hand on his pull away closet doors for support. His body was shaking, quite violently when he looked, but he couldn't feel anything more than a twitch here and there. Slowly, very slowly he approached the shadow, the only thing going through his mind being Please go away... please go away... As he got closer, the mumbling was turning into grunts, growing into shouts, screams. Ein wanted nothing more than for him to run up, cover the things mouth and for it to just disappear. Attempting this, he was met with a horrible shriek as he saw motion of the shadow's head turn toward him, the thing shake as its shrill voice caused tremors in its core, and as Ein fell back, hands over his ears, the sound stopped abruptly as if it were cut off.
One look back, and there was nothing. The lighting in that corner of his room was normal and it was as if he hadn't seen a thing.
Please... don't let them have heard that...
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:47 am
After a long, ridiculously stressful day, you're getting ready to take a shower. The water's already running, has been for a while, and the steam is just starting to fill up the bathroom. As you turn to step under the water, you notice an odd smell--is that sulfur?--and pulling back the curtain, you realize it's not water coming out of the showerhead, but blood. Cold blood, freezing blood, somehow still liquid, but the air around you is hot as if it was still water flowing. It is clotting around the showerhead, around the drain.
Touching the blood will scald you; turning off the shower will cause the flow to slow, and eventually stop.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 1:27 pm
He had been trying to wrap his mind around what had occurred last night all day at school and even now on their way home, as the yuki-onna--Oyuki--was walking with him, he couldn't seem to make her understand. Every time he got a moment with her during school, something interrupted them, she would mock him, something would come up to impede his explanation and Ein was beginning to get at his wit's end.
"Look," he started for what seemed the umpteenth time, "Something was in my room with me last night. I know you've been doing pranks, but this obviously wasn't you. It was some... shadow thing. I couldn't shine light on it, I couldn't talk to it... I went up to it and it screamed at me, then was gone."
The disguised yuki-onna looked at him sceptically with her false brown eyes, fake black hair waving with a chilling wind that she didn't react to. Even in disguise, her breath couldn't be seen in the winter air despite the snow still on the ground. "If all of this was going on, why didn't you call for me?"
He stopped dead, the yuki-onna pausing just a moment later to look back at him. "I did call for you! You wouldn't answer me..." The young man's eyes downcast to the ground. Would even a demon call him crazy at such a thing? Seconds ticked by and he didn't dare look up at her, gripping the single strap of his back pack over his shoulder so tight his knuckles were turning white even when they were pink from the cold already. After a few minutes of awkward silence, the yuki-onna sighed and began walking again in the direction of Ein's home.
He followed suit.
"Relying on me is a sign of weakness, anyway... You went ahead and did what you thought you should without me, and it went away. No harm was done?" her voice seemed assured. Ein couldn't fault her there; with her recent antics in the house, asking his family if anything weird had happened last night wasn't a strange question but they all responded in the negative. They hadn't heard anything last night, much less witnessed anything similar and neither of them had been having difficulties sleeping.
"No... no trouble." He could tell she was smiling as though she had won this conversation.
The rest of the walk was conducted in silence. As they neared his house, "Oyuki" parted ways with him and meandered down an alleyway, only to disappear entirely once she was out of view from every possible vantage point. He felt her cold hand on his shoulder, though she couldn't be see--she was back to her true self and would only show when they were completely alone. This would often be difficult to perform, as his household was quite large. Three sisters, though only two were able to meddle, and a worrisome mother and father that he was feeling increasingly distant from.
With the recent changes after summoning the yuki-onna, it became apparent to Ein that he was losing sight of why he had summoned her in the first place. Worrisome as this was, it wasn't at his forefront and it didn't seem to be bothering the yuki-onna much, either. He supposed she was enjoying the ability to stretch her legs in the human world.
"I'm home!" his parents weren't but he could hear the music coming from Jordan's room as a greeting, as well as a loud "Yo!" from Jade's. He barely had time to respond to the latter sibling as she rushed out the door while fixing up her acidic green lipstick. Ein cocked an eyebrow and he felt the yuki-onna's presence do something similar.
Sighing, Ein moved to the bathroom and dropped his stuff down in front of the door after closing and locking it. There was more than one bathroom in the house, luckily, so if he needed to he could get away with staying in one and ignoring everyone else. He noticed, however, that once he entered, the cold chill didn't go away.
"...What are you doing?" he kept his voice low, not wanting to arouse suspicion, even if Jordan's music was blaring.
For a moment, there was no response, but the yuki-onna formed herself in a soft cloud of frost, floating as if a ghost, "Think what you will, I am just intent on continuing our conversation. Isn't that what you wanted to do anyway?" She could read him like an open book.
