玉藻の前

Tamamo no Mae    Butterfly by Mimi N

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@mizukume !

[ ☠ ] 

it’s been some time since he’d arrived, with only a cube and a key to his name - and, of course, what looked like a fairly large sum of money. he’s practically over the goddamn moon with how excited he is - how could he not? he’s got money, independence, somethin’ they called a servant all to himself - what wasn’t to like about this place so far?

really, it almost makes him forget about the home he’d apparently lost.

                             - he wants the almost out of there, in some way, let me start over -

slipping the key into the lock of the apartment he’d figured was his, ryuji caught his breath ever so slightly when he heard a faint noise from the other side. ‘shit,’ he thought, ‘did someone already break into my effin’ apartment?!’ 

with a push, he shoves the door open and finds… um. well, shit, he’s not sure who or what that is - are those effin’ fox ears? part of him wondered if this was his servant, but that didn’t make sense - wasn’t he allowed to pick his servant?

“ hey, uh… pretty sure i didn’t pick the furry option. ” really, who would? aside from maybe mishima; that dude was desperate to get some action.

【 ✹ 】Fingers clenched, a fist forming before unleashing it toward his midriff -- her strength may be lacking to an extent, she was no rival to cavalry Servants. That did not meant a mere human built of flesh could stand a surprise attack, the slightest of damage sufficed to satisfy her petty ego. 

She had been waiting for his arrival. Nervous, even anxious at the notion of what she must do in order to appease her future Master. Regardless of how bothered she could feel, her entire existence depended on him and that alone gave them control on the feared Tamamo no mae.

Oh, how angry was she to be greeted in such a moronic fashion. The ring of his voice unleashed the inner fury of the demon fox, flames burning within her. It was so unfortunate that not many could appreciate her, neither her wondrous fox ears...!! Her adorable features were a sight to behold, such were the perks of a furry creature like her -- but instead he complains, he acts like this is some sort of injustice and that alone broke her heart.

And heartbreak could only be dealt with violence in return.

“You’re incredibly straightforward, Master! I’m gonna blush! How can I handle such honesty?” Her pride had been hurt. Abandoned, forced to wait and now a stupid commentary toward her adorable existence. What an ungrateful boy! How blind! And utterly fool! With her feelings damaged, the fox forces a smile in order to keep up the facade of an overjoyed Servant.

Tamamo no Mae (Lancer)

    No, scratch that, it is. 

    Every single minute he spent with her felt like a miracle, because in his mind it really was. 

    What was most surprising was that this wasn’t just a one-sided crush; that she actually appreciated him, the crass and lazy slob who never wanted to grow up for anything or anyone, and she let him be all of who he was, no change at all. Too many people say that a relationship takes work, and maintenance, and maybe that’s why he never had one before. And maybe that’s why he loved what he had with Tamamo so much, because it felt completely and utterly effortless. She was beautiful, even more now than usual in her flowy dress and glittery jewelry. She likes spoiling him, and even if she’d tire of that, he thinks that he wouldn’t mind.

    She even shared the same dirty mind that he had- frankly, the cherry on top of it all. 

    So he laughs at her suggestion, though it was far from his mind (for once). 

    “Hehe, you can take as many bites from me as you’d like, I won’t mind! But…” His free hand moves to his pocket, but the other doesn’t leave hers, not for a second. “I kind of wanted to do something first…”

    Maybe he should have prefaced it a little better, put his hundreds of thoughts into even a few words. Maybe he should have done something more glamorous, something as spectacular as she deserved. But now was not the time for regrets. Now all he had to do was, well, do it. Now was the time to take that deep breath and take one knee, and pray he could do this without messing up.

I will wear a white dress...

How his eyes gleamed, a simply worded question that carried a great meaning nobody could conceive. It takes bravery, she doesn’t speak and looks at him -- surprised. Often than not she keeps her emotions in check, controlled in hopes her reactions will appease and this time appears as an exception. He brought out of her the best, the real Tamamo that she feared showing.

