Alice read the steps again. Her new spell had to be perfect. She felt this chant was especially important.

Is it because it came so easily?

Most of her spells took weeks of research before she could even begin putting them to ink, and weeks more to cast. This particular arrangement formed and was written within minutes. It felt less like writing a spell from scratch, and more like transcribing a spell that was already imprinted on her soul.

I don't even know what this line means… How am I going to cast this?


"Heya, sorry to keep ya waiting!"

Marisa sat on her broom, looking down from the sky at Alice, who was sitting on the grass reading.

"No, no, you're right on time."

Alice daintily stood up and brushed the dirt off her dress. She was more gentle in her movements than normal, each motion deliberate.

Why am I so nervous? We duel all the time, what makes this so different?

"Good, cause I'm all warmed up and ready to fire!"

Marisa stood on her broom and mocked all sorts of exaggerated stretches while Alice seemed embarrassed for her. Truth be told, she was just as excited as Marisa, though a great deal more reserved. These routine duels gave her a fun outlet for her magical creativity, and even without the duel, spending time with Marisa was always something worth looking forward to.

Alice gently lifted off the ground.

"Very well. Let's begin."

An array of dolls extended from Alice, falling into a well-practiced formation around Marisa before she could move. Marisa was ready for this and blasted a hole in their formation, flying through in a similarly well-practiced maneuver. Marisa gained height and fired several stars at Alice, who deftly weaved more dolls to take the hit for her.

I have to buy time, I need to get this spell off.

"Doll archers!"

Several dolls with small bows appeared at her side and began loosing arrows at Marisa. Alice began her chant:

Splintered wood, inspiring light.

Marisa's missiles had taken out half the archers, when 4 unarmed dolls took their place.

"Volatile dolls!"

Alice kicked off the new dolls, gaining distance from Marisa and launching them towards her. Marisa swerved to avoid each one as it detonated.

Seven and two, praying to unite.

The words, spoken perfectly, vibrated through the air. Two large dolls appeared in front of her. A faint red beam was visible between them, binding them to each other like rope. Marisa paused to admire this spell she hadn't seen before, as the two dolls accelerated. Marisa adjusted to avoid the direction they seemed to be heading.

They would challenge the boundary.

One of the dolls gained a burst of speed, shooting past the other. This created the effect of pulling the other along behind it. Marisa's path hadn't changed, and she was still clear of the direction they were headed, but she couldn't stop watching.

Red Sign "Thread of Fate"!

The words shook the air. The thread between the two dolls snapped and sent one of them flying directly at Marisa, defying their previous angle. Marisa tried to back up, but the array of dolls from the beginning was blocking her path. With the giant doll closing in, the air to her sides filled with arrows, and the dolls behind her, she had only one direction left.

Alice had a troubled expression. "This spell leaves such an obvious opening, why? I was sure it would succeed, but all it's done is lead my opponent…" She muttered to herself as her opponent spotted the gap in the bullets and seized it.

"Straight to me."

Marisa blasted past the rain of arrows and explosions and rapidly approached Alice. Alice tried to pull a doll back to defend herself, but they were too far. Marisa saw the motion and capitalized. She leapt off her broom onto a collision course with Alice herself.

"I won't let you!"

Marisa shouted as they crashed together in midair. When Alice regained her senses, she saw that Marisa's hands were tightly clasped around her own.

"See, now you can't control the dolls! That means I win!" Marisa beamed.

The gears in Alice's mind clicked into place.

Oh. The spell was successful.

Wait, this was the end goal of that card?! The magic that felt like it was written by my soul itself?! It was SUPPOSED to lead her to crash into me?!

Alice's face grew red, and she wanted to hide but couldn't. Marisa's smile was too brilliant for her to turn from, so she just sat there in awe for a moment before regaining her composure.

"Ahem. Yes, I suppose I must admit defeat."
Please don't let go.

"Though for future reference, I don't actually use my hands to control my dolls."

