Haru sips his tea as he watches the more fortunate men just feet away from him, all surrounding and getting the attention from her.. He was a fox, and a blacksmith's apprentice, and wasn't particularly good at it yet either, much to the dismay of his mentor Minato, although especially recently due to it being hard to focus on his worst because of her. Whenever she went by he was just transfixed, it seemed like all his worry's went away, and then he would mess up on his work due to the lack of focus. She was all he could think about, he really was in love with her. Although so was really most of the town as well, especially the men. Her name was Lady Jade, and she was a stunning young woman who always dressed in that same gorgeous kimono, black with green leaves, and always had her fur kept just right. A red spider lily in her hair and vibrant eyes that always seemed to know what you were wanting, she tended to strut around town and let herself be adored by everyone, the men flocking to her and the women wishing they could be her, looking up to her like haru looked up to his mentor. Right now she was sitting across the road from him, sitting at a small table outside an inn, having just been brought from soup, and men surrounding her. Minato, sitting next to Haru, also drinking tea, sighs. “I don't like her.. something about her doesn't sit right with me.” Haru blinks, managing to pry his eyes away from Jade to look at his mentor “What? How could you not like her, just looking at her makes me feel like nothing could ever hurt me again.” “That's exactly it, she feels so sickly sweet, it's not natural. She probably isn't that beautiful on the inside, maybe she's just looking to marry into wealth, or a witch. Either way, stay away from her.” Haru just laughs, shaking hQis head “you’re being paranoid, come on, look at her, she's beautiful, she's so lovely, how could such a wonderful form and calming presence give way to something dark” Minato sighs again, shaking his head, before standing up and walking away to his forge. Maybe it was a trick of the light but Haru almost thought that Jade glimpsed at him leaving. She laughs, such a lovely and charming sound, and then drinks from her bowl of soup. Almost instantly she sizes up, before spitting it out, a look of utter repulsion on her face in an instant, as she looks at the dog serving her the soup. “i, I thought I specifically asked for it to not be salty! I can't drink this!” How.. how dare they serve her improper food! Haru huffs annoyedly, and the men around Jade all glare at the now distraught server, who bows to her in fear “I'm sorry lady Jade! I will have the cook remake it at once!” Jade's face softens quickly, smiling slightly “yes, please do. It's not your fault dear, just make sure what you bring me is edible next time.” The server rises again and turns, going back into the inn. Haru finishes his tea, standing up and walking back to his home, wishing he could muster up the courage to go over to Jade. As he walks by, he notices a centipede by the inn, eating a moth, its mandibles cutting right through its carapace. The bugs really have been getting bolder recently, and everything has felt quieter for some reason he couldn't quite place. He looks around his small town. It was nice but everything had been feeling a bit bleaker as of late, except of course for lady Jade’s presence. Their crops hadn't been doing the best, and some of the elders in the town had been getting sick. Hopefully lady Jade could somehow cure their misfortune. 

The next day, Haru woke up to grim news. His mentor  was dead, found in his home as just a pile of bones being picked clean by insects, blood covering the floor around him with his house broken into, the door had just been bashed open by some powerful force, found in splinters on the ground… what kind of person.. no.. not a person, no person could do something like this to someone. Priests surround his late mentor's home, blessing it and repelling any demons that could still remain in the home. Haru sadly walks through the forest surrounding the town, hoping by some miracle something would cheer him up. As he walks through he freezes, seeing a feral Doe grazing ahead of him. He watches the majestic creature eat, being careful not to disturb them. A beautiful creature like this, maybe this would bring him some good fortune on such a horrid day. Then, all of a sudden, he sees a chill go up the doe’s spine, her head raising Instantly, before galloping away as quick as she could. He blinks, wondering what could have startled the doe so much, before he hears a familiar voice from behind him. “Such a.. lovely.. creature. Isn't it haru..” He instantly turns around to see none other than Lady Jade behind him! She smiles gently at him, her tail swishing behind her slowly. “L-lady Jade? It's.. w-wow, I'm actually talking to you… uhh, what brings you out here?” “Oh nothing much, I was just clearing my head, getting away from all those people following me around at any given opportunity. I do just love the attention but it gets exhausting over time, it's a funny coincidence meeting you out here” “y-yeah, it is.. and the attention is very warranted given your beauty..” “You flatter me, but yes I suppose It is true.. I'm so sorry to hear about your mentor, such a horrible death he had. But hopefully your fortune will clear up soon enough” “yes, I was actually planning on heading to the local shrine, would you wish to accompany me?” She thinks for a moment, before shaking her head “no thanks.. but thank you for the generous offer. How about, meet me outside the shops tomorrow.. 10 am.. sounds good?” “Oh! Yes! That sounds lovely, thank you!” She smiles at him.. before turning and walking back towards the town.. he was so absolutely ecstatic as he also headed back home that he barely even thought about how she knew what his name was, or that Minato was his mentor. 

