InTheCourtOfTheFoxKingA thousand chimes and the whisper of cherry blossoms filled the small shrine with a soothing music. Located across from the geometry building, it served as a perfect place for Temnal to wait for Rusalka to finish her classes. Built by Prince Benedict, it offered a perfect sanctuary from the chaotic campus. Oddly, no one else appeared interested in taking advantage of this island of tranquility. A koi pond--fed by Faiella’s Tears--encircled a gazebo, which could be reached by a bridge of stones and tora gate. Fat fish lazily floated around beneath the lily pads, unwilling to move unless food was provided. Temnal could sense the Goddess’ work here, the natural environment crafted and tended to instill calm and peace. But his practiced eye could see tiny flaws. Chipped paint, mossy stones, and worn wood around the blessing box. An air of forgetfulness was taking hold. Without maintenance, it would return to the Goddess entirely. Eventually, Temnal became aware of another presence in the shrine. He was being watched. When he turned, he found a large, red fox sitting atop the donation box. It stared back at him, bold as brass. Most University students in the same situation would probably have reacted to the fox as to an animal, but Temnal's years in Chaos gave him a different set of assumptions. He arched an eyebrow and addressed the creature. "And who might you be, sir?" The fox regarded him quizzically for a moment and then leapt down to the flagstones. Tail held high, it began to wander around the shrine, pausing apparently random intervals and looking back at him at expectantly, only to then continuing along its way. When the distance between them had grown too great, it sat down and waited impatiently. "I know," said Temnal. "They do the Lady little honor..." His gaze on the creature sharpens. "Do you serve Her? Do you act as a guide?" The fox yipped once, stood up, and then circled around in a very regal fashion before sitting back down again. Its left ear flicked. Temnal gave it a wry half-smile. "Well, I'm just as glad you don't seem to wish me to follow you somewhere else, because if I go too far away I might miss Rusalka when she comes out of class." It gave a loud snort and shook its head. The fox stood up and retraced its steps, pausing at each spot, and glancing at Temnal. Its ear flicked again. Finally, the animal padded over to the human and sat down just out of reach. It made a sharp yip and appeared to study him. "Do you want me to repair it?" Temnal asked. "I'm not sure if I can. At least, I should probably ask someone first." The fox yipped loudly, hanging its head in apparent relief that the human had finally caught on. He padded over to a sunbeam and sat down to look regal. A slow, squeaking sound became audible. A wizened man in a gardener’s outfit came into sight, pushing a weathered wheelbarrow in front of him. The wheelbarrow contained various gardening tools and some new plants. The cherub-faced fellow regarded the fox and Temnal in kind. “I see Koro-chan has found a new recruit,” he chuckled. "Are you the gardener?" Temnal asked him, then added, "I'd be glad to help." The old man wrinkled his rosy nose and then laughed. "And I didn't even have to ask. You're hired." He pushed the heavy wheelbarrow toward the pond's edge. "If you'd be a good lad and put these plants down, I'll say all is well and done. And don't get anything on that uniform of yours, eh?" Koro-chan snorted. "The uniform can be cleaned," Temnal said mildly. He followed the old man to the edge of the pond and lifted out each of the potted plants, placing them carefully where rings of silt showed the locations of previous pots. While he did so he took the opportunity to breathe in the delicate odor of the flowers and offer up a silent prayer to the Lady. The Old Man set his tools against a tree and turned to inspect Temnal’s work. “That is most helpful, young man,” he said, slowly making his way over to the flower bed, a spade in his grizzled hand. “I fear the years have caught up with me and I am not as spry as I once was. The shrine has suffered for it, I fear. Much to Korochan’s disapproval.” The fox snorted again, appearing very dour. "The University should hire you a helper," said Temnal. "Should I bring the matter to their attention?" The Old Man dotted his brow with a handkerchief and managed a smile. “That would be a blessing of the Goddess, were it not for the University’s upper faculty,” he said. “I fear they’ve made it clear that the shrine is to survive solely on donations. And there simply isn’t enough money to hire an assistant. “So, it’s just me and Korochan for now. And with the lack of donations, I fear even we will get the boot soon enough. They’ll probably add a new geomancy building here. Wouldn’t that have a touch of irony, eh?” "It would be ill-omened, certainly," Temnal replied. He frowned. "I must think on this, and what may be done." “Don’t over-think it,” the Old Man chuckled. He began digging a series of holes in the dirt. “Life is neither fair nor right. We suffer and the gods laugh. The very least we might do is amuse them to the best of our ability.” Korochan hopped down and began to inspect the old man’s work, pacing up and down the rows. He gave another disapproving snort. "Oh stuff you and your critic's eye, you red demon," the Old Man cursed. Rusalka emerged from the building across the way, chatting with a dark-haired girl with a PFS badge. They stopped just outside the entry, Rusalka laughed, and they parted ways. Spotting her, Temnal said, "Ah. That looks like the young lady I came to meet. If you gentlemen will excuse me? Until later..." Korochan barked and the Old Man jerked a nod. “Mata ashita, young man.” Temnal headed toward Rusalka. "Miss Cardovan! Rusalka!" he called. Rusalka turned when she heard her name and smiled when she realized who it was. She slowed down and waited for him to get close. "Hello, Temnal. Did you just get out of class, too?" She was noticeably attempting to put her usual personality on as a mask over something else, but there was real relief in her eyes now. "A little while ago," Temnal replied. "I thought I'd better catch you. Miss Talbot is hosting a meeting in her new lab this afternoon. About the, um, special project." He gave Rusalka a significant look. "You know." "The--oh!" Realization dawned in Rusalka's eyes. "Oh, yes, the project. I'd love to come, but I'm not sure I know where Gillian's new lab is. We'd only met the once before ... this morning." "That's all right, I can show you," Temnal said. "She told me how to get there. She and the others may even be there by now." "We'd better go then, if we don't want to miss anything exciting," Rusalka agreed. "Thank you for coming to find me." "I didn't want you to miss out, and I wasn't sure anyone else would cross paths with you today," Temnal explained. He grimaced. "You can decide later whether I'm actually doing you a favor or not." "It's in the basement of the Alchemy building," he went on, starting off in that direction. Rusalka followed along. |
