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Chapter -17- Brief Vacation

July 8, 1999 - 5:00pm, local time Las Vegas ...

Chance looked up at a white-haired Asian woman standing inside the bathroom mirror. He pulled his toothbrush out of his mouth, leaned forward, and spit into the sink.

He looked up, but the image of the woman was still in the reflective surface. Their gaze met. He cleared his throat and called out, "Karla ... uhm, come here for a moment?"

Karla walked in, topless, wearing a hotel-issued bathrobe, which was open. She tilted her head. "What's wrong babe?" Her eyes darted to the mirror and she sighed. "Which one are you?"

"The same as before. This is my human form, Karla-san."

"Tammy Fox?"

"You are insufferable. Must you Americanize everything? My name is Tamamo-no-Mae."

"I'm Welsh, Tammy Fox. Dad is from modern-day Finland. Mom is from Spain. I'm not Americanizing anything."

"Hai, I stand corrected. Your mother and her brother are both Spanish, correct?"

"Yeah, my mom and uncle are from Spain. How'd you know?"

"Your father is famous; conversely, your uncle Raul Sergio Poliandro, is _in_famous"

"Yeah? They're also both dead. Raul was last seen in Spain claiming he was in Tartessos. Everyone says he went nuts, and then he vanished. The guy was kind of a dog anyhow. He didn't know how to treat women. Whatever. Moving on. My father was killed in 1908. I nearly joined him."

"You saved Sinopa's friend, in 1908."

"Yeah, Nathanial."

"Mm," Tamamo nodded. "Nathan-san has proven an interesting man. We refer to him as the Great Anomaly. My kind cannot understand from where he came. Karla-san."

"I hate to ask, but did you show up to chit-chat? You don't seem the type, Tammy."

"I wished to express my gratitude to you, personally, for finding Sin-chan. I am very fond of her." Tamamo bowed a quarter of the way towards the two.

Karla casually drew her robe closed and grinned over at her boyfriend, who wore boxers. Her gaze cut back to Tamamo. "So, how is Sinopa?" Karla's grin faded. "I'm told she's had little to eat or drink for a number of days straight and she lost a lot of weight. How are the babies?"

The nine-tail kitsune pushed back a vanilla lock of her bangs. Her alabaster human skin glowed in the bathroom lights above the mirror. "Thank you for your concern. She will recover, but is quite sick at this time. She burns with a fever, and her husband fears she may go into labor soon."

Karla frowned and said, "Gomennasai. I hope she feels better."

"Arigato, Karla-san. They have left the hotel to find a doctor capable of delivering her children. Please pardon me, as I have no details. I am ashamed to admit I am not sure of her gestation period, as a kitsune and a human are only just barely compatible. Her body must work very hard to create a human, let alone two."

Karla frowned. "I can't imagine. So we don't have her help in getting the mirror anymore huh?"

Tamamo frowned. "Sumimasen..."

"That's ... wait, that's an apology right? So did I use the wrong word?"

"Iie," said the kitsune, pronouncing the word, 'Ee-yah.' Tamamo offered a thin smile. "Both are an apology. It is the difference between the synonymous terms, 'sorry,' and 'I apologize,' Karla-san. Yours was more casual, but hearing you say such was still appreciated."

"I've picked up a few phrases over the last few centuries. For example, Tam-chan: Your hair is kawaii desu ne, kitsune senpai."

Tamamo scoffed. "You speak the language as a child would."

"Heh, yeah." Karla's tone softened somewhat. "Not to be indelicate, but are you here to ask us to finish Sinopa's task?"

"Were you already searching for the mirror?"

"Yeah ... yes, I am." Karla frowned. "Sorry, I'm tired. I know the Japanese are all about respect and manners."

"I was born in China," Tamamo said with a thin smile.

Chance blinked. "You made a joke?"

Tamamo nodded politely. "Moushiwake arimasen. I made light of the situation, Marcus-san."

"No, don't apologize. The humor is appreciated. This was all really kind of cliché up until now. We're all tired and on edge; Karla and I want you to be real with us."

"Real with you? Do you mean, you wish me to speak true? It is true I was born in China. I also lived in India for a while, before evolving into the iteration I have become. As one can imagine, 'beautiful fox witch' is not my birth name; merely a title the humans have given to me. I enjoy it."

Chance and Karla exchanged glances. He looked back up at the mirror. "I meant we want to be on the same page, and work together without hiding things from one another."

"Ah. Domo, Mar-kun."

Chance fidgeted with the toothbrush in his hand. "So, let me ask you what _you_think about Nathanial ... he's been trying to stay away from me but he thinks I won't live much longer. Do you think he's telling the truth? If so, can I change things?"

Tamamo sighed and brought her hand to the bridge of her nose, gently pinching. "Kare wa kawarimono da to hyouban daga jissai sou da."

Karla frowned. "Too advanced for me."

