After a short walk back home with Mr. Tanaka .. and many more stares from the locals, Niamh is finally back at her home away from home. Unfortunately, her parents have yet to return from their records-gathering, which leaves Niamh with only one option left; facing the horrible bathhouse! So, its off to the supposed bathhouse for her. A short walk across the courtyard, and shes able to slide back the door to the baths.
Bathhouse A brightly lit room with a large central wooden tub that looks ominously more like a cookpot than any bath-tub from the western world. To make matters odder for foreign guests there is a smaller wash-basin tub with a bucket next to it. For a moment it might seem like it is intended to wash children, but then the instruction-board above it dispels that thought. It reads:
Welcome honored guest!
In the traditions of our wondrous island, please experience a new form of bathing paradise.
1.) Please wash off all dirt outside of the large tub using the smaller tub and the bucket.
2.) Please wash hair using the smaller tub and the bucket.
3.) Once clean, climb into the soaking tub and let your cares melt away in its warm and wonderful embrace!
-- Management
Niamh is a bit confused at first. But.. it beats the damp-rag-of-questionably-ancestry method used on the ship. She gets her dress off, and sniffs it to see how strong the fox-musk smell is after the airing out of the walk back.
It smells very foxy, alas. It's not unpleasant, just strong and musky; bordering on French-cologne level of scent.
Setting the dress aside, the girl removes her underthings (she refuses to call them 'frillies' when there is nothing frilly about them) and also gives them a musk check, just in case, before turning to the bucket to see what she has to clean with.
Well, they don't smell foxy, just sweaty. As for what is available for washing, there is a square lump of ... something that is presumably soap and a bottle of something that smells vaguely like beer.
"Is that.. an astringent?" Niamh ponders after sniffing the bottle. She sets it aside for now, and fills the bucket with water. Standing in the smaller tub, she takes a deep breath first, and them dumps the bucket over her head.
It's ... moderately warm! And clean! So, better than the ship was at least.
Exhaling with some relief, Niamh begins the laborious process of lathering, applying, and rinsing off soap. She looks for brush to get her back with as well. She nearly tore a muscle trying to wash her back with a rag after all.
It takes some looking, but there is a long-handled brush sitting beside the tub; it's just the same color, so blended in.
"Yesss! The true sign of civilisation," she crows, and goes to work with the brush, finally getting to spots that have been long neglected. She isn't sure about the bottle still, so uses more soap on her hair.
Ugh, the soap makes her hair feel a bit rough and stringy, but it does work. Also a bonus, so far, she hasn't been accosted by the supposed bath-haunt.
"So, they really don't like to come out during the day," Niamh says, just to make some noise in the quiet bathhouse. "Or maybe it's the fox-musk. If I were an evil spirit, I'd be wary of Noboru." Another bucket dump, and she thinks she's ready for the actual bath! She picks up the odd bottle first though, in case it's something she'll need. The bath does give a brief flashback to when she was younger and on a trip to Africa. But as childhood trauma's go, that one was pretty mild, and the allure of hot water is not to be denied.
The label on the bottle is, alas, not written in English. Nor much hint of what it could be for other than a stick-figure like drawing going 'fwooosh' with its hair. Or it's a stick figure with its head on fire.
"That is not very encouraging," Niamh says once she's settled slowly into the tub. "This is nice," she mutters, and opens the bottle to sniff again. It smells flammable.. so probably isn't hair-shampoo. She decides to take a tentative sip, since the flames weren't coming out of the stick-figure's mouth.
Bleah! It takes like watered-down beer! So, sour, bitter, and unpleasant. The water rolls slightly around her in the tub as the heat beneath it creates convection currents in the tub. Surprisingly even with the fire she doesn't feel like she's boiling; though she does kind of still feel like a meal, with the sign on the wall being a menu of sorts.
"I doubt there are yokai that specialize in eating slightly boiled girls," she chuckles, and then tries some of the bottle-fluid on some of her hair.
It feels ... funky, but it does seem to be taming down some of the tangled feeling and smoothing out her hair a bit.
"Beer wash for hair?" she marvels. She probably shouldn't use it in the big tub though.. but it's very difficult to consider leaving it just yet. So she stands up so she's at least half in the hot water.. and just leans over the side a bit to try and apply the beer-soap to her hair.
