#desummon

     “ Ooh, are you trying to make me look super manly, Rai-berry?! ”

( 13. ) — Want to think up a better lie?

Peak season proves to be a thorny complication in the private agenda she had fixed with the local ‘paperboy’. With most of its regular staff mobilized to accommodate patrons paying for the privileges of holiday reservations, the establishment bustles with energy throughout much of the day. The nippy cold of Inaba-cho during this time of year offers little help, encouraging guests to coop up inside all day long, drawn to the onsen as if it were a light trap.

It seems near impossible for them to nose about the inn in search of supernatural activity.

To see their plan to fruition, Yukiko and Raidou find themselves having to adopt a secretive approach. But for someone as innocuously candid as the young innkeeper, stealth, as Raidou will realize, is something of a task for her to upkeep. Especially seeing as she seems ever so lively made aware of the presence of demons in her hotel.

“I’m sorry for the wait. You must be freezing, right?” A pause. “–… A, are you alright, Gouto-douji?”

She meets him in the back entrance, through the sliding door that is usually bolted shut. A small, cramped space filled with crates and boxes of extra supplies, linen, and well-worn janitorial implements yet to be discarded. The decision to sneak him in remains colorfully controversial, but it is her idea, and accordingly their best option when looking to avoid attention and interrogation, and to execute their objective with minimal setback. Yukiko presents him with a folded gray yukata and a warm can of shiruko.

At first, she only let out a muffled, somewhat bitter chuckle in response, quite unsure what exactly had gotten such a reaction out of her and what she was laughing at — her apparent helplessness she had failed to hide or the simplicity of his statement, which was much easier said than done. Both, perhaps. And yet she was not quick to respond, letting the silence linger. almost as thought the young woman was at a loss for words. Who knew, maybe she was caught off guard by those simple yet reassuring words no one had told her before. Or maybe she kept saying this to herself much more often than she was willing to admit.

Or maybe she wasn’t ready for this kind of conversation to begin with.

O   :   ODE.   does your muse have a way with words?

Surprisingly enough, no. Azura, pretty much a master of words on stage, might often struggle to express her feelings verbally, at least properly. She actually says just as much in one of the manga versions of FE Fates, and even though it’s a comedy manga, I am inclined to believe that it is true because canonically, she is not a woman of many words to begin with:

However, it does not mean that she hesitates to express her feelings. She does not. She will easily tell her significant other that she loves him, and she will repeat herself quite often, but she is not the kind of woman who uses flowery language, she likes to keep it simple.

U   :   UNREQUITED.   has your muse had their heart broken?

Not by default, i.e. in all of my verses, and I have never written such a scenario featuring her, or at least not in a romantic manner anyway. She was bullied, and she probably had her heart broken by people whom she considered her friends and allies in the past, but she is not a hopeless romantic, she does not fall in love easily, and given that she is actually afraid to form strong bonds with people, she guards herself and her heart well enough to say that she had never been disappointed because she had never been in love by default. There is one exception to this storyline which includes a particular pairing and a crush she had on the other character as a child, but it’s a happy story that did not result in a heartbreak, so the short answer to this question is no.

But let’s imagine it happens. In that case, she will... say nothing, really. Unfortunately, given her background, she is used to suffering in silence and solitude. She endures, and she will do just that in this case as well. She will get over it eventually, but it will certainly damage her greatly because it adds to her trust issues.

Y   :   YOURS.   does your muse get protective easily?

    “ Guess it wasn’t so perfect,” after all, she should be dead all things considered - and the fact she still lives when her father and Hiroki don’t breaks her heart more than anything else.  She can see the need to ground themselves in this moment, to reflect on their lives up until this moment, to connect - in this messed up world, destroyed by some scientists dreams of a future and failing.

MEME: send me a heart!

the air of tokyo in the afternoon is pleasant for its festive mood around december. she has seen many people run around and many a ( presumably ) christian children jump in cheers as they knew they’d be getting their presents this month.

the only one who had brought a downer to the mood was chitose. he explains to her what her situation is; from the fact that nobody remembers her to mentioning they’ll only will be reminded once they are dead. she smiles warmly, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. even if she’s full of determination it stings. she gave up so much and yet…

no, i will not act like that.

she cracks a lighthearted joke and she hears an angry yell from the fun-sized, former worker of the ARRC. she’s aware that someday they’ll be reunited as friends. she promised herself to keep their memory with her as a treasure to be never lost. in this way she’d always be connected to the them.

Amaryllis– Splendid Beauty Tulip Yellow– There’s Sunshine in Your Smile Viscaria– Will You Dance With Me?

Were it not for the third and final message hidden within the delicate flower, — it almost seemed like only yesterday her caretaker taught her this secret language, did it not? — she would probably assume that he was mistaken, and that none of this was meant for her in the first place, for the praise was so high and so sudden. Perhaps, in a different world and a different life she wouldn’t be so reluctant to express so much as a hint of emotion instead of responding to the gift with a faint, somewhat sheepish smile, not quick to break the silence.