ATM Rewrite: B2 — 20. A Caretaker Returns (Patreon)

PoV:

1. Sora Moore (Our Protagonist Fox Girl)

ATM Rewrite Index

Previous Chapter

Google Document (In-line Comments)

--------------------

Heart soaring as she left Kari’s room, Sora took her time in the hallway, scanning the artistic flavor that the Foundation had added to her vastly expanded suite.  The shiny marble floors were kept polished by the hotel staff once a month, and it seemed like the shadow organization had done a thorough job when making the renovations.

The pattering of the rain outside drew her gaze to the large wall window, giving a partial view of the buildings beside the hotel and the vast ocean scenery.  It wasn’t a bad storm, and would probably pass in a few more hours, but it did make her wonder if she should bring an umbrella.

Putting the thought behind her, Sora’s smile grew as she paused from time to time when making it to her original suite, lingering on things she didn’t think people would typically expect to find in such a lavish living space.

Anime portraits, case-enclosed dolls, and other seemingly worthless things were framed with the utmost care that likely couldn’t fetch more than a few dozen dollars—things she stopped playing with.  A short giggle shook her body as she stopped in front of the original sailor outfits worn by the live-action actresses in Japan.  Magical Girls were a part of her childhood, and now she was a magical fox girl.  Coincidence?  She thought not!

She ran her fingers over the glass of an excited 10-year-old Wendy and her, posing with the voice actresses and actors of their favorite anime.  Her dad had been so supportive.  It had been really unfair to Wendy.  Although, after her last talk with Jane, she wondered how much pressure the alcoholic must have been under, not that that excused her in the end.  It did make her think, though.

To her dad, these were trophies—priceless.  The photos and tickets of every major trip Wendy, her dad, and she had gone on were on full display.  Some showed slight damage, but her dad did his best to keep them safe during the event.  She recalled times when he’d just linger outside her room and look at them, which now warmed her heart.  Back then, she’d been more interested in him doing something new rather than reliving old memories.

Naturally, there were expensive paintings and artifacts he’d managed to get at auction; her dad loved Irish heritage stuff.  Now, after meeting her Aunt Rose, she wondered if they really did have an Irish background or if there was something more to it.  Her family was so much more mysterious and dangerous than she thought.

Trying to put the past behind her, Sora’s ears pulled back as she looked up at a big fancy painting her dad had commissioned in France when they were nine.  Noelia, her Cuban caretaker growing up, had come with them.  The energetic immigrant woman had played such a pivotal role in her life growing up.

She hadn’t responded to the emoji I sent last week…  I wonder if she read my message?  I’m too nervous to even look, she mournfully thought.  Maybe she changed her number.  Ron wasn’t sure it would connect in the first place when he gave it to me.  Noelia was like a mother to me, though…

Yeah, that hurt when she chose to stand up for me, to the point of saying she wouldn’t give me meds she knew I didn’t need, so accept it or terminate her employment.  Dad just did what the medical professionals told him to do—what Jenny told them to do—and he trusted them.  Damn you, Jenny.  I miss Noelia.  What did Mom think about her?  Could her gamble really be what I hope?

She hummed while observing the various pictures of them all on trips around the world.  Her dad often had business things to do, which meant Noelia was with them a lot during these weekend adventures, so it wasn’t uncommon for her to join them.  The Cuban woman didn’t have any kids, so she doted on Wendy and her.  Maybe if she came back, that’d be easier on her new sister, rather than a mom she didn’t even know.

Noelia put everything on the line three years ago—just when she’d turned thirteen—yet it felt so much longer now.  She still remembered the tears on the woman’s face when her father, angry, confused, and frustrated at the time, told her that if she refused to do what she was being paid to do, then she would no longer be needed.

Sora’s brow furrowed as she scooted further left, her swinging tail slowing to a stop as she found several more images of the woman.  However, she noticed something off that was so subtle she hadn’t detected it until truly studying the paintings and photos.

“Sora?”

“Hmm?”  Ears rising, she shifted to find her brown-haired sister exiting her room in her changed outfit.  “Ooh!  Cute.  I like the white button-up with the pink pocket, and blue shorts look good—flowers on the side?”  When she shifted to show it, Sora beamed and nodded, liking the brown belt and sandals she’d added.  “Yup!  Daisy chose those out, I think.”

“Oh.  Uh, do you think she’d be okay with me wearing it?  It fits pretty well, and I thought we were going to be getting new clothes anyway, so… yeah.  What are you doing, by the way—looking at our old adventures?”

Sora waved her hand while returning her study to the pictures of Noelia.  “Anything Daisy really wanted, I think she took down to Howie and her new suite.  Umm.  Does anything here look… off to you?”  she asked, pointing up at the painting as her head tilted to the side with her ears, trying to spot what was so off-putting.

