"Yes, she's not too far from here. Just a train ride away." Damian told her, stuffing what few belongings he had into his backpack. He didn't have much beyond a phone charger and some of his packed clothes. "I'm hoping that she will. If not..." He paused for a moment. It was better not to start this journey on a sour note. "She'll be able to give us some sort of direction."

He swung the backpack over over his shoulder, slipping his arms through the straps. "You'll like her. She's...she's very nice." He wore the slightest smile on his face as he spoke of her, however little it may be. "She would know more about this than I or anyone else I know does. And I can trust her. " He added before approaching the door.

He opened the door and stepped outside the hotel room. "We can eat when we arrive at her place." He could hold out that long, he just hoped she could. "Maybe get a snack on the way."​

*****​
"Hai." Wait we shall, then. Raiju didn't mind the fairy resting on his head. His eyes strained to look up at her as he sat on his haunches, even though he knew it was pointless. Chi seemed as pure as his fur was white, and it brought a smile to him to see such a thing. Even Kirn himself was pure, and perhaps that was a part of why he traveled with them still, to see that purity stayed safe.

When his ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps he sat up to greet the newcomer. "Hello, a pleasure to meet you." Raiju bowed his head, careful not to cause Chi to tumble off. A difficult task, but the small bit of pride he felt from accomplishing it was well worth it. "I am Raiju, sworn servant of Raijin, lord of thunder." He introduced himself to the man.

"I am quite big yes, I get my size from my mother. She is much bigger than I am." He chuckled, though there was a hint of pride in his voice as he spoke. Perhaps as he grew he would reach her size, though he didn't count on it.​
 
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Ayame followed Damian out of the hotel room, a little nervous. Normally she hated enclosed rooms, but at least inside she couldn't hear or smell any of that noise and nasty smoke that had assaulted her person when she'd followed the hanyou yesterday night. Tail rather flat and morose looking, she kept close to Damian, following him out of the hotel and back into the big bad world. The sound and smell hit her immediately, causing her to wrinkle her nose as she smacked two hands over her ears.​
"Aiyaaah!" It was both a yelp and a disgruntled sigh. "This place is too, too noisy! And smelly!" She trotted up forward to keep up with the much taller Damian's strides, looking up at him with her big, green eyes. "How can you stand it, Sensei? I know even a hanyou has good ears and nose-" She literally jumped in the air when interrupted by a car honking at another one. Unable to stop herself, she fled to the closest refuge she could find, a rather lovely bush of peonies which was part of the public garden they were passing.​
It was a relief that no one actually saw her shift from humanoid form to fox form, but at that moment Ayame didn't care. Scrunching herself as much as she could, she stayed underneath the delicate branches of the bush, peeking out and waiting for the monstrous vehicles to leave.​

*****​

Nevin stared at Raiju before letting out a laugh. "Huh, you're a polite one, eh?" He reached up and scratched the wolf behind his ears as if it was no big deal at all. As he did, his hand accidentally brushed Chi's wings. "Oh sh- er- shoot!" He let out a sheepish laugh, looking over at Kirn who was looking at his friend with a raised eyebrow. "Chi, sorry sweetie, didn't see you there. How've you been doing?"​
"That's okay Mister Nevin!" The little fairy had taken to the air now, fluttering about Raiju's head as she waved a tiny hand at the wolf shifter. "I'm glad to see you're doing alright! Kirn was worried about you!"​
"Was he, eh?" Nevin ran a hand through his hair, grey eyes once more shifting from Chi to Kirn. "Eh... yeah, I can see why." The hunter had had a few drinks too many last night, but thankfully not as many as he normally would term as overdoing it. Still, it was a bad habit that he was having a hard time weaning himself from. It would be especially terrible if that devil woman caught up with him while he was indisposed...​
"Ah, so, Raiju eh?" The topic was hastily changed, causing Kirn to sigh softly. He knew his friend was avoiding the issue, but there was nothing to be said about it right now. At least they were together so he could keep an eye on him.​
"Yes," the kirin replied. "He found us yesterday in the forest, helped us out of the rain. He was injured but between me and Chi, I think we patched him up quite well.​
 
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Damian looked around quickly and sighed in relief when he realized no one was around to see what had just transpired. "Ayame," He grunted as he approached the flower bush, "It's alright, it's not that bad...once you get used to it." He added. After years of living with it, living in it, and sometimes in things much, much worse, the smell didn't bother him much anymore. He'd learned to live with it.

Normally, he'd have been annoyed by the fright she displayed, but it wasn't present this time. She was truly scared, and not for any artificial or superficial reason. He didn't take into account just how crazy this world would be to someone from her time. It did, however, make her journey to his hotel room all the more impressive since she did it on her own. Now he was worried about how she would react while she was on the train, but they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.

