Mob Sorcery 4 - Ch16

“Whatever gave me away?” Ally’s mother asked, green eyes wide in pretend surprise. She fell back into her natural voice, with a noticeable Japanese accent—although it was weaker than the Yakuza accents.

She broke down in a fit of giggles. Her tails bobbed and bounced with each peal of laughter, energetically flitting past the expensive merchandise around them. Vince knew why Ally was so expressive. Like mother, like daughter.

He looked around suspiciously, checking for cameras. Or even a false wall that might come down and reveal a very angry retired Yakuza.

“Your husband isn’t waiting upstairs, is he?” Vince asked.

The fox mother’s voice hitched and she covered her mouth. Tears built in her eyes as she stared at him, lost in her joy.

“Kazuo? Of course not,” she said. “He wanted to come, but Ally fought him off all Christmas. Only she could keep the Golden Tide at bay with puppy dog eyes and incessant pouting.”

The what? Vince’s blood ran cold at what he imagined to be some sort of nickname for Ally’s old man.

If he googled that name, would he discover some utterly insane battles on the east coast of the US?

“Right…” He shook off his fear of a man he’d never met and knew little about. “I take it Ally’s mentioned me, Mrs. Masuda—”

Her glare stopped him short, and he raised his hands defensively. Her tails fanned out behind her.

“Call me Kiho,” Ally’s mother said. She lowered her tails. “It drives me crazy whenever someone calls me ‘miss’ or ‘Mrs.’” She shuddered. “I know I don’t look old, and I’ve got centuries left in me.”

“Centuries…” He kept his expression neutral.

Not that it helped when she glared at him again. “Mystic foxes live at least twice as long as it takes them to gain their last tail. I haven’t started aging yet, so I’m due for my seventh tail any year now.”

Her gaze turned distant for a few seconds. Vince understood implicitly.

If a fox started aging once they received their final tail, it essentially meant they peaked. It would all be downhill from there. Even with centuries ahead of her, Kiho could count the years left of her life.

An odd thought occurred to him when he considered what he’d just heard.

Saito Fujiwara, the CEO of Houou, had begun aging even before arriving in Aulfair. Ally suspected he’d been alive during the Sengoku era some 800 years ago.

But she’d also said the same about Mei, making her truly ancient. Vince might call Mei’s inner self ugly, but never the eight-tailed fox herself. Many men would sell their souls for a night with her. At least they would until they heard her talk.

“Sorry.” Kiho shook her head. “Don’t worry about Kazuo. And Ally’s said much less about you than you think. In her words, you’re a friend and a good customer. Never mind the brush set you gave her, or the way her face blows up whenever I tease her about you.”

He cleared his throat. “I mean, if you know Ally has a crush on me, should you really have flirted with me earlier? You’re a married woman.”

He spied the gold band on her left ring finger. The only jewelry Kiho wore on her body, although he noticed silver hoops pressed against the base of her tails. The hoops weren’t unbroken, and contained holes that let her remove them. He suspected they were magic tools of some variety.

Kiho snorted and stepped closer to him. Her tails formed a cocoon around him, noticeably warming the air as their tips wiggled inches away from his body.

“Like I said, Ally’s said little about you,” she said. “I wanted to get your measure. It’s not like you didn’t realize who I was, but maybe you’d play along. Can I really trust my little Ally to a man with such strong desires?”

She smirked at him and pressed one finger against his chin.

He looked away. Kiho paused.

“Wow,” she said, leaning in. A big sniff escaped her. “Probably should have smelled you earlier. My nose got burned out by the spirit warding incense the priests loved back in the day, but I can still smell the wolves all over you.” Kiho took a step back and tilted her head to one side, leaning it one her palm. “You’re connected to this mafia we’re selling the infusions for, I take it?”

“Worknig for them,” he said.

“Uh huh.”

He winced. “And dating two of their high-ranking officers.” A pause. “Plus another independent enforcer.”

While Vince had never made plans to do much with Ally, he wouldn’t deny enjoying her company. He’d bumbled into the potential relationship, and pushed it further with his Christmas gift.

Now her mother would sweep it away in an instant.

Kiho nodded. “Figures. I guess preferences are inherited.” She looked him up and down with an assessing eye. “You need more tattoos, though.”

What.

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Was she implying what he thought she was?

“Oh, please. Don’t look like that.” She rolled her eyes. “Kazuo was sleeping with half his subordinates when he decided to chase after me. My condition when he wanted to get serious was that we’d be monogamous. He dropped his other girlfriends. I don’t get any hall passes.” She sighed and ran a hand through her long hair. “I figured that was too much and would chase him away. The cost of a Yakuza boss like him marrying me…”

Vince nodded slowly. That made a lot of sense.

