Feudal Japan: A Slash RP

Chiyo looked over at him with a curious expression, "No, what's it taste like?"

"Thank you for the offer," Nanami said placing her hands in her lap. She spoke in a calm and overly polite tone, "We appreciate your kindness."

Setsuna looked at Eiji and lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "They are all interesting in their own way, even the children," he said, looking down at his claws and retracting them. "Everyone has their own strengths and weakness, but they put it to good use. Not everyone can do that."

"What does it taste like!?" Dozo exclaimed, looking incredulously at Chiyo, then Nanami, "-you've never treated her to dango?"

He chuckled and rubbed his hands together excitedly as the waitress brought out a plate of the round, doughy treats. It was easy for him to get excited about the simple pleasures in life; he'd learned long ago to cherish the small things.

"These are on the house.." the waitress cooed, running a finger along Dozo's arm as she retreated.

He ignored the woman and handed Chiyo one of the treats, "Don't poke yourself in the eye, and try to keep it our of your hair, kay?"

"I've never actually had it myself..." Nanami muttered to herself, looking away in a sign of embarrassment.

Chiyo meanwhile took a bite of the dango, tasting the treat carefully. Her face then lit up as she ate more of it. "It's really good Dozo-san!"

"That is very true, Setsuna-san," Eiji nodded his agreement.

Zakuro wrinkled his nose a bit at the dango. He didn't like the treat that much.

Aya returned and took a seat next to Zakuro. "Well, there are a few rooms that aren't too damaged. We don't have to bunk together."

The younger boy only sighed in relief.

Dozo smirked and nudged Chiyo, winking knowingly as he handed her another dango stick and motioned towards Nanami, "Nee-chan is missing out, ne?"

He finished his own dango and pushed the plate across the table to Aya and Zakuro. He observed the pair for a moment before leaning back against one of the support columns, using the stick to pick his teeth.

"No taste for dango, champ?" he asked the white-haired boy, "-you can order something else if you like. My treat."

What Dozo had said earlier -- he really meant; children shouldn't have to grow up with burdens like deranged warlords hovering over them. Chiyo, thankfully seemed rather unaffected by the slaughter she'd witnessed and looked almost happy as she ate. Zakuro on the other hand was much more reserved and observant, like an old man trapped in a boy's body. He wondered what horrors the boy had seen that would sober him so much.

I'll have to ask Aya about that later if I get the chance..

Chiyo giggled lightly at his comment, while Nanami crossed her arms and let out an indignant huff.

"Hey Dozo, don't forget about us over here," Eiji said with toothy grin, indicating him and Setsuna. He then pulled out a sack of money he pilfered from the warlords men, "And how about some drinks, I did promise to treat ya."

"What about you ladies?" Eiji continued, "Care for a drink?"

"No thank you," Nanami refused curtly, "I like to keep a sober head at all times."

Aya shook her head. "I already asked the waitress to bring Zakuro something." At Eiji's question for drinks, Aya shot a hand in the air. "Sake please! I haven't had one in weeks!"

Setsuna also raised a hand. "I'd like some sake as well," he said.

Eiji beckoned for the waitress to come over and ordered a round of drinks for everyone except the miko and two children. He ordered them tea instead. He leaned back in his chair placing his arms behind his head as they waited for their drinks to arrive, "So Nanami-san, where did you learn to wield a blade? Not every day you see a priestess so skilled with a sword."

"My grandfather taught me," Nanami answered simply.

"And your father approved?" Eiji asked, knowing most fathers would not allow their daughters to learn such skills. Learning to a wield a bow or a spear was common for women, but a sword was not.

Nanami stiffened slightly at the question and turned her head away slightly, "I never knew my father. My mother refused to talk about him."

Dozo cocked an eyebrow and pointed at the sword on Nanami's side, "Mind if I have a look?"

He'd killed people with a lot of different blades until he'd found his no-dachi; every sword had a story to tell, and Dozo had become adept at reading other people's swords.

Nanami hesitated for a moment, then nodded handing over the blade. She half wondered why he would want to look at that old sword. It was something she received from her grandfather before he passed on. One of the few momento's from her old life that was not destroyed in the attack on her village.

When the sake arrived, Setsuna poured himself a cup and sipped it gratefully, reveling in the alcohol it contained. Demons were not so easily swayed by alcohol, but the feeling was welcomed nonetheless. It was like a drug, one that Setsuna had taken a liking to.

