Red Sash:

Simone’s Notes:

Courtship is the traditional dating period before engagement and marriage. During a courtship a couple dates to get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement. Usually courtship is a public affair, done in public and with family approval. It includes activities such as dating where couple go together for a dinner, a movie, dance parties, a picnic, shopping or general "hanging out", along with other forms of activity. Acts such as meeting on the internet or virtual dating, chatting on-line, sending text messages or picture messages, conversing over the phone, writing each other letters, and sending each other flowers, songs, and gifts constitute wooing.

Ella:

*Cleaning her staff of St. Peter for the upcoming “red harvest”*

Thirteen centuries! Thirteen whole centuries! Thirteen whole centuries we have stopped Ai-Oni from producing her heir in the living room. This time, we have failed. That only means one thing though. We still have a chance to kill Manami in order to restore the balance. Her death will trap the incubi and succubi back into Hell and close the gates for good. But I’m not all up for doing it. Not for me, for Yasmine. She’s in love with a good man. Steven may not be perfect, but he’s certainly better than Trent ever was. Steven treats Yasmine like a princess. If we succeed in killing Manami, Yasmine, Syd, and myself will disappear from the living realm forever and through we have met will forget that we ever existed. I don’t want that for Yas. I just want her to be happy with her lover for once. I haven’t seen her this happy since she ran away pregnant from Trent and shacked up with a local farmer who found her.

“She’ll get over it!” Syd keeps telling me. But what does he know about love? All he cares about is himself, blood, sex, violence, money, drugs, and alcohol. But, I’ve kept him on a tight leash lately. That’s more than what the Council and Heaven have done combine. They don’t understand him like I do. Syd may be a bastard, but inside he is a little child that does as he likes. A charming little child at that too. I don’t know if it’s the virus or me, but Syd is just charming. A bastard but charming. I didn’t think he would win me over in the beginning. But now… Well… Not much has changed. Syd is still a bastard and still loves himself, blood, sex, violence, money, drugs, and alcohol. But, he is more gentile towards me at times and loving part of the time. He’s not Trent, that’s for sure. But Syd still needs to be tightened at the reigns to keep him in check.

But that will have to wait for now. The harvest is coming.

 

Syd:

*Smoking while looking at the fire with his knives in front of it*

The Red harvest is coming. I can just smell it. The Red Jasmine virus is getting stronger each day. It won’t be long before it begins to mutate into more complex forms of itself. We royaledly f*****d up this time. If Trent and Jez hadn’t slowed us down this time, there would be no baby and Kate would be dead by our hands. I was pissed when Yasmine didn’t finish the job. She could’ve taken the dagger and stabbed the baby after she stabbed Kate. But now, the girls and I are fighting the princess bitch and her little slave all while fighting off the virus ourselves. What happened? How did it all get so complicated?

Sometimes I wish I was still back with Ivy. She understood me perfectly. I mean, Ella does too, but it’s all like beef and pork. I like both, but they are two different things! Ella is strict on me. I would hit her, but I like my penis right where it is thank you very much! Ivy is much sweeter. I could have both girls if I wanted. It all depends on the situation really. If I want someone to have my back, I would turn to Ella. If I want someone to hold down the fort while I’m out, I would also turn to Ella. She’s just my second in command. But if I want someone to calm me down and build me up, I would turn to Ivy. She just has a calming effect on me. Mind you, both girls are pretty. But both have more than looks going for them. Thank God! Ella is strength and brains. Ivy is personality and brains. Both are worth fighting for.

I can’t focus on the past right this moment. The harvest is coming.

 

Ivy:

*Playing piano softly in an abandoned church*

I have been dead for many years now. But since the gate has been opened again, the dead walk among the living. In ways I am grateful. But also in ways I am terrified. The Red Harvest is coming. Some secrets might come out. I am worried for both Syd and Shane. Shane still believes that Syd murdered me. But it isn’t true. My death was a suicide. The events unfolded like this…

April 17th 1875

The seventeenth of April started out like any other day. I got up, washed myself clean, got dressed, did my morning chores, and had visits from both Sydney and Shane. I was pretty normal then. My music, my dojoin[1], Shane, and Syd were the joys in my life. As I woman living under the Council, I was treated like a second-class citizen. But I didn’t mind it too much. As long as I had the things I loved, I couldn’t care if I was just a slave woman. However, I was better off. My dojoin was a kindly old man. My previous ones were more abusive. After he died, I inherited all of his possessions. Life was pretty good for me. That was until that morning on the seventeenth of April.

