Herosae Kitsune: Chapter 1

Amber evening sun set in dark orange over the tower apartment. She was there by herself pondering over a set of books. Each one short and a part autobiographical, part fantasy. They called to her there, Sarephel, Daughter of the tower, guard of their home. Casual formal, she wore very little, she was about to dress for an event. She poured over her attire, unfitting for the event. Perhaps she would adorn herself to a festive appearance with someone in mind. First an inner suit, then a formal skirt, a tank and an opened crimson vest with a white blouse. She was particular to keep herself well fit for contention and yet retain plentiful to the eyes. Especially one in particular. A moment of emotion swept her away to fantasize the moment ahead before leaving her room. Her peace was broken, her apartment alarms had been pulled. Her father no less with another simulation scenario.

Sarephel withdrew two standardized side irons and within a fraction of thought she began to dispose of the intruders. Her father loved giving her these challenges, she was after all one of his prized daughters and high ranking home front guard. Each shot taken at the drop of a coin flew straight and true. In only seconds she had left toward her balcony having not missed a beat, reloaded and continued relentlessly. Thirty men had fallen, each shot critical, both guns schizophrenic with a sight of their own. Though her arms were only mildly toned they could withstand the recoil through thoughtless muscle memory and precision of technique.

The intruders fell swiftly yet it still remained buoyant, her frustration of this intrusion. More men climbed the walls, inhuman structured people appearing to be Saguin units from the bordering islands. Their specialty was their resistance to firearms. Leaping out she kicked one down and followed the other up with a grasp on his head, dragging him with her.

They all fell for many stories before landing, one with two heels around his neck, the other more likely to recover. Surely enough he did, soon returning facedown with a cracked neck. Another appeared behind her with blades. Sarephel made poor parrying daggers out of her fire arms as she leap planting two feet below the balls of his shoulders and a cold set of shots were fired until he fell back.

Three more in sight all targeting her, she was tired of this charade and left to continue her decent down the tower, surely enough they followed. More appeared by the edges, her father was definitely trying her patients. She locked both arms of her victim and jarred his neck, another was redirected and parried with a deathblow, another received a shattered spine as her heel bent his back like a wet stick. It seemed the training had come to an end, sure enough the bodies had disappeared, vanished by the homes computer matrix. At last she could return to her life and job.

Falling off the edge of the tower she landed from rooftop to rooftop of the great monolith. The mist cleared from the ominous dusk sky as she descended it's massive climb. She was no ordinary person of interest, baring three tails behind her she was only part human, as were most inhabitants of her father's estate. At last, a balcony appeared of familiar appeal. She landed gracefully, her hair still firmly in a bun, her clothes not tattered. She was ready.

Entering the building she snooped around. All aesthetically pleasing, a giant golden dragon in the centre, seating all around, people merry before a drink of pleasure. Some faces noticed her and smiled back before returning to their rest. Where could she be Sarephel wondered. The restaurant seemed content, the lounge inhabited by everyone but her. She had to look all around before finally running into her target. Out from the kitchen she came with two trays and a glee.

“I didn't see you come in, I would have greeted you formally.” Aera welcomed

“I came in from the side.”

“You never come by the easy way, do you?” She said passing by to drop off her load and return. “I'm very glad you showed up.”

“I could not miss this, finally you have somewhere close by for me to visit.” Sarephel congratulated

“Thanks to you that is. I'm grateful your father could give me a place to work this high up the tower. Especially with such an astonishing view.”

Sarephel could not deny the feng shui of this arrangement, perhaps her father had done a little more than he admitted to. She was dragged out to the balcony by hand and shown the view once more. “It's beautiful.” Sarephel confessed. The ground was only now becoming visible. On this great home they were high above the hills, though they could see them in the distance, the island was a massive chunk of solid earth surrounded by a smokey lake.

“I should attend to my customers, I'll see about getting Karelyn to cover for me while you are here.” Aera promised, parting rather quickly. “Seat yourself wherever, I'll find you in a little bit.” She charmed.

