Tessa
I sit and appreciate the blooming spring. A sign of rebirth. The end of the cold winter. A warm cup of tea in my hands brewed to perfection as I sit and watch the world, my meditation set upon the intersection of the warmth of tea and the warmth of spring, before I am rudely interrupted.
“Master- sorry, Esteemed Grand Sect Master Tessa. I humbly apologize for interrupting your meditation but I have something to ask you about.”
My first disciple, Jessica, a poor thing, far too nervous for her own good, but she is a good student. She follows the path I have guided her through well. Her deep red locks slightly disheveled framing her thin and delicately tanned face with nervous pink eyes. Her clothes, the sect uniform, are in a similar state. Not unsightly, but a sign of her nervous nature. She is sincere but I am annoyed that I must move my thoughts away from my meditations. She really should learn to handle things on her own. I believe I will give her this task to handle on her own. What is the point in being my first disciple if she cannot learn to do such tasks by herself?
“You do not need my help Jessica” I take another sip.
“Actually I think I-” She attempts to speak with a slight chuckle to her words, really, not taking things seriously in the slightest.
“Do not make me repeat myself, child” I add a firm edge to my tone to show what conviction should sound like. She will not ask me further. A century with Jessica as my first disciple, I know her well enough. She sits for a moment, ger eyes darting around as though she was trying to find a way to say somthhing. Then she closes her eyes, stands up and closes the door soon after. I sip again, the warmth had drained slightly- much like the warmth of spring soon leads into the chill of- that analogy doesn’t work at all. This is why you dont bother a master in meditation. All of my metaphors need to be reworked.
That being said, I will never understand how I was told starting a sect would be so difficult. All I had to do was find a mountain in the middle of nowhere, construct a building or two then just put word out that I am accepting trainees.
What's so hard about sitting in meditation while my disciples take care of everything?
Jessica
Kill me - kill me - heavens just strike me down now please just give me the heavenly tribulation of a foolish young mistress trying to ascend too early just end me where I am and don’t make me suffer through this impossible trial kill me - kill me. I promise I would never have accepted being her disciple if I knew she was going to be so incompetent please forgive me please - please - please.
“Hey Jessica, you doing okay?” Clover gave me a small shove forcing me to unlace my hands from the death grip I had on my hair and giving me a ground away from my downward spiral. She is a pretty, dark furred dog kin with fluffy ears. I almost forget what I was stressing about admiring them, the temptation to pet her always strong, but a single thought on why I was stressed brings it all back.
“Clover I don’t know what to do” I put my head back into my hands and try not to hyperventilate. “I knew it was only a matter of time until someone tried to challenge us but of course Master has to brush it off and throw it onto me” my breathing gets even faster and I feel the spiral coming again.
Clover rubbed a hand on my back and walked me to my room. I had just been having a breakdown in the main hall like an idiot. Even if people rarely come to here. “What about all those other challengers you took on in the past couple decades?”
“Ha!” my voice pitches up a few octaves. “Those were just headstrong cultivators, and had to keep within the guides of challenges. No, this is a challenge, from another sect head. There are rules on this stuff clover. Like that the sect master be one to address the visitor or else incur sect wrath, or however they phrase stuff in those dense sectarian agreements.
“Why not just let them come and disturb the master?” Clover opens the door to my room and I crash onto my bed. I take my pillow and start hugging it.
“Because making a master come and collect you from your isolation is the type of insult that can bring a whole sect down on our heads!" I point to one of my bookshelves "one of those books- actually I think it's a scroll since it's from one of those old guard type sects. Uses uh, middle dialect of the dragon tongue if you care- Anyway, last I heard a sect of less than twenty five cultivators isn’t a big sect, which doesn't offer the same protections to face, nor do I think we are some hidden master teaching a few overpowered students like you see in those old stories. Which would let us have that prestige whether we were old or not."
