A source of Essence.
The thought of that almost kept lisa up all night, making her eyes open randomly like she could feel a sleep paralysis demon nearby.
Over the course of the night, so questions kept bouncing off the walls of her mind. And so, as soon as she saw her mother the next day, she let them all flood over her.
"Mom," she said, her voice urgent. "Do you know if rune magic exists in this world? Like, can people use runes to cast spells? O-Or, use runes to 'contain' spells?"
Margaret, sitting on one of the couches, looked at her daughter, a bit surprised by the sudden barrage of questions.
"Runes? Well, I... I'm not entirely sure, dear. I know that enchanted items exist, but I don't know much about how they're made."
lisa's eyes widened.
"Enchanted items? So, like, objects that have magic infused into them?"
Her mother nodded.
"Yes, I've heard of such things. Weapons that never dull, cloaks that render the wearer invisible, that sort of thing."
lisa leaned forward, her heart pounding with excitent.
"Do we have any?"
"No," she almost sounded offended at the re suggestion, "that stuff is extrely expensive and we have little use for them."
[Fair.]
"Do you know how they're made? The process?"
Margaret paused, giving her daughter a curious look.
"lisa, dear, you're... you're incredibly well-spoken for soone who just woke up from a coma. Where is all this coming from?"
[Shit,] lisa thought, realizing her mistake. [I'm supposed to be a 9-year-old. A 9-year-old who just had amnesia, no less.]
She forced a higher tone.
"I... I was just curious, Mommy," she imdiately adjusted. "I had a dream about magic, and I wanted to know more."
Margaret's expression softened.
"I see. Well, I'm afraid I don't know much about how enchanted items are made. That's the sort of thing that mages concern themselves with, not us nim."
lisa bit her lip, trying to hide her disappointnt.
"But... but why not? Don't you want to know how magic works?"
Her mother chuckled, reaching out to ruffle lisa's hair.
"Oh, my sweet girl." She shook her head. "Listen, dear. I know magic seems exciting and wonderful. But for us nim, it's just not sothing we need to worry about. And, that's good. Less things to trouble ourselves with, you know?"
lisa wanted to argue, obviously. To insist that magic was important, that it could be the key to solving all their problems.
But, sothing in the way her mother was looking at her told lisa it was pointless.
[... When it cos to magic, I'm on my own, I guess.]
She forced another smile, nodding her head.
"Okay, Mommy. I understand."
Margaret smiled, giving her a quick hug.
"That's my girl. Now, how about we go get so breakfast? I'm sure you must be starving after all that sleeping."
lisa let her mother lead her out of the room, her mind still churning with questions and possibilities.
[Enchanted items,] she thought, a flicker of hope sparking in her chest. [If I can figure out how those are made, and extract the Essence from them... my plan might just work.]
It was a long shot, but it was all she had.
"Also," Margaret continued. "Put on one of your nice skirts."
"Why?"
"Family are visiting today."
lisa stopped.
[Family?]
---
Later that day, while listair was still out working, lisa and her mother stood at the front door of their ho, waiting to greet their visitors.
[I wonder who it could be,] lisa thought, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. [More nim? Humans, maybe?]
The door swung open, and lisa's jaw nearly hit the floor.
Standing before them was a woman who looked almost human, but with a few striking differences. Atop her head sat a pair of fluffy, pointed ears, and behind her swished a long, bushy tail.
It was happening.
She was standing right before lisa.
[A kitsune,] lisa realized, her eyes wide with wonder. [A FOX GIRL!]
But it was the one standing next to the woman that really caught lisa's attention.
She was small, probably around the sa age as lisa's current body. But where lisa was plain, in pretty much every way aside from her purple skin, this girl was the very picture of adorable.
Her ears were perked up, twitching slightly as she took in her surroundings. Her pink tail, a miniature version of her mother's, swayed gently behind her. Her eyes were big and green.
[Oh fuck,] lisa put a hand to her chest. [My heart. Must... resist... urge to hug,] lisa thought, her fingers twitching at her sides. [She's just...
so... CUTE!]
"Margaret!" the kitsune woman exclaid, pulling lisa's mother into a warm embrace. "It's been too long, sister."
[Sister?] lisa looked back and forth between them. [What?]
Margaret laughed, returning the hug with equal enthusiasm.
"Indeed, indeed, Kimiko. But look at you! You haven't aged a day."
Kimiko grinned, flicking her tail in a playful manner.
"Ah, well, you know how my side of the family tree is. We age like fine wine." She turned her attention to lisa, her eyes softening. "And you must be lisa. I heard about what happened, dear. How are you feeling?"
lisa blinked, montarily thrown by the question.
