[F10/SP] Kagayaku's Training Regime | <<Training Your Friend>>

[Zenshu 0]

Zenshu awoke in a cramped position, his left arm feeling as if it had been twisted in unnatural directions throughout the entirety of his resting. His sleep had been almost as painful, filled with dreams that he’d prefer to never revisit if given the opportunity. Sighing, he’d pulled himself up into a seated position on the cot, his eyes travelling to the small fox, laid out on the comfortable bed that Zenshu had made himself for the companion.

“Hopefully your rest was more pleasant than my own. You look well rested enough…which is good! We have big plans for today, plans that I think you’d going to enjoy! Or, at least I hope you’re going to enjoy them…” He smiled at Kagay, trying to instill the enthusiasm that he doubted that the fox was feeling. The little critter seemed to stare back at Zenshu with a hesitant appearance, as if curious what Zenshu had planned, but apprehensive about the activities themselves. “But before we do any of that, we need some food! How about we get some breakfast, and then we can focus on the whole fun day activities after that?”

Unsurprisingly the small fox leaped at the mention of food, the apprehension and concern over the day’s possible events tossed aside as it realised that a meal was to be had. Zenshu couldn’t help but smile at the sudden flip in behaviour, almost envious of the carefree attitude that the small creature was able to display. Likely as much Cardinal’s doing, as the actual behaviour of animals…it would be truly simple to simply overwrite behaviour, as part of the game…to make these companions appear carefree, or happy, or sad…and then sudden change with the will of the…master? No, that sounds wrong…friend?

He shrugged physically in response to the question in his mind, deciding that there were more important things to deal with now than the question of companionship and titles. Rising to his feet, he found himself having to dodge the small fox interweaving between his steps as he made his way to the kitchen, the entire experience bringing laughter to his small shop as he struggled by.

 

 

 

  

Statblock

Spoiler Notes [Theme] Zenshu | Lv. 11 | P. 0 | HP [220/220] | EN [40/40] | ACC [3] | DMG [7] | EVA [2] | MIT [12] | REGEN [4] | RISKY [+1 BD] | L.Momentum [+1 B.DMG] | LD [3] | Stealth Detect [+3] Tier 2 Equipped Shadow [One-Handed Straight Sword | Tier 2] Enhancement: Damage[1 Slot] Enhancement: Accuracy [2 Slots]  Light Blue Samue [Clothing | Tier 2] Enhancement: Evasion [1 Slot] Enhancement: Light Momentum [1 Slot] Light Blue Haori [Cloth Armour | Tier 2] Enhancement: Evasion [1 Slot] Enhancement: Regen [1 Slot] Enhancement: Risky [1 Slot] Battle-Ready Inventory Starter Healing Potions {5} | Heals 50 HP Uncommon Healing Potion {1} | Tier 1 | HP Recovery I Uncommon Damage Potion {1} | Tier 1 | Damage I Uncommon Overhealth Potion {1} | Tier 1 | Overhealth I Skills Spoiler Utility Skills Searching [Rank: 3. Active: Passive. Effect: +1 LD per rank. +1 to Stealth Detection per rank.] [Searching Mod] Night Vision [Active: Passive. Effect: Ignores any penalties from low light or darkness. Negates the bonus Stealth Rating from low light or darkness.] Combat Skills N/A Weapon Skills Straight Sword [Rank: 3. Active: Passive. Effect: +5 DMG] Armour Skills Cloth Armour [Rank: 3. Active: Passive. Effect: 12 MIT. Your mitigation is capped at 1 equipment slots.] [Cloth Armour Mod] Athletics [Active: Passive. Effect: Gain +1 base Damage.] Active Extra Skills N/A Inactive Extra Skills  N/A Combat Mastery Accuracy [Rank: 1. Active: Passive. Effect: Gain +1 to BD per rank. Ranks of this Skill obey Accuracy enhancement caps.] Familiar Skills N/A Sword Arts Spoiler [x6] ST-I (6 EN) | A single-target sword art. [x5] AOE-I (5 + 2 * targets EN) | AOE | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once. [x6] TECH-A (7 EN) | STUN | A single-target sword art that stuns an enemy. Estate Buffs Spoiler N/A

 

 

Edited March 12 by Zenshu

[Zenshu 0]

Zenshu quietly focused on grilling a collection of various meats that he had bought at the market earlier in the day - an assortment of cattle, fish and something that vaguely resembled a chicken - or so he'd been told. He'd calmly, and quite happily if he was being honest, decided to trust the vendor in their descriptions. At least it smells like chicken. The majority of the meats had a scent similar to what he would've expected in the real world; not quite perfect, but close enough that he felt he could confused his senses into believing it.

