Damn.

While the employee returns to the counter, Hiromi ambles at a slower pace; more keen to look around as the residual chill slowly leaves his body. The cafe's nice. All of the details missed by frost touched glass now visible under fluorescent lights. The decor matches well, and the lingering aroma of coffee grounds soothes him more than anticipated.

There were several specialties on display on the board up high behind Cors's head (even with his height), so it was easy to be seen even from a fair distance.

"Alright. I'll have that for you in a moment."

There was no need to upsell him, either, but then again, Cors never did that. It was clear that the guy knew what he wanted, so why try to push him into anything else?

There weren't many steps at all to preparing a black coffee for a customer: one, get the appropriate size cup. Two, pour a fresh cup of coffee. Three, top it up to go with the right amount of firmness to ensure it wouldn't spill immediately when taken up. Pouring coffee was so methodical, too, and with that done, he placed the cup on the counter before Hiromi.

" of course it's okay. " the words come without hesitation or second thought. why wouldn't it be okay? she wants to ask, but chiyo can think of her own answers. because seeing each other means remembering mallie, and that means remembering she isn't here; because loss has a way of making things awkward; because it's been two years, and it's unclear if anything's changed. but chiyo knows how gutting it can be to lose someone. how could she ever turn cors away, even if she wanted to?

Cors blinked, breaking out of the thoughts he'd been in all of a sudden and swallowed a lightly before taking a breath even though his gaze still hadn't moved from the jinki that were sitting out. His necklace was just underneath his suit after all. It was fine--of course it was fine. It was alright and Cors needed to accept that. Things were alright. After a moment, the blonde nodded and finally pulled his gaze away from the jinki to settle on Chiyo, herself.

From a golden midday to purpling evening, nightfall looms just over the horizon. Spring sweeps the last of her gentle winds, promising another bout of rain through the whisper of blooming green. Nature is bountiful here. Overgrown from nutrient rich soil, rising up and up to choke a once pristine shrine.

The air smells faintly of soot. Tastes sharp like old memories twisted with pain. Grief, it seems, lives here. In the network of roots gnarl over the intricate flagstone path; thick enough to form a protective layer from the outside world. And at the top, loneliness greets anyone that steps past the washed out gate.

With no stone guardians present, it's a wonder how the remnants of this hollowed spot is still standing. Yet an answer is soon found when a lone figure parts from shadow. Tall and imposing, stern and visibly weary. Rugged in every sense, as a hand rests loosely at the sheathed hilt of his katana.

His pre-night flight, however, had been a bit of a bust.

Getting snuck upon by a goddamn cat no sooner had he touched down for a bit to poke at something interesting on the ground had landed him with a bit of damage to his wing--nothing that couldn't heal on its own with time--but still pretty annoying all the same. Because of this, where was no keeping his wings in at the moment, and so, the light colored feathers were on display yet there was a twinge of pain every so often with a light smattering of blood on one wing where the injury had taken place.

Damn cat--

Blinking at the low, unfamiliar voice, Cors didn't turn yet didn't move from where he was sitting, either.

"It's a good place to rest at least," he replied, grimacing a little when he tentatively stretched out his wings--the twinge of pain aching a bit more--before his wings settled behind him again. "...But I guess I'll move on if that's what you want."

Emil grimaced at the wave of power that rolled over her; an expression that deepened when the same wave knocked her next victim unconscious. One by one, centered at the apparently-alive-after-all man, nearly all remaining occultist fainted. Only one remained standing - even if on wobbly legs - and Emil offhandedly threw the staff she had stolen at him, knocking him out with a dull clonk.

"That was... Anticlimactic," Emil sighed, putting her hands into her pants pockets, turning but taking not a single step towards the man; he had just woken up from whatever stupor the occultists had put him under; last she needed was for him to mistake her for one of them.

They hah had to drug him rather hard for him to not be able to use this conqueror's haki of his. On top of him being of such large stature.

"This place is a maze," she announced, apparently loud enough for her voice to echo in the cavern. "Follow me if you want to get out of here today and not next week."

Assholes.

They rightfully got what they deserved in this moment. Seeing everyone down for the count--well, mostly everyone, anyway--eased something within the blonde even though his features had morphed into a scowl over this entire situation.

There was no remembering where he was at the moment nor what had happened in the beginning that had started this whole mess. There weren't any familiar faces, and this entire place where he was now did not ring any bells in his mind, but the one thing it did do was give off a vibe that no one alive should be down here.

Maybe ... maybe it had once been a place for the dead.

He needed to find a way out of here now--

... And that was exactly right on time.

Quietly listening to the words echoing around him, Cors slowly began to move towards the only other person there for the simple fact that there wasn't another choice. They were right. If he tried to find his way out of her, it would take a few days unless he simply busted his way out, but even then, that sort of thing had its own problems. He could trap himself in even further with that sort of thinking and action--become even more stuck that before when he didn't know the layout at all.