Victoria Black

A word of warning. This is lengthy and not something I expect everyone to read. Or anyone to read really. If you start reading and fall asleep then know that you were warned and I wipe my hands clean of the matter.

Names are important, especially where magic is involved. A name is an idea, an understanding, of something which is why having a name for something makes it less frightening. Once you understand a thing, you can change it. This is the basis for all magic and why those like myself guard our names carefully. I don't care for the thought of someone changing me on a whim which is why I can count on one hand exactly how many people know my True Name. You didn't think my mother named me Vicky did you?

I can safely tell you that the proper name for what I am is Nogitsune. There's a few ways to translate it. It means a fox of the field, that is one without a Master. It also means a Fox of the Void, which is a great title when you want to impress the ignorant. It can also mean a malicious trickster, which is handy for impressing less ignorant people. Ask around and you'll find more ideas on what a Nogitsune is and stories to match. Just remember they're all true, especially the contradictory ones.

Most people know something of Kitsune, of which Nogitsune are also Kitsune without being Kitsune. It's true! Some foxes serve and others wander. There are rules to this and customs older than any fox can remember, which is saying something for a race that can live millennia. Don't worry about what they are though, it's our business to mind that. All you need concern yourself with is this, that the heart of every Kitsune is that of a trickster.

That sounds worse than it is. Tricksters can be rebellious malcontents but they can also be teachers and providers. Without his Puss in Boots friend, no one would have heard of the Marquis de Carabas. Every Kitsune has their own views on how this is to be done and our own individual ways of getting it done. Gatherings of more than one Kitsune can very easily turn into a philosophical debate on the nature of trickery, usually followed the practical demonstrations and then lowered property values. Every fox has their own quirks and our own elemental affinity.

I draw upon the Void. Ku or Sora are better words but I'll try to explain. Void isn't darkness and death because those are just light and life seen from the other side. It's the beat between the notes. The line between one day and the next. The wire across the chasm. Some people like to call this Balance and will talk about maintaining The Balance, as if there could be only one in the world. The truth is there are many scales balancing all the time, just as there is more than one see-saw at the playground. At the middle of every see-saw is a bit that never goes up or down but lets the upness and downess pass through it without touching. That's where the void lies.

There really is nothing to the void, nothing at all. It stands at the center of every crossroads unchanged and nothing, but when you stand there you can move the balance around you. Think of standing in the middle of the See-Saw, never moving no matter what the ends do. Yet if you lean your weight you can shift the balance. Shift it too much though and things break. And that's where the hard part comes in to play. Standing at the crossroads isn't keeping the balance, leaving well enough alone will do that. Void is about changing the things you can, leaving off the things you can't, and hoping you can spot the difference. If you miss the clues and tilt too far then you just might draw something into the void as well. When that happens, Nothing happens. Nothing's a terrible thing to happen to a someone you care about.

Within the Void there is a kind of peace. Everything flows around you without touching inside the void. It's here that you can truly dream. There's nothing to distract the mind, except the bit doing the thinking. I've found that the Void is good for touching on thoughts and dreams. Illusions and phantasms are easier when you learn to stand on the crossroads. While I consider this magic one of my best skills, it's usually better all around to get by on a little wit rather than touch the Void. There's plenty of magic in a smile and the right words. If you don't believe me then ask a conny catcher how he makes his coin.

Magic is change. One thing becomes another, or moves, or vanishes. Something's different by the end but there's more to magic than change. There's also expectation. True people notice Balls o' Fire but there's a missing ingredient that turns notice into Awe. It's expectation. People want to believe in the magic. They want to live in a world where lead turns to gold, tomorrow the drinks are free, and the check really is in the mail. Because even though you know it doesn't happen, couldn't happen, it just might happen to you. And who knows, it could happen.