Chance shook his head. "I don't think he's eccentric at all, Miss Tamamo ... um ... sama. He's very blunt and, with all due respect, I feel as though you're wrong about him. He is the opposite of eccentric."

Tamamo quirked a brow.

Karla turned to Chance. "You understood her?"

"Uhm, pardon?" Chance scrunched his brows a bit. "She said Mr. Carrington is known to be eccentric and that she thinks he really is. I just ... you know ... I disagree." Chance glanced back at the reflective surface, which showed only Tamamo's image. "What is it that makes you question him?"

Tamamo cut her gaze to Karla and back to Chance. Deciding to test the boy, she spoke in Japanese. "Ano hito no kako wa shiranai."

Chance shrugged and thrust his toothbrush under the sink, washing the toothpaste out of the bristles. "Just because you don't know his history doesn't mean you should be so quick to judge him. Again, with all due respect ... I don't mean to be rude." He set the toothbrush aside.

Tamamo frowned. "I do not know where he stands, Marcus-san. I only know that he is a close friend of Sinopa-chan. However, one cannot overlook the simple fact that Nathan-san inadvertently pulled her into a clever trap. He put her in danger."

Chance tilted his head. "And you blame him for that?"

Tamamo flinched in reply. She took a deep breath and sighed. "There are still two major problems, brought together as one. The mirror of Amaterasu is in the wrong hands, and it is closely guarded by a woman previously thought to be invulnerable." The kitsune turned away from them so they wouldn't see the worry glistening in her eyes. Her heart ached for Sinopa, and for the fact Sinopa's new friends would be unlikely to survive.

Chance folded his arms across his bare chest. "Kore wa sakete toorenai mondai da." He froze and blinked. "Did I just...?"

Karla turned to her boyfriend, brows arched. "Yeah. You did. Do you even know what you just said?"

"I wasn't thinking. Tamamo's active thoughts are in that language. And the meaning behind her thoughts are of worry for Sinopa and for _our_survival."

Karla looked from Chance, to the bathroom mirror, and back to Chance. "What'n the world did you just say?"

"I don't know what I said, but I meant to say we're stuck with this situation. It can't be helped."

Tamamo turned around and eyed the boy. She leaned close, staring into his eyes briefly. "You said it is a problem we cannot avoid, and you are absolutely correct, Marcus-san. We must face it as allies. I am afraid I cannot give you assistance beyond moral support and advice. I am Sinopa's sensei, and I give her guidance when necessary, but I am trapped in this realm because my physical body was slain in Nasu many centuries ago. I have little more I can offer you."

"We can handle it," said Karla.

"I am far more concerned with how you will react should either of you lose the other in battle."

Karla grimaced at the thought of losing Chance.

"It's a risk we have to take," he said to both women.

"Tammy, if something ever happens to this boy, I want you to do whatever it takes to make sure I don't remember it. Because I love this boy to pieces and if someone hurts him, I will lose it. I will rip everyone apart. I don't think I'll be able to stop, either. So help me God I will kill everyone and everything until there is nobody left."

"Very well. I will make you forget, but I cannot make you forget forever. I can make you forget the details, but not what you felt in your heart."

"Fine. It'll have to be good enough. And if I die..."

Chance held his hands up, stopping Karla from continuing. He cut his gaze to Tamamo. "I don't want to forget Karla. Ever," he said in a stern tone.

Tamamo nodded.

Chance turned to his girlfriend. "And Karla, don't make me do this - but I'd make sure I die before you do. I'm not trying to sound cliché here but I'd give my life to save yours."

Tamamo offered a gentle smile. "You are an honorable young man, Marcus-san."

"What the hell am I saying?" Karla preened with a sly grin. "We won't die - have a kickass werewolf."

"Ahh, the weapon I sent has proven useful? Excellent."

Karla nodded. "All we need to know is where to start. So point us in a direction, already."

"Hai, very well. I only hope I am not sending the lot of you to your deaths."

"Yeah, me too," said Chance with a wry grin. "I know you wouldn't do it on purpose. Sorry. Bad joke."

"No worries. Marcus-san. Go and speak to your friend, the weapon. I will determine a course of action for the three of you by the time we speak next."

"Yeah, and thank you for sending Peri our way. She's an interesting person and she's an amazing weapon. I got to see her in action."

Tamamo grinned at the boy. "I saw it. Her transformation. I watched from the mirror in that hotel. It was most impressive. Good luck to you, and..."

Chance held his hand up to stop Tamamo. "No need to continue. It's, well, a little too on the nose."

Tamamo smirked. "You can read my thoughts through this portal? Impressive. Be well."

"Arigato," Karla said. She pulled Chance out of the bathroom and turned off the light. "Working for gods and stuff? Meh."

Chance closed the bathroom door.

Karla turned to Chance and asked, "What was Tammy going to say that you stopped her from saying?"

