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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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.

So... please, Lu Meng. [ When she turns back to face him, her smile is gentle, her tone earnest. ] Let me help you this time... as it's the least I can do.

[ If she can't wash away her shinki's own blight, what good is she? ]

I was the one that blighted you--

[--it strikes him there and then that it's not just for his sake; she needs to do this for him. For her peace of mind and conscience.

So he relents. This arguing between the both of them on who's wrong/who's more at fault is whittling away at the both of them.] ...Alright.

[ She feels a bit selfish, making it so that she can do something good for him. Placing the soaked towels in a basin, she motions to her bedroom once again. ] Then, please have a seat...

[ If not the bed itself like she had been sitting on, there is a chair in front of a mirror, or the lounge along the wall of the room. ]

[He'll go for the chair. But first, he has to remove his shirt.

Tugging it over his shoulders and head, his skin prickles with goosebumps as it's exposed to the cool air. Old scars he can't explain mark his body, speaking of a bloody and violent history he can't remember.

He can't help but feel awkward, even as he tries to hide his discomfort. A shiver runs down his back, and not just because he's thinking of the blight. This scene reminds him of the last time she saw him without a shirt on; it had been the first day they'd met as god and shinki and back then, he hadn't even known how to operate the faucets in his bathroom.

This feels so wrong to him. Like he's trespassed into something too personal with his god. But he takes the chair and moves his ponytail out of the way, pulling it to the front. It's then and there that he hears something that makes his blood freeze.

A high-pitched giggle.]

[ Out of respect, she looks to the side as her removes his shirt. Even if she has already (accidentally) seen him shirtless, she knows that he must feel nervous about being exposed again. There are his scars, too many that even she doesn't know when and where he got each of them even with his memories. Once again she feels a spike of guilt hold her heart. He's been hurt so many times before in his life, and her behavior has only added to that pain, and caused a scar that's far worse upon his body.

Blight.

The eyes upon his upper back blink back at her as she approaches, setting the basin down. There is no mouth there to speak, but she hears that giggle all the same as if it's mocking her attempt to make things right. ] It's... not as bad as it looks. [ She says, attempting to comfort him while taking a cloth into her hand. In reality she has nothing to measure her assertion of this blight against anything else, since she's never seen grades of it before. But it seems similar to a demon's curse upon skin, discolored and inflamed. Fortunately it's not as extensive as she thought it'd be. ] But it might hurt a bit.

[ She then presses the cloth into his skin, beginning at the top of his neck first and working down. ]

That's fine. [He looks over his shoulder and tries to smile, trying to feel more appreciative and grateful. But his emotions speak louder than his words and a constant stream of horror and guilt is feeding back from him to her through their link. Eventually he has to look away because that smile on his face is a lie, and there's been enough lies for tonight.

The first contact has him hissing, his shoulders hitching up from the burning sensation that's spreading from his neck and outwards. But after the initial touch his shoulders settle back down, although the tension in his muscles is obvious underneath her gentle care. There's not a mutter out of him for the rest of it as he silently endures the cleansing of his sins.]

[ She feels his emotions keenly, and it's a constant reminder of what she's done wrong. How how she's wronged him. But now more than ever she knows she must overcome her own insecurities to try to better herself. She must admit that she's weak, that she can't do things on her own. And that is why she must be more open with him, to not hide behind smiles all the time.

Up close, she can see all of his scars in stark detail. Compared to glancing at them briefly from that accidental walk-in on him, seeing where he had been pierced each time so clearly makes a knot catch in her throat. Countless has wanted him dead in the past, and all of these scars are badges for having survived. And she knows that he's given others a fair share of scars, as well as taken lives. War is costly in more ways than one, and she feels that even if he doesn't remember it-- the burden remains heavy upon his shoulders.

The blight slowly but surely begins to fade, and she attempts to be gentle around the tiny eyes that bulge from the skin. Eventually, they too begin to fizzle into dark miasma, and it takes only a bit of extra holy water to help dissipate the smoke. Purple turns to his appropriate skin tone, revealing each ridge of muscle or yet another long-forgotten scar.

