Tapestry Ch3: Getting on With It

Alt text: I tried to write the InT and Izzy dinner scene and something went horribly wrong

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Her mother was completely against it—completely and utterly against her being there, interacting with the dangerous man (and she used the term man loosely she was quick to add) at all—and that was in no small part why she now poured Saki into a glass that the demon General had yet to touch. He instead simply sat there,

Staring at her.

It was quite blatant, and the more she knelt pinned by his gaze, unable to match it but for fleeting glimpses that sent her stomach into acrobatics, the more she cursed her stubbornness and rehearsed all the 'you were right, mom!'s in her head that she could think of.

True to his word, Inu no Taishō returned two weeks after his last visit, just long enough for Izayoi to fall back into familiar boredom. It had taken a while until she ha been able to put the encounter out of her mind. The first few days after their meeting she was, in all truth, quite nosey. Never having had a reason to implement such particular skills, she (unsurprisingly) didn't fare well as a detective and the trail grew cold quick. Her biggest discouragement was the reluctance or flat out refusal of nearly everyone she talked too to answer her questions; why the demon had come, and why to here, why he wasn't simply razing the place to the ground, why they weren't sending out distress messages to every neighboring province, demon slayer, and samurai rouge to help them if they were under threat from this General.

The visit was no small matter. She had never heard of any sort of cordial relations between humans and demons before. Demons were just monsters, naively minded but powerful and dangerous. They were the fiercest of animals, only discussed as grave matters of security or within demeaning insults.

She had also never known that demons could look so…human. Not that the Demon Lord wasn't fierce—with scalding eyes and marble poise, a unyielding command in his demeanor and voice, and entity to be respected, to be followed—but nothing like what the scrolls depicted. The art there held gargantuan beasts in blistering red, hair (if any) a sparse black spray and mouths full of tusks far too large for even their forked tongues to form words around. With distended bellies and loincloths of animal hide, it was a stark contrast to the dignity seen so blatant in the true demon she encountered. In a way he was much, much more terrifying then the pictures.

Perhaps it was out of this solemn fear that no one would speak to her about him. She could understand that.

Her brother had talked to her, if only briefly and with little seriousness.

"Think of the status boost our Clan will have when this gets out." He had casually said after a few solid minutes of teasing. "The weak Hayashi clan fraternizing with a demon! See if the Shi family has the guts to bother us then."

"That's not status," Izayoi retorted "That's something close to scare tactics."

Her brother smirked at that, revealing the gap there.

"Well now you're just arguing semantics. This is an age of war and bloodshed. We've been lucky enough to stay relatively clear of it, but that won't last forever. Think of him…as our insurance. There's a good chance he'll scare off any violent rivals of ours and if that doesn't work," Ichirou shrugged, the smile never really leaving his face. "We've got a demon on our side. A General, no less. That will make what little resistance we would've been able to put up before a bit better. Only trick is making sure he doesn't massacre us all before then."

A soft little voice interrupted them then from behind the sliding door.

"Excuse me," the timid feminine voice said, announcing her presence before pulling open the door to reveal her diminutive form, kneeling with head bowed.

The sneer on Ichirou's face transformed. That was the only word for how all the devil-may-care malice veiled there melted off his features to leave a vulnerable, nervous look.

"Oh, Nayoko. W-what is it?" his voice pitched itself slightly, trying to sound less threatening.

"I'm sorry to interrupt my lord, but I've come to invite you to dinner." The girl kept her head bowed, her petite frame drowning in her copious cloths, making her curled form look like nothing more than a fallen bundle of light, airy clothes.

"R-right, dinner, of course…" Her brother seemed stumped as how to correctly answer. Izayoi heaved a quick sigh before turning to face her sister-in-law.

"Of course Nayo-chan! Me an Ichi will be right over. Do you know what they're serving today?"

The girl lifted her head as if started by the enthusiastic response before shaking no. Her face was very small and pale with almost translucent skin. The only criticism that could perhaps be given to the pretty girl was that she was a little gaunt and pinched looking, with wide eyes that seemed wider by the line of shadow surrounding them.

"Well whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be delicious. I hope you have the appetite for it today!"

"Oh, no, I'm not sure about today," the wisp of a girl all but muttered. She smiled softly as she met Izayoi's eyes who beamed back as warmly as she could. Nayoko's eyes then darted as if by accident to Izayoi's brother, locking with him a moment and making him stiffen. As if suddenly realizing something important she drew in breath and bowed back to the floor. "G-goodbye!"

She fumbled a moment before sliding the door shut. A soft but speedy pitter-patter of feet could be heard trailing away.

Ichirou heaved a great breath, his body slumping as if exhausted. He seemed disappointed, lifting a hand to distractedly scratch the back of his head.

"…she acts more like a servant then like a wife." Izayoi remarked.

"I know."

"You two spend far too much effort being scared of each other while trying not to scare each other."

"Really, though, Ichi?"

"You act like you're walking on eggshells whenever she's around!"

"And in front of Nayoko."

"You've been married for over a year now, haven't you?"

"I haven't been Ichi for more than a decade now. Yet you seem to insist-"

"And don't start with the 'well at least I am married' bit, I get it, I'll die a spinster if I want too,"

"Insist on embarrassing me whenever she's around."

"You need to spend more time with her. Encourage her to eat, take her for a walk outdoors, the poor thing's bound to strengthen. She adores you, you know. Can't imagine why, with how little mind you give her."

"That's not true. Also, you just gave me good advice for a sick dog. Congrats."

Izayoi glared at him for a good long minute.

"So dinner then, yeah?"

"Sure thing, Ichi."

Said dinner had been fish—and not good fish, either. Izayoi couldn't really blame Nayoko as she picked at her plate dejectedly. The food was depressing enough to ruin anyone's day, quite the contrast to the current spread.

They were having a feast. A feast for a demon she was still unsure why was there in the first place. She was all too aware of why she herself was there. A little (okay more like a lot) of high-pitched pleading with her father went a long way. Throw in a few lines about wanting to be more involved in the family and bam, you got your defiant way.

So the tables were full, stocked and stuffed with food she wasn't even sure demons ate. Meat and fishcakes and fruits and salad of so many kinds it made her head spin. She didn't even recognize some of the dishes. What did demons eat? Didn't they eat children or something like that? Or was that trolls? Did trolls exist? She worried the warm ceramic jar of Saki resting in her lap before glancing over at the General.

He was looking straight at her.

Again.

With a small squeak she diverted her gaze. She could have sworn she saw him smirk from the corner of her eye.

Whatever demons ate, he surely hadn't touched a thing. The feast they had thrown for the Demon Lord seemed more a curiosity than something he was to participate in. Sitting at the head of the low table skirted on either side with half a dozen balding men, he look as much in place there as a destroying angel at a dairy farm.

The start of the meal had horribly foreshadowed the most awkward, and potentially lethal, next two hours of Izayoi's life.

Mom, you were really, really right.

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I really do apologies for this chapter. I started by trying to write one of my most anticipated scenes with Izayoi and InT, the Dinner scene. It was here she was supposed to to learn what exactly and inugami is and why her family is the Demon Lord's focus and not some other. (I hate forcing my defensibly necessary OCs on you guys when what YOU wanna see is the same as me- Izzy and InT!)

Instead, look forward to that next Friday! I'm trying very hard to keep my update scheduled.

Please REVIEW! I'd like to get to know you invisible readers!