[ grumble. ]

did you forget the name, or are you choosing not to say it?

[ stare. brow raising. ]

... it's your shrine.

... after they've broken it, flooded it, and probably worse?

i'd hope so, it's your shrine.

you keep an eye on them.

i'm never here, so.

... how would i not figure?

you're the babysitter.

... i'm going to go on another mission and let mikoto sort out the monkey problem when it happens.

... this shrine does not have space for hundreds of monkeys.

... don't ask me.

‎ ㅤ There is silence, despite how the dragon's eyes narrow at such a smug face. Her own hands lift and place themselves where Mikoto's had been, squishing her own cheeks and rubbing in a soft attempt to redirect and get her composure back. Whatever heart her new body has thrums a million, ➕ ‎

‎ ㅤ " ... Please. You're less demanding than the dog, and she doesn't ask for much." The dragon's eyes roll. It was almost playful, if she didn't speak with such monotony and strangle any possible smile into the dirt. It could easily have been misinterpreted as annoyance. ㅤ On the approach, ➕ ‎

‎ ㅤ "Changed your sin..?" Dàiyù's eyes narrow. Of all the things she'd heard, this wasn't one. Had she committed enough of an act to force a change? "Did you not have to breach the boundary? How did you get through?" ‎

Halloween... [ Clicking her tongue. ]

‎ ㅤ ... ㅤ "Cute." ㅤ Her lips are struggling not to curve straight up into a smile. They twitch for a beat before she reins in control of her stoic mouth and face, leaving the light slant of her eyes as the only indication of her amusement. The blade is returned to its dirt sheath, and the ➕ ‎

‎ ㅤ " ... I've rarely met a demon so early after their inceptions. Most demons that breach into our plane are either of higher power and age, or were dragged up as servile weaklings by the mentioned." Dàiyù's narrowing eyes aren't hostile. They are, however, dissective. "What led you here?" ‎

‎ ㅤ Whatever rebuke she had, had been hushed when their lips met. Of all the years, this singular act had definitively been one thing that she and Mikoto had never done, despite how close they'd grown ever since the long day in which Dàiyù laid her life down to change the fate of herself and ➕ ‎

[ nodding. completely concealing how absurd she finds what was just said. ]

you keep very interesting company. i leave it there.

ㅤ🔶 food eaten, i can think straight now

[ shaking her head. ]

... you can SEE it.

do i need to explain.

... your company is. special.

[ stuck in thought. ]

[ is it? ] [ she remembers what being soft around the humans did for her. ]

[ ... maybe she's gotten soft. ]

[ no, it just... feels reductive, in her mind. ]

[ 'lust incarnate'... it almost feels rude, she thinks. ]

[ her blade spins again, the green shine once again disseminating into the air as it had with Hannah's inspection prior. her backwards grip returns. ] You have a better time than any to speak honestly.

[ Tossing a blanket over the book. ]

‎ ㅤ ... Strange. Must be a new type of demon from what she's familiar with. Still, her guard remains high, those dreadful eyes remaining focused while Hannah's meander to the blade. ㅤ " ... No. It is a simple ōdachi." Really? Because that blade looks anything but normal to a trained smith. ➕ ‎

你想翻译吗？

‎ ㅤ The following moment is one where Dàiyù's face melds between subtle expressions in real time. Confusion into realization into embarrassment into stoicism, tailed by a simple, deep breath. ㅤ" ... Like goddess, like maiden, I suppose." Referencing Diana? Likely. ‎

‎ ㅤ "Mm." With little else to say, there's a brief flare of green that emanates from the dragon's back. Being spirits, neither are particularly averse to radiation. When a vicious force follows a searing heat, what fabrics mask their form either shreds or dissolves altogether, leaving only ➕ ‎

... 我从来没有学过那种语言。

[ staring. ]

No. [ But that's enough to give her what she needs. The wind briefly howls when Dàiyù cranks her arm up, and as it blows past, it takes the dregs of the fabric that hides him with it. But, she did leave the scarf alone. ] Your face... is as subtle as mine. [ Thinking about what Mikoto said... ]

[ ... hm. ] [ again, but it's closer to his abdomen. along the side. ]

what.

[ time for a test. ] [ yanking the sword from the dirt, there is a brief flick. ] [ ... there is a thin, harmless slice on the end of a sleeve. inconsequential before now; a reaction gauge. ]

[ ... it'd be possible. ] [ her eyes narrow in darby's direction. she's just wondering how he'd respond... ]