Sarephel smiled, she took to the once aforementioned synthetic spring to the corner, a hot tub with convincing soft stone decor. She began to strip away her outfit until she was left with her inner suit and prepared bikini. She sunk in as a waitress arrived asking for a request. “A maeuwberry cocktail, please.” and the waitress left with the order. The water was soothing warm, it flowed well within her as she felt her energy mellow and unwind. She exhaled deeply, slowly, calmly. Her eyes slit narrowly, peering out. Someone stood in front of her, Aera.

“Your drink.” She responded. “Halana told me to give it to you.”

“That was fast.” Sarephel astonished, reaching for the drink.

“She remembers you well, you would always ask for one when you came to see me so she had one ready to be made as soon as she heard you were going to come.”Aera kicked off her shoes and high socks. Two tails twirling behind her. She sank the lower half of her body into the water.

“Come on, you don't want to play in the spring?” Sarephel toyed. Irking Aera to join.

Aera responded with a koi sideways glare, a less interested facade to her burning desire to comply. Slowly unbuttoning her work suit in it's classy attire until she was in just as much as her friend. Sinking in deeper, she wandered over and sat adjacent. Reaching over, grasping Aera's off arm and moving it closer, Saraphel broke the silence “I really like this place you have here.” Aera gave a noting gesture, rolling over.

“I guess it has benefits to know someone like you.” Aera softly thanked, resting her arms on the stone around Sarephel's neck. Sarephel assisted in lowering Aera into the water and the two became as one, snuggled together. Her skin was tender as Saraphel graced her girlfriend's neck and was returned with a lip planted on hers. Two tails floated in the air, three more struggled to relocate themselves more comfortably. “I'm very glad to be here but...” Aera said veering away. “But I would rather have my dream a little farther away.”

Sarephel raised a brow, slowing the romance. “And what is wrong with here?”

“You know I dreamed of having a place of my own in the hills, remember? This place is nice but it's too busy for me. I could pursuit a lovely estate in a small settlement where I know everyone, I don't know an...”

Saephel interrupted “But we would not be able to see each other if you did. You know that.”

“I don't know anyone here... I feel like a foreigner in my own home, in my own dream. I love it here but it seems like someone else's fantasy and I'm just here to make it happen.”

“You are my fantasy...” Sarephel nodded, massaging Aera's back.

“Someone else's, I don't mind being your's but I suppose I just thought it would be more exciting on my opening day.” Aera's deep gazed spoke her discomfort more than her words could.

Saraphel signed to reason her “You will know people more.”

“That is easy for you to say, you know everyone.” Digging deeper into her loved one's arms

“I know you, you know me, your staff adore you, regular customers will come by and you will have that homely experience you always wanted. Just give it time.” Saraphel promised. Aera supposed “It's still a lot better than the shack you worked in at poor district. Less angry drunks, less leches trying to chase you after work, less asses for me to hand just to get you safely home.”

Returning the favour, Aera began to mould her hands around the enticing waist beside her “I guess. I just wish I had more of a family that could kick their asses for me, like you is all.”

“You will have all the family in the world here, daddy takes care of everyone.”

“It's still so busy here, how do you deal with it?” Aera's head nestling into Sarephel's neck.

“It's just life.” Saraphel replied, now quiet intimate with her girlfriend.

“You know, I really wish we had more privacy.” Immediately after, Saraphel released her hold and retracted her hands back to the shoulders.

“Your drink.” The waitress announced, placing the second glass down and clearing her throat. “Aera...” She nodded in respects and returned to her business flustered.

“Would you like to take this business elsewhere?” Sarephel asked, returning her attention to Aera's back.

Aera tried to push it away but couldn't escape the thought. “Twenty minutes.” She uttered. “Then I need to return to work.” Both retracted. Reaching for the towels they left. Wrapped, they rang their wet garments and made a bee line for the entrance. Sarephel guiding with her knowledge of the estate. Down the great stairwell, getting a few looks along the way they ducked into the service chamber. A white rinsed maintenance hallway took them into some less cleanly places. One door lead into an alley for the fifty eighth floor shopping district, a place well off camera. This was an excellent place to hide. Most shops closed around three hours prior, not a peep could be heard. Checking the back doors, Sarephel was certain of something. Finally, she stopped at one of the doors, this one unlike the rest opened. Eerily they peered Inside to find the back of a mechanical store with boxes of scraps and other components. Making sure no one was there after hours, the coast looked clear, just a few dim lights and all the privacy in the world.

