Kitsunegari (July catch-all)

[detectiveofthewest]

A: After the full moon

Heiji had been lucky to walk away from his run-in with Tal as well as he had -- a werewolf during this particular time of year was even more dangerous than usual. But he was still badly hurting, and he did not yet want to return to the Other Realm, where one of his own kind might see an excellent opportunity to take advantage of his wounds. Nor could he wander the streets as a human slowly bleeding through his clothing.

So instead he limped along quietly in the early hours of the morning in the least energy-intensive form he could. A small black fox, looking for a burrow to hole up in and lick his wounds.

B: You are cordially invited (July 7)

In light of his new title as well as his decision to stay in London for the foreseeable future, Heiji had had a home constructed for himself in Faery -- a little out of the way for his non-fae acquaintances to come visit him, but much less likely to arouse undue interest from any neighbors. It was a Japanese-style house, of course, with a small pond and cherry trees outside the windows.

Now he sat out the steps, sipping at his sake and waiting for company.

C: Fox hunt (Evening in Richmond Park, July 11th-ish)

Hoofbeats sounded in the distance, accompanied by the distant baying of hounds. A flit of red fur through the grass, and then the sounds of the dogs took on a new, excited cast. Panicked and frightened, the young fox ran blindly through the trees. The paths looked the same, the woods were unfamiliar. Meanwhile, the sounds of her pursuit was getting closer...

Heiji ran through the park, looking for any sign, but he'd lost sight of the hunting party. All he had to go on now was the baying of the hounds. There were thousands of foxes in London, and why hadn't she listened to him?

He grimaced as he charged through the grass. "Of all the rotten luck...!"

D: Choose your own adventure :')

Comments

a

[tippytoes]

Malia had vacated the pack house during the full moon. It's dangerous enough for her as a shapeshifter during the normal days, but this time of the month was out right suicide for her to stick around. For the three days of the full moon, she went back to her old world of the streets of London — although this time she had the money to snag a hotel room. It still made her skin crawl, especially the scent of the hotel room. Cleaning did little to mask the scents of the people who'd been there before and the things they had done.

Which was why she was out, in human form, in the middle of the night. At least out here there was fresh hair and the lack of the pungent smell of ammonia and cheap industrial laundry detergent.

In fact, there was one scent the caught her attention above all others. Malia stops in her tracks, glancing around, subtly sniffing the air. She's smelled that before, and she tracks the scent to a small hole where she crouches down and peeks inside.

"Are you okay?"

[detectiveofthewest]

Malia's answer was a kind of warbling growl, which was not a sound of aggression but rather the sound of a wounded animal trying to convey the message that although he was wounded, he was still capable of defending himself.

Sort of.

His eyes reflected the small amounts of light that filtered in from outside.

[tippytoes]

She snorts at that, reaching inside in an attempt to pull him free.

"That's a no, I guess. Come out of there."

[detectiveofthewest]

Heiji dug in with his paws, trying to keep her from pulling him out, but he'd been too fatigued to dig very deep in the first place, so this was pretty much a doomed attempt from the start. He was only twenty, twenty-five pounds in this form, so he could hardly rely on that as a deterrent, either.

In the end, he simply gave up (!!FOR THE MOMENT!!), panting a little as she lifted him out. There was blood in his fur, but his thick coat also made it more difficult to tell the exact nature of his injuries.

This was really undignified. When he was able to muster up the energy, he made another warbling fox noise.

[tippytoes]

She's got him lifted up, but there's not a lot of light and his fur is too dark and thick for her to see the extent of his wounds. He barks in her face, and she glares at him, looking him right in the eye.

"You're the guy that gave me scones, right? Stop being stubborn. You're bleeding all over my shirt."

B

[entitles]

There weren't exactly too many Japanese-style homes in this part of the Other Realm - although Balem had never been to Japan he had seen enough pictures to know what one would look like - so he knew even from a distance that this new house must be Heiji's. He approached, long robe flowing out behind him.

"My, my. You're certainly moving up in the world."

[detectiveofthewest]

"Still not as big as your palace, though!" Heiji said. He gave Balem a bow in greeting.

"But it reminds me of home. Feel like joining me? It's quality junmai." By which he meant the alcohol, of course. One nice thing about growing up in Japan was that it was easier to understand the differences between the different types of sake available.

[entitles]

"The palace took a lot longer to build," he said. He didn't know how long, exactly, because he was out and about at the time. The palace itself was designed to entice him and his siblings into reuniting and living as a family again, and it worked...for a while.

"Of course I'll join you."

[detectiveofthewest]

This seemed like a reasonable answer. Heiji poured Balem a cup and motioned for him to sit down if he wanted and enjoy the weather, which was pleasant and temperate. A rather nice contrast from the blazing hot misery of urban summer.

"I have a bit of news, too. The Pack found the idea of a nonaggression pact agreeable. The Alpha also offered to personally help out during our territory disputes, with the understanding that those under him were free to pitch in or not depending on personal alliances."

