[center][h1][color=#0FFFA7]Muragarasu[/color] and [color=red]Jae-eun Yoshihide[/color][/h1]
[h1]Dragon in the Fox's Den[/h1][/center]
[hr]Jae-eun left his naginata propped carefully against the outer wall, the lacquered shaft catching a faint sheen from the lanterns. For a second his hand lingered on it, thumb tracing an old nick in the wood, a small, private ritual of reassurance, before he let it go. Going in armed would send the wrong message. Tonight needed less steel and more words, whether he liked it or not.

He exhaled slowly, smoothing the edges of his smile as he sought out the proprietress. [color=red]“Proprietress-san,”[/color] he called gently as he approached, bowing with impeccable courtesy. [color=red]“Good evening. Or… what’s left of it, at least.”[/color] He straightened, eye studying her with that unfailingly mild curiosity of his, as if he hadn’t just been standing between a demon enforcer and a rogue Hashira.

[color=red]“This has been a very unfortunate night for hospitality, hasn’t it?”[/color] he went on, voice soft and almost apologetic. [color=red]“You have my apologies on behalf of the Corps. Things have… spilled over more than they should have.”[/color] He tipped his head, the smile turning a shade more wry. [color=red]“If you’re still permitting problematic customers, I’d like to impose with a drink. Nothing strong, just something to sit with, if you don’t mind. Talking goes down easier with tea. Or sake.”[/color]

He folded his hands loosely in front of him, leaving plenty of space, making no move to crowd her or push. [color=red]“I’m not here to argue jurisdiction,”[/color] he added, tone calm, almost weary. [color=red]“You want Nichirin out of your borders, I’ll respect that. I left mine outside, and I’ll leave if you ask. I just want to make sure my juniors are safe, and that this place hasn't become another crime scene on the evening news.”[/color]

[color=red]“So… may I sit for a while? We can discuss how to untangle tonight without any more bodies on the floor. You’re very good at keeping the city’s threads in order, Muragarasu-san. I’m hoping we can weave something together that doesn’t end in an execution in your lobby.”[/color] He let a small, tired chuckle slip out, barely there. [color=red]“And if we manage that, the first round’s on me.”[/color]

     The proprietress looked to her returned guest with the ire of this entire night weighing heavily within her eyes. The masquerade of a dignified business had long slipped this evening, falling further and further until what remained now was what could now only be described as a disheveled mess. The blood red sheen of her eyes transfixed upon Jae-eun, looking then to the location of where he left his demon felling weapon outside and releasing a short-but-exasperated sigh. Were she anyone else, the man would be bisected where he stood and it would be left for her employees to clean up his viscera before turning to their duties.

[color=#0FFFA7]”Your bravery is commendable, Jae-eun, I’ll offer you that.”[/color] Mura snorted before she turned her back to him and swiftly fixed her hair, tying it back with a small red elastic tie.

     The onsen was at this point, emptied out, for the safety of both human and demon customers' own well-being. All that remained were the crows outside and the few employees that remained to clean up the mess. Muragarasu glanced over her shoulder and extended out a hand, her scarlet painted fingernail extending out with her digits to gesture toward her left to a wooden door, which opened from the opposite side for the pair to enter. Within that room, the older human girl that worked as her right hand ‘Robin’ remained and stood in a corner with an entirely different wardrobe than before. The onsen work attire shed for a completely black yukata bound by silken red ribbons, and harnessed at above her rear at approximately waist height was a sheathed tanto artfully adorned in black feathers.

[color=#0FFFA7]”If you would please follow me?”[/color] Mura quietly requested as she entered the room and sat at a small table with two cups prepared with, not sake, but black tea.

