[Graded] Nothing Stays Buried

[Willoria]

When Ume had gotten home from the mission, after debriefing of course, she had simply taken a quick shower and gone straight to bed. She had slept most of the day away and woken up to a list of chores needing done. She felt groggy and a little out of it still, even as she had managed to go down before a couple of her favorite stores had closed for the evening to pick up items for a meal. She knew Jinsai would be by. She had made a comment about there being more to know about her, and she knew he wasn't the type to just let a statement like that go.

She had gotten to know enough about him by this point to know that much.

She also knew he'd probably arrive around dinner time. She had picked out a meal and a good sake, kept it chilled. This time dinner she set up in her living room. The night was a bit chillier than last time and so she had her fireplace going. In front of it was a low table with two places set facing the fire and cushions to sit at on the floor at the table. She had avoided the formality of her dining room knowing the conversation was going to be awkward enough. By time she was expecting the knock her bamboo steamer was already going, as was some food sizzling away in the kitchen.

The girl herself was actually wearing a long pair of loose black sweatpants and an ill-fitting black t-shirt that was large enough to barely cling to her. Her blue hair was loose down her back. Her appearance was rough, clearly just comfortable but not showing much in the way of skin as she answered the door. "You really are always in time for food aren't you."

[TyDie]

Ume had figured Jinsai out very fast it seemed; she predicted his movements to the letter. After debriefing with the village, he had gone home, showered and gone to sleep. He woke up in time to stop by a store and procure a gift for the woman, then made his way over to her house. She had said the night before that she had more to tell, but not there and not then. Well, this was neither then nor there, and in his mind that meant it was time to talk about it. Such was Jinsai's way; he didn't like to leave things hanging for very long, he'd rather just get the dialogue out there so it can be discussed and understood. And so, he strode through the village streets, his Sansetsukon stored away in holster as always.

However, unlike usual, his clothing was a bit more relaxed. He wore a simple pair of black silk pants and a white t-shirt, though he did wear a black and gold yukata overtop of it and his hair was slicked back. A simple pair of black tabi for footwear instead of traditional dress shoes, and his relaxed get up was complete. As he got to the woman's house, a small bag held in his right hand, he gave a short series of knocks on Ume's door. And a moment later, the blue haired Akari answered, in a much more relaxed outfit than he had on. "A simple coincidence I assure you, although I'll admit to it being a happy coincidence for me. I bring a gift, may I come in?" He'd wait to be invited inside, and give the woman the bag in his right hand. Upon opening it, she'd find a very fine, very expensive, bottle of sake; one of the rarest available in Iwagakure.

[Willoria]

Ume stepped aside and motioned with a hand to invite him in even as she took the offered gift. She was surprised at what she saw upon opening it. "Something this nice, I hope you don't mind if I save it for a special occasion." she remarked as she looked it over. She took it over to the small collection she had in a cabinet and added it to it, to a prominent place towards the top with only one other that was of its like. The other was one left from Koyama's own collection that she had inherited. The other she honestly wasn't sure she would ever drink, not only because of its quality but because of its sentimental value to her. A moment later she returned to the entryway and motioned to the low table in front of the fireplace.

"Coincidence or not, dinner is almost done so you should have a seat, relax. Tonight's sake is a personal favorite, should go well with the meal." she told him. "You may call it a coincidence you know, but I'm starting to think you're just a foodie." she teased as she went back in the foodie and started to plate a couple of things.

[TyDie]

Jinsai gave a single nod in response to her potential use for his sake bottle. "But of course. A spirit like that is meant for truly unique moments in life; Weddings, Promotions, even Funerals. After all, I find it in poor tastes to be so grim and depressed during a funeral. Grief makes perfect sense, but I for one would want my life celebrated more than i'd want my death mourned." Jinsai was pleased that the woman seemed to appreciate the intent of his gift; it was not some swill to be chugged, but a fine rice wine to be savored. In a way, that made it a bit of a test from Jinsai, although he remembered that she had her own store of Sake and knew it's value beyond intoxication. He chided himself for not remembering that, but at least she'd make proper use of it.

