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Snippet #2701515

located in Alternate Universe || Edo Japan, a part of Recrudescence, one of the many universes on RPG.

Alternate Universe || Edo Japan

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Character Portrait: Ayla
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Restless.

That was how she felt at the moment. Being so near, so close, to the oni again made it feel like her blood was on fire. She wanted to act, to do something, but she knew she could not. If she did, not only would she be horribly outnumbered, but she'd also get herself killed. She knew what she was capable of, but she wasn't exactly a god. She could die just as easily by stupid decisions as she could a blade. Sighing softly, she shifted in her spot.

It would still be another few days before the weapons would be ready, and Ayla wasn't entirely sure if they had that much time to spare. Though the oni had mostly stayed by the nest, venturing into the forest for food, one had recently made towards the village. She had managed to keep it from getting too far, though she also managed not to kill it. Distraction was the best thing at the moment. Even if it had strayed far from the nest, even one death so close would send the rest of them into a frenzy. They didn't need that.

Instead, she'd brought it back by distracting it as herself: a woman merely unfortunate enough to stray too far from the village. Of course, she'd also managed to lose it when she'd brought it back towards the nest. She wondered, though, how Aram was currently faring. He hadn't spoken of it, but he must have seen something, recently. She could see it on his face, that something was bothering him. He wasn't going to tell her, and she wasn't going to pry, however; whatever it was, it couldn't have been good.

She sighed heavily again.

Her next inhalation brought with it a now-familiar scent; something spicy, perhaps akin to a persimmon fruit, with a touch of ash and pine. It was an odd sort of smell, but then, it belonged to an odd sort of individual.

Kentaro passed through the gates of the castle alongside Takahiro, the youngest of Reiko's brothers. He was blind, apparently, but he never seemed to have any problem getting around or knowing where things were. Maybe he'd just memorized where everything was; it seemed possible if you lived in one place for hundreds of years. The two of them parted after entering; Takahiro headed towards where she could smell Reiko.

The older of the two, however, headed in her direction, nodding by way of greeting. Kentaro wasn't much of a talker. “Ayla-san. Have you seen Tatsuya recently?"

She pursed her lips together. "The last time I saw him, he was by the training grounds," she replied. She inhaled softly, trying to see if she could be of more service to Kentaro and smell for Tatsuya, however; she couldn't smell him at all. She frowned. She didn't know people could do that. Granted, they weren't exactly human, however; everything had a scent of some kind.

"Do you need him, specifically, or is there something I can help you with?" she spoke. If he needed Tatsuya, specifically, then she could understand. If it was something she could help with, though, she might as well render her services. She was restless, after all, and doing something would help calm her.

He pursed his lips slightly; it was hard to read him, but it seemed like he was trying to decide if it was something she could help with. His brow furrowed a little, and then he nodded once, just a slight dip of the head.

“I intend to ask him to take over Sayuri's kendo lessons," he replied. “As I understand it, you've already taught her the basics of the yumi; I do not think it would be a bad idea to continue, if you are so inclined." He blinked slowly, but said nothing more, leaving an obvious pause for her input before he continued on his way, it seemed.

She furrowed her brows in confusion. Why would he want to do that? He was doing a good job teaching her, if her progress was anything to go by. She wouldn't mind, per se, but there had to be some other reason for that. "Is there some reason as to why? From what I can tell, you've done a hell of a job teaching her, and she seems to be blossoming under your tutelage," she spoke, quirking a brow in his direction.

"Switching teachers in such a stage could throw everything off for her. Are you sure you want to do that?" she continued pressing. She didn't peg Kentaro as the type of person to just drop what he was doing for no reason at all. Maybe she'd just misunderstood him?

His expression darkened slightly. “You understand what is like, don't you? To lose control of yourself because of what you are?" His voice was still as toneless as it usually was, but there was something else there, like a thread that was almost exposed, just barely lurking under the surface of what he said.

“My own lack of control nearly killed her the other day. I will not allow it to happen again. The risk of disruption is lesser than the risk of harm if I continue to allow her so near."

"Then don't let it happen again," she spoke a little too quickly at that. She sighed, pushing it through her nose. She did know what it was like to lose control of herself. She was, perhaps, fortunate enough to have had Amon and Aram with her when she did. They always brought her back from that. Over the course of a few centuries, though, she'd learned to control it. She smiled, though. It wasn't quite the same, she didn't think, but there was something similiar that she recognized.

