[video/written]

[9timestheliar]

[The journal is open and actively sketching the deep blue sky. Every few minutes, animated inky clouds drift across the page. Then there is a sudden close up of a paw as it flings out and hits the page, leaving behind a smeary red pawprint-]

Comments

[in person]

[tractsofnippon]

[Rao is wandering nearby, gazing anxiously around at her eerily familiar surroundings and wondering for the hundredth time just how she got here. Something moves out of the corner of her eye - she turns, and gasps. All day she had felt the strange absence of Ryoshima wildlife, but there on the shore is....some kind of animal, yes! And by the looks of things, it's hurt badly.

Never one to let others (even wee beasties) suffer if she can help it, Rao hurries toward the creature, slowing down as she nears it - primarily to not scare the poor thing, but also out of shock. She's never seen a fox this big in her life!]

[in person]

[9timestheliar]

[Ninetails stirs weakly as the woman approaches, one red eye opening long enough to identify the source of the soft footsteps padding though the sand before closing again in tired denial. The heat of the infernal sun must have finally made her hallucinate - there was no other explanation for seeing that face again....unless this accursed place was where the dead went. At that thought, the dull pain in her head flared up, making her snarl softly.]

[in person]

[tractsofnippon]

[Naively thinking that the fox is just agitated by her close presence, Rao ignores the snarling and speaks in a quiet, soothing voice.]

Poor dear, you must have gotten into one heck of a fight.....have you been out in the sun all this time?

[Rao reaches out her hand. She knows from long experience that even strays can't resist a good petting.....although she's forgetting that this is a giant fox, not a hungry kitten.]

[in person]

[9timestheliar]

[She feels the cool hand touch her head gently and she immediately takes a vicious snap at it.]

[in person] 1/2

[tractsofnippon]

Ow!

[Rao jerks her hand back, cradling it to her chest. The wound hurts, but at least it's small. She's luckier than she knows.]

[in person]

[tractsofnippon]

[Then, surprisingly, she smiles. The fox was wounded, bleeding and weak, probably overheated and dehydrated as well - no wonder it wasn't the friendliest of beasts. Undaunted, Rao continues to talk to the fox, not really believing it could understand her but hoping that a soft tone of voice would help to calm it down.]

It's all right, I just want to help. You won't last long in this heat like this with your injuries. You need water and shade, and a bit of patching-up wouldn't go amiss either...

[in person]

[9timestheliar]

[Even in her helpless state, Ninetails is understanding everything Rao says perfectly. Unfortunately, it's only making her angrier. She doesn't need any help, especially not from some hallucination of a certain pathetic mortal who is supposed to be dead and buried and gone!

.....and who also shouldn't be able to still touch, speak, and bleed. Hackles raised, Ninetails bares her teeth and continues to growl, too exhausted to outright attack but not enough to try and stop anymore "petting" from happening again. Hmph, the very thought of it!]

[in person]

[tractsofnippon]

Growl all you want, it's not going to get rid of me~

[Still smiling, Rao takes off her hood and wipes her forehead. Even she, who is used to such heat, is breaking out in sweat. So of course she thinks to wade into the ocean! The wet, cool feel of it makes her even thirstier, but at least it felt good against her hot skin. But despite the relief, her grin turns into a frown as she thinks about the current situation, hands absentmindedly splashing the water.]

To be honest, I'm not sure what we're going to do. I've seen nothing nearby except for sand, these waters, and you.

[in person]

[9timestheliar]

[Ninetails rolls her eye and sets about half-heartedly trying to lick her scraped and battered paws, silently cursing Amaterasu a thousand times over. If she could have turned her head enough to see over her shoulder, she would have been able to glimpse greenery and even a small nearby building - the bloody pawprint she had made in her journal having broken the strange curse that cloaked the true nature of the land. As it stands, she cannot, and instead has to listen to the-most-realistic-hallucination-ever talk with a steadily increasing amount of irritation.]

[in person]

[tractsofnippon]

[The priestess, completely unaware of her new adopted pet's issues with her, tosses another smile at the fox.]

I bet this heat is even worse for you with all that fur, huh?

[....Oh, she just had an idea! Rao takes off her hood, dunks it thoroughly in the ocean, and walks back to the injured fox.]

Here, try this! It's saltwater and not very good to drink, and it'll sting a bit, but it should cool you down a little until I can find something better.

[in person]

[9timestheliar]

[Is too busy scrawling in her journal to pay attention, still believing that Rao is just a mirage concocted by her sun-addled brain and thus is incapable of doing any harm.....ignoring the fact that Rao already touched her and bled for it. Oops.]