Carmen
"Oh, of course, Utaku Masanori-sama." Chiyoko was still shocked at the situation, but didn't wish to let it slip through her grasp. So, she stood and bowed to her (many) superiors, and went to escort Masanori from the table. 

As soon as they got out of earshot and Moshi Mai started speaking of her background, Chiyoko let out a sigh and relaxed a little bit more. "I think she's still oblivious to us," She whispered. "At most, I think _she_ thinks that I have a simple crush on you, and I think she's just humoring me. In a kind way, believe it or not. That woman..." 

Chiyoko shook her head, and focused on the task at hand: getting an esteemed samurai (and her lover) into her quarters. 

The quarters themselves were humble, as expected of Chiyoko: She had a simple bed, a nice wooden desk, and stand for her daisho and her _tsurugi,_ as well as a stand for her armor. Spare clothes were carefully folded, as few as they were, and she kept the place smelling clean with a little incense. 

What made it rather remarkable were the scores of origami figurines that were carefully arranged on her desk and in other places. Dragons, Mantises, Unicorns, and a bevy of other animals and people were arranged in different colored paper, adding some much-needed color to the room. Though, purple was a color that overtook even green. 

"This is my room," Chiyoko said, ushering Masanori in, "I hope you like it." She slid the door closed, but not before looking out into the hall. Empty. 

"I feel like I haven't spoken to you since winter." She smiled warmly, fidgeting with her hands. "You've been busy, I know, and with such dangers... Still, I wish I could have seen you after the incident, instead of now." 

||
Carl
The chance to rise from the table, fine though spread was, came as a welcome relief to Masanori. It felt good to be back on his feet and better still to be making a swift escape from the dining hall. That his departure was on the heels of one he had come to cherish so well only made the opportunity all the sweeter. He did pause to offer his ear to his lover's whispered words, of course, though he found his brows scrunching in response to them. The idea that Moshi Mai would be so oblivious to their shared love seemed unlikely, to say the least. Perhaps Chiyoko's assumption was correct: that her employer believed their romance was a one-sided fancy on the part of humble ronin, who found herself smitten with a man many times her station. 

The thought grated at him just as much as her treatment at the dinner, but it was for the best. For as much as he hated putting on airs, having his feelings for the wave-woman wielded as a weapon against him was all the worse. 

A swiftly parted shoji brought him from the proverbial viper's den of a strange embassy and into a place of comfort. Chiyoko's room was... Charmingly fitting. Most of the space seemed dedicated to storing her weapons and armor, with little in the way of creature comforts to ease her time spent within. The fragrance that lingered was at once new and dear to him—he had caught notes of it on hair or clothing during their more intimate moments, and the association with his beloved could only endear him toward it. 

Not that it was alone in its endearing qualities. The familiar sight of intricately folded paper positioned all across the room brought a smile to his lips. How many such figurines had he tucked away in his austere quarters, serving as a covert reminder of his ferocious little ronin when they were apart? The color was not lost upon him either. Even if he were to discount the shapes she had chosen to weave her crafts into, it was clear that her mind had not drifted far from him in turn as she labored over the parchment.

Her words shook him from his reverie, and he found himself nodding absentmindedly in reply. There were a thousand words he wished to offer her in return, to tell her that he had missed her so dearly as well. But words often failed him where action did not, and so he chose to act instead.

Turning on his heel, Masanori reached for the bashful warrior before him. His fingers, course and iron-like though they tended to be, brushed across her cheek as he cupped her face in a single hand. There was the gentleness of pressure to tilt her head up, and a single step forward to close the distance between them so he might claim her lips for his own. The kiss to follow was warm and gentle and loving all. As he held it—as he held *Her*—he found himself lost in the passion of the exchange. By the time he felt the urge to break apart, his breath had long left him. 

"Apologies, my love," His voice finally returned, the Utaku allowed his forehead to press against her own as he spoke, "I have wanted to do that all night. These past few days, I desired nothing more than your company."

The hand that had so tenderly caressed her joined its mirror in reaching down to take up Chiyoko's own.

"I... Hope I did not worry you too terribly. It was never my intention for you to even know something had gone amiss. Much of that day evaded my intentions."

||
Carmen
As he often did, Masanori disarmed Chiyoko of any doubt and defeated her unhappiness in a single blow. Even when she was not a ronin, she did not like to be touched. She would often slap people's hands off of her, friend (or even fiance, in a few instances) or foe alike. But Masanori, much like many of the things she did and didn't do, made an exception. 

