Book 2: Seven Demon's Hearts

Episode 33: Ceremony

Episode 33: C e r e m o n y

I sat as still as a log while Sukie grabbed the white paint and, with a thin brush, she applied those intricate designs that were on her face on mine too. Beside me, Qiang was practically sweating with fear of messing up as he claimed to have the special "honor" of working on V's face. He grabbed a hold of his trembling wrist and took a deep breath, but as soon as V glanced up at him with one of his purposefully scary looks, his hand fell back into the same trembling pattern.

"What's this for?" I asked her.

"It's pretty, isn't it!" She beamed and tilted her head, taking a pause to look at her progress on my face. "This is our ceremonial Fiba. We do them when we celebrate something huge! Like a harvest or an annual blessing, and it's a definite must in wedding ceremonies. Everyone has to look presentable and beautiful. But don't worry, I'm the best Fiba painter of my coven, so I'm sure you'll have the most beautiful design tonight."

I continued to sit still, not wanting to accidentally ruin the whole Fiba thing that she was working so hard on. Occasionally, I did have an itch that was hard to resist, but she was as patient as ever when I shifted around.

It was hard to miss out on the beauty of everything happening around us. She was no older than 17 herself, but Sukie and Qiang already had the dependency and respect as the next Elders among their coven peers. The teenagers on earth could never relate to this level of maturity and grace the two of them held. If anything, I would only hope that Aiko would catch on to some of their traits.

But besides that, this coven was just absolutely breathtaking. Everyone worked as a unit, helping around with the repairs, or preparing the decorations for tonight. The spirit of the laughing kids seemed to lift up everyone's energy as they ran, chasing each other and playing various games. I smiled brightly, watching Aiko fit right in with his kind nature. Maybe Hell wasn't so bad for him after all.

"V?!" A flustered voice startled me from behind. The voice was followed by several other voices calling out his name like chirping birds.

"Qiang get out of the way!" A feminine foot roughly shoved the boy, stopping him from finishing his design as he lost balance and fell to the ground. Before I knew it a herd of women leaped onto V, hugging, squeezing, and kissing him to death.

"V! We've missed you tons!" They were practically crying--no they were bawling. All while continuing their lovely mission of not leaving a spot untouched on his face. All while I peacefully sat next to him and watched.

"Ari! Kina! Luna! Rika! Suni! Pisa!" V called out their names one by one and laughed, trying to escape this lovely harem for a breath of air. Some of them were wearing nothing but bralettes and short skirts, while others had intricate cut-outs in their dresses that revealed a little bit of skin here and there.

I looked down at my humble chest and stared back at a particular redhead's busty bouncing figure, ready to pop out of her tight crop-top as she squeezed V's uncomfortable face against her into a hug.

Even Sukie stopped painting my face, watching my terrifying smile with an awkward gaze. I think my silence scared her more. "If it helps...it's usually tradition around here," Sukie softly muttered under her breathe.

"What is?" I robotically smiled at her, fluttering my lashes. "What's this tradition?"

"You know...kissing and hugging. We're uh...a very intimate and open coven." She twiddled with her fingers, nervously glancing up at my expression.

"Oh. Intimate." I can definitely see that.

"V! When did you return, you loser?! You should have told us right away you'd be the one coming back!" She ruffled his hair as if he was nothing more than a mere child.