It was an hour. Or was it two? Niamh isn't sure because she fell asleep at some point, and is only now coming around thanks to a soft rapping at her chamber door. "Are you okay?" the voice of Miyuki, well, she's pretty sure it's Miyuki, calls out. "You missed the dinner bells, so I have come to collect you."
Niamh jerks awake, and then has to brush her hair out of her face. "Bells!" she squeaks, then gets up and reflexively tries to brush down any wrinkles.. but the temple clothes are too loose to wrinkle anyway. She hurries to the door and slides it open. "I'm ready!" she insists.
Ever feel like the scullery maid invited to a ball? Well, Nimah might now, as Miyuki isn't dressed in her typical priestess robes, but instead a flowing silk kimono, all blacks and silvers, with a bright white obi about her waist. Even her hair is untied and has been brushed out, and looks midnight black, save for that one errant stripe in her hair. Her think brow arches as she looks Niamh from head to toe. "Are you sure?" she inquires, sounding a little confused.
"I.. is this a formal dinner or just.. how you dress every evening?" the foreigner asks. "I don't have a fancy dress with me, any my ceremonial stuff isn't really fit for dinner." She looks worried now, especially since she hadn't even combed her hair.
"This is how we dress for dinner. Hmm. Well, you are a foreigner; it should be expected you would not know. It will not bother anyone," Miyuki decides after a bit of thought on the matter. "Most of the human staff have already eaten, so it will primarily be myself, my brother, and my parents.
Perhaps looking slovenly will help put off further suggestions of bearing a litter for Noboru, Niamh hopes. Still, she pulls her hair back and rolls it into a bun at least. "I don't think the humans have a very high opinion of me to begin with," she admits. And in her mind, that probably includes the entire population of Japan at this point. Or at least the ones that've seen her.
"I doubt they care one way or another; they don't know you at all," Miyuki points out, then taps her chin. "Ah, yes, Lady Inari sends her regrets, she cannot attend the meal and meet you," she says.
"I'd certainly want to be better dressed to meet the shrine's goddess," Niamh notes, and finishes futzing with her hair before she takes a deep breath. "Alright, please lead on?"
Miyuki bows deeply, then turns and walks down the hallway, glancing back now and then to make sure Nimah hasn't gotten lost, or distracted. It's a couple minutes walking, a few stairs up, and ... hm, they might be on the top floor of the temple building. Miyuki approaches a large double-door with ornate carvings upon them, then with what seems like no effort, she opens the door wide and beckons Niamh to pass through."
Nervously, Niamh enters the chamber beyond. The doors aren't bigger than those she's used to for the great hall at home, but just seem for more ominous for some reason. Probably because she doesn't know what's waiting across the threshold. At least her sleeves are wide enough that she can clutch her hands together over her stomach (to keep it from trying to escape up her throat) and they'll still be covered.
And when Niamh steps through, she comes face to 'face' with a giant stewpot. A ladder leads up to a platform where some great oni is slowly stirring. "Ah, the main course has arrived," the creature growls, and motions for Niamh to climb the ladder.
Niamh looks at the ogre, and does not move. Being paralyzed is probably a normal reaction, part of her mind tells her, when you can never be certain what to take seriously among pranksters. And also when you can't tell which reaction they want, lest you just set yourself up for a worse prank later. "I.." she struggles to say, and wonders what to say next. "Stew makes me gassy!"
Miyuki comes in behind Niamh and sighs, then covers her face. "Noboru!" she calls out, "Stop trying to taunt the human." There's a snicker, and the scene before them abruptly dissipates, leaving a long low table, surrounded by small cushions, and Noboru kneeling at one side, looking fully human, for once. No ears or tail. His hair is still white, though. "What?" he asks Miyuki, "She knew it wasn't real and she responded with something worthy of a kitsune."
It only occurs to her then that an Oni wouldn't be speaking English. So Niamh smiles and says, "Good try." She then wonders where she's supposed to sit (or kneel, rather) at the long table, and looks to Miyuki for direction.
Noboru answers that question by patting a spot beside him.
So the redhead takes the spot next to Noboru, and looks to see if Miyuki will still sit with them or across. "Are you appearing human for any particular reason, Noboru?" she asks.
Miyuki settles herself on the other side on Nimah so that she's surrounded by supernatural beings. "To make you more comfortable?" he suggests. "Or confuse you," Miyuki claims. "He's like that."
The mostly human girl thinks on this, and decides to try and confuse Noboru back, asking, "Can I have some of your hair?"
"As a beard? Wiskers, tail?" Noboru ticks off. "Hairy hands? Paws?"
"Don't be silly," Niamh says, tut-tutting. "To weave a belt out of, naturally."
"That isn't fun," Noboru points out. "Why would you want a belt of my hair?"
"Quite; he's stinky and unkempt," Miyuki comments.
"Give me the hair and I'll tell you why," Niamh replies.
