Interlude: The Usual, Unusual Conversation

"I see your experiments seem to of worked out"

The casually dressed Kitsune wearing a white hoodie with a black stripe and gray sweatpants addressed a smart dressed young woman sitting cross-legged in a chair opposite her, with a small table filled with sweets and a warm drink on either side.

Wearing a blue empire waist and enchanted glasses made of runed metal with a slightly yellow tint, the Kitsune's eyes were drawn to her hair, as it no longer resembled a very common side-swept medium black hair, but a slightly longer, barely blinding bangs with streaks of gold through it.

"You know that guy that ran into us, a few weeks back? Adelard, I think... He helped me out. Anyway, what was it like at first? Like, looking at yourself in the mirror"

"Why do you care about that so much?"

"Come on! It's like, the coolest movie trope! You know, different perspectives and the character has to find love. You're living the dream! Plenty of people would kill to go through what you are"

Two women sat in a relatively quiet area with a large library, filled corner to corner with more knowledge than several small cities combined.

These girls could be seen often talking here twice a week about strange subjects, any passer-by would have to question what they heard if they stumbled across such a conversation. From menial discussions around a shifted perspective to obtuse revelations.

An aroma of hot coffee, sweet tea and freshly baked sweets intertwined with the crackling fire distinguished the library's private level as luxury. Its comfortable seating allowed their little tucked away corner, positioned on a balcony overlooking the main floor below, to be a perfect sanctuary to relax.

If any stranger passed these individuals without prior knowledge of their situations, they would surely call them mad, or at the very least, delusional.

"I don't think you realize what I went through..."

"What do you mean? I mean, you were practically an E-boy right?"

"Please don't romanticize what I did. I hurt people for my own stupid interests. Colleges, friends, people who worked for my parents. I ruined relationships, I deserved what I got..."

The white haired Kitsune had several dark circles under her eyes, staring into the dark cup of coffee on the small table lined with baked goods in front of her, recalling a past she wished she could change.

"You were like, a N-T-R protag right?"

"For the love of. Just kill me"

She clutched her head, hating hearing the words from who she thought as the only person in the world who would know about such a term.

"*sigh* I miss the internet"

"I don't"

"Why? We used it for everything, how do you not miss it?"

"Don't you remember? It was a massive scandal three years ago, with the prices of the meds my parents made"

"Oh yeah, that rings a bell... What does that have to do with you?"

Her face grew pensive as she leaned over, preparing to relay her view of events.

"They raised all the prices, just for cancer research, for me. The public didn't believe it, why would they? It was easier to believe it was fake, but that spotlight landed on me... and the stupid things I did... Nothing was private anymore. At first I ignored it, but it just kept coming, and coming-

-Death threats, insults, anything and everything I did. It went on for a year before some journalist got my picture. *tsk* They shut up real quick once they saw a bald teen with barely any meat to their bones go in for another chemo session. I know I deserved it, but fuck it hurt-

-People only stopped hating me because I looked so pitiful and they knew I would die young. The last person who deserves pity is me"

The girl sitting opposite her could only frown in realization, that the topics she finds entertaining are nothing compared to how serious reality can be.

"I'm sorry..."

"Please, I don't need to hear that"

"Right... Let's... Let's talk about something else..."

"Yeah"

Both took a sip of their different drinks in an attempt to cleanse their minds before the white haired kitsune's ears perked up as she caught the scent of someone familiar nearby.

"Why do you always wear that jumper? You hiding something"

"..."

"Wait, do you secretly have big boobs?"

"Shut up"

"Well you won't answer my question, so what else do I ask"

"If you really want to know, it's like being tickled"

"What does that mean?"

"Well, you can't tickle yourself, but if someone else does it... Anyway, when I first managed to transform and look in a mirror, I felt nothing... I knew it was me, and... Well I guess that's a trope for a reason"

"But you where a-"

"-I know. If you look in a mirror naked, does it turn you on? Of course not. It's just how it is, sorry to let you down"

"Do you at least have someone not depressing to talk about? Like do you approach anything differently?"

