Beware the Smile [Closed]

[Ivory Deluge]

(OOC- You know who you are. >3)

He steps between the trees, a crooked man.
There's blood on the blade; don't take his hand~ Queens of the Stone Age.

A huge scar stretches uglily over the face of Seichi. Deep, wide, and eerie, it's not natural and shouldn't exist at all. They call it a Crater. She's seen it from time to time and always from a distance. People tell stories about it all the time on the streets of Mei, about how they can hear screams from below the glassy surface. Sometimes, if you stare into it long enough, a monster will surface and tempt you into the Crater with it. There, you'll be trapped until the end of days, your body twisting and contorting into unseemly shapes, into the frame of the very monster that tempted you. They say that it's especially fond of young women, and that it's best that you stay on the path that leads you out of town. Don't get off that path and don't go near the Great Crater.

But Ériu's never been all that good with following directions to the "t". Not really. It's why she's often so late in making deliveries for Katsuro. There's always something on the road to distract her. Besides, paths are sometimes meant to be abandoned if there's a better option laying beyond them, if there are discoveries to be made. When she makes it to that fork in the road, one leading her out of Mei, the other leading her towards the Great Crater, she teeters, holding a straw basket in her hand containing her recent purchases. Sweet breads, fruits. There's a paper bag full of coffee beans in there somewhere, and her shinobi headband was stuffed in there too.The muddled scents waver in the frigid air, and she's beyond tempted. She takes the road leading down to the Crater.


The allure of the unknown takes her closer to the Crater's edge, closer yet to its glasslike surface, and she just stares, breath shaking as she searches for this "monster". She's got a few kunai stuffed here and there, within the sleeves of her bright-red sweater-jacket and dark-grey t-shirt and lodged between her ankle-boots and her ankles, hidden from view thanks to her dark jeans.

[Kambei Shimata]

Blood splatter could be heard from a nearby cave created from the cause of the crater. The blood could be seen at the entrance of the cave with what looked like a demonic hand on the ground with the rest of the body going in the cave. Should she continue onward, she would find a surprise waiting for her. It was but a boy sitting on the rock wearing samurai kimono with hakama pants all in black. Though some parts of it were darker due to the spilled blood, it could also be seen on his blade that is held on his right hand. The kid just had a devilish smile as he cleaned his glasses from any blood splatter. There were 5 demons all cut up and dead around him, the 5th at the entrance. If one were observant, they would be able to tell that the demon by the entrance was trying to make a run for it but failed as he was run through the back with the sword.

The kid looked at the girl should she be in clear view and would talk to her. "What business do you have here? Are you another demon in human disguise that I should just slaughter?" Once she paid close attention, she could see a black and red aura around him that gave him a demonic presence that was caused by his demon eye jewel since he used it to give him a small defensive aura shield. Was this kid the devil incarnate?

[Ivory Deluge]

They say it eats the bones of men. . .

She walked too close to the surface, and they never saw her again. . .

Don't stray far from the main road.

You've been warned. . .

Between staring into the glassy barrier shielding the Crater and replaying the stories she'd heard about it, Ériu begins to feel utterly ridiculous. Imagine! A monster living in a Crater! There are no such things as monsters, only exceptionally cruel people. She backs away from the massive entity, looks here and there, and hopes no one has spotted her down here. She's not looking to becoming a subject of the town's stories. She does not want people thinking she believes in this nonsense and then using it against her in some kind of practical joke.

But there is also a little bit of fear beneath all the doubt. Just a little, and that's probably why -deep, deep down inside- she's backing away, hands twirling the basket around in their grip. She turns, prepares to leave, and then pauses when she thinks she hears something. A blade singing as it rips through flesh. The shuffling of feet on the ground. Ériu gulps, tenses her shoulders, and realizes that maybe she's not as safe as she'd thought.

