[ you know what? he'll take the blame for that one. he absolutely doesn't mind being the person at the end of the finger taking responsibility for something that's not entirely his fault.
true to his word, he comes back a few moments later, kicking off his shoes at the door. ]
[ there's no one waiting at the front door for him, but Tomoe has undoubtedly been listening for his arrival, because he wanders in from the kitchen as soon as the door opens. he already has a bottle of sake and two glasses in his hands. ]
Welcome home. If I'd known sooner that you'd be back, I would have prepared something to eat.
[ he says it with a flippant disregard, but there's some displeasure in his expression. he's so accustomed to playing the part of the perfect host, and he doesn't like being caught off-guard by last minute plans — even petty ones like this. ]
Ren's not much of a drinker, despite working in several bars and being friend with a lush of a reporter. a "drink" to him usually meant a frilly, extravagant soda—and usually when he was out with friends. while he enjoys it, but he's more of a simple pleasures sort of person. but this was about making Tomoe comfortable, so he's prepared to go with the flow. being underage for these things never stopped him before. ]
I brought something.
[ as in, he figured. so, here's something to make up for it. it's a little take-out box.
this is where his skill for confidant gifts come in. ]
[ Tomoe's ears swivel forward and his tail curls up high: curious, despite himself. the sake had been his idea, when Ren had simply wanted to discuss something, and so he hadn't expected any sort of courtesy gift. really, drinking was only intended to be his own selfish indulgence. Ren is treating it like a proper social gathering. ]
[ he treats his people right, Tomoe. it's his duty as a protagonist. ]
Sesame pudding.
[ no dairy, of course, but there is a berries on the top of it. the little containers inside are fairly small, a few bites at the most, but that's all that's needed. if it's something he's learned from working at a bar, it's that you don't drink on an empty stomach.
after that he heads in through the kitchen and to the couch by the window. ]
That will do. [ he says, as if his tail isn't wagging.
Tomoe follows, and he settles on the couch, relaxed but not yet lounging. while he agreed to this easily enough, there's wariness lurking in the back of his mind. Ren is an ally; not as trusted as his master, not as utterly unimportant as everyone else he's ever known. it isn't necessary to serve him as submissively as he would a visitor to the shrine, but nor can Tomoe entirely disregard him. he's still figuring this dynamic out, one that doesn't revolve around his master. ]
I'll pour for you. [ he holds out one of the empty glasses for Ren to take, and then he seems to pause, considering. after a beat: ] Not that I'll get drunk that quickly, but is this a conversation that requires me to be particularly sober?
[ the submissiveness is something that has a tendency to cause some discomfort in him—there's always a reason why, and in his experience, it's never amounted to anything good. ]
Thanks.
[ the motions are easy to go through, while he's not as distinguished as Akechi, he's certainly not a slouch in being polite. ]
It's about our deal. To help you I need to understand.
[ to understand. it's to be one of those conversations, then; attempting to find some way to reach across a gap that Tomoe doesn't believe can ever be bridged, nor should it be. but in the interest of their alliance, Tomoe does owe Ren this much. he can at least attempt whatever simple explanation is required. ]
Somewhat sober, then. [ he pours Ren's drink and fills only the bottom of the glass, aiming for something roughly equivalent to the volume of an ochoko. he pours the same amount for himself, but doesn't put the bottle down. ] Drink, and then you may ask whatever you need to.
[ at least, enough that he can help. Ren already promised that he would—it was part of the deal that they had struck, and he takes those deals seriously.
for a moment he holds the ochoko stupidly in his hand while he watches Tomoe down that sucker so fast that it would put Ohya to shame. then he raises it for a sip. for someone who usually doesn't drink, he takes to it pretty easily. ]
[ ah. he'd been about to pour himself another drink, but he pauses at that and lowers the bottle. his expression is a little more sombre. he never really forgets Nanami's absence; he just spends so much time trying not to think about it. if he examines the hole too closely, the space left behind from where she was excised, he feels he might go mad. ]
... Mm. I can't relax until I know for certain that she isn't anywhere in this world. [ he pours the drink now, and throws it back even faster than the previous, since they're on this topic. ] You want to know more about Nanami, is that it?
[ because he's not dissuaded from his promises so easily.
the sake gets swished a little and he puts his lips to it thoughtfully, nursing it rather than downing it like Tomoe. it might work somewhat in his favor if Tomoe is feeling a little looser in what he tells him. ]
Otherwise I'm just fumbling.
[ not as if he isn't doing that like 70% of the time, anyway. ]
Yes, yes. [ waving his explanation off with the hand that still holds the bottle. ] I understand.
