The Helpful Fox Deity, Ahri! Ch. 02
"There's something different about you today..." Mary said, looking at Sam. "Don't you think so?" She asked Tony.
"Hmmm..." The Italian rubbed his chin and began nodding in understanding. "No." He finally said in a definitive tone.
"You don't think he has a sort of glow to him or something?"
"I left my pip-boy at home. Remember to purify your water before you drink it, Sam." Tony said.
Mary hit Tony's arm, "I'm serious you goof! Jesus, forget it."
"Uh..." Sam grinned. The comedy act was entertaining, but Mary was right. He felt good. "I had a good breakfast today, maybe that's why?"
"You never eat breakfast... Is something wrong with you?" Mary asked.
"Doctor Mary, a human being eating breakfast is abnormal. Something must be wrong!" Tony exclaimed in a mock English accent.
"You're more annoying today than normal," Mary deadpanned at Tony.
"My uh... cousin moved in recently, and she insists I eat healthily."
"She hot?" Tony asked. He looked at Mary as if he was waiting for her to hit him. Surprisingly, she was looking at Sam awaiting an answer to Tony's question.
"I," Sam didn't appreciate the scrutinous looks, but it was own fault for saying anything in the first place. Why did he even mention that? There was no need for it. "Well, she's my cousin so I wouldn't know."
"Right... Well, I'll have to come and see this cousin of yours for myself someday soon." Tony said.
"No, you don't have to," Sam said, attempting to dissuade his friend.
The conversation would have continued, but Mitch opened the sliding glass door. "Hey! Break's over, get back to work already!"
They all looked at Mitch in surprise, then checked their phones. Their lunch break ended two minutes ago.
*** I Can't Believe She's Real. ***
When work finished, Sam tried to be the first one to leave. But again, Tony stopped him.
"Hey man, we're hitting the pub again. Come with us!"
Sam was halfway out the door. Fortunately, he prepared an excuse this time. "I can't, man; I promised my cousin that I'd watch anime with her."
Tony was unhappy with the answer, and for a second Sam thought there was going to be a confrontation.
"Saaaaam!" A familiar voice called out from down the hall. Sam felt his heart freeze. He slowly turned his head, unable to hide the shock on his face as Ahri ran down the hallway toward him. Thankfully, she was wearing jeans, but her top was more revealing than he'd like. Ahri lacked the markings on her face characteristic of the video game heroine, nor did she have her fluffy ears. Sam guessed she wanted to normalise herself - at least she had common sense. However, Sam hoped his co-workers would never meet the fox deity with whom he lived.
"Who's that?" Tony asked his friend while Ahri was still out of earshot.
"My... My cousin." Sam lied. What the hell is she doing here?!
"No way," Tony said and moved around Sam to get through the doorway. "She's real..." Tony stared in disbelief at the bombshell that stopped in front of him.
"What's going on?" Mary called out from the other side of the office as she gathered her things to leave.
Sam sheepishly smiled and replied: "My cousin is here."
"You mean she's real?!" Mary asked in shock.
"Yes!" Sam said, annoyed that neither of his friends believed he had a female cousin living with him even though Ahri wasn't his cousin.
"Umm... Hi, you must be Sam's friend Tony?" Ahri asked.
"U-uh, yeah, how do you know me?" Tony asked, furiously blushing as he struggled to avoid looking down at Ahri's chest.
"Oh, Sam's told me all about his friends. So, you're Tony... The voice I just heard must be Mary." Ahri moved up beside Tony, knowing what a view he'd have of her breasts as she peaked into the office. "Hi, Mary!"
"Hi..." Mary waved.
Tony averted his eyes just as Ahri stood up straight again.
"And there's also Mitch - Sam's boss and friend from college."
"Right," Tony nodded.
"Anyway, are you ready, Sam?" Ahri asked.
"Ready...?" Sam asked, unsure what the woman meant.
"To go! You were going to show me some anime today! I was in town shopping so I thought I'd ride home with you." To emphasise this, Ahri held up a bag of groceries in her right hand.
"Oh, uh, yeah! Of course." Sam said and walked out into the hallway with Tony and Ahri.
"I never got your name by the way," Tony said, extending a hand for the woman.
"Ahriya, but just call me Ahri," Ahri said, shaking the tall man's hand.
"Ahri, you should talk your cousin into coming with us for after-work drinks sometime. He's always turning me down! A guy can only handle rejection so many times, you know?" Tony looked at Sam as he said this.
"Oh, of course! Sam was telling me yesterday how he was planning on going out with you guys this weekend!" Ahri said, hiding a devious grin that she only allowed Sam to see.
