Akari was still sitting at the little table in that elegant room, trying to keep from being overwhelmed by the majestic presence of a goddess just a few feet away. After her torrent of questions, which still hadn't received any answers, Akari had eventually calmed down, then Hebi had asked her to say who she was.

"I live alone in a little apartment, and I work part-time as a miko at the Nakahara Shrine in old-town Shinjō," Akari explained. "Just me and a shrine priest named Jin work there, and his daughter who's training to be a miko too."

Across the table from Akari, Hebi nodded. "Very well, but who are you? What is it that makes you you?" She held the tip of her grey-scaled tail between her fingers like a pen, looking very much like a reporter or accountant in her formal jacket and skirt.

"Uhh, well, I'm curious and I like to learn, and my dad always said I was too carefree around the unknown. I love Shintoism and I've studied it since I was little. And I can see those little wisp spirits, but you already knew that." Akari shrugged and added, "Being that weird girl who thought she could see spirits made it hard to make friends. Then the few I made moved away after high school…"

"Ah, I see. That must have been hard… Are you lonely? Depressed?"

Akari glanced around at the other women in the room and her gaze lingered involuntarily on Inara's striking gold eyes. She pulled her focus back to Hebi and answered, "Um, that's kind of personal. Is this an interrogation or something? I thought Inu already did that."

"No. Think of it like an interview," Hebi said with a smile.

"Huh, okay. I guess I am lonely, but not depressed. My life is pretty good, all things considered." Akari was definitely an optimist, but she liked it that way. She'd rather see the positive side of things than dwell on the negative.

"Hold up." Inara lifted a hand, her fingernails long and shiny and beautiful. "Hebi, where are you going with this? Are you trying to convince me to let this girl leave after she discovered us?"

Hebi turned to face Inara and waved her tail in front of herself in a dismissive gesture. "No, ma'am. Quite the opposite in fact. I was hoping you would hire her to be a shrine maiden here."

Inara leaned forward and her royal purple kimono parted slightly, giving Akari a welcome but problematic eyeful of cleavage. Akari considered herself biromantic and she had indeed fallen hard for a boy in high school, but the female form had a particularly strong effect on her. She could get lost for hours in a fashion magazine, admiring the beautiful models more than the clothes. And she made a point to avoid porn mags, out of fear that her admiration for the female body might become pervy.

"And why would I want to hire her?" Inara asked.

"As Akari's employer, you'd have a degree of power over her, protection against her exposing us to the outside world. And she'd be kept close at hand."

Inara seemed intrigued. She leaned back in her chair and waved a hand for Hebi to continue.

Akari cut in, "Uh, do I get a say in this? I kinda like my job at the shrine in town."

From her guard post by the door, Inu answered. "Sorry, girl. One way or another, you aren't going back to your old life. But if you roll with Hebi's plan, you might get out of this with your memories intact."

Akari opened her mouth but couldn't find any words. She rather liked her memories, and her old life for that matter.

Usagi nodded eagerly. "Hebi's plans are pretty great. She's always plotting something exciting and mysterious!"

Hebi nodded and addressed Akari, "As they said, I've got a plan, and it has everyone's best interests in mind. You mentioned you had been short on money to pursue your dreams, yes?"

Akari was still worried about the 'memories' comment, but she answered, "Uh, yeah. I wanted to go to college, but I couldn't afford it."

"We can pay you much more than your current job, if you play by our rules."

"And what if I refuse?"

Inara was the one to answer. "Then I take away your ability to see spirits and erase your memory of this day. Or kill you, if that proves easier."

Akari swallowed hard, then sat up straight in her chair and said, "I would like to apply for the job, please."

Hebi clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! So, what could you provide us if you were to work here as a shrine maiden?"

"Well, I'm experienced with shrine maintenance and rituals, and I have lots of knowledge about both traditional and modern Shintoism, if that's helpful. I have some connections at other shrines, and with the town government because my dad was a civil servant. And I can clean, I guess."

"Um, if I may?" Usagi asked, meekly raising one small hand. When Hebi nodded, Usagi said, "She could go shopping for us. I'd really love some new clothes." She hooked her thumbs under the exposed bra straps at her shoulders and tugged upward, sending her generous bosom bouncing. "This bra is too tight, for example."

