Spirits of the Earth

@DragonSong

The young man stepped through the forest at a moderate pace, taking in the sights around him with weary eyes. It had been several years since he left his adopted home of La'marri, yet he still finds himself checking in every so often to see how old acquaintances are doing, and if anything has changed. And then, this forest.

This forest to think, this forest to collect. It never fails. After a visit to La'marri, he always finds himself walking aimless in this forest, pondering his next move, before ultimately deciding (or not deciding) his next destination.

Eyeing a nearby tree, he approaches it before slumping down to the ground - using the tree as support while he sits. Snack time. He removes an apple from his travel bag and takes a bite  - the juice slipping down his chin as he does so. Almost bashfully, he wipes the juice off his face as if someone was watching him.

I may need to look for more work soon, he thought. I could really go for something a little more appetizing.

Visiting Tobin was always nostalgic. Sometimes Hana wished she could stay longer, but the wanderlust was too strong. She'd managed a whole week at the little cabin this time though, before the call of the world outside pulled her back to the open road.

Well. Not exactly open. She still had to get through the Niahi. Head to La'marri? Or back toward Cerenis? the kitsune wondered to herself as she picked her way over the forest floor, nearly silent despite her massive paws.

But there was only so stealthy a massive white fox with three tails could be; though she was quiet, it was hard to miss such a figure weaving through the trees. 

Lowen was about to take another bite out of his apple when something white flashed into his peripheral. At least, he thought something had passed over him. Traveling for some time now, the man's mind was tired and it wouldn't surprise him in the slightest if he imagined it. Hell, he'll even hear a voice in his head a time or two on a long day.

Yet he normally doesn't encounter anything in the Niahi, apart from the usual, that alerts him in this sense. He was not alone.

Without thinking, he stuffed the apple into his mouth - holding it in place with his teeth, stood up, and grasped the dagger at his hip. "Is someone there?" he mumbled through the fruit, hardly audible.

Hana's paws skidded to a stop and she looked back over her shoulder, scenting the air.

Oh. Huh. A human. She hadn't noticed him. Odd.

With a soft huff she allowed her fox form to melt away into her half-way form, striding back toward the voice with an easy grace and confidence, though her hackles were raised just slightly in case something went wrong.

"Odd seeing a traveler in this neck of the woods," she noted blithely as she peeked around from behind a tree.

Hearing the voice threw off his guard, causing him to spit out his apple and choke up a bit.

Quite the brave warrior you are, Lowen.

After regaining his composure, he peered at the woman for a few moments. He had never seen the likes of her, that he knew of, or her kind for that matter. She was definitely a woman, that much he was sure of. But she was more than just that, she was mixed with some sort of animal. A Fox? he thought to himself, She doesn't seem to be of any trouble.

He relaxed his hand, removing his hold from his weapon. "Hello there," he greeted her, his lips curling into a small smile as he looked upon the woman in curiosity. "Are you some sort of Goddess?"

She laughed brightly, her tails swishing back and forth behind her, and some of the tension bled from her body. "Well, aren't you a flatterer," she laughed, tossing her hair and cocking a hip as she looked the stranger up and down.

After a moment of consideration, small smile I'm place the whole time, she replied, "No, I'm no goddess, sir. Just a traveler. Like yourself, I imagine."

He grinned sheepishly and chuckled at her response.

That's a relief. I wouldn't know what to say to her if she actually was a goddess. I've never been in the presence of one before.

"I do tend to travel a bit", he nodded in agreement. "Destination is currently unknown, but hopefully somewhere where I can find a decent meal. But where are my manners? My name is Lowen Thorn, pleasure to meet you ma'am. What is yours?"

"Hanako." She nodded politely with a small smile. "Just Hana, if you like."

She bit her lip, considering. It wasn't exactly good sense to bring random strangers home, but... Well, he had a trustworthy sort of air about him. And a tinge of mystery that tugged at her curious streak.

"If you're hungry, I know somewhere you can get a hot meal and a place to rest," she offered, tilting her head to the side.

Hot Meal. Rest.

His face said it all after hearing the woman's invitation. He hadn't had an actual meal in as long as he could remember, and good rest never seemed a viable option unless he didn't mind starving. He may have been drooling a bit at the thought!

He wiped at his face just in case.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I don't mean to intrude, or to cause you any trouble. Actually--"

He cut off, remembering his apple that fell to the ground earlier. He hastily picked it up, dusted it off, and showed it to her almost as if it was some sort of prized possession. "I have this apple! Would you like some?"

Hana laughed. She couldn't help it. Her eyes crinkled kindly at the corners and she shook her head. "That's quite alright. And yes, I'm sure, you can come with me."

Well, Tobin would be happy to see her again. Even if she had just left.

"Come on, it's this way." She nodded back over her shoulder and turned to start off into the trees, shifting into her fox form as she did.

He didn't have chance to thank her before her transformation. His eyes widened at the sudden shift, but took it with a grain of salt. Well. I have seen stranger things, he thought. But that doesn't make it any less amazing.

With a warm smile, Lowen nodded and tossed the half-eaten apple back into his travel bag, following her. He wasn't accustomed to relying on the kindness of strangers, and whereas he had his doubts, he felt like he could trust this Hana woman.

Wait, the voice in his head abruptly second-guessed. Is she bringing me to some place where she can eat me? Fox Food? Am I the hot meal? Why would someone I do not know be so willing to help me?

He shook his head to himself. No, fool. Get out of your own head for once and accept the hospitality of this wonderful woman.

Shrugging off his remaining doubts, he spoke from behind her. "Thank you, Ms. Hanako."

The massive fox snorted in amusement and glanced back at him over her shoulder. Crimson eyes glinted and she huffed with a little shake of her head. "Really, just Hana is fine," she repeated, though her tone was warm enough.

She picked up the pace a bit, bounding deeper into the forest. "Keep up! It's not too far."

His grin turned into a slight chuckle. "Yes ma'am," he responded. "Thank you kindly Hana."

He continued to follow her, keeping up with her great pace. He was impressively fast and agile for a human, though that was one of his only strengths - and his primary skill for survival. Without proper combat training, it pays to be fast while out in the field. Of course, she could have been showing restraint for his sake.

He kept his gaze directed at her as he continued along her path, with an occasional glance around him to view his surroundings. Though the man traveled through this forest time and time again, he found himself unfamiliar to the area she was leading him.

It really wasn't all that far to Tobin's cottage, and soon enough they were entering the clearing when the little building rested.

She gave a soft yip to alert the old man to her presence, then shifted back into her hybrid form and turned back to look at her new companion. "How you doing there?"

Lowen kept his composure, but was a little more out of breath than he wanted to admit.

His stomach thundered a long, awkward growl.

"F-Fine," he assured her with a grin on his face, somewhat embarrassed. He averted his gaze to the little building and let his eyes rest upon it for several moments. "Nice place. Is this your home, Hana?"

She chuckled a bit and moved forward to take his arm and lead him toward the house. "It used to be. I grew up here."

She still didn't entirely trust this man- he was more or less a stranger- but she got no dangerous feeling from him. He seemed just like any average traveler.

"My father lives here. Tobin!" She frowned when the old man still didn't appear at the door, scowling and grumbling to herself. "Oi! C'mon, Tobin, I'm back, open up."

His feet moved forward as she guided him toward the door.

"You call your father Tobin?" he asked curiously. "No judgement, it's just seems... different. I was under the impression most folk call their parents Mother and Father, or other names of that nature."

He turned his attention to the door, unconsciously grasping the ring on the necklace that hung around his neck. "Do you think he's okay?"

'Don't worry about the old man, Lowen. Just get in there and feast. I don't want to starve down here!' a voice spoke inside, though it was too distant in the pool of Lowen's thoughts for him to truly hear it.

Hana huffed and moved to knock sharply on the door. "Well, he's not my real father. That's just what I call him when people asked. He raised me, but I've always just called him- Tobin!"

"What, what?" The old hermit flung the door open and glowered at her. "Weren't you just here, ya little terror?" Ruddy cheeked, with glinting blue eyes, he looked from his foster daughter to her guest. "Who the hell is this then?"

The kitsune beamed and bounced forward to kiss his cheek. "Hello to you, too. Tobin, this is Lowen." She gestured between the two.

Not her real father, just the one who raised her. Sounds like we have a few things in common.

His attention was quickly taken from Hana and to the entrance as the door swung open. He couldn't help but snicker at the old hermit calling Hana 'little terror', though he tried to hide it.

He extended his hand to Hana's foster parent to offer a formal handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tobin! Your daughter has been very kind to me, you raised an outstanding young woman!"

His stomach roared once more.

This feels awkard.

Tobin glowered, but took the man's offered hand with a roll of his eyes. "Alright then, c'mon the both of ya. Get inside before you let the forest critters in."

He ushered them both through the door and Hana shot Lowen a friendly smile. She sniffed the air. "Smells like a stew's in."

"Aye, and I suppose you'll be wanting some of it?" Tobin huffed at her, but bustled away toward the little hearth where a small stew pot hung suspended over the flames.

Lowen smiled warmly back at Hana as he entered the old hermit's home. She may not know it - hell, she may not even trust him, but he would be eternally grateful. Thanks.

