The Smell of Rain (Contract Search)

[Atsushi Nakamura]

Ao couldn’t believe that he had forgotten to answer a part of Lord Yuna’s question. He placed his head in the palm of his right hand and shook his head. At least Lord Yume had confirmed that his answer to the initial question was correct, which was a plus. Ao removed his face from his palm and turned his eyes towards Mei, who had been the reason this whole ordeal began. He had his suspicions from the get go, that she was not what she seemed, and her constant questioning of Ao only served to strengthen his conviction. Ao took a second to focus on his breathing in order to calm his nerves, and then gave Mei a smile before answering Lord Yuna’s second question.

“My apologies Lord Yuna, I seem to be a bit more nervous than I thought. Based off of Mei’s mannerisms, and the discussions that we have had since I met her, I’m going to say that she is not human. When I was a shinobi for the Village Hidden in the Mist we learned about intelligent creatures that lived in the different countries. Judging by the foxes that you have running around here, and that Mei herself has many physical features that match those of a fox, along with some of her mannerisms that I mentioned earlier. My bet would be that she is under some sort of transformation jutsu to make her appear as a human. ”

Ao hoped he was right, while he was fairly confident in his answers he was also aware that everything was not as it seemed. For all he knew this entire thing could be some elaborate trap, but he was here now and might as well see it through to the end.

MFT: WC 200+

 

[Tomomi]

A smile would surface on the face of the Fox Overlord as he had successfully figured it out. After his answer, Mei would release the jutsu and Ao would know that he had gotten the answer correct as Mei's tail swayed back and forth. As for Lord Yuna, she would clap her hands together as she responded to his answer: "You are correct again, Ao. Mei has been using a Transformation Jutsu the entire time that you two met and you also were avoiding her advances which shows me that you are not an average man. However, you have one more test to complete before I can deem you worthy of all of the foxes you see here and me in particular. This will be a simple test for you if you are truly worthy."

Indeed it would be a simple test if he wasn't an idiot. With the assistance of some of her aids, Lord Yuna would bring forth a table in front of her and proceed to sit behind it motioning for Ao to sit across from it. When they were both situated, Lady Yuna would place three cups on the table and show him that there was a ping-pong sized ball underneath the middle cup. She would then begin to shuffle the cups around slowly quickening her pace with the cups before stopping their motion and bring her hands back to her lap. Behind her, Ao could see her elegant tails and she was bearing a pretty kimono that went well with her skin tone.

When she was ready, she nodded to the man and said the following: "Where is the ball? Think back to your former trials to get here and everything that happened since you met Mei to this point. When you are ready, please give me your response and tell me why you think that is where the ball is. If you have caught on since you met Mei and I, then this should be a simple trial for you, Ao."

 

[Atsushi Nakamura]

Ao watched as the attractive fox-girl that he had met earlier in the day transformed right before his very eyes into a 100% fox. This confirmed what both Az and himself had figured for a while now, but it was still a relief to know that he had not denied the advances of a very exotic and attractive woman. Lord Yuna congratulated him on his keen observational skills and informed him that there was one last test for him to pass.

Several aids came out with a table and some chairs and placed them in the center of the room, Ao waited for Lord Yuna to take a seat before he sat down himself. The mysterious woman then revealed three ornate cups upside down on the table before she showed a small ball, and then placed said ball in the middle cup. She then began to shuffle the cups, gradually becoming faster, before slowing back down and stopping.

Lord Yuna then returned her attention back to Ao and asked him to tell her where the ball was, informing him that all of his previous tests were related to this final one. Ao thought for a second before a smile spread across his face.

“The ball most certainly is not in any of those cups. I would say, if the ball even existed at all, that you have the ball in your possession. ” Ao felt very confident in his answer, but was extremely nervous nevertheless, for all of his hard work had led him to this point and the fear of failure hung heavily above his head.

MFT 250+

 

[Tomomi]

Fortunately for all parties, it would not take long for Ao to make his decision with confidence in his voice as he chose to say the ball was not under any of the cups. The simple response would've been to simply tell him if he was right or wrong, but Yuna wanted to make this a little more exciting for Ao so she individually lifted each cup. She would begin with the cups on the left and right hand side revealing that there was indeed no ball underneath either of them which left the middle one. She would give a devilish grin at him as she giggled to herself before revealing the contents of the middle cup....and there was nothing underneath this cup either which confirmed Ao's assumptions.

