Foxside: The Temple of Inari 56 - Rice, Wine, and Spell Slots

[Recaiden]

Arlem chuckles at that. "You know, you could just be open-minded. But yes, the advantages are many. If there is one thing I've never had cause to complain about, it's being what I am."
"Is there something in particular you're having trouble understanding?" He ventures. "Someone?"

[Deathkeeper]

[Gardens]

"Well, I mean, you know what I said. I can't really relate with how Keiko acts, and some of the more pernicious nogitsune. I haven't experienced the trauma of the werefoxes. That, I don't think you can help me with. It's about being open-minded and empathizing. I meant that it sounds easier to understand a new culture when you can be them without your earlier biases. Maybe, I don't know. Probably something that can't be explained without experiencing it." Steven babbles, shaking his head. There's no sense going on about this too much. He and Arlem have different skills, and as he is himself no matter what happens, he'll simply have to rely on his long life span to get a better understanding on how to handle his people.

[Recaiden]

"That's...not how we work, Steven."
"Remember to practice!"
Arlem springs up and heads out of the garden, towards the priests' quarters.

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

Steven will spend the rest of the week trying his best to try being different breeds of foxes and a few vixens, though it doesn't change much about what he perceives to be what and who he's supposed to be. Still, an effort will be made.
The next week he can be found, reading some literature on the old tenets of the temple of the Vulpans' homeworld. Surely nothing could ruin his day.

[Recaiden]

Surely nothing will disturb him.
Not the rainy weather outside.
Not the constant coming and going of people in search of spiritual guidance and/or cheap soda vending machines.
Not the growing cacophony of high-pitched yipping as scores of tiny tiny foxes swarm into the sanctuary from the arboretum.
In hot pursuit of the foxes is a celestial spider, who is herself being chased by a pair of figures: a human boy and some humanoid all bundled up as if expecting winter weather.
"Don't you dare eat those foxes!" shouts the boy to the spider.
"I cannot believe you let them out in the first place!" shrieks the winter-dressed one to the boy.
";;;;)"
Not the portal to the shadow realm opening by the stairs.
No, I'm sure Steven will have a perfectly nice day.

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

Steven sighs and places the book on the altar, hopping down as he Sends for some of the priests with animal aptitude to help round up the tiny animals. A large number of them might find themselves trapped in a growing drum of shadows. Big enough to keep the spider out and with a few small holes for air.
"Alright, boys. What's the meaning of this?" he asks them, scanning his memory for their faces. He knows the tiny foxes were a project Inari sold specimens to their neighboring goddess, Message. Were these boys from her town?

[Recaiden]

The spider pounces on one of the little foxes! And lets it go, laughing, before skittering up into the rafters.
The tiny foxes trapped in the drum scamper about frantically. The others scatter in all directions. But more and more people come to answer Steven's message and help round them up.
As for the boy with the face (covered in scars), it doesn't seem like Steven knows him. He might be from Leah's town. ('Neighboring' puts things a bit strongly, though).

"We were delivering these guys here for an-al-y-sis and someone didn't check the latch on their habitat when we took it off the truck." hisses the faceless (well, his face is covered, anyway, with just big black eyes visible) one.
"That could have happened to anyone!"

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

Steven puts his hands on his hips.
"Well, get the habitat out here and we'll put them back in." He pauses. "Are you boys old enough to have truck licenses?" he asks skeptically.

[Recaiden]

"Well, actually, now that they're here, we can just-"
"Message, the foxses are delivered!"
All of the little creatures vanish from the sanctuary, raptured away to another dimension where the results of their field test can be investigated. Well, all of them that were in the sanctuary...if a few tiny foxes have gotten lost elsewhere in the temple...who can say? (the acolytes who are still chasing them down, is who). But at least 95% of the foxes were delivered as intended.

"Say, Mr. Priest, sir, what do you mean by 'truck licenses'?" asks the boy.

