1013/Unavoidable

Unavoidable
Date of Scene:	09 February 2016
Location:	Pikarigaoka/Uminari City - Hikawa Shrine
Synopsis:	Ayana goes on a spiritual journey with her friends, in order to leave behind her past, and embrace her future.
Cast of Characters:	Rei Hino, Hoshi Kogane, Ikiko Hisakata, Ayana, Reiko Touyama, Hiroko Koumoto

---

Rei Hino has posed:
    The Hikawa Shrine is looking a bit better than it has in recent days. The storm took out some of the steps and one of the arches, but the arch has been repaired and given a new bright red paint job, and the stone steps that were once broken have been replaced. It's not quite perfect but it is getting there.

    The shrine maiden, Rei Hino, is in the courtyard in front of the shrine, currently feeding her crows.

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
Hoshi is dressed in her favourite rainbow dress tonight, and has made her way to the shrine as she promised. She's a little early, but that doesn't stop her from assuming the best and that the others could be early too. She she cheerfully walks towards the shrine maiden.

"Excuse me." She says cheerfully, "But have you seen Rei-chan?" She's slightly bad with names sometimes, and has forgotten Ikiko's. "She's a friend of mine, with long orange hair, about my age." She describes Reiko, while a star pops into existence, wearing a shrine maiden outfit and looking at the crows curiously.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
With classes done for the day, Ikiko stopped by her house long enough to pick up the fox, then headed over to the shrine. "I'm not fully certain how much magical girl stuff they might know, but I will do what I can to translate any questions you might have," she remarks to the fox.

As she walks up to the shrine, she spots the shrine maiden and Hoshi... and is that one of Hoshi's stars being silly?

Ikiko stays back for now, watching the shrine maiden -- what's her reaction to the silly little star going to be?

Ayana has posed:
At the end of a blue leash, entrusted with a blue collar, the little red fox pads along at Ikiko's side just as any well-trained dog might. But one glance makes it very clear that this is no dog. In fact the only thing this fox has in common with such a household pet is that she's a canid, and she's got clean and well-groomed fur. That, however, is just because Ikiko is mean and makes her take baths.

The little fox trots along merily enough, but when Ikiko slows down to at the sight of hoshi, the fox pads a little past her, head tilted as it studies the shrine. There is a long moment where the fox simply stares.

And then it lets out a loud, unpleasant shrill like a screaming girl and rushes to hide between Ikiko's legs. "Fire," says the little fox in its whimperings and yelps. "I remember fire."

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama jog jog jog jog up the stairs and---whooops! She almost trips on one of the replaced steps because she's used to it feeling and being placed a certain way when she's come here with her grandpa. She huffs and catches herself and brushes a hand through her hair as she fixes her glasses as she looks around and spots-- Ikiko and Hoshi! She gives a large wave!

She arrives in time to see----

Ayana hide between Ikiko's legs and looking scared. She looks between the assembled three. "I'm here, Hoshi, Ikiko, Ayana~" she says with a large wave and smile!

She gives Rei Hino a wave too.

"Hi..."

"....we're not intruding. Are we?" she asks.

Then she asides, a whisper to Ikiko- though others might overhear anyways. "Ikiko how do we even begin to ask about this stuff. Won't we look crazy?" she asks.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei looks over to Hoshi as she approaches her, tilting her head at the mention of a 'Rei-chan'. "Well my name is Rei but I don't... oh!" Orange hair? About her age? Rei shakes her head. "Not yet. Did you plan to meet her here?"

    It's then that Rei starts to notice several others showing up. Huh. Well okay. She looks at the miko star that popped up, tilting her head and studying it. She isn't commenting on it, but she's clearly looking right at it.

    The fox's cry catches Rei's attention, and Hino turns towards the red fox. The creature seems scared. Poor thing. No idea why that would be, though.

    Reiko approaches her, and Rei seems to recognize her from the description that Hoshi gave. "Intruding? No, of course not. The shrine is open for visitors. Is there something I can help you with?"

    Rei's violet eyes scan over the assembled crew. She's not sure what to make of this, but it's probably magical in nature, if the star is any indication, and she can't really henshin right now in front of them... but this is her family's shrine.

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
Hoshi nods. "Yeah, we were uh..." She seems a little nervous, "... hoping to..." It's a little unusual to see Hoshi sound so nervous, but apparently she is. Then another star pops into being, with little fox ears, and it approaches the miko star. The miko star does some waving over the fox star's head and the ears vanish for a dress. "... take care of a little something."

That's when Ikiko arrives with the red fox, and Hoshi recognizes both. "She's another friend, I think she can explain it better." Hoshi's slightly editing the truth there, it should hope instead of think.

Soon enough, Reiko appears "Rei-chan!" The cheerful sound is obvious as Hoshi rushes to try to hug her friend, "Uh. The Shrine Maiden's name is Rei-san, this is going to be a little confusing...

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata picks up the fox and gives it lots of pettings. "If anyone tries to set you on fire, I will makes sure to protect you from it," she murmurs back, kissing the fox on the forehead.

The fact that the shrine maiden saw the star and only looked at it inquisitively is a good sign. Well... maybe getting to the point might be good?

So Ikiko walks up, gives an apologetic half-shrug to the two Prism Keepers, then looks to the shrine maiden and says, "Odd as this may sound, this fox would like to learn more about Inari."

Ayana has posed:
The little fox stills as soon as it's lifted into Ikiko's arms. Whether it was just a ploy for affection and love, or a legitimate fear of fire is not entirely clear. Regardless, when presented to Rei, the fox's ears perk up interestedly, and it cranes its neck forward to begin sniffing at her as best it can across the distance. "She's pretty. I hope I get black hair like hers when I'm a girl again."

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama smiles to Ikiko as she nods to Rei and Hoshi. "Hello Rei-san!" she says softly.

She nods. "That's right! We're here to-- find Inari!" she insists. A koi appears over her shoulder and nods nods rapidly in succession with her own head nodding motions.

"Because!... um."

"We're not crazy! I promise!-- but um!"

She also begins fishing for words.

In fact, the koi pulls out a fishing line and begins to do just that. It reels in a big letter 'B'.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei Hino holds up her hand and says, "You can call me 'Hino', if that's less confusing. So... you need help. With your... fox?" She looks down at the fox. The stars demonstrated it for her, but she's still not quite sure she gets it. She's trying to ignore what happened the last time a magical fox was here. Surely this couldn't be the same fox, could it?

    "Inari?" Rei repeats what Ikiko just told her. Then she looks at the fox. So this fox is magical. Hmm. The shrine maiden turns back to Ikiko and bows slightly. "Of course. I could take you to the shrine, if you'd prefer. This is a bit unusual, but I think I can help."

    Rei smiles at Reiko, shaking her head. "I don't think you're crazy. Believe me, I've seen plenty of strange things in my life. Still, I think this is a new one even for me." She folds her arms, and turns towards the shrine. "Here... I'll lead the way. I don't know how much I can help with your particular problem, but I can lead you to Inari." Then she starts walking, to do exactly that.

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
Hoshi beams when Rei goes along with the plan, at least enough that it seems like they can go forward from here. "Thank you, Hino-san." The girl pauses, just a bit, and bows. "Sorry for my rudeness, I'm Hoshi Kogane." The formality doesn't last very long, though something about her suggests that's because she doesn't think it's necessary, not because she couldn't. The stars pop out of existence, for now.

She finally bothers to pull a little box out of her bag, a box that might be immediately familiar to the fox, containing the exact same thing as last time, chicken giblets. She opens the box and holds it out, trying to use the opportunity to scritch behind fox ears if possible.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata walks after Rei, slowing down a little bit so that the fox can snack on giblets (and so Hoshi can give skrtiches). "And I am Ikiko Hisakata," she says to the shrine maiden. "And the fox's name is... well, that's kind of a long story, and probably not immediately important."

She smiles a bit at the fox's comment. "Your hair was certainly pretty when you were previously human," she agrees. "Dunno what color hair you'd have now, though."

Ayana has posed:
If she was a girl, the little fox might blush at this compliment. But she is not a girl, she is a little fox, and right now there are far more important things than blushing at compliments. Like fresh tasty chicken giblets. And having its ears petted.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama grins and looks between Hoshi and Ikiko and Ayana as she looks back to Rei.

She says. "Um--- No one's... telling the story so I think I will."

"Okay so--- the fox here used to be able to turn into a girl, but she was someone's... familiar? I think that's the term- and her master wasn't a particularly nice person who was kind of mean and jerkish." she says.

"Um--- so-- the girl fox-- um made friends with us- and then one day she started acting really weird because her master filled her with dark energy. We um..."

"Cleaned that out of her..." she says.

"But-- um! Now we're trying to get her back to how she used to be because--- um, we 'freed' her from her master's control- but that means she lost the ability to also be a girl and stuff..."

Yeah not the best explanation but she figures it'll work.

"So..."

She follows along with everyone.

"Um... we wanna..."

"Talk with... Inari." she says softly.

"Because.. Inari might be able to help with this!" she nods at Hoshi and Ikiko!

"That should be it in like a nutshell...!"

"...are you sure I don't sound crazy?" she asks curiously.

