The Crimson Door (Tori)

[Fox McCloud]

Covered the carcass of time with flowers to send the scent of blame to the grave.
Set the darkest thoughts on fire, and watched the ashes climb to Heaven's gates.
We hide behind the crimson door, while the Summer is killed by the Fall;
Alive behind the crimson door, while the Winter sings:
"Your love will be the death of me..."

He didn't show many people this warehouse.

In actuality, only Fox himself, Falco, and Wolf really even knew of it. Well, knew there was anything in it. They had somehow managed to grab a hold of the place, and inside it they had stored the last bare bones of their old mercenary days: three Landmasters, only two of which actually bore the Starfox insignia, and... something else, which he kept hidden in the very back.

It was the most important.

But today, Tori was coming here. She had said she needed to talk to him about something important, and since he had planned to work on the Landmasters that day he'd given her the address.

The anthro was currently looking over the engine of one of the giant tanks, grumbling to himself as he did so. He had a wrench in one hand, the other hovering just over the machinery. His face and hands were smudged with engine grease.

"Am remembering when we had robot for doing this..."

[Tori Ashwood]

Well maybe there's a God above 
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya

And it's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not someone who has seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

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Tori had an idea. 

Actually, she had a contract. The idea that had brought on the contract had struck a little before one o'clock on the night of the Cannibal's reappearance in Fox's - and original appearance in her own - life. She hadn't been able to sleep; the shadows and darkness seemed to hold monsters who were waiting for her to close her eyes. So she had remained awake and thinking, contemplating what would have happened if she or Fox hadn't made it out alive. And that was when she realized something. 

She loved Marissa and Jeremy. She didn't just like them; she didn't just adore them like adults did small children. She loved them, and considered them partly hers. It was the same way with Fox. She had realized how much she actually cared for him, and how much it would hurt if something brought harm to him or the children. So she had devised a little...plan to make sure she could watch over them. 

That was the contract in her hand. 

As she neared the warehouse Fox had told her to meet him in, Tori shoved the contract in her bag. Honestly, she didn't really need it; she knew Fox would keep his half of the bargain - if he agreed to it - but it would probably help him some. But it was probably best if she went in without any glaring piece of paper in her hand. 

Quietly, the young woman slid into the warehouse, poking her head around for a moment. She eventually spotted Fox, and a warm smile formed on her face. Tori started over to him, walking slow enough so her eyes could take in everything about him. She had come to grips with her attraction to him a while ago, and had promised herself it would stay that. A distraction. 

Still, Tori couldn't help but play-flirt with him, even if it was more flirt than play on her end. 

"Yeah, but you can pull off the grease-monkey look much better than any old machine, Foxxy."

[Fox McCloud]

Fox yipped in surprise, jumping and nearly toppling over into the giant tank's insides, but managed to catch himself before anything that bad really happen. Though he did lose his wrench. "I'll... be getting that later," he murmured, before turning to Tori, a big grin on his face. "Tori, you are here! Been waiting for you long time, bro."

The anthro's tail swished from side to side in what could only be called a wag, and he jumped down. He chuckled warmly. "Fox is not knowing about 'grease-monkey' look, though. Humans are being lucky, not having fur for grease to be caught in. Is taking Fox hours to get it out.

"But welcoming to warehouse, Tori! Is not much, but... well... is not much."

[Tori Ashwood]

Tori's hand moved to her mouth, to hide the smile that was half-amused and half-smug. She hadn't realized how engrossed in his work Fox had been, nor that it would be enough to keep his senses from detecting her. For the first time, she had been able to sneak up and startle the anthro. It was enough to give her a surge of victory. 

Still, when he smiled, Tori felt her own lips curve upwards. Her eyes sparkled, and she walked over towards him. "I keep forgetting you're not from here. And don't give me none of that stuff about your accent; I've gotten so used to it, I sometimes forget it's there. Hell, it's snuck into my own vocabulary, remember?" Her eyes sparkled again, this time in amusement instead of...whatever it was before. 

When she reached him, Tori lifted her hand and brushed her thumb along a streak of grease on his face. "Lord have mercy, you're a mess. No wonder you liked that robot so much. You're gunna use all the hot water at my house getting this stuff out of your fur." She didn't stop smiling. 

[Fox McCloud]

Fox snorted with a chuckle, ears relaxing into a "calm" state as she brushed her thumb across the grease on his cheek-- they weren't quite pinned back, but not pricked forwards, either. His huge grin settled into a warm smile.

Honestly, he counted himself lucky to have Tori as a friend, what with all the things he did in order to survive.

"Trying not to use up too much water, Tori," he reassured, winking. "Trying to get most off before heading home, promising." And he knew that was true; he already owed her so much for her letting him live there, and he didn't want to burden her any more then he already was. He knew using up the hot water would do that. No one liked a cold shower.

"So," here, he tilted his head to the side in a puppy-like fashion, one ear pointing forwards again while the other remind relaxed and flopped, "what is it you are wanting to speak to Fox about?"

