If there was anything to say about Tuskur's scenery, it's nothing less than breathtaking, regardless of how many times one may view it. From its bountiful forests to the towering mountains, it seemed that Mother Nature made her home here. The entire land vibrates this… natural energy, a sense of a connection to the ground below. It is a sensation that Yamato could never hope to produce. Which is ironic, considering the technology it has locked inside. Yet, that very access of advanced machinery is what keeps it from achieving this.
Oshtor considered such thoughts and more as he idly swirled his small cup of ale. His trip to Tuskur is to remain brief, as the renowned general of his liege's army is only given so much leeway, and that leeway is understandably small. The Master Key is out there, he just knows it, it's that same gut feeling that would get him to think of a plan in a pinch…
An attribute that Haku is known for. 'The war is over, surely I can stop using his name, right?' That is a question he found himself thinking many times. Can he truly go back to being Haku? He has made a web of lies so thick that to remove it would spell disaster. His liege, Anju, would probably take it the worst, she is in love with Oshtor, after all. She made that painfully clear when she actually went through with that 'kidnapping' idea so many years ago.
Ultimately, it's pointless to ponder, the Akuruka is stuck to his face, cementing the fact that the man known as Haku is truly gone. He takes a sip of his ale and lets out a sigh, it might be pointless to wonder about taking Haku's name again, but at least it provides him with something to think about. 'What if Oshtor never died in the first place?' How would have he handled the events? Or did he emulate Oshtor so well that nothing would have changed? There are far too many variables to simply change one thing and expect little to no results. Had he never donned the mask, Kuon would have never left, which meant she wouldn't have returned as Tuskur's Queen, which would lead to losing that moment of realization from Anju, not to mention that slab of iron she calls a sword. Would they have ever succeeded then?
It's truly amazing how one change, one promise could send ripples that would become waves. 'Kuon…' His reminiscing sends a very painful reminder of that day he took Oshtor's name. He had experienced a pain that hasn't been matched, at least emotionally. Trying to stand toe-to-toe with Mikazuchi the first time nearly brought him down… then there was that time he was pummeled by the Queen of Tuskur, 'But the important part is, I never backed down. I never gave up, I couldn't have given up.' Even when things went as south as they could have gone, he stood up as the beacon of hope.
A rustle in the leaves nearby breaks him from his thoughts, he turns around to see Kuon sneaking to his position, 'She probably abandoned her duties again.' Despite being Queen, she had a rather bad habit of dumping all the paperwork onto someone else, not that he blames her, he knows how painful it is to hunch over dozens of scrolls, reading and signing each of them. "Kuon." He gently greets as she tries her absolute best to stay silent. She is wearing the traveling garb he has grown so accustomed to, she looks every bit the same as when they first met.
Her animalistic ears twitch and she looks around, as if unsure if she truly arrived alone. When she was satisfied, she gave him a gentle smile, "Haku." She walks to his side and takes a seat beside him, "I thought I would find you out here."
Letting his Oshtor persona drops, he casually shrugs, "There's a beautiful full moon out, and there's no better time to have a drink." To emphasize, he grabs the second cup and offers it to her, "The only thing that would make this better is to have someone to drink with."
She happily accepts it, "Or perhaps this is another excuse to drink?" She asks as he pours her some ale. The demi-human takes a small sip, before gazing up towards the moon. "Are you enjoying your stay? How does Tuskur look?"
He takes a moment to think, "I can see its beauties, there is a charm that Yamato cannot match." It helps that he didn't come here under the banner of war, "Had I the luxury, I would ask for a full tour." If he were to be honest, it is a selfish request, as even if the rest of Tuskur were to be a giant forest, he would gladly travel, as long as she is by his side.
She nods, "When everything else is all said and done, I could arrange that." What is next, exactly? After he gets the Master Key, then what? His brother intends on curing the curse of the humans, but after that? Would he have the time to give the entire country a trip? "We could space the trips out, and do portions of Tuskur at a time." She holds her cup out and he reflexively gets the bottle to refill it, only to find it missing.
Kuon had poured her own, and she holds the bottle out, willing to pour him more. Oshtor downs the rest and accepts the offering. "Thank you, Kuon." He feels the warmth of the ale start to fill him, which is strange, since he knows he didn't grab anything too strong, they do have a trip planned tomorrow. Then, he realizes it isn't the ale warming him, as Kuon is now leaning against him.