Aya sipped her own sake, except she sipped it from the bottle instead of poured a cup. She smiled when the waitress placed a large bowl of teriyaki in front of Zakuro and she could practically see the boy salivating on the table because of the enticing aroma.

"Dig in Zakuro," she said and the younger boy nodded before breaking his chopsticks and pulling a piece of meat into his mouth.

Dozo ignored food and drink as he lifted the blade and unsheathed it slowly, his trained eye roaming along the polished steel. Interesting.

The sword was old, much too old to have been crafted for Nanami specifically; he guessed it to be some kind of heirloom, passed down through the family. Despite its age, the sword was incredibly well made -- a lot of love, blood, sweat and tears had been poured into making it.

"You're a lucky girl.." he muttered, half to himself and half to Nanami.

He noted a few nicks and tiny, almost microscopic dings along the bladed edge; this sword had seen a lot of combat and had spilled much blood. Interestingly enough, there were slight swirl patterns on some parts of the blade where something acidic had tried to eat into the steel -- demon's blood. The sword had been used to slay demons too, that was extremely rare; not only were demons rare, but demon slayers were even more rare.

I wonder which one of her ancestor's was a demon slayer..

After a few more minutes of admiring the blade, he sheathed it expertly and handed it back with a slight bow, "Thank you."

Nanami bowed as well, taking the blade back then sliding it onto her side, "You are welcome."

Chiyo took another bite of her dango and spoke up cheerfully, "Phwat phas foor phiwwage wyke Wawami-weephan?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Chiyo-chan," Nanami chastised the girl gently.

The younger girl nodded, swallowing her food before attempting to speak, "What was your village like, Nanami-neechan? You've never told me."

"It was a normal a village, like any other," Nanami replied, not exactly telling the whole truth. Chiyo seemed to accept this answer as she went back to eating her dango.

Eiji, meanwhile, watched with mild interest, swishing the sake in his mouth before swallowing it down.

Setsuna wasn't really listening to the conversation around him. He just sat there, sipping his sake. Aya snuck out some pieces of teriyaki from Zakuro's plate which the younger didn't mind. They also weren't listening, more focused on resting and having their stomach filled.

Dozo downed a bowl of sake and sighed; he was getting tired. He also needed a bath, and with that in mind stood up, "I'm going to the hot bath to get clean. See you folks in the morning.."

He groaned and rolled his shoulders as he left, picking up his sword on the way out.

Nanami waved Dozo off when he left then turned to Aya. "How many rooms did they say were available?" Nanami asked. She knew they might as well settle sleeping arrangements now before Eiji and Aya got too drunk.

Aya downed the last drops of sake in her bottle before answering Nanami. "Aah!" she exhaled, licking her lips afterwards. "Three rooms are still available, which means we can bunk with the kids but one of these guys-" she gestured towards Eiji and Setsuna. "-either have to bunk with each other or with Dozo-san."

Setsuna's eyes glanced towards Eiji, his brow slightly raised. He has never slept in the same room with someone in years and even more so when it comes to sharing a bed. But he guessed that Eiji might be more comfortable sleeping in the same room as Dozo. No sense in sharing a room with a demon right?

Eiji tapped his chin in thought, seeming to consider the possibility. He took another swig of sake before speaking, "As much fun as it would be seeing Dozo-san's reaction to having to share a bed with me, I think I'll give him a break."

"Then it is settled," Nanami said, pushing back her chair, "We will have to get up early in the morning, so it is advised that we all rest now while we can."

"But I'm not sleepy Nanami-neechan," Chiyo complained slightly, before a yawn escaped her lips signifying her tiredness.

Setsuna nearly choked on his sake at Eiji's words. The swordsman wanted to sleep in the same room as him? That was strange, considering how easily Setsuna can kill him in his sleep. He must be really confident and trustful or just plain stupid. Setsuna kind of doubted the latter.

Aya laughed at Chiyo. "You can't lie to your Nanami-neechan," she teased the little girl. "You go on ahead. I'm in great need of a bath and I'm sure Zakuro does too."

Zakuro, having finished his meal and was wiping his mouth with a napkin, nodded in agreement. They haven't had a decent bath in days and now that there was one available they would pass it up.

