“This is it, my daughter.” Hannah heard her father’s ghost say. “I have taught you the basics all Dreamers had to know. I have informed, guided, and prepared you for the best possible choice and result for your Awakening. Now all that is left is for you to actually walk down the path I have laid for you, and walk it with pride my daughter because very few individuals have done what you will accomplish on that road.
That being the case, I am of no use to you anymore, therefore, this recording will cease to exist as well. However, before I do, I have one last gift for you. A gift that has nothing to do with your imminent Awakening, but for after it is done.
You know where to find it.”
With those words, Hannah saw her father’s ghost stand from the office desk and make his way to the red leather sofa chair. Once there, her father’s recorded image sat with his legs crossed all while his brown eyes stared right at the floating multicolored Dream Gem in the middle of the office.
Yes, just as Hannah expected her father to vanish, his mouth opened up one last time. “Oh… Before I forget it again, let me give you a little warning.
An unofficial Rule exists within the Dreamwalker Society on Gaia. Never share anything about the Dreamer Society with anybody not of the Dreamer Society. The only exceptions to this Rule are those that are imminently close to Awakening.
Well… I have said what needed to be said.
Goodbye, dear daughter, whom I love and cherish very much.”
With a kind smile beamed from his face, Hannah watched her father’s visage flicker for the last time because this time there was nothing to replace it, so all her brown eyes could settle on was the red leather sofa chair in the corner of the office.
On it, they stayed for a while since Hannah was unsure of what she felt.
Maybe it was regret? Or maybe it was melancholy? Whatever it was, it was not an emotion Hannah was familiar with. And it showed because it took her a long time to recover from those feelings.
When she did, though, Hannah spoke up even though none but her would hear it. “Goodbye… Father!”
After that, Hannah’s lips opened and closed a few times, as if seeking something else to say. Unfortunately, that something else never seemed to manage to find its way to broad daylight. Instead, Hannah’s attention shifted to the last gift her father had left her. Hence, her gaze turned away from the red leather sofa chair and settled on the office desk.
Very briefly, her brown eyes settled on the five glowing palm-sized bubbles containing the material for her Awakening.
Each of the five bubbles emanated a peculiar sensation to her that made each of the five ingredients contained within those bubbles a unique phenomenon within the Dreamer Society.
Luckily, having already studied the ingredients, and their origins, Hannah ignored them and settled her vision on the origin, namely the drawer from which she had originally taken out her now attuned crystal card by the name of Dreamer’s Card or D-Card for short.
Walking up to the office desk and the drawer in question, Hannah opened it up to find an envelope inside.
A white envelope with green flourishing to make it more appealing. Additionally, since the front of the envelope faced up, Hannah was immediately privy to the signet mark that was used to seal the envelope with candle wax. Or, at least, she assumed it to be so since this was, in truth, the very first time Hannah came across something like this outside that one time her history teacher had presented an example.
Picking up the envelope from the drawer's insides, Hannah paid greater attention to the candle wax mark in the shape of a crossed sword and staff, a magical staff if her interpretation was correct.
Turning the envelope around, Hannah read the only letters written on the backside in a large and blocky format yet very stylized.
“Champions Association.” Hannah read out loud, but since she had no clue what it referred to aside from the individual words for Champion and Association, of course, she simply ignored it and tried her best to open the envelope, but no matter how she tried to wiggle her fingers within the front slit of the envelope, the candle wax seal simply refused to budge its existence.
In the end, Hannah was reminded of her father’s words, words indicating that this last gift was for after her Awakening. As such, she simply placed the envelope on the office desk together with five ingredients and the blueprints for her Tool and Summon.
Nevertheless, after that, Hannah had trouble with what to do.
Part of her knew that all that was left to do was start the Awakening process, yet, a small part of her was reluctant to do so right in this moment.
That very same part of her desired Hannah to inform her mother of everything that had occurred so far because, once started, there was no way to interrupt the Awakening process, hence she did not want her mother to worry if she did not wake up on time as usual.
