Sleep comes hard and fast for Niamh. When she does finally wake up ... the room is pitch black and she feels groggy. Is it still night? Is it the same night? Is it some other night? All good questions and the darkness really isn't providing much in the way of answers. Nor is the silence. No sound, save for an occasional drip or perhaps the drone of insects outside somewhere.
She sits up from the futon, and takes some deep breaths to try and clear her head. She doesn't remember if there is a candle in the room. But she knows where the door panel is, so heads for it on hands and knees. Some fresh air will probably help her, and a look at the sky will tell what time it is.
Except she's deep in the temple here, and it's a bit of a walk to actually get to the outside. Or a crawl, if she prefers! It's dark outside in the hallway too.
At least there are walls, and she doesn't remember there being anything to trip over. So she stands up, fingers brushing the wall as she heads in the direction of the inner garden, unless she's managed to completely turn herself around. If she gets lost, she can try to generate her own light.
Her nose is also good at finding walls when she misses a turn and runs into one. Well, multiple. Eventually, though, she does thing she's made it to the inner garden door. At least she can see the door, there is pale light all around its edge That she recognizes; moonlight.
Niamh slides the door enough to get a good look outside, and to see how high the moon is.
And for a moment, she's blind! The moon is high, and full. The inner garden is bathed in its pale light.
"Was it supposed to be a full moon," Niamh mutters, waiting for her eyes to adjust. Seeing the garden in moonlight will be nice, after all. She didn't to see it at all during the voyage by sea. And the tales of this moon being different somehow from the one she knows piqued her interest and trepidation both. But, she has the forest now, so won't have to deal with the moon spirits.
It's peaceful; quiet. Downright calm and soothing, really. The air is cool, with wisps of damp from the cooling breeze. Crickets chirp and frogs sing. It's relaxing. Maybe too relaxing?
Niamh steps out, and sits cross-legged on the wood. She can still enjoy the moonlight, so long as she doesn't try to get its attention. She certainly didn't bring her sickle with her, so couldn't call it down if she tried anyway. And she could use a bit of serenity after all the tumult and stress she recently went through.
"Watashi no yokubo to negai no chushindearu watashi no ten no kitsune ni aisatsu shimasu. Anata wa watashi no monodearu koto o saiko shimasen ka?" asks a lilting and melodic voice from behind her. It's sort of a soft, wanting, sort of tone. And's it's soon followed by two soft hands coming to rest upon her shoulders.
"Miyuki?" Niamh asks, not looking back. "My understanding has worn off, what did you ask?"
The hands abruptly pull off her shoulders! "Yurushite, Miyukida to omotta. Totemo maemuki ni natte sumimasen.," the voice sort of blurts out. It sure doesn't sound like Miyuki, though.
Niamh rolls forward and turns, hoping she can get to her feet quickly enough, and to see who is behind her. Someone else from the temple, she hopes..
Well, she doesn't recall seeing any tall bunnies at the Temple earlier. Pale and glowing sort of like moonlight itself and draped in white and silvery robes. It's eyes are wide, its ears back, and its nose twitching like mad and its sort of wringing its hand-paws together. It also somehow manages to have hair too, with those ears, and it's been decorated with delicate braids. "Anatahadare?" it says, its tone a bit questioning.
"I understood kitsune.. and.. uh.. doing something?" Niamh says, staring wide-eyed at the.. well, not a Pooka. Not here. "You're a Moon Spirit, aren't you," she guesses. She knows there's some connection between rabbits and the moon in Japan.
"Nani? Rikai dekimasen," the bunny-thing says, sounding apologetic. "Anata wa nanimonodesu ka? Anata wa ningende wa arimasen?"
Niamh bites her lower lip. She only recognizes terms she's heard often, like 'there is' or 'there is' or 'doing', which doesn't help much. The spirit doesn't seem dangerous or hostile, though. But it's also still there, and asking questions. So she offers up her right palm, but also extends some of her ectoplasm into it so that the spirit can see it. "Well, you take my palm, I'll be able to understand you," she says calmly. "And after Noboru I'm a lot more careful about how much memory to access."
The bunnies nose twitches even faster and it stares at her hand and palm. It then looks between that hand and Niamh a few times before it slowly lifts its hand and sort of pokes it towards hers questioningly.
"Careful," Niamh says, more to herself. "Please let this not be similar to some sacred ritual I'm not familiar with.."
The bunny does not look particularly convinced, but it does reach out and very tentatively puts its palm against hers. Wow, is it sooooooft.