Haru woke up to even more grim news, some of the men in the town had gone missing last night, more people were getting sick and a fishing boat had sunk, killing everyone on board. Priests walk through the town, trying to bless it and dispel the bad luck that has been seeming to permeate the town. As he walks through to meet lady Jade he finally realizes why the town sounds so quiet.. It's been weeks since he last heard a bird call in the town. He looks around and sees some spider webs on a sign over a building, full of bugs with a very happy spider eating its feast. As he gets to the shops a feral mouse frantically runs past his feat, as if running from a cat. He jumps as it does, annoyed, but then sees her standing just a bit away from him, waving him over happily. Instantly the grim day just seemed to get better as he ran over to her. “It's great to see you again, I almost didn't think you were going to show up” “well wouldn't that be quite dishonorable of me? I'm a lady of my word am I not?” He laughs and starts to walk with her, the two happily walk through the town, some of the other townsfolk looking on at them with jealousy. They stop at a spice shop, walking in as Haru starts to browse their wares. Lady Jade frowns however, hesitating a bit as she wrinkles her nose. “What is that.. smell…” Haru tilts his head, the shop owner calling over from across the shop “it's some incense, and cypress oil. I'm hoping it will dispel whatever misfortune and sickness seems to be in the town. Jade tries to smile but is clearly feeling sickened by the scent, adjusting her spider lily as she walks in to follow haru. Haru chats idly with Jade, picking up a few spices for dinner that night, before she says something he didn't expect. “You know.. I would just love to have you over for dinner, although I don't have a home here, how about I come to your house tonight for dinner?” “You- you want to come to my house? For dinner? I would be honored! Thank you!” She giggles a bit, and nods “here, wait here, I'll pay for these spices” Haru nods as Jade walks to the shop owner, asking him to come with her to the back room as she had to talk to him about paying for those spices. Haru frowns, knowing what that sounds like.. but Lady Jade wouldn't do something like that, it must be fine, plus, she had just taken out some coins, so she had payment. He waits for a bit before Jade comes back out alone, without the coins. It had to be a trick of the light, but for a second he could swear her face was skeleton.. bones.. but when she came fully into the shop she was just normal. As they both leave the shop, Haru notices Jade has a small beetle in her hand, that she was… whispering too.. it was hard to understand her but he barely could. “Well aren't you just an adorable little thing? such a pretty shell.. and so plump, you must be eating well…” He shuttered a bit, very confused but.. everyone had their quirks. Still.. he found himself nervous.

