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takerfoxx · 5 years

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IM Swiftly Descending Darkness, Chapter 3

As it turned out, there was more than a simple fight going on. It was an all-out brawl, one consisting of mostly children.

A ring had been cleared in the crowd, and in it was a confusion of bodies, all of them rolling about in a flurry of blows and holds. There seemed to be around seven kids involved, three of which were wearing the grey Children’s Home uniforms. Rumia identified Noba, Tomohiro, and Shinji, who were among the eldest of the children. The other four, who looked to be nearly almost men, were probably from one of the nearby villages. In the thick of it was Miss Haruhi, who was desperately trying to get them to separate while she yelled for help to no avail.

All around them several things seemed to be happening all at once. In the innermost ring of onlookers the rest of the other orphans were gathered. Chubby Keiichi was sitting with Yoshi and Hiro standing on either side, a dazed look on his face and his nose a bloody mess. Haruko, Hayate, and Eiko were frantically running about screaming at everyone to stop, while Kazuchika was holding little Akito in his arms, anxiously trying to comfort the wailing child. As for the two remaining boys, Dai and Yuuki, they weren’t anywhere to be seen.

And around them were the market-goers. It took Rumia less than a second to gauge that none of them were going to be any help. Some of them looked distressed, and many of them were calling out for everyone to stop fighting. But most were hanging back, unwilling to get involved, while still others were laughing, a few even shouting encouragement.

Rumia felt her cheeks grow hot. So many grown-ups around, and the only one actually doing anything was Miss Haruhi.

Well, at least they had brought Mister Joshua and Miss Mokou, who were also on the very short list of useful grown-ups. If anyone could stop this, they could.

Then several things happened in very quick succession.

First of all, despite the brawling orphans being outnumbered, three more local kids, all of them older and bigger than even Noba, pushed their way through the crowd and ran into the fray.

The second was Miss Haruhi hastily trying to put herself between the newcomers and the fighters. She held her hands out as she begged them to not join the fight.

The third was one of the newcomers contemptuously smacking her across the cheek and sending her reeling. He then grabbed Shinji by the hair, hauled him up, and punched him squarely in the face.

The fourth was caused by the third. Watching someone as nice as Miss Haruhi get roughed up like that killed any inhibitions that the rest of the orphans might have had, and the dam broke.

Haruko, Hayate, and Eiko were the closest, so they set upon the new roughnecks with reckless abandon, punching and clawing at them despite being totally outmatched. Rumia even saw Eiko trying to bite the one that had hit Miss Haruhi in the arm.

Yoshi and Hiro were next. Despite only being eight and ten years old respectively, they left Keiichi and ran in as well, kicking shins and punching groins, or attempting to at least, which got Yoshi an elbow to the nose for his effort.

Then wonder of wonders, Keiichi himself got up and tried to join the fight. He didn’t make a very impressing showing of it. In fact, it mainly consisting of him getting up, waddling over to the boy still tangled up with Tomohiro, and pounding ineffectively on the boy’s back with his fists. In the end, Kazuchika was the only one not joining in, and that was because he had his hands full with Akito.

Unfortunately, there was nothing stopping the rest of the locals from jumping in as well.

Rumia saw several young men make toward the fray with purposeful strides and dark looks. A few were stopped by their neighbors, but not all. It wouldn’t be long before the other orphans were outnumbered.

Well, screw that!

Without waiting for any kind of context as to what had kicked the whole thing off, Rumia bolted forward. She pushed her way through the crowd, zeroing in on the first combatant she could find not wearing a grey uniform. She didn’t need to look to see if her friends were with her; she didn’t need to. They simply were.

She managed to break through the crowd into the fight circle. Then she sprinted toward a boy a few years older than herself who was wearing a green outfit and fist fighting with Shinji. She leapt right onto his back and snarled while raining down blows onto his neck.

He lurched back in surprise, allowing Shinji to catch him with a solid jab into his stomach. A moment later Kohta appeared, tackling his knee from behind and driving him down.

It was a nicely coordinated attack, but unfortunately their numbers advantage did not last, as several other bodies converged on them. A hand grabbed Rumia by the hair and pulled hard. She felt herself being hauled into the air, but before she was, she lunged forward one last time and snapped her teeth. Her mouth filled with the green-clad boy’s ear, and he cried out in pain.

A moment later Rumia was facedown in the dust while some asshole kicked her in the ribs. She gasped in pain, and tried to turned away from the blows.

“Get away from her!” she heard Kohta yell. This was followed by the meaty sound of a punch connecting with flesh. Rumia hoped that it was his hand doing the punching.

Unfortunately, the opposite proved true, and a moment later Kohta was lying next to her. The two locked eyes for just a second, and then they grabbed one another and tried to keep each other’s heads shielded as the kicking resumed in earnest.

It occurred to Rumia then that she might actually die, and not at the hands of any youkai or other kind of monster, but beaten to death by her fellow Humans. And the worst of it all was that she didn’t even know why things had broken down like they did. She had just seen her family in danger, and had run to help, and now it might cost her and Kohta their lives.

That sucked.

But before they had taken more than three blows, there came another sound of knuckles slamming into flesh. Then there was a loud crack, and an unfamiliar male voice cried out in pain.

A moment later the one that had done most of the kicking was simply gone, though Rumia could here someone warbling in fear as…was he flying away? Or had he been thrown?

Despite having picked up several new bruises, Rumia found herself grinning. She had figured out what had happened. Oh, those assholes were in trouble now!

She eased herself onto her back, expecting to find Miss Mokou standing over them like a spirit of vengeance.

She…wasn’t.

But Keine was.

Keine was there, all two-thirds of a meter of her, spindly little legs splayed, tiny little fists clenched and trembling. Though she was seething with rage, she also looked a little shocked at what she had done.

But she wasn’t backing down.

Rumia was quite impressed, but she was also sort of dismayed. There was something deeply gratifying about watching her scrawny little friend sending all of their assailants running, but Keine was also blowing the big secret that the three of them had worked so hard to hide, not only from those outside the orphanage, but within as well.

And judging by how Keine’s face was quickly changing from angry pink to horrified white, she had also figured out the danger she was in.

Fortunately, that was when Miss Mokou finally joined the fray.

If anyone had noticed that the tiny little girl was hitting harder than she ought to, it was immediately forgotten when the strange woman wearing strange clothes suddenly touched down in the middle of the violence. The three boys teaming up on Noba found themselves swept aside when a leg swung around into each of their faces. The four girls that were kicking Haruko, Eiko, and Hayate into submission were abruptly launched into the air in four different directions. Two men that had apparently decided to grab onto Yoshi and Hiro found themselves the ones grabbed onto as a hand suddenly seized each of them by the hair and slammed their skulls together.

This all takes time to explain, but the fact of the matter is that within mere seconds the entire circle was cleared of anyone not from the Children’s Home, leaving nothing but the orphans, a dazed Miss Haruhi, and an absolutely enraged Miss Mokou.

All expect for one.

One of the boys that had been fighting Noba at the beginning had found himself with a hand wrapped around his throat, a hand with fingers more unrelenting than steel shackles attached to an arm harder than an oak beam, an arm that was hoisting him into the air with his legs dangling and forcing him to stare terrified down at a pair of eyes that seemed to be made of raging hellfire.

Several of the young men that had been hurled from the fight had collected themselves and were now readying themselves to come to their friend’s defense. Apparently sensing this, Miss Mokou’s head snapped around to turn her death glare at them, stopping them in their tracks.

“Try it,” she growled. “See what happens.”

Mokou was a tall woman, sure, but she wasn’t that much taller than any of them, and she didn’t seem to be particularly muscular. At a glance, one that did not know better might assume that with the benefit of surprise gone, it would be an easy task to overwhelm her and beat her down.

Rumia absolutely knew better. And she really, really wanted to see what happens.

Unfortunately, the young men probably sensed what a colossal error that would be, and took a few steps back.

Damn.

That done, Miss Mokou returned her attention to her hostage. “So, you’re the one that started this, right?” she said. “Aren’t you?”

“Let him go, you animal!” some lady yelled. She was ignored.

“Please!” the boy cried. “I’m sorry! Don’t hurt me!”

“Sorry? Sorry for what? What did you do?”

“I didn’t mean it! I was just playing!”

“What. Did. You. Do?”

“Mokou, stop!”

Miss Mokou paused, but she didn’t let the boy go. The crowd parted, and Miss Satoko appeared, accompanied by the previously absent Dai and Yuuki, who apparently had gone to find her when the fighting had started.

Miss Satoko looked more frantic and distraught than any time Rumia had seen her. Her face was pink, her mouth gaping open, her hat was gone, and she was grabbing at her own hair with both hands.

“What…what are you doing?” she sputtered as she took in the scene. “How…what…what happened here?”

“What happened?” said some guy that Rumia didn’t recognize. “I’ll tell you what happened! Your little devils assaulted our boys, that’s what happened!”

“That’s not true!” Tomohiro shouted. He looked pretty roughed up, with both of his eyes blackened, his uniform torn and dirty, a darkening purple bruise on his cheek, and scratches all over his neck. However, of the original group of brawlers, he had come off better than Shinji or Noba. “They’re the ones who started it!”

“Shut your mouth, you little savage!” said some woman, who looked like she was the mother of one of the local boys, if the way she was cradling her arms around him was any indication. “We all know this was your doing!”

“It was not!”

“Lies! We all know what your kind is like!”

Tomohiro stared at her in complete befuddlement. “What do you mean, my kind? We’re all Human!”

“Are you? Are you really?”

“You know, we can clear this up right now,” Miss Mokou said. She gave the boy she was still holding aloft a slight shake. “So, how about it, buddy? How’d this all get started?”

The boy still looked terrified of her, and who could blame him? But seeing that one woman speak up on his behalf seemed to have given him enough courage to hold his tongue, which was really stupid as far as Rumia was concerned. If Miss Mokou decided to snap his neck, then she could probably do it long before anyone got close enough to save him.

Since he wasn’t talking and Noba still looked completely out of it, Shinji spoke up. “We were just talking, then they all got right into our faces and wouldn’t leave,” he said, slurring his words slightly through swollen lips. “They said…they said…”

“Nothing!” Miss Mokou’s captive suddenly shouted. “We didn’t say anything to them!”

“You did! You asked if Noba cried when his mom and dad got eaten! You said that you bet that he helped them eat them, that he’s probably half youkai already! You said that we’re only here to see who’s the fattest to eat later!”

“I was just joking!” wailed the culprit.

“Thought you said that you didn’t say anything,” Miss Mokou pointed out.

“Then when we tried to walk away, they just grabbed us and pulled us back!” Shinji continued. “They said that they’re not gonna let us take anyone, that we shoulda gotten eaten with our families!”

“Oh?” Miss Mokou said. “Then that’s when you punched them?”

“No! We just pushed them away, and they pushed us back!”

“You liar!” the boy yelled!

“He did!” Haruko broke in. “We heard them! Then when they saw us, they said…” She shivered. “They said that we should go with them, that they wanted to see how wild the youkai had made us!”

Miss Satoko looked like she was going to be ill.

“Oh, is that right?” Miss Mokou said, her gaze traveling up to her squirming captive with deadly purpose.

“Mokou, don’t,” Miss Satoko whispered.

Then someone called out from the crowd, “Yeah, let him go!”

“He didn’t mean any harm! What, can’t you youkai lovers take a joke?”

Miss Mokou’s gaze slipped from her captive to the crowd. “A joke.”

“A joke?” Mister Joshua sputtered. “You call something like that a joke?”

“Hell yeah! Boys will be boys, you know. That’s no reason to punch anyone!”

Rumia suddenly found herself wishing that she really was youkai-cursed or at the very least half-youkai like Keine. Then she might have been able to make . Then she might be able to wipe a few smirks off the faces she saw.

“Boys will be boys?!” Mister Joshua repeated, aghast. “Listen to yourself, man! That’s horrific! What kind of boys are you raising?”

“You’re the ones with one of ours by the throat!” came the reply.

“You wanna replace him?” Miss Mokou said.

The guy in question, a middle-aged man with a big chest, big arms, and an even bigger beard shoved his way to the front of the crowd. “Try me, bitch.”

“Mokou, please,” Miss Satoko begged. “Don’t.”

Miss Mokou didn’t so much as glance at her. “Okay,” she said. She opened her hand, and the boy dropped. He looked around in bewilderment, and then fled as fast as his feet could take him.

