[Open] I'm on your trail...

[furburst]

Title: I'm on your trail...
Characters: Akanishi Jin
Location: Fresh Kills Park, and beyoooond
Date/Month: Tuesday, November 8th / 8:00p.m. to --
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None unless wolves freak you out...

Comments

It is! Why is she not carrying a basket of food?

[misono_soup]

She was still humming when something prickled along her senses. It was not an alarming fiery prickle of true danger, but it was more than the mostly unnoticeable tickle of harmless things. Misono was alone so this feeling wasn't a warning about Yesung, like muggers or junkies or blind old drivers. This feeling was something magical, something that had Misono in its sights.

Interesting! She wasn't in danger but this was hardly some harmless puppy dog trying to pee on her purse. She stopped and studied the landscape in front of her, head tipping to the side. The magic was right behind her but she didn't want to startle it or let it know that she was fully aware of it being there. Some people--like Kazunari and her comb--just liked to be out of sight. "You want to play a guessing game?" she asked, wondering if this being could talk. "Like, I say 'Are you somebody who can speak?' and you say yes or no and then you ask me 'are you able to fly?' and stuff like that?"

She wanted to know who she was with. Well, or anything at all. Walking alone in the dark was never much fun. "I can start! I pick..." Maybe she shouldn't get personal right away? "Do you like maps? And also, not part of the game, do you know where we are? Asking maps made me think of it. It doesn't matter if you don't know."

Jin would have appreciated a basket of food!

[furburst]

The humming was nice. Most people seemed paranoid in the city. Though, there were a lot of things that went bump in the night, and Jin might or might not be one of those things. Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Lots of people.

He definitely wasn't the most friendly looking of creatures. Granted, he wasn't growly and malicious, but he wasn't all tail wags and happy panting either. Though, he sniffed a little when she talked, if only to help get a feeling for things. She was different. Sort of like him. Though, not.

It wasn't much of his concern. She seemed like a good person, and his gut feelings were usually pretty spot on. It was just the kind of thing you could smell...well if you were what he was. His ears twitched, interest perked as she talked. Games were usually fun. Though, talking wasn't exactly something he was capable of in his natural form. He might have been a wolf, but he wasn't the Okami. So, for a moment, he had to pause. He could go back to the whole human form. It wasn't in his nature to lie or even avoid the truth, so, he simply gave a little grunt of a sound. It was pretty non-commital as it were, because...he didn't have much care for maps one way or the other.

Though, at the second question, he considered it a bit more, taking a couple quicker steps to get a little closer, but keeping a distance. It was never really his goal to scare. Fear usually meant that people had a reason to fear, and they knew what he was. His head tilted up, sniffing again, ears alert, just in case. He knew where he was, but there was a level between knowing and showing himself as what he was exactly.

Next time Misono shall be prepared!

[misono_soup]

Misono swished her coat as she considered the sound of her new companion. Huh. "You don't talk, huh?" she said. She turned at the whisper of steps and oh! "You're really pretty," she told the wolf that she'd found. She gave him a thumbs up. "It's totally okay that you don't talk. Yesung says I talk enough for any five people so it's not going to bother me if you don't say anything."

But he sure did look alert, this wolf. And she should KNOW what he was, it was niggling at her. She knew this feeling, this magic. Sort of. Not something she'd been around much, something that felt like night on her skin and tasted like wild air. She'd get it eventually! "You know where we are, right? It's okay. I always find my way home! That's part of my magic. Home is..." she waved her hand casually "that way. I'm pretty far but the closer I get the more definite I'll feel it."

She looked at the wolf and leaned forward, just a little towards him. "You want to come with?" Maybe Yesung would like a wolf who wasn't a werewolf? "I got money because I was selling luck. If we meet a hotdog vendor, I'll buy you one!" Dogs liked meat. "And we can...only you don't talk. So. So I'll help you play the game." She thought. What would a wolf want to know about her? "You can ask me if I am twenty-five years old. And the answer is no, I'm not, even though I look like I should be. I can't really tell how old I am. I didn't used to pay attention to that kind of thing and I wasn't really born anyhow, I don't think, so I'm not sure it counts!" She smiled brightly and straightened, heading for home. "I just like presents!"

Yup! "I'm going to ask..." It had to be yes or no, since he didn't talk. "I'm going to ask if you're native to New York. I don't think you are but I can't tell because I can't quite place you yet but I don't think it's New York. I think you're more like Japan, though maybe you were born here?" Japanese magic didn't have to be born in Japan in this day and age.