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

Steven frowns at him.
"I mean, are you big enough to drive the truck without needing a boost, and has anyone actually taught you how to drive?" he asks. He hopes he doesn't have to send Leah any complaints about child labor.

[Recaiden]

"Uh, yeah! My big brother taught me all about it." The boy straightens up and puffs out his chest, trying to look as big as he can. He's twelve entire years old, you know. An age at which, being as gangly as he is, he might already be as tall as Steven.
"Thank...you for helping catch them, sir." They don't want to think about how mad Leah would be if they'd lost her experimental foxes.

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

Steven's eyes narrow. It sounds like he's going to have to write a strongly worded letter, indeed.
"Alright, boys. Head on home. We'll send Message any other foxes we round up." he tells them. He also drops a pair of quarters into their hands. "Consider that a tip for your trouble. Help yourselves to the soda machine."
Of course, it's widely known that Fox Cola tastes terrible, so he's kind of screwing with them.

[Recaiden]

The delivery boys take the coins and head off to get their 'reward'. The faceless one will enjoy the soda at least. And it's still selling for 10c a can, so even the human boy comes out 15c ahead.

Meanwhile, the shadow portal gets rather more solid, letting through first sounds: footsteps and voices (the first high-pitched, the second low and murmuring)
"-for Home and Infinite Night. I understand that not one of the three temple head positions is staffed by a vixen any longer."
"I still can't believe you all got away with that name. And yes, most unusual."
"Ah, we're nearly arrived, mist-."
"I know."

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

Steven gives a big sigh and heads over to the portal, straightening his hair as he goes. His best hope is that it isn't any of Keiko's relatives at least. The last thing he needs is family drama, though at least the dragons tend to be tidy around the place.

[Recaiden]

Well, all normal and shadow vulpans are at least her distant relatives, right?

Out of the shadow portal comes a Fenethi man dressed in an eye-shockingly bright version of a temple Housekeeping outfit. And following him comes one of the not-so-common-in-the-Nexus giant vulpans. Ten feet tall (although nearly two thirds of that is leg), extremely fluffy, with round wolf's eyes and a gold-and-black patterned coat that no normal vulpan would get without dye. She's dressed in the robes of a 6th or 7th rank priestess, except the sash is psychadelic-phlox-colored.
They look unexpectedly at Steven.

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

Steven bows.
"Good afternoon, Ma'am. I'm Steven Primerra. To whom do I owe the pleasure?" he asks politely. He's not sure he's met any 7th rank priests. Technically Myobu and Myobi qualify, but they're kind of cheating.

[Recaiden]

"Is the proper greeting not 'Greetings, neighbor: may Tamamo defend and keep you. What can we do for you today?'?" Asks the giantess, both amused and reproachful.
The fenethi shrugs. "It's kind of nice to meet a more casual..." he gives up on finishing the sentence, though, and moves on to saying, "I present High Priestess Aurishalq. I myself am Kantik. We've recently arrived from, well, that's not important."
So just rank 6 after all.
"Pleased to meet you, Steven." Aurishalq murmurs. She might even be sincere.

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

Steven blinks.
"The traditional greeting is given to guests and patrons. I've always felt it comes off as condescending to offer the traditional phrases to those who say them themselves every day. But forgive me if its lack was rude. " he says with a small bow. He already likes his other out-of-plane visitors a little better. At least she seems to know how to smile.
"Might I inquire to the nature of your visit, Ma'am? I assure you that we will extend our full cooperation and hospitality for your needs while you're here."

[Recaiden]

"You have a reason for your break with tradition. Or you're good at making up excuses."
"Is it not an unusual temple?"
Aurishalq nods to agree that it is.
"I am on a journey to various important temples and sites of the goddesses. It's something of a pilgrimage, and also something of an inspection."

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

"Oh, than you will probably want to speak with High Priest Arlem, who's in charge while my wife is on leave. The temple's primarily one of Inari's, after all." he assures her. Though really with the army falling under Steven's jurisdiction, he arguably has an equal congregation.

