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*THERE IS A STORY BELOW THE DESCRIPTION*

So I've been playing Ghost of Tsushima lately.

The game is really good, with the flair and ambiance of feodal Japan, with small touches here and there that are really amazing to behold. On a purely visual standpoint, the game is a little masterpiece in design and it's also fun to play too. Enjoying it, it made me want to have something a touch more "Japanese" in my gallery and I then remembered that I actually have two such characters...which have never interacted together before.

Cue then PsychoWolFFY who has been on a streak of commissions for me as I decided to go ahead and pay them to draw Djinnobu the ninja-djinn and Odoriko No Mae, the kitsune belly dancer. They are both characters I like a lot, though which aren't so easy to keep a narrative in a complex fashion as they were intended for one-shots...but then grew with me experimenting with them. Here, you can see just how massively skilled with lighting, shading and colors PsychoWolFFy truly is, the whole environment being expertly done while they've respected the design for those characters. Everything look sensational here and, frankly, I'd urge you all to check out their commission price right now if you're even just a tiny bit impressed by the visuals here:

If you like those characters, or are just curious to see who they are, check out previous pics and stories featuring them right here.

(Also, obligatory plug-in of my Patreon, where you can find stuff for free, including NSFW material! www.patreon.com/incredibleintr…)

And now, enjoy this short tale of those two meeting.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

SECRET PERFORMANCE AT NIGHT

Something weird was going on.

Djinnobu was in a reconnaissance mission, with a whole region governed by Lord Tonkotsu being rather behind every other in terms of taxation and tribute. Rumors had it that he even was stashing out weapons to prepare for an insurrection, her own unique ways of interrogating and gathering information leading to this being true yet she needed proof. The art of subterfuge and stealth weren't unknown to her, far from it, as the djinn kunoichi could move through the tiniest cracks and pass for almost anybody thanks to her plethora of skills and spells...Though there was something exceptionally odd within the castle of Lord Tonkotsu, especially within his entourage. There were many other lords there, seemingly giving credence to a possible rebellion, but they also seemed to be partying rather joyfully, with plenty of sake, food and pleasant company in the form of many courtesans. While seeing corruption taking such form was nothing new to Djinnobu, there was one person amidst the crowd who stood out, who didn't quite fit in.

She was a tall woman, with a darker skin tone as if kissed by the sun, rather close to those found in Okinawa and yet her mannerism, her dialect and accent all suggested she didn't come from there. She was too polite, too regal, too reserved without forcing it to say that she came from any heavily rural or fish-centric communities. She had long silver hair, a neutral air put there to hide indignation and she wore white and gold in a loose kimono that wasn't exactly her choice of attire. She seemed old and yet very young, captive and yet about to show her fangs, patient yet boiling with kept-in rage. She was a story of contradiction and Djinnobu couldn't quite help but think that perhaps there was far more than meets the eye to this person. Soon, however, she'd be free and she'd go back to where she belonged...or where she wanted to at any rate. The kunoichi was merely there to observe in silence, in perfect stealth, for her master required substantial proof to really unleash her, to be able to do a report to the Shogun in due form. All this bureaucracy exasperated Djinnobu, but her master's wishes came first and foremost and thus she had to simply watch...

“My friends...I have brought a very special treat to all of you. I don't know if any of you have ever heard of the hidden splendor of the Dancing Vixen inn, with their two performers being apparently quite unique and pleasant to the eye,” Lord Tonkotsu spoke, gathering attention to his words as well as to his corpulence as he got up and walked toward the woman Djinnobu had been eyeing at increased intervals. She looked at him, keeping her calm and neutral expression as he towered over her while she was still sitting, her eyes set on everyone else in the room but him. “I have brought her here, picked her up for our noble and much wiser eyes to contemplate. She is to perform for us and then for me as part of my court, a true honor for someone so skilled.”

The story told there was obvious, with the lord being enamored with a damsel from a village, promising her riches, comfort and the illusion of love, with the latter being completely fake and thus refusal the only response being offered. Thus, the lord is angry and goes for different promises and then this woman could do naught but accept under very different and trying circumstances. Yet, this particular woman seemed to take it in stride, as if she knew exactly what kind of situation she was in and she couldn't be bothered by all this nonsense.