“All right, asshole,” Miss Mokou said as she strode toward the big man as Miss Satoko ineffectively grabbed at her arm. She didn’t even slow Miss Mokou down. “Your wish is my command. I’ll try you right-”

“ENOUGH OF THIS MADNESS!”

The new voice was loud, but kind of squeaky and cracked a bit in the middle. Still, it brought everything to an abrupt stop.

Four tough looking men were shoving their way through the crowd, making a path as they went. And between them was some short, fat guy with a big hat. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.

Rumia frowned. “Who’s that?” she said.

“Seriously?” Kohta whispered back. “That’s Master Sonozika, the Human Leader!”

“Oh.”

Keine winced. “Shit,” she muttered.

Master Sonozika hadn’t had to have walked far to reach the center of the commotion, but judging by the way he was heaving and gasping one might have thought he had just ran a marathon. “Satoko Yume, this is an outrage! Is this how you mean to convince me to allow your little monsters into the Human Village? They can’t go five minutes without attacking somebody!”

Rumia bristled, and she wasn’t the only one. “What did he call us?” she hissed.

“Steady,” Keine said.

“Master Sonozika, I know thing got out of hand, but the orphans didn’t start it,” Miss Satoko protested.

“That’s right,” said Miss Haruhi, speaking for the first time. She still looked kind of rocked by the blow she had taken, but she was up and talking at least. “A group of boys deliberately picked a fight with us! They insulted their dead families, and made sexual passes at some of the girls!”

“And for that you attack us!” Master Sonozika screeched.

“They were provoked!”

“They’re just words! Get over it!”

“Words, huh?” Miss Mokou said. “Disparaging children’s dead parents is just words now, are they? Threatening to rape little girls are just words? So hey, if I were to say that you look like what you get if a syphilis-ridden toad fucked a wad of pig fat, would that just be words?”

Now that Miss Mokou mentioned it, the resemblance was kind of uncanny. Rumia giggled a bit in spite of herself. So did Haruko. The two glanced at each other, instinctively resistant to sharing any kind of comradery, but then they both remembered that for now at least they were on the same side, so they both laughed again.

Master Sonozika, however, did not find it quite so humorous. “How…how dare you, you disrespectful harlot! Don’t you know who I am?”

“Mokou, do not,” Miss Satoko said.

Again she was ignored. “Sure, Sonozika. That snout is unmistakable. Runs in the family.” Miss Mokou glanced down at Master Sonozika’s jiggling belly. “Among…other things.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Eh, who cares?” Miss Mokou said with a shrug. “I mean, they’re just words, right?”

Mister Joshua tugged on her sleeve. “Mokou, this isn’t helping. You should stop.” Again, he was ignored.

Master Sonozika gnashed his teeth. “Hold your tongue, woman. Or I’ll have it cut out.”

“That I would like to see. Hey, you know what?” Miss Mokou walked right up to him. He went pale and retreated a few step, while his guard immediately stepped between him and Miss Mokou, their hands on the hilts of their swords.

However, Miss Mokou wasn’t going to attack him. Quite the opposite, really. “If you want to, I’ll give you one free shot,” she said, leaning over and turning her head to offer her cheek. “Come on, Fatty. You know you want it.”

“Mokou, what are you doing?” Miss Haruhi screamed.

“Don’t do this!” Mister Joshua agreed.

Master Sonozika was practically steaming with fury and embarrassment, but didn’t take the bait, but then, he didn’t have to. He merely shot a glare at one of his guards, who stepped forward to do it for him.

“No!” Miss Satoko yelled.

The guard was of the same height as Miss Mokou, and considerably more heavily muscled. Plus, he was wearing leather armor over his arms and the back of his hands that was studded with iron balls. He slammed the back of his hand right across her face with enough force to shatter bone.

Rumia winced. Kohta gasped. Keine covered her eyes.

But Miss Mokou didn’t fall under the blow. In fact, she didn’t give at all. The hand hit her cheek…and just stopped, the iron balls digging into her skin but not breaking it. She didn’t even have to shift her balance.

Instead, she just remained crouched as her dark maroon eyes rolled around up to lock gazes with the stupefied guard. She smiled. “Okay,” she said as she straightened up. “I guess that clears up a thing or-”

“That will be quite enough.”

This time, the new voice wasn’t nearly as loud or as frantic as Master Sonozika’s had been, but it cut through the crowd just the same. The locals started murmuring to one another, and many quickly moved out of the way of the newcomer of their own accord as he strode into the din.

It was Mister Joshua’s not-friend, the tall weird guy dressed in brown. He was walking forward with less speed but considerably more confidence than Master Sonozika had, both hands wrapped around that t-shaped thing on his necklace.

“Friends, friends, what is this?” he said. “Why are we fighting like children? Come on, you’re better than this.”

Then he glanced at Miss Mokou, and his brow furrowed behind his stupid dark glasses. “Well, some of us anyway.”

“Okay, yeah, I do not care for you,” Miss Mokou said.

“Feeling’s mutual.” Then he looked over to Master Sonozika, who looked quite realized at his arrival. “Gendou, Gendou, Gendou, what is all this? I knew things outside of the Human Village were…rough, but not an hour after our arrival and things devolve into a brawl!”

Master Sonozika sighed. “Well, Skinner, that’s the thing. It seems that some of the local children were set upon by these!” He motioned toward the orphans and their caretakers, all of which were still in the circle and surrounded on by all sides.

“We did not!” Tomohiro shouted as he came forward. “They’re the ones who-”

The man identified as “Skinner” suddenly thrust a glove-covered palm into Tomohiro’s face. “Do not interrupt your elders, son,” he chided.

Tomohiro stumbled back. “I’m not your son! And your hand stinks!”

Skinner’s head jerked back as if he had been physically struck. He looked down at his hand, as if he were contemplating taking a swing of his own at Tomohiro’s face.

Noticing this, Miss Mokou sidled up between him and Tomohiro. “Yeah, don’t,” she said flatly.

Skinner’s hand flexed into a fist, uncurled, and flexed again. Despite his earlier calmness, he looked like he was about to fly into a rage of his own and kick up the brawl all over again. To be honest, now that Miss Mokou was here, Rumia kind of hoped that he would.

But then he relaxed, and reached up to clasp both hands over his necklace again. “Brother Joshua, I am again disappointed,” he said as he stepped around Miss Mokou to turn toward Mister Joshua. “I knew that your time spent with this type had been bad for you, but I didn’t know how bad. Violent youths, disrespectful women, and-”

Suddenly he stopped. And he stared. Not as Mister Joshua, but past him.

To where Rumia, Kohta, and Keine were standing.

“I could say the same,” Mister Joshua said. “I can already see what great things you’re teaching the people here, the good news you’re spreading. Fear, superstition, and lies. Very Christlike indeed.”

Skinner didn’t answer. He just kept staring in a way that made Rumia’s skin crawl.

So she spread her hands, glowered back, and mouthed, What?

Skinner tilted his head, but it didn’t seem to be in response to Rumia.

It was then that Rumia realized that he wasn’t looking at her. Close to, but not quite. Rather, he was looking at Keine.

Rumia felt cold ice sweep down her spine. He knew. She didn’t know how he knew, but he did.

Gritting her teeth behind her grimace, Rumia held her defiant stance, refusing to back down.

“Nathaniel?” Mister Joshua said.

Skinner didn’t move.

Mister Joshua glanced over his shoulder at the trio, scowled, and positioned himself right in front of Skinner. It wasn’t an impressive sight, as the top of his head only came up to the taller man’s chest, but he was doing what he could. “Nathaniel! Stop looking at them and look at me.”

“Better do what he says, Skinny,” Miss Mokou said. She laid a firm hand on Skinner’s shoulder.

Skinner reacted immediately to the touch, wrenching his shoulder away and seizing her by the wrist.

“Don’t you dare touch me,” he seethed. “Don’t you dare…”

He tried to hurl her to one side, but when he yanked on her arm, she merely clenched up her muscles and stayed where he was.

Frowning, Skinner tried again. Miss Mokou’s arm barely moved.

“You finished?” she drawled.

“Hmmm.” Skinner released her wrist. “You are…surprisingly strong.”

“I work out.”

“So I see.” Then he brushed himself off and backed away from her. “Regardless, this little spat is pointless. The main source of conflict is the riot.”

“Fight,” Miss Mokou corrected. “It was a fight.” She tilted her head toward the original group that had been brawling with Noba, Shinji, and Tomohiro. “Those boys over there tried to provoke some of ours, and it worked. Things escalated.”

“Thanks to you, I presume.”

“Nah. I got here just in time to see a whole bunch of grown-ass men surrounding a bunch of boys beating up on a bunch of orphans and doing nothing to break it up. They didn’t even try to stop the young girls that were trying to stop it from getting hit. It wasn’t until the rest of our kids ran in to help their friends that anyone decided to do something.” She swept her eyes past Skinner and over the crowd. “Mainly by rushing in to beat up a bunch of kids. So I put a stop to it.”

Rumia suddenly found herself very glad that she and her friends had dishes duty for the rest of the week, because as far as she was concerned, Miss Mokou was now officially the coolest person in the world and she wanted to hang out with her as much as possible.

In fact, her words of shame were having an effect. As Rumia looked around, she saw more than one previously angry face now start to wilt, a few even looking away. Ha! Take that!

“Really?” Skinner said. “All by yourself?”

“Pretty much, yeah. So, you gonna continue this little interrogation, or can we move on? Because obviously you’re the one in charge here.”

“Ah, h-h-hold on a moment!” Master Sonozika suddenly sputtered. “Now, Nathaniel Skinner is a dear friend and a highly valuable advisor, but let’s not presume!”

“Then why is he doing all the talking then?” Miss Mokou turned to the rest of the crowd. “What about you guys, huh? Does the turd-coat here speak for all of you too?”

There was a pause, and then a woman called, “He’s with the Leader!”

“So?” someone else countered. “I’ve never seen him before.”

“Yeah, who is he, anyway?”

“Shut your mouth, you backwaters!” called a well-dressed man that obviously came from the Village. “That’s Brother Nathaniel Skinner, a man of very high reputation!”

“Reputation for what? Dressing like a pile of horse shit?”

Everyone laughed at that. The spell Skinner had had over the crowd was fading.

Skinner noticed, but he kept his cool. Rather than retort, he merely cleared his throat and walked over to Master Sonozika. Leaning over, he whispered into the stout man’s ear.

Master Sonozika seemed surprised. He whispered something back, and Skinner responded. Master Sonozika nodded.

“All right, I think we’ve heard enough,” Master Sonozika said. “Regardless of whoever started it, things clearly have gotten out of hand. But even so, children will fight. So, let us all put this business behind us and go on with our lives. Mistress Yume, I trust you will discipline the children you claim to care for and try to rein in their wild impulses?”

Miss Satoko went white with indignation. “Wait, they were the ones who-”

“Good! For now, you should take them home. We wouldn’t want another, ahem, incident now, would we?”

Miss Satoko looked like she was going to argue the point further, but then Miss Mokou tapped her on the shoulder. Miss Satoko looked at her in confusion. In response, Miss Mokou just shook her head.

Taking the message, Miss Satoko said, “All right. Children, two lines please. Mokou, could you please help Noba? Haruhi, keep close to me. Joshua, bring up the rear.”

The family slowly and in some cases painfully gathered together. Those who needed help walking got it, and the youngest and those who were hurt worse were brought to the middle while the rest formed a shell around them.

The crowd opened up, and they filed walked out of the market. Rumia realized that her right leg was limping a little, but she refused to give in to it and walked as straight and steady as she could. As she did, she made sure to glower at each and every face she passed. In some cases the glower was returned, but in most people refused to meet her eyes. Good. They ought to be ashamed.

Then she glanced the other way, toward her family. Haruko, Eiko, and Hayate were walking close to her. She caught Haruko’s eye for just a moment.

A beat passed, and then Haruko gave her the slightest of nods and glanced away. The message was clear. They were still enemies, but in this specific case, they were enemies on the same side, and Rumia would be glad to fight side-by-side with a stupid cow like Haruko any day if it meant standing up to all those assholes.

Finally they passed over a hill and were fully out of sight of the market. When that happened, everyone relaxed just a little. Straightened shoulders slumped, heads that were held up high dropped, and those in pain allowed themselves to show it. Still, nobody said anything, though some of the younger ones were crying a little, as was Miss Haruhi.