She eagerly returned the kiss, and it was just as familiar as always, but also felt as dazzlingly new all at once. Her eye was closed, and she stopped worrying about listening to passersby. Part of her _wanted_ to be caught, in a selfish, proud way. 'Come and see who deems me worth loving,' she would say, presenting the prestigious, handsome Masanori-kun. 

It was that thought that muddled her mind when Masanori broke their kiss, and for a moment she was lost to her surroundings. "Oh, no, darling," She managed, "I understand, truly." She pressed her head to his, and wrapped her arms around him, holding him snugly. "You're an important man, after all. I'd be a fool to think I could have you run on a ronin's schedule. 

"However..." Chiyoko took one hand and punched Masanori in the side. Not hard enough to do anything but be felt, nothing more. "You made me worry _more,_ since I found out about what happened secondhand! Foolish Masa-kun, a woman doesn't want to be in the dark about such things, she wants to know as soon as possible so she can offer aid. Like slaying that bastard that would dare to hurt a child and my beloved..." A little fire roared in her eye, but in a blink, it was gone. 

"All the same, Masa-kun, all is forgiven. Just... Please, don't hide it next time? How was I supposed to thank you properly for trying to find my _tsurugi_ if I didn't know you went through the trouble?" She smiled warmly, and leaned upwards to kiss him. "So, what else have you been up to? I've got my own news, but I wish to hear yours first." 

||
Carl
The comfort of being so close to the object of his affection blinded Masanori to the anger she might have felt... Until she jabbed him in the side, at least. His brow furrowed despite its presence against her own, and his lips curled downwards into the slightest showing of a frown. It was a mercy that she seemed to be in good spirits about the entire affair and not swept up in the fury she so often found herself in. Perhaps the fact that both the blades eventually ended up on her sword rack contributed to that. Or that he had managed to come out of the idiotic exchange with little more than a sore back and some bloodied knuckles. 

"You need not thank me, my love. I did not venture into the Leatherworker's Quarter because I wished for a reward. I could not allow myself to sit idly by knowing somebody had stolen blades meant for you. That the swords eventually ended up in your hands—that they might bring you the joy they were intended to—is more than enough for me."

A lifetime of meeting trials and tribulations with stubborn independence and bullish tenacity had made regretting his actions a difficult thing. The thought of them changing places, and his beloved Chiyoko being so callously thrown through a building by a simpering shugenja helped. It would have taken the appearance Osano-wo himself to prevent Masanori from throttling the boy until all life left his eyes if such a thing had come to pass.

There were better things to speak of, though. While the days that followed had not been full of pleasantries, they were easier to stomach than reckless shugenja raining lightning from the skies.

"Dealing with the fallout, primarily. In the wake of the incident, I took a contingent of ashigaru to the Phoenix embassy to shock some sense into them. The ambassador took umbrage with the words I used. When it reached Utaku Kazuko-sama that the Phoenix had not only endangered her subordinates but called her conviction into question? She demanded satisfaction in the form of a duel. I was not in attendance, but I am told the Ide's ronin girl made a good accounting of herself and overcame their ambassador in the following bout."

His arms wrapped just a little tighter around his beloved as he continued, as it was not the matter of political posturing that had eaten up much of his time in the interim. Something of far greater consequence than a duel to first blood weighed on his mind.

"As for me? I have been preparing our soldiers. There will be a joint-training exercise held between the Unicorn and Crane soon enough. I need to prepare them for the war to come. Silver's war."

The being had loomed in his memory since the day he delivered the pitiable hinin girl to their doorstep and demanded their aid. He had given the enigmatic creature his word, and they did not strike him as the type to forget a promise.

"I committed myself to their cause in return for the girl's life. She was too far gone for even your employer to bring back by the time I delivered her broken body to the *House of Delights*. So I demanded Silver work their magic, and prove to me that they were truly worthy of my assistance in bringing the city to heel. They delivered her to me in perfect health."

||
Carmen
"You're much too modest, Masa-kun." Chiyoko felt oh so very special in the moment, hearing that someone went through all that trouble -and a wall- for her sake. It was certainly unnecessary, but that didn't stop her from feeling like the Emperor's daughter, a noble Samurai returning her prize as a declaration of love. "All the same, you have my thanks. And thank you for helping Agasha no Remiki Kenzo. He's been good to me. Even if he seems to enjoy pestering me with incessant questions and implications." 