Nodding at the plan, Hannah wondered for a second on how to leave her Dream Sanctum voluntarily since she had never done so through her own cognition. No, it always occurred when something had pushed her into a corner like her father’s ghost sharing knowledge that was too much for her to handle.
In the end, Hannah went for the simplest solution she could think of, and that was to just lay down on the floor and attempt to fall asleep hoping that it would instead wake her up back in real life.
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The very first thing Hannah noticed after leaving her Dream Sanctum was that it was still dark, still in the middle of the night, though it was closer to morning than to midnight.
The second thing Hannah realized was that she was not alone in her bedroom. That very stricken understanding spiked a moment of paralyzing fear into her when she noted a bulge on her right side within her peripheral vision thanks to a small bit of emanating purple light from a little contraption plugged into an electric socket.
Ignoring the mosquito-luring contraption, Hannah’s third understanding flooded through her mind. However, this one she did not expect at all. She did not because Hannah had imagined she was rid of it, permanently, now that she had access to her Dream Sanctum. Yet, it was that very same understanding telling her that she was not currently present within said Dream Sanctum, hence why from deep within her a hungry monster woke up.
Just as Hannah was about to panic even further, from beside her, the bulge depressed itself before establishing itself only this time with the perpetrators facing Hannah.
“Mom?” Hannah cried out softly, with an almost tear-stained expression.
In the same instant, Hailey opened her amber eyes to stare at her daughter. “Hey… Honey… Did I scare you there for a second?” Hailey asked with a sleepy tone, but only slightly because her body had become accustomed to her nightly work routine, hence she was having trouble falling asleep.
In the same instant, Hannah heard her mother's voice, the spike of fear also settled down, but not without a mighty protest in the form of chorting and chirping sent Hannah’s way.
Noticing her daughter not replying instantly though she was awake, Hailey finally shrugged off the slightly sleepy look on her face.
Lifting the blanket on her daughter's side, Hailey spoke up.
“Come here. Let's snuggle a bit.” That said, Hannah nodded before lifting her own blanket and crawling into her mother’s bosom.
Once there, Hannah snuggled within her mother's soft embrace.
Sadly, despite the cushy embrace, sleep escaped her as her mind worked overtime with everything she had witnessed within her father’s office and what occurred just a few moments prior.
Instead, to divert her attention, Hannah spoke up. “Mom? How are you here?”
Listening to the inquiry of her daughter, Hailey replied. “There was some sort of gas leak at the establishment.”
Intrigued even more, Hannah’s head left her mother's bosom to stare at her. “Gas leak?”
“Yea.” Hailey confirmed again. “Government Agents suddenly appeared all over the place shooing away everyone, employee and customer alike. By the time any of us knew what was happening for certain, the whole street was evacuated, leaving us stranded on the street. So the Mistress simply sent us home.”
“That… “
Just as Hannah wondered what to say, Hailey interrupted her. “What about you?”
Almost instantly, Hannah’s attention was shifted from her mother's workplace. “He's gone!”
“Gone? You mean your father’s ghost?”
“Hnng.” Hannah murmured.
“Completely?”
Hesitant for a moment, Hannah responded. “Umm… I think so.”
“I see.” Hailey said. “Listen, honey… Whether it was just your imagination or not, I am glad that you met your father in your dreams. I am not sure how much you remember of him before your nightmares started, but he was a good man and he would be proud of you just as I am. Okay?”
“I… Know, Mom.” Hannah hesitantly responded because her father’s words had implied something similar, though in a rather abject form. Yet, in the same instant that she remembered those, Hannah remembered their father’s last warning. “Mom. In the end, before Father’s ghost vanished, he mentioned a warning. A warning to not speak about Dreamers if you were not part of them or close to Awakening.”
