It was a bright and sunny day in Inazuma, a pleasant change from when the skies and ocean were full of thunderstorms. A pair of experienced travelers were walking up the mountain, to the Grand Narukami Shrine. Aether and Paimon, individuals who had brought a positive change to the isolationist island nation known as Inazuma. Although, the mood between the two of them was not entirely a pleasant one. As they were a bit despondent that after their efforts, the Fatui had obtained a third gnosis for the Tsarita. They may have won several small battles, saving nations in the process, but they felt as if they were nearing a plot at a more global and nefarious scale. They had helped Venti, the vagrant Anemo Archon of Mondstadt known as Barbatos, save his friend. A dragon that was terrorizing Mondstadt, that was dubbed Stormterror, but was Dvalin, who was manipulated by the Fatui to attack Mondstadt. La Signora had struck Venti when he was not prepared stealing his gnosis. That danger was eclipsed by the terror Aether and Paimon were presented by the death of Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon. They had to fight one of the harbingers, Childe, directly before they had to then join forces with the Adepti and Liyue soldiers headed by Ningguang to thwart Osial, a leviathan that had fought Rex Lapis before. The real kick in the stomach was when they found out that Zhongli, the funeral director that they had worked with to prepare for Rex Lapis funeral was working with the Fatui to stage this entire incident to prove the strength of Liyue. That was not even the biggest reveal, Zhongli was the dead archon Rex Lapis all along. The icing on the cake was that in exchange for their cooperation, he had given them his gnosis. What really put them in a depressed mood was the most recent gnosis, which was their fault. They were nearly taken down by Scaramouche if it weren’t for Yae Miko’s intervention. She traded their lives for Ei, the Electro Archon’s, gnosis. Something that they didn’t find out until the entire mess of the Resistance versus Ei’s forces had finished. They sighed, as they were probably going to see the Guuji at the shrine today.

Not to say that their journey was bloody battle after battle. Especially during the time that they were recuperating after facing Ei in her Plane of Euthymia. They ended up helping Thoma with developing a housekeeping course for the people of Inazuma. Avoiding an “assassination” from Sayu, and then helping her avoid her caretaker. Going out with Ei to show her how Inazuma has changed since she had secluded herself in search for eternity. Assisting Kokomi in post-war negotiation with Kujou Sara. Helping the naive Itto in escaping persecution. They helped Gorou face his fears and stand off against Yae Miko, which ended in failure. Everything seemed to return to her eventually. Regardless, it was a nice breath of fresh air. Kind of like when they helped Yoimiya with her firework display and went with Ayaka to the cultural festival.

The reason they were heading to the Grand Narukami Shrine, despite Aether still recovering from his injuries, was because they were going to Sumeru to meet the Dendro Archon, to find more clues to the whereabouts of Aether’s sister. Thus, they decided to bid adieu to Inazuma in the typical Inazuman fashion. Writing a farewell fortune and drop it off at the shrine. Something that they both thought was another money scheme handled by that sly fox. 

In a typical “speak of the devil” fashion. Yae Miko’s ears wagged awake. She had been well rested since she had reconciliatory with Ei. Happy that the war had ended, at least for now, and excited to see how she could best enjoy this day, in an ever-changing Inazuma. She slipped off her sleeping attire with a yawn, her perky breasts raising up as she stretched her arms above her head. Yae’s tails appeared above the crevice of her ass as her shapely rear and tails shake. Disappearing as quickly as they appeared. Yae had put on the fabric that composed her top, followed by the lower part of a kimono that wrapped around her midsection. Yae Miko had then put on her sleeves that went up to the middle of her upper arms. Her clothes had the same white, red, and black color design, which she clipped each with a bronze colored emblem with a purple symbol typically associated with the Electro vision. It was then onto haircare. Yae spent the next ten minutes making sure her head of hair was orderly, wrapping a hair tie near the end, before putting on her bronze headpiece. She walked towards the sliding door as she put an earring of similar design to her emblems on each ear. Yae walked a certain distance from her private quarters before locating strapped heel sandals and putting them on. A lengthy morning, but there was a certain amount of pomp and decorum that must be maintained in her position. Albeit she does such tasks alone instead of having her shrine maidens attend to her, as she sometimes prefers the solitude. Yae’s ears twitched hearing footsteps that she did not expect to be on her grounds. 

This would not be one of those days, as Yae basked in the warm Inazuma morning as she strolled outside. The foxy shrine maiden had expected the Grand Narukami Shrine to be vacant, as the typical visitors were still in a more festive mood with the civil war having reached a somewhat peaceful end. She was nonplussed at the sight of the traveler and his flying companion. Through her observation, she had noted they had purchased a couple of farewell fortunes. No doubt they had taken her advice and were heading to Sumeru next. A distance farther then they would have traversed so far just to get here. The next time that she would get to play…spend time with them would be far away. Thus, Yae Miko had decided how she was going to utilize her time today. Before the pair had even noticed her, Yae had swept up behind them and softly spoke into Aether’s ear.

“Now what is this I see? Would you happen to be at your last stop before departing Inazuma?” Aether and Paimon, still not used to mechanisms of this woman jumped back as she spoke.

“Isn’t there a better way for you to end your time here. Perhaps we could come to an arrangement. I happen to have a vacant opening this afternoon, and you happen to be on your way I presume. It would be remiss of me if I just let you go without a meal. In fact, I heard that there is a restaurant that is serving a new dish. This would be the perfect opportunity, an unknown dish before an arduous journey into the unknown” Yae brought the back of her hand to her chin. The other hand holding the respective elbow aloft. Planning to use this opportunity to get a meal from a restaurant she rarely frequented.

Aether, initially unwilling to pass his time. Before he could vocalize his displeasure, Paimon interjected.

“Really! Wow, thanks Yae. Come on Aether it’s food.”

Aether sighed. Despite being belligerent in his opposition of this activity, wanting to get one step closer to his sister, he relented. For all Paimon does or doesn’t do, she has always accompanied him through thick and thin. The least he could do was let her enjoy herself during these small moments.

“One of these days, she is going to be the death of me.”

“Now come on Aether, I would expect that you would be familiar with the etiquette one should have when out with a young woman like me.” Yae said as she tried to intertwine their arms. Aether forcing a nervous smile at Yae’s mischievous act, hoping that this would all blow over soon.

Yae, Paimon, and Aether descended the mountain and reached their destination by noon. It just so happened to be one of the first few places that they are at when they arrived in Inazuma. “Aether! How is it going” Kiminami Anna, the owner of Kiminami restaurant waved. She was one of Kamisato Ayaka’s few friends, someone who Aether taught how to make Pizza for the people of Inazuma. “I guess that she has found another dish to trial run.” Aether thought to himself as Anna gave a bow to Yae when she saw her.

“Oh, today is actually Inazuma Women’s Day, so we were only accepting female customers today, but I think we could make an exception for the hero that averted a senseless war.” Anna said as she led the three of them to the entrance. One that Aether had not seen before. The inside was much larger than he expected, with a variety of customer, they sat down on a table far away from the kitchen. Their waiter being another familiar face.

“Julie, what are you doing here?” Paimon asked the adventurer that was a part of the Gourmet Supremos. 

“Aether, glad to see you, Xudong, Parvaneh, and I are working here so we could immerse ourselves in the Inazuma culinary workspace experience. I’m helping with the tables and orders. Oh, hi miss, what would you like as well?” Julie turned to Yae, ready to take their order. Paimon pouting at Julie for unintentionally ignoring her.

“I’ll have the Rice Cake Soup.” Choosing a safe option. She would have some of Aether’s dish, if it wasn’t to her liking, she would have another cuisine to fall back on. After relaying her order to Julie, Yae Miko turned her attention to Paimon, deciding to regale her with the newest novel that she was working on getting published. As they became engrossed in the topic, Aether inquired about the new dish.

“Well, it is something that Xudong came up with recently. He sourced some odd ingredients from Dragonspine and is experiencing on it for a new dish. We are serving it here as a limited time offer to commemorate our collaboration with the Kiminami restaurant. Although, from what I heard in passing, Parvaneh was worried that Xudong had to handle it carefully. Or something dangerous could happen during the preparation, especially if you don’t have a vision or training. So, I guess you should be fine since you are pretty skilled in both. Oh, but I think it tastes really good.” Julie said with a bright smile on her face.

From the scant details that Julie had revealed, Aether had thought back to a story that Albedo had once mentioned during one of their trips in Dragonspine. 