Wendy lifted an eyebrow, fingers playing with the sunglasses hanging on her shirt front, the first three buttons undone.  “Mmm.  Not really.  I… kind of miss Noelia, though,” she laughed.  “I still don’t know if your mom was talking about her or someone else.  She really did teach us a lot, though—and man, I didn’t want to make her mad.  Plus, she made the best meals… and her air dancing!”

“The air dancing!  I totally forgot about that.  Yeah, she used to just dance with herself at times when we were busy playing together.  She could make anything, too!”  Sora chortled, spreading out her magic in a desire to pinpoint what was bugging her.  The fur on her tail stood up as a sharp resonance echoed through her in response.  “What… no way.”

“Hmm?”  Wendy scooted closer, spotting her bristling tail and alert ears.  “What’s up?”

“It’s… an illusion,” she mumbled, eyes going wide as she interacted with the vastly complicated weave of magic that she hadn’t caught until touching it; it was so obvious now.  “How did the Foundation miss this?  How did I miss…  Eyia!  Eyia!  Can you come here real quick?”

Fen’s huff followed.  “Brrr!  Can you not just turn into fog every other minute?!  Sora, how much longer are you going to make me wait before I can leave?  Are you stalling?  Enjoying me that much?”

The mist swept through the hallway, leaving a crisp chill that cut past even Sora’s natural elemental resistances.  Eyia’s starry eyes were shining as she materialized, wearing a yellow v-cut t-shirt and blue capri pants.

“Yes, Sister?  Fen tells me you wish to do the plastic shopping in preparation for your mother’s return…  Oh, I was looking at these this morning.  You seem to be well-traveled on this world.  I do not know many of these people within your family.”

“Not inaccurate,” Wendy said with a strained laugh.  “We had a busy childhood, and… none of these are her family.”

“I see.  Members of the community?”  Eyia inquired, shifting between the photos of her dad on golfing outings with Tom or other influential political or business figures.  “They all exude confidence in their posture.”

Sora ignored the three-tailed huli-jing’s complaints and pointed up at the painting.  “Yeah, umm, Eyia, can you see this illusion?  It’s super complex—I can’t see past it like I normally can with other illusions.”

Eyia’s bundled hair shifted to the right with her head while examining the piece, her complexion taking on a more serious vibe.  “An illusion, Sister?  At first glance, I do not, but that does not mean it is not there.  Give me a moment to hone my senses.  If it is a well-hidden piece of magic, then there are other methods to detect it…”

Sora stepped back with Wendy as the Primordial Valkyrie’s hands released a twinkling glow, and she swept it in an arc before the art piece.  Next, she sank her fingers into the air as if dipping them through water, the surface slowly freezing, cracking, and shattering into fathomless stars that gradually faded away—every action radiated a completely foreign surge that made Sora’s bones shake.

“Mmm.  I cannot sense a dimensional variance,” the blonde mumbled, “which means it is one of a kind, not branching into divergent fields.  There is no physical tampering done from its original brush strokes, which means if there is an illusion, the truth will be revealed once dispelled.  Calculating shifts in territorial markers, at least those I am trained in, they should be congruent with a vulpes seal… yet it is not.”

Wendy looked at her for an explanation, yet the blonde could be speaking Korean, and she’d understand her better.

“Which… means?”  Sora pressed, moving forward with a frown as she tapped various pictures to get a better field sample.  “The illusion—it’s… only in the ones Noelia is in.  Is that important?”

“Oh, no…”  Wendy groaned and rubbed between her eyes.  “Did you stumble on another headache for us?  Don’t tell me Noelia wasn’t human, too!”

Sora’s focus was on the warrior, though, expecting her to voice her conclusion because her gibberish was too cryptic.  “What does it mean if it doesn’t have a vulpes seal?  Whose seal is it?”

“No, no!”  Wendy interrupted.  “What are seals first?”

Sora pointed at her best friend.  “Good point.  What are territorial seals, Eyia?  Ugh.  Eyia is going to be in a super advanced grade from us, isn’t she, Wendy?”

“Probably.  We suck.  I can’t even sense magic here.  So, uh, can you explain it like I’m a kid, Eyia?”  she asked with a strained smile.  “Wait, kids probably know more than us in Asgard.  Explain it like I’m stupid and don’t even know what magic is, please!”

Eyia cupped her chin while glancing between the many paintings and pictures of Noelia.  “A challenging task, Sisters.  Hmm.  No, I think I have it in terms as white as snow.  Come!”

Glancing at Wendy, her best friend shrugged, and they followed the skipping blonde to the elevator, through the front room, and into the kitchen.  Fen called out to her as they passed through the main floor, while Jian passively sat on a couch, searching the web on a tablet.