"Alright, are we hungry? Oh, you do look hungry!" The small fox had begun to bounce on it's hind legs in anticipation of the food, and Zen found himself laughing in response. As soon as a piece was ready, he pulled it off the grill and held it up for the fox to see, a smile on his face as he held up his right hand. "Alright, you want this? Come on and sit for me!"

The fox seemed to eye the piece of meat for a few seconds, before making a leap for the piece. Zen wretched his hand back at the last second, just barely pulling away from the leaping critter at his feet, which had collapsed in a pile of paws and tail, an angry flick of the latter denoting it's displeasure with the resulting outcome. "Ah, ah, ah! I'll give it to you, but you need to sit first! Come on, I know you can do it!"

[Zenshu 0]

Zen knew it would've been a miracle if the fox had taken the directive and immediately sat down upon the command being received, and he found himself shaking his head in amusement as the creature flitted around his feet instead. It's intention was clear, and as it began jumping up for the treat once more, Zen placed the piece of meat back onto the counter - well out of reach of the smaller critter. Making a tsking sound, he instead turned back to the other cooking meats, confirming that none had burnt during his minor distraction from their preparation, his usual smile back in place as he focused on the task at hand.

"You know, this would go a lot easier and faster if you worked with me...I mean, I know it's all new to you and a lot to take in, but I think we can do this if we work together! It shouldn't be too hard to figure out, right? And I mean...it's just a bit of training! I think you can do it. Let me just..." He transferred a few more pieces onto the plate upon the top of the counter before turning off the burner and turning his attention back to Kagay. Leaning against the countertop itself, he picked up the plate and held it up for the fox to see, before placing it back upon the counter. "Alright, so here's the deal. You and I are gonna spend the day working on some basic tricks...and then maybe some other stuff that may come up as we go - I'm hoping that maybe we can even get you some skills that may help us both out in the long run...I was thinking maybe a skill that would let you help around the shop? Or maybe a searching basic skill...so you can find treasures and stuff."

He glanced down towards the fox, noticing - not for the first time - the signs of intellect and understanding in the creature's eyes. He couldn't deny the fact that there were signs of the intelligence that should be expected of a companion within the creature. Almost all at once, he felt himself nod and his smile widen ever so slightly in response to the realisation. "See? I knew we'd be in agreement! Alright so...let's start with a few basic tricks, like sitting down...maybe asking for something...some basic manners stuff, yeah? Then we can move on to the more difficult stuff. Although I wouldn't call it difficult really, more just...you know, the less easy stuff!"

[Zenshu 0]

Exactly how much the fox understood was a question that Zen found he couldn't answer, at least not in the current moment. Instead, he turned his mind towards other concepts and ideas. He knew, from his own experiences in the real world, that training animals was a lot more difficult than basic media made it appear. It required time, patience, and a selective attention to detail - all things that he knew he had, at least in a moderation. Still, he figured that planning something out would be the best way to achieve his goal - and although the quest itself would likely be relatively easy enough to complete, he knew that Cardinal tended to enjoy throwing hooks and curves into the mix in order to slow or limit the progress of events that should be otherwise easily overcome.

"So...here's what I'm thinking. Let's keep it relatively basic, yeah? Rather than beating - err...sorry, bad word choice there. Rather than hounding? Is that better? Rather than hounding in a bunch of different tricks and concepts...maybe let's focus on some minor ones. We can work on sit...that one's easy enough, yeah? And maybe we can work on come...or heel might be better? Yeah, heel. That's for coming back!" Zen had the odd feeling that the eyes watching him were somehow taking in all of the information he was providing, as if processing what it should be doing, without any actual contextual direction. It reminded him of the fact that Kagay, in reality, was little more than a computer program - and yet somehow the small fox felt like something more. "Those should be enough for now. Aside from that, we can focus on what's going to really help out around here...which I guess I should figure out. Hmm...well, as much as it would be great to have you help around the shop...finding treasures and stuff might be interesting..."