     The proprietress entered first, taking a seat along the tatami mat gracefully before tucking a small brown blanket over her legs and scooting underneath the wooden surface. The tea was fresh, filling the room with a strong aroma and enveloping that small area with the slightest bit of steam. Before she took a sip of the tea, a small cup beside the one filled with the tea would be poured into it, the rich scent of iron would sweep outward as Mura took a sip of the concoction. The only thing that could put her a bit more at ease would be her pipe, but in the chaos she misplaced it somewhere?

With a small, almost relieved sigh, Jae-eun followed Muragarau into the room, and took off his haori, baring his arms and the myriad of tattoos that marked them. [color=red]“My bravery, Muragarasu-san?”[/color] he laughed. [color=red]“I am not sure if what I am doing is brave. Foolish, perhaps.”[/color] His eyes flicked over the room as he sat, taking in exits, entrances, details, and more, a habit born of paranoia and routine. 

He accepted the tea with a grateful nod, cradling the cup with both hands. He let himself get lost in the moment, only for a second. He brought the cup to his lips and took a slow, measured sip. If it was poisoned, well, Jae-eun was too deep for regrets. The taste was soothing, grounding, and offered him a point of clarity in this chaotic evening. 

[color=red]“I will be blunt, Muragarasu-san,”[/color] Jae-eun said, smile falling from his face for what was perhaps the first time this evening. [color=red]“I do not have time for candor or excuses. There is blood running on the streets, innocent blood. Tomioka Guen, I can not forgive, nor will I forget what she has done. It is unconscionable. Despite what the Ubayashiki-sama may say, despite his requests, as the senior most Hashira in Tokyo, Tomioka Guen will be punished for her crimes. I will make sure of it.” [/color]

He set the cup down, hands folding neatly into his lap. After a pause, he continued. [color=red]“I do not wish to be your enemy, nor continue to be if that is already what I am. Lines are blurring in this long night, between demon and slayer, civilian and yakuza, business and duty. I came inside to make sure there are no more martyrs, no more deaths, no more catastrophes.”[/color]

He allowed himself a small, rueful smile. [color=red]“If I can keep the corps and your business from burning down together, I must try. That is all this is. My regret, my apology, and my hope that despite everything, you and I can work together. Not the Corps, not as Slayer and Demon, simply Jae-eun and Muragarasu.” [/color]

He brought the tea to his lips again. [color=red]“Name your price, Muragarasu-san. Bravery and foolishness go hand in hand, and I feel like a brave fool tonight.”[/color]

     Muragarasu watched, unblinking, calculating, measuring, like a predator scaling its prey. She listened carefully, making sure to absorb everything that her company had to say before she offered a reply. When doing business it was best to allow both parties time to fully explain themselves, their offerings, wishes, what debts would be trusted or unpaid could be discerned after the fact. Jae-eun had been under her watchful eyes for some time now, and while tonight’s circumstances changed things, good game was difficult to come across.

[color=#0FFFA7]”Blunt—?”[/color] She begins, her own smile equally wry, but different, like a vulpine beast baring their teeth in an equally inviting as if threatening way. [color=#0FFFA7]”A blunt blade is typically in need of sharpening, so that is what shall happen here and now.”[/color]

     What Jae would see in the room wouldn’t raise any eyebrows, there were some tapestries of traditional artwork along the walls, a few urns on small display tables. What he might clock would be just above Robin in the corner, a hanging bookshelf with a number of books organized neatly; beneath those books at the bottom was a photo of her and what appeared to be six human children at a temple’s entrance. To any normal person it would just appear to be a shrine maiden with some local youths capturing a moment to remember, but for a demon it was… strange.

[color=#0FFFA7]”Guen is, not a priority to me— dragon. She is a simple nuisance and her machinations may have ripple effects in the future, but that rippling water simply isn’t even in my pond.”[/color] It seemed as if she was going to say something else in that moment, but she cut those words short and struck her tongue along one of her sharpened canines, drawing some blood before the wound closed in an instant.