“Soon we will have the other one to entertain us...But for now, if you please, dance for us,” Lord Tonkotsu asked with the lie of civility and politeness, his tone underlying a threat that could be delivered upon. Djinnobu knew enough on how to read not just body language but also intents from the tiniest inflexion of one's voice to understand it all. She knew not if an intervention was necessary, though the story of the Dancing Vixen was one she had heard about, albeit couldn't quite pay attention to. With the woman rising up, she towered over the lord and moved to the center of the piece, close to the Shoji Screen behind which Djinnobu hid. A little lamp she used to conceal her presence in case of emergency still attached to her hair, she was ready to remove herself entirely from the premise and yet the dancing girl stopped beneath the light of a lantern hanging from the ceiling, turning around to look at her spectators.

“My lords...Bask into the dance of glorious light~” she spoke, her tone changing as she got a mask out, that of a vixen covering the top half of her face as she smiled in a way that promised sensuality and mischief. Her cold exterior had melted, replaced by not just warmth but energy as she used one hand to swiftly remove her kimono, revealing what was hidden beneath. A top which showcased her cleavage and large breasts, long sleeves cut off below her shoulders and armpits, some re-arranged hakama pants adorned by large gold accessories and jade jewelry. She tied her hair up in a swift fashion as her lips seemingly changed from red to gold in their colors as Djinnobu suspected magic thought part of her saw some semblance of back home in these vestments. Her midriff was not just uncovered, but glorified here as that bronzed skin seemed to drink in the ambient light much like the gold did as this was assuredly a very different kind of dancer, unlike those found in festivals or those performed by courtesans with sticks and fans. “Gaze upon my brilliance and relax~”

She spoke with charisma, authority and confidence, with the tiniest sliver of power as Djinnobu couldn't quite believe what she saw. This woman was performing baladi, something from very far away and supposed to be unknown by the masses here...and she was doing so very boldly and with skills. At first going for umis, waist gyrations, she opened up with hip circles as she shimmied her shoulders. She knew how to captivate those who watched, her smile a constant as the gold on her, combined with her own beauty, seemed indeed to bring the light closer to her somehow, the white and gold of her fabric really meshing well with the environment. Those circles got wider and wider until they reduced themselves anew, going ofr a hip drop and then a kick in order to twirl in place, arching her upper back down so that she could sway her arms in the air. This was someone with talent performing something exceptional, with Djinnobu distracted by this as she was unprepared for such a sight.

The lords and servants weren't either, the reputation of the Dancing Vixen being apparently true as she twirled anew and readjusted her stance, lifting her arms up to go for some wide undulations from her waist to her chest, moving in circles with her steps as everyone's gaze followed her. The whole room was her scene as she got on her knees and then continued those undulations slowly before them shimmying her shoulders anew, making her chest shake as a result. This was sensual, bold and downright tempting as she got back up, twirling her upper body and neck before shaking her shoulders anew and then clasping her hands before her chest, bumping her hips. There was no music and yet there was the faintest hint of a melody, Djinnobu hearing drums and cymbals as if they came from very far away, echoing as if they were originating from a tall mountain. She watched this with the utmost awe, captivated by this dance as she forgot to look at the lords and concentrated solely on this mysterious Dancing Vixen and nothing else.

The foxy lady, however, was not done as she moved to the side, going one step forward and one step backward to create a pattern for all to witness as she bumped her hips then went on faster with them, going for three-quarter shimmies while she lifted her clasped hands up. With everyone following her lead, something odd occurred as the kunoichi training of Djinnobu made her realize that she didn't quite know how much time had passed as she witnessed that the dancing woman's lips were moving...and yet she heard no sound save for that melody.

“...in a deep, deep trance now...So happy...So relaxed...”

Switching her gaze to the other spectators, she quickly noticed spirals of gold and white in their eyes, with large grins and relaxed, limp stances on each that watched the dance. In a rather ironic twist, someone else was using her technique of hypno-baladi as Djinnobu was partly impressed, half-annoyed but most importantly quite curious. Another quick look at the Dancing Vixen, with the kunoichi now aware to keep her mental guard up, saw that the dancer was indeed absorbing all the light, giving way to a powerful hypnotic focus, a combination of seduction and mesmerism that proved to be quite potent. This was a magic user after all, which begged many questions. Did she work for someone? Was she the true mastermind behind everything? Had she done such things prior, thus why the lords were acting in such ways? Did she perhaps operate from that inn, trying to control the region and others in time? Too many variables, quite a lot unknown, which meant that an intervention had to be imposed as Djinnobu took a deep breath and then blew plenty of smoke in everyone's direction, the kind which would put everyone in a lethargic and vulnerable position, ready for her to strike with her own hypnotic methods soon. However, as her natural and thick aroma ventured forth, nine fluffy tails popped out from behind the dancing woman, sending a blast of air to dissipate this sudden attack as the gold-and-white garbed woman turned her attention to Djinnobu, her smile subsiding.

