snippingtime | IC Inbox (Ryslig)

[She has a moment of thinking about it. It'd be better to leave... except he'd just find her somewhere else. Best to just not make a fuss. Act normal.

Her den is very well hid. If Hinata hadn't known where to go, it would have been very hard to find. Though... maybe den was a wrong word for it. It was a maze of tunnels and false entrances, the workings of a pooka trying to keep her mind occupied. Red might not have been the best at thinking ahead but she did make the tunnels and caves large. Slipping into her den as a tiger wasn't that difficult.

There's a shifting sound from down the main tunnel, though, as if a large animal is rolling over. Then:]

Hey, Hajime... you can come in.

[The main den is more of a living room, at least, anyway. Still unfurnished but... there is a manticore in there.]

[The tunnels were certainly-- a thing. Hinata's not exactly some adventurer-archaeologist here, and now that he's a fish, the dryness caused by the loose dinner is kind of aggravating. He didn't get the den compulsion, honestly. (Well, he did, scientifically, but that was neither here nor there.)

But, that's a concern for another time (or never, realistically). Eventually he makes his way through the tunnels until he can hear another person, and Red's voice. He follows that the rest of the way, and... well, the room is cozy, at least.]

You ever think about decorating this place yet? [He sighs, brushing as much dirt off his skin-- scales?-- as he can.]

How're you doing? You took off pretty fast the other day.

[She just sort of leans against the opposite wall, curling up like a cat. She nods.]

I'm kinda low on solars right now, though.

[The auction might not have been a good idea! But she's never been known for her good decisions.]

Yeah. That dog attack shocked me, that's all. [Still going with 'a dog bit Nanami' excuse, huh, Red?]

[Well... that was fair, honestly. It's not like interior decorating had ever been one of Hinata's priorities. But it just seemed a little sad when it was an empty cave.]

A dog...? [Right... had someone mentioned that? Red might have, before her hasty departure, but even if he'd a mind to interrogate Nanami, he wasn't gonna make her talk about it.]

Hmmm... certain dogs could generate enough PSI to break a human bone, but giving it the opportunity to bring is full pressure down in one bite is pretty dicey... and that's not even considering how being a monster complicates it.

[Well, not that he really believed it from the start, if he was honest.]

But if Nanami was the only one that got attacked by a dog, isn't it strange that you didn't even get caught in the crossfire?

[It's kind of sad and lonely, actually, but she'll get to it... probably.

She twitches her tail at the question.]

Dogs can get nasty, it's true. Nanami's a nice gal. She didn't pull away fast enough.

[There's just a twitch of those cat-like ears.]

Not really. Gave it a quick sting, paralyzed it a little, grabbed her and ran. A rabid dog isn't anything compared to some of the marchen I've fought. Is there something you wanna say, Hajime?

[Well..... that was true. Even if the animal was rabid, Nanami was unlikely to do anything too drastic.]

She's also too nice to say anything if another monster did it on accident. [He says it a bit dryly, his expression unamused as he crosses his arms.] The wound wasn't even small enough to be a real dog. Otherwise Nanami would have rabies...

[....he doesn't actually know if a monster could get rabies, but.]

I know you're not the kind of person to hurt someone like that on purpose. I figure it must have been someone going berserk.

[That gets her to move. There's a low growl building in the back of her throat.]

I didn't bite her! I'm not some sort of animal! [You're a tiger, Red.] If you came here to make me confess to attacking her...

[...'On purpose'. She hears those words almost to late. Her teeth grind as she mutters out a few words.]

What are you, my mother? I eat just fine. [No one mentioned eating??]

Aren't you a manticore...?

[He responds with deadpan sarcasm in the face of Red starting to growl. By all accounts she was an animal right now...!! But that wasn't the point. He's back to looking serious on a dime.]

If you won't tell me the truth, then I can't make you. [He looks grumpy, but unperturbed.] But it sounds like... you already know dangerous it is to not eat.

That doesn't mean I'm a beast.

[She glowers.]

You want me to admit I ate her? That I got hungry and decided some octopus sounded good? Is that what you want me to say?

[It's more or less a confession but there's agitation in her words, in the small movements of her tail and wings. ] I don't lose control. If I got a bit snappish then... then oh well! I'm not going to go on a rampage.

[Red you ate your friend.]

[It was as good as admitting it that he was going to get, he figures; which wasn't bad, it was pretty clear from the way she was getting so defensive.]

Obviously you do! Monsters here can go into some kind of berserk rampage if they don't eat for too long! [He crosses his arms over his chest, blessedly solid.]

I want you to admit because you're obviously lying, and now Nanami's lying for you too. Because you lying means you're not eating, which means you're just gonna hurt more people-- and I know you don't want that, and she knows you didn't want that even though she got hurt!

So what's new? I get too sad, too stressed, too tired, I go berserk--now throw 'hungry' on top of that now, too! Ain't nothing I haven't dealt with before.

[She snaps loudly. Those are words she doesn't want to admit--the fact that she winces quickly after means, well. She didn't mean to say them at all. There's a wince. A memory of blood, of salt water, of fish and--

Dearest sister?]

I don't want to eat humans. I don't care if someone else killed them, either. A Blood Maiden has to protect them! That's their job! If I can't even do that anymore then-- [Why was she there?] If all I have to do is grit my teeth and bear it then fine.

[She should be a monster hunter. She should turn her fangs and claws against the others but she can't do that, either. It was easier when all she had to do was master herself.]

Edited (sentence re-arranging) 2022-08-14 06:05 (UTC)

[So what, she was already... used to this sort of thing? Having to deal with this sort of thing? His eyes widen in surprise for a moment-- it's not like Hinata hadn't come here and had to deal with so much stuff that he was too used to. Though that doesn't exactly assuage his worries. What the hell even were Blood Maidens...?]

Red-- [He jerks a step closer when she winces, though he's not really sure how to assuage a giant cat, or if it'd even be welcome. Cats were usually more touchy.... ]

Red, that doesn't-- whatever you were before, it doesn't matter anymore! [His voice rises a bit through no attempt of his own, but it's like he has to be firm about it, because it's suddenly some deep-seated need that she listens.]

Before coming here I-- I was a real monster, not just some folklore creature or cryptid. But none of that has anything to do with what I do here! Even if it was your job to protect them before, it doesn't-- it can't matter anymore. And gritting your teeth against it just means you're gonna hurt them worse when you finally snap! Either way, someone's going to die...!

IC Inbox (Ryslig)

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after a thousand years...

THE PROFESY IS TRUE

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cw: p....pstd flashback and self loathing

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WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, RED RIDING HOOD FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 013.01.003.10 * wolfbane has joined 013.01.003.10 <wolfbane>** yo, it's red riding hood! leave sis a message if you need me!