"For real? That's great!" Mary said, having just left the office as well. The four of them stood in the hallway.
"Yep! But tonight, it's all anime for us cousins." Ahri said, grabbing Sam by the wrist to drag him away.
"Hey wait - what anime?" Tony asked before they could leave.
What was it again? Ahri thought. She could only remember the first part of the name. "BoBo!"
"BoBo's Strange Journey. Should have known, Sam loves that anime." Tony rolled his eyes. "Well, it looks like it's you and me again, Mary."
"Looks like," Mary agreed. "But this Friday, huh? It's been ages since we all drank together! I can't wait!"
*** Home Sweet Home. ***
After Sam showered and got into something more comfortable, he sat on the couch and rested his head against the lounge. "Thanks again for saving me back there."
"It's okay," Ahri said, as she began serving dinner.
"But how did you know...?"
"I just happened to be in the area..." Ahri said.
Sam stood up and took a seat at the table. "This looks and smells so good... Stew?"
"Yep! I've had it cooking slow and on low since you left for work. You won't even believe how tender the meat is."
Sam scooped up a block-shaped piece of meat and popped it in his mouth. "Mmmm..." He moaned as he chewed. "It falls apart in your mouth like it's melting..."
Ahri joined him and ate as well.
"Ahri... I'm not stupid." Sam said quietly.
"What? Why would you say that?" Ahri asked.
"I've seen you... do your thing before."
Ahri blushed, "Y-you have? You shouldn't peak on a girl when she's in the bath!"
It was Sam's turn to feel embarrassed. "Huh? What are you - N-no! That's not what I mean. I mean I've seen how you move things without touching them."
On several occasions, when Sam had either left for work or was asleep, Ahri performed chores using otherworldly powers. Sam witnessed these occurrences by accident. Or rather, Ahri was quite careless.
"You're not freaked out by that?" Ahri asked.
"Well... Yeah, I was, but I've come to trust you, you know?" The man felt awkward saying something so intimate, but he had grown fond of the woman.
Ahri smiled as a warm feeling came over her. "I'm a Fox Deity," she said, looking sheepishly at Sam.
"A Fox Deity? What does that mean?"
"Well... Every five hundred years the Fox Deity Event occurs. Like many other deities, my superiors assigned me to combat the darkness surrounding a specific individual."
"So there are others like you?" Sam asked, struggling to process the otherworldly confession.
"Yup! There are others like me."
"So... earlier, when you appeared at work, was that some power of yours?"
Ahri smiled, "Yeah. We deities possess unique powers individually but share similar capabilities as well. The ability to sense when my charge is in trouble - meaning you - all deities can do that.
"That's amazing... So we're like Kiznaivers."
Ahri smiled and dismissed yet another anime reference.
Sam recalled when they first met and realised how easily he accepted Ahri. He was glad to have a proper explanation finally, but he wanted to know more. "So what is the Darkness, exactly?"
Ahri shook her head, "Even I don't know what it is, but I can see it right now. It's like a black fog, clinging to you like a thick smog."
Sam flailed his arms around, "Did that do anything?"
Ahri giggled, "No, silly. You can't just wave it away. Stress and negative emotions cause the darkness, and as long as you feel those things, the Darkness will grow stronger.
Understanding the seriousness of the situation, Sam asked: "And what happens if the Darkness gets too strong?"
"That won't happen," Ahri said with finality, then smiled. "We won't let it."
After dinner, Sam rubbed his belly in content. "That was amazing, Ahri. That was the best meal I've had in a long time. The Darkness won't stand a chance if I get to eat food like that."
Ahri smiled as she collected their dishes and began washing them.
"I can help you with that," Sam said as he stood up.
"Don't be silly," Ahri said as she turned to face him, smiling still. "You work hard enough at your job. Just let me pamper you. I'm happy to do it!"
"Well... If you say so. I appreciate it, Ahri." As Ahri turned to continue cleaning the dishes, Sam returned to the couch and sat down. His Playstation 4 Pro beeped to life when he pressed the PS button on his controller. He scrolled through various games and apps on the screen until he found it. AnimeLab.
When Ahri finished cleaning, she sat beside Sam. She saw the TV screen was paused and asked Sam what he was doing.
"I was waiting for you," Sam said. "Watch this."
"Oh! This is anime, right?" Ahri asked.
"Not just any anime... The anime. I thought we might as well watch it for real since I used it as an excuse not to go out tonight."
Ahri nodded in understanding.
Sam occasionally looked at Ahri to see her reactions and grinned with excitement every time iconic scenes happened.