She lets out a hum of approval as she takes another sip, content to sit in silence. He switches hands and places his cup in his right hand, then wraps his arm around her, "Haku."
Taking her surprise in caution he asks, "That isn't too forward, is it?"
"No, that feels nice." Mirroring his movements, she holds her cup in her left and wraps her right arm around him, "I'm glad to have this time to spend with you. The castle can be stifling at times."
He lets out a small chuckle, "The castle or the scrolls you are to read through?"
"I did most of them, this time." Her tone comes out playful, "There's only a dozen or so left." He feels her jab his side, "Besides, it's not like you can proclaim your own innocence on this matter."
"But I didn't have anyone to delegate them to." He counters, "Not even the twins could do that." Ironic, considering they're supposed to be able to do 'everything'. On reflex, he looks around, before remembering he specifically told them to stay behind, then spent several minutes reinforcing that he wanted them to stay behind… and several more minutes to assure them that that is what he wanted.
Another cup emptied, another serving poured, "Have you considered my offer yet?"
The sudden question caught him off guard, "Offer?" She offered him something? He casts his mind back as he takes another sip.
"Or, I suppose I should ask if you have considered the Queen's offer yet?" With the mention of the Queen, her tone matches the authority behind it.
Which causes his memory to 'click', "Oh, that." Mere minutes before he learned that Kuon and the Queen are the same, she asked him to become her… servant? Or something of the sort, he assumes it's a position similar to what he has for Anju, "I cannot simply leave my position in Yamato." The uproar that would cause, it's not something he wishes to think about. "And I doubt my liege would easily find a replacement."
"'My liege'." She echoes, "I understand, but can you fault me for trying, at least?" Regardless, she sounds disappointed.
"I can't go back to being Haku, Kuon." He admits, "The entirety of Yamato needs Oshtor more, and besides…" He gives the mask one more tug, "The Akuruka is stuck. The twins said that they were made for humans." Which is an absurd reason, why would humans want these things stuck to their faces? He has never been able to get over the fact that he can't properly wash his face.
"Can you at least promise to be Haku for moments like these, then?" She asks, "For me?"
'For me.' He hadn't realized she felt so strongly for Haku, not until that day she walked away. "I can do that, Kuon." Only for moments like this, he can't let even a rumor get out that Oshtor is actually dead and he is basically wearing his face.
"Haku…" Their cups are emptied again, as is the bottle. The cups are placed next to the bottle and they simply embrace each other, before he has to be Oshtor again, and the wall between them is put up once more.
"Kuon." He responds in kind, "I need to tell you something." He readies himself, he needs to lay the feeling bare now.
"Yes?" The embrace finally ends and they are now looking at each other.
He needs to do this now, while he has this moment. "I never really had the chance to express how much you mean to me." Her cheeks flush, a sight made only more entrancing by the moonlight making her glow. "Perhaps if I never had to take up Oshtor's name, things would have gone so much better." He takes her hands. "Between us, that is."
"Haku?" She asks as his face draws nearer. He isn't going too fast, is he? The last thing he wants is to push her into a situation that… the self-doubt ends as she closes the rest of the distance. Their hands separate as their arms wraps around the other's body. That one moment felt like an eternity. "You mean a lot to me, too." She says after the kiss ends, their first kiss.
"Shall we spend some more time here, then?" Surely another hour wouldn't hurt, right?
"I would love…" She starts, but the leaves rustle once more.
"My liege." Benawi's form shows as he kneels before her. Realizing their current positioning, the two clumsily break their embrace, both are fully flushed, "I have held off so you can have your moment. Now, will you please return to finish your duties?"
"You… held off?" She echoes, "H-How much did you h-hear?!" The same thought crosses Oshtor's mind, 'He didn't hear her call me Haku, did he?'
"Nothing of importance." He casually replies with a small smile.
Kuon breathes a sigh of relief, "Whew, that's… wait! Nothing important? Everything about what happened was important!" Oshtor does everything in his power to not facepalm.
"If my liege orders me to keep this quiet, then I will happily oblige." His expression turns solemn once more.
"So, you did hear certain details?" Oshtor pries.
"I'm confident that nothing major has reached my ears, General Oshtor." Oh, he knows, he heard. 'Great, another slip-up.'
Kuon shares a look with him, before letting out another sigh and rising, "I should attend to these scrolls. I hope we can do this again in the future, Oshtor." Her mood dampens ever so slightly on calling him that.
"We will." He assures her, before also getting up. Well, time for things to return to 'normal'.