[color=#0FFFA7]”On the contrary, your foreigner did something that I deem as unforgivable. The powers that be, present, may share lineage with me— but dragon, I assure you, this fox is capable of far less grandiose but much deeper cutting wounds than any Moon or Yakuza filth are capable of.”[/color] Her smile remains all the whilst those venomous words dribble from her lips, remaining resolute she simply scoots closer to him, leaning forward so the slit pupils within her eyes can stare inward.. deeper than the flesh, into his very soul.

     Her index finger floated up from the table, pointing to the hashira’s false eye with a red painted finger. It drew a circle in the air while the proprietress imagined removing it in her mind, wondering what beheld the empty tunnel into the man’s skull. Those wandering thoughts would cease the moment Robin, in the corner of the room coughed, breaking the rising tension in the air in an instant. 

[color=#0FFFA7]”Jae-eun, I have no doubt that you are an intelligent man— more so than you wish to display for others, so let us cut the facade and be earnest with one another.”[/color] The smile vanished, leaving a blank expression upon Muragarasu’s face as it remained not too far from Jae’s own.

[color=#0FFFA7]”[You] are not my enemy, nor is your Rumble compatriot, me and Kousai have spoken not too differently than this in the past.”[/color] Her head slowly tilted, warping her expression to nigh inquisitiveness but might have come across as scrutiny. [color=#0FFFA7]”No— poor choices, mistakes, those are seemingly more and more so my enemy in this turbulent age.”[/color] She sighed once again as loose strands of her raven mane fall into sight, blowing them away and adjusting in her seat once again. 

     She sat back, creating that distance and imaginary barrier between the two of them. Her crimson sclera flashed, indicating the activation of her demonic talents, but no sign or indication of danger would follow. Instead, out from a floorboard a rat would crawl out before making its way towards the two, putter-pattering towards Mura specifically and dropping a simple knife at her side.

[b]”My lady, are you sure you shou-“[/b] Robin would speak out loudly, swiftly stepping out of line at the corner of the room to cease whatever it was that Muragarasu intended to do. Unfortunately, that same hand that pointed to Jae would find itself pointed at her.

[color=#0FFFA7]”Would you like to see another senpai wounded?— or are you fine having strangers dirty the bath water that you painstakingly prepared for our customers?— Robin, what did I say about questioning my judgment?”[/color] Mura’s words might’ve come across as a threat to the young, seemingly innocent, human girl in the room with them. But there wouldn’t be any fear in this girl, Robin’s expression. 

     Instead, the girl returned to her corner with a frown and where she once stood, she melted down to plop onto the floorboards in a sullen thud. Muragarasu’s attention was now on her, matronly glancing upon the stranger with a knowing gaze and shaking her head before returning her vision to Jae-eun. That blade would be taken from the rat’s teeth, it seemed old, not necessarily rusted or grimy but the steel of it tarnished over centuries of use.

[color=#0FFFA7]”You said you’d like to make a deal?”[/color] She raised her brows at Jae-eun.

Jae-eun listened attentively, letting Muragarasu’s words settle over him like ash over coals. He took in everything, the rat courier, Robin, the knife, the casual way she shifted from docile proprietress to a vixen who wouldn’t hesitate to rip his throat out if he inconvenienced her. She too, contained multitudes it seemed. Jae-eun could respect that. 

His eyes tracked the rat though, his mind whirling with the possibilities of what appeared to be her Blood Demon Art. Familiars? Puppets? Possession? Which was the truth? Jae-eun just watched, a small smile on his face as the girl, Robin, would fall to the floor with a dramatic thud. He nearly let out a laugh as he recognized the signs of admonishment accepted, albeit with the cheekiness of a child. 

But his mind wandered back to other words, other things, other statements that caused him to think, not as a man fascinated with this creature in front of him, but as a leader who was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. [color=red]“Foreigner?”[/color] he asked, voice light. [color=red]“You must mean dear Tenko-chan.” [/color]

Tenko, whose firearm’s report had sounded through the district. Tenko, who was under his watch and mentorship. Tenko, who was not Guen, not a rogue Hashira on a revenge quest. 