[ C and oh nooo ; ; ]

[warmheartedly]

She's been out for a little stroll is all, going through the trees of the park for some solitude and peace. Perhaps spend an hour or most at the park before heading back to the shop. Mostly to calm herself from the roar of events that she feels overwhelmed her last month and to certainly assure herself that she can still go out without the worries of being eaten or something. (Can ghosts be eaten? That's a question that has been plaguing her for a while.)

One can forgive her for being on edge. More so when an animal (a fox) sprints pass by her as she was passing by a bush and she, for a frightened second, thinks back to what happened earlier.

"!!!" Is there a possible way to describe the sounds she made then? No. NO way. The best attempt is just this, "!!! Goodness!"

The fox seems to pay her no heed, running away... straight into some traps she knows have been set up earlier. She dismantled them earlier, clucking her tongue in disapproval of such dangerous things being here, but it doesn't hurt to give a warning. After she hides behind a tree to be sure. "Careful! There were some traps up ahead!"

She has no idea if the fox will understand her or not or hear her. Fingers crossed all the same.

save her ghost grandma :c

[detectiveofthewest]

Despite her panic, the little fox darted around in a U-turn.. and made a beeline straight for Clara. For a moment, it tried to bump up against her... but ended up passing straight through her and bumping into the tree instead.

Then something even stranger happened -- suddenly the fox was gone and there was a little girl in a red flower-print yukata standing there addressing Clara. "Please help me, Granny!" she said, crying. "The dogs are going to get me!"

That was what she was really worried about, the dogs.

she'll do her best /o\

[warmheartedly]

"Wait!" Clara feels horrible when the poor fox flies right through her -- the cold! -- and hits the tree. She whirls around to see if they're safe and instead sees a young girl very out of place here in these parts, asking for help to get away from the dogs. Wherever they are.

For a moment, she just stares as if she isn't sure this is happening. You think she would be used to these sort of things happening by now.

"The dogs?" When the moment of shock pass, she knows she's going to help. Of course she will. There is no way she's leaving the poor girl by herself this scared. She looks around and doesn't see them. Yet. Best to get use that to their advantage while they still had it. "I promise, dear, that I won't let them or anyone hurt you while you're with me. Let's get out of the park first and find a place to hide."

That means getting out of the woods and do that fast. She moves closer, trying to look harmless as possible and friendly as possible to try and help the girl get up and move soon as possible.

[detectiveofthewest]

Tsubaki nodded, looking pale but at least a little reassured as she shuffled after Clara and tried to keep up. She was quick-footed, as most children were, but she looked fearfully behind her each time the sound of the hounds broke in the distance.

She tried hard to remember what the adults had told her about what to do if she was chased, but it was hard to keep a cool head at the moment. Suddenly, she brightened. "People!" she exclaimed. "We should go where there's smells from lots of people! That makes them confused!"

Meanwhile, Heiji's search had led him to the very edge of the park -- not far from where Clara was. But would Tsubaki break for the city? She was used to thinking of trees and forest as safety...

A

[rules_winter]

She was on her own way back to her doorway to the Other Realm when she saw him. At first he was just a tiny black fox and she didn't realize who he was, his powers so weakened to be barely trickling through. But as she walked in the same direction as he, her own sure footsteps catching up to the limping tiny form something of familiarity brushed by her.

Mab might be just about the last choice most would have on who to stumble upon them vulnerable and weak. She was not particularly known for her kind and giving heart. Or having any heart at all. But Heiji was still more useful to her alive than dead. And he presented more of an opportunity to her right now that he, perhaps, ever might.

Her steps were quiet enough if he wasn't paying attention to more than survival he might not have noticed her. But just to be sure, her voice rang out in the quiet morning air. "Sir Heiji?" She stopped a few feet back from him, looking down at the sad looking bundle of fur.

[detectiveofthewest]

Mab was absolutely right; she was just about the last person he wanted to run into at the moment. The Unseelie were fine and good when everyone was healthy and whole. But put a little blood in the water and see what happened. He didn't hold her lack of kindness against her... but nor did he forget her nature.

The fox stopped and stared at her for a moment or two, but did not speak. Instead he remained stiff-legged, puffing out his fur. It was the sort of reaction one might also expect from a wild creature; there were certainly many foxes about London who had grown quite bold when it came to interactions with things on two legs.

[rules_winter]

His fur puffed out making him appear larger than he actually was. And a real fox would have known a predator was looking at them. But she'd already felt that soft brush of magic. He was too late to fool her. She doesn't step closer but she does put a hand on her hip. Looking down at him she frowned. "If I wanted to kill you I would not have called out and you would be dead you do not look as though you could put up much of a fight. Behave." Mab has a way of talking that implies power even when she doesn't actually lace it with any.

They weren't exactly in an out of the way area, any of the early morning people would see her talking to the fox but it did not seem to concern her. For all they knew he was her pet.

