undergrounds | Kitsunegari (July catch-all)

Entry tags:

Kitsunegari (July catch-all)

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 :')

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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.

"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.

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...

Normally she likes dogs, much more fond of them than cats, but the young girl has no interest of running across them soon so she does her best to lead them away from the sources of the barks by going through twists and paths she hopes the dogs will have difficulty getting over.

Hearing the young girl's words gets her attention, making her turn around as she phases through a bush. Somewhere with a lot of smells and people? That makes sense. "Um! The alleyway next to that bar over there. We can hide there for a bit."

Then slip to somewhere more appropriate for her. The smell in the alleyway won't be the best and that's the point. It should be enough to keep the dogs at bay and long as they're out of here, they'll be safe. She hope they'll be or she'll need to hope for a police officer to be nearby. "We'll go there and-- We need to get someone to get you. Is anyone looking for you, dear? Or do you have a place to go?"

Tsubaki started briefly; Clara's question had jogged her memory once more. "Heiji-niichan! I'm staying with him. He said to stay at the house, but I wanted to go pick flowers..."

And somehow gotten herself lost. Who knew how she'd ended up in the park? Now she looked up at Clara, wide-eyed. "Is there a calling box nearby? I have some change! I can call him!"

Heiji?!

She stops, period, and looks back at her. Now it was important than ever that she got the girl out of here if she's in danger. "A phone booth? There's one just at the edge of the forest, over there. We can make a quick call from there but we better hurry."

The barking was getting much closer, more than she's comfortable with, and her lips thin in worry as she resumes moving and motions for Tsubaki to please stay close with her.

Clara is going to do her best to protect her, no matter what.

In the distance, the movements of the hunting party had stopped as the dogs encountered a walking trail. There were so many scents to be found there, human and animal, that they were thrown into a confusion, barking and snapping at each other while their owners tried to reestablish order.

Tsubaki scurried over to the phone booth with Clara and popped a coin into the phone slot as soon as she was able. With shaking fingers, she dialed a phone number.

"Hello?" It was Heiji's voice on the other line. "Who's this?" It looked like a local number...

Definitely her friend. She looks over them and sees nothing approaching them so they still have time.

Can people hear her over electronics? She knows people have tried in the past with recorders and cameras but she never learned of the results herself but time is a wasting and she needs to get this young lady out of here.

"Heiji!" Drifting closer, close enough to be heard but not too close in case her presence upsets the machinery, she quietly says, "It's me, Clara. I'm at the park in, um, Richmond with someone you know. We need some help. There's trouble."

She looks over at the girl now, hoping she'll fill in the blanks of what exactly they had to avoid getting caught by.

"Hurry up and come get us!" wailed Tsubaki. "We're in the phone box!"

"Tsubaki? Clara?" Heiji was at a loss to figure out whose voice it was more of a surprise to hear at the moment, but the 'phone box' had to be a phone booth. He headed toward the edge of the park; the edge of Tsubaki's bright red clothing was easy to spot. He hung up the phone and ran toward them, waving.

"What happened? Are you all right? We need to get outta here before the hunting party catches up to us!"

Edited 2015-07-06 16:50 (UTC)

"Hunting pa--"

Before she had the chance to finish her sentence, she stopped herself because he's right. They had to get out of here before they got caught. If the girl is frightened and he's telling them they need to run then they need to run.

Questions can wait. Fleeing is now.

"Here," she said as she tries to lead them out to the quickest exist of the park. "Down this way and we'll slip into an alley next to the bar over there. It's karaoke night so there'll be a lot of people They won't go that far to get either of you, will they?"

They hurried along toward the alley, Heiji scooping Tsubaki along as they went so she didn't fall.

"They shouldn't. And a crowded place like that, they'll lose track of us. Spoils the hunt." Now the sound of hoofbeats was audible in the distance, though they were quickly drowned out by the thumping bass of the karaoke machine.

Inside the bar, crowds of barhoppers in various states of inebriation were trying their turn at the mic. Heiji kept one eye on the windows even as he ponied up some admission fare.

Outside were the shadows of many figures on horseback -- ten at least, with tall hounds that stood with their heads almost level with the horses' shoulders. They stopped a little distance away from the building. One mount pawed impatiently at the ground.

Tsubaki was quiet, clinging to Heiji's jacket.

With everyone quite drunk at the moment, no one paid much attention to Heiji and Tsubaki nor did they care the lights flickered here and there thanks to Clara's anxiety. All they're focused on is having a good time.

Clara's focus is on the window when the figures appear.

Alright. This is something straight out of a horror movie if you asked her opinion about it.