"No. It would be ill-thought to hand over part of a celestial kitsune without a reason," Noboru notes. "Quite," comes another voice, then a pair, male and female, enter the room and move to sit at one of the ends of the table. The resemblance to Noboru and Miyuki is apparent; so it is probably their parents in human guise ... if you can call humans that tend to glow slightly humans.
Niamh bites off her reply as the elder kitsune arrive, and sits up straighter. Then wonders if that's wrong, and she's supposed to bow instead? But she's already sitting with her legs tucked under her. But maybe sitting up straight comes across as acting proud? In the end, she decides not to say anything until spoken to as well.
The elder male waves his hand effortlessly ... and the food starts to arrive. On the backs of wispy spirits! How they carry the trays is ... well, probably best to not think about it other than they're floating food trays on the backs of little balls of light. "How are you enjoying your stay in our lands?" he soon asks Niamh, with a voice that is somehow both soft, and yet seems to vibrate right through her.
Once again the girl struggles with decorum. So far she can't say her stay has been, on the whole, pleasant. But lying or glossing over things may not sit well with her hosts. "I've enjoyed the company of your family, Lord and Lady," she offers, which is true enough. "I'm still adjusting to the rest. I've had some trying experiences in the few days I've been here."
"And seem to be trying to develop the skills of a politician," the elder male notes. "You have not enjoyed your time here, I think you meant to say."
"I've had a long journey," Niamh admits. "The first morning after arriving, I was attacked by my own possessed underwear. The local spirits want to eat me, and I haven't had a restful night of sleep since the first. I.. I'm just on edge, I suppose."
"You have left out being tormented by the local kitsune envoys of the temple," The elder corrects, looking amused. "I am aware my son has been a bit merciless in his tormenting of you. Understand it can mean many things, of course. But most of them are not bad meanings. I do not believe my daughter, Miyuki, has been all that trying, has she?"
"No, she's been very helpful, despite her feelings on my task," Niamh says, and turns to smile at Miyuki. "I've been told that immature boys often tease or torment the girls they like," she also notes.
"Noboru is over five hundred of your years old. He is not young," the elder points out. "He is a five tail, technically, but circumstances cost him a tail. He will grow anew eventually."
"Perhaps he is young at heart?" Niamh suggests, and risks a grin.
"He is simply kitsune. It is our nature to be playful. As well as remind humans when they step further than their skills allow," the Elder points out. "Such as taking on ancient Inu spirits ... when she can barely face her own undergarments. If his simple planks are too much for you, how ill you fare against someone whose actions are not merely pranks?"
"I hoped to get assistance," Niamh says. "I'm not just here to help with my parent's task, I'm here to make contact with the forest. On behalf of my forest, and the spirits that call it home."
The mother shakes her head. "Do not be so hard on her. She is a cub, and cubs often think they can take on the world," she says, gently, "It is their nature." This makes Miyuki look down and away. "And come, please, be welcome and eat before the fish festers."
Niamh smiles even more at that last comment. She's hungry. And only slightly worried that her hosts will complain about the parts she helped with.
Miyuki and Noboru both pick up the chopsticks that the spirit-servants brought, and then each select a small set of different rolls and simply sliced fish. "We have forgone voles, mice, and rats for additional flavors tonight. It is our understanding that humans do not care for them," the elder woman notes. "The breaded cubes are fried tofu, something all of us enjoy, and we do believe most humans tend to like it as well.
"Tofu isn't a rodent?" Niamh asks as she manages to pluck one of the cubes with her own chopsticks, surprised at how 'tender' they seem.
"No, it is soybean curd," Miyuki explains as she daintily eats. Small delicate bites, using more teeth than lips ... but hardly surprising given they normally don't have such flexible lips.
At least 'curds' are something familiar, even Niamh knows them as cheese byproducts and not bean ones. But it doesn't taste bad! She tries a bit of everything, and doesn't try to be as delicate as Miyuki is, for the simple reason that she probably couldn't hold onto the food properly if she had to take more than one bite of it.
Noboru is just as delicate as Miyuki, which might seem a little strange. "You say you came to meed the forest lord?" the elder woman inquires, "Does that mean you wish to pledge yourself to him as a wife to unite the two forests?"
Niamh manages not to choke on her food. She finishes swallowing before turning to the Lady, and asks, "Surely there are ways of achieving my goals that do not revolve around marriage? It seems the forest here is very different in its makeup than I am used to, so I hoped first to simply contact the forest yosei."
"Bonds are often forged between unions of family," the elder woman points out. "Just as in some day Miyuki will be wed to another clan to expand our family, as it were." This makes Miyuki grumbles and mutter to herself.
"And Noboru as well, surely," Niamh suggests. "There must be other kitsune clans with unwed daughters."
"His mate died some time back," the elder woman notes, "If he ever mates again, it will be his own choosing."
"Plus, he is male. Males are not forced to wed generally," the elder kitsune notes.