Jinsai would turn his nose to the air and give a few sniffs as the smell of cooking wafted through his nose, a satisfied sigh following along with his exhale. "I don't know if i'd go as far as to call myself a 'foodie', but I appreciate a well cooked meal as much as anyone. The thing is, ever since immigrating to Iwa 20 years ago, I've found a sore lack of well cooked food. Forgive me, I've been a bit overcome with your cooking." He hadn't been lying, his arrival during food hours was a coincidence, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to enjoying her cooking again. Moving towards the low table, one look at the table gave him momentary pause. It looked like far more than a dinner set for comrades in arms. "Your table setting is impressive... though it is a tad romantic feeling." Jinsai was a touch uncomfortable with the appearance of the table, though he had grown to expect discomfort around Ume; she might've planned it that way on purpose, knowing her love for making him feel awkward.

[Willoria]

Ume soon came back to the living room and the table carrying a couple of trays and set them out. One of them held pork gyoza, laid out on a bamboo serving tray. The other was another bamboo serving tray but this was a serving of pale white bao with a pink dot on top, signifying the sweet bean paste that would be in the center. As Jinsai remarked on the setting being a bit romantic, Ume paused and looked at it a moment before shrugging. "I guess it kinda looks that way." she admitted. "Though I was aiming for relaxed." she added, motioning to her outfit. "I think it's clear I wasn't going for romantic myself at least. Just comfortable."

She disappeared in the kitchen again and this time returned with a couple of plates. She set them out, each with a serving of white rice and two or three servings of teriyaki salmon displayed with small servings of edamame. "If it helps, we are chaparoned." she said, almost a little too cheerfully as she disappeared again. This time she came back with another cushion, but on this one was Kantai who let out a cheerful sound before being set down between the cushions where Ume and Jinsai would sit.

Ume finally took her seat and set a bowl of greens in front of Kantai for the little spirit rabbit to begin nibbling as she smiled down at her and shrugged at Jinsai. "I did promise her that the next time I summoned her it would be for something that wasn't combat related."

[TyDie]

Jinsai raised an eyebrow as he moved towards the table, the girl's explanation only doing a little to put him at ease. For all he knew, she was setting up for some awkward, embarrassing moment again. But that fear was put to rest completely when he saw her coming out with Kantai, a small smile crossing his face as the little rabbit spirit was seated at the table with them. "Yes I suppose that does help. After all, you can't be too crass in front of your little friend here, can you?" He smirked at the woman as he made his comment, hoping to maybe get the upper hand on her for once. But truth be told, the food before him was far better than this back and forth banter.

"Kantai is always welcome around me Ume. Her presence is never a burden." Jinsai reached across the table to the creature and would stroke her ears lightly a few times before chuckling. "I think the relationship you have with this spirit is just as telling than your relationship with your clanmates, Ume. Forgive the analysis, but I do believe there's still a young girl in there somewhere... I'd like to hear more from her." Jinsai would take a few of the Gyoza off of the table and place them on his dish before popping some of the salmon into his mouth, his eyes fluttering ever so slightly as the flavor filled his mouth.

[Willoria]

Ume rolled her eyes as Jinsai mentioned her not being crass around Kantai. It wasn't that he was right that bothered her, just his need to bring it up. Once all the food was out, and Ume was seated, she took the sake and poured a cup for Jinsai and set it aside, having remembered he both knew and preferred the traditions around sake service as well. She knew he wouldn't be happy if she didn't leave it for him to pour her cup as well. Of course, as she served herself a bit of her own food and made sure Kantai had plenty of greens, he went on to his own analysis and the woman couldn't help rolling her eyes.

"It really is amazing." she said with a heavy sigh, sounding more than a little perturbed at his statements. "The mental gymnastics you'll put yourself through just to convince yourself an Akari can't possibly be human, we all have to be monsters." She shook her head and looked at him a moment. "I get that you hate our traditions, you think of us as barbarians. Yet you know of at least one that can cook, that can appreciate the taste of a good sake, that can present a fine meal and I can even hold my tongue when called for it in front of specific company... but no you want to dice all that done into some inner child crap instead of just admitting that I'm human. No you have to see me as some kind of monster, that any half decent quality is, at best, some inner child mumbo jumbo."