She puts a hand on my head. Which is very nice. Makes the stress dull for a second. “Alright alright, so its got to do with all the rules and regulations you never stop looking at, that is a problem. And the master won't come out of meditation?” She puts a clawed finger to her maw in consideration as she sat herself down on the edge of my bed, the other hand gently brushing my hair
“Do you want to try to deal with her when she is angry? The last time I did something like this she had to teach me a lesson in front of the whole sect as a way to show “- the arrogance of dependency-” or something like that what did that even mean I cant believe she even had to do that-” Clover rubs her claws into my skull, which is very soothing and helps dull the edge further. I'm calming now but the fringes of my thoughts are still a minefield.
“So what you're saying is- that the master isnt coming from isolation for a challenge that, if ignored, would incite a sect war? How long until the other sect master arrives?”
I nod. “A sectarian war, um, which has got a dozen or so books associated with rules and regulations. A - lost face war? I think, which would put us at a larger disadvantage because we aren’t that old of a sect, and for the time um, about a year? They said spring instead of this season in the letter stating their intent to challenge, and considering challenges like this require at least a season's advanced notice it isn't this year."
She nods, thinks for another moment, then says “Well, that's a year to prepare, perhaps Tessa will actually be able to help instead of just staying in meditation for once" when I had a quiet huff at that she continued her main thought "or just pretend to be Tessa and try to de-escalate” She says as though she was suggesting something obvious.
“What?” I genuinely want to know if she is being serious on this.
She sighs and leads her hand to my chin and makes me look up at her instead of holding myself to a pillow. Her padded hand is warm- the strange leathery pads across her semi human fingers and palm. The strange appendage keeping me looking at her deep green eyes. “Pretend. To. Be. Tessa.” She says each word calmly and with through enunciation.
“Why me? Also that is a stupid idea, Impersonating a sect master is-”
“Jessica” she gently shakes my head “You are the first disciple. If anyone around here knows Tessa, it's you. Also, you know the sect far better than she does. Hell, you already run it on your own more or less. No one would probably notice.”
Heavens, I amend my statement. I want a hundred heavenly tribulations to kill me right now, one isn’t enough for my arrogance. Fry me and turn me to ashes so fine that the winds will never let me dare try to offend the heavens again.
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Instead of taking my pleas for death seriously and granting them unto me- the heavens see fit to let me simmer, and a week slowly passes into a month each moment bringing the dreaded day closer, with each second my stress grows “like the spring grasses” as the Master would probably put it.
Threat approaching or no, my duties call to me. I am to ensure dues are collected, approve requests from disciples, review newcomer applicatiobs, watch over the practice, keep a list of changes to eventually implement, inventory stocks, maintain finances, set aside the master’s duties (none), budget for food and long term growth. If we somehow survive without provoking a sect war we'll likely need to expand the disciples dorms. We can’t be having people sleeping on the ground as much as the master might say it's good for growth. Even after awakening, a cultivator is rarely so sturdy. At least until their first breakthrough.
I take the papers for the finances and store them on their dedicated shelf. The master was at least forward thinking enough to have one of the libraries dedicated to the finances though not large enough I’m afraid. Only a century into the existence of this sect and the volumes have grown immensely. I make a mental not to put expanding the finance library on the list of things to take care of in the coming century. Or perhaps a storage shed, but that would take some wards to make sure nothing rots and keeps bugs away and-
I shake my head and check the sun. Today is a nice day and I feel in a far better state of mind. Not perfect, but manageable. I have time to walk somewhere today and I need to speak with clover more. She should be practicing right now so I can make my way to her while I think.
Locking up the room, making sure the form boxes outside my office are in order in case someone wants to make a request for something while I'm out and then I leave the main hall, where the Master and I live and work. The master has the larger portion of the building to their own abode then there is the meeting room, and I get the libraries and records rooms, of course, with a small room for my things. I check my uniform for imperfections, olive green jacket, epaulets in place, black slacks neat and orderly. Rapier at my side. Black boots polished with a good shine. I’m not as orderly as I could be but it looks well enough.