Now, Niamh only knows that Noboru had a human mate before.. but this implies he may have had a kitsune one as well. She isn't certain she should follow up on that. She doubts he'll be out courting when he has to guard the temple though.. maybe that's why he's interested in her? She's probably over-thinking things again. "I admit that I do not know how kitsune courtship or arranged marriages go. Or.. any of the Japanese customs regarding such things," she notes.
The mother kitsune gestures towards Niamh. "Your doe ears implies you may wish to mate with the Forest Lord," she comments. "Is that not the case?"
Niamh had actually forgotten about the ears! Even when she was fixing her hair! "Noboru gave me these because I had an experience of being a doe during part of my priestess training," Niamh says and blushes, forcing herself to not reach up and grab them.
"Ah, so they are not preparations to run on four legs with the Forest Lord, then," The elder kitsune notes and nods slightly. "Shall I remove them, then?"
The girl is not certain how to respond to that offer. She hasn't been certain of much throughout the meal, but now worries that having his father remove them might embarrass Noboru somehow. "I'm sure Noboru will restore them to normal when it suits him, Milord," she finally replies. She doesn't think she's being like a politician (because she isn't sure how politicians act), but hopes she's at least being thoughtful.
"Ah, so you like it when Noboru does things to you. Curious," the mother notes while hiding a smile behind her hand. Noboru starts snickering.
"That.. is not what I was saying.." Niamh says weakly. There's just no winning with kitsune, even the nearly-god ones. At least she can put her ears down now to show embarrassment instead of just blushing.
"Then what are you saying? Do you dislike Noboru then?" the mother inquires.
"I am not his plaything, but he will claim the opposite and do things like this when I protest," Niamh explains. "If I ask to have them changed back, he will have won. And if I don't ask, but also do not complain or seem to suffer for it, then perhaps he will not feel compelled to make other changes. I honestly do not know if it is possible for him to respect me, but I can at least try to not be broken by it."
"You sound angry with him," the elder notes, head tilting in a way canines do, which looks odd on a human. "He is trying to include you and show you things. Make you feel welcome, as none of these silly things cause you any harm at all, and give you changes to experience things few humans don't. Do you truly resent it so much?"
"Human lives are so fleeting. How can your kind be so ... resistant to experiences? You have so little time to experience life, and then you're afraid or deny really experiencing things. It is difficult to understand," the mother adds.
"I'm human enough to enjoy the illusion that I have some dignity," Niamh claims. "So.. it is hard when I'm made to feel like a plaything, I suppose. And I'm just not in any condition to appreciate it at the moment. Experiences that are forced upon you, which you have no say over.. they can be unpleasant due to that circumstance. Please forgive me if I seem ungrateful. I'm very far removed from the things that make me feel secure or comfortable, and I haven't had time to adjust."
"Life is like that, you realize. There will be much out of your control and much you simply have to deal with and accept," the elder points out. "Learing to accept and work through, even embrace, and knowing when to do that, will make your life easier, as well as dealing with dangerous things simpler. The inu aren't going to stop because you feel uncomfortable, so you have to learn how to not feel uncomfortable by such things. Do you now understand what my son is trying to teach? It is not all about you being his plaything; though yes, there is some of that."
"I'm never certain what Noboru is trying to do, and for whose benefit," Niamh admits. "I'm sure he's trying to break me of the habits I grew up with, which do not seem to apply here. It's just very confusing to me still. I want to feel protected. It's why I came here to the temple. So I can prepare myself without being at the mercy of dangerous spirits. To learn how to bring things to a conclusion that doesn't involve one or more parties stuck in a cycle of suffering. I'm a fool to want that, probably."
"The world is forged by idiots. You are in good company," the elder emissary points out and raises a finger in punctuation. "Even if you lack a proper tail."
"I didn't realize a tail was that crucial," Niamh admits. "I'm very young yet."
"Yes, you are," Noboru's mother agrees and nods sagely. "Humans lost their connection to nature when they gave up their tails. They traded them in for something called progress. A vexing idea, and very foolish."
"I'm still very connected to nature," Niamh insists. "I've gone through the rites of the Horned God already, and.. some of the Lunar Goddess ones. I haven't had a chance to call down the moon since before leaving home, which may be why I'm so.." She flounders for a word, and just looks to Noboru to describe her mood.
"A child desperately trying to prove she is not a child," Noboru offers. "Also, jumpy, angry, trying to be overly controlling, and terrified of us."
Niamh sucks in her lips a bit, but doesn't disagree with Noboru.
Noboru reaches over and taps Niamh under her chin. "No pouting; you asked me. You are like a lost kit. You're welcome here, no one will actually harm you here. Play with, yes, harm, no," he points out, then brings that finger up and around and tousles one of the doe-ears with it. "When the time comes you will leave as you were when you came, physically. Mentally, that is out of our control."
"May I borrow your courtyard tonight?" Niamh shyly asks the elder kitsune once Noboru finishes. "And one of your children for protection?"
"For?" the Elder inquires.
"An invocation of renewal, to the moon," Niamh says, trying not to sound too desperate. "It would attract fairies back home, so in these lands I assume it would attract yokai."