Of a whimsical creature, that was the product of countless generations of harsh evolution on Dragonspine. That it was somehow able to shrink itself to protect itself from being eaten. A marvelous trait considering that it was somehow able to maintain both its organ functions and heat retention despite the significant change in stature within such a cold climate. What was even more miraculous of this evolutionary strategic plan, was that more recent variants had acquired a novel defense mechanism. Where if threatened, they would be able to confer the shrunken status onto its assailant. “I guess, with this new variant popping up, it would make sense that chefs would practice more caution if they cooked with it at all. Although, I guess that wouldn’t be enough of a reason for curious Liyue chefs like Xudong and Xiangling to use such a volatile ingredient in their meals. On that note, had Xiangling used such a creature in her meals?” Aether thought to himself as he placed the order for the new dish with a pensive stare. Julie heading back to the kitchen to relay the order. Paimon and Yae not hearing a single bit, discussing the details about the story of a sister lost in a strange land, having to overcome many adversities to save the land and find her brother. “Ugh, it sounds like Yae is trying to make a genderbend of me to make a quick mora, just like she had with Gorou.”

Yae had reached into her pockets, pretending to look for some spare mora, having noticed Aether looking at her for a minute, she decided to use this as an opportunity that she must have left her mora back at the shrine, despite having some mora stashed away in a hidden pocket. 

“How uncharacteristic of me, I must have left my mora back at my abode. It was such a sudden departure. Aether, could you help this young lady in need by footing the bill. I’ll make sure to remunerate you next time. Yae said with a faux pas tone of apology.

Aether was about to say something along the lines of how in-character this was of her before a loud crash had occurred in the kitchen. Aether’s tendency to put others before himself, led him to abandon the conversation and head to the kitchen. When he arrived, out of sight of Paimon and Yae, he saw a knife shrunken to a small size, Xudong gripping his hand in exaggerated agony as blood dripped down.

“No! How am I going to perfect my Inazuma experience now!” Xudong yelled. 

“How about by taking a week off to heal.” Parvaneh got up on a stool, preparing to abandon ship and avoid being shrunken. The attention of the Gourmet Supremos occupied, neither of them noticing that he had entered the kitchen, Aether had decided to apprehend the culprit himself. Xudong and Parvaneh both rushed out of the kitchen for their respective concerns, self-absorption, and self-concern. Aether had picked up a glass to catch the Dragonspine organism. The patrons and Julie gasped at the sight of the cooks leaving the kitchen and the loud noise that ensued once they had left to safer premises. The traveler used a handy glass to entrap the organism, a breath too late as Aether experienced a nauseating sensation as the world spun around him.

“Ugh.” Picking himself up after getting knocked out. Aether took assessment of his surroundings, nonplussed that he was shrunk to what must have been three inches, as he used the glass as a reference for his scale.

Thud.

THUD.

Aether’s attention was first drawn to the organism that was tapping at the edge of the glass. An organism that wasn’t looking at him as a looming shadow had reached over to swiftly lift the glass and place a napkin over it. Aether was shaken off his feet by the sudden movement of a giantess of an adventurer. The generally clumsy Julie having bested Aether in terms of swiftness but acquiring the caught organism without getting shrunk. Probably Aether’s second greatest failure today. His breath taken away by the ensuing shockwaves of the other Gourmet Supremos at the entrance of the kitchen.

“Wonderful job Julie!” Xudong said, his mind having already moved focused to that of the healing of his hand.

“Wait wasn’t there someone else here?” Parvaneh asked. Suspicious that Julie was able to catch such a dangerous organism without getting shrunk herself.

Parvaneh had begun to scour the floor with her eyes, suspecting that their true savior may have been shrunken in the process. 

Unfortunately, Aether’s head was pounding by the resounding reverberations of the Titan above him. Shaking on the floor due to the strength of their voices. His supine state making it impossible for Parvaneh to discern him from the wooden floor as her eyes frantically searched for an individual that Julie may have already smeared into the grooves of her boots. Parvaneh’s own feet shifting nervously in her sandals.

Parvaneh’s search interrupted as the Gourmet Supremos attention turned to Aether’s…emergency food…Paimon. Xudong, Parvaneh, and Julie not expecting her. The latter having missed Paimon when she was taking orders, resulting in Paimon not getting any food ordered.

“Hey Xudong Parvaneh, have you seen Aether? He suddenly ran off after Yae said that we should foot the bill.” Paimon said as Julie looked miffed at Paimon not greeting her.

At the arrival of Paimon, Aether had begun to dash and use his glider to pull himself up with the updraft of a stray breeze of wind. However, the wind at his small scale was much more capricious and he crashed back into the floor before he could ascend high enough to reach anyone’s view. Aether was now adjacent to Parvaneh’s sandal clad feet.

“Hmmm. I think that Aether might have left.” Julie guessed. 

Parvaneh who was now thinking that Aether may have been the one who shrunk decided not to panic Paimon first, despite her airhead disposition, Julie may have been right. So, Parvaneh had stepped out with Paimon to check with Anna.

After debating with himself, Aether had decided to climb up onto Parvaneh’s sandal.  The earthy musk hitting him, not letting himself be overwhelmed by the scent, strengthened by his diminutive size, Aether had prepared to hit the foot a couple of times to alert Parvaneh of his presence. He nearly stumbled off the sandal due to Parvaneh’s sudden movements. Aside from Parvaneh’s foot, which rooted Aether’s perspective, the environment had begun to blur. Aether dependent on the imposing muscular slab that Parvaneh would use to traverse Inazuma. When everything had suddenly stopped moving, Aether was suddenly thrown off the sandal due to his poor grip. Falling face down on the cold stone. As Parvaneh was faced with a growing crowd of patrons displeased with the lack of service.

This obstruction was not ameliorated by Xudong a little bit too loudly declaring that he was unable to cook. The anxious looks on the patrons’ face, reminded Parvaneh of a mob that the three of them once had to flee from.

“It seems that you are busy right now. Thanks anyway. I’ll go check with the other people around, I’m sure that I’ll find Aether.” Paimon said as she looked nervously around, not wanting to get caught up in this mess. 

Before Parvaneh could stop her, Paimon had already flown away to the opposite side of the restaurant, out of hearing distance. Faced with this dilemma, Parvaneh decided to cook the dishes while Xudong moped in the corner as Julie patted his back. She would relay her concerns to Anna, and they would search for the shrunken traveler when everything was slower. Unfortunately, Aether would not have known Parvaneh’s thoughts. Instead, his eyes were set on Yae and Paimon who he came with. A long distance lay before his diminutive stature. He picked up his glider and prepared to glide up in the sky and tumble to the floor to reach the two of them before they decided to depart without him.

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Parvaneh, inexperienced as she is attempted to juggle the catering of everyone dining in, at the bar, and those who ordered to have their food “to go”. Something that would have been nearly impossible by herself if it weren’t for the life-threatening cooking-related situations she was put through as a member of the group. The task at hand putting Aether’s state further and further out of her mind. Eventually, after an hour of cooking, she had gotten through a large order of Rice Cake Soup and the last of the limited event dish, as she was not going to attempt to prepare the ingredients herself after nearly getting shrunken herself. With the last order of the lunch rush, Parvaneh noticed a decrease in the number of orders, glad for the break. Julie promptly picked up the two dishes, heading to the table where the order was placed.

CRASH

Fortunately, the only titans actively walking currently were Julie and the rest of the waiting staff. So, it was a simple matter avoiding her steps on the floor. Aether’s head and body throbbing as he crashed another time, his glider creaking from overuse and his successive crashes, it would need some maintenance later. He had finally reached his table and Yae. At least Yae’s feet, as Aether was still ground level. Her toes passively scrunching within the strapped sandals in front of him. An action that would not usually be audible from a titan’s size. The friction of Yae’s feet against her sandals sounded as if her toes were growling at Aether’s arrival. Unlike Parvaneh’s feet, the feet in front of him were stationary. Thus, the traveler believed that he was more likely to elicit Yae’s attention. As he neared the stapled sandals, he noted that the shrine maiden’s feet not only looked softer but smelled like Sakura Blossoms. Only a hint of the sweat that accumulated during their walk here noticeable to the minute traveler. Oddly calming for the beleaguered outlander. Relaxing both due to the calming air of the divine vulpes, despite their newfound difference in stature, and the damage he accumulated to get here as quickly as possible. Aether had shimmied up to Yae’s sandal, about to repeat his attempt on Parvaneh, on Yae.