“Well… Well… Color me surprised on that one.” Hailey said, but it was clear from her tone that it was anything but close to surprise. “How mighty convenient for you guys. Then again… if my husband was one and my daughter will soon be one as well, then would that not technically make me part of you guys?”
Unsure about it, Hannah simply spoke about her lack of knowledge. “Probably.”
“Don't worry about it, honey.” Hailey stated. “If somebody wonders about it, just say it's your father's fault. After all, a dead man can't defend himself since he is underground and in a casket.”
“Hehe…” Hearing the soft chuckle, Hailey squeezed her daughter to her bosom for a moment.
“Since neither of us feels that sleepy, why don't you tell me everything that went on this time?”
Asked about it, Hannah delivered by telling her mother of what she'd learned on this day, or night, and also by what she'd been given. How they looked and how they behaved. It was in that very same moment, that a sudden suspicion arose within Hailey’s mind.
“Honey… Wait… Repeat the names for me.” Hailey asked.
“OK.” Hannah said before responding and listing the five ingredients for her Awakening.
“The first bubble held an Apricot of Time plucked from an Apricot Tree within the Dream of Purple.”
“The second bubble held a Seed of Space found within the soil of the Dream of Brown.”
“The third bubble contained a Ray of Lighting.” Hannah said before going into more details with a slightly exciting tone behind her voice. “You should have seen it, Mom. It was all red and sparkly within the bubble, and when I shook it, it started shooting off even more sparks. It was amazing.”
“Right… Similar to a snow globe, only with lightning instead of snow.. Anyway, where was it found again?” Hailey inquired, though, her purpose of knowing was hidden.
“Ah. Father said it was usually seen within the towering Nimbus Columnbus within the Nightmare of Red.”
“Ah… Alright. Go on. Tell me about the last two.”
“Hnng… The fourth bubble did not appear anything special since all it did was contain a flower bud, so I could not see what it truly looked like.” Hannah answered. “Though, Father did call it a Flower of Life and it could be found growing on top of the Vast Lakes within the Dream of Blue.”
“Mmm… And the last one?”
“The last one was hard to make out, but it appeared fluid in nature with shimmering colors of black, blue, magenta, and similar colors.” Hannah said. “Apparently it is called Water of Chaos and it can be found within the ocean depths of the Nightmare of Blue.”
“Mmm… Mmm… Say, honey… Is it just me or do those names point at something obvious.” Hailey poignantly asked her daughter who was still snuggled in her bosom.
“Umm!” Hannah said nothing and began pondering what her mother hinted about. Only no matter how she worded the names in her head, she was no closer to any true understanding. “I don't know, Mom.”
“Somehow that does not surprise me since you've had no contact with that part of society.” Now even more curious, Hannah’s head left her mother's bosom again and stared right at her amber eyes, though it was hard to tell they were of that color in the darkness. “What I am talking about, my innocent little bunny, is the fact that those very names you just listed to me portray the first signs of extravagance, and since extravagance is directly related to wealth, I am sure you can see where I am going with this.”
Despite it having been pointed so directly, it still took Hannah a few moments before the metaphorical bulb of imagination bore its purpose, and when it did, only one word escaped Hannah’s lips.
“Oh..”
“Now you get it.” Hailey added grimly. “If your Dreamer business is truly real and all that, then those gifts you just received sound mighty expensive to me.”
Trembling for a moment, as things finally clicked for her, Hannah turned completely silent, because it was at this point that she finally understood, or at least appeared to understand that it was her fault that her mother was sacrificing herself so much for her, again.
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Truly, when it hit her, it hit her hard, causing Hannah to almost instantly tear up before actual tears streamed from her tear ducts, all while her mouth urgently began apologizing.
“I… am… Mom… I am so sorry… It's all my fault…. I am sorry.”
Cradling her daughter as she cried out for the second time in a long while, Hailey hushed her daughter to stop crying.
