''Never thought of it like that, since I usually kill my enemies before such a thing is even possible. Only reason I didn't kill you was because our fight was really fun.'' Maybe knowing more about her would be beneficial then, although he wasn't sure what information he'd get through talking that would be helpful in taking her down next time around.

Kamui did, however, give her a weird look due to Nara's response from him calling her a masochist. Now, he was thinking she was a pervert too. Wasn't expecting seeing a blush on this woman of all things.

''You would love to know that wouldn't you? I can tell you don't believe me, but I'm not telling you that much. Just know that there's a reason my strength far exceeds that of any average human. That should tell you enough.'' He was definitely going to be vague on anything and everything he decides to tell her. Obligation was not something he felt towards her.

''Hmmm, well..... I met a lot of samurai obviously. Some annoying. Some strong. None as fun to fight as you. Although, you also have this look in your eye that's way different from them. I can't read minds, but I do know it seems like you carry more of a purpose behind the blade you wield than most. Which is what makes you interesting.'' Some carried it for the sole purpose to fight, to kill, but he didn't get that from her. When it came to himself, he only wanted to keep getting strong. As shallow a purpose it seemed to be, it derived from what happened to him as a child.

Nara wasn't one to pry into people's business. Honestly, she had talked more in this entire conversation than she had collectively over the past year. People did try to speak with her, but it always seemed there were ulterior motives, or they were belittling her. Often they left her alone if she was stoic. Silent. So that was her default demeanor. Kamui had just been persistent, and very fun to ruffle.

"I am surprised to hear you say it makes me interesting considering only a short while ago you said my purpose would just hold me back. Though I suppose interesting does not always mean something good." Nara isn't trying to pick a fight with the statement. To her, it's just that. A statement. A simple fact. "I would not say that I think you are lying. I think you hold onto and conceal the truth more then you tell outright lies. But I will say that it is definitely hard to believe. Though, if you say it is so, then so it must be."

At this point, the food is all but gone. Nara gathers the pans and dishes, throwing another log onto the flames. "I also find you very... curious." Carefully, she wraps the dishes up in a length of cloth, preparing to take them to the nearby river to wash them. "There is more I wish to ask you, but I am sure I will find out when you are ready to share." A smirk graces her lips as a thought passes through her mind. "Or perhaps I will die before that happens. Only time will tell."

The first 5 Asks to send 💋 get a kiss

Kanae is shorter than Shuu, but she allows him to come right up to her and locks eyes with him defiantly. She says nothing as he promises consequences. Her eyes communicate it all, black and blazing red. And if that doesn't work, she still has her father on the phone.

She is a fundamentally mean person, and fear can't fully stop her from rubbing in a victory. After he's walked well out of stabbing range with that kagune, she says, with a cruel sweetness, and only just barely loud enough to be heard:

"Merci, cousin Chaussure."

'Cousin Shoe'... because his name sounds an awful lot like 'Schuh,' the German word for 'shoe.' It's like that in English too, isn't it? Two languages can't be wrong!

The von Rosewalds are wealthy, but Kanae's father was unfortunately correct about her difficulties in finding friends. Bad-faith phonetic comparisons becomes a natural source of ammunition for name-calling, for someone who spends a lot of time in her own company and has to put something together to throw across a language barrier.

Shuu stops and turns around (did he hear what he thinks he heard?). Kanae is already making her way towards Blythe, with a self-assured skip in her step. She sits by where Blythe is hiding as she waits for the privacy of Shuu's departure. She's starting to worry Blythe has simply run away when she hears that familiar voice, asking if it's safe to come out.

"Sure it is, little lady," she says warmly, taking Blythe's hand and leading her the rest of the way out.

It burns like shame, for Kanae to have her parents fix this for her, and to probably end up even more tangled up in their scorn and control. By contrast, Blane and Blythe have responded to her in ways that appeal to her, in their different ways: as a crafty and crucial ally to be relied on. It gratifies her deeply to go on to find Blythe a pack of tissues for wiping the blood from her face. Kanae's own hair is short, and she doesn't have a comb with her, but she does what she can to straighten out Blythe's hair with just her fingers as Blythe takes care of her face.

"...Karen?"

Her father, on the phone. Yeah, he probably would like an update, wouldn't he. It's probably Emma who's really bringing the urgency. Nathanael has told Kanae about some things he's overheard. Apparently, their father was bringing up the goddamn eagles again... carnivores in nature understanding that not all of their young survive... yikes, honestly.

"How much do I owe Mother?" Kanae asks coolly.

