'You do realize. That I don't get the instincts or mentality of a tick like this right?' Julio
thought to Keiko.
The kitesune didn't react at all surprised to the tick thinking to her. 'Oh I know. So just
continue sucking and I'm sure you'll be fine. Don't worry I can take it.' Keiko thought back.
'So a tick. I wasn't far off with the flea guess was I?'
'I suppose not. But look at the bright side. This lasts until either my sisters get back, or
they don't get back in a few hours, and then you and I have to save them. Since I'm not
letting everything within multiple miles be turned into glass by a bunch of angry genies.'
'Can I ask you a question?'
'Yes. As for an answer, well, since you're already 'tricked' or ticked, no point in playing
games.'
'Ha ha. Not funny. So tell me, what do you think of project Return?'
'Project what? I heard sis mention it one or two times but never got the details.'
'Mythicals stop hiding as if they were criminals.'
'Ah! Interesting! Might make things much more interesting, when people KNOW there is
such a thing as a kitesune, people will be less likely to believe 'oh that's just Sunrise Inc'
excuse for a kitesune's games...'
'Aren't you worried about trophy hunters? Or paranoids?'
'If they're dumb enough to come after a kitesune then they'll get what's coming to them.'
'Granted.' Julio said.
'As long as we're on the subject my temporary free-loader, what do you think of it?'
'It'll either create mass paranoia, though medical studies show there's plenty of that
already, resulting in the possible loss of Knowledge I seek... or force hidden and/or
forbidden libraries to open their doors more, making things a lot more easy for me to
gather what I need and want to know.'
'I asked what you thought of it. Not what you think the out come will be.'
'Heh. Count on a kitesune to be that sharp. Very well, I believe, that is a wild card for me.
BUT, I have noticed how the paranoia for those on the other side of the veil has only
INCREASED over the years. They see humans as much the strange alien species as humans
see them thought 99% of them are all native to this rock anyway!'
'And that 1%?'
'Alternate planes of reality.'
'Ah. What about ETs?'
'Magic SCARES them. So they like to keep far, far, far away from Earth or any other world
that has a power that works on a set of rules independent from science.'
'My kitesune memories tell me it's interesting to find a human nowadays who realizes
magic has rules."
'I'm not really a 'nowadays human' you know. And you have kitesune memories?'
'Just some implanted knowledge to help me get by. I don't actually feel as 'amoral' as I've
always been told most kitesune are.'
'It does, and it does not have to do with that you used to be human.'
'Oh? Do tell.'
'Simple. You had a human UPBRINGING, that means you were taught human values and
customs, and not to mention you have several humans you've GOTTEN TO KNOW,
something most kitesune have not done.'
'Ah. I see. Very interesting. Maybe I -should- try that saki now... since your feeding off my
blood stream, we'll both get drunk.'
'I'd worry about it killing me... but even in this form most of my safety precautions should
hold together.'
'Safety precautions?'
'Even if you don't die of old age, there are plenty of other ways to die. I'm just glade I
didn't decide to risk visiting Hiroshima because of the war. OOPS! Sorry! Didn't mean to
bring that up.'
'Forgiven. And don't worry about it or fixation on it and I won't. So any interesting secret
you can afford to tell me about The Knowledge I could barter with some of my natural
born kitesune relatives to get them to pretend to be more civilized?'
'I worked hard for that knowledge, it isn't for free.'
'Okay.' Keiko took a swing of the Saki.
+++++++++++
Kyriel and 'Abu Isa' were led by the kitesune adorned in trinkets but wearing a loincloth.
Tamthis' City was a strange mix of actual Arab customs, Hollywood stereotypes, the
shades of Karther's incredibly perverted fantasies, and Tamthis' own imagination.
Kyriel shuddered as she walked past several pillars, sensing the living souls that flowed
through them and through the rest of the palace, effective making it a living thing almost.
Tabra/Tabris's memories showed her mad experiments others had done in the past to try
and bind living souls to objects, Jake/Janice's memories showed her the movie
Frankenstein's Monster.
The great hall the the two foxes were led down showed in mosaics several Arabian fairy
tales, with kitesune of course.
' 'You haven't heard Shakespeare until you've heard it in the original Klingon.' ' Another of
Jake/Janice's memories came to the surface. The fully grown but still newborn angel sent a
telepathic message to her senior. 'Jasmine. We're nearing the throne room now. Make
whatever excuse you have to but home in on me and get here, I'll keep
Tammie/Tammia/Tamthis/Tommy talking, or rather, Akane/Abu Isa will.'