Rei Hino has posed:
"Hello, Kogane-san," says Rei, politely cheerful. "Hello, Hisakata-san." She notices them feeding the fox, but that's actually the least weird thing going on right now. It only tells her that this fox has a number of friends.

    It's Reiko's story that gets her attention. "A familiar?" With a mean master, no less. Hmm. She's assuming from context that it's a Midchildan type of familiar. She had dark energy... fox girl with dark energy...

    Wait a second.

    It's a good thing that Rei is looking forward and leading the way, because the look on her face would probably be pretty scary, especially to a bunch of strangers. It's only when she hears the rest of the story that she manages to calm herself down enough to remain professional.

    "I see." Rei's tone is... tightly controlled. For the moment. "She sounds like she had a rough time. It's too bad her master didn't take better care of her." When the full meaning of the story sets in, Rei actually relaxes a bit, and seems a little sad?

    "I don't know if Inari will help or not. What I do know is that if any kami could help a fox, it's probably going to be Inari. I can take you to the shrine and help you try to commune with her, but I can't promise much else."

    Rei looks over her shoulder at Reiko. "No, you don't sound crazy. Like I said, I've seen plenty of strange things in my life. A foxgirl isn't really news to me at all."

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
Hoshi seems to want to facepalm when Reiko blabs the entire story, but manages to stop herself from saying anything. She distracts herself by scritching the fox behind the ears. That said, she's still paying attention, and Rei's tenseness draws her attention. "Does this story sound familiar to you, Hino-san?"

Hoshi doesn't sound like she wants to pressure, but another one of her stars appears in the sky, and holds a notepad and pen, writing down notes as it's clearly and unashamedly studying Rei and what else is going on with her.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Having a fox in her arms definitely helps discourage Ikiko from facepalming at the sharing of the story. "What you have offered is all we could ask you for, Hino-san," she replies with a hint of a bow.

Ayana has posed:
Bowing puts the fox out of reach of the chicken, and it yowls its disapproval ... right up until the distraction from its food causes the fox to realise where they are. Wiggling, it pushes its way out of Ikiko's arms, and begins padding towards one of the stone fox statues. The fox tilts its head curiously, then asks, "What's the ball it's playing with?" Only it sounds more like little yipping noises to everyone else.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama blinks and nods matter and factly. She doesn't pick-up on Rei's tight tense tone immediatly. She sighs a bit. "He was mean-." is all she can say. She looks at the others and purses her lips and crosses her arms. W--Well! Someone had to tell the story! Why lie!? If you're honest- you can get what you need! Right!?

Well.. maybe magical matters need more care- but- the shrine maiden doesn't seem to care.

She follows along and smiles.

"Right--thank you, Hino-san!" she says with a soft bow!

Rei Hino has posed:
    "I've seen a foxgirl before." Rei explains. "I don't think... we got along very well, but judging by your story I think most of it wasn't really her fault. In any case, she -does- need help, so I'll provide what I can." To Reiko, she says, "Of course. It's why I'm here."

    They come up to the shrine. There's the fox statue that Ayana goes up to, and several more like it. There are strings hanging from the wall of the shrine with paper fox heads, each one having a different facial expression drawn on it. Inside the shrine itself is a larger fox statue, surrounded by many smaller white fox statues. There's a candy cane-striped rope that hangs from the above. Rei grabs it and shakes, ringing a bell.


She really doesn't know what she expects to happen in this situation, but that doesn't stop her from trying things.

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
"Thank you, Hino-san." Hoshi echoes Reiko's sentiment, closing the still not quite empty box of chicken, using a napkin to dry off the side and then putting it back in her bag. The girl looks around the shrine and all its statues in wonder, and her stars do too. Multiples appear around her, exploring the statues, the strings, and everything. "This looks neat." She says softly, trying to show appropriate respect to the goddess they're trying to get a favour from.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"I think I remember hearing that powerful kitsune kept their souls in balls like that," Ikiko muses, not bothering to hide her speaking. "Anyway, the main statue to Inari is over here."

She walks over to the shrine, standing back a respectful distance while Rei rings the shrine's bell.

Ayana has posed:
The fox leans up on its hind legs, putting forepaws on the statue it first approahced. It leans out to gently touch the stone ball, then sneezes and bounds away. Peering at the statue, the little fox looks uncertain, then pads after Ikiko, leash jingling faintly as it drags along behind.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama merely stands back now as she places her hands behind her back and sort of rocks her feet back and forth as she smiles over at Hoshi. She looks over to Ikiko. "Whatcha saying?" she asks to Ikiko. She looks back to the bell rining, and looks around. Is something supposed to happen?

She sort of tugs out her Orange Chroma Prism from the necklace around her neck and from under her shirt. She let's it hang...

Not reacting to anything bad! She nods a moment.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei certainly feels something. Something not normal. Her eyes focus, and she looks around. She looks at the statues, the shrine, the paper foxes, and at the people gathering.

    "Something is happening." The shrine maiden's eyes go to the fox, then to the others, "I sense something. Something is off. Be careful."

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
Hoshi tenses when Rei mentions something is happening, and most of her stars scoot back towards her, circling around her head in rings, each star with its own orbit. One instead goes to orbit Reiko's head, this one looks a little bigger than the others. "Well, uh.... something happening could be good, right?" The asks uncertaintly, one hand moving towards the Chroma Crystal in her bag.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata moves a hand next to her locket. "How 'off' are we talking about?" she asks cautiously. "Just 'this is new and completely unexpected', or is it something more dangerous than that?"

Given who is present, she's not too worried about if it happens to be dangerous -- but if that happens, her first priority will be to protect the fox.

Ayana has posed:
The little fox hastily rushes towards Ikiko's legs, seeking a new place to hide. But one and all, each and every fox statue seems to be coming to life. They move just subtly, or maybe it's a trick of the eyes. Each one has some toy it's playing with: this one a bell, that one a scroll, another a little ball. What's no trick of the eyes is that these little toys are beginning to glow, one and all, twinkling like the light from a star.

But these aren't the playful animated stars that follow Hoshi around; these are glimmering chaotically, like the very primal forces of creation itself are contianed within their masses, miniaturized until it is only just noticeable.

Only just until it expands outwards. There is a brilliant flash, and the four girls all sink to the stone in unconsciousness. At least, that's what Grandpa sees when he rounds the corner.

The girls find themselves falling into oblivion. Falling, falling forever, until at long last the sensation of falling stops. It's not that they've landed, it's just that the nothingness they exist within is so complete that falling no longer has meaning. If it weren't for the ability to see and sense one another, they might question their very place here.

The little fox is here, too. Its collar is gone, and the fox is shrouded in such a gloom and shadow that it seems barely visible.

A voice echoes in their minds; clear as a chiming bell and rich as a warm coffee in the wintertime. "Creativity is not always about bending the sword to your will; it is about bending your will to the sword."

Somewhere in the distance, a star shines out like a beacon. There is a soft ringing noise, like someon striking a bell, and the star glistens and glimmers.

But that star is not alone. Into the nothingness comes a riot of colour; an explosion so magnificent it fills every corner of the world. Another follows it, and yet another. All around the girls, the world is exploding in beautiful colour, as chaos reigns. A narrow path leads ahead towards that shining starlight beacon in the distance.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama looks around and grips her Chroma Prism. She goes to call out the transformation phrase when instead---- suddenly she is falling. And falling and falling and----

Falling? She doesn't know. She looks around curiously as she shoves her prism back under her shirt and looks around agai--- and now suddenly, a bright star flashes and suddenly the world explodes into a chaos of colors.

She peeks around-- yet again.

"Uh--whowha!?" she mutters.

She looks to the others and frowns. "Do we follow it...?"

Rei Hino has posed:
    "Well it's kindof..." Rei starts to explain. Then everything changes and they're now falling into a vast void. "Yeah, it's kindof like that."

    When the sense of falling stops, Rei places her hands on her hips. She hears the voice and considers the words.

    "Well... this is new."

    She sees a shining star in the distance. It catches her attention. She figures that she should probably head towards it. It seems like it might be the kind of thing that she's 'supposed' to do. Color explodes in all around them, and she has to stop a moment just to take it all in.

    "Wow."

    To Reiko, she shrugs. "Probably."

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
Hoshi is drawn inside this weird, magical realm along the others. "Wow." She seems scared, in a sense, but not paralyzed or driven by inaction. She also appears to be amazed by what's going on, inspired, an all that. In one word, this is awesome, in the traditional sense.

"I think we do." Hoshi answers Reiko, her own stars now circling the group as a whole, orbiting like little guardians, futile in most senses, but the gesture might count for something. "Let's go." She tries to sound determined, unwavering, but her nervousness cannot be so easily hidden. Yet she acts on her own words, taking careful steps forwards, towards that star.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata looks around at the bright colors, wide-eyed at what they've found themselves in. "Whatever it is, it's pretty," she murmurs.

She nods to the others as they decide to head to the beacon, but before she does that, she first walks over to the gloom-aura'd fox. "Are you okay?" she murmurs as she kneels, concern in her voice.

Ayana has posed:
The explosive landscape doesn't become any less chaotic. If anything, those explosions are getting closer--or at least the fire is. The little fox huddles up close to Ikiko, terrified as it huddles between her legs. "This isn't normal," says the fox. And everyone can understand it. "Nothing here is normal."

