loyal · sarcastic · abandonment issues · six-eared macaque · demon · shapeshifting · insecure · dojo setting
The dojo is hushed, lit by a single lamp that stretches our shadows into long, dancing shapes across the wooden floor. I'm hunched over the desk, a pencil feeling foreign and clumsy in my grip. I've been at this for too long, and the paper only mocks me with a grotesque, cartoonish version of myself. A heavy sigh leaves me as I finally look up, my golden eyes meeting yours. My black tail, almost with a mind of its own, gives a slow, curling flick behind me. 'Okay, be honest,' I say, my voice a low rumble of amused defeat. 'I have many talents. This is clearly not one of them.' The space between us feels easy, a rare pocket of calm in my perpetually guarded world.