thenearshore | A fox that gains our trust but then breaks it as he walks

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A fox that gains our trust but then breaks it as he walks

Who: Sanae and Lu Meng
What: Aftermath of this thread
Where: Sanae's temple grounds
When: Backdated to May 6th
Warnings: Blood

[Lu Meng doesn't let down his barrier, doesn't dare to even look away as the creature slinks off into the darkness. His hand remains stretched out to form the protective wall, and the other wraps around Sanae's shoulders, trying to keep her upright.]

Lady Kochiya. [His tone is tense but calm; the last thing he wants to do now is panic, or cause her to panic instead.] I don't know if that thing is gone. Till then I can't let down this barrier. Can you heal yourself? Otherwise, I'll need to send out a call for help.

[A call for healing...and a call to hunt down that cursed creature. His anger continues to boil inside him, but it's far eclipsed by his concern for her. She's lost so much blood, her skin sticky under his touch as he tries to stem the blood flow with his already soaked handkerchief. Gods can die, right? Of course she could reincarnate and return, but Lu Meng didn't want to rely on chance. She could also be one of those who perish and never return.]

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It wouldn't sting as much if you'd told me a lot earlier. [A slight grumble, a return to some normalcy.]

But I understand why you did it. If there were some way to lighten your burden, I'd have kept my silence as well. [She should know, better than anyone else how willing he is to hide his pain from others if it's for the greater good. It's how he died, after all. But the big difference between his choice back then and her choice now is that someone had to do the dirty work. Better for him to plunge his hands into muck and blood, than tar someone else's honor. Better for him to be there than risk a drop in troop morale.

He had full confidence that his student could take over his duties and perform even better than he ever could. If his life was given up to the cause, then so be it. Is it hypocritical? Perhaps. But the Lu Meng of the past and the present one tending to her wound are both practical men, and he sees no reasonable justification for her to have hidden this fact from him for so long.

He's relieved though. The blight really is fading, so he continues to run the water over her skin, careful not to press too hard in case that increases the sting. And since she looks like she's getting better, he's going to start nagging her!]

But you are a god. You have people praying to you, asking for your guidance and help. They're putting their faith in you and asking for your miracles to light their way. What happens if you are unwell and unable to respond?

You are needed. You cannot afford to endanger yourself the way you have. Do you understand, my lady? [More stern and gruff than angry, Lu Meng catches the stream of water that was trickling down her back before it can drip onto the cloth that binds her chest. There's a pause, and suddenly a flush of painfully awkward emotions from him at knowing what purpose that garment serves, but he swallows his discomfort and continues as normal.]

[ Perhaps it's because she's tired, she's sorrowful, or that her pride has been beaten down, but she doesn't mind that he's seeing the sarashi wrapped around her chest. Her mind is too preoccupied with other things to bother with concealing that undergarment or more skin, and besides, he's only seeing this because he's cleaning the blight away.

Still, she shivers because without the silk of her kimono and with the water cooling her back, it's colder. Sanae closes her eyes, keeping the stutter out of her voice. ] I... yes. I understand. [ She is needed by her followers. She must make decisions to keep herself safe in order to better serve them.

And that doesn't mean hiding her blight or afflictions or any injuries. It means that addressing them properly and swiftly, because that would be the fastest route to recovery, not letting them prolong and fester. It also means that-- ] I... I can't do things alone.

[ She says at last, and now her tone shakes, defeated because she's finally admitting that she is only one person. One person despite being a god. A young woman no more than twenty one. ] I need your help and-- a-and guidance.

[ Her eyes, still shut, and squeezed tightly. She feels a new dampness trail down the side of her cheek, and she chokes. The blight is almost gone. Her skin no longer hurts, but her heart begins to weep, letting her insecurities show. ] Does... does it not disappoint you, that I am not more capable on my own? [ Would it disappoint Kanako? Suwako? Only they can truly answer that themselves, but Sanae seems to be placing this burden upon herself, that they would indeed believe so. ] That I've... failed to protect myself, from this happening?

[He's just about to wipe off the last of the blight when her shoulders shudder, a sob slipping out from her shame and sadness, He's startled, the cloth quickly pulled away in fear that he'd hurt her; he'd thought she had been calming down, but something has opened up a wound somewhere. And when she opens her heart to share another insecurity, understanding dawns upon him.]

You are the last person I'd consider incapable.

