Tales of Okame {TheDragonMoon x Sepulchritude}

[TheDragonMoon]

After Kuro rang the gold bell, the waiter thankfully came over in a matter of mere seconds. She opened her mouth to order, but it seemed the Kuro was even hunger than her and beat her to it. After he ordered, Akegata asked for a roasted boar dish covered in a special Binao berry sauce, which was considered a delicacy many places worldwide and she had meant to try it for a while now. Her mouth salivated as she sat there waiting for the feast that was soon to come.

Kuro went off his cup to get it filled with some tea or such, and Akegata watched him passively as he went off. This had been the first time that he been off with his mask and he looked different than she had amazed - more younger and gentle looking. She felt that even still she knew barely anything about him at all (was Kuro even his real name?). But she would be patient. Akegata twisted the nozzle open at one of the many caskets of sake that were on the table, filling her porcelain cup to the brink. She took a sip and closed her eyes, feeling the warmth going through her body and easing her tense muscles. Time to enjoy the night.

Akegata started to make small, relaxed talk with the people around her. It was nicer talking to people who weren't always so guarded like Kuro. It was so pleasant. She filled her cup to the brink again, took another gulp and laughed as Karsa, a hunter from the Bansai region told her of a hunting trip that went wrong when she shoot her partner in the butt, him being as ugly as the monsters that she was hunting.

Then Kuro came again. By this time, she was already on her third cup and already considering going for a fourth. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes when she saw a super serious look in his eyes. Couldn't they just avoid a tragedy for one night? Was that really so hard?

"What is it now?" she asked impatiently.

“Uh... Akegata, you should probably see this.”

Without another word, Kuro reached out of his pocket and showed her the Shotodan emblem. Akegata knew that she feel shock or concern, but at this point she was too apathetic and worn to care. What did this even mean - was he a spy for Shotodan all along? No, that didn't make any sense. He must have snatched it off somebody else. He definitely was the sneaky, thieving type.

"Alright," she sighed. "Can we at least eat before we worry about anymore shit? I think we will be fine, let's just take it easy right now. Okay?"

"Yeah, that sound likes the perfect idea..." she mumbled to herself.

Seriously, there was no immediate concern, so they should be fine. She just wouldn't do anything too crazy. She continued to talk with the people around her and let Kuro fade into the background. He should really have some sake too; they had quite a good batch here.

 

[Sepulchritude]

~​

Now that she mentioned it, eating definitely sounded a lot more palatable than anything else. “Good call.” said Kuro, and gave the paper a final nervous glance over before putting it into a pocket and out of his mind.
“So, when do you think our food-” “Your luncheon is served, master and madam!” interrupted a booming waiter, gracefully sliding the platters to their hungry owners. Kuro very nearly jumped for joy, but settled for a small arm-pump instead.

The Choral-Lancer was a formidable dish, in that it was just as sharp as it was massive. Dual horns protruded from the prow of the scowling fish, easily capable of gutting prey in a flash; However, with their owner now resting upon the dining table, the razor-sharp spikes would now serve a different purpose.
Taking firm hold of a horn's blunt base, Kuro had only to tug slightly before a convenient knife was in his possession. A few judicious cuts later and the ninja was happily stuffing himself on sweet, tender flesh. Pausing for breath, he looked over at his partner, just as occupied with her own meal. “Save the nose for last,” he piped up. “Trust me, it's...” a pause, while he searched for a suitably opulent word. “Sublime. A sublime dessert.” That would do.
His breath recovered, Kuro prepared to return to his meal, but something felt off. He was having that feeling again. The feeling that someone was looking a little too hard.
In a strangely dark corner was a table he didn't remember being occupied a second ago. Its cloaked residents sat in silence, intently gazing at their menus, looking for all the world like people trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. One head snuck a quick glance at Kuro, who casually waved back. The head tried to pretend that didn't happen.
Kuro rolled his eyes. If the team wanted to act like a bunch of amateurs, that was their business. He elected to ignore the unwelcome audience and went back to his fillet.