“Sora!  I’d like to get to Avalon before noon.”

“You’re already set on leaving!  So just leave already—joking, joking… half-joking,” she grumbled, a little pissed the woman was so abruptly leaving just before her mother got here; there was probably a reason for it.  “Just be patient.  Geez.  What’s up, Eyia?”

Eyia took them to the fridge, and her heart melted upon seeing a bunch of colorful magnets of fantasy creatures and warriors on it that the blonde had obviously purchased the moment she saw them in her online shopping venture.  She gave Wendy a look that her sister returned, no doubt saying the same thing in her own mind.

Adorable!

The warrior used her fingers to move the big battle scene she’d done, spreading out the different monsters to their own zones as she excitedly explained.

“Founders are very territorial!  Very territorial…  So, they divide up the territories of your Greater Existence to the tribes.  Jin’s mother has one of the largest territories,” she stated, sliding the dragon up and spreading out the others much further away.  “Her generations of children are constantly battling and causing trouble toward one another to gain her eye and further their own regions within her lands—Jin is not a fan, so she left.”

Wendy scratched her neck, clearly already confused.  “Greater Existence?  What’s that, and how is it different from a Lesser Existence?”

Eyia smiled and held up her hand in a small circle, slowly expanding until she spread her arms all the way out.  “Lesser Existences are like this… normal ones are like this, higher ones, this big, and Greater Existences are the most giganticist!”

“Don’t think that’s a word,” Sora giggled, trying to interpret.  “Think of Existences as onions, Wendy, and they have thirteen layers.  A territory is like a small piece of the onion.”

“Ahhh.  Okay, got it,” Wendy nodded.  “Universe stuff, I guess.  And there are a lot of onions outside our onion?”

“Sort of,” Sora nodded, creating an illusion of the vegetable to demonstrate while peeling it back.  “Apparently, there are a lot of different-sized onions, and my grandma has a decent section of the onion.  I still don’t understand what a territory seal is—like… is it approved by my mom or aunt?” she questioned, looking to Eyia for answers and trying to get a better grasp on her inheritance.

Eyia looked at her example and laughed, pointing at the 13th layer.  “This is the only one that really matters, Sisters.  All onion layers below it are connected to the whole, and anything underneath this 13th layer is within that territory…  This 7th layer is the size of what you would consider a universe—each layer is nigh infinitely larger than the last—Jin makes fun of you, Sora.  I tell her not to be mean.”

A pout came on as Sora spun the giant fake onion around in a circle, and she grunted.  “Not like I have my mom’s memories genetically passed on to me.  Give me a break.  Okay, you caught Wendy and me up on territories.  What about these seals?”

The Valkyrie stopped the illusion’s spin and placed the magnets on it, Sora using her magic to keep them in place as the excited warrior continued.  “Every Founder has a unique effect upon their territory that marks it as their territory.  If it does not have the vulpes seal on it, the magic item or phenomenon isn’t from this territory.  Jin is very knowledgeable on such seals, as was my father, and they explained many to me, so I know how to act according to the treaty.”

“Simple enough,” Wendy nodded, pointing at the ceiling.  “And those don’t come from Founders?”

Sora was confused as Eyia shook her head, noticing Fen had shut her mouth and was likely listening now, too.

“No, Sisters.  It is Founder in origin—tanuki Founder, to be specific.  At least, that is what I know from Jin’s spiritual instruction to me—she shared their seal markers so I would not get in trouble.  She is a very good… and a very bad friend—Jin is confusing,” she laughed with a sigh.

All Sora heard was tanuki, though, and her mother’s history lesson dumped arctic water over her head.  “Tanuki…  Huh?  No.  No, that’s not… possible.”

“Sister?”

Wendy rubbed her temple.  “Sora…  Ugh.  Why am I always the one left in the dark about everything?  I don’t know anything!  Where are you going now?”

Sora jogged out of the kitchen on her way upstairs.  She saw Fen with a deep scowl and reflective expression.  Jian had set his tablet down, eyes closed and seemingly meditating.  Wendy and Eyia were quick to join her before the lift rose to the second level, and Sora released her illusion, allowing the magnets to fall to the floor in the kitchen.

Worry boiled within Sora’s tight chest as she jogged to the painting, explaining the conflict.  “The tanuki Founders killed my grandma and two of my aunts.  My Aunt Inari basically declared war on them and, from what I know, is actively taking out every last one of the tanuki—legally, apparently.  I don’t know.  It just… doesn’t seem right.  A tanuki Founder… here?”