"Something really weird and cliché like, 'May your love carry the day,' or something. She tries to act like she's a hard ass but she doesn't do a very good job of it. She's pretty sentimental, actually. She's also jealous of us."

"Pardon?"

"Sinopa has Mr. Parker. You have me. She feels that I remind her of someone who was young, kind of like me, who she misses a lot. I think the guy died or something. It's hard to perceive all the details from her, but she's pretty upset about it, still."

"Wow. How long has it been for her?"

"Like, a _really_long time. I don't know how long but it's definitely been longer than I've been alive."

"Mm. Interesting. You know what else is cliché, though?"

Chance laughed. "Seriously? You think the frequency of how often I call something cliché is, itself, cliché? Well, I think you're not being cliché enough."

"Oh? How so?"

Chance fed off of Karla's intense emotions and confidence. He found it within himself to try and be flirty. He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her onto the mattress with a grin. "There, that's better."

Karla grinned brightly, her eyes shining with mirth. She opened the bathrobe, looking up at him. "Well, now. I can get used to this side of you."

"You bring it out of me. If you stick around, you'll probably see it more often." He smiled in a relaxed way.

"I love that you've come out of your shell, Chance."

He grinned, telepathically inspired by her flirty frame of mind. "I have a feeling I'm going to spoil you."

"Mm, yeah boy. Spoil me." She wiggled her arms out of the robe, and shimmied her panties down her thighs.

He tilted his head a bit and knelt on the bed, between her ankles. "You think I'm a bad boy, huh?"

Karla laughed. "You have bad boy moments, but you're not a bad boy. You're a good boy who misbehaves. Now c'mere." She reached for him, excitement and delight consuming her.

X

X

July 9, 1999 - 10am Luxor, Las Vegas ...

"Everyone ready to check out?" asked Peri from the hotel room doorway. "So the news claims only two people are confirmed dead from the flood yesterday."

Karla nodded. "The EC makes sure supernatural deaths are kept out of the news."

Peri fixed a strand of black hair, caught in a turquoise stud earring. "What are you two eating?" she asked, sniffing at the room from the hallway. "It smells like sex, mac n' cheese, and cold pizza."

Karla laughed. She sat on the bed in front of a television. The succubus lifted a container of microwaved macaroni and cheese. "Your nose is pretty damn good, babe. You want some? I got another container of Easy Mac. Just put hot water into it, and microwave it for a minute and a half."

"Breakfast of champions," Chance said with a chuckle.

Peri stepped into the room, picked up one of the containers on a shelf, and held it up triumphantly. "Today we dine in Valhalla!" she exclaimed and peeled off the top. Peri carried it to the bathroom sink. A moment later she moved to the kitchenette and put her container into the microwave for ninety seconds.

"You have the goofiest personality I've ever seen," Karla said with a grin. "I mean that in the nicest way possible."

"Why thank you." Peri walked across the room while the microwave hummed. She approached Chance and said, "Stand up, Marcus."

He slid off the bed, brows furrowed. "You don't like the way I dress?"

Peri opened the buttons of his shirt. "Hawaiian shirts affect everything. They are not to be worn irresponsibly." She got to the last button of his shirt.

"I'm not even sure I understand your thoughts on the matter," he said.

Peri reached over his shoulder, took the shirt by its collar, and jerked the shirt down, firmly, until the sleeves cleared his hands. Peri moved around him. She held it up, examined the print on the shirt, and shook her head. "Now is neither the time nor the place for such a thing."

Karla eyed her boyfriend for a moment then shrugged. "Hell, she's right."

"I know I am." Peri walked back to the closet and opened it. She hung up the gaudy shirt. "What else did Mr. Parker leave for us, hmm? Ah, perfect." Peri withdrew a dark grey button-up shirt and a black vest with pin-strips. She carried it back to the teenager and said, "Mm, bacon Asperger. Delicious." She perked, hearing a sound.

There was a knock at the door.

"We have company," Peri told the others.

"I'm not expecting anyone," said Karla.

Peri approached the hotel door. Behind her, the microwave dinged. She opened the door and peered out at a room service lady.

The woman's name badge read, 'Dana.' "House keeping," said the woman in a polite voice.

Peri glanced at the name badge and lifted her eyes slowly, until meeting the woman's gaze.

The housekeeper blinked at Peri's expression.

A crooked grin spread across Peri's face. "There is no Dana. Only ZUUL!" She shut the door abruptly.

Silence.

Peri turned about and opened the microwave. "Checkout is at ten, guys. Are we staying or leaving?" Peri took the hot container in her hands, but appeared to be unfazed by it. She shut the microwave and snatched a fork from the drawer beneath.

Karla shook her head, amused.

Peri shrugged. "Actually, it might be eleven - I don't know. You guys didn't have a sign on the doorknob - it attracted the Gate Keeper."

"Should I have put a sock on the handle last night?" said Karla with a smirk.

Peri approached the room television. She glanced at the glass screen's reflection.

Chance shook his head. "You're something else."