"Oh my god! The blonde guy is such a... Such a... Ugh! He's so mean!" Ahri said. She sounded genuinely angered by the character's antics. "Why would he hurt the poor dog like that?!"
Sam laughed harder than he had in a long time at the fox spirit's reactions. He couldn't remember the last time he enjoyed watching anime this much.
Ahri realised how late it was after the ninth episode. "We should call it a night..." She said, "But we need to watch more of this tomorrow... I love it."
Sam smiled happily, "Good! I'm glad."
The two soon lay in bed together with the lights off. It was silent for a few minutes before Ahri spoke.
"Sam... Why don't you want to go anywhere with your friends?"
Sam didn't reply half a minute, and Ahri assumed he was asleep.
"I just..." Sam sighed. "I don't know. I can't be bothered. I don't know how they can work all day and then go out and have fun and socialise. I can't do it."
"I'm sure you'd have fun if you tried..." Ahri said.
Sam did have fun with Mary and Tony, and even Mitch when he accompanied them. Yet the idea of going with them now didn't appeal to him at all. Several more seconds of silence passed. "I just want to relax at home." He finally said.
Ahri had been with Sam for more than a week now, and the shroud of darkness surrounding him had yet to disappear. Its presence was still quite powerful. "Well, unfortunately for you, Mister Hermit, you said you'd go with them this weekend."
"I never said that..." Sam said.
"You didn't - but Tony and Mary believe you did." Ahri sang the words.
Sam sighed, "Yeah... But you have to come with me then."
"What? Why?" Ahri asked.
"I don't know what to say to them outside of work," Sam then recalled his interactions with Tony and Mary during lunch breaks... and realised he couldn't hold a conversation with them there either.
"Alright, I'll come as well. But I can sense how strongly your friends feel for you. You're important to them, you know?"
Sam was quiet again. "I could always feign sickness to get out of it..."
More silence.
"If you go and have some drinks with them... I'll let you touch me anywhere you want when we get home." She whispered into his ear. Ahri smiled when she heard a loud swallow come from Sam's throat.
"A-anywhere?" Sam asked.
The fox spirit giggled as her enhanced senses allowing her to hear and feel the rate of Sam's heart increase. "Anywhere you want."
Sam exhaled loudly from his nostrils, and with determination, he said: "I'll party like a member of the diving club."
Ahri sighed, "Another anime reference?"
"Yep!" Sam said, triumphantly. "I have one more question..."
Ahri's ears flickered, "Hmm?"
"Why did you cosplay as Ahri?"
Ahri chuckled, "Oh, well... I noticed you played that game a lot, so I figured approaching you in guise of something you're familiar with was the best move."
"And your name also just happens to be Ahri?"
Ahri nodded her head in the affirmative.
"Well how about that," Sam said, scratching his jawline.
*** A Magical Breakfast. ***
Sam awoke to the smell of bacon. He looked at the time: 05:45. I'm going to be late for work!
Sam got up and followed the aroma that almost made him drool in anticipation. Sure enough, Ahri was in the kitchen - and she meant business.
"Wow," Sam said as he laid eyes upon the table. There were four plates in the centre of the table: one plate had pancakes stacked atop one another like a tower, another had layers of crispy-looking bacon, there was one with eggs cooked in different styles; fried, poached, boiled, scrambled, and the last plate had buttered toast. Ahri then placed two more plates on the table for him and herself to eat off.
"This looks incredible..." Sam said, honestly taken aback by the breakfast feast before him.
"Oh! Good morning!" Ahri said as she poured orange juice into a glass next to his plate.
"Good morning," he said in return. "You uh... I don't even know what to say." Sam said as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
"Good! Because you should be eating, not talking!" Ahri chuckled.
"I don't know if I have time, I've gotta get a train to -"
Ahri cut him off, "Nope! Not today. It's okay if you're a few minutes late, Sam. You need to eat."
"But I -"
"Nuh-uh! Sit, and eat!" Ahri ordered.
Sam surrendered, pulled back a chair and sat down. "There's... so much here, there's no way I, er, we can eat all this."
"Don't worry; I can use my magic to freeze whatever you don't eat," Ahri said casually.
Sam looked at Ahri to gauge whether she was serious or not. "Right, of course, you can. Another power."
The two of them ate together. Sam would never have imagined someone as gorgeous as Ahri could stuff their face so shamelessly.
"What?" Ahri asked, her face turning red when she noticed Sam's eyes on her.