"Excuse me?"

"For the girl," Kanae says. She winks at Blythe even though she's speaking a language that Blythe likely does not understand. "I let her go."

A moment's pause.

Now it's Emma on the phone. "Kanae, I spent that money for your life. I don't care about the girl."

"And yet I'll never hear the end of her unless I pay you... right?" Kanae says. The eye roll seeps into the words. "How much?"

Mr. von Rosewald, now. Cautiously. "You know how much a rare gourmet specimen can cost, right?"

"You haven't thrown me out yet," Kanae grumbles, cheerfully enough. "I still have a roof over my head. I'll get Nate to help me figure out how to shake some change out of stocks... I'll get the money back sooner or later." Yes; she has an investment portfolio, coming from a family like this. No; she does not understand the stock market.

They keep talking until they've figured out something amenable, with Kanae gently finger-combing Blythe's hair as she talks. Kanae isn't even sure, herself, why she's going to so much trouble to pick up the cost when her parents already seemed ready enough to do it for her. It goes back to the responsibility she feels for Blythe, she supposes. She's watched her father sabotage her life to flex his own power over her in too many ways to want him involved with anything that's become important to her.

A few anxious servants notice Kanae and Blythe still on Tsukiyama grounds before the conversation with the von Rosewalds is quite finished. Kanae has generally been kind to them; has even remembered some of their names. The servants don't want the Tsukiyamas to take offense or change their minds if these two linger, so they shoo them off the property on sight. One woman, Matsumae, even has a pair of shoes for Blythe.

"Sorry I had to ignore you for so long!" Kanae tells Blythe, finally, at the train station they've ended up at. Finally, Kanae puts the phone away.

"So... I was thinking... I wanted to take you shopping, to get you some new clothes. But you're probably exhausted, so I could just take you to my hotel and let you sleep. Or, if you want to, you can just leave. What do you want?"

Graciously, she accepts the tissues in shaking hands. It's hard to look at the blood coming away as she attempts to clean herself up. Some of it has already dried, and Blythe was afraid she'd eventually have to look at herself and fully witness the gravity of what she had done. She'd already taken one shower this evening, but had luckily been able to keep clear of the bathroom mirrors.

She hadn't been able to avoid watching the blood running down the drain unfortunately.

Though she should be afraid of Kanae, there was a gentleness to the way she was being handled that she couldn't help but feel safe with. The hands gently running through her red hair, the tone of her voice, the way she carefully touched her when pulling her out of hiding. Sure, Blythe was already easy to trust, but selfishly these were all things that, deep down, Blythe had always wanted.

It had been a long time since someone had taken care of her, having been on her own now for nearly three years. And it had been six years before that that her father had.... changed. There had been plenty of people who took advantage of her naivety in those years, and she learned a lot about how the world worked... but not a lot about how she strangely fit into it all...

Blythe carefully follows Kanae, listening to one side of a conversation she didn't understand. That was okay though. She enjoyed the noise and the distraction from other more dangerous thoughts. She's exhausted, and isn't really sure what to do next. She's cold, her torn dress letting in the evening air. She's thankful for the shoes, though she was confused about where her original ones had gotten off to... They were really pretty even if they were really difficult to walk in.

When they make it to the train station, Blythe is thankful that she can understand Kanae again, even though she found the other language pretty in a way. Or maybe it was just hearing it come from Kanae that made it nice? She wasn't sure. "It- It's okay. It was nice to hear you t- talking."

Decisions weren't really something Blythe made often, life happening around her at a pace she couldn't keep up with. Usually, she was swept up in situations where she didn't get to choose, and so when given that choice, she's quiet for a long moment.

There's the option to leave. But again, she doesn't really know what to do next. Did she really want to return to her dreary apartment and continue living like normal (if you could even call it that)? There was a real life ghoul standing before her that she could ask all the questions in the world to. Though she was nervous to be annoying to Kanae. She already felt annoying for having caused her all this trouble. And didn't she.... pay for her? That's what Shuu had said. So wouldn't it be rude to just leave? Shouldn't she pay Kanae back, no matter what the cost?

Unfortunately, Blythe couldn't even begin to imagine how much something like herself cost.... She didn't feel as though she was worth all that much, and why would anyone pay anything for her? Why would Kanae even be offering to buy her clothes? It was so nice! Maybe too nice? Shuu had given her new clothes too... She chooses not to continue down that line of thinking.

Thankfully, her yawn makes the decision for her.