Ume sighed and shook her head, looking at Kantai a moment. "Of course I'm no more than a child to you, I can't possibly be more complex than that." she scoffed, making a tense sound through her teeth.

[TyDie]

Jinsai enjoyed the taste of the woman's sake, properly poured according to tradition, the slight burn of the alcoholic beverage warming his stomach as it flowed down his throat. Yet, as he went to take a bite of one of his Gyoza, the man paused as Ume spoke. He placed his food back on his plate and set his chopsticks down, his eyes focused on Ume as she spoke and his ears perked up. The woman went on with an analysis of her own, dissecting his observation and the underlying implications of it. And when she was done, Jinsai looked to Kansai a moment, as if thinking on a response. With a small sigh and a bow of his head, he began.

"You're... absolutely right. It wasn't my intent to offend, and yet how could you not be offended by my subconscious infantilization of who you are? How could you not be upset by me dehumanizing you in such a way, or by stereotyping your entire people as bloodthirsty savages?" Jinsai looked down to his food a moment, unsure of how to make this better. His words had clearly upset her, and he had only been here a few minutes. He hadn't even approached the topic he came her to talk about. "I can't promise that i'll ever come to terms with the Akari clan and their ways, Ume. The best I can promise is that I won't speak on them anymore, and I won't judge you by the customs of your clan. Henceforth, I will see you as Ume first, and Akari second. I apologize for upsetting you."

The man concluded with a bow of humility, his hands in front of him as he almost prostrated in front of her. After a moment or two, he would rise again, let out a small sigh, and conclude with a question. "Would you like me to leave? I don't want to sour your meal any further."

[Willoria]

Holding her chopsticks, Ume pushed her food around her plate a bit with a sigh, pausing to reach over and pet Kantai a bit. But as Jinsai spoke she seemed to pause and pay attention to him a moment, shaking her head as the strict formality of his words hit her first. "I swear you really need to lighten up once in a while." she commented, shaking her head as she looked at Kantai who was giving her a strong look of disappointment. It was at that look that Jinsai's actual words sunk in a bit and she turned to look at him a moment.

"No, you don't need need to leave." she told him flat out. She took a sip of her sake and leaned forward against the table for a moment before chuckling to herself. "Honestly I don't even know how to respond. Usually if I tell someone they're treating me like crap they tell me its my own fault and get over it... in a lot more words." She picked at her salmon a bit and took a small bite before looking at Jinsai. "Honestly... thank you, Jin. You're the first person to actually treat me like a human in a long time."

[TyDie]

Jinsai's face straightened into it's usual demeanor as he listened to Ume tell him to stay, giving a small nod of understanding before picking up the Gyoza from before with his chopsticks. He popped the dumpling into his mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the taste while Ume thanked him. When she was finished, Jinsai swallowed the food, then spoke. "It's... saddening that you feel the need to thank someone for respecting what should be your basic human rights. That's more telling than anything else I've observed, it's tragic you've been treated the way you have been. And I've only added to that, with my jaded perception of your people. But I've apologized, and now I must be better to make that apology worth something." He punctuated his words with another light sip of his Sake, setting the now empty cup down with a content sigh and motioning for Ume to pour him some more when she was able.

"I'd like to know more about you Ume. I feel as if a large part of my misjudgments are due to a lack of knowledge. Perhaps a more in depth exploration of the events that molded you into who you are now would be beneficial to our partnership going forward. If, of course, you're comfortable having that conversation." It had become evident to Jinsai that clearly there was much more to Ume's past than what he had read from the files provided to him. If he was to truly assess her as an asset to Iwagakure, he needed to be able to consider as many factors as possible... and that meant a deep dive into the woman's past to uncover what had sent her spiraling so hard before his introduction to her life.