"This will feel odd," Niamh says in a soothing tone, and tries to connect to the rabbit's mind.. well, to the language part, so she can understand it for a while at least. She pushes a bit with her ectoplasm.
The bunnies ears shoot straight up! "What are you doing?!" it squeaks and soon is pulling its hand back. At least it was long enough to get a chance at understanding the language, she hopes.
"Forgive me, I'm a foreign.. Yosei.. and I did that so I could understand you and be understood," Niamh explains. "Are you from the moon?" she asks.
The rabbit blinks a few times, then straights the rest of it's body up. "Of course. I am Kotaro, the fifty-third son on the most blessed Moon Lord, and prince of the lunar weave," the bunny-spirit pronounces. "I thought you were my beloved, Miyuki. You smell of them, but you are not them. You are ... strange-looking. What happened to your eyes? They're so ... big."
"My eyes.." Niamh starts to asks, then goes back to what was first said. "Miyuki is your beloved?" she asks.
"Of course. Her eyes, split between the night and day, her pelt so soft and white. Her bosom, so pert and perfect," Kotaro describes as he wiggles his fingers some. "How could she not be? I am royalty, if she would only accept my offer, I could make her happy."
"How many times have you made this offer, if I might ask?" Niamh asks. She isn't sure just how well Kotaro knows Miyuki.
"Four hundred and eighty five," Kotaro admits and his ears droop. "She will not see the truth that stands before her. She won't even permit me to sniff her tail." he laments further.
"And have you ever spoken with her beyond the proposals?" Niamh asks.
"Of course. Many times at festivals and other gatherings. The way she walks, the sway of her haunches, the roll of that tail. The growl of warning that glides so melodiously from those lips. Those teeth upon my scruff as she drags me out of public for embarrassing her," Kotaro gushes. "The soft knitted sculpture I had made I am sure pales in comparison, yet it makes my nights less lonely."
"I see," Niamh says, wondering if she should risk breaking this man's heart or not. "So.. those are not signs of affection on her part, you realize," she risks offering.
"She is just trying to hide her feelings to spare others, of course. She is desired by many," Kotaro claims. "Surely she she has talked to you about me? You have been close to her, I can smell her upon you."
"I was warned to be wary of the Lunar Court," Niamh admits. "Miyuki.. does not hide things, I believe. I have not heard of any suitors by name."
"Warned? Why? We are kind, generous, and gentle. All we wish for those we love is that they are happy, and plump with children," Kotaro claims. "What is is to be wary of in that? Shall I demonstrate with you to show that I speak true?"
"I would not question your claim," Niamh says quickly. "However you should know that Miyuki.. is not ready to start a family. If you would give her time to mature, she may see the value in your companionship, and they say in my land that absence doth make the heart grow fonder."
Kotaro moves closer, then reaches up and traces one of his soft fingers along her cheek. "What of you?" he asks, "Are you ready for a family? I could help. We of the lunar court are blessed with virility. Even the most barren womb will succumb to us."
"I'm.. much younger than Miyuki," Niamh says. This is what Inari warned her about. "I also have an.. agreement.. with Daiki-sama of the Forest. So, as much as I admire your radiance, I am also not ready for such generosity."
"Age is but a number. I can tell you of age to be receptive," Kotaro claims, "And you need not be ready, gifts are given without expectation of reciprocation. The moon is full, it is the perfect time for two to become one under its glory." My, he keeps moving closer, enough to feel his warm breath, and the tickle of his fuzzy nose as it just barely touches hers. His breath is ... sweet, like spring flowers and morning dew. This close, his eyes are huge and seem almost bottomless; something she could fall into and be forever lost. Her legs are starting to feel wobbly and other areas are feeling ... flushed. "Be my doe tonight, foreign one," he trills like a windchime.
"I.." Niamh tries to say, feeling dizzy. But this is the moon! One of her elements. She reaches to take hold of his wrist. He's got that same energy in him. If she can capture it, she can use it. "I am no kitsune. What would Miyuki think if she knows you would settle for such a lesser being over her.."
"She would understand, I am sure. She knows that we have many partners," Kotaro claims and is now cupping her entire cheek; which is making her even more dizzy. And feeling weird. And warm. And, wanting something. And then she feels her own nose twitching; and her ears feel kind of pulled upward, slowly. "See?" he coos, that thumb stroking along her upper lip, "You want to join us. Don't fight it; embrace." Each light tug of that thump, though, seems to be encouraging her upper lip to slowly part in the middle. She does manage to grab his wrist, at least!
