icarusalsoflew | Waking the Dead 2.0 || May 16, Shin Yamatai || Coming Home.

[He had been... vague, whenever they had asked him exactly where they were going. Lenneth had known the moment he had oh-so-casually mentioned a detour now that the Hounds were done with their route. It had been in her eyes.

At least she is loyal. At least she respected him enough to say nothing.

He leads the War Hounds through a forest in the far reaches of the island, and they end up stepping out to a waterfall. A little further down, along the river, there's a beautiful house there. It's been restored to its former glory, properly furnished, renovated and modernized wherever it had to be. There's a garage, for one.

He takes just one moment out take the sight of it in, and try not to think of the ghosts. It never gets easier, coming back here, and yet...

Turning to them with a smile now.]

So. This was my old house. I think we can take a break here for now.

[OOC Notes:
+ The Shinta House is your typical traditional Japanese home from like, centuries back - furniture is all old and traditional. Yes, there are photos from lots of different life times here and there; if you want deets, lemme know. There's a garden out back, a small training hall, and a path into the forest that actually leads to the graves of his parents.
+ Feel free to make your own threads if you guys want to explore on your own and talk to each other! You're also welcome to tag Hikaru's thread, which I've put down there just because.]

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[ It's only after a quiet moment that she speaks again, pouting only just slightly. ]

...Do I really look happier?

Yes, and that's a good thing.

[Gentle, reassuring.]

If you say so.

[ She's quiet again, resorting to just huffing, and puffing, and lighting another cigarette.

Was she happier, though? Maybe. A little. A tiny bit.

There were things that still made her want to hurt people badly, but she had herself under control. (mostly.)

But if the Blade King said it was a good thing... ]

[In the meantime, he's going to look back at her just once with a small amount of satisfaction and fondness before turning towards the river and focusing on his cigarette.]

You look good like that, by the way.

[Not that she didn't already look good even with a lack of effort on her part to be presentable, but... she kind of looked like she belonged in armor, really.]

[ It makes her cheeks flush, to hear that from Hikaru. Of course, at the same time, she suddenly feels ridiculously self-conscious in the armor. ]

T-thank you. [ Why does it feel like her throat's all tight? ]

[And even though it's dark (eternal night and all that), he's noticing her embarrassment --

-- and promptly pretending to not notice a thing. This is how things are between them, for the moment. He's not ever going to push her unless he really needs to.]

It's a shame that Lenneth isn't going to let you keep those. She's a little... particular.

Ah... Pity. I have grown fond of it.

[ She's pouting now, because she really has grown fond of the armor. It was nice, and she liked how it fit her. ]

[Man. He really, really wishes that he could call her out about that. So cute...]

Well, if you really want something like this, you could always have something made?

What use would that be if I do not get to use it?

I don't know. Halloween?

[Heh. Yulia dressing up for Halloween.

Heh.]

[ She turns her head to look at him flatly. Halloween? Really? Really? ]

That would be a waste.

Oh, not at all. [Blinks innocently.] Especially since Halloween for operatives is always crazy with engagements.

[ She isn't sure if Hikaru is kidding or not. She was never good at that, so pardon her if she's a bit skeptical. ]

It is still waste if I only get to use it once a year.

Yeah, well... it'll kind of be like a Yulia Bostova version of a prom dress.

[TOTALLY SERIOUS (no, not really).]

[ What. The hell. ]

It is armor, not some costume.

Is it really so different? You wear what you need to in order to get the job done.

[A little shrug.]

As things stand, all of this is really about representation. We carry a lot more than our swords into battle, you know.

[ She huffs softly, not wanting to get into an argument/debate about it with Hikaru. An armor, she thinks, is something given to you after you've worked hard. A costume is just for show, meaningless. She'd rather wear something that meant something to her. ]

[He sees her relent and can guess pretty accurately on the reasons why.

Gently:]

You can speak your mind with me, you know.

[ Sigh. ]

I do not like doing things for show. The same goes for what I am wearing.

As you said, we wear what we need on the battlefield. It is armor that we wear, not costumes.

Fair enough. I guess it's mostly one in the same for me.

[Leaning back on his hands now.]

You can make everything about a fight with the right mindset and right tools.

[ She's... contemplating. ]

... I suppose that is where we are different. You have had years [ centuries, really ] to learn. I am just starting.

And you're doing quite well for yourself, in my opinion.

[Smiles.]

You'll find your own way, I'm sure.

[ ~~Huuuuuuuu sempai noticed me ;u;~~ ]

Thank you. I will do my best not to disappoint you.

And the best way to do that is to make sure that you don't end up disappointing yourself.

[Which is why he totally believes that she's gonna be fine~]

You've got no plans of doing that, right?

[ There's a nod. ]

I try not to disappoint myself everyday. It is working, so far.

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