Foxside: The Temple of Inari 54 - Ten Years of Foxes

[Deathkeeper]

Above the Temple

Nick isn't quite so physics-bending as a Mew, and so his wings still need to be pumped to stay airborne, but hopefully the rhythm doesn't make the hug any harder to sustain.
There's not much to be said, so Nick merely hums instead. Something he things will be comforting. She can take as much time as she needs.

[Rebonack]

[Above the Temple]

A little pleasant music helps to chase away the blues.

Geneva laughs. And cries. At the same time. It makes for a cute little hiccuping noise. Gradually her breathing slows. Gradually the sobs stop. Gradually the psionic static dies away to nothing. She takes in a deep breath before letting it out slowly.

"It feels like I'm the butt of a joke," she finally says. "Fortuna tossed me out like... garbage... And when we went to talk to her, she tossed me away again. I always felt safe in the Temple, at least. It reminds me of some of the shrines back home. They were always peaceful... But then Keiko said what she said and... I don't know, Nick. I just want something to go right."

She sniffs, rubbing the tears out of her eyes with a tiny paw.

"I think I'll feel better once I can be a griffin again. Or even a human. Let's go check out that village, okay?" she suggests, pointing off into the distance. "It's about seventy miles that way. Would you mind carrying me? You can fly a lot faster than I can."

That's for sure.

[Deathkeeper]

Above the Temple

"She doesn't think you're garbage, Geneva. She just wanted to be her own person. If she didn't like you she wouldn't have refused and lashed at Keiko like she did."
You hear that, Forte? Nick's on to your tough gal villain routine. Love knows all!
"And uh, the second time was my fault. Sorry 'bout that." he admits, before ever so gently picking up Geneva by the scruff of her neck and depositing her on his back like any proper kitty.
"Please fasten your seatbelt and keep your paws on the ride at all times." he chimes before blasting off.

[Fenric]

It's morning! Time for the tired family to go home.

Felina looks blearily at the orderly holding a manila envlopoe with "322" in large block letters

I take it we're on the third floor, now...

He nods

Yes, Ma'am. 22 would be around back, so I believe it overlooks the Pokémon Enclosures: your little one should have an entertaining view from your window.

[Recaiden]

Arlem blinks a few times at the orderly before it all makes sense.

"Good morning, and thank you."

He can't quite fit the exclamation point on the end of the sentence. Let's get the little one into a nice stable baby carriage and be on the way.
The pokemon are going to be even noisier than a kit, aren't they?

[Fenric]

Felina nods

Wish I could just use Recall, honestly. Oh well, at least it's not far...

She yawns, and her tummy growls in protest at the length of time since her last meal

Er... maybe a short detour downstairs?

Somehow, even the thought of eating wakes the little one

ehhh... ehhh... wahh....

And the sound makes Felina wince and hold her arm pits as her milk glands painfully kick into high gear

Owww.... nobody ever told me about that part.

No... nobody ever seems to mention that...

[Deathkeeper]

Phone Call

I'll just handle this one.
A sincere-sounding clerk answers Steve's call, and inquires as to what it is he's calling about.

[Fenric]

And so, after an eventful day, Stephanie and Jessie are at the Temple at last.

She takes him to the garden.

No, not that one. Oh, they walk past the formal gardens in all their evening splendour... but that's not where she's headed. No, she heads out past the seldom-used summoning chamber and to the sprawling vegetable gardens now looked after by the eager little sand-foxes!

Row after well-tended row of lentils, chili-pepper plants, tomatoes and eggplants, stretching a good long way ahead and to the right. A sight any farmer would feel a lifting of the spirits at. And a little, huge-eared, dark-eyed, sandy-tan-furred fellow in brown overalls turns to beam at the pair. You'd swear he was at most 13 years old by his size.

Miss Stephanie! And you've brought a proper man of the land with you! I was beginning to despair of you big folk, but I can smell a true farmer at two dozen paces.

He offers his tiny, delicate paw to Jesse

My name's Kitnick!

Stephanie grins at the eternally enthusiastic leader of the lentil-growers.

[Deathkeeper]

Gardens

Jesse reaches and gives the most delicate handshake he can give to the tiny fox. They've got kids doing work, here?
"Jesse. 'm Steven's brother." he tells the sand-fox.