Yokai energy, she realizes. He's trying to turn her into a rabbit! "I.. have to dance first," she claims, blearily. If she had her sickle, and belt.. but she doesn't.
"Oh, we sometimes call it dancing, too," Kotaro whispers to her; then she feels him hissing her. It's ... it might be nice if her she wasn't feeling her face changing while he's kissing her; and buck teeth starting to sort of interlock. He's now pressed close, and she can feel ... and in a few moments, hear his heartbeat. "Do not be afraid, watashi no shingetsu no usagi-suki," he murmurs. "Embrace. We will honor the moon with our passion."
"I.." Niamh says, and tries to pull away. "The moon is my goddess, I can't.." she argues. "It's a ritual. My ritual."
"It is mine as well," Kotaro points out, "You are one of us..." And as Niamh pulls away, she sees her hand and arm holding his. Or is it more her paw and foreleg? A rabbit's paw and foreleg. Urges are hitting her from all sides, and she feels her nose twitching like mad. "Please, do not be afa ... OW!" the lunar rabbit barks and suddenly lets go and ends up stumbling backwards and shaking his head. Niamh spots an orange go rolling by on the ground ... after it bounced off his head. "That is enough, Kotaro-chan," comes Miyuki's voice this time, thankfully. "She is of the moon, but not of your lands. Control yourself for once; you're accosting the Temple's guest." And then she sees Miyuki approaching, little blue wisps of fire popping in and out around her and her tail lashing side to side in hard snaps; and she's dressed in simple attire and her hair is undone and sort of wild. She must have been asleep. "It's not enough you try to get me to join your harem, you try to en-spell a fledgling spirit?"
Freed, Niamh leaps backwards into the garden. She isn't certain how much of her has changed, and it's still making her dizzy.
"Niamh, relax. Breathe slowly ... and just focus on your nose. Will it to stop moving," Miyuki instructs as she continues to march towards Kotaro. The bunny drops to his knees before her. "My radiant huntress," he gushes, "My wild spirit, my terror and desire. You have come after all. I knew you would ..." He doesn't get much further as Myiuki punches him square in the nose. He topples backwards and splays out on his back. "She loooovths me," he babbles, dazed.
Niamh doesn't relax, not right away. She tries to focus. Right arm raised up, but without the sickle. Left foot sweep into a circle, then pivot and repeat with the right. She doesn't know where north is, but it doesn't matter. She's not calling down the moon.. she's trying to use the energy that's already in her. Bunny energy, but still.. She just needs to control it and store it away with the deer energy.
"Rabbits! What is wrong with all of you?" Miyuki chides, sounding exasperated as she pushes at him with her foot. "Walk on me!" Kotoro pleads. This gives Miyuki pause, then she just sighs. "Go home, Kotaro. I won't send an official message to your court for this transgression of you just ... go." The bunny paws up at her, and pleads more, "Punish me!" The fox facepalms instead and mutters.
Niamh really needs to learn to relax first. Because soon she's a sort of bunny, and she now has antlers too. Instead of storing it, she ends up mixing it.
Ritual, ritual, Niamh thinks. That's how she controls things, even if.. she isn't, apparently. She'll have to do it like she did before then. She slumps down and tries to sit in the pebbles and stones. She's still worked up by the rabbitness, that must be it, she decides. So she tries breathing instead, before attempting to 'push' things in her tail again. But 'rabbit' is not natural to her like deer is.
Miyuki thumps Kotaro on the head again, then she's heading over towards Niamh. "Relax," she repeats, he voice softer and far less harsh than it was a moment ago. It may have nothing to do with that, and all just be the breathing because soon she is feeling a little calmer; and her tail feels warmer. But, the rest of her feels a lot less fuzzy, and her nose isn't bouncing like mad anymore. The kitsune crouches down. "Better, just keep doing what you're doing. And try not to be mad at Kotaro, he's young, and a rabbit. They're a bit ... hormonal. He wouldn't have harmed you; but ... well, you'd be having a litter if that went any further."
"He mentioned festivals," Niamh mutters as she works. Breathe in, wash the foreign energy towards her tail.. breathe out.
Miyuki nods. "There are many of those at various points in the year," she explains and actually starts petting Niamh's head as if she were a puppy. "But, that's not important right now. Just relax," she instructs, then sniffs the air a few times; which then makes her tail twitch. She mutters something under her breath about behaving herself and not taking advantage of Niamh's current sort of hormonal itchiness, then shakes her own head a few times.
