Dumplin and Mameki sit beside each other on the floor, munching on a bowl of dates. They whisper to each other as Dumplin makes scribbles on a piece of paper with a set of crayons that Mimi had manifested.
"Now, I am going to start you out with the basics," Mimi faces the wall with Chen by her side, "because I am paranoid you will get plenty of practice with this. Because we are fox spirits, most of our magic is centered primarily elemental and intent magic. When you get more powerful and used to using magic, it will become easier to see what element you gravitate towards. You live long enough like me; you become more used to using different elements. Sometimes synchronically. So, don't worry about it if you don't get it the first time."
Mimi lifts her hand and summons a ball of green foxfire, "As you probably already know, foxfire is a common staple of our kind. Dumplin pay attention; you should know this too," Mimi bounces the foxfire between her hands like a basketball.
"It's mostly for show if you are fighting against other fox spirits. Since fox fire cannot harm another fox. With ghosts, yokai, demons, humans," Mimi thinks of an IRS agent she had accidentally put in the hospital, "the fire will hurt very much."
"It can't?" Chen watches the ball of foxfire with consternation.
"I don't know what others have told you. But fox fire cannot harm another fox. Here. Touch it if you don't believe me," Mimi makes the ball of fire a little larger and holds it out to her.
"I don't think so."
Chen nearly shrieks as Mimi tosses the fire at her like a beach ball. The fire does not even singe Chen before disappearing. Mimi had already decided she was not going to deal with giant holes in the floor.
"Let's try again," Mimi patiently summons another ball of foxfire and holds it out for Chen to touch.
It takes Chen a few moments to recover before she finally puts a hesitant hand out to touch her sister's foxfire. Mimi smiles reassuringly until finally, Chen manages to get close enough to realize her sister's fire would never harm her.
Delighted, Chen sticks her entire hand within the flames, "It's warm!"
"Told you so," Mimi grins, "Now, of course, you should always be wary of dealing with other kitsune. Sometimes you can find yourselves dealing with perverts who use illusion magic to make you feel like you are being burnt, but I am not going to mess around with illusion magic right now. The protection necklaces around your neck should prevent that, but you should never rely entirely on protection barriers. Why don't you try and take it?"
Looking at her in confusion, Chen says, "What do you mean take it?"
The foxfire rises above their hands, and Mimi gently takes Chen's hands and forms them into a bowl.
"This is only to simulate using your own," Mimi lowers the foxfire a little, "this is about intent.
Try to convince yourself that you want to take this from me. It is harder than you might think. Ready?"
Chen nods, holding her hands out.
The foxfire lowers gently until it passes through Chen's hands. Mimi stops it before it hits the floor. Chen's lips curl back with irritation.
"Okay, let's try again," Mimi summons another ball of foxfire.
This time Chen grabs hold of the foxfire, and a column of foxfire shoots up to the ceiling, boring a hole through the roof.
Shocked, jaw nearly boring a hole through the floor. Mimi looks down at Chen, who looks like she is going to cry. Mimi quickly fixes the roof and the ceiling before exclaiming excitedly, "Well, hot damn! That was amazing!"
"Language," Dumplin scolds, and Mimi feels her cheeks flush.
"Sorry, cub," Mimi smiles at Dumplin, who has a crayon pointed at her.
"Really? But I broke the hotel!"
Grinning, Mimi crouches down to Chen's level, "I nearly leveled a small country. This is just your second try."
"But this is probably a good time to teach protection barriers," Mimi keeps looking up at the ceiling in slight awe, "But this is a good start! I think you might have a proficiency for fire."
"Really?" Chen seems to cheer up a little bit, and Mimi can't help but throw her arms around her sister, "I am so proud."
Dumplin runs around the table and shows Mimi her drawing. Mimi's jaw nearly drops to the floor a second time; the calligraphy on the paper is absolutely exquisite.
Mimi yanks Dumplin into the hug, "Oh! My little sisters are so talented! I am so proud!"
When Mimi finally releases her wriggling sisters from her near vice grip, she turns to Mameki, "You taught Dumplin and Chen this?"
Crossing its purple arms over his chest, smugly Mameki smirks, "Course Mameki did. Mameki teach cubs calligraphy, reading, and writing."
Not quite being able to believe this, Mimi can't think of anything to say but, "You did a good job."
Scampering back to the table, Dumplin throws her arms around the parasol.