[color=red]“You know,”[/color] Jae-eun said, his tone carrying an idle lilt of lightness masked over steel. [color=red]“Perhaps I read the situation wrong. I thought I’d be negotiating on behalf of the blizzard that swept through, or perhaps the rumbling of thunder that has disturbed the peace. I did not foresee myself trying to cauterize a bullet wound.”[/color]

[color=red]“I am glad to see that I am not considered an enemy, nor is the muscle-brained thunder head in Kousai.”[/color] he concluded.[color=red] “It does make me feel at ease to know there is no ill will between the dragon and the fox.” [/color]

His eyes tracked to the picture again. He let out a ‘hmm’ of intrigue, of thought, of curiosity before he went back to looking at the vixen in front of him. [color=red]“Do forgive me if I overstep with callous statements. You’re a den mother, aren’t you, Muragarasu-san? A protector of the innocent, perhaps? Or is it the youth of children you safeguard? Don’t feel pressured to answer, a little mystery always makes a flower more captivating.”[/color]

[color=red]“And if I am right, dreadfully so, Tenko-chan’s actions have spurred you to act,”[/color] he concluded. [color=red]“A mother watching out for her children, or one of her charges.”[/color] He finished his tea, setting the empty cup down on the table between them. 

[color=red]“Whatever that foolish girl has done, let me make it right. It is, unfortunately, my responsibility to administer the proper punishments to my juniors, just as you have admonished your own.”[/color] he said, waving a hand towards Robin. [color=red]“If she has crossed a line, which I can already tell she did,”[/color] he remarked with a huff. [color=red]“Then I will ensure she faces the consequences as befitting the crime, but under my discretion. Despite her rashness, Tenko-chan is still my dear junior.” [/color]

[color=red]“As for a deal, there are three proponents I would like to include on my end.”[/color] Jae-eun said, raising three fingers. 

[color=red]“One, I am in need of an informant myself, one that is not bound or restricted by the Corps outdated dogma. Keodis’s services may be lost to me, I have not yet asked, but I shall. Our relationship will be between you and I alone, Dragon and Fox, not Slayer and Demon.”[/color] A finger went down.

[color=red]“Two, Tenko-chan is to be punished how I deem fit. I unfortunately can not let you kill a Slayer in retaliation. However, if you were to describe a punishment and I deem it suitable, perhaps it would soothe her bloodlust to see the punishment come from a fellow slayer rather than a demon.”[/color] Another finger went down, leaving only one remaining. 

[color=red]“And finally, three.”[/color] Jae-eun said, letting his final finger fall. [color=red]“I would very much appreciate a story, mayhaps about you, or perhaps about the photo you keep. Clearly it means something. Clearly it is important, and as a sign of good will, mayhaps we have our first exchange of information, hmm?”[/color]


[color=#0FFFA7]“How— a d o r a b l e.” [/color] The words spilled out of Mura’s mouth slow, and all the same would Jae’s hairs stand on end, as the air in the room dropped in temperature.

[color=#0FFFA7]”To weigh your own demands on the scale, after causing such a mess in my domain.”[/color] Her thin black pupils swelled, blotching out the red of her iris as the faintest spill of hostility escaped her presence for only the briefest moment.

     But just as swiftly as this storm arrived, it departed, and Muragarasu lifted her cup of now lukewarm tea to her lips to take a sip for herself. The red stained trickle of what she mixed into that tea would be just one of many reminders to Jae that, civil as this woman might’ve been, she was still a demon. Her nostrils flared with the huff of a deep exhale, sucking in the scent of the Hashira, enjoying the sensation for a moment before beginning to fiddle with that old knife.

[color=#0FFFA7]”[b]You know[/b] very little, dear dragon. Until today, I’m certain that my presence was hardly on your mind— as is always my intention. Voyeurs don’t like to be seen.”[/color] The words spoken are heavy, not like that of a bludgeoning iron, but like a red-hot poker left in a furnace far too long.