[ he just doesn't talk about her often. why would he need to? she's his entire life; there's no one to talk about her to. the most he ever has to do is defend her to other kami and youkai, more for the sake of his own pride than anything else, lest his reputation be tarnished by word getting out that his master is subpar. but what Ren is asking for is an honest description. something that would help with knowing her, to better distinguish her from all the other billions of humans on the planet.
he thinks for a moment, and this time he sips his drink at a more sedate pace. ]
Let's see... Nanami is — a very plain, ordinary human girl. [ the insult here is heavier on "human" rather than "ordinary." ] She may have been granted divinity, but she doesn't behave like a kami at all. She has no sense of a god's station or duties. She is also a stubborn fool who acts without thinking, concerns herself too much with the affairs of others, and puts herself in danger without considering the trouble it causes me.
[ it's obvious, from his description, that he is describing someone who is kind. and not in the way a particularly generous god might be called kind, with a benevolence that is nonetheless detached from the individual; kind in a distinctly human way. given what Tomoe is, it's no wonder he doesn't understand that sort of behaviour. in his world view, a creature as weak as a mere human being, acting the way Nanami does, is nothing short of stupidity.
[ it is kind of mean girl-ish, and, well, not entirely helpful. there are little barbs spiking the end of his words, touched with the sort of affection that only someone who knew Nanami could express. there has to be, because he knows her well enough to be talking about her now, and he knows her well enough to want to make sure that she isn't here. it signifies her importance.
the ochoko is down about halfway, allowing Ren to play a little balancing game with it in his hand. ]
She sounds nice.
[ and he actually means that. ]
What do you mean by plain and ordinary? Those are kind of the same ...
[ but the idea of humans and gods and divinity doesn't seem to faze him—he's been in the middle of that before, not by choice, but by necessity. it doesn't exactly endear him to any gods, especially not after his experiences with the self-proclaimed "god of control." ]
Ah, ordinary is — she is a human with no particular ability. There are some humans who naturally possess spiritual or divine power, and even outside of that, humans who are adept in art, or combat. Nanami is none of these things.
[ which might be typical for other humans, but Tomoe is an inherently magical creature, used to being surrounded by other spiritual and demonic and magical elements. a human without any redeeming qualities is just weak. it's impossible for him to see her with that kind of perspective; her hard work, her kindness, her exuberance — these things only have meaning to him because she's his master.
both Mikage and Nanami became his master almost as soon as he met them. Ren is, he realises suddenly, the first person Tomoe chose because of who he was. he spaces out for a moment with his glass to his lips, thinking about that, and then dismisses it with a shake of his head before he can linger on it too long. he picks back up as if he hadn't paused: ]
By plain, I simply mean that there is nothing otherwise noteworthy or eye-catching about her, even for a human. She isn't a great beauty, nor does she have any particular air about her. For instance, without these— [ he reaches over and taps the top of Ren's glasses frames with a long, clawed finger. ] You're rather striking. She doesn't have such a presence.
[ again, he kind of seems like he's bullying her... but he is being completely sincere. just mean about it. ]
[ it's curious to watch Tomoe's little habits, the flicker of a change of expression like there's a moment of clarity between gulps of sake. it's an internal process, and Ren knows when he talks to people about themselves, that there's the potential overflow of the gates that they keep themselves behind.
Ren likes people. he likes listening to them. in that vein, he likes listening to Tomoe, even when paints pictures of Nanami surrounded in little barbs. it's affectionate in a way that's familiar to him. ]
You're still trying to find her.
[ while he doesn't ask Tomoe to expand, it's a statement that means there's something about her that keeps him there.
when Tomoe fiddles with his glasses, Ren pushes them back up the bridge of his nose like he's on to something that people usually don't press. ]
Is there somewhere that she might go in this situation? Usually everyone's accounted for, but we could check some obvious places.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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We should go, anyway. It's nice to find some familiarity here sometimes.
I'll be back soon.
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[ now it's Ren's fault instead of his own homesickness. foolproof. ]
I shall see you shortly.
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true to his word, he comes back a few moments later, kicking off his shoes at the door. ]
Tomoe.
[ a soft, quiet call as greeting. ]
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Welcome home. If I'd known sooner that you'd be back, I would have prepared something to eat.
[ he says it with a flippant disregard, but there's some displeasure in his expression. he's so accustomed to playing the part of the perfect host, and he doesn't like being caught off-guard by last minute plans — even petty ones like this. ]
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Ren's not much of a drinker, despite working in several bars and being friend with a lush of a reporter. a "drink" to him usually meant a frilly, extravagant soda—and usually when he was out with friends. while he enjoys it, but he's more of a simple pleasures sort of person. but this was about making Tomoe comfortable, so he's prepared to go with the flow. being underage for these things never stopped him before. ]
I brought something.
[ as in, he figured. so, here's something to make up for it. it's a little take-out box.
this is where his skill for confidant gifts come in. ]
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"Something." [ his tail twitches. ] Sweets?
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Sesame pudding.
