The Little Gifts

[Willoria]

Masako knew that it was one of the nights when Jinsai would have an evening with his 'friends'. She had spent most of hers at Ume's, keeping an eye on the woman until and after she had fallen asleep and making sure all was right at her home. When she was satisfied that there wouldn't be a repeat of what had happened not so long ago, and the windows were shuttered and locked, as well as traps set, she had left. Though Masako had started spending her own nights observing at the same club were Jinsai sometimes spent his nights, she chose to stop going for now. After the conversation she'd had with him, she didn't quite feel right going, she didn't feel welcome. But there was a small tradition of sorts she had started doing some time ago that she still felt obligated to fulfill.

When she had first started to go, Jinsai had caught her eye early on but not for the same reasons as most. Through overheard conversations and observations she realized that, though he was a strict observer of aftercare for others he didn't seem to have anyone to help him take care of his own pains afterwards. She had started leaving him care baskets of ointments, bandages and the like at the front desk early on but with no name for him to know who was leaving him the gifts. It seemed important, and it left her feeling slightly involved without actually involving herself. Especially on days when she went in some part of her duties as a guard.

Tonight was part of that small tradition. She knew Jinsai shouldn't be home yet, and though she hadn't gone to the club herself she felt inclined to leave one of her usual gifts. So she went by his home and was setting up the small basket. There were fresh wraps for his wrists, as well as a lightly scented ointments for use for sore muscles she knew would be helpful for his forearms and shoulders after such a night. Tonight she had also added a couple of fruit and herb teas to relax with and some scented oils to help with breathing. Lastly was specifically a small cutting of eucalyptus with a handwritten note that simply read 'hang in shower'.

Once everything was arranged in the small basket in front of his door she'd stand up straight and stretch before turning to go.

[TyDie]

While he had left intending to spend a good deal of the night at his usual spot, truth be told, something in Jinsai was feeling off. He participated as he usually did in his first of many acts, but after the first was said and done, he had to leave. He had never felt like this before, but something just wasn't right... And it wasn't fair to his partners to not be at his best, to not be totally present and in the moment. That's when mistakes occurred... So instead, he politely bowed out for the rest of the night and was on his way home, when he saw a figure looming by his front door.

Instinctively, his hand went towards his Sansetsukon, as he was about to bash the interloper's skull in... But as she turned to face him on her way out, Jinsai quickly recognized the person. "Masako?" He said with a surprised expression. "What brings you here?" Before she could even answer him, his eyes went to the basket on his front porch. And as he realized what was in it, his brain went through a few hoops and came to a reasonable conclusion. "Wait... all this time, it was you leaving those baskets for me? I thought it was one of my partners... I interrogated them looking for the answer one night. Heh... whoops."

[Willoria]

Masako blushed furiously as she suddenly came face to face with Jinsai and almost immediately she started stammering. "I... uh... no?" she said in a hurry, her blush only getting worse before her shoulders relaxed and she sighed heavily. "Okay, yes, it's been me." she said, reaching a hand up to run through her hair in her moment of embarrassment. "You were supposed to be gone for awhile longer though... I didn't expect you back yet." she admitted as her eyes dropped to the ground for a moment as she tried to think of an explanation. But she didn't really have one, aside from admitting that it was indeed her leaving the gifts for him after his nights with the club, and she'd already done that.

He mentioned interrogating his play partners and the woman chuckled quietly. "Yeah I remember... there were quite a few spectacles over that one." she replied, remembering in particular when one had lied and tried to claim responsibility but then couldn't name what had been in them. Masako glanced back at the basket briefly before looking at Jinsai briefly. "I didn't go tonight." she suddenly said, her voice quiet as her eyes dropping to the ground again. "Didn't seem like a good idea anymore, not now that you know how I started going and everything... didn't seem appropriate. Figured I should probably stop doing this too but... guess I assumed one last one couldn't hurt. Didn't expect you to catch me this time though."

Masako swallowed hard and wrung her hands nervously a moment before moving to step around Jinsai. "I should go, you probably have a ritual for relaxing afterwards and I don't want to interrupt. Goodnight, Jinsai."

[TyDie]

Jinsai raised an eyebrow as the woman started off by denying that she was granting him these gift baskets on nights after his activities, but quickly circled back around with an embarrassed expression as she confirmed it. A smirk crossed the man's face as he crossed his arms. "Embarrassed? I don't think I've ever seen you embarrassed. Color me surprised." Truth be told, he was happy to find the woman here at his home - There were things he wished to discuss with her. In fact, the fact that she was on her mind was why he was home so early in the first place.