“I knew I sensed a presence here...yet did not know from where it came. You were very good at hiding yourself until now, kunoichi...” the dancer revealed, twirling around to go for a different kind of moves, doing figure-eights as if her body itself was the catalyst for an unseen and arcane spell...and yet Djinnobu was no longer there as the masked woman cocked an eyebrow beneath her mask, only to sense a presence right behind her.

“A kitsune, I see...You dance, I must say, in a divine manner,” Djinnobu said, praising her adversary as she had summoned herself from the smoke which she had thrown toward the vixen-woman. Those tails elongating themselves, threatening to coil around her, Djinnobu sent a quick kick to the ground to perform a back-flip as she landed on her feet a few meters away, with the kitsune and the djinn now gazing upon one another. “You will have to tell me who taught you...And many other things, very soon.”

“And you will have to tell me why you protect such a pig in human clothing...And if you're not why didn't you stop him when you had the opportunity to do so,” the masked dancer said, her lips curled into a thin smile as if she was both amused yet annoyed by this. With the lords and servants all entranced, there would be no interruption to whatever would happen as the woman who just stopped dancing gazed upon the kunoichi. “Your clothes...It seems to suggest that you might just be someone else who knows of baladi...The lamp in your hair, your physique, your stance...You are a dancer too, are you not?”

“I am a great many things...But you'll soon be the one to answer all my questions before entirely forgetting about me,” Djinnobu declared, puffing out her cheeks and belly before unleashing a torrent of smoke, yet directing it around her opponent rather than directly at her. With the pink and thick gas now completely filling the room, its scent adding pink swirls to those already gold-and-white spirals of the lords and servants, it made the area limited which was but one of the effects Djinnobu wished to convey. Jumping back, she then clapped her hands and then vanished within the smoke itself, going for a battle cry to pump herself up and perhaps intimidate her opponent. “Washoi!”

“A valiant effort...But futile. I know not what you are, kunoichi, but you will never defeat me with the same technique, no matter how thick or wide your smoke is,” the masked dancer replied to this effort, until multiple copies of Djinnobu emerged from the smoke, attached through tendrils as her own legs seemed to be connected to the smoke she unleashed. Dancing, she twirled her hips and waist in wide ways to stretch her belly while her arms waved and undulated like serpents. Immediately, the numerous clones began to move and circle around the kitsune, coiling her arms and body through increasingly solid matter as if the smoke turned into scales, into a serpent's tail for many snake-women hidden within surrounding mist. The dances themselves were beautiful, the arms beckoning her to look and to lose herself as if they were caressing her from afar while the spins of those hips seemed to reel her in. Pink and red began to burst in her eyes and yet she knew that she couldn't be taken and thus the masked dancer regained her spirit despite a trance slowly built for a few instants. “No, you will not get me so easily!”

A few twirls, spins with her legs as she then shimmied her hips, sending blinding light and mystical force as her tails spun around, making the smoke vanish anew to reveal the one true Djinnobu who hadn't moved from her spot back when she jumped into what she conjured. “You are no weakling...I can definitely respect that...But my next move will definitely-” Djinnobu began to say, taking on a dancing stance as she began to roll her belly, her pink skin glowing while her lamp seemed to gather energy onto itself which suggested that something terrible was about to be unleashed...Until the kitsune stopped dancing and rose one hand.

“Wait an instant, if you please...It seems to me like we have not even tried to clearly communicate with each other. My instincts tell me that this is but one great misunderstanding which could easily be corrected,” the kitsune said, regaining a calmer and more neutral stance as she then returned the light back to normal, her body no-less radiant though not unnaturally so. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Odoriko No Mae and I am one of the owner of the Dancing Vixen, an inn I manage with my beloved husband where we both live alongside our two daughters. May I have your name, if you please?”

