753/A Canine Christmas Visit

A Canine Christmas Visit
Date of Scene:	25 December 2015
Location:	Uminari City - Juuban Avenue - North
Synopsis:	Ayana comes by Ikiko's house to spend the night with her! But what happens when Ikiko's family sees the kitsune's tails?
Cast of Characters:	Ikiko Hisakata, Ayana

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Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
It had been an enjoyable Christmas for Ikiko so far -- a meal of fried chicken with her family, some gifts, and a general low-key celebration. Good times, albeit nothing really out of the ordinary for a Japanese family.

Ikiko is up in her room, gazing at the moon from her desk. It had been six full moons ago that she had first become Cute Wolf Tsukiko, and she had never expected things to have turned out the way they had. She had found friends, she had found adventure...

She had even found love.

A thoughtful sigh escapes her lips. She had been planning on doing some of the winter homework tonight, but the luminous moon encouraged her thoughts to wander, this time to her other 'homework' of sorts. Reiko had made a friend who seems to be cursed by a doll, and Ayana is in looming danger of being unmade by Riventon. While the former is not insignificant, it's the latter that's a constant thought in the back of her mind.

"How do I protect Aya-chan's 'Ayana-ness'?" the young Curse Hunter groans to herself. "It sounds like there's a way to keep her alive, but not exactly as herself... which kinda defeats the point!"

Another growl of frustration. She could probably use a distraction from her deep thinking right about now!

Ayana has posed:
That distraction comes in the form of a sudden ring of the doorbell. Outside, in the cold winter night, Ayana is decked out like Saint Nicholas's favourite elf. She has on a traditional slouchy fur-lined red Santa hat (which conveniently covers her ears). The sheath dress she wears matches the hat in colour and trim, but it's sleeveless and only reaches her mid-thigh; cute yes, warm no. At least she has tall stockings--red and white striped, of course--to go with! A pair of Mary Jane shoes are also on her feet.

Unfortunately, it's what she isn't hiding that might draw a few questions: all three of Ayana's tails are visible, although mostly hidden behind her. At the end of each tail is a green ribbon tied in a bow, holding in place a pair of small golden jingle-bells. And to complete the outfit, a new black collar adorns Ayana's neck, and a silver bracelet glimmers: foxes chasing one another infinitely around her wrist

Ayana has been crying. It's evident in her sapphire eyes. But as she waits for someone at Ikiko's house to answer the door, the kitsune takes a steadying breath and banishes all of her worries. It's Christmas, and she's going to get to spend at least some of that with the girl she loves.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata blinks at the sound of the doorbell. A visitor, at this hour? She heads out of her room and starts walking downstair to at least find out who it might be at the door.

But it's not Ikiko who's the first one to the front door -- it's her mother! "Good eveni-- oh, hello, Ayana-chan!" she smiles. She blinks for a moment at the hint of tails peeking around Ayana, then leans slightly to try to peer around the foxgirl. "Ah... shall I tell Ikiko that you're here?"

"Who is it, mo-- oh, hi, Aya-chan!" Ikiko beams as she gets close enough to see who is at the door. She bounds forward, her smile growing bigger. "Merry Christmas, Aya-chan!"

Ikiko's mother backs up, a hint of a frown on her face. "I'll let the two of you talk," she remarks with a polite smile, then ducks into the nearby living room with a thoughtful expression.

But Ikiko doesn't seem to notice; her kitsune girlfriend is here, and all currently seems right in her world. "How was your Chirstmas, Aya-chan?" she asks, hugging the foxgirl warmly.

Ayana has posed:
"Hello, Hisakata-ue-san!" Ayana says to Ayana's mother. "Yes, please, I wanted to wish her a Mer--Iki-chan!" Ayana calls as she spots Ikiko bounding towards her. Ayana hops through the door with a loud jingling noise as Ikiko's mother steps away. The kitsune wraps her arms around Ikiko very tightly.

"It was wonderful," Ayana tells Ikiko. She should take her shoes off, but right now she's too busy clinging to Ikiko. "And awful, at the same time. But now I'm here with you, and that makes it all okay."