[She'll feel the cold wetness return to her neck one last time, clearing off the last bit of discoloration. A towel is set upon her shoulders to dry the wet skin, and give her some warmth around her exposed shoulders.]

I'm disappointed that you not only allowed yourself to be put in such danger, but that you also tried to keep it a secret from me. [His tone is slightly scolding, but it's nothing overly stern or harsh. He's drying her shoulders and back carefully.] But you thought you were confronting a friend. You trusted him, and offered your blood to help. While I disagree with that course of action, it was carried out with the same kind and caring heart that I know beats within you. That same heart that I'm proud of you for having, and that makes me proud to serve you as well.

I know that you take your godhood seriously, and I am glad for that. But please remember that you are also still a young woman, learning the ropes. There are many stories of godly mishaps when a god is in his or her youth, and I'm sure that should this sort of incident appear again, you will know better how to proceed.

[ She feels like a child, for not telling him sooner. A better person would have known how to solve this situation, or better yet-- prevent it from happening at all. Sanae has standards she's posted for herself that are, quite frankly, unreachable. But here he is, pointing out that she's still young. That mistakes can be made, and that she can still learn from them.

She has to accept that she is not strong, at least not as strong as she'd like to be. So in order to be strong, she has to depend on others to make up for her faults. Where one fails, two together can succeed, and that is where Lu Meng comes in.

Her sobs continue for a few moments more as he wipes away the last of her blight, but her tears are only because it's difficult to stop once she's started. ] M--mm. [ She nods slowly when she gains a hold on her voice, preventing it from shaking further. ] I... promise. I promise that I'll be more open with you.

[ She realizes that she has a lot more to be open with him about, too. But those topics are for another day. Sanae turns slightly, looking over her shoulder. ] Okay?

[Annnnddd headpat! Because hugs are still a work-in-progress. But headpats. Headpats he can do and he does feel that he needs to do something to comfort her. Hearing her sobbing her heart out like this pulls at his heart painfully.]

Thank you. That's all I wanted to hear. [The hurt will remain for awhile yet, but her promise has already soothed the deeper cracks in them, as well as a huge sense of relief that from now on, hopefully there won't be anymore incidences like this happening again. He pulls out the last clean cloth he'd had on him, and after wetting that, uses it to wipe off her tears.]

Everything will be alright, my lady. We'll both learn from this and move on.

However. There is one more act that will lead to your atonement. [He suddenly announces, rather forebodingly.]

You are banned from video games and pocky for one week. No ifs, ands or buts.

[ It would be so natural to protest. In fact, a small "But..!" escapes her in a gasp when he issues the new rule.

Sanae stops herself, and instead nods, smiling. She doesn't need to wipe away her tears because he's done so already. And she hopes that she will be able to fully mend whatever damage she's done here. ] That's a... fair punishment.

[ She says, but it's not without a laugh. ] One whole week? Will I have to spend the entire time tending to the bunnies out back?

You will spend one week studying the Classics with me. [And by Classics, he means all those ancient books extolling Confucianism. All very dry...and all very boring. He may also get her to read some of those ancient war manuals; the bits about leadership will do her good.]

Mouuuu.... [ She exhales, frowning. That's much worse than any boring board game. That's reading book-books. Like the scrolls she had to study for her training as a priestess! ] I don't think I could get through even one classic in a week!

Then I'll be sure to work you hard this week. [He was already nice enough to give her only one week's worth of a ban!

That aside though... there's something else they both have to look into.]

My lady. That friend of yours...what do you want to do with him?

Edited 2016-11-12 06:43 (UTC)

[ ...Aaaand they're back on the serious topic. Giving him her full attention, she moves to the side to that she's properly facing him. He'll have to bear with the bit of extra skin she's showing, as she won't be reapplying her kimono about her top all the way. It's still soaked, covered in blood. The fabric covers a decent amount of her, but the silk is draped loosely off her shoulders. ]

...We have to help him. [ She says. ] Zero-- he's not normally like that, at all. This part of him is like a corrupted, other self. He's a vampire, and he needs to feed. If we can sate his anger somehow, the real Zero can be brought back.

Edited 2016-11-12 06:49 (UTC)

And how much blood will sate him?

[Somehow he's not surprised she's already jumped back to helping that man even after all that he's done to her. She's just that kind.