The polite and disarming way in which she spilled information gave way to suspicion from Djinnobu as she wasn't quite certain if this was but a trick, for fox-spirits were now for being calculating, deceitful and mischievous...but then again there was the very real aspect to this battle that Djinnobu had actually started it somehow. “My name is Djinnobu and I am a servant of my master, who himself serves the Shogun and protect the people from injustice,” Djinnobu said, keeping a few things close to her vest for fear of divulging too much to an unknown person and factor: the world of yokais and the supernatural. “What were you doing here?”

“Lord Tonkotsu has begun to recruit ronins and mercenaries for something unsavory and he wanted my husband to join him. We refused and yet he said we had no permission to say no, thus he took him as our two daughters ran away,” Odoriko explained, obviously having calmed down from all this commotion and this fight that had sparked so suddenly. She glanced at the servants and lords, amused by what she saw as they had gold, white, pink and red spirals in their eyes now, the work of the kunoichi certainly quite strong to instill such a reaction without a proper induction. “He told me he'd kill my husband if I didn't comply with his request, so I was bidding my time until I would have a chance to...change his mind. Could I have your reasons as to your presence here as well?”

“I was sent to witness any possible hints of treason, malevolence, corruption and thievery on the behalf of Lord Tonkotsu...And I did. Your own words and those of your husband would undoubtedly work against him, as would my report,” Djinnobu explained, herself too dropping her guard a little, forgoing her kunoichi training to go with trust as everything that happened here seemed to converge toward this version of the truth she was being told. “We were both against Lord Tonkotsu to begin with, then? Here to unveil his intents and to bring him to justice?”

“I wanted him to leave us alone and to repent...But your methods would be far more official and perhaps more efficient than vigilante and invisible justice,” Odoriko said, bowing respectfully before the rather overt kunoichi. “You are no ordinary warrior of stealth and subterfuge, I feel. Your mastery of smoke, dancing and magic seems to indicate as such. I feel you are not of this province, yet alone this country. Would it be too much to assume that you come from very far away, Djinnobu?”

“I am a servant bound to a lamp, one which is held by my master. I come where the sand is countless and vast, where the days are hot and the nights are glacial. Where magic makes carpet fly and where mystery roams the dunes of the desert much like it does in palaces and menial oasis,” Djinnobu half-explained, preferring mysticism as opposed to direct truth, a quirk of her which had served her well in more peaceful occasions. “I was found here for reasons that are unknown to me, yet this country is interesting, intriguing and unknown to me and I am having fun exploring it while carrying out my benevolent master's will.”

“How strange. I was but a fox spirit that learned this dance and the wonders of this style by observing strangers trying to make it on these islands...Perhaps there is a link here that we might have missed?” Odoriko said, removing her mask as her tails disappeared, her ethereal qualities diminishing to leave her simply beautiful in a very humane way as opposed to a more supernatural manner. “I have taken much of your time, I feel...Perhaps you would enjoy meeting in a less stressful and pressing occasion? You would be most welcome at my inn.”

“Indeed...For now, I must report to my master and disappear. I am a great weapon that must be concealed from eyes and mind...And I would rather you keep my memory intact should you promise to keep it to yourself,” Djinnobu said, herself bowing as she clasped her hands together, ever the servant no matter how powerful and colorful she might be. “I figure I shall do the same for you and keep it a secret as well. Farewell, my friend. May we meet again soon.”

And with a puff of smoke she was gone, revealing that she could have vanished at any time she wanted as Odoriko looked at the lords, so pompous and grandiloquent before and yet now at her mercy. Part of her wished to twist their mind, to make them promise dozens of things, yet that would be disrespectful to the woman whom she fought and then conversed with but a moment ago. There was something to this Djinnobu that made her seem interesting, someone she'd want to learn everything about and more. For now, she left those men and woman alone in their thoughts, the smoke of the kunoichi in their lungs and the vision of Odoriko's dance in their mind as she went for her husband. Justice would be served here and she'd better get ready to return to the inn very soon. She would meet her daughters again, restart business and continue with her peaceful life...

And of course prepare for the inevitable visit of this pink-skinned kunoichi, one she had the strangest feeling could perhaps outdrink just about every customers she ever met...

