Tales of the Fox and the Runaway

[Morris]

Japan, Sengoku period, mid-16th century.


The power of the Emperor is becoming increasingly marginalized. His person no longer presents a unifying force for the land-owning Daimyos, who devolved into power-mongering warlords without supervision. Wars are fought across the country for economic and military influence. The heavens themselves seem to have forsaken the islands; famine, earthquake and strife plague the populace.


It is said that true heroes rise from the ashes of chaos. That may be so; for all nobility craves to rule unchallenged, but few possess the virtue and leadership necessary to unify the will of many. And the wisest of sages warn us: the great folly of history is that it acknowledges more heroes than madmen.


Countless lives have been ended already, and many more will die in the dark years ahead. As the strong will emerge and stand triumphant, history is to be written by the blood of the vanquished.


But this tale is not theirs. It is not one of blood and mud, of bone and iron. Nay, this is the story of a yokai and a mortal, and how they sought a place to belong when all was denied to them...


...


The kitsune, Gengoro laid lazily in the field, not far from the ramshackle excuse of a building he had recently claimed as his new, if temporary, home. He supposed he should be thankful to have even this little, but as soon as the clouds clear in the next few days, he will set out once more. This was not befitting of a fox spirit, even a former household guardian... no, especially not a former household guardian.


He has been on the road for a good while. Months, years... perhaps even a decade. It was unbearable at first, not having anyone at his side. But he got used to it after a while; necessity is a harsh tutor. It was made clear to him in human communities that his kind are no longer welcome - either by carefully worded pleadings, or thrown stones and banishing seals of monks.


Pretty much out of boredom, he sunk back to his trickster mentality. Whenever he could prank humans, he did. Sometimes innocently, other times... not so much. But here, the region was war-torn. This road was no longer walked by men, no traders or refugees passed by in a good while. A perfect place to pass the time until the storm brewing in the heavens above clears... it didn't rain yet, but it will, and soon.


For the moment, he turned to his stomach side, gazing across the untended patches of earth that bore the marks of men's work; it was an agricultural area once, but since then, grass, flowers and weeds - well, primarily weeds - started sprouting forth. There was a kind of serenity in this: nature reclaims its own.


He closed his eyes, meditating... wondering... then drifting to a half-awake, half-unconscious state of mind as the winds grazed the surface. It felt good to relax for once. Solitude has its perks.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko came to a stop as she reached the clearing before her. She had been wandering off the road for two days now, scavenging in the forest for whatever she could either harvest or kill with her tachi sword. The wood had opened up into this field, and it came as a bit of a shock to Mieko. Regardless, she began to meander through the tall plants, pushing aside what she needed to.


Her blue kimono--rather, what HAD been a blue kimono until it had been so completely stained and sunbleached that it turned grey--was completely torn around the bottom. Her legs had been cut up as well, though the majority were minor injuries. Regardless, she ached, and she was hoping to find a place to settle down for a few hours.


That was when she noticed an old building on the opposite end of the field. It seemed to be in complete decay, but it still had a roof, and that was what mattered. It was shelter, and that was what she needed. With all of this on mind, she began to jog toward it, her kimono catching on sticky and sharp plants.

 

[Morris]

All the sudden clomping and exhausted wheezing reached into Gengoro's sensitive ears. Even in this human form, his senses seldom failed him. The source was undubiously human; few other species blunder so audibly.


Not as if a human posed any measure of threat, unless he or she was an exorcist priestess or monk, but Gengoro saw it better to investigate nonetheless. After all, when there's one human, there are often bound to be more involved. Besides, whoever is trespassing on his fresly claimed domain deserves a fitting punishment for violating his beauty sleep.


He shed the human hide, reverting back to his primordial, fox-like form; reddish fur coating from top to rear, teeth and fingers devolving to fang and claw. He was quite big for a fox, bigger than a wolf, even; but the densely growing shrubbery provided great concealment, and his movement was silent.


Gengoro darted across the field, carefully drawing a half-circle around the source of the noise to catch a glimpse of the intruder from behind. He wondered if the mortal would be able to differentiate between the wind waving the plants back and forth, and the movement he caused by passing between them.


A lone human in damaged clothing, running towards his proclaimed lair... a girl, no less. Some kitsunes would had been gleeful at this setup, thinking it was a particularly lucky day, but Gengoro had better manners in that one regard, if nothing else. Now, how to spook her...?