She was also glad, but not surprised, of Atsuko's success. She was young, but she was a brilliant duelist. Truly, while Chiyoko learned much in five years as a ronin, the young woman that spent her entire life as one was all the more skilled for it. She was glad they two were friends and not enemies. "I'll have to congratulate Atsuko-san, next I see her," The ronin commented. 

The topic of Silver-sama and their war was disheartening. "I do not trust them," The ronin said flatly. "They work for their own means, of course, and they have yet to break any of the promises they've made, but I can't help but wonder how long this will be that way. And I don't like the thought of you having to fight their battles for them, either." The woman's frown was clear, a lover's worry clear. "You had better call on me, please. I have no doubts in your ability, but I prefer to be at your side in battle than hear about it later." 

Lastly, the girl. "Ah, Kiyoko, yes? Moshi-sama told me about her. I know you don't care for her, but she spoke very highly of you and that moment. I can't say I wasn't moved at the imagery of you rescuing some poor child, you know. I may have asked her to recite the story a few times, blast my 'poor memory...' The ronin blushed, but shook her head to focus. There wasn't time nor privacy to do such things. "But, I'm so proud of your actions, my love. If the Unicorn take the city and you remain here, it would be in good, just hands." 


||
Carl
"There is nobody in this world who does not work for their means: not even samurai. It is just that our means are more easily understood than those of... Whatever Silver may be."

It was impossible to say just how self-serving their criminal associate truly was. The types that fancied themselves shadowy manipulators were never direct as a general rule, and it was as easy for the type without morals or a code of honor to play whichever tune best suited their purposes at a given point. That was why he forced their hand in the first place. It was easy to ply honeyed words to deceive, but a much harder thing to back those words up action. Whether or not there was actual virtue backing the strange being's intentions, he could not say, but so long as he made his stance clear—that the Unicorn would only provide their valuable assistance so long as they behaved as such—then perhaps the truth of the matter did not matter.

Not so long as Silver still needed them, anyway.

The slightest hint of color filled Masanori's cheeks at his lover's insistence on praise. When put that way, it did sound rather heroic. Of course, when most people found out the child he had labored so hard to rescue had been nothing more than a simple hinin, they would likely find it to be a less glorious feat. It certainly hadn't *Felt* Heroic in the moment. But... If it managed to impress his Chiyoko so, then perhaps it was not so bad to accept praise arising from the act. It might not have made him feel like a pillowbook protagonist at the time, but there was a profound satisfaction to be had in knowing his actions had managed to do some small sliver of genuine good in a city otherwise cloaked in darkness. 

"I can only hope the hinin of the district see it that way. They were nearly led to riot by the Isawa's callousness. Shinjo Inadoma-san managed to calm them with promises of justice while I spirited the girl away for aid. They may be the lowest of the low, but they are essential to the running of this city: the streets would overflow with filth and bodies by week's end if they were to rise in rebellion."

A soft sigh followed. Like so many mistakes made by clans other than his own, cleaning up the mess fell upon his shoulders.

"I intend to extend some kind of aid to them in the weeks to come, once things have settled and I can leverage my ties with some of the other clans. It is far harder for the Scorpion to raise objections to efforts led by a coalition, as opposed to just the Unicorn."

It occurred to him only then that he had taken much of the space between them with his own words. Such was the way of it when he found himself with Chiyoko. The comfort her presence provided tended to loosen his tongue.

"But what of you? Surely you have not been hiding in your room folding tiny unicorns in my absence."

||
Carmen
"The hinin are much more forgiving than any Samurai." Chiyoko pondered the best way to word her thoughts, never being good at such things. "That is to say, there are wise Samurai that look at all the angles of a problem, but many do not. The peasantry tend to remember those that do the right thing, and value merit over status or anything else. As long as they are fed, that is. Traveling as much as I did in the last five years, I've learned that villagers fear the ronin they don't know, but they'll remember fondly the ones that aided them. I'm sure word's gotten around about you saving that girl, and the hinin? They'll remember that. Just as much as they'll remember the Isawa that maimed her."