“It's ok… It's ok, darling… it's not your fault.” Hailey voiced out. “If it has to be anyone's fault, then it is your father's since he is the one who got those gifts for you.” Having it said like that, did calm down Hannah somewhat, though her crying refused to stop. “Shh… Shh… It's ok… Let it all out first… and then we can talk about the true enigma.”
“Sniff… Enigma?” Hannah managed to utter out.
“Yes.” Hailey confirmed. “I've had this suspicion since your last session, but it's only today that I am certain enough to point it out to you. Namely how your father knew exactly what would befall you over seven years ago, and how he knew exactly what you needed seven and plus years later.”
Once pointed out, the mystery managed to calm Hannah down further since her mind began making connections of the how.
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“You continue preparing mentally.” Hailey voiced out with a steel-like tone. “I should be back long before it's dark, so take care.”
“I will, Mom.” Hannah answered as she saw her mother leave with a firm expression of getting some answers.
“Good. Bye… Bye.” Hailey said and waved at her daughter before making her way down the stairs of the apartment complex.
Once she was outside, she trekked a bit to reach the main street. There, a few moments passed as he waited for a yellow car to appear, and the moment it did, she raised her right arm to call for it. Unluckily, it seemed her first option refused to stop by, but luckily the second was the opposite.
Opening and closing the second passenger door, Hailey stepped inside and greeted the taxi driver before giving him an address and watching the streets go by. Usually, Hailey used a bus, as it had a somewhat convenient schedule with where she lived and it was cheaper if you bought the monthly card for it.
Today, however, was not such a day, since it was nowhere near her usual clock-in time for work. Not that she intended to work either way since the government folks had shut down the whole street and not just the Rose Peach Bordello where she worked as a hostess to cater to rich people, and their acquaintances, who visit these kinds of establishments to do all kinds of activities they could or would not be able to outside the Red Light District of Oaktown City.
No, Hailey was not going there to work or anything close to it.
Instead, she was there for some answers.
Answers that were long due to come her way. She only hoped that she would find them because one of the reasons she was so in the dark about her husband's debt had to do with the existing contract between him and the people to whom he had become indebted. Namely, the clause that disallowed her the acquisition of the information regarding the details of the contract, which was contradictory in the first place since that made the debt look like a very big con for money.
However, every lawyer she had involved in the negotiations proved the aforementioned con-like contract as valid. In fact, her inherited debt was so real that there was no way out of it save paying it off.
Nevertheless, to pay it off a ridiculous amount of money was needed and Hailey had no such money.
Reminded of the past, Hailey quickly shook her head to shake off the past, because now, she needed to be more than a simple mother.
No.
Now she needed to be an extremely pissed-off mother if she was to get anything out of Mistress Ping, the owner of the Rose Peach Bordello. At least, if she found the women at all since the apparent gas leak had shooed away everybody. However, when the taxi driver drove her to the Red Light District, Hailey found a rather disturbing amount of black-clad people with weapons in hand.
“Miss… Are you sure you want to stop here?” The driver asked honestly since the sight even disturbed him as well.
Not responding immediately, Hailey glanced around the entrance of the Red Light District. It was there that she found a familiar face.
“I am.” Hainley finally answered and paid the money for the fare.
Once outside the car, Hailey schooled her face into the sternest and angriest face she could and rushed for the familiar face. Naturally, by rushing it meant fast walking. Either way, the moment Hailey reached the familiar face, the same familiar person reacted to her by blossoming a smile on that pretty face which had no right to belong to a man, even an effeminate man in this case.
“Miss Blackwood. I was hoping to see you.” The man with the female face said.
“I am sure you did, Lee” Hailey retorted at the man directly without hiding her animosity because the man before her had tried to get his way into her pants multiple times, just like he had accomplished with the other hostesses of the Rose Peach Bordello due to being Mistress Ping’s nephew.
That and his pretty face.
“What do you want?”