"Yeah, I know." Peri settled down on a cushioned chair in the corner of the room. "Uh-huh. A sock isn't exactly a professional tell anymore. This isn't college; this is the real world, baby."

A wry grin tugged at the corner of Karla's face. "We're waiting for Tamamo to give us a direction to go. I'll call the front desk and tell them we'll be staying a little longer." Karla paused and said, "You do not have Asperger's Syndrome."

"I'm glad to know I was misdiagnosed. But it's the 90's. So maybe that means I don't have Attention Deficit, I don't have Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, or any other sort of antisocial personality disorder. You know doctors. In the 80's and 90's, they love to hand out cutting edge explanations as to why kids behave any certain way."

Karla smirked. "They weren't whipped enough by their fathers, and they weren't hugged enough by their mothers."

Peri brought her free hand up to her cheek and gasped in an over-exaggerated manner. "You figured it out, Doc!" She opened the lid despite the hot steam, seemingly able to ignore the pain.

Chance, however, flinched and closed his hand into a fist. "Weird."

Karla turned to her boyfriend, head tilted. "What?"

"I usually don't feel pain like that. Not that I can remember. The IV at the hospital - none of it. But I felt her pain." He reached forward and, with a nod from Peri, he touched the side of her mac and cheese container. "Nope. It's hot but it's not burning me. But I can feel that it's burning her."

"That's weird," Karla murmured. "Maybe you have nerve damage."

"I'm ticklish. That can't be it."

Peri offered a devilish smile. "You shouldn't have said that."

Chance scooted a little further from her, preemptively. "Right, so. Yeah. I'm getting used to not feeling my own pain. Such is life, though, right?"

Peri pushed a spoon into the hot yellow food. "Life is like a snowmobile, rushing down the plains. Suddenly it flips, pinning you beneath. At night, the ice weasels come."

Karla blinked and looked at Chance, as though wanting to see if he could translate.

In reply, he offered a shrug of confusion. "I don't sense a meaning."

"Good," Peri said with a smile. She stuffed her face with the processed pasta. "I am an enigma."

"You got that right." Karla reached for a phone by the bed and called the front desk.

Peri slid off the bed, eating her macaroni, and walked into the bathroom.

"God I hope she doesn't eat and pee at the same time," Karla murmured, followed immediately by, "Yes, hello! This is Karla Chintzy in room ... yes, exactly - Jon Parker's guests. Uhm, I'm not quite sure what time check out..." she trailed off and listened over the line. "Yes, great. I think we may need to stay at least one more day. At the very least, we won't be leaving until later on this afternoon." Another brief pause then, "Excuse me? A fitting for a what?"

"What's a Versace?" asked Chance, followed by, "Who is Gianni?" Finally, "What's the difference between that and Valentino?"

Karla sat the phone receiver on the cradle and grinned. She pointed to her handbag in the corner. "See that?"

"Yeah, it's a designer handbag. Right?"

"Yes. It's a Fendi. It's quite expensive. My current favorite is a Prada. It's way more expensive."

"But what's the deal with the dresses?"

"Mm, Jon Parker has outdone himself. He's a rich man but I've never known him to be a generous man."

"We saved his wife and children."

"Yes, and now I'm going to go for a fitting. He bought me a Gianni Versace, and a Valentino dress. They're not cheap."

"Who is Gianni? I can't read you right now, you're full of emotion."

"Gianni died two years ago, babe. One of his last designs was something Parker apparently bought and, last night, he had it shipped here to be fitted for me. And the Valentino? Yeah, fancy and expensive - worn by fashion forward women like Jackie-O." She paused, seeing the look on his face, and said, "Kennedy's wife, babe."

Chance tilted his head, sensing something through all the mishmash of emotion. "You've met John F. Kennedy?"

"Yup. He gave me the dirt on Hoover, who had dirt on me for using my abilities in public when I lived in DC back in the 60's and early 70's. If memory serves, she didn't wear Valentino until she was married to Aristotle. I could be wrong, but whatever."

Chance, trying to sort through the mishmash of thoughts in Karla's excited mind, blurted out, "You respected Jackie Kennedy more than her husband...?"

"Is it that obvious?" asked Karla with a grin. "A lot of people freaked out when she later married Aristotle, but I always said more power to her. Jack was the great love of Jackie's life, that's all that mattered. Actually, I..."

"Hey!" shouted Peri from the bathroom. "You guys, c'mere!"

Karla slid off the bed, Chance followed.

Karla opened the bathroom door and sighed. "Peri, really?" She folded her arms and stepped in front of Chance. "She's peeing and eating. What a goon."

"No, you two - the mirror. Look."

Karla turned to face the mirror with a sighed of relief. "It's you. I thought Peri was just being a weirdo."

Tamamo frowned thoughtfully. "I did not mean to barge in, but I have heard from my sources. The mirror is being moved to Florida. From there, it will be moved to an island called Bimini. If you do not catch it before it leaves Bimini, I fear it will be lost to us."