Ayana kisses Ikiko gently on the cheek, then lets her go. When she turns, Ayana's tails jingle-jingle some more, and they continue to jingle-jingle as she toes out of her shoes, leaving them by the door.

"He told me I could stay out for the evening," Ayana explains to Ikiko. "He says that he's building up for something big, so ... I am free to do whatever I want. I mean, he still wants the same things from me, but it didn't seem urgent. So I thought ... I thought I'd come see if I could stay here again. I know I was just here the night before last, too, but ..." she trails off. "Well, I maybe won't have a lot of time left. So I wanted to spend as much of it as I can with you."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata kisses Ayana on the cheek and snugs her in return, then listens to the kitsune's request. "I'll have to ask, but I think you can stay over," she nods, then walks around her girlfriend. "That's a very pretty outfit, Aya-chan! Especially the bells on your tai--"

She freezes as she realizes what she's saying. "Uh, Aya-chan? Your tails are showing," she whispers. Her eyes widen as another realization strikes. "And I think my mom saw your tails!"

Panic wars with hopefulness in Ikiko's eyes -- she'd love for Ayana to spend the night, but... "What will she say about that?" she gulps nervously.

Ayana has posed:
Ayana beams at Ikiko's approval of her new outfit. This one's bought and crafted with loving care, rather than simply whisked up through glamours and magic. She's so proud of what she's got on, and how well it all came together, and it shows in the way she preens at the praise.

Except then Ikiko's observing the problem with that, and Ayana turns to peer at her tails. The cap on her head shifts slightly--probably some movement of her ears beneath. The tails jingle-jingle as Ayana draws them around beside her. She gently grasps all three and runs her hand from base towards the tip, then turns to stare at Ikiko with wide eyes. "Oh, Iki-chan," she murmurs, suddenly afraid. "Oh sweet Inari. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Iki-chan. I'll go. I'll ... I'll leave, and maybe they will forget I was here. Oh Goddess, what have I done?" Ayana turns and starts trying to fumble her way back into her shoes immediately.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata quickly wraps her arms around Ayana and hugs her tightly, the younger girl's forehead pressing into the foxgirl's shoulder. "No, stay," Ikiko replies, her voice muffled by Ayana's back. "Stay, for me. With me. Please."

She looks up at her girlfriend, longing in her eyes. "Let... let me talk to my parents. I think I can explain it away -- partially, anyway." Ikiko takes a deep breath to steady herself. "We'll just have to trust that it'll be okay."

Ayana has posed:
Jingle Jingle! Ayana's tails jingle at the hug from behind. She freezes at that hug, but not out of any fear! It's just that it feels so very nice, and Ayana is so very worried she's ruined everything. To still have that acceptance means a lot to her.

The big problem is, Ayana's going to start crying again, at this rate. She twists in Ikiko's arms--jingle jingle!--and wraps her arms around Ikiko again. "I'm sorry," she whispers again. "I keep doing this. I ruin things for you. For ... Riventon," she almost slips on the name. Almost. "I can't just hide them, though, Ikiko. Your parents are really smart. They're ... they're going to know. I'm sorry."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata reaches up, sliding her fingers under Ayana's hat to rub the foxgirl's ears before gently kissing her eyes to pre-emptively chase away the tears. "Shh, shh," she murmurs soothingly. "Even if we can't hide your tails, we can at least hide what they mean."

She gives her girlfriend an encouraging smile. "As long as they think they know what's going on, it should help keep them from inquiring too far -- even if what I tell them isn't what's actually going on."

Ayana has posed:
How many lies will Ayana tell in one day? For the pathological liar, it's not really that shocking. Except right now, Ayana is feeling very guilty about misleading Takashi, and it's only doubly bad when she must mislead her girlfriend's parents, as well.

"Okay," the Kitsune says, trying to be brave. But quietly, she wonders whether it might be better just to tell the truth. Simpler, certainly. "I'll just agree with whatever you say, I guess," Ayana says hesitantly.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata gives Ayana a smile and a quick kiss on the lips. "Just wait here, and I'll be right back," she reassures the foxgirl.