[Tori Ashwood]

Tori's eyes softened, and she shook her head, "I'll go ahead and get the kids cleaned up before you head home, and I'll take my shower in the morning; that way you'll have enough. That... Or you'll be the one with the cold shower." She gave him a playful grin, then reached up to ruffle his headfur. Her eyes sparkled like a mischievious, younger sister. 

But then he mentioned her reason for being there, and Tori felt her face heat up slightly. Her stomach twisted. Sure, she had been pretty confident about her plan just a few seconds ago, but that was a few seconds ago. Now she wasn't too sure how he would reactto what she had in mind, especially considering all that had happened. But Tori knew she couldn't turn back now; not after she had all the fine print worked out. 

Reaching into her bag, leaning against the landmaster behind her, Tori pulled out a folder. She flitted through the papers before pulling out a certain sheet of paper. "This is, um... these are blueprints to a house one of my gang members is selling. It's kinda big - two rooms, two baths, a loft and a garage - but... It'll give each of the kids a room, and..." She bit her lip, slightly nervous at this part. 

"You know I love those kids. You know how much I wanna make sure they're taken care of, and... I mean, I understand if you don't wanna let me, I--" Tori paused here, taking a deep breath. She tried to put her words in coherrent order. "I'm more than willing to go in half with you, if you'll let me stay with you and the kids. I just wanna make sure you guys are all taken care of."

Now her stomach was in knots; she wasn't sure how he was going to respond.  

[Fox McCloud]

Fox let out a noise of protest as she ruffled his hair, both hands immediately going up in an almost cat-like fashion to paw it back into place. The smile stayed, though, as did a bit of shaking from quiet laughter. Only Tori and the children would ever play with him like that.

Then she started stuttering out her proposition.

At first, he was quite reminded of a young school girl confessing a crush. The tripping over words, the way her face blushed, the obvious uncomfort she was going through... as if her whole life, or her life as she saw it, hinged on what his response was. It was a side of her Fox couldn't ever remember seeing, and it made both ears prick forwards in curiosity.

The anthro reached over, gently taking the blueprints and scanning them with his emerald-green eyes. Yes, it was a nice house, but could he afford it? Could he really afford anything, at this point? He still needed to sell his old house, but he couldn't bare to go near it, not to mention it was Krystal who had signed the papers on it in the first place, Krystal who could actually properly sign her name in English letters...

". . . I'm more than willing to go in half with you, if you'll let me stay with you and the kids. . . ."

His head shot up.

He hadn't expected that.

For a moment-- which, to him, felt like an eternity-- Fox didn't know what to say. He had never expected, not in his lifetime, that Tori would want to actually live with him more permanently then she already was. Yes, he knew they were extremely close as far as friends went, but... Well, it warmed his heart, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Is sounding good, bro," Fox murmured, nodding in an approving manner, his tail once again swishing from side to side. "Just one... teensy bit of a problem. Fox... Fox cannot sign his name. Can only be writing with Cyrillic letter, like... here, I am showing you." The anthro pulled out a very wrinkled scrap of paper and the stub of what used to be a full pencil out of one of his coat pockets, quickly scribbling " Фокс Мак-Клауд " before turning it around and showing her.

[Tori Ashwood]

Fox went quiet, and Tori felt her stomach twist into a knot. Her face went from flushed pink to sickly pale; she lowered her eyes to the floor in shame. She should have known better; she should have known that he wouldn't want to move in with her - permenantly anyways. At least not so soon after Krystal's death. 

"Is sounding good, bro." 

Immediately, Tori's heart lifted. She raised her head, her eyes wide and warm with delight and happiness. She didn't even realize he had added a "but," at the end, until Fox had already explained it. For a moment, Tori didn't say anything, just thought. Then, she got an idea, and moved - half dancing -so she was standing behind him. Her hand gently took his. 

"I can help. You just gotta tell me that you're absolutely sure about this. I don't want to be accused of forging your signature or..." She trailed off, biting her lip nervously. There was a pained look in her eye, "or, you know, making you do something you don't wanna do."

[Fox McCloud]

One of Fox's ears swiveled around, not unlike a little satellite dish, somewhat following her path behind him so he could still catch everything she was saying-- not that he couldn't without moving it, but it was a reflex too deeply ingrained in him. His hand twitched under hers out of a slight confusion, and his tail wagged just a bit harder (though moving over so it wouldn't whack her).

Damnit, what was wrong with him?

When she talked, he caught on, nodding down to her. "Fox is being sure, not worrying," the anthro said after a moment, grinning at Tori and winking. "Would never be accusing you of anything like that. Would never even be thinking of accusing you of anything like that, bro."

[Tori Ashwood]

Tori smiled warmly when he promised that he would never accuse her of something like that, and gave his hand a squeeze. "I'm glad to hear that. Because I would have to kill you if you ever tried anything like that." she leaned against him slightly, bumping her shoulder against his in a very playful manner. Her eyes twinkled.

"Now, since you're sure..." Her fingers tightened around his slightly, and she pulled out the contract. She placed it against the side of the landmaster, then touched the pen against the paper. Carefully, she guided Fox, and the pen, across the line, sketching out his name. Once Fox McCloud was written across the line, she nodded, pulling away.

