Foxside: The Temple of Inari 53 - The New Fluffy Overlords

[Recaiden]

[Summoning Chamber]

Arlem breathes a sigh of relief at the world's constant background coming back in. Hadn't realized how on edge he was, being cut off like that.

"He's quite someone, isn't he? Went better than I was expecting, after all. And you. Still full of surprises."

[Cyber Punk]

[Garden]

Jinkei nods, stifling the urge to pout. "That's unfair! I'm a musician. Before I learnt I was a kitsune, I learnt how to put people in illusions with sound alone. Shouldn't I be able to jump through sound, too?" She asks, naively.

[Fenric]

[Garden]

Myobi chuckles

Impatient little Jinkei: learn your old world before you try to tackle a new one.

Keiko nods

Have you tried going to the kitsune world and back again to a different place? Time is the scary one, but I bet you can change place, too.

---

[Summoning Chamber]

Felina smiles

I hope that's a good thing... come on, let's get out of here. This room is always just a little bit creepy!

And away!

[Recaiden]

[Summoning Chamber]

"Good surprises. Mostly."

His voice is playful, not complaining. And away they go!

"Certainly when it's on. Like the whole world is fallen away."

[Cyber Punk]

[Garden]

Jinkei taps her chin in thought. "I'll try it... someday..." No use doing it without any more information. "For now, I want to hang with Keiko!"

[Zefir]

[Pokémon Battle]

Kelly scowls as Midnight misses again

Time to slow her down, Midnight: use Confuse Ray!

A dark purplish beam lances out toward Lisa!

[Pokémon Battle]
((Just in case, since Lisa is your char I didn't post her actions))

Vis watches, he can't use double team again, since it wouldn't help at all.

"Lisa use Disarming Voice."

[Fenric]

[Caroline and Steven's Apartment]

It's amazing how quickly a week can go by!

Caroline hops up

It's Thursday! What time is it?! We have to get ready!

I can't really say it's the first time Caroline has inwardly cursed her tradition's early morning tendencies, but this one certainly sticks out for her. She quietly grumbles

What other civilized group starts a wedding before noon?

---

[Garden]

Keiko chuckles

Allright, come on: Let's get over to the party...

But sadly, my slow pace has made that a Handwavium event... so suddenly, it's the next morning and unless there's protests, Jinkei will find her poor, hung-over self in...

[Katrina's Apartment]

In bed, where both are rather significantly unclad, the larger Vulpan is wrapped around Jinkei, and the gardener is snoring just a bit...

---

[Pokémon Battle]

(( A character I made up just for you Go ahead and post for her, otherwise I'll end up doing most of the typing ))

Lisa bobbles around, confused and a bit distracted.

Midnight is caught off guard when hit by an attack that doesn't take any aiming, and looks a little woozy. Kelly frowns

No, no! Hit her again, Midnight! Quick Attack!

And so the little creature jumps forward once more!

[Recaiden]

And it can't be the full moon already, can it?

Starting before noon though, that just gives you more time to celebrate!

[Cyber Punk]

[Katrina's Apartment]

Jinkei winces as she struggles to sit upright. Her head hurts, and her mouth smells a bit of alcohol. For a moment, she looks around, trying to remember what happened the day before. One look at Katrina, and a hopeful smile forms on her face.

"Katrina?" The snow-furred tall and skinny kitsune shakes the vulpan as it crosses her mind that today is supposed to be important.

Now, where did she keep her memory notebook?

[Deathkeeper]

Caroline and Steven's Apartment

They've shared this since they were engaged, if you didn't remember.
"I'm no anthropologist, but I bet I could find you at least five civilizations that had wedding ceremonies tied to sunrise." he says, getting out of bed.

[Fenric]

[Sanctuary]

Felina is back at the sanctuary, attending to the early arrivals who are milling around, and wondering an important question...

So... who's actually doing the service?

---

[Caroline and Steven's Apartment]

(( No, I didn't forget. ))

Caroline hmphs, unable to really argue, and heads out to her shower.