Eyia now looked bewildered.  “Why would there not be with your grandmother’s open fields for certain individuals?  You have Fenris Wolves within your territory, Sister.  If something as dangerous as Fenris Wolves are allowed in, then why not tanuki, and after your grandmother is dead?  This is your mother’s territory, not your aunt’s.”

Looking up at the painting, a weight pressing in on her, Sora looked between the many memorable moments in her life.  The mysterious amulet in her safe came to mind with her Aunt Rose; she didn’t seem like a Founder, and Pandora didn’t make it sound like she was.

“I see your point but… no.  I don’t… I don’t get it.  Why is there tanuki illusion magic in my home?  Is… is my dad a tanuki?”

Plots spun wildly out of control in her mind.  “Is that what my mom was scared to tell me?  There’s no way…  Is that why Mom is scared to bring Aunt Inari into my life… because she’ll see I have some tanuki in me?  Was that why older Nilly acted that way?  What is happening?”  she mumbled, feeling as if the walls were breathing and closing in on her.

Wendy crossed her arms and shifted her hip to the left.  “Uh, I’m just saying—and I’m lost here, by the way—but I think you’re totally off the mark.  Didn’t you say they’re only in the photos and painting of Noelia?  So, why are you going to your dad?”

Sora’s jaw snapped shut, and the confusing narrative of stacked cards between Pandora, her two aunts, her mom, Nilly, and her dad collapsed.  “Okay.  I’m just stupid.  Yeah, that doesn’t make sense.”

Her best friend held up her hands.  “I’m just saying!  I didn’t follow that logic, but you know more than me.  Can you remove it?”

Turning to see what Eyia’s opinion was, the Valkyrie shook her head, taking a totally different angle that made Sora feel even more dumb.

“If you can sense such magic, then surely your mother would know it is here.  If she did not tell you about it, then she wanted you to find it on your own due to her great foreknowledge.  She would not have seen it as a significant enough threat to handle herself.”

Wendy pushed her cheeks to the side, head tilting in a way that said, ‘That makes sense.’

Sora picked at her cuticles while studying the painting; there were so many mysteries and secrets revolving around her, and they only kept increasing.  She got some answers, only for more to bubble up.  She’d rushed into a lot of things lately and didn’t want to make another mistake, so she drew back to sit against the wall, tail tucking around her legs as Wendy and Eyia joined her.

“Let me… think about it for a second.  What could happen if I do remove it?  Should I call Noelia first?  Should I wait for my mom to come and let her explain?  Could it be a trap?  Mmm.  Probably not, or at least not one I can’t handle, or Mom would have taken care of it, like Eyia said.”

Playing with her sandals, Wendy tapped her phone on her thigh, weaving left and right a little while probably singing a song in her head, waiting for whatever came next.  Eyia was taken in by the puzzle, still looking for the magic that somehow evaded her.

“What do I know?”  Sora externally mumbled, taking her sisters through her thoughts; Kari, Fen, and Jian would be listening, but that was fine.  “Mom’s coming home.  Noelia might have been a tanuki Founder the whole time… and she’s been taking care of me—us?  I think I want to at least try to remove it.  Thoughts?”

Wendy shrugged.  “It would be a trip if she was not just a monster but a Founder.  Would that mean you had an enemy working for you?  Maybe she gained sanctuary from your mom or something?”

“Or…”  Sora trailed off as she stood up, not wanting to say aloud that her mother might not have been able to do anything during that part in her life or else risk triggering her change early and killing her.  “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

Holding up her hand, she fed the desire, her tail stiff as her magic resonated with the intense threads of mystic energy, and she retreated a step when they unraveled without a fight as if waiting for her desire.

Her ears folded down as every photo of her former caretaker shimmered and revealed not the middle-aged Cuban woman, but a young, half-Japanese and Latino girl, her chocolate and gray hair revealing a layered raccoon pattern.  Every cute pose and playful vibe took on a whole different tone with her extremely large, puffy tail behind her and animated tanuki ears when beside her father.

“No way,” Wendy whispered, shifting between the adorable photos of tanuki Noelia having fun with them.  It wasn’t only her appearance, but her outfit that often changed, being far more elegant or casual, depending on the occasion.  “Noelia was a totally different person?  She looks so much… more fun than I remember.

“Like, sure, she was fun, but not like this!  She lied to us.  Wait, that time she danced with your dad on the ship?!  Eesh.  Uh, and when she’d dance by herself in the front room… she was really dancing…  Was she with anyone else?  Yikes.”

Eyia hummed, not looking as put off as Sora would have expected from the defensive Valkyrie, which was probably her influence with Kari.

