189/Takashi and the Fox

Takashi and the Fox
Date of Scene:	15 July 2015
Location:	Mitakihara - Infinity Academy
Synopsis:	Takashi Agera meets a little black fox.
Cast of Characters:	Takashi Agera, Ayana

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Ayana has posed:
A cool breeze blows across the campus of Infinity University. It's late evening, and most students are either home with their families, or out in the city enjoying a movie or hanging out with their friends. It's a good time for hanging out with friends.

A svelte black fox seems to think it's a better time for hunting. The small creature drifts its way across campus, slowly creeping upwind of a pair of squirrels that are busily rummaging through the remains of a nutty bar left by some student. Slowly, the fox creeps towards its prey, inching forward, bit by bit, in the hunt for its next meal. This deep in the city, meals are usually trash or the occasional bird's egg when the fox is very lucky. Actual live food is a rare treat that this little fox is not about to pass up.

As she draws very near to the squirrels, the fox stops moving altogether, staring at them cautiously, patiently waiting for the right opportunity to pounce out of the bushes and snatch her prey. There is a moment, very briefly, where the wind changes. In that instant, the squirrels smell the fox on the wind. In that same isntant, the fox realises her window of opportunity is passing. The fox leaps, the squirrels scatter, and one manages to scarper away. The other, however, is trapped beneath the foxes paws and teeth.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Out on the campus, Takashi Agera has recently said goodbye to a couple of acquaintances. They might fancy him to be their friend, but Takashi doesn't make friends. It's just not a thing he does. And now, out on campus alone, he's about to head into the 'stacked space' that disgusises Eclipse's work on campus, when out of the corner of the eye, he spots the movement of the fox..

A tail twitches. The wind changes, and the squirrels scatter. But not fast enough. One of them is caught, trapped under the paws and teeth of the predator. Takashi sits down to watch, the action poetic in a way. The fox, a predator, intelligent and crafty. Takashi pushes a strand of long, silvery-white hair back behind his ear. The squirrels are numerous, and maybe could even put up a fight if they chose to work together. But unlike Takashi's 'squirrels', these dim-witted creatures know their place. They scatter, and leave the fox to it's meal..

He considers the place of the fox in nature, in lore. Not the strongest creature, but quick and clever. Sneaky and vicious. He admires the little fox as it eats its meal, and considers it carefully, as the sun dips below the treeline.

Ayana has posed:
As soon as Takeshi draws near, the fox hesitates over her kill. She lets out a soft growling noise, and then leans down to pick the little squirrel up. Without taking her eyes from Takeshi, the black-furred vulpine backs away slowly, carrying her meal towards the brush. There, she hesitates. Just at the edge of the brush, the fox drops her food to the ground, then tears a chunk of flesh from the squirrel. She swallows the bite quickly, then straightens up to stare at Takeshi. "Yap!" she barks at him, then tilts her head curiously. "Yap yap!"

Takashi Agera has posed:
Takashi smiles softly. "You're a brave little one." he adds. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a stick of beef jerky, which he tears a small peice off of. He's not sure if the curious little thing will go for it, over its fresh kill. But it's worth a try. Imperceptibly to the little animal, though, his Device, Axion, is already making some necessary calculations. "Come here, little fox. I think you can be much more than you are." he adds, his voice still soft, masking the severity of his intent.

Ayana has posed:The fox continues to stare at Takeshi. "Yap!" she barks when he tears off a bit of jerky. She looks back at the squirrel, then at the jerky, then tilts her head as if to say, 'seriously?' "Yap!" she repeats, then picks up the squirrel in her mouth and trots towards Takeshi. The closer she gets, the slower she prances, until she's just beyond his easy pouncing range. There, she stops entirely and extends her head just a little, then drops the squirrel on the ground. Then, she sits, staring at Takeshi uncertainly.

Takashi Agera has posed:
"Hello there." he says, again. But now, the distraction has worked. If the fox was already a magical girl, or a familiar, it might have noticed the way the shadows grew longer on the ground, the way the sunset wasn't casting so much behind it. There's a sudden movement behind the fox, as a small creature made of shadow forms quickly, picking up the little fox by the scruff of the neck!

"You dropped your guard." Takashi says, as the shadow which is cast by his gauntlet holds the little thing still - any attempts to claw or bite free find only the thick, incorporeal substance of negative energy. He looks into the fox's eyes. "Don't worry, you have potential."

Ayana has posed:
The little fox yelps in surprise as she's lifted from the ground. Instantly, she whips her legs out to the side, using the momentum to try and get at the hand that's biting her. She bites at the shadowy hand, but her teeth close straight through it to no effect.

Now scared, the fox lets out a yowl of terror and worry. It tries to twist itself free, to bite at Takashi, but of course it's trapped, and there's very little the fox can do.

Takashi Agera has posed:
"Shhh. You are luckier than you can possibly imagine; you needn't worry. I have faith in you, little fox." he says. His device suddenly expands from its wrist-band size to its much greater (and more powerful) gauntlet form, though Takashi himself doesn't henshin. He places a hand underneath the fox, and ribbons of negative energy come up around, building what becomes quickly something that looks by all rights like a pet carrier, albiet made of jet-black plastic. He grasps it by the handle and his shadowy extension dissappears.

