3645/Matters Between Cats and Foxes

Matters Between Cats and Foxes
Date of Scene:	10 January 2016
Location:	The Realm of Gensokyo
Synopsis:	Konoe asks for tutoring in the art of being a shrine maiden.
Cast of Characters:	847, 908

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Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     Konoe had been thinking for while after that incursion into Blight Town some time back. It was there that she witnessed someone who...well, exhibited grate talisman skill. It kind of made her feel inadequate. But rather than mope about it, the miko decided that it would be a far better use of time to talk to the target of her...well, admiration? Envy? Something like that.

     And so after briefly calling on Gudako for Caster, she headed off to the base of Youkai Mountain in Gensokyo. Waiting in a grassy plain with a small stream nearby. "....Mmn..." Will this work? Caster seemed like a decent person. More than her Master anyway. She still thought that whole grail war nonsense was arcane. But eh. It was a little more understandable than modern technology.

     That was for sure.

     "...." Wonder how long she'd have to wait. Her golden and red gaze settled on the stream, staring at her own reflection idly.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    For once seen without her somewhat psychotic master, Caster is able to take some time to enjoy the locale. And if anything, Gensokyo is probably very, very nostalgic to her. It's kind of a snapshot of the era she lived in, give or take maybe a century. The spirits are strong and healthy, there's Youkai apparently everywhere, and let's be honest this is pretty much ancient Japan in every other way imaginable.

    The blue-robed, pink-haired foxgirl of a Caster arrives at the designated area, not flying but walking. Maybe she's a bit late because of it, but she got distracted by sights on the way, and the amazement she could walk through a human village without anyone actually caring all that much about her tail or ears.

    "Hello, miss Konoe! So this is Gensokyo? It's so cool! It's like I've gone right back in time, haha~. But without the pitchforks and angry imperials, and all the dying that ensued."

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     Caster's arrival prompts Konoee to turn around slightly to take sight of the Servant. "There you are." She turned fully at that and faced her, bowing slightly. "Thank you for coming out here and seeing me on such short notice." Pause. "...And I guess I should welcome you to Gensokyo." Not the most ideal welcoming crew, but she'd do.

     "Humans still fear Youkai, but it's a complicated relationship. Some get along just fine, some are feared greatly, the circumstances change wildly depending on who and what it is." She smiles slightly. "But for the most part, if you don't cause trouble or eat too many humans, most won't bat an eye." Funny, the way she just casually talked about eating people like they were a normal food.

     All of that aside, Konoe stepped forward in Caster's direction. "Um...Caster-san, there's something I wanted to ask you. It might seem silly, but....ah..." Fidgeting awkwardly, she averted her eyes, seemingly embarrassed before she even said it.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    "Ahah, I probably shouldn't mention what I do for my master then!" Yeah, let's not talk about the casual murder and eating. Which she definitely doesn't do. Ever. Nope. It's easy to forget that Caster isn't exactly a nice person, under that chipper attitude she puts on. She's a rather vengeful and spiteful person, really.

    The fidgeting and awkwardness causes the foxgirl to peer, then adopt an obvious >:3 and push her luck. "That's fine! I get that a lot. You want to touch my tail, right? It IS pretty fluffy, the fluffiest in fact! Master can't ever get enough of Caster's tail, so it's natural other people covet it! Ah~ if you ask nicely, you can hug it for a while."

    Clearly this is going just as planned?

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "Y-Yes, I- wait, what?" Konoe did a double take, taking a bewildered step back. "Your t-tail...?" And now that it was mentioned, her gaze slid right on over to reard that fluffy appendage. "....." It WAS actually pretty fluffy looking, she couldn't lie. It looked like you could lay in it all day and-

     No! Stop! This isn't why we're here!

     Stay on target, Konoe!

     "N-No!" Konoe protested with a red face. "Why would I want to touch your tail? I have my own! And besides, isn't that...embarrassing? Having your tail touched so closely?" Pause. "Wait no! This isn't what we're supposed to be talking about! Ahhhh!" And thus the cat freaked out, mussing up her hair with her hands.

     This was ridiculous! How did it turn to this!?

     After a deep breath, she recovered enough to finally say what she wanted. "I...I wanted to ask for your instruction in the talisman technique! I've seen what you can do, and you're much better than I am!" Ah, so that was it. "I want to improve my own technique, so Caster-san, please...!"

