The Dark Mage

Chapter 5: Heart to Heart

   After last night, even after cuddling Blondie, Inari still felt haggard after a restless night. And knowing she was going to see her monastic brother and Vixie privately and remembering the disappointment on Victor's face at her attention-seeking sense of fashion, she decided to wear something other than her normal tight and revealing clothes. But she was hard pressed to find something in her walk-in closet that didn't reveal the complete shape of her immaculate figure. Except for one thing, and that thing was her ceremonial garb she would wear performing her duties as Image of Inari. So, she put it on even though it was heavy, hot, and not very comfortable. She then prepared a few things and had Blondie go along with her as well as a few Nogitsune Protogens if Gumiho ever decided to show up knowing that Victor's pure heart would be a delicacy for that vile creature.

     Inari and Blondie then made their way to Todd and Vixie's den on the edge of the city and politely rang their doorbell. Vixie then opened the door dressed in her plain, cotton robe and veil and said, "You're dressed fancier than usual. What's the occasion?"

     Inari looked Vixie in her iridescent violet eyes and answered, "The occasion is I'm seeing my brother whom I have not seen for a long time. And you're one to talk about fashion dressed in that plain cotton robe as my chief executor. You may be an effective executor, but your fashion sense seems lacking."

     Vixie rolled her eyes and let Inari and Blondie inside. And inside the den was the sweet aroma from the incense burner after Todd, Vixie, Dixie, and Victor all finished their morning prayer rule together. However, when Inari looked at the shrine in the corner of the room, she didn't think much of it as home shrines were a common sight. She even considered leaving a small offering on the table in front of it like she normally does when visiting someone's house as an offering to the gods that oversee the household to find favor with them and that the gods would leave her in peace. That was until she noticed the statue of Saint Moshi the Blacktail which belonged to Dixie and sneered at the sight of it and withheld her small offering. She also looked upon Vixie's Tanuki servant/personal assistant Dixie with contempt. Inari then thought to herself, "How can you have any respect for that Tanuki that raided our clan and killed our people? If anything, Moshi was a Nogitsune of Nogitsunes like Gumiho and deserved it when Souzun Yako thrusted his katana through him. I don't care if Moshi changed his ways after joining my brother's cult. Still baffles me how Yako believed he killed someone innocent in giving that coon his just punishment."

     Inari then took a seat at the round table lit under the warm glow of an incandescent lamp. Victor then sat down across from her along with Todd and Vixie as Dixie stood off in the corner not wanting to have anything to do with Inari. Blondie tried to flirt with Dixie but got immediately rejected. Then Inari said to Vixie, "Thank you for allowing me into your... den... on such a short notice. It's important enough where I can't wait to talk about this at a later time." Vixie curiously asked, "And what is that thing?"

     Inari straightened her posture. "It's about the capture and or termination of Gumiho, and now we have some information on who might be putting the Dark magic curse over our clan. We know one of them is Gumiho, but we still don't know who else is behind it. This is because there are other instances of Dark magic that don't just match Gumiho's magical energy signature and habits."

     Vixie then looked like Inari just told a joke. "And who exactly are you going to send after Gumiho? Yako is dead."

     However, Inari remained tranquil and in a confident posture. "I'm sending his 10-year replacement Blondie. He's proven himself capable enough, although he will need help from my Nogitsune Protogens. I'll fill him in on the details when it's time. But on an equally important note, we still don't know what has happened to the Keys of Prosperity ever since they were stolen without a trace. And without those, I cannot perform the ritual duty as Image of Inari to bring prosperity to my kingdom, so I'm expecting a coming famine if we don't prepare now. And until the keys are recovered, we may for the first time in centuries have to rely on more than just ourselves and need to find a way to prepare our subjects for the economic depression that's likely to come."