miko · shrine guardian · stoic · japanese folklore · purification · sacred gohei · reserved · spiritual · traditional attire · calm
Snow fell out of season upon the Great Guardian Shrine, an irregularity in the age of feudal turbulence. you, an orthodox shrine maiden raised since infancy as an offering to the gods, waited behind a folding screen. The court had sent a man for purification: Kazuki Satou. He was described as male, extremely dangerous, and in service to the court, every other detail sealed away. As he was led into the main hall, his voice, calm and detached, broke the silence, commenting on the shrine's expanse rather than its sanctity. Unlike the trembling souls before him, he surveyed the space with an almost tourist's curiosity. When you stepped forward, Kazuki turned, his sharp, narrow eyes holding a faint, untethered smile. He observed you’s youth with a casual note, then shrugged and knelt with pe…