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko finally pulled up the the shack, and she was frankly very surprised that there was still a sliding door on the building. The covering sheets had been torn through, allowing her to see inside. The inside was just as torn up as the outside, but it was still a place where she could reside. There was also the very likely possibility that someone else had seen the same benefits she had and laid claim to the house.


Taking a deep breath, she reached for the sliding door and pushed it aside, the door catching in the grooves as she did. Despite the floor of the house likely being unsanitary, she toed off her sandals and slipped inside. The wood was rough on her feet and a few areas felt moist, moss no doubt growing in the cracks. Mieko rubbed her arms, glancing around nervously.


"Hello?" she called, trying her best to listen for any sound of life. Nothing responded other than the wood beneath her creaking ever so slightly. She slipped inside further, glancing down the halls that spread out from the common room. Nothing was here. With that in mind, Mieko settled herself down and began to examine her legs, scratching at the dried blood and prodding the bruises.

 

[Morris]

Appearently, the human didn't notice anything so far. So absent minded, so straightforward in thinking and attention. They see a building, they want to get into the building. There's a field in between, so they go through the field. Bravo, ingenious. How about hidden predators or traps?


She... seemed injured on the legs, blood drawn and stained. Scars here and there, and bruises, too. Well, that was a letdown... Gengoro didn't feel it appropriate to harm someone already wounded.


"Lucky girl." - he gnarled between his jaws, silently whispering. - "You know what, I'll let you off the hook lightly. We'll play nice and safe..." - and with that said, he made an enormous jump, and at a whim, conjured a small current of rapidly swirling air to soften his landing on the building roof.


He snuck inside via a painfully obvious hole, and muttering a few words of enchantment, concealed himself, becoming transparent, next to invisible amidst the unlit shades of the building. Then, moving down to the lower level, carefully, sneakily crept close to the human girl. How should he frighten her?


Having no better ideas at the moment, he simply forced the doors to close themselves, and made the furniture shake. Good start!


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko was busy trying to figure out some way to clean up her legs when there was no obvious source of running water when a torrent of sound assaulted her. She immediately jumped to her feet, glancing around in horror as the doors slid back and forth and the remaining furniture jumped and stomped. What kind of magic was this? In fear, Mieko drew her sword, pointing it at the piece of furniture next to her, which happened to be a low-sitting table.


She knew of oni and how they would sometimes haunt older homes, claiming them as their own and driving out any contenders. They weren't terribly common in this modern age, and she had never personally dealt with the supernatural other than praying when her mother had instructed her to. No doubt she had entered the wrong home, but she wasn't about to give up. She needed someplace to rest, and no oni was about to stand between her and some well-deserved sleep.


"Show yourself!" she cried out into the empty room, circling around. Her sword remained pointed at various pieces of furniture, her eyes narrowed and wary. "If you want to fight, at least have the dignity to show yourself. All of this is cowardice." Large words for a small girl, but she did have to conceal her fear in some way.

 

[Morris]

The girl's sudden bouts of bravery caught Gengoro slightly off-guard; he even forgot to maintain the spell for a second, resulting in all the furniture settling down for the moment. With every little detail, the newcomer was sparkling his interest.


"So she thinks herself brave. That's a scarcity nowadays, even in boys." - he thought to himself. - "Ah well. I'll take a different approach."


He withdrew carefully, not making a single sound, and channeled his thoughts and energy through the gaze of his eyes. The low table that Mieko previously pointed her sword to suddenly grew a mouth in the middle, and proceeded to talk to her in a rather raspy, cranky voice:


"Ahh, come on, we were just greeting you, young lady! Come on, come in, lie down, surely you are tired. And we most definetly wouldn't dream of CHEWING YOUR TOES OFF WHILE YOU SLEEP!" - this last part was uttered at a harsh, loud tone, shaking the building a bit, and Gengoro did not stop there.


With some further channeling, he conjured a rabid chuckle resounding between the walls. Let's see how brave the girl really is!


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko whipped back toward the table, her eyes widening as she realized it was speaking to her and did indeed have a fully functioning mouth. Her next reaction was purely instinctual, and she would have probably thought through it at least a little bit more had she been in the right state of mind. She brought down her sword on the table, the wood splintering straight down the middle. This left it bent in half--not quite cut through, but certainly damaged beyond any real use. Yanking her sword from the wood, she whirled around, eyeing her surroundings for any other happenings.