     A 90 degree bow followed that request, and she held it, awaiting an answer.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    "Ah, is it? But it's natural to want to touch things you like, right? And if it's done in reverence of how amazing my tail is, then I should be proud of it!" ... and then she'd be spiteful the moment the person doing it had any sign of liking her ONLY for her body, but, that's just how she is. Again: kind of a horrible person, spiteful and vengeful. And way too proud and vain despite that.

    On the other hand, she was kind of looking to mess with Konoe a bit, so she laughs as the cat freaks out and then approaches her to pat her on the head. "There there, come on. We're between Youkai, it's alright! Just a bit of teasing~. Ah, my talisman-crafting? So you want to know how I do Witchcraft?"

    She blinks a few times, pondering. That's a broad request.

    "Well, why don't we start by you showing me what yours can do? And then you can tell me what you're looking to improve, in specific!"

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "O-Oh, okay. Um..." Straightening up, Konoe took a few steps back for space. With flick of the wrist, several ofuda appeared in one hand. They had the character for PURITY written on them with a red border surrounding it. "The things I do are simple, like..." She reared back, each seal bursting into flames before she tossed it forward. All five or so of them pierced through the air at high speed and likely burned up somewhere without a trace.

     "And..." Another flick of the wrist, and more ofuda were in hand. She knelt down to the ground and with her other hand, took one ofuda and slapped it to the ground. Spiritual power manifested in a spell circle that caused searing power to erupt upwards. "And then there are barriers, like..." The remaining ofuda where tossed out, and they went rigid in midair, forming into large white luminescent barriers for a short time before fading.

     "Other than differing forms of attack, and defensive barriers, I can heal others with my power, purify unholy entities, and...that's about the extent of what I know, contained to just talismans." There was plenty more, but that wasn't important to this subject here.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    Caster watches with interest as Konoe displays the variety of 'spells' she can perform. One detail immediatly catches her eye, though otherwise she's busy inspecting how the magic comes together. It's not the same as her Witchcraft, but it relies on similar principles in that the spell requires a physical component like a talisman to anchor itself and, well, go anywhere.

    Standard shrine maiden skills, though Konoe is obviously more gifted than the average. It'll make it easier to teach her, that's for sure.

    "So, you use the same writing for all of your spells? You don't use different words and images for different effects? That's one of the basics for me. I inscribe the paper as I make the spell, so it takes hold more efficiently."

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     After Caster's appraisal and inquiry, Konoe shook her head. "Um...No." She looked aside. "I...actually can't write or read, so I don't know what a lot of characters mean." Well that was unfortunate. "I only learned some time ago that the letter on my talismans means 'Purity'." A sigh followed.

     "I feel like I might be doing it the hard way." She produced another talisman and stared at it. "I've been using the same writing for everything, and instead imagined what I wanted to do really hard...and well, I get what you saw."

     And then Konoe tilted her head a tad. "So...writing different letters on them makes the effect hold easier then?"

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    "For me, it does. Your magic is a bit different, but the ideas are the same. You're thinking of what you want to do, putting it in paper, and then shooting it. Witchcraft... is a bit more complex, under the surface," Caster brags a little, "Since it's less that it makes the world affect you and more than it makes you affect you. But a fireball is a fireball no matter how it comes into being, right~?"

    Caster produces a blank slip of paper herself, holding it between two fingers. She concentrates a bit and the word FIRE appears on it, in old Japanese dialect. She throws it, sufficiently far away and at nothing in particular. Maybe a tree, if there's any nearby, or a very large rock. On impact, the talisman sticks like glue and causes a large tornado of fire to form overhead and crash down in a spiral centered on the target, before calming down and vanishing. The paper slip is consumed entirely in the attack.

    "Like that! I'm not sure if being able to write and read helps. I don't really think about how to write it down, I just think about what I want to do. It might not hurt to learn to read though, but I'm not a very good teacher for that. I heard the Union has a lizard girl person who specializes in languages?"

    She wouldn't know for sure.

    "If not words, though, maybe images. What's important is that the talismans are made with intent. You could probably scribble anything you wanted on them, as long as you made it with the intent to do a specific thing."

