"You are brazen for a servant," Inukimi said, straightening her shoulders.
"I'm not a servant," Kagome reiterated. "Least of all yours. You assumed my role without asking, and I agreed to pour your tea to be courteous."
The daiyoukai clicked her tongue, then settled back against the tree. "What is your role then? You are not dressed as a miko."
Wincing, Kagome lifted her chin, refusing to be intimidated. Sesshoumaru had given her the periwinkle kimono, stating that Jaken would be personally washing her robes since he was the reason they were dirty in the first place. She'd immediately asked for the location, wanting to witness it for herself, but he'd been too busy hiding her from his mother to give her details.
"My attire doesn't affect my ability to help people." She'd never adopted the typical hairstyle anyway, and the memory of Sesshoumaru's claws running through her loose hair that morning reaffirmed that she never would.
"Perhaps not, but clothes go a long way in establishing one's station," Inukimi said.
Kagome rolled her eyes. "My station speaks for itself. And is no business of yours," she added when the daiyoukai opened her mouth to criticize her again. They stared at each other for a moment, Ah-Un's tail swishing in agitation before Inukimi waved her off.
"If you are not going to entertain me, you may leave, human."
"I'm leaving because I have better things to do than pander to your whims," Kagome retorted. "Not because you've dismissed me." She beckoned the dragon closer, intent on resuming her walk through the gardens. "And my name is Kagome."
She hadn't taken more than a step before Inukimi grabbed her ankle, her mouth pulling up into a smirk, golden eyes gleaming. "Is it now?"