I groaned as I felt the slight crack of sunlight glance across my closed lids. Fauna and Freya were piled around me in bundles of blankets and pillows, dozing soundly. "That is the last time I try to keep up with a thousand-year kitsune with sake."

I sat up and rubbed my face, tightening the tie at the end of my heavy braid to gather my early morning thoughts.

We were still in the village, had spent the entire night celebrating and chatting and drinking. They will need some hangover soup. Otherwise known as ochazuke.

Getting up and going to the bathhouse for a moment to scrub my teeth-- the toothbrushes at this time were the traditional ones made of horsehair and ox-bone handles. I grimaced; no, thank you. And I was not about to blacken my teeth in the ancient way--that didn't seem to be a fad here in this village. Luckily I knew of the Fusa Yoj, made of the willow tree twig with one end beaten to be a brush, and the other sharpened to be a toothpick. I, however, was not going to be using bird droppings as in ancient times-- ew.

I sighed, and with fresh spring water, scrubbed my teeth as best I could. I needed baking soda and other items that I had a vague inkling were in whatever this world's version of England was or the Colonies. That was the thing I could not figure out where in the world I was time-wise. Everything was either new or advanced in some areas and horribly ancient in others.

Thanks, Creator.

However! I was lucky to know of the Maple tree and how tribes in America had used the branch for its anti-bacterial properties. Chewing one end of the stick, I scrubbed fervently with the broken fibers making sure to keep my gums clean. And with a spool of superfine linen thread that I kept soaked in sake for sterilizing, I flossed to the best of my ability.

While not understanding why I did this, Freya and Fauna had fallen into the habit of dental hygiene as well and loved the results-- as did the menfolk. Giving a rinse with sake soaked with mint leaves, I winced at the burn but glad that it at least was cleaning.

After my morning ablutions, I found my way through the village's guest house reserved for us. This had been set up before we even were aware of it-- the village elder was quite efficient. As was the kitchen staff when I came in, "Messenger!" Cries of glee and waving from the local cooks and staff were busy prepping the morning meal.

"May I make use of the kitchen?" I bowed.

"Of course! We have just made some fresh rice as well; everyone loves the new clay pots you brought-- what were they called again?"

"It is called a (donabe)." I realized that the language here was similar to Japanese with some differences in words; however-- I wasn't exactly sure what else to call things in this world if I 'invented them.' "I heard about it from a wandering traveler from someplace I can't remember." A lame excuse but was accepted.

I set to brewing green tea and searing salmon in crispy skin chunks, ensuring no bones were in it. I was sad that we were not close enough to the ocean to have an ample amount of seaweed or sea salt, but I would make do with what we had. Once created, two large rice balls sat in bowls, and with hot green tea poured in on top, I picked up the tray and walked into the bedroom, opening the partition sliding door, "Moto?" I called "Gaelan, breakfast."

A low groan from both men on separate sides of the room. Moto opening a baleful golden eye at me. "Little vixen, has no one taught you not to wake up a hungover fox?"

Sighing, I picked up the bowl and walked over, kneeling near him and holding it out. "Come on, breakfast, it will make you feel better."

I had to focus on the energy I put into it. Moto had stated that I was able to imbue food with Power and hoped it would help.

A sip of the tea and a scoop of rice and crispy fish, the sound of complaining was drowned out by the sound of both men eating hurriedly.

"Ah, I see it's good; I'll go make more I need to wake the girls first; give me a moment." I went and gently nudged them awake and handed them their bowls, patting their heads affectionately. Back in the kitchen, the staff had decided it was a good idea to make whatever concoction I had created. Oops. At this rate, I was going to be a genius after I invented something indeed groundbreaking. But excited over a dish?

((Somewhere off in the distance, The Creator is Shouting from a cloud, "NOW, who was plagiarizing?!"))

Sighing deep, I shrugged, nothing to do but just keep moving, making another round and a couple servings for myself. We finally sat down in companionable silence that was eating good food after partying a bit too hard.