Rumia couldn’t blame them. She was hurting. It wasn’t that bad, and she had been hurt worse in the past through various accidents and mishaps, but there was a difference between falling out of a tree or getting into a fistfight with Shinji because she had caught him cheating at Mahjong and being outright assaulted like that!

…okay, fine, she had technically been the one doing the assaulting, but that was just because her family had been assaulted first, or at least she was pretty sure they had been. Regardless, getting thrown to the ground and kicked at by complete strangers was something that she was still struggling to process.

Kohta had taken worse. One eye was swollen up, and he was limping even worse than she was. Keine was between them, providing support with both of their arms thrown across her shoulders. Under normal circumstances, Rumia’s pride would have dissuaded her from accepting that much help, but today she just took it without complaining. Or at least, she had waited until they were out of sight of the market before accepting it. Her pride was still there, but she was now a bit more specific about who she was allowing herself to appear weak in front of. And after everything they had endured together, the rest of her family got a one-day pass.

The rest of the kids were in various stages of beaten up. Noba had taken the worse; in fact he was barely conscious. Miss Mokou had his arm over her shoulder while she held onto his waist. Rumia was fairly certain that she could have thrown him over her shoulder if she wanted, but he would have been mortified to have been carried away like that, and Miss Mokou was the sort to know that. Shinji and Tomohiro were pretty bad off as well. They were walking under their own power, but Shinji’s face was still a bloody, swollen mess, while Tomohiro had two black eyes and was cradling his left arm. And while Keichii had to stop every few steps to spit out blood.

Yoshi and Hiro had taken a few hits, with Yoshi having a very prominent purple lump on his forehead. Still, they seemed okay overall, and judging by the way they were swaggering, they were probably proud of the hits they had taken and given, the little savages. Rumia had to smile. They had earned that right as far as she was concerned.

As for the others, specifically Melissa, Kana, Kazuchika, Akito, Dai, and Yuuki, they hadn’t been hurt on account of having not joined in for various reasons, but that didn’t mean they were all right. Melissa looked absolutely mortified. Since she hadn’t been born in Gensokyo like the others, there was a lot she was still getting used to, and while she found most of it to be wonderful, the darker parts tended to scare her, and Rumia was willing to bet that she had never expected the worse to come from other Humans. Hell, Rumia herself hadn’t expected that. Maybe her family hadn’t been killed by youkai after all. Maybe it had been a bunch of assholes like the ones back there, and they had just blamed it on youkai.

Kazuchika seemed to be in a daze. He was holding onto Akito while leading Dai and Yuuki along. As the older kid who most often looked after the younger ones, he was probably really messed up over Yoshi and Hiro getting hurt. And as for Kana…

Kana looked…weird. Well, okay, she always looked weird, but unlike the others she didn’t look scared, sad, betrayed, angry, or even proud. Instead, she was thoughtfully staring at the sky with a sort of seriousness she usually reserved for staring at dust motes, and she was fingerings with something in her pocket, probably a trinket she had picked up in the chaos. Hopefully it wasn’t something someone would coming looking for. That was the last thing they needed.

All in all, they were a sorry bunch, but they had survived. And Rumia was glad that they had fought back instead of running away. She smirked, though doing so upset one of her bruises. Life had done them no favors, but it sure had made them tough.

They continued on, Miss Satoko in the lead, Mister Joshua in the back, beginning what promised to be a long and painful walk home.

But then they heard someone call out to them. “Hey! Satoko Yume! Wait a moment!”

Everyone immediately tensed up in anticipation of another attack, but it wasn’t an angry mob coming after them, it was only three men flying their way. Rumia quickly scanned them. She didn’t remember seeing them in the fight, but that could swiftly change.

The one that had called to them was the oldest and biggest, a big man with a barrel-sized chest, large arms, a wide face, and a thin beard. He touched and the other two touched down in front of the group.

“Watanabe?” Miss Satoko said.

Watanabe nodded. “Look. I don’t know what happened back there or why, but…” He sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t try to help. We were heading home we heard the shouting, and when we got back everything was so confusing and-”

“Watanabe, it’s fine,” Miss Satoko said. “And it’s somewhat heartening to hear that not everyone approved of what happened back there.”

Watanabe scowled. “It’s that man Skinner. Ever since he and his kind showed up, people in the big village have just been getting strange. And it’s spreading.”

Rumia glanced over her shoulder at Mister Joshua, who sort of fell in the category of “his kind.” For his part, Mister Joshua didn’t react in one way or the other.

“Well, he certainly helped, but the rest of them are still responsible for their actions,” Miss Satoko said.

“Yes, I don’t know what’s happening. But let me help make it up to you.” Watanabe pointed. “My farm’s not far. Please, rest a while, see to your injuries, get something to eat.”

Miss Satoko hesitated. “Watanabe, I don’t-”

“Your children are hurt, and people I count among my friends are to blame. Let me do this much for you.”

“Well…” Miss Satoko looked back toward the group. Most of the kids were too tired to really make much of a response, but nobody objected.

“All right,” she sighed. “That would be very much appreciated. Thank you.”

Honestly Rumia really just wanted to go home, but making the trip on her aching leg did not sound fun, and there were others worse off than she was. And if Miss Satoko trusted this guy, then fine.

The group changed direction, moving off the path and across the field. As they went, Rumia was struck by a sudden thought, something that had gone amiss through the whole brawl, something that nobody else had pointed out.

With everything that had been going on, what had happened to their guards?

…

Watanabe Umino’s farm wasn’t far from either the market nor the orphanage, so it made for a convenient waypoint between the two. Rumia had seen it several times in trips past, though she had never actually set foot on its borders. But today seemed an excellent day to break that trend.

Finally everyone was seated in a circle. Missus Umino and all the Umino kids brought out warm cider for everyone. Rumia accepted hers with a nod of thanks and cautiously gave it a sip. It was good.

Mister Joshua and Miss Haruhi were both sitting at the head of the circle, whispering to one another. Miss Haruhi had stopped crying, but she still looked pretty upset, while Mister Joshua mostly looked deeply disturbed, like he knew something about what had happened that the rest of them didn’t. Rumia really hoped that he was going to spill, and if he didn’t, she made a point to ask him directly.

Just…not now.

As for Miss Satoko and Miss Mokou, they were still outside, talking to one another. Rumia couldn’t make out what they were saying, but judging by how animated they looked through the door, it was probably very…dramatic. Rumia really hoped that Miss Mokou wasn’t going to get into trouble. If there was one bright spot of this whole disastrous day, it was watching her be a total badass.

Suddenly Mister Joshua cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention.

“I want everyone to understand something here,” he said. “No matter what any of those people said back there, no matter what anyone might say about you in the future, this wasn’t your fault. Okay? We all understand that?”

“Yes, Mister Joshua,” said most of the younger kids. Some of the older ones just nodded. A few did nothing at all.

“And don’t listen to that garbage about curses or taints or something like that. That’s just fools talking. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of you, no matter what they say.”

“But…” Eiko started to say, but then her voice caught. She swallowed, and tried again. “But why are they saying that at all? Why do they think that?”

Mister Joshua hesitated, and then said, “Because they’re afraid. They’re afraid and they’re stupid. As wrong as it sounds, people sometimes become afraid of other people’s problems, because they think that it’ll spread to them. So they’re somehow become convinced that just because most of you lost your families to youkai, it means that youkai are more likely to attack you and anyone that talks to you, or some such nonsense. But it is nonsense, understand?”

“But my parents didn’t get eaten by youkai,” Dai said. “They died in a landslide!”

“And mine got burned in a fire!” Hayate added.

Keine said nothing, but her fingers clenched up. Rumia quickly glanced around. Good, nobody was looking at her. Her secret was still safe. Hopefully.

“Like I said, it’s complete stupidity,” Mister Joshua said. “When people get a little scared, it doesn’t take much to get them to listen to stupid ideas.”

Maybe so, but Rumia was more worried about something else, something very dangerous and very real.

She glanced over to Keine, who was staring off at nothing. Rumia still remembered how Skinner had stared at her, like he was able to see deep into her heart and mind. And that was a problem.

As it so happened, Keine was the only child that wasn’t actually an orphan, not entirely. Her mother had died giving birth to her, but presumably her father, if he could be called that, was still out there somewhere, and he had been a youkai. That was why she looked half as old as she really was. Youkai lived forever, and when they had kids with Humans, their offspring’s lifespans were twice as long as those fully Human. And that was why she was so strong and fast despite being so small and skinny.

Of all the kids that Rumia lived with, only she and Kohta knew Keine’s secret, and they had long swore to keep it safe. They knew that Keine’s conception had been…less than consensual, and there were those that would consider that alone to mean she had been born evil, to say nothing of having youkai blood. It was all bullshit of course. Keine was Rumia’s friend, and she was easily the least monstrous of their little trio, but like Mister Joshua had said all it took was a little fear for people to start being stupid and dangerous.

As for the grown-ups, well, Miss Satoko presumably knew, though she had never mentioned it, and if she had told the others Rumia had never heard. And Miss Mokou had figured it out literally the second she saw Keine, but like Rumia and Kohta she had also sworn to never tell anyone.

But that man Skinner had also figured it out. Rumia didn’t know how, but he had. And that scared her.

…

If the whole of Mokou’s life were to be laid out in a book, then the story would be dark, bloody, unceasingly violent, and take up an entire library. As such, the two years in which she had lived in the Aoki Yume’s Children’s Home and known Satoko Yume would be contained in only a few short sentences, a barely perceptible drop of happiness in an ocean of pain and hate.

And yet it somehow felt so much longer than it was. Suddenly, her life had gone from having just enough room for herself and one other person in it to having over twenty, and unlike that one other person, they were people she actually cared about rather than wished to murder violently and often. She had gotten to know these kids and their vibrant personalities, from their quirks to their preferences to their aspirations to their petty little rivalries to their intense friendships. Those little people were just so strangely fascinating, at once simple and uncomplicated and yet full of depth, and Mokou had thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them, even if she had done so rather quickly. She had always been a fast learner, after all.

And she knew Satoko. She could read the younger woman’s emotions like a book, could tell at a glance how she was feeling and why. And at that moment, Satoko was very, very angry.

Satoko didn’t often get angry. She had spent her entire life looking after children who had every reason to act out, and as such her well of patience, tolerance, and understanding seemed to be bottomless at times. However, there was a very specific list of situations that set her off. Apparently, Mokou had triggered several of them.

“How could you, Mokou?” Satoko said as she anxiously paced back and forth, her hands unceasingly wringing each other. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? What you’ve done to us, to me, to them?”

“Sure,” Mokou said, unperturbed. “I stopped our kids from getting beaten to death.”

“You were going to kill that boy!”

“No, not kill, not even hurt. Just scare him a little.”

“Scare? You wanted to scare him?” Satoko let out a bitter chuckle. “I’ll say you did. Right there, in front of his family, his friends, his neighbors, in front of godsdamned everyone! You’ve gone and made us an enemy of everybody!”

Mokou folded her arms. “I’d say that already happened. You saw how everybody was treating us when we got there.”

“Not everybody! Some, yes, but not everybody! But oh, they sure are now!” Satoko stopped pacing, though her hands didn’t stop twisting against each other. “Mokou, I know you have a dark past, I know you’ve…done things that you don’t like talking about, and I’ve been content to leave things at that. I’ve left your secrets alone, and you have been nothing but a boon until now.”

Mokou quirked an eyebrow. “But?”

“But you promised me that your past wouldn’t put the children in danger! That was the one condition of letting you stay! The one condition!”

“And it hasn’t,” Mokou said. “This had nothing to do with that.”

“Hasn’t it?” Satoko laughed again. “Oh, sure, those people that tried to kill you haven’t shown up, but the person they had a quarrel with sure did! Admit it, Mokou. This wasn’t the first time you’ve had your hands around someone’s neck like that.”

That was true enough. Hell, it wasn’t even the hundredth. Maybe not even the thousandth. “No, it wasn’t. But I needed him to admit what he had done.”

“What he had done? It was a cruel comment, yes, but not deserving of strangling!”

“No? What about him perving at Haruko, Eiko, and Hayate? Besides, all most of those people saw was our kids fighting theirs, with no way of telling who started it.” She shrugged. “Well, now they do.”