[color=#0FFFA7]”[b]I know[/b] of that eye, and its origins, and many other things I’d like both of us to keep to ourselves.[/color]” Her smile returns, broader than before, stretching from her cheeks as she leans back in and lowers her voice to a hushed whisper.

[color=#0FFFA7]”On the contrary, young man— your wagers mean very little here. I care not for your punishment of the foreigner, nor am I desperate for your information. Rather, if you’d like to give me useless offerings?.. I’ll take a few vials of your blood, that would suit me better.”[/color] Venom returned to her tongue, and even beneath the rather well behaved costume that Muragarasu wore, Jae would see that fire beginning to reignite.

     The fox reconstituted herself, sitting back before spinning the old knife between her fingers. The flourish wasn’t intended to impress, instead to keep her idle hands busy until the blade would be offered to Jae-eun, handle-side. It wasn’t necessarily a threat, but the atmosphere in the room might present the message that if the blade wasn’t taken, there would be no business done between the two— and Mura would explain as she awaited Jae's response.

[color=#0FFFA7]”You humans like to mystify the cursed blood techniques used by us demons, yes?.. Well, I’ll tell you the name of mine— and your behavior moving forward will determine how we handle things. Understood?”[/color] She parroted that fabricated wink of an eye along with a coy smile that Jae-eun likes to do so much.

Jae-eun laughed, bright and quick, but not hollow. It bubbled up from somewhere genuine, cutting through the tension and chill like the blade offered. [color=red]”Forgive me.”[/color] he said, eyes crinkling at the corner. [color=red]“To be called adorable by someone holding my life, my reputation, and my future in their hands, is quite refreshing. Truly, I am the most foolish of fools today, are I not?” [/color]

He didn’t flinch from the hostility, didn’t react to her pupils changing, nor the charged energy in the air. This dance of words was exactly what he needed, beyond the clang and clash of steel, beyond the physical fight. This was what he loved, a contest of words, not actions. 

[color=red]“Ah, the fake eye,”[/color] he mused, tapping it. [color=red]“That part is hardly a secret. It’s a good conversation starter. The poor boy who lost his eye and failed to protect his sister. The Hashira who chose the color to hold onto the memory of what was and not what will be. Quite tragic. Yes, people know the tale, they know the whos and hows.But why it happened, what was the cause for this… indiscriminate violence? That’s a less popular story that few, if any know at all.” [/color]

He watched Muragarau flourish the knife, his eye tracking the movement. Skilled, he noted. The handle was held out to him, and Jae-eun knew what he did next would matter the most. Accept, or deny? Was information worth a few vials of blood? Was the danger of giving a demon his blood worth the risk? 

Without hesitation, without debate, Jae-eun accepted the offered blade with an incline of his head. [color=red]“Vials of blood for the continuance of this conversation.”[/color] Jae-eun mused. [color=red]“You really do know how to flatter a man.” [/color]

Once the blade was in his hand, he flourished it himself. He turned it once, twice, spinning it over knuckles and in his palm with the familiarity of someone who had grown up with steel and blade as a second language. The balance, the center of gravity, it gave information not verbally, but the stories were there for any who knew how to listen.

Then, once the blade was held in a reverse grip, sharpened edge against his wrist, he leaned in, mirroring her. But whereas her smile was coy and fake, Jae-eun’s was genuine and intrigued, as if he was sharing a secret. 

[color=red]“You are correct. I know very little beyond what is public knowledge to the Corp.”[/color] he whispered, tone playful. [color=red]“But that’s what's fun. You’ve seen more of me than most in these scant minutes, than some will in lifetimes.”[/color] He slowly dragged the blade across skin, into flesh, crimson welling up at the cut.