"Unlikely, given we are here," the Elder notes. "Also, I am not sure the Goddess would like foreign rituals being done here. You would need Her permission."
"How.. do I ask for permission?" Niamh asks with a bit of hesitation in her voice. She's surprised that the request would need to go above the kitsune.
Zahnrad says, "It's inset."
"You ... ask? You have already met Inari this evening," the Elder points out. "Do you not ask your Gods back home?"
"Well.. not really," Niamh admits. "That is, I haven't asked them for anything, other than by performing the rites. They aren't the sort of gods that.. talk. The moon, the sun, nature, spirit, wilderness are things they sort of just embody. As a priestess I'm forming a relationship with them."
"Then are you sure they are Gods at all? Our Gods communicate with us much as I am communicating with you now," the Elder explains. "They even hold Court, and yearly all gather to discuss current issues."
"The Sidhe hold court, but their gods do not," Niamh explains. "I've never had a conversation with a god."
"Then it doesn't appear that you have any Gods. Hmmm, that is most curious," the Elder notes. "Still, you have to ask Inari directly to use Her temple for foreign rituals. I assume you did not annoy her too much when you helped her prepare dinner?" Noboru snickers.
"That was Inari?" Niamh squeaks, and blushes. "She.. was a little annoyed."
"Yes. She desired to meet the foreign Yokai, and figured it would be simplest if you thought of her as a normal human so you would act as yourself," the Elder explains. "What did you do to annoy her?"
"I couldn't understand her directions clearly," the girl admits. "I didn't know about washing the rice."
"Were you rude?" the Elder asks. "Did you follow directions? Did you be respectful of her age?"
"I wasn't rude," Niamh insists. "I was respectful. I didn't do anything to the broom."
"I did not ask about the broom," the Elder remarks and even arches his brow slightly at that. "Do you have prejudices against brooms?"
"No.. I was asked to watch for anything unusual," Niamh claims. "The broom had a big eye. I'd turn it around, but the eye would keep coming back."
"Did you poke it in the eye?" the Elder has to ask. Noboru is simply snickering.
"I generally don't poke things in the eye," Niamh claims. "It.. was a broom."
"Yes? Do your brooms not have eyes?" the Elder has to ask. "What a primitive place it must be," his mate comments.
"We have pucs and household goblins that might use them, but the brooms themselves are just.. brooms," Niamh notes. "I can't imagine what sort of life a broom would have."
"Ah, I see. It is the human feeling of superiority over all things. That explains much," the Elder says as he bobs his head. Miyuki is now looking away from the table. She might be trying to not laugh at this point.
Niamh makes her I'm-sad-that-you're-teasing-me face. "Why couldn't Inari join us for dinner?" she asks.
"Gods have more important things to do than dine with us," the Elder comments. Noboru, though, leans over and whispers, "She wished to bathe in the hot spring tonight. She finds pretending to be an elderly human makes her feel sweaty."
The notion of a god that sweats makes Niamh's brain go cold for a moment. "But she made the.." she starts to reply, then stops, and takes a breath. "When might I talk to her next?" she asks.
"Mm, tomorrow, I imagine, when she returns to her inner sanctuary," the Elder's mate comments.
Just one more night, I can survive that long, Niamh thinks. She does not dwell on what would happen if the goddess refuses her request, or what she might ask for in return. It's not like she wants to do anything religious. She just wants to wash her spirit a bit. "Thank you," she tells the pair. Wait, if the old woman was Inari.. "I'll clean up the dishes," she offers.
"Just don't poke the broom in the eye when you do," the Elder advises. Well, at least Naimh can tell where Noboru gets his sense of humor from. "And Miyuki can help with the dishes."
Niamh looks over at Miyuki to see if this is something she's normally expected to do or if the kitsune is upset by it.
Miyuki's lips are a bit to the side and puckered out, but she isn't arguing.
Please don't take it out on me, Miyuki, Niamh prays silently. "Are there any other duties you want me to perform while I'm staying here?" she asks the parents.
The elder chuckles softly. "That is a dangerous question to ask," he notes. "Especially of a kitsune. But no, nothing more tonight, on one condition."
"Condition?" Niamh asks. If she breaks it, that means they will ask her to do something humiliating, she reasons.
"Ask Noboru for your tail. It is very strange to have someone staying here without a tail," the Elder says. "It is unnatural."
"A small tail," Niamh tells Noboru firmly. "I'm too young for a big fluffy one, after all. It would be above my station."
"No, you're too young for many tails. The size isn't the factor, it is the number," Noboru counters.
"I'm not a kitsune," Niamh reminds, and waggles her doe ears up and down. "I should not have a fox tail, at least."
"Quite. How about a nice rat tail?" Noboru asks. Miyuki is rubbing her temples.
Niamh seems to consider this. "Not a monkey tail?" she counters. "What do you think I should have, Miyuki?" she asks, trying to avoid something too horrible - and hoping Miyuki likes her butt as is enough that she will suppress her instincts for humiliating humans.
