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Diamond arrives at the lodge wearing a loose fitting pink button down, their hair tied back into a high ponytail, a pair of black slacks and flat shoes. The little gender selecter pin on their lapel is set to 'they/them'. A suitcase is in their hands and their expression seems lacking focus as their gaze roam the area carefully, as if expecting to find spiders or the likes and wanting to avoid stepping on them. "Is anyone here?"
A low, contented gekkering sounds from underneath one of the tables, and Fox uncurls from underneath same, where she'd been curled up with her head on her backpack like a pillow. Sometimes a fox just gotta be a fox and take little a nap, as a treat. I am here.
"Oh hey Fox!" Kay smiles at the sight of the shapeshifted Magi It seems they've expected to meet a shapeshifted person on their way here as they understand what Fox says. Their body is different, likely the result of one of their spells, combining masculine features (torso and shoulders) with their normal feminine ones. "Glad to see you again, are you doing okay?" there is concern in their voice.
Oh, yes, I'm completely fine. Do you know how hard it is to lie when your ears go back against your head reflexively when you're asked a question like that? It's very difficult. One hundred percent difficult, actually, which is why Fox completely fails at it. You've changed your body. Is this experience new and good? From other people, that might sound vaguely creepy, but Fox's ears swing up in genuine curiosity and enthusiasm.
Kay sits down on the ground not too far from Fox and leans their back against the nearest seat, not minding the unconventional seating arrangement. They offer Fox a soft smile and reach with their hand toward them, a silent offering of petting or scent, they smell like baked sweets. "I almost cried when Mary hugged me yesterday." a soft chuckle "It feels really good. I've been at it for a few weeks." a beat. "Oh, speaking of Mary, she's mentioned wanting to join The Children of the Tree." a smile follows."
Pap pap pap. Fox edges forward, little black-socked feet soft on the Lodge's floor. She sniffs at Kay's hand. It does feel like that, Fox agrees, and their little head cants to the side, tongue lolling out of their mouth in a briefly almost doggish sort of expression. Gender euphoria is the best. Look, if you think a fox can't express gender euphoria, you don't know this fox. Her ears perk! up at that news, and her green-gold eyes shimmer brightly. What!
"Yeah I was a little surprised by it too, but I think with the recent events" Their nose wrinkles, Kay is not a good liar or someone who can hide their feelings all that well either. "... she felt the need to do some kind of change in the way she does things." Kay explains, running the tip of their fingers through the Fox's fur, curious about how it feels and offering a smile as a result. "She'd like you to be involved in the process."
"Gender Euphoria feels amazing, it's strange to be able to allow my body to follow the fluctuation in everything I feel. I like it, but it's still relatively new." They say.
Letting herself be petted, Fox creeps in a bit closer. Her fur is soft and rich -- basically the best fur that has ever existed. It's a bennie of being a Life Master. That is surprising, but also not surprising. I started out somewhere else myself, and then became one of the Children, because it is what was right for me. Perhaps it will also be right for Mary. That would make me very happy, if she follows her path and ends up in a place I think is good. She flips her tail over absently. And then the rest of the conversation catches up with her. She does?
She rolls over onto her back, stretches her legs up into the air. In time, it will feel as natural as breathing, and then it will feel a different kind of better. Enjoy every stage.
"How does it feel to be this attuned with Life? Like, you're already a Thyrsus and your legacy centers around it, if I recall what you told me properly." A genuine, curious question from the Moros as they interrupt their train of thought when they feel just how nice the fur feels. "Wow...I never knew Fox fur felt this amazing to touch." it probably helps that their senses are sharpened.
"And yeah, she does. I'm hoping we get the chance before things get hectic again." They mention.
There's a long pause, there, as Fox rolls back upright, and actually ... thinks about things. I actually do not know another way to be, at this point. I have been an Orphan of Proteus for a dozen years. It does make me more attuned to Life, yes. And -- Here she pauses. I don't know. I'm just me, now. It feels how it's supposed to feel, for me. She gekkers, a soft sound. Fox fur is very good. I like to wear it, it makes me happy.
A small puff of breath. We will make it happen.
"Kotahi and Mary turned me into various shades of cats, birds and even a bunny at one point. At my request, of course." They talks of their own experience with Life "I'm clumsy though, I got stuck in Kotahi's blinds and the first time I turned into a cat, I tried making donuts on the couch and Mary had to untangle the claws from the fabric." the fingers moves around in the fur idly. "Are Fox ears ticklish?"
"I'm glad we will. I'm already kind of imagining Baldur's line of questioning in my head." a soft, fond chuckle.
Laughter from a fox sounds like she's about to pounce, that strange broken gekkering, and then Fox slowly tips her chin up toward Kay. That is part of the experience. Being clumsy and wrong in a body that is yours but not yours. Learning how wings work, and the powerful hind legs of the rabbits? Understanding the points of balance in a cat. If you can find joy in that, you will learn very much what it is like to be an Orphan of Proteus, and every experience will make you more connected to your body, so you can love it even more. And then she squints her eyes, making that ^_^ face. Fox ears are ticklish if I let them be.