“And what good did that do?” Satoko demanded. “They were looking for a fight, yes, but-”

“They were attacking our kids,” Mokou said again, making sure to emphasize the our. “They were even hitting Haruhi. Noba’s got a concussion, Shinji and Keiichi both have broken noses, and many more have black eyes, split lips, and more bruises than I care to count. Satoko, this wasn’t just a scuffle over some childish insult that got out of hand, this was an assault!”

“But-”

“No, listen to me. All those people wouldn’t have rushed to join in if they weren’t already ready to go off at the slightest excuse. Nobody other than Haruhi and the girls tried to break it up until I got there, and they were attacked for it. Satoko, something is wrong. Something is actively working to isolate us, to turn everyone against us. And I think I know what it is.”

At this, Satoko sighed. “So do I. It’s that man.”

Mokou tilted her head. “Nathaniel Skinner, right? That big tall bastard dressed mostly in brown?”

“That’s him.”

“Joshua said that he was from the Outside World too, that the two of them used to be friends.”

Satoko nodded. “Yes, I know. He and Joshua came over with a small group. They wandered into our land one night, and we gave them shelter. Most of them went to the Human Village after that, but Joshua came back. Said that his God would have wanted him to help us.”

“Oh yeah? Something tells me that he and that Skinner guy get very different messages from their God. And really, you put them up when they were lost and alone, and this is how they repay you?”

“I know, Mokou,” Satoko said wearily.

“Well, we should do something about him.”

“No!” Satoko looked horrified. “Are you insane? You can’t just kill someone!”

“I didn’t say kill him,” Mokou said, though to be perfectly honest she had been thinking that exact thing. In fact, if it came down to it, she was reasonably certain that she could get into the Human Village, conveniently “vanish” Skinner, dispose of all evidence, and get out again with nobody being the wiser. “I said do something about him.”

Satoko wasn’t buying it. “Mokou, do not. You’ve already made things bad enough already.”

“How? By saving the kids? If that would have gone on much longer, then someone could have died!”

“And I’m grateful for that, I really am! But you should have just driven them off and left it at that! But no, you had to hold one of them hostage and threaten his life in front of everyone!”

“So? He had it coming!”

Satoko stared at her. “Mokou, that doesn’t matter! Why do you think so many ran in once the other kids ran to their friends’ defense! It’s pack mentality at work! If you had just stuck to defending the children and prevented anyone else from attacking, then we could have sorted things out once everyone had calmed down. But you had to keep things hot and angry!”

“Sorted things out?” Mokou repeated in disbelief. “Satoko, what the hell? They attacked us! There is a line, and they crossed it! There’s no sorting anything after that!”

Satoko honestly looked like she wanted to slap Mokou. “Mokou, you’ve been with us for only two years. I’ve been doing this literally my entire life! Do you honestly think this is a first time one of ours got into a fight with some rowdy locals? Maybe not quite as bad as this, but it’s happened before! And when it does, you break it up, get everyone separated, and calm things down! Then you figure out who did what and who was responsible! But you…you just had to throw oil all over that fire and keep them angry! You gave them a reason to hate us! What are we supposed to do now? We’re already banned from the Human Village, and now you’ve turned the other settlements against us too?”

Mokou opened her mouth to retort, but Satoko wasn’t having it. “Think, Mokou! Think about it! Skinner’s been spreading his poison, telling people lies about us, getting them to hate orphans of all things, and you just confirmed it! You, a woman that none of them knew, just showed up out of nowhere and drove off several men twice your size! You held up a young man at least your own weight, if not heavier, with one hand and showed no signs of strain! You took that blow from Gendou’s guard without even upsetting your balance! You refused to be move by Skinner, someone who ought to have easily picked you up as if you were a child!”

“Well, now they know what they’re getting into if they mess with us again.”

“No, Mokou! You’re still not thinking! Skinner’s apparently been filling people’s heads with stories about us consorting with youkai and being tainted by them and probably getting strange and dangerous powers from them. And then you show up, doing what you did, challenging everyone to their face and demonstrating abilities that a woman of your size ought not to have! Even if most people think that Skinner’s stories are nonsense, you just gave them a reason to rethink that! Maybe, they’re wondering now, maybe there’s something to those stories! Maybe Skinner might have a point!”

Mokou frowned. When it was put like that, Satoko did have a point. Still… “So, what, I’m supposed to just bow my head and suck up to those idiots just because they’re afraid? I’m supposed to just stand aside and let them hurt our kids?”

“Of course not! I’m not upset about what you rescuing Noba and the others, I’m upset about what you did after! Tell the truth, Mokou. That wasn’t just about making a point. You were enjoying yourself.”

Mokou grimaced. It was true, she had enjoyed that burst of violence, brief as it had been. Two years were an incredibly insignificant amount of time to her, but she hadn’t gone that long without hurting another person in a long, long time. Breaking herself out of that cycle had given her nothing but relief, but part of her still craved it.

“That’s what scares me, Mokou,” Satoko said. “You know that there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect the kids. But if you’re going to escalate things just…just for the fun of it, then I can’t have that. I can’t have you making yourself a danger.”

Mokou breathed in and out. “Well, maybe you have a point,” she admitted.

“I know.”

Shuffling her feet a little, Mokou put her hands in her pockets and said, “Look, if you want me to go then I’ll go. But right now, I don’t think that you should.”

Satoko sighed. “I know. Despite my…frustration, you did save them, and it would be…unbecoming of me to throw you out after that. Besides, what’s done is done, and if things are really getting that bad, then…then we might need someone like you.”

Now that was sort of scary to hear, and Mokou found herself wondering if Skinner might not accidentally have a point. Granted, all that business about being tainted by youkai was complete nonsense, but Mokou had been at the orphanage for only two years and already it was under the threat of…invasion? War? Maybe there was a curse at play. Maybe violence just followed her wherever she went.

“That’s…disturbing,” she said. “But we can deal with that when it comes. Right now though, we have another problem.”

“Oh?”

Mokou nodded toward the barn, where the kids were trying to recover. “Yeah. Them. They just had the fright of their lives. Even the ones that didn’t get hurt just saw what probably looked like all the Humans in Gensokyo turning on them. They’ve already lost their families, and now their own species is after them. They’re scared, they’re confused, and they’re angry.”

“I know that, Mokou.”

“Do you? Look, you know people better than I do, but I know fear better than you. Get mad at me for losing it if you must, but don’t show it in front of them. Because right now, we’re the only ones that seem like we’re on their side. We need to present a unified front, show them that we’re all working together to protect them.”

Satoko thought on that for a moment, and then nodded. “Okay, that makes sense. What else?”

Mokou frowned. “Well, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Obviously this is going to come up again, and you’re going to try to work something out. But in the meantime…” She shrugged. “Look, I left my past life behind, sure, but I still, uh, know a few people, people who have their ears to the ground. In fact, just last night I was given a sort of head’s up from one of them.”

“What?”

“Look, I’m not saying it has anything to do with what happened, but I got word that some sort of shenanigans is brewing in the Youkai Forest. I don’t know anything in specific, but apparently the nasty things that live in there are up to something.”

Satoko looked incredulous. “Wait, are you saying that are problems really are youkai related, only…from them instead of us? You think youkai might be behind whatever Skinner and Sonozika are doing?”

“No clue. Might be a coincidence, but the timing’s suspect. Anyway, I’m thinking I should look up some old friends, see if they’ve heard anything.”

“Wait, what kind of friends?” Satoko said, alarmed.

“Well, the Hakurei Shrine Maiden for one. We’ve worked together a couple of times in the past. There’s also a hermit or two of my acquaintance, might go poking around the inhabitants of the Youkai Mountain as well. They don’t have much to do with the Youkai Forest despite having pretty much the same name, but they are nothing but relentless when it comes to sniffing out gossip. If anything’s up, they would have at least heard of it.” Mokou frowned. “In fact, that brawl back there will probably be making headlines on their papers tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Satoko said. “Well, I guess that…makes sense.”

Truth be told, Mokou had left a few names off that list. It was better if Satoko didn’t know everything about what she was up to. “In the meantime though, we should prepare the kids for a worst-case scenario. Flying lessons are coming up, in fact. I know it’s just going to be the kids in the twelve to fourteen range, but the younger ones ought to learn as well. We should also look to see if anyone’s got any neat powers we could use, and start drilling them to-”

“No!” Satoko snapped. “We are not turning them into an army!”

Mokou paused, and then said, “Satoko, we may not have a choice.”

“I don’t care,” Satoko said stubbornly. “My family started the Children’s Home so that they could have something resembling a normal life, and I intend to give it to them. They need to have things return to normal as soon as possible.”

“Normal? Satoko, you told me to think, now it’s your turn! I already told you, this wasn’t just some idiots being idiots! I’m telling you, something is wrong! There’s something in motion, something that’s going after us, after our kids. And I’ll bet my bottom yen that that Skinner guy is at the center of it!”

…

Back in the washroom of his house in the Human Village, Nathaniel Skinner dipped a washcloth in the bowl of soapy water and carefully cleaned the sweat off his face.

He was standing bare-chested in front of the half-length mirror set in the wall. Obtaining it had been ridiculously difficult. This godforsaken country was so out of touch with civilization that glass was considered a luxury, at least where he was stuck. But he had gotten his hands on one, and now could see his profile in full.

He did not like what he saw.

His face was flushed, and his body glistened with sweat. He had managed to keep his cool, but it had been a close thing. That strange woman had upset him far greater than he could have expected. That was a problem. She was just a woman, after all. She ought not have that much of an effect on him.

But he knew better than that. She was more than just a woman. He wasn’t sure what she was exactly, but he meant to find out.

Sighing, he set to work wiping himself down. Then he gingerly dipped his right hand into another basin, this one filled with warm water treated with herbs. He winced as the pins and needles erupted all over his palm and wrist, but he kept it submerged until the pain was too much to bear. Then he carefully dried it, though even the touch of the soft cloth was painful.

He then picked up a set of clean linens and began to bind up his right hand. Tighter and tight he wound the cloth, until it was completely encased.

From outside, he heard a fervent knock at the front door. Skinner started at the sudden sound, and then he cursed. Who was it now?

A moment later the Mai, the housekeeper, knocked hesitantly at the door. “Master Skinner?” she said. “Master Sonozika is here to see you.”

Of course he was. “Let him in, and offer refreshments!” he called through the wooden door. “I’ll be along shortly!”

Skinner hastily pulled on his clothes, starting with his long-sleeved shirt, then his heavy leather coat, and finally the thick gloves. He finished buttoning up his shirt, repositioned his silver crucifix, and checked himself in the mirror.

It would have to do.

Gendou was fretting in the front room. That was no surprise; Gendou was always fretting. It got aggravating at times, but on the plus side it did make him quite receptive to just about anything Nathaniel had to say.

When he saw Nathaniel enter the room, he perked up immediately. “Ah, Skinner. Good. Sorry for popping by on such short notice, but-” Then his piggish eyes narrowed. “Good gods, man! Do you even wear that thing indoors? You must be sweltering!”

Quite the opposite, really. “I often find myself called away on the Lord’s work on short notice,” Nathaniel said. “So I find it easier to always be dressed for an unexpected journey.”

“Journey to where? You never leave the village!” Then before Nathaniel could respond, Gendou just shrugged and said, “Oh, never mind. It doesn’t matter. But we have to talk about what happened at the market! That was outrageous!”

On that, Nathaniel agreed. “But not at all unexpected. It is, after all, what I’ve been telling you.”

“No, not at all. And you were right, of course.” With a sigh, Gendou settled down into a nearby chair. “Still, it’s so hard to believe. They’re just children, after all. Wild, savage, totally ungovernable children, but children nevertheless.”

“Well, that’s how they operate. The evil ones, I mean. Corrupt the children, go after the parents. And when parents are lacking, go after the good men and women. It is the same back in my world as well.” Skinner then changed the subject. “Still, as troublesome as all of this was, it was…very illuminating.”

“I’ll say it was! They were like animals! Especially that one woman, the one with the red pants. Do you know her?”

“Not until today. Apparently she’s the orphanage’s cook, which says something about them. Joshua Stump said that her name was Fujiwara no Mokou. Does that name mean anything to you?”

Gendou didn’t respond.

“Gendou?”

The small man had gone completely pale. He face was sweat even at the best of times, but now his pores were practically gushing.

Nathaniel frowned. “Gendou, are you all right? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Which, to be fair, was something of a literal occurrence around those parts.

“What? No, I…” Gendou licked his lips. “Well, maybe.”

