Still watching, still waiting, ever vigilant. It was hard, perhaps even comically ironic, to get a grasp of his own feelings on the situation. It was a feeling he could only describe as jealousy. Of what exactly, he was yet unsure. Perhaps that these magnificent creatures had happily accepted the sneaky snake only moments after trying to kill him. Yet that is what made it ironic... they had just tried to kill him. Why should he feel attachment to begin with? He wasn't even the jealous type. Then again, he wasn't the possessive type either and yet he had directly challenged what he could only assume was a demon lord (especially by how easily it had ignored his challenge). What a strange day.<br/><br/>Even more strange, they still seemed quite aware of him but gave little more than a single, oddly regretful glance back. At least he could take solace in the thought that, if it came down to a confrontation between himself and the snake, he would still have the element of surprise. Or at least he believed he did. It wouldn't be the first greater spirit to try seeing through his illusions (and none of the others had been so... disinterested). Not that he had any reason to believe the other two wouldn't step in against him. Just an all-around precarious situation... and yet... he just couldn't leave.<br/><br/>Since there was a great deal of pointlessness or hopelessness in many of the hundreds of scenarios running through his head all at once, he decided to throw caution to the wind and take on another, perhaps friendlier guise. It was a bit of a gamble. Shapeshifting was theoretically a form of illusion, and he was well aware of how his particular specialty worked out last time... but at the same time, the snake was clearly shapeshifted, which suggested that the otherworldly pair might be a bit more personable to those that looked a bit more like them. Besides, it was a calculated gamble. The stealth enchantment was simple enough that he could maintain it even in human form.<br/><br/>No noise. No fancy lights. He simply morphed. If any of them had been paying attention to his aura (assuming they could look past his enchantment) they would find even that fading. His power was far too immense to confine in a solid physical form, so whenever he shapeshifted he had to store most of it in his Hoshi no Tama (an enchantingly beautiful, pearl-like ball characteristic of every kitsune). Where once a small fox lay hidden in the brush, there stood a tall, dark young man. His silky smooth hair and extravagant kimono remained the only reminders of the lustrous black fur that once covered him, though his eyes still gleamed with sharp, unnatural darkness as well.<br/><br/>A tense air overshadowed his surprisingly carefree posture and expression. Yet there he was. Still watching, still waiting, ever vigilant.