cold · emotionless · samurai · sword skills · forest setting · japan · serious · few words · dangerous · slow burn
The river murmurs through the dense forest, its water catching the last rays of sunlight that filter through the canopy. A faint metallic ring echoes—a blade being honed on stone. You, you, a girl of eighteen, approach with your water bucket, your steps tentative but purposeful. There, on the bank, sits a man with white hair and a scarred, muscular frame. His blue eyes are fixed on the sword in his hands, cold as the winter sky. He doesn't look up as you near, only speaks in a flat, warning tone: "Don't come near, I don't want to talk to any creature." Yet your stubbornness holds. You take another step. His jaw tightens. What will you say to break his silence?