Her bright blue eyes glowed, and she whispered, “I cannot peer long without the chance of being discovered beyond this 7th-dimensional field, but she does not seem to be putting you in any danger.  I would say she is being quite attentive, at least from what I can see through the past threads of time, though I cannot see beyond her magic to be sure no one else is there.” 

The more Sora swapped between the pictures, the more she saw her past in a whole new light.  Noelia’s hair changed from time to time, as did many other articles she collected over their travels, and the woman seemed to join in their fun rather than do anything suspect in the background.

“I’ll… have to ask my mom.  But… she stood up for me?  Noelia didn’t use her magic to change my dad’s mind or do anything I would have done.”

Wendy’s brow furrowed further, looking even more confused.  “Wait… she did stand up for you, and your dad gave her an ultimatum… and she walked.”

Sora swallowed the saliva gathering in her mouth, reflecting on her memories.  “She said she refused to do what was wrong for me, and she wouldn’t give me any medication—that she didn’t trust the psychiatrists, and asked my dad to look more into it…  Jenny got to the others, too, though.

“If Noelia is a powerful Founder, capable of this, then… why would she choose to back down and let Eric and Kari take over?  She chose not to manipulate anything other than her appearance.  She didn’t use her magic to change things in my favor… she acted like a normal human.  Why?”

A lump formed in her throat as she called her purse over and extracted her phone, pulling up Noelia’s number that Ron had provided a little over a week ago when she’d first started changing.  There was always a new layer to peel back in her life.

“Umm.  Let’s get ready to go shopping.  I’ll give her a call—I don’t know,” she added at Wendy’s concerned frown.  “I mean, I’ve meant to call her for weeks now—I sent her an emoji text last week and a ramble two days ago—but everything just kept stacking up, and now… I have a reason to call.”

They turned to stare at the tanuki woman’s pictures before Sora took them back downstairs.  She flipped the phone around in her hand, still hesitating to press the button.  Fen engaged her before she had the chance, tails weaving beside the Chinese woman on the couch, a curious smirk on her lips.

“Well, well, well.  It seems the Founder trouble continues to stack against you, Princess.  I’ve heard quite a bit about the tanuki faction, being from your aunt’s side of the room, so to speak,” she mused, her white tail separating to wave at them.  “Care for some insight into your auntie’s opinions?”

Jian rubbed his temples.  “Fen…”

“Yes, yes, I know,” she snapped, falling to her side and propping up her head with a hand; her gown shifted to a rather revealing position, her tails becoming restless.  “It’s just an offer from a different perspective.”

Sora folded her arms on the back of her couch and gave a short laugh.  “Let me guess, the short version is don’t trust her, and to kill her?  I know the gist of my family background with tanuki, Tails.  So, what else can you add?”

Fen’s smile didn’t falter, her mischievous eyes narrowing.  “Lady Inari is not a believer in her mother’s ideals, unlike your firestarter of a mother.  It is obvious by what she has allowed within your territory already, and if her sister knew, then it would be quite the fight they’d have—sisterly fights that destroy multiverses, I’m sure.

“After all, she is compromising your whole territory with Fenris Wolves, dragons, Primordials, and now… we have the dreaded t-word.  I think your mother could be in a lot of trouble if you poke around too closely.  Just my opinion, knowing nothing about these Founder Accords,” she shrugged.  “At the end of the day, it matters little to me.  I’m off to be your assistant vulpes instructor!  I look forward to seeing you in class.”

With that, she rose to her feet, Jian following, and Sora was a little taken aback when the woman smoothly clasped her hands at her front with the tiger man.  Her tone took on a totally different vibe—respectful, even.

“Thank you for everything you have done for us, Lady Sora.  I owe you much, despite my discomfort at the line I must walk between you, your mother, your aunt, and my… biases, I suppose you could say on a good day… racism on a bad.  I am grateful nonetheless for your hospitality and patience.”

They gave her a very formal bow and rose, the vulpes dropping the tone and twisting her finger to spell the suitcases into the air.

“Let me rewind.  I am restless and feel as if I have never been able to live my own life.  I have been trapped by my need for spiritual energy and circumstances as a Huli Jing—with my cursed family, whose story I won’t bore you with.  What do I want?  I want to feel free.  And you gave that to me here.  So, know whatever I say or do… it is not personal.  It is in my nature that I fight.”

“Wow,” Sora whispered, continuing to roll her phone around in her palm while watching the pair get ready to leave.  “Apology accepted if that was what you just did.  I hope you enjoy your time in Avalon, and I intend to keep my promise to somehow fix your need for spiritual energy—I did it with Daisy!”

Fen gave the three of them a backward, doubtful smirk before brushing back her hair and leaving with Jian, her bags following behind them.

“Without using your miraculous magic on me or your mother erases me?  Dream big, girl.”

