Archetypes, chapter 7. (Patreon)

Who here remembers this one? It has been a hot minute since this one graced my posts. Have fun trying to remember, and please enjoy.

It turned out that I was the only one to use my bed. My tails seemed to make such a triviality moot, however; they cuddled as well as another person might. Truly, there was no difference at all, and I was not 'put out' in any way by waking up alone.

I must find Betty of course; if she had left after declaring she would stay to my satisfaction, I would be most angry. Most hungry, and most angry.

What time was it? It was morning time, I knew... yet what time in the morning? Somewhat early, yet not really early. The sun was not yet high in the sky, and I knew as much even without looking to the window.

I could feel the sun overhead, even through this sturdy home.

I could also smell something wonderful downstairs. It drew me as nothing else, and on quiet feet I ghosted into the kitchen.

My security detail was there, as was Betty. As was a truly enormous spread of breakfast, from waffles to pancakes to eggs to sausage. There were even biscuits and gravy! Someone had clearly outdone themselves.

My detail noticed my presence, and Captain Harris even moved himself away from my chair, all with Betty none the wiser.

I was able to sidle into my seat as private Arman distracted my target, and even start to fill a plate before she noticed.

"Good morning, Betty."

She mastered her surprise quickly. "Good morning, Fu."

It was going to be like that, was it? "Did you sleep well?"

"I did," she replied. "Did you?"

"Indeed, I did. I slept perhaps too much. Why did none of you wake me for breakfast?"

"Because today is going to be rough," the seer answered. "I thought I'd be kind while I could."

That wasn't ominous at all. "So it's today?"

Betty nodded. "Some things have changed, but the invasion begins later today."

Well, that just made this massive breakfast wonderfully tasteless. I continued chewing anyway; I'd need the energy.

"That reminds me. How ready would you say this house was?"

I turned to the good Captain, mulling it over. "Well, we might need more people here. More normal people, that is, with training and guns. But the grounds themselves are about as secure as I can make them on short notice. If anything can force its way through we will be in trouble, but it would take a lot of power to do so. That man I helped last night wouldn't be able to step a single foot here, as an example."

"Plan for them getting here; how bad would it be?"

As if I knew. "I couldn't say. I don't know how strong they are in the first place. Betty might know."

Betty's face was shadowed, even in the morning sun. She was closed off to us.

So it would be bad, then.

"I'll work on it, I suppose. If that is what you want me to do."

The Captain nodded. "Command wants a fallback point, as fortified as we can make it. Right now, that means you."

I was a little flattered. I shouldn't be; they were just desperate. But it felt nice to be relied on. Nicer still to be somewhat important.

"I can do a bit more, possibly."

Betty shook her head. "You can't. Your people will need you tonight, and they will need you at top form."

"Right, the old fashioned way it is. We will just have to deal with it," Captain Harris muttered.

The captain didn't like the rushing. I had to admit to myself that I didn't either.  

"Can we get another squad?"

"One is already on the way," one of the men replied. A corporal... Donner? I was certain that was his name, and if so, it was unfortunate.

"Do we have anyone else coming here?" If I'm leaving, we would need someone with power watching the store, so to speak.

"A few possible candidates. People we've classed as lesser powers, but they should be enough to fold the fort with your wards backing them."

So, no one I've met. I guess that wasn't unusual anymore. The government have been busy, busy bees.

Maybe I should press, just in case. "Any idea who?"

The Captain shook his head. "They haven't told me yet. They likely won't until the time comes to read the profile and vet the person."

I guess it was fine. I would like the chance to determine the newbies had few issues before they stabbed us in the back, but needs must I guess.

"So, how soon? Where do they need me?"

"You stay here for now. Prep while you can," Betty responded. "All the slips you can ink, and all the types you can think of."

I already had five of each. "Right, so back to the workshop."

It was actually a den slash library, but that was a workshop to me. My natural abilities aside, calligraphy was a must. I would need to be quick to allow the ink time to dry... unless I did something else, something extra.

A simple idea, but it should work.

I'd have to check and see how strong the wind was. I was done here, so I got up. As soon as I did, Betty joined me.