"Need your protection tomorrow," Niamh says between breaths. She's disappointed in the rabbit energy. It wasn't what she thought it would be. But.. at least Kotaro didn't try to whisk her off to the moon.
"You needed it tonight, apparently," Miyuki jokes and then taps her nose with the tip of her right index finger. She also helps Niamh now get back up to her feet. "Come on, I'm going to take you back to bed," she explains.
"It was pretty though, seeing the garden all lit up," Niamh says. "It made me hungry. I don't know why I woke up.."
Back into the temple they go, with Miyuki supporting her a bit. "Sometimes you just wake up; try not to think everything has a reason," she teases as she's soon taking Niamh back into her bedroom, lighting it through foxfire. "You weren't really in any danger out there. Well, not much anyway; you'd just be the new harem doe until they got another one. Rabbits are a bit single-minded. Hopefully he won't fixate on you now."
"He seems besotted with you," Niamh says, flopping onto the futon. "After I saw how he acted.. I see why he thought you might be flirting with him."
Miyuki sets Nimah back down on her futon and turns away. "Oh, I'm aware he likes me. It took me five years to get him to stop sending daily poems," the kitsune complains. Her tail sort of swishes/dances about in a weird pattern of light and swirl; draping the room in a weird pattern of light and swirl.
"And he shows up every full moon still?" Niamh asks.
"Yes, because he knows that's when I am in heat," Miyuki grumbles, "Yes, I am feeling the need fiercely, but ... I have some standards. Need or not, he's not going to trick me like that." She shakes her head again, then snaps her tail a few times. The colors swirl and coalesce; the normally drab room fading itself under an illusion of the moonlit garden, and Niamh's bed seems to have taken on the look of a circle of flowers. "He's mostly a nice guy when he's not trying too hard, and he's not my type. I'm sorry he tried to take you. I promise he really wasn't trying to hurt you; they just have a particular way they see things and expect everyone to see it the same way."
"I've been coming to realize that a lot lately," Niamh says, enjoying the illusion. "Everyone has their particular way. I need to draw energy from the forest tomorrow. Finally, I won't be half-dead. Will you guard me while I do it? It'll be just past the temple steps I think. But I'll be pretty defenseless."
"Wouldn't Noboru be a better guard? He's a four-tail. I'm a one-tail, I just make illusions," Miyuki admits and gestures. "I tried to recreate the garden for you in here, where it is safer."
"You're the forest liaison though," Niamh says, looking at the faux moon above. "And you're in heat. I'll need that."
"Pardon?" Miyuki asks, and her tail sort of curls.
"I'm starved, Miyuki," Niamh explains. "So I'll probably try to take too much. And it's a different forest, so I don't know what it will be like. I'll need to shed the excess. I'd rather it be with you than Noboru. I'd probably get too greedy, or too careless, with him."
Miyuki looks a little confused. "You wish to mate with my brother, then? And are afraid it would go to far?" she asks. "And I am the safe substitute?"
"I don't wish to mate with your brother," Niamh says. "I trust you more. And I like you. You're honest with me. I almost gave in to moon-bunny because I thought it would get me lunar energy. I'm not in my right mind. Noboru would pull a trick on me, or tease me, or something to amuse himself."
"To a point. He would never try to actively hurt you," Miyuki points out. "And why wouldn't you want to mate with my brother? He's high-ranked, important, honored."
"What's that got to do with it?" Niamh asks. "Isn't the same true of your rabbit prince? High rank, honor, and all that.. only matters if you're part of that society, which I am not. I go by a person's actual merits."
"Well, you almost became a moon-rabbit," Miyuki points out, "And would have been part of their society. But, that doesn't answer your question; yes, I will look over you."
"Thank you," Niamh says, smiling. "I like being able to trust you, Miyuki."
Miyuki tilts her head some. "I'm still a kitsune; trust at your own risk," she warns, though it's a little more joking than anything. "Go back to sleep. I'm off to bed too."
"I'll stay in my room this time, even if I wake up," Niamh says with a yawn. "Sleep well."
"Mmm, I won't," Miyuki admits. "This time of the month is always ... itchy." She sighs, shakes her head, and leaves the room.
Niamh tries to get to sleep as well. Tomorrow will be when she really feels her voyage has ended. So she's a bit nervous, since it's been so long since she's felt 'normal'. But it has to be better than wasting away, no matter what weirdness she may encounter..