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YULETIDE - 2 of 3

December 25, 11:00 pm

It's snowing, pretty heavily too. The streets are laden under 2 foot of snow that fell in only an hour, and it's all the street crews can do to keep them free for traffic. The weather forecaster predicts more snow tonight, setting up conditions for the heaviest snowfall this city has seen in it's history.

All this is beyond the care of those in his home though. The kitsune has made his home open to his neighbors, the bare but large room having the traits of a dungeon, the insides being much larger then it was outside. The ceiling sported a new skylight, letting in the moon's glow to light the room. The street walkers, the druggies, all were here, relaxing, free of the demands of their jobs, enjoying a christmas that their lives would normally forbid.

No one was wanting for anything. The druggies felt their cravings fade while they were here. The prostitutes had no johns to hit on them, and others that lived here saw them for who they were, people. Not monsters.

The kitsune smiled to himself as he saw a pair talk in the corner, the worst of the bunch but even here in his sanctum, they were amicable, even peaceful towards each other and to the other guests. The air tingled with the scent of magic, strong with the kitsune's own power. It is here that he'll find the adepts, the mages yet to be, even while at the same time he gives back to his community. One he saw right off the bat, a young boy who wandered in and now plays in the corner with a few blocks, an orphan. An another is a streetwalker whose pimp treats her horribly. She'll have the power soon to make her own decisions.

The kitsune was here in all his furred glory, many of the locals long having guessed he wasn't normal, many unsure of what he stood to gain, but his charity was not missed or forgotten. And it is Christmas... so tonight, is a night of peace, of relaxing and atoning.

A young girl walked up to the kitsune and touched his tails, causing him to start and look to her, then smile warmly when she held her hands to her chest in fright. He picked her up and sat her in his arms, letting her play with his whiskers while he settled in. He didn't say anything, no one knew his name, no one heard him say a word ever since he arrived. Many think he's mute.

He smiled to the girl and gave her up to her mom, nodding in thanks at the compliments for watching the little one. As they departed, he sighed, wishing he could have done more. Her drug cravings won't return until tomorrow, his magic to have worn off while she sleeps tonight.

With the party in full swing, he slipped out of his apartment and gently closed the door behind him, donning his illusion of a small Japanese man once more, and walked to the alley where the MEC had hidden an hour ago.

The two Troopers spun on him in shock and raised their guns, waiting for the word from command as they rattled off that their prey is now in front of them. Command never replied, as if their radio failed silently. The kitsune plucked from his sleeves a pair of letters, their names on them as he offered them silently to the pair. One took the both of them and read his, then gave the other to his partner.

"It's Christmas... let tonight be a peaceful one?" The soft spoken kitsune asked the two of them, his pose respectful, and patient. The two troopers looked to each other, then the one who accepted the letters nodded. "ok. And... thank you. My family will be thankful." softly. He then tapped his buddy and walked off. Leaving the last one there to look to his partner in confusion, then to the kitsune.

The kitsune looked to the trooper and murred, "my party's open to everyone, and it's nearing midnight. Eggnog and a toast?" The trooper looked to the otherworlder in wonderment. Was this freak really that naive? Or was he planning something? When the kitsune turned his back and walked up the stairs once more, fully defenseless, he realized that this otherworlder may be legit in his offer, and joined the party.

December 26th, 8:00 am

"Command to Assault, search and seize."
"Assault to command, same thing. There's nothing here, again. There's the hole from last time too."
Command grumbled, then hissed back over the radio, "Post a scout and come home. Magus is sending support."
"Command... this is the fourth raid, and again there's nothing. Are we chasing our tails here?"
Command refused to dignify that with an answer.