Description
*THERE IS A STORY BELOW THE DESCRIPTION*

So I've been playing Ghost of Tsushima lately.

The game is really good, with the flair and ambiance of feodal Japan, with small touches here and there that are really amazing to behold. On a purely visual standpoint, the game is a little masterpiece in design and it's also fun to play too. Enjoying it, it made me want to have something a touch more "Japanese" in my gallery and I then remembered that I actually have two such characters...which have never interacted together before.

Cue then PsychoWolFFY who has been on a streak of commissions for me as I decided to go ahead and pay them to draw Djinnobu the ninja-djinn and Odoriko No Mae, the kitsune belly dancer. They are both characters I like a lot, though which aren't so easy to keep a narrative in a complex fashion as they were intended for one-shots...but then grew with me experimenting with them. Here, you can see just how massively skilled with lighting, shading and colors PsychoWolFFy truly is, the whole environment being expertly done while they've respected the design for those characters. Everything look sensational here and, frankly, I'd urge you all to check out their commission price right now if you're even just a tiny bit impressed by the visuals here:

If you like those characters, or are just curious to see who they are, check out previous pics and stories featuring them right here.

(Also, obligatory plug-in of my Patreon, where you can find stuff for free, including NSFW material! www.patreon.com/incredibleintr…)

And now, enjoy this short tale of those two meeting.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

SECRET PERFORMANCE AT NIGHT

Something weird was going on.

Djinnobu was in a reconnaissance mission, with a whole region governed by Lord Tonkotsu being rather behind every other in terms of taxation and tribute. Rumors had it that he even was stashing out weapons to prepare for an insurrection, her own unique ways of interrogating and gathering information leading to this being true yet she needed proof. The art of subterfuge and stealth weren't unknown to her, far from it, as the djinn kunoichi could move through the tiniest cracks and pass for almost anybody thanks to her plethora of skills and spells...Though there was something exceptionally odd within the castle of Lord Tonkotsu, especially within his entourage. There were many other lords there, seemingly giving credence to a possible rebellion, but they also seemed to be partying rather joyfully, with plenty of sake, food and pleasant company in the form of many courtesans. While seeing corruption taking such form was nothing new to Djinnobu, there was one person amidst the crowd who stood out, who didn't quite fit in.

She was a tall woman, with a darker skin tone as if kissed by the sun, rather close to those found in Okinawa and yet her mannerism, her dialect and accent all suggested she didn't come from there. She was too polite, too regal, too reserved without forcing it to say that she came from any heavily rural or fish-centric communities. She had long silver hair, a neutral air put there to hide indignation and she wore white and gold in a loose kimono that wasn't exactly her choice of attire. She seemed old and yet very young, captive and yet about to show her fangs, patient yet boiling with kept-in rage. She was a story of contradiction and Djinnobu couldn't quite help but think that perhaps there was far more than meets the eye to this person. Soon, however, she'd be free and she'd go back to where she belonged...or where she wanted to at any rate. The kunoichi was merely there to observe in silence, in perfect stealth, for her master required substantial proof to really unleash her, to be able to do a report to the Shogun in due form. All this bureaucracy exasperated Djinnobu, but her master's wishes came first and foremost and thus she had to simply watch...

“My friends...I have brought a very special treat to all of you. I don't know if any of you have ever heard of the hidden splendor of the Dancing Vixen inn, with their two performers being apparently quite unique and pleasant to the eye,” Lord Tonkotsu spoke, gathering attention to his words as well as to his corpulence as he got up and walked toward the woman Djinnobu had been eyeing at increased intervals. She looked at him, keeping her calm and neutral expression as he towered over her while she was still sitting, her eyes set on everyone else in the room but him. “I have brought her here, picked her up for our noble and much wiser eyes to contemplate. She is to perform for us and then for me as part of my court, a true honor for someone so skilled.”

The story told there was obvious, with the lord being enamored with a damsel from a village, promising her riches, comfort and the illusion of love, with the latter being completely fake and thus refusal the only response being offered. Thus, the lord is angry and goes for different promises and then this woman could do naught but accept under very different and trying circumstances. Yet, this particular woman seemed to take it in stride, as if she knew exactly what kind of situation she was in and she couldn't be bothered by all this nonsense.

