"What is that in the water?" Daiyu pulls Dumplin away from the water's edge and tucks her safely behind her.
"Why can't I swim?" Dumplin whines, her hair fluffing out in the humid air.
Daiyu wipes her hand across the child's hair until it flattens out. The static electricity zapping her fingers.
"Because there are still traces of a water demon," Qiaolian growls, adjusting the cloak about her shoulders, the long dark blue fabric concealing her tails.
"Would you like it to possess you?" Qiaolian wiggles her fingers creepily at the child, warping them, so it appears she has more fingers.
"Let's go eat," Daiyu suggests pulling her away from the water's edge.
Gripping on to the cuff of her wife's hood with one hand and holding Dumplin's hand in the other, Daiyu drags the two into a restaurant.
After ordering a few things for all three of them, Qiaolian settles back in her seat, staring at Daiyu and Dumplin.
"I love seeing the women in my life wearing the clan's emblem," Qiaolian states, but then squints at the forehead headband on Dumplin, "What is that?"
"Uncle Wanji and Uncle Wei gave it to me! Isn't it pretty?"
Qiaolian is about to say something when Daiyu kicks her under the table.
"Yes," Qiaolian groans, "very cute."
"I think it is wonderful that the Gusu sect is so accepting of our clan," Daiyu states calmly.
Qiaolian folds her arms over her chest and looks at Dumplin, "I still think that Master Wei is one of our kind."
"So what? You intend to test him at every opportunity?" Daiyu chatters, clicking her fingers against the table.
"No," Qiaolian pouts, "maybe every other opportunity."
The food arrives, and Daiyu places a bowl of soup in front of Dumplin, "Let me know if it is not to your liking, love."
"You know I usually do," Qiaolian answers casually, popping a strawberry into her mouth.
"Not you," Daiyu says, exasperated but accepts the next strawberry that is offered to her.
Distracted by her wife, Daiyu almost misses the long tongue surging from Dumplin's mouth.
"We are in public, love," Daiyu corrects Dumplin's table manners, "chew like a lady."
Dumplin looks across the table at Qiaolian. The eldest fox had possessed the chair from the table next to theirs and has her foot up. She has her nose stuck in a newspaper, sloppily eating another strawberry.
"Sit up straight and eat like this," Daiyu takes a dainty sip from her spoon, "If you think you are going to spill," Daiyu puts her long sleeve in front of her mouth, "this gives the illusion that you are not a slob. Make sure to move your sleeves in any other circumstance."
"When you are alone, you may," Daiyu glances over at her wife, who has grease stains on her face and is in the process of consuming an entire chicken with her fingers, "eat like . . . your sister."
"My love, I am not a slob," Qiaolian complains, there is a piece of chicken on the front of her tunic.
Daiyu reaches over, takes the piece of chicken, holds it in front of her wife, and pops it into her own mouth.
"Dumplin, don't let this elegant and charming woman fool you," Qiaolian grouses, "I remember a time when we bathed in the bl -" Daiyu places a finger on Qiaolian's lips in warning.
"Aren't you going to eat anything, Aunt Daiyu?" Dumplin asks worriedly, eyeing the spartan plate.
"I have a specialized palate, love," Daiyu smiles.
"Why?" Dumplin asks curiously,
"She is on an all-liquid diet," Qiaolian dodges the swift kick that Daiyu is about to inflict on her from under the table.
Dumplin is about to push her soup over when Daiyu shakes her head, "Because of what I am. My meals need to be . . . On the fresher side."
Qiaolian places a hand on her wife's, "I will hunt for you later."
"We haven't hunted together in a while," Daiyu suggests, squeezing her wife's knee.
A faint blush appears on Qiaolian's face.
"But I do appreciate your willingness to share, cub," Daiyu says to Dumplin.
"Is it because of the . . ." Dumplin's head immediately turns into a spider's head.
Qiaolian puts her hands out, and the room immediately stops. Throwing money on the table, Qiaolian grabs her wife and Dumplin and dives into a shadow.
Mimi is in her residence when Daiyu, Dumplin, and Qiaolian leap out of a shadow. Mimi puts a hand on her chest and resists throwing a ball of foxfire at the trio.
Before she can say anything at all, Qiaolian says with much excitement, "You will not believe what has happened! The most incredible thing!"
"The most unexpected," Daiyu says dryly.
Qiaolian places a spider headed Dumplin on the table. Mimi opens and closes her mouth in shock.
"What did you do to Dumplin?! Cub?"
Chen steps into the room with more salve for her sister's side when she sees Dumplin and shrieks.
"Okay, everyone, calm down," Daiyu says, patting Dumplin on the head. She is extremely pleased the child had chosen her race to imitate in her first fox shift.
"I'm going to do some damage control," Qiaolian cries excitedly, jumping back into the shadow before Mimi can ask what exactly needed to be "damage controlled."
Getting closer to the child, Mimi crouches down and tries not to flinch as the spider headed small child reaches out for her.
"Mimi, look, I did it!" the mandibles click together enthusiastically.
Nervously contemplating having two cubs with emerging powers at the same time, Mimi tugs her littlest sister to her for a hug, "I am very proud, but you know I only want you doing this inside the residence."
"Because people won't understand?" Dumplin clicks.
"Yes, cub," Mimi strokes the spidery head, "that is exactly right. I don't want anything to happen to you. Umm, can you change back?"