But just like that, she sought to leave, claiming her leaving these baskets was doing more harm than good now. Without even thinking, Jinsai's arms unfolded and his hand grabbed at her arm, not hard enough to hurt but enough that it should give her pause. "Wait." He said with a small sigh of his own, letting his head droop down to the basket. "I... Perhaps you could be part of that ritual tonight? I mean, not in that sort of way, but well... I'd appreciate your company for a little while. If that's alright by you, that is."

...Now he was the embarrased one. He hated wearing shoes meant for other people.

[Willoria]

As she went to leave and felt his hand on her arm, Masako froze for a moment. Honestly she thought he might be upset or something and felt herself bracing for a moment even as she turned to look at him. She wasn't dressed quite in her usual garb, it was almost clear she had at least debated going that night. She wore a pair of black pants that were very loose about her legs and almost gave a more masculine shape to her form. Though in contrast her shirt was a gold no-sleeve that buttoned up to her collarbone with a dark long sleeve jacket she wore over the entire ensemble. With her hair down and brushed out, she gave off almost a masculine appearance than she did day to day. But as Jinsai made his own request, through his embarrassment, she gave him an odd look and blinked for a moment as she realized he was actually asking her to stay.

After a moment of thought Masako simply nodded and turned to pick up the basket again and stepped aside to give Jinsai space to open the door. Once they were inside she'd follow him in, pausing to remove her shoes, a simple pair of gold flat slip ons, and she'd head into the living room. She set the basket on the coffee table and look at it for a moment before picking up one of the items. "Why don't I start some tea for you?" she mused, heading into the kitchen to start a pot of water first.

[TyDie]

Part of Jinsai was expecting another knee to the groin, or even worse, given that he had physically stopped her from walking off. But instead, as she looked up at him, blinking in surprise, her nod of agreement caused a small smile to cross his face. Walking over to the door, he'd unlock it as she picked up the basket, and the both of them would step into his home, taking off their footwear as they did so. "I recognize that outfit, by the way. You say you weren't planning on attending, but your attire suggests otherwise." It wasn't really a comment that warranted a response, more just an idle observation that he had made. If she had anything to say in response, it probably wouldn't be happy.

Instead, he was happy to hear her mention brewing tea, the Fukusha nodding in agreement with her idea. "Returning the favor I take it? I brewed your tea, so now you brew mine. I like it." The older man would sit down on his couch with a small groan and wait patiently for Masako to return to the living room. When she did, he'd look to her with a curious expression. "You know... We got off to a really rough start. My... disposition towards your surname and it's associated people is at least partly to blame, and I'll accept and apologize for that." The man let his apology hang in the air for a few moments, letting the woman get in a word edgewise in regards to it. But then he'd continue.

"I do believe you can share at least some of the blame as well. I don't think either of us was truly keen on having any kind of positive relationship with the other. And... I think we both did ourselves a disservice by doing so. Beneath your exterior, you don't seem so harsh. In fact... I think you're quite pleasant to be around. Sometimes, at least." He ended with a small chuckle, knowing full well that the girl could be just as boisterous and vulgar as Ume, if not more so.

[Willoria]

Masako frowned as Jinsai pointed out her outfit, as well as the fact that he recognized it but she didn't say anything. She didn't want to admit that she'd actually gone over her decision about attending more than once and gone back on it a few times. When he mentioned her returning the favor of brewing tea the woman couldn't help a small laugh as she went into the kitchen. "Don't worry, this one will taste a lot better than that did." she assured him. A few sounds came from the kitchen as she found the tea pot and set it up. She set aside a choice of tea and stepped back out into the living room while she waited for it to heat up, leaning against the entryway as the man spoke.

She shrugged as he mentioned her sharing blame and simply sighed. "I came in expecting a lot of pushback, and worse, its true." she admitted, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was told about your background ahead of time, and was told that you might attack me outright, so yeah, I was more than a little defensive to begin with. I'd apologize but I still feel like you proved that right the moment I came through the door." she admitted with a small chuckle of her own with another small shrug. "I also came in expecting more pushback from Ume though, I was surprised at how accepting she seemed to be..."

She raised an eyebrow though when he called her pleasant and couldn't help a small snort. "Not sure anyone has ever called me that before." She glanced behind her and turned back into the kitchen for a moment. She was in time to pull the pot just before the boiling point and went through a couple of cupboards. She pulled a tray and set the tea to steeping in the pot. When she came back out of the kitchen she had everything on a tray and put the tray on the coffee table. "That needs a few minutes." she remarked as she went to the basket again to pick out an ointment and a couple of bandage wraps before moving over to sit next to Jinsai.