Then he processed her last sentence. “Yakuza boss?” he blurted out.

Kiho stared at him, then snickered. “Ally didn’t mention?”

“She said her father was retired Yakuza, but not that high up.”

“Oh, Ally…” Kiho ran a hand down her face. “Kazuo is the former kumicho of the New York branch of the Yakuza. He came over during the fallout of Emperor Showa’s death, when Houou and the US government wiped out Yakuza strongholds along the west coast, and built a new branch in New York from scratch.”

Holy fucking shit.

A kumicho. The head of an entire Yakuza branch.

No, not merely a kumicho, but one who established the east coast Yakuza in the US? Whoever sent a fox to attack Ally’s store had been smoking some really bad shit.

“He retired to marry you,” Vince said.

Kiho nodded. “That’s the price of marrying clanless. Ally’s clanless as well, and I can tell she’s facing as many issues as I did.” A bitter smile graced her face. “I was a fool to think that because my life had become happier, that it would translate to a magically perfect world for my child. How we deceive ourselves into ignoring the bitterness of reality and the cruelty of others.”

“Ally’s not alone,” Vince said gruffly. “I know the store’s struggling a bit, but she’s making contacts despite everything and friends. Although…”

He winced as he realized almost every time he met Ally was in her shop.

Kiho noticed. “She’s a workaholic. I know. That’s why I came here. In New York, I could keep an eye on her and drag her away from long nights in her workshop. Here…” A sigh. “If I hadn’t stopped her, she’d have created a dozen magic tools for you in the hopes one fit the bill. It helps to know she does have friends, and maybe more.”

The fox’s eyes lit up and she smirked at him.

Abruptly, her ears twitched and she glanced at the stairs behind the counter. She gasped.

“Play along,” Kiho whispered.

She stepped next to him, so close he smelled her floral perfume. Her hands gripped his waist and she moved her head forward. Not to kiss him, but simply to hover beside him. She blocked his view of the stairs with her head. Her tails wrapped around his legs and tickled his back.

Footsteps thumped on the stairs. “Mama, I heard you talking. Did we get another customer—”

A long, pregnant pause followed.

“Mama!” Ally shrieked.

Kiho leaned backward, still gripping Vince’s waist. She pressed a finger against her chin and grinned. “Is something wrong, honey?”

“What are you doing with Vince?” Ally stood on one of the lower steps, wearing a soft jade sundress and appearing like a less endowed version of her mother.

The younger fox balled her fists and glared at her mother, face red as a cherry. Her cheeks puffed out and hints of tears built up in the edges of her eyes.

“I mean, he’s just your friend and customer,” Kiho said. “Does it matter what I’m doing?”

“Mama!” Ally whined. She swung her arms uselessly in the air, as if trying to telekinetically push her mother off Vince.

“Oh? Does this mean he’s something more?” Kiho’s eyes shined.

Ally’s face reddened further somehow. Vince worried steam might literally come out her ears or that she’d overheat and collapse. Humans shouldn’t go such a shade of puce, and that included demihumans and mystic foxes.

“Um, I think this is the part where you tell her it’s a joke,” Vince said.

“Is it?” Kiho said, turning her head to gaze into his eyes. Her ears twitched and one of her tails tickled the back of his head.

“I… really don’t want your husband to learn about this.” He tried to move away, and Kiho finally let him go.

She clicked her tongue, while Ally sighed in relief.

“Kazuo won’t be any trouble, should somebody tell on me.” Kiho shot her daughter a look, which was soundly ignored as Ally trooped over to Vince and dragged him several feet away from her mother. “I don’t get jealous of any off-color jokes or passes he makes about women, and he can’t be upset if I tease my daughter’s boyfriend.”

“He’s not—” Ally began to say.

Kiho rolled her eyes and flicked the air. Vince felt the power, but saw no magic. Ally flinched and rubbed her forehead.

“Let’s not repeat this song and dance over and over,” Kiho said. “With that said, it is good to finally meet you, Vince. Ally wants to make your belated Christmas gift special, but I need to talk to you in more detail to know how. So why don’t we head to a nice café I saw the other day and chat over some drinks and cake, hmm?”

Ally blinked. “We can talk upstairs. If any customers come—”

“Ah yes, the hordes of customers you receive daily,” Kiho drawled. “You’ve had four in total since I came here. Five if you include Vince.”

Ally reddened again. “There might be a sixth!”

“That is, uh, more than usual I think,” Vince said. He rubbed the back of his neck when the elder fox looked at him. “That’s an improvement, even if the money is clearly coming from the corporate deals.”

