Volume 12 - Grand Opening, Chapter 84 - Inn-troducing...

New Years Eve arrived without much fanfare. Since most of the couples in the Nakahara household had just spent Christmas Eve on dates in town, they were happy to spend a holiday warm and cozy at home. For example, Haru and Yuisu spent the evening snuggled up together in their nest-like bed, reading manga. Yuisu was rereading Cat and Mouse Game from the awesome boxed set Haru had given her for Christmas, and she even got Haru hooked on it too.

"Hrmph," Haru grunted and waved the first volume of the series over her head, clenched between her wing and her thumb. "This mousegirl is way too timid! Are Mizune and Kaneko really going to get together?"

Yuisu chuckled and set the volume that she was reading down on her lap. She patted Haru's shoulder and said, "I'd normally say 'You'll have to wait and see', but you already saw them kissing on the cover of volume three. So… yes, they do get together."

Haru leaned back against the pillows and grumbled, "Alright. It better be worth it when they finally hook up. Though I guess the series is living up to its name."

Name? Yuisu chewed lightly on her lip, thinking, Oh right, I still need a name for the inn… After a couple minutes of thought, she bumped Haru with her shoulder and said, "Say, Haru, what do you think of the name 'Mountain Roost'? For the inn, that is."

After a second, Haru hit a stopping point and put her manga down. "Hmm, I like the 'mountain' part, but 'roost' makes me think it'd be specialized for harpies or something. You want to be welcoming to all liminals, right?"

Yuisu nodded. "Yeah, good point. How about 'Liminal Lodge'?" she asked, but she didn't seem to have much confidence in that name either.

Haru shook her head almost immediately. "Nah, now it sounds like it is for liminals only. You might lose some human business or get complaints from self-entitled humans, thinking it was discriminatory.

Yuisu raised an eyebrow. Huh, I hadn't thought of it like that, but I guess there are some people like that, and I want to encourage human business too… "Hmm, okay. Thanks, Haru," Yuisu replied before going deep into thought again, searching for the perfect name for her inn.

Yuisu had an entire week to decide the name, because that was how long it took to wrap up construction on the fifth building and then put finishing touches on all five cabins. That evening, before the interior paint had even dried, Korbin called everyone together in the lot in front of the main house for a special pre-opening celebration.

The brown-furred kobold stood on the tailgate of one of the work-trucks like a makeshift podium and looked out over the gathered group. All together, there were over a dozen workers, from painters to electricians to roofers, as well as Yuki, Phoebe, and all seven women that lived there, plus Pwess.

He smiled his widest, warmest smile and called out, "First, I want to thank the construction crew for their hard work under such harsh conditions." There was a round of applause, and when it died out, he added, "And I'd like to thank Phoebe and Yuki for making those conditions far more bearable. We never could have built so much in the dead of winter without their special abilities."

There was more applause, but the two applauded women just glared at each other from across the lot. They'd gotten into another argument that morning, not to mention almost every previous day. Upon closer investigation, however, there was a hint of something other than hostility in those glares. Phoebe smirked at Yuki, raised an eyebrow suggestively, and then pointedly broke eye contact and looked back at Korbin.

Korbin brought his large paw-like hands together in front of his chest, then said, "Now, I don't want to hog the spotlight, so I'll hand this off to the real mastermind behind this project." With that, he gestured grandly at Yuisu, who was standing near the front of the group, bundled up in her purple and green winter coat.

Yuisu blushed and fidgeted until Haru put a wing on her back and pushed. Yuisu stumbled forward, but righted herself and strode up to the truck, her boots crunching on the packed snow. Korbin gave her a hand and pulled her up onto the tailgate, then hopped down himself.

Yuisu looked out at the nearly two-dozen people standing in her driveway and got a little overwhelmed. What am I supposed to say? I've never started a business before! But then a thought came to her that calmed her down instantly. She knew exactly what to say.

She took a deep breath and then confidently said, "Thank you, Korbin, for giving me the support to make this all possible, but there's another man I need to thank as well."

At that, several people in the audience tilted their heads in confusion, wondering what man she could be talking about.

