Kitsune in the Shadows

Chapter 81 – Just One Word

Even the hallways of the building were highly decorated. However, I wasn’t able to spend any time appreciating any of it as we were rushed forward by the rabbit beastkin.

“The Guild Master has been very busy since she came into Haelmor yesterday,” He said as we climbed the stairs, “I hope that you can give her the benefit of the doubt if she is a little… occupied at the moment. If that does happen, I’ll make sure to remember your faces the next time you visit us here so that this doesn’t happen again.”

Once we were at the top of the staircase, the number of people moving about the hallway greatly decreased, with only a few important-looking people moving between rooms.

“Where exactly are we going?” Ava asked.

“I am taking you to m-… the Guild Master’s office,” He awkwardly fumbled over his words, “It’s the room at the end of this hallway. I don’t think you would miss it, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you got lost in this place, I would be beside myself.”

True to his word, it would have been incredibly difficult not to notice the office at the end of the hallway, with its large double wooden doors standing out even amongst all the other extravagant embellishments throughout the building.

As we got closer to the door, it became easier to identify the intricate carvings decorating it. From what I could tell, it was a mural of the sea, dotted with ships of many sizes, yet all of them had the same fox emblem decorating them. Yet, most interestingly, each of them also had what looked like a large fire burning from their masts.

“I won’t interrupt your conversation, but if you ever need anything while you’re here today or at any time in the future, please come find me,” As he spoke, he slowly pushed the door open before gesturing inside, “I hope you have a most pleasant time.”

“We’ll see about that,” Ava said as she strutted into the room.

The man didn’t say anything, instead just holding the door open until I followed behind Ava and entered the office.

Inside was Elenia, although this time she didn’t have her cloak on. Letting her red curls cascade down her back as if they were a stream of flame. She had two fox ears atop her head as well as a single fluffy tail, both dyed the same bright red as her hair, albeit growing a little darker towards the tips.

She was pacing back and forth, talking to herself while pulling out folders and flicking through them before either putting them back or placing them on a desk.

“What do they mean there’s nothing on the market?” She mumbled, “These things don’t just vanish into thin air like this… Where else would they even have ended up?”

“Ahem, you have some guests,”  The man announced.

“Guests? I don’t rememb-” She stopped speaking as soon as she looked over at us, “Oh, those two! I didn’t expect them to come by so soon. Thank you for showing them here, Tybalt.”

“Of course,” He said as he closed the door.

“Go on now, take a seat. I’ll be with you in a moment,” She said as she picked up a few of the loose documents scattered about on the desk and placed them into an empty folder, “You can even take the big seat if you’re brave enough.”

My eyes were immediately drawn to the overly embellished throne sitting behind the desk.

What do you mean if we’re brave enough?

What would happen?

…

Instead of thinking about it anymore, I just sat on one of the two couches in the room instead. Thankfully, Ava did the same, settling in right next to me before bringing one of my hands into her lap and squeezing it gently.

It wasn’t any more than a minute before Elenia sat on the sofa opposite us, placing the folder she had just put together down on the coffee table that sat in the middle of us.

“So, I see that you’ve met Tybalt,” Elenia spoke first, “I hope he didn’t treat you too poorly. I hadn’t told him that I was expecting some visitors because, well… I didn’t expect the two of you to come find me so soon. In truth, I expected to wait for a week or two before trying to find you out on the streets again.”

She chuckled to herself for a second.

“However, I must ask, even if he gave you a rough time today, I hope you can forgive him. He’s actually the branch manager here, if you can believe it. If you sit him down in front of a stack of papers or send him into a negotiation, he’ll do the best work you’ve ever seen. But outside of all that, he’s a bit… Well, I’m sure I don’t need to explain,” She leaned back on the couch, “We’re currently in the middle of setting up an extra office for him since I’ve taken this one from him while I’m here, but it’s not ready yet. So he’s been let loose, so to speak.”

“He’s that important?” Ava asked, “I just can’t see it.”

“Like I said, he really does do some of the best work; it only makes sense for him to be in charge of this place. Usually, he’s kept in check by a constant stream of work coming his way, but since I’m here to sort out one of the larger issues that have been plaguing him, he’s managed to squeeze in some free time,” Elenia said, “He originally started by hauling cargo for us, but his coworkers just couldn’t stand him and locked him in an office back in his hometown. He was let out a few hours later, but all the paperwork left in the room had miraculously been sorted, and some of the calculations on them were even corrected. I decided to make use of him as soon as I heard about him. But anyway, these stories probably aren’t what you’re here for. Since you came to me so quickly, I imagine there’s something on your mind, and you think I’ll be able to help with it.”

An awkward silence filled the room as neither Ava nor I replied to her.

Ava?

Are you not going to say anything?

…

I looked towards Ava but just saw her staring right back, clearly waiting for me to speak up first.