"Nothing," Sam said. He guessed he made her self conscious, as he noticed her wiping her mouth to clear the maple syrup, butter, and bacon grease from her chin. He pretended not to see, wisely keeping his eyes down at his food.
When Sam had his fill, there was still more than half of the food left.
"You're finished?" Ahri asked and stood up.
Sam nodded, "It was delicious. Thank you."
"You don't need to be so formal, Sam," The fox deity said.
Sam nervously smiled. He didn't know how to act around the woman.
"So you must be dying to see me use my magic, right?" Ahri asked with a prideful expression on her face.
"Uh... Yeah." Sam said, noting her excitement.
The woman held her hands over the food and began moving them around slowly. The act reminded Sam of homeless people warming their hands by a fire barrel.
"There we go," Ahri said. "All done!"
"Huh? That's it?" Sam thought nothing even happened. He sceptically reached toward the food, but Ahri slapped his hand away.
"You can't touch it! It's there, but it's not there." Ahri opened the trash can between the kitchen bench and the fridge, retrieved the wrapping paper the bacon came in and scrunched it up into a ball. She gave the rubbish to Sam, "Here - throw it at the food."
Sam took the ball of rubbish and lazily tossed it at the stack of pancakes. The paper disappeared as if an invisible forcefield disintegrated it. There was no sound, and no trace of the rubbish remained. "What the - what happened to it?" Sam asked in astonishment.
"Hmhmhmhm~!" Ahri giggled smugly. "The food is preserved in time. It will stay hot and safe to eat for as long as you like. When I remove the time-field, it will be as if no time passed since you stopped eating."
"That's amazing!" Sam exclaimed. Sleepiness had long passed from his features. "But wait, that doesn't explain the paper disappearing."
"Anything that interferes with something preserved in a time-field is removed from existence..."
Sam noticed a far-away expression on the fox's face. "Are you okay?"
"Mhm!" Ahri nodded, the solemness gone.
Sam had other questions - he wondered what else Ahri could do. He watched a lot of anime and played hundreds of different video games in his life. Usually, anything relating to stopping time was considered insanely over-powered.
-
*** Friday, The After Party. ***
Sam and Ahri linked arms the entire train ride back, singing the song that played on the jukebox earlier. They sang 'Chandelier' quite poorly and earned dirty looks from some of the other passengers. Ahri was the recipient of leering gazes as her breasts nearly spilled out of her top. Sam mustn't have noticed, because he was too busy trying to get the high note on the song.
The two stumbled into Sam's apartment. Ahri giggled as a neighbour shouted 'shut up!' when Sam again tried singing the high note of Chandelier while locking the front door.
"What a night!" Sam exclaimed as he walked to the fridge, "I wish I had more beer..."
"I knew you'd have fun!" Ahri said, "I haven't partied like that in so long..."
"I didn't know fox spirits partied at all!" Sam laughed, recalling Ahri's antics through the night.
Ahri joined in the laughter and keeled over in the middle of the kitchen. "You and Tony were... were so stupid!" She gasped, "You guys argued over the silliest things! And poor Mary just looked at me like 'yeah, they're like this all the time.'"
Sam grinned. "I'm glad I went. I haven't had fun like that in a long time."
Ahri noticed the darkness that surrounded Sam had faded considerably, but it was still there. "Remember our deal?" She asked, sitting up.
Sam observed the playful look on the fox spirit's visage and swallowed. "Yeah..."
Ahri stood up and slowly walked toward Sam, who closed the fridge. "So where do you want to touch me, Sam?" She asked, stopping just as her breasts press up against his chest.
Sam felt like a mouse caught in a predator's gaze. He hadn't had a lay in a good while, but his drunken mind paid to focus to that fact. "Give me an IOU," Sam said.
Ahri thought about that for a moment, then pressed herself up against him even more. One of her breasts spilled out of her top, and the fleshy mounds squished against his chest. "Are you suuuuure?"
"Yeah," Sam said, swallowing quietly. He was too drunk to enjoy touching Ahri anyway. And besides, he was starting to like her. What if they did something tonight and had to suffer through awkwardness from the next day onward?
Ahri was disappointed. She was feeling frisky, and part of her thought sex could be an effective method of combating the Darkness trying to consume Sam. But she had to respect his wishes.
Sam drifted off to sleep quickly when the two of them lay down twenty minutes later.
Ahri had trouble sleeping, though, and watched as the Darkness surrounding Sam festered, even as he slept. What am I going to do? She thought. I've been here for three weeks already, and it feels like I've made no progress at all. If only he didn't have to work so much...
A light bulb flickered in Ahri's mind then, and she knew what had to do.
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