The chaos, though, does seem to be somewhat contained. Or more specifically, it's in the act of being contained. Behind the girls, all around them, a great gloom begins to grow. Hungrily, it eats one of the explosions, and the riot of colours simply ceases to be. And it's coming straight for them.

"We should go," the little fox tells Ikiko worriedly. "Now!" It's a yelping, terrified noise that accompanies the fox, as if it were running from something terrifing. It bounds forward, following the path towards the glimmering star in the distance.

A snarling wolf bounds past the fox, coming straight towards Ikiko. It looks old and scarred, wizened and angry. And Ikiko's Lycan Locket dangles from its neck.

As Hoshi and Reiko turn towards hte sound of the yelping fox and the snarling wolf, they find themselves entirely alone. There is no fox, no Ikiko, no Rei, and no each other.

One of Hoshi's star pals jumps out towards her from the side. "Lost," it says to her. "You're lost, and you'll never get back!"

One of Reiko's koi comes at her from the side, dripping ichor and looking more like a zombie than a fish. "Jooooin meeeee," it says. "You'll never be alone agaiiiiin."

Rei and Ikiko have not lost sight of anyone, but Rei finds her maiden's garb to be tattered and torn from years of disuse. It's not like she ever accomplished anything with it anyways.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko blinks at the fox yelling--- Ayana-chan is talking again!? Wait-- run!? "Oh no..." she calls out and she goes to run off and she closes her eyes and when she finally opens them to turn around to the noise there-- is.. no one. She blinks.

"Hello...?" she says as she looks around rapidly..

"Hello!?" she calls out again.

Alone... something... something that bothers her. Not too long ago... Mei left her alone, in charge, to watch over her sister... to fight The Gray Kingdom alone... while she went to find her mom. It was the world's worst feeling and the only thing that stopped her from doing something silly or shutting herself in her room for a good long while was the fact she'd have a few friends around. Hoshi awakening as Prism Keeper Yellow helped a lot too.

Of course, none of those are around right now.

Then one of her koi swims by! But it looks sickly, and wrong. This can't be one of hers! It isn't hers.

/IT ISN'T HERS/.

"G--go away!" she shouts out as she shuts her eyes and begins to run in the same direction she going before. Well. She thinks it's the way to go. What can she do right now in this place....?

What good would transforming do?

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei hears the fox talking, and actually understands the words. She blinks a few times, but she can't focus on it because for one, she already has some general idea that it was sapient already, and for another because chaos is erupting all around them. She tries to follow the Fox's advice insead of focusing too much on how she can even understand the advice to begin with.

    Then... everything changes. Only Ikiko is still nearby. Her clothes have changed. They're ratty, unkempt, gross and she hates it. She tries to brush them off, tries to... make them clean again, but there's no way to do that here.

    That's when the weight of mediocrity settles on her gut. Is this all she has to look forward to? Is this her future? Just... being a nothing? A nobody? What about all of her dreams? What about her passion? Didn't it go anywhere?

    Is this it?

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
Ayana is talking, but before Hoshi can internalize what this means, sheis suddenly alone in this dangerous place, and one of her stars is taunting her. Telling her she's lost and will never get back. "Rei-chan!" She yells, sounding scared, but not stopping running in her original direction. "Iki-chan, Hino-san." She shouts, clearly hoping they'll hear her, and respond.

With no apparent response, even though perhaps she is getting through to others, Hoshi yells louder. "Where are you? What's going on?" Every single word betraying more fear, but even so, she keeps going. She won't let fear hold her back, and she looks at the star that's been taunting her.

"You're lying." She sounds uncertain, and still scared when she says that. "Inari-sama is not a nasty goddess, she wouldn't draw us in here if she meant to harm us, and she wouldn't allow something else to draw us in like that." She sounds like she's trying to convince herself more than whomever she's talking to. "I'll find my friends, and then we'll continue."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata crouches, frowning. Is that a wolf whose spirit has been amplified by the Lycan Locket? Some sort of an illusion? Is the locket around her neck even real? And if so, would activating it cause the locket on the wolf's neck to activate, making it more powerful?

"I bear you no malice, Wolf-san," she states, her voice probably sounding like a defensive growl to everyone else. "But those of us traveling together are of a pack, and out destination is that beacon-star. All we ask is permission to travel through this area, and we will leave you and yours alone."

Ayana has posed:
Hoshi and Reiko practically run straight into one another, as they emerge from whatever hell that place put them in. They find themselves standing with the fox at the base of a tall, winding staircase around a mountain that leads up towards the twinkling star. Behind them, Rei and Ikiko are both gone, but where could they be?

"Where's Ikiko?" asks the fox uncertainly. She turns her head and looks towards the rear, towards the advancing gloom, and whimpers a little. "Is she going to be okay?"

Mediocrity indeed. The gloom draws towards Rei hungrily. Just behind her, she can hear it drawing near. But does it matter? If she hasn't managed anything on her own, why shouldn't she simply allow oblivion to take her?

The wolf rears up and then stands, rapidly changing shape until it looks more a man than a wolf. "You bear no malice?" asks her grandfather. "And yet you lie to me and to your parents! You hide the truth, and you call that no malice? What does pack mean to you, Ikiko? Will you chase blindly after those you have chosen, or will you remain true to those who love you?"

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama is walking with her eyes close. She has to move. Keep going forward. Don't listen to the koi, don't listen-- just keep on moving it isn't one of hers. When she peeks her eyes open she eeks! And sort of grasps over her heart. "Oh!" she gasps. "H--hoshi! I found you!" she says cheerfully as she hugs Hoshi and gives her a tight hug. No reason. "Hey... w---"

She looks down. Oh! Ayana-chan!

"I dunno..." she says softly. "I was alone for a few moments there myself, but..! I kept just going forward n' I'm here now." she says softly.

She looks around.

"Ikiko!" she calls out.

"Hino-san!?" she calls out.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei falls to her knees, as the worst possible future becomes all the more obvious and inevitable. She clutches her gut. Everything is going wrong. This is just...

    She stands up. Her arms fall to her side. She looks ahead, determined. This isn't her future. It's just a test. Every spirtual journey has a test, right?

    She focuses on the star in the distance. It's time to get moving. Whatever this is will pass, and she walks forward, continuing the journey to the only goalpost she can see.

    That future wont happen, because in the present she's doing everything she can -right now- to go for the best possible ending.

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
Hoshi has no problems with being hugged, in fact she could really use one right now, so she squeezes Reiko tight. "Rei-chan." Those five moras reveal a whole host of relief. "Are you alright?" She notices the fox, and the lack of Ikiko and Hino, but unlike Hoshi she doesn't call out their names. Not again. "Did you just speak, fox-chan?" She asks, instead.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata steps back at the unexpected transformation, wide-eyed and afraid. Her great-grandfather, here? She shrinks back, afraid of the disappointment she must be, of the disrespect she's showing her family by daring to try to do good with the Lycan Locket, of hiding the truth...

The truth...

Her eyes narrow. "You admonish me, you castigate me for hiding the truth, when you are the one that's not truthful?!?" she snarls, taking a step forward. "Either you lied to the family about how much of a wolf you became after the fight with the werewolf, or you're not really great-grandfather Yuuki and are lying about that."

Ikiko snorts derisively. "Either way, you have nothing for me to listen to. Begone, liar; I need to go help my girlfriend become human again."

And with that, she stomps on past the person looking like her great-grandfather Yuuki, not bothering to pay any attention to him.

Ayana has posed:
Ikiko comes rushing into view last. She reaches the base of the mountain, but behind her the image of her great grandfather is still visible, staring at her sternly. The growing gloom overtakes him, and continues on towards the travelers of the void.

Behind, there is the gloom, and the fears already passed. Ahead, there is a steep, winding staircase leading up the side of a tall mountain. And at the top, that still same glimmering starlight that has drawn attention since the very start.

The little fox bounds towards Ikiko and rubs between her legs. "I was worried about you," says the fox quietly, in a voice that they can all understand. "Are you okay?"

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama looks up the mountain and frowns as she clenches her fists. She looks over at Hoshi, then down to the fox and then.. Ikiko! Yes! Argh! "Something seemed to seperate us!" she says. She looks around and frowns. One of her koi swims up in the void and shrugs at her. Why the shrug?

Maybe she felt lost is why.

"Okay..." she says.

"I think we need to continue up this mountain now. That light has gotta be where we're headed... right?" she asks.

Rei Hino has posed:
    As the others come into view, Rei Hino spends a moment taking a headcount. They didn't lose anyone? Good. "Looks like we're all here." She looks at the mountain, and then at the spiral staircase. "Looks like the kami wants to test us, to see if we're worthy."

    Her eyes go to the red fox, whom she's pretty sure she's fought twice before in a much different form. Well, let bygones be bygones, right? "Likely we'll have to pass more of these tests if we want to seek Inari's favor. I suppose we should take it as a good sign, if the kami is even giving us the time of day, but be careful from here on."

    In response to Reiko, she turns towards the spiral staircase. "That's... probably right. If we're being called to that point, the we should answer that call." She starts climbing the steps, one after another. She's been climing steps all her life, thanks to the way her house is laid out, so she should be able to handle this pretty well, right?