She smiled a sad smile and said, "I never would have started down this path, or met any of you, if it weren't for my uncle Ichiro."

Some of the workers who never got to know Yuisu very well glanced around, seeing if someone named Ichiro was present, but the residents of the house all nodded knowingly.

Yuisu's eyes went a little watery as she said, "Uncle Ichiro was like a father to me." Then she chuckled and added, "Except that he spoiled me more than a father would have. When he passed away, he even left me this entire property." She cast her arms wide to indicate the full scale of that gift.

"He was also an amazingly kind and welcoming man, and that is why I'd like to dedicate this inn to him, this inn that will welcome humans and liminals of all kinds." Yuisu stood tall and proud, pointed a hand toward the main house and the cabins behind it, and proclaimed, "In honor of Ichiro Nakahara, I present to you all… The Mountain Lily Inn!"

The crowd clapped and cheered, and most of them gave it a little extra volume, since they were proud to have had a part in the project.

Yuisu waited for the applause to die down, then said, "Thanks again everyone, for helping make this dream a reality." She looked over at the diverse group of construction workers. "I'm sure you're eager to get home to your homes and families, but I hope you'll come back and visit sometime."

Joey the minotaur, his wide horns standing out in the crowd, called out, "I'd love to make use of the fruits of our labor!"

With a grin that was curiously reminiscent of Korbin's, Yuisu joked, "And I'd love the business!" She'd already started thinking like a businesswoman, it seemed.

Korbin stuck around after the celebration to wrap up some paperwork with Yuisu. Starting a business involved more paperwork than she'd ever expected.

As they filled out forms ranging from health inspection agreements to an Okayado Valley Hotel Association membership application, Korbin said, "I was wondering, Yuisu. What made you choose the name 'Mountain Lily Inn'?" He realized his question sounded a little accusatory and quickly added, "I think it's a great name, but I was just curious if there was a story behind it."

Yuisu smiled broadly, her eyes sparkling. "There's not much of a story, but there are a lot of little reasons." She leaned forward and elaborated, "The biggest one is that this area has a lot of wild mountain lilies around, and they are really beautiful when they bloom in the late spring. I wanted to call attention to that, so people know that the inn has interesting things to see and do even outside of ski-season."

While Korbin strongly nodded in agreement, impressed with her reasoning, Yuisu added, "I'm also a fan of how nice it sounds in both English and Japanese: 'Mountain Lily Inn' and 'Yamayuri-yado'."

Korbin grinned and said, "Excellent thinking, given the prevalence of English in the world. It's especially important to accommodate it in the tourism industry. You speak some English, right?"

Yuisu blushed and fidgeted with the corner of a piece of paper. "A bit. It was enough to communicate with the Canadian exchange guests we had a while back, though it helped that they were also learning Japanese…"

After a moment of silence, Yuisu shyly added a final reason for the name, "Oh, and the 'lily' part of the name also represents the sexuality of me and the other girls here. I don't want that part of us to be forgotten, and it might help establish the inn's reputation for being welcoming."

Korbin leaned back in his chair and said, "I'm sure old Ichiro would be happy that you're being true to yourself, and he'd be proud of what you've accomplished."

Yuisu tilted her head, eying Korbin carefully with her vivid green eyes. "You say that like you knew him…"

Korbin nodded slowly. "Perhaps I should have told you sooner, but yes, I knew him a little. When I first moved here over five years ago, the interspecies exchange act wasn't even finalized yet. Kobolds were one of the few liminal races in Japan, and the locals were… we'll just say 'less than receptive'." He cleared his throat and said, "Ichiro was the first person to be friendly to me, even though I was both a monster and a stranger."

Korbin noticed that a frown had formed on Yuisu's face, so he set a soft paw on her arm. "But his kindness got me through. It encouraged me to give everyone more time to warm up to the idea of liminals. After that, I saw him from time to time around town and we talked occasionally. We never got particularly close, but now I wish that I had gotten to know him better."

"Thanks for sharing that, Korbin." Yuisu blinked away the dampness in her eyes, then thrust her hand holding a pen into the air. "Now let's finish this paperwork and get this place opened for business!"