Karla frowned, thinking of her dress fitting. "What's the plan?"

"Book a flight, Karla-san. It would be best if you leave tomorrow morning, early. The mirror is currently protected by an escort convoy. As of tomorrow morning, it will be protected by only one person - Elizabeth Báthory, an immortal woman who is working with people in league with Aris Sokolov." Tamamo turned to face Peri in the mirror and said, "Are you happy that you have transitioned?"

"Yeah. I haven't been this happy since I got married. Thank you for the opportunity."

Tamamo tilted her head. "You are married?"

"Widowed," said Peri. "Tyrell died from heart disease. He was only thirty-four. He had high blood pressure by the time he was old enough to drink. Good guy, though."

Tamamo tilted her head. "His name was Tyrell? You were married to a black man?"

Peri flushed the toilet and stood up. She pulled her pants up and sighed with annoyance as though the question had been asked one too many times. She turned to the mirror, put her fists on her hips and said, "Don't you judge me. I wasn't a werewolf. I decided to marry a normal human man."

"But an African American human man?" asked Tamamo. "I have considered mate-ship with non-Asian men, but I am not sure that I could ever act upon it."

Peri scoffed. "That's awfully narrow-minded for a goddess."

Tamamo frowned. "Yes, perhaps. However..."

Peri leaned close to the mirror and glared at Tamamo. "Yes, he was black. Yes he liked football. Yes he had cornrows. Yes, he went to church, and he liked soul food. No, he wasn't a potty mouth. No, he didn't care that I was white. No, he didn't act like a hoodlum. No, he didn't disrespect his mother. No, he didn't have a bunch of kids from other women."

Tamamo blinked.

Peri continued. "I get this a lot, y'know. I's annoying. Ty was a great guy and worked two jobs. So, if you're about to throw some racist remark in my direction...? Don't."

Tamamo held her hands up. "Please calm yourself. Yes, I suppose that I am a racist person at times. I still find it difficult that Sinopa is married to a white man. But I have been this way for a very long time. I am trying to change my manner of thinking, however it will take time to reprogram the hardwiring of how I was raised."

Chance blinked. "You're over thirty-five hundred years old?"

Tamamo cut her eyes towards Chance and eyed him.

Peri scrunched her brows. "Damn. You look good for your age, slant-eye."

Karla sighed. "Okay, be nice."

"No," Peri said to Karla. "I want her to know how it feels when someone judges you over something insignificant."

Tamamo smirked. "It does not offend me in the least, round eye."

"Oh, Jesus," Karla and Chance said in unison.

Karla rubbed her face. "We need details, are we flying to Florida or Bimini?"

Peri finished the mac and cheese. She put her empty container on the sink. "Tyrell Robinson, born 1964 in Detroit, was six-foot-one, and hung like a horse. Oh, yeah, I guess some stereotypes seem to play themselves out. But you wouldn't know anything about big dicks, would'ja, Tamamo? They don't have any of those over in Asia, do they?"

"Hey!" Karla shouted. The group fell into silence.

Karla rubbed her face again, pulling down on her cheeks. She sighed. "I've met Asian guys who are packing, and I've met black dudes who aren't. Can we not talk about race? What the hell is wrong with you two?"

Silence.

Karla turned to Tamamo and said, "Sinopa met a great guy. He's stern at times, but he is head-over-heels in love with Sinopa. He treats her like royalty. She's basically married to the unofficial richest man on Earth. He has so much freaking money he has to pretend he's not all that rich in order to stay below the Government radar. It doesn't matter what race he is. Jon Parker is a good husband. And soon he'll be a father to her children."

No one spoke.

Karla turned to Peri and said, "Nobody here judges you for marrying a black dude. The only thing that gets me is that, by my math, if he was thirty-four, then he died last year. Are you okay? If the love of my life died only a year ago, I'd still be in mourning."

Peri thrust her hands beneath the sink and washed them. "Yup. I'm okay. Yup. I'm still in mourning. We were married for four years." Her gaze lifted to Tamamo in the mirror. "His family was weird about it at first. His father thought he was trying to make a statement. His mother thought I wouldn't know how to cook for my man. But in the end, they accepted me." Peri's tone changed - she added, "You like Sinopa, right? You love her like a daughter, right?"

Tamamo cut her gaze to the right, away from Karla and Chance. "I do."

"Then your 'daughter' is going to want to feel accepted," said Darkhean. "It took a few months for the Robinson family to warm up to me. And when they did, they realized they liked me but they were simply afraid to admit it. Then they found out I'm cool as shit."

Peri kept her hands under the sink water. When no one replied, she continued speaking. "I appreciated their acceptance, but Ty needed it the most. Well, guess what, cupcake? Sinopa needs your acceptance. So why don't you woman-up, and show her some?"

Tamamo nodded with a frown.