“I honestly can’t believe that he would decide to leave just because he couldn’t pay for the meal. His financial situation wasn’t that dire, was it.” Yae said as she saw several parties begin to leave the restaurant, some of them bowing in reverence to her. Yae maintained an amicable expression on the surface. However, the reality was much different under the surface. Yae has always prided herself for knowing how far to push one’s buttons to the point where they were flustered and flailing in front of her rhetorical prowess. But Yae, would have never expected for Aether to leave her high and dry, especially the day before he left. Yae’s blood boiled at the thought, the next time she would see him, she’ll make sure that traveler thought twice before crossing her. Suddenly, she felt a fragile object, underneath her big toe. Yae’s smile widened a little as she found a little outlet for the stress caused to her. Swiftly a strong amount of pressure, Yae appreciated the resistance the flimsy and thin object put up against the underside of her toe. Certain that there wouldn’t be a creature that thin and small living underneath her stature, Yae, without hesitation, put as much pressure as she could on the small pebble. Utterly crushing it out of existence.

CRICK. CRACK. 

Aether who had climbed up onto Yae’s sandal grit his teeth in pain. In his fatigue he had accidentally dropped his satchel and inventory, which had several important tools and boosting items, underneath Yae’s large toe. When he reached out under her fanning toes, the bulbous appendage came back over with just enough pressure to trap his satchel and right arm underneath it. Unable to tug, he could do nothing as the sweet-smelling extension of Yae’s appendage crushed the supplies that lay underneath it. Once an individual strong enough to prevent a calamitous conflict, Aether was not able muster the strength necessary to contest the might of a dainty toe. He pulled both his arm and satchel back as the toe lifted back up, inspecting the damage. He could barely move his right arm, his sword, Lion’s Roar, the overused glider, and most of the contents in his bag had been utterly crushed. Even the Serenitea Pot, which he had housed many objects in an adeptal realm, had been smashed. Aether flopped back on his back in exasperation. Looking upwards, from an angle he was able to see up Yae’s kimono. However, due to his small stature, his vision up to that point only yielded him a murky and blurred view of what type of undergarments Yae wore. The nebulous darkness matching the future of his own reality. Being an insect amongst a world of giants.

Aether had picked himself up, using the hazardous toes as leverage. He flinched as Yae’s toes continued to scrunch in impatience, afraid that the feminine toes would try and finish the job they started. If her toes were able to do this much damage without Aether getting her attention, an attempt to scale her body may be tantamount to suicide. Aether looked through what remained of his satchel, to see what was intact. Barely anything was left. The food that he had stored to boost his disposition, strength, or stamina were all mushed together. Yae’s sweat having marinated the unrecognizable food, as nothing else withstood Yae’s whimsical action. Aether had decided against eating the food for now, in case it had any deleterious effects on his health. Aether, instead looked at the table leg, resolving to scale it and try to make visual contact with Yae or Paimon. With his stature it shouldn’t be that hard. Aether looked at his attire, seeing how ragged he was. His top hanging by a little bit more than a thread on his left arm. Red welts covered the parts of himself that he could look at. Aether used the cape around his neck to secure himself against the table leg. Beginning the arduous journey to pull himself up. One without many events, except for the deafening thunder of the surrounding titan’s voices and movements decreasing as they left the restaurant. The higher up that Aether got, the more prominent a deep, uniquely feminine, bellow could be heard. One that he surmised to be from Yae. Aether would stall and sometimes slip each time the shrine maiden would move. There was an especially close call when Yae had crossed one of her legs. It sounded as if two fault lines were scraping against each other, the displaced air blowing at him as her right knee was too close for comfort. Finally, Aether had reached over the table leg and pulled himself up to the table’s surface. His cape falling away as his sluggish reflexes failed him. Turning back around, this was his first look at Yae from his new size. His eyes drifted upwards, over the cliff-like protrusions of white that signaled her chest. Then up to her face, which maintained a neutral expression, something Yae perfected through experience. From Aether’s perspective, it was as if she were unconcerned with the world. A divine goddess above, uncaring of Aether who frantically waved his hands from far below, his voice inaudible over the clamoring of rapidly approaching footsteps.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Before Aether could react, a strong wind had blown him to the side. The traveler roughly rolling to a stop. Julie had just arrived with dishes in both hands, placing the Rice Cake Soup next to Yae and the “Kiminami Gourmet Supremo Special” on the opposite side. Julie left as quickly as she arrived, the cape that had fallen to the floor getting caught in the grooves of her boots. As the day would pass, Julie’s forceful steps and rough sole would rip it apart into unrecognizable scraps.

Aether looked up at Yae who had shifted her focus to her long-awaited meal, chopsticks in hand.

grumble.

Even from far away, Aether was able to hear how famished Yae was. “Wait, where is Paimon?” Just as Aether had thought that Paimon had returned to the table. She had been asking the other patrons and Anna, none of whom had seen Aether or could corroborate Julie’s assertion. Her concern growing, Paimon returned to the table to inquire Yae about the matter. Unbeknownst to Paimon, her rushed flight to the table had brought a strong gust of wind over Aether, who was just below her. A current that had carried both him and his wrecked bag aloft in the empty air before they plummeted down back to the table.

SPLASH.

Aether had fallen into the scalding pot of Rice Cake Soup. His bag fell into another part of the large bowl, that seemed large enough to feed multiple people. The warm broth, burned his skin, reddening it upon contact. Aether writhed in pain against the cooked tofu, fish, melon pockets, and sausage. Many of the items in the bowl were near his size. One would suspect that Yae would have noticed Aether’s struggle by this point. However, her attention had turned to Paimon’s sudden arrival. “Welcome back. You know, there is something called minding the personal space of others. What would you have done if my dish had spilled over? Hmmm?” Yae asked with her arms crossed over her chest. “Sorry. Wait isn’t that Aether’s dish, did he not come back yet?” Paimon looked at Yae, her vision just above the traveler who was in searing pain within Yae’s meal. “I’m afraid not, and I would admit that I may be a bit overbearing, but suddenly leaving us alone is just in bad taste.” Yae picked up her chopsticks and looked towards the bowl. The soup was a delight to the visual senses. The slow cooked sausages, the crispy yet soft tofu, the plump fish that betrayed a soft texture, the soft pockets of lavender melon fruit. And it was all for her. The traveler nowhere in sight. Unfortunately, the presentation of the contents seemed to be engineered in a way that amidst the tiny traveler’s struggle, the ingredients would fall over him. He was sent under the broth as Yae had inspected her meal visually. Taking in the aroma. Lifting her chopsticks up and slipping a melon pocket in between them. Yae pretended to listen as Paimon had recounted the events that occurred since she went to the kitchen. Yae’s focus on her feast as she placed the delicious fruit dumpling within her mouth. Her teeth ripped through the packaging and released the sweet contents onto her tongue. The fruity flavor teased her saliva glands to release more of the acrid and sticky substance. 

Gulp

She sent the delectable contents down her pale throat. A route that she had planned for her entire meal to take while it was still hot. The traveler, after swimming through the burning liquid had finally found surface, laying his body over a stray piece of tofu. His top and bottom had been swept away into the bowl. Completely nude, save for his lower undergarments, his body was sunburnt. A reddish hue had covered his entire body as his nerves felt numb due to overstimulation. His hair was matted down by the liquid, covering his eyes, and nearly obscuring his vision. When Aether looked up, he wasn’t greeted by the sky, as he found himself in a space roofed by a couple fish plank. Aether would have moved the sausages out of the way, but he could barely move his fingers. His body having been through too much trauma in a short amount of time without a chance to recuperate.

Gulp

Gulp

Gulp

Gulp

As Aether lay prone on his platform, Yae was devouring the savory-soaked morsels gulp after gulp. The hour she had waited more then whetted her appetite. There was even a point when Yae chewed two sausages at once, before she would lift her head and give a hard…

GULP

A bulge going down her unblemished throat. “Sorry Paimon, I didn’t catch that last part.” Yae said as she kicked her lips, the level of the soup significantly farther from the edge of the bowl. The shrine maiden eyed the last pile of food in the broth. Paimon looked on mildly perturbed at the sight of Yae’s dining. Making note of Yae’s which had expanded outwards, nearly half an inch. While Paimon looked up to the ceiling, trying to recollect her thoughts, Yae had collapsed the pile of food with her chopsticks. “Hmmm, that is a odd looking sausage.” Yae picked up the 3-inch red skinned traveler with her chopsticks, bringing him up to her mouth.

The traveler was initially blinded by the sudden increase of light. He closed his eyes shut as he got accustomed to the brightness. The feeling in his skin had begun to return, a fact made evident as he felt a strong pressure on both sides of his torso. A sense of vertigo as his body was lifted against gravity and away from the steaming broth. If he had eaten anything this day, he would have probably thrown up. The face of the divine vulpes, a face that was around three times his size. Yae was looking towards Paimon who was still looking up to the ceiling. Aether was but a body’s, relative to him, distance away from her face. Aether attempted to vocalize his identity, but the scalding broth had gone down his throat before he resurfaced. All that came out was a whimper, as the pink lips opened wide. Yae’s breath wafted over him as a warm draft. From his view, the traveler saw the carnivorous canines, more ferocious than a human’s due to her kitsune lineage. Strings of saliva trailed between the teeth; a large strand of saliva connected the roof of the mouth to the shrine maiden’s tongue.