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
"We can do this, everyone." Hoshi encourages, doing her best to sound confident and assured, taking firm and steady steps along the stairs. A host of stars starts to float between the group, holding on to tiny spears and wearing tiny helmets. They float in strict formation, with four gaps to be filled by the other girls, and the fox, present.

If the girl can see what the stars are doing, she isn't paying it any mind. Just focused forwards, walking up the stairs. "If the Kami means to test us, we'll just have to get an A+." She sounds a little less confident there, betraying some insecurities, but she still does a decent job at hiding them.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko's mood improves a bit when she sees the others, and the fox's concern makes her smile. "I am now," she murmurs back, kneeling to give the fox a hug (and a kiss on the forehead).

She looks at the mountain and the staircase, then nods to the others. "Onward," she agrees, with fierce determination. They've gotten this far; why go back now, when there's a goal in sight?

Ayana has posed:
The little fox--Ayana?--brushes at Ikiko's heels, then bounds forward to start up the stairs after Rei. If the creature even notices that it is the same woman who burned her--and badly--twice, it's not obvious, now.

The staircase itself is narrow and winding, always turning and twisting and steep. Every step is an exercise, and the exercise readily becomes tiresome as the group travels up the side of the mountain.

Yet stopping may be foolish, for as Ikiko, bringing up the rear, reaches the tenth step, the gloom advances on the first. It, too, begins to make its way up the mountain, eating the way back with its very approach.

After what seems an eternity amidst the dark and chaotic skies, the staircase comes to a wide landing. Ahead, a foul wind can be heard gusting and howling as it draws down into a massive ravine that splits the trail. The distance from this side to the other is wide; nearly fifteen meters! Perhaps if there wasn't such a furious wind, Ikiko might jump it, or Hoshi and Reiko might fly across. But that wind is treacherous, and such a leap might well end in a fall into the endless abyss.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama walk walk walk walk up the stair case. She doesn't get too tired. She does need to stop and take a deep breath every so often and they get to a landing. She looks around. Woooo! Flat ground!

Nooooo! A Ravine! And no bridge...

She looks around and frowns a bit. She walks about three eet from the edge and can feel that strong whipping wind. She could transform and try to fly over, but...

That wind is definitly too high and she's already thrown about easily by blasts- this wind wouldn't be very fun to fly through.

"Can't fly over..." she says. Transforming.. doesn't feel like the answer here. She's read stories.. and watches anime! That's never the easy answer!

Well. It's not like such thigns have lied to her before.

She seems to think.

"Nrg... a ravine and we have to get across it..." she says.

"Any ideas Hoshi...? Ikiko? Rei..? Ayana?.." she asks to the others.

Rei Hino has posed:
    "That's the spirit!" Rei smiles at Hoshi, trying to be encouraging. When she looks back, she sees the advancing gloom. It makes her nervous, and spurs her ownward despite the sweat gathering at her brow. When she arrives at the landing and hears her loose clothes flapping around in the fierce winds, she look downs at the deep drop below, but only for a moment.

    She turns to the others. "I don't suppose anyone here could make a bridge?" She also looks back to the spiral staircase, to see if that gloom is still following them.

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
Hoshi takes a good look at the ravine, looking a little nervous. "Some hold my hand." She suggests, as she slowly starts to make her way to the edge, holding her hand out so it can easily be grasped. The stars in formation follow behind, until they get too close to the wind and are scattered by it, the ones that make it back out gathering in a group away from the ravine, helmets untidy and one spear broken.

What Hoshi is doing is looking down the ravine, seeing what's below, and even reaching out to see if that ravine is real. She doesn't quite trust her perceptions here, Inari is a goddess of Kitsune, and even good Kitsune are known to play tricks.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata takes hold of Hoshi's hand. "I can't make bridges, but there might already be one here," she remarks. "Either invisible, or disguised as the ravine."

Besides, the sooner they find the way across, the safer all of them will undoubtedly be. There's something about that creeping darkness that she just doesn't trust, and she's not interested in finding out if it's another trick or not.

Ayana has posed:
The wind in the ravine whips at Hoshi's clothing, pulling her rapidly downwards. Ikiko is quickly forced to hold on tight or else lose the tiny blonde down into the abyss. Oh it's real, alright, or at least it seems real enough!

Down below Hoshi, the pitfall seems to go forever. There's no bottom and no end to the depths of this mad chasm. But something seems off to the girl. There is a trick here, she can sense it. It's just not quite so direct and straightforward as she hoped. But what is it? And why is the landing so wide, anyways? The staircase was narrow, after all.

The little fox, meanwhile, stays far back from the ravine, avoiding that wind nervously. One wrong move and the fox could easily be picked right up by the wind and deposited into the endless dark. Ayana looks scared, and she settles down onto her belly, eyeing the ravine cautiously.

So perhaps it is a little unsurprising that the fox does not notice when the gloom begins to approach from behind. It reaches the last step and up the landing, slowly advancing towards the fox's tail.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama looks to Rei. "I dunno of my koi would keep in that wind current..." she says. "or Hoshi's stars..." she says. So..constructing a koi bridge or a star bridge may not be the right answer. She walks over to help with Hoshi as she peers back and eeks! "Ayana- get away come over here that thing's creeping up!" she says.

"Guys..um. We need to.. figure this out... like now." she says worriedly.

She peeks down at the ravine. What's going on. What's the trick? Is this just a no way out trap..!?

Come on Hoshi...

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei taps her chin, scuffs her foot on the landing, and looking back at the gloom. She's getting nervous, and impatient. "If you can't make a bridge, and if the ravine isn't an illusion, then is there something else we could use as a bridge? Anything else around here?"

    She paces around the landing, looking up and around for anything that could be moved around or something in a way that it would help them. She isn't sure what kinds of answers she could find by looking around, but if this is really a test then there must be some way to pass, right?

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
"It's real wide here, maybe the ravine is a distraction. Maybe we're supposed to walk alongside the ravine until it ends or we find some way to cross." Hoshi suggests as she backs away from the ravine, smiling at Ikiko and letting go of the other girl's hand as soon as she's out of the wind. "Thanks."

Hoshi looks around, trying to figure out which way is best. "On one hand, the wind has to die down at some point, but... on the other hand it must come from somewhere, right?" She sounds uncertain, her little star soldiers taking up a protective flanking position around her, regardless of their state.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata nods to Hoshi, then quickly dashes over to scoop up Ayana and carry her away from the approaching gloom. "There's gotta be a way forward," she mutters. "Even if it's sideways, there's gotta be a way forward."

Is she reminding the others, or trying to convince herself?

Ayana has posed:
The little fox lets out a yelp as it's scooped up into Ikiko's arms. "Thanks," she says, glancing back skittishly towards the gloom. "It seems so terrifying. Is that what I was like before?" asks the fox of Ikiko.

Meanwhile, as Rei roams about the landing, she is quick to notice that the ravine itself doesn't look the same from alternate angles. The further towards the far edge from the mountain she gets, the narrower the distance seems, until--right at the very edge, where it drops off the side of the mountain into nothing, the ravine itself appears entirely absent.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama looks around and frowns. She looks over to Rei and jogs on over. "Oh!----" she says. "It looks.. weirder from over here..." she taps her chin. "I wonder why..." she says softly.

Maybe it's like one of the Escher paintings, she thinks. This is that kind of place right...

"Um...here..." she says. She goes ahead and tries to cross where Rei found the opening carefully, taking it nice and slow just in case this is also a trick and she like, falls through the ground into nothingness.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei squints at the ravine a few times, as she notices something very strange about it. She stops in her pacing, walking one way, then another, watching the ravine the whole time. Then she asks, "Am I the only one seeing this? The ravine disappears if you move far enough this way..."

    Pursing her lips, she decides to try it. She walks around until the ravine disappears again, and then cautiously tries to step across where it... was. She walks slowly, half expecting the floor to be an illusion and for her foot to slip through the ground, but it never happens.

    When she looks back and sees that she's crossed, she says, "Come on, do what I just did. We need to hurry!" Her attention darts between the gloom chasing them and the party that's joined her.

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
Hoshi is glad to know her hunch was sorta right, following Rei along quickly and passing beyond this weird Ravine, sighing in relief. "So that's that done. See, I knew we could do it." She sounds more confident again, the little star soldiers setting their helmets right and the one with a broken spear discarding it for a flowing yellow banner.

"Let's keep going. Either this was the last test, or another one will come soon, either way." The tiny blonde starts walking, encouraged by their success so far. "No reason to keep our hostess waiting, I'm sure she's got a lot else she needs to do today."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata jogs over after the others, still carrying the fox. "Only when you were hopped up on excess dark energy," Ikiko replies to Ayana. "Or very, very upset. The rest of the time, you weren't very scary."

A small pause, then a shrug. "Well, not to me, at least," she admits.

She nods to Hoshi as they walk along. "I'm almost expecting a third test," she remarks. "In folklore, magical challenges often come in threes."

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    A hammer rings out as the girls approach the summit of the mountain, metal on metal marking their approach, a steady sound that occasionally falls in step with the pace of their hurried footsteps. They can see it closer now, with the ravine behind them: there's the light that they've been headed toward, that sits atop the peak. They're almost there.