“Soon we will have the other one to entertain us...But for now, if you please, dance for us,” Lord Tonkotsu asked with the lie of civility and politeness, his tone underlying a threat that could be delivered upon. Djinnobu knew enough on how to read not just body language but also intents from the tiniest inflexion of one's voice to understand it all. She knew not if an intervention was necessary, though the story of the Dancing Vixen was one she had heard about, albeit couldn't quite pay attention to. With the woman rising up, she towered over the lord and moved to the center of the piece, close to the Shoji Screen behind which Djinnobu hid. A little lamp she used to conceal her presence in case of emergency still attached to her hair, she was ready to remove herself entirely from the premise and yet the dancing girl stopped beneath the light of a lantern hanging from the ceiling, turning around to look at her spectators.

“My lords...Bask into the dance of glorious light~” she spoke, her tone changing as she got a mask out, that of a vixen covering the top half of her face as she smiled in a way that promised sensuality and mischief. Her cold exterior had melted, replaced by not just warmth but energy as she used one hand to swiftly remove her kimono, revealing what was hidden beneath. A top which showcased her cleavage and large breasts, long sleeves cut off below her shoulders and armpits, some re-arranged hakama pants adorned by large gold accessories and jade jewelry. She tied her hair up in a swift fashion as her lips seemingly changed from red to gold in their colors as Djinnobu suspected magic thought part of her saw some semblance of back home in these vestments. Her midriff was not just uncovered, but glorified here as that bronzed skin seemed to drink in the ambient light much like the gold did as this was assuredly a very different kind of dancer, unlike those found in festivals or those performed by courtesans with sticks and fans. “Gaze upon my brilliance and relax~”

She spoke with charisma, authority and confidence, with the tiniest sliver of power as Djinnobu couldn't quite believe what she saw. This woman was performing baladi, something from very far away and supposed to be unknown by the masses here...and she was doing so very boldly and with skills. At first going for umis, waist gyrations, she opened up with hip circles as she shimmied her shoulders. She knew how to captivate those who watched, her smile a constant as the gold on her, combined with her own beauty, seemed indeed to bring the light closer to her somehow, the white and gold of her fabric really meshing well with the environment. Those circles got wider and wider until they reduced themselves anew, going ofr a hip drop and then a kick in order to twirl in place, arching her upper back down so that she could sway her arms in the air. This was someone with talent performing something exceptional, with Djinnobu distracted by this as she was unprepared for such a sight.

The lords and servants weren't either, the reputation of the Dancing Vixen being apparently true as she twirled anew and readjusted her stance, lifting her arms up to go for some wide undulations from her waist to her chest, moving in circles with her steps as everyone's gaze followed her. The whole room was her scene as she got on her knees and then continued those undulations slowly before them shimmying her shoulders anew, making her chest shake as a result. This was sensual, bold and downright tempting as she got back up, twirling her upper body and neck before shaking her shoulders anew and then clasping her hands before her chest, bumping her hips. There was no music and yet there was the faintest hint of a melody, Djinnobu hearing drums and cymbals as if they came from very far away, echoing as if they were originating from a tall mountain. She watched this with the utmost awe, captivated by this dance as she forgot to look at the lords and concentrated solely on this mysterious Dancing Vixen and nothing else.

The foxy lady, however, was not done as she moved to the side, going one step forward and one step backward to create a pattern for all to witness as she bumped her hips then went on faster with them, going for three-quarter shimmies while she lifted her clasped hands up. With everyone following her lead, something odd occurred as the kunoichi training of Djinnobu made her realize that she didn't quite know how much time had passed as she witnessed that the dancing woman's lips were moving...and yet she heard no sound save for that melody.

“...in a deep, deep trance now...So happy...So relaxed...”

Switching her gaze to the other spectators, she quickly noticed spirals of gold and white in their eyes, with large grins and relaxed, limp stances on each that watched the dance. In a rather ironic twist, someone else was using her technique of hypno-baladi as Djinnobu was partly impressed, half-annoyed but most importantly quite curious. Another quick look at the Dancing Vixen, with the kunoichi now aware to keep her mental guard up, saw that the dancer was indeed absorbing all the light, giving way to a powerful hypnotic focus, a combination of seduction and mesmerism that proved to be quite potent. This was a magic user after all, which begged many questions. Did she work for someone? Was she the true mastermind behind everything? Had she done such things prior, thus why the lords were acting in such ways? Did she perhaps operate from that inn, trying to control the region and others in time? Too many variables, quite a lot unknown, which meant that an intervention had to be imposed as Djinnobu took a deep breath and then blew plenty of smoke in everyone's direction, the kind which would put everyone in a lethargic and vulnerable position, ready for her to strike with her own hypnotic methods soon. However, as her natural and thick aroma ventured forth, nine fluffy tails popped out from behind the dancing woman, sending a blast of air to dissipate this sudden attack as the gold-and-white garbed woman turned her attention to Djinnobu, her smile subsiding.

