teahoused | general texting meme

No, I'm leaving now.

With all due respect, I do not believe you should be left alone now.

[She's worried he's going to whip up an angry lynch mob.]

[Oh so she's not giving him enough time to gather a mob? Fair. She could only delay the inevitable for so long.]

okay, i'll be waiting! be careful when traveling.

[And sure as shit, he'll be standing outside of The Hidden Moon, mouth a thin line of displeasure, arms crossed over his chest as he kept his eyes up towards the skies. If this was medieval times, he'd have on armor and two swords tucked into his sash, but since these were modern times it was in the smaller touches. His war gear now was a dark black vest with splashes of red, a red button up long sleeved shirt that was rolled to the elbows, dark black jeans, and metal plated combat boots.

When he spotted her, he only raised one hand in a subdued greeting, eyes humorless behind his glasses.]

Oka-chan, I'm glad you made it. Would you like some tea?

[If he's waiting for her, he isn't out hunting down possible suspects. And she knows he would never leave and make her wait in an empty doorway.

In a strange twist, while he's dressed up, she's dressed down for once in her life; instead of a fine kimono set or neat, stylish business casual, when she strides up to meet him it is in a long, knit cardigan . hastily thrown over what could be a white sundress, but is almost certainly her nightgown, modest ruffles fluttering around her calves with each quick step. Her hair sways loosely around her shoulders, and her normal towering heels click crisply against the walkway.]

Would the teapot survive the brewing, Honored Predecessor?

[It was strange to see Okakou looking so informal and almost vulnerable looking without the multiple layers of a kimono or a blazer, and if this were any other moment, Sukuna was sure he would gush a bit over her appearance. But instead he felt a twinge of guilt beneath his cold deep rage, to have her scuttle here soley to soothe his feelings when she had other duties to attend to. Maybe some day, Sukuna would stop being selfish.

He opened the door to let her in, the front of the tea house only graced by a few elderly patrons who looked like they were about to fall asleep in their seats. The back of the house, with all the Awakened and spirits, was far livelier, and Sukuna was looking to bypass that portion completely.]

It will.

[He gestured for Okakou to head up the stairs which housed their private rooms and some of their living quarters.]

Or would something stronger be better?

[She shakes her head, hair shifting as she moves past him. Her eyes slide almost casually around as she pulls her cardigan around herself more firmly and continues along the familiar route upstairs.]

If I say yes, do you plan to ply me with drink until names spill out?

[Normally, she would fall over herself to accommodate him. Normally his selfishness is either charming or selfless in truth. But for once, she has to hold firm.

It's easiest for everyone, that way.]

Oka-chan, whether you tell me or not, I'll find out.

[It would have been light and sing-songy if not for the fact that the smile on Sukuna's face was mostly gritted teeth. He ushered Okakou into one of the better warded private rooms, shutting the door behind them decisively.

While he wanted nothing more than to interrogate Oka-chan, he had already been indelicate in a delicate situation. He settled down in one of the cushions and started preparing the tea, careful to keep his hands steady.]

But I apologize for calling you out here so suddenly, Oka-chan. You're right, I wasn't thinking clearly.

I honestly don't know what you can do once you have them.

[She settles down across from him, tucking her skirt beneath her shins and sliding out of her cardigan. A soft sigh puffs out of her.]

...you truly never even imagined it would cross their minds?

It depends on who they are. There are bloodless ways of taking care of these sort of things.

[Because Sukuna had known most of these gods since their infancy, and had the advantage of knowing their secrets and weaknesses, the things that they kept dear. While it would be unwise to start anything right away without a good plan, Sukuna could be patient. A slow and certain revenge was the most satisfying.

He leaned to the side to pull at a cord to signal the kitchen to bring up snacks, mouth still a twisted line of displeasure.]

I had hoped it wouldn't. I thought I had cultivated enough of a standoffish reputation that it would protect you, but those old relics really have nothing better to do.

[He paused, tipping his chin up to meet her gaze fully.]

How are you holding up Oka-chan?

A rumor is like a hydra, you know. The more you try to cut it down, the more teeth it grows.

[She has never seen him so... cold and seething, before. It's enough to knock her off kilter, toying with the sleeve of her folded cardigan nervously. She feels so far from her drowned and decaying shrine, right now.]

You thought... a standoffish bachelor suddenly yielding everything in his power and his name to a young and unworldly lady wouldn't raise any eyebrows?

[Lord Sukuna...

She meets his gaze and blinks, even more bewildered.]

...I am fine? I am just as I usually am.

I'll just grow more, then.

[Because while Sukuna was calm and nearly docile now, he had centuries to try to mellow out and learn to keep appearances. But it wouldn't hurt to remind people every now and then he had teeth of his own, and he had never been afraid to use them, especially when it came to protecting those he cared about.

