ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴅ ᴏʙʟɪᴠɪᴏɴ | ᴛᴇɴᴢᴀɪ & ᴢᴇᴘʜʏʀᴀ

[Zephyra]

ꔫ Kaori Akizuki ꔫ
⟡⸻⸻⸻⸻ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴀɴɢᴇʟs ғᴀʟʟ | ʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ʙᴇɴᴊᴀᴍɪɴ ⸻⸻⸻⸻⟡
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

``𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓁𝓈 𝒻𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓀𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈
ℐ 𝒸𝒶𝓃'𝓉 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓊𝓅, ℐ 𝒸𝒶𝓃'𝓉 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒾𝓃
𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒾𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒹𝒶𝓎𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝑒𝓃𝒹𝓈
ℐ'𝓁𝓁 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒
ℱ𝑜𝓇𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇.``

​

Seeing Kaito and Taiga fighting in tandem with one another would have been enough to make the priestess drop to her knees and pray right then and there, but she had far more pressing matters to worry about at the moment. First, they needed to actually make it out of this fight alive before she could congratulate them on their newfound teamwork. After dispatching the direwolf that had left a nasty bite on her ankle, Kaori stepped off to the side before another stray blade or a pair of fangs could reach her. The wound slowed her down a bit compared to before, but she would endure. Her vampiric healing factor certainly helped with that, as she could already feel the bleeding stagnate and the wound begin to seal thanks to the fresh blood she'd consumed the night prior. She took a moment to catch her breath and hold her foot up, not wanting to put more weight on it immediately. The redhead and the bounty hunter came to her aid just as she knew they would, taking on the other swordsmen that flanked the leader. Before she knew it, Hoshiko was also at her side, the sight of the other woman standing on her own two feet bringing a smile to Kaori's face. Her reanimation magic struck from the sidelines, pieces of floating armor taking out most of the rabid hounds in the area and evening the playing field. "Thanks, Hoshiko. Don't push yourself too hard, okay? I'm here with you." Her shaking hands tightened on her weapon, uncertainty giving way to conviction knowing that her allies would do everything they could to support her. Now she needed to do the same for them. She went in with her wakizashi and aimed for Tamotsu's throat, but even with Hoshiko as back-up the two of them were unable to withstand the leader's might. The same light trick surely wouldn't work twice—Kaori's sword was knocked out of her hands, and she barely managed to keep herself upright only to see her companion get thrown into the snow. "Hoshiko!" That moment of distraction would cost her. Before she could reach out to help the female ronin, Tamotsu had already subdued the other two men and pointed his blade at her neck. Her breath caught, the feeling of sharp silver on her throat causing her body to freeze up instinctively. Was this really the end? Were the four of them together not enough to defeat one man? She winced as he made a small but precise cut into the collar of her robe, her heartrate skyrocketing. She'd rather die than suffer being defiled by this brute in front of her friends. Unbeknownst to her, the ronin and the bounty hunter had conspired together, setting aside their differences to tackle a greater foe. She looked over the moment that Taiga broke Tamotsu's weapon, metallic shards glittering like stars as they flew through the air. She seized that opportunity to create some distance, her boots leaving skid marks in the snow when she jumped back and readied herself. The tides of battle had finally turned in their favor, but it wasn't over yet. They needed a powerful attack that could end this confrontation quickly, unable to afford drawing it out any longer. It was all on her now. The pressure was enough to make anyone crack. "... Right!" Kaori exhaled sharply, mana crackling around her as she focused it to the center of her being. "Lend me your strength, Tamayori-sama!" Calling forth a remnant of the goddess' power, the priestess' eyes began to glow white, her body enveloped in light from head to toe. She felt as weightless as a feather as she began to float a foot above the ground, suspended in midair as though it were water. Charging up such an attack left her defenseless from all angles, a move that normally would have been fatal if not for the three who fought tirelessly to protect her. Thanks to them, she could put everything into this final blow. ​ "Judgement."