"Ugh, I think I hate sake," Freya said into her bowl.

Fauna had fared better as she had hardly partaken but had been sleepy due to being so hyper from candy.

Then, I got an idea. "Moto!" I cried, flying forward, so we were nose to nose, his bowl up to his lips, and his eyes widened. "Can we take the Torii to the sea!?"

He paused, "yes, why?"

"I want salt! SEA salt!"

"We can buy so--"

"No, no, no, that is too expensive. I want to make it." I said firmly.

Gaelan glanced at me, "you can make salt without magic?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, perplexed.

Freya spoke up, "my lady, everyone knows only alchemists can make salt. They have to use their spells to mine the salt rocks from deep within the old sea caverns."

"So it is like rock salt. Or Himalayan pink salt."

"Like what?" Everyone said.

"You have pink salt?" Moto asked.

"N-nothing."

Moto sighed and set his bowl down, "other world?"

I nodded, "please, Moto! I'll owe you a favor!"

His ears perked up, "oh ho really!?" He seemed to think about it, "very well, I shall guide you to the seascape to the west of us over the mountain; it would take a few weeks for us to travel over it to get there. We can make it a trip over a few days even, the shrine of Ryujin is still --"

"W-wait...a... That name sounds familiar. Isn't that a sea dragon?" I asked, feeling my hand still with fish halfway up to my lips.

"Yes, he is the patron of the sea; of course, we will need to pay homage."

"T-to, a dragon."

Moto nodded bright, "he is my good friend."

"Of course, he is," Gaelan muttered, seeming to be bewildered by the conversation.

"They, not him." Moto corrected firmly, "Ryujin changes forms to please themselves.

"Do the Sentinals believe in Gods?" I asked.

"Of course, we just have different ones."

I blinked, "so here, no one talks of one true God?"

Everyone collectively tilted their head. "F-for who?"

"Like....okay..." I thought, "is there a group that claims everyone else's god is wrong, but theirs is the ONLY one."

A pause.

A long pause.

And then laughter ensued. "Who in the Realm would consider that a possibility? Are they looking to be struck down by multiple Gods?" Moto cried through holding his sides.

"But, there are many Gods then..." I thought, "how many?"

Everyone seemed to think, Freya was the one to answer, "many, sometimes they go to sleep, other times they have long since left this Realm, and stayed in the Heavenly Realm. Some only reside within the land of their origin, often though they are carried by their followers to other lands. However, they hardly would ever set foot in another territory unless visiting."

I soaked all this information in as best I could and decided that it was far too much to comprehend. "So, I want to get seaweed and salt, and perhaps we can catch some fish. To dry and preserve?"

Freya and Fauna both became excited and bounced around together like a pair of rabbits. "Ocean, ocean, ocean!" They sang in a mix of spirit voice and verbal song.

"Alright, come on now, let's finish breakfast and then get ready to depart," Moto said, sounding more like a chaperon than the playful fox he was usually.

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Before we headed our, though, I had a meeting with the village elder. I donned a dark kimono with a red sash, pulling my thick hair up intricately with pins and ornaments. If I was going to be the Guardian of the Shrine, I needed to look the part. "How do I look?" I asked, nervous.

"Lovely." Moto and Gaelan both said as Fauna and Freya dusted me off to make sure there were no fuzzies.

Moto offered his arm, "shall we?" The others were going to stay at the inn during the meeting, and I wasn't too worried they had plenty to do. Walking to the elder's home, I noticed that this woman surprised me, unlike what I would typically consider an elder or higher up of a town or village. Her family was a tad larger than the others, but it appeared that it was for the community's sake.

I was astounded by the villagers going in and out of the residence and facilities, milking goats, feeding animals, gathering herbs from the vast garden. Others were bringing in food items and taking things they needed from a large room in the front. Medicinal herbs, the basics of necessity, I choked up. This woman really cared.

