The next day found Fuyuko trying to pay attention to what Mordecai was saying as she wolfed down another post-sparring meal. Bellona and Xarlug had both been part of this training session, taking turns with who was instructing and who was her partner.

"Any time a shape changer gains or loses mass," Mordecai said, "there is some sort of borrowing of that substance. When a mage or priest uses a spell, all of that is accounted for in the design of the spell itself. Any sort of side effect means that something went very wrong. Other types of shape-changing have different requirements."

He gestured at Fuyuko as he continued, "Your ancestors include a werewolf tribe, and that tribe had evolved in part from cursed werewolves. Such a curse is not meant to be nice, and the way you gain mass tends to create a 'debt', and this is part of what leaves you and your kin so ravenous. Right now your body is also growing, so there is some competition for resources as well. As you get older and more experienced, you should be able to offset this debt preemptively. In short, you will always have a large appetite, and if you eat enough between shifts then you won't be quite so hungry afterward."

She nodded and managed to pause in her eating long enough to swallow and ask, "Um, I never heard of kitsune or such having ta eat so much. They just hide it or somethin'?"

Mordecai smiled and shook his head, "No, at least, not usually. Kitsune generally becomes smaller when changing away from their base form. This shifts the debt in the other direction, though it does not offset their need to eat normally. Additionally, they are not born from a curse, so do not suffer the additional ravages thereof."

The man was a little harder to follow when he got into teacher mode, but it didn't seem like he was trying to sound smart just to sound smart. Bellona had helped her understand it when they were talking yesterday, this was him being very precise. According to Bellona, a lot of the teachers and priests she knew from the temple tended to do something similar.

And rather than him trying to show off, it was more that he was simply expecting her to understand. He wasn't talking to her like a little kid, and Fuyuko appreciated that. Though his last sentence made her frown, "Wait, does that make my wolf stuff cursed?"

"No, the primary curse itself is long gone. But it left its mark on your power, which is why it is harder for you to retain clear thought when you shift. It is something you can overcome with experience, and mastery will mean you can shift without being worked up or a change in your emotional state."

So, 'get good', as Li had said to her when he had tagged her yet again when they were playing in the mushroom forest. She still wasn't sure she understood exactly what he meant, but it sounded right for this.

After she'd finished eating, Mordecai asked her to head outside and hang out with Bellona. "Don't worry about doing anything particular," he said, "I just want you to see how things work and get used to interacting with people coming through."

So Fuyuko spent the next few hours sort of wandering around near Bellona and people-watching, though there were a couple of times that she guided some lost-looking folk to their destination.

Late in the afternoon, she saw a boy and girl who had come in with another group make a bee-line for the dungeon, ignoring all the signs about testing at the arenas. There was enough going on that Fuyuko wasn't certain if anyone else had noticed, so she strode up to intercept them. "Hey, guys, ya have to get checked out and come with a grown-up, ya can't just go in."

The white-haired kitsune scowled up at Fuyuko, "I know what I am doing, but what do you think you're doing?"

"Shizo," the boy who had been trailing her chided, "That's not nice. We don't know what's happened since we were here." The three-tailed kitsune turned away with a huff, and the boy turned to look up at Fuyuko with a smile. "Um, sorry about that. My name is Derek. That's my friend Shizoku. Er, we're sort of expected? She's been training me using a book Mordecai gave her, and Kazue said we should come back occasionally to check up on our progress."

Oh. Well, she wasn't certain about that, it could be some sort of scam but it's not like they were dangerous to the dungeon, but Kazue and Mordecai wouldn't want them to get hurt either. "Ah, hold on. Bellona!" She called out to grab the orc's attention. When Bellona looked over, Fuyuko just pointed at the pair in front of her.

Bellona nodded and raised a finger to tell Fuyuko to wait a moment, then finished up her business with a group of five delvers before she came over and addressed the two newcomers. "Hello, I'm Bellona, their most recent contractor, and this is Fuyuko, who is currently a guest but might become the next contractor. Kazue says you three should head in together, and she recommends taking her path at the next opening, and she'll talk with you more directly later. But you have to wait in line for now."

Stolen novel; please report.

Shizoku scowled at the idea that she might have to wait, and then her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Did she tell you that? Here, outside of the dungeon? That's interesting, maybe we can talk about that while we wait."

Derek sighed softly but Bellona spoke first, returning Shizoku's overly-sweet tone, "She'd also like to point out that she knows your grandmother, and that 'Shizo' is a very cute nickname."

The little kitsune blushed and cleared her throat, "Er, that won't be necessary. I was just playing anyway."

