Kitsune Cuddles

"Down Shiro.." Gabriela woke to the strange woman's voice along with the deep rumbling growl of her furry companion.

She could feel the divots where the kitsune rested her feet somehow on either side of her body. As her eyes blinked open she was caught in the face with one of the fox's bushy tails.

"Damn it, you know me Shiro and know that Huwan-suk sent me. Now stop threatening to bite." The voice had risen in pitch showing the other woman's agitation.

Still sleep muddled she gently brushed away the tails that batted over her face before wiggling out from beneath the kitsune who seemed to have easily tripled in size over the day.

Gently Gabriela placed her hand on the animal's flank, letting the fox know she was there and awake. 

"There see, she is awake now. Orders followed." The woman gestured as Gabriela slowly pieced together what she was seeing.

It was the same woman she had seen in the gathering. Today though she wore a smart fitted pencil skirt, her hair coiled up tidily into a bun at the nape of her neck, her red blouse was tucked in and the modest rounded neckline matched the wrist length sleeves though the material of the sleeves was sheer showing the outline of leanly muscled arms.

At the woman's feet were several shopping bags from various retailers. Meier & Frank, Nordstroms, JC Penny, and a few others. All appeared to be filled with various bits of clothing, shoes, and even hair products. 

"Hi?" Gabriela found her voice and as she spoke Shiro turned her head to focus on the woman nestled next to her hind legs.

Suddenly the giant fox was gone and instead the small kit once more returned to curl in her lap with a wide toothy yawn.

Self consciously Gabriela tugged at the borrowed robe to make certain everything was properly concealed. Satisfied her hand fell absently to stroke the fox's gloriously soft fur from the back of the animal's head to base of her tail. 

"The Vrykolakas that Mr. Fox has been entertaining I presume?" The words were clipped and sharp as the woman measured up the messy little waif on the bed.

Unimpressed the woman stepped back and motioned to the bags. "Mr Fox requested you be brought a couple changes of clothing. He is out on business but will return soon."

The woman snorted and Shiro gave her a toothy yawn in retort. the fox making certain to show every sharp white tooth in her narrow muzzle. 

"Vrykolakas?" Gabriela felt out the unfamiliar term applied to her.

"I am Gabriela" Her hand rose to push back the messy fall of her hair trying to at least tame it down into something less tangled; trying to appear less the disheveled waif in comparison to the well put together woman.

As her hair continued to fall and tangle despite her best efforts Gabriela gave up and instead fell to petting the kitsune's soft white coat. 

"You really are new aren't you? That is what your type is called. Undead blood eaters" Her tone twisted into something of a sneer, as if just by existing Gabriela fouled the air.

"Just slightly better than the ghouls..." The woman sighed as her expression changed into one of perfect neutrality. The bags were motioned to as she stepped back slightly from the doorway.

"Anyways I would suggest bathing and combing that mop on your head." With that she retreated the sound of her heels clicking against the tile floor faded before she reached the door. Once Gabriela heard the latch click back in place she took a breath of relief.

"Well, that was fun. Thanks Shiro." She smiled before pressing a soft kiss to the spot between the fox's ears. The returned tickle of the animal's tongue against her cheek earned a little grin. A moment of relative normal before it passed and Gabriela needed to at least attempt to groom herself.

"Alright sweetheart, off we go so I can shower and change." Gently she lifted the animal from her lap before settling the small creature on the pillow that still bore the indent from her head.

The fox huffed a sigh but curled up on the bedding, draping her tails partially over her snout and head, leaving just a black rimmed slitted eye visible. 

Curiously Gabriela rummaged through the clothing before finding an outfit she liked well enough that fit.

Bras and underwear seemed to have been forgotten; something that made her further uncomfortable but it was better than just running around in Callum's home in his bathrobe.

Clothing settled she carried them into what she assumed correctly to be the master bath. Instead of the usual tub shower combo she was accustomed to seeing the bathroom was tiled, with the shower enclosure simply frosted glass that sat over a slightly raised lip of further tile. 

Unwilling to complain she took to bathing, using the soap present as she had no other options. Her hair was rinsed, smothered in conditioner, and then rinsed again; hoping that would at least help tame it.

Overall it was the most luxurious and fastest shower she had taken in her life, and she was dressed while working her curls into something resembling order when she heard the front door open again.

Her body tensed as she waited for the sharp staccato sound of high heels against the floor, when instead the footsteps were softer and more spaced she gathered her courage to emerge from the bathroom and bedroom; following the footsteps into the living area with its minimalistic layout. 

"Oh good, I see Lily completed her errand." Callum's attention turned from the view of the city lights to Gabriela.

His normally tidy black hair was mussed and stuck up in places from where his fingers had been pushing through in whatever emotion gripped him.

Once again Gabriela was struck by the physical beauty of the man, of how polished he looked even with his shirt partially untucked and hair mussed, and she felt out classed.

Not that it mattered, Callum was being kind to a new member of the community; probably just to annoy Vincent.