    The path grows more treacherous as they proceed, winding now as the grade increases. Below their feet, rocky ground occasionally gives away, slipping steps sending the odd spray of pebbles scattering down the mountainside behind them. It's rough, but with the determination of a journey nearly complete, it's manageable. Even for those brave enough to attempt such an ascent in heels. Before long, they've nearly reached the summit. As they finally crest the peak, the path opens up as the terrain flattens once more. Their goal comes into view.

    The group finds themselves atop a circle of pure starlight. In front of them, standing before a long anvil of black iron, is a man in the traditional white garb of a Japanese artisan. Here they hear up close source of the sound. The man looks to be in this thirties, his face delicately handsome, a head of scraggly white hair crowning a brow moist with the sweat of steady exertion. He's tall, and his practically-strong build hints at lifetime spent performing manual labor. Powerful arms bring his hammer down in a steady rhythm. He's forging something. Beneath his hammer, held by a pair of tongs, is a small sphere. Within it swirls a darkness marked by motes of starlight, a single particularly bright star at its center.

    The man lifts his head as the group draws close. His expression is inquisitive and piercing, as if he was looking both at them and into them. This must be Inari.

    Around in every direction, the mountain stretches, and beyond that, there's only the steadily-encroaching Gloom. It's coming, faster now. It won't be long before it's upon the forge, before it overtakes everyone present. What to do? Inari finally speaks. "This is your next challenge."

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama isn't in heels. She's in shoes. She is not dressed for elegance right now. Should she had been?

Well she was meeting a god.. right. >,>

Wait. Do they even care about that!? Probably not. She looks at the odd man there. Hammering on some sort of sphere. She purses her lips as she thinks about this.

"What's the next challenge....? Wait-- that!?" she motions to the gloom!

"Oh no.."

She sort of grips that charm braclet Ikiko made for her once. It's probably not adaquate for this.

She looks to Hoshi and Ikiko and she grips her Chroma Prism in her right hand. It glows orange. She doesn't transform though.

Rei Hino has posed:
    "Yeah, three seems about right." says Rei to Ikiko. As she climbs up to the summit, and the ground gives way underneath her heels, she mutters, "... I suppose it'd be too easy if it was just a simple walk."

    When she reaches the summit, she squints at the old man. Looking at the symbolism surrounding him and what he's doing with that hammer, she purses her lips. It doesn't take long for her to recognize the kami behind the legends.

    "Inari-sama." She bows respectfully. "Our next challenge?"

    She looks around her as the gloom approaches, and the forge will soon be next. Well, the forge seems to be the point of interest, so maybe the next challenge is to stop the gloom? ... or survive it, somehow? "Then, if I may..." She walks closer to the forge, looking at what's being made specifically.

    Nothing here has been obvious, so she doesn't expect this test to have an obvious solution, either.

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
They arrive at the summit, and Hoshi first approaches the man. "Inari-sama." She bows deeply, showing respect to the kami, before turning around and looking to see what is going on. Rei is walking closer to the forge, so she takes a good look at the surrounding area, the gloom itself, but also the summit they're standing on.

Like Reiko, she reaches for her Chroma Prism, which glows a yellow to match Reiko's orange. "Okay guys, any ideas?" She asks, while she herself keeps looking around, her eyes, and ears, kept open to some kind of clue.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata walks over to the forge, still carrying Ayana. "Inari-sama," she says with a bow, then gently places the fox on the ground before bowing to the kami once more and moving to stand with the others.

Her locket gleams slightly, but like the others she does not transform yet. "Keep the darkness from creeping into the item that Inari-sama is making?" she suggests, thinking about how items can be corrupted during their making, perverting their purpose and making them cursed.

Ayana has posed:
"Don't let me be like that again," Ayana says to Ikiko as she's carried past the ravine and onward up the mountain. The little fox crawls up to peer over Ikiko's shoulder at the gloom that's still chasing, until the sound of hammers reaches its ears. Turning around, Ayana bounds out of Ikiko's arms, then picks her way forward.

When the little fox spots the man at the forge, her eyes widen in surprise. "Inari-kami," says the fox, voice hardly above a whisper. Almost on instinct, the fox bows, sending its foreleg forward and bending its second. Reverence from fox to fox-god.

But at the term 'challenge', Ayana turns to regard the darkness. "What? We've come all this way and it's chased us. How do we get it to stop?"

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    Inari's face remains peaceful, ice blue eyes watching both the scene and the girls within it with the calm, transcendant grace of a kami. Only his eyebrows change, lifting slightly with a hint of confusion as the group responds to the approaching Gloom. "Such questions." His voice is almost dismissive, though he doesn't seem to be mocking the party. Rather, he doesn't seem to understand the point of the questions they're asking themselves.

    Inari's face is lowered again, his eyes returning to his work. He raises his hammer. Then it falls, ringing out once more, the light and dark within the sphere shifting. The void and starlight within it dance with each strike of the hammer, the sphere brighter in some moments and darker in others, though neither seems transcendant for long.

    And still, the Gloom comes. There's little to see out there but encroaching blackness that envelops the path they walked not long ago. The kami repeats a familiar line, one the group might remember from the start of their journey. "Creativity is not always about bending the sword to your will; it is about bending your will to the sword." There's a pause, his eyes not rising as he asks in a flat, almost disappointed tone, "Did you come here to fight, travelers?"

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei frowns at Inari's words. At least the sphere seems meaningful enough. Forging a wish stone, maybe? Well, that's probably not the answer. That might be the reward. She steps away from the forge.

    "Bend our will to the sword. Yes, I remember those words. So... it's not about what we want. It's about what the sword wants. Is that the right answer?"

    Rei turns to face the gloom, holding her hands behind her back. "If that's the case... it might be better to... not fight it. To just let it happen."

    It certainly looks scary, but it wouldn't be the first time they've had a frightening illusion in this journey.

    It wouldn't be a proper spiritual journey without a scary moment like this, right? The cycle of death and rebirth is at the heart of things like these...

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama just grips her Chroma Prism. There's no reason for this, it's just making her feel safer. Is she scared right now? Well Let's see. There's 'wall of gloomy darkness' over that way. 'actually a god' over there. Some sort of strange thing going on with hammering it.

That's a familar phrase isn't it?

They heard it when they came in.

'Creativity'. Something Reiko's familar with. She kinda helped create a universe and then it became real. But is that what Inari-sama means?

"No...! We're here to help our friend!" she says. She has to think on this.

Creativity to her has never been being a sword to her will. It's always been kinda putting her will down on paper. -,-;;. So. That thought goes nowhere. But.. the pen is mighter than the sword, right? So--- wait. That doesn't make any sense. None of this makes any sense.

Think Reiko think, think think think think.

She tries to think about this a different way. She's drawing. What's her sword...? Her pencil. Okay. She uses it to draw. She's 'bending it to her will'. So what's the opposite? Nrg. Okay the pencil breaks. Now her will's hostage to the pencil. You sharpen it?

Ugh no that makes not a lick of sense. Does it mean just accepting the pencil's broken?

She seems thoughtful. Also a koi joins in her thoughtfulness, fin resting underneath it's chin.

"That sounds like giving up... but... if you're intending it to happen...is it reall giving up..." she taps her lip nervously.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata thinks for a moment. "No," she admits, looking towards the kami. "No, we came here as friends of Ayana, to help her find the answers she sought. Some of us -- myself included -- hope that she can find a way to be able to take a human form again, but we are primarily here for Ayana."

She turns back to face the gloom. She takes a deep breath--

--and smiles at the darkness. "Hello there!" she beams into the inky blackness. "My name is Ikiko Hisakata, a 5th grader at Seishou Public School in Tokyo! I'm also able to transform into the magical girl Cute Wolf Tsukiko! Pleased to meet you! And no matter what form I'm in, I like making friends."

Ikiko tilts her head inquisitively. "And what name do you go by?"

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
"Not looking, Inari-sama, but I don't know what to expect." Hoshi sounds appropriately chastised, exactly like a kid who's been told off by a respected teacher or beloved parent. "I guess I was overthinking what we were supposed to do." She looks at what Inari is creating, trying to remember what she knows about both Inari and Kitsune.

Then she remembers a detail, "Inari-sama, are you making a Hoshi no Tama?" She asks, looking at it again, and taking a deep, nervous breath. "Is there anything we can do, or that you want us to do, to help with it? I know I would."

Ayana has posed:
The little fox stares at the gloom, then tilts its head. "Ikiko did not give up when she willingly entered my gloom," Ayana replies to Reiko. "She simply gave willingly of herself what I needed. And you did the same when you severed my bond to Riventon," Some memories, it seems, have returned. But woefully few.

"But it's scary," agrees the fox. Nevertheless, she creeps between Ikiko's legs, head hunched, and stares the gloom down. It's coming. She's not going to be able to stop it. So she doesn't try; she merely closes her eyes and prays to the God beside her. Please, let my friends survive this.

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    The Gloom finally encroaches upon the gathered heroines, surrounding them, seeping into every remaining part of this world. Inari doesn't seem to be alarmed. His work does not stop. There's gray at first in the group's vision, the darkness mingling with the circle of starlight upon which they stand. Then the final motes of light in their field of view wink out, and there's only darkness.

    There's nothing now. They can only hear. Inari's hammer rings. Clang. Clang. Clang. The rhythm doesn't change; there's no urgency in his words when he finally speaks.

