Yanderes in Cottage Country

“I can still smell my Heartmate’s scent along this path.” Nyrah quickened her steps, boosting herself along with a flap of her iridescent red wings. “He came this way and he definitely took the right fork.” Her brown and black striped tail swished behind her and the brown cat ears atop her head twitched as she hurried down the forest path.

Yana’s stomach grumbled and she sighed, but followed her friend. Yana was half-orc and half-elf, with the beauty and lithe figure of an elf and her delicately pointed ears stuck out from her silvery-white hair. Her skin was a pale, minty green, much softer than the average orc's skin tone. But her orc parentage also meant her body burned through [Stamina] if she didn’t have enough to eat, and they did not pack enough snacks for this impromptu journey. It was already well past dinner time and the sunlight was quickly fading.

Nyrah stopped short, put her hands on her hips, and spun around to face Yana.

“What’s wrong?” Yana asked.

“You believe me, right?” Nyrah stepped closer to Yana, forcing Yana to step back and press her back into the tree behind her. Nyrah growled softly and bared her tiny fangs, but Yana knew the nekofae wasn’t going to hurt her. They were best friends. They grew up in the same orphanage together. They served in the same temple. Or they used to serve in the same temple, Yana reminded herself. They’d left all that behind.

“I believe you.” Yana looked down at her friend, who was a whole head shorter. “If you sense that this man, this Cody Hampshire, is your Heartmate, then I will help you find him.”

Yana barely knew the man. Sure, he had saved them when their temple had been attacked by trolls and set on fire exactly one day ago, but Yana didn’t see into people’s hearts the way Nyrah did. A simple touch of the hand, skin to skin, could reveal a lot to Nyrah. And apparently when Cody Hampshire held her hand and pulled her from the encroaching flames of the burning temple, she’d seen that he possessed a Heart of Gold. That was enough to convince Nyrah that this man was her Heartmate, and that he should be Yana’s, too. Unfortunately, the man ran off into the night before Nyrah had a chance to explain all of this to him and now she was determined to track him down.

Nyrah released Yana. “He is my Heartmate! And we will find him!”

With that, she fluttered down the path, and Yana had to jog to catch up. Not long after, they arrived at a small town. Nyrah insisted that she could smell Cody’s scent down the road and right up to the tavern.

Having gone from orphans to cloistered priestesses, the two twenty-one-year-old women had very little experience with taverns. The windows glowed golden in the dying light of day, and they could hear the sound of a fiddle and drums playing lively music as people talked and laughed boisterously. Yana didn’t need the heightened senses of a nekofae to smell the stench of unwashed men and stale beer, even when standing just outside.

Nyrah adjusted the brown priestess robes she was still wearing, even though both of them had prayed to the Goddess early that morning, asking forgiveness for leaving the temple and ending their vows. It’s not like they had any other clothing to change into. Nyrah’s fluffy ears twitched on the top of her head, a clear sign that she was nervous.

“You think he’s in there?” Yana asked.

“It’s harder to smell him now, with all those other horrid smells getting in the way.” Nyrah wrinkled her little nose in disgust. “But I can still smell a bit of him. As if he were here, but may have moved on already. But…”

“What is it?”

“It just kind of stops here,” Nyrah said. “There’s no more trail past the tavern.”

“Then maybe he is here.”

Yana reached down and held Nyrah’s hand, giving it a squeeze, and then pushed open the thick wooden door to enter the tavern. As soon as they entered, Nyrah slipped her hand free.

“I don’t want him to think we’re together,” Nyrah whispered. “In case he’s here.”

Yana was not offended. “Do you see him?”

“No,” Nyrah said sadly.

“Maybe he’s staying in a room? Some taverns rent rooms, like an inn, yes?”

“I suppose we could ask,” Nyrah said.

They walked up to the wooden bar that lined the far wall of the tavern and found two empty seats. Some of the drunken men eyed them, but since the women were dressed in their priestess robes, they were not bothered. Most feared the wrath of the vengeful Rose Goddess, which would surely be witnessed if you caused trouble with any of her devotees.

Yana waved over the barmaid; a young woman with curly blond hair.

“Good evenin’, how can I—” Before the barmaid could finish her sentence, Nyrah had leaped onto the bar. Razor sharp black claws grew from the ends of her fingers in a flash. While crouching cat-like on the bar, she grabbed a fistful of the blonde’s hair, spinning her around and yanking her head back to expose the barmaid’s neck to the tip of her claw.

“Nyrah, what are you doing?” Yana tried to pull Nyrah off of the woman, but the little nekofae was a lot stronger than her petite frame suggested. She was an equal match for Yana’s own orc-related strength.