The woman’s three tails swayed with each click her heels made in her seductive walk.  “You are too good to be a pure vulpes, Sora.  Keep that in mind when dealing with your mother.  Even if she is a Founder, your mom is a volatile thing that even the likes of Lady Inari are cautious of.  I have no doubt she would suck out every life in this Existence if it were for her daughter.  Food for thought!”

Sora sighed as the vulpes left her suite with two more empty rooms—three since Jin decided to move to Avalon, too.  She was bleeding tenants, although Daisy had moved in downstairs, so that was a little different.  “Let’s take the elevator in the next suite over.  Man, I need to actually decorate this place, but that’s also a motherly thing!  And my mom is coming home,” she chimed, not sure if she should include Eyia in that since she wasn’t aware of her family relationships.

She moved through the halls with her sisters, feeling their gaze on her as she pressed the call button on Noelia’s contact info.  It rang five times, and Sora paused in the hallway to the next suite over, breath locked in her lungs as it connected.

Noelia’s smooth, young, and energetic voice was very unlike what she remembered of the old Cuban woman; there was the unmistakable hint of a mix between a Japanese and Spanish accent.

“Sora, I felt you unravel my spell.  Congratulations!  I’m sorry for not responding to your texts…  I saw the notifications, and I didn’t know how to respond, I didn’t mean to leave you unread,” she hesitantly chuckled.  “I’m glad I made the right decision, even if it may have hurt.  So, what can I do you for?”

“Can you… video call?”  Sora tentatively asked, hearing her own voice a little hoarse.  “I just… I have so many questions, and…”

“You want to be sure?”  Noelia finished with a sigh that quickly flipped in energy.  “Hmm.  Absolutely, my little shooting star!  Look away.”

Sora yelped and dropped her phone onto the hallway rug as the tanuki materialized in front of them.  She flashed her teeth and did a cute, Japanese-style sideward peace sign as if she’d never left.

“Here I am!  You asked for face time.”

“N-Noelia?!”  Wendy stammered, catching herself as she almost tripped.

“Aww.  You’ve both grown up so much,” the young woman cooed, her long, bushy raccoon tail swaying as she did a quick scan of them, temporarily focusing on Eyia’s cheery wave.  “I knew I sensed a Primordial in this universe.  How unique.  And, Wendy, oh, you look so much like your mother when she was younger—very pretty…  I’m sorry how that seemed to turn out.”

She swallowed and bounced back into the adjacent suite’s front room, showing an awkward, emotional smile.  “Anything I can do?  I can be quite vengeful for my little kits!  I really grew to love you girls…  Am I talking too much?  I need to listen, too.  Ah!  I’m such a cry baby…”

Sora’s smile grew as memories of the energetic and emotional Cuban woman flooded back; this had to be her mom’s gamble—her tanuki caretaker, who should be an enemy.  “Huh.  You did used to call us your little kits.  Did… my mom send you to look after me?  Why didn’t she explicitly mention you?  Why are you a gamble?  I want to know everything!”

Noelia hopped back further as they drew into the room, clearly not wanting to make them uncomfortable by being too close.  Her vertical black-and-white striped dress bounced with her thick, lower-back-length hair as she swiftly shook her head.

“Your mother—send me?  Never!  At least… as you said, not explicitly.  Haha…  You were my adorable little kits, nonetheless.  Hmm.  Honestly, I was exiled into your mother’s territory after I was born… by my father, and I expected to get the whammy from your mom!”  she exclaimed, swinging her hands as if a baseball bat, clearly trying not to break down into tears.

“Poor, poor, little me!” she nervously giggled.  “I’m a little Mudblood, as some of the humans like to say in this universe!  Your mom did visit me shortly several days ago, though.  Interesting lady, your mom.  Terrifying!  I’m talking too much again.  Agh.  I’m trying too hard!”

Wendy’s eyes grew big.  “You’re… not a 100% Founder, like Kari and Sora—no, Eric?”

It wasn’t a surprise to Sora, knowing what she did about male Founders, but her best friend seemed to be going down a totally different mental rabbit hole involving Eric.

“Hmm?”  The woman scratched her left ear, folding it down and shrugging as if it wasn’t a big deal, which Sora knew it was and wasn’t, just for complicated reasons.  “I mean, I don’t know how much of a tanuki I am, to be completely open.  It just makes sense from my perspective that I’m not much in the way of one.  Ah!  I’m so anxious.

“Sorry!  Sorry.  Uh, I was just told I was not in the den when I was born and booted off not to draw attention to our litter—you know, born into active war stuff.  Poor little helpless me landed her bruised butt here and gravitated toward the nearest thing that felt, uh… normalish to me, I guess you could say.”