"I- I'm sorry," she finds herself saying, not really sure which of her transgressions she's even apologizing for in this moment. "I- I think you're right. I'm a b- bit... exhausted from everything." Her body was always strangely sore after her blackouts. "I- I re- really don't want to cause you any more trouble. B- but I'm not really s- sure where I am right now. I- if you're okay w- with it, m- maybe I could g- get a little rest? A- and then we c- can t- talk about our... situation?"

The way she was getting comfortable enough to laugh like that with him around was actively pissing him off. Hate was definitely a strong word though. He hated his father, he did not hate some woman he managed to beat the crap out of upon their first meeting even if she was annoying.

At the very least he didn't feel like insulting her anymore. No point if it wasn't pissing her off. He was used to his sister getting annoyed easily by him, it obviously didn't work with her.

Upon asking such a simple question, blue eyes decide to fixate on her. It seemed like a question easy to answer, sure, but more often than not others didn't believe him when he did answer honestly.

''Trying to make casual conversation with a man that's done nothing but treat you badly since you've met him. Okay, weirdo. Or maybe you're a masochist.'' There was an amused smirk that came upon his lips when saying that, since it was true. He didn't really understand her.

Whatever, he'll humor her and answer. ''I'm not from earth for one. You can believe it or not believe it, I don't really care. I first came here a couple of years ago myself, after leaving the planet Rakuyou. I do go back every so often though....'' Well, to visit his mother's grave, but he's not saying that. She was lucky she got that much information out of him already.

''You're definitely really different from a lot of other people I've met since coming here.''

"They say it is important to know one's enemies even more than you would know your own friends." Not that that mattered to Nara. She didn't exactly have any friends. It was definitely a welcome change of pace to have him actually talking to her rather than coming up with his next childish insult. She wasn't sure he'd have it in him to have a civilized conversation.

"I do not enjoy pain either, though I do know how to overcome it." Even though her answer is cool, the lightest of blushes dusts her cheeks. Despite being the daughter of a brothel worker, and being very much exposed to the environment, Nara herself had not partaken in any such.... activities. Though men did try, she had gotten good at evading their advances.

Or slaying them if things went too far...

She had expected him to be foreign... But not that foreign. Nara quirks a brow, trying to understand what he means. Kamui didn't seem to be the type to tell lies for no reason. And honestly, she felt he would only lie by accident or omission if anything. But it really did feel far fetched to not even be from this planet. "Interesting... What brings you to here of all places then?" She's clearly skeptical. Was he more insane than he led on? He definitely was odd....

"I can say the same of you, but that makes sense if what you say is true about your home. What kind of people have you met and what makes me so different?"

send one for my muse’s reaction to your muse ---

forgedpenance :

✘ = hugging them. Δ = playing with their hair.  ❤ = kissing them.  ₪ = asking them out for dinner. ☀ = giving them a gift of ___ ( asker’s choice ). ♘ = stabbing them. ♕ = bowing down before them. ♒ = lying to them.   ✿ = buying them flowers. ☾ = being found shirtless. ♢ = reading them a story. ☂ = giving them their jumper to keep warm. ✎ = speaking in a different language. ✏ = teaching them a different language. ▄ = telling them a joke. ♬ = singing to them. ☹ = insulting a loved one. ஐ = slapping them. ✂ = threatening them. ❃ = dancing with them. ▤ = falling asleep on them. ☮ = waking them up after a nightmare.  ♣ = discovering them crying.  回 = patching a wound.  ✮ = stargazing. ▓ = caught stealing their belongings. ☽ = wandering alone at night. ♡ = complimenting them. ≡ = offering a place to stay overnight. ☢ = falling over. ✦ = being well-dressed. ❂ = wiping blood off their face. ◎ = taking care of them while ill. ☁ = being caught in the middle a storm with them. ⇕ = holding their hand. ↱ = being lost with them. ☠ = pushing them against a wall.

Kamui was pretty used to others getting mad over his rude remarks and blunt way of speaking but she seemed completely unaffected. Somewhat frustrating but also amusing at the same time?

Well, at least there was a person he could tell something to straight out without them getting upset since people were never able to handle the truth being spoken directly to their face.

Huh.

Although, that comment about him insulting her because of his own insecurities really, really pissed him off despite his smile not changing. Just twitching slightly with irritation without saying anything in response. The Yato wanted to be respectful and not punch her in the face in front of her dead mother but she was pushing it really bad.

''Obviously I'm not leaving because of the free food.'' He decides to say, despite the good point she had made. Kamui probably should leave. This whole thing was uncomfortable anyway.