[TyDie]

Jinsai pulled a lever on the side of the couch, propping up a leg rest as he leaned back and relaxed, rubbing his right forearm as the pain and fatigue of the night settled in. As the woman came out of the kitchen and commented on his apology, he smirked and crossed his arms again. "Still can't get you to say you're sorry, huh? Oh well, you're not entirely wrong... You might not have come into things so aggressively if it weren't for my well known disposition towards the Akari." He could swear she lit up when he said she was pleasant, even if she made an incredulous sound in regards to it.

The teapot was hot and brewing, and the woman brought the entire display out on one of his trays. Not only did she intend to serve him tea, she was doing so with his actual tea set, including the tray. And at a glance, the assembly and positioning of each piece of the set was proper... She actually knew how to do this the formal way. "Well well, I'm impressed. Where did you learn how to formally serve?" Before he could even get an answer to his question, the woman was already moving towards him to sit on the couch, multiple things from her care basket in hand. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was about to do.

"...Are you sure? I won't stop you but..."

[Willoria]

"To be fair, my aggressive stance wasn't entirely my doing, it was the Clan's as well." Masako set the ointment aside for a moment, along with one of the bandage wraps, as she undid the other and laid it out over her knees. He commented on the formal layout of the tea and the woman rolled her eyes and chuckled. "If you keep getting impressed by everything I do, I might start getting insulted again." she remarked, chuckling. "And tea is actually a small hobby of mine." she admitted with a shrug and a slight blush. "I have a few favorite shops in the area that I frequent and I've learned a lot from the different owners I go to... I blend the herbs and choose the fruit myself." She glanced at Jinsai briefly before picking up the ointment and opening it. "You never noticed the lack of labels on the teas I left you I take it... I handpicked them." she explained.

She heard him comment and even hesitate at the idea of her treating his hands but simply shook her head in response. "Just relax and let someone else help you for a change, Jinsai." she told him. She opened the ointment and dragged each of her fingers of her right hand through it lightly before taking his left hand into her left first. She put the tip of each finger between each knuckle of his hand to leave behind a bit of ointment as well as a bit between his pointer finger and thumb before setting the ointment jar aside and starting to massage his hand with both of hers in order to rub the ointment into the skin and work on the muscles and tendons beneath the skin. She didn't do it for long before she took more ointment and did similar to his wrist and then his forearm. Before long she was taking the wrap that was draped across her knees and wrapping his wrist and forearm, leaving his hand and fingers free. "By time I finish with both of your hands, your tea will be steeped and ready, it won't take me long at all." she assured him, already getting up and taking the ointment and the other wrap to move to sit on his other side.

"I was raised with the idea that guarding someone was what I was supposed to do, I wouldn't have a choice." she started to explain, sighing almost contentedly as she went on to start on his right hand next, though she seemed to use more ointment with this one as she had noticed his tendency to favor use of his right hand. "But I learned that caring for people was a choice, service was a choice, and something I learned to enjoy. Tea became a passion, so I learned. Things like this are simple. Most shinobi that I've ever had to guard hate it when I do things like this for them, they equate that to medic's work..." She spared a glance up at Jinsai for a moment. "I know it potentially means a lot more to you though."

[TyDie]

For a moment, Jinsai felt he had already made a misstep as she sarcastically took offense to all of his words about being impressed. But he picked up on the sarcastic chuckle, and shook his head instead, laughing a little alongside her. The topic of tea was delved into, and once again Jinsai was rather stunned to find that all of the teas and such that she had given him weren't store bought - they were prepared. By her. She had picked every ingredient and put them together herself. "... Can I say I'm impressed again without you getting upset?" He spoke with a playful lilt to his voice, smiling before continuing. "In all seriousness, that's not something that I would be comfortable doing. I can almost guarantee that I'd come up with a vile concoction of tea leaves and fruits if I did it myself. So, sincerely, that's quite a talent Masako."

His hands were already feeling better, some soft groans emerging from his slightly open mouth as Masako not only rubbed the ointment into his skin, but dug deeper into the muscles with a massage. It felt great, all of the aches and pains that were normally associated with his recreational activities were already easing up as a result of the treatment. He still tried to listen to her speak, but he had to admit, his mind was elsewhere... And she had said that he should let someone else take care of him. "You sound like my friends..." He spoke idly between groans, his eyes closed and relaxed as his head leaned back into the pillowed back of his couch.

The more she spoke about her duty versus her choices, the more her activities made sense. She didn't have to do these things for her wards, but she chose to. She had the luxury of choosing to do these things, and to her, that gave her some sense of control over her duties. "It makes sense to me. It's something you have power over. Something the clan can't tell you to do. I think that's important for everyone to have... Just don't go as far as I did with it, ha." Making light of his clan's disposition towards him was sometimes the only way to speak on the subject without causing himself strife or stress...

"By the way... You can call me Jin. I think we're past at least that bit of formality."