A short time later, Caroline returns from her shower wrapped in a bathrobe, and starts gathering up her dress and accessories.

Katrina's supposed to help me get ready, Steven, so I'm going to head over to her place...

---

[Katrina's Apartment]

Katrina stops snoring and opens her eyes, which she promptly winces back shut again.

Whozzat?

She blinks blearily at the snow-white kitsune

Jinkei?

Then she notices the amount of light in the room

Aw... crap. What time is it? Caroline will be here any second!

[Deathkeeper]

C&S' apartment

Steven nods.
"My folks should be here within the hour. I'll see you then."

And indeed, a pair of trucks should pull up after a few minutes for family gathering-ness.

[Cyber Punk]

[Katrina's Apartment]

Jinkei starts to giggle, then winces again. Slowly untangling what's left so well tangled, she glances at the time. "Nggh... Caroline's special day, or something... get up, Kat! We got to prepare!" She says with more enthusiasm than she feels.

Eventually, she grabs her notepad off the floor and scans through it. Katrina might see into it a bit. It details her experiences waking up beside Su, being discharged and playing with Keiko, up to the decision to ask Katrina to be 'fun buddies' and the night before. At some point, she got so drunk her writing became more like chicken scratches.

"Just... what happened last night?" She asks Katrina, being unable to hide the happy grin on her face.

[Fenric]

[Katrina's Apartment]

Katrina struggles out of bed and grabs a water bottle from the nightstand, which she drains rapidly.

Wedding! And she's going to be coming here to get ready, so... yeah.

She rummages through the clothes on the floor for something to throw on quickly.

Don't really need my boss walking in on me naked.

She appears to be experienced in "getting dressed quickly".

And last night? Uh... I think the answer is "coconut rum"... that's where I kinda lost track, anyway. That, and an impromptu biology lesson in which you learned why certain body parts on us are a little different from the corresponding ones on humans.

A grin, which promptly makes her wince

Ooof. Anyway, lessons are always more fun with demonstrations. But get dressed!

---

[Sanctuary]

Felina greets Steven's family. A group of humans arriving all at once is a reasonable assumption for...

The Linde family, I presume?

Groom's side is on the right, but folks aren't sitting down quite yet. There are a couple of people serving water, fruit juice, coffee, and small snacks if you feel in need of refreshments.

[Cyber Punk]

[Katrina's Apartment]

Jinkei follows suit, drinking some water as well and hastily dressing up. She's not as fast, but eventually all her clothes are where they should be. Ish.

Just as she's done dressing up, she can't resist asking. "Did I ask you to be 'funbuddies' yet? Neither of us seek relationships, and both of us like that kind of 'fun'..."

Oh, Katrina, what are you doing to Jinkei?

[Deathkeeper]

Sanctuary

Steven will soon arrive to collect his family. Things need to be done, with Jessie being his best man.
Sorry Eclipse, you weren't around when this was decided. You get an honorary spot for being the groom's sword.

[Fenric]

[Sanctuary]

Felina gives Steven a reassuring smile as he collects his family, and turns back to the other guests.

---

[Katrina's Apartment]

Katrina fumbles around in her dresser, looking for something...

What is it with you and trying to make stuff official and formal and stuff? Sometimes I swear you act more like an elf than a kitsu.

Ah, here we go!

There's a knock on the door, as Katrina quickly tosses a small, stoppered vial Jinkei's way

Just a sec!

Neutralize Poison! Spell doesn't care why, it just fixes it: drink it, quick!

She pops hers open and drinks it quickly, then kicks the vial under the bed and heads over to the door

Caroline?

Yes, Katrina. Is everything allright?

Yeah. Come on in.

[Cyber Punk]

[Katrina's Apartment]

"I was raised as an elf, Kat." Jinkei retorts as she playfully swats Katrina's behind, then tilts her head a bit at the vial. She does as Katrina says, then tosses the vial under the bed while she marvels at Kat's preparation. It's clear she's used to mornings like this.