Oh! Hot dogs!

[furburst]

Ear flicking, Jin simply turned his head, ears swiveling around to hone in on a sound before his full attention was back on her. It was just what he did. Once he deemed someone okay, it was his job to make sure they got home okay...even if they were lost, like she seemed to be. That was alright, he liked doing this.

Though, when she turned he could feel the fur bristle along his back. Otherwise, his attention didn't falter nor did his appearance change to aggression or fear or even happiness. He just waited. Really, he still wasn't sure what this girl was, but she seemed perfectly okay with him. Hell, even pretty was something he had heard before. He was pretty magnificent, if you'd ask him in his human form. Granted, handsome probably suited him better, but it was probably hard to tell that he wasn't a girl like this. He doubted she could smell that good.

She certainly talked a lot, and Jin almost pondered if she'd be like that when the person talked back. It didn't seem to be something done out of nervous habit. He snorted, shaking his fur out a bit before simply following after her again. She seemed pretty good at answering all those questions for him. Magic. Definitely not human. Oh well, it didn't matter who he followed. With the cross breeding, almost everyone seemed magical in some way, and the transmission of other things often turned a lot of normal humans.

He sniffed at her when she leaned in, slowly taking a full step forward, ears fanning just slightly. This was usually how he figured people out. He was a dog after all, wolf or not. Though, at the mention of food his head lifted, ears going back up straight, his tail might have even swished...but just once. His head tilted at her a little the more she talked, curious, pondering, though not about anything in particular. He might ask her someday what she was, but for now he'd just follow along. She had to be...what wasn't born nowadays? Hell if he knew. He grew up in the forest probably over a hundred miles away from here.

His head shook, but for a second he wasn't sure if she was even paying that close attention. So, he opted for a little sound, just a low noise that was somewhere between a whimper and a growl. Negative! Hell he looked Japanese, he'd been told that much, so, yeah. Though, his parents had been from Japan. So, she was right about the birth thing. Though, what was a positive sound. A bark. Well, probably a bit more loud and intimidating than your average dog bark, but it was what it was.

Re: Oh! Hot dogs!

[misono_soup]

She watched the wolf closely. He certainly had a mind to match a human's because it was very obvious that he understood what she was saying. Or else she was reading into things again, but she didn't think she was. Too much magic on the air. Plus, he wagged his tail just a tiny smidge-y bit at the mention of a hot dog.

If that was what the wolf wanted, they'd probably find one. Especially since Misono wanted to feed the wolf a hot dog. Or, at the very least, they'd find a soft-pretzel vendor. "Let's go home, yeah?" she said sweetly, swinging off in the direction of home again.

Home. Oh! Yes, he'd answered, hadn't he? What had she said? Not native, but he'd growled, so that was no--she was wrong. He was from here. But he'd also barked and she'd said... "So you're from New York, or close enough, but your magic is Japanese?" She nodded. "I see, I see! I'm from Japan! That's why your magic is familiar. Sort of. I've felt it before. Kind of?" She blew out a noisy breath and smiled over at the wolf. "I'll get it eventually! I'll remember what it is. So don't tell me!" Which he wouldn't do as he didn't talk.

"It's your turn for a question! What would be a good question?" she mused. "A lot of people as me who Yesung but I always talk about him so you learn that anyhow. Um." She tapped her chin. "Oh! My magic! You can ask me 'Ne, Misono-chan, is your magic the kind that people can see?'," she told the wolf. "And the answer is 'only a little bit'. Mostly people don't see it or notice it but then sometimes they can see it because they can't see me!"

And she demanifested, giggling to herself in the silence.

[furburst]

His ears twitched, looking up at her for a moment before letting his tail sway just slightly as he walked. He wasn't really prowling after her. No reason to be tense. So far nothing had come around to make him feel on guard. She seemed perfectly safe. For now. Who knew where home would take them.

She seemed to be pretty good at telling what he meant. That was a plus. It definitely saved him the trouble from having to change. He was a lot warmer like this. His interest perked a little when she mentioned Japan again. While he'd never been there, he knew the level of magical beings was generally high there. Right? That was cool, not that he'd tell her. He didn't make a habit of showing himself to people. He wasn't going to say a word.