​ This was a different power than the one she'd used against the yokai. It sought out those she viewed as her enemies, marking them the targets of her righteous fury. Those deemed sinners were punished accordingly, made to face the swift justice of an impartial goddess. The remaining slavers and their wolves soon found themselves bound in chains of light, ones that were unbreakable and heavily hindered their movements. "Guh-! What the hell is this?!" Tamotsu growled, unable to lift his blade with his arms chained to his sides. The others flailed against their restraints, but it was no use. Kaori was looking straight at them now, her pure white eyes devoid of anything resembling mercy. ​ "Execution."​ One word caused the chains to move, the glowing links snaking around their necks and tightening. "W-wait!" One of the men shouted desperately, clawing at the chains with panic in his eyes. "Let me go, please! I don't want to die!" Kaori's eyes shifted to him, studying him. "Why do you deserve to live?" She questioned in a monotone, like she was simply asking him for the time of day. He whimpered and planted his feet in the snow, tears in his eyes. "I never wanted this. Damn the boss, and damn the whole organization! I'm done with this business—I'll never step foot in this town again, you have my word!" He bowed his head as much as he could with her magic still restricting him, hands trembling at his sides. The priestess gently floated back down to the ground and walked right up to him, searching his face for any hint of deception. "And how will you make up for everything you've done?" He gasped for air when her chains loosened, red imprints left on his neck. "I know where the compound that his sister and the other slaves are being held in. I can give you the password and the key to the cell block." "Coward! I'll kill you myself—hrrk!" Tamotsu choked as the hold around his throat tightened until he could speak no longer. With short, rasping breaths, the vulgar man slowly succumbed to strangulation. Kaori's spell released the slaver who had betrayed the others, for it had the power to judge his words and had deemed him to be telling the truth. Just like Tamayori, she opted to grant clemency to those willing to repent, reserving her vengeance for the ones who had wholly forsaken the path of righteousness. The elven maiden turned to the ringleader, and much like he'd done to Hoshiko she kicked him in the gut with her boot, forcing him to his knees. His face turned purplish from a lack of oxygen, but the chains did not relent. "Strength should be used to protect the ones who lack it. You only ever used your strength to subjugate the weak, thus there are none who would stand by your side in your final moments. You reigned alone and now you will die alone, scorned by all and needed by no one." Swiftly did his life end after that, cut off in a single moment by the sound of his neck snapping under the creaking chains that encircled him. All of the men and beasts who had not been felled by her allies were soon to follow, until a small graveyard of bodies lay in the open clearing around them. The remaining slaver stood in solidarity, still weak at the knees as he touched his fingertips to the markings on his throat, knowing that he'd narrowly avoided the same fate. Kaori's eyes returned to their lavender shine, the light that enveloped her fading into the darkness. Though fatigued from casting the spell, she was still standing, owing it to the fact that it was mostly Tamayori's residual power she'd drawn on, not her own. It was not an ability she could use lightly, however, because it would further weaken the barrier around her shrine and likely cause another gate to Yomi to open up somewhere in Izumo. All the more reason to make it to Mizutori Spring sooner rather than later. Forgive me, Tamayori-sama. I should have been able to handle them without you, but I... Composing herself, she pinched the torn fabric of her collar together to hide the exposed skin and turned towards her comrades. "Thank you for protecting me." Kaori smiled, grateful for their help. Without their expert coordination and the fact that they'd downed most of the enemies, she never would have been able to cast Judgement in the first place. "As for you..." She glared at the lone survivor, watching how he seized up like a petrified doe beneath her gaze. He must have thought she was some kind of demon after that display.​ "Talk."​ After the man had spilled all of the information about the Kuroboshi Company and their hideout, he'd left the party with a keyring and his final warning: 'don't underestimate Jirou'. The one who went by that name was the real leader of the organization, while Tamotsu was just one of the higher-ups who commanded his own squadron. Their base was located in the wilderness a few miles out from Kusatsu Village, hidden in the shadow of the mountain. With his directions and the password, they would be granted access to the place where Kaito's sister was being kept. Kaori turned to Kaito and handed him the keys to the prison cells, her eyes softening. "I think you should have these. You must be worried sick for your poor sister." Then she bowed her head deeply to him, pink hair curtaining around her face as she did so. "Thank you for fighting alongside us. I know they were after me, and you could have run away, but you didn't. That means a lot." When she stood