    "You have passed. This was the trial of understanding and acceptance. Here you stand, within this sphere: a thing of the void, a thing of starlight. Neither is harmful or evil in itself. No, that is determined only by sapient hands. It is determined only by how such power is used. Accepting that is the first step to . . . " A pause. "But I suppose this isn't quite the environment to have that discussion. This must be disconcerting for human eyes. Allow me, then . . ." And once more, that hammer rings, much louder now, a deep and powerful tone that reverberates through the group's bones. In an instant, the Gloom is rushing away, draining to some far away place. A moment later, it's entirely gone.

    Around the girls, the scene finally takes shape. They're standing atop a mountain, amidst a thing well-known to some of the heroines here. This is a mountain shrine, built to honor Inari. Four simple wooden arches of red-painted logs mark the space, and beneath their feet are old but immaculately-kept flat cobblestones. In clear view once again, there's Inari, still next to his anvil. The rest of his forge is arrayed about him. To his right is a pool of water in a wooden trough, for quenching. To his left, a furnace burns bright, raging with a dancing blue flame that seems supernaturally beautiful.

    This place is familiar to Ayana, maybe even to others well-travelled. The same mountain they've been climbing stretches out around the group, but now beyond it, a forest creeps in all directions, almost to the horizon. This forge may not be here in reality, but everything else . . . This mountain. This forest. This shrine. This is where she was born.

    Above the group, the sky is filled with stars, and slowly, the sounds of nature begin to fill the empty moments. Inari sets down his hammer, a white-clad arm rising to his brow, wipping away the sweat of hard work. "It is finished. I hope this environment is more comfortable for you, travelers?"

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama sort of just closes her eyes. It'll be okay, she tells herself. The pencil is broken. She doesn't have a sharpner-- despite her chroma prism being right in her hand. Then it just---washes over them. She peeks her eyes open and looks around and Inari talks as she takes a deep cleansing breath and she feels disoriented just by the strange happenings going on.

Wait, they're in the sphere now? She thinks about those words--wait that's right.

The gloom was just... there. No one was controlling it. Right? A pencil can't actually /do things/ if you're not holding it or using it.

That makes more sense in her head now. Maybe. It's easier to think in terms of pencils than cosmic certainties for her.

"Yes this is better..." she says softly, it feels-- normalish.. again for terms of normal. "Um--Inari-sama!" she adds because she's been neglecting that. Whoops.

...do gods care about formalities?

Rei Hino has posed:
    "It's not about giving up," says Rei to Reiko. She speaks with confidence, as if this is a subject she's familiar with. "It's about releasing yourself. Letting yourself be changed, molded, improved. Spiritual journeys often aren't just about obtaining a thing. Sure, that's the endpoint, but the journey itself commonly involves..."

    She trails off as she sees the gloom approach and overtake her. She's confident now, sure in her footing, and she does not waver. Even floating, blinded by the void, she isn't bothered. She understands its purpose now, or at least enough to consider it to not be a threat. Instead, she focuses on the voice of Inari and the sounds his hammer makes.

    When the gloom suddenly rushes away, she turns to face him again. It's only polite to look at someone when they talk to you, after all. With a smile, she cants her head to the side. "It's quite nice, thank you."

    She thinks that she understands things now, where this is going and what to expect.

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
When the gloom washes over them, Hoshi is clearly scared. Even though she is confident that Inari wouldn't allow them to come to harm, it's still very scary. She stands her ground, because it seems to be the right to do, but she's clearly terrified. The lecture doesn't help, and when the world looks sensible again, Hoshi takes a deep breath.

"It is much more comfortable, thank you, Inari-sama." She still sounds very nervous, but at least she's no longer terrified, and she doesn't say much else, just breathing in, and out, trying to collect herself, trying to stop being so scared.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
While there is no response from the gloom, Ikiko still maintains her friendly smile. Sometimes all one needs in order to turn to the better is friendship. After all, it seemed to have worked well enough for a certain black-haired foxgirl she met seven months ago...

The gloom flows by, and Inari explains and shifts the darkness away. The mention of the influence of sapient thought makes Ikiko nod -- shade is dark from the absence of light, but does not cause harm unless deliberately done.

"Yes, this is much more relaxing," Ikiko smiles. "Thank you, Inari-sama." And this is a very pretty view!

Ayana has posed:
The fox hunches down within the gloom, but she doesn't try to run or hide any further. She simply accepts it, as it washes over her. When it's gone, she opens her eyes, then lets out a soft sigh of relief. soft fur brushes Ikiko's ankles as the little fox turns about to peer at Inari once again.

And then the scenery changes, and the little fox's eyes widen. "Home," she says, then bounds forward towards a small opening in the rocks. She heads straight for it and bounds inside, then lets out a soft yipping noise, before turning about and bounding right back out. "Home!"

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    Inari listens patiently and deliberately to each of the group in turn, and as he does, whatever judgments that might be passing through his mind do not show on his impassive face.

    "I know why you all have come here. I can sense it." His ice blue gaze turns toward Ayana, his voice seeming to chill as his attention focuses on her. "There are marks on you, little one, that my eyes can see." He lifts his hand, pointing at the fox. His finger bears a long, pointed fingernail that hints at his nature. "There was something added to you, and now it is missing. There was darkness in you, and now it is gone."

    "And now you seek power of your own. And more than that, you seek . . . " His hand turns, palm facing up now. His fingers roll, one after another, conjuring. From the fire of his furnace, blue motes of flames leap outward, swirling in the air before settling in his grip. "This." The foxfire rushes forward from his hand when that word is spoken, circling Ayana faster and faster before enveloping her completely, a brief roar as the flames overtake her and the fox disappears.

    When the blue fire fades, the fox is gone and a human girl remains; it's Ayana. This is the Ayana some of those present met months ago, mostly: a human girl, at least in appearance, with short orange hair and stark eyes which match the frosty blue of Inari himself. One can't sense any magic from within her, though; she seems almost normal, right now, garbed in the uniform of a Seishou elementary student. The kami continues to speak as his gaze locks with hers. "You want to walk in that form once more. But do not get excited, little one. Whether you keep it . . . " He snaps his fingers, and the sphere shakes loose of the tongs holding it, lifting from the anvil to float gently into his palm. "And whether you receive this . . . These things are yet to be seen."

    Inari's tone turns questioning and his eyes narrow, a more critical gaze drifting across the gathered heroines as he speaks. "You have proven yourselves by making it this far, all of you." He holds up the sphere. "But isn't it presumptuous to think this your birthright, little one? Do you not know the rules? Fifty years a fox, and only /then/, a kitsune. You are far short of that number, by my count. Or do you all think yourselves worthy of an exception?"

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama looks between the others and-- Ayana's a girl again!? She smiles! But--- temporary it seems. Still... it makes her happy- to see that and without it being the fault of a jerk. Though it is the fault of a god at the moment. She looks back to Inari-sama.

"I am... Reiko Touyama. I'm also Prism Keeper Orange! I.. protect color! On Earth! I helped free Ayana-chan from the jerk that 'marked' her as you say!" she says. "--um, also. Why she's sort of Orangish.. now..." She mutters. "Anyways, Inari-sama..." she says.

"I do not claim to be above gods or rules of gods!" she says. "..but Ayana-chan! She was made into something special by a jerk! And then she made us as friends. We don't want to lose her as a friend!" she says.

"Grandpa always said that.. it's a soldier's duty to do what's right and that sometimes that means going against orders!" she says. "--and I think it's right we get Ayana-chan back to what she was! How we made riends with her!" she says.

"But!---um..."

"I'm not saying we deserve that for free!" she says. "But is there anything that.. we can do for it?" she asks. "Besides just wait? Isn't this a special circumstance? Has anyone ever come up here to even ask this of you before, Inari-sama?" she asks.

Rei Hino has posed:
    'Worthy?' Just as Rei has thought she had a grasp on things, she gets this curveball. Sure, it makes sense, what he says makes perfect sense. This is a pretty huge exception, after all. She looks towards Ayana with a questioning gaze. She frowns slightly, and then turns back to Inari.

    "It's not because of entitlement that we've sought you out, but because of need. I would not be so bold as to claim it as our right, just as a... flower might not be able to claim sunlight as its right. Yet the flower will still bend itself to get as much sunlight as it can."

    She actually doesn't have an answer she can be confident will convince the kami. She can't really defend Ayana, that's up to her friends and to the people who know her best.

    "If it's a matter of friendship, then waiting the full 50 years will be a very long time before se can live out her life as it was before. That's almost a lifetime, and most of the friends she has now will have moved on since then. If it's going to happen, then now is the best time for it."

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
"We don't ask you this because we feel like we deserve an exception." Hoshi agrees with the others, kneeling on the ground in a gesture of respect and supplication. She's not a miko, and she's not the closest to this. She's here because it was her idea, and she feels she needs to stick it out.

"We ask because without an exception, my friends will find themselves without cure for their pains. If no exception can be granted..." Hoshi lets that linger for a little while, hopeful but sincere, "... then we will have no choice but to accept that. We know this. But we also know that if we don't ask for an exception, or how we might be granted one, we would never get one."

She bows, while still kneeling, "Please, Inari-sama, ease the pain of my friends. We know of no other way." She keeps her head lowered like that, a little girl praying to a mighty kami who she knows is listening. Doing her best to show respect while asking for what she knows is a big favor.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata hears the kami's question, but doesn't immediately respond. Instead, she rushes up to Ayana, giving her a big hug and leaning against her with a contented smile.

