Kalenah turns to watch, a far away look in her eyes that she quickly puts away when she feels my gaze on her. "Hmm I do not know this one here," mom points to a container and Naomi rests back.
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"These yellow ones here," she points, "these are the Snowdonia Hawkweed. They look like dandelions petals, but they are not. I have just these two canisters," she fingers the two yellow herbs, "and I have this powdered version here," she lifts a metal canister from the first tray.
Nodding mom, reaches out to take one of the canisters from the second tray, halting and asking permission with her eyes. Bowing, Naomi waves her forward. Treating the thing with tenderness as Naomi had, mom lifts the cover, bringing the petals to her nose, trying to gather a scent.
Her face scrunches up, "not the most pleasant smell." Naomi giggles, nodding, "yes, but I serve it with ginger to mask it, or honey for a more sweetened taste." Mom nods, placing the lid over the canister and returning it to its chosen place.
I speak up for the first time since we've returned to the bus. "And what exactly does the Snow-dough-hawkweed-"
"Snowdonia Hawkweed, Ansel," my mother snaps, ensuing cackles from my wife and sister. I click my tongue when my father lets out a chuckle, "Yes, your Snowdonia Hawkweed," I ask dryly, "what does it do exactly?"
The kettle that Kalenah is tending to, start a low buildup whistle.
"Well, many years back, when my family was traveling, we came across the rare plants." Naomi tilts her head to the side, "We were actually looking for something, and we met another family. A werewolf family, and this tea, the plant, it is all they drank and when questioned they said it protected their minds from the Elders."
"They gave us six seedlings, and two fully bloomed plants. They were meant to give the rest to the Were King – the informed us that the consumption of the tea made the mind impossible to be entered and controlled. We went on our way parting with them, trading our spices," I listen intently, not missing the fact that Naomi includes herself in the story.
This wasn't something that was passed down, not according to her word choice.
"When we were traveling back, many months later, we stopped at the family homestead, only to find that their gardens and home had been burned, and the animals they grazed slaughtered."
"Upon returning home," She paused, lifting a final tray lid, "my family planted the seedlings, and with those we trust, only Kitsune's, we gift them a seedling and one plant after they've learned a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony."
"The younger Kitsune, they do not much care of traditions, especially those I practice."
Mom, Kalenah and I nod slowly, where their minds are I have no idea. "This set of cups were gifted to me by Otagaki Rengetsu, a Buddhist nun-" she pauses lifting five tea cups one by one, all engraved in script I cannot read. "In 1850."
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"So you're – that makes you over 265 years old?" Angela blurts out.
Naomi, tilts her head to the left, appraising Angela with a keen thoughtful look on her face. "Why do you believe so?"
Angela face reddens, and I almost want to laugh at her bashfulness, "it's just that... I've been looking online..." as she speaks her cheeks flush more. "It says that you spend a hundred years as a fox before you get a human form..." Naomi lifts a brow at Angela.
"And everything you read on the Internet is true," Naomi says with a straight face, sending Andy chuckling, beaming at Naomi.
Though her face is red, as I've ever seen it, Angela nods sharply, "everything," the two of them staring at one another for a beat before they fall apart in giggles. The first true smile I've seen on my sister since she's said goodbye to Courtney and the kids.
"That is all myth," Naomi says when she's settled down, "I was born human and when I turned nineteen I met my first Charge, almost three hundred years ago. We do not control when or who are Charges are. So after my first Charge, I did not have one for nearly ten years. Yet, I've never found one so swiftly as I did with Andy."
I nod, staying in the background as Naomi sets up tea for Andy, Angela, Kalenah, mom and herself.
"With Danny, he's been under Cynthia's spell for so long that it will take much time and patience before he is of sound mind again," Naomi tells us, moving around her instruments, filtering her tea and offering my family the different kinds. "So you just started giving him the tea?" mom asks.
Naomi nods, "Yes, I first did not believe that she would just feed on the family, or use spells with her husband, that is very unheard of. It wasn't until a year or two ago that I realized she would use the family, and so to counter her actions I made snacks, protecting not just Andy but the others. However since I could not insert the tea into their daily diets, Cynthia was still able to use them wrongly." Naomi grits, her face growing flushed as she shakes her head angrily.
The true first sign of her emotions since she's shown up.
"It is not just about getting your Tails," I speak; unaware I've even spoken until Naomi turns to me. "You do not become a Kitsune because you crave Eight Tails," she answers, leaving it there before returning to serve Kalenah a cup of tea.