Yae placed the atypical sausage, in her mouth. Pulling her chopsticks out, the lower half still hung out between her lips. Paimon had turned her head from the ceiling back towards Anna’s direction and away from Yae. “Oh yea, I remember now. The last thing I did was ask Anna if she had seen Aether leave.” Yae gripped the part of the sausage within her mouth with her teeth. She slipped out her tongue underneath the remainder of her last piece of broth-soaked sausage. 

Slurp. Smack.

The sausage was slurped up entirely into Yae’s mouth as Paimon blinked as she turned face Yae as she finished her story. Ultimately missing Aether who was now trapped within the confines of the Kitsune’s oral cavity. Yae, unable to respond to Paimon with a full mouth, she brought her hand up to her mouth as she began to chew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the diminutive traveler the mouth was too cramped despite his small size. His body was forced into one side of Yae’s mouth. None of the areas that the traveler had explored in Teyvat was quite like it. Just like the underside of Yae’s undergarments, the environment was dark and hazy; Aether could barely make sense of the objects within the cavern. From the bumpy texture of the undulating to his right side, he was able to surmise that the structure molesting him for a taste, which must have been Yae’s tongue. A little bit elongated and bulkier than a human’s tongue. The acidic saliva that it rubbed into his sore skin had made him recoil into the cloying sensation of her cheek. The strings of saliva between her teeth dropped down over his prone body, immobilized by exhaustion and pain. Between Yae’s left cheek and tongue, Aether’s body was stuck over the pointy and malformed bed of Yae’s jaw. The crown of the teeth providing a rough surface for his back. Causing him to move with what little strength he had now into the most comfortable position between the upper and lower jaw. Effectively lodging himself in the grooves of the crown. At the numerous protrusions that hung overhead. Yae’s jaw that of a human but sharing some of the features of a carnivorous vulpine. The atmosphere humid and muggy, filled with the scent of Yae’s meal. Aether’s breaths were rapid and shallow as the meal that he was in now diffused through his lungs. Reluctant to further subject himself to these conditions, he focused his strength on moving his fingers. Despite the perilous state he was in, the traveler was determined in making use of every small effort he could muster. Hoping that the accumulation of small steps would afford him an exit out. He was able to flex and extend his wrists just as the teeth above him came down. If the soup was a boiling pot, then Yae’s mouth was the tenderizer. The teeth had rubbed itself over Aether’s figure. The molars distributed a large amount of pressure over his body as the canines roughly scratched his bare skin. Saliva dropped from the wide stalagmites, burning the open wounds that Aether obtained, as the pressure from the teeth released and intensified periodically. The adrenaline pumping through his body kept him alert despite the searing pain. This torture continued until Aether felt like his body was going to be crushed. His rib cage compressed his lungs, nearly piercing them until the pressure finally ceased. Aether deeply inhaled, taking in the rancid atmosphere. Gracious at the chance for another breath and his superhuman endurance getting him to this point. Unsuspecting of the approaching tongue that slathered over his face and body. Tasting the blood that flowed out of his small wounds. His chamber began to shake, a world-shattering rumble had originated from Yae’s throat and washed over the moist cavern that Aether inhabited. His eardrums popping, by the deep thundering roar of a feminine beast. Aether nothing more than a toy for her oral pleasure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yae chewed the large piece of boiled sausage. The texture different from the other pieces as it had not broken apart from her chewing yet. Receptive of the challenge, she began to chew with a more precise amount of pressure. Attempting to see if there was a weak point. As Yae felt the meat give a little, a metallic taste had dropped on her tongue. Yae had stopped masticating the piece of resistant meat. “Wait, is this meat rare?” Yae thought to herself pleasantly surprised. Her ears began to wag up and down, her eyes closed in pleasure as a blush creeped up her cheeks. 

“Hmmm. Shoo Good!”

Owing to her Kitsune traits, Yae’s diet included foods that were both cooked and raw. Her digestive system able to handle both quite well. After all, a delectable common snack of the shrine maiden were the birds of Inazuma. Although, Yae typically ate foods on the rawer side a specific way, even if it were just a sausage that was slightly bloody. One that she was going to demonstrate as she moved her hand away from her face and brought the large bowl up to her lips.

Aether shielded his ears with his hands as Yae moaned in pleasure from his taste, her unexpected treat. “Wait, I can move my limbs.” Aether’s earlier attempts to move his smaller distal muscles first ended up working. The traveler was able to fairs his body at the boulders that continued to squeeze him. Eliciting pained wheezes as blood dribbled down her teeth and over her undulating tongue. Hopefully his second wind came in the nick of time, as he saw Yae’s lips opening. “If I can just get out, even if it is just my hand, Yae should figure out that I am in her mouth.” Aether said to himself as he leapt forward, towards the yawing entrance. However, the hopes that quickly risen in Aether, were just as quickly washed away.

SLUUUU….

The warm broth had cooled down enough that Yae was drinking it all from the bowl in one continuous gulp. Yae never noticing his movements in her mouth as she conflated it with the savory liquid that was passing through her lips and down her throat. Aether’s hand may have not reached outside of Yae’s lips, but it did reach the edge of the bowl. His hand holding onto it through the torrent of liquid that was flowing past him. Adamant to not follow, he would have no choice as the piece of tofu that served as his life raft back in the bowl consigned him to a fate within Yae’s innards. The tofu smacking him in the face, causing Aether to be pushed to the entrance of the Kitsune’s gaping gullet before he was pushed over. The traveler fell face forward, his face and arms met a velvety mucous resistance. As the esophagus was mostly collapsed until a solid bolus that was the savior of Inazuma had hit it. The force of his weight and the saliva that lubricated him opened that passage to the point that he conformed to the muscular walls. Airtight, they hugged Aether’s body to the point of immobility as they dragged him along Yae’s throat. A small bulge forming in the gulping neck of the kitsune. Not even discernible as a human to an outside observer. To someone like Paimon who was actively searching for that very individual. He looked like nothing more than any other piece of meat that had taken that entrance. Eventually, the bulge disappeared as the traveler went below Yae’s collarbone. His transit was now accompanied by the sonorous sound of Yae’s heartbeat. Even the sound of something that Yae did not have to think about, was shaking the traveler’s body to the core. The slimy passage pushing against him on the left side just as he passed the heart. Finally, the muscular tunnels opened to a hole which led to further darkness. Aether could not see anything as he passed through the hole, so he flailed as he fell to the pile of food that filled Yae’s stomach. Sputtering as he sunk into a cesspool of chyme, meats, fruit, and tofu, Aether did not have time or the room to avoid the following morsels that fell on him. Pushing him under, joining him with the rest of his colleagues to be dutifully digested by the beautiful spiritual leader of Inazuma.

Buuuaaarrp

After such a large drink of broth, Yae had difficulty obstructing the voluminous release of gas from her mouth. She had reached her hand to cover her mouth but was too late as the spittle flew from her mouth and onto the bowl. Completely empty save for the small pair of a top and pants. A decorating of one of the bites that is now being mixed and churned with the rest of her food in stomach.

“I’m sure that Aether had something urgent that must be done. You should get move along as well Paimon. Tell him to pick up his meal from me at the shrine.” Yae said dismissively as she stretched one hand over her head, the other rubbing her abdomen firm with her hearty meal. Still believing that Aether overreacted and stood her up. She walked to Anna and offered her the mora she had hidden. 

Slosh. Slosh.

The soupy contents of her stomach audible to her attentive ears. The grumbling and groans she had found to be oddly relaxing at times.

“You don’t have to worry about giving us money Guuji. Just being able to serve you is monetary compensation in itself.” Anna said as Yae exited the building. Due to her free meal, the food she ordered was incidentally not recorded in their ledger later. 

Paimon followed close, still anxious about Aether’s whereabouts. Unsure of what to do next since Yae was dismissive of her concerns.

“Here is your bill Ayaka, thanks for coming again.” Anna said from behind the pair.

“Ayaka! You were here as well, why didn’t I see you earlier.” Paimon’s anxiety abated for a little bit at the sight of Aether’s and her close friend.

“Greetings Paimon, Guuji. It must have been a difference in timing. I had my order placed ahead of time, so my meal was quick. Did you require my assistance?” Ayaka had stated with a similarly distended middle to that of Yae’s. As they had begun to talk, they walked in the direction that Yae had, away from the restaurant. Parvaneh completing some carryout orders as Julie cleaned up the dining area. The hostess, Anna closing the restaurant to guests early as they were running out of supplies. After a hard day’s work, she had her own meal that she ordered earlier.

