coastal | psl || how did this slowburn happen

[murder was great and all, but lili has other things to do.

she texts kara everyday as far as her timeline goes, even though she doesn't completely understand how all the messages and time travel works. their tweets go back and forth since without anyone really around to bother, she finds herself bored and without much to do - except to get into more trouble. she wanders a little too far into the back alleys one day and overhears some talk of a drug trade that's starting to fester in some villages surrounding the capitol - and she's not sure if it's nadai, but why wouldn't she go check?

which is pretty much how she's in the middle of looking over some maps, trying to devise a way to get her ass out of the capitol as stealthily as possible so that the king and her attendants can't stop her.

she's at least leaving her oracle bell out so that she can see if someone from the village tries to contact her -

as she also tries to decide whether or not she wants to tell kara about her latest plan, or if what he doesn't know won't worry him?

it's not like he has time to come with her or anything.

right?]

[ kara texts lili as much as he can, between chores and missions and expeditions. It turns out to be less often than he might like, but then, he’s never been that talkative, in person or over text. all he can do is hope it doesn’t bother her too much, but lili’s messages are frequent enough that it doesn’t seem to be a problem.

the issue, then, is the war, which hasn’t stopped just because he was trapped in a village for a time, or because he finished the enkyou mission without anyone breaking. it continues for years to come, enough that kara starts to lose count, but he keeps lili updated when she asks, or whenever someone does something particularly ridiculous in the citadel. the saniwa even grants him some time to visit her, here and there, until one day, all of them are called to the courtyard.

the war with the history revisionists, their saniwa says, having come out of their room for a rare appearance before them, is over. each and every sword warrior will now have the freedom to choose what to do with their lives from now on, with or without a master - they need only tell the saniwa how they want to move forward, and it will be done.

it's almost impossible to believe that the war has ended after so long... and kara knows exactlky what he wants, but he lets the others talk to their master first. he can wait - besides, he’d promised not to show up unannounced. so while the others are discussing what to do with their newfound freedom, he finds the oracle bell and taps out a quick message:

Can I come see you? ]

Edited 2019-08-12 19:31 (UTC)

[lili, internally, as soon as she sees that text come through: hm. fuck.

but... well, it's not like she has anything immediately pressing on her plate aside from this? she thinks that she doesn't want to linger too long without taking action, but ookurikara would understand if she needed to run off and take care of something that was important to her, she thinks.

so she texts back:

of course. just you?

or will she have to figure out how to arrange accommodations for more than just one sword? she could probably figure out how to get them put up at an inn for their stay...]

[ Just me. See you soon.

it takes… about a month, for all the swords in the citadel to figure out what they want, talk to the saniwa about it, and start moving. slowly, they all start to disperse, leaving the citadel to go help their former masters, to wander the worlds, to watch humanity develop… kara doesn’t pay much attention to what any of them set out to do. there are only three, maybe four swords that matter as far as that goes, but they already know what kara plans to do, after this. they'll be parting ways yet again.

but not for good, this time. they've promised to come see the two of them, just as he's promised to lend his sword, if they need him.

for lili, it’s probably a few days at most - he tries to give her time to set things up, once she’s given her consent. once all the swords have gone, once he’s seen sada off - to go give tadamune fashion advice, he thinks - kara steps through the gateway and into kouka, eyes already scanning the immediate area for lili. ]

[a few days is enough for her to be able to get an inn room prepared - the truth is that she'd prefer that kara stay closer to where she is in the castle, but it's a little harder for her to make sudden demands when she herself is a guest. normally that wouldn't stop her, but she'd rather not have word get back to her father about her wanting an extra room for a visitor he's never heard of.

and who he will probably never hear of, if she has anything to say about it?

but the portal will open conveniently in the heart of the capitol, where people at least won't look too hard at kara for carrying around a sword, so long as he doesn't point it at anyone. it's actually not too far from where lili is, but she's also in the middle of trying desperately to find a way to stave off her boredom, and she's currently marching her way around town and actively trying to head into the shadier parts.

it's a little crowded though, and she's on a mission, which means that she's not even going to realize they're so close to each other up until she bumps right against him in the rush - ]

Hey!