I look forward to Baldur's questioning. I look forward to Mei's. I think that will make her feel -- very good. To help someone else through the process.
"Speaking of, how is Mei?" Kay takes a deep, meditative breath, smiling at the face that Fox is making at them. They do run the tip of their fingers up until they reach the ear, just to feel it, but stand ready to retrieve them if Fox gives any indication not to. "I'm looking forward to the moment I find the proper inspiration for mine, but I've been convinced enough about Life now that I want it to be part of me, even if it's in a different fashion."
Mei is Mei. She has a lot of stress because of the pending case against her and Aaron, so she has not been out much, Fox admits, and when her ear gets played with a little, she flicks said ear. Flick! Flick! The little triangle goes wobblewobble. But she is good. Mei is always good. She is a good person.
Good! Life is a good thing to know. It ... helps. A lot.
"I have to say I find myself wanting to skip sleeping more often now that I can just... decide not to." A little chuckle from the Moros. "But then again, I do like dreaming so, the temptation is not too strong on that end, wonder if there's any long term effect to that."
"I'm glad that Mei's doing and being good. Also, I could probably help with some part of the legal stuff, I already got a few things from a Lawyer I can pass along to whoever they find."
Don't do that too much or too long. It isn't just a physical process. You need to dream, Fox warns, flicking her ear again. Your brain needs the rest as much as your body does. I did it once, about ten years ago. I fell apart, and Vasha had to put my head back together. It was not a fun time. Well, that answers that question, doesn't it?
You should talk to her, yes. The fight with the cops has sort of upended her life. I do wonder what she will do with herself once it is over.
"Yeah, especially with how my dreams can sometimes work, I understand, i'd be sad not to have them anymore." Kay does not seem altogether surprised or disappointed in that answer there. "I'll try to catch her when she's out and about this, though I should also poke Aaron about it."
"Vasha's an Acanthus, right? Is Leta one as well?" they ask, curious. "Both of them gives me similar vibe from my limited interaction."
How do your dreams work? A statement like that is something a Fox must ask about, after all. They settle their head down on their paws, gold-green eyes focusing up on Kay with great thoughtfulness. You should. It would help them both to feel like... they were not in suspended animation, I think. Another flick of her ear.
Vasha is. Leta is a Mastigos. They are similar, but not at all the same.
"I think that because of how I awakened, sometimes I get dreams with very complicated meanings. Like the ancestors are trying to show me things that could be." Kay explains, her attention shifting away from Fox for a moment "I'll try to reach out to both of them to share what I know we have."
"Thanks, I'll probably be asking around for their help learning a few things about Time magic when I can finally nail down my current project."
That fascinates Fox, and her wide eyes blink slowly. A blessing, I think, she murrs deep in her throat. Do you speak also the language? She absently gnaws on the toes of her left paw, carefully cleaning the fur with her teeth, an absent instinct. What are you working on now?
They acquiesce "I speak Unami, that proved pretty useful when we went to see the Tree in the Underworld and to ask the warriors for help too. It does feels like a blessing sometimes." Kay explains, then scratch the back of her neck.
"Right this moment, I'm trying to use what I saw and learned from the visit to the Underworld to shape my soul, I've been trying to create my own Legacy and i've been doing a lot of meditation and experimentation with a thing I brought back from there." a little smile here.
Her green-gold eyes widen, then. Will you teach me? I only speak three languages. That seems -- important to know, here. Fox rolls onto her back again, slowly stretching out her paws over herself. Big long stretch. And I would like to learn another language. Or two.
She yawns big, there. Oh, that is not a yawn for your project. That sounds incredible! The founding of a Legacy is a great and incredible undertaking. How long have you been working on it?
"I laid a bit of ground work over the years by asking questions and observing what other Legacies do. I almost joined the Stone Scribes when I was younger, with Cambyse." They explains. "but I was advised to wait for a while, since I was pretty much jumping at everything death related during that time." a pause and a nod. "But actual work on mine has been ongoing for a few months, I was just lacking for inspiration for what to do."
"And I'd love to teach you Unami!" they grins bright at the request "I also know Ge'ez, a liturgical language used around Ethiopia." They smile softly. "But I learned that one mostly for me and to remember my birth parents by, wouldn't mind teaching you, but you wouldn't see much use for it around here to be honest."
After the ramble, they blinks "Are you tired? I can totally stop rambling and let you go to bed if you need to."
I like to yawn, Fox begins, because that's the most important thing, apparently. I am not bored of you, or too tired. But soon I will have to go home. I am trying not to stay out too late because ... Zoya and Vasha worry, and I have a new apprentice at home. Leta worries sometimes too. She scratches her back against the ground, ruching around a bit.
Then you should teach me. I would be happy to learn.
And lastly: It is good to wait. I did not, but I knew who I was from the moment I Awakened, because my Master was an Orphan. I knew because her presence felt understood.
The explanation from the fox seems to be enough to alleviate their concerns about their state of tiredness. "I think I'd be a lot more like a regular moros if I went to the Stone Scribes." Kay explains with a little smile. "So I'm glad I waited and had good counsel."
"And just let me know when you have some time to get lessons, I'll bring my notes and texts for it, right now I mostly travel light."
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