Her feet and sense of inquisitiveness lead her cautiously to the source of the sounds, closer to the entrance to a cave. If there's violence going on in the area, she'll have to stop it, or at least get a look at the perpetrator so she can report him. She freezes when she spots blood, a body, and what looks like a severed hand. Her face immediately contorts into disgust, and she feels her stomach churn at the sight. Memories flash through her mind, violent and oh so stark. A piggish man laying face down in a pool of his own blood. A shinobi, dark and cold, standing over him without a single feeling of remorse flashing through his features. She's twelve years old all over again and helpless.

Another gulp. She's trying to fight the lump lodged in her throat, trying to fight the slight paralysis shooting up and down her limbs. She's trying to be brave. The kunai hidden in her clothes burn, prepared for war. This gets her moving, knowing that she has a responsibility and that she can't keep hiding anymore. She has to do this.

When she spots the boy settled upon the rock -all smirks and youthful features- she wants to feel mislead and think that maybe the real culprit is further down in the cave, hunting monsters left and right. But the truth is there, sitting amongst demonic corpses and wiping his glasses clean like it's nothing. She just stands there, wondering if she has time to turn back and forget about what she's just seen, pretend like it's just another lucid dream, but she can't move. She's locked eyes with the kid, and she's not going anywhere.

Widened eyes blink at the implications he's making. The basket of goodies drops to her feet. She just shakes her head as fast and as urgently as she can, strawberry-blonde hair flying in a wild storm about her face. "N-. . .No."Voice shaking, raspy.

(This post took waaaaay longer than it should have. Durn rl distractions! D<)

[Kambei Shimata]

The girl seemed frightened at the sight of the murder scene. Instead of wiping his blade clean, he would slash downward at the air so that the blood would fly off the blade at the ground. Then he would sheath it and make his way over to her slowly. Keeping his smile he looked at the girl up and down to see if there were any visible weapons on her before he got too close. He would stop a few feet away, not close enough to be hit with any close range weapons like a sword but close enough to where he need not shout to talk to the girl. "What brings you here then, girl? I'm just doing my shinobi duty and slaying beasts. A pretty girl like you shouldn't hang around a dangerous place like this. You'd be easy pickings for these beasts."

He stood there, not caring much for his backside since all of the imminent threats were eliminated. The walls and floors of said cave was redecorated with blood guts and pieces of bone. Though all of the cuts were clean, it seemed more like the kid was in a rush to kill them all. Maybe he was after something he thought they had but didn't find since he left with nothing in hand. "By the way, you may call me Kensei. What is your name?"

[Ivory Deluge]

There's a mix of fear and intrigue at the sight of the boy. She wonders if he's really as young as he appears to be and why he'd felt the need to go monster hunting. Her quivering gaze falls on the blade, observes the way it catches the light and the way the blood slips from it. When he shakes the sword clean, the Nagarian flinches slightly at the motion, feet slipping as she backs away subtly.

When he begins to close in on her, Ériu's body tenses, and she finds little solace in knowing that she's equipped for battle. There's a town a little ways off, but she doesn't think that anyone would come to her aid. She's not nearly as lucky. For a moment - as she peers at the carnage behind the boy and then at his eyes- she suspects that maybe -just maybe- he's the monster the townspeople have been gossiping about.

She walked too close to the surface, and they never saw her again. . .

Bone-eater. . .Woman-snatcher. . .

. . .Monster. . .

Another shudder, and she snatches out of that trance, mentally preparing herself for a fight if it comes to that, but then. . .he doesn't seem too interested in a fight, as he'd sheathed his weapon. He calls her "pretty" and she doesn't move. She doesn't let her guard down either.

"Curiosity, mainly," voice low, mindful as she considers what to say to him. Her eyes fall on the basket she'd dropped earlier. "I wanted to see if the stories were true. . ." She doesn't consider that maybe he's never heard any of the stories. It's gossip really, scary tales told to children to make them mind. Kensei -was it?- presumes too much in thinking that she can't defend herself. Maybe it's because all he's seen of her actions so far has consisted of shaking. He asks for her name, and she's not so sure she wants to give it to him. Too dangerous, but then again. . .what's in a name, especially when you don't have a last name?

