Okumi Chrysanth
Having been lost in a daydream recalling happier days that she could never return to, it was Linde softly calling her name that brought Okumi back to reality. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been reliving those moments, but it must have been quite a while, and Linde seemed to have finished at least a cursory reading of her father’s journal. Meeting her gaze, Okumi could sense it in her eyes and in her posture; that awkward stiffness and sadness when someone found more than they had bargained for; that they didn’t know how to respond to what they now knew. All Okumi could see was that Linde was saddened by what she had read, and as the shrine maiden had suspected, had little more to offer than pity and sympathies. Not that she expected more than that, there wasn’t much anyone could do for her.
So when Linde asked to keep hold of the book for a time, Okumi wasn’t sure how to react. Immediately she felt defensive. After all, it was her father’s book. One of the last remnants she had to remember him by, so she was highly protective of it. Not only that, but it had a record of all the important information she had transcribed about her disease, which was crucial for both her, and anyone she felt the need to share that with.To her, it was one of the most valuable things both personally and for sentimental reasons, only equaled by that of her mother’s naginata. But… She wanted to trust Linde and others. Perhaps she just wanted to read it in more detail, or truly did think she might be able to research some sort of cure or suppressing medicine. So long as it returned to Okumi before they parted ways… That would be alright.
Nodding cautiously, the reluctance of Okumi to let Linde hold onto it was clearly visible in her hesitation as well as her eyes, but it seemed that for now, Okumi was content to share it with Linde. Pointing to the book, Okumi then held a hand over her heart, before clasping her hands together in a pleading motion. Finally, she made a cradle out of her arms, as if holding a baby and rocking it. She really wanted Linde to know how important that journal was to her, and to take care of it. She didn’t want to lose one of the last pieces of her family.