He tried to remember all of the options that the quest had provided, thinking over which would suit him best compared to the others that were available. All the while he felt Kagay at his feet, starring up at him with a watchful eye. As an off-hand, he threw a single piece of meat towards the small critter, which was caught in mid-air with little effort. Zen smiled slightly at the action, humoured by the ease with which it moved. "Maybe I'll just let you choose, what do you think about that? Once we get to it, we can figure out what you want to do. For now, basics. I think that's the best bet, yes?"

[Zenshu 0]

With his plans laid out, Zen knew there was nothing more to do other than to simply try some training. Pushing off slightly from the counter, he lifted another piece of the meat that the fox had been eyeing while Zen had been making his deliberations. Immediately the small eyes followed it, their attention locked on the food that hung in the air, taunting it. Slowly, Zen moved his other hand upwards, holding the palm outwards in a calm manner and staring at Kagay with an intense focus.

"Alright, Kagay. You want this? Sit. Sit. Siiitt." The fox looked up at Zen, as if trying to figure out what the man wanted, it's eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and a desire to receive the edible that was being hung before it. Sighing slightly, Zen realised that he would have to somehow show the creature what it was supposed to do, in a way that it would understand what was wanted of it. Calmly, considering the situation, he tried to figure out exactly how to go about the training that needed to be done. "How would you show a fox...or a dog...how to sit? Maybe by...forcing them to do it? I mean, how else are they going to learn other than...yeah, okay...gently..."

He reached out with his foot, placing it upon the back end of the fox and pushing down slightly in an attempt to force it towards the ground. Even as he did so, he kept his hand upwards with the palm outwards, repeating the command in an oddly acrobatic attempt to teach the companion, hoping that his efforts weren't going to be wasteful. "You just...need to...sit...and then we're good to go here..."

---

ID219946 | CD: 10 | Result: Success! [1/3]

 

[Zenshu 0]

Something seemed to click within the mind of Kagay, and almost instantly it slammed it's rear end into the ground, wagging the tail behind it like a dog as it waited for it's reward. Caught by surprise, Zen was a few seconds delayed on tossing the meat into the reach of the fox, smiling broadly as he realised the success that he'd just had with the training attempt. The fox chewed for a few moments before swallowing the piece, and looking up expectantly for more of the meats - which it could likely smell on the counter behind Zen.

"Oh, awesome! You managed that! Well done, Kagay! Well done indeed!" Elation filled the words of Zen's compliments, and he found his companion's excitement radiating in response. Kagay let out a small yip of excitement, and soon enough it was bouncing on the floor in anticipation for whatever was going to happen next. Zen took a few moments to revel in the success of their first training attempt, as proud of Kagay as he was himself. "Alright let's try that again - Kagay, sit!"

The fox reacted instantly, sitting before the man as it waited for the treat in response. Zen wasted no time, tossing another piece in order to try and instill a sense of understanding into the creature, knowing that repetition would be the best bet for ensuring the success of the training. He was happy with the results - in fact, they'd come along a lot faster than he had expected - but he knew there was still quite a ways to go with the entire process. "We've managed a good step here, Kagay. But there's still a bit more to go - let's do this a few more times before we move on to something else, yeah?"

[Zenshu 0]

The training regime had been going impressively well, so much so that Zenshu quickly found himself without anything more to focus on. He'd decided to give the two of them a small break, pulling out a collection of salted meats, cheeses and bread slices to consume for a makeshift luncheon. Kagay had somehow seemed happier as the training had progressed, a sign that Zen hadn't ignored, but hadn't truly had an answer for when he'd originally considered it. As he'd sat and munched on his lunch pieces, watching the small fox with the questions burning in his mind, he'd come to the realisation that perhaps it was the fact that the small critter had something to do.

"I guess, like me, you need a purpose, yeah?" The fox had given a chirp in response to the question, which Zen had taken as a form of agreement. He'd pressed no further onto the topic, accepting the commentary - or lack thereof - as proof that he had stumbled upon the answer. If nothing else, it was an easy way of coming to terms with the change in the fox's behaviour, even if it wasn't the absolute answer to it all. "Just another sign that you and I were meant to be together, isn't it Kagay? We're alike in many ways, you and I...although if that's a good thing or not I guess we'll find out!"