The home was adorned with kitsune artwork, foxes traveled on the hand-painted wallpaper through fields, and the Goddess Inari was depicted quite a few times. "Beautiful!"

"Yes, they've added a few things."

"Wait, you've been here!" I paused, "Seichii?"

I regretted the name when Moto bristled with a shake. "Ugh, I hate that damn fox. No, Yuna, she was Seichii's predecessor."

"I want to meet her!" I said with a bounce.

"You just might," a voice said from the meeting room we walked into. The room was oval, and cushions surrounded a circular table open in the middle for a roaring fireplace; refreshments were on a table bit higher than where you would place your hands. And at the other end of the room sat Seichii fanning himself while eyeing Moto with a grin.

"Hello Moto, my dear, so good to see you again. However, this is for guardians alone." A pleasant voice, but it had a hint of mocking.

Moto was about to my arm go to leave, when I felt my control slip, "silence!" I growled. "He stays with me, Seichii. Understood?"

The white fox raised a brow and shrugged, "whatever the Messenger says."

A voice in my head was filled with concern, [[Taka, there is no need to get upset, this is the way things are.]] I silenced him with a glare.

[[Not with me.]] With that, once his hand was resting on the table, I promptly wound a tail with one of his own, causing Seichii to nearly spit out his tea. Moto had become still as stone, an ear slanted and color rushing to his face for a moment before he coughed and tried to the right himself. [[T-Taka, doing that is a very intim--"

[[I am well aware. Unless you're uncomfortable]] I started to move my tail away to give space.

His tail entwined a bit more, and he shook his head firmly.

Seichii was watching, fascinated. "A field fox and a Zenko, my, my."

And to make matters more precise, I fiddled with the jade pendant swinging against my sternum.

No, we weren't broadcasting a relationship. Otherwise, Seichii would have backed off entirely.

I heard Seichii's voice [[So fond of a field fox. In our clan, that means he is important to you little sister.]]

But I, too, wanted to form a stronger bond with the fox next to me. For whatever reason, the idea of anyone insulting him set my blood boiling. I sent a blistering cold warning to my predecessor. [[He may be a field fox. But until he decides otherwise, he is MY field fox.]]

Seichii shrugged at the privacy statement, "so protective." With a wave of his hand, a box appeared in front of me. I glanced at the overconfident Kitsune. "A gift." He said.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Sniffing, I lit it on fire before tossing it behind me.

Moto choked on a laugh. But his tail entwined a bit tighter with my own, and a soft voice murmured through my head, [[Thank you, Taka.]] after a pause he said something in a foreign language that made me glance at him confused, [[I will teach the meaning of it to you someday.]]

"Ugh, go have some privacy," Seichii was obviously teasing, "perhaps little Takara, you can get this wild fox on a leash; he has wreaked havoc for the past five hundred years after all."

"Four- hundred I was napping for the last century." Moto corrected.

"Ah, so that's why it was quiet." Seichii's ears were flicking back and forth like his tail, a bit blustery and a bit annoyed.

Where is the elder!? I glanced at both bristling males and sighed, "Big brother?"

Seichii paused, but then all nine tails began waving like a flag behind him, "why yes, little sister!"

"Please be kinder; Moto is important to me."

Both fox's jaws nearly dropped. One of Seichii's ears slanted, and an unsure expression slid across his face, "of course, little sister, why wouldn't I be, ahem. Besides, we have better things to talk about. Don't we, Motoyuki."

"Hmph." Was the response the white fox got. But tapping the top of Moto's hand, he begrudgingly sighed, "yes, of course, Seichii. I look forward to you assisting Takara with her work."

The elder suddenly whisked herself in smiling, "my oh my, three kitsune within our walls, how exciting." Seemingly oblivious to the storm that was nearly brewing in her meeting room, she sat down and snapped her fingers. Someone brought in several scrolls, one for each of us and then maps.

"So, Lady Taka." The elder started, "what questions do you have?"

"Uh...what is this?"

Seichii answered, "I set this up as a way to answer any questions you might have."

