REAL 9 TAILED FOX HOW TO
REAL 9 TAILED FOX TRIAL

Blinking up at the Jade Emperor, I appealed, 'But there were no innocent bystanders in that court.' I almost snorted, but changed it into a whimper at the last second. ' However, I also ordered you not to interfere with the lifespans of any innocent bystanders.' 'I did order you to 'pave the way for a new dynasty',' she announced at last, her eyes as black and blank as a corpse's. One passed her a sheath of transcripts, which she made a show of flipping through until she came to a specific page.

REAL 9 TAILED FOX TRIAL

Trial day in Heaven was a flamboyant affair.ДЄnd, like everything else here, it was a sham.Д«efore me stood Lady Fate, her Three Cadavers arrayed at her back. Even the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas had flown up from their watery palaces and coiled around the columns for a better view. Seemingly every god and goddess in existence had packed themselves into the Hall of Purple Mists, from the Duke of Thunder in the front row to the star sprite clerks squinting through the doorway at the back. That earned me a cuff from one of the guards, but not before I got an impression of silk robes, decked with gems and embroidered sashes вЂ“ and topped by contemptuous faces. I peeked up at the throne, then darted a fake-timid glance at the crowd behind me. 'She ordered me to pave the way for a new dynasty. 'Lady Fate, the Director of Allotted Lifespans, summoned me to tell me that the Lang Dynasty's time had come,' I explained in my sweetest voice. Given what I was, it was pretty piteous indeed.ДЄnd it worked: The Jade Emperor, who'd honored me by presiding over my trial in person, let me keep talking. I dipped my head so my hair tumbled over my cheeks and pulled my most piteous face. The guards had shackled my wrists in front of me and chained them to my ankles, making my shoulders hunch in a most unattractive manner, but I could work with that.

REAL 9 TAILED FOX HOW TO

At least, as true as I know how to make them. Write it down this time.' Staring past his shoulder, she recited, 'These are the true confessions of a nine-tailed fox. 'Let's get started, shall we? Before the Bureau opens?' Or, as a starting point, not write down their tired, hackneyed poems. If they really wanted to experience the ephemeral nature of mortal existence, they could enter the cycle of reincarnation themselves. Certain of his colleagues favored faint, running calligraphy that faded even as you viewed it вЂ“ something about capturing the experience of mortal ephemerality вЂ“ which he found frankly absurd. It was true, though, thought Flicker as he set down his pitcher. And then I'll have to listen to you grumble about poetry and art and poets who take art too far.' 'You know you hate it when it's too light. 'Don't add too much water to your ink,' she reminded him. 'Maybe once every century?' She twisted her lips into a wry smile, then noticed what his hands had been doing. But there was no real heat in the complaint. 'Have I mentioned how much I hate it when you charm me?' he asked. The gold sparks flared, and he blinked again, trying to clear away an impression of fireflies and tranquil summer nights and sitting by the Jade Pool while the star children playedвЂ¦. You're just a clerk,' she soothed, and somehow, coming from her, it sounded like high praise. Gold sparks flitted across her irises, and he blinked, unsure what they were arguing about or why anyone would ever argue with her in the first place.

'UhвЂ¦.' Flicker was about to point out the holes in her logic when she dimpled at him. 'And I never said these were going to be my complete confessions, just my true ones.'

'Well, of course,' she said, pushing her lips out in a pout. She let her shoulders slump a little: enough to convey pathos, not enough to spoil her silhouette. And I'm fairly certain you intend to leave out all the important details.' Goodness knew he was going to need a lot of ink if she wanted him to write down her confessions. With her, it was hard to tell.Дropping his eyes, Flicker got back to grinding his inkstick. Draped over the back and sides of her chair, her tails swished with displeasure. Late at night, in Flicker's cubbyhole office in the Bureau of Reincarnation, she'd reverted to her favorite form: a graceful human female with ivory skin, teak-brown eyes, camellia-red lips, and ink-black hair. She straightened her back, lifted her chin, and gave him the sort of look that could freeze an emperor.

'No, they're not,' Flicker said without thinking.ДЄt the words, Piri's eyes narrowed. 'These are the true confessions of a nine-tailed fox.'

Real 9 tailed fox