It's awkward at best, and leaves her torso cold while keeping her legs and butt warm. So, it all seems to be working out just fine ... right up to the point it feels like a cold, wet, snake slithers between her butt-cheeks.
"Ack!" Niamh blurts, and shooting upright and arching her back as a shiver runs up it. She was just getting to enjoy things, too! So now she's a bit angry. She sets the bottle down, and focuses some of her spirit into her hands. She then stands in the middle of the tub, and says, "I dare you to try that again."
Challenge accepted! There's that sensation again, and this time it also goes between her thighs too! The water around her is starting to roil about a bit too!
Gritting her teeth, Niamh dunks her hands and tries to grab what she hopes is the spirit's tongue.
Argh, it's slimy and muscular and slips out of her hands! Two hands then grab her legs and tries to pull her off her feet!
Fortunately Niamh keeps her footing and doesn't topple over. The thing keeps trying to pull her under, though.
So she kicks at it, while grabbing the sides of the tub. She is not going to surrender her bath if she can help it! So this time she tries pushing ectoplasm into the water itself, in the hopes of making the creepy spirit visible at least.
Her foot hits something hard-ish and pushes it away! The surge of ectoplasm in the water seems to rile it up even more and the water acta like its boiling. A moment later water splashes upward, spraying everywhere and a red-skinned long-limbed human-looking ... thing leaps out of the water and lands on the rim of the wooden tub. It glares at Niamh and gibbers at her with a disturbingly long tongue hanging from its mouth.
"Right!" the girl snaps at the creature. "Who are you and what did you do to get imprisoned at the Fujin Shrine?" she demands, balling up her fists.
The spirit gibbers back at Niamh ... in Japanese! IT may be saying what it did, or it might be saying lewd things it wants to do to her.
Grumbling, Niamh grabs for the creature's tongue again, determined to understand it no matter how disgusting it might be (but she's used to weird spirits at least).
It's flailing struggle to try and get a hold of that tongue, and she gets a smack across her face and lips twice (and it tastes like fish, bleh), but she eventually manages to get a grip on the squirmy thing!
Once she has it, she tries her trick.. which usually causes a little static-shock, which she hopes is worse for the spirit. Let's see if I can learn Japanese from this thing. Or whatever else it's gibbering!
The shock causes the thing to spittle up some slimy phlegm all over Niamh's hand! Eeewgh, it's warm and has lumps in it. It keeps on gibbering too, except that over a short period of time it starts to make a sort of ... sense? "Going to lick every orifice clean, yes, yes, lick lick lick!" it babbles on. "Such strange and delectable filth from lowly ape-thing!"
"How about I bite your tongue off first!" Niamh snaps back. "Who or what are you, some sort of poop-sucker?"
"Akaname likes all manner of nasties, yes, yes," it babbles, "Even from little girly ape-things that consort with foxes." It bats its disturbingly large eyes at her, then asks, "Lick?"
"And this got you imprisoned?" Niamh asks, still keeping her death-grip on the ornery tongue. "You didn't kill anyone?"
The tongue starts licking her wrist while she holds onto it. "No, no, just lick. Lick lick lick lick," it babbles. Apparently this is not a terribly bright yokai.
"/You are absurd,/" Niamh says, but also can't help feeling a little sorry for the creature. "/You should be haunting an outhouse. Do you actually get people clean with your licking?"
"Let go and find out!" It requests.
Niamh grimaces. More than ever she misses her nature spirits. "Is there anything I can give you instead that will make you leave me alone?" she asks.
"Poop in the bucket! the creature squeals. Seriously?
"That's the wash bucket!" Niamh gasps, and for that bit of naughtiness she tries to smack Akaname across his.. face.. with his own tongue. "Why don't you just go lick yourself!"
Splat! goes the tongue! This just makes the critter giggle all the more, though. "No no, must lick filthy mortal things!" it claims, and tries to wiggle its tongue free, but Niamh's grip holds tight. "Like foxes, but don't like me? Hmph!" it complains. "Must be very dirty inside from playing with them!" it suggests.
"I did not play.." Niamh starts to argue, but then gets a better idea.. even though it means leaving the tub. Still tries to do it without losing her grip, fully intent on dragging Akaname along with her. He's got a filthy mouth, so maybe the taste of soap will change his tune, she thinks.