'Humans and you love of names.'
'I'm NOT human. Now come on.'
Jasmine would have made a dignified report about respecting your elders, but Kyriel had a
point about them being on a deadline they couldn't afford to miss. Well, Kyriel and her
friends couldn't afford to miss. But Jasmine was nothing if not dutiful.
"Excuse me, I need to go." Jasmine said.
Kathy merely looked at her odd for a second then nodded and said, "The bathroom is that
way."
Jasmine groaned and left in that direction then doubled back the moment she was out of
site.
The sisters of course and Alexandra weren't fooled. Erica had brought the vixen back from
the smaller room she had placed her so her inevitable outburst wouldn't be seen by the
shiva guard and Kathy.
"I want to be there to see it." Alexandra said, not nearly low enough.
"See what?" Kathy innocently asked.
Alexandra didn't even look at her. Lisa however covered by saying, "I think she just wants
to be there when our husbands meet that's all."
"Oh I'm sure I could figure out something."
Luna wondered if thinking made this vixen's head hurt.
"Really?" Alexandra asked, STILL not looking her Karther's corpse in the eye.
"That's quite all right," Vicki said, "We don't want to get in the way, and I'm sure we have
other things to do."
Luna and Erica casually sat next to the Shiva vixen on both sides, not drawing it's alarm in
the least.
Vicki sat in a relaxed pose behind Kathy.
Lisa made sure that Alexandra didn't sit next to Kathy, least Karther's devoted strangled
an innocent woman. There was still a powerful sense of disbelief and un-reality among the
vixens. Karther was gone. Non-existent. Deader than dead. It was disorienting. All the
ways all of them had thought about how they'd pay him back for what he had done. And
now they'd never have the chance. It also felt like a sick joke by someone. And Kathy sat,
happily oblivious to all of it.
When Kyriel saw the throne room, she knew that Tamthis was loyal to Karther's legacy.
The throne appeared to be made out of nude marble vixens, some squatting, some
standing, some leaning, all supporting the seater with themselves and their bodies.
"Welcome! Welcome! Welcome to my humble city!" Said the kitesune they had seen days
before that had turned Karther into a vixen. He was taller now, more muscular, brighter
and smoother fur, more tails. He had also adopted Karther's totally immodest lack of dress
save for a few items to mark his station as Amir over all that he saw including a copy of
Karther's cape but resized for the much taller kitesune. Karther had always been short.
'No moves until Jasmine gets here.' Kryiel thought to Abu Isa, 'Jasmine, try to get into a
good position to come at him from behind, don't burst in unless you're discovered. If we
can end this quick and painlessly, so much the better.'
"It is an honor to be her oh honored Amir Tamthis." Abu Isa bowed.
"It is my honored to be visited upon by you oh Shiek! With help of ones like you, the
people and nations of the world will have no choice but to knowledge my kingdom. And
denounce the cowardly dogs who'd attack those under a white flag, dogs I say, dogs! Oh
excuse me, that is not your concern. Please, please tell me what you've thought of my city
so far."
'I can think of a few choice words.' Kyriel thought, 'Get a hold of yourself Kyriel, he's only
this way because of Karther's botched magic, just like everyone else here. The person
responsible for all this is already dead. Free Tammy/Tommy and everything should go
back to normal...normal? With project return? Then again, that IS normal, people have just
been lied to for centuries about what 'normal' is.'
Kyriel remembered one of Jake's memories, where he and Tommy debated over the virtues
between Deep Space Nine and Next Generation. Always losing to Tommy on the first
person shooters. And Tommy's endless attempts to get Jake hooked up with a girlfriend
before the pace of modern life had swiped away both of them away from each other.
'I'll save him Jake, I promise.' Kyriel thought, 'And Angels, take their promises very
seriously.'
"So tell me more of why you chose this land for your kingdom." Abu Isa asked.
"Chose? Chose? There was nothing to chose." Tamthis laughed, "This land was our kind's
before humans dwelled within it. We're just taking it back from the colonists and giving it
back to the natives. They are the invaders."
'That... ' Kyriel thought, 'Is such a load of...'
"Why not try to cohabit with the humans who have lived here all their lives?"
"Ha. As your own ascension and transcending of humanity has shown you, we are naturally
superior, they should feel honored I am having them join us as our kind. As I know they
are honored, and so are you."
"Yes, yes of course, I simply wished to understand my Amir better."
Kyriel noted how Abu Isa stood near a nice table with a feast prepared that the shiek could
duck under once the havoc started.