So did two of the men lounging around, going from looking like resting cats to full hard-eyed predators in a second. The way their hands were resting on their weapons spoke more than anything else, however. They were ready for something; whatever might happen.

Well, it was comforting in a way to have such trained warriors ready to spring to my defense.

"Just let me check the wind outside." I knew it was sunny, and I knew it was somewhat warm. The breeze, however, required my presence. I'd question that later, when I wasn't so busy.

A few steps out the front door proved the wind was not that bad yet; not enough to worry that the wind might spread the ink and ruin my slips.

"Okay I need string or a thin rope line."

"Back in the kitchen, ma'am."

Oh? "Nice. Let's go."

Captain Harris seemed surprised to see me again so soon, but the private (whose name patch said Smith) went right to the island (or counter) and opened up the first drawer. He pulled out a full ball of twine and tossed it at me.

Thankfully, I didn't fumble it. "Thanks."

The den window was where I remembered, and right where I left it. I opened it then strung a double line of the twine across the sill, set in such a way that I could rest something atop them.

"Do we have any clothespins?"

"We do," the same private answered, and left, presumably to get them.

He didn't say anything about me actually forgetting I needed clothespins until now, which I was grateful for.

The distance looked about right. I pulled one of my older slips and checked... yeah, a bit closer.

The soldier was back by the time I made the adjustment, with a brand new bag of dollar store clothespins. I smelled Betty's hand in that, but decided not to question that either, even with the woman herself right next to me.

My ink, brushes, and paper were already present so I sat down and went to work. if ten of each were not enough, I'd try for fifty. Fifty of each by the end of today would be... difficult. Sacrifices might have to be made.

Betty remained tight-lipped; she was was actually thumbing through a book at the moment. At least she was amusing herself.

I got the point; I needed to do at least some of this myself. If I didn't, there would be no meaning to it, and I would look to her for help more and more. Even if we won, there would be no point to the victory.

Let's see, I had offensive fire covered so I could cheat there. I should make a few stasis slips, and maybe another element. Lightning? Ice? Best to split the difference and make both. Inari-sama had gifted me with the knowledge, after all.

A sudden headache, a pulse of my mind, there and just as quickly gone. I rubbed my temple. That was very odd; I was not prone to those.

I started with ice; anything immune or resistant to a fox's fire would likely not have a resistance to both. I was certain I'd find a use for it.

I brushed my second shield slip and gave it a critical eye. I really didn't like having to rush. This one would activate, but it wasn't my best work.

Betty's voice sounded directly in my ear. "Leave it alone Fu, it's fine."

She was right behind me, reading my work over my shoulder. I had to fight the urge to hunch over and hide it. "No harm in double checking."

"You were staring at them. They are fine."

I tsked. She had a point, but I didn't feel satisfied. The peaen to the heavens was barely legible!

Whatever. I took the clothespins and hung them carefully, face up so to speak, so that they would not drip. Not that I'd left enough ink on them for that, but better safe than sorry.

The next two were faster; having Betty checking over my shoulder did wonders, for better or worse.

The only thing that broke the silence was the slither of my brush across the paper as I worked. It was calming.

I only looked up once my lines were full; I had thirty shield slips, twenty ice slips, and fifteen lighting slips... and I'd lost over an hour. Betty was reading a book she'd grabbed, the same one from an hour ago, patiently leaning against the wall and wetting her finger before turning each page.

One of my detail was in the room with me, sitting down and staring out the window as his hands twitched on his gun. The other was close; going by his scent I'd imagine he was outside the closed door.

The oldest slips were dry, of course, so I could just collect them and keep going - but that didn't seem like a proper idea. Coffee seemed like the proper idea.

It didn't hurt that the sun was high in the sky now. I wanted some of that warmth. "Break time!"

Betty shut her book one handed and set it aside. "Let's go. Then I've got things I need to do."

"Those kinds of things?" I couldn't resist asking.

"Yep, those kinds of things," She answered. "Don't worry, I'll be back before time."

"Alright." Might as well enjoy the time while we can, then.

The kitchen was where we left it. I took my now cold dregs of coffee and dumped them, finding fresh coffee in the machine waiting for me. There was no one else in the place but us (and our escorts, of course, who had followed us like ghosts) so the Captain must be off doing his thing.