But even when the blight is finally gone, it hasn't escaped her how his muscles were tense. Discarding the cloth, her hand lingers upon his upper back, the fingers pressing lightly onto his skin. Before he can ask what she's doing, he'll begin to feel her fingertips beginning to warm. She can't heal what's not physically broken, but she is trying to soothe the lingering aches and pains over. The touch won't last long, however. After a few moments, he'll feel another pressure upon his upper back as her hands move lightly to his shoulders.

She's leaning into him, her forehead resting right in between his shoulder blades. ] Lu Meng.

I know that my words are empty right now, that I can't back them up without actions, but... [ She takes a steadying breath. ] From this moment on, I promise that I will cherish you, as you should be cherished.

[Once the pain fades away he expects that to be the end of it. He didn't expect the comforting press of her fingers, a reassuring warmth emitting from the tips. Without realising it he's let out a slight sigh, and finally the muscles begin to unbunch as her healing sinks into the skin, into muscle and flesh and bone. Even if he disagrees with this oh-so close contact between them, he finds himself a bit too tired to raise any protests or to even shrug her off. Besides, doing the latter would only upset her. So he simply remains in place, allowing her to continue.

Perhaps he should have spoken up though. Because now she's gone a step further, and he's fairly certain that right now they're the very picture of (gasp!) a couple trying to make ammends. But her power had not only chased away the aches and pains, but made him calmer, more relaxed, soothing out the guilt and hurt he'd been feeling. So instead of tensing again, he simply brings his hand up to lay on hers, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.]

I don't know where you're getting this idea that you haven't been cherishing me. [And this time, the warmth and fondness in his voice is genuine, spilling out as easily as his emotions do.] Haven't I said before that I'm blessed to have you as a god? What has happened here doesn't change how I feel.

[ She knows that her eyes are misting, so she shuts them tightly, withholding both tears and sniffles as best as she can. When his hand overlays hers, she quickly turns that into interlacing her fingers with hers, holding onto him tightly. ] Y...yes.

[ She doesn't know what else to say to him, as she's already apologized countless times and thanked him for being such a wonderful shinki. So all she can do is remain there a little while longer, quiet as she calms herself further.she would be able to overcome this sorrow and guilt so easily without him, without his words or his touch. It's then that she realizes that she wants to stay like this, resting her head against him and her hand in his not just because she needs to regain her composure.... but also because she wants to stay like this.

She wants to be close to him.

The thought does cause her heart to flutter within her chest, a feeling of warmth spreading to her cheeks. The feeling is confusing, but it does leave her with the reality that she is still in this position. And surely that would bother him! Quickly, she leans back up again. And although he may notice she's sporting a bit of pink upon her cheeks, she seems more comfortable than she did before. ] ...All the blight is gone. How do you feel?

[Well that was abrupt. He had been alright with lending her a shoulder, or in this literal case his back, to lean on for support. And if she needs to intertwine their fingers together so that she can grip his hand, then he's alright with that too. In fact, he's more than alright. It's comforting, to have one person in the world that he could trust to be this close to him. Loyalty is a familiar and comfortable concept to him, like a pair of warm gloves that fit just right after many years of use. With someone to be loyal to, and someone who would reciprocate that devotion back, he finds himself in a much better place than just a few minutes ago.

Once she suddenly pulls away he finds it strangely cold, his body bereft of her touch. That...is strange. But he thinks no more of it, instead finding much relief that she seems to no longer be as upset as she had been earlier. Thankfully he doesn't turn around to face her just yet, giving her some time to let the pink fade off her cheeks. Instead he's turning his back to the mirror and craning his neck to check the reflection. Nope, no blight left.]

Perfectly fine. You've done a good job, my lady.

Oh... Well, it's not like we could just the blight stay. [ She begins to say, but then he turns. So if his back is to the mirror, that means she can now see his front.

Yeaaaaaah no. That blush is just going to get stronger. ] B-but you're, um, welcome.

[Welp. No way he's missing her blush now once he's done inspecting his back. And that flush is contagious, because now he's feeling the heat too. Don't mind him, he's just gonna scramble for his shirt and pull it back on hastily.]

S-sorry. I'll just get dressed.

R-right...

[ She's looking anywhere but him, giving him enough time. ]

Um...! [ She takes a peak over her shoulder, and luckily she's in the clear. Now that that's all settled-- ] I think that... I'm going to take a nap. [ It's been a long day after all. ]

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

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