RECIPROCITY

nishiki/kaden from fe:fates. penned by esu.

[fatedfavor-blog]

"Daddy, Daddy, guess what I found--!" In her exuberance, quickly trotting her way to her father with an object in hand, her carelessness is what causes her foot to entangle on a tree's root and trip---!

   Pride that only a father can have whisked him into a state of pure bliss. A beaming smile extended from ear-to-ear, with his tail going from side-to-side anxiously in anticipation. Whatever could she have found that was so nice she wished to share it with her father (obviously, it could never be more beautiful or perfect than his precious daughter, but the fact she’d picked it out could only add to its charm)?

   “Ehhhh? Yes, sweetie? What did you——”

                  And there she fell.

   “S-Selkie?! Are you okay?!” Rushing over to her side, he immediately knelt down, careful not to crowd her in case she suddenly rose. “Oh man, your fur is gonna get all dirty… Here, come on, let me help you up, sweetheart…”

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ ( ??? ) .。.:* 

           ❛ o-oh, uh… ❜

   color so akin to embarrassment flushes his cheeks, having been caught in his staring at the other’s most prominent features. instinctively, a hand lifts to rub at the back of his neck sheepishly – how humiliating to be caught staring like that, ahh…  ❛ you don’t mind any ? i guess i kind of do want to touch it, so… ❜

   How fun! Maybe he was lighting up like a kid in a candy store, or a fox with a freshly caught rabbit, brimming with enthusiasm at the mere prospect of praise and attention, but he couldn’t help it. Being pet was one of the best feelings in the world!

   “I don’t mind! Unless you pull or yank or try to hurt me. Then I might hurt you.” He delightfully chirped (barked?), allowing his ears to flatten in momentary deference, “I can’t help that, though. So, just don’t try anything funny, okay, buddy?”

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ ( ??? ) .。.:*

   As if to drive the fact home, the ears on his head twitched. The movement melded well with his expression and of course that solidified the statement that- yes, the ears and tail were very much real. Pet them though? 

   Upon hearing the offer, her fingers curled into her palm, to hide the fact that she did indeed want to. However, instead of a palm lifting to take his offer, it was a fist. The fist stopped halfway, fingers having unfurled halfway before retreating back into its closed position. They look soft too. CURSES.

   “I’d like to… yes…” She stated, holding out her hand halfway to see if his offer still stood. “Pride? How so?”

   “You can’t tell?” Eyes closed, tail wagged in an elegant and refined curve, and he shook his head back and forth. If she couldn’t tell why his fur was his pride, she clearly must’ve been blind. Poor humans, with failing sight and all that. He almost felt bad for her.

   “Can’t you see the way my fur shimmers and shines underneath the glow of the sun? The way it lays perfectly, without a hair out of place?” An arm wrapped around his sleek orange tail, pulling it around in a near-embrace meant to show off its color and sheen. However, it was only momentary, as he brushed the fur to lay flat once more and let it go, clearly prepared to explain more if need be. “It’s because I’m a great hairdresser. The best in my tribe, actually! It takes a lot of work to keep fur this nice.” 

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ ( ??? ) .。.:* 

   ❝Huh…❞ Weird to go hunting after another person in her opinion but they were idiots if they thought killing another man for sport over fur was a fantastic idea. Not even she would do that and her sins were far more greater than some foolish hunters believing that a fox man was suppose to be their prey over other animals.      Even if they did say she is a good person, she hardly believed that knowing her own rank was null and void. She is not what people believe her to be but she cannot talk about this with ease. ❝… your choice, I could just as easily kill them still, you know.❞ She won’t. For now, as long as they aren’t trying to annoy her further.       What an odd man.

   “Uwahh w-wait!! Don’t kill them. I think they learned their lessons, and I’m not in danger.” He bounced atop the balls of his feet, all too prepared to jump and use his beaststone if he needed to—he might night have known these people, and they might have just tried to kill him, but he didn’t see a point in hitting somebody when they were down. Tricks and cunning tactics were fine, but to kill those already incapacitated was barbaric... hardly befitting the wondrous kitsune.

   “I’ll just go frolic in the fields, so when they finally get up I’ll be long gone. Maybe you should run off somewhere, too.” Suggesting with a cheerful lilt, he stood on one leg and balanced his weight forward with the apparent intent of scurrying away; drawing a few clawed fingers nearest his lip, however, the playful tone nearly soured, and a conniving grin soon replaced his concerned expression. “After all, I think they’d just get mad if they woke up from their little nap to find you still here. I wouldn’t want them to have their lives spared only to throw them away, y’know?” 

[elusivetranscendent]

Which version do I pick?