His eyes distinctly looked up then back down as she continued to supply words for himself and herself. She must like talking...a lot. It was strange, but...whatever. He didn't know who this Yesung was or if that was even a boy or a girl. It probably didn't matter. He didn't make a habit of wandering into people's homes after following them home either.

He paused when she was suddenly gone, fur bristling slightly. That was weird, and Jin was pretty damn weird himself. It really didn't sit well, somehow. So, he tensed, eyes darting and ears pinning back as a low growl manifested in his throat. He did not appreciate this at all. What was she? Some kind of fox. Yeah. Foxes were jerks. He didn't like those.

[misono_soup]

Misono realized a moment too late that this wolf might not understand her leaving her body. Not very many beings that she had met could do that. Things that disappeared generally didn't have a body and those with a body generally had it all the time. She popped back into her form and held up her hands, palms out. "Sorry, sorry! You didn't like that, huh? Don't be upset, it's okay!"

She dropped down, sitting seiza. "Sorry!" she bowed. "Really sorry!" She sat up nicely again and pouted. "Only you shouldn't be angry with me! That's just my magic, just a little part. And I'm going to buy you a hot dog, you know. I sold a ton of luck tonight and if I hadn't done that then there wouldn't be money for a hot dog." She pursed her lips and then tried a smile. "I won't demanifest again, okay? So let's be friends and go find a street cart, okay?"

[furburst]

His tail fell slightly, snorting slightly once she was back, but his ears stayed pinned. Though, she was genuine, he could tell that much. He just needed to chill out. Growling at just everything wasn't smart. Granted, Jin was never overly smart. He took a couple breaths, relaxing to look up at her, golden eyes just curious again, a low murr coming from him.

The mention of a hot dog had his ears going back up. Well, dogs in general didn't dwell on things, and wolves were no exceptions. He took the chance with her on the ground to step forward and get a good sniff. She was really weird, but at least the next time he'd come across something with her scent, he'd know what to expect.

[misono_soup]

Those great, golden eyes watched her but Misono could see that the upset in them had faded. And his ears weren't pinned flat to his head anymore. Then he came closer and sniffed. Misono lived with a wolf once a month, she knew a wolf-sniff when she saw one. She wondered what he was smelling on her--magic, yes, because Yesung smelled it on her constantly. Maybe a bit of Come Again. Probably not Yesung. Her overalls had been fresh from the wash when she'd put them on, so not too much of the werewolf-Yesung scent should have been on them.

Either which way, this wolf wasn't bothered by what he was smelling. She beamed at him. "Friends again!" she said enthusiastically. She got to her feet gracefully, the unconscious habit of centuries, and then bounced on her toes. Home was one way and she had no desire to go elsewhere just yet. "I think we're going to find hot dogs on the way," she told the wolf. "I don't have a feeling like 'ah, let's go that way instead!'. And I probably would if they weren't there. So let's go!" She nearly started to run but stopped herself. Maybe he didn't want to run? Maybe he didn't like it? Maybe if she just ran it'd confuse him. "In our game it's my turn and I want to know if you like running. Because sometimes I just want to move and move and move--run or dance or something. And I want to run now but not if you don't want to!"

[furburst]

He was really curious about her, and getting a load of good whiffs would help for sure. Well, if nothing else it told him a little. Though, the only thing he cared about at the root of it all was if she worked with food. Food was almost always on his mind. It didn't seem that she did, other than a few various fruity and sugary scents that Jin couldn't quite place.

His head lifted a bit when she stood. Oversized or not, pretty much everyone still stood a little taller than him, even the short girls. His mouth opened, breathing that way for a moment, something close to a pant. Her mounding excited was already effecting him but when she paused his tail swished once. He bent down on his front legs, staring up at her before letting out a small yelp, the closest thing he could muster to a bark. Hell if she wanted to run, he wasn't going to stop her. His tail swished again, waiting, ears fanning a bit before perking back up in anticipation.

[misono_soup]

From the way the wolf moved, from the almost human grin on his face, and from the way that he responded with a half-bark, Misono figured this wolf was up for it. She spread her arms wide. "You're my kind of person, Wolf-san," she said exuberantly. "On your mark, get set..." she took off running, feeling the chill night air in a rush on her face, tugging at her coat. "Go!" It felt good to move, it always had since she'd been young and small. She liked having a body and getting to use it. The park and the path rushed by her in a blure of dark and shadow and streetlamps and moonlight. She could hear her own breathing and that of the wolf beside her.