But it seemed like it was upsetting Oka-chan, so he forced himself to relax, to add a good amount of chamomile to the tea for calm, and maybe a few passionflowers for good measure.]

Ah, Oka-chan, when you say it like that it sounds like it should have been obvious! I thought I had laid some good groundwork so it wouldn't be too unbelievable!

[His voice sounded forcibly light, even to his own ears. With Eri-chan, maybe, but the rest of the court perhaps not so much.

And while Sukuna would have left it at that if that's what Oka-chan said, he turned the full weight of his gaze on her, mouth downturned.]

You're not upset over this?

[Because maybe he was overreacting. It wouldn't be the first time, but he also wasn't going to let this go until he was satisfied.]

That's all well and good for you, isn't it? ...I am sorry, that was unkind. But you must understand that rising up to do this "for me" will in turn rob me of something I cannot easily regain, in the eyes at court.

[She looks at him, letting the steadily strengthening scent waft over her.]

I am... neither please nor surprised. There was always going to be a cost, for taking on your mantle. This is just the most banal of them. I had thought you were aware from the start as well. I thought it was obvious. I was... I was always going to have to put in ten times the effort and pristine conduct to be a tenth as respected as you, for various reasons.

[It was the sharpness of Okakou's tone, one she rarely took with him, that made him start, eyes wide. He leaned away from her slightly, upset with the situation and that she was correct. A bit chastised but no less unhappy, he tipped his gaze away from her.]

Oka-chan, I just want to help. If not in burning down their empire, then at least listening to your grievances. But if you want me to stay out of it...

[He turned when the door opened, admitting a staff member bearing a tray of snacks delicately lined up in a row. He took the tray with a quick smile and shut the door, setting it down between the two of them, off balance. He had thought he had done a good job laying the groundwork for her, but perhaps in this too, Muchi was right. He never thought ahead and it was the people around him who suffered for his decisions.]

I wish it wasn't like that, Oka-chan. You're already a far better Sukunabikona than I ever was.

[He tipped his gaze back up to hers, leaning against the table.]

What other obvious things have I missed?

[Her shoulders wilted from their usual poised posture at that hangdog look of his, and her head dipped in faint regret.

Regret, but not apology.]

No one person can perfectly replace another. You helped me plant a seedling where something much mightier once stood, and the memory of that... persists. Some believe I am merely a stopgap you placed here as a whim, who will bow out as a new whim takes you and you return to your duties in a century or two. Not an outlandish assumption. Some believed I was a motherless bastard child who you felt sorry for not claiming sooner—that only lasted until I was presented, of course, and I was deemed beautiful enough to be a secret seductress. Some believe this is a trial I am undertaking to be your bride. Some believe I shall break beneath the duties you have passed to me. Some believe I tricked you. Some believe I am being tricked by you. Most believe sex and scandal are involved somewhere in the equation.

[She had not looked at him once since he returned with the tray. There was a lovely design on that teapot of his, and she seemed utterly focused upon it.]

...there are bets, among some. For when I'll crack and beg you to come back, or save me from the pressure, or break up with me, and more. They gossip and bet about one another as well, but... well. Among more established gods, it carries the implication of a friendly joke. I imagine you partook of that kind yourself during your time, frequently.

[It was only centuries of keeping his face calm and neutral despite whatever he was seeing or hearing that kept him from breaking off the handle of the teapot as he poured them both a cup, motion robotic. He reached to keep a sleeve out of place that wasn't there, his ears burning as Okakou continued. He had not become a god out of choice, but out of necessity. If he was asked, he would have said it was because he was at the right place at the right time and for some reason he happened to get along with powerful figures.

He had thought some of that goodwill and prestige would shield Okakou from the fate that so many of the other immortal women had to deal with. But he hadn't known and hadn't thought to ask, and he had assumed if Okakou hadn't told him anything, that it wasn't happening.

He wanted to deny that he had taken any part in those sort of jokes and teasing, but his words already felt like ash on his tongue. He might lie to many people, but with Okakou being so honest with him, it would be a disservice and an insult to her not to do the same.]

I have, and I'm not proud of it. But even after this time to believe any of those things...

[His hand tightened on his cup, grip white as marble.]

I chose you because I was drawn to your passion and I believed you were strong enough to handle being at court. I thought, no I foolishly hoped, that you wouldn't have to worry about their whispering. I apologize on their behalf for what you've suffered, Sukunabikona and I recognize your efforts.

[She accepted the cup he offers her, but for once she shifted her hands, let her fingers linger against his for one, two, three heartbeats before she pulled back and took a slow, careful sip. It took a moment to master the emotion aching in her throat, but she did eventually triumph. Well, she triumphed enough to speak levelly once more, at least.]

...I have never doubted that. But I am... I am grateful to hear it explicitly, regardless. Thank you, Sukuna Hikona.