Zen grinned as the fox eyed him with a blank stare. He figured that Kagay was less than impressed with the presumption that there would be something bad about their likeness, although there was no direct emotion in the creature's face that would give away such a belief or understanding. Still, Zen felt that there was something there that made it clear to him, and he found he couldn't deny the idea - even if there were no visible signs of it. When you know, you just know...and I guess that's all there is to it.

[Zenshu 0]

"I guess we should really figure out what it is you and I are going to work on together, shouldn't we?" Zenshu leaned forwards towards the small fox siting nearby, folding his hands slightly in front of him as he spoke. He'd been putting off the conversation for some time now, preferring instead to focus on the fun tricks and commands that they'd been working on during the past hour or two, but he knew that he would eventually have to decide upon their final purpose in the entire training regime. "As much fun as it is to work on all of this...well, the entire point of this training is to eventually get to a point where you and I can work in tandem on...whatever it is we decide that you should be a master of, and there's a lot of options..."

He pulled up the menu and scrolled through the list again, noticing that the skills ranged from everything related to combat and conflict, right up to helping with his daily crafting chores. He'd originally thought about making the decision by himself, and guiding Kagay down the path of the skill set like he would any other familiar in a video game, but something about the fox's behaviours and normalcy had put aside any desire to do that. It felt wrong, somehow, to force the creature to do his bidding. They were meant to be a team, as far as Zen was concerned, which meant that he would have to treat Kagay as a teammate. Which also meant that he would have to make the decision with Kagay, not for the small fox. Something that he was determined to do, now.

[Zenshu 0]

"Alright, Kagayaku-kun, here's the thing. We need to decide what it is you're going to focus on for training. There's a few options here...well, actually, more than a few, but I want to know what it is you think would be best. We're a team here, which means we need to work on this together as a team. That means that you get some input into this decision too!" Zenshu spun the menu so that the small fox could look at it, before wondering if the creature could even read. A few seconds of silence passed, before he sighed in sudden realisation of what he'd just done. "Right, my bad...I forgot that reading is probably...anyways. How about this, I list off a bunch of skills, one by one, and when you hear one that sounds good, you squeak and stand up a bit? Does that work?"

The fox gave a small squeak of agreement, and Zenshu found himself smiling again. They'd managed to, if barely, communicate between the two of them, and he found that there was a small part of him that was overly impressed with the success that meant for their relationship. If nothing else, it confirmed for Zenshu that the small creature was capable of not only understanding what he was saying, but processing and acknowledging it - and of having it's own opinion. That just cements in the idea that I need to do this as a team. Kagay isn't just a computer program...it has it's own thoughts and feelings too. Something that I can't ever forget, or I'll be no better than the Cardinal system that has us trapped here, and the people who made it.

"Alright...let's take a look through and see what we've got here, then..." Zen smiled as he began reciting the various options available to the two of them, Kagay's face locked on his own as the fox's ears twitched with each new skill and explanation.

[Zenshu 0]

He'd hit the end of the list without any response from the fox, and Zenshu found himself staring between the menu before him, and the creature to his side. Seconds slowly passed into a full minute, and while the fox remained staring at him, he had eventually been forced to give up and repeat the list. It hadn't taken long before Kagay had given it's squeak of approval towards the second skill on the list - one which Zenshu had originally passed over as being less than important, all things considered.

"Hunting...huh. I hadn't really considered that one, but now that you point it out...yeah, that's actually really good. A great idea, Kagay! Alright...then we just need to set about working on hunting stuff down. The way I read this...it sounds kinda like you're finding things...so maybe we should do something where I hide a bunch of stuff, and you go look for it and bring it back to me? Would that work?" He'd been talking to himself towards the end, but as the fox gave a sudden chirp of excitement, and began bouncing on the spot, Zenshu found himself shaking his head in laughter. "Alright! Alright! You made your point, we'll make you a small scavenger hunt. I'm sure I've got enough stuff here we could use..."