[Willoria]

Masako smirked as he accused her of sounding like his friends and simply replied, "I know." Fact was, she had overheard his conversations with them more than once on the nights she'd been there. In a lot of ways he had pulled her attention, though not for the 'traditional' reasons. The role he took on in that place was literally taking care of others needs while taking next to nothing for himself. Her entire purpose behind starting the baskets for him was a simple way to reach out anonymously to give him a hint to let someone else take care of him for a change. But she'd had a hunch that if she'd put a face behind the action to start he would only have turned it down.

She worked on his right hand more carefully than she had his left, noticing the pain and tension were worse. Once she had his wrist and forearm wrapped as well she stood up and stretched briefly and smiled as he finally gave her permission to call him by a shortened version of his name. "Good to know, I don't think I would have lasted much longer without using it out of pure sass." she admitted with a bit of a chuckle. She removed her jacket and folded it neatly, laying it over the arm of the couch and revealing the loose, gold, button up shirt she wore underneath. She also unhooked a pouch she had attached to her belt and set it aside though she paused with a hand on it briefly and chuckled again before opening it. "May as well." she muttered with a sigh and a light blush before pulling something out of it. From it she removed a black and gold leather wolf mask and set it beside Jinsai before moving over to the tea tray. It was the same mask she usually wore when in the club and though she always stuck to the background when observing she wondered idly if he'd recognize it.

She knelt beside the tray and checked the tea before pouring the tea. She didn't add sugar or milk, having chosen the ingredients carefully that the flavors she felt should stand alone well enough without either. She didn't stand to serve the tea to him, but rather simply moved so that she was kneeling next to him when she offered him the cup. "I hope I'm not overstepping but... why is it you refuse to let anyone actually help or serve you there? You're the only 'Sir' there I've seen that refuses." she asked carefully, leaning against the couch with a hand on his knee as she waited for his answer.

[TyDie]

As the woman continued to care for his hands, rubbing and bandaging them, he found himself suspicious for some reason. He knew that she had been watching him for months, and had no doubt picked up on much of who and what he was both on and off the job, but... she still knew way too much. Not just what he liked, but how to do the things he liked in the way that he liked them. As she finally showed him her mask, he did indeed recognize it, and knew that she had been closer to him than he thought. "You know... usually my gut is right about things. And right now my gut is telling me that you're a little too good at being... this."

He made a gesture with his hand to her, on her knees in front of him, serving him tea and taking care of him. "I refuse it because... mmm. It's hard to say honestly. I feel like it's not what I want from that place, from my partners. And yet... it's what I enjoy the most." He took the cup from her finally, nodding to her in thanks before setting it down on it's plate on his lap. He looked down at the piping hot liquid in thought, let out a sigh, and looked back to her with a rather sad look. "If it's alright with you, I'd rather not talk about it right now. After tonight, I just... would rather not delve into my emotions. I'm sorry."

[Willoria]

Masako frowned as he made his comments about the way she served him and removed her hand from his knee. "I'm not trying to be anything." she told him, almost a cold edge to her tone as she leaned away and even put the mask away. As he went on her suspicions were confirmed as she felt like she really had overstepped somehow, and not quite understanding what she had done wrong she went over her actions in her head and couldn't really find what she'd done. "I'm sorry, I was just trying to make conversation." she admitted, shrugging lightly. "I hate awkward silences, and I don't... I don't really know how to talk to people outside of my duties really." She picked up the pouch her mask was in and resecured it to her belt before standing and pulling her jacket back on and sitting on the edge of the couch, purposely leaving a few inches between them.

She sat quietly for a few moments, her elbows resting on her knees before she sighed and looked down at her hands. "Maybe I was right, I've been spending too much time in that place and observing. Confusing shit in my head." she commented, shaking her head. "I know how to traditionally serve tea, that's all, its something I was taught when I learned about the finer points of tea and how to select the proper flavors and scents and the different pairings." she explained to him before motioning to his hands. "As a guardian when I learned taijutsu it was more than just about fighting for me. I learned something about muscle recovery and massage as well because I needed to learn how to help my charges recover from their work."

"I'm sorry if I'm somehow overstepping here or doing something wrong that I don't know I'm doing. My job entails remaining a silent part of the background. You and Ume treat me like I'm human, even when you're pissed at me at least... I guess I just wanted to repay that."

[TyDie]

And of course he had struck a nerve with what he had to say... He hadn't intended her to get so offended or upset about what he didn't want to talk about, but he didn't really have control over how she interpreted it either. "Masako, it's not a bad thing. You don't need to apologize for making conversation, you just also can't always expect that I'm going to want to talk about a given subject... especially that subject. It's not an issue though, we can just move on to another topic of conversation." He hoped she was understanding what he was saying, but as she sat next to him and kept talking, he found himself listening to her as opposed to trying to get a word in.

