�Those are pretty words,� Ahri murmured, staring at the woman.

After a moment of silence, Hirin chuckled. �Some threads of truth, threads of my

own invention. A fortune teller�s weaving must be seamless.�

The woman retrieved a hunter�s knife from a cabinet.

�I weave in just enough of what you desire to make you stay,� she said. ��Til the
tea slows your muscles, that is.�

A low growl escaped Ahri�s lips. She would tear this woman apart. She tried to
pounce, but her limbs did not obey. She was rooted in place.

�Oh, there�s no need for that, lady. I only need a single tail. Useful for a
variety of potions, you see, and extremely valuable. Or so I think. Never seen a
vastaya with fox tails before. The tea freezes any pain, along with your�
mobility.�

Hirin wrapped a bandage around one of Ahri�s tails. Ahri tried to resist, but she
still could not move.

�You�ll wake up tomorrow, good as new!� said the woman. �Well, with one less tail.
Do you really use all nine?�

Ahri shut her eyes and reached out to the reservoirs of magic around her. The
environment had plenty ripe for the taking, but she was too weakened by the tea to
draw them to her. Instead she reached into Hirin�s mind, which was far more
malleable, and pushed.

Ahri opened her eyes and stared hard into Hirin�s. They deepened from lavender to
violet.

�Hirin,� she said. �Come closer. I would look into the face of the one who tricked
me.�

�Of course, lady,� Hirin replied, transfixed. The woman�s voice sounded hollow, as
though it came from the bottom of a well.

She leaned in until her face was only inches away. Ahri inhaled, drawing essences
of the woman�s life from her breath.

...Hirin was a young girl hiding, hungry and afraid, beneath a market stall. Two
men argued above, looking for her. She had nothing but empty coffers to show for
her days� work...

Ahri continued to drain Hirin�s life, sampling memories of raw emotion. They felt
rich in Ahri�s mouth, and she relished each unique flavor of emotion.