I thought for a moment, "what does a Messenger do?"

"Well, a heavenly fox who is a guardian of a shrine is the heart of the shrine, and therefore provides protection to the local inhabitants."

That seemed like a very blasé way of saying it, "and other than that?"

"Just do what you will." he sniffed, flicking a piece of lint off his robe in distaste.

"Be sure to not follow everything Seichii says; he was known as quite the philanderer in his time," Moto said with a wide smile.

"I never heard a complaint from the inhabitants...well...from the women that is." The fox took on a whole new expression, and I did not like it. "Awe, it appears my little sister is displeased with me; I was very nice to them. I showered them with gifts and wealth the likes they had never seen."

"T-that doesn't really make it better, Sei..." I muttered. "But back to the question I have. I can travel and go where I wish?"

"Quite, just be sure to imbue the shrine with Power before you leave. And I would recommend a trip no more than a few months."

I nodded, thinking, "Moto?"

"Hm?" He was busy keeping an eye on Seichii, "Yes, little vixen?" But looking at me, his face was happy, and his tails swished back and forth except the one he kept intertwined with mine.

"We could take a trip to the mainland, yes!" I was getting excited and bounced slightly on my cushion.

A wide smile beamed at me, "of course, whatever you want." A pat on the head and a grumble from Seichii that I didn't quite hear.

The elder patiently looked at me as I thought some more, "what is it that the village needs? Is there proper (hygienic facilities)?"

Blinking, the elder tilted her head, "I am sorry wise one, I am not certain what that means."

Moto spoke up, "Elder, what Taka means is she is asking about bathhouses and other places for people to keep clean."

"Yes. Waste removal, and that sort of thing."

She pondered, "we have a public bathhouse; it is made of stone. But in winter, we must use tubs indoors and limit ourselves as heating water is difficult, and during the dry season in fall, it can be difficult to gain water unless we walk all the way to the river where it flows clean."

"Oh! Well, why do we not just create an irrigation system?"

She frowned, "as in how we irrigate the rice paddy?"

"S-sort of, I will need to acquire iron ore to make (pipes), and this will let me make a facility to clean the water or bring fresh water from the mountain down to the village. We could easily make a water system with how much access we have."

The foxes were intrigued, and they both began to speak to each other in regard to the topic, "as much as I hate working with you, Moto, I do believe that I could be of some help here."

"I thought you spent your days lounging in the heavenly realm." Moto teased.

"Psh, as if I could let my cute little sister do this on her own, such a large task can get done faster, and I owe this village much; it is the least I can do. I can see if other Kitsune can help; we have one who is well gifted in earth magi--"

"NO." Moto waved a hand firmly, "I would rather chew rotten earth than work with "Himari!"

"But it would be good for Taka to meet another female Kitsune." Seichii offered.

Moto was glaring at him, "why not her sister?" He suggested.

I sat as oblivious as the elder did. "Who are we talking about?"

"A little friend for you," Seichii said, smiling.

"B-but I have friends." I scooted closer to Moto's tails, almost having one drop across my shoulders. I wasn't ready to get flung into the fox clan just yet; I had only just been getting used to myself, let alone anyone else. I avoided urge to get behind him and hide myself.

Moto gave a sharp glare, "see? Once she is ready, I will take her myself to see Inari."

Choking on his drink, he laughed, "you go to the heavenly Realm? My I have lived a long life indeed to see a field fox set foot on sacred--"

I could feel heat swamp my vision; Moto clapped a hand over my eyes, "shh, easy, Taka." A murmur was in my ear, "calm down." And a soft mental whisper, [[Seichii likes antagonize, do not let him bait you. Besides, I think you surprised him]]

[[But he was mean to you.]] I growled.

Moto sighed, and I felt a soft nuzzle on the back of my head, earning a stifled sound from the fox across the table. "Why are you able to be so familiar with her!"

"Because he earned it," I said.

