Deirdre's Story

Kiske chuckled inwardly when Katsu made his aggressive claim. He was more than welcome to try but the monk had trained most of his entire life to prevent demons from tearing him and others around him apart. He'd at the very least make it a challenge for the youkai and besides that he doubted the half demon really meant his words. But at his acceptance of help Kiske could hardly contain his excitement. This was just the chance he had been looking for ever since he had started designing enchanted weaponry. A close up look of a legendary weapon and a chance to study it in depth. True he only had rumors of stories to go on but he was sure with the actual object within reach he would be able to unravel the mystery much quicker then just reading the stories.

"Oh I'm glad to hear you say that and I would be more than happy to assist you." Kiske said but then turned his attention back to the strange humans who seemed to be frozen in place, not moving and not speaking. "But you are right, we need to take care of these humans first as they are sure to attract attention from the nearby youkai..."

As the half demon turned to call to the humans Kiske cringed when he mentioned that bit about the youkai. You just had to mention that to an already half terrified group of strangers, didn't you...Something tells me your people skills are a bit on the lacking side. Kiske thought to himself as he stepped forward to place a hand on the youkai's shoulder. "Do you have a house in mind, my good youkai? Is there a large enough residence that you have access to? If not might I suggest we find a nice inn where we can rent some rooms for the night? Assuming of course this village has such a location."

Kiske paused to address the group of humans as a thought occurred to him. "It just occurred to me that not a single one of us has asked what the group of you wish to do so I do believe now is as good a time as any to find out wouldn't you say? So how about it? Would you like to stay with this odd group of friendly people until we get this whole mess straightened out or would you rather strike out on your own and hope to find your way?"

The half-demon was taken aback by the young male human’s willingness to trust him over the monk. While neither of them had done anything that would earn a great amount of trust, the typical response was ‘die, demon, die,’ and ‘save us, holy man.’ Not a polite, ‘I’d rather follow the demon, thanks.’ Not one person he’d ever met had essentially complimented him on his honesty. He was greeted more with malice and sarcasm for it. He blinked, confused a moment, and then shook it off, addressing something that had been grinding upon his nerves for quite some time. “Tsk. Half-youkai, youkai, canine-man, I have a name you know. I’d appreciate it if you lot’d use it for once.” Katsu scowled. It took him a moment to realize that he had not introduced himself properly to the group, as he was more concerned with his brother’s presence and the Tahra’s jabbering mouth. He ran a hand through his hair and let it rest upon his neck for a moment. “My name is Katsu. Nothing more, nothing less.” He said simply, not caring much to find out what the others were called. Although he knew their names, he still addressed Tahra as ‘Fox’ and Jin as ‘Demon Slayer.’ He was uncomfortable being familiar enough with a person to refer to them by name. It meant being attached, and being attached often meant weakness or coming despair. This he learned the hard way many times in his early years. Keeping them at an arms length was much easier to deal with than having to suffer someone he was fond of. Why he felt obligated to keep them out of trouble at this point was beyond his comprehension.

“There is a small shack you all can stay in. I think the demon slayer left some food behind, it should be enough to hold you off until tomorrow.” He stated simply, turning heel and expecting the others to follow. “I’ve traded one human for five. Bisha-nii will surely believe I’ve gone soft.” He muttered under his breath. “We won’t all fit in there comfortably, but I prefer sleeping outside anyway. It’s really only built for two or three people.” He paused, mulling over his options and what the monk had said earlier. “I’m not going to baby-sit you all. If you wander off, I will let you die. If you’re not happy with that, I suggest you go look for someone else to cry to.” He slid the door open to the small shack-like house, revealing it to be mostly empty, save for a fire pit and a bit of travelling food. Katsu frowned, and looked over the group of six. “You can fight over the space yourselves. I’ll be on the roof if you need me. But I suggest not needing me.”

“It’s um, nice to meet you, I suppose.” The half-breed smiled slightly, although more out of a hesitant politeness than out of genuine interest. He nodded slightly at the humans as they headed inside the shack and then climbed up to the rooftop to make himself comfortable, laying his blade across the rooftop beside him. The stars began peeking out from amongst the clouds in the blackening sky and torches were being lit and put out around the village. The half-breed glanced around, testing the scent of the air. The strange smell still lingered, but was faint, and nearly indescribable. Similar to the scents that poured off the four strange humans, different and impossible to describe in words. He glanced to the monk as he was joined on the roof, but decided to take little notice of him until Kiske opened his mouth.