It takes some effort and the damn thing is fighting her the entire way, gut Niamh manages to get out of the tub and remain holding onto its tongue. The disturbing part, though is she's now standing completely nude in front of this yokai ... and that apparently its tongue can stretch because it hasn't moved an inch from the rim, even though she's made it over to the small tub and the soap.
Grabbing up the soap, the medium-in-training tries rubbing it on Akaname's tongue, curious to see if it burns him.
The thing makes a horrible-looking face as it skews up! "Ewwwwwww! Grossss! Why do that?! Nasty soapses!" it howls, then leaps off the rim and right at Niamh!
The girls holds the soap out like a sword! "Don't think I can't jam this down your throat!" she warns.
Too little, too late, as the beast pounces on Niamh ... and her arm goes right down its throat! Those eyes bulge out as the soap hits its stomach, and Niamh's hand sinks into something soft, warm, and probably best left not to think about ... then the creature explodes, showing the walls and herself in smelly red ichor! This also sends Niamh back, where she lands on her butt!
"Gah! Disgusting!" she complains, and tries to get to her feet without slipping on anything. "I put too much ectoplasm into that, I think.."
It's a feat getting up ... and she finds she needs to take another bath.
Collecting the last of the soap, Niamh starts washing all over again.. but at least this time she knows to use the hair conditioner. "The chunks should evaporate eventually," she tells herself. Otherwise someone will have to clean it up.. and she's afraid to look at what might have splattered on her clothes or the towels. "Soaking will be worth it though," she says.. but also is very thorough with the soap, just in case there's another one of those things.
After another hard scrubbing, Niamh slides into the large tub, which miraculously survived the goo-splosion. It's still warm, and oh-so comfortable and warm. It's like a full-body hug. And ... nothing seems to be licking her again.
So she finally relaxes, sinking to her chin. Or tries to. She still listens for anything else sneaking up. Like a certain fox that would probably snark at her for exploding a yokai in the bath.
It's all quiet, save for burbling water. As time passes, the goo and smell does start to evaporate into wispy motes, leaving the bath looking none the worse for wear. Soon, the bathroom feels like a mimic of what she might imagine heaven to be like. So, of course that is when there is a knock at the door.
"Yes?" she calls out, wondering if it's Mr. Tanaka with more coal for the fire. "It's.. safe to come in. The licker-ghost is gone."
The door opens, and it is most certainly not Mr. Tanaka. This person is tall, slim, with chiseled and elegant features. He's dressed in a formal flowing white and blue kimono, with silvery-white hair that drapes past his shoulders. Perched on top of his head are two triangular ears, all white save for their very tips. And in flits of movement behind him, four bushy tails flick all about. "Did you frighten it off with your strange appearance, de Sidhe-chan?" he asks, a small smirk dancing upon his lips.
"Noboru-sama I presume?" Niamh asks, and stays fully submerged (less out of modesty than comfort). "Akaname had a severe allergy to soap, apparently. He exploded, so.. I'm not sure if he'll be back again or not. Serves him right for calling me an ape girl though."
"Well, at least you are a reasonably observant ape-girl," Noboru teases and his left ear goes flick-flick. "It seems that trouble follows you."
"It was already here, I just attract the attention of spirits," the girl claims. "And yokai, apparently. What brings you here, oh noblest of foxes?"
That comment causes Noboru to arch his right brow slightly. "Are you flirting?" he actually asks as he approaches the tub, and poses great risk to Niamh maintaining her modesty. "As for what brings me, formal matters I am afraid."
"I'm just in a good mood," the girl replies, but furrows her brows at the mention of formal matters. "This.. this isn't about Miyuki's request that I marry you is it?"
"Why? Do you want to?" Noboru asks, now grinning slightly and leaning over Niamh.
So Niamh tries to splash the fox-man. "You have nice hair, but it will take more than that to woo me," she claims.
Noboru lifts and flicks his hand, and the water droplets stop and hover in the space between them. Again he arches his brow.
"See, you're too dignified to even be splashed properly," Niamh says, and reaches up for the edges of the tub to pull herself up. "And the water's just lukewarm now. So.. what is the formal matter, if I may ask?"
Noboru flicks his hand again and the the water reverses course to splash Niamh! "It is tradition that all yokai that move into a new area come to greet the local kami and make an offering of something valuable to them. As it seems that you are yokai, along with your parents' you are all formally requested to present yourself to the heralds at the shrine and provide an offering," he explains.