The subject of a dead mother. Uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. Thinking about his own dead mother made him.... ugh. He was really trying to maintain his composure. Hence why he kept focusing on pissing her off.

However, when she went ahead and thanked him, eyes went wide. Caught completely off guard by that. All he's done was berate her and say rude things and yet he was being thanked. He annoyingly clicked his tongue.

''Just so you know... I don't care if I helped distract you. I don't care for you at all.'' Arms crossed as he looks away, scowling. Childish was definitely the best way to describe him currently

''.....But I know something like this is difficult to deal with. So.. whatever....'' Those last words were mumbled really quietly.

This was likely the nicest he ever planned on being to her.

Kamui’s shocked expression has Nara laughing. Not in a mocking way, but a genuine warm laugh. It had been years… maybe even decades since she’d laughed so openly and freely. It takes her a minute to compose herself, clearing her throat once she was finished. “I cannot say that I care for you either, but I do not hate you.” That was a start.

“Now that we’re done insulting each other, perhaps we can talk like adults?” She puts more emphasis on the word ‘adults’, poking lightly at his childishness once again, but this time there’s less attack in it. It's obvious that he had experienced a loss like hers, but she wasn't going to acknowledge it because it was even more obvious that he did not want to openly admit it.

"Where are you from?" It's an innocent question. Something to break the ice and perhaps lessen the tension of this entire interaction. She'd attempting to put a better foot forward than the one she'd started with. A show of good faith. Nara gestures toward the village down the hillside. "I was born and raised there. I left when I was 15. That was 10 years ago..." So much had changed in that time, the scars on her skin, the rough callouses on her palms showing how hard she had to work to get to where she was today.

"My father was a foreigner. I've never met him, and I do not really care to." Nara was weary of foreigners, even though she was half of one. It was what had made her so tense around Kamui when they first met. Well... That and the fact that he'd wanted to fight her unprovoked. His hair, eyes and clothing were all a dead giveaway that he wasn't a resident of Japan.

"Share? Oh no, no sharing, you'll get your own pizza, ehehe," Doomsday jokes. Sort of jokes. She's serious about Blythe getting her own pizza, as in getting a whole pizza to herself. Once they make it to the employee lounge, she'll discover that there's plenty to go around. And even so, Doom can bring in more if needed. She has no intention of letting her guest go hungry or giving her less than what she needs, especially now that she's decided that she isn't going hassle her.

She leads the way to the lounge while answering the younger woman's questions. "Working? No. None of us do any work here, and if we are working, we certainly aren't getting paid for it. Seriously though, no, we aren't working here, but we do live here - the ones who are alive, anyway. There are several others here. Nobody to be afraid of - technically I'm the scariest one here, so lucky you met me first, right? Ehehe. What?"

The ghost pauses and turns briefly when Blythe touches her because, as it turns out, Doom can be physically touched. While there are times she can choose to become intangible - such as when she goes through solid objects - she can also choose to be tangible - such as when shaking hands with others. She quirks an eyebrow at the young woman, but isn't exactly offended, more so curious about if she was trying to get her attention for some reason.

Her whole own pizza?! Blythe was nervous. She didn't think she could finish an entire pizza by herself, and she didn't want to offend her host and waste any. Which was a silly notion because they could probably throw it in the fridge (? Were there even fridges here???) for later, but that was Blythe. A small ball of worry.

That anxiety only grows when her hand doesn't pass through Doomsday's form and instead catches in her clothing. Blythe quickly pulls her hand back, curling into herself from embarrassment. She can't bring herself to make eye contact, and a deep blush begins coloring her cheeks. "I- I- I- I'm so sorry. I- I just wanted to see wh- what a ghost felt like." It was even more embarrassing to say out loud, and emerald eyes dart about, eventually landing on the floor. "I- I should have asked first..."

At the mention of the office's inhabitants, Blythe gains back a little confidence, peeking up at her generous host. "Th- there are other ghosts? B- but wait. Y- you said they a- are alive?" Everything seemed a bit confusing. This was clearly an office building, but nobody worked here? Maybe it was made into a shelter for people who had nowhere else to go? Blythe liked the idea of that. But then who was funding all this? "I- is there an owner of the building? W- who pays to have the utilities on?"

He's definitely stumbled upon women who were a lot more insecure over their appearance, so seeing her lack of reaction towards him calling her unattractive was somewhat surprising. Definitely a nice change to see a woman not rely so much on what others thought of her.

Didn't mean Kamui liked her anymore than before though. She was increasingly making him want to ring her neck to be honest.