If she hadn't decided before, then now she decides: Katrina is interesting. Just how interesting remains to be seen.

"Hi, Caroline!" Jinkei curtsies as the new bride-to-be. "I was just thinking about you."

[Fenric]

[Katrina's Apartment]

Hello, Jinkei.

Caroline comes in and gives the somewhat messy room a quick glance but doesn't comment.

I brought my dress...

She hands the bundle of clothes to Katrina, who sorts it out onto the bed. Katrina holds up Caroline's choice of undergarments, causing the poor vixen's ears to fold down in embarrassment.

Afraid Steven would get too excited or something, Caroline? My grandma doesn't wear stuff this boring. Hey, Jinkei: Caroline's my size. Dig through the top drawer and find her something suitable to wear on her wedding day, would ya?

She drops the offending garments and turns to Caroline herself.

And hair straight out of... just no. I can't even come up with a funny way to describe the most boring hairstyle ever devised. Come on, have a seat.

Caroline dutifully sits in the chair while Katrina fetches styling products.

[Cyber Punk]

[Katrina's Apartment]

Jinkei frowns at that. The undergarments look a bit too restrictive, yes, but Caroline's hair is just fine!

While she digs through the top drawer, she finds some lingerie that is just the right amount of sexy, without being too revealing.

"Don't mind her, dear Caroline; your hair is just fine. Though I'll admit, these undergarments suit you better." She presents her findings.

"You're quite lucky, Caroline. Someone to call yours, for now and the rest of your days." As much as she's come to prefer no-strings-attached curtaning over any steady restrictive relationship, even she (Jinkei) knows that she won't live like that forever. For a long time, yes, but not forever.

[Recaiden]

[Sanctuary]

"I hope they know they're doing it, which rules out you and I. Tamamo herself? Or her highest priestess here? Caroline's mother?"

Arlem gives a shrug and a smile and returns to ensuring there's enough water.

[Fenric]

[Katrina's Apargments]

Caroline's ears flick down and back again at the sight of the underwear: clearly not a subject she is at all used to discussing with other people. Katrina gives her right ear a flick

Keep 'em still, Caroline!

And while Jinkei might prefer long, stick-straight hair with bangs, Katrina is doing a marvelous job of putting sensuous loose curls in and making a cascade of tresses in its place. An interesting partial braid runs across the back and then Katrina pulls the hair through, making a very sophisticated version of a loose ponytail.

She binds the hair up with a shining, gem-studded hairpin that Caroline had brought with her, then Katrina backs up and nods.

Ok, great. Now get changed, Caroline: I'll get your dress ready.

Caroline swallows, as there's only one set of things ready to change into.

---

[Sanctuary]

Felina checks the time

Yeah, I'm sure you're right. But regardless: it's time to start herding folks to their seats!

And with gentle encouragement, she starts coaxing the guests to the bride's or groom's side as appropriate.

[Recaiden]

[Sanctuary]

Arlem will help out as needed.

And here, probably, there's a Cleo come as guest, in human shape, a pale green dress, hair tightly done up, not a single weapon or bit of adventuring gear visible on her. Less visible are the literally hundreds of spells hanging around her, ready to react or be discharged. The temple itself might be safe. but nothing around it is, for sure. She's not quite sure where to sit. Wherever she's directed, she supposes.

Also in attendance we have Tavlii, knowing exactly to sit on the bride's guest area. They would have preferred to send a Plum - Tavlii doesn't take well to formal clothes - but using the right body is sentimentally important here. She is bedecked in gold jewelry and henna designs that must have taken Kai ages and an unusual bright wrap garment made to accommodate her wings. She's brought a very large wedding gift. Less of a box and more of an industrial crate (but still made very pretty with its wrapping).
And does she ever look unhappy. No. Not at all, as her emotions are under lock and key. A single ordinary person might be seething unfairly, but all she's allowed to show is happiness for her friend.