"I ask for an exception on the basis of love," Ikiko says to Inari. "Love is what brings emotional warmth into this world, and it is what helps protect this world against those who would bring suffering to others. Love means striving to keep those you care about safe, even at risk to your friendship. Love means sticking with your friends, no matter the danger involved. Love is not blaming someone for helping those they care about, and love is protecting those you care about... even from themselves."

Taking a deep breath, Ikiko holds onto one of Ayana's hands and takes a step forward. "So, please, Inari-sama. Please, on behalf of love, grant the exception to Ayana," she says, bowing deeply.

Ayana has posed:
The little fox looks startled as the fire overwhelms it. Startled, and then feminine. Ayana's eyes widen as she looks down on her human hands, and human feet. She turns around once, trying to hunt for signs of her tail or her fur, but they're all gone. She's a girl, now, and the girl looks confused and excited both.

But the questions make it past her excitement, and Ayana turns at last to face Inari, then looks incredibly uncertain. "Inari-kami," she mumbles, "I do not think I would make it to fifty. I know I am not due this privilege; I know that I do not deserve this at all. But for a brief while, I was not merely a fox, but a girl. And even though I was bound to an evil heart, and overwhelmed by evil," she reaches out to grasp Ikiko's hand even as the girl grasps her own, now, lacing her fingers with her girlfriend's, "I still found love. And I want to fight for it. I want to become a better person. I was a wild fox; unable and unwilling to serve you. Now I know what you are, and I hoped--still hope--that I might be able to serve you, now."

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    "You are still that wild fox, in many ways. There is instinct inside you still, just a different kind. You don't yet know the burdens you will face, yet you make promises based on feeling alone. I'm not sure you can keep them." In Inari's palm, the sphere begins to turn. He watches carefully for a few moments before continuing. "I do not think you are sure yourself." His hand closes around the sphere, his arm falling. With measured steps, he begins to approach Ayana, his demeanor relaxed and nonthreatening. "I see your feelings. I see the feelings of those close to you here. You all speak of love and friendship and building a future marked by your shared bonds. And there are parts of your appeals which resonate with me. I look at you, little one, and I think that perhaps the darkness has had its turn with you."

    The kami stops a few paces short of Ayana, a gentle breeze tossing white hair. "But my duties as a kami extend beyond granting second chances. The marks of your history are not something I can simply ignore. So prove to me that you are walking toward the light, and your hopes shall be fulfilled. But this last challenge . . . I think you might find it the hardest one yet. You will know what you must do."

    Inari raises his empty hand, two fingers extended forward. He takes a step forward. "What has been broken can be rebuilt. I will give you something back which you have lost, but confronting it may require a different kind of strength than you've needed in your past battles." He takes a second step forward, and sharp-nailed fingers gently come to rest on Ayana's forehead. "Remember."

Ayana has posed:
Ayana hesitates as Inari approaches. For a moment she looks ready to bolt, and it's only because of Ikiko's hand in her own that she manages to avoid doing so.

But worse, then the Kami touches her forehead, and memory floods back into Ayana's mind like a sharp drill.

This is not the first time Ayana has relived memories in an instant. It's the same sensation she felt when she tried to steal the Lycan Locket. Only instead of being Ikiko's memories, it is her own.

Woefully incomplete; patched over holes still live where her soul could never tread. Now, rather than feeling the norm, those glaring holes in Ayana's memory stand out in sharp contrast to the crystal clarity with which she recalls most of her time as a girl.

Tears well in her eyes, but Ayana fights them back with a sharp expression. She takes a deep breath, then looks to Inari-kami, briefly, before she lowers her eyes. A blush comes to her cheek, and Ayana pulls her hand away from Ikiko. Hugging herself in shame, she backs away from her friends.

"You shouldn't have done this," she says worriedly. "I'm not worth all of this. Oh god, I remember it ... all of it. All the terrible things I did, and all the lies I told."

Ayana looks up to Ikiko and admits, "I didn't just steal the locket to protect you. I was jealous of you. I didn't want you to have that power; it wasn't fair that you were a real girl, and I was still a fox. And it wasn't the darkness that drove me to eat the koi in the pond," Ayana tells Reiko. "I wanted it even before then, and I still want it now. They were tasty, and ... I took what I wanted. I manipulated you into loving me; both of you. I was never nice, and it wasn't Riventon's fault. It's just who I was. Who I still am. You shouldn't have done this. I'm not ... I don't deserve to be a kitsune. I don't deserve to be a girl."

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama listens and can only step back and watch now as her eyes trace over to Rei and Hoshi before looking back at Ayana and Ikiko. She smiles a bit-- but can only stand by her own friend as she crosses her arms...

"..I dunno what's happening." she whispers to Hoshi.

"...But. I have faith Ayana-chan can do it! She's been through a lot!" she insists to Hoshi.

But then Ayana remembers everything and she huffs. This again!? She thought she told Ayana-chan before what she thought. She steps forward and places her hands against her hips!

"Ayana-chan!" she huffs! "I already told you! Do you think I'm silly!?" she says. "Even like, Koi eat bugs and foxes eat fish n' stuff!" she says. "I most certainly love koi! They mean so much to me! But---I don't care about them more than you! It's why I didn't even put up much of a fight!" she says. "Because I know I'd hurt you if I started attacking and---I know that would had made you sad and maybe make Ikiko sad, too!" she says.

"--and even after that I'm here! Because-- you're still a friend!" she says. "--and even if how you acted wasn't /his/ fault, he still /hurt you/!" she huffs. She seems overwhelmed, not upset in her tone though.

"What's important is you already said you're sorry! and I don't think 'just a fox' says sorry for anything!" she insists.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei smiles at the words the others provide, especially Ikiko's and Ayana's. She wasn't confident of her own answer, but Ayana's friends could provide a better one than Rei herself ever could. She looks to Inari, wondering if their explainations and beseaching are enough.

    Then Inari approaches. His words are stern, but fair, even merciful considering what's being asked.

    ... and then Ayana speaks. Rei turns to her, frowning. If she wasn't sure before, then she is now. It's not a disapproving frown, but... what she's saying is still saddening.

    So, she manipulated her friends, and lied to them. Rei can't say she's surprised, though much of this is news to her.

    Instead, all she can say is, "No. Don't think like that. Holding onto those feelings can only hurt you. It's good to tell the truth, and be honest about what you've done, but don't hate yourself for it."

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
Hoshi doesn't know what to say here. Not really. This happened before she got involved, and she's almost as peripheral to this whole thing as Rei. Maybe even more. "Ayana-chan." She says softly. "The fact that you care about having done wrong means that you ought to have a second chance." And that said, she shuts up, letting the others say their pieces. Reaching out with one hand for Reiko's.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata blinks as Ayana back away, then frowns sadly at her. Stepping forward, she wraps Ayana up in a hug, rising up on the balls of her feet to rest her forehead against the fox/girl's.

"I still love you, Ayana," Ikiko murmurs. "And we're still your friends. Even if there was ulterior motives and lies, there was still a layer of truth to you -- enough caring to worry about others outside of your familiar bond, enough kindness that it felt good to be around you."

She backs up a half-step and gazes into Ayana's eyes. "You think that you're not worthy of my love, but I know that you are worth loving," Ikiko states firmly. "My heart feels warmest when you are near, and I love to see you smile happily. We've long accepted your apologies and given you our forgiveness; isn't it time you forgave yourself?"

And before she gives Ayana a chance to respond, Ikiko steps forward and gives the fox/girl a tender kiss on the lips.

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    The white-haired god watches, Inari's cold neutrality finally starting to fade. Slowly, subtly, restrained emotion starts to creep back into a countenance that thusfar has showed little more than divine detachment. He listens to the grieving girl with a mix of pity and empathy. He watches too, blue eyes tracing the flowing feelings of those near her as, one by one, those gathered react to Ayana's statements.

    He approaches once more, though he stops short of those near Ayana, allowing the group their space. "It is easy to say that you want to be better. It is easy to say that you are trying to fight for what's right. Those are just words, words which have been spoken often by both history's heroes and villains. Platitudes are easy. But the truth, whole and unadultered: that is a harder thing to commit to. It is a hammer that can build, and it is a hammer that can hurt. And that pain can run deep, both for yourself and others, as you now know well, little one."

    The kami's closed fist rises, fingers unfurling, the starlight of the sphere on his palm just a little bit brighter. "But you have shown you were willing to grasp that hammer unselfishly. You did not have to do or say what you just did. But when given the choice between painful revelation and easy silence, your heart chose the former without hesitation. It has not always been that way. That is one step toward the light which I cannot ignore."

    "It is only one step, though." His face softens, his mouth turning upward ever-so-slightly in a mischievous grin. "I will hold you to your promise, and I will expect to see many more." Inari lifts his palm and blows softly, blue flame slipping from between his lips and dancing across the sphere. It lofts into the air and drifts, like a feather on a breeze, slowly finding its way toward Ayana.

Ayana has posed:
Ayana looks taken aback at Reiko's abrupt forwardness, but it is--of course--the sudden kiss that truly catches her off guard. Ayana's cheeks grow flush with embarassment and uncertainty, but nevertheless she returns the kiss, then looks away and tries to hide a smile. It's good to be loved.