She really did just... know these things. It wasn't something she learned to get through to him or anyone else, just a personal interest that just so happened to coincide with his likes. As she finished speaking, he waved his bandaged hand to dismiss her apology. "Again, you've no need to apologize. You didn't overstep, it's just not a topic I'd like to delve into right now. No harm done." As he put his hand back in his lap, he'd let out a small sigh and inch closer to her, since she seemed to want to put space between them. She was putting up walls all because of a simple misunderstanding, and he didn't want that again. "Of course you're human. You might piss me off sometimes, but you're still a person. Just... Look, i'll be blunt. The things you're doing for me right now? Serving me? These are things that... get to me. There's a reason I don't let others serve me, and it's because I enjoy it. Perhaps a bit too much. Does that make sense?"

He scratched his head as he admitted his embarrassment, clearly finding it difficult to talk about this, but if making himself a little vulnerable was what it took to keep her from closing herself off entirely again, he'd have to bite the bullet. "Is there anything else you'd like to talk about? Maybe, I don't know, some other interests you might have? I'm enjoying your company, I'd hate for you to leave right now."

[Willoria]

Masako shook her head briefly. "It makes sense, just doesn't in the sense that you don't let anyone at the club serve you like this. It seems like the exact place for it, but you don't allow it. I suppose that's what I don't get." She sighed suddenly and leaned back on the couch, simply looking up briefly. "I don't generally talk to anyone there, I just observe and I listen. It's how I've preferred to keep things since my first couple of visits. The closest I ever got to an answer about you is that you don't seem to want to get personal with anyone, which also seems to be what draws your partners to you." Masako couldn't help a bit of a chuckle. "So I guess the whole mystery thing works to some degree."

He mentioned enjoying her company and the woman couldn't stop almost a snort of a chuckle and shook her head. "Now that I find hard to believe." she teased. "Somehow I think you still just want to know where the rest of my piercings are." She smirked at him a moment and shook her head briefly. "Not sure I have any other interests though, I think you pretty much know them now. I'm pretty simple. I guard, I train, and I make tea. That's about it. If I can ever have the time for it I'll set up my own green house to grown my own plants but... yeah, pretty simple really. I'm not all that interesting."

[TyDie]

Jinsai shrugged, as what the woman was saying did make sense. It seemed obvious that, in a den such as the one Jinsai frequented, doing what pleased you the most was a natural desire. But in this case, there was something that always stood between him and that desire - And it was the topic that he had avoided earlier. "There's reasons for it. Perhaps one day we'll get into that. Just not tonight. But yes, the air of mystery surrounding me is what attracts people. Like moths to a flame, you could say." He chuckled for a moment, finally taking his first sip of the tea Masako had prepared, an expression of delight crossing his face.

"Oh that's good." He proclaimed, taking another long sip while she continued to talk. Although, he almost choked as she mentioned her other piercings. "Woman, how on earth are there even more then what I've seen? Just what are you hiding under there?" He said with a smirk, gesturing to Masako's clothing. "Well clearly you have more interests, given the small bits of metal embedded in your body at various locations. That's not something most people are fond of doing, though I for one think they look fantastic on most people. What compelled you to take part in piercing though? That's usually something you see from people in my neck of the woods, and you've only been coming around that place for a few months as you said. So there's something more there."

[Willoria]

Masako laughed as Jinsai almost choked on the tea and shook her head. "Nope, I think that last one I'll keep a secret." she replied with another laugh, bringing both hands up to rest behind her head as she continued to lounge back on the couch. Slowly she seemed to be relaxing a bit as she grinned at him. "Awkward enough you've seen the ones you have, good grief the only people who have seen them other than me have been medics working on me when I'm wounded." she added, shaking her head for a moment, having trouble hiding another small blush.

"Not sure I'd call the piercings an interest though, I just like the way they look I suppose. Though because of past wounds I've had, I've had to redo some in the past." she admitted, looking over at him briefly. "Some things really are as simple as they seem you know." she teased. "What about you then? There has to be more than just daily duty and your night time commitments. What other hobbies or interests do you have?"

[TyDie]

Jinsai chuckled as she mentioned keeping her last piercing a secret, shrugging and stretching to lean back in his couch. "So be it. We all have secrets, I suppose I can allow you a secret piercing." As the woman mentioned that only the medics had seen those piercings though, he had to wonder... "So you're a virgin then?" He didn't necessarily mean to call attention to it, but that was the only conclusion he could come to given that no one else had seen those piercings. Such a thing would be impossible to not notice if you were intimate with someone.

