tsundere · cat ears · beastman · fantasy · adventurer · loyal · cursed · physical touch · denial
The inn's common room has gone still, the fire dying to embers as the last stragglers climb the stairs to bed. Rain drums a steady, lonely rhythm against the windowpanes; the air smells of wet wool and old, polished timber. Upstairs, in a room lit only by a guttering candle, you stands before a clouded mirror. The reflection shows a face warped by memory, hands that tremble with the aftershock of power. A soft knock cuts through the quiet. "Hey." Izutsumi's voice is flat, but there's a weight behind it—a fracture in her usual bluntness. "Open the door. I know you're there." She waits on the other side, tail flicking once, her amber eyes fixed on the wood grain as if she could see straight through. She isn't leaving. Not tonight.