𝚂𝙰𝙲𝚁𝙸𝙵𝙸𝙲𝙴 ~ 𝙹𝙹𝙺

2

☽S̵̙͕̀̃Ḛͭ̉̇͟L̸̖̽̌͂A̷͙ͭͫ̕Hͥ̽ͣ̃̔☽

☾ In the morning I was woken by a bell chiming, I did not know what the day would bring me, but it was quite exciting.
I had spent all of my twenty years of life in one room of my home. Becoming a shrine maiden to the vampiric elites was a huge change.
"Selah."
"Oh! Madame! How are you feeling?"
I looked up from my bags and saw the large bruise that lingered even in her half vampiric skin.
"Dreadful. Come. Today is the day you meet all the other shrine maidens."
She waved me to her, I stumble up not wanting to make her late again, though she paused, glancing down the hall and then shaking her head.
"Please look your best. You have twenty minutes Selah."
She gently pushed my shoulders back into my room and slid the door shut again.
I wonder if one of the Masters were watching...

I got ready with haste. Brushing through the tangles in my hair, patting on some light make up, and dressing in a second white kimono Kamo had left me last night while I slept.
I noticed a little more detail on it though, lovely delicate red stitchings decorated it. I felt nervous to wear it out to meet the other shrine maidens. Their kimonos were probably blank like my first one.
"Kamo..."
I mumbled, though I pulled it on reluctantly, tying my hair back in a long ponytail with a red string and making my way to my door.
"So you did choose to wear it?"
Kamo stood there next to a nervous Madame Ume, I smiled a little.
"You are trying to make me hated among my fellow shrine maidens..."
"If they cause you any trouble, it could cost them their lives."
Kamo said that so casually...
"Please don't. Anyway, we should get going. Master Kamo, I suspect you will be watching?"
I start walking down the hall first, the Madame and Kamo followed.
"I will be. Suguru and I are in charge of today's activities. He is already in the large tatami room."

"So you all are very hands on with the shrine maidens education?"
"No. Today we just wanted to mettle a bit. Shrine maidens almost never interact with us until their choosing. You all may encounter our fledglings more often than not but even that is rare."
Kamo took my waist to stop me from walking past the door we needed to enter,
"Master Kamo."
I take his hand from my waist quickly.
"Why are you so afraid of being favored?"
Kamo tilted his head.
"Women are mean when they are jealous. Think of it like a harem. If a master has a favorite, the value of the others goes down."
"I told you what would happen if they mistreat you. I apologize Selah, but this feeling I have, being so drawn to you, I will not turn a blind eye to it. I have never experienced it, so of course I want to hold onto it."
I nod.
"Please at least in front of the others...try not to treat me so differently."
"No promises."
He then opened the door.

Geto sat in the center of the room. The other shrine maidens sat in two columns on either side of him. Kamo walked in first, going up the isle of women who bowed their heads to the ground as he passed, and he took a seat next to Geto.
Geto smiled warmly at me, I smiled back and began to lower to my knees, but the Madame took my shoulder.
"Go sit on the pillow right in front of you. You mustn't dirty another kimono girl."
"Right..."
I felt blush dance on my cheeks as I stepped into the room, lowering myself down onto the deep purple pillow. Now I was straight across from Geto and Kamo. The other shrine maidens on either side of us making a walk way between us. I glanced around at the other women. They were all beautiful.
"Now that we are all here, I would like to introduce our final Shrine Maiden. Inoue Selah. The first of her family to become a Shrine Maiden. Please treat her kindly. Mentor her to become a dutiful thrall on choosing day."
"Yes Master Geto."
All the women spoke at once, I watched all their eyes look me over, some noticing the details on my kimono, their eyes lingering on the patterns they did not have. I just bow my head.
"Thank you for having me. I look forward to becoming thralls with you all."
I spoke calmly, the words flowing from me like water. Not a tremble or a seed of doubt. I was confident.