upright once more, she clasped his hand between both of her own and gazed into his uncovered eye purposefully. "I want to help you, too. Please let me accompany you to the compound where she's being held. I think I have an idea for how we can get in, but... well..." Hesitantly, she let his hand fall and took a few steps back, facing the two ronin. "I think it would go much smoother with your help. Hoshiko, Taiga... I know you agreed to help me make it to the spring, and this isn't part of that, but... I can't stand by while an innocent girl is being held captive by those brutes." Blame it on her bleeding heart, but if she hadn't had her own heroes to save her, she could have been in that girl's position right now. Either dead in the ground, or a slave to be bought and sold by the highest bidder. "Taiga, I understand your anger, and I know how much you care about Hoshiko. You've been with her far longer than I have. Even still, I care for her, too—for both of you. I would never ask you to endanger her. Kaito is a good person. I believe the fact that he was willing to stand down means that he never really wanted to hurt us in the first place." She limped her way over to Taiga, picking up her fallen wakizashi along the way and sheathing it. "He's a bounty hunter, just like you're a ronin. He did what he thought he had to to save somebody he loves... But, I guess I should let you hear that from him instead of me, huh?" Kaori gently guided the redheaded warrior over to one of the logs and gestured for him to sit down as she withdrew the healing salve that Kaito helped her make earlier. "You should eat something too, get your strength back. Can't let this food go to waste." She spread the mixture across his wounds one at a time, using her healing light at the same time for maximum effectiveness. The pain and inflammation began to soothe, and when his injuries were covered in the cream she set to bandaging them up with linen wrap, focusing as she worked. "You don't have to make a decision right now, but just keep what I've said in mind, okay?" She whispered a prayer of healing for him as she finished wrapping the last bandage, before she stood and moved on to Kaito, whose condition was almost as bad as Taiga's. "What's your sister's name?" Kaori asked him softly, her delicate fingers fluttering over his skin as she identified his most dire injuries. If those two needed to talk things out, they could do so in front of the fire while she tended to them and ensured everybody ate their fill. With Hoshiko's brilliant mind, she was sure that she could help them flesh out a plan for the rescue operation, while Taiga's might would be instrumental in carrying it out. If she could get their assistance, she had no doubt that they had a real shot at reuniting the Asahina siblings and potentially gaining another new ally in the process. That would have to come after everyone else had had time to recover first, of course.​

 

[Tenzai]

A golden bath of solar radiance that spilled through the skies shrouded their enemies in the light of her goddess. Her powers were much more miraculous than any of her companions had once assumed, most likely the result of her goddess sharing the same desire as the priestess that acted as her last hope. Those who weren't reduced immediately to dust were instead bound, forced to relish in their anguish and guilt as they fruitlessly attempted to free themselves from their divine chains. Whatever Kaori was now, she seemed to serve as the aspect of her goddess' wrath, the tool of which the kami had delivered her judgement and her execution. Interestingly, to the vampires who stood there stunned, there was no love in her tone, just disappointment and apathy. At least the monsters had no choice but to be monsters. These criminals on the other hand chose to do evil. "Strength should be used to protect the ones who lack it. You only ever used your strength to subjugate the weak, thus there are none who would stand by your side in your final moments. You reigned alone and now you will die alone, scorned by all and needed by no one." All but one were dispensed of, the last of which was to be used for information. Only then, when she had returned back to the Kaori they all knew and cared about, did one of them speak as she glared down at their only survivor after offering her gratitude to her party. "Kaori." Hoshiko was the first to speak, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You've done enough already. Rest." The vampire had a look of concern in her eyes. To the bonded pair, she was someone who still kept close to her humanity, a humanity they felt that her sisters wouldn't approve of her letting go of. "Leave the questioning to me. Threats will only get us sweet lies. Not truths. And I'm very well sure he knows what you're capable of already." The two men nodded their heads, finding something else to approve of. It was her kindness that made them want to help her out; Her sympathy that brought them to a point where they could rely on each other. Even if their relationships had yet to fully develop, they were well on the way there; They have already made the first steps. "Come on, Kaori. Kaito said something about food and it would be a waste if you don't get any." As Taiga waved her over to the fire, Kaito sighed in relief with their combat now coming to an end. He was used to each skirmish ending quickly, often with deadly consequences for one side or another. At least this time, they were the ones to come out on top. "He's right. I mean, we did have them out for a while. The food wouldn't taste well if it got tough." 