I begin to walk. I do not have any solid plans yet. I can’t fight a sect master, I don’t care what Clover keeps encouraging me to do, I can't imitate the Master. I also don’t know if I can disturb Master Tessa. For the other Master, what was their name again? Master Dan? I need to placate them, prostrate, ask for forgiveness- which would likely end in insult and a sectarian war anyway. . .. Perhaps if the master were to at least show her face?
To show her face though, would mean to get her out of meditation. . . Now that I think about it, why doesn’t she actually ever enter closed door cultivation despite always cultivating? Her door is always there for me to poke into and never told me not to enter. Isn’t that what traditional cultivators do? They go into closed door cultivation for centuries and then come back more powerful and some shit? Also, I feel like a sect needs more than just the occasional kick in the pants to teach us and a few badly written tomes.
I stop and violently run my fingers through my hair, the headache of this problem is gonna kill me and getting distracted isn't helping. My hair falls in front of my face, the red strands shading my eyes for a moment before I sweep them to the side and continue my walk. I do not find a better alternative on this matter in my walk. It all returns variations of these thoughts with attempts to dissect them from different directions, slight variations, using different words to convince people, to use a different intonation to please their ego there. Each of them ends differently. I have a peripheral thought though that I don't know how to approach, nor know if I even should. I find Clover in combat with a middle disciple. A younger girl with a bright smile.
They danced around the ring, swords in hand, upon closer inspection this is a practice in parrying. Clover is on the offensive reaching for Haley’s openings, but letting her blade slide off with the parries. Clover is taking it easier so the girl can understand how to move her body when dealing with a faster opponent. Having seen how Clover fights for real this is like a light jog in the park. It’s not much longer until Clover lands a hit and they both stop.
“Much better than last time. You are still overcompensating on feints though." Clover gave her pointers on improvement. She was a great teacher, and she enjoys it. She helped me rework a couple of the forms guides. I never needed to ask if she found it annoying, because her tail wagged manically when she was helping with the forms and teaching the lower diciples. I hope she doesn’t hurt anyone with that weapon on her ass with how fast its going.
The younger girl waves to me at the end of their conversation. “First disciple Jessica” she sheathes her rapier, placing her right hand into a fist, her arm bent at the elbow across her stomach with a bow. I acknowledge the bow and nod to Clover. Technically, she should bow to me since I’m above her but she’s been here just as long as I have. Take away a year or so. There was no real difference in our positions here except I was arbitrarily chosen as the first disciple. Clover comes up to me and pulls me into a side hug. She is a very nice friend. So affectionate. Just a gal being my best pal. I lean my head on her shoulder for a second before returning the side hug.
“Got a moment? Or are you still training with Haley here?”
“I think we got it all done for the moment, yeah Celeste?” She looks to who I now realize is Celeste, the other of the twins. Fifty years, and I still don’t know how to tell them apart.
“Yes mom, I need to meditate on what I learned.” she bows again and dismisses herself. A practiced turn and walk. Her uniform is in better shape than mine and I chide myself internally on that.
Clover sighs and gives the girl a good spirited scowl. "Not your mom, kid!" She yelled out before turning to me shaking her head. “You know she only does that because you cant remember their names right?" she chastises me before huffing. "So what did you need me for?”
I try to hold back a chuckle but I answer her question “I’m still thinking on what to do- for the meeting between sect masters”
“Still not gonna just pretend to be Master Tessa?” she reaches around and plays with one of the golden cords of my epaulettes.
“Come on Clover, you know that’s just inviting trouble.” I sigh
She clicks her tongue and takes my hand into hers, gently pulling me along. “Walk and talk. You're clearly thinking of something, so spit it out”
“Well, for starters, are you sure… you don't want to try and talk to the Master yourself?”
“Hel’s tits no, last time I did that she beat my ass so hard I couldn’t wag my tail for a month.”
“And you said I should do it?” I ask, playfully exasperated.