[coquettishcrownarchive-blog]

@fatedfavor

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ ( SELKIE ).。.:*

“Okay, Daddy! Do you think Mommy will finish cooking by then?” Their mommy is always so busy helping out the other humans in the camp. This time, she’s running the Mess Hall and ensuring a healthy food comes for their army. Selkie knows the importance of her contributions, of course, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be slightly upset that their mother doesn’t have time to play with her anymore. Maybe it’d be best to just drag her outside when no one else is looking—?

“Tag?” Her voice rises in energy as the end of her tail wags. It couldn’t be more obvious that her attention is hooked, and a grin begins to curl slyly onto her lips. Her attention leaves from the pleasant sensation of her fur being stroked and onto her father. “I’ll do it, I’ll do it! I wanna chase you, Daddy! I’ve been running around a lot, and I bet I can run faster than you this time!”

   “Ahh, who knows? She sure has a lot of mouths to feed lately.” Considering the size of their little “army” only continued to grow, it was hard to say how long it’d take to prepare a full meal for everybody... Ah, he sighed, how cruel of them to push such a huge responsibility onto her shoulders... It just meant that when they returned back to their rooms, he’d have to cuddle her extra lovingly so she’d know just how much they missed her.

   “But we’ll see if you’re faster than me, yet! I’m the next chief of the village, you know? I can’t have my daughter, precious and wonderful and strong as she is, showing me up at everything!” His tone meant he was joking, as the abrupt and sudden pause of his brushing as he lifted the brush in “disappointment” over his past failures was too over-the-top to be anything genuine. He was nothing but proud of his daughter, beyond ecstatic to see her natural aptitude... She’d surpass him in skill in no time at all. “So I won’t go easy on you this time, sweetie.” 

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ @celestialfriend

   “H-hey... buddy... pal...” The dreadful thud of a weak palm against the hardwood of a table, speaking nothing but ill omens of its owner. Combined with the ghastly tone, one might as well have believed the young man to be dying.

      “I might not make it... I’m STARVING. S-so, can you and your friends share some food with me...? Those carrot sticks look really good...”

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ ( ??? ).。.:*

   ❝… I only hit them with the broad side of Clarent, nothing more than fodder.❞ Honesty is for the best but they were writhing in pain and regretting crossing her although she found herself wanting to correct him with his words about her being kind. She isn’t nice all the time, they brought her rampage on themselves.     Almost seemed like someone that kitsune she knew of would want to have a chat with but nothing went mentioned. ❝And, I am not as kind as you believe I am, remember that. I mean this since it can change.❞ Quickly at that knowing her temper and her remaining docile didn’t last long.

    “It might not have been anything to you, but they would’ve had my fur if you hadn’t stepped in. People hunt me for that, you know?” Toning down his exuberance, he glanced down at the would-be assailants and took yet another step away. The amount of hunters after his hide just had to keep growing by the day, didn’t it...?

   “And say what you will, but I’m trusting my intuition on this one. My foxy senses say you’re a good person.” Still, however, he had to nod back to the bodies, gesturing idly. “After all, you didn’t kill them, and you certainly could have.”

   After all, his foxy senses were also saying not to piss the other off.

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ ( SELKIE ).。.:*

Orange and sleek coat to match her own, there’s no denying that Selkie doesn’t absolutely adore her father. She would do anything for him - and their mother - and he would do anything for her. However, there are times where her dedication is… lacking. She doesn’t doubt that he loves her, but she sure wishes he’d be a little more exuberant in joining her for activities.

“Hmmm, okay, Daddy!” She’s not quite into napping as often as he is though. But she’ll cut him some slack since he seems rather tired from their earlier fights. Besides, there’s nothing better than spending quality time with her dad - regardless of what the activity is. “But then afterward, we can play! Right Daddy? Promise?”

   Joyful hum emitted in honey tones, warm and affirming. Sure, he wasn’t the most energetic of the two (and he loved playing, truly), but perhaps it was best this way. It made him seem more like an adult, rather than some carefree vagabond who continued to be distracted from responsibility by the ideal of repaying favors. And so, digging into the flap of his kimono, he found that ever trusty brush that’d kept his fur soft and clean for so very long now, and tossed it up and down within his palm.

   “Yup! Playtime after nap time. As long as meal time doesn’t come in between.” Gripping the wooden back properly, the bristles of the brush went with the grain of his daughter’s fur, slowly and carefully so as not to irritate. “Hey, how about we play a game of tag next? Hide-and-seek is way too easy for us. There’s no challenge to it if we can just sniff each other out.”

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ ( ??? ).。.:*

   The guffaw was a hint enough that she made a mistake in assuming such. The thief was quite new to these parts and thus, she had little information to work with when it came to the general area. How embarrassing. 

   Her eyes fixed onto the other, pulling herself from her thoughts and onto taking note of the little information he could possibly give her. A hunter-gatherer then? Wait… oh. He was… wow? And here she thought the ears were a headband or something of that sort. The ears and tail then… were real? “I see…” It sounded like a pup when one first introduces it to human food instead of its designated diet… they never go back.