"Ériu. . ." She doesn't bow like she'd normally would. Understandable. "You're a shinobi?"An obvious question, considering, and now that she thinks about it, his accent is a lot like Pitou-chan's. "Was this a mission then?"

[Kambei Shimata]

Kensei listened to the girl tell him what her business was. Curiosity eh? "Well you know what they say about curiosity, don't you? I haven't really heard of any stories about this place. Just came here on a rumor about a special item that seemed to be false info since I found nothing but demons. Seems someone wants me dead, though I can't blame them after what I'e done." He walked around her, now being in the way of any escape attempt since now he was behind her. He could tell she was scared of him. At the moment, he had the upper hand should she get so scared that she needed to fight him off. He always had a calm mind which was part of fighting and getting the upper hand.

"Eriu? Very nice name. Like I said before, I was only here on a rumor to retrieve something but did my shinobi duty in getting rid of hostile monsters that shouldn't exist in this world. I plan on bringing peace to this godforsaken land, in one way or another. Are you a fellow shinobi?" He smirked a bit towards the lady.

[Ivory Deluge]

Yes, she's heard it all. The adages, the warnings, the fairytales about little girls in red-hoods who drift a little too close to the clawed trees and get gobbled by wolves. Curiosity can be a killer, but so can boredom. Besides, what does safety mean to a group of people who've made it their goals in life to destroy? Ériu tilts her head to the side. Her eyes follow the boy up until he disappears behind her. She doesn't turn to face him, just keeps her ears pricked for any sounds that could potentially herald her end.

Concealed blades burn against the skin of her arms, reminding her that she isn't completely helpless as he may seem to think. Her eyes blink curiously as the boy speaks, her head pivoting just a bit so she can see a blotted image of him in the corner of her eyes. "Special item?" His self-conviction is strange too, makes her wonder what is it he'd done to make him think that he's more guilty than the rest of them.

His compliments do him very little good in winning her over. It's when he speaks of peace, however, that she eases up a bit. A bit. There's still that lingering paranoia wavering over her. She thinks his goal his honorable, you see? Her body half turns, suddenly but not hostilely. Ériu brings her hands up beside her face, an indication that she has no tricks up her sleeve. She just wants to speak to him face-to-face. "A peacemaker? Is that what that special item was for?" His own question forgotten for the time being. Her motions had probably given her occupation away anyway.

[Kambei Shimata]

"Its irrelevant what the item was for. Just something I was after. What brings you here, really? Kinda weird someone would just come out of curiosity to find nothing. I came here for an object. It kinda seemed you came here for danger or to meet your maker." Kensei wasn't threatening, it was more like he was making a point and trying to find out if there was another reason she was here. Then he came behind her and whispered ever so gently in her ear, almost in a seductive way. "If you were ever in any trouble, I'd come to your rescue in a heart beat." Maybe it seemed creepy or charming but either way, it was an obvious fact that he was hitting on her a bit. It seemed he had a thing for her whether he knew it himself or not.

[Ivory Deluge]

She's far from satisfied with his answer, in all its obscurity. A frown creeps its way onto her features as she watches this . . . Kensei. He thinks it's weird for someone to be driven by mere curiosity, but Ériu's not lying about it. It's no different than , say, when after hearing countless tales about the big, mean dog in the old man's junkyard that can eat a kid whole, children gather around the fence to get a peek at it. She'd been directed here by similar stories, and as much as she tried to discredit the existence of bone-eating, women-napping monsters, a small ,childlike part of her still wanted to see if she could find this fiend.

She doesn't know what those. . .things. . .were that Kensei had killed, but they certainly didn't look human. "Rumors from the townspeople. . . I wanted to see if I could find a monster. I'm starting to wonder if maybe there isn't some truth to them, though." It's as simple as that. Ériu blinks slowly, and Kensei is gone then! Immediately, her head pivots, eyes searching for the boy. When breath and a whisper brush against her ear, the Nagarian stiffens at the foreign sensation, an electrical shock jolting up and down her figure. Her eyes widen, and her flesh prickles at what he says.