'Don't underestimate Jirou'. "We won't." In exchange for his freedom and a promise between each other not to chase each other down or get revenge, the tactician was given key information in regards to the people that came after her as well as keys to several locked doors within their complex. Both the vampires and the bounty hunter held the same enemy and after seeing him in combat, Hoshiko felt it right to use him as an asset rather than waste the opportunity to harbor more strength within their ranks, especially if they had the same goal and destination in mind. However, then came the issue that Taiga and Kaito wouldn't work together. Now that their survival wasn't their immediate motivation, there was no guarantee that one side or the other would throw someone under the bus. If they would be betrayed, it wouldn't be the first time. Hesitant to act on one plan or another, she turned to Kaori before returning back to the others "... Kaori." She offered her the key ring. "Hand this to Kaito. He'll need it more than we do." Even if this would be the last time they would encounter each other, that didn't mean she particularly wished to get in the way of him rescuing his sister, especially if it sabotaged their enemy first should he die in the process. As Kaori returned to the others, she found Taiga scanning his surroundings in silence while Kaito cleaned his weapons to handle their maintenance. Upon hearing footsteps approaching him, his eyes lifted from his gear, only for a smile to follow once he laid his eyes upon her once again. "Good evening, Kaori. Looks like the questioning went well, I could assume." Noticing her hand offering the key ring, he took it from her hands, in gratitude for all she had done for him so far. "Thank you." "I think you should have these. You must be worried sick for your poor sister." The moment she bowed, he attempted to wave it away. He was the one who was supposed to be grateful. Not her. Though it seemed that Kaori was too deep in her gratitude to accept any lesser alternative. "Thank you for fighting alongside us. I know they were after me, and you could have run away, but you didn't. That means a lot." Placing a hand on his forehead at what he felt was undeserved kindness and humility, he sighed with a smile. "... I can't let someone like you get hurt without doing something about it. I told you didn't I? You're one of the good ones. The first i've met in ages. If not for you all, I don't think I would've been thinking so much about freeing my sister until now instead of paying those assholes off." "I want to help you, too. Please let me accompany you to the compound where she's being held. I think I have an idea for how we can get in, but... well..." The sound of their thrall offering to help for free had made the eyebrows of both her traveling vampire companions raise. Offers like that would only lead to more unwanted trouble, especially if it got in the way of their main promise to her: To return her to the shrine to resurrect a goddess. "I think it would go much smoother with your help. Hoshiko, Taiga... I know you agreed to help me make it to the spring, and this isn't part of that, but... I can't stand by while an innocent girl is being held captive by those brutes." "Kaori." Taiga was the first to respond. "Getting involved in other people's issues is a sure fire way to get yourself and the people around you killed. We made a rare exception for you... But for him..." His eyes tensed as he turned towards Kaito, still not forgiving him over what he did to Hoshiko. "We don't know how much his words are worth. One wrong move and he'll be the one who ends up claiming our bounties. Just because you trust him doesn't mean I have to. We only worked together out of need and that need is gone." "Taiga, I understand your anger, and I know how much you care about Hoshiko. You've been with her far longer than I have. Even still, I care for her, too—for both of you. I would never ask you to endanger her. Kaito is a good person. I believe the fact that he was willing to stand down means that he never really wanted to hurt us in the first place." "Then why pull the damn trigger on strangers?" ​ His gaze became ferocious, blistering with embers befitting a soul lit ablaze. Yet in spite of that, she wasn't afraid. As if there was something about him that told her that he wouldn't hurt her, Kaori stood adamant, unwavering in her resolve to stand by Kaito's side. "He's a bounty hunter, just like you're a ronin. He