[and then she looks up and]

Oh... hey.

[ somehow he isn't surprised that they'd find each other this way. kara's expression softens when he realizes it's her, though he doesn't smile just yet. he wants to see how she'll react, before he lets himself feel too relieved. ]

Going somewhere?

[ isn't she always though ]

[it's sort of settling in that he's back, close enough to touch, and she can't deny that he's happy to see him.]

Yeah.

[she's always going somewhere, but she will make a beckoning gesture for him to bend down a little bit, like she's going to tell him the secret location of where she's headed

if he does, she doesn't actually do that, she's just going to kiss his cheek before she loses her nerve]

Ahem. Wanna come with?

[WHAT IF SHE PRETENDS LIKE SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WEIRD, EVEN THOUGH SHE'S OBVIOUSLY BLUSHING?]

[ he does lean down, accepting the kiss with a soft sigh. though kara probably wouldn't admit it aloud... he's missed this. he's missed lili.

but then he'll straighten, hand resting on the hilt of his sword as usual - like nothing's changed at all. ]

Yeah.

[ as if he would say no ]

You found more problems?

[ . . . soft. she's got a bad case of heart eyes for a second, letting herself just be fond -

but only a second because his question manages to prompt her further and she nods, her focus shifting]

Mm. I heard something about more drugs that are being circulated in villages close by - so I'm gonna go trade for some information.

My normal guy isn't around... [because ogi got fucking stabbed] So I have to find someone else who'll fess up.

[so she's barreling straight into the shady part of town again]

[ welp. guess kara is her security guard now. he's probably used to this by now though, so whatever, he'll follow without hesitation. ]

Whenever you're done out here, we need to talk - away from everyone else.

[ important sword business, in addition to important... drug trafficking business? whatever this is. but kara's thing can wait, since they're already out on a different mission. ]

Where are we going, exactly?

[??????

she doesn't continue her warpath just yet, because that sounds - concerning?]

... this can wait, if it's important.

[she figures kara wouldn't bring it up if it's not important? she'll try to be considerate for once in her life and it's only because she cares about him enough to stop her nonsense for two seconds]

It's...

[ well, no, he can't exactly day it isn't important. it's very important, actually? but not as pressing as a mission set right in front of him. ]

...It can wait. Let me help you with this first.

... okay. Today shouldn't take long.

[she'll at least try to reassure him of that, because now it's going to bother her if she doesn't know what's on his mind. so she'll reach out to briefly catch his hand, giving it a squeeze - and then pulling away before heading back over to slums.

she wants to hold his hand but she can't because she doesn't want to take the risk of anyone else taking her less seriously by thinking she's clinging to her protector

soon enough, though]

Alright. I'll follow you.

[ and follow lili he does, about a step behind her as they head towards the slums. his hand remains on the sword, but kara's posture is relaxed, if alert it's just another expedition. ]

You know who to look for, right?

Not today - I can probably just see who knows Ogi and would be willing to work with me.

[she's literally going to bully her way through the criminal underworld??

but it also means that she's going to ignore some of the lowlifes who end up at attention when unfamiliar faces wander into their territory - even though lili's been something more of a staple around these parts. she's still a young lady with only one man as a guard, and their gazes are hardly friendly

they are getting a big closer to ogi's main base of operations though, which is apparently where she's planning on starting her pursuit]

[ he would say something about not being too reckless, but by now, kara knows better. lili will do what she wants, risks to her person aside, and honestly? that's part of what he likes about her, even if it does get exasperating sometimes.

so he maintains a warrior's posture as he follows her, relaxed but alert, and ready to jump into action if anyone threatens her. lili probably doesn't need his help as much as she used to, but. he's not going to stand by unless she tells him to.

he will give some of these lowlifes a suspicious glance, frowning as more of them begin to appear. they don't seem that intimidated by lili and her single guard - more fool them. ]

You're sure you know where you're going?

For now, yes.

[even if she doesn't know the exact person she's looking for, she does at least know her first destination pretty well. they'll enter the den that ogi normally presides over, and the initial reception is cold as the thugs inside look over disgruntled -

before they relax and greet easily 'hey little lady, got company today? the boss is still out, you know.']