[color=red]“If you want my blood, you can have it. You have my face, my name, and far too many secrets that I would love to dive into. A few vials of blood, seems a small price for my insolence. I am but a man who stands amongst a pantheon of Demons and Angels”[/color] His smile widened, sharp, bright, enjoying this spectacle entirely too much. Where once sat a man, now lounged a Dragon as blood ran freely from the wound.

[color=red]“A demon who prefers precision of spectacle, and blood as contract ink? A woman after my own heart, Muragarasu-san.”[/color] he chuckled. [color=red]”As for your Blood Demon Art? Consider me intrigued. I know of very few demons who can possess or puppet others, if that is what is, anyhow.”[/color]

          If only it was so simple.

     Forgoing words for the moment, Muragarasu swiftly extended her hand to grasp Jae-eun’s, interlocking her fingers between his own. Where he had struck the blade along his wrist, the wound would mirror itself onto the proprietress own wrist, and where his blood began to streak out along his arm her own blood would travel outward to connect with it.

[color=#0FFFA7]“I won’t be taking any vials of your blood Jae-eun, instead you will be taking some of my own.”[/color] She smiled before almost silently the hashira’s intrigue would be answered. [color=#0FFFA7]”Blood Contract: The Tie That Binds,”[/color] In an instant Jae’s mind would be flooded with thoughts not of his own.

     He would see visions of a bygone era, where a much different looking Muragarasu wore tattered clothes as she rapidly bounced from the earth to tree as she fled from a no longer living Hashira. And then another sight, of her at a village where a group of warrior monks cornered her at a temple, while behind her a number of young human children stood and stared at them in fear. The sensations, the sights, the sounds, the smell, even the taste of human blood coating his tongue would overpower the senses he currently held in that small room that he sat within. A splitting sensation would briefly take him back to that room for a fleeting moment, where his eyes would find strange thorn like patterns branching out from Muragarasu’s arm and onto his own.

“My curse is one of unrequited love, of kinship, of connection, with all things lived and deceased.” Her words would sound as if the two of them were in a tunnel that extended endlessly connecting one abyss to another, and with each word she spoke it would sound as if she was further-and-further away. “It would be best if you closed your eyes and waited for the undertow to take you.”

     After those words were relayed, Jae’s mind would depart from his body once again. In reality, Mura could not control what it was that the person she formed a blood contract saw, that was part of the deal. So Jae would then would himself in a room of complete and utter darkness that snatched the sense of sight from him completely; he could hear though, heavy breathing, the smell of liquor, and smoke.. fire, at first the subtle glow of orange along the edges of the room. But after some time, it would be difficult to breathe, yet there was no motion within the room of anyone intending to flee from the approaching inferno. [b]”We’ll die here together, as fate decided.”[/b] An unfamiliar male voice would say from beneath slowly burning bed sheets. [color=#0FFFA7]”I wouldn’t have it any other way my love.”[/color]  That voice, though different in its tone and even the way it was spoken— all too familiar as the person Jae was just speaking to, Muragarasu.

     The perspective would change, once from sky like a fly on the wall, he was drawn in as the room fully came to ignite. He stood just a few feet away from the two individuals sleeping beside one another, until the crackling sound of burning skin could be heard. And the smell? Few things could turn the stomach like burning hair and flesh, but unfortunately for the onlooker only one person was fated to die on this day. As Muragarasu began to weep, another unknown voice would enter the scene as a much older sounding woman spoke from the inferno. [b]”Some things are just not meant to be.”[/b] 

     In nothing but the smoldering bedsheets, the proprietress of the past rose from the floor with rage in her eyes. The eerie glow of demonic blood sputtered in the flames against darkness as her clawed hands reached out for this other feminine stranger, only to be cut short by a nichirin blade skewering through her stomach. Pain— it was almost as if it was Jae’s own? The thoughts of betrayal and an unseen attack crippling the woman past the point of response. She stared out into those flames, despondent, until a swirling feeling of nausea churned in Jae’s stomach as he found himself flying backwards.. hours, months, days, years, decades, flew past him in a moment until once again he was back at the table with the proprietress.