did what he thought he had to to save somebody he loves... But, I guess I should let you hear that from him instead of me, huh?" Taiga nodded his head. "You weren't the one who hurt her. He did." While Kaito figured out the best response, seeing them as a potential resource that could turn the tides of his attack for his sister's freedom in their favor, Taiga followed Kaori over to the logs that sat beside the fireplace. "You should eat something too, get your strength back. Can't let this food go to waste." Taiga remained silent, glancing over to his tactician who seemed deep in thought. Unlike him, Hoshiko wasn't motivated by emotion. Exchanges made at the right time, even with enemies, was an opportunity that shouldn't be missed. With the shaking in his arms going away as the medicine took its effect on his body, he turned back to her as she finished up with his bandages. "You don't have to make a decision right now, but just keep what I've said in mind, okay?" Once she turned to Kaito, she found him wrapping his wounds on his own, only to stop once her scent made her presence by his side known. "What's your sister's name?" "Seika. Her name is Seika, and I'm willing to do anything to get her back. Even work with you all." Taiga was quick to fire back. "And why the hell should we believe you? Why should we think that you're not trying to lure us in some sort of trap?" However, it seemed as though Kaito was getting a much better read on the situation. With Kaori present, he felt that there was room to negotiate, as long as he remained honest about his predicament. "Because we killed some of those people that aimed to capture Kaori. Tamotsu was one of them. One of the slavers that stole my sister." Standing up, he approached Taiga, ready to defend himself. "I came here to hunt you to pay off the debt I owe them. And now? I don't think I have much of a choice since I took my part in killing them. It felt good, Taiga. It felt good to put down those who wanted to take advantage of my family." Through conflict, a shared wavelength was born. Taiga would have felt the same if Kaori or Hoshiko had ended up in their clutches instead. "... So what are you offering us? We're not exactly a charity, you know? We don't have room for stragglers and wastes of flesh." Crossing his arms, he kept his guard up, unwilling to accept him without some sort of compromise. "Hoshiko, what do you think?" "I think your services are in order." Seeing the opportunity in front of her, Hoshiko smiled, finally having a plan that would make the most of all parties. "You pledge your loyalty to us, and we'll do the same for you. We're few in number, you see. We used to travel in a pack of five before... The yokai had taken them away." Taiga looked away, Junichi's death still fresh in his mind. "With you around, I'm sure we could survive bringing Kaori where she needs to go. So how about it, care to save your sister? Or would you prefer dying and failing by your own choices?" The woman presented an uncomfortable decision. All his life, he had dedicated it to fighting monsters and vampires. To work with them had felt like his anathema, a betrayal of all he stood for. However, for the sake of his only family, there was only one true option. "...Fine. I'll offer you my best. But I'm not going to turn vampire. Got it?" Taiga scoffed at the idea of biting his neck. "Ugh. Never planned on it. I don't think either of us were interested in your blood in the first place, not that we even need it." "It seems like a deal is in order. It'll be nice to work with you, Kaito. Let me plan out her rescue. You three sit pretty. We have some time before true nightfall." ⟡⸻⸻⸻⸻ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ꜱᴜɴᴅᴏᴡɴ | ᴢᴇɴɪᴛʜʟɪɢʜᴛꜱ ⸻⸻⸻⸻⟡ ↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​ A wooden complex sat at the end of another village nearby. It seemed like a small castle from the outside, its walls standing high enough to keep whatever was held within inside while dissuading outsider stares. With a dark rag covering their mouths and clothes donned atop their armor, Taiga and Kaito nodded to each other, wearing the clothes of those who Kaori slain just hours before. "Kaori." Hoshiko whispered, dressed similarly to infiltrate from a flank. The guard's armor, fully helmeted, covered the fact that there was no one within. "Don't come out until you hear two knocks on the wood. Three and I want you to reach for the tanto in your dress, okay? You three will be making sure that no one follows us out of here." She spoke sweetly, doing her best to limit her nerves. She was meant to be the bait that allowed the men in. Gesturing to them, they began to haul the carriage towards the front gate, using a curtain to hide the passenger inside the cage that the carriage carried. For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence and footsteps carrying her straight into the slavers' den. Once the carriage had come to a stop however, she heard a sound from outside the sheet protecting her. "Halt. I need to know what you're