Ikiko quickly steps over to the living room, where both her parents are. They stop talking when she arrives and look towards her, and she gets a sinking feeling that she's going to have to talk fast. "May Aya-chan sleep over tonight, please?" she asks with a bright smile.

"Ikiko-chan, are you sure that's a wise idea?" her father asks quietly. "Something isn't quite right with her, and it might not be safe."

Ikiko nods, then leans forward conspirationally. "I'm not sure of the details, but it sounds like her brother is trying to tap into the power of the kitsune," she whispers. "I'm not sure if it's going to be safe for her, so I'm going to be looking into how to deal with bonds like that."

She glances around, then leans forward again. "I don't want the fox-spirit to know that we're up to something, so I'll have to keep it a secret from Aya-chan," she continues. "I don't think her brother will be able to fully invoke that power immediately, but it'd probably be better if we do something to help her sooner instead of later."

Ikiko straightens up and gives her parents a hopeful smile. "So, can she sleep over here tonight, please?" she asks in a normal voice.

Her parents look at each other for a few moments, then nod. "Okay, she can stay over," her mother smiles. "And we'll be glad to give you snacks or anything else--" a glance towards one of the bookshelves, then a knowing glance back towards Ikiko "--that you might need."

Ikiko opens her mouth to thank them, but her father interrupts. "She's welcome to stay over whenever she needs to," he adds. "In case she needs to spend more time apart from her family."

Ikiko's eyes widen. "Thank you~!" she grins gleefully, hugging both of her parents. "And I will do what I can to stay safe," she murmurs to them.

"I'm just glad you asked for help," her father replies softly. "Fox-spirits are tricky to deal with, especially when someone's calling on them."

"Ayana-chan's a nice girl," Ikiko's mother adds. "I'm glad that you're looking out for your friends, especially the one that holds your heart."

Ikiko hugs her parents once more, then scampers back to the entry hall. "Come on in, Aya-chan! They said you can sleep over, and you can come over whenever you'd like!"

Ayana has posed:
Jingle Jingle Jingle. Ayana's tails wag furiously at the kiss from Ikiko, but she waits at the door nonetheless. Ikiko is gone long enough that Ayana actually starts to get bored, but Ikiko asked her to wait. So she waits.

And she waits.

And she sneaks just a little towards the other room to listen in, only to be bowled over by Ikiko scampering back out at that exact moment. Jingle Jingle Jingle! Ayana's tails sing out musically as she and Ikiko practically run into each other, but Ayana is quick enough to turn the near collision into a hug instead of a painful disaster. "I can?" she asks, confusedly. "They're okay with me being a fox?" Ayana whispers to Ikiko in confusion.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"They're not going to look askance at it," Ikiko whispers back in the middle of the hug. "I don't think they'll ask about it, but... just on the safe side, try not to fully turn into a fox when they're around." Fox-influenced traits should fit in with the story she told, but that degree of shapechanging? Best not to risk it at this point.

The younger girl takes the kitsune's hand. "Come on, we should probably warm you up!" she beams. "And I have a gift from Reiko to the two of us up in my room! I'm sure you'll love it!"

Ayana has posed:
No turning into a fox? Ayana tries to process that instruction. But she is a fox. What a weird restriction. Nevertheless, she nods slowly, then smiles and intertwines her fingers with Ikiko's when the brunette starts to drag her upstairs. "Okay," she says happily as she pads along behind the girl.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata leads Ayana up to her room, then opens a drawer in her desk. "Here's your copy of Reiko's gift!" she smiles, handing a picture in a simple frame to the foxgirl: the hand-drawn and -colored image is of Cute Wolf Tsukiko and Cute Fox Inari in a warm, loving embrace; the frame itself has vague images of foxes decorating it.

She moves a few things as she closes the drawer, revealing another copy of the picture in a frame on her desk. "Reiko's a good artist, isn't she?" Ikiko smiles. "She also gave me the laminated original, so we can make more copies if something happens to these prints."

She pulls a spare blanket out of storage, then wraps it around herself and the kitsune. "Merry Christmas, Aya-chan," she murmurs, snuggling close and tenderly kissing her girlfriend's cheek.