She doesn't like it. . .Not because it's an evil thing to say, but because of the way he's saying it. Whispers, invasion of space, continuously moving out of her direct view. He's messing with her, and it doesn't help that she's still seeing visions of him standing in the middle of muddled pools of blood and piles of mutilated corpses. Lingering shock, in the end, is what keeps her on edge around Kensei even if he says he wants to bring peace to the lands.

She moves to strike him, stomping the heel of her right boot into his own foot and sending her elbow crashing into his face. The latter hit, if a success, wouldn't hurt, as she's utilizing a technique taught to her by Mishio-san, but it would push the Sati backwards, relinquishing some much-wanted personal space to the blonde. Assuming she had the time, she'd shake a kunai loose from its holding in her sleeve and point the blade at Kensei, her facial features dusted red from embarrassment and strained nerves.

[Kambei Shimata]

Did Kensei slay the so called monster she referred to or was he that beast? There weren't any human bodies or remains around the area to clarify that but either way he had only slain demons that were wondering about. Just then, the girl was attacking him or at least defending herself from him even though he didn't launch the first strike. A self defense move done without an actual attack was an impressive action to do. As his foot was stepped on, he looked forward to see what she was planning and caught the elbow in action. He had the reflexes to react accordingly and would counter with grabbing that arm and twist it behind her, pulling it upward to force her to bend down. As he did this, he slid his foot to the side to make her legs wide open to also cause her to loose her balance as he set his leg free from her foot.

In case she was not on her knees he would use his foot to kick her behind each knee that wasn't bent over to force it and would keep the pressure on her arm up. "A bit hasty aren't we? I wasn't expecting to fight you. You are quite the jalapeno popper to jump the gun. I'll let you go if you promise not to assault me again. Did you think I was just a regular civilian? I am a shinobi after all so I won't go down so easily." Assuming she promised not to attack again, he let her go and would either offer to help her up or dash back should she try to strike him.

[Ivory Deluge]

(OOC- Mmm~ Jalepeno poppers. <3)

Pain jolts up contorted bone like lightening. Teeth grind together as her knees hit the ground. Between the bouts of pain, fear, and twisted nerves, she's getting angry. Ériu stares into the earth with smoldering, teal eyes and fantasizes about flames rising from the earth and entangling the boy restraining her. Kensei says she's hasty. Ériu thinks that he doesn't know the half of it. He requests that she doesn't attack him again when ,really, he'd asked for it as far as she's concerned. But she accepts his conditions. . .hesitantly.

Only if you promise to stop getting behind me. . .

The Nagarian nods and waits for Kensei to let her go. At first, it doesn't seem like she's going to move, feeling all moody and all, but she does stand eventually. It's a slow motion as she deals with the fading pains, and she's much too upset about the current event to take Kensei's hand. Ériu doesn't turn to face him right away either. She's trying to smother her emotions, trying to appear as if his presence doesn't really bother her, but it doesn't really work. She's always been too expressive. When she does turn toward him, her eyes still have a smoky quality to them, as if there's a fire burning somewhere beyond them. In a way, there is. But Kensei doesn't need to worry because as long as he's a good boy and keeps his distance, she won't feel the need to crush his freaking throat.

"Don't do that again. . ." Her voice is still low, cheerless. Her eyes leave his for the moment and glimpse at the basket of food behind him. "Don't get behind me. . .I don't know you."

(Uber apologies for the delay, bro. >.<)

[Kambei Shimata]

"Fair enough. I probably made you feel insecure. Here let me help." He would pick up the stuff she dropped and place it in front of her case she was comfortable enough with him to take it from his hands. He looks up at her and just smiles. "Maybe we got off to a bad start. I wasn't trying to hurt you but reflexes kicked in and did what they do best. I'm a demon hunter. I do it for the good of the land and if it can benefit me in any way. What is it you do? Maybe we could talk about it over coffe?" Kensei was getting a bit cocky about being with this girl. Already asking her out on a date after what just went down? Well its not like he tried to kill her and he just put her in a pinned down position, nothing really offensive like what she tried to do.