Thankfully in this case, her shinky offers a more practical, if colder view point to this. He wants her to think this through properly this time]

Edited 2016-11-12 07:01 (UTC)

I don't know. [ She answers honestly, lowering her gaze, and she appears a bit uncomfortable. ] There's a part of me that believes he might be too far gone already, because he didn't stop. Vampires-- or at least the ones in my world-- are smarter than that. They don't often try to kill who they feed off of, especially if there is one to give blood willingly. [ It's their source of energy and life, after all. ]

He seemed so unlike himself, almost like--... a creature. [ She says, her hand gripping her arm tightly. She appears ashamed and guilt-ridden; when he was feeding off of her, she had thought him less than her. Simply another youkai to be exterminated. For a moment she seems lost in her thoughts, but then she looks back up at Lu Meng. ] If we can't give enough blood, then we have to contain him somehow.

What will do after that? He will still need to feed. Is there anything else we can substitute for his food instead of blood?

I don't know. [ He's got her there. ] I was thinking that I could find some way to undo the curse of a vampire, but I'm not entirely sure how.

...then you may have to do prepare yourself for his death. You know we cannot leave him as he is. If he attacks anyone else after this, they might not be as lucky.

[ She shouldn't be shocked, because as blunt as he is, it's the truth. ] --I won't let it come to that.

[ She says abruptly, leaning forward. ] I won't let a friend die!

[ This is her stubbornness speaking again. Her want to do everything perfectly and right. Her want to save everyone. ]

If we cannot bring him back from this insanity, then the Zero you know is already dead. [It's cold...but it's the truth.]

Would he want to live this way?

[ She stares at him in disbelief. How can he be so cold? How can he be so uncaring--?!

But she knows that that isn't the case. Or really, he does care to some degree, if only for how this effects her. But he's always had a practical, truthful approach to all scenarios, even the worst case one. ] He--.... wouldn't... [ She's met Zero only a few times, but the one she's come to know hates blood.

Her voice shakes again. ] ...Oh, Lu Meng, how did it come to this? Will I r-really have to... end him?

[His hand goes to her shoulder (~~bare! shoulder!!~~) to give her a reassuring squeeze. The cold practicality he'd exuded melts somewhat, but his voice is no less firm.]

It is an option. An unpleasant one, and we can't pursue it lightly. But we cannot strike it out either. Our inaction could lead to another victim, and we must avoid that at all costs.

You're right.... [ She needs to remain steady and calm, like him. Zero may be her friend, but she has a duty to protect others as well. ] I don't want others to be hurt as well..

[ The squeeze on her shoulder is reassuring, and finally Sanae pivots to look at him, her smile tired but true. ] Thank you, Lu Meng. Once again, your counsel is invaluable. You always know what to do. [ She moves her hand to be placed above his that's on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. ] At... at least let me purify your blight from you, too.

[E-eh?

He'd already been taken aback when her hand reached up to squeeze his, not expecting the gesture at all. But now she's offering to help him deal with his own blight, and he doesn't miss that she'll have to, well, wash his bare back.]

That-- that's not necessary. I can handle it myself. [And he's just going to quickly remove his hand from her shoulder, slip it away from her touch.] And you need your rest; it's been an emotional day for you.

[ She seems confused for a moment. ] Eh? But... I'd make sure to get rid of every last bit of blight. [ Having someone else wipe it off his back is safer than doing it oneself and risk keeping a bit of discoloration on the skin.

She moves off the bed. ] Just wait here, I'll soak new towels in warm water again.

I just need to throw the water from the springs on my back. [Sure it'd probably hurt like hell vs gently washing it off, but it's so intimate, so improper, for an unmarried woman to do that for a man she's not related to!!

...also, she's a god. A god shouldn't have to wash his servant's back!! OK, the thought of it is nice and all, that he means that much to her that she'd bring herself down to his level. But it's not like he's become an invalid, someone that can't wash his own back!! He's going to try and dissuade her again, following her to the bathroom.]

It's really alright, my lady. I don't want to trouble you any further than I already have.

[ She turns the faucet on warm, gathering a few towels to use as he protests against her helping. For a moment she's silent as she lets the fabric soak in the holy water. She's still not facing him when she speaks next. ] Where are you getting it that you are troubling, I wonder?

[ She says lightly, wringing out one of the towels. She breathes out through her nose, a brief, tired laugh. ] I was the one who messed up.

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