“I keep telling you Miss, that there is no need to be feisty with me.” Lee Ping said before shaking his head and mentioning the main reason he even stood at the entrance of the Red Light District. “Aunty told me to inform the Rose Peach employees that the Bordello will be closed for a few days till everything is fixed and reinstated.”
“Fixed?” Hailey called out. “So there was indeed a gas leak problem? But then why is the whole district closed? And why are all those men in black standing guard?”
“Ah… It seems the problem was bigger than expected. Old pipes and all that.” Lee Ping nonchalantly answered with a shrug of his shoulders emphasizing his lack of concern. “So the government is closing the district to prevent any casualties till the problem is mended. It should not take too long from what I heard. A week at most.”
Just hearing it, Hailey could imagine the noise and angry shouts to get everything fixed as soon as possible and make the hidden river of money and influence flow again. Truly, had she not been right in the middle of this hidden world of pleasure and vice, Hailey would have never believed just how much went on behind the scenes.
Shaking her head, Hailey recalled her furious side. “Where is Mistress? I need to speak with her immediately.”
“Sorry, Miss. But Aunty is busy and does not have time to waste.” Lee Ping replied with a shake of his head.
“I did not ask if she was busy or not. I asked you where she is and you will tell me.” Hailes almost shouted at the pretty boy in front of her.
“Woah… Woah… What's got you so zesty.”
“Stop distracting… Where is Mistress Ping?” Hailey asked again, only her voice was just loud enough to gain the attention of the man in black holding weapons.
“Ok… Ok… There is no need to shout.” Lee Ping said before throwing his hands into the air. “Still… Like I told you before. Aunty is busy and has no time to see you. Her orders and all that.”
“I don't care!” Hailey shouted. “She will see me, or there will be trouble.” That said, Hailey suddenly inched her head closer to the young man’s head before whispering her true threat. ‘Or would you like me to spill some beans to those nice men in black uniforms?’
“Oy… Oy… Oy… That is going way over the board.” Lee Ping suddenly responded as if clearly bothered by what could be exposed. “Fine, Miss… Since you are that adamant about it, I will tell you. Aunty is back within the Bordello.”
“She is?” Hailey voiced out, surprised that the older women had not been banished by now, like everybody else.
“Yea… The sky will fall sooner than somebody having the guts to evict her from her own property.” Lee Ping added. “Anyway, the main entrance is blocked as you can see, so use the back entrance. As for Aunty’s location? Well… The last time I saw her she was in her office and pissed, royally pissed that is. So if you are going, do not mention that I told you anything. Clear?”
“Fine…” With a grumpy exterior, Hailey immediately switched gears and zipped her way outside the main street and into a small alley, hidden between two buildings.
Clearing a few bends, here and there, Hailey found the back entrance. Yet, just as she saw the door, she was reminded that it was a one-way door, at least if you had no key to open it from the outside.
“Damn, bastard.” Hailey shouted after gripping the handle and pushing on the door a few times.
Luckily, just as she wanted to rush back and assault the pretty boy with a good kick between the legs because, no matter how pretty he was, he still possessed manly parts down there, the backdoor opened up.
Almost instantly, another familiar face greeted her, only this one was blocky as it stood on a bulky neck and body. “Greg… It's… Cough… Thank you for opening the door for me Greg. Can you let me in, I need to speak with the Mistress?”
“Ah… Miss Blackwood.” Greg said before quickly scratching the right side of his chin. Eventually, he stepped aside to let Hailey pass through. “Come in.”
“Thank you, Greg… You're a gentleman, like always.” Hailey gently voiced before urgently going inside the Rose Peach Bordello.
Nevertheless, what she found inside was not what she expected.
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What Hailey expected was an empty building, but she should have known better.
Greg’s presence was a clear indicator that things were not as they should be since, while the building was not up to its full capacity, even if it was currently early in the day, the presence of so many security personnel presented a clear anomaly.
When so many of those huge or buff men began glaring at Hailey, it made her feel small and weak, like prey caught within a trap.