A sigh of defeat was uttered but he began undoing his shoelaces and plopped them to the side, along with his socks. The shirt came off next, being folded on the counter beside the sink before he pulled the curtain back and started running the water. It needed to be nice and warm before he stepped in. Moving away from it and taking a seat on the toilet, Ein leaned back and looked at his demon. She had moved to sit on the edge of the sink, form still ghostly but more solid; he could see her features now, her face, some of her kimono, but past the waist became translucent like the rest of her and eventually disappeared into nothing.
"I don't know what it could have been. I asked it if it was looking for you, but..." he paused to allow her to respond but all she did was smile eerily at him, "B-but it wouldn't answer, obviously... It was mumbling in this strange language... rocking back and forth..."
"How sure are you that this wasn't a dream?"
Ein blinked.
This was a theory he surprisingly hadn't come to before. With how he had been sleeping, it was possible that he had dreamed it. His sensed had been dulled at that point... but it seemed so real! "I... I don't know... actually..." his eyes dipped down to the white tile floor, his bare feet resting against the small blue carpet that surrounded the toilet.
The yuki-onna scoffed, still keeping her blue lips in a tight smile as she shrugged, closing her eyes. "Hot air..." she breathed, the sound sending a chill down Ein's front. It was always weird... feeling something like that for a demon, but whenever it was supposed to be warm, it was so cold... So wrong. The hot air hit him, then, and he realized it was time to shower. Looking up, he saw that the yuki-onna had dissipated, likely holing up in his bedroom until he was finished.
At least she had the decency to do that.
Off went the jeans and boxers, those getting folded with the shirt. Steam was beginning to well up past the curtain now and Ein rested a folded towel on the opposite side of the sink nearest the shower. His hand gripped the curtain, ready to pull back but he caught a whiff of something... rotten and extremely familiar. Eggs. "AUGH, COME ON!" The last thing he wanted to smell before doing something relaxing was a fart, but that was the thing he most quickly equated the scent to. He wasn't even sure the yuki-onna was capable of such a thing and he sure as hell wasn't about to pin it on her, but he hadn't even felt one nor heard it. Where the hell--
Red.
Why was the curtain getting streaked with red?
Violently tugging back the curtain revealed the water, while steaming, had turned red. Turned to blood. The smell was obvious, now, it wasn't some bodily function, it was a mineral, sulfer, the yellow rock that always smelled like nasty eggs. Looking up at the shower head revealed that the blood was somewhat sentient, as if small fleshy bits were coming out with the blood but were sticking and wrapping themselves around the shower and were beginning to worm their way around the metal from the piping.
Oh god...
Frozen stiff, his demon's name caught in his throat and remained uncalled. The smell was terrible and the sight was even worse, gore gushing out from the wall. Even the drain was beginning to get clogged as bits of the flesh wrapping around the head made their way to the tub and blocked up any hope of the blood-water's escape. The tub was filling with blood!
"Y-... Y-...!" all he could do was step back, fall onto the cold tile floor, naked.
The hot air suddenly froze and he felt the room ice over. His breath was visible with every shaking pant, heart beating so fast it hurt. She arrived. She had heard him this time. Last night was not a dream.
"Tch..." she hissed at the offending blood, floating close to the shower only to recoil at the temperature; simultaneously scalding but also freezing, like her. The yuki-onna concentrated on her sister temperature, keeping cool with it as she extended a frosted hand to one of the taps and pulled it in her direction. The blood jumped awkwardly, as if whatever wound it was seeping from had been made worse, but slowly, very slowly, it came to a halt. Soon all that was left were gore driplets plopping disgustingly into the large pool of blood that filled the tub nearly half way to the brim.
Her cold, white eyes made their way over to Ein's shivering form. He lay on his side, head buried into his arms, wrapping both his arms and legs around himself in an effort to keep warm and not see, smell or hear anything. This was going so wrong... Why was this happening to him?
"...D...did I... mess something up...? What... what did I do...?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:21 am
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Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 1:19 pm
The next time you spot a drop of water, it's tinged with red. It smells, tastes, and looks like blood diluted in water.
You go upstairs--they're soaked in a thin skin of water, freezing near the edge of each step. Water is pouring down the stairs, similarly contaminated with something like blood. A thin coat of ice that shatters when you step on it covers it all. You take a deep breath, and open the door to the bathroom.
In your shower, which is on, there is a body--a long-haired Asian woman, the back of her head bashed in, skin scalded pink. Her blood stains the water that overflows the edge of the shower.
If you look away for even a moment, the body vanishes. The blood disappears; in fact, the only sign remaining that the occurrence was anything more than a bad dream is a puddle of water swiftly draining from your shower, and chips of ice on your floor.
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