Page 50 of Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

“My world,” she said, “my rules. Youwilldo it.”

He sighed as a flock of distant specks fluttered around the plants. Insects of some sort, like moths, only more colorful.

“This way you act,” he said softly, “won’t get you what you want, Yumi. Not in the long run. You’ll just end up pushing people away.”

“As is appropriate,” she said. “I am set apart.”

He grunted, then righted himself and stalked out of the bath up onto the stones. The attendants rushed in from outside as he called to them—though they weren’t quite ready—and began gathering his clothing for the day. Then, aggravatingly, Yumi proved correct—for Liyun strode up the path a short time later. Painter felt he should have been embarrassed for his state of undress. Even if they couldn’t see him as him, it was awkward.

He was growing tired of that emotion. He couldn’t summon the motivation to feel ashamed. Unfortunately, Yumi hurried over in a distracting state of half-dress herself—and that was far more difficult to ignore.

“Bow!” she said.

He reluctantly sank to his knees and bowed forward, putting his hands on the ground and touching his forehead to his knuckles. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Oddly, Liyun knelt and bowed as well. He could see the motions even with his head lowered. She seemed just as ashamed.

“What is happening, Honored One?” Liyun said.

“Repeat this,” Yumi said. “I cannot explain what has happened to me. It is as if another soul has taken residence inside of me, and it has lost all ability to stack.”

“Your collapse,” Liyun said softly after he repeated the words, “a few days ago. It has…left you affected.”

“That may be true,” Yumi said, with Painter repeating. “I fear I must take time, Warden-nimi, to practice. Perhaps even relearn the things I have lost.”

Liyun knelt in silence. Painter felt his back ache from the unnatural posture, but when he tried to straighten, Yumi hissed at him.

At last, after a painful pause, Liyun spoke. “I will go to the leaders of the town we are now inhabiting. I will beg that they let us use their place of ritual for practice until you recover. They will be…shamed further by this, as they already believe their unworthiness before the spirits is the cause of your strange malady.”

“I understand,” Yumi said through Painter. “I am deeply sorry.”

“That is well,” Liyun said. “Perhaps your shame will lead to the spirits forgiving you.” She stood up. “I will prepare the place of ritual, as you will want to start immediately.”

Painter finally stood, and wasn’t chastised this time. The attendants continued dressing him, their heads down, seeming humiliated by proxy. He didn’t know much about them, having barely spoken to them despiteall they’d done for him. The younger of the two was probably several years his senior, with an extremely pale complexion and a round face. The other was older, maybe in her thirties, with a longer face.

“You should not have gotten out of the bath until the attendants were ready for you,” Yumi said, continuing to dress. “Next time, do not be so thoughtless.”

He turned toward her to object, then blushed and turned away again.

“Do not speak,” she continued. “The attendants will think it odd.”

He forced down his words, and found they tasted unpleasant. When the attendants finished with him, they stepped beyond the stones to continue their preparations.

“Liyun does whatever you say,” he hissed at Yumi, “doesn’t she? So why don’t you tell her to let you eat for yourself and dress yourself? Everything would be so much easier.”

“Why do you think what iseasierhas any relevance for us?” Yumi asked, having finally put on her top. “Come, it’s time for your first lesson.”

The first problemwas that Painter couldn’t kneel on the stone like she said he should be able to. Even with the kneepads, it was just sohot. The air got underneath his skirt and made him swelter from within.

“Instead of kneeling, then,” Yumi said, walking around him in a circle, “you will squat, allowing you to move more frequently and perhaps ventilate a little more.”

“The rocks are uncomfortably warm to the touch,” he said, gesturing. “I need gloves or something.”

“You will adapt,” she said.

“You want to wait for that and get nothing done today?” he said. “Other than me picking up rocks and dropping them?”

She regarded him with something akin to contempt, then told him to request gloves of Liyun, who fetched some from the town—it was nearby, mere steps away really. This place of ritual was an exposed section of too-hot stone with a little fence built around it and rocks strewn about inside that looked like the remnants from a quarry.

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