Father’s Day

If there’s anything our town is quite good at, it’s bland, generic-looking strip malls.
And it was at just such a mall at the corner of Yavapi and Maricopa that salvation came in the form of the After School Special.

Problem was, this was going to be a pretty tough sell to my wife.

“We’re here.” I announce as I kill the engine and get out of the truck, uncomfortably aware that the way the ‘After School Special’ sign was arranged, it appeared to be highlighting the word ASS.

Sakaali opened her door and I headed over to the passenger side to help her out.

“Graham- what is this place?” Sakaali asked, her skepticism apparent.

“Somewhere that’s not too crowded on father’s day.” I explain. “Sometimes me and Art will grab a couple of beers here.”

My Blue Valentine

“M-McSorley’s Florist.” I call out. “I have some flowers here for you.”

“I’ll be right there!” she said almost as soon as the door sprang open.

Sure enough I was standing face to face with a beautiful but slightly disheveled Blue Oni. Gone were the tiger pelt coverings- instead she was wearing an oversized sweater with most of her right shoulder peeking out from the oversized hole for the neck. I didn’t want to stare, but at first glance it appeared she wasn’t wearing any pants, but I was eventually able to catch a glimpse of some short-shorts peeking out from beneath the bottom of her sweater.

“Oh hey there…it’s you.” she says to me, recognizing me from earlier this weekend. I had to have been over there at least eight times in past two days. Behind her, I could see at least a half dozen more bouquets kept in vases lined up on her counter and on the kitchen table of her apartment. Attached to some of them were stuffed animals or Mylar balloons.

“Hi there.” I say sheepishly. “These are for you….”

“Oh gosh! I wonder who they’re from…” she muses out loud as I hand them off to her. “I mean it’s not even Valentine’s Day anymore.”

“I know….I guess we couldn’t get these off to you in time.” I tell the Oni apologetically.

“That’s all right. I mean, you were so busy dropping these off earlier this week, there probably was something of a backlog.” she gushes before sitting down at her kitchen table and reading aloud the card attached to the floral arrangement.

Bachelorsville, Texas- Chapter 3: The Good Book

She has her textbook sized artbook out. I notice a stylized black rose on the cover before she opens it to the picture of the buxom woman with feline ears, bat wings and a scorpion-like tail that I had seen earlier.

“Seru was an Imperial Alchemist with the royal court of Vamore before I annexed the kingdom. Now she’s a confident and clever Manticore….”

“Manic Ore?”

“Manticore.” Mari corrects. “A beast whose cunning, beauty and lust rivals even that of my lilim sisters.”

She turns the page and I’m greeted by the striking image of a woman with charcoal grey flesh, wolf’s ears and an eye with dark sclera similar to Mari’s. In her portrait, she seems to be looking at me with a toothy grin, complete with even sharper and more prominent canines than Mari. There appeared to be a mane of dark fur around her neck

Goodbye To The Cross Part 1

The Order of the Chief Goddess’ 5th regiment had made camp a few miles within the border of Russleb, a kingdom allied with the Order that had recently begun to experience Mamono incursions. Sentries marched around and kept watch around the perimeter as the rest of the troops cooked, bathed, and attended to other necessary…