"I would like to stay out of this," Miyuki notes, quietly.
"I suppose it could be a deer tail, though it is rather small," Noboru laments. "But, you need to ask me for it, nicely," he adds and smiles in the way only he seems to be able to. The sort that somehow says, "I have you now."
"What about the spots?" Niamh asks, looking Noboru in the eyes. "There should be spots on my butt to go with it. You can do those, right? And up my back?"
"Fauns have spots, not adults," Noboru notes, "But yes, such are possible. It does mean having a little fur, though."
"Is that too much of an effort?" Niamh asks. "I don't want you to over-exert yourself. You have to protect the shrine after all." She's determined to not let him feel like he's getting one over on her. "I suppose just the tail is enough though, I don't want to seem vain. Could you please give me a doe's tail, Lord Noboru?"
"Well, if the question is about my ability," Noboru notes, his brow arching up, "I could simply turn you into a deer completely. It would be of little effort to accomplish. I mean, I don't want you to feel lacking in our care..."
"Wouldn't people wonder why there was a deer at the shrine?" Niamh asks. "And I wouldn't be able to talk."
"I could understand you," Noboru points out. "And no, we get wildlife here all the time. You seem to think you might tax my abilities, and that simply won't do." Miyuki just starts shaking her head. "Baka," she mutters.
"Just the tail please, for now," Niamh replies. "Until I can call down the moon, I won't have the willpower to avoid losing myself and just running off into the forest."
Noboru smiles and pats Niamh on the head. "After you clean," he says.
"Miyuki, you'll give me instructions I can understand, won't you?" the girl asks Miyuki.
Miyuki says something in Japanese, naturally.
"I'll just watch you and imitate," Niamh replies a bit drolly. "We monkeys are good at that, I've heard."
"Well, now that is settled, we shall retire and leave you two to clean," the elders say, and Noboru stands. Then the Elders stand. They all bow, then quietly exit the room. "I was going to say that I am sorry for everything they are putting you through," Miyuki says quietly. "But ... you seem to want to keep poking the hornet's nest with a stick. Why would you challenge my brother like that?"
"Because if I'm going to lose anyway, I feel better have some.. say.. in how I'll lose," Niamh admits, and falls forward to rest her forehead on the table. "Really trying to fool myself into thinking I still have any spirit left."
"You really do not deal well with spirits, it seems," Miyuki notes, "You don't win by challenging anyone out in the open. You comply and work from the shadows. Let them think they've won and you won't be a problem, then you can act. What you did was escalate the situation, which has the exact opposite of what you desired."
"If you just want to curl up in your room, I'll take care of this. You don't need to help," Miyuki adds and pats Niamh gently on the shoulder. "I know you've had a hard time, and we are not the simplest creatures to deal with. Our nature is to ... make others uncomfortable and push them. But, you do seem at your breaking point."
"I need the moon," Niamh mutters. "I can't make good decisions when I'm feeling so dried up. I've had one decent night of sleep in the past hundred days. I should at least come with you. I can carry things still. I don't have to think to do that much."
"You need to quit relying on things so much. Rarely will you have what you think you need in a situation. It's best to work with what you have and less try for more," Miyuki comments, then goes about collecting some of the plates from the table. Her hair flicks a little, too, and two large white ears pop out, as does a fluffy tail from her backside. "And sorry, it is hard for me to completely maintain human form all the time. It ... drains me. At least here I can let it slip some."
Getting to her feet, Niamh helps collect the rest of the tableware. "You don't.. when I say I need the moon, I mean I need it. It helps me keep my spirit from just leaking away. Since I wasn't going to be using any of it on the voyage, I thought I would be fine. And I couldn't do anything at the inn because of the Inu. And everything else that wants to eat me. I'm really not usually this hopeless, I mean."
"Not everyone wants to eat you," Miyuki points out. "You haven't been eaten here, after all. You're only so strained because you seem to think you have to solve everything. Your parents are trained in dealing with Yokai, yes? Let them deal with the Inu. Don't try to take on all the world's problems; you'll just be run over. You're feeling exhausted because you're trying to do more than you really can. I can tell you from experience that usually doesn't go very well."
"My parents aren't any more used to your local spirits than I am," Niamh notes, but doesn't put a lot of strength behind it. "So.. just take all this back down to the kitchen, or is there a different area for cleaning? Is there a ritual involved?"
"Just take it to the kitchen," Miyuki confirms, "Follow me." The young Kitsune heads out of the room now, tail swishing in her wake, as she heads through the building, then down the stairs and back to the kitchen.
"Do kitsune wag their tails?" Niamh asks as she watches. She does not add "like dogs" because her brain isn't that dried out.
Well, she's wagging it now, sort of. "Of course. Tails are outlets for mood," Miyuki explains and puts her dishes into a wash-pan. She gestures for Niamh to do the same.