He collected a few loose items - a ball of thread, a few thimbles, a collection of coins that he had found during his travels - before turning back to the fox suddenly. "Alright...you go into the closet for a few moments while I had this stuff, yeah? And no peaking! That ruins the point behind all of this. You're not supposed to know where the stuff is!"

ID221309 | CD: 7 | Result: Success! [2/3]

Edited April 4 by Zenshu

[Zenshu 0]

He'd checked numerous times to ensure that Kagay had entered the closet as directed, surprised to find that the fox had done so willingly. Somehow, whether it was his own mistrust or due to the simple thought that the fox would be worried about the consequences of such an action, Zenshu had thought that it would put up more of a fight regarding being delegated to the closet. Instead, it had waited diligently as Zenshu had moved around the small shop, placing the treasures in various hiding places as quickly and quietly as he could. He doubted that it was going to stop the fox for anything more than a measly amount of moments, but there was a thrill to the action itself - one which he had been surprised to feel.

"Alright Kagay! I'm done out here, you can come out and get started as soon as you're ready!" He called from the main room, deciding that it would be best to remain directly in the centre of it all, rather than go and find the fox. Almost immediately the small white, black and orange nose of his companion had appeared, sniffing at the air as if trying to follow the scent of a desired snack. "So, the rules of the game are...I'm going to stand here, and you need to find all the pieces I hid. Once you find one, bring it to me for inspection and confirmation - and if you get it right, that's a treat earned!"

He took a collection of treats out of his pocket, showing them to the fox from a distance. "There's eight treats here, so eight things to find. If you can find them all...you get all the treats! But anything you miss, or I have to find for you, means you lose a treat. Got it? Oh, and if you bring me the wrong item, that's a treat lost too."

[Zenshu 0]

He settled into a seated position as Kagay began moving around the room, it's nose poking into various areas as it began it's search. Zenshu watched with curiosity as Kagay moved passed a number of the items that he had placed, clearly having spotted them and yet leaving them untouched for a time being. He focused on his own breathing, careful not to let slip any signs of recognition as the fox came close, or encountered one of the items - not wanting to corrupt or affect the training in any negative way.

Moments had passed, with Zenshu watching in a passive, interested way, before Kagay had retrieved the first item. The fox trotted over to where Zenshu had been sitting, carrying a small thimble in it's mouth and a look of genuine happiness in it's eyes. Zenshu took the thimble, holding it up to the light as he inspected it in a calm, patient manner. He took time to examine the piece, wanting to make the fox wait and not provide it with immediate satisfaction from the reward it was about to get. In response, Kagay stared at Zenshu, an impatience in it's eye, and yet a determination to remain still until he had finished his inspection clear in it's form.

"Perfectly done, Kagay. Alright, here you go!" He handed out one of the treats, which the fox took gingerly before turning away and heading towards it's little bed in the corner. Zenshu watched in curiosity as the fox stored the treat on the bed, before heading off in search of more pieces. "Saving it for later...smarter than you seem, Kagay. I'm impressed!"

[Zenshu 0]

Kagay had spent the better part of a half hour sniffing the remainder of the shop, bringing no further items to Zenshu as it seemed to check every area. For a while, Zenshu had watched in amazement and curiosity at the thoroughness that the fox was taking, but as time slowly dragged on, he found himself becoming restless. He knew that he couldn't leave the area - that would signify something disastrous for the fox's training regime, he knew, but he also found that he was unable to simply watch any further.

In order to attempt to compromise, Zenshu opened up his menu and began sorting through his inventory, checking his stocks and materials as he awaited the return of the fox. A small nudge from his side had pulled his attention, and he looked down to find another thimble being placed on his lap - this one encircled with a green band that Zenshu had added when hiding it, in order to mark it as one of the pieces. He smiled in response, giving the fox it's treat, and a quick scratch on the head before it had headed off in search of the next piece.

"This is going well so far...but I wonder if this is actually going to prepare you to use the skill itself..." Zenshu turned back to his menu, letting time pass through his own monitoring as the fox continued to search the room for the various pieces that he had left laid out.

[Zenshu 0]

He'd managed to completely organise everything he owned before Kagay had found the next piece, something that had both caused him concern, as well as a bit of comfort. It was clear that the small fox was taking it's time to complete the task it had been given, and Zenshu had an odd feeling that it was a measure of respect that the fox was showing. Or at least, something that he could apply the idea of respect towards; an ideal that made it seem like the fox was being considerate and thorough.