“You recognize that name?”

“Er, ah, I have heard of someone with that name before, but…” He shook his head. “No, it must be a coincidence. That person lived long before Gensokyo was even created! She would have been dead and buried for centuries by now!”

“Unless she became a youkai,” Nathaniel pointed out. He didn’t have any idea who Gendou was talking about, but he was now very curious.

Gendou gasped. “Is it her, then? Is she the youkai?”

No, she was not. There were youkai that looked incredibly Human, enough to fool the unwise and unlearned perhaps, but Nathaniel was able to tell at a glance whether or not someone was Human or something else. And this woman, this “Mokou” was certainly no youkai, though she wasn’t exactly Human either. Still, while falsehood were explicitly against his faith, he felt that God would forgive him this one, as it served a higher purpose. “Without any doubt,” he said solemnly.

“No,” Gendou whispered. “No, it can’t be. She…she murdered my ancestors. The stories about her…and now she’s here for me!”

Nathaniel still didn’t know what Gendou was talking about, but he knew an opportunity when he saw it. “It makes sense then, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. All of it. How could I have been so blind?”

Nathaniel sat down next to him and placed his left hand on Gendou’s shoulder, his right squeezing his crucifix. “You see, then, the importance of acting quickly.”

“Right. Right. You have a plan, then?”

“That I do, but there are some things that I need to set in motion first.” He rubbed the bristles of his beard with his left hand, the right still gripping his cross.

“What things?” Gendou asked.

Nathaniel smiled. “Don’t worry yourself, my old friend. Leave it to me.”

“Right, of course,” Gendou said. He stood up. “Just…keep me informed…of anything that I ought to be informed of.”

The implicit meaning was clear. If you have to do anything that will upset my people, then I’d damn well better not hear about it. “Don’t worry yourself, Gendou,” Nathaniel said. “The Lord’s plan may not seem clear at first, but it has never failed me yet.”

“Yes, well, here’s hoping it stays that way,” Gendou said albeit a bit skeptically. He was respectful of Nathaniel and his parishioners’’ faith, but he did not share it himself. “Though speaking of which, what of your friend?”

Nathaniel sighed. “I pray that God opens Brother Joshua’s eyes before it is too late. He always had a soft spot for children, and doesn’t always see the dangers of corruption.”

“Well, that’s too bad,” Gendou said as he stood up and headed for the door. “In the meantime, I’ve got those country people lined up at my door demanding some kind of explanation, like it was my fault!”

“God go with you, Gendou,” Nathaniel said. “Though, ah, by the by…”

“Hmmm?”

“Back during that ruckus, did you by any chance notice one of the orphans in particular? Specifically, a small girl with short silver hair?”

Gendou frowned. “Ah, no, most of my attention was on that…that woman. Why?”

“No reason,” Nathaniel said. “No reason at all.”

…

I can’t think of anything to say, other than this chapter was kind of a headache due to having so many moving parts present in a relatively short scene. Oh well.

Until next time, everyone.

#touhou project #touhou #fanfic #imperfect metamorphosis #rumia #keine #fujiwara no mokou

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cassafra5 · 6 years

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Road Trip to Boston Part 3!

We ended up booking a walking tour of Salem and made a point to check out the Salem Witch Museum! Because it was Veterans Day, the city made parking free so this was probably the easiest time we had during the trip. The museum didnt let us take photos but I did see where all those wax figures came from. No alpha deathclaws (which btw, someone actually has that question on google for this location. Imagine being some family dude and people asking about deathclaws in the museum out of context)

I saw this sign outside and already loved it.

We managed to find a few neat locations during our guided tour, including the town hall from Hocus Pocus and the site of the Salem Witch Jail (Gaol). When asked about how this city was during Halloween he said to imagine Times Square on New Years mixed with Mardi Gras with costumes. I couldnt imagine living through that every year in such a small place o_o!

We also got to see the Lyceum Hall (site of the first public long distance telephone call demonstration and apparently where Poe got heckled to death for reading Al Aaraaf) and the site of the area's first church. Both of them are restaurants now :D.

We visited the Salem witch memorial which was really neat. It was dedicated by Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel during the Salem Witch Trials TerCentenary. The entrance had the last statements made by the victims and were cut off at the ends to signify that no one was listening to them and each bench had the names of the victims and how they died. The only one that was not hung was, of course, Giles Corey.

Afterwards we managed to check out the area and grabbed some lunch. Right outside we saw this tribute to Bewitched.

Im sure Hancock would be disappointed that Im more into mango lassi than the strong stuff.

There were plenty of Witch stores around that offered candles, herbs, and stones and spells surrounding us. One lady mentioned carrying some herbs with me in a pouch in my purse. Given my track record for things spilling or exploding in my purse, I passed.

We left and snagged dinner at a restaurant called Article 24.

We werent sure what the name was referring to but then we saw it. Kind of fitting, eh?

George found this graffiti in the restroom. Wow Boston, how poignant!

This was out final stop in Boston. It was lovely and we definitely do want to make it out there again and see more!

We got a lot of goodies, mostly from the State House giftshop (which wasnt too bad price-wise). George and @kirain ended up naming the lobster plush John Hanclaw from Goodlobster because of that and now i cant think of anything else to call it. And hey look, i finally have a tricorn for reference!

I hope these entries were alright to read through. Im new to blogging about this stuff but it was fun and hopefully i can do more at some point ^^.

#vacation #boston

36 notes · View notes

comicteaparty · 5 years

Text

April 11th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on April 11th, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PDT. The chat focused on Kitty Kitty Bang Bang by Moe.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Kitty Kitty Bang Bang by Moe~! (https://tapas.io/series/kkbbcomic)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Superjustinbros

Hello!

RebelVampire

hey super~!

Superjustinbros

Coming in and I'd like to give a big shoutout to that header image on the comic's Tapas(edited)

I dunno, I thought it looked badass

RebelVampire

it is a nice header image. although what sells it for me is the logo design. its a really nice logo.

for favorite scene, hmm. ya know, i cant not pick it. the convention scene. that scene legit almost made me cry at how touching it is both with its message about how anyone can cosplay whatever they want regardless of how they look. not to mention the themes of reaching out to others. all wrapped in a nice package of no dialogue so that its the emotions at the center forefront.

Superjustinbros

Yeah.

Also this guy's hair.

RebelVampire

i like his hair and his smile combination. like both scream cocky little shit design wise and i love it cause he kind of is a cocky little shit. XD

Superjustinbros

Oh yes XD

Cocky little shits are my favorite

RebelVampire

another scene i want to show some appreciation too is the scene where we first meet kit's mom. like, i knew it was coming from the chapter title. but i enjoyed the twist it was her step-mom and theres a deeper issue going on. it turned what was easy to guess to something surprising again just by how the story plays out the reveal

Superjustinbros

https://tapas.io/episode/1370747 This is a pretty good page.

Hm, Doug McClure sounds a awful lot like this chap. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUg6e072vgA

RebelVampire

anything in particular you like about it super?

Superjustinbros

The last two panels.

And the followup

https://tapas.io/episode/1371714

dat backside

RebelVampire

i really love the back shot composition. like what a great way to show overwhelming odds

mathtans

Evening. Made it as far as the start of the Bully arc, so late 2018.

Superjustinbros

Yeah. Also ello

I love also how Doug's got like, a million pouches on his belt

I dunno it's a detial I like

mathtans

Yeah, the convention stuff was good. Some of those real-life scenarios that made you want to shake people are good when done right.

Superjustinbros

Yes

mathtans

I'm not sure if I have a big favourite moment, but I have some little ones. Like when that "pinball wizard" thing played as Kit was taking on that nozzle in the gaming store, and it turned out it was the coworker.

The guy at the school in the knight suit, who had the fascination with corndogs. Weird background detail, added some humour to an otherwise tense scene.

RebelVampire

i love the corndog knight

i want a spin-off comic of just them

cause i want to know about them

why are they a knight

why corndogs

so many questions

mathtans

Heh. Made me think of that other bounty hunter, pointy-ears, who also couldn't speak.

Also, did not expect the female reveal there.

And I liked how the scientist flipped out over his research having the higher bounty than himself. Like, that trumped everything else he was in the process of dealing with and he went on a rampage. Amusing.

RebelVampire

yeah the scientists in general was fairly hilarious in everything he tried to prioritize. although i enjoyed that at the end of the mission the crystal wound of broken anyway. cause i felt it was fitting given everything it had been through

mathtans

I thought it was really clever how the rock was used to blind the scientist. Kitty is this weird mix of hyper competent (like when she used the snack habits of that one guy to track him down) and absent-minded (like when she then didn't make a grab for the compound).

I'm not saying that's unrealistic or anything, I can totally see it.

Very "living in the moment" with a dash of forward thinking.

RebelVampire

nah i agree shes a really interesting character. like at first i wasnt sure id like her but some of her plans have been pretty spot. and to be fair a lot of the absent-minded ness you could write off as it her being a kid. so of course shes expected to be a kid and not always think through with her actions.

a more comedic moment i liked was at the end of Mor where Kit and Mary both have to stand there awkwardly making their false apologies to the whole school. this page especially cracks me up just cause of the sheer height diff between the two. i think that makes it extra hilarious https://tapas.io/episode/1215017

mathtans

It's true. And I'm still wrapping my head around the kid thing.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. One of the comic’s focuses and highlights are the action sequences found within. Of the characters Kit has pursued so far in her bounties, which has been your favorite? Why is that? Likewise, which bounty did you think had the best fight choreography? What do you specifically think makes the choreography the best one? Do you think we’ll see any of the criminal characters again? If so, what could that mean for Kit? Considering many of the villains parody stereotypes and similar things, what other sorts of characters do you think or hope we might see? Lastly, do you believe Kit will encounter more of her professional rivals? If so, what do you think will happen?

its okay i had my struggles wrapping my head around but the convention scene really cemented it for me for some reason. but that might just be personal association of conventions being largely for the youth.

mathtans

Incidentally, I wondered initially about the use of "der"... and then when Kitty used the term "Hoser" I thought she was Canadian. That proved incorrect, what with the Norwegian thing.

Ahh... yeah, I went to a certain convention for 20 years straight soooo...

Like, I want to ship, but it feels wrong. Normally if they're young I just think of it as cute, or picture them as older, and neither of those things kinda work here.

I wonder how big Kitty's gonna get when she's 20.

RebelVampire

i didnt start going to conventions till i was an adult but at the same time my experiences is that theyre largely dominated by the youth. not to say there arent older adults there. but the youth are the ones always around drawing attention to themselves being loud. but i digress, just wanted to give context for why it worked for me

mathtans

That's fair.

RebelVampire

tbh i just assumed she was full grown. cause i was actually only an inch or two shorter than my full height at 13 cause i sprouted up early

mathtans

As to the question of the moment, I admit I'm not huge on seeing action and choreography, tending to be bigger on characters anyway. Which is probably why that scientist one sticks out so much, since we got his whole backstory and everything.

I am gonna be in for such a shock when my little one grows up, aren't I.

That short gangster guy who stole the boat might return. It was implied.

RebelVampire

and i legit cant imagine kit taller cause she literally towers over everyone. although is she still shorter than her dad? cause if she is, shell probably be his height.

mathtans

I think she is. I'm equally bad at noticing that sort of thing.

RebelVampire

id have to look again just cause it wasnt something i was looking for and her dad was only in so many scenes XD

im torn on my answer to this question of the moment. i think i agree i like the scientist the best cause he got a lot of backstory. not to mention when kit was doing their dialogue for them from the roof i was like "nah shes gotta be exaggerating" then we meet the scientist and nope, he really is just that arrogant and she was spot on. so overally he was definitely the most entertaining

but for fight choreography, im picking the first bounty with the spin off kool aid man. i really enjoyed the use of the environment and just the sheer level of destruction that was visited upon that grocery store

mathtans

She knows her business. I wonder how long she's been at it.

Oh yeah, almost forgot about that one. I liked when Kitty roped the random customer.

RebelVampire

i liked when after the fight ended, the old lady asked if the employee who was buried under rubble basically could get her a new box

MoeAlmighty

And that was most difficult one to come up with

mathtans

The one with the orcs going after cows was also good, not for the fight (which I think was offscreen) but world building. Until then it was sort of, like, what's reality here anyway.

Oh, hello creator.

MoeAlmighty

Hello there all ^^\

mathtans

Rebel: That was a good scene for setting the tone.