“Well yeah, you're her precious first disciple.”
“Clover, do you remember what happened when you got your tail beat?”
“Uh, I got sent to Tommy for healing"
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“And who was sent there with you for similar injuries?”
“Ah yes, but you don't have a tail to get a deep set bone bruise with.” she retorts with a giggle.
I huff and shake my head
“Getting beat by her in exchange for the sect not falling apart is more ideal than the alternative.” she points out.
I think on this for a second, then smile “Then come get beat with me~” I squeeze her hand hard then pick up my pace to drag her along instead. Her eyes go wide and she tries to pull away digging her boots into the ground only to be dragged along.
“Hey hey hey Jessica, I think I need to teach Celeste a few more things, oh! I'll also have some paperwork to do, you appreciate that stuff right?.” She pulls hard against me but I continue our shared walk of doom.
“[Light Step]” she says and her hand disappears from mine. I catch the barest glimpse of her from the corner of my eye running away with a “Sorry not sorry” grin on her face. Ugh, I didn’t even get to ask her my other question. Coward. I dig my back boot into the ground and kick off to chase after the dog kin.
She giggles like a child running from a parent. Squealing as I inch closer. We weave across the grounds, through the spruce tree groves, the training grounds, I’m gonna need to have words with her about making us go through the cafeteria. One of the few buildings that isn’t just made from only wood. Eventually, she makes a slip up, and I crash into her, arms wrapped around me in a hug stopping us from hitting a dorm home.
“Oh my, thank you for walking me home sweetheart, why don't you come in for some drinks?” letting me go and gesturing to her small cabin. She spoke in the tone she used when trying to avoid punishments. I don’t listen to her, and dip down to pick her up by the waist, throwing her over my shoulder. Legs locked up in my grasp, walking her to the main building.
“Maybe the master will have some drinks for us to share.” She groans and struggles, but gives up instead settling on a pout.
“Ugh, you really don't need to drag me along to your doom.”
“Second disciple Clover, you get away from your duties far too much” I say in a mock chiding tone.
“I don't have any duties!”
“-And youre supposed to”
“I help teach disciples. I don't deserve this.”
“How about all the paperwork you said I appreciate so much.”
“Ah, well, I don't like to between you and your wife”
I gasp, slightly offended “I am not married to the paperwork- We never filled the forms for that”
She snorts and tries to kick me “Need a witness for the filing?”
I laugh “anyway, there was something else I was thinking of before you so rudely ran off.”
“A quick jog across the grounds isn't ‘running off’ Jessica”
I would glare at her if she wasn't slung over my shoulder. I instead would be left staring at her slacks. Which do make her thighs look very nice but thinking about that would make me less upset at her. I sigh and shift her so that she doesn't slip off my shoulder.
“I was going to ask what you knew about asking other sects for help”
“Sounds like something more in your purview" she notes
"I know, but I want a second opinion"
"Alright, um, I think we can put in a call for help to allied sects. One of those books you forced me to read had a note about how like, an ally sect might not get associated unless it's actually serious, and before you say anything, the master being lazy isn’t an emergency. Also we uh, kinda need allies to call on allied sects, do we have any of those?"
I sigh, I know the book she I made her read and I remember it exactly as that, which doesn’t make me feel good. “firstly, we have some allies on paper though across the century we have been here hardly anyone has shown any gestures of loyalty. Secondly, have you considered telling me exactly what I want to hear instead of the truth so I feel better?”
“I could say exactly what you want to hear but it's far more fun to watch you squirm.” she pokes a claw somewhere inappropriate and I shove her off my shoulder.
“Come on, you can walk with me.” I say rubbing my butt.
She sticks her tongue out and hops up onto her feet to follow, though on the way she manages to trip me by sliding her tail between by legs then putting her foot out while I’m distracted. Our conversation keeps the same tone of sharing ideas to little effect. When we reach the Master’s door I find the pins of stress in my mind again.