Yet no one is and so she keeps quiet, unsure if the people(?) on the horses were like Heiji and the rest and could notice her. In the back of her head, as she keeps an eye on the window and the other eye on the two with her, she counts up until ten Mississippi for them to please just leave.

"Can I--" She stops when one of the hounds still and look at their direction. Only when the dog(?) looks away does she continue. "--have an idea what's happening. Please?"

"This month is hunting season for the fae," said Heiji, watching warily as the shadows began to recede. "That's what they told me, anyway. The first three weeks of July. The first week they hunt foxes. Although it seems more like they'd hunt anything with red fur."

At the mention of hunting, Tsubaki clung tighter to Heiji, who patted her hair gently. "That's why I told you to stay in the house. It's too dangerous to be out right now."

"But I wanted to go look for flowers," said Tsubaki into his jacket. Her voice was nearly a whisper.

"Hunting season?" Gulp. That sounds ominous. It is ominous for her thanks to what she's witnessed, shadows and hounds and frightened young girls and all. "Good thing we managed to dodge them then."

There were a lot of questions in her head now. Foxes? She recalls what she saw before she saw the young girl, simply a small red fox, and she begins to wonder: Does that mean he and Tsu--

Her train of thought stops upon hearing the whisper and her instincts kick in. The moment she notices, her concerns and her worries are all for her. Her questions can wait. "Oh, dearie, please don't worry. I don't think you're in trouble but Heiji is right. You can't be by yourself around these hours for now. Someone needs to be with you to make sure nothing happens."

"Along with others...?" Clara looks over Heiji, quietly asking him if there were others with her too.

Heiji nodded. "Couple of my cousins are visiting right now; they wanted to see London. Didn't realize it'd be a bad time to visit till it was too late to change plans."

By now the riders had moved off, the sound of their hoofbeats fading in the distance as they went to search for easier prey. A horn sounded -- a far-off sound, and getting fainter, though it sounded almost like a wail. "But how'd ya get all the way out here? You must've slipped through a door somewhere..."

He looked up at Clara. "Thanks for lookin' after her, Miss Clara. I bet she ran right to you, yeah?" After all, Clara was a ghost, and most of the ghosts that Tsubaki had run into were on friendly terms with the family. "I'd better take her back, though. Do you wanna come along?"

"She did. Moment she noticed or heard me-- Ran straight to me and into a tree." She smiles in an attempt to show humour, giving Tsubaki a friendly smile. "Hope your head isn't smarting because of me, my dear. I should have let you known right away I was a ghost."

Next time she'll let the other cousins know. There were several of them and she'll do her best to look after them.

It's decided in her mind now. Where there was once doubt, there is resolve and confidence in her choice because what's the worst that could happen. "Of course I'll go with you two. There's safety in numbers, isn't there?"

"...Don't tell your mom about the tree, okay?" Heiji said, rubbing the top of Tsubaki's forehead just in case she had a lump rising there. She seemed all right, though.

Tsubaki looked up at Clara and shook her head. "It's okay. It didn't hurt..." Young foxes probably ran into things all the time anyway, it was fine...

"All right," said Heiji. "Then let's get going! On the Tube, though, 'cause it's probably safer." More people and everything. While they were riding the train, maybe he could answer a few of Clara's questions. Since she probably had some of those.

"I'll try to keep up." She hopes they wouldn't be too surprised if she suddenly phased through another cart when they were on the ride. Vehicles and her never did get along. One too many times she found herself in the middle of heavy traffic since she couldn't 'keep up' with a mere busy.

Maybe this will be her hour.

Smiling a bit at their antics, she's happy to following them along while keeping a distance so she can keep an ear. She's close enough, however, to ask some questions as they move to somewhere sager. "So-- The others with her happen to be...?"

Darn public transportation...

Luckily, it'd only be a few stops to their destination. "I got four kids total visiting me right now. They're all around Tsubaki's age, so they play together a lot. Sakura, Kiku, and Ume. They're a real handful, too -- you'll see."

Obviously, he wasn't too used to keeping kids around. "Oh, yeah. Gary's at the house sometimes. Don't be surprised if ya see him, he may be big, but he's a pretty good guy."

But who was Gary, though.

That's a good question and she hopes part of the answer is, 'He is alright with ghosts in the house.'

"My word. Four? That's a lot even for me." She only had two boys but they demanded a lot of time, energy, and discipline from her and Francisco and they wanted to raise a family. Twice the number, family or not, would be rather demanding on anyone else. "There are six in total at your place... Not a lot of time for privacy, I bet."