As Yuna would lean back and chuckle to herself, Mei would look at the scene that unfolded somewhat awestruck that Ao had managed to determine that the ball was not underneath any of them. But how did he know, she wondered to herself since Lord Yuna had summoned a table that had no tricks or secret compartments under it and where exactly was the ball since she hadn't seen it removed from the cups at all and her keen sight should've been able to pick up on the item being removed. This would concern the fox in the room while her master would clap her hands together and respond to the man: "Very impressive, Ao. You managed to infer and take a wonderful educated guess. However, there is a second part to this trial and what I want to know is where is the ball since it does physical exist and there could be no way that I could've removed the ball right in front of your eyes. Care to explain where the ball is to Mei and I?"

Was Lord Yuna simply playing dumb or was she being serious? The tone of her voice didn't give off any clear assumptions that Ao could make sense of and Mei was dumbfounded so she would be of no assistance to him. The second part of the trial would truly test if the man was ready to make the ultimate deal or not; if he could not figure this out, Yuna would be quite disappointed even if he had gotten farther than any of man had done before. Yes, it was true that she knew exactly where the ball was located this entire time but it was more fun to confuse the man one last time to see if he truly was capable of handling the power that could be given to him if Lord Yuna deemed him worthy of it all.

What exactly would Ao do and/or say in response?

 

[Atsushi Nakamura]

Ao had hoped that he could avoid the answering where the ball was currently, since there were so many possible locations, but alas that was not how things would turn out. A grin made its way across his face as he thought to himself how well deserved the kitsune’s reputations as tricksters were. Ao shifted in his seat a bit as he pondered the question. A normal con-artist who played this game would more than likely have discreetly knocked the ball into his or her sleeve as they shuffled the upside down cups across the surface. Lady Yuna was not a normal con-artist though, she was a being of immense power, and therefore had probably sent the ball somewhere with a jutsu of some sort.

A few more moments passed before Ao was ready to answer, he could have taken longer to answer but he figured that the longer he took the more doubt he would allow to creep into his mind. Ao turned his attention and gaze back to Lady Yuna, took a deep breath, and answered her question.

“My guess is that the ball is either in my pocket, or in Mei’s pocket.” Every good trickster knew that if you wanted to hide something from someone you take it from where that individual expects it to be, and put it in the last place that person would look. When answering this question, Ao thought back to all of the previous tests and tried to give himself the same kind of mindset that the foxes had. He hoped this would work, but regardless of the outcome Ao had given it his all, and had thoroughly enjoyed interacting with these mysterious and playful creatures.

MFT-200+

 

[Tomomi]

The great overlord, of this lair and all who inhabited it, would sit their patiently waiting for a response from this odd-looking human as it appeared he was pondering his choices. He was absolutely right to assume that the most obvious spot for the ball was probably not where the ball was, but technically the little ball could still be there. After all, the mere fact that Lady Yuna had managed to move the ball at all from right in front of him showed that she was a skilled player in this guessing game and one of the best tricksters in the world. In all honesty, she wasn't surprised that the man had to take as long as he did to conjure up an answer since he had appeared to be so oblivious to the ball's disappearance...and he called himself a shinobi.

Eventually, he would be ready to respond to her question and gave two possible answers that were not bad at all! The head of the foxes would nod at his response with her smile curling on her face as she placed a hand on the man's shoulder from across the table. At this point, she would address the man with a tilt of her head: "Your answer is either yourself or Mei which is a very good answer since you assumed that I would not be silly enough to hold onto the ball myself. However if you check Mei, she can't have the ball since she is back into her normal form and has no pockets anywhere on her outfit. As for yourself, you can check but you do not have the ball either."

She would then return her hand to her lap and emit a small little giggle before continuing to explain. "The correct answer is the ball is in my kimono resting nicely between my breasts. If you don't believe me, you are free to look for yourself but if you do, I will assume you are only looking to be my suitor or at least my plaything until I get tired and bored of you. If you are here for professional business, let's continue doing our trials since I am having so much fun! Either way, I don't care because you are going to be wrapped around my finger by the time we are done here."