The barmaid flailed, trying to reach up and grab at Nyrah, but Nyrah tugged on her hair tighter. She pushed her claw into the soft skin of the barmaid’s neck, just enough to draw a tiny bead of blood. The woman fell still, but whimpered. The band had stopped playing. The tavern was quiet, except for the gentle crackle of the fire in the hearth.

A few of the drunken, burly men rose to their feet. One of them had his hand hovering over the pommel of the sword that he wore at his hip. Yana turned her back to Nyrah and glared at the Sword Man. She raised her hands in front of her chest, activating the silver sparks of her elven [Life-Force] magic. The sparks crackled from her fingertips, but her [Stamina] was only at twenty-percent since she hadn’t eaten in hours. She really hoped this didn’t turn into a fight, because she wasn’t going to last long.

“My friend just wants to ask a few questions.” Yana’s voice was low and menacing. “We don’t want to hurt anyone.” The silver sparks were enough to keep the men back. They had clearly fought an elf before or had heard the stories.

“W-what do you want?” the barmaid asked.

“You smell like him,” Nyrah hissed. “He was here. Did he touch you?”

“I…I don’t know who you’re talking about! Please, don’t hurt me!”

“I am talking about my Heartmate!” Nyrah tugged more forcefully on the woman’s hair. “His name is Cody Hampshire and he is the most handsome man to walk the lands!”

“Nyrah, calm yourself,” Yana said, but kept her eyes on the two men who were watching closely.

Sword Man, a tall, bald man with a thick beard, raised his hands in a show of good faith. “We mean you no harm, priestesses. Just set our barmaid free. Let her go and we’ll have a nice chat about the man you seek.”

“She smells like him!” Nyrah seethed.

“Nyrah, enough! Let her go and we’ll ask about Cody.”

“If she shared a bed with my Heartmate, I will slit her throat.”

“W-what?” the barmaid stuttered. “I don’t know anyone named Cody! And I haven’t slept with anyone!”

“Nyrah, please!” Yana turned and rested a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Let her go. Cody wouldn’t want you to hurt innocent people, would he? That’s not what someone with a Heart of Gold would want.”

Yana watched as Nyrah breathed deeply, her chest rising and falling. Yana was pretty sure that was the right thing to say to talk Nyrah down from this particular path of violence. After a few more breaths, Nyrah retracted her claws. She uncurled her grip on the barmaid’s hair, setting her free.

“You smell like him, so you've obviously crossed paths recently,” Nyrah said, staying right where she was, perched on the bar.

“Who are you talking about?” the barmaid asked. She reached up, gingerly fixing her hair but keeping her eyes locked on Nyrah.

“We’re looking for a man,” Yana said. “He’s tall-ish—”

“Tall with broad shoulders and a strong, commanding presence,” Nyrah cut in.

“And has a scruffy beard—”

“A ruggedly handsome beard,” Nyrah corrected.

“With shoulder-length brown hair—”

“Perfectly tousled chestnut brown hair,” Nyrah said.

“And brown eyes.”

“Like orbs of polished mahogany,” Nyrah said breathlessly.

“He wears a sword at his side—”

“Because he is an undefeated hero of heroes. I watched him slay a dozen man-eating trolls single-handedly the night our temple burned.”

“And he also wears a knife on his belt,” Yana continued. “His name is Cody Hampshire. Does any of that sound familiar?”

The barmaid nodded, her eyes darting to Nyrah and then back to Yana. “Someone who fits that description came by earlier today, yes. But I swear, I didn’t touch him! I may have bumped into him while serving, but that’s it! And it wasn’t on purpose! He was talking to a woman.”

Nyrah’s wings fluttered and her tail swished violently across the top of the bar as she stared at the woman. Yana held out her arm, holding Nyrah back from pouncing on the barmaid again.

“And they left together?” Yana asked.

“Y-yes.” Tears began to well in the barmaid’s eyes, as if she knew she was delivering the worst possible information to the deranged nekofae.

“Where?” Nyrah hissed. “Where did they go?”

“Upstairs.” The barmaid sniffled as a tear ran down her cheek. “The woman paid for a room.”

A low growl thrummed in Nyrah’s throat, and Yana was actually impressed that she was holding herself back from murdering the bearer of bad news.

“That’s enough!” came a commanding, feminine voice.

Yana turned to see a beautiful woman with pink hair standing in the tavern. Her skin was a warm, medium brown and she wore a full-length pink dress with a matching cloak. She was tall, probably the tallest woman Yana had ever seen, and she had a regal presence that filled the room. She also had an elegant, white chicken perched on her shoulder. Yana momentarily locked her eyes with the chicken’s pale pink ones and a shiver ran down her spine. What kind of strange chicken was this?

“You are looking for Cody Hampshire?” the pink-haired woman asked.

Nyrah sniffed at the air and narrowed her eyes, no doubt smelling Cody on this new woman. The nekofae jumped off the bar towards her and brandished her claws, standing low in a fighter’s stance, ready to pounce at any moment. Yana could see Nyrah’s wings begin to glow, clearly readying her [Wing Burst] power.

