Amelia Thornheart

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Moonrain Festival

After having her hair ruffled and cheeks squeezed, Amelia was able to recount the tale of events to an annoyed-looking Serena. Her girlfriend’s glare softened when Amelia explained Grandmaster Gu’s reaction and the hair ruffling slowly changed into a gentle head massage.

“Mmm…” Amelia murmured, “I don’t understand why they got so aggressive so fast. I would have thought trainee officers would be far more composed…”

“Idiot,” Serena replied, running her hands through Amelia’s golden hair. She sat Amelia down and began to comb through the ruffled mess. “Some of it was probably anti-human bias. They’re trainee officers; you know the first thing that gets drilled into your head throughout your time at the academy?”

“What?”

“To watch out for human spies. That’s the singular lesson that gets repeated constantly throughout the years. Then you turn up in their academy, poking your nose in their training. If you were a spy, think about the information you could get,” Serena explained, slowly teasing out the knots in Amelia’s hair, “Counts of how many students had reached red aura, counts and identities of those reaching orange.”

“Oh, that makes sense… but surely they would have seen me enough to know both you and the grandmaster were okay with me?”

“Right,” Serena said, “If they had looked at the situation calmly, things might not have escalated. It turned out like it did because you insulted their egos.”

“I did? How?”

“Saying you were getting personal training from the grandmaster after only holding a sword for a few days,” Serena finished combing and began giving her a shoulder massage. “Getting instruction from a grandmaster is an incredible honour, and most students will never have the privilege. It would’ve angered them for you to speak about it so casually…” Serena paused as if in thought, and her hands became idle. “At least you didn’t call him grandpa in front of them, you idiot.” 

“Don’t stop! It feels nice…” Once Serena’s hands had resumed massaging her shoulders, Amelia asked her if there was anything else that she had done to make the situation worse.

“You implied you could learn red aura in such a short period of time. Even if it’s true, most of those students have been training for a decade just to build the foundation to get into that academy. Half of them won’t ever reach red. You would have come across as arrogant.”

“There’s something else I don’t understand; They seemed to respect you as a war hero, but made jokes about me keeping your bed warm…” Amelia felt Serena’s hands grip her shoulders slightly harder. “It doesn’t add up. Why would they insult you if they respected you?”

Serena took a moment to answer. “It was an insult to you, really. Saying you serve me only as a… paramour. To say it to you - another female - is to imply you’ve accepted payment to engage in acts of homosexuality which most people consider… unnatural.”

“Nothing about how I feel about you feels unnatural!” Amelia gritted her teeth. “I hate that word. Our connection is as natural as anyone else’s!” Amelia tilted her head backwards to look at Serena. “Do you feel it, too?” she asked.

“Yes,” Serena bent down, giving her a kiss on the forehead and then on the lips, “I do.”

The pair then went downstairs for some food. Amelia was getting rather good at using chopsticks now and could neatly construct her little mouthfuls with what she thought was elegance and grace. Serena still pointed out flaws here and there but declared that she was approaching a level of etiquette that she deemed passable.

Mister Weng appeared and handed Serena a small box. It came from the tailor and was Amelia’s red festival dress. She wanted to open it right there and then but Serena made her wait until their meal was done and they were back in their room. 

“It feels so… expensive!” Amelia exclaimed, lifting the dress out of the box. “Help me put it on!” She stripped down to her undergarments and slipped into the dress. Serena had to help her with a dozen small ties, but it was soon done and Amelia gave a twirl to her girlfriend, who couldn’t take her crimson eyes off her spinning body.

“You like me in red, I take it?” She asked with a sly smile.

“Obviously, idiot,” Serena approached her and pulled her into an embrace. “It’s so unfair…”

“What?”

“I spent all that time putting the dress on, and now I just want to rip it off you.”

“Ha!” Amelia grinned. Every time Serena vocalised her desires like this, her heart would leap joyfully.  “If you think about it, I’m your present… and you’ll be unwrapping me!” She gave her girlfriend a wink and got a blush in response. 

Amelia glanced at the clock on the wall. “Are the markets still open?”

“Should be, for another hour or so. Why?”

“That’s not much time! Quick!” Amelia started removing the dress, and Serena happily helped her. “There’s something I want to get before the festival!” Once she was undressed, she put on a set of casual clothes and headed to the door.

“Don’t follow! It’s a present for the festival!” Amelia declared, pointing at Serena who made to follow her.

“Every time you go somewhere alone, you get into trouble!” Serena huffed, crossing her arms. “If you’re going to buy something at the market, I can just get a coffee nearby or something.”

“Fine, but no looking! Promise?”

“Promise.”

They donned their rainhats and raincoats and jumped the tram to Central. It was raining more often recently and the wind was stronger than usual.

