#demcnsden

This place was driving Inosuke to insanity.

He had never seen that much water. He didn't think it was possible for this sort of landscape to ever exist. The crow had taken him far from the mountains he was familiar with, towards flatter lands where he had done a quick job at dispatching the demon... until he had felt another one nearby.

A much, much more powerful one.

He ignored the crow's warning squeaks and headed further into the city, causing quite the uproar amongst the crowds. Some confused merchants dropped their wares, the panic spreading to the docks, precious goods tossed into the ocean. The demon - or was there more than one ? - had to be nearby.

Inosuke had his swords drawn out, ready to slice at the offending figure, when he saw it. That immense, endless stretch of water, pitch dark in the faint moonlight.

It was the scariest thing Inosuke had ever seen.

He failed to feel the demon approach, his heart skipping a beat at the iron grip closed around his arm.

"LET GO OF ME, YOU-"

*bloodcurdling screaming*

Dōma's blood was powerful. It ran cold and thick in a shade of dark crimson and held a glimmering sheen when oxidized. It was nutrient-dense and smelled sickly sweet, like flowers on the verge of rotting. To any fellow demon, the smell was almost hypnotic. It was renowned for its potency, that allowed Upper Two to freeze over an entire village without depleting its capacity. It carried the virility of Dōma's youth and the crystalline quality of his otherworldly beauty.

Naturally, any progeny born from this stuff may as well have been breastfed on steroids.

As such, it was no surprise that when Daki first showed up in the Lord Founder's Audience Chamber, the monks present had to avert their gaze to the floor. Her beauty was almost insufferable to the follower girls in the temple; an impossible standard for them to match. From the silky quality of her hair to her thick luscious lashes and bright eyes — the demoness was immune to imperfection. And Dōma took credit for that; for the elegance in her motions and her voluptuous frame that was brought straight out of mundane fantasy.

Monk Yuzui helped arrange the unconscious women before the Founder's seat, all the while avoiding Daki's penetrating glare like the plague. He was one of the few loyal acolytes that had made it into his forties, well aware of the temple's secret and in accordance with Dōma's nature. Yuzui was loyal, fed on the promise of eventually being turned into a demon by Dōma as well. As such, the demons could speak freely in his presence.

❝ Ah, my dearest little lotus, look at you! All grown up and pretty~ ❞ Dōma cooed from his plush throne, peering over without shifting from his cross-legged seat. He only unfolded his long legs after Yuzui had returned to his corner, and his towering shadow was cast over the poor human while he gracefully descended the steps. Making his way to the demoness, he immediately reached out to bristle his knuckles over her cheek and cup her face to tilt her chin up. Dōma's frigid touch was a stark juxtaposition to the warmth his seraphic features emulated when he smiled down at her.

❝ Such gorgeous eyes you have. You've taken after me, it seems~ And your hair is so soft... ❞ He giggled while twirling one of her curls around his finger; but it was not a joke. Dōma still believed that both her and Gyutaro owed him big time for feeding them that powerful stuff; even if he had never explicitly admitted it. After he had goaded over his progeny enough, he took a step back and reluctantly looked over the bodies with a thoughtful hum. He seemed unsure.

❝ Mm, I don't know about this... these girls look like they're in rigor mortis. Their pulse is faint and their bodies have been unconscious for some time. They must have lost their will to live already. Besides, I would feel more comfortable if I knew a bit about them first, you know? It tastes better this way. ❞ Every blasphemous word, Dōma spoke with an air of a benevolent humanitarian. His eyes browsed over the bodies with a profound melancholy; before snapping back to his jubilant self a second later.

❝ But! — I have an idea. Since you came all this way, why don't you stay and catch up with me? Even though I'm always putting in a good word for you to Master, you guys barely visit anymore... ❞ He wasn't going to give Daki the time to decide, already having made up his mind as he gestured towards his monk. ❝ We can feed these girls to Gyokko, instead. Yuzui-sama, fetch the pot, please. ❞

The bulky man obeyed humbly and dragged his robes across the room to grab an elaborately decorated porcelain vase from a shelf. Dōma was making some space on the cushions for Daki to join him around the hookah while rambling excitedly.

. . . IT WOULD HIT YOU LIKE POISON IF YOU KNEW WHAT I KNEW . . .

@demcnsden : Hinatsuru (5'7) to Shinobu (demcnsden) Send 📐 + your character's height to compare with one or more of mine!

𝐔𝐍𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐃 | @demcnsden | 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆

"We might get caught!" -Hinatsuru to Tengen (demcnsden)

A small charm with a picture of Kotoha, Aizetsu and Inosuke. It has a simple, but carefully crafted braided cord, sturdy enough to endure anything, threaded through with a carved piece of wood shaped into something resembling a mountain crest. It wasn’t perfect as the lines were a little uneven, the edges softened by hand rather than precision tools, but it carried something else within it.

“I know you don’t stay in one place,” he said, his voice gaining a fragile steadiness. “Plus I know you don’t like things that weigh you down. So I made something you could carry. Something that wouldn’t break easily.” He swallowed, emotion catching slightly. “So even if you go somewhere far you won’t be alone. Happy birthday son.” @demcnsden

For someone who liked to boast about how awesome and important he was, Inosuke never expected a mountain of his birthday. His friends always managed to surprise him, this time taking him on a little trek to a local wildlife shelter, where they had all the hard time in the world trying to keep him out of the enclosure.

He returned with a bag full of goodies and a head full of good memories, eager to spend the night with his mother, who always took that evening off to prepare him the biggest feast they could afford. For the first time since Inosuke could remember, however, they wouldn't be alone.

Inosuke only looked forward to the evening even more.

He was almost done washing the day's grime off his hands and face, when he heard Aizetsu's call. The man's voice sounded a lot softer than usual, entirely devoid of the scolding tone that Inosuke was rather used to. He wiped the water off his skin with more caution that usual, head tilted to the sight in almost animal-like curiosity.

Inosuke held his hands out to receive the little gift. Bright green eyes fell onto the charm, detailing its shape for a quick second before his fingers moved to trace over its surface. Inosuke always relied on touch more than sight, the sensation of the finely carved wood against his skin bringing a sparkle of joy across his chest.

"It's a mountain...!" He realized, his voice dropping to a low, emotion-filled voice that matched Aizetsu's. He flipped it around, and felt his heart perform another cartwheel as he noticed the picture inside. Inosuke had to bring the charm closer to see the faces' outline - a picture taken on another gleeful day they'd shared. Their first outing together, Inosuke recalled.

Their first day as a family.

He instinctively slammed the trinket over his chest, above where his heart was, before throwing his arms around Aizetsu's shoulders. The sheer strength of his hug might have knocked someone else over, but Aizetsu should be able to handle it.

"I love it. I'll take you two everywhere I go!" He buried his face in the crook of Aizetsu's shoulder, partly to hide the tears that streamed down his face.

(     *     MISC. PROMPTS. 🌕 @demcnsden

AND AS SHE STUMBLES, kokushibō diverts her motion--a sparring match, helping the younger demoness gain her footing and ensure she could protect herself in the absence of others, but the blow that would have landed upon daki's form is instead diverted with a twist of kokushibō's body to land next to her instead.

a rare mercy for one of her chosen few.

rising to her feet properly, kokushibō allows a small hum. "your instincts are still dull; you are often protected by your brother, and thus you needn't sharpen them. it will serve you well to train them."