Quoted By:
<span class="mu-b">“Magic. For the next 24 years, he could speak only in haiku.”</span> she said, her lips pressed into a thin line as she rocked in her chair.
<span class="mu-b">“You should have heard the ones he performed for me that day. They were…rather hateful. He said that I cursed him.”</span>
She let out a dry chuckle that had no humor behind it, and her gaze turned somewhat pensive as she continued staring out at nothing.
<span class="mu-r">“I mean, you pretty much did…”</span> Ember muttered.
Ami Han's ears twitched, and she turned to stare at the girl. Ember froze for a second, and she looked about to back down, but her spine remained surprisingly straight under the fox demon's scrutinizing eye.
<span class="mu-r">“I'm…just saying,”</span> she went on, haltingly. <span class="mu-r">“What did you expect when you plucked a fruit from the witch's garden?”</span>
<span class="mu-b">“I don't know, I thought it'd be delicious, or something.”</span> Ami Han replied, sounding more than a little exasperated. <span class="mu-b">“The boy hadn't eaten in days. He was nothing more than skin and bone. So, rather than let him waste away, I told him where I could find the biggest, tastiest peaches in all the land, and I snuck in to get him one.”</span>
She scoffed and shook her head.
<span class="mu-b">“Fat lot of good that did.”</span> she muttered. <span class="mu-b">“Other than that, the only thing that I can think of is the time I rejected her invitation to join her Kitsune cult–I mean, court.”</span>
Everyone perked up at that, you included.
<span class="mu-s">“I hope you had better manners when you rejected her offer.”</span> Cindy said.
<span class="mu-b">“She was lucky to get a reply at all.”</span> Ami Han sneered. <span class="mu-b">“I made my stance on the matter clear when last we met. I value my freedom, and there is nothing that she can say to change my mind.”</span>
The fox demon folded her arms in defiance, and your phone buzzed a moment later. You pulled it out to check your messages, and found a new one from Black Cat, as well as a multiple missed calls from Angela.
You decided to address Black Cat's message first.
It said: <span class="mu-b">“Caught your little birdie. She needed to make a quick stop to grab a bite to eat. I'm handling the cleanup.”</span>
The message had an attached image of Harpy sitting in a barn, chomping down on what you thought was a mutilated cow, censored only by a smattering of stickers and emojis.
Oh boy. You didn't expect Harpy to take you seriously on that cow comment.
What will you do?
>”Excuse me, I should probably deal with this.” (Return Angela's calls.)
>”Why don’t you just accept her stupid invitation and save us all some trouble?”
>”If you're expecting us to fight your battles for you, then the least you could do is let us know what she can do. What sort of magic does she even use?”
>"Alright, then we'll wait to hear back from Khonshu. Until then, sit tight."
>”Well, I for one am tired of waiting for people to attack us. I say we take the fight to Tamano, and get the jump on her.” (And maybe loot her palace while you're at it.)
>Write-in.