[8BitNinja]

Phone Call

I'll just handle this one.
A sincere-sounding clerk answers Steve's call, and inquires as to what it is he's calling about.

"Hello good sir" says Steve."I was wondering if you knew of the whereabouts of an officer who personally knew of a Geneva. I'm not sure what his name is, though."

(( Thanks for helping me out))

[Deathkeeper]

Phone Call

"Uhm, you're asking for the personal details of an officer based on...the first name of an acquaintance? That's a bit vague, sir." comes the response.

[Fenric]

Jesse reaches and gives the most delicate handshake he can give to the tiny fox. They've got kids doing work, here?
"Jesse. 'm Steven's brother." he tells the sand-fox.

Kitnick looks awestruck and promptly tires his best to be formal and polite

Woah... um... sorry... I didn't know you were famous, sir. My apologies for assuming you were a farmer... Um... I'm in charge of the vegetable gardens. Would you like a tour?

Stephanie can't help but laugh and laugh

Kitnick, you silly little puffball! Steven's from a farming family, not a hoity-toity noble like Caroline.

[Deathkeeper]

Gardens

"Yeah, corn's not very classy. You can give us a tour if ya want. I only saw a portion of the place during the wedding." Jesse admits to the shy little fellow.

[8BitNinja]

Phone Call

"Uhm, you're asking for the personal details of an officer based on...the first name of an acquaintance? That's a bit vague, sir." comes the response.

"I'm terribly sorry sir, I don't know the man's name and I only know that he is related to someone who could possibly end the as we know it, or at least plunge it into chaos. Thank you for putting up with me." Steve hangs up. He then turns to Ambrosia and says "I am pretty sure you mentioned something about knowing the whereabouts of their outpost? This may be useful to know now." He then turns to the fox and hands him his phone "thank you for your kindness, and may the heavens bless you" says Steve.

[Shadowcaller]

Phone Call

Ambrosia nods. "As I suspected then, but yes. I know where, what I suspect to be, their main base is located at the very least. It's right here in Inside, so we don't have to walk that far."

[Fenric]

[Phone Call]

The little gardener takes his phone back with a smile

You're welcome! Hope everything works out. Now if you don't mind, I've got work to be getting back to.

---

[Gardens]

Kitnick looks at Stephanie in shock only moderated by the fact that the entire notion of titles is rather new to the Fenethi

But... but... he's... he's got...

He shakes it off

And corn! Corn is amazing! So tall and green, and it makes SO MANY SEEDS. But it takes more water than the whole city.

Stephanie smiles more gently and explains

These little guys're from a little town in the foothills of some mountains or other, away on the edge of a desert. Apparently it only really rains for a couple of months a year, if they're lucky. Guess it doesn't rain at all sometimes.

Kitnick's ears fold

It's really bad when that happens, Miss Stephanie. My great-grandfather told stories of a time when the rain didn't come for three years in a row... it was terrible.

There's something about the way he emphasizes "three years" that he clearly thinks that's a terribly long time indeed.

[Deathkeeper]

Gardens

Jesse crosses his arms, more out of comfort than irritation.
"Sounds pretty bad. Yeah, the irrigation requirements are pretty nuts. But if you don't mind me asking, what exactly have I got?" he asks.

[Fenric]

Actually... he was tongue-tied about Steven, who is married to Caroline and a Messenger of Tamamo... but we'll go with Jesse's thought.

Kitnick's ears flick up and down... A comical sight for the red foxes, and just short of hilarious with the sand-fox's huge ears.

You smell like... like... you're good at growing things. It's a particular scent... Not everybody has it, not even people who spend their whole lives in the garden.

Stephanie grins

We just call it "having a green thumb".

But the little gardener shakes his head

That's not the same. That's just a combination of talent and skin chemistry. This is a little more... we call it ...

But the squeaky yip he says next has no good equivalent to translate into, and so doesn't translate

[Deathkeeper]

Garden

Jesse raises an eyebrow, not really putting pieces together.
"Maybe sometime later I can ask Steven if he can put it into words better. Uh, thanks though." he says, rubbing at the back of his neck.
Foxes are weird.

[Fenric]

Kitnick grins at Stephanie

Guys with it are really sought after for husbands, you know, and...

Stephanie gives him an incredulous look and stomps

Shush, you. Keep the rest of what you may or may not be smelling to yourself!

It's now Kitnick's turn to giggle.

