“We can walk and talk. Hearing more about what you’re looking for will help with finding the right people to meet with a shrine attendant. Plus to convince them to meet with you as soon as possible, so you all can get back to your forest. Speaking of which, should I be finding you the people who can move a forest, or the ones who can make one grow?”

Walking through some entapestried hallways, all twisty turny. Let’s pass by some doors with faint music coming from the other side. 

All three sets of ears pivot towards the music as they pass.

"It's best if the forest is mostly natural. It can be a little food-forestry. We should hear about all the options."

"The important thing for us is that it becomes a place where the dead are remembered. Emotional meaning. Much of kitsune magic is sensitive to that."

Noted. The attache pulls out a notepad and actually writes down a couple notes. Decides to skip the next three detours past distracting things, too blatant for them. 

Instead, here’s the rooms. A central commons area for relaxing or taking meals, a handful of bedrooms, a couple of secretive nooks, and a serious room with desks and chairs and a small table. On one wall, a magic mirror for communications. 

The design of the furniture incorporates a lot of wood, and lots of windows. Some out into the city, others lead into illusory forests with actual fresh air.

Hmm, someone else's illusions? Her standards for illusions are pretty high. She peers at them to look for flaws. How's the sound effects?

"Is there a library in the palace?"

“We have multiple libraries, one not too far.”

Looking closely at the illusion reveals several flaws. There isn’t nearly enough movement, and the movement that is there is clearly on a loop. The faint ambient forest sounds  are realistic but don’t match up with the image. The forests do look like forests, though— probably taken from memories of real places.

"I've been meaning to find a library ever since we got here."

"Impressive work... By most standards," Weiss says of the forest. And the rooms themselves appear to be luxurious enough. Maybe it's even meant to be more still and peaceful than most? Decoration, not truth.

She peers at the underlying magic with Arcane Sight for a moment, half expecting to be blinded by the rest of the palace.

"If I have one request for later it will be a private place with an unimpeded view of the moon at night."

Megi, ever the practical one, investigates the bathing and food and clothes situation.

Findings:

Arcane Sight reveals a lot of background magic on the room, but none too bright. The baths have hot water and various substances. Closet is empty, food and clothes situation are both ‘use mirror to summon a servant bringing something’

“By the end of the day, we will get you to a library and you to a private courtyard or tower.”

Meanwhile, deeper in the palace. 

“They’re settling in, rooms should be comfortable enough. Good work getting them set up this quickly. We have an angle on Tessa, still working on the other two.”

The servants who greeted the new arrivals are interviewed, though the reports are somewhat ambiguous. They have to bring in a specialist in body language analysis for mammal-type-peoples, and frantically ask some questions.

“It’s complicated, varies by species and context. I’d say that ear position is usually some negative emotion.”

Who’s a good specialist in body language analysis for mammal-type-peoples? This individual is. 

Back to the Kitsune’s rooms. 

They’ve been given a bit of time to settle in, and shown how to use the mirror to ask for things to be brought in or a guide to take them somewhere. The servants have left the room, to give some privacy. The attache promises to return soon with updates on lunch and afternoon meetings. 

A cheat-sheet is easy enough to work out, though as always specific peoples may use or interpret the signs differently. Generally, pointing up is excited, droopy is depressed- In terms of energy level, not those specific emotions, 'depressed energy' could mean relaxed or anxious. Ears pointing straight back and down tends to be a sign of hostility.

"Weiss, baffle?"

She spins up a thin sphere of grey mist, to indicate the edge of the silence zone. It's blurry.

"Think they're spying on us?"

"Oh, they absolutely are. That's why I tried to stop you from giving any detail about why a graveyard, Megi. This shit is all information games."

"You have to ante up to sit at the poker table." Megi shrugs, and lounges on a couch. She pats her lap.

Weiss moves the sphere of privacy over there and also sits, putting her tail in Megi's lap and producing her favorite brush.

"Yeah, I'm getting a real wine-and-dine impression. Maybe we can get a good deal out of it. It's not like a week or two matters in the long run for us. And the lap of luxury will be neat to sit in for a little while."