"It's because you care, isn't it," she stated it rather than questioning it. "In a way you are unsure of, yourself, right?" she continued. "Look, Kentaro-san, I'm not going to tell you what is best or not for you or Sayuri," she began. She really wasn't in any position to tell anyone, anything. The only thing she could do was offer her own opinion on the matter, and it was up to him what to do with it.

"It's a pain in the ass, trying to control something that doesn't want to be controlled. But if we don't learn to compromise somewhere, it'll only make things that much worse. Tell me something," she stated, keeping his gaze with hers. It wasn't too hard, considering he wasn't as tall as Tatsuya was, but he was still taller than her.

"What does it feel like when she's near? Help me understand something, and if you do, I will consent to taking over her lessons," because if she could understand that one thing, then it would help her understand what was really going on. She may not be an expert in that area, but she knew what it felt like, and what it was like to want to keep that safe.

He was silent for a very long time. The only reason she knew he was planning to answer the question at all was because he had remained in place rather than leaving. Though he looked at her, his eyes went unfocused, almost through her to something she could not see but he could.

“I do not know the words," he said at last. His tone had softened, revealing a touch of uncertainty that had not been detectable before. “When I was injured and returned to this place, I was almost beyond thought. All I could think was to seek out the person who would rid me of my pain. Save my life. That has always been Reiko. But..." His shoulders lowered as he pushed out a breath, near-silently but obviously with great heaviness.

“It was not Reiko I sought then. It was not her scent I followed. My... instinct drew me to Sayuri instead. And I do not know why."

If this wasn't so serious, Ayla might have actually laughed at him. Instead, she sighed softly. "I am not exactly acquainted with how that works, however; I can tell you one thing, Kentaro-san," she spoke, oddly, in a soft manner. "Instinct, whether human, wolf, or other, always leads us to something we need. In this case, you need Sayuri. It's not quite apparent as to why that is," but she could speculate a reason, "but if you deny yourself that basic necessity, it will be far worse for you than you'll realize. You'll end up hurting her another way, and if that's what you really want to avoid, then I'll help you."

"I'll make a compromise for you," she continued, pausing only for a second to collect herself. "I will help supervise your training sessions. If you become a threat to her, I will stop you, and I will take over the training sessions. If you wish to learn control, though," she spoke, this time only pausing to look him square in the eyes. "I will help you with that as well. It's not easy, and it will be difficult, however; if you are willing to learn, then I am willing to help."

If he was serious about keeping Sayuri safe from him, then she would help him to be safer. It would take some time, but she was certain Kentaro would learn a lot quicker than she had. He, after all, has a reason worth learning for. She didn't.

He looked like he was ready to turn her down, but then a thoughtful look flickered across his face, and he dropped his eyes to the ground. “I accept your compromise," he said lowly, “but only if she consents to me continuing to teach her. She was... afraid of me. Not without cause. I will not force her to be in my company if she does not want it."

She offered him a grin. "Something tells me she will," she spoke, though the grin disappeared from her face. It was replaced with a small smile, instead. "Kentaro-san, if I may be so bold," she stated, frowning slightly as she did. She'd never been one to hold her tongue for anyone, however; she felt like this was necessary. She took a deep breath, and held it for a few seconds.

"I don't think it was you, that she was afraid of," she finally spoke. Of course, she couldn't say for certain, whether or not Sayuri was afraid of him, or if she was just afraid for him. Sometimes, it was hard to discern one from the other, and she hadn't been there to see Sayuri's reaction. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Kentaro-san. Being what we are, it is something we have to accept. We can only hope that others will accept us for it, too."

“I will not accept that I nearly killed her," he said firmly. Shaking his head, he sighed. “If she accepts, I will simply have to find some other way to ensure it never happens again."

She just smiled. "Then make that your reason it never happens again. Do not accept it, and let it fuel you, instead," she spoke. "Let that guilt be what guides you to be stronger than your feral side. If you must constantly remind yourself of it, to keep yourself contained, then don't accept it. I told you, Kentaro-san, learning to control yourself isn't easy, and it will be a pain in the ass. So much so, that you might want to give yourself over, however; don't."

"But, I will say nothing more. Find out if she still wants to be your pupil, and if she does, well," she trailed off. He would get the point.

He nodded. After a momentary pause, he inclined himself at the waist in a bow. “Thank you." Without giving her much time to react, Kentaro departed.

She sighed. He was going to be a piece of work, wasn't he? But she supposed he'd be worth it.