               You will paint a sunset...

“I’m a selfish fox, so selfish I can’t stop myself to think rationally.” It’s a serious question and one she didn’t expect hearing any time soon. Alas, she is not exactly the kind of fox who would throw away her happiness again, despite she should make him doubt this choice. The Caster’s smile widens, a laugh escaping lips. “Ah, I can’t play mysterious! You’ve gotten me, Osomatsu! Look at you, leaving me speechless...!” It’s after these words that her arms wrap around Osomatsu’s torso and lifts him from the ground. A gentle squeeze, Tamamo twirling while carrying him. 

                                      Life will be a love fest...

Stopping, she would lean her forehead onto his. Her laugh of joy wouldn’t stop, despite feeling tears forming at the corner of her eyes. Many years she dreamed of this day to come, regardless of who would propose. She thought herself stupid yet determined, on seeing the very day her wedding will come and now, a step closer toward never ending happiness. 

“I SAY YES!” 

Even if she’d like to cause more chaos for the sake of it, she still holds no grudge against anyone that thinks ill of her. As they are not wrong, she’s bad — but not out-and-out bad.

Nobunaga raises an eyebrow at the mention of her weak traits, “Nonsense, Caster. I guess you truly deserve the ‘humble’ title, after all.” She only mentions, not willing to give any more context than that, but her words hold no evil intentions.

“I’ve heard. Servants like you should get more attention. Not like a Hollywood star with annoying and creep fellas following you around, but someone to be respected.” This proves the latter point, she can be ‘nice’ to those that deserve it.

“Ohh? Interesting. I assumed that anyone would try to pick on you for whatever purpose. I guess I am just like you. But I actually want to witness some sort of mess. Life here gets boring from time to time. I’m sure Master wouldn’t enjoy that, but it’s not like I started this—” She casually left out the part where she may start some disaster elsewhere. But, at the very least, Nobunaga is downright honest with anyone she meets. No holding back.

“Of course I am popular, however my attention is for Master alone. My future spouse will have every bit of me! Mfufu, I can’t wait till I devour them whole and taste every bit of their viri-- strength, I mean.”

Her tails swinging despite her expression denoted little, a gentle lull prompting as she examining the Lord. Majestic despite small, intimidating and whatnot. It left the impression of a great rival and someone who demanded respect with that deep crimson gaze -- scary! And yet, the Caster could only muster a smile. 

“How impressive, perhaps you could have used me better than my dearest Emperor. Though, I’m on my path to become a bride! Did you have any consorts, Nobunaga? Lovers? What about your actual marriage? I’d love to hear of your passionate tales. War, again, is not among my interests but love...! Ah, that is my forte.” Teasing is a natural part of her, opting to walk into another topic -- avoid mentioning any further the story of this traitorous fox.

    The hard part was not letting on that he was such a mess, trying to keep his hand out of his pocket as to not draw attention to its contents. All in all, things were going pretty poorly.

    After a drink (just one, for that’s all he’d allow himself for this occasion) and a dance, Osomatsu takes Tamamo by the hand, grinning as he pulls her toward a staircase leading up into the canopy of the forest. 

    “I hear it’s nice and quiet up here,” he says, taking care to be as careful and inconspicuous as he could, though the delivery comes out to sound forced, almost scripted. “Perfect for taking a break, right? I am pretty exhausted… Aren’t you?” 

Everything he did was extraordinary, so it wasn’t a surprise -- only a fact to be cherished. Suspicions can definitively arise but not today, she can’t ruin this moment with her untrustworthy nature. If anything, she barely notices how nervous he is. Even if she did, wasn’t it cute? Included his sweaty hand, Tamamo no Mae thought everything of him was lovable. 

Reaching the stairs for their break, she glanced around to admire the view. Not as good as her Master, definitively!