Groan. Slish. Slosh.

Paimon was accompanied by two ladies with happily content midsections. Working dutifully to break down the sustenance in their bodies. To fuel them for the next day and maintain their physical beauty before the unnecessary parts would be disposed of.

Aether was submerged within the boiling chyme of Yae’s girth mixture. He could not tell right from left as it seemed he was floating in a realm of darkness, trashing around aimlessly as foodstuff impacted his sensitive skin. Hoping to get Yae’s attention, but only swirling the mixture he was drowning in the process. A darkness that had fluid like quality, as the enzyme filled chyme suffused his wounds. His body involuntarily spasming by the onslaught of toxic elements. He had gone through an arduous journey up to this point, even being toyed by the electro archon herself, who barely used a fraction of her power to beat him back twice. If it wasn’t for Yae’s intervention, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve a philosophical victory over her. Now, it appeared as if his body was returning the favor. Small parts of his skin already breaking off to be dissolved within the nebulous liquid, made viscous by the meat and fruit that had already arrived. Mercy seemed to shine down upon him during the casual indifference of Yae and the active destruction of his body by her pragmatic stomach. As Aether felt a change in viscosity of the liquid over his face. His face still lightly stung, but he opened his mouth to let this darkness in. As he realized that he found a pocket of air within a pocket of bolus. Staving off death by suffocation, Aether’s hope dwindled as he thought that he may have just been delaying the inevitable. Unknowing of how his friends were talking about him under the bright Inazuma day.

“Aether is missing!” Ayaka interjected with an urgent tone. Concerned for the well-being of her friend, someone who she wished to share more intimate relations with. Completely oblivious to the fact that Yae already had the traveler inside of her. Slowly being broken down into bare constituents. Destroying any chance of her romance to bear any fruit. As Aether had bumped against another fruit in Yae’s stomach as he tried to search for her rugae-lined walls, to no avail.

“That is what Paimon expects but it could also be due to him desiring some time alone. It is going to be a long journey for him. He would probably have to go through the Chasm before reaching Sumeru. A dark Liyue tunnel system with various elements of the toxic nature.” Yae said as she nonchalantly rubbed her midsection applying pressure to the Yae’s personal chasm. Sloshing the contents within as Yae got over her petty focus on the traveler’s actions. Trying to rationalize what may have happened to the traveler for him to leave as he did. She was not as concerned as the others, after all she was the one that trained him to not die immediately in the face of Ei. She was certain that whatever Inazuma threw at him, he would be able to handle. Unaware that she was the menace that he was facing. The group having stopped in front of the place that sells that Dango Milk drink that Ei had been supporting, Yae wanting to try the drink herself.

“The traveler is leaving. Ayaka thought, as she realized that her busy schedule had kept her from spending more time with him. Love could be ever fleeting, but the Kamisato heiress had hoped to give Aether a gift before he left.” Yae had ordered a Dango Milk from Tomoki, the incidental innovator behind the new beverage.

Yae had brought the drink up to her pink lips. “How sweet, and what a unique texture, it is almost as if I am drinking a dessert. Yae had taken a couple small sips to ruminate on the flavor, emptying it halfway.

Splish

The air pocket that Aether had found himself in had swiftly disappeared, resigned to his lack of control in the tumultuous environment. Fortune had once again decided to smile on him in more ways than one. The dessert like liquid had drained from Yae’s esophagus and poured into her full stomach. Decreasing the volume taken by the fume filled atmosphere of the caustic pit, but also pushing Aether up to the surface of this acid wasteland. His first deep inhalation of the acidic air burned his lungs, but not nearly as much as when he had to hold his breath within the pitch-black mixture. The second of his newfound blessings was that being at the exterior of this pile allowed him to view the rugae of the stomach, the visceral organ protected from the sun by Yae’s muscle and skin. However, it allowed for some brightness to diffuse in Aether’s chambers. The darkness only granular at this level. It was with his newfound vision that he found his final blessing. The satchel he had lost when falling into the soup was next to him, unopened. Yae must have eaten it along with the rest of her meal. What was important was the suspicious food that Aether had decided against eating that was sealed within. As Aether had begun to crawl to the bag, hoping that the mixture of food would heal him and boost his stamina. He opened the sodden bag, uncaring of the taste of the food, he stuffed it into his mouth. Fighting through the desire to retch the contents, to have a chance to see his sister again. His body already felt revitalized, the wounds he accumulated were healing. Breathing heavily and coughing after his utilitarian meal, the traveler was once again determined to reunite with his friends. The ones whose voices reverberated as thunder outside of Yae’s stomach.

“Hey Yae. Ayaka and I are going to search for the traveler. Could you keep an eye out for him as well?” Yae nodded affirmatively.

“It should be a simple matter; in fact, my ears will probably pick up his footsteps before my eyes do.” Ears which were occupied with the gratuitous melody of her digestive tract as they parted ways. Ayaka and Paimon continuing further into Inazuma city while Yae headed back to the Grand Narukami Shrine. The shrine maiden took great pleasure in the smallest of sensations of her body. The simplest of actions could be perceived as euphoric under the right mindset.

Uuarp

A curt belch escaped Yae. A satchel smaller than her teeth having been lifted by a gas bubble in the stomach and ejected out of her mouth. It fell to the floor before she stepped over it with her sandal. Deriving enjoyment from her uncommon solitary stroll as she patted her compact belly.

The hot wind had blown past Aether’s nubile body. His undergarments now having melted off a while ago. The action of which having brought the ceiling above him right against the rugae lined walls. Aether contemplated the implications of having been pressed between the muscular wall and slimy graveyard of a meal. “If I used my Anemo vision, I could create enough atmosphere to vault myself out of here like my….” Aether’s thoughts stopped as an unfamiliar sensation spread over his groin region. One that was dual parts pain and pleasure. His recent near-death state, and subsequent revitalization had led his genitalia stand up in full mast. Ready to release seed for future progeny before the body expires. A fact that was not helped by the stomach lining which acted as an impromptu onahole. Clinging onto Aether’s penis as he was shoved up against the wall. The peristaltic walls grinded up and down his body with the movement of Yae’s stomach. The force of his coerced masturbation increased with the sonorous beating of Yae’s heart which laid over the diaphragm adjacent to the portion of the stomach he was stuck to.

As Aether was involuntarily experienced the ministrations of Yae’s stomach folds up close. The shrine maiden felt her belly still distended against her kimono. Afraid it would leave a mark on her otherwise pristine belly. She had begun to massage the skin overlying her stomach as she walked to Konda Village. The innocent action increasing the pulsations of the stomach. The pace at which the rugae rubbed Aether had increased. It was to a point where even though he resisted in his immobile state, his sexual organ was being pleasured as the secreted acids bit into his skin. Yae’s palpation over her skin became deeper, further mushing the large pile of digested food down. She unintentionally assisted in her stomach providing Aether with a climax. With a final large depression of her stomach with her palm, Yae had receded the distention to an unprovable size behind her clothes. Aether’s spent body shuddered as he ejaculated into the stomach lining. An emasculating experience that Aether was sure to guard with his life, especially in front of the likes of Yae. He breathed slowly before he fell away from the wall.

SLURRSSH. GLIIICK. GLUP.

The pile of food had become more of an island within a yellow lake of soup diluted by chyme. Yae’s actions having sent a significant portion of her meal through her duodenum. Aether picked himself up on top of the landform, being able to stand on his own two feet for the first time since he had fallen in the soup bowl. Weakened, the climactic experience and acid that covered him counteracting the effects of the food he consumed. He had to act quick if wanted to have any hope of either alerting Yae of his presence or creating a current within this boiling pit to take him out of here. 

BURBLE. SLOSH.

It was midday when Yae had reached Konda Village, her ears occasionally twitched as she thought that she heard someone. Keeping her senses sharp suspecting that someone may have been failing her. However, the voice had sounded incredibly small and nearby. This would have been made more prominent by the quiet nature of the settlement, that positioned itself in the slower aspects of life. It was to Yae’s surprise when she saw a considerable amount of activity. The cause of such a ruckus being the resident fireworks expert Yoimiya. Who was busy setting up one right at the outskirts of the village. Yae approached inquisitively, as Yoimiya turned to greet her with a jubilant expression. “Good afternoon Guuji Yae! Happy Inazuma Women’s Day. How is it hangin’?” Yae smiled, Yoimiya’s cheerfulness infection. “Wonderfully. I must ask the same of you, would these fireworks happen to be for the holiday?” Yae said as she crouched down.

The traveler’s space enclosed on itself. He focused his remaining energy on his vision. Preparing to alternate between Anemo and Electro elements to notifying Yae of himself and to hopefully create a gaseous bubble to carry himself out. The electricity flowing around him as he summoned a vortex on the palm of his hand. Aether was prepared to swirl the electricity, unleashing a thunderstorm within her stomach.

