as written by Emperor Jester and Krysis
In the chaos of retreating bodies, an old woman in a black, hooded cloak lifted her head suddenly. Someone nearby had a scent. A scent of being spirit-touched, perhaps? Must be, with those feather shapes. The kitsune female gave a smile of longing in the shelter of her hood and staggered, reaching out one gnarled hand to clutch at exactly the arm she wanted.
With actual physical contact, it was harder for her to conceal her nature from someone that had the gift of magic, and in this case, she almost didn't want to hide. At this point, she was getting desperate to find the children of her children. Not that the instincts of the fox let her know exactly what she was searching for, but young men with aspects of animals and/or magic of their own drew her.
The merriment and excitement was dying down...mostly due to the explosion of chaos moments earlier. In the fleeing, panicked crowd, Hikari's casual, lightly alcoholic drink had been bumped from his hands, though he never lost his grip on a time abused, battered tome, and almost immediately after, he felt a hand clutch his arm, as if desperate.
A quick, double take at the individual responsibly. A look of disbelief, and then almost scary curiosity. Magic seemed to pour from his every pore, to a creature such as her. His scent would be a curious blend of raw arcana, tinged and peppered with equal parts of sunlight and damp, dark shadows. The creature's touch would spark an range of questions in his mind, before finally settling on one in particular...
"What happened?!"
"When? Many things happened. Are happening. Will happen. Time is an infinite scroll, looped on itself and folded into fantastical shapes." The old woman chuckled behind her hand as she let go of Hikari and straightened to walk at his side as much as her hunched back would allow. Her illusions were of the best quality, so, without her dropping her guard or lowering the veil, 'Mother Hamasaki' had every appearance (and scent and tactility) of being a slightly touched old woman.
"Just now, we saw what wasn't there. A cloud on the ground, a griffon in the air, and a prince nearly murdered a man, and a boy... should have died. He did not, for there is no body, but the careless shots of the soldiers should have left the ram's kin broken." She chuckled again, though it was more strained this time and there was a faint sound of bells before she added, "And then I tripped on my hem and fell on you."
There was far more to this woman than met the eye. His cascading eyes would narrow in intellectual curiosity for a moment, listening and taking in all that she'd said. He'd only heard the noise. Seen the panic. Felt the magic at use in the air. The details of the event were lost to him, and despite his desire to learn and see, Hikari had managed to hold himself back from appearing on the scene. The risk factor had been too great, too many unknown variables. And this woman was only presenting more. Though...
"Well I am glad you are unhurt." The most gentle of pushes to move the both of them to the side, to avoid a rather quickly moving pack of citizens. "You are unhurt, correct? Do you require a walk home?"
"The road is my home. I am home until I find home." She sighed and gave a cryptic smile, twisting her head to look up at him like a wise old monkey. "What soldier would bother an old woman, when they have a fox to chase? What fox would not flee the hounds? I am well, young man, though not clear."
"And you. You are more than well. You are blessed. Your family must be pleased with your skills and manners." The disguised kitsune gave a pleased smile, though inside she was giving eager yips, anticipating joy.
The concern and light in his eyes would die instantly, the shifting color of his eyes resting of inky pools of deep, dark, violet, wisps of green mist seemingly to leak from the corners of his eyes. Accepting Felshadow arcana into his mind had caused an innate connection to form between his appearance and his emotional state. "Yes. They are very proud." It was abundantly clear that it was a touchy subject for Hikari.
"But I am blessed. You are not wrong there, miss." During the conversation, the magus would be doing his best to guide them through the crowds, towards an alcove or alley in the festival crowded streets. Once they were as private as they were seemingly going to become, the curiosity and nervous mirth would return. "What are you, miss?" He'd ask, the feeling from earlier finally beginning to register.
As he tried to guide, so did she, and they would likely end up in the area that had the booths and displays from the beginning of the festival, and next to one such tent that was lacking an attendant. The patched and gaily colored old tent was under the sign of the fortune teller, and the old woman would open the back flap as if she belong there. Indeed, she did, for it was her own. "I? I am a simple fortune teller. Or not so simple."
As she lit a candle with a zap of electricity from her fingertip, the cloak would fall back and reveal, not the old woman, but a tall, slender young woman with golden curls and lavender clothes. Her tall, triangular ears swiveled on top of her head, the same gold as her locks as she smirked at him over her shoulder, "I am also a golden fox, if that answers your questions more clearly."
A sharp intake of air, immediately raising his Soul Barrier around him instinctively. Despite the lack of hostility in the air, Hikari never took chances, at least not right away. He was honestly at a loss for words, and despite his defensive reaction, he couldn't help but admire certain...aspects of the woman's true nature.