Sora already felt her heart melting, seeing parts of her old caretaker in the bouncing woman, unable to hold still.  Then again, in folklore, tanuki were master tricksters, much like kitsune.

“So… how old are you then, if you just, uh… gravitated toward me?”  she asked, retreating a second to grab her phone as the woman began pacing around the other room, looking around.  “You left when Eric and the Fenris Wolves took over the area?  Why… why didn’t you try to stay?  I missed you… even if I’m not sure if you’re really a spy now or something—it’s a gamble!” she laughed.  “So, what were you doing all that time?”

Noelia paused, a somber expression dampening her naturally cheery face as she gripped her elbow and turned to face her.  “Okay, I wasn’t drawn here by you, per se.  I’m not totally being honest with you, Sora…  I’m just so nervous!  Okay, let me backtrack and try this again—being totally transparent—I’m trying.”

“Which part?”  Wendy cautiously asked.

The hyperactive young woman took a deep breath, brushing back her thick, layered hair to give the brunette a fond look.  “You always did worry a lot for Sora’s sake… the more responsible one.”

“Hey!”  Sora huffed, but she couldn’t deny it as she caught Wendy’s expression.  “Okay, but it’s not like I’m not responsible.  You’re just… more.”

“Right, right,” Noelia snickered, her eyes looking distant for a second.  “Hmm?  Oh, yeah, so… I lied about not knowing why I was kicked out by my father.  It’s just—it… sounds like, mmm, I’m trying to garner sympathy points.  Want to hear the real story?  I can be in Miami with a snap of my fingers!  I just really hope my dad isn’t using me for some nefarious purpose, but… he probably is.  I’m a gamble, you said?”

Sora nodded, making the tanuki puff out her cheeks and hiss.  “Right.  That’s scary to think about.  I don’t like being a burden on people.  Umm.  Hmm.  Yeah.”

She pulled around her tail, hugging it and still fighting tears.  “I’m, uh, hehe… a 3rd-generation Founder, like you, Sora!  I don’t get to speak to Founders often, so… I’m really nervous—I’ve said that already.  Uh.  I’m just… a few thousand years older.  Still super young by 3rd gen standards!  Your mom hasn’t been the most… attentive to her territory in that time, I suppose you could say, so I’ve been here a bit… and then you showed up.

“Your mom’s only message to me was a few days ago—it’s scary not knowing when you might be erased all your life—and the message… was only that we’d talk today, so… fingers crossed I don’t die!  Hehe.

“I’m nervous—super nervous—like I’m getting ready for a life-or-death interview.  Is the dress too much?  Mmm.  Maybe it is.  What do you tell another woman when you danced with their husband… a few times, and took over her family like a mom?  Oof.  Yeah, not good,” she winced.  “Just hearing myself speak makes me want to send a pillar of fire on my head.”

Sora couldn’t help laughter bubbling up as the tanuki rambled.  She shook her head and waved her to join them.  “Slow down!  You always talked fast, but never this fast.  We’re going shopping.  Talk to us!  I want to know everything.  I trust my mom, whatever Fen says, and if she took a gamble on you, then I will, too.  I’m open to anything…  I’m here to listen.”

Noelia’s cheeks flushed a little, seemingly fighting down some complex emotions.  “Golly, you really are the Sora I babied—totally not a vulpes… totally not.  It hurt to leave…  Tell you what!  I’ll be down at the front when you get there.  I’ve tried to keep my distance from the huma bird’s influence since I saw it leading you down a painful, but promising future…  I guess… I started to feel guilty.  Too much crying.  Take it easy—breathe.  Haaa.  See you soon!”

She vanished in a rush of illusionary autumn leaves, and Sora felt her heart flying.  Out of everything she’d expected, this was not it.  Noelia didn’t give off the vibes of a sinister, evil mastermind.  If anything, she could trust her since her mother had made her move already; for some reason, her mom had chosen to show mercy on her caretaker… maybe because her mom couldn’t be there for her daughter herself.

Sora jogged toward the elevator and pressed the button, bobbing left and right with excitement as Wendy and Eyia joined her.  Wendy didn’t appear so sure, though, which probably connected to her distrust of everything from her mother’s betrayal.

“I… don’t know if this is a great idea, Sora.”

Eyia blinked, her blue eyes a darker shade than the tanuki’s.  “I am inclined to believe she is a friend of your family due to Mia’s interaction.  As I understand it, she was your nurse mother, Sister.  It is our place to welcome an honored woman into your home.”

“It’s not that simple,” Wendy countered, rubbing her shoulder as they entered the box when it opened.  She ignored the woman inside after Sora directed her to go to the ground level.  “She’s been lying to us this whole time.  She even said she was lying to us about not knowing why she was kicked out of her own family.  It just… it’s weird.  She didn’t even tell us why!  She’s dodging questions.”

