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The fox turns to stare right back, giving him the look. "Testttty... You do realize I'm going to need your help, don't you.... and who the hell said I wasn't going to help you find justice anyway? Man, Kero... that stubborn streak of yers must be genetic 'cause yer just as bad now as ye are normally.... I bet Tam has kittens when ye get yer dander up."

The fox turns and winks at him. "Call me, Ly... well, we'll do a bit of investigating and see what's happened in the past five years. Ye do realize that things may have resolved themselves. If that young man was taken in by the Morning Lord's people, I can see Lathander taking a personal interest in the matter."

She turns quickly, shifting into a small thin red haired kitsune who looks nothing at all like his sira, but who reminds him of him none the less in the way she cocks her head at him when he speaks. Dropping to her knees she wraps the young lion is a warm hug and holds him close.

"Of course ye do..." she whispers gently. "Ye wouldn't be ye, if ye didn't... and we'll find out fer ye and fer ye friend if his sister's killers have indeed been brought to some form of justice. Just remember this. We have to find them first. Me thinks they don't live in town. People like that would make everyone too nervous fer other reasons... iffin they kill one woman... what's to keep them from killing another... but They're likely braggarts... so some trail should be there, if we ask the right person. Remember though, the village would have settled things themselves had they learned of it outright. Bards and minstrels are usually sacrosanct in regions like this... They carry the news from town to town. Killing one is usually viewed as bad form regardless. Ye may not like yer messengers, but when they're the only ones ye got, ye don't go killing them off."

She stands up with her hands on her hips and thinks for a bit, then shifts into the appearance of an old grizzled grey haired neko. "I'm their granddad, looking for information as to where they might be. They never showed up fer their cousin's wedding... and I've been on the road fer years trying to track them down, fearing the worse, but willing to give them the edge of me tongue iffin they just fergot... how's that fer a background?" She asks in a kindly but quavering voice.

As they walk into town, Ly nods to herself. "Let's just act casual like. It's the week's end so I'm betting there's some kind of market going on. It's still early enough in the day for vendors to be about. We'll go there first, to buy supplies. We don't really need any, but we'd look really out of place iffin we don't do so. I need to see a bit of their coinage to copy it, but then once I do we'll do a bit of shopping and talking with the locals. I'm emphatic, but no where near as good as ye can be. I might sense someone is hiding something, but won't know what it is. So if while we're questioning people, ye keep an inner ear out for some discrepancies. Another reason to start like that is if anyone hears we're looking, they might go tell someone who knows something... if that doesn't pan out we hit the tavern fer dinner and start talking about the missing younglings there..."

The kitsune turns to him and smiles. "Can ye tone the size down a bit... look a little less intimidating?"

"I said call me Ly... short for Lyssan... which is a variation on Alysian... I only go by Inari in the temple... I hate being made to feel like I have to come to every beck and call... I'll do it fer my friends, never ye fear... but iffin people don't know who I am... they can be calling on me over much... capche? Hmmm... yer getting on in size... a little too imtimidating for these folks, me thinks. Here... I'll cast a seeming. Ye'll still be you but ye'll look smaller to anyone who looks directly at ye, most people won't even notice yer there. Just watch it in a crowd... though I don't think we'll find much of one here... People won't be looking fer a big black lion to step around when all they see is a little black kitty."

She concentrates for a bit and smiles. "Yep that should do it. How do ye feel?"


**ye shouldn't be feeling anything... rolleyes she's testing ye**

She smiles wisely at him. "It's a low level magic called a seeming. I didn't really change you, but when people look at you their eyes will slip away or if something does catch their interest, what they see and what registers in their brain will be two different things. They will think you are my pet... a small dark cat. Of course another magic user could break it in a flash... but I don't sense any talent here so we should be safe. Let's go... hmmm I should probably have a walking stick... something large enough to use as a weapon and worn from traveling." She reaches for a fallen branch and it remakes itself in her hand. I'll need to keep a low profile.... this is Lathander's realm... if he senses me going about and throwing my weight around... he's going to come sniffing around. Ye familiar with the god, Kero?"

Lyssan smiles. "So that's why I smell his stink on ye. Don't worry... I actually like the guy myself. And he's fairly tolerant of me... so iffin I behave, we should be able to find out what's going on with no trouble. But I suggest letting him handle the justice end of the matter. He has some funny ways at looking at things. I remember once he refused to openly punish a man, a con artist, who had openly caused the deaths of quite a few people by giving them medicines which were not what he said they were. Everyone thought the god was in the wrong, until they realized the guy was the sole provider of quite a number of people who were in no condition to care for them selves... elderly grandparents, two young children and an ailing wife. It soon became clear though as time went on that Lathander had not forgotten or forgiven him. That man life was filled with hardship of a strangely unique form. If he was working honestly to provide for the family he did alright... when he tried to do anything for himself, it failed.. spectacularly. And, as each family member either died, healed or grew old enough to fend for themselves, his troubles multiplied even more... until... I honestly believe his punishment would have been far kinder had he simply been executed as the high court decreed."