The porch was even warmer than before; I stretched into the light and instantly felt better. Betty matched me with a grin. That wasn't surprising. What was surprising was my escorts also joined me with grins, and for a moment there, we were all stretching together.

Then the moment broke, and it was back to business as usual.

I sipped as Betty moved. Off the porch and down the walk. She drained her coffee and carefully set the mug down in the grass, then continued walking.

"See you later."

"See you later," she replied.

I felt achingly hollow for a moment, as my new friend went out of sight.

This war hadn't even started, and I already wanted it to end. If I wanted this to end, I'd need to end it, of course. Not completely on my own, but I'd need to put the effort in.

The waiting was the hardest part. Would I be enough? Would I be able to do enough or do the things I needed to do? Betty had faith in me, and because of her, my government did, but did anyone else?

I needed to know how strong the enemy was. How we compared.

The sunlight felt wonderful. Energizing. A real pick-me-up worth spending time in.

I finished my coffee in it, then went back inside and to the kitchen to drop off my cup.

Upstairs, everything was as I left it, and I got back to work. Without Betty here, I'd need to take a little more time to make sure everything was perfect, but I'd been prepared to do that all along, so it was no big deal.

In the silence, it was easy to tell when the Captain or some of his soldiers returned; they were very good, but I could still hear their distinct boots clomping away on the hardwood floors, no matter how they muted them.

Everyone here walked around on the inside edge of their foot, it seemed.

I mean it worked, but if they wanted to be truly silent they needed to string cloth or cotton through the buckles on their clothes and take those boots off.

Then again, I wasn't sure I should give them ideas; they were here to protect me, sure, but they were also here to watch me. I shouldn't give them any ideas on how to make it easier for them to gun me down, no matter how law-abiding I planned on being.

They also didn't know how good my ears were, and I didn't feel like giving that away either.

I had to stop again, waiting for everything to dry. Stupid traditional ink, it took too long. Well, that or I was too impatient. It didn't matter.

This time the kitchen had people, as I knew it would. The captain was there, of course. The soldier beside him was not anyone I recognized, either from sight or smell, and his rank insignia was equal to the man beside him.

So another captain, interesting. His name tag read "Holiday".

It was still morning. "Good morning, sir. Sirs, I suppose."

There was no coffee, so I went to the fridge. There had to still be juice somewhere.

There was; orange juice. I grabbed a small glass of it, an actual glass, and watched it pour. It looked fine.

"Good morning again Fu."

"Good morning Fu," Holiday said after a beat, joining his fellow captain.

I didn't mind if the new guy called me Fu. I'd have insisted on it anyway. But it did rankle a bit that the man didn't ask. It just wasn't polite!

I should ask: "How go the preparations?"

"Going well. We got our new blood, as you can see, and we are working to settle them in. Going to have some backup in about two hours, but it's nothing you need to concern yourself with yet. How about yours?"

"Boring, but I'm on schedule. I should have everything done by the time your other reinforcements arrive."

After that, it would just be a waiting game - but I had the feeling I wouldn't be waiting long, even though Betty hadn't given me a hard time. She just hadn't said I'd take too long to make the slips I wanted to make, and that was enough.

"I get it. It's a nice day, and you want to be in it. I don't blame you."

Captain Harris really got me.

"Don't worry, I'll be ready."

I knew I was a little more... unusual now, I mean the tails gave it away, but I could still be dependable. It was why Inari-sama chose me, after all. I think. Possibly.

Whatever, I finished my juice and headed down to the den with a wave.

My two shadows trailed behind me, of course, and this time traded off who was in the room and who waited outside. My current escort seemed much more at ease than the other guy; he barely looked out the window. He seemed more interested in the books in fact.

I wasn't sure I liked that. Well, I knew he was here to watch me as well, but maybe he was and was just better at hiding it than his friend? It didn't matter; I didn't intend to go rogue and hurt anyone, but circumstances like this seemed to make me think too much.

I think I might need a hobby. When I had time for one.

More slips. This time lightning, then some more ice. Then I would done.

Still, it felt like I could be doing more. Like I should be doing more.