As she sets the dishes down, Niamh asks, "How does that work when you have more than one? Do they all move in unison? Can you teach me how to read them?"
Miyuki looks confused. "Do all your fingers always move in unison? Of course not, that would be silly. We can use each independently. Noboru often uses his like extra arms, to grab and lift and the like. As for how to read them? As in what moods they convey? Why?"
"Why?" Niamh asks. "You complain that I haven't learned to speak Japanese yet. Understanding your moods.. wait, can you deliberately swish your tails to deceive?"
"Can you lie?" Miyuki points out. "Of course I can. I can teach you the basics, but always take it as just possible mood, don't rely on it."
"Alright. It will help me feel less.. terrified," Niamh says, and looks for cleaning tools. Washing dishes is not something she's done since she was little.
"Do I scare you?" Miyuki asks as she looks over, that strand of white hair falling across her nose. "My kind are tricksters, but we are not generally cruel."
"Would you tell me if you were playing a prank on me?" Niamh asks. "There are many tricksters among the fey, and some of them do it to lure in their prey. So it isn't that you personally are frightening, Miyuki. It's just that I was taught to fear powerful beings who toy with people."
"You don't tell people you are pranking them. Well, perhaps afterward, but not during. It isn't a prank if you know about it," Moyuki points out and actually rolls her eyes a little. "Also, I'm not that powerful, I'm a one-tail."
"So you are not that powerful compared to the rest of your family you mean," Niamh points out. "Don't you have a goblin to help with the cleaning?" She eyes the broom. "Dishrags don't have eyes too, do they?"
"I can cast some illusions and other minor spells. That's it," Miyuki counters. "And no, I don't. Are you tired of cleaning already? You can return to your room." She, however, goes right back to cleaning.
As promised, Niamh watches Miyuki work until she learns what to do, and tries doing that. "The sooner I go back, the sooner I'll have a tail," she notes.
"Possibly not. Noboru won't do it if you really don't want it," Miyuki notes, "He likes to make people uncomfortable, not actually hurt them. Especially people he likes."
"He hardly has to try, I'm always uncomfortable," Niamh points out, setting a cleaned dish aside. "He didn't do things like this to you when you were younger, did he?"
"Oh God, he was far worse. He still does things to me. I'm his baby sister, after all," Miyuki points out. "But he also cares deeply for me. I would not be here now were it not for him."
"That is very confusing to me," Niamh admits. "My brothers didn't tease me or play tricks on me. Not since that thing with the.. uh, they didn't tease me."
"I don't believe you. All siblings torment each other," Miyuki asserts.
"They can't do spirit stuff like I can," Niamh says. "Only the women in my bloodline have the potential. The men can just be wizards. It's complicated. And we were raised differently, I suppose. What sort of things did Noboru do to you? And did he ever feel guilty about it?"
"Just typical pranks. Waking up lime green, things like that. I can't get too mad at him, he did sacrifice a tail to save me," Miyuki explains and shrugs a little. "It left me scarred, but I'm alive. And as it is said here, it is your scars that give you your beauty."
"That seems an odd saying to me," Niamh admits. "I don't think we have any sayings about scars back home. At least that I've heard."
"Why is it strange? It shows you have lived, endured, and survived. How can that not be beautiful?" Miyuki inquires as she starts drying the dishes now and stacking them neatly on the counter.
"I just haven't heard anything like it before," Niamh says, and looks at Miyuki. "So you aren't self-conscious about your scars then?"
"I can appear as I wish to appear for the most part. I just can't change this right now," Miyuki says and gestures to her hair and bi-chromatic eyes. "Humans stare, of course, but it is nothing to Yokai.
"They do seem to enjoy staring at people here," Niamh notes with a frown. "And whisper." She sets the last plate on the stack, and then pats her cheeks. "Ugh, I can't let things like that get to me."
"You let everything get to you," Miyuki points out. "Which is why Noboru likes to tease you. But, I am just some supernatural monster, what do I know, hmm?"
"And you were never like this when you were younger?" Niamh asks.
"I am young," Miyuki points out and looks over. "By kitsune standards, I am your age. It's just that over seventy of your years."
"But you still have seventy years of actual experience," Niamh points. "What were you like when you were just seventeen years old?"
"A kit," Miyuki points out. "I haven't been able to take human form for very long, realize. Early years, I was simply a fox."
"Do mean an actual fox?" Niamh asks. "Chasing mice and such?"
"Of course? What else would I mean?" Miyuki has to ask.
"I assumed kitsune were different than wild foxes is all," Niamh admits, blushing again. "I should get back to my room now, I suppose."
"Oh we are. We live much, much longer and are smarter even at a young age," Miyuki says. "But, I suppose you now just see me as another animal."
"Since you want to run off now," she adds.
"Are.. are you teasing me?" Niamh asks. "I can't see you as animals. I'm just.. tired." The girl slumps, and rubs at her face. "Please don't make me feel worse, Miyuki.."