"I... I'm okay," she said, trying to sound like a normal, not-reincarnated child. "Still getting used to things, I guess."
Kimiko nodded, a look of sympathy crossing her face.
"I can only imagine. But you're a strong girl, lisa. You'll get through this."
She gestured to the girl at her side, who was bouncing on the balls of her feet with barely contained energy.
"This is Isabella, my daughter. I thought it might be nice for you two to spend so ti together."
Isabella grinned, her fluffy ears perking up even more.
"Hi, lisa!" she chirped, her voice like a bell. "Wanna go play? I brought my dolls!"
[Dolls?] lisa thought, a mont of confusion passing over her. [Oh, right. Right. 9-year-old. Play. Dolls.
Got it.]
She forced a smile, nodding her head.
"Sure, that sounds... fun?"
Margaret and Kimiko exchanged a look, their eyes twinkling with amusent.
"Why don't you two run along, then?" Margaret suggested, giving lisa a gentle nudge. "The adults need to talk for a bit."
lisa hesitated, part of her wanting to stay and listen in on whatever conversation was about to happen.
But one look at Isabella's eager, expectant face, and she knew she was dood.
[Resistance is futile,] she thought, resigned to her fate. [The cuteness... it's too powerful!]
"Okay, let's go," she said, taking Isabella's hand and trying not to squeal at how soft and fluffy it was.
As the two girls scampered off, Margaret and Kimiko watched them go, a couple of smiles on their faces.
---
As lisa and Isabella settled into the garden, surrounded by an array of dolls and toys, lisa found herself struggling to maintain her enthusiasm.
[This is... not exactly how I imagined spending my ti in a fantasy world,] she thought, halfheartedly making her doll walk across the grass. [I an... It's kinda fun, I guess.]
Still, as the playti continued, Isabella's unbridled cuteness helped to keep lisa from passing out form sheer boredom.
[Eh, she's not half-bad,] she mused, a genuine smile tugging at her lips. [I an, who couldn't have fun with a literal ball of fluff like her?]
Suddenly, a thought struck lisa, and she turned to Isabella with a curious expression.
"Hey, Isabella," she said, trying to sound casual. "Can you use magic?"
Isabella's green eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously, her fluffy ears bouncing with the motion.
"Yeah! I'm gonna be the most powerful sorceress in the whole wide world soday!" she declared, puffing out her small chest with pride.
lisa's heart skipped a beat, a flicker of hope igniting in her chest.
[A sorceress, huh? Maybe... maybe she can help with my plan.]
An idea forming in her mind, lisa grinned at Isabella, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Hey, wanna play a different ga?" she asked, scooping up a random rock from the garden. "I bet you can't put your magic in this rock!"
Isabella's tail swished with excitent, and she snatched the rock from lisa's hand.
"Oh yeah? Watch !" she exclaid, scrunching up her face in concentration.
For a mont, nothing happened. But then, just as lisa was about to give up hope, she saw it.
A faint, shimring glow, emanated from the rock in Isabella's tiny hands.
[Holy shit, it's working!] lisa thought, her eyes widening in amazent. [She's actually doing it!]
But as quickly as it had appeared, the glow faded, leaving the rock as plain and ordinary as before.
Isabella's shoulders slumped, and she pouted, her lower lip quivering.
"Aww, I thought I had it," she whined, her ears drooping in disappointnt.
lisa, however, was barely containing her excitent.
[She did it! Even if it was just for a second, she actually infused that rock with magic! If I can get her to do that again, but with a more complex spell... maybe I can figure out how to extract the Essence and use it for my runes!]
Outwardly, though, she just patted Isabella on the head, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Hey, don't worry about it," she said, trying to sound like a wise, older cousin. "I bet you'll get it next ti. You're gonna be the best sorceress ever, rember?"
Isabella's face brightened and her ears lifted.
lisa was just about dying from the sweetness.
lisa chuckled, a genuine warmth spreading through her chest.
What mattered though was that for a bit of ti, it happened.
[The rock lit up,] lisa thought. [So, you can pass your Essence into an object. Now, how do I make it stick?]
---
They kept going after that.
lisa chuckled, a genuine warmth spreading through her chest as she watched Isabella attempt to infuse the rock with magic again and again.
[This kid is going to be the death of ,] she thought, her heart lting a little more with each adorable pout and determined furrow of Isabella's brow. [Death by cuteness overload. What a way to go... Better than being run over by a truck, at least.]
They tried again and again, Isabella scrunching up her face and channeling her magic with all the might her tiny body could muster. But no matter how many tis they repeated the process, the result was always the sa: a brief flicker of light, followed by a whole lot of nothing.
Just as lisa was about to suggest they take a break and regroup, Isabella let out a dramatic sigh.