Hopefully if she said yes then they could walk out of that danger zone, hopefully without any more monster encounters and go to get some coffee or food if she didn't like coffee. Then they could talk peacefully there over some food. Kensei cleaned up his clothes a bit so his blood stained clothing wasn't obvious or so noticeable.

[Ivory Deluge]

When Kensei moves, Ériu watches him with a subtle degree of vigilance, half-expecting him to do something inappropriate again. She does not want him getting too close to her. When he doesn't and instead proffers her the dropped basket, her eyes widen a little, surprised by the gesture. She stares at the straw object for a moment before looking back up at Kensei and bending down to sweep it off the ground.

"Thank you," she breathes once she comes back up and is eye level with the boy again.

The Nagarian means to take her leave after that, but what the Sati says next stops her before she can even get started on her journey back up to the path. There's a quirk of the head and a blink of the eyes at his suggestion. Coffee. . .Little by little, her frustrations are leaving her. It'd been her nerves that had prompted her to attack the boy, and now she's beginning to think that maybe being mad at him for what'd he done would be childish. Still, getting past the charming smile and gestures, she can't help but to be on-guard near him.

Then again.[I] . .Coffee. . .[/I]And there's some truth to what he'd said. Maybe it'd all been a misunderstanding. After all, Ériu doesn't know what kind of life he had. Maybe he didn't understand the importance of personal space.

Visions of Kensei covered in blood flash before her eyes. She shakes her head clean of them for now and nods again, a small smile squirming its way across her face at the prospect of caffeine. He wasn't taking her off to some deserted alleyway. Coffee shops are rarely without crowds. They'll be fine. She'll be fine.

"Sure." She gives this "demon hunter" a second chance -wanting to know what he's all about- waits for him to start moving, and comes up beside him. "That's what those things back there were then, huh?. . . Demons?"

[Kambei Shimata]

"Yes, demons. They plague this place. They used to plague the land of Seichi till a group of brave legendary shinobi sent them back from whence they came and sealed the gates to "hell." Though of coarse there is going to be some demons that linger about with their own agendas. You see this gauntlet on my left hand embedded with jewels? These are all demonic artifacts that I use to fight against the demon horde. Each one activates a different ability and I was after another one that was said to be here but turned out to only be a rumor. Another wild goose chase it seems." It seemed like he spoke enough to pass the time to a close place that sells coffee. It was called frappe bux, a franchise that is seen everywhere in seichi. It wasn't cheap compared to other coffee places but the atmosphere was nice.

As they sat down, they would be presented with menus since it seemed this was a restaurant style coffee place where they serve you. Kensei would order just a regular black coffee but would put in a few sugar packets in it since he didn't like how it tasted by itself. He wouldn't get any of the desserts that came with it. He would let the girl order whatever she wanted. He was fortunate enough to come from a rich family so money wasn't a problem. He was smart enough to take a share of his parents' money and make an account to use with a fake name since he was wanted in Sato and knew they would freeze the account if they knew it was him using it. He had enough money withdrawn for the day.

"But enough about me, tell me a little about your life and what drives you, assuming you are a shinobi. Like my goal to bring peace, what are your goals in life?" He was curious about the girl. Kensei was smart beyond his years even though he wasn't even 18 yet but he could hold his own in a conversation with older people, so she would not be bored hopefully.

[Ivory Deluge]

As she listens to him, Ériu has to wonder where these demons had come from and why she'd never caught wind of them before. Did they come from the Crater back there, and if so, why now? Why did they choose now to show themselves? She doesn't understand; although, she wants to. Her gaze briefly falls to the gauntlet and at the jewels glimmering wickedly in the light. Demonic artifacts. . .Why on Earth would anyone want to use a power like that, even for the greater good of the world? Ériu reluctantly entertains the notion that wielding the artifact could come with a price, like forfeiting your soul. It's cliché, sure, but don't all clichés start out as truths?

It's giving her a headache, all this demon talk, but the Nagarian wants to know more. "It sounds like you've found your purpose then," she smiles at him. It's a tad bit warmer than the one she'd flashed him earlier. "Cleansing the world of evil." Maybe she's being a romantic ,thinking with her head in the clouds, but what can it hurt?