Katsu’s eyes narrowed and he resisted the urge to shove the monk off the side of the roof, resigning himself to lying back with his arms behind his head. “I don’t have a soft spot.” He said simply, watching the night sky absently. “Humans are mostly weak, worthless creatures, incapable of keeping themselves from falling over tree roots. Killing humans is like crushing insects, a waste of time and effort.” He shifted his weight to examine one of his hands and pick at his nails with his thumb. “I hold no malice toward humans either. They pose little to no threat to me, so why should I bother? It’s not like humans can really prevent me from doing anything I want, so what does it matter that they dislike my kind? As for trying to become more demonic, I don’t have the time to waste trying to purge the human blood from my veins. It is who I am, and what I must live with.” He paused, looking over to Kiske. “You haven’t tried to kill me. I haven’t met a single holy man or priestess who gave me a second thought. I guess you must have a soft spot for youkai.” He remarked, closing his eyes. His thoughts turned to the beautiful human woman he could remember from his darkest nightmares. Perhaps he did harbor some soft spot for his human half. After what he did, perhaps it was guilt that kept him from abandoning the group of humans. Either way, he wasn't particularly ready to admit he was unlikely to leave them stranded to die.

“I don’t hate humans… they’re just bothersome. Youkai aren’t much better, you know. Just because they are stronger doesn’t mean they are any less insipid.” He said simply, sliding his hand back behind his head, his eyes remaining closed.

Kiske let out a sound halfway between a grunt and a chuckle, almost a snort. Like hell. Whether this youkai wants to admit it or not he has concern for humans, a long with the curiosity of a cat. Strange in a dog demon. Kiske shrugs and gets back to his feet. "Well ok then. If you say so. I'll just go back to my corner and catch some sleep. Good night, my good youkai." Kiske says as he jumps back off the roof and to the ground.

Before he manages to actually get to sleep one of the humans, Deirdre if he heard correctly, comes out of the shack and looks around. He watches curiously as she slightly clumsily climbed the nearby tree and leaped onto the roof. Not hearing any sound of conversation Kiske wondered what exactly the girl had in mind but decided to simply stay where he was and listen rather then intrude on something else.

Katsu’s eyes moved from their skyward gaze to the long-haired human attempting to climb up onto the roof. He couldn’t think of an instance where a human was less graceful, trying to clamber up onto the rooftop to join him. He couldn’t keep a small smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth, the first time it had happened in a while. “You’ll fall.” He remarked, more amused with the awkward display than worried for her safety. It would be quite a sight if she did actually fall, but he figured she wouldn’t get hurt if he bothered to help her when she did. “Can’t sleep, human?” He questioned, giving in to the gentle voice in the back of his mind and moving forward so Deirdre wouldn’t have to move so far across the rooftop. He held out a hand to help her sit down. “You shouldn’t get up on rooftops if you’re so unsteady on your feet. You hurt yourself once already; you want to risk it again?” He took a couple steps back to give her space. He thought it would be best considering two of the four strange humans already had some semblance of a panic attack. If she panicked, he would prefer not to have her lash out at him. He sat down on the rooftop, allowing his feet to dangle over the edge. He shifted the onyx blade so it would lie flat out of the way. He considered throwing it into the ground, but the likelihood of something strange happening had skyrocketed since the appearance of the bizarre-smelling humans. "How is that? Your injury. You smell a little less like blood."

His ears swiveled at the sound of a splash in the distance. He turned his head, unsure whether to investigate or not. On the one hand, the strange corpse-smelling human could still be about. Maybe having a bath. On the other hand, it could be nothing and he would be abandoning the small shack and leaving the village vulnerable. Not to mention leaving the human up on the roof would simply be rude. He decided he would wait for the time being. If whatever it was managed to wander toward the village, he could intervene as necessary.

More rustling at the front door to the shack pulled Kiske's attention once again. Well well. Yet another of the strange humans is out and about. Wonder who it is this time... Kiske leaned around the corner and saw Keisuke wondering away from the shack in the general direction of the river. As Katsu began talking to the girl who had made it to the roof the monk was torn between staying and listening to their conversation and following the boy to see what he was up to. His first reaction was to stay in case the girl needed assistance getting down but decided Katsu could more than handle that bit.

So with a few silent movements Kiske got up and followed Keisuke at a distance, being sure to keep far enough back to not draw any attention to himself. Unfortunately this caused him to lose track of the boy in the woods until he heard a familiar sound: the sound of unarmed combat practice. A sound he had heard for years ever since his time training with the half demon monk in the mountains.