   “I thought it was a costume or something of that sort in all honesty… I didn’t think it was real.”

   She thought they were fake? How disappointing and kind of insulting.

   Almost as if to emphasize their genuine status, his ears flicked awkwardly at such a statement, making it evident of the small cogs turning and churning within his head. What to say to that...? Maybe he should ignore it. If you can’t say something nice, you might as well not, right?

   “They’re really real, alright! Wanna pet them? You totally can, so long as you don’t pull or yank or cut it.” Instead, however, he played along, forcing a nervous smile where a smug grin had sat only moments ago. Surely, she’d at least heard of the kitsunes, right? In Nohr and Hoshido, their existence was always told as a cautionary tale, to avoid travelers storming through their homes...

   “It’s my pride and glory, after all, so it’d be a shame not to share if people are respectful, you know?.”

[fatedfavor-blog]

   beaststone. i’ve been writing him for a few hours and i have never felt so conceited. nor have i ever felt secondhand vanity quite so much.

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ @asobineko

    “You’ve never seen a person with a tail before?! How sad... to never know the beauty of the kitsune... It’s okay now, though. You’ve seen the beautiful and gorgeous me, surely more than enough to lessen the pain of having gone so long without.”

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ ( ??? ).。.:*

   She hardly needs to run, and instead was just very skilled at blending right in with passing crowds. So much so that she hadn’t even need to walk very far to escape the sight of the other, her most current victim of theft. Except… in keeping close by, she overhears the targets cries. 

   It’s one thing to steal from the rich, but to steal from someone in the same situation as her. She couldn’t do it. From there she let the crowd pass her by, pausing in her steps until everyone walked right by her and left her in the momentary clearing. At least until the next crowd came by. 

   At that point she heads back to the fox eared male and holds the pouch back to him at chest height. “Here. Sorry.” From here she could either, walk off or stick around to see what he had to say.

   She’s not walking off. “You struck me as the rich type… “

   “Me? Rich?” The heartiest of laughs, all at his own expense. She really wasn’t very well-informed, was she? The kitsune were rare and beautiful creatures, sure, but they were secluded in the mountains. One would have far more luck getting money from selling their pelts, but he’d no intention of lying down and letting her kill him for a little gold.

   Taking the pouch back into his hands, it was quickly deposited back within the folds of his kimono, with no harm or foul either way. She’d been nice enough to give it back to him, so obviously she couldn’t have been that bad a person. Somebody else could lecture her anyway if she got caught again.

   “I wish. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about getting by from meal to meal. Well, I suppose I could go hunting in the forest, but human food smells so good that when I’m in a town, I just can’t help myself!” Just the thought made him inhale deeply, enjoying the variety of aromas subtly playing atop the air. Imagination far more powerful than reality, he might’ve drooled then and there, had he not recalled the more important matter at hand: somebody had thought he was wealthy.

   “But my fur sure does give the impression, right? No need to be shy, you can say so. It’s beautiful, I know. Almost entrancing in its subtle shine...”

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ ( ??? ).。.:*

   ❝Then do not call me a girl again, that is all I need since I do not need help with anything in particular.❞      A sigh, whatever, she could at least get him to do that due to holding a dislike toward such things. ❝Is that fine? I have my own sword and you needn’t worry about me.❞ Being strong on her own is normal anyways.

   “ Ehh? I can do that, easy peasy, but what you did for me back there... That was incredible!” To him, such a small thing (in his eyes) hardly equated the help that he’d received in turn... But clearly, she wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t important...

   “If you’re sure that’s enough, though, I won’t push. Paying back favors is important to me, but it’s up to you what’s an equivalent exchange.” Stated with nothing short of a radiant smile and a jubilant wag of his tail. “You’re a kind person, though. I can just tell. Not because you helped me, but from your eyes! They’re really honest, and so full of emotion.”

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ @amagoii

   “It’s a relief to meet someone familiar with the beauty of the kitsune! I was beginning to think all humans far from our villages had forgotten we existed... Some of them actually believed these horrible rumors... Like that we ate human hearts and livers! Gross, right? We would never!”

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ @coquettishcrown

   “Hmm? If you wanted to pet my tail, all you had to do was just ask, buddy! You’ve been staring at it for a while now, so clearly you’ve got a good eye. I know it’s gorgeous, just like me... And it’s soft, too!”

[fatedfavor-blog]

✧ @astrayeus

   “Heyyyyyyy...! That was mine, buddy...!”

   And he needed that pouch. He was starving... How was he supposed to get lunch without any gald? Unfortunately, the bustling crowd was the worst... Mixing scents, a cacophony of noises that were rough on his ears... How on earth was he going to find that woman in this mess?

            “Lady, lady! Come back here! How am I supposed to eat without that?!”