The Book of Water

Today's chapter was brought to you and written by Sho1223

They found themselves in a lobby, much like their own, but at once… more wrong. They look back to see snow, just like their hotel, but as they look forward, the interior was… decrepit, creepy. An old traditional Japanese inn, far too large to be natural, far too unwelcoming to be a true hotel.

“We need to find a way out, get back to the others, to Colorado.” Stan grabbed Cleopatra’s hand, going further into the inn. But Cleopatra resisted. And Molly screamed.

The two turned to their erstwhile companion, seeing her clutching her head, as her clothing seemed to grow stiff with frost. But then, as they saw ice visibly forming on her clothing, it stopped,and her clothing instead began to grow, like watching icicles grow in fast motion. Soon she bears a kimono with long sleeves.

Though her hands still grip her head. Stan goes to her, clearly worrying about her. But as he touches her, Molly jerks, trying to escape his grasp. “Run. We need to run, right now. Skylar is terrible, but this place’s host is…”

“Listening.” A wan Japanese woman in a kimono much like Molly’s new one climbs down the stairs, gracefully. “Now, now, I know I’m no great humanitarian, but there are certain formalities that must be observed. It is rude to gossip about somebody in their presence. And a guest must be welcomed. Though I could also consider you intruders, stepping into my realm without my permission.”

Her smile widens. “A mouse entering into my house, a cat is fully within her rights to eat you right up…” She approaches Cleopatra, who steps back before the menace exuded by this host, this monster. Stan steps between the two.

Yuki only smiles in bemusement. “Ah, a shikigami. No, you are a bit more. Not a mere staff member, but a creation imbued with a spark of a role, a bit player trying to step into the leading man’s role. How silly.” She turns to look at Molly, before turning back to Stan. “You are just that, a paper doll, not even graced with the semblance of purpose. A crude drawing, nothing more.”

Yuki turns. “I hope you understand, you take on the form of the host’s servants when you enter a space. Mine… well, they served their purpose long ago before they lost their purpose and their existence many years ago, when they came to care for the guests a bit too much. I prefer faceless servants now, not even physical.” She turns back to Molly, approaching her. “So, the freezing wasn’t intentional, I hope you understand, merely sharing the fate of my bodied servants, but that is the cost of arriving unannounced.”

“Umm, excuse me, you said that you consider me a guest? Could you… guide me to the exit? We want to leave just as badly as you want us to.” Cleopatra spoke this cautiously, afraid that she had jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

Yuki smiles. “Skylar’s girl. I will say, while I don’t appreciate all of her creative decisions, her kink sense is pretty on point. You look just about cooked. And pretty delectable.” She smiles. But then she frowns. “And about leaving. Well… it will be a bit of a journey. I run a tight ship. I don’t leave holes for mice to find their way out of so easily. And after I gave my kouhai an object lesson about leaving doors open...”

“So how did we get in, if you are so watchful?” Stan walked forward, challenging this host. Only for Yuki to move quicker than he could see, grabbing his throat, lifting him bodily from the ground like a kitten. “Ah, ah, ah, and here I was being nice, figment pretending to be a boy pretending to be a man. Maybe I should save Skylar the trouble and remove any pretense of you being a Master. I could strip you of that, your masculinity, your dignity. I like them feisty to start, you’ll be a fine addition to my collection...”

Yuki felt a grip at her sleeve. It was Molly. “Please, you have to let him go. It would be dishonorable to kill a visiting guest's servant.” Yuki looks disgusted, but she drops Stan bodily to the ground. “Ah, you’re no fun. Fine, a servant he is, and a guest my dear little Cleo is, if only for a brief while.”

She points at Stan. “And I’ll have you know, your visit is due to this location, which I happen to be renting at the moment.. It welcomes people who are lost. And you, my dears, are clearly lost.” She sighs. “I had to freeze my girls and master in place, just to deal with you. You’re lucky I don’t eat at least one of you…”

Still, she goes behind the counter.and grabs a traditional Japanese paper lantern. “You want to know where the exit is? It’s in a place no one could stumble on.” Yuki’s finger lights with a black flame, which she takes to the lantern. “Follow me.”

She steps outside, beyond the kemari court and down the bridge. As they cross the bridge, the group starts to see snow start to fall, the storm growing worse as they continue along the bridge. “This flame will keep you at the temperature of the hotel. Not warm, but not freezing. I wouldn’t stray too far, unless you want to be a permanent ‘guest’.”

The blizzard grows to be completely blinding, and Cleo looks to see Yuki fading into the snow. She feels her eyes grow heavy, as the cold starts to lick at her back away from the light of the black flame. But then, just as suddenly, she stands in a snowy field, the bridge behind her. And a torii gate in front of her.

“There’s the exit, now get out. Torii gates are supposed to be barriers to other worlds, yada yada yada, get out.” Yuki makes a dismissive gesture.

There was only one problem. The torii gate stood on the edge of a cliff. A precipitous one, if the open sky beyond it was any indication.

“Is it safe? Aren’t you trying to stop us, we’re… we’re going to try to take down another host.” Cleo looks at Yuki, unsure if that would help or hurt them.

Yuki shrugs. “As safe as any untended path is. You might arrive home. You might find another land, with a host crueler than me. Though that is unlikely. We have so many namby pamby hosts. I like a couple, and the others get good enough ratings. Even if they might as well be hosting the Bachelor. And as for possibly ruining another host.” She makes an exaggerated shrug. “Any host capable of being overcome by a mere human deserves the fate that befalls them.”

Yuki sighs. “Get out, before I prove I’m really an oni. Have your shikigami go first, I don’t care.” Stan looks at Cleo, then begins firmly marching. He steps through the gate, and disappears. “See, no tricks. Now go, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Yuki’s ice cold hands guide the two women to the gate, before she shoves them through.

“Assholes. At least their producer has a better timetable though.”