Donald
"First time in Runra, madam?"
*The young man spoke with a strong Runran accent, his voice wobbling as he exerted with each stroke of his row. Standing near the middle of his little boat, his pace was better than most of the larger ships, which ferried passengers between the islands that connected the ports of Ramul Ta to the northern subcontinent. He was usually requested for more clandestine reasons, he'd began to notice. Those who wished to not be recognised, entering the ancient cities alone.*

"First time? I was born here, kid. This is a homecoming."
*The woman returned with a half-cocked smile, puffing another cloud of smoke from her pipe. She wore a deep red haori over her usual cloth wraps and heavy attire, a long pin holding her dark hair in a knot. Her gaze was set toward the land, her eyes flickering crimson. The boatman knew what this meant, and decided to ask no further questions - a vampire in Runra was not to be trifled with.*

"Keep the change, son. I'll walk the rest."
*Taito called back, now a few yards away from the boat as she wandered down the path. The boatman had half a mind to warn her of the danger, but the katana on her hip assuaded him further...*
Charles
*The pathway from the docks was rather quiet at first. Not many people came or went from Runra; the waters around it were dangerous. But as it goes deeper into the country, people started to appear. Traders, hunters, thieves, general merchants.. They began to appear on the path like they had simply been invisible. Deeper into the pathways, through the woodlands, the small towns started popping up. The landscape also started to change, becoming a little more hilly and difficult to see through. Tunnels through the lands where it was difficult to go over.. And then, through one of the tunnels, the capital. Visible not far off, Pinnacelia was in walking distance now, the grand town..*

*But that may be all fine and well, until a very large hooded figure would accidentally run into the vampire, trip and fall over onto the path, bringing the poor lady down with her. It was entirely an accident either way, and the large figure quickly stood up, brushed the dirt off of herself, and turned to the woman.*

***"My.. Apologies. I did not see you there."***
Antonio
*This wasn't a new scenario for Taito, many careless fellows had knocked her off her feet before - for varying reasons. She let herself fall, grunting quietly from the impact against her shoulder; checking her loose items for whether they were missing on the way down. Finding none were, she chuckled and stood back up, resting a palm on the handle of her katana, leaning the hilt forwards and grinning at her accidental assailant.*
**"Worry not, stranger. It takes more than a fall to harm me. Pray tell, this is the way to the cities, correct? It has been decades since my last foray into these lands..."**
*The ronin queried, slipping into her fluent Runran - feeling less self-conscious now that she was home.*
Charles
*The Oni stood to her full height, being even larger than the Ronin likely would have anticipated; 7'3 and 220 pounds, the very tall and muscular figure made her appear as if she was a man, but her voice was feminine.. Well, to an extent. If she looked up, the lady would be able to see the glowing orange eyes of the Oni, but nothing more..*

***"Mhm.. On the left over there is the capital. I say, though.. You haven't been here for awhile, have you?"***
Donald
*Taito's smile slowly faded as the nature of her new acquaintance was made clear. She needn't see more than those burning eyes to know this was a Blue Oni - for she had cut the life short of dozens of her kind, long long ago. She nodded curtly, meeting her gaze with great effort as not to let her eyes flicker red.*
**"Yes. It has been... Many years. Your kind are hard to place, when it comes to age. Are you of the newcomers?"**
*She leant on her back foot, slowly filing through the names and faces of those Oni she had felled, in anticipation for removal of her hood.*
Charles
*The Oni removed her hood, and the expression on her face was probably much different than she expected; in fact, she looked rather young and cheerful compared to most of the other Oni she knew herself.. With white hair, orange eyes and light blue skin and sharp horns, the Oni looked like a cheerful young lady.*

***"Oh, no, I was born and raised here. I've actually been adventuring for a few years.. It's hard to do when you only ever get dirty looks from people though.."***
Antonio
**"Hm... Good to hear, your people weren't doing too well last I was here. As for dirty looks... I know the feeling well."**
*The ronin gave a soft chuckle, shrugging with her free shoulder as her sword hand loosened its grip on the sheathed thing. A once-over made it clear: This oni was new blood. Maybe the stories of her terrorising had finally faded...*
**"Do the Oriates still look upon all besides their own with disdain? The discovery of the mainland would've humbled them, I'd have expected..."**
Charles
***"Oriates? I.. Do you mean the Oni? I don't remember the last time they did.. Irunia fell long before I was born, and the Oni population is rather small.."***

*Matime was not familiar with much of the cultures of Runra anymore, or the politics or organizations.. She had been travelling for upwards of three years and hadn't visited home for a long time. While she may be of noble birth.. She was just a humble adventurer on her way to make a name for herself.*

***"I'm an Oni, sure, but I haven't particularly thought badly of anyone.."***
Antonio
**"Feh, what do they call themselves? Kemonomimi? Names change, but their attitudes rarely do."**
*Her complaints fell on deaf ears, it seemed... Something Taito probably should have expected. The old names begin to fade into obscurity, as the once-proud Empire of Runra collapses under its own decay. She supposed this was her punishment for abandoning her home - for most of it to be unrecognisable, in a pitiful state.*
**"An adventurer? Is there much work in the empire for mercenaries?"**
Charles
***"Ah.. No, I don't think they've changed much. I haven't met any that've been necessarily kind.."***

*The Oni rubbed the back of her head in a sort of nervous way, like she hadn't actually talked to very many people before. It was obvious, though that there was something off about her. People did, after all, keep shooting her weird looks and rush by as soon as they saw her. Well.. I mean, she was a Blue Oni after all. Not very many people liked her species, and she was afraid that it would happen..*

***"Adventurer? Yeah.. I left home just to go explore the world. As for mercenary work? There's probably plenty. I just don't do those things.. See, I'm a magic caster, if you'd believe it.."***
Donald
*The vampire made an effort to relax, noticing how wound up the young oni seemed to be. Chatting in the middle of the path was odd enough, Taito making a gesture for Matime to lead on, taking a couple small steps as if to follow her.*

**"Elites will always be as such! I expect much of the youth will leave these lands - leave it the old folks."**
*Again she grinned, her laugh warming in a bid to make her a touch more comfortable. After all, Taito needed a guide.*

**"A mage? Typical for your sort, isn't it? The blue have an affinity for the arcane. Heh, the most I could manage was-"**
*Taito choked, coughing a little too hard as she interrupted herself involuntarily. Maybe it was the fact that she was home, but her vampirism slowly felt less like something to hide...*
Charles
*The Oni nodded and began walking down the path, leading on the woman. Hearing how abruptly the lady stopped, she assumed something bad had happened.. She was intrigued, but she decided not to pursue it if she didn't want to.*

***"Ah, yes, us blue Oni are more ingrained with magic. In fact.. I don't know any blue Oni that DON'T know magic.. I myself do indeed use magic, though.. Not of the usual kind."***

*She let out a nervous laugh, but she was calming down after talking with the lady for just a bit. She sort of liked her, the odd feeling aura of her made her an interesting character. She had, in fact, met plenty of kemonomimi; kitsunes were the most common in her experience. Speaking again, she also cleared her throat.*

***"You'd be surprised to hear it, actually.. And it's not something I openly speak of."***