Superjustinbros

Hello Moe!

MoeAlmighty

Thank you. It's always a challenge to come up with a beginning for a series.

Superjustinbros

Thanks for this cool comic of yours.

MoeAlmighty

Howdey

Thanks

Superjustinbros

No probs

And yeah all this talk about conventions is reminding me of all the ones I've been going to lately. Comic focused ones and hugely commercial conventions are easily the most populated-by-youth ones.

mathtans

"Annie" con was a clever name.

MoeAlmighty

It was a little play on words. I always like to make those little puns when I can(edited)

RebelVampire

i did enjoy the orcs with the cows. probably just cause of the extreme accent going on in that dialogue. but i also just love this concept that someone would think clearly humans are only good cause they drink milk. like someone really watched those got milk commercials too much.

mathtans

I very much approve of puns. Also Senshi Kitty.

The head orc was milking his time in the spotlight.

Superjustinbros

Puns are always good

RebelVampire

i do agree with you math that i got the impression well see the gangster who got away from the scientist again at some point. what it means for kit? i could see her being extra determined to catch him since he got away last time. but then maybe thats when well see buff elf chick again who is out for revenge.

MoeAlmighty

Defintely. Orcs have always been my favorite fantasy race to play around with

mathtans

biab

RebelVampire

i do appreciate orcs getting some love in a way cause in my experience theyre really underutilized in a lot of fantasy settings. can find elves everywhere, but nobody wants the orcs.

MoeAlmighty

Well nothing is off the table.^^

Orcs have always been treated as the bad guy or the henchman merely due to their monsterous appearence.

RebelVampire

speaking of not elves, i really like that this guy turned out to be the real villain from bully bully https://tapas.io/episode/1348464. partly cause it was a good twist that it was a bully victim becoming the bully. since that is very true to life. but also, selfishly, i noticed this character immediately in the background one time and i was like "ah man what an interesting looking side chara too bad well never learn about him" and then we learned about him.

QUESTION 3. Even in Kit’s dynamic world, she still has some unique mysteries surrounding her. Why do you think Kit is the only female in her family to receive Freyja’s blessing/curse, especially after it’s been so long it’s almost a myth? What do you think the story is behind Kit’s rage modes that seem to take over when she gets mad? What do you think happened to Kit’s mother, and why is Kit so sensitive about the subject of her mother in general? Additionally, why did Mary calling her mother a whore set her off in particular? Lastly, how do you think Kit got involved with being a Bounty Killer? Why do you think her family lets her pursue the career given how dangerous it all is?

MoeAlmighty

Oh yeah the Goblin. I thought it was a perfect opprotunity to not just introduce the Goblins , but I was also playing around with laying out clues in plain site for the reader to notice.

Superjustinbros

That's smart thinking/writing

MoeAlmighty

There are plans for future stories that are straight up mysteries Kit will have to sovle.

RebelVampire

that sounds exciting and like a good challenge for her character too.

in regards to the current question, i want to dissect the fact that kit's specific phrasing about her mother was that mary hadnt even cared who her mother was as a person. and to a degree, i kind of feel like it was projecting that set her off. that kit herself didnt know a whole lot about her mother. so it might not be so much that her mom was called a whore that did it, but that someone would make a bold claim about her mother when kit herself didnt even know her that well and has since lost the chance to get ot know her. but thats just me theorizing.

mathtans

Back, little one's asleep in the crib again. For now.

MoeAlmighty

Mm hm, It would show that Bounty Killers in the world aren't used for just nabbing a bad guy with a hefty sum on their head. Sometimes folks need someone to investigate with the police's involvement and not ask any questions

mathtans

Was Kitty maybe given up for adoption? (Is that what makes her worthy of the cat ears?)

The police were handy against the scientist too, for a little while.

Superjustinbros

That's a good way of expanding upon bounty hunters.

RebelVampire

i dont think given up for adoption fits cause mor said shes the step mom which implies kit's father is her biological dad. that and there is one pic where the dad is with the mom

mathtans

Oh, right. We did see her biological mom in that holiday special though, didn't we? And Kitty must remember enough to have taken up violin playing (on the roof). So... yeah I dunno.

RebelVampire

thats interesting to know that the bounties arent just for nabbing bad guys. although makes me wonder what kit is going to do when shes told to do something shady and just not ask questions

mathtans

Or was that not the biological mom, was that a younger Dar?

I can't see Kit not asking questions.

RebelVampire

that was her step-mom. her bio mom we only see briefly in a pic

https://tapas.io/episode/1279607

mathtans

I wasn't sure if it was her dad remembering another time in that scene though. Like, the previous stuff was a memory.

(I also don't get enough sleep these days.)

RebelVampire

i could see how youd get that interpretation but pretty sure it was the step-mom and the bio mom was just in the picture

MoeAlmighty

There are a lot of things I don't want to say because of spoilers and I'll be answering those kind of questions down the road. But to answer the question pretaining to Mary, they do indeed have some History as hinted.

mathtans

Mary is actually the younger cousin of the short boat-stealing gangster.

It's why her dad went into law.

MoeAlmighty

heh. that is a pretty interesting theory.

mathtans

(I need to have at least one insane theory and one ship per comic chat. I think it's in my contract.)

RebelVampire

puns are also in your contract math. although you already fulfilled that one.

mary's dad kind of spooks me. like hes a really domineering presence and idk if i want to believe hes good or bad.

MoeAlmighty

Truth is, when I created Mary, she was developed as just the rich girl who presented herself as Ms. Perfect while also having the spoiled brat persona as well

Superjustinbros

lol

mathtans

Oh right. Well, those come naturally. I wonder if her dad is part orc.

Superjustinbros

That's one of many ways to describe that

MoeAlmighty

Best way to describe him is that he's a Lawyer... a very wealthy lawyer.

Oh no, he's part Dutch lol

mathtans

Incidentally, I kind of like that Kit's got both cat ears and human ears, it tends to be how I draw my characters too (even if mine are just headbands). But it does make me wonder how the curse might have rewired her brain to deal with the extra input.

Oooh, a flying dutch man.

RebelVampire

all the dads just drink lots of milk

Superjustinbros

What about Doug.

RebelVampire

to be fair if kit's cat ears are more sensitive than her human ones the extra input probably doesnt matter cause one would hear it better than the other anyway. at worst i imagine things just sound even louder XD

mathtans

It's that special beer.

Maybe it's partly why Kat's so on edge at times.

Superjustinbros

mm, beer

Wait, what kind of beer we talkin

MoeAlmighty

It's kind of a mix bag with it comes to her ears. Internally they do connect to her regular ears and she can hear through them, but only if she concentrates. Mostly they just act like a short range radar or a sixth sense. Something like spidey's spider sense.

Ah yes, I've notice some folks like our esteem adventurer. Others not so much

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. Besides the action, there is still a lot of slice-of-life material to be had in the comic as well. Do you think Kit will eventually tell Bia about her career? How do you think Bia will react to finding out about it? What challenges do you foresee awaiting Bia and Kit as their relationship continues to develop and secrets reveal themselves? Further, how do you see Kit balancing her school life in general with her job? Will she manage to maintain her grades and everything, or will things prove tougher than she expects? In terms of Kit’s regular life, what things are you hoping to see be explored in how she lives her day-to-day life? Lastly, are there any themes (like bullying) that caught your eye from the slice-of-life segments? What about them did you enjoy?

mathtans

It's cool that youv'e thought about that.

Honestly, the bounty-hunters clashing, while not necessarily slice-of-life, felt realistic and added depth to the idea of the job. Also revealed how their methods are non-lethal. And was the first ship I considered.

MoeAlmighty

Ah yes, I had a lot of folks doing a double take when I revealed her age.

RebelVampire

unrelated to the current question, i really hope we get to see more bounty killers in the story just cause they cant all work out as well as buff elf chick. also id really like to get a feel for the age range cause its concerning the gov was like "nah a 13 year old bounty killer? thats fine"

mathtans

That's a good point. Did she register under an assumed name?

Superjustinbros

Seconding Rebel.

MoeAlmighty

Well due to Kit's size, she may or may not of lied about her age when she took the job

mathtans

Also, I feel like the construction job field gets a lot of work in this universe. We only see Kitty's exploits but there have to be other incidents in the world as well.

Actually, magicians too must be a thing. And mimes.

Did not expect the mimes.

MoeAlmighty

Their are plans to explore other parts of world. One in particular is the Bounty Pick Up units sent to pick up the bounties and make out the reports.

Yes, beware the mimes ^^

I will be exploring a lot more of the Magis and how the magic works as well.

mathtans

Silent but deadly.

MoeAlmighty

very

mathtans

That short magic comic did a good job, I thought.

And I liked the money van guy critiquing the pun.

MoeAlmighty

Hm Hm, well not everything can be a homerun for our little cat girl

RebelVampire

yeah i really liked the short magic comic. cause it was funny and really did some good world-building

i also loved the cowboy bank robber

just cause he was a cowboy

and that was ridiculous

mathtans

Oh yeah, forgot about him.

I wonder how Kitty practices her quick draws.

Where do they lock these guys up, anyway? Regular jails seem like they wouldn't be sufficient.

MoeAlmighty

Yes, you don't see that many cowboys these days. But it was a perfect nod for one of the inspirations of the comic

Superjustinbros

Cowboys are fun.

MoeAlmighty

Um, they go to regular prison and go through the same process as the law provides^^

Superjustinbros

Always love one with an appealing design when one shows up.

MoeAlmighty

Very much so

RebelVampire

what sort of lawyer is mary's dad?

mathtans

How do you lock up an orc so that he doesn't just bend the bars?

MoeAlmighty

He's a defense lawyer

mathtans

He lawyers der fence.

RebelVampire

ah so i can say maybe mary's dad defends all these criminals kit tries to send to jail.

MoeAlmighty

Booooo

It's a possibility and her dad is very much against the Bounty Killer and the Bounty Board in general

Superjustinbros

ooh, is that so(edited)

mathtans

Circling back to Bia, it'd be amusing if someone in her family was also a bounty hunter. Kitty admits it and she's like, "oh, okay, I can see how you'd be good at that too".

RebelVampire

just to talk a bit about the current question, i do feel its inevitable kit has to tell bia about her job. cause i mean...kit isnt the most undestructive. just takes one time of showing up burnt to a crisp to school to give it away. but i think bia is gonna take it better than kit thinks shell take it. cause tbf, if i was bia i would not be surprised.

tbf i kind of agree with mary's dad. they might be catching criminals, but holy shit that property damage

mathtans

I feel like Bia might find out not through Kit though. Like maybe even via Kit's brother. Which could strain the relationship.(edited)

RebelVampire

especially the property damage caused by the scientist

cause even if they have the money to fix it, it still takes time

mathtans

Or magic.

MoeAlmighty

Bia finding out Kit is a Bounty Killer is inevitable, and it might happen happen sooner than you think

RebelVampire

it could strain their relationship too. though for some reason i feel for bia itd be more about the age thing than the danger thing if that makes sense. cause the career suits kit. just maybe not when kit is still 13, in school, and all that

mathtans

'Cept her dad is okay with it.

I feel like I'd totally be that dad by the way. Who makes concessions. Then ends up in trouble with mom too.

MoeAlmighty

It is going to a very unique exploring the relationship Kit and Bia have. In many ways, Bia will act more like the straight man of the relationship

Well Edward looks at it more like she's hunting game. expect the part of gutting it and cleaning it for food^^

RebelVampire

i just want to say i really love kit's dad and i hope we get to see him more. he seems just so utterly likeable. like a gentle giant

mathtans

Just want to give a shout-out to the school nun badass. Possibly like the opposite to dad.

MoeAlmighty

He is indeed^^

Superjustinbros

Since the CTP is wrapping up in a bit, I'd like to wish @MoeAlmighty the best of luck with Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, it's got a great artstyle, story, and some good humor.

mathtans

Oh right, pretty good stuff done with only black and white too.

MoeAlmighty

Yes, Beatrice is indeed a beast^^

Thank you so much^^

Superjustinbros

You're welcome! ^^

RebelVampire

yeah i loved the nun. especially her epic entrance and this page https://tapas.io/episode/1188530

like everything about that page is perfect

"Keeper of the Lunch Period"

MoeAlmighty

God help the guilty

mathtans

Indeed.

Probably a bumper sticker on her car.