She would then lean back and Mei would walk over and position herself beside Ao. At this point, she would rub her face on his arm as she addressed him: "Isn't Lord Yuna such a beautiful and powerful lady? Wouldn't you love to see what else she can do, Ao? I mean she is so smart, so beautiful, and she takes such good care of us all in here. Wouldn't you love to join us as her significant other instead of going through these trials and sweating bullets hoping you'll pass and please her enough? Nothing has ever gotten this far before with her so she is already impressed with you."

 

[Atsushi Nakamura]

The simplest answer is usually correct boy, I thought you knew that...</COLOR><i></i> Ao head Az whisper in his mind.

Ao mentally chastised himself for making such a silly mistake. Then again these two individuals before him had proven that they were far from normal. Lady Yuna claimed that the small ball was in between her breasts, and informed Ao that he was free to check, if he wanted to end the trials here. Ao had no intention to be Lady Yuna's 'play thing' and therefore decided to keep his eye on the prize, whatever that prize may be.

Mei then came over and began to rub against Ao's arm, using his hand to rub her head as she spoke to him: "Isn't Lord Yuna such a beautiful and powerful lady? Wouldn't you love to see what else she can do, Ao? I mean she is so smart, so beautiful, and she takes such good care of us all in here. Wouldn't you love to join us as her significant other instead of going through these trials and sweating bullets hoping you'll pass and please her enough? Nothing has ever gotten this far before with her so she is already impressed with you."

Ao smiled at Mei, and then turned to Lady Yuna.

"I must agree Mei, Lady Yuna is all of those things and much, much more, but I am afraid that quitting these trials would only lead to us falling apart. I'd much rather complete these trials, and see where that leads us. Besides I'd like to show Lady Yuna what I am made of.<COLOR color="#0000FF">"

 

[Tomomi]

A simple nod would be shown from Lady Yuna as she was impressed that this caliber of man was able to keep his wits and his urges to himself. She wasn't a fool as she examined the man and understood why he was fighting any temptations that he might have been having towards her; he actually really wanted to see if he could pass these trials and see if there was something truthfully at the end of the rainbow so to speak. Honestly, Yuna had waited such a long time to see an individual so focused on the tasks at hand in front of him that wasn't allowing his emotions nor urges to get the best of him considering many men before him had either failed the trials because they started to think with a body part aside from their head or they simple were too idiotic to pass the tests at hand and were thrown out or executed depending on the mood that Yuna was feeling that day.

This man had passed all the trials that she had set forth for him, but still she wasn't completely sure that he was ready to take the ultimate step with her. There was something that was still bothering her that she needed to address and she proceeded to ask: "I have a question. Why did you follow Mei here and why did you never take any of her advances nor my own?" So the question was laid out on the table and she would sit there waiting for a response from him and hopefully it was one that could satisfy her.

As for Mei, she had moved from her position a few moments ago to sit beside Lady Yuna and would begin to be petted by the overlord of all the foxes. Yes, she was a fox and was capable of using jutsu and chakra, but she still enjoyed her pets and being pampered by Yuna.

 

[Atsushi Nakamura]

Lady Yuna acknowledged Ao's decision with a simple nod. Once again Lady Yuna and Mei had tried to seduce Ao, and once again Ao had denied their advances. Ao could not tell if Lady Yuna was pleased or indifferent, but she had clearly never had another man make it this far. Mei left Ao's side and returned to her master's and Lady Yuna asked Ao a simple question. She wanted to know why Ao had denied the advances of the two beautiful women that stood before him, and why Ao had decided to follow Mei in the first place. The answer, to Ao, was as simple as the question.

"Curiosity drove me to follow Mei. She was unlike anyone I had ever seen before, and I was in a situation like none I had ever been a part of before. I wanted to see what would happen. Plus I had a gut feeling that if I followed her, that I would find something that I have been looking for for a very long time now, a companion. As to why I never acted on the advances by you two beauties, well that's a little more complicated. Back in my homeland there was a story about mystical women who were not what they appeared. They lured unwitting travelers to their demise through the unnatural beauty and charisma that these women possessed. Not to say that I believe you women are one in the same, I just learned a lesson from these old wives-tales I guess." Ao let slip a sly grin before he continued, "Besides, call me old fashioned, but I prefer to get to know a woman first. Take her out for dinner, maybe take her out for a night on the town. I'd be doing you all a disservice if I were to act of my more....Primal urges."