He'd be silent for a seemingly long while, eyes shifting rapidly over the tent and its contents, keeping his back to the entrance. "I had a feeling you were hiding something under a glamour of some kind...You are..." Then, once more, a loss for words.
"A kitsune. Yes. A wandering fox who has lost... I forget what. Now I search and it seems like I am searching for you. Or someone like you." She sat down behind the table that was used for customers, in her accustomed place, after lighting a few more candles. There were plenty of comfortable seeming cushions scattered about on the floor. Sometimes people came in groups, after all.
"My past has become lost in the folds of the scroll, and if I wish to read my story again, I have to--" She gave a helpless little gesture at her inability to explain further.
He'd listen intently, before continuing his thought, somewhat embarrassed. "N-no. That is not what I was going to say." Hikari, in his years of intense, dedicated study, had not had time to socialize much with the fairer sex. He was twenty seven, without so much as having glimpsed a woman in the nude before, at least, not in person. Anatomical charts and livid stories had been the apex of his experience, and a flustered pride was sometimes a wounded one, a strained one.
"But that's not important. What do you mean, you are...were...lost?"
"I mean I don't remember. I had a home once. Or maybe twice. I was loved? Maybe? I loved someone. But it was taken away and I was Sent away. Far away. A place that was as strange to me as I was to it, and now that is like a dream too." She sighed an looked sad and longing as she leaned back on her hands with a whisper of the purple silks that she wore.
"Now I search for the people that might know my past. Or be able to point me in the right direction. I can read any man's fortune, but not my own, so I am groping in the dark here. Always."
The fine fabrics did little to hide her form, and his young, eager, curious eyes did little to miss taking it all in, though in this aspect of socialization, Hikari was hardly subtle. He was proud of himself, however, for being able to suppress his body's more...natural responses. A cough as he finally took a seat of his own, across and to the side of the fox.
"I...Do not know how to respond to this. It is an unforeseen situation, and one I have little to not experience in myself. I've been a solitary creature of habit since I was twelve. Most of my memories are my small apartment, numerous libraries, and purposeful isolation. You...seek your past. I am lost as to what to do with my future..."
Manami smiled faintly at him, then shrugged a bit, "I would ask you things, but I fear you would not like my line of questioning."
She hesitated before starting to explain her reasoning in a round-about way. "You look at me as a young woman, but I am not. I am a three tailed fox, which means I have lived for at least three centuries, but not five. I have loved men, and I know I have given life to children in my long history. Children that would have grown up long before you were born. Children that also would have borne the marks of the favor of the spirit world."
She reached out to point at the ends of his hair, "Marks like that."
He'd take in her words, choosing his responses carefully, making careful note that she'd noticed his gaze. "I...No. My gifts and talents come from my dedication to the arcane. I've had no help, I've sought no gifts or boons or...marks." The idea that his raw talent came from something else other than luck and devotion perplexed him...and slightly angered him, though he buried that deep, deep down.
"I...apologize if...my eyes wondered." This time there was no hiding the blush. "I am not often approached by..." He'd let the sentence die. Despite his looks, the fierceness of his lifestyle and his general demeanor had scared away far more partners and lookers than it had drawn in. And keeping yourself, alone, in a single room loft for most of your teenage years didn't help grow a wide, varied social circle. "No one else in my...family...had something like this..." He'd explain, flicking one of his 'feathers'.
"Are you sure these are the...Marks?...you're talking about?"
"Oh." Manami sighed, disappointed. It was only with effort that she could put on a professional face again and smile at Hikari. "Impressive, but not much help for me."
She brushed off his embarrassment, "Most people never get to talk to any sort of spirit at all, much less one so physical. So I am used to being stared at, when I tell people about my nature."
"The marks I am looking for might be anything at all, even just an innate talent for 'seeing', or good luck, or just being blonde or a redhead. I'm hoping for something more identifiable though, since questioning every blonde in the country would likely be... difficult."
"I'm sorry I'm not as much help to you as I could've been. It sounds like you just want answers, and I've built my entire life around the idea of uncovering them." The tips of his locks would sway and flicker in their hues.
She'd raised questions in him. Perhaps reuniting or reconnecting with his family would prove fruitful. And it would only be short term of course. "Perhaps I spoke with too finality. I am not saying this...natural hairstyle, I suppose...aren't something you're looking for. I just doubt they are. The possibility exists until we prove otherwise."
He'd finally let the shield fall, letting out a sigh of relief.