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "...Eh?" Konoe just tilted her head a bit at Caster's ego stroking. And an ear twitched. "So...you use witchcraft, but you employ them as talismans." She tilted her head the other way. "That...sounds kind of like a mix between Marisa-san and Reimu-san." In theory anyway. Magic deployed as ofuda. How strange, and yet it looked so effective.

     Enough for her to seek the Servant out for tutelage.

     Watching the fiery display, Konoe couldn't help but clap her hands in moderate applause. "Ooooo...that was very impressive, Caster-san!" It really was. She couldn't just pull something like that out. She needed a spellcard, plus other preparations. It was kind of a downer! "I actually have someone teaching me already. She's very good too." The miko smiled genuinely then. Names were omitted for being of no real importance to the subject.

     "So...images can work?" That in mind, Konoe produced a blank paper, and then concentrated. After a moment, a red dragon scrawled itself into the surface. And then in that moment, she threw it, likely towards the same rock or tree Caster had. In mid flight, the talisman exploded into flame, forming into a...somewhat disappointingly sized serpent, fashioned out of flame. It opened it's jaws and spiraled around before descending and biting. That bite then caused it to explode and vanish.

     "....I...that was...much easier. And I don't feel as drained." She frowned after that. "It was so small though. ...I'm still not strong enough..."

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    "Ah, it doesn't have to be talismans, but that's what I grew up with. Some witches might use potions, gems, dolls, or even the body parts of Youkai, based on what they want to do. Water a Kappa swam in might be good for warding or healing, Tengu feathers to hasten things, that sort of stuff! I just use talismans, it's easier than hunting for rare reagents." Proudly she puffs her chest up a bit, hands on her hips. Well, her Witchcraft is ranked EX after all, she's immeasurably skilled! ... well, that's what she'd say, anyway.

    Caster pays close attention as Konoe replicates the feat in her own way, her eyes catching the subtleties of the magic at play. For a given value! Danmaku, and Konoe's particular arts, aren't Caster's after all, and she's prone to missing details as a result, but obvious things she can help point out.

    "For a first try that wasn't bad at all! It's a matter of practicing and practicing until it does exactly what you want! The better you get, the more complex things you can pull off, and eventually you even learn to inscribe multiple ofuda at the same time. First you start by repeating what you're good at using the different method, and then you move on to what you're really awful at. If there's a religious facet to what you're doing, try finding religious symbols and patterns for your talismans instead of just images, and appeal to the concepts in your religion. Since I, ah... ~worship~ Amaterasu, I might want to use references to the sun, heavens and universe for my more powerful spells."

    'Worship'. Sure.

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     The varying numbers of catalysts described by Caster got a wince out of Konoe. Youkai parts sounded...creepy. Oh well. As long as no one came around trying to get parts of her! "I see...that kind of magic isn't my specialty. I'd leave that to Marisa-san, Alice, or that magician in the mansion..." But that was getting off point.

     "Ooo...so you're so powerful that you only need to use talismans and lettering?" Her eyes grew wide, glimmering with admiration. "Amazing, Caster-san! I want to be just like you!" Konoe, don't feed her ego!

     Caster's following critique is met with periodic nods. "I-I see...okay, so just practice...and practice...and practice." Mention of Amaterasu got a blink out of Konoe. "Eh? The sun goddess? Really?" Pause. "...That must be nice. Having a god to worship..." Sounds like she didn't have one. The miko shook her head after and smiled.

     "Still, this has been very helpful. Thank you for the pointers, Caster-san! I really appreciate it."

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    "Of course! As a Caster-class Servant, I'm one of the best at magic! O-Of my world, of course, ahah..." Right, let's not put it on too thick, even she can tell when too much is too much. Though she doesn't know who Marisa or Alice are, the mention of not having a god to worship gets a brow raise out of the fox.

    "Ah...? You're a shrine maiden, but you don't believe in a pantheon, really? Or... are you really a shrine maiden, and not just using talismans because you were taught to?" She wonders now. Maybe she misjudged this girl! "It sounds like you know who Amaterasu is, so Gensokyo must at least be familiar with Shinto."

Well, strictly speaking if Konoe were to come to worship Caster, it would very much be the same thing as having a goddess to worship by proxy. In a round-about way. Well, one-ninth of a goddess, anyway?