After I had my noon green tea, I received a message from a cherub. When I read it, I went completely pale. I then rushed back to my dojoin’s study, took his poison deer arrow, and stabbed myself violently in the chest. I fell onto my back on the floor and bled to death. The first person to find me was Jo Elizabeth Lane. She was always one of the nosy ones of the old Council. The woman saw my dead body, mourned me for five minutes, and claimed my silver-jade bracelet. Syd found me and was devastated. But, he did something I will always be proud of him for. My love claimed that he murdered me so that I could be buried on consecrated ground. Back then, if someone committed suicide, their bodies were to be dumped in a ditch without a burial. He didn’t want that for me, so he took responsibly and I was buried in the Grave of Angels. Shane on the other hand has never forgiven Syd ever since. She hates Syd to the fullest. She has ever sworn revenge for my alleged murder. But what’s going to happen when the truth comes out?

It looks like I’ll know the answer to that real soon. The harvest is coming.

 

Shane:

*Working hard in the “Love Lab” to make the antidote for the Red Jasmine virus*

Damn Ai-Oni! We at Aizen Myo-o Academy have always had headaches with her. Now, it’s gotten worse thanks to the birth of her daughter! That’s only *half* of the “fun!” The damn harvest is coming. *Some* people have slacked off this time! I won’t say any names, but it’s obvious. This virus is spreading like a stain. Those with this virus are overcome with impulsive sensations of desire and lust. They pretty much became like sex addicts. However, this virus is still in stage one. The symptoms aren’t strong enough to take over the victim’s mind. So nobody really notices a thing. Last time I checked, we haven’t had any causes of rape or sexual violence related to the virus. But that’s not going to stay true for long. This virus will mutate through six stages if we don’t act fast. The only ones immune to this virus in any of its stages is love deities like myself. (Lucky for us or else everyone would be screwed!)

So far, we haven’t had any luck to match the virus’ powerful destruction. The little bugger overpowers any of our creations. Retracing our steps has become a nightmare. It’s as if we a constantly playing slots to hit a jackpot antidote and losing badly. Mother Superior has taken up smoking again just because she is so stressed. And Alice… Don’t get me started on her! The woman keeps disappearing on us. It’s typical of students and staff here at Aizen Myo-o Academy to disappear to work on their missions. But Mother Superior had most of us put missions on hold to work on the antidote for the Red Jasmine virus. When I confronted Alice about if she was still working on her couple or not, she just showed me a form and hurried back to the living realm.

Oh well, I’ll get her later. But right now, I must keep working to cancel at this baddy virus. I had have to hurry. The harvest is coming.

 

Alice:

*Watching Jakob and Riza asleep in bed together*

I am working to keep a balance here. By day, I’m in the love labs working on the antidote for the virus. But by night, I am watching my couple, Jakob and Riza, get closer together in love each day. I am happy Mother Superior forced me to keep watch over this couple and this through the very end. This project has turned into my most favorite by far. I’ve grown to see this couple grow strongly. Jakob still hasn’t purposed yet. That’s okay, he is at least willing to do it. I can’t wait to see their wedding. I get excited thinking about weddings! Okay, come on now! Stay calm, I have to focus so that my mission stays right. A number of things can go south any moment. I already have Roy Mustang and Esther Riis trying to break them up. I can’t have anymore road blocks. I can’t really cheat, just watch.

I still don’t get Ai-Oni. I have always had many questions for her. Why does she keep trying to open the gate again? Why does she keep asking me to work in her sick little game every time she does? Why did she want me to use Eros’ bow this time? Why does she want Jakob and Riza together so much? Why is it that none of my couples ever get infected with the Red Jasmine virus? Why did Ai-Oni ever leave Aizen Myo-o Academy in the first place? I keep playing these questions over and over again in my head? But I never had the chance to confront Ai-Oni about them. Well, maybe one day I’ll ask her myself.

But not right now. The harvest is coming.

 

Ai-Oni:

*Watching the whole “play” unfold below while drinking her wine*

All is going according to plan. My daughter is born and grown. My virus is spreading. The incubi and succubi are out and loose. And the harvest is coming. I am so happy to see it come to life now. For many centuries, I tried to my daughter born, but Syd, Ella, and Yasmine have killed the virgins I have chosen. But now thanks to Trent and Jez, the glory days can reform again. Envy has been such a great help to me. He and my brother have helped me set this all up. Alice is such a doll. She has been so understanding to me. The other girls in the academy found me too strange to get to know, but Alice didn’t. She was the only one I considered to be my friend. Even Mother Superior didn’t understand me as well as Alice did/ As a thanks for being so understanding to me, I have granted her one couple to stay truly in love. I don’t want her to be disillusioned like I was. She’s too good for that.

So sweet Alice, here’s to you! But to everyone else, my show goes on. My harvest will be in full bloom two nights from now. Lust, desire, sensually, free love, orgies, passion, the whole lot. I stand here smiling at the result of a new era of the glory days. This time, I have it now. The harvest is coming, my children of passion. The harvest is coming!


[1] A dojoin is like a husband that takes care (maybe sleeps with) a young woman until either one dies.