This thing is killing my nerves.

October 13th
2016

The first part of this grand project had been nearly three years in the making.
Magicians, message carriers, and priestesses all had a hand in making sure that what happened
today would go off without issue. In a dark room in a sandy town stood a small crowd of
women, beautiful parodies of beast, myth, and legend, all anticipating a success in today's experiment.
Words shared between elected ruler, and a royal aid sent to help oversee the events however.. expressed more than anticipation, they expressed worry, and worry oft breeds worry.
"Catherine, are you sure this is a good idea? We can always send someone else."
"Nonsense. If it's not safe for me, it's not safe for my people, and if it's not safe
for my people....”
the sobering thought silenced any opposition as a chill ran through the room. Nobody
wanted to dwell on the alternative to that thought, not when everything was at stake.
The aid shook her head before retrieving a pouch from the bronze lock-box on a nearby
table
"As you wish.. Remember how we can stay in contact, just find an undisturbed pool of water, and place these two pebbles into the bottom of it""And where can I find that?" Catherine asked, "Water is hard enough to come by here, how will I know if I can find enough?"
"Where you're being sent there's water year-round, it's not a worry."
Catherine nodded, closing her eyes, trying to quiet the fears that slowly started to creep back up again "Is there anything else I need?"
"Yes." the Aid replied, handing over a simple gold necklace. "This will keep you disguised as one of their women, as long as you wear it. Only take it off if you are absolutely certain you are alone."
Catherine bowed her head again, letting the Sphinx place the necklace around her neck.
as she raised her head, her tail and jackal like ears vanished, while illusory rounded human ears appeared on the side of her head. The ruby tone of her eyes shifted  to a grey-blue, and smooth fair skin spread down from her elbows and knees, replacing the short dark fur of her hands and feet.
"I feel so.. naked. Even with all my clothes it feels... wrong."
"You'll get used to it. you've got six months to."
"I hope not, it's so.. off. Are you sure this spell will last for six months?"
"With all due respect, Ma'am.. but we wove this spell ourselves, it'll hold." stammered
out a pair of Kitsune from the edge of the room, still unsettled at the thought of what
would happen if this expedition didn't work. "Now, if you'll please step into the
circle, we can get this 'show on the road', as our mother used to say."
Catherine nodded, smoothing out the front of her plain blue dress as she stepped into the circle of gold dust and salt.
The taller of the two Kitsune nodded, closed her eyes, and began chanting under her breath. The shorter Kitsune started to walk clockwise around the circle, eyes shut and giving a slower chant than her sister.
AS the ritual progressed, Catherine started to feel the worries that she had been suppressing start to bubble to the surface. What if this didn't work? What if it did, but she could never come back? What if it worked, but she was sent over into the middle
of the wilderness, or worse yet, an ocean? What if the people on the 'other side' didn't speak the same language? What if she made it, but everything she had on didn't? What if...what if...  Almost as soon as the thoughts began to get overwhelming she fell down, down into a void so brightly dark it hurt the eyes, with a rushing silence so deafening she worried she might never hear again, and as suddenly as it started, it was over, and she was standing on the side of a road outside of a small town as rain, the first rain she had seen in months, started to fall.
--------
Back in the room, a cloud of excitement settled, everyone was on edge, tensed up like so very many piano wires, until a conversation broke the mood, and brought mild panic.
"So that's that."
"Yep."
"I didn't think it would work."
"Neither did I."
"So… How do we get her back?"
"…you ask too many questions dear sister."
"But we'll be able to get her back, right?"
"Hopefully."
_____