"All of us?" Niamh asks. "Even my mother? She's barely got any.. uh.. yokai in her." She doesn't mind the splash, since she's already soaked. As she climbs out of the tub and wrings her hair out, she asks, "Are there any special customs we need to observe?"
"You are odd; most women do not like being observed while naked," Noboru points out as he watches this strange human-thing. "And yes, all of you. You must offer some sort of sacrifice and ask for their blessing to operate within their domain."
"What happens if the kami don't give us their blessing?" she asks and gives Noboru an odd look. "Why would you care if I was naked? I don't even have a tail or pointy ears! It's not like you're a boy. You're ancient, aren't you?"
"I am male," Noboru points out and sounds slightly offended, "And I am hardly ancient. I am merely an adult. Your kind has little perspective. As for if they don't then you will have to leave."
"And one mystery has been solved; that is your natural hair color," Noboru adds in a counter-jab sort of way.
Finding a towel, Niamh starts to dry herself. "You were naked when we met the other day," she points out. "Plus, if I'm not wearing any clothes, you can't rub your scent on them," she counters right back. "Why, do you find human girls attractive? Is that why you have a human form.. or is it just for trying to embarrass us?"
Noboru flicks a tail around in a blur across her thigh, and leaves a scent mark. "You were saying?" he asks.
"Hey, it's rude to touch a girl without permission," Niamh complains. "I think you are flirting. Because Miyuki would never let you get away with this behavior with her I wager." She does cover up with the towel though, starting to feel a bit self-conscious.
"Miyuki-chan puts up with a great deal more from me. I am, after all, sort of her big brother as it where," Noboru claims as he reaches up and cups his hand under her chin; his fingertips are warm and feel velvety-smooth. He draws a bit closer and all four of his tails curl around him, then around her. "Do I make you nervous?"
"You're starting to," Niamh admits. She then gets a curious look on her face, with turns into a very bright blush.
Noboru leans in until his nose is an inch from hers. "And why is that?" he asks. Huh, his breath smells minty.
"You have four tails," Niamh says quietly, still blushing.
And one of those tails is rubbing behind her legs, and another along her back. "And this makes you nervous?" he asks, "Why?"
"What if.. what if you have four.. other things," the girl notes, her eyes going wide at the tail-rubs.
This causes him to chuckle rather oddly. "No, just four tails. I had five briefly, but ... sacrifices were needed," Noboru notes. His thumb flicks up and traces along her lower lip. "Now, is it so bad to smell like me, mmmm?" he practically purrs.
"That depends," Niamh says. "Are you gonna kiss me?"
Noboru leans in and his lips just brush against hers ... then draw upward and with a sudden flick of his tongue, he licks her nose. "You're cute, for a human," he claims and then draws back and uncurls his tails.
"You do just use that form to embarrass girls!" Niamh claims, clutching at her towel. "Did you see if my parents were back when you came through?"
Noboru leans his head to the side and sniffs at the air. "Not yet," he notes, then earflicks. "And no, I do not, my natural form is far better for that."
Niamh glowers a bit, then makes a 'come closer' gesture to the kitsune.
Noboru rolls her head and looks at Niamh. "Mmmmm?" he inquires, then moves a little closer,
Niamh drops her towel so she can reach up and make a grab for Noboru's ears!
Smirking, Noboru's ears dance all about atop his head, making them hard to grab!
It takes quite a bit, but Niamh is surprisingly quick with those hands and ends up snagging one of his ears! "Huh," Noboru remarks, slightly surprised.
"Hah!" the girl crows! "I need to bind spirits who will serve me. So how about it? Want to be my pet?"
This makes Noboru laugh! "Dear child, your entire family wouldn't have the power to bind me," he remarks, two tails flicking up and wrapping about her wrists. "Now, a human pet could be ... amusing."
"I'm not letting go of your ear," Niamh claims. "I held onto Akaname's tongue until I subdued him."
"You're forgetting something important," Noboru notes.
"What?" Niamh asks. "Is there some other way to subdue a kitsune then?"
Noboru's form becomes ... insubstantial, and for a moment Niamh is face to face with a glowing, long-limbed animal spirit with shimmering blue lines adorning him. She finds she's not holding onto anything anymore, and his translucent form flicks and swirls about her, then seems to vanish. Right up until she feels him pressed up against her back, anyway. "We are wild creatures, and older than your kind," Noboru whispers in her left ear, then licks along its rim.