“It’s the storm season,” Serena explained as her black hair was lifted by a gust of wind. “Soon, they’ll shut down civilian transport for about a month. The storms hitting the continent cause enough turbulence to rip apart a wooden transport.”

“Will it stop us from sailing?”

“No,” Serena said while shaking her head, “The Vengeance can handle all but the most serious storms. However, if the winds are strong enough, the light craft and sails attached to the hull could be ripped off and destroyed.”

As they neared their destination, Serena put an arm around Amelia’s waist and hopped off the tram. She couldn’t help but make a squeak of satisfaction. Being manhandled like that excited her in ways she didn’t quite understand. Besides, Serena seemed to enjoy manhandling her, so she would do anything she could to encourage the act.

They arrived at the central market, and despite it being late, it was still extremely busy. Everyone seemed to want to buy their last-minute festival items, and Amelia was no different.

“I’ll be sitting over there,” Serena gestured to a small cafe with outside seating at one edge of the marketplace. “Don’t get into any fights. Don’t Speak any Words. Don’t get yourself arrested. Don-”

“Yes, mother,” Amelia rolled her eyes. “Stop worrying! I’ll be back soon. I just want to buy a few things!” She waved bye and vanished into the throng of shoppers. It didn’t take her long to find the kind of stall she wanted and despite the choice being a little less than she would have liked, she spent over a hundred denarii on various items.

She made sure they were wrapped up in a small bag so Serena wouldn’t see what they were before heading back and finding her girlfriend sipping coffee at a table. As she sat down Serena cast a questioning eye towards the bag.

“You’ll find out tomorrow,” Amelia said, reaching over and taking a sip of Serena’s coffee. “Coffee this late?” She asked, enjoying the bitter aftertaste.

“I’m a captain,” Serena explained, “We run on coffee much like an airship runs on crystal and aether.” She took the drink back from Amelia and took a sip. “I think my tolerance is so high at this point it barely affects my sleep.”

“Of course,” Amelia said with a cheeky grin. “Now I’m the one keeping you awake, right?” She was delighted to see a tinge of redness appear on Serena’s face. It wasn’t as much as Serena would have blushed a few days ago. Like with the coffee, her girlfriend was becoming tolerant of her crass jokes.

Amelia would need to start stepping up her game.

“Tsk! We’ll have Aiden with us tomorrow, so we’ll need to keep our hands off each other while he’s with us.” Amelia puffed her cheeks out in response, prompting Serena to roll her eyes. Sure, they were supposed to keep their hands off each other in public, but once the pair of them had more than a few bottles of loqua how long would that rule last?

Besides, Aiden didn’t seem like the intolerant type. 

“How long is the festival?” Amelia asked.

“The official start time is midday and it finishes at midnight. We’ll be joining the procession a little after lunch but won’t be following it for long. Aiden has a series of pubs he wants to visit as the day goes on. For many, the drinking will go on all night, but I’d rather retire a little after midnight. It wouldn’t do for a captain to get too drunk in public.”

“What about Tomes and Dagon?”

“A captain doesn’t drink with their subordinates. I imagine most of the crew will be attending the festival, but it’s a big city. It’s unlikely we’ll bump into any of them.”

“Okay!” Amelia said cheerfully. She stole another sip of Serena’s coffee. The demon didn’t seem to mind, but Serena kept stealing glances at Amelia’s bag.

“I’m getting worried; what is it?” Serena asked.

“Wait until tomorrow!” Amelia hugged the bag close. “You won’t regret it, don’t worry. By the way, are you wearing a dress tomorrow? We ordered a pair of red dresses, but only one was delivered?”

“Right, they’re both for you,” Serena said, nodding. “A spare. I have a black dress for rare occasions. The last time I wore it was at my graduation party. I had it delivered from the ship to the inn a few days ago.”

“Oh…” Amelia played around with the image of Serena in a black dress in her mind. “We’re going to look amazing, aren’t we? Black and red? With a dash of blue…” Amelia thought about the blue and red masquerade masks. She couldn’t wait to see Serena wear hers.

The pair finished the coffee before heading back to the inn. It was evening now and the city was winding down. On the tram back Amelia could see city guards placing down signs which seemed to indicate no-drinking zones as well as directions for public toilets and lost pedestrians. The entire city was preparing for tomorrow. 

Once they returned to the inn, Amelia lazed around waiting until bedtime while Serena meditated with her sword. Bored, she eventually shuffled up to the demon and began massaging her shoulders. Ignoring the complaints she moved to kissing Serena’s neck and as she felt the demon melt into her arms Amelia started groping her girlfriend and removing her clothes.

“What are you doing now?” Serena said, her breath getting heavy.