That laugh certainly set her at unease, but she still refused to be one-upped by any spirit or oni or whatever this thing was. "I'm just trying to find a place to rest!" she cried out, twisting on her feet again to survey behind her, "Surely you can let me stay here for the night! Just show yourself, or I'll start slicing up something else in your home!"

 

[Morris]

Gengoro was actually impressed at the girl's self-control. Her age and ragged appearence belied her strength of spirit. It reminded him of someone who was no longer in this realm.


What to do... what to do... it was too bad she stroke that table down, that was the best piece of furtniture within this damn hovel, really. This annoyed him, but he recognized the hypocracy in being angry at the poor girl, while he provoked her in the first place.


So, she's more masculine than he anticipated. He will take a different measure of her character, then. He sneaked through the shadow, this time putting a magical mouth on the ceiling, hoping she can't reach up. He gave this mouth a softer, more feminine voice:


"Know that the lord of this house is watching you. He expects something of you in return for staying: entertainment."


He paused the mouth, to let the girl contemplate the situation.


"Have you been taught of the arts, girl? Can you dance and sing? Can you play instruments?"


Gengoro was most curious. If she can, he was content to let her stay. If not, he'll chase her out. Or something. He still had plenty of tricks up his sleeves.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko wheeled around, searching for the source of the voice. It wasn't until she craned her neck up that she found the source. Why did this house have to be so strange? She would have been more content to deal with a vengeful spirit than whatever was putting mouths on everything. It was just unsettling, especially considering how real they looked. No doubt these would be in her nightmares for years to come. As the mouth questioned her on her abilities, she suddenly felt as if she was under heavy scrutiny. Being part of a well-respected family did mean that one was taught at least the basic skills of the upper class (e.g. dancing and politics), but that wasn't to say Mieko was exactly fantastic at them.


She allowed her sword to lower ever so slightly, offering a small frown to the mouth. "I can dance, and I know only of a few songs to sing. My skills lie best in the art of the sword, which does have its own dances." She tapped the sword against the floor as she thought, her lips slightly pursing. How to get out of this situation...?


"How am I supposed to dance or sing when there is no music? And surely these clothes are too tattered for a show. The lord of the house must have something else he wants, like protection from other humans. This sword is very viable for such matters."

 

[Morris]

Gengoro really, really had to try hard to keep himself from chuckling out loudly. Him, a kitsune having earned four tails at a relatively youthful age, needing protection, provided by a girl in her late teens? This would be a tale for the ages indeed. Who knows, maybe he should share it with a playwright in Edo. This idea alone was quite humorous, but would not suffice as a payment.


The kitsune continued expressing his thoughts on the matter through the conjured servant, such as it was: - "The lord of this house has no need of protection from other humans, girl, though suffice it to say... he acknowledges the craft of the sword." - this was sincere; he had been an esteemed guest of a samurai household himself, for quite a while. - "Mind not the clothing; dancing lies in the movement, not the kimono. As for music..."


Gengoro backed into a corner, sitting down, his tails surrounding him from both sides, though still invisible to her eyes. He opened his mouth, let out his breath... it sent an invitation to the essence of air circling the fields. It crept inside the house, and through holes, crevices, openings, played a tune as if they were wind instruments; a slow and gentle rhytm.


"Now then, will you show us what you know?" - the magical mouth sounded friendly and invitive. Gengoro watched in anticipation.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko twisted around as she heard the sudden music. It was actually very pleasant on the ears, and she was quite curious on just how this creature had managed to make it. No flutes lay around, and the music seemed to come from all corners of the house. It seemed she had no way to escape this situation, and thus she resigned herself to her fate. She sheathed her sword, then removed it from the belt around her waist. She placed it nearby, just in case she needed to reach it. Who knows what sort of tricks this being would play, and it was best to have a weapon within easy reach.


She carefully listened to the sound of the flutes, trying to determine what sort of dance she would perform. Maiko had come to her residence in the past to teach dances to both her and her brothers, and now she had to recall upon them. They had been relatively easy, with slow and fluid movements, but they still had their own levels of difficulty. With all of this in mind, she flattened out the bottom of her kimono and began moving.