"I think I am just looking for my family, actually. Answers either will be with them, or not." Manami shrugged and smiled tiredly, "Well, it is a simple thing to find out, really. One thing that Would be the same for all my sons would be a long life. Exceptionally long, for the time. I would imagine that would be something passed down as a family story?"
"...I could look into it, if you're that curious." He was too, the more he thought about it. He'd never heard anything about long-living ancestors, but it deserved a look into. Hikari thought, on the long shot of fate, that this could be another source of power to tap into. To control.
"I'll help you in anyway I can, if you'd like. I feel like this is a meeting of destiny. Normally I don't believe in such things but you...you are a mystical creature. Perhaps you operate and exist in a way I cannot understand yet. We could learn from each other, if you like."
"How can you do magic and not believe in spiritual beings?" She laughed at the thought, then gave him a 'come here' gesture.
"Let's see what your future holds, shall we? It is my job, after all. Or would you rather not know?" Manami gave him a knowing look at that, since she had met many a scholar that had refused the traditional reading. Even a refusal would tell her something though.
"It is an odd concept, I know." He chuckled as he rose, making his way to her side of the small tent, unsure if he should stand or sit beside her. "And while I agree with the idea of knowing your future causes you to unwillingly change it, I still like the idea of having the power to do so, so..."
A nervous, somewhat over-eager smile would capture his lips as he spoke, "Will you show me whats to come?"
She nods and places a deck of cards in his hand. "Clear your mind. Shuffle. Then I will read."
It was a somewhat shabby deck of tarot, and she would wait until he was satisfied before taking the deck and laying out three cards rapidly. She mumbled a bit, naming the cards as they slapped down on the table.
"The knight of swords, the four of coins, and the seven of coins. You are a bold man, striding forth without heeding the advice of those that would caution you. You seek to gain wealth or fame? No. Knowledge is your coin. Yet, no matter how hard you work at it, you are not happy with the results. You think your efforts should yield better results."
He watched her little ritual with equal amounts wonder and amusement, trying to pick up on any arcane or mystical energies at play. For the life of him, trying to detect the magiks he was used to, he didn't sense a thing. His eyes following her every move and expression. Until she'd finished speaking. An empty, hollow tone crept into Hikari's voice.
"Oh...Oh I see. I suppose it would be obvious. Why not? Is that all?"
The Calamity Spark. He'd been trying to perfect the spell for months. The mana was not an issue. The incantation was simple. The channel was nearly eliminated down to its smallest value. But something went wrong. It would never stabilize. It was too chaotic, too random, too uncontrollable. It was a sore, sour subject, and a secret he closely guarded.
Manami gave him a patient smile and started laying out more cards, this time talking as she went, "Then the five of cups: disappointment. That is your current state. Ego is the knight of wands, eagerness again, rushing forward with a passion. Subconscious gets the page of coins, which is the wonder that started you down this path, probably the first time you Made something happen?"
"Now for the final four." Three of those got laid out quickly, in a line to the side. "Eight of wands, reversed, in the advice position. Normally that one is haste and journey's end, but reversed it means take your time and keep trying. The ace of swords tells of triumph of the mind, but someone else's in this case, so you might need a boost from someone else's achievement. Six of wands: Oh, well, that one is pretty obvious, in your 'hope' position. Naturally you want to be celebrated when you do succeed."
The last card, she holds and looks at thoughtfully, tapping the bit of painted paper against her other hand before she showed it to him. The Hanged Man did have an ominous appearance, but Manami seems to think that it is a good sign.
He'd listen intently throughout, though it seemed he grew more and more crushed as she went on. Other's triumphs, other's achievements, others receiving the praise. It...hurt, somewhat. In many ways.
By the time the last card was revealed, his annoyance and disdain were palpable on his features and in his words. "I suppose that means I'll die before my dreams are realized?"
"Far from it. The hanged man is peace. Serenity. The outcome of your current course. The hanged man is bound to his fate, yes, but he transcends the struggle. Right now, you are in a dark place." She pointed to the five of cups, then drew it closer so Hikari could see it. The image is of a man weeping over three spilled cups, but two yet remain upright behind him. "You feel like everything you've done has lead up to loosing more than half of what you gained, perhaps? Not all is lost, but the set back recently or soon to be suffered is daunting."
Then she covered it with the eight of wands, which was reversed, so the straight leafy branches looked like they would fly into the sky if not restrained on the paper. "But if you stay the course and keep striving, use what someone else is trying to accomplish; then the triumphant parade and lasting tranquility will be your's. This is a good fortune, young man. A very good fortune. It tells of obstacles overcome by effort."