His eyes skimmed around the little residence, taking in the image of the place Hana grew up. He found himself drawing a picture of her in her younger years, running around the household as the little terror her father described her as.

'Wait', he pondered. 'How would one such as Hana grow into what she is today? Is her kind just a fox in their younger years, or was she always the way she is now? Or wait! Was she human, and bitten by some sort of mystical fox creature that turned her into the way she is?

The possibilities were endless.

'Perhaps I will find out more later, if we have time.'

The smell of the stew reached his noise, bringing him back to reality. Noticing the size of the little pot, he asked "Are you sure?"

---

'A-A-A-Are you sure?', the second voice mocked. 'Oi! Come on boy, don't be pathetic! It'll probably taste like waste from a Horse's ass anyway! Shove that slop down your gullet and we'll be on our way - unless you want me to talk to your new friend.'

The voice remained beyond Lowen's consciousness.

"Of course he's sure!" Hana beamed and linked her arm through Lowen's, towing him to the little table set into a back nook of the cottage, with two chairs set around it. She nudged Lowen into one chair and sashayed her way across the cottage to the hearth.

"You sit, too, Tobin, I'll get the stew," she urged. Her foster father grumped at her, but he took a seat in the other chair and folded his hands on the table, looking their guest up and down.

"What exactly were you doing out in the middle of nowhere then, lad?" the hermit asked gruffly, quirking an eyebrow.

"Papa." Hana frowned at him and swatted his shoulder as she sauntered her way back over with the stew pot- holding the scalding metal in bare hands as she dished out helpings of the heavily spiced meal into bowls. "Be nice, won't you?"

Tobin glowered at her. "You only call me Papa when you want something."

"Yes. And now I want you to be polite." The kitsune rolled her eyes and crinkled her nose up at Lowen, mouthing, Sorry.

Lowen's face turned a faded crimson as she helped him to his chair - though he wasn't sure why. He does have a dreadful attention span - constantly inside his own head - and is repeatedly caught off guard. It's actually somewhat amazing he has survived this long on his own.

The young man tilted his face down, clearing his throat, in attempt to hide the flushed tint of his cheeks.

Sure, clear your throat. That will definitely take the attention off of you.

His gazed turned to Hana's father after hearing the question. "Well, you see Mr. Tobin," he began, "Nowhere is home to me at the moment. I do not have a place to call my own right now, so I travel from place to place - looking for work to keep myself fed."

He smiled contently at Hana's mouthed apology. "I was in a bit of a rough patch when Hana found me."

"Oh?" Tobin took a bite of his stew, nodded in a satisfied sort of manner, and quirked his head to the side. "What sort of work do you do then? Sound like you're nearly about as useless as that one." He jerked a thumb toward Hana and she made an indignant noise of protest, cuffing the back of his head again.

"Well now there's no call for being rude," she said primly as she returned the stew pot to the hearth and took her own bowl in hand, leaning back against the wall to eat.

Lowen was in the middle of taking a bite of the stew when the word useless was used to describe Hana and himself, causing him to choke up a bit.

'Useless! Ha! Something me and the old man agree on!' the second voice snickered.

The young man chuckled - he couldn't argue there. "Well, I have done a variety of things to get by. I've helped families in need of assistance, laboring for their homes and agriculture, cleaning, deliveries--"

'Hitman for hire, thief for hire, hired whore', the other voice quipped.

"--assisting grocers, merchants, butchers--"

'Didn't I butcher that last merchant that double crossed us?' the voice snorted in delight.

"--And other things of that nature," Lowen said. "Unfortunately I do not have a specific trade of my own.. or rather, I haven't found one yet."

Lowen glanced over to Hana, noticing her without a chair. "Hana, would you like to sit here? I don't mind to stand."

"Oh, aren't you sweet." Hana crinkled her nose at him with a quick grin. "Nay, lad, I'm fine, you just eat up. You need a place to stay for the night, or were you gonna try to get some more miles in before bedding down?"

"Oi!" Tobin straightened up in his chair and glowered at her. "You can't just go volunteering my bed-"

"I wasn't volunteering your bed," she cut him off, "he can have mine. I'll sleep in fox form, it's perfectly comfortable. Besides, I like him." She tossed another smile at Lowen as she pushed herself off the wall and came to collect her father's empty bowl. Despite their constant snipping, it was clear in their body language that the two really did care for each other- and perhaps that Tobin wasn't quite as crotchety as he made himself out to be.

"You like anything with a pretty smile," the old man grunted at her. Hana fake glared and flicked her tail against his ear, making him twitch and glower.

"And what's wrong with that? He's a nice sort- I like making friends, Papa, though I understand that might be a foreign concept to you. So?" She abruptly switched her attention back to Lowen, grin back in place. "You need a bed or not?"

Before he knew it the bowl of stew before him was empty. He hadn't had a fresh, hot meal in some time so one would think he wold savor every last bit. No. He devoured it quickly and without realizing he had done so.

He watched the two's playful arguing, or perhaps Hana's playful arguing and her father's stern retorts, with a warm smile on his face. He felt comfortable in their presence - at ease, which is more than what he could say about most of the folk he comes across.

'This is ridiculous', the voice groaned.

His focus lingered on Hana for several moments after she offered her bed to him. His boyish grin softened to a slight curl causing his continued smile to come more from his eyes and less from his lips.

He thought about refusing her offer - he didn't want to take her bed away for the night. He also thought asking if that would truly be okay, his typical lack-of-confidence 'Are you sure?' response. However, something told him she wouldn't accept no for an answer, and wouldn't want to hear his self-doubt.

"That would be great. Thank you," he said. He glanced at his empty bowl and then back to his hosts. "Can I help clean up before we turn in?"

"See." Hana beamed at Tobin. "What did I tell you? Sweet. Sure you can, Lowen," she added, turning her attention back to their guest. "If you don't mind washing up the bowls I can get a bed settled for you."

She turned to make her way into one of the two back rooms that had been added onto the cottage when she was growing up, tails swishing lightly back and forth.

Tobin sighed and pushed his chair back, standing with a soft groan and a muttered, "Old bones." Jerking his head at Lowen, he said briskly, "There's a well out back, you can get some water to clean the bowls."

Lowen nodded his head at the man in gratitude, and stepped outside to retrieve the water. It was getting dark out. His eyes scanned the area briefly until they landed on the old well, a bucket with rope lay to the side of it. As he approached, a gentle breeze cut through the air, ruffling his loose curls and the clothes on his back.

"Nice night," he spoke softly under his breath. He took a deep breath. Ahhhh. He loved calm nights such as these.

After the short appreciation, the man grabbed the bucket, and began obtaining water for the bowls.

Hana finished settling up the bed, then swayed her way back out into the living space of the cottage. "Sent him to fetch water, then?"

"Mhm." Tobin eyed her sidelong as he picked up a book and settled himself into his favorite armchair by the hearth. "You got any special plans for that one?"

She rolled her eyes. "Tobin. Sometimes I just like to make new friends. Besides, he was out in the woods on his own, I could practically hear his stomach growling half a mile away. Couldn't just leave him out there, could I?"

Lowen entered beaming from ear to ear, carrying the freshly collected bucket of water. "Beautiful niii--"

Just then, the man's foot caught a bump in the floor causing him to lose his balance and tumble forward. He was heading directly for Hana. 'Shit! Shit! Shit!' he screamed internally as his luck turned against him. Then, gravity took over. He lost gripping of the bucket as it hung mid-air and the man's legs lost control. What happened in mere moments felt like a lifetime. 'Forgive me!'

"Gods' sake!" the man griped abruptly, his voice sterner than before and with a look of disgust on his face. Something was different. In a split second, the man caught his balance, planted his feet firm on the ground and quickly snatched up the airborne bucket before it could collide with the Kitsune - resulting in only a few droplets of water escaping to the ground. He was just a few feet in front of the woman, and for a moment - though only for an instant - stared coldly into the woman through unrecognizable eyes.

His face immediately eased, his eyes reverted back to the recognizable softness of Lowen Thorn. He looked upon Hana, his chest pounding, and then to his hand that gripped the bucket. "I caught it?" he asked, mostly to himself. "Well, that's some luck! S-Sorry about that, Hana. I'll get right to work on those bowls."

Both Hana and Tobin gaped at him, eyes wide, the young woman still half-flinching away from the spiraling bucket.

Something had happened. Tobin shot his daughter a look that clearly said, Told you so. Hana gave him a brief glare, then moved toward Lowen and carefully took the bucket from him, setting it aside.

"Lowen," she said slowly, laying her hand against his cheek. "Can you look at me for a second?" She tried to guide his eyes to hers, crimson gaze searching.

Lowen began to speak but stopped, his confused eyes following the bucket as she set it away from them. 'What happened? he wondered. 'They're acting strange. Maybe I've stunned them with my reflexes? Or maybe dropping water on the floor is somehow insulting to them? Everything was going so well!'

The young man slowly lifted his gaze to Hana's, meeting her eye to eye. His hazel-oak eyes were soft, though a bit puzzled, with his left eye's sectoral shade a little greener than usual. He looked upon her shyly. "Is something wrong, Hana?"

Hana pursed her lips as she searched his face, probing gently with her magic. She'd never been much good with anything outside her fire elementalism, but maybe she could sense if there was something off...

