Kitsune in the Shadows

It didn’t take long for Raynelle to come back into the room. I hardly had enough time to persuade Umbra to go back into my shadow before the door flew open.

“I was going to bring everything here, but it was a bit much for one trip,” Raynelle said, holding up some clothes, “This might be a bit easier for you to put on than having to struggle with your dress every morning.”

She had brought a beige T-shirt that looked very similar to her own shirt and what looked like a pair of shorts that had been flipped back to front.

But, just the dress is enough for me…

Anymore and…

What am I going to do?

I instinctively clutched at the hem of my dress as she laid the clothes down on my bed.

“I know you don’t like anyone being in the room while you’re changing, so I’ll just-” She abruptly stopped talking as soon as she turned around and saw me, “…Hey, what’s wrong?” She crouched down in front of me so her head was at the same height as mine.

“…”

I… I can’t accept any more…

“Am I going to have to guess? You should know by now that I’m not very good at that,” She laughed a little as she carefully opened up my hands, “It would help me help you if you could tell me.”

Will that make you stop?

…

“…T-t-too…”

“Too?”

“…M-much!” I accidentally shouted.

“Too much?” Raynelle leaned back a little, now holding my little hands in hers, “So you think that I’m giving you too much…”

She spent a little while staring at the ceiling. When I looked up to try and find what she was looking at, she immediately started talking again.

“What if I said it wasn’t too much for me?”

“…” I didn’t know what she expected me to say.

“Not good enough then… then how about…” She paused for a few seconds, “It makes me happy to give you things, okay?”

“…”

“Y’know, I’ve never had so much trouble trying to give someone a gift…”

She continued to hold onto my hands as she was lost in thought, only occasionally sighing to herself. It had already gotten to the point where I was starting to feel very uncomfortable.

Why is she so… desperate to give me things?

What does she get out of it?

…

She said it makes her happy, but why?

Why would giving something away make you happy?

…

I do want to give a gift to Ovia…

But that’s different!

She helped me first… S-so I’m just showing my gratitude.

…

I’ve done nothing for Raynelle…

…

No matter how much I thought about it, it didn’t make any sense to me. There just wasn’t any reason why she should be happy to give me something unless she wanted me to pay her back later.

“Can’t you just-” She suddenly started to speak, startling me out of my thoughts.

At that moment, I wasn’t sure what came over me, but before she could say anything else, I pulled away from her and picked up the clothes she had laid out. Every time she tried to persuade me, this sinking feeling was building up in my stomach, and I just wanted it to go away.

“…Great, that works for me,” Raynelle stood up, “I’ll step out of the room for you then… how did Ava do it?… Ah, that’s right, just knock on the door when you’re all good to go.”

She quickly left the room, not giving me a chance to respond.

…

I looked over the clothes in my hands again, paying much more attention to the pair of shorts she gave me. They almost looked normal, but instead of fastening at the front, they fastened at the back, with a notable gap cut into them, which was clearly meant for my tail.

…

I already knew Raynelle was going to keep pestering me if I didn’t at least try and wear what she had given me, but I still didn’t really want to do it.

…

Come on Kierra…

Just… get it over with…

Reluctantly, I took my dress off, folded it neatly, and placed it down on my bed before stepping into the shorts and pulling them up. They sat a little too high on my legs for my liking, but I wasn’t in any position to argue.

Once they were up around my waist, I immediately turned my attention to my tail. I made sure it was sitting in the slot before doing up the fastening just above the base of my tail. It was a little tricky as I couldn't see what I was doing, but I managed to do it anyway.

…

That… was so much easier than the tail flap…

Choosing not to dwell on it too much, I hastily put the shirt on. Looking down, it was clearly a little bit too big for me.

I quickly checked myself over one last time before making my way over to the door and knocking on it.

As soon as I did, the door flew open, almost knocking me to the ground. Raynelle was standing in the doorway, now wearing her cloak with another smaller one in her hands.

“Hmm… I think that looks good, though the sizing could use a little work,” She handed me the other cloak she was carrying, “Now, let’s head on out.”

Head out?

That isn’t what you said we were doing.

You said we were going to talk…

“Don’t worry so much. I just thought being outside would help you figure out what you want to do,” she said, putting the cloak on me before patting me on the head, “Plus, I think it would be nice to go and say thank you to Anna for those clothes.”

Once again, I looked down at the clothes I was wearing.

I guess… I should…

…

I should… thank her for the dress as well…

My shadow coated my hair, and Raynelle pulled the hood up over my ears.

“Great. The earlier we get there, the more time we’ll have to look at everything else.”

Everything else?

Does that mean… I could… get something for Ovia?

…

I do need to find something for her…

With my mind made up, instead of waiting for Raynelle to lead me out like she normally did, I squeezed past her and confidently led the way all the way back to that small market with the colourful awnings from before, though I could hear a faint chuckle the whole time.

However, as soon as I was standing in front of the familiar door decorated with a sign showing a reel of thread, my confidence completely vanished.

“What are you waiting for?” Raynelle quickly caught up with me.

“…”

“Come on, don’t be like that. You seemed to like Ana plenty the last time we came here,” she said, pushing the door open by reaching over my head.

What do you mean?!

“I’ll be there in just a second,” A voice called out from inside the store.

“Go on now,” Raynelle placed her hand on my back and gently pushed me forward.