Peri leaned closer to the mirror, as if coming face to face with Tamamo's human face. "I'm a Georgia-born, Irish-raised, pack-less werewolf from a Native American wolf clan. Guess what? I'm not about to be ruled by racial expectations, even though I've been surrounded by it all my life. I don't care how old you are, lady, the world has evolved. You need to evolve with it, or you'll go the way of the dodo. And the longer you wait to tell Sinopa that you accept her decision to have kids with a round-eyed white dude, the more damage you're doing to your relationship with her. Now, go be a good motherly figure to her, and say hello."

Nobody spoke.

Peri brought her right hand up and saluted Tamamo in a typical American-military fashion. She over-exaggerated the salute by thrusting her hand outward, which sprayed the mirror with water. Peri walked out of the bathroom and shut the door behind herself.

Karla eased her rump up onto the bathroom sink counter and frowned. "That went spiraling out of control, huh?"

"Hai. I will speak to Sinopa. Not because of Peri Darkhean's words, nor the possibility that Sin-chan might harbor resentment. I will do it because of you, Karla-san."

"Me?"

"You said he treats her well. I am only able to see how they interact at times, like when they are in their home together. You have spent the past few days working with him. You are a seductive succubus, and you tell me that he genuinely loves and respects her."

"He didn't even look at me. If anything, he was annoyed with us until he got his wife back. Now he's being appreciative. He paid for a luxury room and bought me two dresses to show his thanks. So, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and get ready for that. Having the richest man on Earth part with money is the hardest thing ever. So, yes, he is genuinely thankful we helped him get his wife back."

"I will speak with Sinopa and give her my blessing."

"She doesn't want your blessing," Karla said. "She might not even want your acceptance of their relationship. All she wants is your acceptance of him, and for you to treat her like you care."

"How do you mean?"

Karla slid off the sink. She walked to the bathroom door and glanced back over her shoulder. "Don't say you accept their relationship. Just tell her that you saw him and his friends work to save her. Tell her that you see, now, that he is a fine man, and you were impressed. Not by his courage, but by his demonstration of love ... or something - word it your own way. If you come on too strong, she might think you're just trying to bullshit her. Just be genuine."

"I shall endeavor to express my gratitude in a way that best portrays my newfound respect for him."

"Good. That's a good start, right there." Karla opened the door, stepped out and pulled it shut behind herself.

A second later, the door leading from the room to the hallway was heard being opened and shut.

Chance offered an awkward smile. "She, uh, left me in charge of getting mission details from you."

"So it seems. You are quite young, Marcus-san. But your ability to rescue my beloved kohai..."

"That's all I am to you. The guy whose telepathy got the job done."

Tamamo frowned. "You are right. I judge fiercely. I did not mean to be insensitive or uncaring. I do possess a heart, regardless of the permanent hole created by Konoe's arrow."

Chance frowned, sensing that Tamamo was hunted at the request of the man she loved.

Tamamo arched a brow. "Your expression unnerves me, Marcus-san. What secrets have you learned this time?"

"I did everything in my power to help rescue Sinopa and Nathanial. Not because it was expected of me, but because it was the right thing to do."

Tamamo fell for his trick of topic-hopping. "Why, then, would you risk your life for two people you hardly know?"

Chance shrugged. "You couldn't do it yourself. Someone had to make things right. Like I said, it was the right thing to do."

"Hai..."

"Karla's friends were in trouble. Peri's ability was always there, wasn't it? She just needed the boost of adrenaline and sudden change of her metabolism. Putting her in danger like that ... that was risky. What if they shot her in the head instead of the leg? You could have caused her to die."

"I still may have done just that, Marcus-san. I put a spotlight on all of you. My actions were not without consequence. And, not to change the subject, but do you really consider me racist?"

"They don't understand how you were treated, Ms. Tamamo. They don't realize that you were outcast by an entire nation, including the young man you still love, just because you are a kitsune."

Tamamo offered a slow nod. "Yes. No one understands being hated for your race better than me."

"I'm starting to get my memories back. Did you know my mother was mulatto?"

"Hai."

"And let me tell you something right now - this whole situation isn't about helping Karla, or Peri, or Mr. Parker. It's about me."

"I ... am sorry if you felt offended. To me, this situation seems to revolve around Karla-san."

"Wrong. Who did Karla rescue last month? Me. Who has she been ordered to protect? Me. Whose ability has created a manhunt? My ability. And my new friends are helping me to get my memories back. We're working to find out why my father needed my help to expose the Esoteric Council. It's my telepathy that helped me to find out a little bit of what the old man knows. And if the old man turns out to be right - if I'm supposed to die soon? That happens on my terms."

"Why not say so earlier, when Peri was carrying on?"

"She doesn't need my validation. She loved that guy. He treated her like a wife. She was heartbroken when her Tyrell died. She lost her husband; becoming a werewolf is her new lease on life. But it doesn't replace the loss she feels. Everyone has a story, and just because you don't know it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

"You are surprisingly wise for your age."