[Willoria]

Ume finished off her own salmon rather quickly, some part of her knowing this conversation was going to be uncomfortable for her pretty soon. There had been a lot hinted at but unsaid on their last mission and she knew at some point he was going to ask about it. It would require her to dredge up a great deal of old wounds. It was part of the reason why she had set up the meal the way she had, in an almost romantic setting, which happened to be one of her favorite places in the house. When the salmon was gone she took a piece of bao to nibble on, not seeming to react at all to Jinsai's new remarks on her life. She hardly had response for him. After all, she had felt unheard so much lately, she felt incapable of even having a civil conversation with anyone she had once held so dear in her life without herself being blamed for everything that had ever gone wrong.

She was afraid of calling him right, because some part of her still felt like she was the walking disaster rather than the victim of the lies and manipulations of others. All she could muster up was a light sigh.

When he motioned to his sake, she would simply pour him a new serving, as she made the same motion when she finished hers and waited for him to pour more for her. It felt too formal and completely formal to her but she didn't comment on it yet. What came next were the remarks that hinted at the unasked question. She sighed quietly again and her eyes were fixed on her plate. "First... I need to know what that file told you about me." she said quietly. "What do you already know about Koyama's death and what came after? What do you already know of my previous relationship with our Tsuchikage?"

[TyDie]

Jinsai took some of his salmon as well, enjoying the taste of Ume's cooking but keeping a lid on his reactions given the seriousness of the setting. And once his sake was poured, he would do the same for Ume before drinking half of his cup with a small wince. He wasn't sure where she was going with her questions, but he had a vivid recollection of the girl's files; he had studied them in depth for a few days before their first introduction. "The file regarding Koyama's death had only a few details. Koyama's body was found off a dirt path, his shiin removed from his body. This was later discovered to have been done by you, as per Koyama's request before his inevitable demise." It was grim for sure, but in order to get the most detail out of Ume, he had to make sure she knew everything that was reported by the one who found her.

"For a time, you were believed to be KIA. There was no trace of you. Then, on a return from an unrelated mission, Akari Kotaru happened upon a small town where you were found begging on the streets. Ver batum, Kotaru described you as 'having suffered from a post traumatic state and event specific memory loss.' You were brought back to Iwagakure, evaluated, and deemed fit for duty. That is the extent of the report as I read it, but given your amnesiac state, there are no details recorded about the time between your disappearance and your resurgence." Jinsai crossed his arms in the middle of the explanation, clearly displaying via body language that he was attempting to stay detached in his delivery and focus on the facts as he knew them. Usually, this was normal for him; he had little issues with being blunt and direct. But with Ume, after all she had suffered... He found it difficult. And it didn't get any easier when he switched to the topic of Akari Tatsuo, the woman's former lover and current Tsuchikage.

"What little information I gleaned from Tatsuo was that you were involved for a time, but that it had no bearing on my assignment as your overseer. He seemed... distant in his delivery. I'd even go so far as to say he was perturbed by my bringing it up, but I wouldn't say he was outright angry. Just... miffed." Uncrossing his arms with a small sigh through his nose, Jinsai looked to Kantai as he finished, the poor little creature simply sitting there and eating away without interjecting once in their conversation. "Is it alright for Kantai to be here for this exchange? I have no feelings in the matter, but you know here better than I."

[Willoria]

Ume listened quietly, though she smiled almost sweetly as Jinsai brought up Kantai. She turned to her little friend and reached over to pet her a bit as the rabbit continued to nibble away at her greens. She seemed to flinch briefly and dip her head, indicating what her fur head was likely a blush. "I see you're dozing off in your food, Kantai." Ume remarked with a bit of a chuckle.

"Oh my... sorry, but yes...." Kantai squeaked out. She shook her head and sighed, looking between what she now considered two friends and fluttered her wings about a bit, not even seeming to notice she threw a bit of greens everywhere with the motion. "I should be going, I need to rest." And a moment later she was gone.

Ume couldn't help a laugh as Kantai disappeared and shook her head, turning to look at Jinsai. "Believe it or not, she eats in her sleep." she explained to him. "She didn't hear anything we said. She was actually here talking to me while I cooked and prepared this whole thing, the poor dear was probably completely worn out as she's been here half the day." She sighed and got comfortable on the cushion again, looking down at her plate for a moment as the seriousness returned to her face again.

