The Inn Beyond Time and Space

In the chaotic night, amidst the ruins of a crumbling temple, the silver-haired, fox-tailed girl crouched among the rubble, her mouth stuffed with wilted scraps of lettuce salvaged from a garbage bag. Across from her stood Adrian Wells, who had died three times and now stared dumbfounded from behind a broken wall.

This surreal standoff unfolded in silence under the shroud of night—a first meeting (discounting the earlier headbutt) that Adrian was certain he'd never forget.

Then he saw the girl's golden-red eyes widen. A mix of shock, elation, and disbelief filled her gaze. She slowly stood up, still clutching a handful of wilted greens. Suddenly, as though snapped out of a trance, she pointed at Adrian and, in a voice tinged with urgency and astonishment, blurted out, "Human?! Oh, a human! Are you... you're human?! Who... who are you? Where did you come from...?"

Adrian had prepared his introduction, rehearsing how he'd explain himself, inquire about her, and even assure her he held no grudges over the earlier "assisted death." But her reaction threw him entirely off balance, scattering his carefully thought-out words.

What did she mean by "You're human"? Was it that surprising? Had she never seen a human before, or was it simply that long since her last encounter? More puzzling was the sense that she seemed to regard him as a stranger.

But how could that be? They'd already met—he vividly remembered her headbutting him on the clearing earlier. Granted, after that headbutt, his body probably looked quite different from now, but his face shouldn't have changed so drastically. Surely, even if she hadn't taken a close look at her "victim," she ought to recall something about him?

"We've... met before," Adrian finally managed after a few seconds. "Just now, out there on the clearing. You said you were here to save me. Don't you remember?"

The fox girl tilted her head slightly, genuinely puzzled. But before long, her attention shifted elsewhere—toward the discarded bag of kitchen waste. Her golden-red eyes almost sparkled in the dark as she pointed to it.

"That... yours?" she asked, her speech halting as though she had to recall how to form each word.

Adrian's voice was tinged with unease. "Uh... yeah, it is."

"Can I... eat it?" she blurted out quickly. Her hands trembled slightly, clutching the scraps of lettuce as if battling an overwhelming urge to devour them. Her voice quivered with urgency, her tone an odd mix of pleading and desperation.

"I'm starving. I want to eat. Sorry..."

Her voice carried an undertone of something deeper than hunger—a dangerous, barely controlled undercurrent of something primal. Adrian thought he saw faint shadows swirling behind her, tendrils of darkness creeping closer like predators biding their time. But just as quickly, the shadows dissipated.

Adrian stepped cautiously from behind the broken wall, his gaze fixed on the girl. He could sense something deeply wrong about her—besides the unruly tangle of tails—but his instincts told him to approach nonetheless.

"You can't eat that stuff," he said, his words faltering as they left his mouth. He wasn't sure how to explain; after all, he'd never been this hungry before.

The girl, however, didn't wait for him to finish. She crouched down, ready to scavenge from the spilled remnants of the bag.

"Wait! I think I've got something you can eat!" Adrian exclaimed suddenly, rummaging through his jacket pockets with frantic determination.

At last, he pulled out two wrapped pieces of bread and a small chocolate bar. These were meant to be his midnight snacks, leftovers from a habit of staying up late due to work.

The fox girl watched him warily but curiously as Adrian demonstrated how to unwrap the bread. As the packaging crinkled and the aroma wafted out, her eyes lit up. In an instant, she lunged forward, seizing both Adrian's hand and the bread. Before he could react, she tried to stuff not just the bread but also his hand into her mouth.

"Whoa! Slow down!" Adrian yelped, struggling to pull his arm free. She was alarmingly strong, and it took all his strength to wrench his hand away, narrowly avoiding losing his fingers to her sharp teeth. Even so, her fangs grazed his index finger, leaving a shallow cut that immediately bled.

"How long have you been starving like this?" Adrian muttered under his breath.

The girl paid him no mind, utterly engrossed in devouring the bread. She crammed her mouth full, chewing with an almost manic intensity. Adrian half-expected her to choke, but she managed to gulp it down in one go. Her gaze then darted hungrily to the second piece of bread in his hand.

"Hold on, hold on! Breathe first, or you'll choke to death," Adrian said, stepping back and raising his hands to halt her advance. "You good now? Did you hear me?"

"I... good," the fox girl nodded vigorously, swallowing hard.

Only then did Adrian hand over the second piece. She fumbled with the wrapper, her hands clumsy but shockingly strong as she shredded the plastic apart. This time, she slowed her pace, tearing the bread into smaller pieces before eating.

Her eyes, however, kept drifting to the chocolate bar.

"This is chocolate," Adrian began to explain, lifting the bar slightly. But halfway through handing it over, he hesitated. His expression turned odd as a thought struck him.

"Hey, uh... can dogs eat chocolate?" Adrian muttered internally, calling out to the voice in his head.

The familiar, exasperated tones of the sealed-in-the-painting Eileen burst forth. "Adrian! Where the hell have you been?! I've been calling and calling, and—"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Adrian interrupted. "I've got a more pressing question."

"What?!" Eileen snapped.

"Dogs can't eat chocolate, right?" Adrian asked, his tone awkward yet oddly serious.

"...Yeah, it's toxic to them. Why are you asking this now?" Eileen sounded confused.

Adrian glanced at the fox girl, who was watching him expectantly. "What about foxes?"

Eileen paused. "I... think it's probably bad for them too? I mean, they're also canines... kind of?"

"What about fox spirits? You know, like fox demons or whatever. Are they more human or more fox? Would chocolate be fine for them?"

Eileen was silent for a moment. "...What are you even talking about?!"

Adrian sighed. "There's a starving fox girl here with nine tails—or maybe six or seven; they're all matted together, so it's hard to tell—and I've got one chocolate bar left."

"...If she's got nine tails, she'll probably be fine," Eileen said finally. "Any fox spirit with that many tails should have the constitution to handle a little chocolate. If not, what's the point of cultivating all those tails—propeller use?"

Reassured, Adrian handed the chocolate to the girl. "Here. Just... try a little first, okay? I don't know if this will be good for you."

"Thank... you," the fox girl said, her voice trembling with gratitude. She tore open the wrapper and nibbled cautiously at the edge.

As the rich sweetness melted on her tongue, her expression shifted to one of pure bliss.

"Well, that's all I've got," Adrian said, spreading his hands. "I hope it's enough. By the way... what should I call you?"

"Thank you," the girl said again, this time more firmly. She pointed to herself, her golden-red eyes locking onto Adrian's. A smile spread across her face, hesitant yet genuine.

"Fox," she said. "I have a name."