She sidesteps the best a ghost can sidestep in order to avoid bumping into a passing man who happen to be carrying a baby in his arms. The little girl, peering over his shoulders, seems to notice her and gurgles and waves as they vanish among the others.

It's impossible to hide her smile at that sudden gesture. Clara's forgotten how much she's enjoyed looking after people with a specific goal in mind and little moments like those. The memory of the baby's smile is what spurs her on to ask, "If it isn't strange to suggest: Maybe I could help out in looking after Tsubaki and the others? While they're here so you can still do your chores and tasks in peace. Everyone needs some alone time. You included."

Tsubaki turned and waved a little at the baby, smiling despite the scare she'd just had. Heiji, meanwhile, just looked surprised. "You really want to? I mean, like I said, they're kind of a lot to keep up with. N-not that I'm turnin' ya down. But I know you've got a lot of other people to look out for."

That was the response of someone who didn't want to impose... but actually kind of did. What do with little girls. "It's not so bad now that I got the new place. An apartment would've been way too much."

A few stops and it was time to disembark. By now Tsubaki had demanded to be put down so she could plaster her face to the window and listen to the noise of the train, but when Heiji called, she scampered over and grabbed his hand before looking over at Clara to make sure she was following.

"I have all the time in the world at the rate I'm spooking around," she assures him. "It's not a big deal and I bet the others who I like to look after would be relieved I'm not pestering them as much while I look over Tsubaki and the other girls."

Tsubaki seemed like a nice girl and if she's a relative of Heiji, Clara considers her a friend by association. She'll help the best way she knows how: Watching people over and trying to dissuade them from doing something dangerous.

By the time they had to disembark, Clara is relieved and is quick to follow behind the two from a distance. Thank goodness they finally were getting to somewhere that didn't move as much. Now and then, during the trip, she found herself 'slipping' so to speak. When the train made a stop or went without her being prepared for the jolt, she keeps finding herself skidding (floating) to the back.

She takes some comfort knowing she must have looked a little silly, 'sliding' back into the cart and provided a sliver of entertainment during the ride. But she's happy they're back on solid ground. There are just some places ghosts mix better in. A welcoming residence of a friend happens to be one of them.

Heiji laughed -- spooking around, that tickled him. "Well, in that case, I'd be happy to accept your offer! You can tell me if they start wearin' ya out, though."

During their trip, Tsubaki had made a little game of following Clara back and forth as the train stopped and started, which the other passengers probably regarded as some silly child's game of running to and fro through the aisle. Now she took Heiji's hand as they turned into a street and Heiji opened a door. Through it was not the inside of a building, but a grassy field. There was a sizeable Japanese-style house in the middle of the field, with a small pond.

Another girl about Tsubaki's age was playing with a lightweight ball on the front lawn, bouncing it upon the ground. She was singing what sounded like a child's song:

"Maru take ebisu ni oshi oike
Ane san rokkaku tako nishiki..."

"It's yome san, not ane san," Heiji said, stepping through the door and onto the grass.

Clara makes no attempt to hide her awe as she sees their home. She's seen this type of houses only in pictures -- Tonyo and Maja's travels, Kyle's rough drawings when helping his brother plan a new house. She never thought there would be one in London.

Then again a lot of people never thought someone like her would still be around. There's that.

Upon hearing the singing up ahead, the foreign words catching her attention, Clara's interests become piqued and moves closer to see who it is. She must be one of the cousins of Heiji. She seems like a sweet dear, only trying to enjoy herself. It only makes her more stubborn in seeing them all through during their stay here in the city.

"Hello there." Thinking it's best to give a good impression, she waves in greeting at the girl while staying close to Heiji and Tsubaki to show that she's a friend. "I thought that was lovely song! I never heard of it before though. What is it about, miss?"

The girl turned a bit pink in response to Clara's compliment. "Oh, hello -- it's a song to remember the order of the streets in Kyoto," she said. Her hair was longer than Tsubaki's, and she was dressed in light green. Whatever else she was about to say, however, was cut off as Tsubaki scampered over to the girl and gave her a hug. "Tsubaki...? Where have you been? We were worried about you..."

Heiji turned to Clara. "This is Kiku. And this is Miss Clara. It's kind of a long story, but she's a friend of mine and she found Tsubaki out in London. Hey, are the others around?"

"They're napping," said Kiku, with a note of mild disapproval. Tsk tsk, napping before bedtime. Bad form, everybody else. She looked back at Clara. "Would you like to come in?"

Kitsunegari (July catch-all)

save her ghost grandma :c

she'll do her best /o\

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)