"When fighting to free me, Koyama took a fatal blow. So yes, he asked me to take the shiin that was most valuable to him, to use it to defend myself and kill those who killed him." she started, swallowing hard as she remembered those moments. "I did as he asked, and I did kill them." She admitted. "There are also gaps in my memory however.... I tried to go home but something happened. I think I was captured. I remember chains, and drugs. Something that was meant to free inhibitions in me, but as an Akari what they freed in me was something far worse..."

[TyDie]

Jinsai gave a small bow to the little spirit as she poofed back to her home, and then smiled softly at Ume as she relayed just how long Kantai had been at her house. "That's quite a long time to be out of her own realm. No doubt you're a little drained as well, given that it was your chakra keeping her here. The food will do you good, you should keep eating." He knew she'd have a hard time doing so given the direction the conversation was going, but he still felt the need to remind her of her health. He'd finish his Sake, but keep the cup near him for now, not yet wanting to refill himself. Two would be plenty for now; enough to ease this conversation moving forward.

He only nodded as Ume spoke of using Koyama's shiin to slaughter those who slayed him, and in a way he respected that. "Senseless violence and avenging the death of one you care about are not the same thing. And in some respect, the man died a warrior while simultaneously ensuring he could always protect you in some way. I... would like to think we might have been friends. He seems reasonable, given your depiction thus far." Of course, he had no idea that Koyama was a foul mouthed, 8 foot tall behemoth of a man who had ripped the shiin out of a missin ninja while they still drew breath. Some things were better left unsaid though. Jinsai's head suddenly tilted as the woman mentioned chains and drugs, alluding to capture. "Your toxin screens came back normal... but you were away from the village for a very long time. That information clearly isn't as reliable as your own recollection... Gods, I can't even imagine the brutality of an Akari with a mind so altered by chemicals and traumatic actions..."

Jinsai seemed truly chilled, a rare thing for anyone to see from the usually cool headed Fukusha. But he would fall silent once more, slowly bringing a Gyoza to his mouth while he waited for Ume to continue.

[Willoria]

Ume chuckled at the idea of Jinsai and Koyama being friends. "You two would have at least gotten along well over sake. Most of my collection is still leftover from his. I haven't had the heart to drink much of it yet." she admitted quietly. She wasn't going to ruin his thought of being friends with the man, though she knew that Koyama would probably sooner hit Jinsai than spend a minute with him... unless it involved a good stiff drink. She left it alone though, and even waited politely until there was a pause in Jinsai's eating before continuing. She made sure not to catch him with food in his mouth for this next part. "I guess they thought the drugs would make me more compliant, but they misjudged me. I had never been an overly violent sort, not just among Akari but in general. But in that moment I cleared an entire facility by myself... I remember most of their faces, and I remember the blood. There were children on other floors but... it was like watching someone else..."

Ume took a deep breath and swallowed hard, taking a moment to sip her sake and shook her head to clear it. "I walked out of that facility and into the street. I felt sick at what I did, and like I couldn't return home. But at the same time I couldn't stop with the drug they gave me. I started panhandling to try and pay for it, I did other things. I practically lost my mind to it."

She chewed on her lip a moment as she remembered seeing Kotaru, and how she had tried to hide from him. "Kotaru is Tatsuo's best friend, pretty much his brother. He found me there. He found me in a drug addled state and with the help of a local he got a hold of an herb to cleanse me of it. He kept me there for a day or two until it was out of my system before bringing me home so no one would know." Some part of her felt like there was more, a flicker of a strange man, a touch on her cheek and her forehead, but he was no more than the flicker and gone before she looked at Jinsai a moment.

[TyDie]

To say that Jinsai was stunned by the rest of this reveal was a severe understatement. So stunned was he that, despite only being about half done with all of his food, he set his chopsticks down and wasn't sure he'd pick them back up. How could he have been so uncaring towards Ume for so long? To be able to survive any of that alone, let alone come back to full service as a shinobi, was almost unheard of. Jinsai, for once, found himself choked up. His hand, balled into a fist resting on the table, trembled with a mixture of sorrow and rage, the flame of anger that constantly crackled within him flaring as he mentally destroyed himself for being so blind. "I want to ask why he would leave out such crucial details, details that could get you help that you could no doubt make use of. But... you would likely be discharged. And I sincerely doubt you want that, given the status in your clan. It'd likely be a death sentence, being an Akari who can't use their astrashiin to serve the village anymore."