“I knew I sensed a presence here...yet did not know from where it came. You were very good at hiding yourself until now, kunoichi...” the dancer revealed, twirling around to go for a different kind of moves, doing figure-eights as if her body itself was the catalyst for an unseen and arcane spell...and yet Djinnobu was no longer there as the masked woman cocked an eyebrow beneath her mask, only to sense a presence right behind her.

“A kitsune, I see...You dance, I must say, in a divine manner,” Djinnobu said, praising her adversary as she had summoned herself from the smoke which she had thrown toward the vixen-woman. Those tails elongating themselves, threatening to coil around her, Djinnobu sent a quick kick to the ground to perform a back-flip as she landed on her feet a few meters away, with the kitsune and the djinn now gazing upon one another. “You will have to tell me who taught you...And many other things, very soon.”

“And you will have to tell me why you protect such a pig in human clothing...And if you're not why didn't you stop him when you had the opportunity to do so,” the masked dancer said, her lips curled into a thin smile as if she was both amused yet annoyed by this. With the lords and servants all entranced, there would be no interruption to whatever would happen as the woman who just stopped dancing gazed upon the kunoichi. “Your clothes...It seems to suggest that you might just be someone else who knows of baladi...The lamp in your hair, your physique, your stance...You are a dancer too, are you not?”

“I am a great many things...But you'll soon be the one to answer all my questions before entirely forgetting about me,” Djinnobu declared, puffing out her cheeks and belly before unleashing a torrent of smoke, yet directing it around her opponent rather than directly at her. With the pink and thick gas now completely filling the room, its scent adding pink swirls to those already gold-and-white spirals of the lords and servants, it made the area limited which was but one of the effects Djinnobu wished to convey. Jumping back, she then clapped her hands and then vanished within the smoke itself, going for a battle cry to pump herself up and perhaps intimidate her opponent. “Washoi!”

“A valiant effort...But futile. I know not what you are, kunoichi, but you will never defeat me with the same technique, no matter how thick or wide your smoke is,” the masked dancer replied to this effort, until multiple copies of Djinnobu emerged from the smoke, attached through tendrils as her own legs seemed to be connected to the smoke she unleashed. Dancing, she twirled her hips and waist in wide ways to stretch her belly while her arms waved and undulated like serpents. Immediately, the numerous clones began to move and circle around the kitsune, coiling her arms and body through increasingly solid matter as if the smoke turned into scales, into a serpent's tail for many snake-women hidden within surrounding mist. The dances themselves were beautiful, the arms beckoning her to look and to lose herself as if they were caressing her from afar while the spins of those hips seemed to reel her in. Pink and red began to burst in her eyes and yet she knew that she couldn't be taken and thus the masked dancer regained her spirit despite a trance slowly built for a few instants. “No, you will not get me so easily!”

A few twirls, spins with her legs as she then shimmied her hips, sending blinding light and mystical force as her tails spun around, making the smoke vanish anew to reveal the one true Djinnobu who hadn't moved from her spot back when she jumped into what she conjured. “You are no weakling...I can definitely respect that...But my next move will definitely-” Djinnobu began to say, taking on a dancing stance as she began to roll her belly, her pink skin glowing while her lamp seemed to gather energy onto itself which suggested that something terrible was about to be unleashed...Until the kitsune stopped dancing and rose one hand.

“Wait an instant, if you please...It seems to me like we have not even tried to clearly communicate with each other. My instincts tell me that this is but one great misunderstanding which could easily be corrected,” the kitsune said, regaining a calmer and more neutral stance as she then returned the light back to normal, her body no-less radiant though not unnaturally so. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Odoriko No Mae and I am one of the owner of the Dancing Vixen, an inn I manage with my beloved husband where we both live alongside our two daughters. May I have your name, if you please?”