“Yea, it is a new type of firework I’ve been working on. I’ve been running out of some materials due to demand, so I had to figure out how to make a firework without a fuse. For this bad boy, all you need is an ember.” Yoimiya demonstrated, by activating her pyro vision in her hand. The flame adjacent but not proximal to the firework. “There is a switch that activates inside that trigger when the external coating reaches a certain temperature. Just bringing a heat source close by should be enough to trigger…”

Uuuuuaaarrrrrrp

Yae had suddenly let loose a voluminous belch produced by her gastric contents. Before either of them could comment on the sudden outburst, the flame on Yoimiya’s hand had increased in intensity by the spontaneous gas, reaching the firework that they were observing.

THHOOOOOOOOOMMM

Due to their experience in combat, despite their short distance from the firework, they were able to evade the brunt of the impact. Although, Yae had felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Her ears were ringing as she looked down. There was no obvious shrapnel lodged in. In fact, aside from a scratch on her attire, she was completely fine. Even the package that contained Aether’s food, which she had taken with her was unharmed. The greatest impact to her health became clear a moment later as she felt a vigorous shaking on her shoulder. The astute shrine maiden had jumped back, surprised that she could not hear Yoimiya approaching her. The reason was confirmed for Yae as she stared at Yoimiya and her moving lips, unable to hear what she was saying until the last few words.

“…are you alright?!” Yoimiya yelled, already knowing the answer from Yae’s uncharacteristically confused expression and wagging ears.

“I’VE BEEN WORSE FOR WEAR!!” A reaction that Yoimiya expected. Glad to see that despite her reduced hearing, her vestibular senses seemed to be intact. 

“DON’T WORRY, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET YOUR HEARING BACK IN AN HOUR.” Yoimiya said optimistically. Although Yae smiled at the knowledge, she was hiding her concern of being assaulted by the individual that was tailing her.

Yoimiya, the socially astute individual she was picked up on that. Making up an excuse of having to deliver fireworks to Ayaka’s estate. After clearing out the mess caused by the explosion, the two of them traverse across the plains and to the base of the mountain. Yae gripping her abdomen in one hand, as a dull pain lingered. It was odd how she was feeling it now, as the last time her stomach was this pained, she had consumed the thunderbird of Seirei Island. A large entity, greater in size than a Lawachurl, bloated Yae’s midsection to nearly three times the size of her body. The lightning strikes of the bird did not cause the shrine maiden pain, rather the electricity had stimulated her stomach to release potent digestive enzymes that extinguished the bird’s life. The remains of the bird, after they had passed her rectum, were still mostly whole, looking like some carnivores had picked its dead body apart leaving it half eaten. “Ah, what a simple time it was back then, it was sure difficult to explain to Ei how the bird’s half eaten corpse was on their coast. Those fireworks must have packed a punch to have the same effect on my stomach. I should order some from Yoimiya for the next festival.”

The traveler had brought about similar circumstances, albeit he was only three inches and not three times Yae’s size. His languid form lay on a much smaller life raft. His swirled electro attack irritated the stomach but not to release him. Instead, the landform of Yae’s meal had broken apart from his attack, into smaller parts. Aether couldn’t even cough, the singed air had introduced a whole new atmosphere into the traveler’s system. One that would be made worse by the toxic fumes of the caustic pool that seemed to increase in size, despite Yae not eating recently. The electro swirl had reawakened cells that were progeny of the cells that learned to fight against the thunderbird. The acids being secreted from the stomach wall would have killed even a normal human of ordinary size. Aether’s superhuman endurance was all he had left, as he was tapped out on his elemental energy. With bloodshot and unfocused eyes, he tried to assess his physical state. His naked body must once again be singed red once more. He was able to observe several painful elevations on his skin. Despite avoiding the acid, the very fumes seemed to have already blistered his skin. 

SLLLLSSSSH

There was nothing else in the rapidly contracting stomach except for the broken islands of expired animals and rotten fruit, being dissolved by the chemical enzymes of Yae’s ultimate chamber. His body was curled up on the fetal position in his rapidly dissolving island, the only hope he had left was that someone would miraculously find evidence of Yae eating him.

GLLRRSHSH. SCHLLORP. GRRRRNN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Parvaneh was in the process of washing the dishes when she remembered about the possibility that Aether was miniaturized. The reminder being the tiny, drenched clothes in the bowl used for Rice Cake Soup she was about to clean. Due to the food rush of the day, and Xudong being out of commission.  Parvaneh’s could not even recall how many bowls of Rice Cake Soup she made much less who ordered them. Her heart racing, at the thought that the traveler was very likely being emulsified by the innards of a female that had dined in their restaurant for the day. Parvaneh turned to Julie. “No, she wouldn’t be able to recall where she left her own boots.” Parvaneh’s prayers were answered when Anna arrived in her sight. “Anna, I know this is a weird question, but do you recall who ordered the Rice Cake Soup in store today.” She said trying to maintain a straight face. “How funny, I was planning on making some right now. Ayaka had told me how good some of the meat chunks were, that she ended up cleaning the whole bowl.” Parvaneh’s face paled at the hostess’s assertion. “Ayaka, as in Kamisato Ayaka.” Parvaneh said with a shaky voice and a nervous laugh at the end. Anna ambivalent to another idiosyncrasy of the troupe she was working with. 

Parvaneh had wanted to save the traveler, but not if he was already dead and at the expense of her own life. The traveler would have probably digested by now within the stomach of the unapproachable girl. In fact, it is more likely that she had ripped his body apart with her teeth before swallowing his mashed-up carcass down her throat. Parvaneh grimacing at the visual in her head. The traveler looking up to see visage of the thoughtful and beautiful girl. One who would undoubtedly save him if she knew he was in her bowl. Before being placed within her typically dainty mouth. The claustrophobic space and saliva cloying over his skin. Invading his orifices and mucous membranes. Blinding him from the oncoming teeth that would smash down on him. Ayaka would have been surprised by the taste of blood if she felt it. But as someone who carried herself with decorum and poise in public, she would not show any observable weakness. Instead, she would choose to eviscerate the unknown corpse of raw meat. Quickly gulping down the blood while stifling a grimace, before gulping the traveler’s remains in one large swell that would travel down her throat. She would have probably tried to rinse her mouth with the broth to get rid any unbecoming aspects of her meal such as the remaining blood on her teeth. The only physical evidence of Aether would be the small amount of padding he would to the girl’s frame. Parvaneh had once again shuddered at her own overactive imagination. If it was found out that they had unintentionally fed the traveler to the Kamisato princess, it would be their heads on the block. Or even plate. Parvaneh had decided to not speak of this again, trying to put such morbid thoughts out of her mind. A habit that developed since she had joined the troupe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Thanks again for accompanying me to this point. You should make sure that your fireworks are delivered properly to Thoma.” Yae Miko bid farewell to Yoimiya as they parted ways. Yoimiya entering the estate as Yae ascended the mountain. Her hearing at a level slightly better than a human’s but not fully recovered. Thus, she did not hear the rustling of bushes, as someone who was a professional at espionage had truly begun tailing her from the Kamisato Estate. Sayu lifted her head to look at Guuji Yae, as she implemented her newest plan to get away from her caretaker/shrine maiden/shinobi arts instructor Kano Nana. “There is no way that Nana would suspect me of following Guuji Yae. Finally, I’ll have enough time to sleep, so my body can grow up big and strong.”

Splash

The exact opposite was happening for Aether as the interlocked remnants of sausage and fruit had finally broken apart. Like all things in nature, they bid each other farewell. The food drifting down into the thick mixture. 

Glrp. Schlurp.

The stomach bounced up and down with each step that Yae went up the mountain, further breaking down the drifting food before they were gulped down by the pyloric sphincter. As if it were a second mouth, it opened and closed to receive the mass for further digestion. 

