2040/Gloomy Questions

Gloomy Questions
Date of Scene:	17 October 2016
Location:	Hisakata Residences
Synopsis:	Ayana arrives at home late at night with hunger and concerns. Ikiko tries to alleviate them, both voluntarily and less so.
Cast of Characters:	Ikiko Hisakata, Ayana

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Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
It's somewhere between late night and early morning, and Ikiko is getting some well-deserved sleep. Ayana had texted her earlier, mentioning that she was going to be staying over at a friend's house for the night. Ikiko had passed the word along to mom, and while it now seems odd to sleep alone in her shared room, she's still sleeping well enough.

As is normal for when one or the other isn't at home at night, the window is left unlocked. It's usually more common to do that when one or the other of the two girls is out on patrol, and in warmer weather the window is left open. But with fall here, keeping the window closed (but openable from the outside) is more common.

Ayana has posed:
Ayana's evening did not go well. Big surprise, a visit to the people working with Eclipse should go that way. But the worst part is she's not entirely sure whether they are to blame or it's herself th at's the problem.

Walking around in the chilly autumn air didn't bring any answers to the kitsune; only a chill and more frustration. Nevertheless, she stubbornly walked for hours, dressed only in an oversized black hoodie over a pair of short shorts and tall black stockings beneath her boots.

Eventually, the tired starts to catch up to her, and Ayana's feet instinctively turn towards home. But she's not about to go in through the front door and face the questions of why she's coming home so late--especially when she said she'd be at a friend's house. That's a question she'd rather just not face at all. Easier to sneak back in the window, and back out in the morning.

The problem with sneaking in through the window is that Ikiko's bed is under it. Ayana perches in the sil of the opened window, staring down at her sleeping girlfriend. The chill night air seeps in around her, but Ayana seems almost paralyzed as she stares at Ikiko.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
The slight puff of cold air is what wakes Ikiko up. Blinking and looking towards the window, she smiles at the sight of her girlfriend.

"Welcome home, beloved," she murmurs, scooting over in her bed and patting the pillow. A late-night snuggle wouldn't be amiss, and Ayana might enjoy a bit of warmth after being out in the night.

Ayana has posed:
Ayana blinks at being caught, then grimaces in frustration. She glances over her shoulder briefly, considering, then growls very much like an animal. Falling in through the window, she lands on the bed ... not beside Ikiko, but straddling the girl. "I'm sorry," she says quietly, then shivers and whisperes, "Gloom."

The miasma is instant, cloying, and draining; a shadow of desperate hunger that threatens to drown Ikiko. "I'm hungry," she explains as she grips her girlfriend's shoulders.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata winces a bit at the sudden drain, but sits up and kisses the kitsune on the cheek. "Rough night?" she asks, reaching over to the nightstand next to her bed. Pulling out a bag of jerky, she munches on one piece to give her body some fuel to replenish her energy and offers the bag to Ayana.

Ayana has posed:
Ayana blinks in surprise as Ikiko pushes through the gloom to fetch food and kiss her. She glares at Ikiko almost angrily, but then looks away in shame. "You could say that," she says, unhappily, as she grabs the bag. The gloom fades almost as quickly as it appears. Ayana shoves a piece of beef in her mouth, then grumbles, "You're such a dumb dog."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"And you're a silly fox," Ikiko counters, resting her head on Ayana's shoulder. "But you're my beloved silly fox, and you have my heart and my trust, and I know you wouldn't take energy without a good reason for it."

She reaches up and idly skritches her girlfriend's fox-ears. "So, what happened?"

Ayana has posed:
Ayana growls again and pushes Ikiko away, forcefully, then bounds off the bed and stalks away. "That's just it," she says upsettedly. "You trust me, but you don't understand." She toes her boots off, then flings herself onto her bed. Gripping the plush wolf, she clutches it close as she buries her face in the pillow. "You shouldn't trust me. I'm feeling the urge to drain people again. Just because I can. Because it feels like the right thing to do."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata sits up, looking at Ayana. Her first thought is to go to the upset kitsune, but the foxgirl looks like she needs her space right now.

Instead, Ikiko tilts her head. "You're right -- I don't understand," she admits factually. "Because it's hard to tell what's wrong if it's not talked about, and this is the first I've heard about these current feelings.

"So... do you know when you started feeling like that?" Her voice is inquisitive, not accusative, like asking about a cute dress or a good book.

Ayana has posed:
Ayana shrugs and turns over in her bed, draws her knees to her chest, and practically squishes her poor plush wolf to her chest. "When the orange went away," she says honestly. "It's like it was trapping me; holding me back. But now it's gone, and the longer I go without it, the more I feel confused as to what's right and what's wrong. All I have is the certainty that if I really do drain someone, Inari isn't going to like it."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Without the added color magic, you have to figure out what lines to color within," Ikiko remarks with a quirked smile. "But thinking about how Inari would react isn't a bad baseline for a conscience."

She walks over to Ayana's bed and sits next to the foxgirl. "Besides, remember the last challenge that Inari-sama gave us when we went to ask to make you a true kitsune," she points out. "The darkness is as much a part of you as your fluffy tail; it's what you do with it that's important."

A thoughtful expression crosses her face. "Maybe use it to drain energy from youma..." she muses, then shakes her head. "Nah, might be like drinking dirty water -- or worse, like drinking from a firehose!"

Ayana has posed:
Ayana shies away from Ikiko, but there's not exactly a lot of places to go without getting up. And she's super not interested in getting up again. With a sigh, she lowers her head to her knees and shrugs faintly. "So it's okay to drain some things?" she asks.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Probably," Ikiko shrugs. "Spare energy from volunteers, and maybe even youma and youma-summoners if you think you'll be okay with siphoning their energy."

She leans over and kisses Ayana on the forehead. "Anything else got you stumped on what's right or wrong?"

Ayana has posed:
Ayana wrinkles her nose, dwelling on the question longer than she ought. Then she shrugs and opens her eyes to look at Ikiko again. "Why's it so easy for you?" she asks confusedly. "You just ... don't care that I'm probably evil. You don't care that I'm a monster. You always have all the answers. I don't get it."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata smiles warmly at her girlfriend. "Because I'm a werewolf that intends to do good, despite what the first werewolf was like," she states bluntly. "And because you're not as evil as you insist you are. There is caring in your heart, and concern for others."

Ayana has posed:
The kitsune's eyes glimmer with uncertainty, but she doesn't argue this time. Instead she just leans her head on Ikiko's shoulder and says nothing else on the topic.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Leaning her head on Ayana's, Ikiko wraps an arm around her girlfriend and snuggles close. She knows the ongoing debate isn't over, but for now it's enough to be cuddling with her beloved, warm and cozzzy and...

Her breathing deepens as she starts to doze off, sitting next to the kitsune with a contented smile.