"She really was you know," Derek said to Fuyuko. "Well, sort of. Shizo tries to be pushy, but she's not actually the meanie she tries to be." He smiled slightly. "Once you know that, she's a lot less confusing."

"Um," Fuyuko replied, glancing down at the three-tail who had just huffed and turned her back on them, "Okay, I guess we should sign up now. I only did this once before, and that was solo, so I don't know what it will be like now." Once they were registered they saw that they had a bit of time before their turn would be up, "Um, I guess we should get something to eat? You guys have coin?" She asked.

Derek nodded. "Yes, some, but I wasn't expecting to need to buy more food. It might be easier to go back to the wagons we traveled with and get some trail food."

Fuyuko was about to agree when Shizoku's tails twitched and she growled, "Fine, I'll buy us some fresh food." She eyed Fuyuko thoughtfully, "You probably eat as much as him. It's a good thing Gran Gran decided I should have some extra coin for this."

"Huh?" Fuyuko felt a little lost as the kitsune stalked off toward the food stalls.

"Her grandmother is supporting Shizoku's training of me," Derek explained as he began to follow Shizoku, "so Shizo has money for this. And she wasn't going to spend money on me and not you if we're going to be a team."

Their dynamic was weird. It looked like the bossy three-tail was in charge at first, but Derek seemed to be able to handle her when he wanted to. But hey, Fuyuko wasn't going to turn down free food.

Once they had plates heaped with food from the stalls, they needed someplace to sit. Fuyuko would have been happy to find a grassy area, but Shizoku led them to a crowded area with some rough tables and gestured toward a small table with two chairs. "You two sit," she said, but with a smirk that made both Fuyuko and Derek nervous.

But they complied, if with some caution, and Shizoku nodded, "Good, now, Derek, this is your just desserts." And with that, she sat herself across his lap and wrapped her tails around him possessively as she gave an overly sweet smile. "You don't mind, do you?"

Derek had turned a bright red and mutely shook his head.

Fuyuko took a moment to process what had just happened and then proceeded to just eat because she had no idea what to say. They were kids! Okay, she was too, but she was pretty certain they were younger than she was. And it was embarrassing to watch, even if it was pretty clear that Shizoku was having fun tormenting Derek by insisting on feeding him the occasional bite.

The kitsune eventually tired of tormenting her boy that way and turned her attention across the table. "So how did you end up possibly working for the dungeon? Mordecai and Kazue are rather responsible for adults, and I think you aren't a lot older than us. I'm thirteen, and Derek's twelve. I thought you were maybe sixteen or more at first, but now I am doubting that."

After finishing her current bite of food, Fuyuko nodded. "Yeah, I'm fourteen. Um, it's a sort of a long story, but, well, my parents died a long time ago and the place I was staying can only help kids. And then I kind of got pointed this way as a possible safe place. It was a long trip, and I ran into this guy Gil who turned out to be a friend of Mordecai's, and he made sure I got here safely. We're still working things out, but if I stay, it'll be as their ward. I think Kazue just wanted ta take me in, but Mordecai wants ta have it this way. He seems to like having rules, but not like really strict rules. But if I agree, it means going to school sort of. I never went to a school, but they've already worked out a plan and stuff. It's not been too bad while I've been trying it out."

"Mm, that sounds like him," Shizoku mused, "he's kind, but he's not soft, and he won't let you get away with stuff just because you get upset or pout." Her mouth dropped open in sudden surprise, "Oh! That's why- um, never mind." She waved her reaction away and then asked, "What are you good at? I'm a witch and alchemist, and Derek has a rare form of elemental powers."

Fuyuko nearly choked on her food. Sure, she knew that being a witch didn't mean you were like The Witch, but she couldn't imagine anyone so boldly announcing that they were a witch back at her old home. Most people didn't take kindly to witches of any sort. "Sorry, didn't expect ya ta call yourself a witch, back north that's an insult worth fightin' over. Um, well, I mostly use my daggers in a fight, and when things get intense I can shift and get stronger and faster."

"North? Ah, that's the accent. You came from Trionea? That is pretty far. Derek is from Riverbridge, and I'm from the Azeria clan, so we both live pretty close to here. I don't know a lot about Trionea, what's it like?"

They talked while they continued to eat, though Derek seemed to have been rendered mostly mute by Shizoku's antics, and they made sure to finish up in time to be ready for their spot. Fuyuko wasn't sure why Kazue wanted them to run that path together, but she was fairly certain that the cores had some plot in mind.