She twirled, too thrilled with the world to hold it in.

She also skidding in the damp grass and plopped unceremoniously onto her butt just at the edge of the park. She flopped back and laughed up at the sky. "Wolf-san! That's fun!" she told him. It was kind of like running with Kazunari had been.

[furburst]

Jin let out a disgruntled sound, shaking out his fur before taking off after her. He was definitely fast, and she was pretty fast for a human. She cheated though, so he had a couple steps to catch up. Four legs were definitely better than two. The grass and dirt felt great beneath the pads of his paws. The wind against his fur.

Though, the sound of the skid alerted him to something. There it was, that same gut instinct. She was down, completely down and before he could think not to he was on her chest, growling down at her. Yeah. Fun. His ears pinned, tail swishing as if he expected to suddenly need the balance.

[misono_soup]

She was laughing and suddenly Wolf-san was on her, growling at her like Yesung's wolf did. Her instinct was to drop her form but she'd said she wouldn't. Instead she held still, trusting that he wouldn't hurt her.

His ears pinned back and she smiled cautiously at him. "Ne, Wolf-san, I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to eat me, okay?" She didn't try to move. Or at least, to sit up. Instead she lifted one hand and patted gently at the fur just below one flat-back ear. "Did you jump on me because I fell down?" she asked. Something about that... "Because you're super fast at that and I probably shouldn't fall over again if you're going to do that." She thought about that. "Well, maybe I will. It's kind of impressive how you pounce."

Plus, she was sure he wasn't really going to hurt her--her magic would have been much more warning-like if he'd been going to do that. "You want to jump on the hotdog guy when we find him?" she asked instead.

[furburst]

If Jin hadn't felt so bristled, he probably would have laughed. Not that he was a sadist or anything, but there was just something about the way people reacted to him. He sure as hell didn't get...patted too often. Actually, most of the time people seemed afraid to even get too close to him. He was a wolf, but he wasn't some kind of savage beast like some things.

His eyes unfocused a bit, and despite how close her hand was to his neck, he trusted her. What could she do, tug him back like his mother used to when he was still a pup? Though...that'd be pretty funny in itself. Instead, he just relaxed, the growl dying in the back of his throat before simply staring at her.

He did find himself in a good position to sniff her out, well, better than before. Something about her was different, and he still wasn't completely sure about things. Still, he didn't want to hurt her. Amazingly, she still wasn't scared. Instead of anything else, he just pressed his wet nose against her cheek before turning his head to brush his muzzle up her temple, pushing up after and lifting his ears curiously.

[misono_soup]

Yeah, Wolf-san was totally a good guy. He'd quit growling and was looking at her. And then he was tickling her. She tried her best not to wiggle but it tickled, that wuffling breath and the wet nose and the whisker-y muzzle. She laughed, head tipping back as she tried to hold still. "Wolf-san, you tickle!" she told him between giggles. "You're tickling!"

He was also already lifting up and looking at her and she could see curiosity in his face. He had such a cute face! She cupped it in her hands and beamed up at him before letting go and pushing up on her elbows. "You're trying to figure me out, huh?" she asked. It had reminded her of the way Yesung's wolf looked at her sometimes. "Never met anybody like me, right? That's not surprising, not surprising at all!" She pointed at herself. "I'm a zashiki-warashi. Do you know what that is? Maybe not," she answered for him. "Because you're from here and not from Japan. It's a Japanese house-spirit, a luck-sprite. Mostly we stay home. Or I did, mostly. And then I came here and became all rude and unruly so I go out all the time. By myself."

She nodded and, since the grass was cold, sat up all the way. "I'm lucky for my family. My magic wards away things that want to hurt--that want to do it in a general way, like 'oh, I want to mess up somebody today!' that way not 'Oh, I want to kick Yesung!' kinds of way--and it brings good luck and prosperity to my family. In a moderate way. It's good stuff but not, like, winning the lottery every night. Life is no fun if everything gets handed to you, you know, Wolf-san."

They should probably get going, her instincts nudged at her. There were hotdogs to buy. "I sell luck, too, to other people. I can transfer that lucky magic around. And that's how I made hotdog money tonight and got lost and found you! So, see? Lucky-lucky! Let's get up and go find a vendor for you to jump on! I want to see you pounce the hotdog guy! I didn't get a good look at you pouncing me and I want to see!"