Eiji's eyes gleamed with laughter at Setsuna's surprise. Seeing that stoic demon shocked was quite an entertaining site. He drank the last of his sake then set it on the table.

Chiyo pouted at Aya's teasing, then pricked up when she heard the mention of a bath, "We can we take a bath too Nanami-neechan?"

"Of course, we haven't had one in awhile either," Nanami said patting the younger girl on the head, "But let the Aya-san and the others take theirs first."

"Okay," Chiyo agreed, deflating a bit.

Aya set down her empty sake bottle. "Yosh! You heard the miko!" she said, standing up. "Time to get clean! Wanna bathe together Zakuro?"

Zakuro nearly stumbled as he stood up and a fierce blush appeared on his face. "N-No thank you!" he said before scurrying off, feeling embarrassed.

Aya chuckled. "Such a shy kid," she said before following him.

Setsuna coughed lightly and set down his cup. His throat stung a little, having almost coughed his drink, but it'll pass. In the meantime he felt rather nervous having to share a room with a human. And a handsome one at that.

(*Group baths?*)

Dozo ghosted out of his clothes and tossed them on a rock as he fell backwards into the steaming pool. He went under and soft silence enveloped him; the only sound was his heartbeat in his ears and the steady 'thump thump' soothed him.

There were so many things that could go wrong in the world, but as long as he could hear that 'thump thump' -- he knew things were okay.

After a few minutes he resurfaced and sucked in a breath of cold air; he floated on his back and watched the steam rise off the water and mix with the cool night air.

(Only for the ladies XP)

Aya laughed. "You don't need to wait!" she said, walking over to link arms with Nanami and slip her other arm around Chiyo's shoulder. "We can take a bath together to save time! It's a big bath after all!"

And without waiting for any answers, Aya tugged the two other girls towards the women's bath, with Zakuro following them only he entered the men's bath.

"Uwah," Nanami was startled at the other girl's over eager, friendliness. She flushed when she heard Chiyo giggling at her reaction. "Are you sure it is okay?"

"Come on Nanami-neechan, it'll be fine," Chiyo said still giggling at her Nee-chan, "We're all girls here."

Eiji leaned back in his chair and looked over to Setsuna, "Shall we go to the baths as well? Or do you want to head straight to bed?"

Aya brought the two to the bath and she slipped her arms off of them so she can slip out of her clothing as well. She folded them neatly and set her pouches on top before setting them to the side. She then proceeded to wash her body before dipping in the pool.

At the same time, Zakuro entered the men's baths and did the same thing, only he did not have any weapons on him besides his intricate ivory dagger. He set his clothes aside and washed himself before slipping into the pool.

~

Setsuna looked at Eiji, made a thoughtful face, then nodded a bit. "Yes, I wish to bathe as well," he said. He was covered in human filth as well as dirt so he did not feel very clean.

Standing up, he slipped his hands into the sleeves of his gi and walked towards the baths.

Dozo heard someone moving about and stopped floating on his back for a bit to see who'd come -- it was Aya's boy. He rubbed his temples and sighed tiredly, "Water's nice, huh buddy?"

Chiyo and Nanami also slipped out of their clothes with Nanami setting aside her sword and Chiyo placing her sling on top of her kimono. The younger of the two happily jumped in the water, causing a big splash, while the older eased herself in after washing the blood and sweat of herself.

"Ahaha!" Chiyo laughed cheerfully as she played around in the water, "Baths are so much fun~!"

--

Eiji nodded and pushed his chair back, standing. He walked along with Setsuna to the bath. Once they arrived there, Eiji stipped himself of his clothing and weapon, placing them neatly aside.

"Yo," He greeted Dozo and Zakura by raising up one hand, before entering the water.

Aya giggled and splashed Chiyo with water. "They sure are!" she agreed.

~

Zakuro jumped a little at Dozo's voice and a light blush appeared on his cheeks as he clutched the small washing cloth in his hand. "Y-Yeah, very nice," he said shyly.

At that moment, Setsuna, followed by Eiji, entered the baths. Setsuna easily slipped out of his clothes without fumbling for anything and he stepped into the pool with grace. The steam of the warm water really relaxed the demon and the heat soothed his muscles.

Dozo cocked an eyebrow at the boy, "Why're you so jumpy all the time?"