The face of the recently departed smiles back at you from the picture frame that's mounted above the coffin. The color of their hair and eyes stands out amidst the blacks and whites of the funeral parlor. It's quiet, too, save for the occasional whisper or sob of your fellow mourners. Perhaps you loved this person and are here to give one last tearful goodbye, or perhaps you're simply here out of obligation.
Nobody really seems to pay you much mind as you stand over the closed coffin where that person rests. But as you say your last words to the deceased, you spot something odd out of the corner of your eye. Fluffy white fur and a tail that sways back and forth as little paws step away from the coffin.
Is...is that a fox?
The more you look at it, the more wrong it seems. Little black paws and black-tipped tails aren't common on foxes around here, and more importantly there's three red eyes staring back at you. Something glowing and blue is in its mouth, and just looking at it reminds you of the dead person inside of the coffin. But just as you recognize what it might be, the fox darts off into the garden outside. Your feet begin to move in pursuit without really thinking.
If the inside of the funeral parlor was quiet, then outside its almost dead silent save for the falling rain. Tastefully colored flowers and vibrant greens line your path, making the almost monochrome person at the end of it stand out like a sore thumb. The fox is nowhere to be seen, but...the mask on the side of his head looks awfully similar. That glowing blue light you saw earlier is flickering in his hand, almost like it's trying to struggle away from him. The man opens his mouth as if to consume it...until he spots you.
"Oh my, seems I've been caught..."
Is all he seems to be able to say in response. And yet there's an unspoken challenge in his eyes as he leers down at you with a smile like a cat with the canary: 'And what exactly do you intend to do about it?'
[](#'Jing just ordered Inko to retrieve the soul of the very person this funeral is for. He intends to consume it when he has a moment, unless jij somehow convinced him otherwise. Inko just turned back into the mask Jing wears on the side of his head.')
[](#'Humanity: 75/100')