"I'm thirsty," she declared, tossing the rock aside with a huff. "Let's go get so water."
lisa shrugged, figuring a little hydration break couldn't hurt.
But as they approached the house, lisa suddenly froze, her eyes widening in shock.
What she saw didn't make sense. It was like soone had ripped her previous life's late night fantasies and manifested them in reality.
There, standing in the hall, were lisa and Isabella's moms.
Sisters, mind you.
Kissing.
And... Well...
That alone was shocking enough. But it was how passionately they were sucking each other's faces that made lisa turn to stone.
[WHAT.] lisa's brain short-circuited, trying to process the scene before her. [WHAT. WHAT. WHAT.]
Acting on pure instinct, lisa slapped a hand over Isabella's eyes.
Except, unfortunately, she failed to cover Isabella's mouth.
"Hey, w-"
She only managed to get that out before lisa's hand went from Isabella's eyes down to her mouth. Again, instinctively. The lip-locking ladies didn't notice, probably a bit distracted by all the lip biting and tongue sucking.
And so, they both ended up standing there for a few seconds, wide-eyed, watching sothing they were very likely not ant to see.
Ba-dump... Ba-dump... Ba-dump...
As lisa's heart pounded in her ears, she finally managed to will her legs to move, pulling Isabella away with her.
As they retreated to a safe distance, lisa's mind was reeling.
[I... That... Do sisters just make out in this world? Hehe, does... Does that happen to be a common thing here???]
She shook her head.
[So, I don't get magic, but I get a big dose of lesbian incest. Great.] Still, she felt she couldn't be too angry. [You know what? I'm not even mad. This is the most exciting thing that's happened to in... well, ever.]
Sure, it was unexpected. Sure, it raised a whole host of new questions.
But hey, at least it wasn't boring.
She glanced down at Isabella.
"W-What was that!?" Isabella asked but lisa shushed her. "Sorry. What was that?" She asked, a lot quieter.
"I... Don't know."
That was what lisa went with.
[Yep, I am not your mom. This is not my conversation to have. Sorry.]
---
A few hours later (which made lisa wonder just how much ti her and Isabella's moms spent making out), Isabella and her mom went to leave.
"Thank you for having us," Isabella's mom said, hugging Margaret. "It was great to see you again."
[Oh, I bet it was.]
"Don't forget what I showed you," lisa told Isabella with a wink. "Okay?"
She was, of course, referring to the rock and Essence. Maybe next ti, Isabella herself might just find a way to make the magic stick.
Isabella nodded.
"I won't!" She said, determined.
With that out of the way, Isabella and her mom left.
And then...
Well, lisa couldn't resist.
Shaking her head, lisa turned to Margaret, an innocent smile plastered across her face.
"Mommy?" she said, laying on the sweetness like syrup on a stack of pancakes. "What were you and Auntie Kimiko doing earlier?"
Margaret's face turned a shade of red that could rival a fire truck.
"OH! Oh, gods, you saw that?" she groaned, burying her face in her hands.
[Oh, you bet I did.]
"I'm so sorry, honey. Mommy and Auntie Kimiko were just... uh... showing each other how much we missed each other?"
[Smooth, Mom. Real smooth,] lisa thought, biting back a laugh.
But outwardly, she just nodded, her eyes wide with feigned innocence.
"Okay, Mommy," she said, patting Margaret's arm reassuringly. "I understand. Grown-up stuff, right?"
Margaret sagged with relief, a grateful smile spreading across her face.
"Right. Grown-up stuff," she agreed, ruffling lisa's hair. "I promise, I'll explain it all to you when you're a bit older, okay?"
[Yep, I'll hold you to that,] lisa thought, struggling to keep a straight face. [That's going to be HILARIOUS.]
Just then, the front door swung open, and in walked listair, looking like he'd just co back from a mud wrestling match with a pack of wild hogs.
He was covered in dirt from head to toe, his clothes torn and stained with all manner of mysterious substances.
[What the heck?] she thought, her brow furrowing. [What kind of job does this guy have?]
But before she could voice any of these questions (or offer to hose him down with a garden sprinkler), listair caught sight of her and Margaret, a weary smile spreading across his face.
"My girls," he said, opening his arms wide for a hug. "I'm ho."
Margaret rushed forward, embracing him despite the layer of filth that coated his skin.
lisa was not so eager.
"Welco back, dear," Margaret said, kissing his cheek. "Rough day at work?"
listair chuckled. He sounded equal parts exhausted and amused.
"You could say that," he said, his eyes twinkling with a secret sort of mirth. "But I'll tell you all about it later. For now, I think I need a bath. And maybe a stiff drink."
[You and both, buddy,] lisa thought, shaking her head. [You and both.]
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