[Cyber Punk]

[Katrina's Apartments]

Jinkei's ears seem to stand up straighter than normal for a bit when she sees the sensuous curls that now adorn Caroline's hair. "You look gorgeous, Caroline! Steven should be tongue-tied."

She pats Kat on the back. "You are positively good at this. We should hang out more!" She says, half-joking. She'd mostly prefer to have time for her studies while also making time for her extracurricular activities.

Then time for the clothes!

Jinkei grins as she points to the clothes, the undergarments neatly laid out for her as well. "Don't worry, Caroline." Jinkei says, reassuringly. "It's gonna be alright."

As an afterthought, she adds: "Would you like me to calm you down with my voice and magic?"

[Fenric]

[Katrina's Apartment]

Caroline shakes her head

No... I'm fine... really.

And proceeds to change. Katrina doesn't even pretend to not watch, but she stays quiet for a change (she's not Keiko, after all), and then helps Caroline into her white dress: all lacy and resplendent.

You look awesome. Come on, time to go!

And it's time!

[Sanctuary]

Guests are getting seated quickly, now. Felina guides Cleo to the groom's side, where Keiko is already sitting anxiously next to an empty seat. There's a hint of motion in the easternmost store room on the south side of the sanctuary: someone seems to be bustling about there. Keiko looks relieved, and Noriko waves and smiles encouragingly

But it's not long before excited little girls come bounding in the south entrance, shouting excitedly that the bride is on her way!

[Cyber Punk]

[Katrina's Apartment]

Jinkei is more modest, she gives the bride some privacy. After repeatedly complimenting Caroline on her splendour, she leaves with them.

[Sanctuary]

Jinkei, who's with the bride, can't help but wonder where Su is. Will she bring the kits, she wonders?

[Deathkeeper]

Sanctuary

The Lindes are absolutely tiny in comparison to the immense group of foxes.
Steven's brother Jesse with him, the twins Sam and Louis with his parents, Elizabeth and Joshua, his father's parents, Lisa and Joseph, his mother's father Frank, his only aunt and uncle, and their daughter Cassie. Cass is looking at all the foxes in wonder (she's four), while her parents are a bit nervous. The three grandparents have seen far too much for this to be remotely weird (though the dragons are a bit much, don't you think?), his parents are commenting on how good Steven looks in a suit, Sam and Louis are peering around looking at the place and the people, and Jesse would be too if he wasn't talking into Steven's ear. And he does clean up nicely, even if he had to do his hair five times. He went against his brother's suggestion to use some gel to keep it in place. It would look terrible!

[Fenric]

[Sanctuary]

Steven and Jesse have hopefully made their way to the front, where a low platform that was built yesterday. From the side, Felina gently coaxes them off to the right-hand side.

Then a hush falls over the crowd and the temple musicians begin to play quietly (but not the stereotypical "wedding march", thanks) as Caroline arrives at the main entrance flanked by Katrina and Jinkei, resplendent in her white gown. Her mother Katherine, is there to meet her, dressed in a sophisticated green and gold dress. She takes her daughter's arm proudly and leads her forward.

Jinkei will have no trouble finding Su, Kenji, and the kits near the back on Caroline's side and Katrina quietly takes a seat closer to the middle.

Quiet congratulations are given as Katherine slowly leads Caroline up to the front where at length she stands grinning and bashful in front of Steven.

hi

[Cyber Punk]

[Sanctuary]

Jinkei, as quietly as possible, takes a seat next to Kenji, Su and the kits. Without making too much noise, she greets the couple and their kits.

As she admires Caroline in her dress, she can't help but wonder what is going through the bride's mind...

Say! Is Allie coming? Maybe she can get to meet the bouncing kits!

[Deathkeeper]

Sanctuary

Jesse cups his hands around Steven's ear to whisper something that earns him a jab in the ribs. At least he was warned about fox hearing.
"You look wonderful." is all Steven has to say when she arrives. Jesse smiles sincerely.