[Recaiden]

Steven might notice that the two don't smell quite right. Aurishalq of course hardly smells like a vulpan at all, but even Kantick has something to set him apart from the other fennecs. Or lacks something to make him blend in.
"I will certainly want to speak with Senior Priest Steven by nightfall-"
"And-"
"As well as Matthew - a 2nd rank, isn't he?-, yes, thank you Kantick."
"It's so rare to have all the congregations in one temple, I couldn't possibly speak to just one of you. But if you are very busy I could give you some time."

A mini-fox chooses this moment to poke its snout back in from the garden entrance. Might make a good excuse.

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

Steven mans up and takes responsibility, as long as the events are going to be inevitable anyway.
"No, at the moment we're just dealing with some loose animals released into the grounds by a pair of precocious delivery boys. Which aren't enough of a danger to warrant ignoring you, Ma'am." he says, moving a hand to catch the fox in another little shadow container.

[Recaiden]

Aurishalq strides over to the shadow barrier and crouches down to look at the minifox.
"You have the miniatures already? I thought they were still in progress. Oh, how adorable! What are you going to do with him?"
He might have a good distraction on his hands.

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

”From what I understand, Inari and a local goddess had some sort of arrangement. They were being transported here for some sort of test when the children responsible let them loose. Once we round up the rest of them we’ll send them back to Message.” Steven says, picking up the magic container and waving over an acolyte to transport it to the animal pens.

[Recaiden]

I don't know why she's doing this. Even normal foxes are pretty small compared to her. Maybe it's the difference in coats. When the acolyte takes it away she straightens back up.
"So, to business. What's the status of your temple, and the werefoxes?"
"I understand they're mostly doing police work, m-..." Kantick starts off. Did she even read his notes on the Nexus? No, of course not.

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

"Due to financial concerns, the werefoxes partnered with local law enforcement, as it was impractical to release the militia into the civilian populace but the cost of maintenance couldn't be maintained by the temple, as suggested to High Priestess Caroline by higher ranked members. The temple itself is doing well, unless you mean specifically Tamamo's. Currently I am the only priest above second level for Tamamo. There's not many people compared to Inari's congregation. And Keiko would help sometimes, but having gotten her own faith it's mostly been left to me." Steven explains.

[Recaiden]

We all know he meant to say 'Head Priestess Caroline'. No need to correct him aloud.

Aurishalq nods.
"Sounds stressful. What if something happened to you? The ninetailses would have to come sort things out themselves. So what's your plan for getting someone ready to rise to the 4th rank? I can't stay, sadly."

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

Steven raises an eyebrow.
"Well, if I died and wasn't able to be revived I'm sure Arlem or someone could talk to my spirit and choose a successor. I try to give the priests all the help I can give, but I can't rush their faith. And we simply don't have many members. We don't have the draw Inari has. Or perhaps even Keiko does for some."

[Recaiden]

"Two things."
Aurishalq leans down and in to look Steven in his tiny eyes.
"First. You're just okay with that? You're going to accept that you don't have much draw, not even as much as Keiko's congregation which has been around for-?"
"Three years, priestess."
"Thank you Kantick. Which is basically brand new, and you don't want to change that?"
"Second. 'Even' Keiko? What do you think you're doing casting aspersions on your sister temple!?"

[Deathkeeper]

[Sanctuary]

Steven impassively folds his hands behind his back, standing up straight.
"I cast no aspersions besides what you do, Ma'am. Keiko's temple was a cult in its infancy until about two years ago. As for our place, it is not my place to pressure members of our congregation like the werefoxes into the fold of the clergy. I can only make it as appealing as I can. I can't promise them glamorous things like pretty people and fame and fortune. What we have to offer is community and inner peace. Of course there are better ways to market that. But I don't know how." he admits flatly.