Thankfully, Hailey had a clear purpose today, so she had an easier time shrugging off the intimidating factor sent her way. As such, she quickly ignored the security personnel and made her way up the stairs, with the goal being the last floor as the last floor was designated as the administrative part of the building.
Stepping on the steps upward, a part of Hailey wondered behind the reason for an almost empty building needing that many security present.
Maybe gas leak is a synonym for something else leaking?
With no answer sent her way, Hailey quickly found herself before the large office door.
Nonetheless, she did not enter inside instantly because the earlier standoff between the security personnel had unnerved her quite a bit. Hence, after taking a rather big breath, Hailey steadied herself before knocking on the wooden door.
With the knock, she grabbed the handle and entered inside, though, she was once again seeing things she did not expect. Namely, going by Lee Ping’s description, she expected an angry visage staring at her, but what she found was the epitome of graceful serenity within those old black eyes of the Mistress of Rose Peach Bordello.
“Madam Blackwood?” Hailey heard the old lady say in a surprised tone before taking a puff from her golden inlaid brass smoking pipe. “Now… You… I did not expect to see today… Has my nephew already failed at his errand? Anyway… Come inside?”
Nodding, Hailey entered and closed the door. After that, she went directly for the seat opposite the office desk where the old madam sat behind. “Your nephew, as much of a prick as he is, tried hard to steer me away, but we need to talk, so I am sorry for barging in like this.”
“Then we will talk.” Mistress Ping voiced out. “Why did you seek me out?”
“It's… about the Contract.”
Narrowing her eyes, the old Mistress drew a puff from her smoking pipe. While exhaling it, she also responded. “What about it?”
“Before I say it, I must ask this.” Hailey pointed out. “Aside from the stipulated clause within the Contract, is there any other reason I am not allowed to know its true nature?”
“As in?” The old lady remarked but said no more, clearly indicating that it was up to Hailey herself to say it.
“That… Maybe that I am forbidden to know about its true nature because I am not part of said true nature, even though clearly my late husband had been?” Hailey extrapolated vaguely.
“Could be.” The old lady affirmed, only a shake of her head followed right after. “But with your vague wording, you won't get any clear answers from me. Either you speak more plainly or you will not get anything out of me since I am clearly not allowed to tell you otherwise.”
With neither a confirmation nor a denial. Hailey knew she was running out of cards.
That being the case, from her purse she fished out a piece of paper before slamming it on the table and pushing it toward her boss.
“What is this?” Puzzled, the old woman grabbed the paper and unfolded it.
Hailey was not of Asian descent, but having worked for the old Asian woman for the last seven or so years, she was clear that the piece of paper had surprised the old woman, and her next words only added to that confirmation.
“How did you get by these names?” The old woman asked and glared at her employee, only Hailey refused to immediately surrender her source, which was her daughter. “Never mind, I can guess it somewhat. Either way, even if you have come across some pieces of information, I won't be able to tell you much.”
“Why?” Hailey cried out with indignation rushing from the depths of her mental state. “Because there are rules that forbid ordinary people like me from knowing?”
“YES!!!” Shao Ping, Mistress of Rose Peach affirmed, instantly stopping Hailey from going further. But then, that same firm tone softened. “Look, Hailey… You may find it hard to believe, but that Rule exists for your benefit, not mine.”
“Me?” Stunned, Hailey quickly tilted her head in confusion.
“Not you specifically, but you get the gist.” The old woman added. “That Rule exists for a reason, and while I can't tell you the actual reason, know that you can not be under its protection without agreeing to its existence.”
“Wait… Wait… What?” Stumped even more, Hailey did not know what to think. “You… Are you saying that I willingly chose not to know stuff?”
“Sigh…” Taking another puff from her smoking pipe, the old woman nodded and exhaled the intoxicant. “Yes… So I will repeat it for you again. You can not be forced under it without actively agreeing to be under its presence.”
