"Lame?" asked Naruto.
"There are teleport spells and items that get you there faster," said Choji. "Discs and carpets are more comfortable if you're going a long distance. Cloaks of levitation, boots of airwalking, lots of stuff."
"Which do you prefer?" asked Sakura, sipping on a pumpkin-juice and reading the label. Why is pumpkin the fourth ingredient?
"Myself? I just use public transportation," said Choji with a shrug.
"I stick to teleports and ground transport, can't smell anything from way up there," stated Kiba.
"Well, I got broomstick class in another fifteen," said Naruto. "Though I wasn't too sure about it - I just thought the flying around idea was kinda neat."
"You don't have a broomstick though, do you?" asked Kiba. "Cause of the budget cuts - you have to provide your own broom."
Naruto blinked. "I what?"
The two guardians in the picture, a miko named Pocky and a tanuki named Rocky, didn't even bother to look up from their card game. Rocky simply waved him on.
The old guy from the previous day wasn't there today, so Naruto felt this was a chance to explore a bit.
Bath here. Six bedrooms on this corridor. Small library past this door. Kitchenette kinda thing in here with a large couch - and that turned out to be where the white-haired guy was sleeping.
Also another room which turned out to have all sorts of odds and ends on various shelves. There was also a large ornate mirror.
"You must be the magic mirror that guy was talking about," said Naruto. How did that old story do it? "Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"
"Search parameters are vague and undefined. Please try again."
Naruto blinked. The mirror had answered him. "I dunno. Isn't that what you're supposed to say to magic mirrors and such?"
"Please state search parameters clearly and distinctly."
"Okay," said Naruto. He thought for a moment. "How about - the answers to today's homework from Transfiguration?"
"Cheating at schoolwork is forbidden, see License Agreement for details."
"Well, it was worth a shot," said Naruto out loud. "Fine. How about this? I wanna see what that old guy was watching last."
"Checking browser history. Accessing." The mirror clouded, then cleared.
"So. My jailor finally decides to visit the prison. What is it you seek?"
Naruto blinked at the image of a large semi-humanoid fox in a cage. "Whoa. What are you?"
Whatever response the creature expected, that was not it. "You - don't even know who I am?"
"Uhm. No. Should I?" asked Naruto.
The fox-thing in the mirror stared at Naruto for a moment. "You seriously don't know. Well. On one level this is certainly a new development, and on other I'm not exactly pleased that my reputation has not preceded me."
"Uhm, sorry?" tried Naruto.
"You are a strange one, aren't you?" The beast chuckled.
"Are you a kitsune?" asked Naruto, thinking that would make some sense. Kitsune House after all.
"Sort of. In a manner of speaking."
"Not one of those kumiho are you?" asked Naruto, having heard about the Korean version.
"No. I'm much more likely to squish you but I have no interest in eating your liver," said the beast.
"Oh good, I read a story about them once. Gal seduced a guy, married him, had two kids - then ripped his heart out and ate it before going off to kill her own kids." Naruto had found that particular story to be somewhat traumatic at age five.
"That sounds about right," grumbled the ninetailed fox creature. "I'm generally not that subtle."
"Oh, I see," said Naruto.
The fox-thing leaned closer to the other side of the mirror. "Well, I'll tell you. I am-"
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(Posted Tue, 14 Jul 2015 16:20)
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