That just seemed so strange, the way his voice had changed, his mannerism, even just for a moment- it seemed just off.

But she couldn't sense any sort of malevolent magic in him. Frowning, either ignoring or forgetting propriety, she smoothed his hair back away from his face and cupped her hands against his cheeks, tilting his head from side to side.

"...You sure you're alright?"

The man tried not to laugh from embarrasssment as Hana moved his face about: "I'm sure! What is going on? Are you okay, Hana?" he asked. "I am a little confused as to what is happeneing here."

Lowen's innocent eyes trailed off to the floor as he found it hard to keep eye contact under the current situation. This was awkward. There were no longer any traces of the second entity that briefly made an appearance. Of course, Lowen was completely unaware that that was ever the case.

"I am not sure what has happened, but if you wish me to leave.. I will understand."

The kitsune cast a glance to her foster father, then took a step back, slowly shaking her head as she let her hands drop. "No...no, that's alright." She offered a quick smile, though there was a tinge of befuddlement in her eyes. "I offered a bed, and I meant it. It's made up, if you want it."

It was an answer he was use to hearing, though it never got any easier to accept. Every single time. He would meet someone, become comfortable around them enough to call them his friend, and all of a sudden they didn't want anything to do with him.

Why does this always happen? 'Do I smell bad or something?'

He was so inside his own head that he did not register her actual answer at first. He bowed to the both of them to show gratitude. "Thank you, both of you, for showing me the hospitality I have received tonight. Hana," he focused his attention on just her. "Thank you again. If it wasn't for you, I may not have made it another night the way I was going. I owe you my life, and it has truly been a great honor knowing you."

Once more, he nodded his head in appreciation and then headed for the exit. It was just easier that way. It wasn't until he was at the door of the little home when he realize they weren't kicking him out.

"Wait-"

Hana's brow crinkled and she stepped after him. "Hold on- Lowen!"

Laughing a little incredulously, she reached out to grip his arm. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked lightly, eye twinkling.

Lowen's eyes widened in embarrassment. He was so use to the other outcome he just assumed it would be so. As Hana grasped his arm he turned to face her with a sheepish grin and a small chuckle. "Sorry!" he apologized with a crack of his voice. "It's somewhat embarrassing to say, but most folks I meet don't stick around too long. Something seemed strange so I assumed..."

He trailed off. He didn't know what he assumed. He really had no reason to instantly assume the worst. Sure, something felt a little off but that was the extent of it.

"Anyway," he said, clearing his throat. "Would you still like me to wash those bowls?"

"Sure. Thanks." The kistune smiled at him and patted his shoulder lightly. "Tobin and I can help clean if you wash."

Odd, but sweet. Now he was a puzzle, and she was determined to figure him out.

Lowen nodded politely with a small smile on his face. He picked up the water bucket once more and made his way to the wash area to clean the bowls. As he cleaned, he softly hummed an old hymn - one lost from his memory, but has been with him since as long as he could remember. The raspy baritone of his voice complimented his soft hum, creating a relaxing melody in the corner of the room. He normally didn't allow strangers to hear such things if he could help.

'Why am I humming? They probably don't want to hear that', Lowen thought to himself as he scrubbed the bowls.

'I don't know, why are you? I hate it when you do that,' the second voice silently retorted.

The man stopped. How embarrassing.

"Hana," he called out as he focused on the bowls. "Tell me a little more about yourself. You've been so kind, yet I do not know much about you." He peaked over his shoulder with a sly grin, eyes pinned on the woman. "I am still not convinced that you are not some sort of Fox Goddess, after all."

The kitsune twisted slightly as he called her name, then smiled slightly, letting her ears twitch from side to side.

"I'm not sure there's much to tell," she said with a shrug and a little laugh, carrying the bowls over to him. A few locks of hair fall forward over her shoulder as she bent to hand them to him, obscuring her face for a moment.

"Tobin found me on his doorstep when I was a babe," she said after a moment. "I've...never actually met another one of my kind, but I know I'm no goddess." She murmured the last bit with a small smile, brushing her hair back and glancing up at him through thick, silvered lashes. "They call us kitsune on the isles. Thanatos. I think that's where we come from."

Lowen continued to clean though his eyes stayed with the woman. "I only kid," he grinned. He felt more relaxed now. "It sounds like we have a few things in common, Hana. I'm sure no.. Kitsune, was it? And I have met many other humans, mind you, but I am not quite sure of my roots prior to the past four years."

He placed one cleaned bowl to the side and started on another. "The only family I've ever known, or can remember, were a kind elderly couple who brought me into their home years ago in La'marri. They told me that I was greatly injured and slept for over a week. They were both mages, and even with their abilities said it was a miracle I recovered. I only remember waking up that day, not knowing where I was or who I was."

He stopped cleaning the second bowl mid-scrub. "I am not sure why I am telling you all this," he said quietly.

He continued to clean the bowl, unconsciously humming the same tune as before. After a few passing moments, he sat the second bowl to the side and positioned to the last in front of him. Peering over his shoulder, he flashed the Kitsune a quick smile. "Almost done."

"I've got one of those faces," Hana said softly with a small grin. "Makes you wanna pour your heart out. I'd be a good barkeep, I think."

Her tone was light, but her eyes were dark and contemplative as she watched him.

"That why your wandering?" she asked eventually as she handed over the last bowl. "Trying to figure out who you are?"

"You do have a nice face," he said cheekily, not realizing how that must have sounded.

He started scrubbing the last bowl, his eyes easy as he contemplated his answer. "I believe so, yes," he replied. "Not knowing who I really am has been somewhat of a burden on me. I'm grateful for the people that helped me, but at the end of the day it doesn't feel like enough. I have certain mementos of my past, or that I believe to be of my past, that must hold some significance. Like this ring for instance."

He motioned to the ring that hung on the leather-strapped necklace around his neck. "This, and the song you may have heard me humming a few moments back," he continued. "I have no idea where it came from."

He let out a heavy sigh, and placed the last clean bowl away from the wash area. Turning around, he leaned his back up against the wall and looked to the Kitsune woman. "Yet, four years later and I am no closer to where I've started," he said with a shrug. "Do you ever try to find out more about where you came from, Hana?"

"Aw, don't you know how to make a girl blush," Hana teased, tossing him a playful wink.

She sobered slightly and settled back on her haunches, tilting her head as she considered his words. "Sometimes...I think it would be easier if I actually went to Thanatos, but I've never felt so inclined." She shrugged. "I'm happy being who I am, I think. Even if I'm not sure where I came from."

'Blush? Oh!'

The man returned a bashful smile realizing what he had said before. "I envy you," he said quietly, slowly stroking his jawline. He contemplated his response for a few moments before speaking again. "But, you know, Hana," he continued, "If you ever decided you wanted to go to Thantos, I could go with you. I've never been there - and two heads are better than one, right?"

He lifted his hands in the air in playful surrender. "Unless you think I would be holding you back," he teased, only half-way kidding.

"Hm..." Hana tilted her head and pulled a comically contemplative expression. "Perhaps. I'll think about it."

With a lopsided smirk she tapped the tip of his nose and got to her feet. "You should get some sleep. I can probably convince Tobin to let you stay through tomorrow, but I wouldn't want to impose on him much longer."

"Sure. I will need to be on my way in the morning, anyway. I can leave a little before dawn. You have been more than helpful, and I do not know how I can repay you," Lowen said sincerely. "Thanks."

This may have been the most hospitality he had been shown since the Thorns took him in years ago. A hot meal, a bed, and new friends? Best day ever. He nudged himself off of the wall and glanced over to the back room Hana visited earlier. "That room there?" he asked, motioning to Hana's childhood bedroom.

"Oh, nonsense." Hana waved him off with a small frown. "It's not like it was any trouble- and you should at least stay for breakfast."

She nodded when he pointed to her old room. "Yes, make yourself comfortable." She sighed quietly and arched her spine back into a stretch, tails swishing slowly through the air. "I'll be back in a while, I'll try not to wake you."

'Back? Where is she going? Well, it is really none of my business.'

The man nodded with a warm smile. "Oh, I'm a pretty heavy sleeper, so you don't have to worry about that!" he said cheerfully. "Oh, and breakfast. If you insist."

Arching his back, the young traveler stretched out his arms an let out a long yawn. "Well, I'm beat. Best get to it," he nodded. "Goodnight, Hana."

Lowen exited the living space and stepped into the woman's bedroom, taking a quick look around. Normal enough, he thought. His eyes quickly rested on the bed. Oh. Bed. Gods, that looked great. Sitting down on it, he began to unlace his old, beat up boots. Slipping them off, he moved more into the bed and sprawled across it.

'Wow.'

First time in ages he didn't have to sleep in the dirt with one eye open. The man lied when he told Hana he was a heavy sleeper. He rarely gets a good night's slumber, and with this sudden change, he wasn't sure if he would be able to sleep at all. Well, maybe.

He lied there, still, silent, staring at the ceiling above him as his thoughts began to drift.

Hana and Tobin sat by the hearth, talking quietly into the night. She may have just been home, but there still seemed to be so much to catch up on.

Eventually, Tobin declared he was tired and her yapping was bothering him, and she rose with a small smile and kissed his brow, then moved back to her old room.