Pop

Occasionally belching a volume of gas that came up as a bubble in the simmering pot of chyme. The intrepid hero had tried to conserve energy to recuperate for his next maneuver. But as time passed, he was unsure of what that next action would be. Or if he would even be able to do that. At this point, the content of air in his lungs was very similar to the ambient atmosphere of the corrosive pool sack. The only reason that Aether had not fallen unconscious, was that he was passively using the cleansing properties of Anemo within his body. Prolonging his life, but also draining his energy. The longer he stayed in this resting state, the weaker he became. A fact that became evident as blue welts had appeared over his flaying skin. These dermatological changes were due to the contaminated hemoglobin carrying compounds aside from oxygen to Aether’s muscles. The blisters over his skin had begun to tear and bleed. The enzymes that perfused the air, entered though every opening of the traveler’s body cleaving apart his internal organs by the scale of cells and tissues. His immune system combating against the foreign compounds, but in their vigorous attack they were also damaging Aether’s body. His lack of appropriate atmosphere, the developing inflammation, and the near infinite number of enzymes entering continuing the onslaught breaking down Aether’s body at the microscopic level, had made his mind malleable before his body.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The evening sun always is always so beautiful.” Yae thought to herself during her steps on the path up the mountain. The shrine maiden would have loved to take this route more often, but only if its current beauty remained untarnished. If Yae were to take this route every day, for an eternal cycle, the sight would eventually become a muted pleasure before something she was indifferent to. This beauty that laid before her owed it to its scarcity and its ephemerality. Life was full of hellos and goodbyes, something that she would hope that Ei came to terms with.

Groooan. Glorp.

Her gut seemed to agree. Even though she had a large lunch, it seemed it was prepared to bid farewell to her prior meal. “Aether wouldn’t mind if I had his dish. Even in the off chance he came for it, he probably wouldn’t like food that is too cold.” She licked her lips at the thought. 

“Oh, and you can come out too Sayu. I know that you have been following me for the last ten minutes.” Yae said with a smug smirk on her face as they were just below the entrance to the Grand Narukami Shrine.

“What! How did you notice me?!” Sayu jumped out of her hiding spot in surprise.

“For a mature lady like me, knowledge comes with experience. Typically, the shrine maiden Kano Nana is following you when she is walking in such a manner.” Yae gestured at the shrine maiden who followed briskly.

“Sayu, you better not be skimping out on training again.” Sayu nodded her head in resigned defeat.

“It would be for the best if we held this conversation at the shrine, wouldn’t you agree? Come now, no running away.” Yae chuckled

Thump. Slosh. Thump. Thump. Slosh.

Yae’s sonorous heartbeats mimed the gentle sway of her stomach contents. The quietude of Aether’s impending destruction, as he watched the dissolving masses of meat sink into the digestive vat, not to be seen again, was maddening. The vision he had of his friend Yae had become warped. When Aether was larger, she was an individual who saved his life multiple times. Who would occasionally tease him and others, always seeming to be a couple steps ahead. After being treated less than the dirt under her toes, viewed at with indifference before being thrust into the caress of her ferocious mouth, and then being thrown away into a chamber that served to emasculate and abuse him, Aether couldn’t help but think of her as a callous goddess in his delusional state. He must have offended her divinity in some way. The traveler tried to recollect how he had erred. Except his memories were melding with falsehoods that conformed with his current environment. How he was always a small vagrant beneath her feet, whose purpose was to worship the ground she stood upon. He would spend the mornings cleaning her body of morning sweat. How he was treated as a stress toy for the divine fox, if something irritated her, he would be the punching bag. The many times she would threaten to crush his limbs or devour him for any misdemeanor or transgression. He would end the night licking the dirt off her feet. Just as the fantasy in Aether’s maddened mind said he was devoured. For a failure of worshipper like him, there was only one fate. 

Schluk 

Aether punched through the sodden food that was below him, allowing the chyme to leak through his raft and drag him under. This way he could provide sustenance for his divine master. A fate above a miscreant like him. Oh, what a magnanimous goddess she was, allowing him this opportunity to provide for a greater being.

These were the thoughts that led to the delusional traveler to sink himself into the thick and meaty mixture of acid. A sense of calm spread over his body before his senses finally noticed that he was immersed in a sea of fire. His body struggled as he mindlessly opened his mouth. The chemical rushing in through his throat before his face could break the surface. Through the beginning of his death throes, the traveler had found the vocal capability to scream in pure agony. 

Schluk. Splash.

Not acknowledging new bolus of food falling into Yae’s stomach. The divine belly already replacing him with suitable sacrifices.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yae had begun to eat the limited edition dish as Nana had finished scolding Sayu for her truant behavior. Sayu looked down apologetically before turning her attention to the scrumptious meal that Yae was consuming now as she sat down. The three of them currently at the Grand Narukami Shrine. The dish was much smaller than the Rice Cake bowl that Yae had earlier. The kitsune at least appreciative of the taste, however her stomach had begun to groan as the bolus had begun to dissolve in her stomach.

As Sayu observed the food, considering if she could ask for a bite. She had heard something that Nana couldn’t. Something that Yae normally would have heard of her ears were back to full performance. Something that her ears were rapidly returning to. Sayu’s ninja trained senses picking up on the agonizing wails originating from Yae’s stomach.

“Uhm…did you eat someone?” Sayu asked with trepidation. Yae took a moment, thinking that the fireworks must have affected her and that must have missed her saying “eat with someone.” Yae had placed another portion of her meal within her yawning mouth. Chomping down on the delicacy before swallowing.

Gulp

“Why yes, I invited Aether for lunch. Unfortunately, when I was done, he was nowhere to be found.” Yae punctuated her sentence with another piece of meat puréed with the organism plopping into her mouth.

Gulp

“What a delicate balance of flavor. Aether really did miss out when he left.” Yae thought to herself as she lifted another piece up.

Gulp

Sayu shivered in abject fear. She may have been sent to assassinate Aether once, but she couldn’t go through it in the end. In front of her was a monstrous lady who was able to do the unthinkable with a casual smirk on her face. Sayu watched the last piece of the Gourmet Supremo special lifted to Yae’s saliva-laced lips. Wetting the food as it went through her passage into the dark, red, and velvety mouth of the predator. Watching her chew as her ears wagged before she gave a definitive swallow.

Gulp

“Now that was divine.”

“So, you’ve eaten other people before.” Sayu asked as fear continued to grow within her. Yae looked at her, puzzled as to how she would know about the thunderbird. Although, the way she was shivering, she was just asking for a little pretend or role play.

“Why yes, I’ve eaten creatures many times my size.” Yae crept closer to the frozen Sayu. “Do you want to meet the previous head shrine maiden?” Sayu nodded in refusal. “Oh, but she wants to meet you.” She tugged Sayu up to her abdomen, Sayu heard the yelling for mercy, recognizing that it sounded very much like the traveler.

“She has been so lonely since she became adipose lining my belly. Would you want to join her?”

Buuuuauuurp

The Gourmet Supremos dish had an unintended effect on Yae’s bowel system. Forcing some gas to escape her enteral system. The first place it had escaped from was Yae’s mouth. The spittle flying at Sayu’s face. Yae brought her hand up to her mouth in surprise. “Oh, I’m so sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me.” Before she could continue, Sayu had collapsed into Mama’s arms in shock, fainting on the spot.

“Sorry about that. I swear sometimes I wish that the girl took training as seriously as she does these games. I’ll make sure to let her know that you were joking when she wakes up. Have a nice night Guuji Yae.” Nana said as she carried Sayu over to a nearby guest lodging. The Sun was nearly below the ocean line. Dusk inevitable. Yae stretched, feeling tired after her long day and hearty meals. She placed the disposable container in a nearby trash receptacle before returning to her private abode.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was a hellscape. It was unmerciful experience after unmerciful experience. The blinding pain Aether was experiencing, it was like being split by a white-hot knife. Slowly from the top of his head and down along his midline. It was this pain that dispelled his episode of psychosis. That he wasn’t providing sustenance for a divine goddess beyond reproach. Rather he was accidentally consumed by his unaware friend. Who would occasionally tease him before leading him to the right path. A path that seemed to currently winding deeper towards Yae’s innards. Her pyloric sphincter hungrily gulping the mixture that the traveler was dissolving in. The chyme funneled through the next part of the digestive journey as Aether remembered who he was and all the good things he did in Teyvat. His tenure within the pool of acid tore open gashes of his skin. As acid pushed through the wounds it exposed the bones of his limbs. Subjected to the whims of the acrid mixture, the skeletal structure of his appendages bleached from the enzymatic damage. Aether’s blood diffused out of his open wounds, muddying the chyme red. His abused genitalia had long since fallen off. Through the poisonous lake, he could feel a liquid seeping through his eyelids. Blood and humor gushed from his eyes as Aether lost his sight. The acids cleaving through the layers of his face. It would only be a short time before they would reach his brain. His more immediate attention was drawn to the molten lava that was moving through his insides. The acids that he stomached earlier, making rapid work of his visceral organs from the stomach down. Throughout the digestive cycle, Aether’s body bobbed up and down the surface of the red blood pool from hell. His hair falling off as his body was pulled up by the undercurrent before being pushed back down by the meal that Yae had eaten. The acids that went through the gashes in his lower body met up with the acid that traveled from his throat. This collision of waves resulted in an increase of pressure. The corrosive elements within broke down his superhuman musculature, new wounds opening from the inside for the digestive liquid to escape through. In exchange, with a direct path available, fresh chyme entered the formerly empty space. The overflow of acid had thankfully desensitized Aether to the pain. His burnt nerves now numbing him to the pain of his lower body. Aether coughed up blood, as his midsection separated. The uneven distribution dissolving the skin and joints of the traveler’s lower body far swifter that his upper body, which floated up to the surface. Facing towards the walls of the stomach. What was left of his brain took solace in the reduced pain. His diaphragm broke apart as the acids waded in and out close to his vital organs. Aether thought of what he wanted to do, of the dreams he could have had and his sister who he still had to find.