It was the dead of night, Haru getting dinner together for when Lady Jade came over. He made sure to put plenty of work into it, and was careful of its salt content, knowing that she is very sensitive to it. He gets together a nice seaweed salad as well, adding some vinegar that he had blessed by a priest a while back, now being the best time to use it as he could imagine. As he finishes setting everything out for dinner, he hears a knock on his door. Haru runs over and quickly opens it, Lady Jade waiting for him outside, just as well dressed as ever, and looking just as beautiful as ever. “Lady Jade! It's great to see you! Please, come in” she giggles a bit as his excitement and walks in, haru leading her to the dinner table as she sits down and starts to eat. It's a nice quiet time.. at first.. until she puts some of the salad in her mouth. To Haru’s horror, she drops her chopsticks and covers her maw, yelping in pain as she mumbles out “w-what is in this!” “Uhh, just some seaweed, some pickled cucumbers, I dressed it with some blessed vinegar to-” “that, I, I am.. sensitive.. to acidic foods.. excuse me for a moment please.” She gets up and runs to his wash room.. Haru standing up.. he shouldn't follow her.. but.. at the same time.. he got a feeling like he should. He quietly goes to follow her, peaking into the room, the door of which was left slightly open. Jade was looking into a mirror in the room.. before taking her hand away from her mouth, and what Haru saw nearly made his heart stop. Her lips and a bit of her mouth was partially melted and burnt, bleeding thick pitch black blood. Her blood was as black as the night, there is no excuse that could be made for this, she wasn't normal. She wasn't what she seemed. Almost instantly that aura that once calmed him so much made him sick, he could see the unnatural green glow in her emerald eyes. He backs away quickly, running to the kitchen as he tries to catch his breath.. she had to be some form of demon, she must be the cause of the towns misfortune and the murders. He looks around and grabs a small kitchen knife, something easily concealable.. he was about to go back to the table when his eyes fell on the ingredients still out from cooking. The salt, and there was still some blessed vinegar left.. He pours the remaining vinegar on the knife, and then sprinkles salt all over it. He hides it behind his back as he heads back to the table, and soon enough lady Jade comes back in, her face healed now as she smiles at him with that deceptively sweet smile. “Apologies for that haru. I'm sorry that I cannot finish that lovely salad, I'm too sensitive to the dressing..” “oh, don't worry at all! It's fine!” He tries to hide his fear, as he stands up and slowly walks over to her “..Lady Jade, may I.. request a hug?..” 

She looks confused, but laughs a bit and nods “of course, I suppose you deserve that much for all you've done.. come here then dear..” She opens her arms as Haru walks over to her slowly, gripping the knife tightly behind him. His heart pounds in his chest as he walks over to her, getting right up to her… and then in a flash pulling out the knife and sinking it into her chest sticking it into her with one fluid motion a look of shock passing over her. No one says anything or moves for a few moments that feel like an eternity, before she lets out an ear piercing unnatural screech, sending him flying down the hall with a backhand strike. Haru stumbles up to his feet in a panic as Jade stares at him, still screeching, before every lantern and candle in the house goes out at once, a horrible sickening aura washing over him as the only thing visible is two glowing green dots of her eyes. He hears a horrible sickening cracking noise as she continues to screech, her eyes raising up higher and higher, taller than she should be. Haru turns and sprints out of the house, turning back to see the massive gnarled and twisted form of Jade bursting out of the roof, her true nature revealed to him as the rest of her crashes through the house. She was massive, multiple stories tall with a bony carapace covering most of her now dark green fur, ribs extending down her body and growing over the outside of her with six massive clawed arms protruding from her like an insect. At her waist, a massive bone covered centipede half was where her legs used to be. She had to be nearly as long as the street they were on! She stares at him with a face now replaced by a horrific skull, black blood pouring out of her mouth as she charges at him at demonically unnatural speeds, Haru barely moving out of the way as she crashes into the house behind him. His heart was pounding in his chest as he sprinted away, the screaming of the townsfolk filling his ears as Jade crashed through the town looking for him. This couldn't be happening, this had to just be a dream, this had to be a nightmare. He turns the corner and nearly runs straight into Jade, who charges at him again and nearly runs him over, Haru getting knocked over as he tries to dodge. He tries to stumble to his feet, but he can't move. He is lifted up into the air, grabbed by Jade. He tries to struggle and squirm his way out of her grasp but it's no use, he's lifted up to her now skeletal face, piercing green dots in her empty sockets that are locked onto him. The last thing Haru sees is her maw locking around his head, a horrible sickening withering feeling coursing through his body. 

Jade steps out of the borders of the now destroyed town, every last person dead or dying. She was back to her normal demonic form, licking the blood off her taloned paws and wiping it off her skeletal, rotting face. She chuckles to herself, before heading to the next town, ready to spread more ruin, death, and disease.