Moto was beaming with what looked like pride. I had rebuffed the fox in front of me for several reasons, one to prevent hurting Moto's feelings as I was not interested, nor would I act like I was to ease the fox's ego. Second, I thoroughly hated how this male looked at me. Ew. But the meeting adjourned when I glanced at the elder, "I shall gather the needed information, and once I do, we shall begin next spring when the thaw comes."

As we all left, Seichii tried to sidle near me and shoved slightly past Moto. That does it. Turning, I gave him a swift kick in the knee cap and walked on as he hopped on one leg. "Taka!"

"I said to be nice!" I yelled back at him amid Motoyuki's gales of laughter.

"She is quite capable of handling herself, I see," Moto praised, ruffling the top of my head. "Such a fierce little kitsune." Tackled into a warm hug, he rubbed our cheeks together with happy fox chatter and wagging tails.

"Moto, you're embarrassing me!" [[Must you antagonize him?]]

[[Yes.]] his head popped up and speared Seichii with a triumphant look.

Shaking my head, [[Are you really fifteen hundred years old?]]

[[Some may argue I do not act my age.]]

[[Me. I am one of those people!]]

"Big brother." I said sweetly, walking over. He looked glum, and I tapped my foot, looking up at him like a mother to a son grown far past her height, "be nicer, and you'll be rewarded, understand?" I scolded.

Happy tails swished, "I guess I shall have to try." With a stretch, he fanned himself, "Moto, Taka, I shall see you both later on?"

"Yes, we look forward to it," Moto said with a slight nod.

Seichii vanished, and we both exhaled from holding our breath. "Ugh," I groaned.

"My sentiments exactly." Moto laughed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the Torii, we hovered around Moto, who had gathered several things we would need in the Black Hole bag. And that assortment of baskets, drying mats, weaved netting to ensure we could cover the fish, and my own makeup of large tray pans to burn seawater to get the precious salt we needed. A net created nice and long to make sure we could also catch crustaceans and other sea creatures for food were included.

"Alright, everyone. Girls, take Gaelan's hand. Taka, hold onto my robe."

"Gaelan will be okay?"

"Quite I have given him a tuft of my fur." He seemed to be begrudging. "It helps if you have a piece or item from a fox to travel.

Gaelan nodded, and I saw them clap hands together in a shake of a comrade-- I supposed food and pipes could make a bond?

Stepping across the threshold, we were back in the glorious between worlds, gates lining the never-ending pathway.

"It just goes on forever!"

Moto smiled and pat my head, "remember to keep hold of me. We don't want you getting lost in a random place, let alone the spirit world." I did as instructed, making sure to keep myself close and gripped tight to his robe. After a long while, Moto paused, "alright, here we are."

"Wait, already?" I asked, looking at the gate shrouded in mist.

"Quite, however-- we will need to say hello."

"To whom?"

"M-My Lady..." Freya squeaked, pointing up.

Before we snaked along and mighty Water Dragon, it's maw open with gleaming fangs.

"Oh." Was all I could muster before bowing, "this fox greets the great Dragon." I said, trembling.

Moto chuckled and pat my head, "so polite. Ryujin it has been a long time; may we pass?"

The Dragon's voice echoed across the vast world of in-between. [[Motoyuki, it has been many a year; what brings you to my part of the island.]]

"This fox requires salt from your waters, and to hunt. She is quite fond of the salt that comes from your region. As we all know, it is best."

A hint of pride in the Dragon's voice, [[Indeed, it is known, of course. What an adorable little fox, is she yours?"

I almost squeaked in protest and turned bright red.

"Not at the moment." Moto laughed and waved the question off.

[[I am quite old, bear patience with my blunt questions, little one." The Dragon's head lowered, and I noticed that they had shrunk down, and suddenly before us was a tall androgynous-looking individual. Horns sprouting from the side of their head, gleaming blue scale outlines mottled their neck and side of their face, gleaming opalescent with Power. Vivid cobalt eyes bore into me. "Permit me." That was all they said.