Moving quietly so as not to disturb their guest, she laid out a bedroll on the floor and crawled into it, wrapping her tails around her body to provide a little extra warmth.

Lowen lied atop the bed, physically awake but mentally absent. He continued to lay there for some time in that state. His empty stare remained locked on the ceiling, oblivious to everything and everyone around him. He did not notice the kitsune as she returned to the room to make herself a bed.

'My head,' he groaned lifelessly. 'It's pounding. It's out of control.'

This familiar feeling. His head would often spin as he tried to go to sleep, but he never remembers it happening until the next occurrence.  But why now? This was to be one of his most comfortable nights in a long while. 'Not now,' he begged, emotionless if they had been spoken aloud. 'Hana.'

Abruptly, Lowen sat straight up from the bed without a word.

Hana started slightly and raised her head. "Gods, Lowen! Startled me. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she chuckled sheepishly.

When he didn't respond, she frowned and started to get to her feet. "Lowen? Is something wrong?"

Lowen slowly got to his feet and took a step away from the bed. His hollow eyes found their way to the young woman in the room, staring blankly at her for several silent moments.

Click.

With a sudden shift in emotion, the young man's face turned to worry and distress. "I have to go save them!" he said with a shaky, out of breath voice. "There's a war going on and they're trapped there! She is trapped there. I'm sorry but I must go!"

The man swiftly left the bedroom and marched over to the the area in the living space where he had cleaned the bowls. He stopped. The excessive panting and panic washed away and he stood lifeless once again, staring vacantly at the wall before him.

"Lowen? Lowen!"

Scrambling a bit, Hana followed after him at a light job, brow furrowed. This was just odd. "Hey." She approached cautiously as he paused in the main room of the cottage, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, look at me, huh?  You okay?"

"Well how the hell should I know?! You're the one that called me!" the man barked out in a transformed, darker tone as he slammed his fist against the wall. "You and I were just about to get some sleep for once! Gods! ...but you just had to start whining and crying, running away and hiding like you always do. Pull up your pants and be a man for-- wait, who?"

The man shot a look over his shoulder to the woman behind him. His eyes were cold, almost evil. Not Lowen's eyes. These belonged to someone else. He glared at the Kitsune for a moment and his eyes drifted to the hand on his shoulder. "Get your damn hands off me," he hissed slowly.

He moved away from the woman swiftly, putting some distance between them. His eyes remained laser-focused on the woman as he circled around at a slow pace. He came to a stop. Tilting his head, he looked her up and down and flashed a curious smile, but with an insane look in his eyes. He lifted his hand slowly and pointed at her, bobbing that hand back and forth as he tried to figure her out.

"Well lookie lookie, who the hell do we have here?" he started in a demanding tone.

"Oh, I got you. I know you now," the man said. "You're the fox! The fox girl! Been taken care of ol' Lowen in my absense, han't ya? Bet'cha thought you were friends or something."

The mysterious side of Lowen eased up, smiling bigger and let out a soft, amused chuckle. "Hana, right? Well I do have to apologize, missy. I hear the voices but I can't see the faces until it's up close and personal. Ol' Lowen.. you know, La.. La.. Lowen," he mocked, "likes to keep the world all to himself most times. A real piece of shit if I do say so myself."

Everything about this person was different from Lowen. He was more confident, shaprer, his eyes full of rage that never broke contact - even his accent was different. The calm and collectiveness of Lowen's voice was replaced by someone who sounded like they were raised on the countryside.

His grin softened to a malignant state as he awaited her response.

Hana's hackles raised and she backed away a step, ears flat to her skull. A low growl that she didn't entirely have control of thrummed in her chest.

"Who are you?" she hissed, tails lashing. The air around her fingertips began to heat up as she instinctively called on her magic.

Ignoring her question, the man let out a laugh and continued to circle around. "Oh man! I cannot tell you enough how good it feels to be out in the open and stretching my legs right now!" he said with mischievous cheer. " He halted with a thud and whipped his body to face hers. "Do you know what it's like to be me? To live in the dark constantly while this asshole runs around getting himself into trouble, getting lost, making stupid decisions on a daily basis? Only calling on ol' Ipsen when he's in trouble or just can't handle his shit that day?! Hell, I don't even know why I'm here this time - thought we were in good shape for the night."

He let out a heavy breath while his eyes trailed off in thought. "Mmmmm," he shook his head before returning his gaze to the woman. "And did you know he doesn't even know who I am? Well, he knows who I am. He knows me. He just forgets every damn time. Every time I let his sorry ass come back to surface. Can you believe that?"

He continued to pace around with accumulated madness. "So annoying. I have to hear him inside his own head, day in and day out, trying to figure his shit out. Doesn't listen to a word I say!" he said with an aggravated huff. "Yet when I'm the one in charge, he knows exactly who I am and he just whines and complains. Over and over and over and over. It's impossible to tune that out! Even now he's telling me not to harm you."

Those were his last words before his lips curled to a small, chilling smile. Without hesitation, the man hopped back, drew his dagger, and hurled it at Hana - purposely aiming just right of her face.

The kitsune's eyes widened and she spun sideways, avoiding the blade. Her lips pulled back in a snarl and her tails lashed as blue fire suddenly lit in her palms.

"Who are you?" she repeated, voice a low growl. "An other, that's obvious, but what kind?"

Ipsen's eyes lit as the flames formed in her hands. He let out a loud, entertained laugh. "Well now that's impressive!" he yelled. "Didn't care to show that ability to your ol' pal Lowen then? 'Tis a shame, lady. I figured we'd get it on great you and I! More so than you and L-L-Lowen. Don't you ever get tired of his never-ending politeness?"

"Oh."

He held his arms up slightly in a false surrender. "An other. You got me," he smirked. "Where are my manners? My name is Ipsen. I know everything there is to know about the man you've been getting chummy with, and I'm the reason he's still alive. One might say we're brothers. Others might say we're the same person. I will leave it up to you to interpret."

His eyes shot over to the dagger that was now embedded into the wall behind her.

Hana growled again, and the flames in her hands flared brighter for just a moment. "You're not a curse." It wasn't a question- she couldn't smell any malignant magic. "And...you aren't a possession." She would have felt a malicious spirit instantly.

Brow furrowed, she moved one cautious step closer. "You're...you're just...him? But not..." The frown seemed to be slowly turning to confusion rather than anger.

"What? HELL NO!" the man shouted. "Ain't ya been listening? Lowen could never measure up to who I am."

This was Ipsen's favorite part. The confusion. The feeling of betrayal. The initial transformation was always a different experience when meeting new people - going from a quiet, polite, and reserved man to an loose-cannon thug that never stops talking. They were in fact the same person as the woman stated, but Ipsen would never think of it that way. Just two entities sharing the same body of a former man lost in history.

He took one step closer to her with confidence. "I would be careful with that," he motioned to the flame in her palm. "Wouldn't want to miss and set dear ol' daddy's house aflame now would ya? I'm sure you've seen it. Lowen's fast, but I am faster."

"What do you want?" Hana held her ground as she glared up at him. Her fingers slowly curled into fists, snuffing out the foxfire. The glow of magic in her crimson eyes made it clear that it would be all too easy for her to summon the flame back, however.

"Oh, I just wanted to meet you, m'lady," the man said cockily, giving her a slight bow. "Lowen has taken a liking to you, you know. You make him comfortable. You make him feel like he has friends in this world."

He let off a small shudder in disgust. "The only friend that boy has in this world is me."

He looked at her for a while longer and let out a heavy, agitated sigh. "I do not mean you no harm, Hana. I have nothing to gain from all that. I just wanted to play for a bit. It's a lonely life I lead. So," he stopped. Holding out his arms, he spun his body around as if he were presenting her a fresh new wardrobe. "What do you think? First impressions?"

"I think you're incredibly rude," she replied with an arched eyebrow.

Slowly, she backed up another step to lean back against the wall. "So. Ispen. If you really mean no harm here, tell me about yourself. Where'd you come from?"

He grabbed at his chest when she called him rude. "Aw, my heart," he snickered. "You really want to know? That's a first."

What little guard the man had up diminished. He leaned against the wall he was closest to and folded his arms. "Where to even begin?" he asked, mostly to himself. "I guess it all started when that idiot's girl died. Yeah, that's when it started. When she was killed."

He spit on the floor and rubbed his chin, recollecting the events. "Poor bastard couldn't handle the truth of what just happened, went and got himself nearly killed too. When he finally came to, he was too weak to accept the truth - that's when Lowen and myself were born.. that day we woke up in those two old hags' home in La'marri. Lowen's the spineless version of the original who can't remember nothing, you see? I'm the person he should've been back then."

He exhaled a large breath and propped himself off the wall. "You got anything to drink in this dump, Hana? I'm dying for some ale."

"You're not getting any alcohol under this roof," the kitsune replied mildly. Internally she was whirling, trying to process what he'd said. "So...how did you come to be here? Erm, outside?"

"Outside?" he repeated with a temporary look of puzzlement on his face. "Oh! You mean when you found us out there in the woods! Well, how the hell should I know? That was Lowen! I'm Ipsen. He wanders from place to place, town to town, looking for a place to belong - trying to find out about our past and more about himself."