"She did, said something about being sent by Huwan-suk to Shiro?" Gabriela kept the questioning note in her voice but didn't push as he looked away for a moment before he purposefully walked back towards the small kitchenette.

On the counter were a few steaming take out containers from one of the local Japanese hibachi places. The scent of teriyaki sauce, chicken, cooked cabbage, and rice had always smelled fantastic; now it was just a background smell and she found herself missing the desire to eat food from a nostalgia point. 

"Hmm, an old name. She is stuck in her ways. Come, I will get your breakfast out and we can eat together." At her questioning look between him and the food he just smiled.

"I can and enjoy eating food. My kind feed off life energy and while the younger ones do need to take the crude measures of drinking blood, I am old enough to gotten past that." He dished himself a bowl of the fluffy white rice, the slices of seared chicken, and some of the vegetables before grabbing a fork from the utensil drawer. 

His plate managed he reached into the fridge and pulled out an opaque pitcher before pouring a measured amount into a large bellied wine glass and handed it to her.

Gabriela knew, just by the thick swirl of the liquid that it was blood and resigned herself to this being her diet until death finally claimed her fully. 

A further reminder of how different they were even if he was kind enough to accommodate her needs without prompting. The sad look on her face caused Callum to pause.

"I had thought you would preferred the bagged stuff over a live vein." At Gabriela's startled look he gave a soft laugh.

" I thought so. Vincent has quite pushed you down that rabbit hole then." He offered the glass again and this time she took it before following him to the small kitchen table for them to eat.

"I do.. and thank you." Gabriela started, pacing her words with a sip of the liquid.

" For everything. I will probably need to return to the rest of the family soon." She started; uncertain of where to go with this. She didn't want to leave this haven.

The normalcy that Callum offered with a clean home, no screaming, no death; just peaceful and calm complete with a pet; if Shiro counted as a pet. 

"More than likely they will demand you back eventually. You are welcome to stay though as long as you chose." Callum watched her over his bowl of food, each measured bite meant to keep her at ease.

The vulnerable innocence that she radiated was something he didn't often see in any of their kind; even those born into it.

The children often carried a predatory sense of jaded by the time they were able to leave their homes to mingle with the rest of the juvenile population; and her kind were notorious for turning those who wouldn't be missed. 

"Thank you, I don't want to trouble you too much. I appreciate everything though and the break from there has been lovely." She paused for a moment before her attention was caught on a slim black device.

The proud HP logo on the back told her exactly what she was looking at; a laptop. The promise of the outside world sat right there on the counter; a step closer to escaping on her own.

"Though if you don't mind, could I use your computer? I just wanted to check a few things." She left out exactly what she was checking - craigslist and other online job boards. Some companies had started posting jobs there versus just at the unemployment offices or word of mouth. 

"If you wish." His reply sounded bemused; as if he were following her lines of thought.

"You don't have to leave tonight. Tomorrow though they have demanded your return; though as I said, you are welcome to stay." He worried at her safety, the fact that Eli did little to hide that dilapidated farmhouse as their lair; that the weakest of them slept above ground where sunlight could reach them.

"I better not. I don't want to bring trouble to your door.." She kept her tone soft and at the indication he might protest she quickly interrupted

"It may ruin Shiro's naptime after all.." She twirled the stem of her glass between her fingers. Her thoughts wandered towards the hopes of finding a job that she could work in the evening; maybe sign up for night classes back at the local college when she had gotten a feel for things. 

"Something tells me, Gabriela, that you are going to be trouble for more than just me." He laughed and with that she finished her drink before picking up the laptop and searched for where it normally sat to plug into the ethernet.

"It has wifi. Fairly stable." He assured her and the look of surprise she gave him was adorable. "Just give it a second to connect when you wake it up." 

"I have to run a few more errands tonight, but I will see you again before sunrise." Callum paused in his path towards the door; struck by the urge to press a kiss to the top of her head. The desire to show affection a strange impulse that he shoved back before continuing towards the door. 

"Ok, thank you. I will see you when you get back." She grinned up at him and watched as he closed the door behind him. Then she turned to digging into job search sites.

A few positions for caregivers, those she pushed away as they involved having a certificate, some working on an assembly line, another for working at a hotel overnights, then some overnight janitorial positions at a local hospital.

All of those she applied for before taking to tidying the apartment, careful to put everything back and wipe down the counters.

Her next step would be to snag Bridget's phone, as that was the number she used, and hide it away until she could get her own phone number.

On impulse she opened the laptop and cleared the browser history; giving Callum plausible deniability. Content she curled up on the couch and turned on the television to browse over to Cartoon network, grinning as the familiar voice actors came on.

"Sit boy!" The episode was missing some context but it was still fun seeing Inuyasha and his group continue their adventure. 

Shiro jumped up to sit on her lap with a little chirping noise. Companionable silence and the only thing she wished for was Callum's steadying presence; perhaps even to cuddle against him and just let fantasy carry her away.