It was good to hear that aid was coming to the hinin, in some shape or form, and it was a good move for the Unicorn to make as a whole. "Wise thinking," Chiyoko praised. "You should speak with Moshi Fujiko about this; her clinic is free to the peasantry, and she would be eager to help as much as she could, no doubt. I'd probably go with her for protection, so we may see each other sooner than later." Wishful thinking, honestly. And not much of a date, unless they got dinner afterwards. 

The ronin furrowed her brow when she was teased about her little unicorns. "I just needed the practice," She lied, slightly pouting. "Unicorns are just the most _complicated_ shape to make." She crossed her arms, but her protest surrendered rather quickly. 

"...I have been busy," She explained, "But not near as dangerously as yourself. Mai-sama has kept me close, ever since we broke our ties with the Scorpion. I've had to split my duty of protecting my ambassador with watching Moshi Fujiko as well, in case of retaliation. I wouldn't put it past them, since Bayushi Kaori..." She looked up at her Unicorn, a little sheepishly. "Please, do not get angry, as it's all said and done, but she attempted to attack Moshi Fujiko in the middle of the night. It was a mock attack, mind you! But she technically 'killed' me in the process of my defense. If she wasn't unarmed, I would have cut her down right then and there." Chiyoko gripped her arms tight, but halted herself from getting angry over past events. 

"She said my employer agreed to this, but Mai-sama was adamant that she was under the impression Kaori was going to test my mettle in a spar, not in an ambush against her daughter. The way she almost crushed Fujiko-sama to death in her worried hug told me she wasn't lying. Mai-sama would never put her daughter in harm's way, no matter how thuggish she may be." 

||
Carl
The warmth in Masanori's cheeks had been from a rare showing of bashfulness at first. It may have remained that way, had his lover's tale stopped at only the mention of her duties. He could never fault her for adhering to her vow to the Mantis and protecting Mosh Fujiko who, by all accounts, was a kind young woman worthy of defending. But she continued beyond that and described the actions of an unfortunately familiar Scorpion. The heat he felt shifted from that of embarrassment to anger as he listened to her telling of events. 

It was unacceptable. A *Mock* Attack on the daughter of an ambassador? Where she *Pretended* To kill her bodyguard—the woman he loved—in the attempt? The little whore could paint it however she pleased, but he saw it for what it was.

"I do not doubt Moshi-san's claim, much as I have made my distaste for the woman and her methods known. With that timing? Bayushi Kaori doubtlessly meant to send a message with her little stunt: that she is neither incapable nor unwilling to threaten Moshi-san's family if the political situation degrades further."

And in doing so, threaten Chiyoko's life. The very thought set him alight. That the feeling was not unfamiliar only made to worsen his rage. He had been hundreds of miles away and a decade younger when a Scorpion's blade nearly stole Kazuko from him. It was only by the mercy of the Fortunes themselves that she had managed to survive the encounter, lessened by it though she was. He had been powerless to help his older sister, a boy of fourteen at the edge of the world who learned of the attempt days after the fact.

He was a boy no longer. He would not allow the scum that profaned the very word *Samurai* With their existence to steal another from him. To even *Attempt* To steal them. 

"Do not lower your guard around that woman. No matter how much she plays at being an ally or a friend. If she so much as looks at your strangely, you tell me and I'll, I'll——"

He only realized his grip had tightened when cold filled his knuckles in place of blood. The fury that burned within his eyes disappeared behind weary lids. A centering breath later, he reopened them, as steely as they had ever been.

"I will see the problem solved. Permanently so."

||
Carmen
"Masanori..." 


Chiyoko looked distressed. She shouldn't have brought up that night, and as soon as she spoke of it she felt that sensation of sheer regret. She gently gripped his arms, trying to find a way to quell that fury in his eyes. Admittedly, she shamefully enjoyed it; to think a man could be so incensed on her behalf, a lowly ronin like her... But, she couldn't let her lover's night be ruined. 

"Masanori." Her hands gripped his arms a little tighter, and she looked up, trying to get him look into her eye for a moment. "Please, calm your heart. I love that you're angry for me. Just as I was angry on your behalf. But please, not tonight." Gently, she moved her hand to his, and guided it to rest on her heart. "Bayushi Kaori was arrested, if the rumors are to be believed. According to what I've learned, she was treated like a common criminal, locked in a cell. She will be punished, no doubt about that. And because of that and what she told Mai-sama, my liege broke off the alliance, along with other things. Because of the Scorpion and their foolishness... I get to be closer to you than ever." 

