Chapter 8: ACT 1 – Beginning (Part 8)

A forest just outside of Old King Hamlet. Witches, demons and even humans, dancing and drinking without a care in the world. A sky full of firework-like displays shooting out from all manner of wands, brooms or magic fingertips. These were the sights that Jackie witnessed as Noh lead her to his party.

“Woah,” Jackie gasped, “Katherine wasn’t kidding… Every demon can use magic, huh?”

Noh chuckled. “You’re joking, right, Luna?” he smiled, walking over to the table where the punch bowl was located and pouring himself a cup, “Of course we can! …Can’t you?”

Jackie sheepishly twirled Luna’s rosy brown hair in her fingertips, “Nope…” she nervously giggled.

“You are an odd tengu,” Noh remarked.

“Hey, you,” a voice called out. “Yeah, you, with the wolf ears and huge cleavage!”

Jackie and Noh exchanged glances. “Uh, which…” Noh started, “Are you talking to me?”

“I think she’s talking to me,” Jackie said, covering Luna’s chest with her arms.

“Yeah, you,” the stranger said, stepping out from the nearby lake and walking over to Jackie, “You saved Old King Hamlet, correct?”

Rusalka Dvořák. A water sprite. Drops of lake water fell from her white office lady uniform and long pink hair, leaving tiny puddles in her wake as she walked along the forest floor. Jackie glanced to her side as Rusalka stopped before her.

“I’m sorry, I have pretty bad social anxiety…” Jackie apologized, “Who are you?”

“I’m Rusalka. You’re Luna, right?”

“People already know my name?” Jackie thought, “Isn’t this supposed to be a secret between Sumire and I?” Noh looked over at the tengu.

“Hey, Luna, you seem a little on edge,” he smiled, “want a drink?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jackie nervously smiled, “I don’t drink.”

Noh raised an eyebrow and looked Jackie in the eye. “You don’t drink and you don’t socialize? Why are you here then? You didn’t feel like you were forced to come, or anything, did you?”

“I just wanted to give Kabuki a break,” Jackie thought. “I-It’s nothing like that,” she protested, “I just…”

Jackie clutched her head in pain. What was this feeling? Her thoughts seemed to melt away. Her mind went blank. “I’ll take it from here…” a voice in Jackie’s head said, as her entire body flickered like a faulty light bulb… She closed her eyes as “Jackie” and reopened them as “Luna”.

“I guess I’m just here to pick up guys?” Luna said without thinking, as her body flickered just as it did before, and Jackie returned to her senses.

“I-I’m so sorry!” Jackie blushed, “I don’t know what came over me, I’m… I’m not-”

Noh blushed, looking Jackie in the eyes.

“It’s ok,” the werewolf winked, “I’d love to take you out for a drink sometime.”

Jackie’s body faded in and out of existence again, as a smile formed on Luna’s face.

“What are we waiting for, then?” Luna flirted, “Let’s go right now.”

“Sorry,” Noh looked to his party guests and blushed sheepishly, “But I gotta take this chance, y’know? You guys understand, right?”

Rusalka folded her arms and nodded. “Go get ‘er, Romeo,” she teased.

 

It was afternoon when Jackie awoke the next day. She was back in her normal clothes… no, it wasn’t just her clothes. Her body had also returned to normal. She let out a sigh of relief. Was the last night all a terrible dream? Her eyes widened in shock as she stared down to Noh laying his head on her chest, wearing nothing but a fur thong. Jackie carefully pushed the almost-naked werewolf’s body off her own before falling clumsily off the bed they were lying on with a loud thud.

Noh opened his eyes sluggishly and rubbed them. He stared at Jackie’s body hazily. “Must just be dreaming…” he muttered, laying his head back onto his pillow.

“I’m sorry…” Jackie whispered, blushing, “I’m not sure for what, but I feel I did something that I shouldn’t have…”

 

Two angry men stood in the busy streets of Old King Hamlet.

“You lost the human?!” Vladimir yelled, leaning his face against that of his familiar.

“It’s not my fault,” Kabuki growled, pushing his master out of his personal space, “she didn’t come home last night!” He narrowed his eye. “Maybe she ran off back to wherever you found her?”

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As Kabuki said this, Jackie ran over to the two guys, huffing and puffing. “I’m… I’m so sorry…” she panted, “I must’ve lost track of the time…”

“Where were you?!” Vladimir screamed, “I thought that a demon had eaten you or something! Do you know how worried Miss Shakespeare was?!”

Jackie froze in place with fear.

“Vladimir, Vladimir…” Kabuki smiled, “let me handle this.”

Jackie put her hand on her chest and let out a sigh a relief.

“Where the Hell were you last night?!” Kabuki roared, breaking Jackie’s relief, “I could’ve been partying last night, but no… ‘Oh, I’m sorry, Noh, I have to look after some stupid human!’ Do you have ANY IDEA how long I’ve waited for Noh to-”

“That’s enough,” a voice spoke up, “Jackie was merely getting to grips with Phantasia like I told her to.”

Vladimir, Kabuki and Jackie turned to see Sumire poking out of one of her hovering purple vortexes. “Come on, Jackie,” Sumire said, “let’s leave these two to bicker like an old married couple.”

Jackie took Sumire’s hand without a second thought, getting out of there before Vladimir and Kabuki could chew her out any further.

 

Arriving in Sumire’s tatami room, the two hopped out of the witch’s portal and onto the floor.

“Thanks for the save, Miss Shakespeare,” Jackie sighed.

“Don’t mention it!” Sumire smiled. “…So how was it?”

“How was what?” Jackie asked, as Katherine entered the room carrying a tray and three cups of hot chocolate. “Being Luna, you mean?”

Katherine sat down and took a sip from her mug as she looked over at Sumire. The witch chuckled.

“That wasn’t what I meant,” Sumire slyly smiled, “how was it bedding a werewolf?”

“You saw that?!” Jackie blushed. “Well, uh… I don’t really remember much of what happened myself.”

“Huh?” Sumire exhaled, “Why might that be, then?”

“I don’t really know…” Jackie said, “I guess Luna must’ve taken over at that point?”

Katherine’s eyes widened as she did a spit take of hot chocolate right into Sumire’s face. The witch ran her hand over her face, wiping off the boiling hot chocolate from her head and frowning.

“That’s… lovely, Katherine,” she grunted.

“K-Katherine’s sorry…” the maid softly apologized, before standing up and walking out of the room.

“Well, you can make it up to me by teaching Luna how to use magic later this evening!” Sumire called out back to Katherine, before looking over to Jackie. “Jackie, did Vlad give you his Magic Handgun, like I instructed?”

“You told him to?”

“Did he give you the gun, or not?” Sumire asked.

“Y-Yes, he did. Why do you want to know?”

“Go get it and bring it to Katherine when you’re ready to train,” Sumire said.

“I think I left it at Kabuki’s place.”

Sumire snickered, “Oh, my… he’s still mad at you for last night, huh?”

Jackie nodded.

“…That’s fine,” the witch winked, “for now, Katherine can focus on teaching you how to ride a broom. Just make sure you grab the gun and practice with it before the day’s end.”

“Fine by me,” Jackie said. “for the time being I want to avoid Kabuki… give him time to calm-down.”

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