"You sound like a psychologist. Well, my hearing is a lot better, same with smell... Wait, I know. So around when Touji woke up, and I don't know how it happened, Ota's shirt was open-"

"Oh, should I tell her about her name?"

"No, this isn't our world, they do things differently anyway. Besides, her original name was Otoha, she just chose to shorten it"

"Alright, so anyway, when you got a peak, what did you feel?"

"Calm down, don't make it sound so dirty, she was wearing a bra. Well, I mean, that was the thing though. I was more interested in where she got it than anything else, I don't know what that says about me... Maybe my brains broken"

"Depends, what was your type before?"

"Don't ask me to describe what I like... *sigh* I don't think that's changed at all, I just control myself now... I think"

"'You think?' How does that work?"

"Ota, she's kind of a tomboy right? I thought I would go wild over it, but I felt nothing the few times she's stepped into the hot spring in her birthday suit... But that's the opposite with Merrah... So like, hey, what's that look for!?"

Her smug smile stretched from ear to ear as she listened to her friend.

"Hmmm, true love"

"Uh... sorry to interrupt... whatever is going on here. Enda needs both of you for a fitting or something"

A young man interrupted them from the floor below. He had short dark brown hair, blue eyes and a slightly muscular frame. He stood above average height and wore black and white training clothes, however, both his knees and arms were braced, with training weights wrapped around his ankles.

"Fine, wait, where are you headed?"

"Uh, Rider is almost back with a bunch of building supplies. She wants me to repair some gear or something? Enda just told me to go meet her... I think she got into trouble on the way back"

"Do you even know where you're going?"

"Yeah, down the main street, then walk around to the 'Uber Hill Gate', I should see them on the road on the left of the mountain?"

"*sigh* If you get lost, don't be afraid to ask people for directions, or just shout out for a copy"

"I'll be fine, shouldn't you be preparing for tonight's festival? Wait, how many copies does she have?"

"I'll talk to you about that later, better get going"

"-Oh hey Touji, what do you think of Ota naked? I know you two bathe together"

"W-what would you ask me for? I've, uh, got to go, bye!"

The flustered young man ran away before he could be interrogated or judged any further.

"I swear, you enjoy teasing him more that Ota, no wonder he doesn't come to see you"

"So? Not much else going on besides, what else can I do? Not like I have much mana to any magic, I get bored too. Also, it's cute"

"At least there's no harm in it, just be careful, he's way to unsure of himself, honestly I'm worried about him"

"Like in a romantic wa-"

"Ok ok. First, you're a pervert. Second, even if not by blood, we're siblings so don't even go there. Third, he's the little brother I always wanted. Fourth, I've had friends like him before... The kind that confesses to a girl they like, get shot down, and take it real hard"

"Orders received loud and clear. So what about Merrah then, what's she up to? I guess you as well, with her, that is"

"You don't have to emphasize it. She wants to talk more, but finds it hard, so-"

"Is she going to a speech pathologist"

"Do you think they even exist in this world? Right now, she's practicing, reading out loud with her mum"

"Didn't you say her parents passed away, and she's the only one left?"

"Yeah, you know the tree out in the courtyard that way? That's her mother"

"Huh, what?"

"It's tradition that when a Nyx passes away, they are buried without a coffin and 'return to the earth', the tree itself is said to be 'a manifestation of the soul'"

"Ah... I understand. I did the same with my grandfather"

"That tree though, it's like she really is there, as in, her mother. I don't know how to describe it, but it feels warm... like a 'lived in' home. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something, sort of advice before we head off"

"Sounds fair, but why me?"

"Because... I think you're suited for this question more than... Look. How soon is too soon... to propose?"

Her eyes widened in response and she leaned on her chair, fingers locked, head resting on top.

For the first time today, the young lady with golden streaks through her hair, got serious.