"You girls can't go shopping? Just hide your ears under a hat, or be invisible since most people can't see—"

Hebi interrupted, explaining, "We can't take human form outside the shrine grounds, limiting us to things we can acquire in our mundane animal forms."

"Except for Inara. She's not limited like us, but she can't walk among the humans for other reasons," Inu added.

Akari's eyes lit up. "Ooh, animal forms? I want to see!"

Hebi clicked her fingernails on the tabletop. "We're getting off topic. Akari, would you be willing to run errands for the shrine, on top of more typical miko duties?"

"Sure, I guess. But if you can't leave the shrine, how can you pay me?" In her mind, she pictured a small white rabbit trying to withdraw cash at an ATM. The image was too cute and she almost giggled aloud.

Hebi smiled. "Online banking. I control the shrine's bank account, which has been collecting interest on its donations for a few hundred years."

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Oh, that makes sense. So what would the job pay?"

"Twice your current hourly rate, and the work is full time: forty hours a week."

"Ooh. Nice." Akari didn't think to question how Hebi knew her current pay.

"And we'd cover food and board, including utilities," Hebi added.

"Huh?" Akari said. "Why would—?"

"It's a live-in position," Hebi answered flatly. "I did say you'd be kept close at hand."

"Oh. Ohhh… Give me a moment to think," Akari said, rubbing her chin in thought. She didn't have any major connection to where she was living now, so moving wasn't a major problem. And she'd get to live with and work for a beautiful Shinto goddess. And between the increased pay and no rent, she could save for a year or two and have enough to pay for her entire time at university. She could finally start living the life her parents had always wanted for her.

Meanwhile, Hebi turned to Inara who was still lounging in her chair with her bare legs crossed. Hebi said, "How about it, Boss? Does this sound good to you?"

Inara narrowed her gold-colored eyes and said, "I don't know exactly what you're scheming, Hebi, but I can see you put a lot of planning into this. I'm willing to see it through, if you can give me some guarantees."

"Of course. We'll have Akari sign a contract allowing you to wipe her memories if she exposes us. I believe I can even set up a charm to do it automatically, before she can even cause real damage."

"Wait, what? You can do that?" Akari said, pulled from her thoughts.

Hebi grinned wide, revealing neat, menacing teeth. "You'd be surprised what a goddess's power can do. I'd just be guiding it." Then the grin changed to a gentle smile so fast it gave Akari whiplash. "So, are you in, Akari?"

Akari could hear her father's voice in her head telling her not to rush into situations she didn't understand, but she blazed forward anyway. "Yeah, I'm in. When do I start?"

"Right after this." Hebi drew a piece of paper out of her breast pocket and unfolded it. It was already covered in neat handwritten text, wordy and full of legalese. She slid it across the table along with a fancy black and silver ballpoint pen, then tapped the signature line at the bottom. "Just sign here, please."

Akari skimmed the employment contract and didn't see anything scary or unexpected, and she was pretty sure these spirits could have harmed her already if that had been their intent. She took the pen in hand and signed her name, changing her fate forever.

"Welcome to the shrine!" Usagi cheered. "I think you'll love it here."

----------------------------------------

"So, how long have you lived here, Usagi?" Akari asked as she followed the short and bouncy woman on a tour of the shrine.

"Hmm, about two centuries I think, but the time really flies." She waved a hand at a spacious room beyond an open doorway. "That's the worship hall. We don't use it for anything right now."

Akari was more interested in Usagi's answer than the tour. She blurted, "Centuries?!"

"Yeah. Hebi's been here about 80 years, and Inu's the young one. She showed up on our doorstep just 30 years ago."

"Wow… you all seem so young and pretty."

Usagi smiled and tossed her long braid over her shoulder. "Perks of being a spirit. Our bodies are reflections of our souls, and my soul is quite fulfilled, thanks mostly to Mistress Inara." Then she stopped by another doorway. "This is the kitchen. I do most of the meal preparation because I enjoy it, but the others cook from time to time. You're welcome to use the kitchen whenever you want. Do you like to cook, Akari?"

"A little, I guess. I'm not very food motivated but I have to eat, so I took the time to learn to make some meals I like."

"Ah, you're the opposite of Hebi. She loves to eat, but can't cook any of her favorite dishes to save her life. Oh, speak of the devil. Hello, Hebi."

