[All women might as well be maids of misfortune. They were always slipping him poison, or kicking him in the balls, or luring him into a bath only to practically rip off his hide with the hardest, thickest brush imaginable.
Women were fortunate they were too damn fine to do away with completely.]
different how am i actually going to get to kill somebody this time
[Not that people haven't ended up dead by his sword when he's answered her calls previously. It's just... she's never specifically requested it.]
[Four hundred is a lot. Four hundred is the most he's ever been promised at one time. He could fill a bag with that many coins, and bludgeon anyone who cracks a joke about the whole leash thing into something resembling cat food pâté. But this is a matter of pride, damnit, and his pride is priceless!]
what use is this guy to you anyway he sounds like a moron
a strip of leather aint going to stop me from tearing him to pieces if i feel like it i should find him and kill him right now for making you come repeat this garbage
[Aka, definitely old enough to have a few enemies that his father doesn't know about.] their family is quite well respected in bavan so it would b beneficial if it looked like he went missing instead
[No identifiable body, please. Koshōshō can deal with clean-up, they just have to make sure there's no witnesses.]
im not sure if his son is as fascinated by monsters as his father is but the whole family loves dogs
that still doesnt explain why i cant just bust in through the back door
its a party right meaning its a room full of pricks standing around drinking and rambling not a damn lords castle
whatever security they got probably aint worth shit
[And that's it. He stops replying for a while.]
come outside i hate talking on this thing
[It doesn't take him long to track her down, the nymph's scent was more obvious than most. If she pokes her head out the door now, she'll find him relaxing in the sun, leaned up against a wall with his arms crossed and one foot propped over the other.]
[She's about to reply almost frantically, because believe it or not, Mugen's actually the more well-behaved of the two Manticores she knows. Koshōshō has to get this right.
And-- well, him appearing to her just saves her the trouble.]
Dear... [She's putting on a pout and everything, slinking towards Mugen with flowers all the way down her skin. It's obvious she's already been preparing herself on the assumption that Mugen would agree.] Do you remember the plan I was talking about? Before I grew all green?
No. [His tone is blunter than normal, and he tears his grey eyes from her and looks off somewhere down the sidewalk. It's clear he's still not pleased. But then again, he's here, isn't he? If he didn't want to try to compromise, he would've closed his messaging device and stayed put.]
[Good, then. At least he's here. She's basically got him at this point.]
You see, there are two branches of the same family, fighting tooth and nail for some inheritance they just can't divide... and it's been going on for decades. [Go to the point, Koshōshō.] Isn't it sad, that such a big, lovely castle would be left abandoned because of it? You almost want to involve yourself to remedy that.
Speak for your own damn self. Nothin' makes me happier than knowin' an eyesore like that's out there rotting while the entitled little shits that think they belong there cry over it.
[Mugen shrugs his shoulders, and he's still staring off, focused on nothing in particular. Someone's playing hard to get and it's not Koshōshō.]
[When did their roles reverse like this? It's just like in Shikoku again. Gross.
Not that she can think any of that right now, because there's something else on her tongue.] You see, the position of judge for this dispute has been passed on several times. Now, it's just been passed to a well-known businessman's scholar son, and it just so happens that someone else has a goal that aligns with ours.
[Or rather, hers, but still.] Our target may not cooperate with us, but if we take him out quietly to make a statement against this family, the right will be passed down to the person offering the pay. If everything goes well, of course. And the biggest, grandest structure in this whole island is the only thing to gain...
[The furrows that form between his eyebrows say no. And what comes out of his scowling mouth next says no louder and in more words.]
None of that shit means anything to me, either. I got this thing about rules. I don't got any use for 'em, and I don't want 'em takin' up space in my head, so I try not to learn any of 'em by accident, you see.
[His understanding of inheritance ends after 'people die, people related to them get stuff'. Though he has the bare gist of what she was trying to convey figured out; this broad's lust for luxury has been obvious since day one.]
So you want their castle, and if I waste this dude it's gonna help you somehow?
[Seriously. He doesn't know why she doesn't just go and sit her ass down in it right now, if it was supposedly abandoned.]
[Oh, don't be like that-- come on, it'll just be for a while, you could buy out a whole damn bar afterwards--]
That's basically the gist of it. [As if she couldn't come off more desperate for help, she grabs his hand and puts her head next to his shoulder (making sure the twigs of her bush-hair don't jab his eye out or something).] I'm sorry, I know I'm asking for a lot, but I've got no one else to turn to! I could make an excuse for how you can walk on two legs, then.
[...Yeah, she was planning to have you crawl on all fours. Just so you know.]
Just don't speak, and we can see how it goes! Pretty please?
[Why isn't she a catnip nymph. Being a walking flower shop is useless rn. Fucking hell.]
[His hand in hers is limp, while his other one raises reflexively as the she enters his space. Not entirely sure what to do with either of them, it almost looks like Mugen is preparing to defend himself rather than give in to her wiles. though she's a little off her game today tbh
Having what was literally a bush, complete with dozens of prickly stems and all that, nestled into his shoulder admittedly wasn't the most comfortable feeling. It's not as if he was ever going to complain about an attractive woman pressing up against him or anything, especially when they implied that they were getting ready to do a whole lot more than that, but the mood here is decidedly not that hot.
She's... what? Begging him? Really, straight up begging him?]
What!? I can walk on two legs because I'm not a freakin' animal! [And not a dog, either, like she and this party dude apparently think, but whatever. After an awkward moment, he lets out a sigh that seems to regret its own existence.]
[She's been off her game since Fetch killed her dead, but no one needs to know that. That's what it seems to be, anyway. She'll be walking back and forth behind him, encircling him, chasing him, begging till he does what she needs. In her defense, it's a lot less expensive than any other kind of encouragement.]
Tonight. [And she came to him only now!?] They're always throwing sudden parties like this, expecting everyone to be free... but we can put an end to that, alright?
[But good god woman. With this novel and incredibly annoying behavior now on the table, he's forced to weigh his options. Wear the leash for a few minutes, or suffer through, well... this for the rest of the day, and quite possibly the rest of the foreseeable future.
He drags a hand through his hair, and his next question is wary, as though he half expects her to pull him down by the front of his shirt and latch a dog collar around his neck as soon as he asks.] Do you have what you need?
[As in... yeah. Let's just get this the fuck over with.]
[Mugen, why are you agreeing to this. This is going to be a slippery slope. Once you agree, Koshōshō going to try making you do more and more things with the promises of giving you a kiss or more 'knocks you out in the back alley makes you think the impossibly happened'.
But hey, Koshōshō's got no complaints.] Lovely! Thank you so much, dear. I've got everything already.
[Including... the leash... in fact, she reaches to grab a few. Some with her vines. Youhave a few choices, to say the least.]
[All he's thinking is he better get some nookie for this. On top of the dough.]
Four hundred. [He repeats, crossing his arms again and giving the smallest tip of his head to one of the spiked collars. That should've been a no-brainer. Stupid chick. At least it looked somewhat menacing, and the dark leather'll blend in with his neck fur, hopefully. As for that pink piece of work covered in all those flowers, maybe if he glares at it hard enough, it'll burst into flames.]
Four hundred. [But she'll drop the flowery one, saving that for another day. (Why.) She won't clamp it on his neck right away, so he still has some time to enjoy freedom.]
Let's head out, then! Just don't say anything while we're inside the party. [Snarling at them should be a borderline case.]
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