#danceshipping

There were whispers of a lady who could tell you who you'd marry, and she blew into town every other week. Every time, the line to her wagon was long and winding with desperate young maidens hoping to hear that they'll marry upwards. Fathers would be waiting on the other end to hear who their daughters would marry, and argue with the psychic if she predicted someone they didn't like. Anzu, however, did not care to know who she'd marry. She didn't care to know what men were hoping to covet her hand. What she wanted to know was if she would ever leave this small town. She dreamed of dances and a chance to show off her talents. She dreamed of a small artist studio with a lofted bed, with sunshine and plants surrounding her. And yet here she was, inside the strange witch's quarters. She looked nothing like Anzu pictured - a pretty blonde with wisteria colored eyes that had a spark in them. Her eyes raked over her, and she leaned forward. Her blonde curls went everywhere - wild and free. "You're not here to learn about who you're going to marry, are you?"

Anzu sank down into the oversized chair made of dark wood, and the thick cushions made her feel more comfortable than she had any right to. A strange smell ensnared her - something she'd never smelled in this tiny town. She could picture the city shop that the fortune teller would've found it in, and Anzu longed to join her there. She'd never thought that she'd picture wanting that with anyone. She'd spent more time wanting to get out that she'd never once considered what it'd be like to want to stay somewhere. The again... it was easy to imagine that kind of future when it was utterly impossible. "No, I'm not," Anzu said, and a haze soothed over her. Something about this place felt like a dream, even if somewhere in her mind she knew it was real. "I'm not.... interested in marriage. My parents want me to but..."

"You're not interested in any of the men they show you," the witch said with a wicked grin. She'd leaned forward, and Anzu couldn't help but glance down at her bosom - the corset she wore was indecent. Wearing something like that here would certainly get someone in trouble. She wanted the freedom that the witch had. "In fact, you find yourself disinterested in all the men in this village. You want to leave here, and nothing ties you here, does it?"

"Yes, I -"

"No, don't speak, hon," she said, and her fingertips lightly grazed along Anzu's neck. Her breath hitched as she leaned into her touch, and the witch's hand now touched her cheek. She felt heat rise to her cheeks, and her lips parted. "I can see it. You find yourself staring at women for longer than is proper. You dream of a big city where you can blend into the crowd. Perhaps with some form of art to carry yourself without a man. You'd like to be run off with someone very close to you."

Anzu's eyes widened, and she wanted to deny it. Shame rolled over ever so briefly before that haze came back. Was the witch's face always this close to hers? She could see the gloss of her lips, the light flick of liner across her eyes, and it would haunt her dreams. Anzu's mind immediately drifted into imagining what it would be like if the witch actually closed the gap and gave her the very first kiss of her life. She wondered if it would be like how the books made it seem like kisses were supposed to feel like. She'd never wanted someone to kiss her so bad before. Girls weren't supposed to want this, after all. The witch smiled, and then the haze dissipated. She was standing outside the wagon, and before she knew it, the psychic had left. The smell of her perfume lingered, and Anzu was desperate to see her again. She turned to a maiden who had still been waiting and asked, "Do you know when she'll be back?"

"Didn't she already read you?"

She shook her head, and lied, "She said she needed multiple sessions with me. Said something about how it wasn't clear."

"That can happen?" The maiden's eyes widened, and Anzu knew she was thinking of the horror of not knowing who she'd marry. "Well um. She should be back in a month's time from what the rest of the travelers with her said. But sometimes she comes back sooner. I hope she'll have something for you next time!"

In the month lead up to the fortune teller's return, rumors spread quickly of Anzu's failure to be told the name of her future husband. Wives who found bliss because of the witch would whisper as she walked past, and fellow maidens would offer their condolences about her not finding a husband. None of them knew that at night, Anzu found herself dreaming of the witch's touch upon her skin. Her perfume became a memory, something she desperately clung to. She needed to see her again.

The fortune teller blew into town with the gusto of a storm's tempest, and Anzu was granted the ability to go first by the other maidens who felt sorry for her. They smiled and wished her luck on obtaining her husband, and Anzu didn't have the heart to tell them that she'd never have a husband. "You lied," the witch said, not even bothering to face her. There was no sign of a window she could have peered out of to see what had happened or who came next. The familiar haze was settling in. "You know I have a reputation to keep up, don't you?"

Her lips were a deep cherry red and slick - a tempting promise of pleasure in them. All her inhibitions were lowered, and she moved forward to kiss the witch like she'd been dreaming of - her very first kiss. The only frame of reference she had were stories that claimed this happened between a man and a woman, and how it was supposed to feel just like it felt now. Inexplicable, and perfect. The witch's hands were on her hips, and Anzu gasped as she pinned her to the wall. "I have a prediction of my own," Anzu finally gasped as her hands tangled into the fortune teller's wild curls. "You're going to take me far away from this little village, and I'm going to become your apprentice. Am I right?"

"You're going to tell your parents that I couldn't see a man in your future because you have the sight," the witch said with a light smirk as she pulled away. "You are instead going to learn to be a priestess at my behest. Tell them I entrusted you with my name, Mai Kujaku." She handed Anzu a wet rag. "Clean yourself up, and come back in an hour. We'll leave to the city then."