“I’ll take it as a compliment,” I replied with a hesitant smile. He pointed at my eyes as if he wanted me to check. I walked in front of the dre...sing table in the room, and found that I smeared my kajal a little, must have happened when I touched my eyes with palms. As I looked myself up on the mirror, I could feel his stare on me. I said to kill the awkward silence, “What were you doing in that shop?”“I was there to get a saree for Kripa Didi on her birthday,” he replied, “but got lost in. She strode outside, snow steaming into water on the walkway."So, is this going to hurt?" Fumi asked."I don't know," the Ifrit answered. "It won't hurt me. But, you can always get home on your own. A Yuki-onna shouldn't have any trouble bamboozling any man to help you get back to Kyle." No. I want to see him as soon as possible. Let's do this."Zaritha pulled Fumi tight to her, wrapping her arms around the Japanese girl. She shivered in Zaritha's arms, clutching tight to the warmth burning inside. After that, despite the teachings of the church, Kathleen O’Shawnessy never conceived again. How she accomplished that was a constant source of curiosity to me, but some things a brother in-law isn’t supposed to know. Except that Kat and I weren’t just in-laws. Despite our age differences, we were friends from the start. We grew up nearby, her ten years my junior. I had always adored the spunky, neighborhood tomboy. I’d always thought she was levelheaded too until I came back from several years. And, and my course work over the last year is, is.... has shown, I think, that..." I cut off your attempt at an answer with a raised hand, and then sigh deeply. "What you have done so far, and what you are now, is irrelevant, young lady - this is about what you can become. The students I take have to be prepared to put aside everything they think they know and look beyond the norms, beyond what they think are their limits. Do you understand me?" "I think so," you reply, uncertainly. I stand up.