Aera wrapped around to grasp a feeling of Saraphel's damp chest. Starting from the stomach, past the ribs, and working underneath her bosom. A pin dropped.

Both of them stopped, Sarephel's breath disappeared, ears perked. Past her heart beat they could hear something tinkering around, oddly quietly for a repair shop worker. Aera silently kissed her girlfriend's exposed shoulders and the back of the neck, feeling the warmth on her lips. Sarephel crept ahead, searching the store. Small and narrow, with two stairs into the foyer, the back was small. In the far back a door lead to the storage closet which they slowly snuck towards. A foot scuff to their side, someone was here, close at that. They heard it though an opening on the side, a window for passing parts though to behind the counter. Sarephel peered through the hole to see someone in the dark hunched over. She could see his face clearly as he turned around. Stagnant air was boding ill mischievous and gull. Her mind recalled the face “Daz?” she whispered under her breath. She knew his from long ago, he worked in the guard when she was starting out. He went though training and though she could been able to hear him clearly now, he was oblivious. Maybe he dropped out of training, or was too focused on something else to mind his adapted sense. Their intimacy either way was cut short.

Aera could detect the silence. “I'm not sure how I feel about this place. I don't want to cut myself on some old metal.” Her voice withering cinder.

“I agree...” Sarephel wanted to leave but her training kept her still, her duties persisted well past her instincts which had been shaken off by the disturbance. The storage closet was left open Saraphel noticed, it wasn't her expertise but she wanted to know more about what was going on. Darkness was all that awaited inside. Aera wedged at the doorway into the darkness and peered out. Sarephel felt her way through, the occasional box or shelf showed up to hinder her but what could be expected. Nearly naked she left her equipment by the hot tub. A board alerted her touch, tilting as she stepped on it. She put more weight on it and it tipped down farther. Sarephel stepped back, the board seemed to cover something, a hole, a rather large hole. She lowered her hand into the gape only to find a coarse lip on the underbelly. It was oddly dark and could have been deep enough to gap the floor to the lower level but where was the light. Perhaps a sewer channel, but neither smell nor sound could prove it. It was a tunnel of some sort. Lowering herself, Sarephel was at the end her reach but the floor couldn't be felt on her feet. She pulled herself back up and crept carefully out of the storage to her girlfriend.

“What did you find?”, Aera whispered to the best she could. Sarephel planted her a kiss on her favourite lips, parting with her finger on the same lips and hushed as they snuck out. Sarephel lead them back to the maintenance hallway, and they recalled.

“I found a massive hole in the back.”

“Are you okay?” Aera worried.

Sarephel tilted her ears aside “Yes, they did a shotty job of covering it though...” glaring indirectly.

“You're not really into it right now, are you?” catching Saraphel's attention, “It' in your eyes, you're distracted.

She looked away, Saraphel hated the thought. “I'll... See you tonight, right?” Assuring her resevation.

“Yes. You are going to investigate it, aren't you?” Knowing the answer anywy.

Solemnly obligated “I might stay a while, pay for my drinks.”

“They are on the house...” Aera assured, more understanding.

“I need to report this, a team should come by after he's left, not to disturb anything. If something is going on there, we can't let them know we are on to them.”

“What could it be?” Aera recomposed, honestly curious. “Part's swindling?”

“I can't tell. It's definitely underhanded.” Seraphel left to her mind, disrupted, distracted. Aera started to walk off, she needed to return to work. Quickly Saraphel returned. “Sorry.” She said, picking up her love. “We were doing something weren't we?”

“We're not in the mood any more, I need to...” Silent, liplocked.

“Tonight, I swear.”Sarephel vowed.

Beside the hot tub was a third drink added to the unfinished first one, a fortune cookie adjacent and a heart shaped candy. Sarephel grabbed her stuff, and redressed. The elevator ride back up cured Sarephel sober to her duty and mentally she prepared.

Returning, equipped after a short call Sarephel slipped back in. Empty building, fresh lit storage room, and shamelessly covered tunnel. Descending, she lit the way. A short drop. Letting go two surveillance drones, she embarked as a team was on their way.