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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 1:26:07 GMT -5
Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 21, 2010 1:26:07 GMT -5
He glanced over to Hitoshi's face a moment.
"I apologize if I have given some offence...?"
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 1:38:45 GMT -5
Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 21, 2010 1:38:45 GMT -5
Hitoshi faltered, his gaze flitting back up to the other boy.
"Oh. No, of course not." He placed the chopsticks back on the tray. "I don't mean to give the wrong impression. I just... I really don't know what I'm supposed to say."
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 1:53:20 GMT -5
Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 21, 2010 1:53:20 GMT -5
He tilted his head a bit and smiled. "Ah. It seems that we are in an awkward spot together, then."
"I would enjoying hearing of your interests, or of your hobbies, your family... whatever you wish to speak of. I do not wish to imply greater imposition on your hospitality than you have offered, but your company has been very pleasant thus far." Though still working on the fish and dumplings, the fox picked up a bit of peach and ate it slowly, savoring it; next, he tried a piece of sweet bread.
He had never tasted bread before, much less fresh, sweet bread, and the look on his face was very similar to the one he wore seeing the beautiful young man reflected in the water.
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 2:08:53 GMT -5
Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 21, 2010 2:08:53 GMT -5
Hitoshi watched the fox curiously as he bit into the roll. It was hardly anything special, not even something Hitoshi had made himself, but there was something endearing about the way he looked then.
"We have more bread in the kitchen, if you want," he offered. "If I had known you liked it so much, I would have gotten more."
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 2:15:58 GMT -5
Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 21, 2010 2:15:58 GMT -5
The fox blushed again slightly.
"You are so kind..." He looked up and met Hitoshi's eyes with a guarded look. "Would you allow me to make you an offer?"
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 2:19:27 GMT -5
Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 21, 2010 2:19:27 GMT -5
"An offer?" Hitoshi regarded him for a long moment. "Very well."
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 2:26:07 GMT -5
Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 21, 2010 2:26:07 GMT -5
"An offer," said the fox simply.
"It is cold; I am often hungry these days; another fox has taken the place where I used to den. I wish to reward you for your kindness, and as I said, your company is most pleasant to me. Allow me a warm place to sleep until spring comes, and whatever food you can spare, and I will promise you not only protection, but three favors of your choosing. When the thaw comes, if you wish, I will leave."
He smiled softly. "If this is too much to ask, I will still reward your kindness, with any one task I can do before tomorrow evening."
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 2:56:43 GMT -5
Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 21, 2010 2:56:43 GMT -5
It took Hitoshi a moment to fully process the proposition, and even then, he was not entirely sure how to respond. Sneaking extra food from the kitchen once was easy enough, but doubling his portions each meal was almost certainly going to arouse suspicion. Not to mention Hitoshi had no idea where he would hide the kitsune; there was no way he would be able to hide a grown person in his room.
But Hitoshi looked back at fox-boy with the strange green eyes, and the thought of turning him back out into the cold was almost painful.
"You can say in my room." He glanced over the room pensively, considering how best to accommodate the fox. "It would be better if we kept this a secret from my family, so I would suggest you avoid your human form when I'm not around. For the same reason, I ask that you stay confined to my room and the gardens.
"You can have all the bread and rice you want. I can get you fruit at least once a day, and meat several times a week. When I can, I'll even bring you full meals, like tonight. Is this acceptable?"
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 3:04:11 GMT -5
Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 21, 2010 3:04:11 GMT -5
"Perfectly acceptable," he said happily. "We have a deal, then. I will try to make this as pleasant as possible for both of us."
"So," he continued, not sure what else to talk about that he knew much about, "do you like... little sculptures?" He gestured to the shogi board.
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 3:08:54 GMT -5
Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 21, 2010 3:08:54 GMT -5
"Sculptures...?" Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. He glanced at the corner of the room toward which the fox was gesturing, and the smirk on Hitoshi's face became almost wicked. "You mean the shogi pieces. It's a game. Would you like to learn how to play?"
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 3:12:22 GMT -5
Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 21, 2010 3:12:22 GMT -5
The fox's hand came up to cover his own smirk. "A game?" he said demurely. "I think that would be wonderful. Are you very good at it?"
He was quite overconfident that, even if the human could beat him, he could at least wrangle a genuine smile and some actual conversation out of him with a game. (Eventually.)
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 3:26:33 GMT -5
Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 21, 2010 3:26:33 GMT -5
Hitoshi thought for a moment. "I'll put it this way: if at any point tonight you manage to win a game against me, I'll bring you two custard tarts for breakfast tomorrow."
Hitoshi pushed the tray of food aside, then began setting out the pieces for the game, patiently explaining each piece to the fox. Once Hitoshi's side of the board was complete, he set the remaining pieces in the center of the table.
"Now," he said, "set up your side exactly as I showed you."
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 17:01:31 GMT -5
Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 21, 2010 17:01:31 GMT -5
If the fox's ears could prick, they would have; that same mysterious smile came back to his face, and he listened intently to the explanation.
"May I ask questions during the first game?" he asked, setting up the board.
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 21:00:16 GMT -5
Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 21, 2010 21:00:16 GMT -5
"Hm..." Hitoshi considered that for a moment, watching the kitsune align his pieces on the squares. "We'll have one practice round. You may ask as many questions as you like. After that, my offer goes into effect, and we play for real."