[detectiveofthewest]

Wow, rude. Heiji was a real fox. Realer than the others, even!!

She made a decent point, but he didn't like being ordered around even under ordinary circumstances, much less after being told that she'd have killed him if she'd wanted. Behave. It was the manner in which one would speak to a child. Or a dog.

His whiskers bristled forward instinctively; he continued to watch her with his unusual blue-green eyes.

for Malia (mid-July)

[detectiveofthewest]

It was a quiet night out in the suburbs, but Heiji had been growing increasingly uneasy during the past few days. It wasn't the fae's recent appearance in London; that had gone surprisingly well. And it wasn't his wounds, which had had more enough time to heal by now. It was something under his skin, something that filled him with a high, nervous energy that pacing the streets could only somewhat relieve.

He stopped as his ears caught the soft sound of clucking. Backyard hens settling in for the night, no doubt wired off and snug in a quaint wooden henhouse. Heiji took a step forward, then wavered, standing on the walk in front of the house, knowing he should keep walking but.

But.

[tippytoes]

But.

Heiji's not alone out there, although his companion doesn't realize it yet. Malia's crouched down low in the bushes, watching the henhouse with rapt attention. She doesn't normally go for animals in someone's backyard, but the idea of a fresh chicken is too much to let go. She'd managed to worm her way into the yard through a hole in the fence, flattening herself as much as possible.

No noise from the house itself. Maybe they weren't home.

[detectiveofthewest]

The house was quiet. The street was quiet. The only thing that wasn't quiet was the fussing of those plump little hens. And surely it wouldn't be a problem if he took one of them. Just one. Just to see how it tasted. He could even pay back their owner later. And really, if they didn't want their chickens to get eaten, they would have locked them up a little better, right?

Heiji shifted into his fox form, eyes gleaming in the darkness as he approached the fence. There was a hole in it, there was the smell of another predator. He knew he should care about either or both of these things... but he didn't.

He slipped under the fence; he was smaller than Malia in this form, so he had an easier go of it. Perhaps sensing that they weren't alone, one of the hens raised herself up, looking around anxiously with her beady little eyes. Heiji kept himself low in the grass. One pounce, a quick shake of the head, that was all it'd take.

[tippytoes]

Malia's ears twitched with the noise of something else coming under the fence, and she stops her crawl short, looking back behind her. The sight of the fox makes her blink; normally they smell her and stay away, so this one was either very brave, very stupid, or both.

She bares her teeth, letting out a low growl, setting a couple of the chickens into a small flurry of clucking.

'Back off, these are mine'.

For Snake

[detectiveofthewest]

Heiji picked up his book, tried to read a few lines, put it back down on the counter again. The cafe was pretty much empty by now, which was perhaps part of the problem -- nothing to distract him from the wait. He couldn't concentrate, which was irritating. And the reason he was getting all worked up was some guy he'd barely met, was was practically maddening.

He stared at the clock on the wall like it had personally offended him as he waited.

Re: For Snake

[blind_badass]

Snake had memorized the quickest route to the cafe, which meant hopping on public transportation. It dropped him off two blocks away. Figuring that his transportation adventure might get him delayed, he'd taken an early bus. Amazingly, the system decided to work today and here he was, 15 minutes early.

He couldn't help but be eager at the meeting with Heiji. The acquaintance that had started as a random occurrence almost went sour at the library but took a swing back into positive territory through luck. To be fair, Heiji was the only person he really sort of knew in town, other than his colleagues at school. The visit had been something he'd looked forward to as a consequence. He'd even gotten Heiji a small gift...if of course, their meeting went all right. Heiji had a temper and Snake seemed to be excellent at setting it off with no warning.

Snake brushed off his clothes and adjusted his tie, assured that he carried himself with dignity, despite the summer's heat. He slowed once he reached the cafe's front and concentrated on where he thought the door might be.

[detectiveofthewest]

The door opened inward; Heiji had gotten up once he'd seen Snake approaching from the window outside. "Hey, you're early!" It was probably a testament to the restlessness he'd been feeling for the past hour or so that he forgot to check his voice, which betrayed his enthusiasm despite himself. He'd been genuinely looking forward to seeing Snake again.

"Come on in. Here, you should sit by the counter so I can get you some proper coffee."

Snake always dressed so formally. Heiji had thought it might be because of an interview the first time, but now it seemed clear that that was just how he rolled. He ushered Snake over to a seat, obviously keen to get started.

[blind_badass]

Snake did not own a pair of jeans. If he wanted to relax, he wore Dockers and a polo shirt. At least the cafe was mercifully air conditioned so he could relax in the cool air and take a seat. He did note that Heiji sounded happy to see him so just maybe, this might work out.

"Thank you. I suppose I am a little early but I wasn't certain about the bus schedule." That and trying to memorize all the times of all the routes took some effort. He set his messenger bag next to his chair. "Might I have some ice water while I wait?"