Chiyoko smiled, a little, crooked, but earnest smile. "I love that you would defend my honor, beloved Masanori, but you cannot deal with her. If anyone will deal with her... It will be me. I told her myself; the next time she raises a blade to me or the ones I care about, I'll kill her. Besides, you can't show your hand like that. If people found out you went after her for this, knowing how much you despise Mai-sama, they'll start to think more about it all. And the last thing I want is for your life to get more difficult." 

She pressed his hand firmly against her chest, so he could feel her heart pulse within. "So, save your rage, Masanori. She got me once, never again. Besides, some good came of it." Chiyoko chuckled, a little scoff. "Mai-sama has been a lot nicer to me. I got a raise for taking the 'deadly blow' for her daughter, and said she loved me deeply for my service... Or, I think that's what she said. She was crying quite a bit and Fujiko-sama was groaning about the death grip..."

||
Carl
Masanori's rage still burned. It was a palpable thing, a poignant reminder of the need to master himself such that the blaze within could not be allowed to lick at the world around him. Chiyoko's words of comfort were a sweet thing, and he appreciated them for what they were, but the nagging worry, the indignity was not so easily quenched. He knew his lover to be a ferocious warrior and skilled sword besides, but so did the Scorpion. That was why they conducted their battles as they did. They could not win honorably, so they cast aside their morals and struck in the night, be it in a city garden or a noble's tent. 

"I would happily let them know, let them cluck and gossip, if it meant keeping you safe," It felt unbecoming, to admit how much she meant to him in so few words, but in the safety of Chiyoko's humble quarters, in their private little world, he did not care, "You matter more to me than the whispers of some sniveling paper-mites."

As his fingers rested on his lover's chest, he bid that the fires retreat. He could not turn back time and place himself between her and the Bayushi that meant to vex her. To torture himself over it would do no good. Allowing the Scorpion to taint any more of his night with their schemes only furthered their foul cause, and distracted him from the tender moments he had yearned for all night. His fingers traced upwards, feeling the lines of her collarbone and the softness of her throat as they made their way back to cup Chiyoko's jaw. With effort, his expression softened.

"I am glad it led to Moshi-san coming to value you as you deserve if nothing else."

Masanori's thumb ran thoughtfully across her cheek as he considered what else could be spoken of to replace such a disdainful topic. There was plenty to choose from, though surrounded by papercraft as they were, his thoughts drifted towards a matter whispered of in the afterglow of one of their more intimate nights together.

"What became of your letter to your family? Were you able to see it sent to the Mirumoto lands without difficulty?"

It had been a topic of great consternation for his beloved, and he had encouraged her to find her nerve and send the missive all the same. Whether she had done so or received a response in kind, he could not say. But he would weather the storm with her regardless, just as he had promised those many weeks before. 

||
Carmen
Breath caught in Chiyoko's throat at Masanori's claim. Surely, it was just a man speaking romantically, not the truth... And yet, not once had he lied to her. She felt herself unable to keep her eye on him, far too bashful at the proclamation. He meant it. He would risk his honor on her. It really shouldn't surprise her, and yet she found herself shocked and feeling warm in the cheeks. She couldn't speak, and only nodded so the man knew his lover had heard him, and understood. 

Gently led to look back at him by the cupping of the cheek, she managed to smile, hoping it would help calm the Unicorn. Luckily, the change of topic _definitely_ would, especially when he saw the way her eye went wide with surprise. "Oh! Yes, how could I forget about that?!" The ronin broke the closeness, hurrying over to her desk. "After speaking to you, I was still rather scared of the prospect, but a fellow ronin named Atsuko-san urged me to go, and went as far as to come with me to the Dragon Embassy. And when I got there..." 
Chiyoko returned to Masanori's side, presenting a letter, refolded and well-cared for. "My mother, Mirumoto Chikako... She wrote to _me._ She's been sending letters out to all the major cities, hoping it may find me. She _wants_ to know me, Masa-kun." Chiyoko was smiling, but it was clear she was trying not to get too emotional over it all. "I never would have guessed, but she really, truly, cares for me. Please, take a look!" 

||
Carl
There was a lingering moment of doubt when Chiyoko voiced her journey to the embassy. A time when Masanori braced himself for the bad news to follow. That they had not allowed her into the grounds. That there was no contact to speak of. Perhaps worst than either, there *Was* Word from her parents, but it was nothing less than the scorn they had shown her when they cast her out as an exile. 