"Nothing is as simple as it appears to be, Masako. But I digress... I do have a few other interests, but they're rather personal... Ehh, I suppose I can show you something. Wait here." Jinsai would suddenly rise from the couch and move across the room to one of the shelves lining his walls. Displayed on this shelf were numerous trinkets and trophies, but on the top shelf was one of his most prized possessions. A globular flute, known as a Xun, sat atop the shelf. Made of black ceramic, there was gold inlaid throughout the instrument along cracks and grooves, proof that it had been broken in the past.

"This... was my brother's Xun. We both played, and he was definitely better than me, but when he passed I took the pieces left by... that woman." He paused for a moment, not even wanting to speak the Akari's name, letting out a small sigh as he grabbed the instrument and brought it back to the couch. "A friend of mine specializes in the art of Kintsugi. She was able to put the pieces together, it functions despite being shattered. I don't know if you're the musical type but... I could play." Finally he sat back down on the couch next to Masako, looking down at the instrument, awaiting her answer.

[Willoria]

Masako was grinning in response to Jinsai, at least until he pretty much called her out for something she thought she had been covering for rather well the last few months. Her hands came down from behind her head quickly as she coughed and sat up, blushing furiously. "Might be one reason why I don't go past just watching..." she muttered after a moment, shaking her head as she tried to quickly move past the subject. She was glad when he moved on to the subject of his hobbies but was surprised when he mentioned it being personal. Considering what she already knew about him, it was hard to imagine something more personal than any of that.

She watched him with confusion as he went over to a shelf and returned with something in his hands. As he went on to explain and she realized it was an instrument of some kind. She listened as he told the story and she realized the significance of it, remembering what she'd been told about his brother's death and its connection to his hatred of the Akari as a result. When he sat down with her again she simply rest a hand on his knee and nodded. "I'd love to hear it." she said quietly.

[TyDie]

Jinsai's eyes never left the instrument, staring deeply into the cracks that flowed over it's polished surface as if staring into the face of his brother. He barely even heard Masako say she wanted to hear him play, as if he was already mentally somewhere else. With a suddenly serious face, Jinsai rose the instrument to his lips and began to play. It started slow, with a low tone - a somber melody to be certain. His eyes were closed now as his fingers drifted across the various holes in the instrument, holding and releasing them to generate different pitches for the melody. With each note, the man's heart was left bare, as the sadness of his brother's demise flowed through each note.

The Xun was not typically an instrument that functioned well on it's own - it was usually accompanied by a Shamasin or some other string instrument to lay down the rhythm. But alas, Jinsai was alone now, with no brother to accompany his song. While his hand drifted across the instrument, his mind went back in time to the day he last spoke to his brother.

"I can't take it here anymore, Jin. These dogs killed our people, how can we bow to them!?"

"It isn't like that Kiyoshi! Why can't you see that the safety and stability provided by Iwagakure as an improvement? The turmoil of our nomadic days are over, we can settle now!"

"That isn't life to me, Jinsai..."

As the last note rang out from his instrument, he put down the flute on the table and let out a heavy sigh before reaching for the tea cup. He said nothing - the music said everything for him.

[Willoria]

Masako turned to face Jinsai on the couch, leaning her side against the back of it and her elbow resting on it as she listened quietly. The music was beautiful and in truth she was a little surprised to see, and hear, this side of him at all. She had no idea what was going through his mind, but she could almost feel it. As he finished and set the flute aside, she reached over to the teapot and poured a new cup for him before he could drink it. She didn't say a word as she reached into the basket and fished out the last couple of things from it. The piece of eucalyptus for the shower she still set aside but there were a couple of small boxes as well. After such a serious moment, and seeing the serious expression on his face some part of her hoped these two boxes might return a smile to his face.

She set them in front of him and put a hand on his knee again with a small smile, before moving forward to kiss him on his cheek gently. "You play beautifully." she told him before nodding towards the two small boxes. "When I put this basket together I realized I didn't know when your birthday was... so since I thought this might be the last one, I thought I should put something extra in it."

She wasn't really thinking when she brought a hand up to rest against his cheek briefly, as if brushing away a tear that wasn't there yet. "Maybe it'll put a smile on your face again." she added, waiting for him to look in the boxes. When he'd, hopefully, open them, he'd find in one a simple anpan of a decent size for him as a small treat. In the other he'd find a simple necklace of a thing gold chain that she had thought he might like.

[TyDie]

Jinsai let out a small sigh as he realized the tea was freshened up. He hadn't even realized she had done so while he was playing, but it was a pleasant surprise. As he put the cup down and she kissed him on the cheek, he smiled briefly and nodded. "It was a song that I used to play together with my brother, Kiyoshi. While this is his instrument, he also played the Shamisen, and the two together made a beautiful duet. By itself it's just... a sad melody." He placed the Xun on the table next to his tea with a heavy sigh, letting his hand linger on it for a moment as he fully returned to the present, leaving his memories in his mind once more.