As soon as we were inside the store, the door slammed closed behind us.

“Oops… Sorry about that Anna!” Raynelle called out.

“Oh, is that Raynelle? How did the little fox like-” She poked her head out from the back and immediately stopped talking, “I see we have the person in question here herself.”

She came out of the back carrying a large pile of dresses, which she placed down on the front counter before coming up to me and crouching down.

“I see you got your hands on some of the other things I had put together for you,” She briefly looked me up and down before smiling, “The shirt is a little bit big, but I guess that at least means it will be more comfortable to sleep in.”

“…”

“So you’re still not very talkative?… Well, that’s fine; I’m sure you’ll get there. But for right now, can you do something for me?”

I just nodded without thinking; there was just something about her that made me want to agree.

“Can you take off your cloak and turn around for me? I’d like to check how those shorts fit  you and your fluffy tail.”

I did exactly as she asked and handed my cloak off to Raynelle before turning around and lifting my shirt just enough so the fastening at the back could be seen.

“Hmm, it looks good to me… But the more important question is… Do you like it? Did you find them easier to put on than the dress?” She put her hands on my shoulders and turned me back around.

I nodded.

“Alright, I’ll keep that in mind for the future,” She started to stand back up.

Wait, not yet!

I still need to thank you.

At least for the dress… It helped me a lot…

“…Th…Tha…” In a panic, I tried to force the words out.

However, before I could, Anna quickly crouched back down and lightly cupped her hand over my mouth.

“You don’t have to push yourself if you’re not ready,” She took her hand away, “I already know what you’re trying to say and already appreciate it a lot, okay?”

…

But…

“… Th-Thank you!” I blurted out, only panicking a little this time.

She didn’t say anything and just smiled warmly at me before turning her attention to Raynelle, “She’s doing much better than before, isn’t she?”

“It’s a small step, but it’s a step in the right direction at least,” Raynelle responded.

Anna let out a chuckle before going back over to the counter and picking up the dresses she had brought out, “If you want to talk some more, you’ll have to wait a while; I need to try and sort these dresses out quickly. The client in question isn’t known for being generous.”

“Do you need some help?”

“No, no, go spend some time with the little one. I’m sure this isn’t the place she wants to spend the day.”

“Ahhh… I… I guess you’re right…” Raynelle scratched the back of her head, “Well then, before we leave, do you know any places around here that sell art supplies?”

“Oh, does she have an interest in art?” She looked at me, but I quickly turned away, leading to another chuckle, “Well, if you just keep walking down the street, there’s a place without a sign that sells what you’re looking for and many other little trinkets. It’s run by this nice old man, though if I’m being honest with you, I don’t know much about him, but he occasionally comes over here to hand out cookies, so if you’re lucky…”

“That sounds nice,” Raynelle lifted me up, “Isn’t that right Kierra?”

She looked into my eyes, clearly expecting an answer from me, but I just looked away, unsure of what to say.

“I guess that means we’ll be heading out now then,” She made her way over to the door before shouting back, “Thanks again!”

“Anytime!” Anna shouted back in response, “But next time you better tell me the full story!”

Raynelle just laughed as she left the store with me still in her arms, “Alright, let’s find this store then.”

We made our way down the street, with Raynelle checking each of the doors as we walked past them.

Eventually, we stopped in front of a store that had a deep purple awning above the entrance. Or at least I thought it was a store; aside from the awning, it just seemed like a regular house.

Raynelle set me down on the ground before walking up to the door, “I think this is the right place.”

As she pushed the door open, I was suddenly assaulted by the sharp smell of wet paint.

“Well, am I going to need to help you go in again?” Raynelle smiled at me while holding the door open.

No… I can… do it myself…

I sheepishly walked past her into the store and was immediately left in awe of what I saw. The store was filled with a seemingly endless number of shelves stacked with art supplies and other small things, from hair clips to intricate glass sculptures. But by far, what drew my attention the most were the many easels lined up along the back of the store, which had what could only be called masterpieces left on them.

“So, what do you think?” An unfamiliar voice startled me, causing me to jump back, “Whoa there! Sorry for surprising you. I didn’t expect you to jump quite that much.”

I immediately turned to face whoever was talking. They were a man with short grey hair and a well-trimmed beard, clearly showing his age, but despite that, his body betrayed that image with how well-built he was. He was wearing an apron over his clothes that had clearly been splattered with paint over many years.

“Hello there,” Raynelle spoke up, taking his attention from me.

“Hello to you too,” he said, reaching out his hand towards Raynelle, which she promptly shook, “So, what exactly are you two looking for?”

“Um…. Let’s say… we’re just here to look around a bit,” Raynelle said, putting one hand on my shoulder, “This little one, while a bit shy, has quite the knack for drawing, so I wanted to see if she’d be interested in looking around a place like this.”

“Is that so?” He turned his attention back to me, “Well, then. How about this?… go have a look through this place and bring me whatever it is that’s your favourite. It can be absolutely anything, even if it doesn’t look like it’s for sale. In the meantime, I’ll talk to your Mom here. Does that sound good to you?”

Mom?!

She… isn’t my mom!…

I… don’t…

I pushed the thoughts out of my mind before they could get out of control and just ran off into the store, hoping to distract myself.

“Well doesn’t she seem eager?” The old man laughed to himself.