The silence was briefly broken by the sound of Elenia crossing her legs and leaning forward. But all that did was make me feel even more anxious about what was about to happen.

What am I supposed to ask her?

I… I know that Ovia told me to ask about the village…

But… how do I do that?

…

Wouldn’t she ask me questions in response?

What if I can’t give her an answer?…

…

Ava once again squeezed my hand, pulling me out of my head and back into the room.

“I… have a question,” I squeaked, my voice barely audible, not that it mattered considering Elenia more than likely could hear just as well as me.

“I had guessed that much,” Elenia immediately replied, “However, as I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, I’m something of a merchant. There’s only so much I’m willing to give out for free.”

What?

Does she want money?

…

Does she want us to repay her for what she did yesterday?

Do we even have enough money for that?

“The way this will work is quite simple. I’ll ask you a question, and then you can ask me a question in return,” Elenia’s eyes narrowed, “However… I think you already have a little bit of existing debt at the moment… So how about this? I get to ask you two questions, then I’ll forget about this little debt, and you can ask me whatever you want right after.”

…

Is that really it?

But I still don’t know what she might ask me…

…

B-But I was given a task… I can’t disappoint them…

…

I can’t…

But it’s… hard…

“That sounds like it favours us quite a bit more than it favours you,” Thankfully, Ava spoke up in my place as I was lost in thought.

“Well, all I said was that I wouldn’t give things out for free. I never said I was going to ask for a fair price in return,” A small smile came across Elenia’s lips.

…

“Okay,” I eventually gave in.

“Great, then I’ll start off with something simple. You already know my name, and I know that your sister here is called Ava, but I don’t yet know yours. So, what might the name of this kitsune in front of me be?” Elenia asked.

“…”

My body locked up. Even if I wanted to tell her, I just knew deep down that I couldn’t, that my mouth would refuse to open.

…

‘Kierra, it’s alright,’ Ovia said through the pendant, ‘I’m watching you, and so is Ellaria. You also have Ava there too… You can tell her your name.’

…

‘I… I don’t know if I can…’

‘But I know you can. You’ve done it before… when it was much harder.’

I immediately knew exactly what she was talking about. But that was different… I didn’t know how it was different, but it was different… Very different. Elenia wasn’t the same as Mom or Ava… She just… wasn’t.

I took a deep breath, trying to drown out all my other thoughts, even if just for a moment. If I wasn’t thinking about anything, it should be easier to just… say it… to not disappoint anyone. Not Aria, not Ava… and not Ovia.

Just one word.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

…

“… Kierra,” Only a single word escaped my lips, yet I could immediately feel my stomach bunching up.

“So, Kierra…” Elenia repeated, “I can’t say it’s a name I recognise, but it’s a very nice name nonetheless.”

Elenia’s jewellery clattered as she brought her hands into her lap.

“Now, for my second question… although maybe this would be more of a request.”

Wait, that wasn’t what we agreed on!

“It’s a little difficult to talk to someone who is hiding their face. So my second question to you is… Can you please take your hood off? Even if just for a moment so I can put a face to your name.”

What! But that’s-!

I-I don’t know what’s going to happen!

What if she sees my hair?! Do I need to hide it?!

My hand reached for my hood, but instead of removing it as she asked, I just pulled it down further.

I can’t do this.

Not this.

I felt Ava’s other arm wrap around my shoulder and pull me close, but it didn’t matter. What Elenia was asking was just too much… There was no way I could know what would happen… What she might do if she saw… me…

…

‘You will be okay, I promise.’ This time, Aria spoke to me, ‘Nothing bad is going to happen to you if you remove your hood, I promise.’

‘How can you promise that?!’ I snapped back, ‘How can you know?’

‘You don’t need to worry about that, you just need to trust my words,’ She immediately responded, ‘You don’t need to worry about your hair, you’re not in Casgolau anymore… If my words aren’t enough, I can also promise you this, if anything happens to you because of this, both Sister and I will personally do something about it. Does that make you feel any better? You’ve got two Goddesses and your sister by your side. You aren’t alone.’

I’m not…

I know that… Of course I know that…

…

But… But…

I couldn’t come up with a rebuttal to what she said. I just didn’t want to do it; I didn’t want to take that risk.

…

But I knew… I knew that they wanted me to… how could I not with what they were saying to me? With how they’re pushing me…

…

…

Is there another way?

…

I… I don’t know…

Ever so slowly, the hand holding onto my hood began to rise. Yet, even then, I still hesitated.

Is this really the right thing to do?

…

‘Kierra, just listen to me,’ Ovia’s voice pushed all the other thoughts out of my head, ‘I know you’re scared. This… This is a lot… But I know you can do it. I know you’ll be safe. I… I just want you to see that for yourself…’

‘Ovia I…’

I couldn’t put any words together to reply to her. Instead, I just played the few words that she said over in my head once again.

…

Okay.

…

For you.

With that brief confidence, I finally lifted my hood off.