<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>The Fuchsia Fox and an Artifact Absent</strong></span></div><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/rrbvOfC.png)</div><strong>NAME:</strong>Nerissa<br/><strong>DAY:</strong>December 26th, 2018 |<br/><strong>LOCATION:</strong>The Pawnhouse Zaisan<br/><strong>TAGGING:</strong>Toshiro<br/><strong>EXTRA:</strong><br/><strong>WEARING:</strong><br/><br/><hr/><br/>“Close. I need to hold whatever it’s that is going to transform with me, but you are safe.” Nerissa chuckled with amusement. “You are too big. I haven’t done experimenting on it to know where the limit is exactly, but I know that a backpack is too big. So a grown human is too big too. But it’s convenient nevertheless. Otherwise I would be naked every time I change form.”<br/><br/>The small white fox carefully observed everything Toshiro did. The human was so considerate! It really warmed her heart to see him take care of such small details like wiping the compass before he gave it to her. And then she was on her way, just to get stuck in the ventilation shaft a moment later.<br/><br/>I’m so stupid, Nerissa thought. No one else would get stuck like this. There isn’t enough space to return my other form and I can’t use the sword like this. Well… Now I will just have to wait. Toshiro will get me out of here somehow. Unless he is going to leave me here… He wouldn’t! Except if he believes that I was the one who did all those bad things to him… but he doesn’t, right? At least he tries to trust me. Oh no! What if he just leaves me here!? I can’t even call someone to come help me. No… No, I can’t think like that. There is no need to panic. The statue. Right. Keep looking for it… Even if Toshiro is ready to leave me on my own luck he wouldn’t give up on retrieving the statue that easily.<br/><br/>So, two blinky lights. Does that mean it’s somewhere in here? She pushed the compass around in the small space she had, and it was too little to make any difference for the compass. While I’m here I should have a better look around… The place didn’t look organized. There was too much stuff considering the space. A sword that was probably enchanted. A jar of some kind of powder, probably a drug. A floating lantern. A baby Leburg (https://s1.babiki.ru/uploads/images/topics/2017/03/03/19/ad94d6dcd8.jpg) preserved, floating in a clear liquid, in a jar. A fox tail. A fox tail?! No! That was fake! That had to be fake! Big, fluffy silver fox tail just hanging there. Oh no, oh no, oh no!<br/><br/>Fear creeped into her mind and it had big cold claws. Toshiro, help! I’m scared! I want to go home now! Then she saw something moving and froze still. I want to go home! She was scared that the big demon would walk in the storeroom and find her, but it was a small Snufflewomp, (https://i.pinimg.com/564x/35/46/5b/35465b5072825251ac89502c8e38f377.jpg) wobbling in the air as it flew on its small fairy-like wings. Go away you flying hallucination bag, Nerissa thought as the pink little creature flew closer and flapped its wings it kept floating on the other side of the grid. The good thing was the creature couldn’t talk, so it wouldn’t rat her out. Snufflewomps were harmless, but when threatened they emitted a gas that was extremely intoxicating. There were demons who misused to get strong hallucinations by squeezing a Snufflewomp until it released the gas.<br/><br/>The two just stared at each other. Then Nerissa heard a voice from behind her. Oh, you didn’t desert me! You are the best Toshi! Nera rushed to the scarf and was about to grab it with her teeth when she remembered the compass. I can’t leave that here… Life without hands was hard. The fox carried the compass to the scarf and wrapped the end of soft cloth around the compass. It would only need to stay there until she got back up… The fox demoness bit the scarf and waited for Toshi to pull her up.<br/><br/>Once Nerissa was back on the dark ventilation shaft she unrolled the scarf and took the compass in her mouth. Her little paws tapped against the floor as she ran towards the light. She couldn’t get back to… not so fresh air soon enough! The white fox crawled out from between the stopped fan blades and she basically leaped in the air, landing on Toshiro’s arms. We made it! We made it! It was so scary! Thank you, thank you! Nerissa rubbed her small head and huge ears against Toshiro’s chin with surprising enthusiasm. Then she remembered the collar around her neck, which prevented her from returning to her human form. The fox scratched the collar until Toshiro understood to remove it.<br/><br/>“It was so scary! Did you see it Toshiro? There was a fox tail! I think it might be a real thing… And did you see the Snufflewomp? I…” Why are you half naked? It’s cold out here. Oh… you used your clothes to make the makeshift rope. Nerissa quieted down as she looked at the human man, mostly his horrible condition. And just like that she forgot everything the man asked from her. Her hand reached to him, her fingertips touched his skin lightly. He could barely feel her touch because it was so light as she avoided putting any pressure on her touch in fear of hurting him. This poor, miserable creature… She had no idea it was this bad. Like it wasn’t bad enough that he was this badly beat up he was clearly emotionally torn apart too. “Toshiro…” Her voice was just a quiet whisper, full of sadness and guilt. Nerissa knew that it wouldn’t help the human at all that she cried, but she couldn’t stop her tears from coming and running down on her face. Just like she didn’t know how to show her empathy to him. It was impossible to even hug this tall man because he was in this miserable condition!<br/><br/>Nerissa waited for Toshiro to put his clothes back on before she took his hand into hers. Being stuck at the vent, seeing the fox tail and the Snufflewomp and now Toshiro like this was just too much for her. She couldn’t contain all those emotions. “I’m so sorry…” They were just words and they wouldn’t change a thing, but she didn’t know what else to say. Nera raised Toshiro’s hand up and leaned her cheek, wet from the tears, against his top of hand. The golden eyes looked at him, begging for forgiveness for something she hadn’t done. Gently Nerissa kissed Toshiro’s knuckles, her ears drooped down against her head. You are so kind and caring… Why did this have to happen to you? It’s too cruel...<br/><br/>