“Where is he?” Nyrah shouted.

“The man you’re searching for is…how should I say it…my plaything?” the woman said and smiled seductively.

Nyrah’s wing lit up in a burst of red light as she shot forward, claws out. But before she could even reach the woman, a pink bubble-like force field appeared around her. Nyrah crashed into it and bounced right off of it, falling to the ground. Yana rushed over to her friend’s side and helped her up.

“Dirty witch whore.” Nyrah spat on the ground next to the pink bubble.

“I am one of the three, and yet so much more,” the woman said calmly. “My name is Systemica. I am many things. A witch, perhaps? Or a goddess? An overseer of paths, one might call me. Yes, I am many, many things…” The witch-goddess trailed off for a moment as she inspected her perfectly manicured pink nails, as if momentarily forgetting she was having an important conversation. Then she looked back up at Nyrah and Yana, mock-surprised that they were still there. “Oh, yes. Cody Hampshire. When I decided to guide him down a new path, it was because I simply found him easy on the eyes and I needed a plaything. I snatched him from his home world and watched him while he was here, but he was just so insistent on going back home. I was interested to see what he would accomplish if I allowed it, so I gave him a quest. He completed all his tasks, so I sent him back. I sent him on a wild fetch quest to earn his trip, of course, but the point is: he is no longer in Velasarin.”

“I will kill you if you do not tell me where he is!” Nyrah shouted.

“And why, exactly, is he yours?” Systemica asked.

“I am a Heartseer.” Nyrah breathed deeply, her voice full of passion. “And Cody Hampshire has a Heart of Gold. He is the only man I will be able to share a life of love with. He is my only chance at true love, so it is clear he is meant to be mine.”

“A Heartseer?” Systemica smiled slowly, looking over Nyrah. “That’s intriguing. And that…would make things so much more interesting…”

“Take me to him!” Nyrah shouted. “Now!”

Systemica nodded and dropped her bubble force field. “Yes…yes, I’ve decided I’m going to bring you right to him. I find this new development most intriguing and think it will be excellent entertainment. But in exchange for bringing you to Cody’s world, you will agree to work for me.”

“What kind of work?” Yana asked, not ready to trust this woman one bit.

“I’m opening a gift shop on Earth,” Systemica said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to be a quaint shop owner in an adorable Earth town, and I’ll be able to run my little shop while simultaneously watching over Cody. I plan to sell all sorts of beautiful things in my shop, like furnishings and clothing and souvenir magnets and postcards.”

Nyrah narrowed her red eyes. “What’s a magnet?” It sounded nefarious.

Systemica waved her hand dismissively. “I will fill your little minds with all the knowledge needed to succeed in the new world. I will gift you the er…gift of language, so you can speak with the locals, glamor your appearance to allow you to fit in with the humans, give you lodgings in the apartment above my gift shop, a small salary, freedom to pursue Cody, and in exchange, all you have to do is work retail.”

“Ree-tail?” Yana slowly crossed her arms over her chest. “Do we have to remove the tails from foul beasts so you can use them as ingredients in your witch potions?”

“No, that’s…that’s not what it is at all,” Systemica said. “But I’m sure two priestesses such as yourselves will be able to handle it.”

“We’ll do it!” Nyrah said. “Bring us to Cody Hampshire! Immediately!”

“Nyrah…” Yana said quietly. “I feel an impending doom about this…this ree-tail thing.”

“But it will bring us closer to Cody Hampshire!” Nyrah said. “Please, Yana! I love you! Platonically, of course. But I need you to do this with me. I need you to work ree-tail with me!”

The chicken squawked, as if agreeing this was a wonderful plan. It was a sound like no chicken she had ever heard. The noise made Yana swallow nervously. But Yana did love Nyrah back. All she really wanted in this world, or any world, was for Nyrah to be happy. So, she nodded and took Nyrah’s hand in hers.

“Okay, fine,” Yana said. “Our home has burnt down, we’ve already left our calling as priestesses, and I don’t want to lose you. I’ll go with you.”

“Thank you!” Nyrah said, grinning up at Yana.

Systemica clapped her hands joyously, and in the blink of an eye the tavern surrounding them began to shift, the colors melting away. The rustic browns and the orange glow of the fire all dissipated, turning into bright splashes of pink. The pink hues slowly transformed into racks of clothing, a couch covered in pillows, and a big desk. Yana looked around at her new surroundings and noticed a pink crystal chandelier hanging just above her.

“What is this place?” Yana asked.

“Welcome to Goddess Gifts & More!” Systemica clasped her hands in front of her chest, beaming. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

The chicken squawked again, and Yana began to wonder if they had made a terrible mistake.