That doubt melted away as his beloved returned to his side, and with it a tension in his shoulders that he had not quite realized he held. The smile on her face was infectious even before the carefully kept parchment was handed off to him. With all the delicacy of a father handling a newborn babe, he unfolded the letter and let his eyes drift down the page. The words within were... Warm. Warmer than most all of the letters his mother had sent him over the years, certainly. The news itself was less than ideal of course. Her father's ailing health was nothing to celebrate, even if the reason attributed to it was the strain of having lost a child he still held love for. Perhaps the burden on his heavy heart would yet be lifted.

"This is wonderful, my love," Masanori's hand came to rest on the small of Chiyoko's back as he finished reading the heartfelt missive, offering it back to her with his other once he had committed the last words to memory, "They seem eager to hear from you in return. Have you thought to write them a letter in return? I can only imagine all the things you wish to tell them."

||
Carmen
Chiyoko was eager for Masanori to finish the letter, so she could both put it back for safekeeping, and also gush about the contents some more. "Isn't it? She even sent me some koku, though I hardly need it. But, the fact that she would do so means so much to- wait, if she's been sending these out randomly, some bastard has been pocketing my mother's coin! Such a coward will have to face me when-" 

The zealous ronin realized how emotional she was getting. It was easier to be unmasked in front of Masanori, but she didn't want to be completely unhinged, either. Thankfully, his question got snuck in there, and it was able to calm down the fiery Chiyoko. 

"Oh, yes. I wrote her back immediately, as soon as I finished reading her letter. I told her everything. That I missed her and father, that I wish my sweet little brother good fortune, I told her my journey, and who I've seen, what I've done. What I failed to do, all of it. 

"I... Spoke of you." She blushed, tapping the tips of her fingers together. "I didn't use your name, of course. I wouldn't want to make you trouble. But, I told her that I love you. And that you were kind to me, and that you were like a gentle war stallion and I was your stubborn goat that gave you companionship... Don't tell anyone that last part, or else." Chiyoko chuckled, and hesitated for a moment. "I... Also told her that I intend to regain my family name. I joined the Iaijutsu tournament the Crane are putting on. Duelists from all over the realm will be there, and I intend to defeat every one of them until all that stands above is myself and Niten. I'm hoping that, if I can prove myself against the best in the realm, it may just show Father and the Dragon that I can control my fury, and I can honor my ancestors and the technique passed down our line. 

"And... Maybe, if they give me back my name... I could... Well..." Chiyoko was beyond flustered, and her face was turning red. "Do... Do you think, if I was in good standing... Could... Would your family...

"Um. Let me marry you?"
Carl
Masanori listened intently as his love explained all that she had done. That she had spoken of him in her letter was... An interesting thing to hear. Not that he particularly opposed the idea—though hearing that she referred to him as a *Stallion* To her mother caused his cheeks to darken slightly—but because he considered just how difficult doing the very same would be for him. How could he possibly explain his relationship with Chiyoko to his mother? He had never known her to be a particularly gentle soul. Not when he was still young enough to warrant such treatment and certainly not decades later as a man grown. 

Would she understand the love he felt for his ferocious little mountain goat? Would she even bother to chastise him? Or would he simply be drawn away from the city and stationed far from the object of his affection, an exile in all but name for daring to besmirch their family's impeccable honor. It was impossible to say. If there was mercy in Utaku Reika's heart, the fact that he had not already been exchanged to another family or clan as part of a marriage pact had surely exhausted long ago. For how much longer he would even enjoy such mercy was a matter of debate as well: Kazuko made the authority their mother entrusted her with very clear when she arrived in the city. 

His darkening thoughts nearly took him away from Chiyoko's tale, but he kept himself attentive throughout. Her plan to conquer the city's iaijutsu competition to prove herself worthy of her name was an ambitious one to be sure, but not one that seemed out of place for her. It was her fiery nature that drew him to her in the first place, and he expected nothing less. What he did *Not* Expect was for the topic of conversation to suddenly shift towards the very thing he had struggled to pry his mind away from moments before.

"I..."

His expression hardened somewhat. How could he express his thoughts when faced with such an earnest, flustered face before him? How could he explain his misgivings without horribly wounding the woman he cared for so deeply?