"I was pretty naïve when I woke up a month ago. And I've learned a lot in a short time. But it wasn't until you gave me back my memories that I found out who I used to be."

"I did not give them back. I simply undid the temporary damage caused from suppressing your memories. Think of it like a wrinkle in your brain that I ironed out."

He scrunched his nose a bit. "Wrinkles in the brain aren't a bad thing, but I get your metaphor. Did you know I was in gifted and talented programs? Apparently because of my father's high status in the Esoteric Council, I was treated to specialized education. My mother was gifted, too. She had the ability to learn rapidly. Not necessarily from a book, but from an actual teacher. My ability is an evolved version of whatever she had."

"I was told your mother was a human."

"She was an empath, who could learn from others. No, she was borderline telepathic. So she masqueraded as a mundane human."

"Ah." Tamamo nodded respectfully. "As I said, you are surprisingly wise for your age, Marcus-san. You are not the first teenager to impress me. Konoe-tenno was the love of my life. He died only slightly younger than you are now."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Look while we are talking, alone, I have a question to ask."

"Ask your question," Tamamo said.

"How can Sigyn be the mother of your race? That was never part of Norse or any known Asian lore. It doesn't match up. It's all wrong."

"It was part of her origin lore, long ago. She was worshipped in modern day Turkey by ancient humans, roughly thirteen thousand years ago. Her first name was unknown."

"I know I am supposed to read this from you but it's too complicated to follow."

"My mind is a complicated place, Marcus-san." Tamamo sighed. "Her likeness was recently discovered upon the side of a monolith in an archeological dig, know now as Göbekli Tepe. She was given immortality as the first fox spirit long ago."

"I thought forgotten gods disappear?"

Tamamo nodded. "They do. There are thousands of gods that modern humans will never know. Sigyn-sama moved to Asia and reinvented herself to ancient Asians. The concept of fox spirits remained, however, Sigyn's name became lost to time."

"Why didn't she fade away then?"

Tamamo shook her head. "The queen of my kind was forced to reinvent herself again. She moved far west and began her life anew, in the Norse mythology. She influenced poem writers to restore her innocence, but she had to be born again into a new body, as Sigyn, the woman destined to lose children and become the wife of Loki Laufeyjarson. But she remembers her past. The celestial real gods remember her first iterations. This is why more deities are not exactly as humanity described on paper."

"Does this also mean you, Tamamo, have taken the role of antagonist in your life, since Japanese culture cast you as such?"

"I was freed from the Hoji Stone by a Buddhist man, and this humbled me. It gave me humility, Marcus-san. I was not always a good person. But I wish to help now. Do you understand?"

"I do." Chance sighed and rubbed his face. "I'm sorry I went off topic. So, where do I go tomorrow morning? I have a flight to book."

Tamamo frowned and said, "Peri will have perform that function. She is a legal adult and..."

"The front desk will do it for me. Where am I going tomorrow?"

"The mirror is being sent through the Port of Miami. In two days, it will be shipped to Bimini, and then it will be received by Aris Sokolov. I cannot determine where it will be kept from that point. You cannot let it go beyond Miami, Florida. Bimini is cutting things far too close. Leave in the morning, the earlier the better."

"Yeah. I'll take care of it."

"Perhaps it would be better if Karla..."

"No," he said in a stern tone. "Karla is looking at me to be a man. That's what she needs from me. I've sensed it. She's sick of having to call all the shots all the time. She doesn't want _all_the responsibility on her shoulders all the time."

"She seems to take charge of situations, Marcus-san. Surely you have noticed that about her."

"I have. She doesn't mind being in charge, but with so much at stake, it's overwhelming at times. Karla wants a partner who can lighten the burden that life throws at her. Do you understand that?"

"She is molding you to be the man she needs you to be so that you can help her manage all the responsibility thrown at her feet."

Chance nodded. "Exactly. I want to lighten her load so she can relax a little bit. So, there it is - I'm rushing into the role. I want my life to having meaning. Being a man gives me meaning. Having direction gives me meaning."

"Ah. And helping with Karla-chan's encumbrances makes you...?"

"Manly. Figuratively speaking, opening the pickle jar for her is my duty."

"She can open such with telekinesis. She can teleport a pickle from the jar without needing to open it, Marcus-san."

"But she understands," he explained, adding, "I_know_ she can open the door for herself, but it's my honor to open the door for her, to fulfill my role - not as a man, but as her man. It's my God-given right as a man to open the door for her; to open a pickle jar for her, and to bring her a second blanket at night if she's cold. I need a woman that lets me feel like a man. She gets that."

"I see it as caring, but such roles can go both ways."

"Yeah, well, if we're both sick, I want to be the one that makes soup and brings it in. Now do you understand, Ms. Tamamo?"

"I am still curious on your overall outlook of gender roles."

