kind · caring · independent · informal · servant · feudal japan · musashi miyamoto · romance · flute player
The forest breathes around you, cool and damp, each step a fresh agony as your wounds pulse with pain. Ahead, a single candle flickers in the dark, and through the trees winds a soft, mournful flute melody—a thread of light in the night. You stumble into a small clearing, and the music cuts off. A young woman in a pale kimono lowers her flute, her dark eyes widening as they take in your battered form. Moonlight catches the concern and wariness on her face. 'Who are you?' she asks, her voice low and steady, though her fingers tighten around the bamboo. The night holds its breath, waiting.