"I cannot say for certain. My mother, she is a... Difficult woman. All the women in my family are difficult at times, truthfully. It often feels as though she sees me more as a subordinate than a son. As such, the subject of marriage has rarely arisen between us. I could not say whether her leniency in finding a bride is out of some respect for my desires—such that I might find a suitable bride of my own choosing—or to simply secure a superior match in the future."

It was an unsatisfactory answer for an unsatisfactory situation. For all his fearlessness in battle, Masanori could not shake the sinking feeling in his stomach. That it would disappoint Chiyoko. Perhaps worse, it would crush her hopes and discourage her from that line of thinking. He couldn't forgive himself if that were the case. She had opened herself up to him and expressed such a beautifully innocent desire. 

He had to make himself known. For what felt like the hundredth time that evening he reached to seize his lover's hands and thread his fingers through her own. Holding them with all the tenderness he could muster the Utaku boldly locked his gaze with her own.

"But in that, I speak of my family and not myself. Nothing would make me happier than marrying you, Chiyoko, and nothing could stop me from seizing the opportunity to make you my wife. Even if I had to move heaven and earth to see it done—I would do so without hesitation. I love you too much not to try."

||
Carmen
The look on Masanori's face said it all. He really was a kind man, to even bother to try and find the best thing to say. Chiyoko's eye drifted away, looking over at the many unicorns on her desk, trying to focus... Elsewhere. 

She really was stupid, wasn't she? She really had been a cocky fool to just blurt out such a thing to demand an answer. Something that she _knew_ he couldn't answer, nor could he just ignore. The games the heart played were cruel, at times, and crueler still when one was the person making the move. 

As he spoke, she just listened. Naturally, his answer was careful. Not a yes, not a no. A maybe was just as potent as a no, in the ronin's mind, and she was more than ready to assume a no, over a yes. And of course, an Utaku male was in a precarious position that most women found themselves in, depending on the family. 

But, just as Chiyoko had thought just a moment ago, Masanori was very kind. And when he declared that he would do whatever it takes to win her hand, she believed him. He would. _If_ it was up to him. If only.

"You, Utaku Masanori," Chiyoko said, "Are very kind." She smiled, looking back at him, and she pressed her lips to his. "I'm sorry for asking that. It was wrong to do that. There are no promises in this world other than death. Not even love holds that power." She rested her head on his chest, and took a deep breath. "I will never ask something like that of you again. Seeing you try to find a way to spare my heart... I love it, but it is a greedy thing to take. So... Just, rest easy, good man. I'll just have to find the answer myself. I'll duel the horde itself if I have to, but you _will_ be mine." She tightened her grip on his clothes, as if to let go was to lose him forever. 

"Now... Maybe I can siege _you._ The music is loud, and they're heavy in drink. A perfect time to move against you, don't you think?" 

||
Carl
When he was still but a boy, Batuhan would often tease him about his empathetic nature. He was a bleeding heart in a world where there was no such room for it, the rough-and-tumble Moto would insist. Perhaps there was some level of truth to it. Masanori had been the one to so carefully deflect his lover's innocent request, yet the weight of it seemed to hang heavier on him than it did her. Perhaps it was for the best that it remained so. The only thing worse than reconciling with the reality of their love's uncertain future was knowing it ate at her as it did him.

Her gestures brought him comfort all the same. The softness of her kiss, and the feeling of her head against his chest... And the suggestions that followed her tight embrace. The Utaku could not help but offer her a small, conspiratorial smile, his eyes growing smoky as he rumbled in response.

"Hmhm... That sounds like a wonderful idea, my love," His hands drifted their way down across her sides, fingers enjoying the softness of the garment she wore so well, "I must confess: since I first laid eyes on this evening, I have not been able to draw my thoughts away from your outfit. The only thing I have wanted to do more than admire how beautiful you look in it is to peel it off and savor what is beneath."

As was his way, Masanori allowed his hands to demonstrate his desire, gliding around to tug at the knot of her obi while he craned his neck to pepper his beloved with kisses, from cheek to chin and lower still. He could not yet call her his bride, but that did not mean the passion he held for her—the desire he felt—was any lesser for it. 

"Let me make good on my word tonight, my love. Let me demonstrate my *Sincerity* And treat you as I would my wife."

``` Scene ```

||