Kiske moved closer and found the boy completely engrossed in his stances, moving between different techniques with surprising skill. Kiske found a seat next to a tree and watched, recognizing some of the boy's movements as slight variations of techniques he used himself. Kiske sensed something off about the young man as he became more and more engrossed in the movements it became apparent that there was something deep inside troubling him. The sudden leap into the river surprised even Kiske and he almost let out a sound of surprise himself.

When the boy climbed back out and began changing out of his now sopping wet clothes Kiske saw what could possibly be the cause of the young man's troubles as burns and scars became apparent across the entirety of the boy's body. As Keisuke returned to the water Kiske backed a ways away from the clearing where the boy had been and then returned, letting himself stumble over an exposed root and letting out a sound of annoyance to let Keisuke know he was in the vicinity before he revealed himself at the edge of the river. "Oh. Hello young master. What brings you out this far this late at night?" he asked nonchalantly.

Katsu paused, scanning the trees a moment. “Nothing. The monk seems to have it handled, judging from the smell. I told you all that I wasn’t going to come to your rescue if you wandered off.” He shook his head, catching the scent of one of the other strange girls on the evening wind. “You humans aren’t really all that smart.” He turned his back to the trees to lie down on the rooftop, using his arms for pillows, his face exposed to the sky above. He closed an eye as he considered continuing the conversation with the strange human girl. He could have simply ignored her until she whined to get down. It would teach her to keep off places she couldn’t get down from. However, it wasn’t like he was going to sleep any time soon and she was there, might as well learn more about her while she was around. Maybe their talk would expose the origin of the strange smoky smell that emanated from her clothing.

“They treat everyone like that. Believe me, I know. It doesn’t help that you’re dressed strangely.” Katsu remarked, one of his ears still turned toward the river. His mind turned to how most humans treated him. This one seemed more curious than afraid of him. It was refreshing and worrying all at the same time. Was she ignorant or simply brave? Was she hiding a power that might bolster her courage? The monk didn’t fear him simply because he could likely kill the half-Youkai if he wanted to. At least she seemed more interested in the safety of her friends than the exorcism of the half-breed. He closed his other eye and exhaled. “I don’t sleep much. It’s something I’ve gotten used to.” He shrugged half-heartedly. He didn’t seem to mind at all that she was a bit snippy at the beginning of their conversation, as if he had expected it from her. He learned to be patient with humans at an early age, but it didn’t stop him from disliking most of them. This one was okay for now. “I’m glad you’re not too hurt. It’d panic your excitable friends and that would be troublesome. The villagers would likely drive you out, thinking you’re all possessed or something. Sure they’re more comfortable with the monk around you all. They’d be even more comfortable if that demon slayer stuck around. Ah, well. I can keep them off your back. I hate it when humans get all upidy.”

Kiske returned to his spot at the side of the shack and sat back down on the ground, leaning back against the shack's wall with a sigh. It had been a long, and very, interesting, day and he was more than happy to simply relax and let the night pass in comfortable silence. His plan was interrupted however when another of the human female's exited the shack to approach Keisuke. Kiske was once again tempted to approach but mentally reigned himself in. Better to not alienate this strange group of people with his bad habits so soon if he ever wanted his curiosity about their appearance to be sated. Besides there were other women around who were probably more amiable to a monk of his stature.

Kiske let his thoughts drift back to his earlier encounter with the two women on the road and wondered where they had gotten to. Mayhaps they had not yet returned which could be a sign they were in trouble but even if they were he didn't have any way to follow them. Although the half demon did seem to have a keen nose. Maybe he would assist? Kiske shook his head to get that ridiculous thought out of his head. There was no way he could convince the demon to go hunting down two people he had never met much less simply for the monk to meet them again.

Keisuke and the other girl's conversation was only mumbles to the monk from where he sat but he could hear the conversation going on the roof quite clearly although it also seemed to be going no where. With another sigh Kiske closed his eyes while leaving his other senses open until he entered a type of meditative doze state. Not fully asleep but not fully awake either. It was how he spent his nights when he was alone on the road to avoid being attacked while he slept and it would work admirable for allowing him to maintain attention to those around him without giving away he was listening.

Tahra yawned, her dark blue eyes blinking as was assaulted by the gentle early morning sunlight that found its way between bits of the roof. Stretching, she glanced around to see if anyone else was up and it took her a second to realize that the sun was just coming up, so of course no one else would be awake yet. Bouncing to her feet, she brushed a bit of dirt off her kimono and went outside to get the day started. Already her energy was building up, but Tahra was still calm enough to remember that she'd have to go get her own food if she wanted any, not to mention the fact that the humans would be hungry as well.