As she nodded towards the boxes, the man tilted his head in curiosity... His birthday wasn't for a few months, but it wasn't like she knew that. Still, the gift would be appreciated. As he took out the small bean bun, a hint of happiness crossed his face, raising the bun to his nose as he sniffed it lightly. He could detect the bean paste within, and his mouth salivated at the thought of eating it later. But as he removed the gold chain from it's container, he was slightly stunned. "Masako, is this real gold? This... couldn't have been cheap. I'm not sure I can accept this. I mean, it's beautiful but..." It was clear that Jinsai wanted to accept the gift, but it's perceived expense left him feeling a little overwhelmed. Could she have really just gotten this on a whim for him?

[Willoria]

Somewhere in the back of Masako's mind an idea formed, but she didn't say a word of it. She wasn't sure it was a good idea yet, but she pushed it to the back reaches of her mind to retrieve later after she had a chance to look into it further on her own. It would take a good deal of time, and perhaps some work in secret, and she wasn't even sure it would be appreciated, or if it was something she could even do. Still, it was an idea that she set aside for another time as she watched him open the presents. In spite of how serious of a person she could be, even she couldn't help a small chuckle as she saw him sniff the sweet bun with delight, knowing that even though it was a simple dessert it was one of his favorites.

But what really brought a smile to her face was his reaction as he found the gold chain. She could tell no one really got him gifts very often, that or he never really allowed them to. As he paused and spoke about it, she scooted forward so that her knees nearly touched his as they sat together on the couch. Reaching out she took the chain carefully from his hands. "Yes it's real." she told him. "And yes, you can accept it." she told him, an amused and almost stern sound to her voice as she leaned forward and reached around his neck with the chain to fasten it in place, almost leaning against him in the process. Order to put the necklace around his neck she almost appeared to be hugging him, her chest nearly against his and her breath on his neck as she looked around his to watch her own fingers and see the clasp. When she was done she leaned back slightly to look at it on him with a small smile. "Somehow I knew something simple like that would suit you well." she told him, the tips of two of her fingers touching the chain gently before she turned her eyes to meet his.

"It's a gift, Jin. Of course you can accept it. Otherwise I'm just going to hide it in your house somewhere for you to find later when you've long forgotten who gave it to you." she added, smirking at the man.

[TyDie]

Jinsai was still and silent as she took the chain from him, scooted forward, and preceded to put the chain around his neck. The feel of her so close to him was admittedly causing him to stir in his seat, her breath against his skin sending chills down his spine. Once the chain was on his neck, the touch of cold metal against his bare flesh gave his stirring slight pause, and as she leaned back to inspect the chain he smiled at her. "Simple isn't a bad thing. I've always preferred the simpler things... This will go well with some of my best attire."

She made clear that he had to accept it, and as she touched the chain to inspect it, his own hand came up and ran along the chain on his neck, eventually meeting her hand and overlapping it gently. Her proposed antics of hiding it in his house earned a chuckle out of him, as he shook his head in response. "That won't be necessary, I'll accept it gratefully. Thank you, Masako. It means a lot." His hand would continue to rest on hers, his eyes meeting with hers as he held her hand. His other hand, as if on it's own, moved across the couch to loop behind her shoulder, pulling her slightly closer to him. And, without even thinking, he found himself drawn to move in closer to her and kiss her on the cheek.

At least, he thought it was the cheek - It was actually closer to her lips.

[Willoria]

Masako was glad to hear that he was going to accept it. Hiding it around his house, as amusing of a thought as it was, sounded tiring honestly. "I'm glad you like it." She felt herself blush a bit again as she realized his hand was still on hers, but she didn't pull away. Instead her hand turned slightly so that she might hold his in return as well. Her thumb caressed his fingertips briefly, though she almost flinched as he leaned in towards her and kissed her. The woman almost laughed as she realized how close he was to kissing her on the lips and for a moment she misunderstood. She thought he had actually meant to kiss her on the lips and had merely missed. "Not sure if I should take you as shy in more innocent pursuits or out of practice with them, Jin." she teased, looking at him a moment before leaning forward herself.

Her hand that held his came up to rest under his chin for a brief touch as she kissed him on the lips gently. A brief touch that, as she broke away her thumb came up to touch his lips as if to emphasize the end of the intimate touch as she smiled at him. "I think I like the real you." she whispered quietly, some part of her arguing with herself and what she felt might be the risk of he words. "No pretenses. Not the shinobi. Not the Sir." She smiled at him genuinely for a moment as she let her words linger in the air briefly between them. "I like them too, don't get me wrong." she whispered. "But this... I thought I was the one who hid behind a mask..."