There wasn't much to the dance, yes, but it still had its own meaning. Her feet remained entirely rooted to the ground, sliding gently with her as her body twisted. Her arms folded over themselves, and she envisioned having a fan in her hands. Extending her arms out and up, she twisted her torso to the side and her left leg followed. One arm extended out, the one that would have held the fan, and drew symbols in the air. Her other arm slowly trailed down through the air, before curling back up and placing itself across her waist. She slid her feet again, arms going out once more before suddenly bending at the elbow and creating further motions with her hands.


The dance continued on for some time, the only sound the shuffling of her kimono and feet and the light aria of the flutes. Each movement had its own level of fluidity, and she was lucky to have stumbled over her own feet only twice. When she felt as if the dance was satisfactory, she brought her arms down straight in front of her, clasped her hands, and gave a deep bow. Upon rising back up, she craned her head towardd the mouth and cocked her eyebrow. "Was that satisfactory for the lord of the house?"

 

[Morris]

Gengoro watched the whole performance with eyes unblinking. His curiosity regarded not so much the girl's talent or skills, but her personality. Words and customs of politeness can only tell so much. But in movement and gesture, there was meaning, and he could deduce it. And as his own thoughs were flowing, and the tilts of his head and tails directed and translated his inquiries to music, he got to know her.


She was not some peasant girl that ran from home, to escape field work, or to avoid marriage. She was educated, and though there were hints of slight hesitance and inexperience, every little detail she paid attention to spoke well of her respect she held for her tutors. There was a discomfort, minor signs of shame; it was not through this form that the girl liked to express herself, and perhaps subconsciously, her feet had taken martial stances at a few points, and the grip on the imagined fan was visibly strong-handed.


There was upheaval within; her wounds were not merely suffered at the hands of nature herself, but those of others. She was harmed, pursued, and needs rest. But there was more within yet. Something that elevated her above desperation: a driving will. She wanted to endure, and in enduring, she will, in time, grow strong.


The music slowly faded as the unspoken interrogation came to a close; Gengoro sealed the mouth on the ceiling, and for the first time, he spoke in his own voice:


"Yes... yes, it was."


He lifted the spell binding light and shadow to conceal his form, and now, Mieko could witness his fox form. He bowed his head slightly. - "I am sorry for... inconveniencing you. I will make up for it. Be at ease, and be welcome."


@Cottontail.

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko seemed to visibly relax when Gengoro spoke, her shoulders slumping and her knees slightly bending. If she had to continue on with the dancing, she might've given up and gone straight back to slashing up the home. She was glad that whatever this creature was had some sanity and had allowed her to escape with some dignity. She watched as the creature began to materialize, revealing itself to be a...?


"Kitsune," Mieko murmured, a tone of amusement in her voice, "It makes sense."


She moved back over to her weapon, not to use it, but to simply have it by her side, once she returned to the center of the room, she sat down and began rubbing at her legs. Hopefully the kitsune had some medicine on him and would be willing to lend it to her. That is, lend it to her without any tricks or traps involved. She would appreciate it much more that way. "They tell us about you, but I guess I wasn't prepared. I've never met a kitsune before, after all."

 

[Morris]

"Neither have I met a girl waving a sword before." - Gengoro remarked a bit snidely - "Except a former friend of mine, but she was a shrine guarding fox of Inari. But at any rate, please excuse me for a moment..."


He transformed back right before the girl's eyes. Claw and fang, back to teeth and fingers; fox ears to rounded, hairless human ones; and the large fur coating, into a stylish red kimono. Fully human looks, except for the tails at the back, and the eyes, amber as they were. He was of lean built, with a sly but not at all repulsive face, with a comical grin, about a head taller than Mieko.


He settled down in front of Mieko, copying the way she sat. - "You seem to know a bit about my folk, but I don't remember encountering someone of your bloodline before." - he threw his arms around, and the nearby drawers and shelves casually hurled out some plates and cups. Gengoro had levitated a teapot beside himself, and with a few further gestures, drew the moisture in the surroundings within; then he merely poured in the tea leaves he collected and carried on his journey beforehand. He held the teapot up, and his hand was slowly, stedily glowing, the air around vibrating a bit from the emitted heat.


