A Storm of Blossoms

Chapter Seventeen

Waking up was slow. It was hard. Normally I woke up quickly, and neither a deep sleep nor a nightmare was enough to change that. This…was like trying to force my way through a thick fluid. It was hard, it was somehow painful. When I did snap back to awareness, I still felt dazed, my thoughts blunted by a thick fog.

I was in a bed, I thought. It was soft. The sheets felt like satin. I could smell something sweet and floral. It took a little bit to work my way up to opening my eyes, but when I did I found the lighting was soft as well, and there were some rugs breaking up the monotony of the concrete floor. I was in a twin-size bed, and the room also had a simple wooden chair, a small refrigerator, and a camp stove; not a lot else.

Capinera was sitting on the chair, across the room from me. Not a large room, but it meant there was enough space to not feel threatening. She was quietly reading a book. I wasn’t entirely sure how I recognized her immediately, given that I’d only seen her once, for a few seconds. Maybe just because those seconds had been so intensely burned into my brain. She looked calm, peaceful even, though there was a sheathed rapier leaning against the wall next to her.…

Chapter Sixteen

I wasn’t entirely sure where I had expected the Blackbird Cabaret to be. Definitely was not a largely-disused warehouse complex in Braddock, though. It was deep in the heart of the old industrial district, and had largely died when the steel mills did. Some modestly successful attempts had been made to breathe new life into the borough, but there were still large areas that were practically deserted. We were in one of those, and apparently so was the Blackbird.

I glanced over at Saori. “You’re sure this is the address?”

She shrugged. “I mean. I don’t know this city worth shit. But it’s where Google sent us.”…

Chapter Fifteen

It wasn’t quite that simple, of course. Going back to my house at the moment was such an obviously stupid idea that even Saori couldn’t justify it. And that complicated things. I could have offered to pay for a hotel room, but my resources were not infinite. And the reality was that while Saori obviously did not care for her living arrangements, avoiding the topic was a temporary solution at best.

So I didn’t offer, and she didn’t ask. She was reluctant to invite me home, but she did. I agreed without comment. She put on some really surreal electronica on the way, a minimalist trance song with repetitive vocals discussing the value of checking one’s tie in the mirror.

I liked it. The sound was only okay, but the tactile synesthesia was fantastic, like having someone petting me while lightning was crawling through my fur. I was getting the impression that spending time with Saori was going to rapidly be increasing the strangeness of my music library.…

Chapter Fourteen

“So did you have any other secret plans to spring on me?” Saori asked once that was done.

“Eh, not really.” I paused. “Have I eaten recently?”

The kitsune glanced sidelong at me, which was nice, because sidelong was a fun word and I rarely had a reason to use it. “Do you not know?”

“I tend to lose track,” I admitted.

She rolled her eyes. “Let’s go with no, then. Wanna?”…

Chapter Thirteen

We couldn’t really stay at my house at that point. Never mind getting more sleep, I wasn’t even going to be going home again for a while. I handed off the captive to Audgrim’s person, and followed him out the door.

Saori was quiet while we went out to her car. She’d heard the entire conversation, of course. Her hearing was, like mine, outside of human range. Finally, she said, “He’s kind of a dick, isn’t he?”

“Little bit,” I sighed. This was the first time he’d done something quite this intense, but he was always…very much a dvergr in some key ways. He was aptly named; Auðgrímr meant grim inheritance, and he’d certainly gotten his share of their infamous grim, coldly rational patterns of thought.…