“Only two of them bought anything,” Kiho said. “One came in, heard the price of a few things, then fled. Another was scoping out infusions.”

“But one was really great!” Ally said, smiling up at Vince. “A harpy looking for illusions, just like Nicki. I, um, think she heard of me from her. I wanted to thank her with some dyes, especially as I didn’t get anyone any Christmas gifts.”

Huh. Who would Nicki have possible mentioned Ally’s store to?

Ally’s face fell when at his look of confusion. He immediately regretted being so suspicious.

“What was her name?” he asked.

“Bree, I think.”

“Ah. That’s Nicki’s sister.” He slapped his fist into an open palm in understanding. “She’s an influencer. Err…”

Ally blinked several times, while Kiho’s eyebrows shot up.

“I probably shouldn’t have said that if she didn’t tell you,” Vince muttered.

“I can guess what a harpy influencer does to attract fans, and why she’d want illusions,” Kiho said, her voice laced with amusement. “Anyway, I think you can afford to step outside, Ally. We’ve finished enough infusions to make a delivery for both your clients and you need to take breaks.”

“Yes, Mama,” Ally mumbled.

She trooped upstairs, tails hanging low. Kiho sighed while watching her.

“You know, I figured I could stop being a parent once she left home,” the fox mother said, staring up the stairs. “That’s how it was when I grew up. I got my fourth tail and I was almost like any other clan member to my parents.”

Vince looked away and said nothing. Seconds passed, accompanied by the thumps of Ally moving about upstairs.

When he looked back, he saw Kiho staring at him with narrow eyes.

“I take it you prefer my approach,” she said quietly.

“I have a lot of people in my life who would give up a lot to have their parents back,” he said. “And I’ve never had any real ones to speak of. So, yes, I do. And it’s obviously Ally does as well.”

Kiho smiled. A gentle smile, bereft of the playfulness she’d shown so far. “It’s nice to hear that. It’s a difficult balance to find. The old clans never found it. I discovered decades later, when out on my final hunt with my father, that my parents never stopped caring for me, even if tradition forbade them from doing so openly.”

The dark glimmer in her eyes told Vince enough. That had been her final hunt not because her father retired, but because he never came back.

He knew little about what sort of life these ancient foxes must have led in ancient Japan, and honestly didn’t care to learn. But he was glad at least some of them tried to do better.

“I’m sure you can compensate by reminding Ally of how you had to walk uphill in the snow for miles every day to get anything done,” he said.

Kiho giggled. “I did, actually. Part of my training meant I had to go up and down a nearby mountain each day. It was a method to improve my empowerment magic.”

Ally’s thumping loudened, and she appeared at the foot of the stairs. “You always tell me I don’t need to learn empowerment, Mama. It would be fun, though.”

“Maybe you can learn it when you’re older.” Kiho reached out and ruffled Ally’s hair and ears, and the younger fox giggled and leaned into her mother’s touch. “Let’s go.”

The café Kiho took them to turned out to be in a familiar intersection. The usual chain coffee store and fast food loomed large over the street, but she took them indoors. They went up a small stairwell and found a café hidden on the second floor.

A long bar dominated much of the café, while a smattering of tables and booths took up the rest. All the furnishings were wood, including the bartop. A steel espresso machine joined an almost atelier-like collection of glass carafes and strange instruments. While a handful of liquor bottles stood behind the bar, the vast majority of the café’s space was dedicated to coffee and tea.

Within seconds of entering, a wolfgirl wearing a vested bartender’s uniform greeted them at the door.

“Table for three?” the server asked.

“I was hoping for a private booth,” Kiho said. “I understand that’s in your name, but…”

Vince blinked, then looked at the café’s name. “Café Isolato.” He didn’t know Italian, but could guess that had something to do with being isolated or private.

“Of course,” the server said without missing a beat. “There is an extra cost to private booths, though.”

“That’s fine.” Kiho waved off the concern.

They were led to a booth away from the handful of other seated customers. As they sat down, the server played with a small LED display beneath the table.

The noise of the café abruptly dimmed, becoming muffled.

“Uh…” he said, holding one ear.

“It’s the anti-eavesdropping wards, sir,” the server said. “They go both ways. Nobody will be able to hear what you have to say. Don’t worry.”

Vince doubted the wards being used in this little café compared to the scrying spells being sent his way, but smiled at her nonetheless.

“Did you want to look at the menu, or…” the server trailed off, clearly hoping they’d order now and save them the trouble of dealing with the anti-eavesdropping ward.