He threw his fist in front of his mouth as to fake gagging from disgust. "Me? I say who the hell cares. I just want to have a little fun. And let me tell you sister," he said with a mischievous undertone, "he doesn't want to know about our past. Not really. He may think he does, but he won't be able to handle it. It'll kill him! Why do you think I haven't told him all this time? Not that he'll acknowledge me."

The man sighed. "Boy, not sure why I'm inclined to tell you all of this. You must have one of those faces," he teased, repeating her previous words to Lowen back to her. "Probably would make a good barkeep one day."

"Mm." Hana stared at him, deadpan, mouth a thin line. "Perhaps."

She sighed and rubbed at the back of her neck. It was too late at night for her life to be getting this complicated. "I more meant what are you, Ipsen, doing at the forefront of Lowen's...mind?" she guessed carefully. "Though all that information is useful, I suppose."

She shook her head. "How can he not know about you? Surely friends of his have met you."

"Friends," Ipsen muttered, amused. "Well Lowen ain't go no friends, missy. Every time he starts to get chummy with someone  they always end up backstabbing'em somehow. Even if they don't, they will! I can see it in their eyes! No, I'll cut those loose ends before he lets things get carried away."

The way the man spoke was gruff, rude, and borderline paranoid. He shook his head furiously and looked on Hana once more. "And you ain't gonna tell him nothin' bout me neither!" he barked.

He eased a bit, cooling off.

"Sorry," he said, mustering an actual apology. "I tend to talk without thinking almost always. But the truth is, I have no idea why I am here right now. I know why I exist, but in this very moment, no idea. Ol' Lowen only retreats to his corner when the times get tough - that's when I come in. I do the dirty work. Or maybe something in this house triggered the poor bastard's memory. Sure, I can take over when I want to but I really didn't want to this time. Hell, maybe I did. Maybe I was just dyin' to meet ya."

"Does that answer your question?" he asked with an impatient huff. "Or are you looking for a history lesson?"

"Why?" Ignoring his outbursts, Hana settled herself back on her heels, watching him with an almost predatory kind of calculation. "Why can't I tell him about you?"

Ipsen's eyes burned.

"Why would you?" he hissed. "Do you really want to tear that poor bastard up like that? I kill people for us. I do what needs to be done. He can't handle that! And besides.."

He stopped for a moment, pondering his response. "At first I was insulted he could never remember me. But then, I thought, this is a good thing!" he said, beginning to pace around the room again. "Can you imagine him finding out about me? If he does that, then he's one step closer to finding out who we were four years ago. If that happens, what's the point of me? He may not need me anymore. We can't have that, now can we?"

She shook her head. "He deserves to know," she said, soft but firm. "What you're doing is cruel. He may not remember you, but he sees the effect the two of you have on people. He has a right to know that he's sharing head space with someone else."

He shot her a quick look of disgust. "Have you not been listening to me?" he said, his voice filling with rage. He took a few steps toward her. "If he finds out about me, he'll eventually find out about everything - If that happens, I could cease to exist! I am not going to let that happen."

Malevolence and insanity returned to his eyes as he stared down the Kitsune. He continued to pace forward, circling around until he was side by side with the dagger he previously slung into the wall. His hand dropped onto the hilt, grasping it.

"Listen, missy. I ain't got nothing against you," he said cautiously. "But if you keep talking like that, I will break your ne--"

Snap.

His head jerked around, eyeing the front door for a moment. "Someone's outside."

The moment he went for the dagger, Hana's hand was on his wrist, her eyes blazing at him. She didn't so much as flinch under his threats, the air around her slowly heating as magic gathered-

Her ears swiveled toward the sound and she snapped her head around. "Stay quiet," she hissed, perking her ears forward in the hope she may hear something that may offer a clue as to who- or what- had made that noise.

"Scaaaaaaaryy," he groaned, ignoring her order. He couldn't help himself.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Whoever was out there was now banging on the front door.

"Okay, open up! We heard ya in there!" a gruff voice called from outside the home.

"Yeeeah," a second, sleazier voice slipped in. "Let us in and no one will get hurt! Don't make us kick this damn door down!"

Just then, Ipsen looked back at Hana with a big, stupid grin on his face. He was excited. He was actually excited someone was trying to rob them. From the sound of their voices, they weren't too clever either. It was a miracle they even made it this far undetected; probably thanks to the fact that he and the Kitsune were too busy sniffing each other out to notice. He covered a hand over his mouth to conceal a snicker while shooting her a look as if to say 'Are these guys serious?'

"Oh, Hana," Ipsen began with an exaggerated tone. "You better do what they say! Please, let them in!"

"Would you just shut up," she snapped, glaring at him. Before she could make any sort of move, there was a shuffling sound behind her and she whipped her head around.

Tobin had come tottering out of his room, rubbing at his head. "What's all the damned racket?" he grumbled, squinting from his foster daughter to their guest.

"Da, shh." Hana shot both men a stern look. "Neither of you move. I'll handle this." Cautiously, she crept toward the door, the tips of her tails twitching ever so slightly back and forth.

Seeing the old hermit stumble into the opening, Ipsen had to ignore her request again. He really couldn't help himself.

"What... the hell is that thing?" he asked, blinking at Tobin in disbelief. Oh. The father. Ipsen remembered hearing him grumble and spat with Hana when he was in the backseat of Lowen's mind. "So that's what you look like. Gods. You two clearly aren't blood related."

He glanced over to Hana as she tiptoed forward when the door slung open. The two men actually kicked it in and barged into the home.

Big mistake.

Tobin blinked, then glanced to Hana. "What the hells?"

"Both of you shut up-"

Then the intruders were inside and she sank back into a crouch, instantly flashing into her fox form. Teeth bared in a savage snarl she leaped forward, blue fire trailing from her paws.

It was a huge mistake for these men to barge into Hana's house uninvited. Ipsen's eyes widened in excitement as she transformed into her fox form and lunged an attack. Someone was going to die today.

These two were clearly amateurs and scared out of their wits over the situation they had just gotten themselves into.  Out of panic, one of the men crashed to the ground attempting to jump out of Hana's way. When the intruder returned to his feet, Ipsen was behind him.

Ipsen quickly grabbed the man from behind and placed the tip of his dagger to his throat. "Well look what we got here! It's my lucky day," Ipsen hissed into his captive's ear. "I was just starting to get bored, too. Hana! What'ya think? Kill the cunt or what?"

"Don't you dare." Hana curled her lip at Ipsen now. She was crouched over the other robber, one heavy paw pressing into the center of his chest, ensuring he was spending all his energy on focusing to get enough breath rather than try to fight back. "Knock him out and dump him outside. We don't kill needlessly."

"Sure thing, boss," he said while rolling his eyes.

Ipsen eyed the man he held captive, facing an internal conflict as he decided what to do. Obey Hana and keep ol' Lowen in her good graces, or do what he really wanted and slit the bastard's throat for sport. It would be so easy. He grinned softly, contemplating and tightening his grip on his blade.

'D-Don't you fucking dare!' Lowen cried out from within Ipsen's mind.

Ipsen ignored the plea, glancing back over to Hana as he held his dagger steady on the man's throat.

"G-Get off of me!" the captured man huffed with slight panic in his voice. "Our boys know where we are! If anything happens, they will come looking for us! If that happens, all of you are good as de-"

He couldn't finish his sentence before Ipsen made up his mind. Taking his free hand, he grabbed the hair atop the man's scalp and yanked his head back. Without another moment's hesitation, he traced the blade across the man's throat, blood spewing from the man's neck and onto Ipsen's hand.

The body dropped to the ground with a heavy thud, leaving only Ipsen standing there with a blood-stained dagger and an insane look in his eyes. "What were you saying?" he hissed quietly at the man he just slaughtered. "Who is as good as dead?"

Hana snarled. She couldn't move in time to save the robber for risk of releasing the one she pinned. With a frustrated howl, she grabbed the man beneath her by the collar of his shirt and slammed his head back into the floor, knocking him out cold.

In the next moment she sprang away from him, shifting in her her natural half-way form as she did to grab Ipsen by his shoulders and slam them both back into the wall behind him, glaring up into his face.

"Lowen, wake up," she bit out, reaching out as best she could with her magic, praying that it might help.

Ipsen's head clung against the wall as the woman slammed into him, though it not immediately phase him. With the wild fire remaining in his eyes, he began laughing hysterically. He laughed for several moments until-

"Lowen, wake up."

The laugh dissolved and Ipsen's face dulled into a blank state. Shortly after, he began blinking his eyes rapidly with a grimace as if he was fighting a migrane, eventually shutting them all together.

It took several more moments, but the change was clear. When he opened his eyes, they were ones of innocence. Lowen snapped to, looking at Hana with a confused, and frightened, glare. He peered at her hands as pinned him against the wall, and then quickly back to her.

"H-Hana?" he asked softly, out of breath. "What happened? Why are we out here?"

'Did I black out again?'

His eyes trailed off when he saw the bandit lying on the floor, soaking in a puddle of blood.

"H-Hana! What the hell happened? What have you done?!" he cried out as he looked upon the dead man in horror. Instantly, he broke free of her grasp and tried to run away, before tripping over himself and collapsing onto the dinner table. The table went sideways and thudded to the ground along with him.

'Shit!'