“Or she’s just super nervous because my mom’s coming home!”  Sora argued.

“And why’s that?  Because she did some pretty shady things!”

Eyia studied herself in the elevator mirror, likely copying something she’d seen online.  “You must put yourself within the shoes of the person—an analogy—not really in her shoes.  She has been sojourning through hostile territory for many millennia, lost for purpose, unsure if the next moment would be her last, and she found sanctuary within your home.  It is a beautiful tale of heartache and discovered belonging, one that she was forced to abandon for her beliefs.  Now, redemption is here.”

“Way to go, Eyia!”  Sora cheered, holding up a hand for her blonde sister to slap.  “You’re doing so good.”

Wendy wasn’t convinced, but the blonde puffed up her chest at the praise.

“Whatever.  I’m just…  It’s weird, okay?  It’s just… weird.  She isn’t the adorable old Cuban woman I grew up with.  I don’t know who this lady is… but she does have a really cute and bushy long tail.  I’ll give her that.”

“And a cute personality!”  Sora added.  “She’s so awkward, adorably forward.  I love it, and you totally know she acts like a young Noelia.  She just played her part so well as an older Cuban woman, trying to take care of us.”

“Yeah, part—an act!”  Wendy huffed.  “I’ll wait to see what your mom has to say.”

“That’s fair.  I want to learn more about her right now, though,” Sora laughed.  “I guess I’m just impatient!”

“Always have been,” Wendy grumbled.

“And Noelia is right: you worry a lot, Wendy.  Relax a little!”

“Mmgm.”

Exiting the elevator, she led the way out front, where her former caretaker waited out front, matching purse around her shoulder, emphasizing her shoulderless dress.

“Hey, Noelia!  So, first things first… why do you think my mom hasn’t burned you to a crisp?”

“Wow!  Starting with the loaded questions,” she laughed, yet a melancholy note entered her hyper voice.  “She didn’t tell me explicitly, but… probably because I’m barren, too, or, well… she used to be before you.  Which, uh… is the same reason I was kicked out of my home.  I’m useless.  Unable to help repopulate our dying and hunted race, and I think you may know that my grandpa was a male 1st-gen Founder, so…”

“Yeah,” Sora sighed, rubbing the back of her neck and giving Wendy a sidelong look.  “So, none of the tanuki are 100% Founder.  Close, but not pure.  Sorry, I don’t mean to bring up sad memories.”

Noelia’s lips curved into a half-smile.  “Sad memories?  What memories?  I’ve grown up in your mom’s territory, wandering and keeping my tail down—which is kind of hard, if you haven’t noticed!”  she giggled, brandishing her long and extremely bushy bundle of fur, making Sora and Eyia laugh.  “After so long, I was just happy to find a universe within your mom’s territory that had people who I could connect with a bit… like The Mórrígan.”

Sora’s mirth faded at the topic, Wendy and Eyia now staring at the bouncing tanuki.  “You… knew The Mórrígan—all three of them?”

“Of course!”  Noelia pushed her cheeks to the side, fidgeting with her elbow as they entered traffic; Sora didn’t even have to use her magic with the tanuki’s amazing spell that wrapped around them.  “It is why I only practice very limited magic.  They are not the… fondest of me being here, but they tolerated me so long as I kept away from Avalon.  Can, uh, I be honest?”

“I hope you are,” Sora returned, seeing Eyia eating up the information and trying to learn more about Founder culture.  “What about The Darkness?  Didn’t The Mórrígan disappear like… over three hundred years ago or something?”

“It’s not about that,” Noelia whispered, ears pulling back and looking up at the sky.  “I feel your mom coming—well, more specifically, her ride.  Hehe.  I, umm… I think your mom wants to use me since… you know, she’s giving up all of her power.  I suppose it makes sense.  I do need to pay my taxes, so to speak, and that comes in the form of labor for Founders.  She’ll be here in less than forty minutes, so you may want to shop fast.”

Caught off-guard by the blunt words, Sora found her first action rather odd; taking out her phone, she sent a message to Aiden.  His response was almost instant.

11:28 a.m. Sora - My mom’s going to be here in about forty minutes.  Can you make it?

11:28 a.m. Fluffy Feathers - Just in time!  My suit just got out of the dry cleaners.  Catch you soon, Ms. Fuzzy Tails.

The weight on Sora’s chest lifted, looking to her left, where her nervous caretaker stood, and her two sisters to her right.  Everything was perfect.  Today was perfect.  Well, the only thing that would make it better would be her dad waking up.  For now, they had shopping to do!  The countdown was on.

-----------------

Next Chapter