"Okay," Mimi turns her attention awkwardly back to the wall, "so when you do protection barriers, it is all about intent. Eye contact is best. Just focus your intent on the wall. I like to wave my hand so I can feel the energy flow better," Mimi demonstrates, waving her hand slowly like a debutante, so her palm faces the wall.
Summoning a ball of foxfire, Mimi chucks it at the wall. The fire sizzles and goes out. Moving to the next wall, Mimi gestures for Chen to try, "When I do barriers, I like to think of something that makes me feel safe."
Chen purses her lips and tries to concentrate. Mimicking her sister, Chen awkwardly waves her hand, keeping her palm out toward the wall.
"Very good," Mimi praises, "Let's test it."
A ball of foxfire appears in her hand, and Mimi chucks it at the wall. The foxfire bounces off and hits another part of the wall where it leaves a scorch mark. Chen winces as Mimi fixes it.
"There are a couple of holes, but you did good cub," Mimi says happily, "just try again."
"Is there a simpler way to do it?" Chen complains, and Mimi could tell she is tiring out.
"There is . . ." Mimi pauses, "But I don't want you doing it unless there is an emergency and Mameki or myself are unable to protect you. Blood has been used in what people call dark magic for hundreds of years. But . . . I think there is no such thing as dark magic. It just depends on what you do with it," Mimi points at the wall, "You can use a barrier protection spell in cruel ways, or you can use it to protect. It's all about intent."
Sighing and threading her hand through her hair, "I am going to demonstrate it for you, but as I said, I don't want you doing this unless it is an emergency. That goes for you too, Dumplin. No blood spells for anyone. You don't want to catch anything from wiping your hand on something."
Mimi digs her claws into the palm of her hand until blood begins to show.
"Very similar to the barrier protection spell, you need to use intent for a barrier to manifest. I will go over our barriers with my blood to seal the barriers for more permanent use. If I didn't, we would have to keep making barriers over and over. This just simplifies things," Mimi waves her hand and strikes at the first barrier with her blood.
The blood sizzles upon the barrier and then disappears.
"Do you feel like trying to do another barrier?" Mimi asks Chen.
"I feel kinda tired," Chen pouts with disappointment.
"That's okay," Mimi says, patting her head with her unbloodied hand, "Magic is like a muscle. You must keep using it to get better, or else you lose it. We'll practice more tomorrow. Go eat some of the leftovers, and you'll feel better."
Mimi sets barriers on all the walls of the rooms. Then adds her blood for good measure. Mimi then heals her hand.
"When it gets dark, I will do the front of the hotel," Mimi stretches and looks over at Dumplin, "What are you up to, cub?"
She steps over and looks over her littlest sister's shoulder; the kid was trying to do watercolors with crayons and succeeding. Glancing down at her other pieces, Mimi can't help but feel a surge of pride. It seemed Dumplin was trying to copy the mountains that the carriage took them through on the way here. Seeing her interest, Dumplin holds up a picture of the carriage and horses. It was better than anything Mimi could do.
"That is beautiful, cub," Mimi takes the picture from Dumplin.
"Cub talented," Mameki says, also beaming at Dumplin with pride.
"I hate painting and drawing," Chen mutters around a mouthful of lo mein.
"Some things aren't for everyone," Mimi reasons, "I know I can't do anything like this. Are these done, cub?"
Dumplin studiously nods at the stack of drawings Mimi is pointing to and continues to draw. I have a little artist in residence, Mimi thinks, smiling down at the petite redhead. Mimi waves her hand, and the pictures are put into frames so she could hang them around the room.
Mimi grabs a bowl of some leftover beef and broccoli and begins to eat. Curling herself up in a chair, Mimi looks over at Chen contemplatively, "What do you like to do?"
Looking taken aback, Chen does not seem to know what to say at first.
"Cub like to read," Mameki suggests, and this seems to get the ball rolling for Chen.
"Yeah, but I couldn't get ahold of a lot of books," Chen complains.
"There must be a bookseller around here somewhere," Mimi suddenly remembers the book that her mother had thrown at her.
"Perhaps you can tell me about this," Mimi takes the book from her cloak and sets it on the table in front of Chen.
Chen nearly drops her bowl, "How did you get this?!"
"Umm, mother threw it at me," Mimi watches in amusement as this seems to surprise Chen more.