A few minutes later and the fish had vanished, along with his hunger. Kuro let out a sigh and reclined on the mat, satisfied.
“You done yet, Akegata?” he lazily intoned, too full to get up and look. Her name was actually a bit of a mouthful, now that he thought about it. "Uh, is it okay if I call you Ake?"

 

[TheDragonMoon]

She was grateful that he decided to go along with her idea. If there was going to be a fight, it would be best to at least have a full stomach during it. Although there was a deep pit inside of her stomach now, the feeling that she got when being observed, Akegata decided to that she would be able to ignore for know. Akegata knew this might not be the best idea, but all she really wanted was to enjoy herself a little. Most days in her life had a taint of stress, so if she could try to forget all of that even for a split moment, she would be happy.

The food came quicker than she had expected. The presentation was gorgeous too. Stacked on a silver plate was the glistening boar, with a thin layer of gold wrap around its edges and covered in the most beautiful glistening red Binao berry she had ever seen. She could tell that the meat had been carefully roasted all throughout, the boar's skin transitioning gradually from dark brown on the edges to a light golden brown on the top. She wanted to cry tears of happiness just looking at it. Taking another sip of her drink and starting to dig her way through the meal, all problems were quickly forgotten.

Fifteen minutes later, after a flurry of delicious food eaten and another drink and a half downed, she had finished. She sat back, savoring the dance of sweet and savory that still remained on her tongue. She could die happy now. Kuro had finished a little bit before, and now he was saying something to her. It took her a moment to tune into him.

"You done yet, Akegata?” he asked her. "Uh, is it okay if I call you Ake?"

"Mmm yeah. And I don't mind," she replied. "So, what's going on now? You sound slightly concerned. Can't we all just relax for a little bit longer?"

She had been so busy eating that she hadn't even had any time to talk to the people around her. There must be somebody her with interesting tales to share and information to spread. There were problem many. She made eye contact with a dark brown haired guy sitting across from her, a couple seats to her left. She gave a shy smile and he smiled back. He looked like he had been in quite a few battles, with scars lying his face and broad shoulders. A sword with a tiger crest was strapped onto his back.

"Hello there," he called out to her. "How are you doing this evening?"

She leaned forward slightly and said, "I'm doing quite good. They have some amazing food here don't they? But I have to ask, where are you heading? Where do you see your adventures taking you next?"

In the back of her mind, she recognized that Kuro was saying something to her, something more urgent than this conversation. There was also movement behind her, but she decided that it couldn't be anything that important. She was enjoying talking to the guy that she had just met. But as the nagging grew at the back of her mind, Akegata knew she wouldn't be able to stay ignorant for much longer...

 

[Sepulchritude]

~​

He appreciated her trying to put him off edge, but with an empty stomach no longer an issue, his mind had returned to the troubling mission ahead. For such a drastic course of action, they had had almost no time to work out any plan whatsoever. Akegata's hesitation was understandable, but the longer they went without a plan the more worried he became.
And he was about to tell her as much before someone cut him out. Kuro nearly gave the offender a death glare, but Akegata, as always, was happy to engage. The ninja was left silent on the floor.

His companion's open attitude surprised him, but then again a lot of things about her had been surprising. She was so outgoing for someone with so much to hide. Kuro had met only a few Kuji artists in his travels, and every last one of them was no less guarded than he. Interaction was short, filled with nervous sideways glances and tense, awkward silences. If neither of them fled on sight, that is.
Akegata was such a radical departure from those scared, cowering few. He wasn't sure if he should admire her bravery or condemn it. Perhaps he'd settle for both.

Kuro suddenly realized the room had become very, very quiet. Heavy footsteps were marching directly towards them, the sound of plate metal and loose weapons unmistakable.
Kuro knew exactly who was coming. Kuro knew that relaxation was no longer an option.
“Ake, listen to me very, very closely.” he whispered, trying to suppress his panic. “We need to leave immediately. Don't ask why. We need to go, now.”
She did not hear him. “Ake...” he said, a little louder and a little more urgent. Her conversation drowned him out again.
“Ake!”
Distractedly, she refocused on him. Too late.