Yae laid down on her bed. She had removed her attire and laid down. A slight frown on her face. She might have been too dismissive earlier as her concerns turned towards Aether. Maybe she should have gone with Ayaka and Paimon to search for him. It was uncharacteristic of him, and she is usually such a good judge of character.

Gurgle

Even if he did leave, I might have gone too far for what was his last day here in Inazuma. The next time I see him, I’m going to make sure that I’ll nurture our relationship. 

Glorp

A relationship that will likely end one day as she had lived for centuries, bidding farewell to many people before. Although, if there is one thing that her longevity taught her, it was that partings with friends should always be amicable. As those are the memories that remain with us.

Buaarrrp

The pressure on the stomach walls closed in on Aether’s body, crushing his vital organs into a bloody purée of flesh and bone. The lungs deflated and the heart split in half. Their remnants dripped out of his body cavity. Unrecognizable from the fleshy remains of the other organisms that were used to make the limited-edition dish, which bubbled as the soft grey matter oozed out of the traveler’s cracked cranium.

Pffffrrrrtt

Yae felt a release of pressure in her abdomen from the expulsion of gases. “Oh, maybe I shouldn’t have had that second meal.” Her ears now fully recovered; she heard the intestines eagerly slurping up the remnants of her meal. A soothing sound that caused Yae to close her eyes. She wished the best for Aether as he slipped into her duodenum, and she slipped into her dreams.

Schlurp

Aether had finally escaped from the stomach. The two halves of his body guided by the peristaltic of the intestines. Bile squirted out from the duodenum, wetting his remains in a greenish liquid. His pale skin had now turned a sickly yellow. The eyes that Aether used to gaze at the world were now just empty sockets, having been melted by Yae’s personal elements. The green liquid primed his body for further digestion, as he had more to give to the caressing walls. A different type of digestive fluid from the vomitus in the prior chamber submerged Aether. The fat and musculature that composed his body slowly lost their adhesion to his skeletal structure. The rib cage and skull poked out as his skin sloughed off. The pile of meat, fat and bones that composed Aether was carried along by the microscopic projections of Yae’s small intestine. The transit swift as more digestive chyme from the stomach joined him.

Pfffrrt

Unable to control her bowels. Yae let out a bit of odorless gas as she turned around in her bed. The exhaustion left upon her body was slowly swept away by the recuperative effects of a good night’s sleep and meal. The traveler helping her out once more before he finished with his journey.

Slosh

The liquid that ushered the traveler along with the intestinal projections of the small intestines had mostly vanished. Now replaced with a brown sludge. The product of the essentials being absorbed by Yae’s walls along with Aether’s protein and fats. Aether’s skeleton and his vision were all that was left. The traveler’s gastric journey finally reached a calm as the peristalsis that ushered him along had slowed down. He now reached a larger cavern known as the large intestines. The sludge that now carried him had also filled up his rib cage. The brown liquid still burbling, brought a gas bubble within calcium dearth cavity. The gaseous mixture bulging out against the traveler’s rib cage, before snapping it off his spinal cord. The aqueous components of the liquid were drawn away from the gaseous sludge, condensing it as the mass plowed over the next corridor of the large intestine. The bones that supported his lower body finally snapped into two halves. As a pile of fetid material compressed his pelvis. 

Still dark outside. The fecal matter had exerted a considerable amount of pressure on Yae’s colon, causing her to frown.

Pffffffrrrrrt

Her blissful smile returned, obviously the product of a blissful dream and a healthy body. The sun peeked over the horizon.

The fetid material that was composed of the traveler’s meal, and a small part the traveler himself, had encountered the condensed shit that was Yae’s meal. The traveler’s skeleton was pushed in betwixt these two.

“Hhhhmmmm.” Yae stretched, pushing her covers outwards before it flopped to the side. It was a new day that she greeted with an open-mouthed yawn. One in which she felt quite a bit refreshed and energetic. As she stood up against gravity, she noticed a strong pressure over her rectum. “I guess that I could change up my schedule today.” Relying on her recovered hearing, Yae had not heard anyone moving around or awake this early morning at Narukami Shrine. If they were, then someone may have been able to glance at Yae’s uncovered form. She confidently strutted towards the Sacred Sakura tree that offered blessings to the populace of Inazuma. An unspoken secret to the mystical effects of this tree was a daily maintenance ritual that Yae completed occasionally.  A much more casual affair as she had picked up a Yokai book for her reading pleasure. Heading over to the side of the tree facing the cliff. She let the fresh morning air wash over her body as she slightly squats over the base of the tree. Her ethereal tails were let loose, fanning over her ass. From within her anus had peeked out the first of many finely sculpted logs. Deemed useless for the organic foundation of her body, it slipped smoothly out of her bowels and atop of the roots. The souls that were consumed in the process of the completion of the meal would be repurposed as the foundation of the centerpiece of the shrine. The logs steamed outwards under the morning sun. The scent surprisingly attracted a couple birds as Yae engaged in her reading pleasure. One had flown a bit too closely, as Yae had taken advantage of the opportunity. Her gaping maw lunging forward to the foolish bird. She snapped her jaw over the humble helping of meat

Gulp

The squirming morsel slipping down her throat and into her stomach. “I can be such a glutton.” Yae thought to herself. She strained as a particularly bulky piece of shit had reached her anus. Yae’s bud expanding outward as what was probably the last of her lunch had slithered out. With a contraction of her muscles and the natural peristalsis of her colon she had ejected this following log over the first one. The bulk of her movement squishing the first log into the roots. Afterwards, her movements became smoother with only a slight bit of exertion and pricks that came from Aether’s remains.  His legs being the first to poke out of her entrance, being attached to a small log that was prematurely pinched of by her anus. The next log followed without pause, caked with the ribs and upper spine of the traveler. Yae paused from the effort she had exerted and turned the page. The next log that dropped held the arms and fractured lower jaw of the skeletal structure. Each passing log containing more of the bony fragments of the traveler. His hair peppered throughout her shit. One of the traveler’s hands reached out towards the sky as if I’m searching for help from the fetid pile. Once again Yae had reached an obstruction. This final log not being that large, but the traveler’s cracked skull was caught on a weird angle on her pucker. Yae ceased her exertion before offering a prayer.

“I’m sorry for your passing, and I’m gracious for the life you have provided for me. Not a single part of your essence is going to waste. Your souls tethered to the refuse that will fortify the Sacred Sakura tree for centuries to come.”

Her rectum now relaxed, the skull had slightly crept outward of the anus. Such that when Yae had exerted pressure to force the final piece of shit to begin its spiritual duty, the cracks of the skull increased. The bones trembled in the face of her might before shattering into many fine pieces. The white sprinkles floated down from the sky. Yae’s pucker high above as they settled back onto the fetid ground. The literal Titan standing up once more, noticing the bones jutting from her pile. “Hmmm. I guess that must have been from the bird that I ate yesterday.” She chuckled, recalling when the traveler had looked at her agape when she plucked one from the sky before shoving it down her gullet. Why should she, it was a natural part of life for smaller and weaker existences to be consumed by their stronger counterparts. Probably any of the other females at Inazuma would have done the same if the morsel appeared appetizing enough for their palate. Although Yae did find it a bit odd as the bones of such birds don’t usually withstand her digestive system. However, she could not be bothered to focus on such thoughts as she had other duties to attend to.

“I wonder what Ei is doing right now…”

The feces left behind would slowly sink be subsumed by the roots. From within the spiritual tendrils would guide the novice spirits into the cornucopia of ethereal existences, animals and humans inlaid within the tree by Yae after being consumed by her. 

Several weeks had passed after the traveler’s mysterious disappearance. It just so happened that Paimon had also vanished without a trace during the Ayaka company’s search for him. In the end, all parties involved assumed that Aether and Paimon had both found each other before heading off to their next destination. The citizens of Inazuma assuming they would see them eventually whenever they decided to return. It was currently the Sakura Festival, and a beautiful one at that. Individuals from Inazuma and Watatsumi had decided to ignore their differences and gathered to celebrate the peace and prosperity. The Sacred Sakura tree far above the island shining brighter than ever this year.