"This contains the history of all the kitsune clans in the district. It has spells and secrets about all sorts of things. Mother would never let me get within five feet of it. You said she threw it at you?"
"I may have been giving her a little bit of a scolding," Mimi scratches the back of her head. Mimi pushes the book over to Chen.
Chen continues to stare at her uncomprehending before reaching out to gently touch the binding of the book, "What do you mean a scolding?"
Mimi looks down at Dumpling, pushing a picture into her lap; it was a portrait of the koi pond; blinking a little, Mimi could almost swear she could see the long grasses move.
"This is gorgeous, cub," Mimi beams at Dumplin, who nods and then resumes her work.
She would run out of parchment at this rate, Mimi thinks. Mimi frames the picture and hangs it on the wall where she knew Dumplin would notice.
Mimi looks back at Chen, who is gazing at her expectantly; Mimi puts down her empty bowl, "I told her that I didn't like how you two were being treated and I . . . may have sworn a little bit."
Not responding to this, Mimi could swear that she could see the barest hint of a smile on Chen's face.
Washing and putting away her dish, Mimi waves her hand, and another cherry wood box with a fox emblazoned on the cover appears on the table.
"What are you doing?" Chen asks curiously; Mimi could tell she is itching to get her nose into that book.
"I am assembling another care package for the clan leader I was telling you about. I am going to take him this and some tea leaves."
"Is he nice?" Dumplin asks, and honestly, Mimi is a little surprised by the question.
Mimi thinks of how he had allowed her to sleep on his lap. How he had given her several pieces of chicken. He had been very respectful to her while in her fox form.
"I think he is very kind. You will like him," Mimi begins penning her response as Lord Shen, detailing an agreement to the clan leaders' terms and conditions.
She is curious about these so-called tasks he had wanted her to do.
"You are going to let us meet him?" Chen moves around in her chair to look at her with surprise.
"If I marry this man, of course, I am going to let you meet him. If you do not like him, I won't marry him," Mimi states this very clearly, making sure her sisters understand she is putting them first in every decision she makes.
"When can we meet him?" Dumplin puts down her crayons, and Mimi can suddenly feel the inquisitive stares of her two cubs settling on her face.
"Maybe a couple of weeks," Mimi begins penning her own response to the clan leaders' letter, using her right hand this time to distort the writing style. She expected he would sense something amiss if she used magic.
"I want us to be settled in a little more and comfortable with our surroundings. I think you both could probably use a break from everything going on. Plus, don't you guys want some sister bonding time?" Mimi wags her tails like a large dog.
Chen and Dumplin look at each other uncomprehendingly, but Mameki nods in approval.
"Mameki thinks good strategy. Cubs need fresh air. Cubs need fun."
Mimi stretches her arms over her head and stands on her tiptoes, "I think so too. Now I need to get going. Mameki, if Rieko and Lily bring us dinner, can you mimic my voice?"
Mameki does a very eerie impersonation that freaks Mimi out.
"Okay, please don't do that again while I am in the room," Mimi kisses a wriggling Chen on the top of her head and then kisses Dumplin, "If they bring dinner, just tell them to leave everything by the door and grab it after they leave. Go ahead and start without me. But I should be back long before then."
Mimi puts the letters in separate envelopes, sealing them with a bit of wax. Placing them in the box with a concoction of tea leaves that she knew Sara liked, Mimi wraps up the package.
"Just don't leave the rooms, and I will be back momentarily," Mimi resumes her fox form, and taking up the package in her mouth, hops into a shadow.
Mimi chose to appear in the forest right outside the entrance to Cloud Recesses. Morphing her tails together, Mimi studies the young cultivator before realizing it is the same boy from before. She bursts from the forest with a happy bark, traipsing up to the young cultivator, who immediately grins at her.
"Ohh, it's you again! Go on ahead! I think the clan leader has been expecting you," the young cultivator said before bringing down the barrier to let her through.
Delighted at not being manhandled on to another sword, Mimi bounces through the archway and runs up the trail ways before vanishing into the shadows. She reappears underneath the building of the clan leader's residence. Mimi shakes off the dirt on her fur with the package securely in her mouth before sniffing the air. Perhaps he was in his office? Mimi jogs across the courtyard. Her feet barely touching the ground. She receives a couple of curious looks from some of the young cultivators standing about, but none stop her. Mimi arrives at the clan leader's office and scratches at the screen, being incredibly careful not to tear it. She could smell him inside. Perhaps he had not heard her? Mimi sets down her parcel and barks. Sensing movement in the office, Mimi picks up the box and backs up away from the sliding door.