"No, I'm being serious. You learn that I grew up as any fox would at first, and now you wish to depart quickly. It was hard not to wonder," Miyuki points out and shrugs a little. "You may go, though. I'll finish up. Get some sleep."
"That's not.." Niamh starts to argue, then runs out of steam. What would the Horned God think of her now, unable to talk to foxes that aren't really foxes?
So she climbs the stairs and staggers back to her room, where she collapses onto the thin mat.
At some point, Niamh fell asleep. She knows this because she's now waking up. The room is dark and cool, and as quiet as a tomb. She's still without tail; but she does feel rather stiff at this point. The floor isn't terribly comfortable.
"Uggh," Niamh moans and pushes herself back up. Maybe foxes can sleep on this floor, but it's going to take getting used to. She goes to the window shutters to get a look outside.. since she doesn't actually know what it looks out on. But hopefully she can see the moon at least.
Alas, it's rather dark, and the sky looks overcast. She can't see much of anything out the window right now.
"Well.. I shouldn't be surprised," the girl mutters, and closes the shutters. This makes it dark again, and she tries to remember if there was a candle or taper or similar. Kitsune can probably see in the dark.
There was a candle on the small table in the room, as well as a small clay oven for heat, in needed.
Reaching for where she remembers the candle is, Niamh then tries to recall if there were matches. There must be matches in Japan, she reasons, unless they've been determined to be too barbaric.
Niamh grabs something, but it's rather fuzzy. Then two eyes open in the darkness, followed by a drawing out of sharp white teeth in the darkness.
"Ahh!" Niamh lets go immediately! "Miyuki?" she then asks after taking a step back.
Four balls of fire pop into existence, lighting up the room. A four-tailed fox sitting on top of the table stretches out and yawns widely. "Did you know you snore?" Noboru asks. "Rhythmically, even. Sort of a dueling nasal-flute."
"I.. is that bad?" Niamh asks, wondering if she's somehow nasally offended the fox. "How long have you been watching me sleep?"
"Since you fell asleep," Noboru notes as he folds his front paws together, then rests his chin upon them. "Is that a problem?"
"I don't know," Niamh admits. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Because you were tired?" Noboru says, "It would have been rude to wake you." His tails wave side to side like snakes, with the small fireballs floating just above their tips.
Niamh eyes the blue balls nervously. After all he used the tips of his tails to give her the ears of a doe. "So.. is it time for my tail then?" she asks. "Will it make the floor more comfortable to sleep on?"
"I thought I would hold off on it," Noboru admits. "You've seemed very ... tense."
"I've been tense for a hundred days," Niamh claims. "I don't even remember being at ease anymore. That's why I was hoping Inari would let me do my moon invocation."
"You need to depend less on crutches like that, and more on yourself," Noboru counters, then tickles her ears with two of his tails. Fortunately, the fireballs don't help in tickling. "You're in no real danger here."
"Nnnngh!" Niamh tries to wave the tails (and flaming balls) away from her head. "What do you mean by real danger? And it's not a crutch, it's part of my.. essence. People need to eat and drink.. and I need to bathe in moonlight every so often."
"You need to bathe in general more often," Noboru jokes. "And real danger is anything that would do lasting harm to you. Unless you decide to insult the Gods, you're safe."
"I just had a bath earlier today with Miyuki.." Niamh claims.
Noboru rolls his eyes. "I have never met a child wound as tight as you are," he notes. "Maybe you need to get drunk."
"There is a yokai that drinks people?" Niamh asks aghast.
"Are you intentionally trying to be dense?" Noboru has to ask.
"Wait.. you mean drinking wine?" Niamh finally grasps. "I'm.. still not very rested, forgive me for not being all that clear-headed."
"Did you fall on your head a lot as a child?" Noboru now has to ask as he stands up on the table. He's not very terrifying when he's actually the size of a fox.
"You don't have to insult me," Niamh says poutily. "I've had wine. I drink it with dinner usually, and on the voyage over since we didn't trust the water. But getting drunk would take.. a whole bottle probably."
"You mean that colored water your people drink? That couldn't get a mouse drunk. No, you need wine distilled from the holy grains of Inari's garden; sacred sake. A drink so potent it can remove the color from anything," Noboru explains.
Niamh looks skeptical. "Grains? You don't make wine from grains, you make beer," she points out.
"Well, I should expect the uncivilized wouldn't know how," Noboru laments.
"Then what do you make beer out of?" Niamh asks.
"We do not. Traders bring it in," Noboru notes.
"Then.. ah, never mind," Niamh says. "I've never been drunk," she explains. "How is it supposed to help me?"
"It helps you forget and relax. And for humans, I believe pee on themselves," Noboru explains after some thought. "Nevermind, that would not smell very pleasant."
"I'm not sure I want to forget things," Niamh says. "Is that what you drink it for? It sounds like some sort of religious sacrament though."
"I simply enjoy it, and that is reason enough for me," Noboru notes and shrugs. He sits back, then his form ripples and leaves a naked, almost-human-looking Noboru sitting on the table. He has his ears, and four fluffy tails, but the rest of him looks mostly human.