"Now then, will you introduce yourself, fair maiden?" - he asked.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko seemed a bit surprised at his sudden transformation. She knew that kitsune sometimes did take the form of humans, but she hardly ever recalled them going for that of a young man. Perhaps he simply preferred this form, or he was using it to sway her in some manner. She remained on the defensive, but nonetheless allowed herself to observe him. She found it interesting how his four tails remained despite his now-human appearance. Perhaps it was a choice on his part? Or he simply was unable to conceal them?


She watched as he began to prepare the tea, quite fascinated with the magic that he was able to produce. Mieko supposed that she should expect it, considering that he was in fact a kitsune, but it was interesting nonetheless. As he asked her for her name, she gave a quick snort. "Kitsunes are known for being tricksters, and I was once told that giving a kitsune your name allows them to possess you. Why should I tell you of me?"


That wasn't entirely true. Yes, she was told not to give her name, but it wasn't about kitsunes or the like. It was simply about not giving your name to strangers lest they seek to harm you. Mieko was simply still wary of this fellow, and she wasn't too eager to fall into any of his traps.

 

[Morris]

"Oh, you take me for one of those kinds of kitsunes?" - Gengoro raised an eyebrow. - "Well, there is no deceiving you, lady. My fur is red as that of a wild fox is supposed to be." - he nodded, acknowledging that under normal circumstances, a kitsune like him would indeed be a cause for concern. A kitsune, even when playing pranks, is dangerous, and all too often easily tempered. - "But I do maintain certain... standards, I would say. I don't like trespassers, even beautiful ones like yourself, but you've been mindful of my requests. I shall repay in kind."


The teapot whistled, as Gengoro's hand was getting glowing hot; excellent. He carefully loaded tea for his guest first, then to himself. What he didn't bother telling is that he inserted more than heat into that pot. A tiny shred of his own magic was infused within the liquid; it will invigorate the girl, help her recover by next day. How familiar a scene... he extended such feats of help to others before, but it seemed like half a lifetime ago now.


"Well, I won't pressure you about your identity. I'm afraid I can't reveal mine either; power of names, and all that baggage. The humans of the neighbouring provinced called me Fieldrunner. I'm a recent newcomer myself, to be honest." - he said, then drank the first gulp from the cup. It was hot, but his throat was made of sturdy stuff. - "Maybe instead, then, care to enlighten me why are you on the run? Someone hurt you, that much is clear."


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko accepted the tea, feeling the warmth immediately begin to spread through her hands. She held it closer to herself, a light sigh escaping her lips. She couldn't remember the last time she had tea. Mostly she'd been surviving off riverwater for the past three weeks she'd been running, and even water got old after a while. She missed being able to drink tea. It brought a certain level of comfort, and it was rather homely within itself. She blew on it gently, watching the wisps of steam run away from her breath.


Upon the kitsune's inquiry, she seemed to somewhat withdraw. Her dark eyes averted to the ground, and her grip on the cup tightened considerably. Mieko supposed that she could tell this fox about the details of her being on the run. He wouldn't be able to hold any of the information against her, considering he no doubt dealt with the same troubles of war as she. She gave an experimental roll of her shoulders, wincing at the sudden tenseness in them.


"I come from an esteemed samurai family. Before three weeks ago, we thrived as any clan would, helping the citizens of our town and serving the daimyo when necessary." She glanced down into the green water of her cup, lightly swirling it around. "Currently, as you may know, many daimyo are invading neighboring provinces in order for hope of gaining a sort of unification. When the army came for our residence, demanding we turn our property and ourselves over to them, my father, the head of the clan, refused. Three men attacked him, and he struck down two of them. The third ran him through."


Mieko took a shaky sip from her cup, the tea slightly burning her mouth. Regardless, she continued on, "The army was instructed to invade our home and either capture or kill us. Most of the samurai fought, as it is honorable. I insisted that I do so as well, but one of my brothers told me to flee. He said that our mother had already been captured, if not worse. He forced me out of a back entrance and instructed that I run into this region, that way I was at least some distance away. I did as he asked, and when I looked back, they had already set the residency aflame."


She set the cup down on the ground, one hand moving to fist into her kimono. No tears fell from her eyes, but she had a sorrowful look across her features. "I want to head back, just in case my brothers are still alive, but I know it's unlikely. Because of all this, I've been wandering from shelter to shelter." She gave a harsh laugh. "I haven't had a true bath in three weeks."