It was a cold and cloudy October day, grey clouds filled the sky, but inside the bar was a clear mood of celebration. At the bar, several people celebrated someone's birthday, at a table by the door, several elderly men were playing cards, and close by sat a newly wed couple, oblivious to the world around them, eyes only focusing on each-other. Near the rear of the building, however, the mood was dampened. At a round
table sat a lone man, staring at a photograph and nursing his drink. Normally a good drink cheered him up, but not today, not yesterday, and likely not tomorrow. Today all his thoughts were on what went wrong. How could she have done that? All those plans they had made together, did they mean
nothing? When she said she loved him, was that just another lie? How many other lies had she told him? He shook his head, trying to banish the thoughts, but much like flies to decay, they came swarming back louder than ever. With a sigh, and a sip of his drink, he settled into the chair, trying not to remember what he walked in on. What betrayal he witnessed. Dark thoughts clouded his mind like storm clouds, and anger rumbled in his head like thunder as he sat in the chair and reflected on the last three days. Three days that had caused a heartbreak so bad he could feel it in his bones. Slowly but surely the bar emptied out, leaving only him, his thoughts, his half empty drink, and the bartender there.
“Jacob. It's getting late. I'm about to lock the place up.”
Jacob looked up from his drink, the photograph of the woman who betrayed him still on the table, still staring out at him with horrid green eyes and a fake smile.
“Huh? What?”
“I said I'm locking up for the night. You alright?”
“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine… Just had a bit of a rough week.”
“From the way that you were drinking the other night, I'd say it's been more than rough. Something eating at you?”
“Andrew, I'm fine. Let's leave it at that.”
“Alright, alright, just asking. I'm worried about you. Haven't seen you this down since your Grandfather passed.”
“Andrew.”
“You're fine, understood.”
“Yeah.. I'm fine. Anyways, I'll be headed out soon. No use in sticking around if you're locking up.”
Andrew nodded, “Well, I'll be seeing you then, you have a good one, eh?”
Jacob grabbed his drink, still half finished and set it on the bar counter, “Yep, you too.” he replied as he wrapped his coat around himself, and stepped out of the building, and into cold night as rain started to fall.
________
There were lights on in a larger building just down the road, with several... things
out front. Like coaches but without horses, perhaps it was just the rain, but they also
 had a shine to some of them... They were like oversized scarabs, now that she thought
about it. The thought sent Catherine shuddering as she started towards the building, hurrying
as the rain started to pick up, all the way there she was cursing the fact that she forgot her shoes, or even a pair of sandals. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the man leaving the building until she almost walked into him. “Hey, watch where you're going.”
“Sorry!”
Well, that's one less worry she thought, at least they speak the same language here.
The man stopped, “You just get here? Everyone in town knows this place closes up at Nine thirty.”
"I uh.. Yeah. Just got here." She nodded, hoping that whatever lies she could spin would convince this... Is this a man? By all that's holy she had never seen one before.  He was taller than her, more muscular.. a bit on the chubby side though. Barring the extra weight (or at least, she assumed it was extra), he was like most of the stories she had heard.
"Odd time for a bus, but then again, I've seen stranger. I guess you're here for work then? Must be, seeing as that's the only thing this place has left." the man stated, gesturing for her to follow him under the outcropping of the Bar's roof. Catherine followed, glad to be out of the rain. The two stood together in an uneasy silence until she asked "Do you know if there's anywhere for someone to stay? I'm a bit far from home and it's getting kind of cold."
"You really aren't from here, eh?" the man laughed "If this is cold for you, you're going to hate it in a week. Anyways, to answer your question, you could try the hotel, but the beds are shit and probably crawling with bugs, the room service makes the place dirtier, and the television is stuck on infomercials." "I uh.. I see. Is there anywhere else?" "Not really.. Though I may have something. Kicked the renters out last week. There was a... let's say several unacceptable behaviors that led to the termination of the contract." He stated, struggling over the last few words. "Oh?" "Yeah, anyways just head out of town along main street and turn left at the first intersection. It's the little house with a greenhouse out front. I'd give you a ride but the damn thing is in the shop for another day." She stood there for a few moments, thinking things over and mentally chewing her words, only for the man to start off along the road. "Wait!" she cried out, almost without thinking. "Can I.. Can I walk with you? I don't know my way around yet." The man stopped and let out a sigh "It's probably the alcohol talking, and I'm probably going to regret this, but sure. You got shoes? If not, you're not going to enjoy the walk. It's wet and the roads in this place turn to gravel once you get off main street." "I'll be fine. I'll just follow you." she replied, excited at the thought of being out of the cold and the rain, and, much like a schoolgirl on her first date, more than a little excited at the fact that she was the first among her friends to have seen a Man. Everything in her screamed at her to do something, anything, something rough, something passionate, yet something stopped her, and so walked behind him, admiring his stride (so much ground covered at once, like a titan of myth!), the way he wore his coat (Like how a Monarch would wear a robe!), how he turned his head occasionally to check and make sure she was still following him (He cares. Oh by all the stars above he cares!). So lost in thought was she, that she didn't even notice the house,single floored, standing squat and sturdy upon a hill, until the man's voice broke the silence. "We're here. First night is free, tomorrow, if you want to stay, we can work out the rent contract." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a key chain, as he worked at the lock with the various keys, he spoke again; "the Rented room is in the basement. Down the stairs and to the left. Bathroom at the end of the hall down there as well, use it if you need to. The taps on the shower are labeled" He continued speaking, even as he opened the door and stepped inside, Catherine following behind "and if you have any questions feel free to ask.. tomorrow. Stairs down are behind the door to your right." He opened the door and flicked on a light switch "Again, if you want to stay longer, we can work out the contract tomorrow. If not, I can direct you to a couple places to stay while you look for a job." at that, he took his shoes and coat off, and wandered off, into one of the rooms of the house, leaving Catherine alone in the hallway, door to the basement open wide, like the maw of some great beast, illuminated from within by the promise of a warm bed, dry ground, and.. Privacy! She had almost forgotten about her job here! Down the stairs she went marveling at the construction. Wood stairs, but of a kind she had never seen before, walls, sturdy, pale and smooth, like the entire structure was made of some giant stone. The room she was allowed was just as interesting to her. On one end of it was a bed, with blankets so thick that she might have confused them for the walls of those great tents that the Caravan Merchants would set up before a sandstorm, the other end of the room was even more interesting. What appeared to be a Large dark box.. or perhaps it was a mirror on an odd stand atop a chest of drawers. It was odd though, she could not see any candles or lanterns. Perhaps this was why it was for rent? It would make sense, she thought, it was how things were back home. Those that didn't own their own house often had to make do with little to no lights at night, unless they bought it themselves. All memories of home were once again banished when she sat down on the edge of the bed, and felt the mattress sink down ever so gently. It was so soft, so comforting, that she threw herself back onto the bed, forgetting for a moment that her tail was only invisible, not gone. The pain of her tail bending so suddenly and sharply reminded her of this fact, and with a sharp inhalation of breath, she lurched forward, taking the pressure off her now sensitive tail, and gently laid down on her side instead, rolling over on top of the blankets, leaving them a little wet from the rain that still clung tightly to her clothes and hair. With an exhalation of breath, she closed her eyes... sending a message back home can wait for the morning, she thought, as she drifted off into a gentle sleep, filled with empty dreams of light and joy, things she would not remember in the morning, yet made her happy in the moment.
_____________________________

Sorry for the lack of updates, this thing is getting put on hold until I get some time to myself, these next few months are going to leave me a bit pressed for time.