“You are under arrest by order of the Shotodan.”. A massive blade was at his throat. Its owner glared down at him, flanked by her armored compatriots. She held out a free hand and received a hefty set of handcuffs.
“Crimes: Theft from a high ranking Captain. Compromising of critical operations. You will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Hold out your hands. And give me my wallet back.”
A trickle of cold sweat ran down his neck. Silently he cursed his carelessness, along with his tragic inability to vanish at will.
“Okay.” he said, gulping. “You got me.”
Slowly he reached for the jacket under the table; The samurai immediately reached for the guns at their side. “Don't try it.” growled the captain. Kuro held up a hand in surrender, and retrieved the wallet in the other. His captor tore it away in an instant.
She flipped it open and began rummaging through its folds. “If I find a single coin has been spent, I will see your sentence increased tenfold.” she said in a tone that bordered on murderous.
Kuro noted her flushed cheeks, unbefitting of someone so proud. But if he had all his money and secret documents snatched by some no-name urchin, he couldn't imagine his pride remaining intact either. He almost came close to feeling bad about what he was about to do. Almost.
The only thing the captain had found within the wallet was a small, metal orb that she clearly did not remember owning before. She snarled, fury burning in her eyes as she raised her sword for a fatal blow... but was interrupted as the orb exploded in her palm, sending cascading plumes of noxious smoke in every direction.
It was time to make his exit. Perhaps, in the future, his missteps would catch up to him. But that day was not today.

 

[TheDragonMoon]

Akegata quickly realized why Kuro had been trying to get her attention so urgently. A group of Shotodan guards had approached upon them and were confronting Kuro. For what, she had no idea, but even in her current state she knew that she should try to be invisible. They would easily be able to sniff her out if she so much gave an odd glance at them. They had their specialized, highly secretive techniques to detect a Kuji user.

Her blood ran cold when she heard that Kuro was under arrest. A flush of shame rushed upon her cheeks. What had she been doing this entire evening? Now her only partner was going to be dragged off to who knows where to rot for several years, all because she felt the need to drink her troubles away. Akegata had ignored her situation and purposely become ignorant, defying all her training. She vowed to never do such a thing ever again, but that wouldn't matter much if she was arrested too this evening, which was highly possible. They were practically close enough for her to feel their breath.

At finding out that this entire ordeal had been for a wallet, she swallowed the urge to punch him right then. At least she hadn't been the only once to mess up this evening. It was no excuse for how she had been behaving, but it took a little bit of the pain away. Kuro, if you were going to steal something, please be more careful about it, she screamed in her head.

She heard him give back the wallet, and her stomach continued to sink ever lower. This was the end of the road. Her first real partner to be snatched away. She of course could try to form a plan to break him free, but that would be extremely risky with the amount of security they would most likely put around his cell. It wouldn't be much use if they were both held captive.

Then, chaos sprang forth when a small bomb exploded. Akegata gave a thin smile; she should have know that Kuro would always have a trick up his sleeve at the last minute. But now, there was no time to spare and he would likely be executed if they were to get a hold of him now. It was time to get the hell out of here.

Kuro and Akegata made a mad dash for the stairs amidst the crowd of confused yelling and running people. When they got to the staircase, though their first instinct was to go up, Akegata stopped, realizing they would be too easily found there.

"Come on, the downstairs is even more like a maze than the upper deck. If we go down deep enough, they will never be able to find us. Let's go!" she hollered at him, careful to not be too loud for the pursuers to hear.

They went down the stairs, descending a story per minute. They went down much deeper than Akegata had been the time she explored. As they went down the floors, the atmosphere became moister and smellier, with the lavish decorations from the upper floors long gone. Once they got to a floor that had a plain wooden floor and rooms without doors stretching both ways, she pulled at his sleeve to stop. This should do. She wondered what all the rooms were used for - she could smell a peculiar stench fill the floor. But it mattered not. At this point, they should pick a room and be happy with it.

"Next time I would appreciate if you could not make enemies out of some of the most dangerous people in the world. That would be lovely. And I apologize for how I was acting this evening too. I know I'm part to blame for this situation. Now, let's find some place we can hide," she whispered irritably to him. She already missed the taste of the drink and the warmth that the dining hall carried.