Now that Lady Yuna mentioned it, why was Ao here? Was there anything for him to gain in enduring all of these trials? What would he even receive as a reward? Surely the reward was not a Ménage à trois with foxes, at least he hoped not.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see Ao thought to himself.

MFT-300+

 

[Tomomi]

The overlord in the room would smile at the human being as he explained why he didn't make advances on them. She was surprised that there was truly a "gentleman" like this still in the world after the filth that she had been dealing with for years. As soon as he finished his explanation, Lady Yuna would rise from her spot emitting a gentle "bark" that summoned more foxes into the room to move the table in front of her. After this piece of furniture was removed, she would move her fingers in front of her emitting a spell which caused numerous foxes to appear in the room surrounding her and Ao as the area around them ignited in bright leaping flames of every kind of orange, red, and yellow in the shape of the eight highly ancient seals. Though fearsome, these beautiful flames do not hurt, but rather grips all nearby in a warm and pleasant embrace.

Being in the center of this circle, Lady Yuna would nod to herself as she addressed Ao: "You have proven your worth to me. Unfortunately, you will not be my suitor but I will offer you the chance to make a pact with my family and followers. If you sign this pact, you will be able to call upon my family and minions to assist you whenever you need them. But, I ask that if you choose to sign, you treat any fox that you summon with the respect that you gave towards Mei and I today along with bringing any foxes in the wild to our side since we can always expand as a 'family' here."

She would then pause momentarily allowing his trials to flash before her eyes before she continued. She knew that she was making a good deal as she continued: "Ao, if you want to sign, please write your full name in the air in front of you. If you have any questions before you sign, let me know them right now before you sign because we probably will barely see each other after today since I have to watch over all the foxes in this land and you need to go about your day."

So what would Ao do?

[OOC: Do you accept the Fox Contract?]

 

[Atsushi Nakamura]

Ao was taken aback as he witnessed the spectacle unfold before him. He had never imagined that this was what would happen once he had completed Lady Yuna’s trials, granted that he had no idea what he should expect. As it turned out, Lady Yuna and her foxes were members of a clan that made contracts with Shinobis they found worthy. If Ao excepted their proposal, he would be able to summon fox allies to fight with him or otherwise assist him. He had never in his wildest dreams imagined that he would be found worthy enough, but stranger things had happened to him over the course of his short life. Ao looked across the room at all of the foxes that had gathered to witness him sign the contract and he could not help but feel proud. It had been so long since he had been part of a family, and now it seemed, that he would be joining the ranks of one once again.

All Ao was required to do was agree to the terms of the contract and then sign his name in the air in front of him.
Ao turned his attention to Lady Yuna before speaking, “Lady Yuna, I would be honored to enter into a pact with you and your clan. I hereby agree assist any fox I encounter during my travels as well as bring them into your family.</COLOR><COLOR color="#0000FF">” Ao then lifted his right hand and ‘wrote’ out his name before him.

Well boy, it seems that you have finally accomplished something of some note, maybe you are not as useless as I had first thought..<i></i> Az whispered, but Ao ignored him and decided to enjoy this moment while it lasted.

[MFT 300+]
[Contract accepted]
[Topic left, unless you need us to continue Akujin.]
[OOC: Thanks for the great contract RP, 10/1o would do it again!]

 

[Tomomi]

Lady Yuna would smile as he signed his name in the air and as he did each letter would be lit in beautiful flame. Once the last letter appeared, his name burned brightly in acceptance, and faded away to be forever remembered by the foxes in the room and around the world that served under Lord Yuna. Once his name faded away, the majority of the foxes left the area but Lod Yuna would put her hand on his shoulder and say one simple word: "Congratulations." After she left her hand go from his shoulder, Ao would stand there momentarily before being poofed from the the dwelling of Lord Yuna back into the very forest that he began his journey with Mei.

He had formed a pact with the foxes and now they and him could work together. But, only time would tell if this relationship was a good one or if Ao had made a terrible mistake. For now though, he could bask in the glory of successfully signing a pact with a contract overlord and go about his day. Back in the dwelling, Lady Yuna was sitting on her "throne" petting Mei who was in her lap as they discussed Ao and how proud they were of him.

[Noted that Ao accepted Fox Contract. Noted in Contract Holder List]
[Topic left]
[OOC: Thank you for being patient with me due to my busy life and for being my first contract search that I completed! I had fun]