Foxfire: Veil of the Nine Phantoms

26: Crawl IV - Fox Siblings

January 14 - Sadayoshi

East of Yonge Street, by the corner of an intersection of Dundas Street, stood an old heritage hotel with big neon signage. However, the historicity wasn't why the building was among the more notorious landmarks of the Garden District. In the bowels of this fine establishment was a place for exotic and sensual delights, and Sadayoshi loved nothing else more.

This was the third gentleman's club that he had visited in the city. The other strip clubs had gaudy and loud signage that shouted out to the world about the pleasures to be found within their recesses. Here was a business with a little more subtlety in its presentation, even if it was only slightly tamer on the exterior. He stood next to a platform where a young woman pole danced, admiring her like he was staring at a fancy dinner, eager to have a taste of the local cuisine.

His gaze slithered down the stripper's scantily clad form, delighting in the sight of her from head to toe, eyes tracing down her legs to her feet where he saw the dollar bills littering the stage she danced upon. Sadayoshi flicked his attention across to the men standing on the other side of the stage. There was a scent of aggression from them that smelled familiar; it reminded him of the bandits he'd occasionally come across walking along the roads of Japan in the old days before he was trapped. These men were hardened criminals.

Let's have a little excitement.

Readying a cantrip, Sadayoshi poured magic into his hands, and with the smallest of gestures unleashed an illusion spell that encompassed the entire club. He induced a strong impression of panic on all the dancers, and they trembled as if there had just been an earthquake, then vacated the premises immediately, leaving their dance poles abandoned to the confusion of the audience. Sadistic as he was, Sadayoshi couldn't bear to see pretty girls hurt.

A door barged open, and five illusions stepped into the club shouting forcefully, each brandishing guns at the patrons. The men across from Sadayoshi immediately pulled out their own guns and started shooting at the imaginary gangsters. Sadayoshi laughed, his voice unheard in the chaos, as a gunfight erupted between real gangsters and their illusory opponents, bullets flying, customers running in horror. In the disorder and violence, the gangsters accidentally fired upon their own accomplices, and the trickster laughed harder.

He commanded the illusions to flee the scene, and the gangsters followed them outside, the gunfight disturbing the quiet night as the shooters spilled onto Dundas Street. Cars swerved out of the way, and an approaching streetcar halted in its tracks. Sadayoshi moved like an unseen shadow, climbing the historic hotel and strip club building with the agility of a parkour athlete. He sat down in front of the large glowing hotel sign, his feet dangling off the edge of the rooftop. The gangsters ran off like rats who had been discovered stealing food, and Sadayoshi finally let go of his illusions. A police siren sounded in the distance, getting closer as it sped through the narrow downtown streets.

"What are you doing?"

Sadayoshi turned around to see his older sister standing behind him with her arms crossed in front of her substantial chest. She stood balanced on the hotel sign, and he smiled up at her, which only made her more irritated. He could have sworn she had a significantly slimmer humanoid form the last time he had met her centuries ago, before his unfortunate imprisonment in that accursed blade. Perhaps bringing it up would annoy her.

"Well, are you going to answer my question?" Mei said, her amber eyes staring at him down her nose.

"Have you gained weight, big sister? It seems you have gotten quite fat."

Mei's fox ears twitched in annoyance. "I'm not fat. In this time and place, fuller figures are preferred. Edo Japan and 2020s Canada are very different places..." She closed her eyes and shook her head, sighing, "You said to me, and I shall quote your exact words, 'This place is amazing. The women have a fleshy roundness to them, unlike the starving peasants that I used to seduce.'" She glared at her brother and pointed a clawed finger at him. "You were supposed to be checking on the ōmukade. Father will be upset if he learns you're disobeying his commands. He's already disappointed in you for getting caught and imprisoned for so long. Now here you are, getting distracted by women and getting into unnecessary mischief."