Dragons Fangs and Tiger Claws {1x1 with DarkMudkip}

Mitsunari glowered at her, "Watch where you're going, you useless wench." He hissed at her. He had been making his way to see Yoshitsugu, him being called to discuss matters like Akihime had been.
 
Nana cast her gaze downward and bowed her head to him. "Please forgive me, my lord, I would never have meant to cause you harm."
 
Mitsunari grumbled angrily, he was so stressed about the war between him and Ieyasu that he was ready to kill whoever or whatever upset him even a little. "Nana-san?" It was Akihime, looking incredibly confused to see the Pirate Queen in the Blue Palace and still breathing. Mitsunari's lip curled into a sneer; if Akihime spent enough time, she could unravel Yoshitsugu's mind conditioning on Nana and that wouldn't bode well for their plans.
 
Nana stopped collecting the books around Mitsunari's feet, looking up at Akihime with a nervous look on her face. "I'm sorry, I don't remember if we've met or not." Her usual confident and calm persona was gone, now replaced with a meek and timid woman. She barely even looked like herself, with her hair loose around her shoulders, sporting a dress, and without her famous red eye makeup and bandana.
 
Akihime looked even more confused now, "I...we met formally once, when I blessed your first born, but...what are you doing he-" "Oracle, you should come visit your father and leave the maid alone." Mitsunari interrupted. Akihime furrowed her brows before bowing to Nana and heading to the war room in the Castle Dour. Mitsunari glared at Nana hatefully before following after Akihime.
 
Nana watched the floor until Mitsunari left, feeling his hateful gaze burning into her head. Once he had left, she returned to collecting her books, then quickly hurried off to finish her task.
 
Even without being the ear of the Divines, Akihime was as good an adviser as Hanbei had been before illness had claimed him. She listened to Mitsunari and Yoshitsugu speak of their stratagems and voiced whether they were as tactical as they had seemed or not. To be honest, though, her mind was focused on other things; like if Nana was there, where was Motochika? Her brief visit to Whiterun made her worry about Yukimura and his well being and if he was still plagued by the darkness in his heart. "Oracle." Mitsunari growled, pulling Akihime from her thoughts. "Hm? Gomen, I was focusing on listening for the Divines. You have my undivided attention, Jarl Ishida." She apologized. Mitsunari hated having Akihime around without her power, but asked for her guidance all the same at Yoshitsugu's request. After the planning, they went about their business, Mitsunari making his way back to the Palace.
 
Nana stood in wait for Yoshitsugu to return, remaining sighing the palace like he had asked her too. When she saw Mitsunari enter, she felt a flutter of nervousness, but approached him regardless. "Ishida-sama, have you seen from Yoshitsugu-sama, I have need to speak with him."
 
"He and the Oracle are still making their way from the Dour." He replied, though it was very forced. Looking at her made him uncontrollably angry, only regarding her as the spiteful woman she had always been; the whore of a pirate king and supporter of his heated enemy and rival, Ieyasu. "You may continue to wait patiently for the both of them, as I have no doubt they will be here any moment."
 
Nana bowed her head to Mitsunari and headed to wait in the lounge room that Yoshitsugu often rested in, straightening up the chairs and pillows, even starting some hot tea for the ill man.
 
He tried to control his unbridled fury as he watched her go about with this fake personality they had given her. It made him sick, she made him sick. She should just go out into the marshes and be killed by the unknown creatures that lived therein. He would love nothing more than to slice off her head and drop it into Chosokabe's lap before he executed the former Jarl. But there was nothing he could do about if for now - not until she screwed something up and worthy of a sound beating.
 
Nana was in the middle of brewing the herbal remedy when she heard the door open. Thinking it was her savior, Yoshitsugu, a soft smile appeared on her face and she turned around to greet him. Only to find herself facing Mitsunari. Still holding the pot of boiling water, her smile slowly faded. "M-My Lord, what brings you here?"
 
He reached for the steaming tea kettle and held it above her before pouring it down on top of her, "Oh, look. You've spilt the water for Yoshitsugu's remedy. How could you be so foolish." His voice was strained, coated with a rage that he had forced down for too long without release.
 
A horrid scream errupted from Nana as she collapsed to her knees on the floor, shaking as she could do nothing to ease the pain but let the water drip off of herself. Through tears, she could just make out the red marks on her skin from the hot water, her head, shoulders, face, and back burning like hellfire.
 
He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her forward, forcing her closer before forcing her head into the stone floor. He stepped on her head and untied his sheathe from his hip, grabbing it firmly in his hand and testing the weight. Oh, this would do nicely. He started beating her anywhere he could reach, letting out all his hate and rage for her and her filthy disgusting excuse for a husband who continued to rot in his cell.
 
Nana let out a small son of pain each time she was struck, her head being ground against the stone floor as he assaulted her with the heavy sheath. She had tried to crawl away from Mitsunari, which only got her a hard whack on her arm, which nearly broke it. Tears ran down her face as she was continuously beaten, the hollow thuds of the metal striking her ringing in her ears.
 
Mitsunari continued to pelt her small form with his sheathe, not hearing the door open, not hearing Akihime shout at him, stopping when the Oracle had grabbed his wrist when he rose to strike her again. "Cease this needless abuse this instant, Jarl Ishida!" The Palace shivered, as if she had been gifted with the Thu'um. Mitsunari panted hard before moving away from Nana and leaving the room. Akihime rushed to Nana quickly and knelt beside her, "Nana-san, are you all right? Can you move?"
 
With the help of Akihime, Nana managed to get into a sitting position, trembling hard from fear and pain. "H-Hai... I'm alright.." She answered quietly, voice shaking. She was covered in bruises and welts, but other than the burns on her head and shoulders, she didn't seem to be hurt too badly.
 
Akihime helped her stand, helping her out of the room and up to her bedroom to help treat the burns, "I won't blame you if you hold a grudge against Jarl Ishida for that. He has the force of Oblivion in place of rage."
 
Nana sat still for Akihime as she toweled her off and applied ointment to the burns to soothe them, holding her hair out of the way so she could reach her neck. "I must've done something to anger Lord Ishida, I hold no grudge against him.." She spoke softly. Upon further inspection, her burns traveled down her neck and onto her back, where differently colored skin peeked out from under her dress; a tattoo.
 
Akihime furrowed her brows gently, "Nana-san, do I have your perission to remove your top to inspect a few more burns you may have further down your back?" She asked respectfully. She also wanted to see what the tattoo was about and if it was something Mitsunari forced her to get to keep her sworn to the Legion. She was enjoying her stay in Solitude less and less with the amount of warfare Mitsunari tried to shovel out everyday.
 
"Ah? No, I don't mind." Nana said, then carefully undid the strings that kept her dress on, exposing her back to Akihime. The beautiful artwork on her back wasn't anything shameful; a purple ogre with a terrifying expression on its face was what covered most of her back, complete with intricate decorations and background of the sea behind the ogre, and ended with the Chosokabe crest on the back of her lower neck.
 
Akihime felt relieved that it wasn't anything involving Solitude or the Legion, in fact finding the tattoo an endearing symbol of Nana's love for Motochika, "You must love him so much..." She said gently, gingerly applying the burn ointment to the rest of Nana's burns.
 
"Love who?" Nana sounded confused, with brows furrowed and her eyes downcast. "I hardly love Lord Ishida, and all those whom I've loved were slaughtered by that bastard Chosokabe."
 
Akihime's hand froze, "Slaughtered by...Lord Chosokabe?" She sounded confused, "I sincerely hope you're jesting, because you both are married. I knew he went missing for sometime but...that's actually a bit of a cruel joke, Nana-san.."
 
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