''Oh, so you WANT me to insult you? That's kind of weird, do you enjoy that sort of thing?'' What a weirdo. Whatever, it would be fun to insult her more anyway. Maybe it was the lingering annoyance from their conversation, or something else he didn't want to touch on.

''Hmm...'' He taps his chin humming in thought. ''For one, you're freakishly tall. Maybe I should kick your shins in really hard, and make you a more appropriate height that matches your worth. Which is pretty non-existent.''

Kamui usually wasn't bothered by others towering over him, but for her in particular, it pissed him off. Not because of her gender, but because she didn't deserve to have the means of looking down at him from above.

''Also your personality is crappy. I don't find it really enjoyable to talk to you at all. Since with every word that continues to come out of your mouth, I get the urge to snap you in half even more.''

"I do not enjoy being insulted, but there was a time I used to be too quick to fight about it. I do, however, enjoy watching you struggle to unnerve me." Nara can't help herself, a small chuckle leaving smirking lips. "I have found in my travels that insults usually come from one's own insecurities." As if to drive the point home, she sits up a little straighter.

"And it seems as though your words do not match your actions. You are still sitting by my fire, eating my food, and still keeping up conversation with me. You are free to leave at any time." The threats of violence, she knows, are not idle ones. The samurai may not be the most personable, but she did know how to read someone. Though, there was something about the way the conversation was going that made her more comfortable around Kamui. Did she believe that this man could kill her? Yes. Did she think he'd do it now? She wasn't sure.

Either way, Nara couldn't help but continue. "In all honesty, this has been a very welcome distraction to an otherwise dreary day." Her features were softer than before, less smug and more genuinely happy. It wasn't so much that teasing him brought her joy (it had definitely been that way at first), but more that in all her years of mourning, this was the first time she'd done it with someone else present. It was so easy to get caught in her own thoughts, trapped in an endless spiral of guilt and regret, and Kamui was keeping her out of it for the time being. "It feels odd to thank someone for being an ass, so I will not. Though I will thank you for the company."

She wasn't going to be able to brace when he will come. Aurel was a man who liked to keep to his word. So he watched her, days he hand from her window at night just watching her and waiting. Oh the joy to see her slowly calm down forgetting of his threat and him. Many emotions swirled in him as a new obsession became to a habit. Then it was time. His waiting came to an end.

The dead of the night masked him as always being a bat just hanging there. Just when she just went to be he shifted his long fingers taking to the window pulling it open. Aurel slipped inside like water as his steps were silent getting closer to the woman. Her sleeping face looked so peaceful. Time to ruin that.

Reaching out he scoop her with easy being so careful not to ruin her slumber. Stepping to the window he too flight, bat wings large and flapping through the dark sky. The cold night air was so relaxing, mentally he chuckled to think what she feel about it. "Nara, wake up Nara Branth. ~"

It had been some time since her strange encounter with the aggressive blonde man who snuck his way into her taxi, but there was a sense of unease that clung to the usually coolheaded woman. For the first few nights, every creak in her house would cause her to jump slightly, every rustle of branches at her windows leading her to draw her curtains a little tighter. Nara felt ridiculous, and she was very much in denial about the fear she held onto. Regardless of what she told herself, Aurel's threat still lingered in the back of her mind while she went about her days.

Nara Branth, we will be seeing each other fairly soon. You just won’t know when.

Though the passing of time had made her feel comfortable once again, and soon she was back to her usual routine, the little frights stopping all together. As always, Nara felt safe, and even more so she felt she could protect herself. This night she was sleeping heavily, her work ever taxing. So as she's lifted from her bed with ease, she barely stirs.

It's not until he says her name that her eyes fly open, icy blue irises snapping to him.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE-" Nara is usually a fierce woman, but even Nara has fears she can't ignore. Heights being at the top of the list. She didn't like be lifted, preferring to have her feet firmly planted on the ground. But worse still..... They were VERY far away from the ground and this causes her to scream, manicured fingers digging into Aurel to keep from falling.

"I- I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW OR WHY YOU'RE DOING THIS. BUT PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT, YOU FIEND." Nara's mind is running a mile a minute. Her face is flush with thoughts of being seen in such a compromising position, pajamas modest, but not meant for the public eye. Also, it was embarrassing to be afraid, heart slamming into her chest as she tries her best to look anywhere but down. It's taking everything in her not to close her eyes for fear of being even more embarrassed, but she doesn't dare let go of Aurel. Also, were those? Wings?! What the hell was this man?!