“We won’t be able to touch each other much tomorrow? Half a day is far too long to expect me to resist.” Amelia turned Serena’s head towards her and gave her a deep kiss on the lips. “I think we should get as much of it out of our system as we can tonight, so tomorrow is bearable.”

“You idiot,” Serena mumbled before picking Amelia up and taking her to bed.

That night, they didn’t get much sleep.

The morning of the festival came and like the previous mornings, Amelia started it by giving Serena and herself a generous blast of divine healing along with a touch of cleaning. Still, they both showered in the washroom as it felt weird not to.

Only this time, Amelia followed Serena and despite her girlfriend raising an eye at her she didn’t say anything to stop her. The tub was an awkward size for two people so they took turns sitting on the ledge massaging the other’s shoulders while they sat under the falling water.

They had slept in, only just catching breakfast before the kitchens closed. The inn was a flurry of activity as its inhabitants were all gearing up for the festival. A dozen guests had elaborate costumes, and some even seemed designed to be worn by multiple people. Serena explained that people would spend months making them not only to win competitions but also for the social aspect of doing an activity with friends and family.

That made sense to Amelia. In her world there was no end to access to entertainment. With a click of a button she could watch a show or listen to music and play a game. Here that convenience didn’t exist, so she understood why a festival was such a big deal for the citizenry.

They had both donned casual clothes. Serena told Amelia that the plan was to give Aiden their dresses to look after. When it got dark they would change and equip their masks. Until then, they had a pub crawl to survive. While they were waiting for Aiden in their room Amelia took her recently acquired marketplace acquisition and poured out the contents on the bed.

“Really?” Serena asked, tilting her head with an amused smile.

“You have such pretty horns, it’ll be a shame for them to go unadorned,” Amelia explained pointedly, “Now let’s start with these….” She motioned for Serena to sit down and her girlfriend obliged with a sigh. Amelia placed the two horncaps on Serena’s horns. The tips were studded with glowing crystal and long tassels with gems woven into the fabric shone like little stars.

Amelia started wrapping the tassels around the horns in a spiral pattern. Once she was done she used a hornband to secure it in place. “See!?” Amelia handed Serena a hand mirror so she could appreciate the handy work.

“I look like one of those warning cones they put around heavy machinery,” Serena said, meeting Amelia’s gaze in the reflection.

“Shut up! You look amazing!” Amelia rolled her eyes and began attaching the remaining hornbands she had purchased. While she was doing that, Serena picked up the other items Amelia had purchased.

“Earrings?” She asked, holding up the gold jewellery encrusted with glowing blue moon crystals. “Two pairs? How much did this cost?”

“Enough that you’ll disapprove,” Amelia murmured as she secured the final hornbands. “But not as much as I was willing to spend if I found nicer ones!”

“Pfft!” Serena giggled, holding a hand to her mouth.

“What’s so funny?”

“One thing my father liked about me was how frugal I was with my allowance growing up. Unlike my youngest sister, who spends money as fast as she can be given it, I bought practical clothes and simple food.” Serena turned around to face Amelia. “Who knew to experience that lifestyle, all I needed to get was a girlfriend who’d spoil me?”

“Hmrph!” Amelia crossed her arms and moved her face closer to Serena’s. “Well, it’s basically your money anyway, right? You’re the one paying me! Besides,” she flicked her eyes to Serena’s lips, “You could pay me nothing, and I’ll stay by you. I don’t care about your money when I have your heart!” She felt her own cheeks flush at the last sentence but kept her composure. Her discipline was well rewarded as she got to once again enjoy an embarrassed Serena looking awkwardly away while trying not to smile too much.

“Idiot, saying such unnecessary things…” Serena mumbled. Amelia darted in for a quick kiss before pulling back with a cheeky grin.

“It’s very necessary for me, I assure you. Here, let me put these on,” She took the earrings from Serena’s hands and clipped them onto the demon's ears and Serena did the same back to her. It felt weird having the weight of wealth hang from her ears. She shook her head a few times, enjoying the weird feeling pulling on her ears.

A knock sounded at the door and the two glanced at each other before scrambling up. “Who is it?” Serena asked.

“Your best friend, carrying his best friend in his hands!” Aiden’s cheerful voice was slightly muffled through the door. “Can I come in?”

Serena strode over, opening the door to reveal a smart-looking Aiden. He wore black trousers and a white shirt. His horns were painted with the colours of the moon. In one hand, he held a bag, and in the other, a bottle of beer.

“Your best friend?” Serena asked, eyeing the bottle. “You need better friends, Aiden The Drunk”

“I have two wonderful,” he gestured to the room with a flourish, “And beautiful friends right here. However! Since you so strongly insisted I could not make our trio any bigger I am left with making this my third friend…” Aiden lifted the bottle, frowning as he examined the label, “... Demon’s Delight. How fruity and crisp you taste today, dear friend!”