"There we go! All settled," her eyes sparkled again, and she took the contract, rolling it up before stuffing it back into her bag. "I'll tell the kids, and then we'll start packing up and... Oh my gosh, I'm so excited!" Her voice went up an octave when she said that last part. "The kids are gunna be closer to school; in a much better neighborhood..."

She glanced over at Fox, smiling wide, "And you'll be able to get all that gunk off of you without taking all the hot water."

[Fox McCloud]

Fox smiled warmly back at her. The house did sound wonderful, and he was sure the children would enjoy having their own rooms at last; it was a luxury they had never received before. Though, knowing Marissa, he wouldn't be surprised if the two ended up mostly staying in one room any way.

The anthro chuckled at that thought.

Something tugged at the edge of his mind then, a sliver of an idea to repay Tori for showing him this and buying the house with him, not to mention letting him stay with her before she even found it, and he looked back to the back of the warehouse, towards a smallish, secluded room with the side wall missing. Fox frowned thoughtfully. He didn't venture back there often, though he loved it when he did; back there was the most important reminder of days long past.

Slowly, a smile returned to his maw, and he looked back at Tori. "Wanting to show you something," the anthro said, a glint in his green eyes.

[Tori Ashwood]

Tori was still practically dancing when Fox called her attention over to him. She turned to glance at him as she closed the flap of her bag, ensuring that the two of them would have their little home. The glint in his dark eyes had her smiling; she knew him well enough to know that when he was hiding something up his sleeve; her curiosity was peaked. Whenever Fox had that look in his eyes... Well, it meant he was going to let her in on something. 

Adjusting her bag, Tori moved, still bouncing, towards her best friend. "What is it, Foxxy?" She asked, shoving her hands in her pockets. Her smile was warm, genuinely happy at the agreement they had made. 

Tori had a feeling she was going to be flying high for the rest of the day. There was no logical reason behind the feelings or emotions; she knew she should actually be feeling guilty. She was going out with Snake, and yet...she was moving in with Fox and his children in a new place. But the thought of children and Fox and a home for all of them... 

It was like she had finally found a family. 

[Fox McCloud]

Fox smiled wider, jerking his head in the direction of the room in the back corner before walking towards it, glancing back to make sure she was following.

"Come, following Fox," he said, tail swishing. "Nobody else is knowing about this but comrades.

"When we are coming here, to Mushroom Kingdom, we are selling most of equipment. Blue Marine, all but three Landmasters, the Great Fox... and Arwings." Fox shook his head sadly, both ears pinning back. "Was hardest to sell those. Not because no one is buying; was hard to find someone not willing for buying. But Arwings were being so much a part of us..."

And then the anthro's grin returned.

He walked behind the wall hiding his little treasure, stopping to admire it. "Beautiful girl..." he murmured under his breath, fingers delicately caressing it's "nose", running over the Star Fox insignia as if they had performed the motion a million times before. True, his fighter had seen much, much better days... but it was all they could do to keep the Landmasters in good repair; they just didn't have time for her any more.

Fox walked back just enough to poke his head around the wall, motioning for Tori to hurry. He looked as happy as he'd ever been. "Come and seeing her, bro."

[Tori Ashwood]

He motioned for her to follow, and instantly Tori was hurrying behind. Whatever he wanted to show her was obviously something important to him, which meant it was going to be important to her. So she quickened her pace and held her bag tighter, closer. Her heart's pace quickened, especially when he pretty much told her whatever it was was a secret to all but Fox, Falco and Wolf.

He slid behind a wall, and Tori hesitated. She glanced around, unsure if Fox wanted her to follow him there as well. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long, for Fox soon poked his head out and called her back. With a smile so bright she was practically beaming, Tori obeyed. What she saw behind the wall had her gasping. 

"Oh... She's absolutely beautiful." Breathed the young woman. She walked forwards, letting her fingers run delicately over the Arwing. There was a wistful look in her eye, almost as if she was a young child seeing the hero of her stories in real life. And, in part, she was. 

"I remember hearing about these guys... And you," she murmured, glancing back at him. "I was just a young girl when you became a hero. Before that, I'd heard stories of your father; like the child I was, I clung to them. God, I... I remember hearing about all of you, and these." Tori's eyes were soft; she traced the Star Fox symbol with her fingertip. 

"I've only ever seen her once before, on the television. I never thought... My God, Fox."

[Fox McCloud]

Fox's smile warmed, both ears relaxing once again as he watched Tori move around the Arwing, heard her speak about him and his father. Though the mention of his father brought back sad memories, it brought back happy ones, too, and... well, hearing her say she had looked up to both of them was enough to tug at his heart in a wonderful way.

"Being glad you are happy, Tori," the anthro murmured. "Fox's Arwing... she is getting me through many things, eh? We were being unable to sell her... so we are keeping her."

He grinned, suddenly, his head tilting to the side somewhat. His eyes glinted again, playfully. "Fox was not knowing the stories travel that far, though. Is... interesting."