They come upon a coffee shop, a familiar franchise she's seen up and down the Wind Country; although, she's never ordered anything from them. She'd tried it once, but as soon as she'd seen the prices, she'd turned tail and left without a word. The blonde can't say she's comfortable coming here and especially so when Kensei offers to pay the bill. A pair of wide, teal eyes peek out from behind the menu at the Sati. Ériu'd spent most of the money she'd brought with her on the basket of food she'd purchased earlier, which she'd settled in the floor next to her seat. She chews her bottom lip and looks down at the printed words before her, immediately in search of the cheapest thing on the menu. When she spots it -coffee with added cream and sugar- she voices the order to the waitress and waits for the employee to walk away before focusing her attention back on Kensei.

"I don't. . .have much of a story," which is a lie. She knows what she wants out of life. She just doesn't want anyone to know about the malicious thoughts racing through her head. She's scared someone might tell Katsuro and then she can really kiss her freedom goodbye. She's leaning forward, propping her head up on her raised elbow. She keeps looking down at the menu, watching the way the words swirl off the page and into the floor. A blink of the eyes reveals that she's just seeing things, and the girl looks up at Kensei. "I mean, did you always aspire to become a shinobi just so you could kill monsters, or was there something else, some other kind of goal that you had in mind?"

[Kambei Shimata]

"Yes, cleansing this godforsaken place of all evil. It won't be easy. I'm starting off with the demons first and then the criminals." He took a sip of his coffee every so often as the girl seemed to be trying to tell him about herself but seemed to have some trouble. All she said that her story wasn't interesting or at least thats basically what she was getting at especially since she went back to him so quickly and literally told him nothing about herself. She went back to him and he just let out a sigh with a smile. He took a sip of his coffee and put it down as he spoke to her once more.

"No, I wanted to bring peace originally but when the demons came, they just became part of my goal to rid the world of evil. I'm also sort of a detective of sorts. Like I know you are hiding something from me because normally people who don't have much of a story usually tell what they have to say. You probably have an interesting story that you prefer to keep to yourself, am I right? Well I don't know you that well so you don't need to tell me anything you don't want to but at least give me something like how I told you my goals in life. Anything really. I don't want to be just blabbing on about myself all day." He chuckled and picked up his cup once again and took a long sip of his coffee once more, keeping his eye on her the whole time as he waited for her to tell him something.

[Ivory Deluge]

It isn't that she's deflecting -not consciously anyway- She's trying to prove a point. Not everyone knows what they're going to the Academy for, not in the long scheme of things. Most Students are from well-known clans. It's family business. Others do it to be on the side of justice. Others simply crave power. Ériu thinks that if she keeps as obscure as possible, Kensei will believe she became a shinobi for the same ol', same ol' reasons: because it's what everyone else is doing.

But it doesn't work. He's seen through her, which isn't all that surprising when she remembers just how horribly readable she is. It's something she's going to have to work on. Instead of looking shocked at his observation, the Nagarian just keeps staring at him, straightening her form and placing one arm in her lap. Her other hand curls around the styrofoam cup of coffee the waitress had brought her and lifts the steamy drink to her lips. She breaks eye contact with Kensei once, closing her eyes to better relish in the bitter-sweet taste of caffeine flowing across her tastebuds.

He insists that she speaks of herself, feeling that he'd be blabbing if otherwise.

You shouldn't feel that way. You're very interesting. She keeps this little thought herself, thinking that it'd either embarrass him or inflate his ego.