 

[Morris]

The girl's gestures spoke of the truthfulness behind her words. She had much sadness pent up, closed in. She couldn't afford the weakness of spilling it out; that much was clear. She stayed focused on survial; there will be time for grieving later.


Gengoro symphatised with her situation, but sob stories here, charity there, she was still essentially a stranger who came in uninvited, and she had about as much reason to invest trust in him as she had in her: there was a degree of mutual acceptance and temporary tolerance, but nothing more. They will sleep in seperate rooms, that's for sure. In addition, he sincerely hoped the girl wouldn't be followed. Not that he couldn't sweep a bunch of violent thugs aside, but he didn't like engaging in bloodshed, especially not for the sake of a stranger to whom he owes no debts.


But for now, there was no reason to deny the girl some hospitality on his part. - "For what is it worth, you have my condolences. As for a bath, that can be arranged, if you so desire. Clothing as well, if you wish. I won't deny you a night's stay with a dinner, either." - he spoke casually, taking a little sip from his cup between sentences. Little gestures, but he has been among humans for long enough to know: for someone deprived of such basics, even these offerings could be warmly generous.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko glanced up to him as he offered her hospitality and warmth. To be honest, she was a bit surprised. She expected to have this kitsune merely have her for tea and then send her on her way. Maybe she even hoped that he'd at least let her spend the night, but she certainly didn't expect this. She bowed her head down deeply, clasping her hands in her lap. "Thank you, Fieldrunner. That is enormously kind of you."


With that, she set to drinking her tea once again, moving back to observing Gengoro once again. It was still a bit surreal to have a kitsune sitting in front of her. If she ever managed to get back to a normal life, certainly no one would believe her. She supposed she best learn all she could about this fox in the time that she had, considering it was very likely she would never get the chance again. She offered a small smile toward him, trying to appear simply curious and inviting.


"What exactly does a kitsune do in his days? You live in such a remote area that I can't imagine you get up to trickery that often." She tilted her head, brows briefly furrowing. "Just as well, which form do you generally prefer? This one, or you natural one?"

 

[Morris]

"Think nothing of it, really. When one has so much of the world's plenty at his beck and call, there is no reason to not share it with others." - Gengoro finished his tea, as Mieko showed her appreciation. The building didn't have much comfort to offer; but to his senses, the world held more treasures than it could for a human. The water and earth, the air and fire, heat and cold, light and shadow, all around them - all parts of a harmonic circulation, which he could draw upon when needed.


He showed an elvish smile at the girl's questions. - "Well, aren't you a curious one? So many questions, all trivial, really. Being a kitsune isn't that exciting. At least wild specimen just hang around, do things ordinary foxes do: hunt, wander, sleep, rinse, repeat. Plus pranking humans who bumble into our territory. That's pretty much our best source of fun. I know, it's indeed quite petty, but that's the irrefutable truth." - he confessed with a sense of self-deprecation in his tone. Some kitsunes had a cruel, unrefined sense of humor, and humans are always easy pickings compared to other yokai. In comparison, his jokes were mild, even if scary; no possession or injury involved. - "And you have a point; this region is largely abandoned, so I'm just stopping by, relaxing and meditating for a few weeks."


He stood up, and commanding with his hands, set every piece of porcelain and cutlery to a nearby shelf; he'll wash them later. - "As for my shape, I don't have a particular preference; it's more about that when I'm in human company, I take a form that invokes some respect. Spares me from uninvited petting, if you get my drift..."


Considering the amount of silky fur he had in his animalistic shape, he might have had a point. - "Anyway, would you like to take a bath right away?" - he inquired.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko listened carefully, giving nods every now and again. She moreso expected kitsunes to prank people with tricks that could kill, steal precious artifacts and jewels, and kidnap women and children. It seemed more like that he was just interested in living his life in a mellow manner. Perhaps the two of them weren't so different after all. Mieko offered him a small smile at the mention of people petting him when he was in kitsune form.


"I imagine kitsunes have nice fur. I've always enjoyed petting the dogs that the nobles own when they come to visit." She offered a light laugh from the thought, before moving to take a large gulp from her tea. At the mention of a bath, she gave a firm nod. "Yes, please. Rivers aren't the easiest to get clean in."