"Still...you don't need to take all night to find the items that I hid. I mean, unless you're really struggling with it..." The small fox seemed to shake itself at Zenshu's words, turning immediately and heading towards one of the locations it had initially sniffed out and pulling free a small bundle of thread that Zenshu had placed behind one of the cabinets. With an almost direct attitude, it had walked back over to Zenshu, depositing the thread before him as if in defiance, before waiting on Zenshu's response.

"Hmm...what if I told you this wasn't one of the pieces?" He waited just long enough after mentioning it to make the fox appear to deflate slightly, as if suddenly concerned that it had failed in it's task. Zenshu almost laughed, managing to hold back the sound with extreme effort. "Well, that would be incorrect if I told you that. Well done, Kagay! There's only a few more left...think you can find them all in the next few minutes?"

[Zenshu 0]

The trick had worked, to a degree, as Kagay had begun racing around the room in search of the hidden pieces. Zenshu found himself once more trying not to laugh as the small fox frantically ran, grabbed, and deposited piece after piece before him, as if suddenly believing there was a time limit associated with it's chance of success. He'd almost raised his voice to stop the fox, before realising that it may be more beneficial to allow it to search in earnest, considering that it had relaxed and taken it's time before.

Perhaps it's not a bad thing to have both sides of the coin practiced...both calm, careful searching...as well as a bit of franticness. You never know what we'll encounter out there, right? Smiling to himself, Zenshu leaned back against the wall he had settled down on and waited for Kagay to finish it's search. Not that it took long, as the final piece was deposited before him with a small thump, the fox staring up in pride at what it had accomplished in it's short period of time. 

Zenshu was careful to sort through the deposited pieces, making no comment as he sorted them into various piles, moving with a balanced slowness, designed to be just pauseful enough to show that he was taking an inspection of each piece, while not being needlessly hesitant or delaying in their efforts. After he had sorted each piece, he leaned back against the wall, folding his hands on his lap and looking at Kagay earnestly. "Well..."

ID221556 | CD: 11 | Result: Success! [3/3]

[Zenshu 0]

The smile split across his face as he paused, pushing the seconds further and further out. It didn't take long for the agitation to show in the fox's small movements; the way Kagay's eyes narrowed slightly, the curl of the very corner of it's lip, even the small twitching of it's tail. Zenshu was careful not to press it too far, clasping his hands together suddenly and continuing where he had left off with a cheerful tone. "...you found everything, perfectly. I'm so proud of you, Kagay! You did an amazing job! I mean, really, I know you found it all a while ago, and were just making secondary...and maybe tertiary...rounds to ensure that you had everything right, but you did wonderfully!"

Kagay's chirps of excitement filled the room as it seemed to bounce on the spot, a sudden change in it's behaviour as it turned from agitation to excitement and thrill. Zenshu found himself laughing alongside his familiar's celebration, unable to contain himself any longer as the energy filled him. He let the fox bounce around for a while, unconcerned as he realised just how far they had come together in such a short amount of time. He could feel the warmth within him as it raced around; the energy from it's excitement a visible mirror of Zenshu's own. 

"Look at how we did today...and think of how much more we can do together, Kagay. I mean, the world is open to us, and I don't think it's going to hold us back." Although he muttered it to himself, he was sure the fox could hear every word, even though it didn't look his way.

[Zenshu 0]

Zenshu and Kagay's celebration didn't last overtly long, with the fox eventually calming enough to contain it's bouncing. Zenshu wondered if there was anything more to focus on with the fox's training, but his thoughts were interrupted as a confirmation of the quest's completion appeared before him. Almost in surprise, Zenshu had cleared away the message, glancing towards Kagay with a soft smile in his eyes, and a large grin on his face.

"Well, looks like we completed the quest. We can pick out your actual skill in a bit...for now, why don't we take some time to truly celebrate this success?" He moved over to the door, turning and glancing back at the fox as he waited for Kagay to join him. "It's all great and fun to bounce around and show our excitement in here...but what do you say to going out to eat for once? I mean, I think you earned it, don't you? After everything we accomplished here today, I would feel bad if we didn't do something...so what do you say, should we go get some actual cooked...well, well cooked, food? Something that I haven't made?"