MoeAlmighty

I'm sure everyone here remembers that one teacher that kept everyone in check at lunch period

best bumper sticker ever

mathtans

Kitty has some nice exclamations too.

Superjustinbros

lol

Anyways, cya till next time, and thanks for dropping by @MoeAlmighty

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Moe, as well, for making Kitty Kitty Bang Bang. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Moe’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: https://tapas.io/series/kkbbcomic

Moe’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MoeAlmighty

Moe’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/theMoeAlmighty

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #book club #bookclub #webcomic book club #webcomic bookclub #comic tea party #ctp #kitty kitty bang bang #moe

0 notes

read-of-the-day-blog · 6 years

Text

Lunula

Noun [loo-nyuh-luh]

Something shaped like a narrow crescent, as the small, pale area at the base of the fingernail.

The mid-morning sun washed through the sterile, white room of Abigale Peters as her nurse helped her into the chair set by the window. She lowered her slowly and with practiced care that would be given to any other resident of the Rolling Hills Nursing Home. "Betty, be a dear and fetch my purse. We have to make it to church in time to greet the pastor or ill never hear the end of it from that nosey Mrs. Bradberry."

The plump, young nurse, whose name was really June, smiled patiently and turned to face the woman in the doorway, who stood tall and lithe but with some reservation. Her fingers curled around the handle of a soft pink kaboodle kit. She nodded graciously to the nurse and stepped inside. "Mama, you've already been to church today. The pastor loved your hat, don't you remember?" The old woman never did, but Denise always felt the urge to ask. Always hopeful that her mother would one day respond with an "Oh, of course, Denise. How could I forget?" But she never did, not anymore. She watched as her aging mother's brow furrowed in brief confusion before quickly being distracted by the movement of the trees outside her window. Denise sighed quietly and thanked June as the nurse set up a stool beside the chair and took her leave. Denise tucked a strand of mousy brown hair behind her ear and set the kaboodle on the chair-side table. With a click, it opened and Denise took her seat on the stool, adjusting for comfort as she spoke. "Mama...its time for another manicure. What color would you like today?"

"I always loved yellow. My kitchen is yellow, you know. Jacob always hated it. But I told him, I said...'well you won't be in it near as much as me and if I'm gonna be making you breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day, I want to do it in a room that makes me happy." Abigale gave a tired laugh. "That damn husband of mine. He's always gone at work nowadays. Betty, do you know when he'll be back?"

Denise paused and looked at her mother. Those blank eyes hurt her more than the questions, but not as much as being called 'Betty'. Betty was Abigale's sister who had died ten years ago and who her mother hadn't spoken to for at least thirty. It cut her like a knife, taking a tiny piece of her every time, but her therapist had urged her to try and not take it personally. Spite rose like a poison in her and for a moment she considered reminding her mother that Daddy was dead and gone, but that would only upset her, and not for long enough to make Denise feel any better. She took a deep breath and counted down from ten in her head before shaking the feeling and correcting her tone to the usual forced pleasantness she used on Sunday mornings. "This afternoon, I'm told."

Her mother nodded with a smaller smile, satisfied. Figuring she would never actually give her a color (yellow was a ridiculous color for nails. If her mother were in any lucid state she would never stand for it), she decided to pick one herself. Primrose. A proper color for a proper lady.

She shook the bottle and grabbed the emery board, cuticle pusher, and nail trimmers, setting all aside and pushing through the other bottles for the acetone and some stray cotton balls. She took her mother's hand, wrinkled with age and almost impossibly soft. The knobs and twists of arthritis in her knuckles still felt foreign to her, even after so many years. Denise drew in a sharp breath meant to control her emotions and set to work removing the dark polish from the week before. "I spoke to Cynthia two days ago. I asked when she may be able to make it back in town for a visit since she had to push back last month, but she wasn't sure. She asked that I.." Denise tightened her jaw. "...that I tell you that she loves you. And she misses you." Denise didn't believe it. Not for a moment. Cynthia cried and confided in her how hard it was to watch their mother deteriorate but Denise couldn't help but think that if she were actually here, marinating in the decline as Denise had been, perhaps maybe it wouldn't feel like such a drastic change each time she saw her. It was hard on Denise too....but she was here.

Abigale smiled brightly. "Cynthia is such a doll! You know she won junior Miss. Dickson twice? Bell of the ball! Oh!" She laughed. "Jacob practically had to beat the boys away with a stick." Denise rolled her eyes and shook her head. Abigale continued. "Cynthia always takes such great care of herself. I wondered why she wasn't a bigger help to Denise. The poor child couldn't stay out of the yard for more than an hour at a time. Hair always a mess. Always dirt under her fingernails." Denise's shoulders tightened. She looked at her own nails, nowadays well manicured and clean as a whistle. Abigale always said she was a 'late bloomer' but Denise more or less saw herself as an appeaser.

"Im sure Denise tried very hard to make you happy..." She muttered as she moved to the other hand.

"Well, she did what she could with what she had I suppose. Never as blessed as Cynthia in the ways of social graces-"

"Well maybe you would prefer Cynthia do your nails?"

Abigail turned to face her youngest daughter. "...what?"

Denise wiped away the polish on the last nail and shook her head. "Nothing. Maybe I should put on some music, hm?" Anything to stop the Cynthia golden child hour. There was only so much Denise could take. She stood and tossed the used cotton balls into a nearby wastebasket a bit more aggressively than was necessary before going to the radio and turning the dial to the designated oldies station, filling the room with the musical stylings of Doris Day. Abigale smiled and hummed along. Denise took another breath as she gripped the edge of the dresser and counted down from ten once more.

When she returned to her seat she started trimming her cuticles and filing her nails. Denise sat in anxious silence for a few minutes before asking a question she was certain she would.immediately regret. "And what about Denise? Were...were you proud of her?"

"Whats that, Betty?" Her mother had been lost in the music but Denise couldn't take it. She let out a small, muffled, anguished cry. "In not Betty, Mama! I'm your daughter! I'm Denise! I am here every week! I take you to church and to the doctor. I do your nails! Why can't you remember!?" She pleaded.

"Denise lives in Birmingham.," Abigale said with a furrowed brow. "Yes I used to, but I moved back here. To take care of you! Me, Denise! Not Cynthia, not Betty. Denise!"

A blank stare was all she got in return. Denise stood and put the tools back in the kit and walked to the bedside table to pluck a kleenex from the patterned box that was stationed there. She dabbed at the edges of her eyes and wrapped her arms around her frame, cradling the broken bits of her in front of the only person she believed could put them back together, but simply didn't possed the faculties to do so anymore. Her mother was never one to coddle even when she was aware. Self-comfort was simply a means of survival as much now as it has always been.

Abigale watched her all the while, worry falling over her time-worn features. She was quiet for a moment, as though considering what should be said to comfort the woman in her room. She was clearly upset though she couldn't imagine why.

"Dear...I'm sorry if you're upset." Her voice was quiet and gentle. The radio, as if deciding to attempt and cut the tension began to play 'Ain't Too Proud To Beg' by The Temptations. It felt cruel in context to Denise, but Abigale lit up and even clapped. "Oh, I love this song, don't you?"

Denise did, in fact, but she was in no mood. She simply cleaned up her face and made her way back to the stool, snatching the color from the table and shaking the bottle again. She told herself she would not speak again if she could help it. Today was one of those 'bad days' they talk about in her support groups. It was healthier not to take part in it for her own sanity. But then her mother said the most incredible thing.

"You used to sing this song and dance around the kitchen when we would clean up after dinner. It always tickled me. You have such a lovely singing voice. It's a pity you wouldn't sing for the church choir. I suppose you had too much personality for it, really. Such a big voice for such a skinny little thing."

Denise froze. A droplet of polish fell from the brush onto her skirt, but she hardly noticed or cared. "You...you remember that, Mama?"

Abigale grinned. "Oh, of course, Denise. How could I forget?"

They smiled at one another. Recognition flashing across Abigale's face, and relief washing over Denise's. And for that brief and fleeting moment, Denise felt whole again.

#short story #lunula #motherdaughter #alzheimers

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theprincessoffrost · 7 years

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stole this from @yuratchka-speaks

RULES ARE: answer these 85 statements & tag 20 people

Some of these questions repeated and some were skipped when I copied and pasted so I had to find other people’s doing of this and fill in the blanks. Just a warning.

The Last:

1. Drink: Water

2. Phone call: My roommate (He couldn’t find his phone)

3. Text message: “Let me know you made it home safe”

4. Song you listened to: Castle by Halsey

5. Time you cried: Im sure within the last few days. I don’t recall though.

Have You Ever:

6. Dated someone twice: Yes I regret it to this day

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: Not really

8. Been cheated on: Oh boy have I (yes very dark time in my life)

9. Lost someone special: Not to anything like death thank goodness, but to distance and lack of communication

10. Been depressed: I have gotten very deeply sad but I have never been diagnosed with depression. I should get that checked come to think of it...

11. Gotten drunk & thrown up: Oh yes. It was a year or so ago and I felt so bad because my roommate cleaned it up. (bless his soul)

Favorite Colors:

12. Teal

13. Green

14. Blue

In The Last Year Have You:

15. Made new friends: I would like to think so but that remains to be seen

16. Fallen out of love: Nope haven’t been in love for a few years

17. Laughed until you cried: Usually I have minor asthma attacks before that happens. People often ask me (jokingly) If i’m dying.

18. Found out someone was talking about you: I don’t know quite in what context of this but I guess? I found out that a co worker hates me from another co worker.

19. Met someone who changed you: Not really

20. Found out who your friends are: I have known for a while, but it was not tested within the year.

21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: uh... my aunt on the cheek?

General:

22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: All of them.

23. Do you have any pets: Yeah my Kitty Qrow.

24. Do you want to change your name: I have wanted to, but see no real reason.

25. What did you do for your last birthday: Went out of town with some great friends and went to dinner then came back to my house and played fun party games. overall a great Birthday!

26. What time did you wake up: About 6:30 Am but I did hit the snooze until about 7

27. What were you doing at midnight last night: Asleep in bed because I had to get up super early for work.

28. Name something you can’t wait for: Going to a Renaissance fair with my younger bro (hopefully) and @jax-nevermore one of these weekends

29. When was the last time you saw your mom: Just earlier today when she stopped by to grab something from me.

30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: My relationship with my Mother.

31. What are you listening to right now: My Ceiling fan and white noise machine. I’m winding down for bed.

32. Have you ever talked to a person named tom: Yeah I went on a date with a nice guy named Tom. It didn’t work out but he was really sweet.

33. Something that is getting on your nerves: A lot of things involving work.

34. Most visited website: Between Ao3 and Tumblr if you are counting the app

35. Hair colour: Kinda a blondish brown more on the blond side

36. Long or short hair: Mid?

37. Childhood dream: To be a writer

38: Marks: I have scars from being a clumsy child. Scar on my palm from falling on something. Scar on my lip from falling off a chair and hitting my parent’s table. Scar on the back of my leg at the knee from a nasty run-in with a bike. (I won’t go into detail) scar in my eyebrow from more falling. scar on my wrist from a dark time in my life. (see answer 8)

39. Piercings: Ear lobes that have been stretched to a 2

40. Blood type: A

41. Nicknames: E, Haru, Eek (im sure theres more i just can’t think of them right now)

42. Relationship status: Woefully single

43. Zodiac: Taurus

44. Pronouns: Her/She

45. Favourite TVshow: Gravity Falls. Idk if streaming counts, but if it does Voltron

46. Tattoos: None, but there are a few I would love.

47. Right or left handed: Right

48. Surgery: Minor stuff like Tooth fillings and wisdom teeth removal (if those count)

49. What do you like about yourself: Not much physically, but something I have been told is I am a comfortable and soothing person to be around and I do like that. I also a rather fond of my story crafting skills(does that sound narcissistic? i hope not.)

