Unintended Cultivator

V13 Chapter 49 – Proximity

“I probably don’t need to tell you this,” said Sen, “but keep an eye on the nobles and sects.”

Misty Peak rolled her eyes at him from across the room and said, “Of course, you didn’t need to tell me that. You’ll be out of sight for two days. If people are going to do something stupid, that’s when they’ll do it. Not that anyone sane would do something with Fate’s Razor looming over them all like death’s best friend.”

“When did you think that one up?” asked Sen with a laugh.

“Just now!” said the supremely self-satisfied nine-tail fox as she crossed the room and sat down across from him. “I thought it was a rather nice turn of phrase.”

“I’m not sure nice is the word, but it was certainly memorable.”

Misty Peak weighed that briefly before she said, “Close enough.”

“Also, don’t pick any fights with Falling Leaf.”

“I never—” she started before trailing off at Sen’s lifted eyebrow. “I almost never pick fights with her. I only do it when she’s being particularly like a ghost panther in her behavior.”

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“That’s because you’ve known her too long. Everything she does seems normal to you.”

“That’s—” Sen paused to think it over. “That’s probably true, now that I hear you say it.”

“Why do you sound so surprised?”

“Well, because it was true.”

“Oh, very funny. Even so, she’ll give herself away if she keeps up like that.”

The humor faded from Sen’s expression at that declaration. Up until now, most people had simply dismissed her as strange. But if anyone ever started to suspect, she could end up dead before he had a chance to intervene. Falling Leaf was strong and cunning, but even she couldn’t survive an organized hunt by cultivators. What he couldn’t figure out was why Misty Peak of all people had taken an interest in correcting some of those more obvious behaviors.

“Why would you care what happens to Falling Leaf?” he asked, and did his best to keep his tone calm.

“Honestly, I don’t care about her. Well, maybe a little. She can be very entertaining when someone aggravates her.”

“This isn’t the time for jokes.”

“I wasn’t joking about any of it. I really don’t care that much, but you do. You couldn’t love her more if she were your own blood. It’s why you’d forgive her almost any transgression without a second thought. It’s also why I know that, if anyone harmed her, your wrath would be boundless. If ever the day came that your own people killed her, the spirit beasts could go home and celebrate. Because you would go mad with grief and fury, and the killing would never end. This army wouldn’t last a day because that blood-soaked monster you call a teacher would be standing right next to you. He hides it well, but that old man has a special place in that icy stone of a heart reserved just for her. And anyone who thinks Fate’s Razor would stand for that kind of an assault on his family suffers from a fatal delusion.”

“I see,” said Sen, a little hesitantly.

“I doubt that,” said Misty Peak with a thin smile. “It’s not just you, though. We never see ourselves with such clarity. But, since my survival depends on you, I’ve made a particular study of you and those around you. That’s why I know all of those things, and all of that is why I make the effort to curb her most obvious tells.”

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“I still don’t understand. I mean, I see the point you're making, and you’re probably not wrong. What I don’t see is why you, specifically, care enough to do something about it.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“It genuinely isn’t.”

“Proximity.”

“Proximity?” asked Sen.

“I’m usually standing within twenty feet of one of you,” explained the nine-tail. “I doubt I’d survive it if you or your teacher fully unleashed your killing intent. Let alone both of you at the same time. Particularly if your emotions were raging out of control. That’s not the kind of mental state that encourages rational decisions. Things like excluding me from your killing intent.”

Almost without meaning to, Sen let out a little laugh.

“Did I say something funny?” asked Misty Peak.

“No. Not at all. It’s just such a decidedly nine-tail fox reason for doing something nice. It’s not for Falling Leaf’s benefit. It’s not even really for my benefit. It’s for your benefit. And yet, it’s still nice because it does benefit her and, indirectly, me. And it’s also not nice, because you get to indulge in your penchant for chaos and conflict under the guise of doing something nice. I’m not sure a human being could create such a morally convoluted situation with so little effort.”

Misty Peak stared at him for several long seconds with a look of surprise on her face.

“Are you sure you’re not a nine-tail fox?” she asked for probably the hundredth time since they met. “Because you have an almost unnatural ability to understand what we’re doing.”

“Well, I have been spending a lot of time with you. I was bound to pick up a few things.”

“True, but you were always like this. You were a little less practiced at first, but the foundations were always there. It’s a little creepy.”

Sen went to object, but she spoke first.

“And sexy.”

It was Sen’s turn to stare.

“I feel very confident that there’s something wrong with that,” he finally said.

Misty Peak just shrugged and said, “Transgression and excitement go hand-in-hand.”

“Another one of your observations?”

She blinked at him in confusion and said, “No, it’s one of my people’s maxims.”

“Of course, it is,” said Sen with a shake of his head.

“Why are you shaking your head like it’s not true?”

“Oh, I know it’s true. It’s just not the kind of thing that humans tell their children.”

“Why not?” asked the nine-tail with a look of perplexed innocence.

That look alone was enough to leave him momentarily speechless. He’d seen countless expressions, some real, and some manufactured, cross that face. But innocence? Innocence had never been one of them.

“Because… Because… Because there are certain kinds of ideas that we’d rather our children didn’t have.”

“I don’t understand,” she said, leaning in as if being closer would make it more understandable.

Sen tried to think of an explanation that would make sense to the fox-woman. This was one of the ways that she and Falling Leaf were similar. There were just certain things in human society that left them both utterly baffled. That would be fine if they didn’t both expect him to somehow make it make sense to them. Rather than try to find a human explanation for it, Sen tried to think of some fox equivalent. Of course, their entire way of life was built up around games, tricks, and deceptions. For them, just about anything was permissible. Oh, he thought. That might do it.

“Alright. Imagine what your response would be if a nine-tail fox taught their children that they should always tell the truth and never play games.”

Misty Peak recoiled from those words like he’d thrown poison at her, and she wore an expression of utter disgust.

“That would just be wrong!” she shouted as she shot up from her chair.

“That’s how humans would feel if someone went around telling their kids that transgressions and excitement went hand-in-hand. I know it’s not exactly an explanation about why, but—”

“No,” said Misty Peak, shuddering a little. “I understand, now. Maybe not the details, but I can infer what I need to. Just never say that to any other nine-tails.”

“I won’t. And, to be fair, I didn’t even really want to say to you.”

The fox-woman visibly shuddered one last time and said, “I never believed it before, but I guess there are some questions better left unanswered.”

Sen nervously glanced out the window at the sky.

“What are you looking for?” asked Misty Peak.

“Well, I know you don’t normally get tribulations. Even so, that sounded like the sort of realization that might trigger one for a nine-tail fox.”

She gave him a flat look for exactly three seconds.

Then, she hurried to the window and asked, “You don’t see any clouds, do you?”