As Lowen began to peer back up at the Kitsune, he noticed something. His hand. It was covered in blood.

He shot Hana one more pale-faced glance before his head dropped back to the floor, passing out.

"Fuck!" Hana darted after him when he pulled away, afraid he might hurt himself...or Tobin, who was standing wide eyed in the hall that led back to their rooms.

The kitsune barely managed to get to him in time to keep his head from cracking against the floor. She sighed and shifted her grip to hold him a little awkwardly against her chest, hefting his weight with a grunt as she got to her feet and shuffled him into one of the two empty chairs.

"Da, go back to bed," she murmured, glancing toward the hermit. Blood stained her hair, face, kimono. Her eyes were dull. "I'll take care of this."

Tobin hesitated, then nodded slightly and turned to shuffle back to his room. With a sigh, Hana got to work cleaning up.

She dragged the dead bandit outside and burned him quickly, foxfire eating away at his form faster than a natural flame ever could. The living robbed was bound by the hands and feet and dragged out into the woods, left near a trail. If and when he managed to free himself, hopefully someone would be along to find him. Either he'd be arrested, rescued, or...she didn't know. She didn't have the mind space to think about it.

Cleaning the blood out of the cottage honestly was the most trying part. She had to control her fire very carefully, burning the blood away while leaving the walls and floor untouched.

Finally, she turned to Lowen. With a soft sigh, she heated a bucket of water and lugged it over to settle beside him, taking his bloodstained hand and starting to clean it with a scrap of cloth, dipped repeatedly into the water in an attempt to clean the blood.

After Hana did her best to clean the little cottage and himself, Lowen started to come to. He let out a soft groan as he opened hazy eyes. His vision was blurred at first, but when he could finally focus in on his surroundings he found Hana next to him. His eyes went wide, remembering what he saw right before passing out. He attempted to escape the chair he found himself in but a sharp pain jolted through his body.

'Shit! My whole body's sore. I feel like I've been run down by a horse.'

He looked to Hana and cleared his throat. He didn't know what to think. One minute he was in a bed, the next he was standing over a dead body with the woman pinning him to a wall. Could she have done this?

No. Hana was a good person. There's no way she could have done this.

"H-Hana," he began with a shaken voice. "What happened?"

"Shh." She glanced up at him, eyes dull and tired. "Take it easy a moment. How do you feel?" She got to her feet, carefully laying one hand under his chin and tilting his head from side to side so she could search his face.

Internally she argued with herself. As she saw it, she really only had two options: truth or lies. which would serve him better?

He let out a heavy, distressed breath, but managed to muster a weary smile. "I feel like shit," he answered honestly. "I am a little light-headed and my body is aching all over."

He studied her eyes for an answer, still unaware of the situation he was in. "Did you beat me up in my sleep or something?" he asked, mostly kidding.

Hana smiled tiredly. "No, dear," she murmured, touching his shoulder. "How much...what exactly do you remember?"

He shook his head blankly. "Not much," he said quietly. "After we said goodnight, I went to your bed and tried to go to sleep. I remember having a terrible headache, and then a terrible dream. After that it's all a blur until we were standing in here."

His heart starting pounding, growing upset at the thought of the slain man from before. "Hana," he started again. "Who was that man? Where did he go?"

"I don't know who he is," Hana replied woh a sigh. "And he's dead now. I burned his body."

She was purposefully blunt, watching Lowen's face carefully.

His face went pale. He felt dizzy.

'I think I'm going to throw up.'

He didn't want to know what happened to the man. By the way she was acting, he had an assumption of what really happened. He lost his memory four years ago. Since then, he tended to black out and lose bits and pieces of time. It was happening more frequently as time passed on.

"Hana," he muffled. "Tell me the truth. Did I do this?"

The truth.

She sighed and knelt in front of him, taking his hands in hers. "No," she murmured after a long moment, staring up into his eyes. "No, you didn't."

She paused, then turned the hand that had wielded the dagger over in her grip. "Something...else controlled your body. He did this. Not you."

He sat there for a moment, mouth agape.

What?

"He," he mouthed in disbelief. "What do you mean he? Who did this? Was I possessed? Did he have a name?"

"Easy." Hana placed her hands on his shoulders, brow furrowed. "Lowen, look, I want to tell you, but to be honest I'm a little worried about what might happen. For now, everything's alright. Why don't you sleep on this, and we can talk in the morning?"

Everything's alright. Somehow Lowen couldn't find it in himself to believe that. He didn't want to cause the woman any more trouble, though. Something happened, something beyond his control that he would need to find answers for. At least for now, he felt safe in her company.

He gave her a slight nod, agreeing. "Okay," he said cautiously. "But, it may be better if I sleep just outside the house. You can lock the door and check on me in the morning, if you don't mind. If I am indeed possessed by something, I could never forgive myself if something were to happen to you or Tobin."

"Hey, no." She frowned and shook him lightly. "You're not a rabid dog, Lowen. Just...head back to the room, okay?"

Despite her professions, she was a little wary of leaving him unsupervised. She'd spell the door shut, so if Ipsen made another appearance he'd be stuck in just the one room.

Shooting her a weary smile, he gave her another agreeing nod. No use arguing with Hana on this one. He would try to find out more tomorrow.

"Sure," he said, getting to his feet. "Goodnight, Hana. And... thanks."

With that, Lowen walked back to the Kitsune's old bedroom and laid down once more. This time, exhaustion over took him and he slept throughout the night without interruption.

"Goodnight..." She watched him go, biting at her lower lip. With a soft sigh, the kitsune got to her feet and crossed to Tobin's small bookshelf, selecting a thick, dusty tone, before sitting by the window and opening it to read by the light of the foxfire in bed palm.

She didn't sleep that night.

Soon enough, morning came and Lowen's eyes opened. He sat up, stretching his arms out and he looked around the little room. He felt at peace for a few brief moments before reality came crashing back in.

'Oh right. I killed someone last night.'

This is heavy. The weight in his chest. But he needed to face up to it, and find out exactly what happened. He hated that Hana was the one who had to endure it, but he also felt relieved that someone fully capable of handling herself was there. Maybe she would be the one that could help him understand why he has these blackouts. Maybe, with that, he would learn a little about his past too.

But maybe he didn't want to know.

He stood up from the bed, and made his way over to the door, trying, but failing, to exit.

"It's locked... ?"

Hana heard him wake and move to the door. She book her book to the side and rose to her feet, moving toward his door. She murmured a spell under her breath, breaking the seal instantlybas she turned the knob.

She tried for a smile. "Morning."

"Hey there," he managed to muster.

He didn't feel too much life in him this morning, considering the events of the previous night. That, and his body still felt too weak to do much more than move from the bed to a chair.

Lowen was grateful for the woman's kindness, but he did not feel comfortable in their home anymore. Clearly he was unaware of what he was capable of, and if it happened again, he wouldn't see it happen here.

"I was thinking," he began. "We could go back out into the forest and talk more."

"If that's where you'll be more comfortable," she replied with a shrug and a soft smile. She stepped aside, indicating he should walk in front of her.

"I would," he replied honestly.

He took her lead and walked out the door before her. He continued to walk for a bit until he was a good distance away from the house. Peering over his shoulder, he checked to make sure Hana was still behind him.

"So, are you ready to tell me exactly what happened last night?"

Hana followed just a step behind and beside him, eyeing him calculatingly with every step they took. She tilted her head at him and pursed her lips.

"I'm...not sure I can explain, exactly," she hedged. "I don't think I even entirely understand it."

He shot her a worrying look.

"Well, you said someone else was controlling my body. You said he did it," he said, mostly reminding himself over her. "Can you start there?"

Still worrying her lip, the fox spirit nodded slowly. "Alright... Well, he said his name was Ipsen." She glanced at him sidelong. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"Ipsen..." he murmured, trying to think. "Not really. I've never heard of-"

He stopped, his eyes widening in a rather "Aha!" moment.

"Actually, someone I've never met before called me Ipsen the last time I was in La'marri. I thought he just mistaken me for someone else and went about my business."

"Yes, that would...make sense." Hana sighed, running a hand through her hair. "If this person had only met Ipsen and not you, I mean."

"Ipsen.. Ipsen.. Ipsen.." the man repeated, his hand now on his head as he searched the little memories he had left. Nothing. "It's no use-"

Abruptly, the man let out a huge gasp, his body stiffened, and his eyes went blank to the point where all one could see in them were white.

---

"Arty! Arty!" a young woman called out from down the hall of a quaint little home. She turned the corner, and walked into what looked like a bedroom.

There was a man standing in the room, a warm smile on his face as he held up two different shirts for the woman to observe.

"Artemicion Ipsen Tur! We are going to be late at the rate we are going!"

"I know, sweetheart," he replied with a kind voice. "But which one do you think? We have to make a good impression tonight."

"Oh, Arty," she giggled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Either one will do."

The man did not look convinced, though his eyes were more playful than serious. "Alys, please!"

"Okay, fine," she said in a defeated tone. "That one."

"Ah, yes! I thought so too!" he replied excitingly. "That's why I love you, Ally."

She smiled warmly before throwing her arms around him in an embrace. "I love you too, dear."

---

Lowen's eyes shot back to their normal state, and he gasped for air one more time almost as if he had previously been unable to breathe. His chest was thumping up an down with heavy breaths, and his heart was beating out of his chest.