Kagay's form rushed over to him, chirping in further excitement at the prospect of going out to eat. A fact that made Zenshu laugh in response, for he knew that it wasn't a matter of bad cooking on his part, but rather a simple desire for something different that inspired the fox's sudden burst of energy and movement. Pulling open the door, he gave a single glance back towards the small piles that he had made, aware that he would have to put them away once they returned, but unconcerned for the moment about that prospect.

[Zenshu 0]

They'd settled into a booth in a nearby restaurant once they had reached the sixth floor. One that offered a collection of local foods, varying between land-based meats, seafoods, and vegetables grown somewhere on the floor. Zenshu had made the decision to head down to the small village of Krycim, knowing that their home floor had nothing to offer in means of edibles and goods. The location had been one that he had stumbled across some time ago, and he'd been meaning to try it out.

"Today seems like the best possible day to come here, right Kagay? I mean, it's not often we go out to eat, but...with today's success, I think it's worth doing." Kagay gave a soft chirp in agreement with Zenshu's comment, confirming what the man had already considered and suggested. Zenshu had, upon arriving, decided to hold no limits with their celebration, ordering one of every dish he could think of that Kagay would enjoy. He leaned back into the booth's seat as they waited for their food to arrive, looking at the familiar that he had only recently met, and yet somehow felt truly connected with. "It almost feels like we've known each other forever...doesn't it, Kagay? I mean, it's not like we met that long ago, and yet I can't imagine a day without you by my side. Is that weird?"

[Zenshu 0]

Kagay's expression appeared almost confused to Zenshu as he'd muttered the statement. As much as he'd like to think that the fox was confused, or perhaps even hurt, at the concept of them not having known each other forever, Zenshu knew there was likely another answer to the companion's expression. A reaction which told him that the fox didn't quite feel the same, in a way. Not that Zenshu blamed it - he was aware that it was still just a digital creation; something that was a part of Cardinal, and thus was capable of telling apart the amount of time they'd spent together - perhaps far better than Zenshu himself ever could.

"Ah, here we go!" As the first few plates were placed on the table, Zenshu's smile broadened. He watched in delight as Kagay carefully nosed through the selection, trying various options, and yet never devouring the dish in entirety. It took a few moments before Zenshu realised what the fox was doing, leaving behind portions that Zenshu himself could eat. He felt a pang in his chest at the compassion that the creation was showing, and silently swore to himself that he would protect Kagay, just as it would likely protect him. 

"It's going to be interesting, going forwards, don't you think Kagay?" The words were muttered, and yet Zenshu had no doubts that Kagay heard them. It paused only briefly in it's meal, staring at Zenshu with a pointed look that spoke to the meaning behind it's eyes. There was neither agreement nor disagreement there, and yet Zenshu thought he saw a promise in them. "Yeah, me too buddy. Me too."

[Zenshu 0]

They'd spent nearly three hours at the small restaurant, trying a variety of menu items. Eventually the staff had been kind enough to offer small, sample pieces at a lower price, something that had come as a shock to Zenshu. He'd had no qualms paying the full price, but he had to admit that it had been nice to receive the smaller portions, allowing them to taste test more as the night went on. When they had eventually left, he'd made a promise to the shop owner to return, noting the enjoyment that they'd found in each and every dish.

"It really was a nice place, wasn't it Kagay? We should definitely go back there one day...although I'm afraid I may have to make a bit more before we do! The bill definitely hurt a little bit." He laughed as Kagay gave a small chirp of disappointment, knowing that it would be some time before they could try out the food once more. Zenshu chuckled to himself further as he realised that a good portion of his funds were going to be diverted towards feeding the small creature. And yet, he found himself not upset by the fact.

As they made their way back to their temporary home, he realised that there was a lot more he would need to do to provide a decent life for the two of them, including finding a better place to live, instead of the small shop he owned and operated out of for business. Alright, for both our sakes, I'll work hard to make everything work out. I can do this...and so can you, Kagay!

---

 

Thread Summary

Word Count: 5,982
1,496 EXP | 1,196 [5,982/10x2x1] + 300 [Quest]
400 col [Thread Progression]
Familiar Skill [Hunting Familiar]