Chance shook his head with a chuckle. "Let me put it this way ... we're in a relationship now, so we're a team. She lets me put my foot down, or take care of business because that makes me a man. It's my right as a man to make a decision in life. It's her right as a woman to make sure I make a good one, and to guide me when I need it. We're a team."

"I did not realize you were so ... traditional. Macho-minded."

"I'm learning a lot of stuff about myself, thanks to you giving me back ... thanks to you un-suppressing my memories. I've come out of my shell. If everything turns to crap, Karla doesn't want to be the one at fault. She wants someone else to be responsible for the decisions that are made. I want the responsibility, because it will cause her less stress and anxiety. On the other hand, I want her guidance to make sure I make good judgment calls. We trust each other."

Tamamo offered a thin smile. "Growing up 'sucks,' Marcus-san. But you seem to be doing it gracefully." The kitsune bowed slightly. "Ichiroheian o inoru."

"Domo arigato gozaimasu."

She offered a wan smile, seeing him actually trying. "Do-itashimashite."

The bathroom door opened wide and Peri announced, "Watashi no hobakurafuto wa unagi de ippai desu!"

Tamamo stared at Peri for a moment. A crease of confusion marred her forehead. She blinked her eyes twice and disappeared without a word.

Chance saw his reflection return in the mirror. He backed away from the bathroom door and stared at Peri, trying to read her mind.

She was hyper, and her thoughts were too jumbled.

After a moment of glaring, he finally asked, "Your hovercraft is full of eels? What the hell is that even supposed to mean?"

Peri threw her arms outward in a mock-dramatic fashion. "God! Doesn't anyone_watch '_Monty Python' anymore?"

"Karla does."

"Whatever then! I learned how to say that in, like, seven languages. I was all excited to say it in Japanese - Sephiroth managed to suck all the fun out of it!"

"Um ... sorry?"

"Sephiroth. She has white hair like the bad guy from Final Fantasy Seven."

"I don't know what that is, Peri."

"Whatever, small-fry," she said, despite being nearly the same height. "Hurry up and go through your growth spurt already, Mark."

"Uhm..."

"So! What've you been doing in here besides talking about how everything that's happening is about you...? Regardless of the fact that it's obviously about the old man with the lightning thing..."

"Yeah? And what have you been doing, sitting out there?"

"Sitting out there?!" Peri exclaimed. "While you were in here, hogging the bathroom, I stopped two bank robberies, disarmed a nuke, and foiled two 'hostel' takeovers. Yes. Hostel. Like a bed and breakfast, but cheaper and without the breakfast."

He stared at her, not sure how to respond. After a moment, Chance shook his head. "You're trying too hard to be weird."

"I'm not trying to be weird, you dumbass. I'm trying to be me. I'm trying to have fun. I'm trying to not give a shit that she's Asian, or that you're one quarter African American, or that Karla's a white devil."

"I ... see."

Peri stepped around Marcus. She took a washcloth off of a nearby bar mounted on the bathroom wall. She wet the cloth under the sink and used it to create a dripping wet smiley face on the reflection. "Tamamo needed to smile more. I liked her more as the fox. There was a sort of novelty aspect to it all, but what do I know? I'm just a dumb wolf."

"You're smarter than you let on," he said.

"I dropped out of twelfth grade. I was a few months away from a diploma. I dropped out. Not so smart now, am I? That was pretty stupid. Go through all those years of education and quit right before getting a piece of paper that proves I did it. See that? I'm dumber than I let on, Marky-Mark. But you don't need an education to get a passport, a wedding, or to become a werewolf."

"No, apparently you need to be shot for that last one to happen."

"I know, right?!" Peri threw her washcloth in the sink and headed for the door. "I'll book the flight to Miami. You take a shower. You stink."

"I do?" he lifted an arm and sniffed. "How so?"

"You smell like you just fucked your brains out last night. Twice. And this morning. Breaking a sweat is fine and good. Hell, it's manly - yes I heard your little speech. But now it's time to wash your funky ass. I will handle the plane tickets for three. You go and bathe like a manly-man, man." She stepped out of the bathroom and pulled the door shut behind herself.

Chance rubbed his face. He glanced back at the mirror. The smiley face resembled a streaky mess. Water rivulets created little puddles on the sink counter.

He rolled his eyes with a sigh. Chance stepped into the shower, pulled the curtain shut and then took off his clothing. He tossed it over the curtain rod.

He pointed the nozzle down, turned on the water and stepped back until it warmed up. Chance popped his head out from behind the curtain, facing the mirror. "If you're still there, Tamamo - no peeking. That's just creepy."

There was no reply, only the dripping of water from a smeary smiley face drawn on the reflection.

He couldn't sense Tamamo's thoughts anymore. Just Peri's jumbled, hyper mind. It was similar to static distortion, like grey-noise.

He stepped forward into the warming spray of water and immediately relaxed as it became blissfully hot on his skin.

---

Next Chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/704771