 

[Morris]

"Well, I won't deny that I take some pride in my looks." - Gengoro ran his hand along one of his fluffy tails. - "But as far as humans are concerned: look, but don't touch without permission." - he remembered being compared to canines by others before, but took no offense at that, he knew it was a kind of compliment. What disturbed him was that certain mortals seemed to have an obsession with smothering furry creatures, and hoped this girl wasn't one of those.


He then tended to preparing a bath. Outside the ruined countryside inn, there was well, which Mieko could not have seen from the direction she came from. Gengoro pulled up several buckets' worth of water; if nothing else, at least this source remained pure. He needed no magic to clean the liquid for use. He poured it all into an old, but sturdy and large washing tub that he found in the building some time ago; he presumed Mieko would like to bathe indoors, so he rearranged the furniture in one of the inner rooms that had windows open, allowing the steam to leave with no issue.


He worked mostly with spells, and in a small part, manually. He hasn't received a guest in any manner for quite some time, but he remembered the basics. Heating the water was done with magic, similarly to the teapot. He made sure he hadn't forgotten the soap, comb and other necessities, including a mirror; it was broken, but the central part was intact enough for use. Once he was done, he notified Mieko:


"All is set. When you undress, just toss those rags you wore outside. I'll arrange some replacement." - he winked at her mischievously.


@Cottontail

 

[Cottontail]

Mieko watched as the kitsune meandered in and out of the home, quite entertained. It was interesting to see how he did things, everything being so human. Sure, he was in human form, but that didn't mean he was one. The fact he actually knew how to prepare a bath, and that he took into account that she would prefer some privacy. Perhaps he had learned manners from somewhere.


She rose to her feet, padding toward the room he had prepared. However, at his wink, she offered him a disgruntled look. Scratch that about him having manners--he definitely was still a kitsune. Mieko slipped into the room and slid the door shut, instantly getting rid of her kimono and throwing it outside the window. She was relieved to be rid of the dirty garment. Once in the bath, she set to removing the dirt, blood, and grime from her. Travelling sure had left her quite dirty, and it was so satisfying being able to clean off.


Whereas her skin had been darkened by mud before, it now was lighter, back to normal. Her legs were still scratched up, but it was nowhere near as bad as before. She untangled her hair with a comb and by propping up the mirror on her thighs. Various items had found their way into Mieko's hair, and it was ultimately satisfying to return it back to its normal, straight locks. Once she felt like she had thoroughly cleaned up, she called out, "Now, what about the new clothing?"

 

[Morris]

The human girl was clearly suspicious about his nature, but that was alright. She can believe whatever she wants, but truth is, he had no interest in her the way she accused him, even if the charge was unspoken. By human standars, she might be an adult already, but Gengoro saw but a child.


At any rate, he walked out, and found the worthless, tattering excuse of a clothing Mieko threw away. He picked it up, dashed into the field where he recently tried to sleep. It was a good focusing point for the land's raw essence, easy to replenish his magic from.


This kimono, even if now a piece of trash, didn't use to be that way. It went through the same trials as its bearer, and if faintly, carried a shred of her aura, however passingly. Gengoro was taught by a wise man once: everything is defined by a *knowing* of itself. There is no material under the sky that does not wish to find a purpose. And now, it was time to make something new from the old. It's been a while... but he could do it.


Casting off the dirt and stain from the textile was an easy feat. But a lot of matter was lost, thinned out. His touch could rearrange the fabric, make it adjust to patch up holes and tears, but the lower parts and the arm parts would shorten significantly. Gengoro knew this wouldn't be an issue, since the girl liked pragmatism and such clothing wouldn't restrict her combat moves; but it would be improper. There had to be a compromise, just where to get material from...


He thought of using his own hair, but found it ridiculous. He gazed around... wait. He was in a field abundant in unused plants. He could process their leaves to linen, mix it into the weave, and thus done so. He did not strive for artistic value, but the interweaved green and deep blue colours had an elegant combination to them. That will do.


Gengoro rushed back, and left the new-old kimono hanging just outside the makeshift bathroom. By the time Mieko looked out and asked for clothes, it was right before her... and he busied himself making dinner. He didn't look behind himself, but spoke in a self-satisfied tone: "Things are quick with me around, aren't they?"


@Cottontail