Her finger continued tracing circles along the rim of her teacup, her eyes remaining on Jyuuzou as she watched for his reactions to her proposal. His gaze had dropped down to rest on the seashell patterns on his cup, his face virtually unreadable as he considered. Kaleissa could not say for certain what was going on in the man's head, but she had a pretty good guess: for Jakuuzoku and Sabakujin alike, the issue of trust was always a concern. Her Sabakujin comrades had always placed a great deal of significance on loyalty, and it had taken several months of living and fighting alongside them before they truly considered her one of the group. As for the Jakuuzoku...well, there were very good reasons why Jakuu had a bad reputation in that regard after all. Individual Jakuuzoku varied, of course, but Kaleissa had to concede that the apprehension that people of other kingdoms held towards Jakuuzoku were legitimate.<br/><br/>At last the stalemate ended, Jyuuzou lifting the cup to his lips for another mouthful of tea. Kaleissa followed his example, raising her own cup and taking a sip. She made a murmur of appreciation, surprised by the taste; the flavor was light and delicate, with just a bit of a kick from the spices that had been infused. The shop, and particularly the old proprietor running it, certainly deserved its reputation.<br/><br/><span style="color: gold">"You may do as you see fit with the last wish. This one...only has but one desire, after all."</span><br/><br/>Distracted by the tea, Kaleissa quickly turned her attention back to her companion to see a rare expression of pain and longing on his face. His gaze, though appearing to meet her own, seemed distant, as if what he saw was not merely his own reflection in her eyes but something far beyond instead. It was a look that she had seen before, in the eyes of some of the older members of the warband; the girl could never be certain what triggered it, but she had always been too scared to ask. Somehow, she suspected that this was something that could not be understood by an outsider. Now, as it had then, seeing that particular expression left her with an uncomfortable feeling in her heart. The moment passed quickly though, as Jyuuzou erased all traces of weakness from his face and adopted a more troubled expression instead.<br/><br/><span style="color: gold">"You may consider this Jyuuzou to be in agreement with what you have proposed. But...how does this one know that he can trust you, <span style="font-style: italic">'jou-chan</span>? Of course, this one also considers himself trustworthy...but who wouldn't state as such in a circumstance like this one?"</span><br/><br/>The two stared at each other briefly, each person studying and analyzing the other. Kaleissa broke eye contact first, dropping her gaze to the table as she contemplated how best to respond. It was as she had suspected; there had simply not been enough time for any sort of trust to develop. Since she herself remained wary of Jyuuzou, it was far too much to ask for him not to feel the same way about her. Especially when she had casually executed (<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="color: violet">'Getting rid of trash isn't murder,'</span></span>she firmly told herself) that conman in the middle of the main street not long ago.<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="color: violet">'In retrospect, perhaps that wasn't the best idea...I should have been more subtle. Maybe poison?'</span></span><br/><br/>Putting her introspection out of her mind for the time being, Kaleissa considered how to proceed. It was clear that an alliance would be almost impossible between the two of them if they could not settle this issue now; even though she was born in a place where a knife in the back was commonplace, it was precisely for that reason that she had chosen not to stay in Jaskreim in the first place. But aside from proving herself over time through her actions, Kaleissa really was not sure how else to demonstrate trustworthiness. Maya she trusted because they were blood sisters, and while family ties did not mean typically much in Jakuu, she liked to believe that they were close. Andreios she trusted because they had been together long enough to be family, and she loved him like an older sister could not help but love a moody little brother. As for the only other people she trusted, those in her warband, that was trust built on blood spilt.<span style="color: violet"><span style="font-style: italic">'Blood...'</span></span><br/><br/>Her right hand reached into one of the pouches at her belt, drawing out the small knife she used to cut herbs. The metal gleamed dully; the blade was old, but painstakingly cared for, polished to a shine and as sharp as it had been the day she had received it. There was a hint of self-mocking amusement in her smile and in her tone, but her eyes as they looked into Jyuuzou's own told him that she was completely serious.<br/><br/><span style="color: violet">"The Jakuuzoku do not believe in promises, so let us do this the Sabakujin way."</span><br/><br/>Without hesitation, she drew the edge across the palm of her left hand, and held her arm out between them, fingers curled into a fist. A thin line of crimson trickled down, stark red against her pale skin, as several drops splashed into the cup in front of Jyuuzou. If Jyuuzou agreed to take in her blood, and vice versa, he would then 'share' blood with her, effectively making the two of them kin until the end of their agreement. For the Sabakujin who valued the Clan above all else, this was a pact that developed from the southern clans for when Sabakujin from different clans traveling abroad needed to fight together. The Sabakujin members of her war band had all exchanged vows of this sort, though none of the Jakuuzoku members were ever invited to participate; the meaning was not quite the same for Jakuuzoku who had no Clan loyalty to begin with. Still, this was the only thing that Kaleissa could think of. Her gaze was steady as she placed the blade on the table between them, hilt facing towards him.<br/><br/><span style="color: violet">"To you, I pledge my bow, my blade, and my body. From the moment my blood flows in your veins, and your blood flows in mine, until the moment we have obtained the artifact we seek, when the third and final wish has been made…"</span>A faint blush colored her cheeks; Kaleissa had never realized how embarrassing the words were until now, when she finally said them for the first time herself.<span style="color: violet">"I will give you everything."</span>