[She smiled at him, small and sincere and fragile.]

Your good opinion has always meant more than theirs to me, a thousand-fold.

[That smile of hers, as tiny and delicate as a flower just starting to sprout from the soil, broke his heart. At this point in her tenure, he had hoped that she would have blossomed fully, that her once desolate garden would be starting to flower beautifully. But it seemed like the soil he had left her in carelessly was far too rocky and treacherous for such things, and her roots had felt every bit of gravel, if she was this grateful for just a pittance from him.

It made it difficult for him to sit still, to not grip her hands in his to promise with conviction that it would get better, despite the fact he couldn't promise such reckless things. He'd grown arrogant in his godhood, clearly.]

I'll say it as many times as you need to hear it then, Oka-chan.

[Because she was right, he couldn't interfere as loathe as he was to admit it. Not even being able to lash out in a tiny petty way was deeply irritating to him, but if Okakou could grit her teeth and bear it, he wouldn't invalidate her efforts.

He tipped his gaze up back to hers, firm and kind.]

You'll always have my good opinion, and my ear! I want you to feel comfortable telling me these things and to remember you're not alone in this. You have allies.

[He was doing his best.

He always did, in various ways, and it always made her chest go tight and hot with affection. Admiration. Other words that begin with 'a' and usually went unspoken between them—at least from her end of the equation, anyways. She swallows her tea and sets the cup down with a soft, crisp clack. The heat crawled from her chest to her throat, clogging her words.

Worse still, it spread and pricked at her eyes. She passed a hand over them, and worked to compose herself.]

...th-thank you. I shall... I shall e-endeavor to keep that in mind.

[...Had he made her cry? For a moment, Sukuna stilled, not quite sure how to address this situation or what to do. If it was Eri-chan, he would have immediately handed over a handkerchief and a cup of sake because most likely it was something Muchi related. If it was Setsura, he would have enveloped her in his arms as quickly as possible. But Oka-chan-

He tried to do a bit of both, handing over his handkerchief and grabbing at her wrist like some crazed person, eyes wide.]

Oka-chan you shouldn't cry over compliments! I'm going to have to talk to your retainers if you're this surprised by getting them!

[He paused, belatedly realizing he had knocked over his tea cup in his haste to try to produce his handkerchief, and quickly he retracted his hands to start mopping at the mess with another napkin.]

You should be getting complimented every day! Do I have to write it into my schedule?

They do, they certainly do, I just—I—

[How to put this? How to take all these conflicting, fizzling feelings and make them into something concrete and comprehensible?

She tries her best.]

I try... very hard not to burden anyone. I am not a small, fading rural idol anymore. I know I can do more—do... better. And I... I wish to do my very best, for you. F-For all of you, that is.

[It was heartening, that even after all of this, Oka-chan hadn't lost hope or her spirit. Sukuna breathed a little easier, mopping up the last of the tea he had spilled before replenishing his drink, expression once again calm and pleased.]

Oka-chan the last thing you are is a burden. You've been put in a very difficult position and anyone with lesser conviction or strength wouldn't have lasted. Even if it might not seem like that now, your best is definitely more than enough.

[He paused, smiling at her over the rim of his teacup.]

But I'm sorry to have you come here all this way for no reason! How can I make it up to you?

...bend forward.

[She wasn't quite settled, with her cheeks still red and the remnants of tears dotting her lashes.

But there was something like resolve crystalizing in her gaze, beyond that.]

[At least she didn't say bend over because he probably would have had a heart attack. Still, the request made him pause, eyes widening slightly as if he wasn't sure if he had heard her right. He gaped at her for a few moments, head slowly tilting to the side, unsure.]

What?

[Look he's a bit worried now that he was about to be punished very harshly and creatively.]

[She pursed her lips and gave him a patient stare.]

Bend. Forward. Do you require assistance, or do you not wish to 'make it up to me' after all?

[What was going on? A bit dumbfounded, Sukuna leaned forward halfway towards Okakou, bent halfway over the table. His expression was openly curious, one eyebrow arched, hands braced against the edges of the table as if he expected to need a hasty retreat. He couldn't read Okakou's expression precisely, and it was making his heart rate pick up anxiously in anticipation.]

Of course I do. What next?

[Was she going to make him do something embarrassing or something worse?]

Close your eyes and—

[She reached for him suddenly, and her fingers slid, cool and soft, to cup his cheeks. She angled his head a bit with the gentlest of tugs, and then leaned in to close the last few inches herself.

Her lips pressed against his forehead, warm from the tea and then warm from so much more as a powerful blessing was bestowed, fueled by everything she could spare and sprawling across every domain to her name. His name. Theirs.

She did not release him, or move away, so when she spoke her lips moved against his forehead, mussy bangs ruffled by her soft breath.]

Forgive yourself, please. ...for me?

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to action???

to action!!!

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