[TyDie]

Jinsai kissed the woman first, but was a little confused as she mentioned him being out of practice. He wasn't entirely sure what she meant, until she kissed him on the lips. As he returned it, his eyes closed and his heart skipped a beat, but just as soon as it had started it stopped. She put a finger against his lips, smiled, and pulled away from him a bit. She liked the real him? He was always the real him... he thought. "I'm... just me, Masako. But it makes me happy to hear that either way." He smiled a little, let out a small sigh, and finally stood from the couch with a stretch.

"I appreciate your help tonight, Masako. And... I'd like it if things could go back to some sense of normal now. You don't have to avoid me or the club, and things don't have to be so combative between us. Just... relax a bit. Okay?" As he spoke, he moved towards her a little, step by step, and held his hand out to her. "I do believe it's time for me to get some sleep though. Again, I thank you. Your baskets have really done a lot to improve my nights. I'd like you to continue doing that, if that's alright."

[Willoria]

Masako had to keep from a chuckle as Jinsai claimed to 'just be himself'. She hadn't know him long but she knew already the man wasn't that simple. She felt like she had never met someone with so many walls and barriers up between themselves and those around them. But especially tonight in the moments when she'd sat with him, even served him in a way, she felt like she'd seen him finally relax for the first time. As she'd given him a gift she felt like she'd seen him smile genuinely for the first time and was left wondering when he'd last received a real gift, and when he'd played for her and spoken of his brother she felt he'd really bared his soul in those moments. Things she wasn't sure anyone had experienced from the man before, or at least not for a long time.

He held out his hand and she took it, standing slowly and nodding as he mentioned things going back to normal. "Okay." she told him quietly. "Back to normal then." she added quietly, smiling up at him for a moment as she thought over what he'd meant by that. For a moment she suddenly realized for the first time the reason that he had come back early. 'Could it really have been because I wasn't there? All I ever did was lurk around in the background, I doubt my presence was ever that noticeable... but I've never known him to leave early before...' Her smile grew as he mentioned the baskets and a new thought came to her.

"Maybe one small change?" she asked quietly. "I..." she found herself hesitating for a moment and swallowed hard before pushing herself to ask her question and pose her idea. "I really liked this tonight." she admitted first. "Instead of leaving them for you, now that you know it's me anyway, why don't I meet with you here after and help you wind down at night instead?" she found herself blushing a bit as she asked, wondering if it was out of line. "I like knowing someone's caring for you for a change... and I think I like seeing to you personally." she finally managed to admit.

[TyDie]

This was probably the most pleasant interaction Jinsai had had with anyone in a while, and it was with an Akari of all people. One who, not long ago, had rammed her knee into his groin. The world truly was a strange place... As he helped her to her feet, she smiled at him and mentioned the baskets. She mentioned that she wanted to continue catering to him like this, on nights when he came back from his escapades. His eyebrow rose in curiosity, and with a chuckle he nodded. "Heh... If you enjoy it, I won't stop you. It's nice, if I'm being honest. You're more... Thorough than I am." He smirked playfully at her as he led her to the front door, wondering if she knew how much he actually enjoyed being catered to

"I enjoyed your company tonight Masako. You helped make my night a little better, I do look forward to seeing you more often. Here and elsewhere." He'd let the woman put her shoes back on, and once she was ready, he'd open the door and move to hug her. "Have a good night, Masako. Be safe."

[Willoria]

As he walked her to the front door and she got her shoes on, she didn't have much else to say in response. Though she also couldn't seem to do away with the blush that had crept its way to her cheeks. As many comments as she had made about him letting down his walls around her, she was quickly realizing she had let down plenty of her own as well. She had spent much of her life dedicated to the guardianship and service of others, but had always kept well defined boundaries between herself and her wards. Those boundaries had come down quickly between herself and Jinsai tonight. She wasn't sure how to retrieve them, and as he admitted how much he enjoyed her company and even hugged her, she wasn't sure she wanted to retrieve them at all either.

She returned the hug with one arm around his waist and one behind his back, a hand behind his shoulder and inadvertantly breathed in his scent as she did so. She wasn't sure when the smell of him became a thing that relaxed her, but it did. She found herself smiling as she looked up at him and nodded. "I will. Have a good night, Jin." Even as she released him she found she didn't want to, and she didn't want to leave even as she did. Walking away had to be deliberate steps taken, conscious action that should have been unconscious instinct.

She couldn't even bother chiding herself as she began her walk home, wondering when she'd let her guard down around him specifically. Instead she spent her walk taking a few deep breaths to mentally prepare for herself for what she imagined would be the harder part. Come the next day she still had to be the shinobi in his presence. New walls and masks of a different sort to keep things business as usual. '...what the hell, Masako?' was the closest she let herself get to chiding herself.