[PRP] Where Fox, There Fox (Eve & Preacher)

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Are you serious?!" She yelled up at the unfeeling sky. "I had s**t to do!" Other Ashdown (as Mercer called it) or Rainy s**t-Land (as Preacher preferred) seemed to be sucking her in a lot lately. How did anyone get any ******** thing done? Even the evening breeze was pleasant here, like spring. Weird seasons. Grumbling, she stomped over the street and peered into the park. It seemed a little more woodsy, more overgrown on this side. And, since she couldn't go back until s**t-Land decided to spit her out, might as well find something to do.

She kicked a rock, picked up a stick and swung it, climbed a tree. Once up in the tree, she tried to amuse herself by hooting like an owl. It didn't really work. Sighing, Preacher broke off small twigs and threw them down before trying to shimmy down the tree herself.

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[cibarium]

A gray fox had appeared in the park, and was peering up at Temperance from the base of the tree.

the semblance of unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Preacher stopped mid-downwards-climb. What that a real fox? She hadn't seen much in the way of creatures in Not-So-Rainy Shitland, though Zac had mentioned some were dangerous. Preacher had always thought foxes were pretty cool - like some kind of hybrid cat dog creature. Slowly, she continued downwards, hoping the fox wouldn't bolt. Once on the ground, she turned to regard the fox in much the same manner it was staring at her.

"Hey, lil buddy." She held out her hand for the usual sniff. "Promise not to eat me?" She wondered if foxes in this place could talk.

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[cibarium]

Instead of running away, or leaning forward her head to sniff at Preacher's fingers, or anything else that would have been appropriately fox-like, Eve reached out a paw and dropped it pointedly into the offered hand. Like a 'shake' trick taught to a pet dog. Hello.

the semblance of unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Hello ta you, too," she said, and gravely shook the little fox's paw before letting go. "I betcha know more about this place then I do - know anywhere cool?" She felt a little silly speaking to a fox, but Preacher reckoned maybe animals here understood more or something. Regardless, she bet foxes knew all about the best trees or napping spots or hidey holes. Cool s**t to use when she was stuck here.

Other Ashdown seemed to be yanking her in a lot lately. She supposed she should be grateful that it wasn't raining, but it was annoying. "Or like you could lead me back home." She huffed, then the huff turned into a yawn. Preacher wondered how safe napping here would be.

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[cibarium]

The fox tilted her head for a moment, considering Preacher's questions, and after some apparent thought and a quick glance around, huffed a small sigh: oh, all right. Then she slowly backed away a few feet. A quick stretch was all it took for her body to warp in a quick fluid motion that replaced the small canine with a full-grown woman, with yellow eyes and fangs and pointy ears remaining as a reminder she hadn't been human just a moment ago.

"I was going to wait until we'd found a place to sit down," she lamented, brushing a stray leaf off her sleeve near her shoulder. "But this is better, if you're after a tour. Hello, I'm Eve."

the semblance of unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Holy ********' shitballs," she whispered. "You're one of those moondudes, yeah? Like Armageddon 3000!" Preacher looked utterly flabbergasted. She'd never been able to see a transformation before, and it was cool. She gaped, just a little. (Also, in the back of her mind, she wondered how such a woman could fit inside such a small fox. Magic was weird.)

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[cibarium]

"Moon... walker," corrected Eve, an edge of smoldering sternness in the tone of her voice. "I would appreciate it if you didn't call me dude again."

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[The Semblance of Unity]

"Ah, sorry, I always forget tha second part." She had figured dude might be better than moonthingy, but it seemed not. Preacher had never met anyone who'd objected to being called 'dude' in passing, but she guessed it really didn't matter. Maybe call her moon-Eve if she forgot the walker thing again. (Mooneeeveeee - she ran the words together in her head, pleased.) And she guessed she would forget it. In a world of werewolves and stuff, moonwalker wasn't something that stuck in her brain.

"K', Eve, sorry." She'd almost said dude again, argh.

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[cibarium]

"We're also called weres, if that's easier," Eve shrugged. There were only a handful of topics that she was quick to anger about. Fortunately, she was generally just as quick to calm down once things were straightened out to her satisfaction, so the friendly tone returned as easily as it had left. "Werewolf rules, you know. Now, let's see where my friends went off to..."

She took a few careful steps to find a spot where she could look around without the sun getting in her eyes, and glanced up between branches and other places that looked like decent perches. "By the way, magic's much more accessible on this side. If we both keep an exit on our mind long enough, we'll find one eventually, with or without extra help."

the sembance of unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Werewolf? There wolf," she muttered. It was a little disconcerting to see the sudden shift in Eve's moods. It made her uneasy and vaguely uncomfortably, though she wasn't sure why. "Someone told me were wasn't like... a nice way of puttin' it or somethin'." She shrugged. "Wait, you got friends here?"

Preacher tried peering up into the branches, unsure of what Eve was looking for. "Just thinkin' bout it and it happenin' seems like a load of bs, but ok." She clicked her heels three times. "I wish I was home." It didn't work.

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[cibarium]

Eve thought about that for a second. "Yes, I suppose it might bother some of us. It has some negative connotations, doesn't it?" It was odd to think that in the past moonwalkers must definitely have suffered ill treatment due to mythology. But there it was. For all she knew the term moonwalker was invented partially to distance them from all of that. "But yes, I have friends here. Crows, mostly."

Watching the dispassionate heel-clicking, she couldn't help but chuckle a little."It doesn't work that directly. At least, not without a lot of practice. I've found that confidence is a good foundation. I'm going to keep sounding cliche here, but... start with believing you'll make it back. Or that something else you'd like to happen will happen. Even if it's not right away."

She blinked, realizing something.

"Oh, I haven't caught your name, have I?"

the seblance of unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

She caught herself right before saying 'dude' again. "Crows? Can you talk to them?" Because that would be the coolest thing ever. Maybe. She'd seen a lot of weird things recently. Preacher wondered what crows had to say.

"Ugh, everyone says just will it to be so. Just believe. Like I feel like I'm trapped in some movie with a neatly tied up ending when people say that s**t." She huffed. Real life didn't work by wishing and wanting. Expect nothing, so when you get nothing, you ain't disappointed, and if you do get something, it's a pleasant surprise. Despite Preacher's innermost desires to be acknowledged or just not ******** things up, she'd stopped wishing a long time ago.

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[cibarium]

"Not really, no," Eve replied. "Crows just happen to like me. Sometimes they bring me junk food." She grinned satisfactorily at that.

In response to Preacher's pouting, she said, "That's fair. For what it's worth, though, it's... not so much like a Disney musical number when applied. Anyone who thinks so has no idea what they're doing. Sorry to give you that impression."

the semblance of unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Whoa, junk food delivery. Nice." Maybe being in rainy shitland meant animals were chill with you. Maybe she could try it out one day. Or maybe not.

Preacher rolled her shoulders. "Maybe I just don't have the willpower for this biz. Maybe I'll never get outta here; I'll die, and your crow friends can come n' pick my bones clean. I'll serve as a landmark or somethin'." A dramatic end. She grinned lopsidedly at Eve.

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