"Y-yes?" I said before I felt the doors of my mind flung open. Someone was rifling through my soul, quickly and with a gentle hand, yet it still felt like a violation. I shuddered when they reached my past life-- and felt the unseen hands pause.

"Hmm..." a troubled expression.

"I-I'm sorry..." I whispered, bowing my head to hide my discomfort.

"No, little one. I will rifle no more. Do not fret. And in your memories, I have seen these three- you are permitted entry to my oceans, with my protection." A smile beamed from the pale, almost luminescent skin. It vaguely reminded me of creatures that were so far down in the oceans they had no color and required light fixtures to themselves to see. This creature was as powerful as the sea was vast.

We stepped through with a nod from the Dragon, and within moments we were on a sandy beach with expansive spread beauty of blue.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We managed to step out into the sunshine, waves crashed on rocks, and seagulls danced in the sky, happily crying to their friends.

Moto set everything out while Gaelan built a massive fire and set the grate on top of it for the pots to go above the flames. Once done, I had poured seawater in and allowed that to boil off. Once that was mostly finished, I then kept going until a large amount of salt was left in the pan's bottom before taking it and laying it in a drying basket in the hot sun to dry after being spread thin across the woven surface.

After a few hours, we managed to have four drying mats full of salt. I bounced around, "look, Moto! Salt!"

He could hardly believe it; no one had really ever tried to take salt from the sea without magic or alchemy. And this was a game-changer. I couldn't wait to share it with the village.

I glanced up to see Freya and Fauna coming towards us with baskets filled with clams, oysters, mollusks, and other critters that Gaelan had dived into the ocean to grab.

There were some that I couldn't name, ones that Moto cracked open and laid with some sake inside and boiled on the remaining flames before scraping them out and handing me the shell.

The clam-like object was almost like a cross between a scallop and an oyster, sea filled tender goodness. It would have been better with butter, I thought.

I glanced about, trying to see where Gaelan was, but spotted him off the shore with a fishing line and already holding several large odd-looking fish that reflected blue scales and light inside them.

"A-are those...edible?"

"Oh, quite!" Moto said with a grin, "they are good, but I think that Ryujin is making it easier for us."

"Well, that's good," I got up, "come on, I think I see a seaweed spot nearby, let's gather some!"

Everyone got up, and we had managed to clip numbers of seaweed bundles, "what are we making with this?"

"Seaweed wraps for rice balls."

Everyone shrugged; apparently, it was expected by now for me to talk about things and make things that were quite different. Once sat down, I had realized that I would need to chop the seaweed up to an almost mush and then blend, spread it out and bake it to a sheet.

Sighing, I thought about the process. "Moto!" I called him from the fish he was currently prepping for the drying process.

"Yes, little vixen. What do you need?" He was leaned down, his head near my shoulder as he looked at what I was doing.

"I need to...hmm...how to put it...can you shred this to a pulp?

He grinned, and with a flick of his hand, a small whirlwind gathered the pieces, and with several slices, pulp landed in the basket in a wet mass. "Whoa!" I then realized-- oh ya, foxfire. I groaned inwardly at my own stupidity, and after spreading the seaweed with as much water squeezed out as I could, I made sure to bunch it together and flatten it thin enough to get a uniform sheet. "And now--"I baked it till it was crispy. It wasn't perfect, far from it, in fact, I miss convenience stores!

But it would do in the circumstances, and I was sure with some trial and error, we could make it work.

I munched on some roasted seaweed happily and handed some to Moto.

"Hm!" He brightened, and his tails swished happily from side to side, "this is good! Who knew!"

"This is used to wrap rice where I am from," I said with a smile as he reached for another piece. "Want to help me dry the other bundles?"

We managed the work quite well, and by the end of the day, Moto had gathered all of our gear and proceeded to guide us up a small hill to a beautiful seaside lodge made of what looked like hardened sand and marble. The walls were encased in mollusks and shells from different creatures, scales from what were probably mythical ones from the look of them rainbow facets dancing off in the setting sunlight.

