Kurogane picked up a few more items while he was out shopping with Fai, before heading back home, Fai walking in front of him, as he ate a scone, happily nibbling on it, and letting Kurogane carry all the bags. When they got to the gate, Kurogane shuffled the things about until he could free the key and position it into the lock, unlocking the gates so they could get inside. Once through, Kurogane locked it back up, Fai already ahead of him, and him trailing behind.
Elsewhere, Tomoyo sat in the Prayer room, her older sister beside her, and an offering on the altar. She spoke in a soft voice, familiar words, prayers to reinforce the protective barrier around the surrounding lands. It kept out many demons. However it didn't stop them all, and the barrier itself held no power to expel those already within the inner limits. For ones already inside, Slayers, Priests and Priestesses, and certain Seers were the most called upon. Dream Seers were usually not called upon except for counsel, however there was always the exceptional ones to the norm - ones like Tomoyo, whom had the powers of a Moon Priestess and was a Dream Seer.
Mikos were in training, and expected to find their place in the ever changing world around them. Some continued their training to become a Priestess themselves, while others left to live a simpler life, yet the training remained if a need ever arose for them to defend their own home and livelihood. Some followed into the Priestess path only to retire later, as family was important to them. Only few chose to follow both paths, that of the Priestess and to have a family, since it was a lot more taxing on the Priestess.
Soon there was quiet in the Prayer room, before Tomoyo rose, and her sister followed suit, quietly following Tomoyo into the hallways nearby.
"Is there any news?" Kendappa asked Tomoyo.
"None yet, but have faith, my sister, it will come soon."
Fai squirmed around as Kurogane hauled him outside of his room and then, as far as the bakeneko was concerned, cruelly shut the door between them. Fai mewled at how unfair and mean Kurogane was being to him - he couldn't open the door to get back in. Not that he didn't try but with Kurogane all of a sudden using a round handle door knob, instead of the traditional slide doors, his hands wouldn't cooperate to get it to do more than jiggle - not enough to free the latch. He mewled incessantly and nudged his head into the door, trying to get back in, or at least earn enough sympathy from the Slayer to let him back in.
Kurogane let out a heavy sigh - he'd deal with Fai later. He was intentionally getting in the way of what he was trying to do, so he'd set him in the hallway for now while he rearranged things. If Fai had stayed in the room, Kurogane had been confident one or both of them would have gotten physically hurt. It didn't take too long before Kurogane heard one of the priestesses consoling and entertaining him. From the bangle noises, he surmised it was most likely Curly bangs. Good. Meant that Fai had another source of entertainment besides trying to trip him up today.
Nearly two hours later, Kurogane was finishing tidying up the room for now, and decided to go check back in on his demon cat. Turning the handle to get the latch to open up, he found a small pile of objects left at the entrance to his door while Fai wasn't there anymore. Kneeling down beside the objects he looked them over, as he tried to determine for what purpose they were left there.
A bar of soap that was barely chewed in one corner, scarves and small wooden figures with tiny teeth impressions, branches chewed on one end with flowers still attached, balls of yarn, bells.
He couldn't help but smile barely at the effort the other had made to try and appease him. Hearing bangly noises, he glanced from the pile up towards the noise and was surprised to say the least at what he saw. By all accounts, it was still the same demon cat, carrying a branch with flowers on it, but instead of the same clothes as he had put him out in, he now wore the skirt variant and had bangles, while someone had wrapped a red ribbon around his neck and turned it into a bow, with a bell in the center.
"What the-?"
"Mroowl?" Fai mewled a bit with the branch still in his mouth as he looked over and noticed Kurogane in the doorway and hurried over towards him.
Kurogane began to stand up from his kneeling position as Fai moved over and gently placed the branch in the pile at Kurogane's feet. Since Kurogane still stood there with the door partially open, he moved to rub up against Kurogane, seeking affection. With a low sigh, Kurogane gave him light pets, "wasn't even upset with you, idiot."
Fai was happy to hear that and protested a little when Kurogane stopped petting him. Kurogane tch'd at his protests, "cmon, I'll show you why you got kicked out."
Kurogane pushed the door open more before carefully not stepping on any of the things Fai placed in his doorway, he led the way back into his room. Kurogane had moved his furniture around. Things were picked up right now, but Fai noticed that there was a futon in there, leaning against a wall, something Kurogane had only recently added to the room. Fai looked it over
"Mew?" he meowed at Kurogane as he pointed at the futon.
"Yeah that one's for you, Tryna make room so you're not sleeping in the hallway where someone could trip over ya."
Fai went over and rubbed up against Kurogane's side, purring loudly at him and he got a small ruffle from Kurogane, "yeah yeah okay, you're happy to hear that."
When night came, and Kurogane was getting ready to go to bed, Kurogane helped Fai lower the futon before climbing in his own bed. Fai nudged the futon closer to Kurogane's bed, wriggling slowly closer until Kurogane made a complaint, "That's close enough, demon."
Fai mewled at him, protesting the difference in space and meowed at the verbal barrier until Kurogane turned his back towards the whining Fai. "Oh shut up - lucky you're even in here. I should let you sleep outside with the other animals."
Within seconds, the meowing stopped and Kurogane waited a bit before turning his head to view the demon. Fai had laid down but it looked like he was shivering. With a huffy sigh, Kurogane got out of his bed, grabbing a blanket from off of it, and lightly placing it over Fai, muttering "wasn't really gonna throw you out in the cold."
Feeling Kurogane drape the blanket over him, he rolled around with it, until it was wrapped around him, a corner saved for near his head. He began purring a little at the warm gesture.
"Alright then, now go to sleep."
Fai made a content noise so Kurogane turned to go back to his own bed when Fai mewed at him. Looking back, Fai made pleading eyes at him.
With a small tch, he grumbled out, "Fine, but I ain't gonna read you no bedtime story." Squatting down next to Fai, he gave him some pets to his head, earning happy purrs from Fai. "Alright now, be good and go to sleep." Kurogane said as he stood back up.
Fai set his head back down and began to rub his cheek all over the corner of the blanket as he settled in for now. Kurogane returned to his own bed, and tucked himself in for the night.
