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5/9/2025, 2:07:42 AM
>95
You gripped your sword hilt, a decade of training betraying your temptation to use it. But as you watched your fellow acolyte writhing and lashing out in panic…
Your hand loosened, allowing your sword to fall into the dirt, and took a careful step forward. You then raised your hands, palms facing outward to show that you possessed no weapons, and meant no harm.
Mercy didn't appear to register this, but you still felt it necessary to lead with that. By now, the colorful, shifting flames were beginning to crawl their way up your arms and back. You watched in numb horror, and maybe a bit of amazement.
They were beautiful. Harmless, really. You weren’t even sure how something like this could be useful in the modern day, where there was barely an unlit street to speak of. But…it was also a part of you.
A new ability to master. That was all.
You closed your eyes, breathed in deep through your nose, and took another step towards Mercy. And then another. And another.
On your fourth step, you felt a bolt of cloth whipping past your face hard and fast enough to slice your flesh. You felt a tiny trickle of blood, but nothing serious. You could probably heal that in less than a minute.
You could hear Shaggy calling out to you, but you chose to ignore him. More alarming, was the sound of Walker pulling back the hammer on his hand cannon. He didn't fire, but you could tell he was ready to.
“It's okay.” you whispered, opening your arms to her. You threw them around the cloth creature, embracing both her and the illusory flames. “I'm here.”
Now fully engulfed, you thought you could detect a vague sense of heat or warmth from what must’ve looked like a blazing inferno to any outsider.
Normally, that sort of information wouldn't have told you anything important, but you also thought you could feel that very same heat radiating from your skin. In fact, it felt like it was practically pouring out of you.
When you tried to draw this heat back into yourself, you only succeeded in making your chest feel warmer. On instinct, you exhaled abruptly, and the Kitsunebi fluctuated almost immediately. Within only seconds, the foxfire went out completely, and Mercy immediately threw herself over you like a blanket. It reminded you of when you used to hide under the covers as a kid.
“Don't worry. You're safe.” you reassured her.
“I…I am sorry…I” Mercy said in a shaky voice. It sounded like it was coming from all directions.
You quickly shushed her before she could start panicking again.
“I told you, it's fine. We all have something we're afraid of.” you said, grateful for the blanket to cover up your indecency. “The foxfire surprised me too.”
You stared down at your hands.
“I think I can control it. I don’t think it can hurt you like real fire, but I don’t blame you if you don't want to be worn by me anymore. It's because of me that you were out there dodging fireballs in the first place.”
You gripped your sword hilt, a decade of training betraying your temptation to use it. But as you watched your fellow acolyte writhing and lashing out in panic…
Your hand loosened, allowing your sword to fall into the dirt, and took a careful step forward. You then raised your hands, palms facing outward to show that you possessed no weapons, and meant no harm.
Mercy didn't appear to register this, but you still felt it necessary to lead with that. By now, the colorful, shifting flames were beginning to crawl their way up your arms and back. You watched in numb horror, and maybe a bit of amazement.
They were beautiful. Harmless, really. You weren’t even sure how something like this could be useful in the modern day, where there was barely an unlit street to speak of. But…it was also a part of you.
A new ability to master. That was all.
You closed your eyes, breathed in deep through your nose, and took another step towards Mercy. And then another. And another.
On your fourth step, you felt a bolt of cloth whipping past your face hard and fast enough to slice your flesh. You felt a tiny trickle of blood, but nothing serious. You could probably heal that in less than a minute.
You could hear Shaggy calling out to you, but you chose to ignore him. More alarming, was the sound of Walker pulling back the hammer on his hand cannon. He didn't fire, but you could tell he was ready to.
“It's okay.” you whispered, opening your arms to her. You threw them around the cloth creature, embracing both her and the illusory flames. “I'm here.”
Now fully engulfed, you thought you could detect a vague sense of heat or warmth from what must’ve looked like a blazing inferno to any outsider.
Normally, that sort of information wouldn't have told you anything important, but you also thought you could feel that very same heat radiating from your skin. In fact, it felt like it was practically pouring out of you.
When you tried to draw this heat back into yourself, you only succeeded in making your chest feel warmer. On instinct, you exhaled abruptly, and the Kitsunebi fluctuated almost immediately. Within only seconds, the foxfire went out completely, and Mercy immediately threw herself over you like a blanket. It reminded you of when you used to hide under the covers as a kid.
“Don't worry. You're safe.” you reassured her.
“I…I am sorry…I” Mercy said in a shaky voice. It sounded like it was coming from all directions.
You quickly shushed her before she could start panicking again.
“I told you, it's fine. We all have something we're afraid of.” you said, grateful for the blanket to cover up your indecency. “The foxfire surprised me too.”
You stared down at your hands.
“I think I can control it. I don’t think it can hurt you like real fire, but I don’t blame you if you don't want to be worn by me anymore. It's because of me that you were out there dodging fireballs in the first place.”
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