"You don't have to worry. You'll get used to the smell and the noise. It's not that scary." He tried to coax her out of the peonies, resting his knee on the ground. "Just stick close to me and you'll be safe. Nothing's gonna hurt ya." [/JUSTFY]


*****​


Raiju tried his best to stay dignified and hide his enjoyment from having his ear scratched. What might have been a thumping paw was no more than a waving tail and a slight but noticeable lean forward into Nevin's hand more. "I am also glad to know you are alright."

"I owe them a great debt! They took great care of me!" He told Nevin, confirming Kirn's statement. "They fixed my burns and relieved me of my pain. In return, I wish to escort them to their location, if it is possible for me to do so before my master calls upon me once more." He paused for a moment before a small but nervous chuckle left his throat. "Though I do not believe that will be any time soon."

Raijin had seemed pretty upset with his thunderbeast and it was likely he would like some space. It was for the better anyway. The Thundergod was finicky and had quite a temper. He was almost a child with the way he acted when displeased. A very dangerous child.

"I must also mention that I am truly curious to see this world that Kirn speaks of with my own eyes as well," Raiju told Nevin. The realms he knew of were ones he'd frequented a couple of times except for one that he had no intention of visiting at all if he could help it. "That would truly be an honor."​
 
Ayame wasn't sure she'd ever get used to such a terrible sound. Her little heart was thudding magnificently against her chest, her ears flat against her head, eyes wide open as they stared out at Damian. How could he be so sure that nothing would? Those things were so big and loud and fast- they made youkai seem less dangerous in comparison. Well, at the moment anyway.​
Still, she couldn't stay hidden here, could she? What if Damian lost patience and simply headed off without waiting for her? Then she'd be in real trouble, stuck in a world where she didn't know a single person. She didn't even know him that well, but at least something was better than nothing.​
Slowly and cautiously she wriggled out from under the bushes, remaining in fox form until she was completely free. "You promise? Promise those things won't hurt me?"​

*****​

Nevin couldn't help but chuckle as he listened to the large white wolf. "They took care of you, eh? Now that's something that doesn't surprise me at all." Kirn was always that sort, and little Chi was what could only be described as an innocent cinnabun.​
"You and me both," he added to Raiju's comment about wanting to see Kirn's world with his own eyes. "Though probably not as much as Kirn himself."​
"Who know," Kirn replied with an easy smile as he began to walk, heading in the direction the city would show itself in. "Maybe I'll end up disliking the place and you'll end up wishing to stay there. Stranger things have happened."​
The wolf shifter smirked a little before nodding. "Right, right, let's get you guys outta the forest, eh? You two could probably use a bath, the inn I've been staying at has rooms that open from outside so no need to worry about Raiju here having to walk through people and freaking them out... although..." He paused and looked the wolf up and down. "Huh. Are you able to shapeshift to something smaller maybe? I'm not sure if you'll be able to fit through the door."​
 
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"I promise." Damian nodded and his head slowly but surely. "Just...as long as you don't walk in front of them." He added, just in case. They were dangerous, yes, but only so far in that should you not take at least a little bit of caution around them you would be in trouble. "As long as you're with me, you'll be fine."

It might have been funny, how terrified she was of the cars, had she not been so...out of place. She'd never seen these 'metal monsters' before. Where she was from, when she was from, they didn't exist. "If you look closely at them, you can see there are people inside." He mentioned, pointing at a car waiting at traffic light. A woman sat behind the wheel, waiting rather...impatiently for the go signal. "They control it, and the last thing they want to do is hit someone, Trust me." He hoped that would ease her fears, at least a little.

"We do need to hurry though. We don't need to miss our train," He told her, before deciding to word it differently for the sake of ease, "Our transportation. It leaves soon, and we should probably get to my aunt's home as fast as possible." He almost sounded a little eager to get there, and truth be told, he was.​


*****​


Raiju had jumped to his feet when Nevin mentioned they should get moving. He paused a bit at Nevin's question, tilting his head in thought before nodding his head. "Oh, yes, of course! I can change into something much smaller!" He adored his wolf form, his true form if you would. It was the form he was born in after all. But just as his mother did, he had several other forms he could take.

His body changed fast and with no warning but a flash of blue light. It wasn't bright enough to blind anyone or even make them flinch, but it was enough to obscure the process of transforming. Once the light cleared away, the large wolf with white, pristine fur was gone. In its place was a small and large eared fox, its fur just as pristine as that of the wolf that it once was.

"This is the best I can do." He told Nevin as he thought about it. "One is far too small, I do believe. It would make travel rather difficult. The others are rather large and perhaps even fearsome." He chuckled. "Well...There is one more. I had forgotten my ability to appear human." There was one more, but he didn't think of it. He hardly appeared as human because he rarely ever had a need to do so. He'd almost forgotten about it.​