50. Sport: None. I work so often. I do bike a lot to work though.

51. Vacation: I would like one. Maybe a road trip to historic sites

52. Pair of trainers: A pair of black work shoes (i wear them most days anyway)

53. Eating: Nothing right now.

54. Fav drink: Mainly tea! so much tea, but more specifically Lady grey tea and forms of Lighter Earl Grey flavors like Earl Grey Moonlight or Earl Grey Creme

55. What you’re up to: Filling this out before bed

56. Waiting for: Inspiration to take me away for the next chapter of EUM

57. Want: To get more than one day off in a row in a week

58. Get married: Pfft not ruling it out but not anytime soon

59. Career: Maybe a massage therapist

Which is better:

60. Hugs or kisses: I like both, but maybe hugs

61. Lips or eyes: Eyes

62. Shorter or taller: Taller

63. Older or younger: Don’t much care if its within a few year gap. closer to my age the better.

64. Nice arms or nice stomach Nice stomach

65. Hook up or relationship: Relationship

66. Troublemaker or hesitant: troublemaker but not needlessly

Have you ever:

67. Kissed a stranger: No

68. Drank hard liquor: Yes

69. Lost glasses/contact lenses: I have, but they showed up a few days later

70. Turned someone down: I was bad with flirting but I think I did in high school

71. Sex on the first date: Never

72. Broken someone’s heart: I’m not sure maybe?

73. Had your heart broken: YES

74. Been arrested: Nope thank god

75. Cried when someone died: I have not had to go though this yet in my life thank goodness but when characters have died in media i have cried

76. Fallen for a friend: Kinda

Do You Believe In

77. Yourself: Not really

78. Miracles: I’m cautiously optimistic about them

79. Love at first sight: Kinda

80. Santa Claus: not really

81. Kiss on the first date: situational

82. Angels: again I am cautiously optimistic about them

Other

83. Current best friend’s name: I have a group i consider best friends. My roommates, @jax-nevermore (thats me in his profile pic btw), @spamaramakins, and @viperscreeed

84. Eye colour: A Blue grey

85. Favourite movie: Kinda depends on the mood I am in because it shifts a lot but I have always loved Disney’s Robin Hood (that and fox and the hound probably explain my love for foxes), And also Lion King 2 but in a tone shift I am also a huge fan of Interview with a Vampire

TAGGING

I’m not a huge fan of tagging so do this if you would like.

#Long post #do this if you would like #i enjoyed it #sorry for the @s #getting to know me

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viralhottopics · 7 years

Text

After the flood: ‘No tourists please. Help welcome’

On a journey through northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, Warren Murray meets locals contending with the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie

Light to moderate traffic is easing along the Pacific motorway connecting the Gold Coast and the Tweed, with no particular sign of storm damage or delays. But in Chinderah, just inside New South Wales and just off the highway, John Anderson is in full-tilt disaster recovery mode, contending with the aftermath of the flooding rains that ex-cyclone Debbie sent south.

At the Gateway Lifestyle Tweed Shores over-50s community, in between dealing with a stream of tradies coming in and out the office door Righto mate, do what youve gotta do, well pay for it Anderson describes how last week the water went through probably 140 cabin-style homes in this complex that he manages.

On Thursday the tide met the downstream flooding and we were inundated with a metre, metre and a half of water not a flood, but slowly rising water.

By Friday afternoon evacuation was well under way for those residents happy to go.

Gas bottles ripped off their moorings, leaking gas, electricity in residences filled with salt water, Anderson recalls. By 10 oclock Saturday night the park was basically isolated and only accessible by rubber ducky. He and his wife, Beth, opted to stay and keep an eye on things, sleeping on foam mattresses on the upper level of their manufactured home, with water swilling around on the floor below, until they could get out and about to assess the damage.

Days later, theres still so much to be done before things even faintly resemble normality. A jotting on the desk blotter says Copper gas line missing gone. Andersons mobile rings and flashes up the caller details: Shade Sail Andrew.

Out front of the park is a pile of ruined possessions that stretches for maybe 100 metres down the road. It represents in a lot of cases everything that people own, or did own. The villas are about 85% privately owned, 15% rented. Some people are insured, a lot are not because of the cost, being flood-prone.

Anderson lauds a magnificent response from the community, individuals who are pitching in to help out. The ladies from nearby Cudgen public school have been turning up with hot food, and in the top bit of the Gateway park where the water couldnt reach we had ladies there cooking sausage rolls and bringing them round. Just the most magnificent response.

Cleaning up after the flooding in Tumbulgum on the Tweed river, northern New South Wales. Photograph: Warren Murray for the Guardian

Double whammy

A short drive away in Tumbulgum its clear from the comprehensive inventory of household goods in jumbled heaps at the end of every driveway that some people lost more or less everything. A woman throws her hands up in resignation as a man adds more ruined belongings to one such growing pile. Everywhere is silt and sludge. At the entry to Riverside Drive a chalked sign says Please stop to help residents. Nearby a woman, looking newly arrived on the scene, unloads from her car a little yellow water blaster. It seems hopelessly dinky for the mammoth job at hand, but every bit helps and you know she will not go unthanked.

Compounding the heartbreak for Tumbulgum is the death on its doorstep of Stephanie King, 43, her son Jacob, 7, and daugher Ella Jane, 11, after their car plunged off Dulguigan Road and into the swollen Tweed on Monday afternoon. Daughter Chloe May, 8, managed to escape from the sinking car. I arrive on the other side of the river at 11.45am on Tuesday and line up with the rest of the media in a sludgy riverside park. We are being kept at bay as police divers continue their work after having to stop overnight. Even at this distance the water can be seen roiling with bubbles from their difficult work in the murk.

Pixie Bennett clutches a Jack Daniels in a can as she stands near me watching the recovery effort. Like everyone else she was stranded by the waters and stripped of everything that she couldnt get upstairs.

Sorry were drinking in the middle of the day but were still in shock its a double whammy for the little town of Tumbulgum, she says, nodding towards the emergency services at work on the opposite bank. She moved her car on to a high bridge before the water came but lost boxes of possessions when the water rose two steps from the top of our 13 steps. A plastic box floated past and she grabbed it, to find a Barbie dolls clothes packed inside. Our neighbour rowed over in a canoe and rowed us back next door so we could have dinner with them.

Further back from the river in Bawden Street, earthmoving contractor Ben May is opening the jaws of his Bobcat loader, plunging it into those roadside piles, clamping down on whatever he can pick up a fridge, a hot water system and then mechanically hoiking it into his tip-truck. Hes guided by concreter Geoff Percy, a 16-year Tumbulgum resident.

John Anderson, manager of the Gateway residential complex, with ruined belongings piled along the roadside waiting for collection. Photograph: Warren Murray for the Guardian

Good over-the-road mates, they have both been badly hit I lost my ute, lots of white goods, it was about seven feet deep through here on Friday but have turned away from their own troubles to help others. Nah, well be right, says Percy. The tip-truck went under but once the water receded Ben just changed all the oils and got it going. Well do this load and then head further up the street.

The words and phrases that come out at these times like resilience and community spirit can sound like cliches until you walk into the sort of situation that gives rise to them.

Two ancient pinball machines sit outside a neighbours place waiting for disposal. In their heyday, Duotron and Firepower cost you 20 cents a go. The owner bustles back and forth clearing up, not wanting to be photographed. Hes had enough, says Percy. Here for 18 years. Hes leaving. Had enough of the floods.

Three quarters of an hour after I arrived, the grim task down by the riverside is more or less done. The bodies have been removed and a crane waits to fish out the still-sunken family car. For a while this site has been the focus of the east coast flood story. Now the cameras will swing north to Rockhampton, where the Fitzroy river is approaching its flood peak.

Everyone in Tumbulgum has been at it for days cleaning up. But it looks like they have only just started. It smells like a muddy cattleyard from my country boyhood. Leaving town theres a hedgerow of household debris tangled in trees along the riverbank.

On the road towards Murwillumbah, through Condong, the same scene repeats itself over and over. Flood-ravaged sugarcane paddocks, pile after roadside pile of everything from barbecues to microwaves to baby strollers to chests of drawers and other buggered stuff. It is like an endless waterlogged forlorn jumble sale. Where will the council ever bury it all?

The makeshift sign in bedraggled Condong is a bit more firm than the one in Tumbulgum. No tourists please. Help welcome. Understandable in the circumstances.

Geoff Percy at work cleaning up in Tumbulgum, with his mate Ben May working the loader. Photograph: Warren Murray for the Guardian

Above the floodline

A floodline can be a thin topographical boundary between chaos and business as usual. This is brought home when I pull into Murwillumbah. Nearest the river there are familiar scenes of mopping up. Competition for parking spaces pushes me further up the main street than I would have otherwise gone, until I find a spot in front of the old-fashioned Austral Cafe (Established 1919).

Inside, not so far above that fateful floodline, I get to enjoy a midday breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast varnished with butter, all in perfectly dry surroundings. The walls are fittingly decorated with historical pictures of the districts past floods and fires, putting the current events in context.

Theres friendly chatter and laughter amid the tinkle of cutlery on crockery in the Austral. But snatches of the days inevitable conversations reach me as well. They found some of his gear on South Stradbroke Island It went floating past the boat ramp He slept through it, which is probably for the best Thats the hardest part. I mean were lucky, but

I think about the people in Tumbulgum making the most of their sausages on bread and whatever else neighbours have chucked together, volunteers have brought, or providence has left unspoiled. I hope they can dine somewhere like this when its all over.

The scenic route back from Murwillumbah to the Gold Coast is over the Queensland road that crosses the mountains via Tomewin to the Currumbin Valley. The road is damaged and open to local traffic only, but when a Falcon station wagon hoons impatiently past me and around the road closed sign, I decide to chance it. I have taken the route plenty of times on my motorbike, I know it well, Im in an all-wheel drive, it cant be too bad. And a trek back to the motorway through that landscape of muddied piles of ex-goods and former chattels doesnt appeal.

Its a mistake. The weather that caused all the devastation down below has left fallen trees, debris and landslips littering the road up here. Council crews are doing what they can to clear the way through, but like everywhere in these parts they are mere days into what looks like weeks or months of work.

At one blockage I wait behind a campervan for a bit, but then people start getting out of their cars, so I pull a U-turn. On the way down theres a Toyota 4WD lying on its roof at the bottom of an embankment. The Stop/Go man with one of the road gangs says things are better on the Numbinbah Valley Road, another of my favourite motorbike routes back to the Gold Coast. There are bad patches, he reckons, but you can get through.

And the road is indeed passable, but only just. It is still partly blocked or extremely damaged in sections. I find myself having to steer around tonnes of earth that a saturated hillside has disgorged into my path, or skirt patches where chunks of bitumen have been torn out by whooshing waters, or dodge areas where the road verges have collapsed away, leaving gashes that could swallow the car. On this familiar route it would be easy to lapse into an accustomed pace and come to grief. I remind myself to take it easy.

Theres a rural version of the recovery effort that is happening back in the Tweed Valley. Unsalvageable belongings being put out for collection, busted fences being put right. In one spot a little Suzuki ute is being used to pay out a coil of barbed wire along a boundary. Flooding has wrecked the road in areas where you wouldnt even have noticed a waterway before. Trees lie flattened in creek beds.

Not far short of Numinbah village theres been a huge cascade of boulders that looks like it should have swept the whole road away. Its down to one lane, marked by temporary guide posts. From the ridge above, the little waterfall that no doubt swelled to a roar and caused all this damage has shrunk back down to an innocuous trickle over the rocks.

Two pinball machines that finally met their match when the swollen Tweed river flooded into Tumbulgum. Photograph: Warren Murray for the Guardian

Things arent fantastic further west in the Scenic Rim country either. Beaudeserts state MP, Jon Krause, has been on ABC 612 radio reminding us that rural communities are likewise dealing with the effects of this natural disaster. Crops have been lost and ruined paddocks will take a lot of work to rehabilitate before they can be planted again.

Pretty soon Im back in suburban Nerang and not far from home. Theres the odd tree lying on the ground here and there, whipped down in the high winds of the previous days, roots having given up their grip on the soaked ground. Wed already had more than a week of downpours when the remnants of Debbie arrived and upped the tempo.

In the park across the road from my house a council crew is mucking out the kids sandpit. But thats about as devastated as it gets round here. The park is part of the local stormwater drainage system, and when the rain arrives the boogie boards come out.

Last year we put on a new roof on our late 70s, early 80s brick-veneer bungalow, and consequently had to follow the 21st-century regulations. That meant threading steel cyclone rods down through the walls, tying the roof to the concrete slab foundation.

Many of the houses around us in this brick-and-tile suburb are of a similar era, but still have their original roofs. Which means they dont have those rods. This time around the winds were less than cyclonic. If more of north Queenslands most extreme weather comes south in future years as feared, we may see those structures tested. To the north, the south and the west of us, there are thousands of people dealing with such consequences in the here and now.