[Deathkeeper]

Gardens

Jesse chuckles too, despite himself.
"Well, Steph ain't into farming, she grooms horses, so I doubt it matters much anyway. Maybe we should be goin'?" he suggests.

[Fenric]

Stephanie spares Kitnick one last scandalized glare before nodding

Yeah, let's get to the stables. We'll see if Sir James is around and try out the new equipment. Ever met a unicorn, before?

And she heads south at a brisk pace.

[Recaiden]

"Of course we can go down and eat. I'm near starving myself, maybe we-"

Somehow, how could that be? Oh, wait...

Arlem puts a hand on Felina's shoulder, briefly alarmed before he sorts out what's happening.
Nobody told him about that either. (probably reasonable).

"Remember you to warn others someday."

Now, off to navigate all these stairs.

[Fenric]

The stairs are near the room, and are wide and at a reasonable pitch with nice broad steps, and so are no difficulty at all. Felina seems to have pretty well recovered now - though sleepy of course - and her walking is hindered just a bit by a sanitary pad of epic proportions.

Oh, good... I do not feel like hunting around for their elevator while wearing this stupid diaper! I just want to get home... I need a shower and real clothes!

But her tummy grumbles again, and the hospital cafeteria is both unarguably close and hopefully less well stocked with people she knows and works with on a daily basis than the one in the Priest's Quarters - so food first, regardless of any indignity caused by her borrowed hospital gown.

The baby has once again settled into drowsy silence, tummy full and diaper clean.

[8BitNinja]

Phone Call

Ambrosia nods. "As I suspected then, but yes. I know where, what I suspect to be, their main base is located at the very least. It's right here in Inside, so we don't have to walk that far."

"Alright then, I'm ready whenever you are." Says Steve. Why there are priests surrounding him and he cannot just ask them to ask for divine guidance, he did not know. However, if he didn't need to know why, for it was not necessary to defend this world from chaos. "Just lead the way"

[Shadowcaller]

Phone Call

"Very well, it shouldn't take long." Ambrosia makes a bow before their hosts. "Thank you for everything, send my regards to Grandfather and Kenji. It was a delight to speak with them." She will reach into her pocket and hand the little gardener a large seed. "Have this, I took it from a park. It will grow into a huge tree when planted so keep a check on it."

She will then leave for Inside (if you follow this link.)

[Deathkeeper]

Stephanie spares Kitnick one last scandalized glare before nodding

Yeah, let's get to the stables. We'll see if Sir James is around and try out the new equipment. Ever met a unicorn, before?

And she heads south at a brisk pace.

Gardens

"Uh, yeah, sure. I haven't, no. Just the colorful kind." he admits.
Personally, grooming a magical horse doesn't seem like the most interesting thing to be doing at a time like this, but if that's what she wants to be doing.

[Fenric]

And so, not at all unlike a vixen leading her chosen tod on a chase, Stephanie leads Jesse south: Past the "back" of the priest's quarters (look, up there on the third floor is Felina and Arlem's apartment!), past the Pokémon yard, past the guest hostel, across a wide path, and then another building.

This used to be the school and daycare, before they built the new one. It's been refit into the "Non-Priest Resident Faculty Apartments", but the stables are still around back.

She blushes slightly - Kitnick wasn't *wrong*

I live here...

[Deathkeeper]

Stables

"Not the worst. I'm sure you could do worse than a place like this." Jesse tells her with a shrug, looking around at the building.

[Recaiden]

The stairs are near the room, and are wide and at a reasonable pitch with nice broad steps, and so are no difficulty at all. Felina seems to have pretty well recovered now - though sleepy of course - and her walking is hindered just a bit by a sanitary pad of epic proportions.

Oh, good... I do not feel like hunting around for their elevator while wearing this stupid diaper! I just want to get home... I need a shower and real clothes!

But her tummy grumbles again, and the hospital cafeteria is both unarguably close and hopefully less well stocked with people she knows and works with on a daily basis than the one in the Priest's Quarters - so food first, regardless of any indignity caused by her borrowed hospital gown.

The baby has once again settled into drowsy silence, tummy full and diaper clean.

It's a hospital cafeteria; she'll be far from the sorriest or most undignified here. Plenty of reason not to be paid attention. And if the food here is not so good, at least they're hungrier than normal to make up for it.

"Almost there."

And then they can go home.