What kind of hell has this woman been through? It seemed like her entire life had been full of catch 22 situations. No matter what she chose, she was damned in some way. Was it any wonder she went temporarily insane? Who could possibly maintain their minds during such a life? The rage boiled within Jinsai, and with no where to go, his clenched fists simply grew tighter and tighter. "And all I did was make things worse... Damn it all." He hadn't realized it, but his fists had already turned red with blood. "You... have been dealt such a grave injustice Ume. I don't know what yet, but I will do all that I can to rectify this. You will be vindicated, I promise you."

[Willoria]

Ume turned her head to look at Jinsai, her head spinning almost on a swivel at the smell of blood. She hadn't expected it, and was surprised as she caught the scent and saw the source. Without asking, she reached out for his hands and worked to force his hands out of their fists and open up his palms, green chakra emanating from her hands as she did so to try and slow the flow. "I really do need to get better at Iijutsu..." she muttered, taking a deep breath. "Especially since that's not all of it, that's just most of what happened as far as my shinobi life goes."

Assuming he hadn't pulled away from her, she'd still hold his hands and keep channeling chakra over them as she lifted her purple eyes to look into his for a moment. "There's still what happened in my personal life that impacted the rest as well." she admitted quietly. "Before my last mission with Koyama I made a huge mistake. I was going through a hard time, I had just been diagnosed with a disease, a plague, that was killing me. This was when I found out that my parents' attempts on my life might not have been of their own volition but a madness that ate into their minds. It was genetic, a fault in my bloodline. They weren't sure there would be a cure. As they first began to search for one, I was devastated. I thought I had a slow death before me that would eat away at my mind, and I didn't want anyone to know."

Ume paused, looking over Jinsai's hands again as she blinked for a moment. "Tatsuo was always gone on mission. I felt alone, abandoned at a time I needed him, but his friend and brother went with me to the appointment when I got the news. Kotaru was with me a lot back then, to keep me company. Tatsuo was racing up the ladders as a shinobi and I made a stupid mistake and I kissed Kotaru." She chewed on the inside of her lip again, hating that she could feel tears stinging at her eyes at the memory again. "We confessed to Tatsuo, and were banned from ever seeing one another again. To keep my boyfriend, I lost a good friend and had to rebuild that trust, I thought I could handle it.... I even offered him myself in full to make up for what I had done, something I had never given anyone before...."

[TyDie]

Jinsai looked away from Ume as she took his hands to heal, the pain not even registering in his mind over the fury coursing through him. Her chakra, colored green with the wonder of Iijutsu, slowly but surely took the warm blood dripping out of his hand and clotted it quickly. He let out a small sigh, his hands relaxing as the woman continued to describe her woes. And suddenly, his appointment as Ume's handler made him feel... sick. Like the Tsuchikage was using him to stalk his ex. And on top of that, the woman had dealt with a plague of all things, something that she thought was going to kill her. The man closed his eyes for a moment, his anger felt like bile rising up from within him as he took a deep, deep sigh.

As his eyes opened, the Shogo-Zumi would be clearly visible; in times of extreme emotion, it was known to manifest itself of it's own accord. "The greatest playwrights in the world couldn't conceive of such a tragic story... and it's not even fictional." Jinsai's eyes looked at what remained of his food, and finally with another sigh he pushed the plate away from him, but would then motion for Ume to pour him more Sake before doing the same for her. Once received, he'd down the entire cup before asking for another, leaving that on the table. "It has become clear to me that my appointment to you was done not for the village's best interest, but for more... horrible reasons. I do believe I will formally request not only my removal from my position as your overseer, but also that you no longer be under such scrutiny. It is my opinion that, of every shinobi I have served with in my 20 years of service, you are the most persistent, the most driven, and above all the most hardened. I can think of no one I've ever met that could function after such hardship and pain, let alone maintain a shinobi career."