"Ryujin is quite the hunter," Moto explained.

"So it's the Dragon form of bragging," I said, nodding.

"Ha! Don't let Ryujin hear you say that; they will pout." Moto helped the others into the lodge and stepped aside, "alright, Freya, you are going to stay with Fauna in this room here, Gaelan you are there, and Taka, you and I have a split room upstairs."

I nodded; it was not odd for us to end up in a fox form pile of fur sleeping after a night of tying one-off and chatting all evening. Moto and I had become quite close in companionship, and being near him in a strange place would ease my anxiety at being away from my shrine. He had noticed this and was attempting to put me at ease. I smiled to myself, quite considerate.

Gaelan leaned against the door frame, speaking to Fauna and brushing her hair back before she went to her room with Freya.

"Everything alright?" I asked after sitting down in the living quarters at the hearth.

"Yes, she is just a bit tired-- I recommended she go lie down; Freya is with her." Gaelan sighed and flopped down on the pillows near the fire, and stretched comfortably. His stoic facade seemed to be melting little by little, and I treasured the moments that he allowed himself to be at ease.

"This was fun," Gaelan said, "and I had luck today, which was nice. I haven't caught so many fish in my life-- however, I doubt it was just myself." He glanced at Moto, who shrugged and handed him the bag of pipe weed.

I rolled my eyes-- menfolk.

"I know they are abysmal." A voice said near my ear. I shrieked and toppled over to see Ryujin leaning down by me, aqua hair clipped short to their head, two braids hanging down past their jawline, and cobalt eyes laughing. "Oh, I do believe I startled you. Would this help?"

With a rush of the sound of sea waves, a woman stood before me in a beautiful navy dress with hair piled high in seashells and netting.

"Better?" They asked.

I blinked, trying to gather myself. "Ryujin, you startled me!

"I know, that was the point." They laughed and walked over and abruptly landed in Moto's lap. "I missed you, you big dumb fox!"

"Get off, you damn overgrown reptile!" Motoyuki snapped, trying to smoke his pipe; his ears flattened, tail bristled.

"Fine!" Water rushed over to me, and back to their masculine look, I was wound about in serpentine scale-like limbs. "I can just snuggle with this cute one you brought me!" Nuzzling my cheek with his nose, I could feel my face slip into annoying blankness.

Moto's gaze sharpened, and he bit down so hard his teeth cracked the end of his pipe.

Gaelan went still, as did I, and Ryujin simply laughed out loud, "Oh my did I strike a nerve?" The Dragon leaned in and laid their chin on the top of my head. "We are close, after all; I think I've known you since you became a fox and washed up on my shores. Come now, what's a bit of sharing between frie--"

Flames erupted from the hearth, spitting and angry.

"Moto, Ryujin is just getting you riled up. Come on. Knock it off!" I snarled and punched him in the ribs. "I'm not a body pillow, and I am not your waifu."

"What's a waifu?" Gaelan muttered, puffing a billow of smoke.

"Nothing, ignore me," I said.

But this made Motoyuki's mood quite bright, and he cackled as the Dragon coughed and sat back from me, "you're not much nicer!" Ryujin cried, looking affronted.

"No. No, I am not." But as I got up to go and get the snacks I had prepared with nori and the rice we had brought suspended in the space magic bag, my hand was caught, and I was dragged into a foxfire warm embrace.

"That's my girl." A warm deep voice murmured in my ear, making it twitch and the press of lips to my forehead. I blinked; Moto was back to normal, sitting at the hearth looking at me innocently. "What is it, Taka, dear?"

"N-Nothing?"

"DID YOU USE TIME MAGIC, YOU DIRTY FOX!" Ryujin stomped his feet in anger and puffed while his comrade grinned into his drink and waved him off haphazardly.

I sighed-- this was going to be a long three days by the sea...

And I wasn't quite sure what would happen with two wild immortals in our midst.