The Rescue Mission
Alice and Ami could wait no longer. Together, they jumped into Ami's car and sped off toward The Sunset Spa. Nina's last interaction with either Alice or Ami was to let them know she was headed there to see what they offered that so many of her own regular clients had gone there and stopped coming to her own salon.
Both women were on edge - eager to do something, but worried for what they might find. For Alice wasn't the only non-human among them. Ami, who was driving the car speeding down the highway, was a Hari Onago. A yokai demon who fed off the blood of her victims using barbed hooks in her long black hair, the ends of which trailed past her feet, red as the blood she sustained herself with. And Nina was half kamikiri - a demon who sustained herself by forming her hands into sharp blades and cutting hair, absorbing the spiritual energy it contained.
Having such a creature living with a long haired demon and a fur-clad faerie presented no end of close calls and stress, as their urges competed with their respect and friendship. But the ordeal had brought them all closer together, and so far no mishaps had happened between them. Nina was a sweet woman who would do anything to protect her friends, taking great pains to shield them from her urges. They couldn't lose her. But what could have waylaid Nina, with her powerful blades and claws?
Alice's hand flew to her cheek absently, twirling the soft fluffy fur now adorning it as she contemplated the question in her mind. The rich feel of it soothed her. Ami shot her a glance before returning her eyes to the road. "Still trying to figure out what to do about your face?" she asked.
"Oh!" Alice was snapped back to reality as she realized what she was doing. She sighed heavily. "I guess so."
"Has Ethan seen it?"
Alice shook her head reluctantly. "I haven't seen him since I came back from that camping trip, and finally saw myself in a mirror. And that was two weeks ago."
"He's gonna think you're losing interest."
"I know! But he doesn't know about any of my rae yet. I've been kicking that can down the curb far too long." Her indecisiveness over whether or not to show him her body was eating her up. And her cheeks were now especially problematic. She'd taken to pulling her long brown hair down over her cheeks to conceal them at work, but knew that such a tactic wouldn't last forever.
"Well, you can either show him now, let him go, or there's a third option." Ami turned to face Alice. "Shave." Alice's blood ran cold at the word, and her hands flew protectively to her cheeks. She whimpered. Ami went on. "Look I know you're not thrilled about shaving any of your rae, but if you just do your cheeks, you'll be back to before this was a problem."
Alice moaned. "I know it seems like a practical option, and I've considered it repeatedly, but Ami, a fainn growing more rae is a cause for celebration amongst my kind. It signifies increased power, status and beauty. I'm growing as a fainn. If I shave it off, it's gone forever. I might stunt my spiritual growth and lose my chance to become an archfainn." It was a deep fear she had. For once shorn, a fainn's rae can never grow back. In addition to being a bald section, which was hideous to her kind, it would lessen their overall magic and power proportional to the amount of fur that had been shaved. And if a fainn were shorn of too much of their rae, they would be rendered a human permanently, losing all their magic and eternal youth forever. No fainn in her right mind would ever consent to cutting away any of their precious rae. But aside from the ancient primal fainn of old, none had ever grown it on their face. Alice's development was at once thrilling for her fainnhood and terrifying for her carefully constructed life masquerading as a human.
"All right," Ami said, relenting. "I know it's a big deal for you. I still think you should just show Ethan what you are. The truth is always the best option. But enough about that for now. We need to focus on how we're going to figure out what happened to Nina. Now, I have a plan. I'll sneak into the back once we get there, pick the lock with my hair, and search for clues on their computers and in their files. You need to create a distraction up front to keep them busy until I figure out what happened to Nina. Sound good?"
Alice turned to Ami.
Both women were on edge - eager to do something, but worried for what they might find. For Alice wasn't the only non-human among them. Ami, who was driving the car speeding down the highway, was a Hari Onago. A yokai demon who fed off the blood of her victims using barbed hooks in her long black hair, the ends of which trailed past her feet, red as the blood she sustained herself with. And Nina was half kamikiri - a demon who sustained herself by forming her hands into sharp blades and cutting hair, absorbing the spiritual energy it contained.
Having such a creature living with a long haired demon and a fur-clad faerie presented no end of close calls and stress, as their urges competed with their respect and friendship. But the ordeal had brought them all closer together, and so far no mishaps had happened between them. Nina was a sweet woman who would do anything to protect her friends, taking great pains to shield them from her urges. They couldn't lose her. But what could have waylaid Nina, with her powerful blades and claws?
Alice's hand flew to her cheek absently, twirling the soft fluffy fur now adorning it as she contemplated the question in her mind. The rich feel of it soothed her. Ami shot her a glance before returning her eyes to the road. "Still trying to figure out what to do about your face?" she asked.
"Oh!" Alice was snapped back to reality as she realized what she was doing. She sighed heavily. "I guess so."
"Has Ethan seen it?"
Alice shook her head reluctantly. "I haven't seen him since I came back from that camping trip, and finally saw myself in a mirror. And that was two weeks ago."
"He's gonna think you're losing interest."
"I know! But he doesn't know about any of my rae yet. I've been kicking that can down the curb far too long." Her indecisiveness over whether or not to show him her body was eating her up. And her cheeks were now especially problematic. She'd taken to pulling her long brown hair down over her cheeks to conceal them at work, but knew that such a tactic wouldn't last forever.
"Well, you can either show him now, let him go, or there's a third option." Ami turned to face Alice. "Shave." Alice's blood ran cold at the word, and her hands flew protectively to her cheeks. She whimpered. Ami went on. "Look I know you're not thrilled about shaving any of your rae, but if you just do your cheeks, you'll be back to before this was a problem."
Alice moaned. "I know it seems like a practical option, and I've considered it repeatedly, but Ami, a fainn growing more rae is a cause for celebration amongst my kind. It signifies increased power, status and beauty. I'm growing as a fainn. If I shave it off, it's gone forever. I might stunt my spiritual growth and lose my chance to become an archfainn." It was a deep fear she had. For once shorn, a fainn's rae can never grow back. In addition to being a bald section, which was hideous to her kind, it would lessen their overall magic and power proportional to the amount of fur that had been shaved. And if a fainn were shorn of too much of their rae, they would be rendered a human permanently, losing all their magic and eternal youth forever. No fainn in her right mind would ever consent to cutting away any of their precious rae. But aside from the ancient primal fainn of old, none had ever grown it on their face. Alice's development was at once thrilling for her fainnhood and terrifying for her carefully constructed life masquerading as a human.
"All right," Ami said, relenting. "I know it's a big deal for you. I still think you should just show Ethan what you are. The truth is always the best option. But enough about that for now. We need to focus on how we're going to figure out what happened to Nina. Now, I have a plan. I'll sneak into the back once we get there, pick the lock with my hair, and search for clues on their computers and in their files. You need to create a distraction up front to keep them busy until I figure out what happened to Nina. Sound good?"
Alice turned to Ami.