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "Um...It's not that I don't believe, but..." Konoe trailed off, thinking of how to put this. "Well, here in Gensokyo...well, a lot of Gods are present, and take in the prayers and faith offered to them." She pause. "And a Miko serves as her proxy." Well, that was all basic. Caster definitely knew this. "Well, I...ah, I don't really know how I came to be. I just woke up one day and...I was me."

     Now that's strange.

     "I just knew how to do the things I know. I don't know why or how, but...that's it." She shook her head. "And now, all this time, I've just been trying to figure out what to do, who I am, where to go...that sort of thing." A sigh followed. "Maybe I'm not actually a miko...I guess, I just do this because I know how..."

     Looking vaguely embarrassed, she glanced at Caster. "...I-Is that weird?"

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    Just came to be, with shrine maiden abilities?

    Caster muses, shaking her head. "No, no! That's not weird. Unusual, maybe! A little bit nostalgic~. Ah, maybe you're secretly a god!" She laughs a bit. But there's that hint of seriousness behind the suggestion too. "There's a lot of things it could be. Amnesia, or someone made you, or you're a reincarnations. Or, really, you could just be a natural! History is ripe with prodigies who don't know where their gifts came from. It's not a big deal, as long as you use it for what you want to use it."

    The fox taps her chin, before asking: "Were you with anyone when you came to? Maybe a tutor or parent figure? Or did you just wander around until you found people to hang out with?"

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "Phew...okay. I was afraid that it really was incredibly weird..." Konoe chuckled a little at Caster's guess. "Me? Secretly a god? Ha! ...That would be too convenient." It really would. She shook her head and let it go. "Um...I can't remember anything from before I woke up, but...I feel like I did have some kind of life before it. I just don't know what..."

     In fact, thinking about it was giving her a headache.

     "I wasn't with anyone. I just woke up in the wilderness, knowing things. As for what I did? I..." Her face turns red at that point. "I kind of ran around beating up other youkai on sight. It got so bad that there were organized hunts made for me. I got chased around, fighting pretty much every youkai that came my way, until my...current friends found me and beat me up."

     Sigh.

     "And then they talked me out of what I was doing. They told me to do something more sensible. Look at things as more than just black and white."

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    "That's a lot of beating up, sheesh," Caster comments, before nodding. "At least it sounds like you found people worth being with in the meantime! You might want to look into people who might be able to conjure up the past. I'm only good at divining the future, and that's really rough around the edges. But there's nothing wrong with not knowing, either! Maybe you'd be happier not knowing, who knows?"

    Well, it's circumstances she can certainly relate to, anyway.

    "Ah well! If it gives you a headache now, maybe it means you're not supposed to remember. A seal of some sort. I'm not equipped to take a look here though, we'd need to do this somewhere I have a workshop set up... ah... it might be best not to mess with it, anyway. It could hurt you!"

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "I...I just branded all youkai as evil and went on a warpath." She raised a hand as if meant to cut off any interjection. "Yes, I understand the irony of that statement already. I just...oh nevermind." Ah this subject always got her down. Best to move on.

     "I think I'm okay not knowing for now." Konoe stated tentatively, turning away to face the nearby stream again. "I'm making progress in my own way, as I am now. If I find out who I was before, it might ruin things." Looks like she didn't want to risk that. "Thank you, Caster-san, but I think I'll let it be."

     She turned back to the Servant and smiled a bit. "Mmn...that's all I wanted you for. Thank you again for your instruction. I'll practice on my own and try to get better!" Pause. Inadvertently, her gaze locked onto Caster's tail.

     "......"

     "............"

     And with a red face, she half mumbled. "...C-Can I touch it after all?" Weak. So weak. Work on your willpower, Konoe.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    Ego fed. Caster regains her >:3 and puffs up proudly.

    "I'm sure you'll do fine! I'll look forward to seeing how you are in a few months! And of course! You can directly correlate my power to how fluffy and huggable my tail is, after all! Ah, I used to have eight more, you know? I guess this Servant body really couldn't handle it all." Some of that might not be as accurate as claimed.

    But to her credit, that tail is really fluffy and huggable.

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     While Caster gushed about her tail and it's correlation to power, Konoe just crept up and...

     Touch.

     "..."

     A smile managed to worm it's way onto her face, and before long, she wound up hugging it to herself. "Hehe~ This is a good tail. Let me...inspect it for a little while longer-"

     Right. Inspect.