"Gah, why does everyone want to lick me?" Niamh complains. "And you only got away because I wasn't trying very hard," she insists. "I was going to offer to scratch behind your ears even."
"I'm still here," Noboru points out with impish hints in his voice. Arms and tails wrap about her and draws her to his chest ... and then he's nuzzling the back of her head. No ... he's scentmarking her, because she's smelling a whole lot of fox all of a sudden.
"Ahhh, you're doing it again!" Niamh complains. "Akaname thought I was consorting with you, you know! It was embarrassing. And your scent didn't even scare him off." She seems rather petulant about that last part.
Noboru actually picks Niamh up, then carries her over to a bench, where he sits, and sets her in his lap. "Oh hush," he remarks. He rolls his fingers and a comb coalesces in his hand. The kitsune proceeds to slowly comb out her hair. "Miyuki-chan likes it when someone combs her hair," he notes.
"Well.. everyone likes to be groomed," Niamh admits, deflating a little. "Do you have daughters?" she then asks.
"Probably, here and there," Noboru claims as he carefully works out the knots that formed from washing. "Things happen over the centuries."
"You don't know?" she asks in astonishment, turning just enough to give an admonishing glance over her shoulder. "Kitsunes don't raise their own children?"
"Of course we do. But, things happen and mates get separated. Sometimes we love track of each other," Noboru comments and taps the comb on Niamh's nose. "I am bound to serve the Midori temple, but not all kitsune are."
"How many.. mates.. have you had?" Niamh says, not wanting to say wives. She only assumed kitsunes get married because Miyuki wanted her to marry Noboru.
"Two, so far," Noboru notes and resumes combing. "One kitsune, one human. Why, do you wish to be number three?"
"A human? Really?" Niamh asks, actually surprised. And now more concerned about being naked in Noboru's lap. "What was she like, and what made you fall in love with her?"
"Oh-ho, do I detect you wish to hear about the moonlit nights when my paws wrapped about her waist and the consummated our love under the moon?" Noboru teases. "She was one of the shrine maidens, of course. She passed a century ago now, but she did spend her life with me."
"I guess she wasn't like your little sister then," Naimh says. "I didn't know Shrine Maidens could.. do that. I guess they aren't like nuns though. So did she fall for you as a fox, or as a guy with really long silver hair? I'm sixteen years old.. of course I want to hear the details!"
"Shrine maidens can have families. Many marry. Many have children. What is a nun? Someone who wants none of that?" Noboru has to ask. "And no, she was not like Miyuki-chan, but no one really is. As for what I looked like ... I am a fox. And it was as one we became close."
"Did you bring her dead mice and rabbits?" Niamh has to ask. She's pretty sure those are typical fox gifts.
"Of course," Noboru says, "That was a silly question."
Waggling her eyebrows now, Niamh leans back and asks, "Did you let her ride on your back?"
"Of course," Noboru notes, "And I rode on hers at times, too."
"How big was she?" Niamh asks. "Wait.. you can be small like a regular fox, can't you?"
Noboru chuffles. "The kind of riding I speak of gave us a child," he corrects. "And yes, I can be a regular fox."
"She got pregnant from riding?" Niamh asks in confusion. "What about sex then?"
"Did you fall on your head a lot as a child?" Noboru has to ask, "Or are you being deliberately obtuse?"
"You're the one saying silly things," Niamh insists. "I wanted to ride on your back, too."
"Why?" Noboru asks.
"Because you were big as a wolf, and I've always wanted to ride on a wolf," Niamh says matter-of-factly. "There aren't any wolves left where I live though."
"You are a strange ... mmm. Right, you are yokai. That explains much," Noboru concludes. "What other forms can you take?"
"None," Niamh points out, and frowns. "A shapeshifter nearly killed me when I was little. Where I'm from, forest and hill faeries don't change their shapes."
"That sounds terribly dull. Do you not want to wear many skins?" Noboru asks. "Feel life in new ways and through new eyes?"
"My eyes are still pretty new," Niamh points out. "I'm not going to live for hundreds of years, so it's not like I'll get bored with the shape I was born with. I'm just a mortal, like Miyuki or any other human."
"Could your child with the human woman change shape?" she then asks.
Noboru shakes his head. "That is a pity. Potential, but no will to explore it," he murmurs to himself. The question then makes him blink and look up. "Yes, he could. He was part of both worlds."