It was out there; Jinsai believed that Ume no longer required his oversight. In fact, he felt used himself, as if he were a pawn in someone else's game. A game he disagreed with in every way.

[Willoria]

There was more Ume could tell him, more she had planned on telling him. But as Jinsai spoke she suddenly decided to leave things where they were. She had told him nearly all of the story as it was, and the details that were left seemed minor enough that she wasn't sure he needed to know them. He was angry enough already. She was almost sad as he pushed his plate away, though she refilled his sake cup as he asked, both times. She even downed her own when he refilled hers. She was even sad when he mentioned requesting removal as the person overseeing her. "I'm not comfortable with you removing yourself as the person overseeing me honestly..." she admitted quietly.

"I'm worried that no matter what you tell him, he might just assign someone else. The last time I was in his office, even in official capacity, we couldn't even have a civil conversation. Somehow it always devolves into a screaming match and I'm painted as some kind of horrific hell-spawn, I don't even know what's happening anymore..." Ume shook her head, unable to even realize the compliments and trust Jinsai had just shown her in his words over her worry of how Tatsuo might react to Jinsai's assessment of her.

[TyDie]

Jinsai tilted his head in confusion as Ume expressed discomfort with him stepping down as her overseer. Curious, considering she didn't seem pleased with this arrangement from the start. But as the cards were laid out before him, he quickly understood why. He stroked his chin in thought, the clotted blood on his hands still smelt faintly of iron as his hand rose to his face. And as she finished, clearly distraught and confused with... just about everything in her life, Jinsai cleared his throat once more, tossed back the last shot of sake, let out a small cough, and responded. "...I see your point. Very well then." Jinsai put the cup down and stood from the table, only a slight wobble to his step as he managed to maintain most of his control despite clearly feeling the effects of all the sake.

"On paper, I'll remain as your overseer. In practice, it's just to keep you from being assigned someone worse." Goodness, how on earth did Jinsai suddenly find himself in such a complicated situation? He went from watching over Ume to ensure she was still of value to the village, to essentially defending her and watching over her to make sure her sanity stayed in tact. "Is this an agreeable arrangement Ume?"

[Willoria]

Ume watched Jinsai try to stand and gave him a puzzled look, she was tempted to hug him as he gave her his word that he would stay with her, until she realized something. She had to hold back a snort as she pushed herself up to her feet as well. She nodded, keeping her own conduct a little too formal at first. "It's agreeable, thank you, Jin." she told him as she stepped away and soon returned with a couple of blankets and a pillow which she started putting out on the couch. She paused and looked at Jinsai. "In the meantime, you're too drunk to make the walk back to your compound. You're gonna wind up walking off a cliff in your current stupor if you go out that door so, you're sleeping on the couch."

She walked back over and started clearing plates and dishes, fully expecting him to argue with her. Before he inevitably could she turned and reached out a hand to touch a single finger to his lips. "Don't argue. Just agree." she told him, smirking lightly. "You're so drunk, Jinsai, you just stood up and put your crotch in my face so... yeah, couch. Don't worry, it's comfy." she added, turning to go put dishes away.

[TyDie]

Jinsai gave a nod of agreement in response to Ume's agreeing to his agreeable proposal. The thought that had just crossed his mind was a definite sign that he was drunk, but he wasn't willing to couch crash at Ume's house... at least, not at first. "That... would be highly unprofessional of me Ume. I can make it home ju-" In a moment, Ume's finger was on Jinsai's lips, and he froze in his thoughts as the woman clearly had something to say. However, he was suddenly wishing he hadn't heard it, his face turning a few different shades of red as she revealed his social misstep. "...Oh. Uh. Right. I do believe I'll be sleeping on your couch tonight then."

He was paralyzed, a mixture of embarrassment and shame coursing through him as he thought of just how he could make up for what, in his mind, was a grave error. As she began collecting dishes, he would do the same, gathering whatever she didn't take and meeting her in the kitchen with them. ''Uh... Perhaps we can keep that between us?"