by Itori 11th August 2016, 8:39 am
As Itori continued to eat at a calm pace her nose caught an unusual scent. It didn't affect her actions, save for her eyebrows lowering slightly and her eyes narrowing. However those weren't signs of irritation or frustration: the Kitsune was merely looking thoughtful as she continued eating, trying to place the smell. It was quite unique, even though it wasn't that extraordinarily strong. It didn't contain many outstanding qualities: it was just not a smell you encountered every day. However she still had trouble figuring out what exactly it was. She didn't feel any sense of danger, so it was unlikely to be some kind of threat. It also didn't clash with the scent of this place, so whatever it was it was here quite often. The scent definitely belonged to some kind of creature, one that was still alive. There was also something familiar about it, although if Itori had encountered it before it must have been long ago. It took her some real thinking before she eventually realized what it was, at which point her ears twitched in surprise. She couldn't keep herself from doing that: composure and serenity didn't prepare her for catching the smell of a Tanuki, of all things.
So far as Itori was aware Tanuki were even rarer than Kitsune, which said something since she knew little to none Kitsune which lived in these parts. They were creatures which were as magical in nature as Kitsune themselves, and showed some other similarities as well. As the folklore of the humans explained so bluntly, both Kitsune and Tanuki were known for deceiving humans in a wide variety of ways, although the most common method was simply pretending to be a human and then luring a human into an embarrassing situation. However there were some very distinct differences as well, aside from Kitsune being foxes and Tanuki being raccoons. Whereas Kitsune deceived humans purely because it amused them Tanuki generally did it for the sake of free food and housing. Not that the Tanuki didn't enjoy doing it as well, but for them the food and shelter was definitely a large part of the motivation as well, whereas Kitsune quite literally had no motivation other than that they found it funny. In that way Kitsune could be considered the bigger tricksters... except that Tanuki were actually better at deception. Kitsune were already considered masters of illusions, but Tanuki took it one step further still, perhaps because outside of illusions they knew better how to act exactly like a human. After all, deception required more than an alternate appearance: you needed the correct behaviour and instruments as well. Itori was quite sure no self-respecting Kitsune would ever be beaten in illusions, but it was certainly plausible that Tanuki were better at putting up the actual act. Maybe because their goal was more similar to that of most humans (namely, food and shelter) so it was easier for them to put themselves in the shoes of a human.
Maybe that was also why Tanuki had a better reputation than Kitsune amongst the humans. Both creatures were tricksters, and both could be benevolent, but because Tanuki acted more like humans themselves whereas Kitsune were always foxes first and foremost. In Midi, the country which had the most experience with Tanuki and Kitsune and similar creatures (that country seemed to attract magical creatures of a certain type. Maybe it was the atmosphere, which was very good) statues of Tanuki were seen as good fortune, whereas Kitsune still had a reputation for stealing chickens and causing trouble. There were also Kitsune which had managed to mingle with humans as well as Tanuki, but that didn't sway the opinion of the majority of the population. Although the Kitsune did have something else going for them: Tanuki, as good at deception as they might be, were in the end pretty standard spiritual creatures. They didn't have extraordinary abilities other than disguising themselves, making objects look like other objects, and being able to fool humans with seemingly no effort. Kitsune on the other hand also had the power to interact with spirits, and if a Kitsune survived for long enough they gained more and more tails as their power grew exponentially. Tanuki had an easier time becoming a part of human society, but there were no stories of Tanuki having developed into actual gods, whereas with Kitsune becoming a deity was a distinct possibility if one managed to survive for long enough. Maybe not one of the grand deities that could shape the world to its wishes and controlled the threads of destiny, but definitely a creature which lived beyond the realm of mortals.
So while Itori was definitely surprised, she wasn't very worried. She doubted that the Tanuki would actually cause any trouble, especially since its scent indicated that it was used to coming here, so it was probably a Tanuki which had integrated in human society. And beyond that, even if the Tanuki tried to cause trouble Itori should have the upper hand as a Kitsune, unless the Tanuki somehow managed to turn the humans against her, in which case she would be forced to flee. However that was a paranoid thought: Kitsune and Tanuki didn't have a bad history with one another, so why would a Tanuki attack her out of the blue?
Although knowing who and where the Tanuki was would be helpful still, so Itori kept an eye out... only for the Tanuki to basically present himself by coming over to her table and ask her whether he could join her. The Kitsune looked up at the Tanuki from her seat, her nose leaving no mistake of who she was being addressed by. A first glance already told her a lot about the Tanuki: he wore the uniform the cooks used in these parts, and while the scent of many dishes emanated from it it still looked clean and spotless, which was curious since that meant the scents either were from other times or he had managed to prepare quite a number of dishes without ever actually making his coat untidy in the slightest. And he didn't look sweaty either, even though busy kitchens quickly became quite warm. Interested in figuring out what this Tanuki had been doing the Kitsune smiled and shook her head.
"I do not mind, although you will have to procure a chair for yourself."
Seeing how she wasn't bothering to hide her true nature she wondered what he wanted from her. Maybe he just wanted to talk to another creature which, while not his own kind, showed quite some similarities to himself.