“I’ll take today’s roast in a pour over,” Kiho said.

“Um, just green tea,” Ally said.

“We have a wide selection of green teas. Chinese, Japanese, Korean…” the server said.

“Oh. I’ll take a nice genmaicha if you have one.”

The server nodded with a smile, then turned to face Vince. So far, she hadn’t produced a PDA. He always hated when they remembered everything like this.

“Uh, I suspect just saying coffee isn’t good enough,” he said drily.

She chuckled. “What do you usually drink? If you’re not a coffee drinker, then we have soft drink.”

“I got a moka pot for Christmas,” he admitted, feeling this was probably the only place he could bring this up and not feel weird about it.

As he should have expected, she nodded along happily. “I have my own, and I can guess who gave you one. Lungo espresso will probably match it best. I’ll try to bring you something nice, but surprising.”

Kiho added a slice of chocolate cake and two small tarts. The server then ducked off.

“Intense,” Vince said.

“Not particularly,” Kiho said. “She’s enthusiastic, which is nice. Now, with the wards up, we can finally talk properly.”

He hid a grimace, even as Kiho fixed her gaze on him. Ally blinked several times in surprise.

“Um, aren’t we talking about Vince’s magic tool?” the younger fox asked.

“Eventually. I believe I can sort out his needs quite quickly,” Kiho said. “My problem is this entire situation. He’s working with the mafia, and you’re delivering to two separate clients. Something is awry, and I didn’t have to dive deeply into the news to work out what.”

Ally froze. Her mother squeezed her shoulder.

“I’m surprised only you came,” Vince admitted. “Given what I’ve heard about your husband.”

“Kazuo didn’t fully comprehend the situation, in part because I didn’t explain it.” Kiho pressed her fingers together in front of her face, staring at him over them. “Knightsgate is active in Aulfair. I’m assuming that’s the true reason Houou are slandering you and your store, Ally?”

After taking a deep breath, Ally nodded. “I can handle it myself, Mama. You don’t—”

“That’s not what this is about,” Kiho interrupted. “I have knowledge and history with both Houou and Knightsgate that you don’t. Houou could just as easily be attacking you because a certain Inaba agent is upset that I disgraced her in the Boshin War. But if the Yakuza are involved, I need to know more.”

“Because Kazuo retired to be with you,” Vince said.

“Exactly. Ally should be untouchable as a result, unless we grant permission.”

“Um, what if I…” Ally retreated into her chair when Kiho glared at her. “I may have been as welcoming to Mei as she was to me—”

“Mei? Mei who?” Kiho asked, voice rising in pitch.

“Mei Suwa,” Vince said.

Yet another person with a fairly obviously negative view of Mei incoming, he suspected.

Kiho frowned. “Really? Suwa?”

Huh.

“You don’t know her?” he asked.

“I do, but she wasn’t terribly important.” Kiho drummed her fingers on the tabletop. “It’s difficult to explain, particularly as so much changed after the Meiji Revolution, when I left. Not to mention the Great War.”

“Sounds like she’s come a long way.”

She shook her head. “Yes and no.” A sigh.

The server returned to stall her explanation. Vince got a small cup filled with espresso, while both foxes got what looked like tea. Ally’s came in a ceramic teapot, while Kiho’s was in one of the strange metal carafes.

While she poured her tea-like coffee into her cup, Kiho began to explain, “The Suwa family was a shrine family. As their name suggests, they were connected to the Suwa clan, but there was never a dedicated Suwa fox clan.”

“Shrine family?” he asked.

“Not all foxes had equal responsibilities. Families that tended to shrines possessed more political influence, but had to learn special magic and dedicate significant time to warding off spirits, maintaining any prisons, or possibly guarding soul eggs or other artifacts. Saito Fujiwara was from a shrine clan.”

He frowned. “Does this have anything to do with Mei saying she was a shrine maiden when she was younger?”

“Of course,” Kiho said. “She would have spent decades at minimum doing menial duties in her family shrine. But Suwa’s shrine was in rather uninteresting territory, they never exerted much political influence due to their distance from Kyoto, and later Edo. I don’t recall them doing much during the Boshin War, either. The strongest fox clans were close to Kyoto, and they all rapidly defected to Emperor Meiji and began crushing those of who didn’t.”

Ally’s expression slowly grew from curious to confused the more Kiho spoke. When she didn’t say anything, Vince realized Kiho wasn’t paying attention to her daughter. Presumably because she’d explained much of this to Ally before, while Vince knew next to nothing about how fox clans worked.

But he suspected past explanations didn’t involve Mei.

“Ally, what’s wrong?” he asked.

