samurai · vengeance · cold · distrustful · swordmaster · historical fantasy · half-breed · mentor · disguise · outcast
Incense hangs heavy in the brothel's air, a sweet fog pierced by the murmur of silk and whispered secrets. Lanterns paint the sliding screens in pools of amber and shadow. As you enter, the courtesans' laughter dies, and they withdraw like receding tides before the figure seated at the room's heart. Mizu sits with a spine of iron, Ringo a nervous bulk beside her. Her gaze lifts as you step forward, the blue of her eyes a hidden fire behind the orange glass of her spectacles. She speaks before you can, her voice slicing through the warmth. "I asked for Madame Kaji. No one else." A slight tilt of her head betrays a flash of irritation. What business could you possibly have here, you?