The Master and His Hounds [segment]
Kai groggily blinks awake. He bends forward at the waist to sit up. He smells smoke in the room. Fresh pizza too. What? Movement at his side catches his attention, his eyes flick towards it. Towards her.
Oh. The puppy. He remembers her. β¦He owes her money actually, for helping Kaiman and Nikaido out when they were nikless and lost. And Nikaido's cheap ass most certainly will never pay her back.
Natsuki makes a shy stuttering introduction, clearly start struck meeting her hero. It brings memories to the surface of the muck in Kai's mind of how Kento and his group were with him when Kai first decided that they were worth making his acquaintance. Well, hopefully it will simmer down at some point for her, last thing he needs is more sorcerer whelps hopelessly head over heels for him.
Kai returns her introduction with his own. Briefly frustrated by how difficult it is to bring his own tongue to his name. He's been doing a lot of talking since since he came back to himself, maybe his tongue is getting tired? Or his head is, he swears the muck inside it is even thicker than it used to be. Or perhaps after being Kaiman for so long and not being able to properly hear the rest of themself makes the return of the voices in his head so much louder?
Once introductions are made the puppy launches into a very fast paced and panicked explanation of recent events that Kai doesn't much follow. He literally just woke up and he has a bit of a headache. He's also more concerned about the sounds of people fighting in his living room.
Either Dokuga or Saji let Natsuki tag along with them since Kai's pretty sure the rest don't have a reason to know where his apartment is. They don't need to, if he wants their company he'd seek it. Dokuga knows in case of emergency or to drop off things that Kai doesn't feel like picking up. While Saji is in charge of Aikawa's allowance and handles that personally. If either of them are in a fight in his fucking living room then something's wrong.
He gets up from his slab and decides to investigate, Natsuki following at his heels like a spooked little duckling.
When Kai sees the state of his pets, bleeding, sliced, and in Ushi's case unfortunately crushed, being bagged like trash he is-- he's livid for a heartbeat. How dare a pair of leftovers from a hunt he barely remembers years ago have the audacity to bully those who Belong to him in his own home. Treating his possessions so carelessly.
And then the fury passes and Kai is so happy that his hard working pets thought to bring him snacks with great magic for his welcome back party. His mouth waters at the thought of taking Shin and Noi and making them one with his flesh. He grins and brings smoke up his throat blowing it softly towards his victims.
Shin and Noi's surprise and fear in response to the mushrooms violently sprouting out their body has him licking his chops. Fear is one of the best ways to season a sorcerer, especially for the ones lucky enough that he wants their magic. The bits of their fightened and suffering souls that get stuck inside his muck are a balm to the god that grows inside him and makes the voices quite down just a tad.
When Kai approaches his main course, tongue lolling from his mouth before the killing blow, already anticipating the weight of her magic inside him and the taste of her blood β¦ En's cleaners vanish. What? There's no way they could move on their own let alone cast thβ
His nightmare. The unfortunate consequences of his greed made manifest. Risu's ghost. It's in a different form but he knows that thing in the pit of soul. Fears it. Rightfully so, as its clawed hands grab him, Kai knows that he can do nothing to defend himself. Just like last time.
He doesn't want to die. Not again. Not ever again.
