i'll protect you

          “—!!” 

          The sudden sound of her voice calling out to him startles him completely, causing him to jump just a bit, and while he attempts to hide the fact, she no doubt noticed as much. “H-How long were you standing there…? Actually, never mind, don’t answer that…” In a case like this, being blissfully ignorant was definitely much more preferred. “Anyways…! Getting a job… or well, just the interview process, really… that’s what I meant… that it’s not easy…” For him, anyhow.

     ✿ The seeress can’t help but offer a smile at the stranger’s apparent surprise, finding it perhaps a little endearing that he would become frightened over a girl of her stature.

❝‘Sweets and heartfelt letters’? That sounds absolutely romantic, I hope that it’s true.. ❞

Of course, Dorothea was a true romantic at heart.

❝ Did you have anyone in mind, Yeul? ❞

     ✿ ❝ It seems to be, if only for the various stores advertising all their sweets, cards and such... ❞ she pauses rather abruptly, however, as Dorothea poses her inquiry now.

     ❝ ... No, ❞ her tone isn’t very convincing.

“…Huh? Like they just left?”

You’re dealing with a sharp one here, Yeul…

“Back home? What do you mean exactly, miss?” 

      oh! well then, that’ll make things plenty easier. It would’ve been way more complicated if they didn’t know who Inosuke was, but now that they’re well aware, he doesn’t have to explain his existence! 

       “Aah, he’s made himself friends here? How nice, how nice.”

        Nothing Tanjiro says is ever intended with ill will; no, his truthfulness just comes off as a touch too blunt at times, but he’s really being sincere! Truly!

        Grabbing their hand, he shakes it vigorously. “It’s nice to meet you, Yeul! To be honest, I don’t really know what’s going on here. All I’m aware of is that these circumstances don’t feel hostile, so I’m okay with them as long as everyone else is, even if it’s confusing. If I mistake you for Inosuke at any time, please forgive me!

                       …Although, you seem like a very kind person. If you could, please…? Commit it to his memory that my name is Tanjiro.”

     ✿ Strange... What a strange boy.

     Not that it’s a bad thing, of course. From how readily he shakes her hand now to all the positive memories Inosuke has of him stored away within his mind... Yeul is able to more easily trust this stranger than she would with any other. Humming in thought for a few moments, she continues to gingerly shake the other’s hand, soon letting go as he begins to speak once more.

     ❝... Oh--! ❞

     ❝ Your name... Is Tanjiro? And not ‘Monjiro’...? ❞ she feels... More than a little embarrassed at the mistake, eyes widening for a moment as she attempts to recover from the horror. More than that, she can’t believe Inosuke has so incorrectly remembered his seemingly good friend’s name...!

     While she can’t say she’s too surprised, given Inosuke’s track record... The seeress still feels some disappointment.

     there was a fair level of expectancy coming into this conversation, and yet, not. Discourse polluted the brief peace he experienced here and, out of seemingly nowhere, everybody started claiming to be someone they weren’t. It made matters worse considering Tanjiro’s disdain for urban environments, and when he finally found a familiar face in the crowd, it turned out to be anything but. 

             “ … … ”                         Inosuke, what are you getting at?  

       It was as if his train of thought violently crashed into a dead end, leaving behind nothing but a stupefied face. Picking through the wreckage for the right words feels hard, but the more he thinks logically, the more it begins to make sense. There’s no doubt about it; this isn’t his scent, but alternatively… there’s absolutely nobody else out there that would willingly butcher his name so disrespectfully!!! “You know him? Does that mean he’s here? Who– who are you?”

     ✿ For a few moments, the seeress is met with silence from the other and frankly, this is to be expected. Yeul can only imagine how jarring it must be for someone to recognize the face she currently has... Only for her mannerisms and personality to completely betray that which the other must know so well by now.

     ❝ ... I do, yes. He is... My friend, ❞ is he? Yeul honestly has no idea what she should call him now.

     ❝ I know this sounds strange... But he and I have temporarily switched bodies, ❞ or at least... She hopes it’s temporary. While she does not mind being within Inosuke’s body, she worries constantly for the other potentially enduring the side effects of being a seeress... Or seeing her visions.

Wide, pink hues stare unblinking into the boy’s own emerald orbs, Nezuko’s brows scrunching together as she tries to make sense of the words leaving his lips, apprehension clouding her expression. She can’t quite understand what, exactly, the other is trying so desperately to convey– can only address the person before her with a blank stare as they struggle behind an explanation. Though it looks exactly like Inosuke, the personality and mannerisms that they are possessing is startlingly different from the comrade she has come to know. Unsure of how to respond, she picks up on a few key words from the other and wastes no time in mimicking them, effort being put into grasping some sort of an understanding despite her limited vocabulary. ❪ Even if that wasn’t an issue, Nezuko would still be confused ❫.

❝ Inosuke? Not… ❞ It doesn’t sound quite right when she says it and so the demon tries again, ❝ Not Inosuke? ❞

Strange. 

The only thing she does know is that the expression of a friend is scrunched with discomfort and so she does what comes naturally to her, reaching up to place a gentle pat atop his head.

❝ Explain. ❞

     ✿ The girl doesn’t seem to understand and frankly, the seeress can’t blame her. To be honest, she doesn’t entirely grasp the situation herself and in her mind, she can only think of it to be some sort of strange, long lost technology... That, or it’s simply some sort of magic that Yeul can’t understand. Either way, she’s at a loss as for how to approach this entire ordeal and thus, opts to simply move forward cautiously.

     As she goes to answer, however, the seeress stops as a gentle hand is placed atop her head... Soon giving the dark blue locks a small pat before urging Yeul to continue on with her train of thought.

     ❝ …I’m not entirely sure how to explain, but... Outside I am Inosuke but on the inside... My mind... It’s not his, ❞ unsure, Yeul begins to response regardless, emerald hues looking downwards for a moment in brief thought.

      ✿ Oh, this feeling...

     Yes, it’s one she felt before in this body... When she met that somewhat strange girl who seemed to know Inosuke. This feeling... It’s of great trust and friendship, that she’s sure, and with Inosuke, the seeress knows that friendship and comradery do not come so easily to him. Which means that this boy, who is now staring at her with a sort of awe...

     This is also someone Yeul can trust.

     As she parts her lips to speak, the girl within the warrior’s body pauses for a moment. A few different names begin to cycle through her head; all of which have a similar sound to them. Are these... All nicknames for this boy? Or is Inosuke just continuously forgetting a close friend’s name, somehow...?

      ❝ You’re... Mon... Jiro? ❞ she finally says after some silence, her tone quiet as per the norm, even in a different body.

      ✿ ❝ Oh, it’s... You, ❞ comes the quiet tone of the girl within the warrior’s body, expression serene despite the past the two boys may have with each other. While Yeul had been experiencing a few of Inosuke’s memories, many of them still locked themselves away from her; almost as if in response to protect Inosuke from any sort of closeness that may occur because of this.

     However... Even so, something within this body begins to put Yeul on high edge. In a way, it tells her to either fight or run and why this is, she doesn’t know... But perhaps the familiar face before her can help clear up some of the current mysteries?

      ✿ ❝ … O-Oh... This is... ❞ not... her body. Not at all. While this is quite startling, she is, in fact, far more concerned about Inosuke being in her body, possibly witnessing any events of the future.