When she looks back again, however, she is surprised to find Inari-kami approaching, and surprised even further as the small glass-and-steel sphere is sent drifting her way through the air. Ayana's eyes widen and she holds out her hands. When the ball touches her palms, it begins to glow. It is not a brilliant and blinding glow, but the subtlety of twilight. It glimmers and engulfs Ayana, and the girl begins to change for the second time in this trip: a pair of fuzzy orange ears pop out of her hair, streaked with flecks of black. Too, a quartet of long and fluffy tails emerge from her skirt, each similarly streaked with those blackf lecks. And then her skirt begins to change, darkening to black with a ribboned belt of blue. Her shirt shortens to something much more appropriate for activity, yet reveals much of her tummy. Black gloves adorn her hands, and boots her feet, and ribbons of blue adorn the outfit all over.

Cute Fox Inariko's eyes widen, as the gem floats up to affix itself to the collar about her throat. "T...thank you," she says to Inari, uncertain what else to say. "I won't let you down," she promises. "And I'll do my best to make up for my own sins."

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama takes Hoshi's hand and squeezes just a bit, Reiko has a tendencay to be forward and blunt about things. Quiet on others. This is something she feels strongly about- so she's forward and plain with her language!

When her two friends kiss, her eyes sparkle, just a little. For a moment, all the current trouble is pushed aside, because 'eeeeeeee, her two friends are kissing' and that's kinda great!

Then Ayana gets her Hoshi No Tama and she beams!

"Yes!" she exclaims happily. Really, this is a nice happy end, right? Not relying on a jerk to keep your life going. Living on your own terms! Mmhmmmm!

"Ayana-chan will do her best! I know she will!" she says, giving her best vote of confidence!

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei watches this, curiously. Ayana did tell the truth, and Inari acknowledged her for it. She watches as the sphere travels from Inari's hand to Ayana. Does this mean they've succeeded? It seems so. She smiles at Ayana. "I hope this is what you were looking for. You have a second chance now."

    'Don't mess it up by attacking anyone's grandpa,' is exactly what Rei chooses not to say.

    To Inari, she says, "Thank you. You've gone well out of your way for us." There's something heartwarming in seeing Ayana's friends rejoice with her.

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
Hoshi keeps her distance, even as Inari seems to be willing to extend the favour, pending a reasonable but not necessarily easy promise. She smiles, and holds Reiko's hand tight, squeezing a little. She watches the two girls kiss, and smiles lightly, nervously. "Thank you, Inari-sama."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata smiles brightly as Ayana receives her Hoshi No Tama, then bounds forward to give her another big hug after the transformation! "Welcome back," she murmurs, happily resting her head on the kitsune's shoulders.

She turns, her hand holding Inariko's hand, their fingers entwined, and faces the kami. "Thank you, Inari-sama," she says with a bow.

Hiroko Koumoto has posed:
    The breeze again blows, bringing with it the smells of a spring forest. Inari is smiling now, though his blue eyes carry a knowing wisdom that adds weight to even a pleasant expression.

    Above, the stars in the sky begin to swirl, shimmering as they do. And beyond, the forest's edge starts to fade into an again encroaching void. Somehow, though, the blackness they see now seems friendlier than one before.

    The kami's final words come softly, whispered into intended ears as the world around them starts to fade. To Rei, he offers a tone of respectful formality, though with a layer of genuine appreciation below it. "Maiden. Thank you for helping to guide these travelers on this journey." To the Prism Keepers, he offers earnest praise. "There's a shining light in your spirits, young warriors. Nurture it." To Ikiko and Ayana, his voice is warm, kinder than what they heard before. "Daughters of the moon and stars. Whatever burdens or challenges you may face, remember the strength you showed tonight. Even in the night, the light is always a choice." There's no chance to reply. The darkness comes quickly, engulfing the mountain summit and the forge as this part of their journey draws to a close.

Ayana has posed:
The five girls--girls all--awaken in the shrine where their journey began. Ayana awakens with a start, then reaches up to touch her own face and hands immediately, her eyes wide with surprise. "I'm a girl," she mumbles quietly, then hugs herself. "I'm really really a girl."

Then she moves to hug Ikiko next, squeezing her girlfriend tight. She chases it with a sudden, very passionate kiss, before reiterating, "I'm a girl."

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei finds herself back at the shrine to Inari. Did they return here? Did they ever leave? It's not a question that this one miko can answer right now. Instead she simply mutters as she looks at the statue, "It was my pleasure."

    She looks up at the sky above, and then at the four others who came with her. "Well. That was... an experience. I can't say that happens too often." Or at all, really. "Unfortunately I have other matters to tend to. Please enjoy your stay, and I wish you all good luck."

    To Ayana, she adds, "Especially you. You've got quite a road ahead of you. It's not an easy path, but the light doesn't tend to turn away those who seek it in earnest."

    She turns to leave, going off to go handle miko things. She waves at her travelling companions one last time before slipping away.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama wakes up and looks around and smiles over to Hoshi, though, her hesitant awkwardness is noted. "Are you okay...?" she asks to Hoshi quietly. Before she gets up and walks on over and watches her two friends hug and kiss and is overall basking in the newness of being a girl.

"T-that's great, Ayana!" she beams.

She bows to Rei as she leaves. "Thank you Rei-san...!" She beams.

She smiles and then decides to just say 'eh!' to it- and joins in with a quick hug to Ikiko and Ayana!

"I bet you feel super good now!" she says. "N'... no worries about anything, okay!?" she says.

She motions Hoshi over. "Um..."

"I dunno.. if like... you remember her, but this is Hoshi Kogane! She's my friend, and the Yellow Prism Keeper! Seeking out Inari was her idea! She wanted to help you too!" she beams.

A koi appears and blows it's nose and appears to be crying happily and making squeaky noisys that suggest fast paced speech. Reiko does kinda have a glisten in her eyes. Maybe the koi's just doing it for her. She side eyes it and purses her lips.

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
"I'm okay." Hoshi gets up and dusts herself off, she still looks a little awkard, and mention softly to Reiko. "I just feel like I'm intruding." She doesn't really mention anything else, and when Reiko introduces her to Ayana, she makes a polite bow, "Nice to meet you, Ayana-san."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Of all the ways to gather your thoughts after waking up, a passionate kiss from your girlfriend is among the best -- or at least the most enjoyable! Ikiko blinks for half a moment at the sudden kiss, then wraps her arms around Ayana and returns the kiss tenderly.

When the kiss finally breaks, she's smiling from ear to ear, leaning against the kitsune. "Told you I'd never give up on you," Ikiko murmurs cheerfully.

Ayana has posed:
As Reiko joins the hug, Ayana opens up her arms to the younger girl. Then she beckons Hoshi over, as well. "I know," she says. "I remember. I remember a lot, now. More than I expected to," she admits quietly.

"You fed me chicken giblets," Ayana notes to Hoshi with a giggle. "They were tasty. Really tasty. Thank you. And thank you for helping me become a girl again. Oh my gosh I'm a real girl."

Then she pauses, and reaches up to touch the top of her head. The ears are gone once more, hidden away for the moment. She squints, and then with a sudden *pop*, both of her fluffy foxy ears emerge from her hair. "Heee. I'm a real kitsune, now." Pause. "Oh, but where am I going to live? Without Riventon, I don't have anywhere to go ..."

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama huffs! "I'm sure Ikiko will take you in! or her family will help!" she says. "I bet Ikiko has all sorts of plans! --and if they won't! Well-- I can ask a friend about some options!" she says.

She smiles! "One day at a time right now!" she says. "Just try to enjoy yourself, too, Ayana-chan~" she beams. "You need a nice break from worry n' stuff after all that!" she says. "Heck I think I need one!" she giggles.

Hoshi Kogane has posed:
Hoshi reaches for the half-empty box of chicken giblets. "They're raw, I don't think they'd be good to eat for you now, but maybe if you fry them they'll be tasty?" She offers, handing the box to Ayana with a pleasant smile, now feeling a little less like she's intruding.

"I'd offer to help, but uh... I don't think I could convince dad even if I tried. Not for more than a few nights, at least." She sighs, but smiles again when it looks like Reiko has suggestions that may stick better. "I hope that works."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata nods in agreement with Reiko! "Ever since Christmas, you've had an outstanding invitation to stay over when you needed to," she points out. The fact that it was for extended short-term stays instead of long-term moving in is not touched upon. "My parents will be glad that you're doing well, and I'm certain that they'll invite you to live with us!"

For a brief moment she wonders where in the house the kitsune will live, but the answer is clear to her: just like when the foxgirl was still just a guest, and just like when she was a fox, Ayana can share Ikiko's bedroom.

Ayana has posed:
Ayana worries over the question a moment, then gives Ikiko another hug. "Maybe," she agrees. "Hopefully. But your father is going to ask why I'm a girl again." She sighs, then shakes her head. "We can deal with that later. Right now, I'm hungry," she reaches out to take the box from Hoshi, then pops the raw giblets in her mouth. After all, she's still a fox turned into a girl. Those ears wiggle excitedly as she chews on the meat happily. "Mmmmmm so good. Reiko-chan, do you have my jerky?" Some things never change.