Jae-eun stared intrigued at their intertwined hands with curiosity, before the world snapped away. The first thing to hit him was the smell.

Acrid ash, burning hair and flesh, and the suffocating thickness of smoke filling his lungs. Jae-eun’s breath caught, not in far, but in visceral, gut-wrenching horror. Every instinct told him to close his eyes, to look away, to shield himself from taking another’s burdens unto himself, but he couldn’t. He was trapped in a memory, a memory not his own, and forced to watch as flames consumed everything, as life burned, as love burned.

[color=red][i]”No. No this is…”[/i][/color] his thoughts were cut off as the blade came, as a slayer’s sword came, through her stomach, through [i]his[/i] stomach. 

Pain exploded, white-hot and immediate, stealing breath, stealing sight, stealing reason. Pain was a friend, pain was familiar, but this was intimate in a way it shouldn’t have. It wasn’t her pain alone. It was theirs now, whether he wanted it or not, while his nerves screamed out in agony and hate. 

[color=red][i]”Betrayel?”[/i][/color] Jae-eun though. [color=red][i]”A demon slayer without honor? A demon slayer attacking from behind, while she grieved, while she…”[/i][/color] The horror shifted, his mind always analyzing, always cataloguing everything despite the trauma and fear and horror. A demon who loved a human? Who chose to die with him? Who chose to fight against her nature for Love? Who was prevented from dying with him. 

Clarity crept in, unbidden, but wanted. This wasn’t… assumptions he tried to keep away were washed away in the tide of understanding. Jae-eun understood, or whatever he rationalized was his understanding.

When he crashed back into the present, decades flying past him, years of living, hiding, watching, all slamming into him. Years of survival flowed into his head, it should’ve killed him, or maybe make him go insane. He was insane already, wasn’t he? Were they two sides of the same coin, wearing masks, hiding behind a picture they tried so hard to present, but so easily burned away because of Love?

[color=red]“You tried to die with him.” he said quietly. [color=red]“Tried to burn and go together… but someone decided you didn’t deserve mercy, decided you weren’t allowed peace. So you were left with ashes and a curse and the weight of everything you wanted, but could never get.”[/color]

His eyes were wide, breath uneven, and for the first time in years, no smile was worn, tears fell from his eyes. [color=red]“Unrequited love.”[/color] he whispered, voice hoarse, understanding. [color=red]“You built your curse around it, around loving someone when the world wouldn’t allow him to love you back.”[/color] he stared at their hands, his was trembling. The thorn-like patterns remained. 

[color=red]“Dragon Breathing…”[/color] he said like a confession.[color=red] “I created it from Love Breathing. Do you know what that means?”[/color] he paused. [color=red]“Love Breathing is gentle, flexible, it is passion that protects and embraces. And I took that… corrupted it, twisted it into something possessive, that holds tight and hoards, that would rather destroy what it loves than let it slip away, because I would rather love and destroy everything around me than to never love at all.”[/color]

[color=red]“The masks I wear, the pleasant faces, the flowery words, they’re all walls I built because the alternative was feeling that loss again. I’m still that child, terrified, who couldn’t save the people he loved, who created a weapon from his failure, and called it strength.”[/color]

Jaeu-eun sighed, once more, eyes returning to their joined hands, to the thorn-like patterns. [color=red]“You were betrayed by someone, or your moment of vulnerability turned into a moment of pain. I don’t know which yet, don’t understand fully yet. Perhaps I never will..” [/color]

He exhaled, long and weary. [color=red]“Are we both prisoners of our pain? Are you cursed to keep forming bonds when the one you wanted was stolen? Or are you trying to fill a hole that can never be filled?” [/color]

[color=red]“Tell me, Muragarasu-san, now that I’ve seen your heart, now that we are tied by blood and memory and pain, what do you need from me?”[/color]

[color=#0FFFA7]”Save the poetics, slayer.”[/color] The fox’s hand retracts and just as quickly those thorn-like patterns vanish from Jae’s arm.