Hebi approached from down the hall. Her long grey hair was piled in a bun on top of her head, and she held a folded towel under one arm. More notably, she was entirely naked. Akari did a double take, noticing everything from Hebi's slim figure and flat chest to her complete lack of pubic hair, then Akari looked away blushing.

"Hello," Hebi said simply. "Want to join me for a bath?"

With a giggle, Usagi said, "I think Akari here is a little overwhelmed. I might join you after I finish the tour."

Hebi nodded and continued past, slipping into the bathing room at the end of the hallway. That room had been one of the first stops on Usagi's tour, and it contained a large community-style bath, heated by a wood-burning stove. The entire shrine was off the grid, drawing its water from a well and its electricity from solar panels and an emergency generator.

Usagi put a hand on Akari's shoulder. "We can be a little casual with nudity around here. I suggest you get used to it."

"O-of course. Sorry. I guess I should tell you that I'm attracted to women…"

"Oh, I already guessed that. It was pretty obvious from your reaction to Mistress Inara. Don't worry, you're not the only one."

"Ah, okay," Akari mumbled, but her thoughts were racing. I guess everyone has that reaction to Inara. She was just so beautiful and overwhelming. I hope I'll get to see her again after the tour. I have so many questions!

"These are the bedrooms." Usagi gestured with one hand at each door as she said, "Inu's, Hebi's, and mine. Mistress Inara's is the double-door at the end of the hallway. It goes without saying, but please don't enter any of them unless invited. And don't turn down the Mistress's invitations…" She trailed off with a distant look in her eyes, then shivered from ears to tail.

"Uh-huh, sure." Akari said. It was starting to look like Usagi and Inara were in some sort of kinky relationship, and if so, Usagi wasn't shy about it in the least. Well, they've lived together for 200 years so I guess they found their comfort zone by now.

Usagi calmly resumed the tour as if she hadn't just quivered in lust. "You can have one of these three rooms, whichever you like. They all have windows facing east, but the corner room also has a door straight to the porch, if easy access to the outdoors is your thing." She looked Akari up and down, casting a judgmental eye on her lightly used hiking clothes and her thick thighs. Unlike Usagi who had firmly toned legs and a big bust, Akari was more bottom-heavy. "Is it your thing?"

Akari stood up straighter and planted her feet in a strong stance, then said, "Hey, I work out. I just have a pear-shaped body type, okay?"

"Of course. I didn't mean to offend," Usagi said, fluttering her eyelashes innocently.

Akari didn't believe her for an instant. That jab felt very intentional. But Akari said, "It's okay. In any case, after all their talk of keeping tabs on me, I think Hebi and Inara would prefer I not have easy access to an exterior door."

"Excellent point!" Usagi said with unnecessary cheer. "Pick a room and you can start moving in right away. Hebi already hired movers to bring all your belongings to a shed by the nearest mountain road, and we can all get some exercise carrying it in."

"What?!" Akari squawked. She hadn't cleaned her apartment in a few days, and she didn't like the thought of random men packing up her stuff. "How will the movers even get into my apartment?"

"Hebi borrowed your house keys while you were unconscious, and Inu ran off to put them under your doormat."

"A-ah, okay…" Akari said, picturing a huge fluffy platinum blonde dog carrying keys in its mouth through town. But what's to say that Inu's animal form is a big dog? Maybe it's a little cute one!

Usagi's voice cut into Akari's daydreaming. "However, it would be nice if you were the one to call your landlord to cancel your lease. Even digital phones don't carry our voices and some things can't be done through email."

"Sure, I can do that. I look forward to it, actually. That guy's a jerk to me, even though I've always paid my rent on time." Akari had lived in that little apartment for three years, but she would have much preferred to have stayed in her family home where she'd grown up. But her dad had to sell it to pay medical bills, and then he died just the same. That had been two years ago, during Akari's final year of high school.

But she didn't want to dwell on that right now. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, forced a smile, and said, "I'll take this room then. When are we getting my belongings from that shed?"

Usagi frowned. "Sorry, but you'll have to do most of that work yourself. The shed is outside of the shrine grounds and I'm afraid our animal forms would be of little help. But if you bring things to the edge of the clearing, we can help with the final stretch."

Akari could clearly remember Usagi saying, 'We can all get some exercise', but apparently she had meant 'You can get some exercise'.

The meek rabbit has some teeth after all, Akari thought. Is she jealous of me because I might take some of Inara's attention? Then I hope that happens, just to spite her.