The next morning, Two taxis drove up the snowy driveway and pulled up in front of the porch. Yuki started to carry her bags toward one, but the driver rushed out to help her.

"Let me help you with that, miss," the young man said. But then he got a closer look at Yuki's pale blue skin, her ornate kimono, and the swirling cloud of freezing mist orbiting her. He froze in place, his hand still outstretched toward Yuki's luggage, blinking in surprise.

Just then, Phoebe pushed open the front door with her hip and stepped through, carrying one duffel-bag over her shoulder and another clenched between her wings. She took one look at the confused cabbie and called out, "Ain't you ever seen a liminal before? She won't bite… probably."

The young man shook his head to clear it, then mumbled to Yuki, "Oh, of course. Sorry miss." He quickly grabbed a suitcase, then he turned toward the house and saw Phoebe for the first time. He froze again as he took in the vision of a prismatic winged woman, ringed with ripples of heat.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You people are really sheltered up here. You'd have encountered dozens of liminals by now if you lived in a real city."

The taxi driver blushed and skittered back to his cab then gently put Yuki's bag in the trunk.

Phoebe continued toward the other cab and its driver finally opened the door and stepped out. He was an older man, with streaks of grey in his short hair. He looked at the two women, only a little less befuddled than the other driver, and said, "Are you two both going to the train station? I'm not normally one to turn down money, but couldn't you ride together?"

Phoebe tossed the bag she was holding at the man, who scrambled to catch it. Then she bent down and scooped up some loose snow with her wing and held it towards him. Within seconds, it had melted away entirely, then she grinned at him and said, "Fire and ice don't get along so well in enclosed spaces…"

Eyes wide with understanding, the older cabbie nodded and put the duffel-bag into the trunk and returned to take the other one Phoebe was carrying. However, she was distracted, talking to Yuki.

"So… I guess it was alright working with you," she mumbled. She'd tried to think of something snarky to say, but nothing felt right.

Yuki shuffled her sandal-clad feet and said, "Mmhmm. I didn't mind it, much." That was all the hostility she could muster. Somewhere deep inside, she wanted something else: she wanted another passionate night with Phoebe, like that first one.

Of course, that hadn't been the only night they spent together. Over that week, they had been a little less mean with their insults and a little more discreet with their steamy trysts.

They both stood there for a little longer, out in the snow and under the puzzled gaze of two taxi drivers. Then Phoebe unzipped a pocket on the side of her bag and pulled out a small piece of paper. She handed it to Yuki and said, "That's my number. Call me sometime and we can hang out again. I know Okinawa is too warm for you, but maybe I can visit that little backwater kingdom of yours…"

Yuki took it, carefully tucked it into the folds of her kimono, then smiled back at Phoebe. Despite the large vocabulary she'd accumulated from all her reading, Yuki couldn't find the right words to express her feelings. So she did something else instead. She grabbed Phoebe's face with both hands, causing a bit of steam to whistle out between her cold palms and Phoebe's burning-hot cheeks.

Then she pulled Yuki forward into a kiss that somehow managed to be hotter, wetter, and steamier than any before. Passion, frustration, sorrow, and a bit of happiness all blended together into a moment that they both wanted to last forever.

When it finally ended, both women were blushing and sweating and smiling like idiots. The two cab drivers were red-faced as well and looking down at the ground awkwardly.

Yuki was the first to turn away and daintily shuffle toward her cab. She called back, "Goodbye, you hot-headed whore."

With a genuine chuckle, Phoebe replied, "Seeya, you frigid bitch!" then climbed into her own cab.

The temperature inside climbed almost immediately and the driver wordlessly rolled down the windows to let the heat out. As the car followed the other taxi slowly down the mountain road, Phoebe leaned against the door with her wing on the window sill. It was snowing lightly, and a couple snowflakes landed on her brightly colored feathers.

They reminded her of Yuki in more than one way. Phoebe watched as the tiny crystals melted away and disappeared, their pristine beauty unable to remain in her presence for more than a brief, wondrous moment.

Phoebe asked her driver to slow down so they'd arrive at the station after Yuki's train had already departed. I could never let her see me like this, she thought as she wiped a hot tear from her cheek. She'd never let me live it down.