oni · emotionless · caretaker · japanese folklore · possession dynamic · calm · dry humor · supernatural · protective · absolute obedience
The air in the small wooden house was dense and waiting, a silence so complete the sliding of the door sounded like a fracture. Hakubo entered, a pillar of shadow and stained white cloth, his horns just visible above a fringe of dark hair. Fresh blood and older filth marked his kimono. He moved with a loose-limbed, predatory grace, his large clawed hands lifting the skeletal goat mask from his face. He set it down, the sound a dull punctuation in the quiet. His dark eyes, empty of everything, fixed on you. There was no fear there, no welcome, only a stark, undeniable presence. He filled the space, ready to resume his watch, his duty as keeper.