“You know what, I think tea back at your place would be better, let's do that” I move to step away but its now my hand gripped tight by hers. She knocks on the door loudly, maintaining direct eye contact with me. A smile on her face that, put succinctly, says “you dragged me here, we die together”.
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I wake up with bruises all over my body. I grunt and groan as everything hurts. It takes far too long to sit up. I see Clover in the bed next to me. In a similar state. Probably just as bruised under her fur.
“So, still think I’m her precious first disciple?” I say with a groan.
She moans and grunts, herself. Trying to form coherent words. She eventually forces out a “Still don't have a bruised tail” past gritted teeth.
“I don’t have a tail to begin with” I retort.
She waves a shaky hand in dismissal. “Details. . .” she slowly forces herself up, careful not to mover her tail too much. “Why don’t we just abandon this place? If the master won’t listen, why not leave before things get bad?”
At this, I stop. Because this is an actual idea. One that didn’t put us in a bind. Something I haven’t considered yet. Though I only think on it for a moment before I shake my head.
“Being first and second disciple for a little over a hundred years at a sect only as old isn’t exactly a shining resume. There are schools out there where you can’t even join until you’re at least 500 years old.”
Clover sighs and adds “and it's not like our master is the most direct when it comes to teaching anyway. So what we have learned from her isn't enough to prove our skills so easily. We would basically be putting ourselves back to square one, if that, unless I’m missing something?”
“Yeah, we wouldn’t even be able to join as a disciple, not unless we can find another fledgling sect to join, but I haven’t heard any nearby”
"We could try to be independent cultivators?"
The two of us look at each other before laughing.
Clover is the first to get over her joke. “Alright,” she then turns to me “-we are going to need to practice your Master impersonation”
I try to protest, but honestly, I have nothing to keep arguing for. The Master won’t help, and this needs the Master. I may not be Tessa but I’m our best bet to fill in.
“How would we even make me look like her?”
“Well, that's what we need to talk about aint it” she smiles as she lists the options available, pointing to fingers as she counts “Potions would make you physically like her, but might leave strange effects. A physical magic spell would be the most efficient way I think in terms of BEING Tessa. I think though, a simple illusion spell would be enough for what we need. Not like we need to be her down to the liver after all. Just need to convince people we are her, maybe talk them down from a demonstration.”
“Okay, what do we need?”
Clover clicked her tongue “Well there is the next problem, How well can you recall the Master’s appearance.”
“It’s an illusion spell based on memory?”
“Yeah, it's strength is based on how well you can construct it mentally, yeah”
I rub my hand against my very pained face. “-and what are the side effects of the potion?”
“You might stay stuck like her- or, parts at least might. Your eyes, streaks of hair, your ears not your entire appearance, but some parts might stay."
"Ugh where did you find all these spells? Theyre garbage!"
"In the master's library. Also, the illusion spell technically isn't a bad option, just will need a lot of practice with light."
"Oh. hmm. let's uhh, not talk about the fact that you just casually mentioned doing something that would get you into trouble. Also I'm assuming you are listing ones we can actually… *do* that aren't going to be more or less impossible in some fashion or another as we are now?."
"Yes, there was mention of one spell that just did most of the work for you but that's like imperial family sect level stuff that we have zero chance of getting our hands on. There was also another that worked great, but needed you to use a… I think it was a pure ruby spear with your cultivation? and one that required dual cultivating with her to just take her body."
I visibly shake thinking about dual cultivating with the master in any context and it makes an ache in my jaw flare. I pull out a tooth that didn't set right after the fight and throw it to the side. Gonna need to get that healed. Wonderful.
"Alright, what's the problem with the physical one?"
"Ah yes, that one requires you to have been, and I quote, ‘physically intimate’ with the person you want to imitate. Not dual cultivation but pretty close. some skinship stuff. Works good for like, family members and lovers."
"Does it say anything about being physically agressive with one another?"
