"-Huh. Yeah, I get it. I get lonely after long enough and have to go find my sisters. Or someone who'll spend time with me and not... Want things..."

Time for a hug?

Hug!

"Do people usually want things from you?"

Hug hug hug.

"Well, most places seem kind of stressful to exist in, you know? It's... There's always some bully ruining things for everyone else. And it's really exhausting to hide the ears and tail for too long and. There are certain assumptions about Kitsunes that can be uncomfortable, if I don't hide 'em."

"It's the first time I see a person with fox ears and a tail, so I don't know what the assumptions may be, but if they're uncomfortable we don't need to talk about them. How about brushing your tail instead? It is an incredible pillow and deserves to be properly be taken care of."

A hairbrush is fished out. "Well, I like to stay active so I might eventually say 'no' to tail-brushing... But not here and now."

"Well, we need to wait for the pie to be ready, don't we?"

She starts brushing.

"What magic do you have, beside shapeshifting and illusions?"

Hmm... How much to say? Selena seems nice, but looks can be deceiving and it's been less than a day. Then again, her magic is weird, and this region is mostly void of magic. She's far from home. And she doesn't think that she's very vulnerable, exactly... You know, it's fine to be open and honest once in a while, right?

"Well... I don't tell everyone everything I can do, but there's my tail, there's what I would call considerable physical might, this is a bit of an understatement, the illusions, shapeshifting... Every Kitsune gets something a little bit different. There are common powers and less common ones, though. I can also invite guests to the Spirit World, to a little place I call the Woods. It's hard to describe. I can create and manipulate Fox Fires. These can be either harmless or actually burning. And I'm much stronger at... Basically everything when under the light of the full moon."

"I would love to visit the Woods one day, but I think it's fair to wait until we trust each other more."

"Oooh, yes, a full moon is always a special night. You can tell She is closer to us and magic feels... different, more fizzy!" Especially when skyclad. Not that she could do it with someone else present, unfortunately. Not while... well. Maybe one day, maybe she will be strong enough.

"I would have called it... Cool, smooth, clear... The thing about trust is... I don't think there's a lot of ways you can hurt me? It's- Kind of a problem sometimes, actually- But look at me complaining at the troubles of strength."

Sigh. More hug.

Hug hug hug.

"Pie's ready!"

She gets it from the oven and cuts a couple slices.

"They say to wait until it's not hot anymore, but I can never resist."

"It looks delicious! It smells delicious! And it tastes..."

A careful, dainty bite.

Mmmm! Oh, mmmm, that's a lot. She perks up brightly.

"-Oh, stars, you really put a lot of lo- Of feeling into this pie, didn't you?"

"I'll tell you a secret... I hate cooking. For myself. But I do love doing it for others, it's a form of caring that makes a necessity of life into something nice and worth sharing."

"I'm really happy you like it!"

"A lot of kitsune get more magic from - comfort and joy and hugs and togetherness and all that good stuff. Like sweet pies! The tartness of the apples and the flour and sweetness all add up into more than the sum of the parts! And being made for me makes it that much better, so I really appreciate it! You should have some too. It won't take anything away from me, and good food is better shared."

Nomfff. She wiggles a bit, eyes closed.

Ooooh, it came out really nice!

Omnomnom.

"Want to go look for herbs?"

"Sure. I can get to know the forest and all... Is this just a plot to keep me close for longer, hmmm~?"

"I..."

Fgksdjaslkdjaslkdjlaskdjflaskdjflaskdjfazsdf.

"If you don't want to I won't bother you, sorry."

Nyehehe. "I said it's fine, right? I can take one day off from my important duties of nothing."

It's a short walk to the nearest spot, some brushes at the edge of the forest.

"Sclopìt, (Silene) bruscandoli, (hops) urtìe, (nettle) pissacàn, (dandelion) valeriana, (cornsalad) I think I have everything I wanted from this place. We need to get more into the forest proper for the really magical ones, these are sometimes useful, but I mostly use them for cooking."

"I mostly know my herbs by, like, 'the one with the tasty roots', or 'the one that repels bugs'. You'd think I'd recognize more, but this is a different region. Bruscandoli and pissacàn are familiar..."

"I think they call them... hops and dandelions up north? They're pretty common."

They're getting deeper in the forest now. The sun still filters from the leaves, but the temperature has dropped a bit, and there is a faint water sound in the distance.

"I have some jars of spices I like. Chili and pepper and ginger and cinnamon and coffee- Coffee's not quite a spice. Cinnamon goes well with apples. I didn't foresee wanting seeds- I think these only grow in really warm places anyway."

It's a lovely little patch of forest. Tame.

Any prey-ish sounds around? Her ears can almost certainly hear them.