Running down to the stream, Tahra hesitated on the edge for a moment before she stepped into a shallow portion of the icy water. Tail fluffed up behind her, the little fox demon waited impatiently for a fish to get close enough to her. That didn't last long before she was flailing after the closest fish trying to convince it to come back, even though she knew it was just a fish and it couldn't understand her.

Giving up on that mode of finding breakfast, Tahra stepped out of the water and shook most of the water off of her, having gotten completely soaked when she was chasing after the fish. She paused for a moment, ears perked as she sniffed the air. A tiny smile crept over her lips as she stepped silently through the trees, pausing every now and then to listen. Finally she stopped, watching something in front of her very intently before she took off at it. The squirrel dropped the seed it had been munching on and took off as well, but not fast enough. Tahra was already up to speed, and although she had a body that was human in appearance, she ran just as fast as any fox.

At around seven, Tahra returned back to the shack bearing the fruits of her hunt. She had plenty of squirrels, some mice, and a few rabbits piled in her little arms.
"Time to wake up, everyone! Breakfast has arrived!" Tahra grinned, carefully setting down her catches by the fire.
Her pent-up energy seemed to hit her all at once as she looked around for Deirdre, didn't see her, remembered that she had gone up on the roof, and ran outside to go wake her. Scurrying up onto the roof, she practically tackled the dark-haired girl in an attempt to wake her up.
"Dei-Dei! Food! Wake up!" Tahra grinned, bouncing up and down.

Immediatly he looked away as soon as his suspicions were confirmed, forcing himself to relax as he once more picked up the knife and began to cut the meat into sizeable chunks removing bone at the same time. Even tough he didn't look up at the now identified Jin or acknowledge either of the men's entrence he was aware of every move they made but for different reasons for each of them. He kept tabs on Kiske to make sure that he didn't get too close to his friends and he was tracking Jin, so that he wouldn't be caught off guard, in case he did anything, though he admitted that he himself was more likely to do something. Keisuke just moved from the meat to cutting up some veggetables for the stew he was prepareing, his hand shaking only the slightest amount. When he was done with that he put the knife down as fast as he could without attracting attention to himself then added in most of what was left of the drinking water and put in some hebs before lifting it and settleing it on the the hanging hook to boil above the fire. He shook Saeko awake so that she could watch over things for him while he was gone then grabbed the bucket and left for the river to refill it, nodding to Deirdre as he passed her.

Tahra turned to look at Molly as she heard the patronizing voice. "My name's Tahra. And why are you acting like you're talking to a child? I'm thirteen!" turning to look at Keisuke, she returned his smile with a bright one of her own.
When Jin asked her where Katsu had gone, she was just about to answer when Kiske did for her. Watching Keisuke leave the shack with a bucket shortly after Deirdre finally same in, Tahra got up from the spot on the floor she had sprawled across. When Jin went to go make sure that Deirdre was alright, the little fox demon had to find out for herself as well and climbed up on Jin's back so that she could peer over his shoulder. She was disappointed when the demon hunter backed off and went to sit by the fire. Jumping off her friend's shoulder she sat by the fire and stared at the flames, the flickering light occupying her attention for no more than ten seconds before she was on her feet again. Scrambling back up onto Jin's shoulder as he asked where the humans were from, she watched the humans with great interest as they waited for an answer.

Keisuke was relieved as he was able to make his way out of the hut and to the river. As he was there he quickly refilled the bucket and set it to the side. He ran a hand through his hair and took deep breaths to steel himself for going back. The only reason that he'd been able to leave his friends there with that guy with the swords was because Saeko was now awake and no one seemed to mind him. Shaking his head to clear his mind of his thoughts he stood up and went back with the now filled bucket. When he reentered the hut, he seemed to be calm, even to the most trained eye, he was only able to hide his nervousness thanks to years of practice. Keisuke set the back to where it was before, then stirred the soup so that it wouldn't burn or that it wouldn't cook unevenly, it would be done soon, it didn't take that long for soup to cook. "Tokyo," he answered Jin's question haveing caught it just before entering the hut. "We were just taking a walk through the woods and we'd stopped to rest next to the well as usual. Next thing I know we were at the bottom of the well and when we climbed out we were here," he elaborted on their situation, keeping his eyes on the pot but his main focus was on Jin and Kiske.