“I… So… You’re saying that… sometime in the past, I agreed to not know about Dreamers?” Hailey fished for answers despite still being confused.
“That term you just used is but one of many.” The old woman responded with a shake of her head. “Think of it like you think about trees. Many variations exist. So you did not just choose to forget about the term you just voiced out, but about everything else as well, the good and the bad.”
Hearing the way it was described, a suspicion reached Hailey. “Why are you not directly saying the name?”
“Because I can't.” The old woman responded, clearly annoyed but that very fact, hence she took another puff from her smoke pipe. “When you say it, it is but a simple word. Of no consequences to you. However, were I to try it in front of you while you are still under the protection of the Rule, it would be like spitting at a God while clearly understanding and expecting divine retribution in return.”
“Therefore, it is simply not done.” The old woman pointed out. “At least if you want to continue doing business in this… place.”
“I… That makes no sense.” Hailey spoke up her mind. “If that is indeed the case, then how did I learn about it in the first place?”
“You tell me!”
“Hannah?”
“Huh… So it is her.” The old woman said annoyingly. “Was about damn time the girl woke up.”
Hearing it, Hailey instantly perked up. “You knew? You knew about her problem all these years and did nothing about it?”
“Sorry, dear.” Mistress Ping replied apologetically. “Just like I can't tell you stuff, I can't intervene in your daughter's favor. Mmm… That and it would go against my best interests.”
“Interests? What?” Hailey shouted out with disbelief.
“Hmph… Now that you are partially in the know, I might as well tell you.” The old lady said. “You were never the inheritor, to begin with.”
“Can't be” Flabbergasted, Hailey realized the truth. The truth of why she had been forbidden from knowing more about the contract her husband had made. “Could it be? All these years, I have been working for nothing? Selling myself for nothing?”
“Not nothing.” The old lady chuckled, though she knew she should not. “More like throwing peanuts into a deep well. Eventually, you would have filled it up. Would have taken a few lifetimes, though.”
Beyond the point of even being angry, Hailey barely registered the following conversation with Shao Ping, Mistress of the Rose Peach Bordello, before she had been sent on her way home.
No, all that remained in her mind was the suggestion from the old woman to bring her daughter after she was done waking up.
Meanwhile, a few moments prior, meaning just as an angered and red-faced member of the Blackwood family left her office, old Madam Ping stood up from her chair, and walked right to the big window on one side of her office.
At the same time, the old lady's visage left her as wrinkles straightened out, and her white hair attained a black hue with two bumps emerging from the top of the no longer old lady, only for said bumps to display fox-shaped ears, stuffed with white hair.
Additionally, on her back, right where the spine met the hips, six fluffy black and white tails emerged.
On top of that, the Western-styled clothes she wore blurred out of existence, and in their place a red/white/black old-styled Asian dress emerged with plenty of skin to show off. The only thing that did not change, at all, was the golden inlaid brass smoking pipe.
Once at the big window, Shao Ping of the Nine-Tailed Clan pressed the handle and slid the door/window to the side before actually stepping on the balcony attached to her office. When she did though, Shao Ping’s attention shifted toward the sky and at the unbelievably large bump that was present in the sky.
The bump was of black and silver hues, with silver being the main component.
White clouds were present in the sky as they moved from east to west, but they just could not seem to cover up the huge bulge. Not that they needed to because those under the protection of the Veil of Ignorance could not perceive the black/silver bump either way.
“No matter how many times I see it, it still makes me think of a perfectly ripe pimple, just ready to pop and release its hideous insides.” Shao Ping spoke out loud. “Don't you think so, Heinrich?”
“Oh… It will be hideous for some, indeed.” A male voice replied with arrogance, however, the moment Shao Ping tried to seek the origin of the voice, all she noticed was its clear absence.
Shaking her head, Shao Ping of the Nine. Tailed Clan took a large puff from her smoking pipe while a part of her wondered just what the enigmatic man had been up to for the last eight years.