The polite and disarming way in which she spilled information gave way to suspicion from Djinnobu as she wasn't quite certain if this was but a trick, for fox-spirits were now for being calculating, deceitful and mischievous...but then again there was the very real aspect to this battle that Djinnobu had actually started it somehow. “My name is Djinnobu and I am a servant of my master, who himself serves the Shogun and protect the people from injustice,” Djinnobu said, keeping a few things close to her vest for fear of divulging too much to an unknown person and factor: the world of yokais and the supernatural. “What were you doing here?”

“Lord Tonkotsu has begun to recruit ronins and mercenaries for something unsavory and he wanted my husband to join him. We refused and yet he said we had no permission to say no, thus he took him as our two daughters ran away,” Odoriko explained, obviously having calmed down from all this commotion and this fight that had sparked so suddenly. She glanced at the servants and lords, amused by what she saw as they had gold, white, pink and red spirals in their eyes now, the work of the kunoichi certainly quite strong to instill such a reaction without a proper induction. “He told me he'd kill my husband if I didn't comply with his request, so I was bidding my time until I would have a chance to...change his mind. Could I have your reasons as to your presence here as well?”

“I was sent to witness any possible hints of treason, malevolence, corruption and thievery on the behalf of Lord Tonkotsu...And I did. Your own words and those of your husband would undoubtedly work against him, as would my report,” Djinnobu explained, herself too dropping her guard a little, forgoing her kunoichi training to go with trust as everything that happened here seemed to converge toward this version of the truth she was being told. “We were both against Lord Tonkotsu to begin with, then? Here to unveil his intents and to bring him to justice?”

“I wanted him to leave us alone and to repent...But your methods would be far more official and perhaps more efficient than vigilante and invisible justice,” Odoriko said, bowing respectfully before the rather overt kunoichi. “You are no ordinary warrior of stealth and subterfuge, I feel. Your mastery of smoke, dancing and magic seems to indicate as such. I feel you are not of this province, yet alone this country. Would it be too much to assume that you come from very far away, Djinnobu?”

“I am a servant bound to a lamp, one which is held by my master. I come where the sand is countless and vast, where the days are hot and the nights are glacial. Where magic makes carpet fly and where mystery roams the dunes of the desert much like it does in palaces and menial oasis,” Djinnobu half-explained, preferring mysticism as opposed to direct truth, a quirk of her which had served her well in more peaceful occasions. “I was found here for reasons that are unknown to me, yet this country is interesting, intriguing and unknown to me and I am having fun exploring it while carrying out my benevolent master's will.”

“How strange. I was but a fox spirit that learned this dance and the wonders of this style by observing strangers trying to make it on these islands...Perhaps there is a link here that we might have missed?” Odoriko said, removing her mask as her tails disappeared, her ethereal qualities diminishing to leave her simply beautiful in a very humane way as opposed to a more supernatural manner. “I have taken much of your time, I feel...Perhaps you would enjoy meeting in a less stressful and pressing occasion? You would be most welcome at my inn.”

“Indeed...For now, I must report to my master and disappear. I am a great weapon that must be concealed from eyes and mind...And I would rather you keep my memory intact should you promise to keep it to yourself,” Djinnobu said, herself bowing as she clasped her hands together, ever the servant no matter how powerful and colorful she might be. “I figure I shall do the same for you and keep it a secret as well. Farewell, my friend. May we meet again soon.”

And with a puff of smoke she was gone, revealing that she could have vanished at any time she wanted as Odoriko looked at the lords, so pompous and grandiloquent before and yet now at her mercy. Part of her wished to twist their mind, to make them promise dozens of things, yet that would be disrespectful to the woman whom she fought and then conversed with but a moment ago. There was something to this Djinnobu that made her seem interesting, someone she'd want to learn everything about and more. For now, she left those men and woman alone in their thoughts, the smoke of the kunoichi in their lungs and the vision of Odoriko's dance in their mind as she went for her husband. Justice would be served here and she'd better get ready to return to the inn very soon. She would meet her daughters again, restart business and continue with her peaceful life...

And of course prepare for the inevitable visit of this pink-skinned kunoichi, one she had the strangest feeling could perhaps outdrink just about every customers she ever met...