Bringing the drink down onto the table and opening her eyes, the blonde begins to speak once more. This time, she speaks truthfully, mostly. Her experiences are real, but they aren't the reason why she's become a shinobi, not completely that is. "I'm sure you already noticed, but I'm Nagarian. I bet you've also heard of all the attacks that have been taking place there over the years." Her expression changes subtly, features twisting into a bitter almost-grimace, her eyes darkening. "Just as soon as we get built back up, someone else comes along to destroy our work, never mind the countless families that have been broken up. . .You can't fix something like that." She lifts the drink, takes another sip, and sets it back down. "I became a shinobi late in life after witnessing and surviving one too many of those battles. I want to defend the families," the unfixables, "and give the ones that are already broken some sort of justice and hope." It's not a complete lie. She became a shinobi to break apart a certain man, but she's come to accept her role as a protector over the course of the years too. She wants to keep her home safe.

[Kambei Shimata]

He nodded and when the waitress came by to ask if they needed anything he would ask for a refill of what he ordered and then see if she wanted anything else. Then he would ask for the check and would pay it when he was ready but would put it off for awhile since they were talking and not obligated to leave until he pays the bill. It was a loop hole he found very useful. They couldn't kick them out if they wanted them to pay right? Brilliant. It seemed she was also a person that wanted to protect her village. Cliche but some cliche's were good. He was sort of the same but his "peace" would be at the cost of everyone's freedom since he wanted to rule with an iron fist and his first order of business would be to kill anyone who try to start trouble, thus preventing war but first would need to become the strongest and maybe get a few allies since if those legendary shinobi all ganged up against him, he would probably die.

He would need to get a group he could trust almost fully or at least be stronger than them all should they try to rebel. Though he wouldn't mind if they didn't fully trust him. Its always good to have some doubt in people though if one was to be fully loyal to him that they would give up their life for him, that would satisfy him as well. It was weird how he felt about this girl. He had a tingly feeling in his stomach. He never felt this way before about anyone. Could it be a crush? It would make sense since he never experienced one. He felt calm around her and almost secure. Other than when they first met, Kensei didn't feel the need to bet ready to attack her should he need to.

He would try to be discreet about asking the following question. "So do you have a special someone in your life? Most people I meet do and just curious is all. It seems most people are happy with another person, though I've never had a chance to experience that in my life." He just smiled and hoped she couldn't see through him as he did to her about what he was really asking.

[Ivory Deluge]

When the waitress comes back around, Ériu does nothing more than shake her head and tell her she's good with what she's got. Thanks, but she's barely touched her drink. She's good to go. As the Sati makes arrangements with the waitress, the Nagarian sits silently, sipping her coffee and thinking that things are turning out okay compared to how they'd been earlier. She's cooled down a lot since her initial run in with Kensei, and the sticky, bloody images of him and the monsters are but wavering memories fading with each drink she takes.

This is kind of nice. . .Her vision falls on the basket half hidden beneath the table. She remembers that she's got somewhere to be, but Oni-sama can wait, right? I mean, it's not like this would be the first time she's made him sit and wait for her to show up with a basket full of treats. Thus, Ériu relaxes, sits back in her chair, and takes her eyes and mind off the basket.

Between sips, she hears him ask her if she's got a "special someone in her life," and the Nagarian blinks, inquiring where on Earth that question came from. "Hm?" Just what did he mean by "special someone"? A best friend? A rival? Close colleague?

A boyfriend. . .?

That last one -being so embarrassing- nearly makes her choke on the beverage slithering down her throat. Instantly, she turns away from the boy so she can cough without spitting on him or anyone else in the vicinity and starts to pat on her chest.

"S. . .sorry," she manages between hacks, "my mind was wandering . ."

[Kambei Shimata]

He looked at her as she choked at what he said. Did he say something wrong or maybe caught her by surprise. Judging by her reaction, her answer would probably be embarrassing. So embarrassing that she tried to play it off as if she didn't hear him. Normally people wouldn't react that way should they either have a special someone or be comfortable answering that type of question. It was the only thing Kensei could deduce was the reason for her reaction. He ran to her quickly and patted her on the back as she seemed to be choking on the coffee.

"Are you alright? Maybe I was being too unclear. I was asking if you were seeing someone. Just curious is all. Didn't mean to cause any discomfort." He bent down close to her but not close enough to invade her personal space since he was still close to her because of trying to pat her back. He just smiled at her and let his boyish good looks do the work for him.