Hitoshi looked over the kitsune's pieces, making certain they were in the correct positions. The king and queen were transposed (an easy mistake to make); Hitoshi promptly switched them back.
"If you like, tomorrow I can teach you to play go," he offered, looking back at the fox. "They're somewhat similar. I like shogi a bit better, though." He smirked. "Not to mention, my sister always cheats at go."
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 21:55:27 GMT -5
Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 21, 2010 21:55:27 GMT -5
His tail curled closer around him beneath his clothes, the better to keep its movement hidden. He nodded.
"I think I would like that. Who moves first?"
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 23:21:25 GMT -5
Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 21, 2010 23:21:25 GMT -5
"I'll go first so that you can watch." Hitoshi slid one of the pieces forward.
Each move, Hitoshi explained in detail what he was doing, and why he chose to do so; on every move of the fox's, he explained whether said move was a good or a bad choice, and why. Though he did not go into the details of his strategy, he was fairly certain he managed to explain the gist of the game, and his opponent seemed to be catching on quite quickly.
The kitsune managed to win the practice round, though that was no great feat. Hitoshi had been playing just well enough to make him think, leaving small but deliberate openings for him to attack. He showed promise.
"If you keep progressing at this rate, you might surpass me before the thaw comes." Hitoshi smirked.
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Foxfire
Oct 21, 2010 23:55:26 GMT -5
Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 21, 2010 23:55:26 GMT -5
The fox returned the smirk. "If you think I might surpass you in four or five months, when you have no doubt been practicing for years, I take that as high praise."
He was warm, he was fed, he was a guest of an intelligent, attractive young man, he was even being entertained, and yet the one thing his mind kept coming back to was to wonder how long this was going to last. At least until the morning comes. I'll hope for that much, not to disappoint myself.
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Foxfire
Oct 22, 2010 0:08:33 GMT -5
Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 22, 2010 0:08:33 GMT -5
The two of them had managed to make it through three rather long games, each one with Hitoshi winning, though he would never admit aloud how close the fox came to beating him during the final game. As they prepared to start a fourth game, the soft sound of rain began to echo from above.
Hitoshi covered his mouth and fought back a yawn, then glanced back at the fox. "Are you getting tired?"
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Foxfire
Oct 22, 2010 0:21:07 GMT -5
Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 22, 2010 0:21:07 GMT -5
It took a moment for the fox to realize he had been spoken to, staring blearily at the pieces and trying to focus on how best to modify his strategy for the next game. His head snapped up, and he blinked.
"Mmh. Hrr." He covered his mouth to hide a yawn; blasted contagious things. "No. Unless you are. ...I want a custard tart." He blinked again, then looked sheepish. "Sorry... I sound like a child, don't I? But this is fun."
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Foxfire
Oct 22, 2010 0:29:05 GMT -5
Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 22, 2010 0:29:05 GMT -5
The corners of his lips turned up in a slight smile. "If you'll let me get some sleep, you can have a custard tart for breakfast anyway."
He leaned back against the wall and slipped his glasses off, rubbing his eye. "We still need to decide where you're sleeping, don't we?" he mused.
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Foxfire
Oct 22, 2010 0:37:41 GMT -5
Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 22, 2010 0:37:41 GMT -5
The fox hopped a little, then yawned again.
"Ah... I was presuming I would sleep in the garden somewhere. Or is that too much out in the open?"
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Foxfire
Oct 22, 2010 0:51:50 GMT -5
Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 22, 2010 0:51:50 GMT -5
"In the garden?" Hitoshi frowned, glancing at the outside wall as if he could see the courtyard through it. The sound of rain was soft on the roof, almost soothing, but Hitoshi knew it would be far less pleasant outside.
"I'm not going to make you sleep out there in the cold, especially not when it's raining. I said I would give you a warm place to sleep." Hitoshi thought for a moment. "You can sleep on my bed for tonight. It's warm, and you won't take up much room as a fox. I can probably find something a little bit more suitable tomorrow."
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Foxfire
Oct 22, 2010 0:59:25 GMT -5
Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 22, 2010 0:59:25 GMT -5
To be fair, the fox had also presumed that there would be someplace nicer later on, once he'd had the opportunity to build a den or find a bolthole somewhere, but this was a wonderful development. He nodded, and where the young man had been kneeling, there was once again a white fox.
He stretched nearly every muscle in him, flicked his ears, and looked up at Hitoshi. "I am not one to turn down such an offer. It shall again be as you wish, my lord-" his statement was interrupted by another yawn, white teeth flashing.
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Foxfire
Oct 22, 2010 5:31:17 GMT -5
Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Oct 22, 2010 5:31:17 GMT -5
It took Hitoshi only a few seconds to put the shogi board back in order, and another few minutes to change out of his day clothes and into his night kimono.
Hitoshi placed his spectacles on the nightstand and crawled onto the bed, which was large enough to hold Hitoshi four or five times over. With Hitoshi sitting on the bed, rather than laying down, it made him look positively tiny.
He glanced back at the kitsune. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable," he invited.
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Foxfire
Oct 22, 2010 14:48:52 GMT -5
Post by Alex Meriweather on Oct 22, 2010 14:48:52 GMT -5
The fox hopped up onto the bed and burrowed neatly underneath the covers with only his nose sticking out. Hitoshi looked quite adorable and regal, but then, he'd been thinking that all evening.
"This is warm..." he mumbled, almost to himself, then promptly fell asleep.
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