"How do I do that?" Dumplin asks, looking down at her normal-looking hands.
"Cub, umm, do you know what you look like?" Mimi asks as Chen seems to recover from her shock finally.
"Daiyu?" Dumplin asks with confusion.
"Kinda," Chen says, patting her sister's head experimentally, "why are you so bristly?"
Ignoring Chen's question, Daiyu retorts proudly, "Of course she does. Well, her head does."
"Dumplin makes a charming jorogumo, Daiyu," Mimi says evenly, "but we can't have her wandering about Cloud Recesses like this."
"Fine," Daiyu pouts.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" Chen asks, moving her fingers around Dumplin's head, tracking her many eyes.
Gently tugging Chen out of the way, Mimi tries to get Dumplin's attention, "Okay, cub, focus, I want you to hold an image of yourself in your head."
Dumplin shuts all her eyes . . . and becomes a full spider.
Mimi and Chen stumble backward, and Chen lets out a tiny scream.
"Not quite, but good try," Mimi says, unnerved as Dumplin hops off the stool and spiderly struts after Chen, who jumps on top of a chair out of reach.
"She is making such progress," Daiyu says pleasantly.
Giving Daiyu a look, Mimi plucks Dumplin off the floor as the residence door is flung open. Mimi tosses Dumplin to Daiyu, who clings to the ceiling as Lan Sizhui runs into the house.
"Lady Shen! We need help!" Lan Sizhue cries.
"What's wrong?" Mimi says, trying not to draw attention to the ceiling.
"Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi got lost in the forest. I think they might be in trouble!"
"Have you told the clan leader and HanGuang Jun?" Mimi asks.
"Not yet. We were out after curfew," Lan Sizhui looks down at his feet, and Mimi ruefully thinks, and I'm the cool mom.
"I'll hunt the boys down. But you need to fetch them and Master Wei," Mimi herds him towards the door as Chen follows.
"Mimi, can I come? Two noses are better than one," Chen begs.
Mimi looks her over, somehow knowing the child would follow her anyway.
"I want you to stay close then. And to hide at any threat," Mimi growls this, and Lan Sizhui looks between them worriedly.
Nodding hurriedly, Chen says, "Of course."
Mimi nods to Lan Sizhui, "Get a move on."
Seeing the look in her eyes, he immediately scrambles away.
"Hold the fort, Daiyu," Mimi hollers over her shoulder as she shifts into her fox form.
Following her sister, Chen immediately shifts as well, and the two kitsunes race into the woods.
The two foxes conceal themselves in the forest. Chen lets out a little howl and pads the ground as she picks up the scent. Whining at Mimi, Mimi nods for her to lead. Chen bursts through the woods. It is dark in the woods, and Mimi struggles to keep track of her. Summoning her foxfire Mimi casts them ahead of her. Chen leads her up the mountain. Mimi had yet to catch the scent, but she trusts Chen. Suddenly shifting into her human form, Chen summons her bow and releases an arrow. Finally catching up to her, Mimi spots the boys.
A large nag with bloodshot eyes had four young boys tight in its coils, including Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling. They were hypnotized by the look of it. Unable to look away from the bloodshot eyes. Chen's arrow had struck the beast in the spine, loosening its coils and distracting it enough to break eye contact. Mimi tosses a ball of foxfire to the sky, creating the Gusu crest amongst the heavens. Mimi strikes the nag with a ball of foxfire to its side, cutting off the beast's retreat. Seizing the opportunity, Chen strikes the creature in the throat. Attempting to keep the creature distracted, Mimi hits the nag's coils, near where the boys were being held. Nocking another arrow, Chen waits patiently for a clear shot. Mimi buries her sharp claws into the beast's spine and rips backward. Bouncing off, Mimi strikes at the nag's face, blinding it.
Chen strikes the beast in the chest near his heart.
The clan leader, Lan Zhan, and Lan Sizhui burst into the clearing as the beast hits the ground, never to rise again. The boys manage to untangle themselves weakly from the large coils.
Darting into the shadows, Mimi shifts into her human form and steps out to join the others.
Wrapping an arm around Chen, she whispers, "You didn't stick with me, but I am far too proud of you to care at the moment."
"What is going on here?" the clan leader shouts into the clearing; he spots Mimi and drifts to her as his brother studies the carcass.
"We are from the village, clan leader," one of the unfamiliar boys says nervously.
Another of these boys looks over at Jing Ling, "We ran into them in the village."
Lan Jingyi puts his hand on his face, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible, "I accept any punishment, clan leader."
"You will receive it," the clan leader circles the boys analyzing the situation.
Finally, turning to the boys from the village, he smiles, "You will, of course, stay with us for the night."
Lan Zhan pulls the arrows from the beast and studies them before looking at Chen, a small smile on his lips. Standing, he regally walks to the two fox spirits and presents Chen with the arrows.
"Thank you, uncle," Chen whispers, and the white-cloaked cultivator nods at her before stepping into the woods.
The clan leader smiles proudly at Chen, "Congratulations on your first prey."
Mimi nudges her forward proudly, "It was all her. I just played a distraction."
"I am willing to overlook you being out after curfew, this once," he says and leaves the two fox spirits to take care of the boys.
"Let's go home and see if your sister is practicing walking on walls," Mimi jokes, and the two fox spirits vanish into the trees.