bringing in." Instead of letting Kaito speak, Taiga spoke instead. If they were aware of how he sounded, it would immediately sound alarms. Using the slang his rookie warriors once used while in his command, he acted like one of them. "You asked for the priestess, didn't ya? Fresh piece of ass back there. I don't recommend you touch less you wanna fuck around with Jirou's plaything." Unveiling the cage for a moment, Kaori's eyes met a couple of spearmen acting as guards to the property. "Hey, say something." Taiga turned to her. "Don't be shy. This'll be your new home." Kaito grumbled to himself, unaware of just how crude his enemies were. To think that Seika was trapped within a prison full of these sorts of men was a one way trip to experiencing anger. Though before he could react, Taiga placed a hand on his shoulder as Kaori spoke to keep up the mask. "Easy there. I get that you're horny and all, but we can't go to the brothel til we've been paid, idiot." The bounty hunter bit his lip in frustration before sighing. He couldn't afford to compromise the mission because of his ego. Seika's life was on the line. "Now are you gonna keep us waiting, or do you want Jirou to get what he's asking for?" Pushing the pressure thanks to the intel he received from the prisoner before, it seemed that this way of speaking was enough. "Ugh, fine. Let them in. If we have the boss angry, no one's gonna have it good tonight." "Hmm... The prison should be somewhere around here." Upon sneaking into the property from dropping in through a different angle, a set of crates that led up and over the wall, Hoshiko took a look at the drawings the prisoner so gracefully provided at threat of divine judgement. Spotting the storage building that most likely held prisoners within, she walked as though she belonged to the place, keeping her hood up and her head down while her possessed armor had moved with the same disorderly discipline that their prisoner did. Only then, when she had stopped in front of the storage room, did she smell it: The scent of sweat, sewage, and blood. This was no prison. This was something much worse. Holding in her anger, as she looked around only to spot the single sentry yawning at the door, she patted him on the shoulder. "Easy there. I'm here to take your shift." Unbeknownst to him, her glove had been laced with a paralytic drug, the very same that the bounty hunter had used against her. Noticing them stumble as they struggled to breathe due to its concentration once absorbed in the skin, she slowly positioned him in a way where he looked like he fell asleep on the job, taking him to a quiet place out of view with the help of her minions. "Shame. A waste of a soul over a cause as sinister as this one." Taking one last deep breath of the fresh air outside, she finally entered hell. Chains had dropped from the ceiling. The sound of whips and groans had caught her attention. Bodies of the living, the dead, and those suffering in between were scattered over various cells in different decomposing positions. As she followed the source of the sound, she noticed the familiar features of a girl she was told about highlighted in moonlight. "You thought you could escape? How many times must I break you in order for you to understand that your brother is not coming back. He's dead." The jailer kept trying to convince her to lose hope, uncaring of the fact that he knew Kaito was still very much unfortunately alive. "Perhaps its time that you know your place. Would be a shame if Jirou got a hold of you first before me." He taunted, stripping down whatever rags she had as she was chained up. "Asshole doesn't know how to share. What if we want our turn?! We're the ones who have to deal with you rebellious bitches in the first place!" Feeling as though it was right for him to take out his frustrations over his boss on her, as he gripped her thighs and spread them wide regardless of protest or apathy, he heard the door unlock from behind. "Hmm... What the hell do you want?" Blood immediately spilled from the large man as he fell to the floor. A knife was thrown by one of her possessed armors towards his head while the other had walked over to his body to scavenge it for anything useful. Hoshiko on the other hand held the keys given by their former prisoner, walking towards her to free her from her binds. "... Seika, isn't it?" The vampire's fangs were made visible as she spoke. "Kaito's looking for you. Said a lot of good things about you." Whoever this disguised creature was, it seemed to know her and her brother well. "If you're quiet and you're a good girl for me, we're all going to get out of this place alive." Click. Catching her as her body descended from the chains, Hoshiko helped her onto her feet, handing her the knife that was once embedded in her captor. Unveiling her cloak to wrap around her as well, she revealed herself in her entirety: A ronin that was loyal to no one but themselves. With a hand extended, she gestured to the girl to take it. "Shall we get going? I'm sure he misses you."