"Maybe my great-great-great-grandfather could do it," Niamh claims. "I can barely shape my spirit yet. I couldn't even make a fake tail with it. I mostly use it to hold onto others spirits with, or tricks like being able to speak different languages for a time."
"I pity you. A taste of true freedom, yet it is out of your reach," Noboru says ... then pets her head. "Perhaps I shall explore to see if I can bring back the wild yokai spirit that wilts inside you."
"What do you mean?" Niamh asks, turning to sit sideways so she can see Noboru's face. "I can't really learn to change shape and stuff," she claims. "I'm not.. magic. Otherwise I'd change a lot of things about myself."
"Ah, yes, that can be your sacrifice to the kami of this land, to embrace and become one of their yokai," Noboru suggests.
"Huh? I can't become one of your yokai," Niamh says. "I'm from a completely foreign supernatural tradition! I just fought with a freaky long-tongued goblin that was really excited to be licking filth."
"That's what Akaname do," Noboru says as if talking to a very small child. "And of course you can, it's in your blood, it just has to be ... enhanced."
"Enhanced how?" Niamh says. "I was going to offer the chocolate I brought from home with me. I had to spirit-infuse it on the trip to keep it from going brittle.."
"There are ways," Noboru says vaguely and waves his hand. "But that is a discussion for the heralds. I am a messenger only."
"That makes me think the 'ways' are either messy or dangerous," Niamh says.. then lays her head against Noboru's shoulder. "So, will you let me ride on your back?"
"I shall, for an unspecified favor, later," Noboru offers and pets the back of Niamh's head.
"What sort of favors do you usually ask for then?" Niamh asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Now, that would be telling," Noboru comments and cups her chin with a thumb and forefinger. "Do you agree, or not?"
"I'd be foolish to agree to something like that," Niamh says. "Can't I do something now instead?"
"But that isn't fun," Noboru claims. "Do you not trust me?"
"I trust that Miyuki would make fun of me for it," Niamh says. "So, it would have to be really worth it.. like being able to ride you to the shrine to make my offering."
"You do not like Miyuki much, do you?" Noboru inquires. "And yes, that would be fine."
"I like her," Niamh says. "That's why I worry about her teasing me.. and I did not think you'd agree to let me ride you to the shrine.."
"You have much to learn," Noboru claims, then before Niamh can react, he leans in and kisses her, on the lips. The touch is velvety smooth and gentle, warm and supple, and leaves a tingling feeling in her lips in its wake. "Pact made," he murmurs, "You are now soul-debted to me one favor." The chuckle that follows is the sort that comes with a sinking feeling of dread.
"Wha.. are you a devil?" Niamh asks, bringing her fingers to her lips. "You aren't allowed to get me pregnant!"
"No, I am yokai, kitsune, of the Midori shrine, and it seems your first lesson is that a pact with a yokai is inviolate," Noboru says with a cunningly impish sort of smile upon his lips. "Your first lesson, so to speak. One of many tome come I am sure."
"It's not nice to take advantage of foreigners," Niamh pouts. "Or teasing girls and telling them they're pretty when you don't mean it."
"Child, I'm a kitsune. We are the pranksters of the yokai world," Noboru points out and then licks her nose again. "And when did I ever call you pretty and not mean it?"
Niamh blushes again, and asks, "It's not just because of my hair color is it?"
Noboru just grins ... and fades away. Niamh soon finds herself coming to sit on the bench, alone. There's a large foxish creature by the doorway with four tails flicking all about. "I will be waiting for when you are ready to leave. I doubt you want to prostrate yourself before the heralds nude. Though ... it could be amusing," his voice seems to oddly echo ... then out the door he goes.
"Gah, I didn't get to mark him," Niamh sighs, but runs her fingers through her untangled hair with a smirk. Then she goes to collect her clothes. "Mr. Tanaka and my parents better be impressed that I got rid of the bathhouse yokai," she tells herself.
She finds her hair now smells rather fox-like; and that won't be easy to get out. Still, it could be worse. Oh, wait, it is; she also made a pact to owe him an unspecified favor in the future. That could be anything. But surely no troubles could arise from that, right?
"Hmmph, now the other ghosts will tease me about having a fox suitor," Niamh says, and gets her underwear. "I just hope my parents don't notice. They had enough issues with Puc because he's a tree. And I should have asked if Noboru tried to set Miyuki up with someone.."