Takashi starts to walk back towards campus - and as he does so, he begins to walk between the sections of reality. For Eclipse learned, a long time ago, that since building space in Japan was at a premium, the best place was to stack dimensions on dimensions. He walks down a long series of halways, stepping between spaces until he arrives at his own laboratory. He opens the door, walks in, locks it and places the impromptu pet carrier on the desk. He considers what to do with the creature. A new Retriver, perhaps? He'd been getting mediocre results from the ones in the field. Or maybe... a new project, all together? Yes, that might be the way to go.

"You are truly lucky indeed, fox-chan. You will go from being one of the many insignificants to one of the greatest things on this world, by my hand." he says, leaning down and looking at it through the box's front mesh.

Ayana has posed:
The little fox does not cease yowling as Takashi's invasions turn from merely lifting her from the ground to placing her within a full cage. She lets out a wail of unhappiness, right up until the world changes. Then, the creature grows very suddenly, and very thoroughly still.

Held within its cage of engative energy, the fox turns once, then back again. It leans forward to sniff at the bars of its cage, then carnes its neck to try and squeeze through. "Yap yap!" it declares, then lets out a soft growling noise. "Yap yap!" When she is set on the desk, the fox stills once more and resumes investigation, curiosity winning out over fear.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Takashi smiles. "Your inquisitiveness should serve us both well." he says, as he opens the cage door, waiting for the little fox to crawl out. When it does, he traps it in a bind of negative energy, and begins to force energy into the little fox! As power flows into it, so does a slice of Takashi's very being - his Linker Core, his emotional soul!

But this time, he's not creating a Retriever. Through some innate process perhaps told to him in the confused language of his device, he begins to go about the necessary magic to imbue it with more than just a slice of his soul, or a bit of his power. But with a humanoid body. A personality. Intelligence. Action. He continues to stare into its eyes as he begins to sacrifice a measure of his own power to give it strength. A new form. A new purpose.

Ayana has posed:
When the cage is opened, the little fox backs away. She hesitates, but when it's clear Takashi is not going to force her out, she does start to sniff around herself, and then slowly, slowly, picks her way out of the cage. All that caution to no avail; the magic binds her completely, and soon the tiny creature is spinning, whirling in the air as her soul is altered, changed, and made anew. The shadowy black energy infuses her body, slowly altering her form from svelte animal to something inherently more.

The fox's legs and arms grow, and her fur takes on an entirely human shape: black stockings and white boots; black shorts and a short black dress. A striking white jacket trimmed in black fur. She changes, until all that remains of the fox she had been are those striking blue eyes, her silky black tail, and those furry black ears sticking through her hair. Those ears twitch once, twice, as the magic fades away. Sitting on the edge of Takashi's desk is no longer a black fox, but a girl in true--perhaps a little younger than him, but no less human except for her vaguely vulpine features.

The fox-girl takes in her surroundings. She takes a deep, slow breath, and then asks, "How may I serve you, Takashi-sama?"

Takashi Agera has posed:
Takashi looks at the once-fox now-familiar. Some of the words that he speaks come unbidden - some connection between forgotten knowledge within his Device and innate desire within his linker core. "Your contract is as follows: you will aid me in all things to the best of your ability, and make every effort to secure my power." he says, sealing the contract which binds his familiar to service. It is a simple thing, but also a thing of unfathomable power, a sealed lock to which only he has the key. And yet he does not seem cruel, only determined. "You are my Familiar, and you share your energy with me, and your success is connected to my success, do you understand? If I do better, so do you - if I fail, you will fall too."

Ayana has posed:
The fox-girl closes her eyes as Takashi's contract binds her. She raises her chin, just a little, then tilts her head to one side. "I understand," she says faintly. "I will do everything to ensure that you are successful, master, no matter what you put your mind to. I not rest until your will is done." She opens her eyes again, and then blinks in sudden surprise. "May I have the jerky you offered me, please?" Her ears perk up, and she bares little fanged teeth hopefully.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Takashi smiles, and passes her the jerky - not just the nibble, but the whole bag. It's easier for him to react with warmth when he knows there's a part of himself within a creature. It means it, like himself, is destined for greatness. He pulls up a chair for her to sit down in. "And don't call me master; it's strange and it will give the nature of our relationship away. You see, I have some special ideas in mind for you."

Ayana has posed:
"Heee," says the fox-girl excitedly as she takes the bag and thrusts her hand into the bag. She pulls forth some jerky and hastily starts tearing into it. Barely bothering to chew, the fox-girl swallows pieces whole. With little manners and a mouthful of meat, the girl asks, "So wha shoo ah caww oo?" Then she pauses, swallows, and asks, "Actually, do I have a name?"

Takashi Agera has posed:
Takashi tilts his head a bit. "You will probably need a name, I suppose... he taps his chin. "Let me come back to that. You see, the name is part of your disguise. You're not going to let anyone KNOW you're a familiar, unless I tell them myself. That's part of your job. Keeping secrets. You're going to keep a lot of them, but you can do that, I'm sure." he says. "You can call me Takashi-sama when we're alone... or Takashi-Sempai otherwise - you're going to spend a lot of time looking younger than me. And, I suppose you are, being just changed into your new form." he adds.

Then, he reaches over to his desk, unlocking it with a key. Rather than pulling out a phenomenal item of power, or a detailed plan, what he sits in front of the newly-born fox familiar is a stack of magical girl manga. "I'll come up with a name. You should start studying."

Ayana has posed:The fox girl takes another bite of jerky, then licks her fingers clean and takes the manga from Takashi. "Hai, Takashi-sama," she agrees. Taking the manga, she hops off the desk, then sprawls out on the floor to begin reading straight away.