'That man.. He looked just like me.'

"Whoa!" Hana grabbed at Lowen's shoulder, a little afraid he might collapse or something. "Hey, lad, you okay?" she asked, staring up into his face worriedly.

"Y-yeah," he said slowly, regaining his composure. "I just felt a little faint. That's all. I must still be recovering from last night."

Lowen shook his head, and let out a deep breath before speaking again. "What were we talking about?"

The kitsune frowned. "Ipsen," she replied slowly. "A man thought that was your name, remember?"

"Ah, right. Ipsen."

He didn't know what to say. What was vision he just saw? Was it indeed just a vision, or was it a flashback? Did he just witness a piece of his missing history? And who was that girl? Alys?

Alys.

---


"W-What the fuck is this?" Arty muttered under his breath.

The man stood with wide-eyes, his beloved just behind him. They were invited to a party, something they had both been very eager to attend. But when they arrived, no one was in the main room. They ventured throughout the home, looking for any signs of life.

Had they gone to the wrong house?

No! He would sure they were at the right one.

They went upstairs, and that's when they found them.

All of them. All dead. At least twenty people, sprawled out on the floor soaking in a mass pool of blood. Some sort of ritual drawings etched all over the walls.

One man stood quietly alone in the middle, his hands behind his back. A survivor? Or the culprit?

He shot a look up at the two lovers with red, burning eyes.

Alys gasped and Arty stepped in from of her, shielding her away from the man who was now pacing slowly towards them.

"W-What the fuck is this?" Arty repeated in horror.

"They made me do it," he hissed with an eerie, soft tone. From behind his back, he slowly showed them what he was holding. A dagger, covered in blood.

'My dagger', Lowen thought.

"I don't want to do it again," the ominous man said, a sinister smile slipping onto his face.

"Alys, run!" Arty shouted as the man before them lunged in their direction.



---

Lowen gasped back into reality again, this time falling on his back. He looked around frantically until his eyes landed on Hana.

Complete fear was in his eyes, as if he woke up from a nightmare. He locked his gaze on the kitsune for only a moment, before he scrambled to his feet and ran further into the woods.

"Lowen? Lowen!"

He was gone, he was running. Hana hesitated a moment-- if she chased that "other" might come out again, but if she left him on his own...

He may hurt himself. Or someone else.

Growling under her breath, she started running, changing to her fox form between one breath and the next.

Lowen was sprinting at full speed, dodging and side-stepping through the trees frantically as he literally ran away from his past. The only thing he could focus us was the sound of his heart thumping and thudding through his chest.

He kept having little flashes, much the same to the previous two spells.

How could this be? This was not the past he wanted to remember.

---

"You know what to do," the sinister man, trance with demoncraft said as he locked eyes with Arty.

Arty tried to resist, but couldn't look away in time. His eyes went solid blank, and his voice dropped to a monotone whisper. "Yes, I know what to do," he repeated, taking the dagger from the other man's hands.

He slowly turned around, and began walking in the direction where Alys had previously fled.

---

"No!" Lowen screamed as he ran, just before tripping over a root sticking out of the ground. His body was thrown over, rolling into the soil.

"Lowen!"

Hana skidded, paws kicking up earth as she bounded up beside him and had to draw up short to avoid accidentally trampling him. "Lowen?" She knelt in halfling form, ears twitching nervously, and reached out to touch his shoulder. "Hey, lad, can you hear me?"

[OOC: Just a warning, this next bit might be a little fucked up. I just kind of went with it.]

The man's eyes went from solid white to pure black as he remembered the events on that day.

---

"Alys! Alys, honey! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Arty stalked through the halls of the mansion that he and his wife had came to earlier, dagger in hand. The woman had previously ran at her husband's command upon meeting the sinister being in the upstairs room.

Her heart was beating, almost uncontrollably, as she hid in a cabinet space in one of the spare rooms in the first floor. What was that thing? And where is Arty?

"Alys!" the man called out to her again.

"A-Arty?" she finally spoke in a trembling voice. "Arty, where are you? We have to get out of here."

"Sure, honey. We do. But I need you to come out to me. Let me see you!"

She slowly crawled out of the cabinet space to reveal herself to the man, a look of pure horror in her eyes. "Arty.." she whispered. "Where is he? We must go."

"Oh, what's the rush, darling? We have friends here... don't you want to stay and mingle with your friends?"

The woman looked at him in disbelief, her voice rising in panic. "What's going on with you?! Has.. Has he gotten to you somehow?"

She stepped closer to see the man's eyes. They were as dark as the sky with no stars. Letting out a scream of terror, she turned heel to run away from the man she loved, but was quickly jolted back when he grabbed her arm.

"Well, lookie, lookie, who the hell do we have here?" the man asked, much in the same way Ipsen had talked to Hana. "I can smell the fear on you, girl. What's the matter? Don't you love me anymore?"

"You are NOT the man I love!" she snapped, tears building up in her eyes. "Give me my Arty ba-"

No matter how much she begged and pleaded, the man was too far gone to listen. The last bit of plea was interrupted by the sharp, cold pinch of the knife going through her back. With eyes wide in shock, and heartbreak, she collapsed to the ground.

Rolling her over on her back, the man put a knee each around her legs, hovering over her with a wild look in his eyes.

"Arty p-please.." she mouthed as a tear slipped down the side of her face. "I love you.."

Those were her last words before the man, possessed by the demon upstairs, stabbed her in the heart, in the stomach, and everywhere else - over and over again.

"I love you too Alys! I love you too! It will all be over soon, honey! Don't worry! Just promise you'll never stop loving me!"

He pulled the dagger from the woman one last time, her body and the floor around them completely covered in her blood. He stared into her lifeless eyes for a moment, until the black washed away and he went back to his normal state of mind.

"A-Alys.. N-No! Fuck! Alys! No!" he screamed, shaking her shoulders, trying to cover the wounds, anything. Nothing was working! What had happened? What the hell had happened?!

Collapsing on top of her, the man wept uncontrollably.

---

Lowen's awoke from his trance, making an obvious transition from vision to reality, but his eyes remained black as coal. He stared up at the woman and blinked one, and it was followed by a curious smile.

"Oh, hello. Are you lost?" he asked, sitting upright. "I do not know if I'll be able to help you out if you are. I'm just a kitsune from Thantos, but I tend to travel most days. The name's Tobin. Who are you?"

Oh.

Oh no.

Hana stared at him, speechless for several long moments. "No..."

How the fuck was she supposed to handle this? He-- he wasn't even making sense! He was just...gone.

Wait.

An idea struck her. Potentially a horrible idea, but it was the best she had in the moment. Grasping the man's shoulders tightly, she looked into his eyes and said firmly, "Ipsen, I need to talk to you."

She could only pray it would work.

"Ipsen?" the man asked in a befuddled tone. "Why, I don't think I know any Ipsen. Like I said, I'm just a kitsune from Thantos that's also lost his way. Do you know what a kitsune is? Well, let me explain it to ya."

The man scratched at his chin, contemplating his next choice of words, but his eyes widened - though hardly noticeably with the intense shade of black. "No! No that is just not right!" he said in a rather feminine tone. "Oh, dear. What was I saying? My name is Lucy. Lucy Tur, at your service, m'lady. I'm a bard from Connloath-"

The man shook his head from left to right rapidly before returning his gaze back to Hana, this time with the look of fright an uncertainty. "U-Um.. W-Who are you?" he asked with a whimpered voice. "H-Have you seen my mommy? I-I-I do not-"

"Well, my goodness, what do we have here?" he interrupted himself again, this time with a broad, energetic voice. "Dax is the name, fuckin' is my game! Who might you be, little lady?!"

He stopped.

He just stopped. For a moment. No more talking and no more surprise voices as he face washed over in a blank slate. He slowly tilted his head to look at Hana as the black finally drifted away from his eyes.

Hello Hana," Ipsen said with a sinister grin. "Miss me?"

The kitsune gritted her teeth. "How do I help him?" she snapped, not in the mood to play games. "How-- how many of you are there?"

Ipsen snorted a laugh.

"Oh, please. Don't be so naive, Hana," he said. "It's just the two of us. Well, the three of us if you count the original, which you shouldn't."

He laughed again, this time louder and more cynical. "Did you really believe that whole bit back there? A kitsune named Tobin? Gods' sake, lady! I expected better from you!"

The man got to his feet, dusted himself off, and pulled his dagger out into the open. "Now, what the fuck do you want from me, anyway? Do you really think I'm going to help you help him? Come now, Hana," he said, his voice trailing off at the end. "You disappoint me."

Hana hissed at him, backing up a few paces at the sight of the dagger. "Why?" she demanded. "This man deserves to be whole. You and Lowen...you're two pieces of him. Not all him, not all you. Why don't you want to help him?"

Ipsen's sinister grin faded and he stood there with a look of pure hatred.

"Where would be the fun in that?" he asked softly. "Why should I make that bastard whole again? He couldn't handle it. He'd kill himself, you do know that right? Do you think I want to fucking die, Hana?"

He took a step closer to her. "I want to live, but I don't want to live with Lowen. I don't want to live with that wife murdering piece of shit Art either. I want to live the way I was meant to live: as Ipsen."