"Are you going to seduce me?" Niamh asks, since.. she's not used to naked men, generally.
"Are you asking me to?" Noboru answers with a question.
"I thought you wanted to?" Niamh counters with her own question.
"I was not intending to," Noboru notes, then flicks his tails and he's dressed! "I forgot your kind are terrified of being without clothing."
"I'm not terrified of being without clothing," Niamh notes. "I just haven't figured out all the ties on this outfit. It's like you need someone else's help to get into or out of it. In the mirror pool shrine, I had to pull it off over my head."
"You don't know how to undress? You have so much to learn," Noboru notes and shakes his head slowly.
"I've never worn something like this before, and it ties in the back," Niamh says. "Miyuki put it on me."
"Mmm. What are your intentions towards my sister?" Noboru inquires.
"She's going to teach me the chinkon ritual," Niamh offers, making it almost a question. "I think she has intentions towards me though, if that's what you mean."
"Mmm, well, yes, females do tend to be more hot-blooded in that regard," Noboru says as he nods sagely. "It will pass. Plus, there are other ways for dealing with it."
"Dealing with it?" Niamh asks. "You make it sound like a problem. And you're the one that wanted me to bear you a litter."
"Yes? There is little correlation," Noboru claims and shrugs. "And yes, there are potions that can calm monthly cycles."
"Now I don't see the connection," Niamh says. "Are you saying Miyuki's interest is driven by her moon cycle? Do kitsune go into heat then?"
"Of course?" Noboru says and looks at Niamh funny. "We are wild spirits, after all."
"But.. wild animals go into estrus only once or twice a year, not every month," Niamh points out. "And wouldn't she be interested in someone that could get her pregnant then, if that were really the case?"
"We are wild spirits. We have our own rules," Noboru clarifies. "If you spent a decade or two as one, you would understand better."
"I haven't spent two decades being human yet," Niamh points out. "But I learned how to control my cycle not long after it started. The nymphs taught me."
"Controling the cycle of something mostly human is relatively trivial," Noboru claims. "I could, if you wish, start yours right now..."
"Why would I want you to control it?" Niamh asks. "Until I want to have children, it's too troublesome to let run on its own. I need my bodily humors to stay where their are, not get wasted every few weeks. But I've replaced the physical cycle with a spiritual one.. which is why I need the moon. I don't know how to explain it more than that."
"Ah, so the secret comes out. You want to do the moon ritual because you are denying your place as a female of your kind," Noborou notes and taps Niamh on the nose. "That is not healthy for you, physically, or spiritually."
"It's also part of my religion and priestess training," Niamh claims. "And not why I'm tense! I just haven't had any chance to really relax yet. Now.. can you show me how to undo the ties on this outfit?"
"That entirely depends on if you can ask politely. Not sarcastically; politely," Noboru says in an annoyingly calm voice.
"Can you please show me how to undo the ties on this outfit?" Niamh tries.
Noboru takes Niamh's hand and draws it behind her back, which makes him pressed up against her, and making her look right into his eyes. "Grab both of these ends at the same time, and simply pull. The knot will release," he explains in a soothing, rumbly, sort of voice ... then demonstrates. Sure enough, the knot releases and one set has come free.
"Is there a special way to tie it?" Niamh asks, a bit more subdued by Noboru's proximity. "How many are there?"
"It's best to have someone else tie them if you're not well-practiced in it. I am sure my sister would do it for you," Noboru notes.
"Alright," Niamh says. "Guide me to the rest of them, please?"
Noboru does, and leans in even closer, until his nose is just touching hers. "You're trembling," he notes as he's guiding her between the ties.
"I am?" Niamh asks in surprise. "Would you like to finish undressing me?" she then adds.
"I think the real question is would you like me to finish undressing you?" Noboru prompts.
"Yes," Niamh says. "I.. wouldn't have asked otherwise, I think."
This makes Noboru chuff a laugh. "How far?" he asks as he eases back a little, then goes about releasing the remaining ties on the haori, as well as the waist-ties on the hakama.
Niamh seems confused by the question. "Until I'm.. undressed?" she offers. It hadn't occurred to here that could be a middle ground between dressed and undressed.
"Well, I assume you can remove your own undergarments yourself," Noboru points out as he helps her out of the haori. That gets folded and set in a corner.
"I could," Niamh says. "But I've never been undressed by a strange male before."
Noboru helps Miamh out of the hakama too, which leaves her just in her bloomers. "Well, I think I shall leave you to that, then, and let you sleep the rest of the night," he says as he steps away to fold the hakama. "We wake with the sun here," he notes, "Now, sleep well, hmm?"
"I'll try," Niamh says, wondering why Noboru was watching her sleep still. But she takes advantage of the bi-light to finish undressing and finding her way to the too-thin pad. "I need to be rested if I'm going to talk to Inari." The thought does not make it any easier to get to sleep though, since it's one more thing for her to worry about..