"Oh, really? Looks to me like it stopped 'em dead in their tracks."

Indeed, the dolls all hung limply where they were.

"W-Well, I was caught off guard by your recklessness. Don't expect this to work next time!"

Why did I say that?! Why didn't I say something like "Holding my hands is actually my biggest weakness, be sure to go for that every duel!"

"Hmmm, guess I'll have to think of somethin' else next time. By the way, uhhh…"

It was only then that Alice realized just how tightly Marisa was holding onto her.

"Ah, your broom! You jumped off of it!"

"Yeah… I didn't really think this far ahead when I did that."

Marisa, unlike Alice, could not fly on her own.

"I'll set us down, just a moment!"

Alice brought them both down to the ground safely, where Marisa picked up her discarded broom.

"That spell card was crazy, what'd all those words mean?" Marisa casually asked as she dusted herself off.

"I'm not really sure myself… They just came to me."

Marisa raised an eyebrow at this, then laughed and said "That's Alice for ya, effortlessly writing poetry to blast people out of the sky."

Alice blushed.

"Your work is far prettier, without needing any fancy chants…" she muttered, too low for Marisa to hear.

Marisa was standing in front of Alice's house, holding her hat by her waist, letting her hair free and staring right at her.

"I won, so you're making the tea this time," Marisa said triumphantly. Alice tried to respond but was too absorbed in watching her hair flutter in the wind.

She's breathtaking. I've known that, but why are these feelings coming back now? Why did they leave in the first place? Why won't my legs move?

"Uhhh Alice?"

"Ah! Sorry, I'll get right on it!"

"Hmmm…"

"Ahhhh, you're the best, Alice!" Marisa said between bites of the cookies Alice baked.

"You never bake anymore, what's gotten inta you?"

Alice was currently experiencing a flood of passionate thoughts that had long-been repressed come back in force. Fidgeting with the bow of the doll in her lap, she looked aside.

"W-Well, it was a great duel, and I thought you might enjoy something sweet. And I enjoy seeing you smile this much…"

Was that too direct? Or was it not direct enough?

Marisa grinned, "Well if you keep baking like this I'll smile as much as you like," though she didn't fully realize the meaning of Alice's words. Marisa sat up and looked right at Alice.

"You've been smiling a whole lot too, 'specially for someone who LOST!"

Alice remembered the moment of her loss and blushed intensely.
"L-Look, that's just because you weren't playing fair! If you hadn't surprised me like that, I would've had you for sure!"
"Well of course I'm not gonna play fair! I'm a human, I've gotta use every trick I can to take on someone like you." Marisa laughed and took another sip.

Human…

Someone like you…

The gears in Alice's head that so gently clicked earlier began to grind harshly.

That's right… That's why this felt wrong. That's why this felt like a bad idea. That's why I'd locked these feelings away.

Alice looked down at the cookies on her plate.

I don't even need to eat. Why did I make these? Why did I get so caught up in the moment?

Alice bit her lip.

I was so happy each day I spent with Marisa, I'd forgotten about the insurmountable gap between us. It would be foolish to pursue her. She's human, I'm a youkai. She can't possibly see me that way. I'm not human, but rather something to be "kept in check" by humans.

Alice breathed in deeply, then calmly exhaled. The dollmaker's gentle features were once again stoic and unreadable.

"Yes, fair enough. I'll do my best not to let you get away with any sly tricks like that next time." Alice said in a friendly tone, but lacking the enthusiasm and nervousness from earlier. Marisa easily noticed the change.

"Hey, are you okay? I didn't mean to rub my win in your face, I…"

Alice looked up from her tea with a perfectly practiced smile.

"I'm alright, I promise. I had fun, and I'm glad you did too. Just a bit drained after that new spell."

Marisa seemed skeptical, but nodded.

After several minutes of idle chatter and slightly less enthusiastic tea sipping, Marisa departed. Alice sat on the floor against her bed, reading her new spell over, and cursing herself for writing it.