     Somehow, the blade that he once used to strike his arm was now on her side of the table again. Just as strangely did the hashira’s wound close without a scar to remind him of their transaction. What would remain? He could carry with him a strange sentimentality of seeing glimpses of the wearied woman’s past, but something else was different. 

[color=#0FFFA7]”Love is both sanctimonious and sacrilegious, it is a seed, nascent and unmolded until a practiced hand gives it shape.”[/color] Muragarasu’s mood was completely different at this point, seeming tired as small beads of sweat formed above her brow. 

[color=#0FFFA7]”For now, I simply ask that you tell your Tenko; whoever breaks the hedge, a serpent will bite them.”[/color] An exhausted sigh would hiss out from between the woman’s teeth as she flexed the hand that joined with Jae’s, and then grumbled.

     Robin would leave her place to make her way to Mura’s side, sitting with her legs crossed and head down for some reason. The proprietress would then leave over to rest her body weight onto the young girl’s shoulder, panting before using Robin’s body to assist her in standing. The strong-willed demoness was visibly weakened, shaking at the knees as her bare feet slid back into her sandals. A weak smile and nod of her head would be offered to the dragon hashira, then a deep breath would be drawn in before she spoke again.

[color=#0FFFA7]”You will learn of your end of the bargain soon enough, but for now— I expect your stormy compatriot will be arriving soon. I need to compose myself before he does.”[/color]

Jae-eun blinked, realizing his cheeks were wet. How strange. He brought his hands up and wiped away the tears with the distant curiosity one might wear for discovering an unexpected bruise. [color=red]“Ah.”[/color] he said softly, a breathless sound. [color=red]“How embarrassing. I usually don’t leak like this.”[/color] He wiped his face again, and then with his sleeve. 

His mask reassembled itself piece by piece, a slight tilt of the head, the gentle curve of his mouth, his shoulders relaxing just a smidge. By the time he was done, Jae-eun Yoshihide was the carefree Dragon Hashira once more. Almost. His eyes met Muragarasu’s and something quieter was there, respect, clarity, something.

 [color=red]“Whoever breaks the hedge, a serpent will bite them.”[/color] he repeated, carefully, committing the words to memory.  [color=red]“I’ll pass that along to Tenko-chan. She’ll understand that, or if she won’t, I’ll make sure she learns. Either way, the message will be delivered.”[/color]

He watched again as Robin helped her to her feet, nothing the tremor, nothing the vulnerability that wasn’t there earlier. He did not comment, nor did he stare. He averted his gaze to nothing, to everything, but he understood enough. 

 [color=red]“Muragarasu-san,”[/color] he said gently, making no move to stand or approach. His hands remained folded in front of him, posture respectful and still.  [color=red]“Thank you for the tea, the conversation, and well… for showing me something you didn't have to show.”[/color] His smile softened.  [color=red]“Please take your time recovering. I shall wait here until the thunder head arrives, and besides…”[/color]

He looked down at his pristine wrist, where thorns and blood no longer marred the skin.  [color=red]“I think I need a moment to myself, to let everything settle.”[/color] He bowed his head, a gesture of respect.  [color=red]“I hope your recovery is swift, proprietress-san. I look forward to learning what my end of our bargain entails.”[/color]

He stayed exactly where he was, seated at the table with an empty cup of tea. 

     Mura looked down towards Jae-eun for a moment with a deadpan expression, silently gazing for some extended period of time before Robin began to lead her out of the room.

[color=#0FFFA7]”Nichirin will remain banned in my territory until my anger subsides, I’ll be sure to inform Kousai the same.”[/color] She smiled warmly, to reciprocate the respect to some degree before finally making her exit.[hr]