She shrugs "Not really"
I cover my face with my hands and sigh. Wonderful. Wonderful. All of my options still suck. Oh gods just smite me now, bring down heavens judgement I don't fucking deserve this. Fiery death from above please. I don't want to do this, just end it all.
A hand on my shoulder. "Jessica, eyes on me, okay?"
I stop. And turn to her. She’s standing next to me, even bruised and battered as she is. Her smile shining past her maw, one of her own canines was missing. Thought for later, are all dog kin teeth canines?
“We are going to make it through this. Trust me, okay?” Her piercing green eyes weakening my worries, and so I trust her. I at least know one ally will be with me for whatever happens. I trust Clover utterly.
“Okay” I say with a deep breath in. “Okay.” and out. . .“Alright, I. . . I guess we should look into the potion and the illusion spell. They won’t hurt to practice at least.” I brush strands of hair back into place, though my appearance is still pretty awful after the beating I took earlier. "-and I can at least hope the one about being physical doesn't mean needing to be naked with her at some point in my life." Hey why do so many techniques require being naked? This sounds like a thinly veiled way for cultivators to have sex. I thought all that stuff in old stories were just writers being horny, but this really isn't normal-
At this moment another beast kin enters the room. Soft black fur, big wide golden eyes, an adorable tail that flicks all over the place. Tommy, our sweet cat kin. His uniform is slightly different than what most others have, He wears a skirt since he finds the pants to chafe his fur too much and hates the tail button in the back, preferring to just keep his tail under the skirt. Though with it only coming to the thighs he has a tendency to lift his tail enough to have a skirt slip. I don’t enjoy needing to reprimand him, but we really can’t be flashing people.
"Mom, what are you doing? You're supposed to wait for me to help after you train with the Master." He pouts pulling clover back to her bed.
"We aren't your moms. Tommy" she complains, but lets him pull her back without any resistance.
The sweetheart bounces over to his crafts table and collects some bandages, salves, and whatever else healers use for their healing. Craft cultivation in general is complicated and he reset his cultivation pretty early to focus on it. Still one of the youngest of our sect. Not a child though, just carefree like one. He has the enthusiasm of one when asked about his cultivation and will explain in great detail. I know this because he has enthusiastically done it for me enough times though that I really should compile the information together so I can follow along on his more wild tangents, or for when a different diciple comes to me for advice and doen't have the patience for one of Tommy's many hour long tengents.
His work is delicate and careful and we are up to moving within the day. His fees as always are a couple hugs, which we are more than happy to oblige. I also make a mental note to check his reports on stock to make sure he has everything.
"We really should do something about everyone calling us mom" Clover says stretching herself out. Healing always leaves muscles tense. I think I’ll take her up on her massage offer again, everything is so tense.
I'm busy inspecting my tooth that got fixed with my tongue, but I divert my attention from that to address what she said.
"It's hardly worth bothering with. Being a few decades older than them won't mean much after a few more breakthroughs"
"And what of the new recruits? They'll keep calling us mom"
I shrug. "they're basically children at that point and it’s almost fitting."
"Jessica, if I didn't know any better I'd think you want them to call you mom"
"Well, the master certainly isn't gonna do anything for them" I add on the defense.
She wraps her arm around my shoulder and starts poking me in the side. "What, do you want me to start calling you mom too? Mommy mommy"
"Stop that" I try to push her away but she's enjoying herself too much. I'm feeling a flush on my face again. She's always makes me feel like this and I don't know why. "you're just as old as I am anyway"
"A woman can be older than you and call you mommy" she says in such an innocent tone I almost didn't question it.
"What are you talking about, silly" I finally push her away. "We have more serious things to be dealing with than that anyway"
"Right right, sorry" she ceases her teasing to put on a more serious face. “So when do you have a free day?”
“For what?”
“To go into town obviously, gotta see about getting the ingredients for that potion. As well as just checking in on stuff y’know?”
“Oh right, I suppose next week?”
“Its a date then~” she says pulling me into a side hug. Such a strangely affectionate dog kin.