HANAE | the goddess & the familiar

scene four; the gods prepare for high school life

Luscious mornings greeted Hanae when she rose her head from the softest pillow ever. Life as she knew it was changed, but at the peace she woke up with, she would never know. Today was the same as usual and she didn't mind this new normal--at least bills were paid, there was no worry about loan sharks hunting you down at work, and all the lights were on. Instead of worrying about their crumbling finances or the lack of food she and her sister would carry to school, all Hanae had to do was follow instructions from Furiri and the rest of the work was out of her hands. 

The perks of being a goddess, so it seemed. Hanae could only laugh at the simplicity of her new life.  

(When the "instructions" were mentioned, it's no what you would think.)

"Hello!" 

"Ah!"

Spooked from her reverie in the high clouds of her shrine, Hanae blinked to focus her eyes on Furiri. Dressed in an apron over her uniform kimono with a rag in-hand, the young yokai kept her beady yet burning gaze on her goddess. "Have you finished answering the prayers, yet?"

It was with her familiar's words that Hanae remembered her current task at hand. Seated in the prayer room at her desk once again, she was off to fulfilling more prayers tucked away in more trunks. When she sifted through the onslaught of stacks, Hanae was surprised that after so long, people still prayed to her...or her goddess self? Or her past reincarnated self? 

Sunrays hitting her eyes forced Hanae from her thoughts. Pulling her eyes from the portrait high on the wall, Hanae sucked in a long breath while slapping her cheeks. Furiri shook her head, visibly seeing consciousness come back to the girl's mind before taking the empty cup and plate from the girl's desk. In the back of her mind as she continued the practice of reading and answering prayers, Hanae's mind wondered what the portrait saw. Looking down in the prayer room, was the woman pleased with what she saw? A mere girl taking her position as goddess? A pretender in the place of someone great? 

"O, it looks like someone is doing their job." 

A crisp voice slithered into the young woman's ears. Her body shot up as if the comment was a command and she was to heed it perfectly. Realizing the depth of the voice, Hanae turned to the entrance of the room to see Tomoe standing in the doorway. His eyes were crisp with precision, watching her every move—big or small—like he was waiting for her to make a mistake. He was ready to pounce. But Hanae wouldn't buckle under his gaze. She wouldn't. 

She also couldn't because she held her hands hands together, tensed her muscles and completely froze once she saw him. 

A ghost of a grin spread on the familiar's face. His brow twitched with a raise before he cleared her throat. 

"You must take your job seriously if you're forcing yourself to sit here for hours on end." Tomoe placed a hot cup on Hanae's desk, yet his eyes never moved from hers. They narrowed when he stepped closer, taking in her scent of vanilla soap and lavender conditioner. Smells of the incoming blossom. 

Furiri's attempts at replacing her, huh?

Hanae's mouth opened and closed, speaking words Tomoe couldn't hear. All he could understand wasn't in the shrine but of outside--words and feelings not the girl could speak. Hanae's aroma transported his consciousness to a place he'd never been before. Her smell was so simple, but to him, it had the power of nature on its side. So strong that he couldn't understand what was going on around him. All he could focus on was the hint of lemon he picked up from her hand-cream and the faintest hint of rose from her neatly brushed hair. 

This effect left him in a field of vibrant flowers and the greenest of grass. The blades felt of silk and—

"—why wouldn't I take my job seriously? I-It's something I was entrusted with!"