[ no dairy, of course, but there is a berries on the top of it. the little containers inside are fairly small, a few bites at the most, but that's all that's needed. if it's something he's learned from working at a bar, it's that you don't drink on an empty stomach.
after that he heads in through the kitchen and to the couch by the window. ]
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Tomoe follows, and he settles on the couch, relaxed but not yet lounging. while he agreed to this easily enough, there's wariness lurking in the back of his mind. Ren is an ally; not as trusted as his master, not as utterly unimportant as everyone else he's ever known. it isn't necessary to serve him as submissively as he would a visitor to the shrine, but nor can Tomoe entirely disregard him. he's still figuring this dynamic out, one that doesn't revolve around his master. ]
I'll pour for you. [ he holds out one of the empty glasses for Ren to take, and then he seems to pause, considering. after a beat: ] Not that I'll get drunk that quickly, but is this a conversation that requires me to be particularly sober?
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Thanks.
[ the motions are easy to go through, while he's not as distinguished as Akechi, he's certainly not a slouch in being polite. ]
It's about our deal. To help you I need to understand.
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Somewhat sober, then. [ he pours Ren's drink and fills only the bottom of the glass, aiming for something roughly equivalent to the volume of an ochoko. he pours the same amount for himself, but doesn't put the bottle down. ] Drink, and then you may ask whatever you need to.
[ Tomoe is already draining his glass. ]
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for a moment he holds the ochoko stupidly in his hand while he watches Tomoe down that sucker so fast that it would put Ohya to shame. then he raises it for a sip. for someone who usually doesn't drink, he takes to it pretty easily. ]
Helping you find someone.
[ if they were here, anyway. ]
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... Mm. I can't relax until I know for certain that she isn't anywhere in this world. [ he pours the drink now, and throws it back even faster than the previous, since they're on this topic. ] You want to know more about Nanami, is that it?
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[ because he's not dissuaded from his promises so easily.
the sake gets swished a little and he puts his lips to it thoughtfully, nursing it rather than downing it like Tomoe. it might work somewhat in his favor if Tomoe is feeling a little looser in what he tells him. ]
Otherwise I'm just fumbling.
[ not as if he isn't doing that like 70% of the time, anyway. ]
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[ he just doesn't talk about her often. why would he need to? she's his entire life; there's no one to talk about her to. the most he ever has to do is defend her to other kami and youkai, more for the sake of his own pride than anything else, lest his reputation be tarnished by word getting out that his master is subpar. but what Ren is asking for is an honest description. something that would help with knowing her, to better distinguish her from all the other billions of humans on the planet.
he thinks for a moment, and this time he sips his drink at a more sedate pace. ]
Let's see... Nanami is — a very plain, ordinary human girl. [ the insult here is heavier on "human" rather than "ordinary." ] She may have been granted divinity, but she doesn't behave like a kami at all. She has no sense of a god's station or duties. She is also a stubborn fool who acts without thinking, concerns herself too much with the affairs of others, and puts herself in danger without considering the trouble it causes me.
[ it's obvious, from his description, that he is describing someone who is kind. and not in the way a particularly generous god might be called kind, with a benevolence that is nonetheless detached from the individual; kind in a distinctly human way. given what Tomoe is, it's no wonder he doesn't understand that sort of behaviour. in his world view, a creature as weak as a mere human being, acting the way Nanami does, is nothing short of stupidity.
he's also just outright being mean to her. ]
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the ochoko is down about halfway, allowing Ren to play a little balancing game with it in his hand. ]
She sounds nice.
[ and he actually means that. ]
What do you mean by plain and ordinary? Those are kind of the same ...
[ but the idea of humans and gods and divinity doesn't seem to faze him—he's been in the middle of that before, not by choice, but by necessity. it doesn't exactly endear him to any gods, especially not after his experiences with the self-proclaimed "god of control." ]
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[ which might be typical for other humans, but Tomoe is an inherently magical creature, used to being surrounded by other spiritual and demonic and magical elements. a human without any redeeming qualities is just weak. it's impossible for him to see her with that kind of perspective; her hard work, her kindness, her exuberance — these things only have meaning to him because she's his master.
both Mikage and Nanami became his master almost as soon as he met them. Ren is, he realises suddenly, the first person Tomoe chose because of who he was. he spaces out for a moment with his glass to his lips, thinking about that, and then dismisses it with a shake of his head before he can linger on it too long. he picks back up as if he hadn't paused: ]
By plain, I simply mean that there is nothing otherwise noteworthy or eye-catching about her, even for a human. She isn't a great beauty, nor does she have any particular air about her. For instance, without these— [ he reaches over and taps the top of Ren's glasses frames with a long, clawed finger. ] You're rather striking. She doesn't have such a presence.
[ again, he kind of seems like he's bullying her... but he is being completely sincere. just mean about it. ]
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Ren likes people. he likes listening to them. in that vein, he likes listening to Tomoe, even when paints pictures of Nanami surrounded in little barbs. it's affectionate in a way that's familiar to him. ]
You're still trying to find her.
[ while he doesn't ask Tomoe to expand, it's a statement that means there's something about her that keeps him there.
when Tomoe fiddles with his glasses, Ren pushes them back up the bridge of his nose like he's on to something that people usually don't press. ]
Is there somewhere that she might go in this situation? Usually everyone's accounted for, but we could check some obvious places.
[ he seems dedicated to this. ]