Kiho looked over at her daughter, then blinked in surprise.

“Mama, you said Mei’s shrine isn’t close to Kyoto,” Ally said. “But Mei said the opposite. I think she said she was in the west of Mie Prefecture. That’s closer to Kyoto than Oda Nobunaga was.”

A strange expression overcame Kiho’s face and she lowered her cup to the table. She drew her tails around herself.

“I take it that means something,” Vince said.

“A reminder, mostly.” Kiho ran a hand down her face. “A lot of clans were destroyed when Knightsgate claimed numerous powerful foxes assassinated Emperor Showa and expelled them and their clans. That’s what created Houou. Their shrines and territory would be claimed by someone.”

“Like Mei,” Vince said.

“Yes. That land in particular is the former Iga province, which was…” She shifted uncomfortably. “Well, you can probably guess who controlled it, given what the Inaba clan specializes in.”

He frowned. “So some powerful foxes in the Inaba clan were formerly Iga foxes? Or presumably a name less likely to give their identities away.”

“Not ‘some’ foxes. The current clan guardians, Anzu and Momo Inaba. Not that I’m certain those are their real names, as they use a single kanji that is frequently used for other names. I defeated Anzu near Hakodate before finally fleeing the country, which makes this even more problematic.”

Vince took several seconds to process what he’d heard. He enjoyed his coffee, which was certainly a lot better than he made at home. The things a trained barista could do.

“One of the most powerful foxes in Houou has a grudge against you,” he said. “And her land was stolen by Mei after Knightsgate chased Houou out of Japan. Now Ally is working with Mei, the thief, after Houou terrorized her all year.”

“That’s about it, yes.” Kiho nodded. “I can’t tell you much about Mei, unfortunately. She’s far older than I’d expect of a boring shrine maiden from nowhere, but tail count is as much luck as talent.”

“We can influence our tail count?” Ally asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

“To some extent. We gain a new tail because we’ve built up an excess of magic in them, and the faster we produce magic, the faster we gain tails. Once we consume more magic than our tails generate, we stop gaining tails and begin to age. So the more we push ourselves, the more we develop our magic, and the stronger we’ll likely become. But sometimes you can be born with more potential. Or…” Kiho grimaced. “Well, as with anything in life, there are shortcuts, and prices to be paid.”

Vince had a fox in his jacket pocket who certainly understood that fact. Daji paid an immense price to become an immortal fox spirit.

“How often do nine-tail foxes occur?” he asked. “I’ve heard all the kyuubi have been sealed or died.”

“Definitely not.” Kiho smiled. “Inari is certainly still around, for what little that matters. I’ve never been certain if Inari is a goddess or a kitsune, but she was real. While she hasn’t shown herself almost since the Great War, I can’t imagine she died.”

“So… Inari is a woman,” he said.

“The Inari I met is. The statues…” Kiho frowned. “I was raised as a warrior. Almost like a samurai kitsune, responsible for protecting nobles and their land from magical and spiritual threats. The theological side isn’t my strong suit. But no fox worshipped Inari. Except maybe in bed, although she stopped taking partners by the time I was born.”

“Um, what about other nine-tails?” Ally asked. “I haven’t heard of one in centuries, except the evil ones. Like Tamamo.”

“They happen.” Kiho shrugged. “They tend to go nuts. Or an eight-tail gains their ninth tail and decides to go on a pilgrimage. I’ve always suspected there’s something special about the ninth tail that changes a kitsune. After all, the fox spirits of China and Korea always have nine tails. Perhaps it grants us divinity. But not everybody is suited for that power.” Then she smirked. “Or maybe the conspiracies are true, and the Emperor just doesn’t like rivals. He wields divine power gifted by Amaterasu, but lives a mortal life.”

It was the same story over and over again. Vince began to suspect there was something drastically wrong in Japan.

Especially with Mei hinting she didn’t plan to return, and had her sights set on Aulfair.

He knew he needed to be prepared for anything. Whether it be during the heist, or afterward, once Houou realized they’d lost the soul egg and fought like hell to take it back.

“Let’s talk about my magic tool now,” he said. “Ally said you might be able to help with spatial distortion?”

- - - - -

Commentary: I'm getting my wisdom teeth removed the day this chapter goes up, and will probably be recovering. I haven't gotten the entire heist done, and I don't want to start posting it here until I'm happy with it due to its length and the risk I rewrite parts of it (as later parts can rely on earlier parts due to the nature of a heist). This means there might be another short gap, unfortunately. Time will tell.

On another note, Kiho isn't a harem candidate. She's playful, but is clear that she's monogamous. She just wants to tease Ally.