Amelia giggled and Serena rolled her eyes. “Can I try it?” Amelia asked. She was able to smell the beer from here but couldn’t quite identify the familiar fragrance.

“Aha!” Aiden exclaimed. “I knew you wouldn’t be such a bore. Here,” he fished about in the bag and pulled out another bottle of Demon’s Delight, “I brought another with me. Try it while we go over the plans I’ve made for today!” Aiden handed Amelia a bottle and she fiddled around with the top before opening it with a satisfying pop. The bottles she had seen all used flip-top style caps instead of the usual crown cork she was familiar with in her world.

“Where’s mine?” Serena said, crossing her arms in disapproval.

“I drank it on the way,” Aiden said with a shrug, “You know how it is.”

While Serena admonished Aiden, Amelia took a swig of her bottle. The beer was light and fruity, and there were hints of something similar to strawberry and banana. “Mmm!” She exclaimed, taking another sip. Aiden had picked something good to start the day off!

“Hic!” Amelia covered her mouth in embarrassment. Her noise caused the other two to stop arguing and stare at her. “It’s good!” She exclaimed, taking another sip. “Hic!”

“Give me that,” Serena said, striding over and taking the bottle from her hands. The demon took a swig, then another, before fetching two cups and decanting the beer into them. The three of them gathered around the table while Aiden took them through the day's plans.

“Right, we’re going to keep it simple,” Aiden explained, “We’ll follow one of the processions for an hour, then duck into beer lane until it gets dark-”

“Beer lane?” Amelia asked, suppressing another hiccup.

“Literally a street full of pubs,” Serena said, “Aiden’s dream come true.”

“We’ll work our way through that holy ground,” Aiden continued with a smile on his face, “And then we’ll get some food before heading to a pagoda viewing room I booked to witness the main ceremony.”

“You booked a pagoda room?” Serena asked with a raised eyebrow, “How’d you afford that?”

“Pulled some horns,” Aiden said with a grin, “Part of the expenses I can claim for this mission to profile our wonderful human friend,” Aiden tilted his head in her direction and tapped his horns. It was an action Amelia had seen a number of times now and she figured it was a similar mark of respect to tipping your hat.

Aiden stored their dress clothes in his bag and they finished the Demon’s Delight before leaving the inn. Aiden led them through the streets towards the main road. As they got closer, the sound of music and drums could be heard and when they turned the final corner Amelia was greeted by a kaleidoscope of colour and sound.

Hundreds of demons and humans walked, danced and skipped past them while laughing and drinking. Every other person wore an elaborate costume representing a kami, while the rest wore colourful jewelry on their horns and ears. Many wore facepaint and some have even gone topless with their bodies painted with colourful patterns.

Most walked in small groups of friends but often there were those that were coordinated in their formation as they danced and twirled while waving flags and batons. People walked along playing trumpets and stringed instruments while others played large drums strapped to their bodies. The rythmic sounding of the drums lifted the spirits of everyone as the atmosphere of the festival soaked into their senses.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Amelia exclaimed, and before anyone responded, she skipped into the throng of festival goers and twirled about as she followed the hundreds of people progressing up the road. Her heart sang with joy as she felt her happiness grow as she saw how much fun everyone around her was having.

It didn’t matter how she came to this world, whether she died or was brought by something against her will. This made it all worth it. This was an experience she would remember for the rest of her life. Right now, she was doing everything she had wished she could do when she spent years lying in that hospital bed. She was dancing, twirling and drinking without a care in the world.

At least until her revelling was stopped by Serena grabbing her wrist.

“You’re making me dizzy,” Serena said with a gentle smile.

“Do you want to dance?” Amelia asked, “I can see everyone’s doing the same kind of skipping dance thing - I’m trying to learn it!”

“I’ll dance later,” Serena said, “I need to drink more before I can move like you do, and besides…” She trailed off, and Amelia tilted her head in confusion. “I’m enjoying just watching you for now…” The demon’s crimson eyes twinkled.

“Why’ve we stopped?” Aiden said, appearing from the side. “Look, there’s a stall over there doing face painting. Wanna get it done as a group? I might get a shawa face.”

“What’s that?” Amelia asked, “Shawa?”

“A bigger peeka,” Serena explained, holding her palm flat at about Amelia’s shoulders. “Very big, and instead of licking you, they eat you.”

“Peeka! Can I get a peeka face done? Please!? You as well!” Amelia pointed to Serena and then herself, “We can match! Come on!” Not caring if Aiden saw or not, she grabbed Serena’s hand and dragged her to the stall.

Tonight was all about fun.