"Well, hello, you are a sight for sore eyes," the clan leader said; Mimi could see he is tired.
Mimi holds out her package with tail wagging, sitting up on her haunches and assuming a begging position.
"Thank you," he takes the package from her gently and backs away from the door, "Would you like to come in?"
Mimi darts into the room like a rocket, the place is rather dark, and there is no one inside. Was he okay? She lets out a concerned sounding whimper.
He looks at her strangely before smiling, "I'm fine. Just on night patrol last night."
Tilting her head to the side to convey her confusion, the clan leader only laughs as he sits behind his desk. She notices that he has left the blue pillow out for her. Mimi sits down upon it and expectantly waits for him to open the package.
"We have been experiencing attacks on our borders. Nag-like beasts that seem to be targeting the weak points in our barriers. No matter how many we slay, they keep coming. Eyes bloodshot."
Perhaps she should do a bit of hunting; Mimi contemplates the pros and cons. Bloodshot eyes were surprisingly not familiar in the spirit world. Mimi twitches her tails uncomfortably. Would this place be safe for her cubs? Finally, he unwraps her package to reveal another box. He runs his fingers over the fine craftsmanship, and Mimi marvels a little at how long and slender his fingers are. He opens the box to reveal the many bags of tea and the two letters. Intrigued, Lan Xichen brings one of the small bags to his nose to smell.
He smiles, "Mint, cloves, and vanilla? Interesting blend. Would you mind if I?"
Amused that this clan leader is so polite that he asks her if she is willing to wait for him to try her tea, she shakes her head.
Smiling to himself, thinking nearly the same thing as he stood up to make tea.
"Would you like something to eat?" he asks, looking down at her.
Mimi once again shakes her head.
"Your mistress has undoubtedly already fed you," Lan Xichen says quietly; he sounds sad.
Rising to her feet, Mimi trots over and presses her head to his leg, don't be sad, she tried to convey, I'm here, let me raise your spirits.
"I really should ask your mistress for you as a betrothal gift. No need for a dowry, I will say, merely your sweet familiar," he laughs, and Mimi bristles at the idea of a dowry; the idea had not even occurred to her. Fuck.
When the tea had been brewed, Lan Xichen brings the pot and a cup back to his desk. He fills a bowl of water and puts it on the floor for Mimi.
Mimi sniffs it and wrinkles her nose. This was odd water. Turning her back on it, Mimi trots back to the clan leader. Putting the cup to his lips, the clan leader seems to take a moment to enjoy the scent. His face relaxes, and he takes a sip.
"Please give my compliments to your mistress," he sighs, and Mimi wags her tail incredibly pleased.
The clan leader takes a few more sips before picking up the first letter. He examines it a moment before opening it. She realizes quickly it is from "her father."
Slitting the top of the letter open, Lan Xichen quickly reads the contents, his face flitting between emotions.
"It is unfortunate the Shen Manor needs repair. But it is admirable that your mistress has taken to caring for your young mistresses," he takes another sip of the tea and sets the letter down.
With a little trepidation, he picks up the second letter, "Ah, finally word from your mistress. Let us see what kind of woman would send a fox as her messenger."
Mimi wags her tail uncertainty. Would he like her? Would he agree? She watches him slit open the letter. Did he appear eager? His eyes slowly drift over the page, an occasional smile lifting his lips. He sets the message down thoughtfully.
"Your mistress is clever. Wishing to speak before coming to Cloud Recesses. Must I wait so long? It seems she has even settled on accommodations without asking for a recommendation. She is bold."
Should she not have been so presumptuous, Mimi wonders, or would he have been more approving if she had moved into Cloud Recesses outright? He reaches over and affectionately scratches Mimi's ears. Pulling a piece of parchment from his desk, Lan Xichen begins his reply. Mimi smiles as he absentmindedly chews on the end of the brush. Something her wife refused to admit. When he is done, he sprinkles sand on the parchment.
"I will agree to your mistress's terms. Perhaps I may even see her on accident in the town," he winks at her.
Mimi almost guffaws at this claim. How can a man think he can outwit a fox?