He pointed his dagger at her and that twisted smile returned. "I'm staying longer now. I've got more control. Each time is longer than the last. It's only a matter of time before I'm the only one in charge. Got it?"

"No." Hana kept her voice soft. Carefully, she reached up to wrap her fingers around his wrist, gently pointing the tip of the dagger away from them both. "No, Ipsen. This isn't right, and you know it. You need help, you all do."

She held his gaze, making sure to keep her voice calm and even. "Please, just let me try to help you."

Ipsen scowled as the woman took hold of his wrists, but stopped himself from acting any further. What was the point? The woman was hell-bent on "saving" him, after all.

He loosened his grip and the dagger fell to the dirt by their feet. "Fine," he said reluctantly. "I will let you talk to him. Then you can decide for yourself."

In an almost miss-able transition, the little flint of forestry green in his brown eyes washed over the irises, until that green was the dominant, and only, color that gazed at the Kitsune woman.

The man stared at her solemnly for several moments before speaking.

"Hello, Hana," the man said, his voice different from anything else before. "My name is Art Tur. I believe you wanted to speak with me."

Hana caught her breath. "Um...hello." She cleared her throat and ran a hand nervously through her hair, not quite sure what she should be doing or saying.

"You're-- you're him then? The first, I mean."

He gave her an apologetic smile. "I am," he said with a slight nod. "I am indeed me. It's been a long time since I've seen the outside world... four years, in fact."

He stepped away from her, looking up through the tree limbs. He took a big whiff of the woodsy air, almost as if he had smelt it for the first time. He continued to admire their surroundings for several more moments before returning his gaze to the woman.

"Thank you, really, for taking care of Lowen this past day," he said gently. "Oh. And I apologize about Ipsen. He's a bit of a loose dagger, but he means well at heart. Taking care of that side of me - Lowen, I mean, that I cannot do myself."

The way the man spoke, and his overall demeanor in general, captured the personas of both Lowen and Ipsen. He had the gentle, warm nature of Lowen, but the confidence and realism of Ipsen.

"So, what did you want to know?"

She sighed and slowly sank down onto a nearby fallen tree, dropping her head into her hands.

"I want to help you," she murmured after a long moment. "But I don't know how to do that. And-- and if I do, Lowen and Ipsen..." She shook her head. "They'd be gone."

"Help me?" he asked, a small smile of surprise curled into his face. "Why, that's a very nice thing to say. But you're right, helping me would be the end of them. I had no idea when I created Lowen four years ago that he would have such an impact on all the people around him."

He placed his thumb and forefinger across his chin as if to think. "Ipsen, too. For different reasons."

Stepping over, he took a seat in the dirt near her. "But you don't know me, Hana. Not really. I do not deserve any type of help, especially someone as generous and kind as you have been," he explained. "Just being out here... out in the open, talking and moving about freely.. makes me sick. Makes me feel guilty."

Hana hesitated a moment, then leaned toward him slightly, hands folded in her lap.

"Tell me why?" She tried for a small smile. "I don't believe anyone is incapable of being saved, Art Tur."

The man's face grew very stern.

"I murdered my wife, Hana," he said absolutely. "I murdered her and our unborn baby in cold blood. And then I ran away."

She swallowed, her stomach churning.

"Oh gods..." Hana placed a hand over her mouth. "You— why?!"

"Well, I was not exactly in control," he informed her. "It was some sort of demoncraft. Some sort of possession. I do not know how much I could tell you to make you believe me, so I will just keep it at that. But the truth of the matter is that I still killed her. I butchered the one I loved most in this world, and I ran away."

The man looked away from Hana, disgusted with himself. "Sure, I tried to fight the one who caused me to do this.." he started again, his voice shaken with grief and anger. "But I was outmatched and I failed. So, I ran away. I ran like a coward, and that's when I created Lowen."

Focusing on her breathing for a moment, Hana settled herself in front of this familiar stranger, legs crossed and hands folded in her lap.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'm so sorry. I...do believe you. About the demoncraft. I've-- I've seen things like that before." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "But Low- Art. I don't think running from something like that makes you a coward."

Art smiled lightly when she almost called him Lowen.

"Lowen is a fascinating fellow, is he not?"he asked, purposely changing the subject. "I had no idea what sort of impact he would make when I ducked off into my little shell of isolation."

"Art." Hana frowned, not so easily distracted. She reached out to him cautiously. "Let me help you," she murmured. "I think-- I think you needed Lowen and Ipsen, once. Just to survive. But you're fracturing. You need to be...you again."

Art threw her a sharp, Ipsen-like, look.

"How would you help me?" he asked sincerely. "And why? Would you want to keep going if you murdered the one you loved most, and there was nothing you could do about it?"

"Because there's always a way back." Hana narrowed her eyes, determined. She had to believe that. "Art, I won't pretend I know exactly what you're going through, but I have lost people. And you have to keep going. For them, if nothing else."

Art stroked his chin for a moment, contemplating.

"And what would you have me do?" he finally asked. "Back to Serendpity, then? That's where I am from after all. I've been "Lowen" for so long, I'm afraid I wouldn't know the way back."

She sighed quietly, though whether it was from relief or something else she really didn't know.

"Well, that's a start," she said with a cautious smile. "I can at least get you there."

His eyes lifted at her response.

"Maybe I should then," he said slowly. "It would be great to see everybody again. I'm sure most of them think I am dead, that or crazy. It's hard to keep track of everything Lowen and Ipsen do. But.." he trailed off for a moment. "I am not sure how I am going to face Alys' mother and father.. after what happened."

"Hey." Hana put a hand on his arm. "One thing at a time, okay?"

He looked at the hand on his arm with grieving eyes, and then back up to meet her gaze. "Why are you helping me?"

Hana stared at him for a long moment, then sighed and dropped her eyes. She shrugged. "To be honest, I don't really know. I just...feel like I have to."

"Well, if we're going to do this," he said with a bit of finality, getting back up to his feet. "Then let's do it."

He stretched out his arms and arched his back, still taking in the world around him he had been absent from for so long.Before continuing off, he glanced over to Hana with a look of sincerity. "But first.. Would you like to say goodbye to Lowen?"

Scrambling to her feet, the kitsune paused. "I..."

She looked up into his eyes, took a breath, and nodded. "I would, actually. Thank you."

Art nodded. "Okay," he said softly. "I'm taking back some of Lowen's memories. He shouldn't have to relive everything that has happened since Ipsen emerged. He'll be waking up for the time today."

The man took a deep breath.

"Take your time," he said just before his head jolted back. The foresty green color of his eyes washed over once more, returning to the heterochromia gaze of the man she had spent most of her time with the past twenty-four hours.

With a quick gasp, Lowen pushed his head forward until he was focusing on the kitsune.

"H-Hana?" Lowen asked with a confused look. "How did we get out here?"

"Whoa, easy there." Hana caught his shoulders, watching his face with concern. "You alright? How do you feel, lad?"

Lowen looked at her for a moment and then gave her an honest smile.

His stomached growled slightly, and that smile turned to one of embarrassment.

"I'm hungry again," he said bashfully. "But, really, how did we get out here? Last thing I remember was going to bed. Was I sleep walking or something?"

She smiled, eyes a little sad. "Um, yeah. I had to come out to find you. You really...don't remember?"

"I really don't," the man replied sincerely. "But if I was sleepwalking, then that would explain alot."

Noticing the look in her eyes, he placed a hand on her right arm. "Hey.. You okay?"

Crimson eyes seemed to dull to a ruddy amber for a moment. She smiled and shook her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just...worried about you."

She took a breath, then a little abruptly leaned forward to wrap her arms around him, holding him in a tight hug.

Lowen's eyes widened, not expecting the sudden embrace. Slowly, and a bit cautiously, he wrapped his arms around her to return the hug, but didn't question why it was happening, nor did he speak on it.

He could feel his eyes start to burn as a single tear emerged atop one of his eyelids, and he hastily shut them to prevent more.

'Why does it feel like we're saying goodbye?'

The kitsune snuggled into the embrace, ears pinned back and tails swishing gently back and forth. "You're a good lad," she told him softly, smiling. "I'm really glad I met you, Lowen."

"I-I'm.." he hesitated, trying hard to find his words. They were saying goodbye, but he wasn't sure why. "I'm really glad I met you too, Hana. I don't know where I would be without you. But.. we'll see each other again.. won't we?"

She pulled back with a small sigh and cupped his cheek in her palm. "Yeah. I think we will." Sort of...

"I'll never forget you," he said quickly, giving her another hug before moving away from her.

Lowen was never good at goodbyes, and he wasn't going to get any better at them today. He would always appreciate what Hana had done for him, but it was time for him to move. He could only hope that they would cross paths again one day.

"Take care of yourself."

Turning on his heel to leave, he started to walk away from her but abruptly stopped. Peering over his shoulder, Art's eyes gazed into the kitsune's direction.

"Are you ready?" Art asked, his normal voice returning.

Hana ducked her head quickly, trying to wipe at her eyes without him noticing. Slowly, she nodded.

"Yeah. Ready."

---

((Move to Serendipity?))

Art smiled wearily and extended his arm. "Please. Lead the way."

---

Continued in Return to Blood (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=25058.0)