The day was strange, and seemed intent on getting stranger every minute. Kiko wasn't entirely sure what kind of deranged mad shit was going on that made her feel better after getting a hard punch in the gut, but she did. She felt calmer, softer. Less prone to emotional outburst...Though, whatever her friend had done didn't seem something that could be repeated. As they went along, Kiko found herself propping the woman up as she staggered a little, breath gently panting as if trying to hide it from Kiko and herself.
Eventually, the two bumbled into the giant red-silked tent and found Yeni taking care of a large wooden statue. The statue was of a woman with nine tails, and carved to a delicate perfection, with Yeni and her forbearers taking absolute care of it so it stood the test of time.
"Kiko, Ele. What are you two doing here?" Yeni asked, a touch of concern given the poor state of the two.
"Kiko is a Blood Moon" Ele exclaimed, collapsing into a nearby seat and giving up on the subterfuge of panting softly.
"She...triggered it and then kept goading me and...then punched me in the gut and froze my blood" Kiko elaborated with a look between worry and irritation.
"Froze your...Hmm. Yin Sunset?" Yeni asked to Ele, who nodded. Whatever that meant, Yeni understood and let out a sigh, shaking her head. "You know you have no control over that, and that it drains you to the dregs. You didn't think that coming to me right away was a better idea?" Yeni asked rhetorically, crouching down and opening a small compartment at the base of the statue. From here, Yeni retrieved a small box of stones. One was withdrawn and clasped in her hand as gentle whispers filled the air.
"You are taking this....better than the last lot" Kiko commented, staring at Yeni a little. Ele got side-long glances to make sure she was ok, but the woman had just punched Kiko, so there wasn't a mass of care.
"You are not the first Blood Moon and you won't be the last. Unfettered, they are cursed creatures. So we developed our own ways to deal with the issue. This will keep it from coming out" Yeni explained, handing the stone - now attached to a light choker - to Kiko. "You can take it off in times of absolute peril, but it won't work on you once you are in the Blood Moon state, so be careful when you do, ok?" Yeni asked, as Kiko put the Choker on and felt somewhat suppressed, but glad she wouldn't be going mad again. She was going to ask Yeni why they didn't give these to SIR and the City-Kitsunes, but before she could speak, Yeni chopped Ele's head with the side of her hand, making a resounding and rather satisfying crack.
"And you, will not do something so reckless again or I will have you nannying the kits and cubs till you've grown your seventh tail from age alone. Understood?" Yeni asked with an overwhelming presence. Ele was sufficiently cowed by it and meekly nodded. "Good, now get out, the both of you. I have work to do and so do you. Slacking off your training as Fatherborn brings shame to all who have a hand in you" Yeni waved her hand and turned back to the statue, allowing Kiko and Ele to scurry out.
"So...training then" Ele spoke, rubbing the top of here head where she had gotten hit.
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"You so eager to get your ass kicked? Well, I can get behind that for this whole debacle you caused" Kiko replied in a teasing tone, gesturing for Ele to lead the way to the training grounds.
Quips aside, Kiko and Ele were bruised and exhausted from their recent endeavours, and so postponed further training to get lunch. It was a nice stew with thick slices of bread, and made Kiko feel rural, but welcome. There was heart in this food that was lacking with more orderly meals.
"So, a thought occurs" Kiko spoke, tearing her bread and soaking it entirely in the broth. "I'm wearing a skirt. Like, a full length skirt. And, didn't notice it at all during the two hour combat session or staggering to the tent. They are renowned for getting in the way of trying to move, so why doesn't this one?" Kiko asked, tearing the soaked bread up with her wooden knife and fishing it out with her fingers.
Ele, pondered for a moment. It was hard to talk sometimes because Ele had to go through everything Kiko knew and didn't know before saying anything. But eventually, she managed to get herself caught up and spoke.
"Ahh, that'll be the Moon-Silk strands. Really cool stuff, it's basically a pseudo-liquid that nestles into whatever you apply it to and grants high elasticity. Moon-Silk clothing flexes and shifts, even if it is skintight. If you could make an outfit out of Moon-Silk, then you'd have all the clothes you ever needed because it could just shift itself into a new outfit and change it's form to drop all the dirt that it might pick up in a day.
The trouble being, Moon-Silk is expensive and highly limited, so making an entire outfit out of it is a level of decadence nobody has been able to reach. So it is just used to give the clothes a flex and spring to them" Ele finished, dipping her bread rather than soaking, but eating it all the same.
"Hmm...You know, life has been kind of-" Kiko would cut herself off to eat some of the bread and then get back to talking "-boring. It's all so........." she'd stare at her stew for a few seconds, looking for the words. "Everything just is, you know? And then I come here and I see the world is fascinating, fantastical, and amazing. Powers beyond imagination, and I haven't even seen any magic yet. Why is it that all this is not embraced in the cities? They could revolutionize everything by adding this into society" Kiko rambled, staring at the stew bowl in awe of this whole thing.
"You think that because you are new to this whole thing. But there isn't much your average Magus can do that can't be replicated technologically. Stronger Magus means bigger technology to be sure, but that technology is easier to use and make than the Magus is to become stronger. It's a lifestyle, almost. You have to be physically strong, mentally strong, you need to study both science and aeonics, you need to practice and better yourself in the art, and you need to be able to do all this in a high stress situation.
Kitsunes like us don't have access to a lot of technology and are predisposed to Magic beyond what most lay claim to, so we use it a lot. But, even then we just use it for simple stuff you'd use machines like microwaves and lightbulbs and cars for. Going 'Ignis' and lighting something up with a flame from your finger is cool. But when people can use a lighter or even rub two sticks together, they aren't going to want to spent the time and effort to learn how to use Magic"
The way Ele spoke was not off the cuff, nor on the spot. It seemed Kiko was not the only one to mention or bring up this disparity of magic. So she'd just scratch her head awkwardly and grin.
"So...you get, a lot of people asking that question?" Kiko asked.
"Yea. Kitsunes are well known for their magical prowess, so we get a lot of people bothering us to teach them it, and then bitching out when they realize it's not an overnight thing. It's fine, we are used to it these days" Ele would shrug and finish her stew, brushing the crumbs into the bowl and putting it in the pile. Seeing her raring for action, Kiko would follow suit and stand, ready for the day ahead!