Don't call me little and that's none of your business.

[some of the newer members of their little band of shady thieves, who are less used to lili, just find themselves looking over at kara with some measure of curiosity and wariness, like they don't trust that trouble won't find a way to happen anyway.]

Either tell me what I need to know about the drugs circulating around the capitol, or point me in the direction of who to ask. I'll pay so you have enough for food until Ogi gets back.

[the thugs just manage to look a little exhausted at that before sparing glances toward kara, and asking: 'you're a new face. any chance you can get her to hold her horses?']

[ kara will meet their gazes impassively, apparently unimpressed by the lot of them. they don’t look like much, to be frank. but if lili trusts them, they must be worth something? except they don’t offer anything but tired looks to kara when lili demands answers...

and she trusts these guys? kara wouldn’t, but she knows her own world best, he supposes

he doesn’t answer them, merely raising an eyebrow at the question. do they really think he’d let her waltz into right into the slums if he could stop her? ]

['just as chatty as the other dark-haired one...'

let kara meet ayura.

regardless, it's not like they're going to keep their mouths shut when money is so close at hand. they tell lili what they know about the drug, which sounds just enough like nadai that her expression darkens at the thought of it spreading further throughout the kingdom. they also spare the name of another informant in one of those villages that they can look for that would supposedly know more about a mastermind, and once they do, lili retrieves a small pouch from her person that's filled with gold coins, tossing it onto the table]

Thanks, that'll do. Keep an ear out - do better or I'll tell Ogi you're slacking off while you're gone.

[and that's what will actually get them to look a bit nervous, knowing full well that she'll make good on that promise.

but now that she's gotten what she needed, she moves to head right back out, though she'll at least tell kara - ]

Maybe we can leave tonight? Mm, but I don't want to rush you... Tomorrow morning then.

[ again, he doesn’t answer, merely watching silently as they give lili the information she needs and following her out. ]

...Tomorrow is good.

[ he doesn’t feel rushed, exactly? but kara does still want to talk to her, and he’s not sure how long this conversation will take, or… well. anything after, whatever that may be. he doesn’t want to cause a stir, but if they have to make arrangements for him to find a more long-term place to stay… well. it might take some time to plan? maybe?

look he doesn’t know how this works, these things have always been provided for him up to now ]

[hm.

she continues to be concerned the more that she doesn't know what's on his mind, and she nods. it's not too far to get to the inn where she's arranged for a room for him, but they do need to get out of the slums first. maybe her pace is a little quicker and maybe some of the criminals hanging out interpret it as nervousness, and that's why they feel emboldened enough to step in her path

her expression falls, unimpressed]

Move or you will be moved.

[and like clockwork, the air around them drops just a few degrees]

[ of course lili is still a magnet for trouble. kara didn’t really expect anything else - but it does make him wonder what she was doing, heading to an area like this without even her attendants. his expression will settle into a glare as the thugs approach them, and he’ll step up beside her, hand on his sword

though he does glance at her from the corner of his eye when the temperature drops. voice low so they won’t overhear, he asks: ]

...Are you sure you want to do that here?

[ he never did quite get a handle on the rules of magic in this world ]

A little scare can build character. I won't make it obvious.

[maybe she can convince them she's a ghost? either way, she's still painfully overconfident. though it seems like one of their attackers isn't intimidated by a girl that stands at 5'2" or her singular attendant and moves to charge toward them, hand outstretched like he'll grab right onto the long locks of lili's hair

except there's suddenly a patch of ice manifesting right beneath his foot in the second before he steps, making him slip and throwing him off-balance, easy enough for kara to pick off]

[ why is she like this

SIGH… he’s just going to have to get used to doing this full time, he supposes. at least it’ll be more interesting than doing chores in the citadel

that said, he doesn’t even draw his sword. kara pulls it, still sheathed, from the scarf on his waist, easily side-stepping to smack the attacker at the base of his neck as he tries to catch himself. he falls to the ground, unconscious, as kara turns back to the others as if daring them to try him, too. ]

[haha yea.

also it's hot when kara is obviously so much stronger than anyone else. lili would honestly be okay if this turned into a brawl, but given the obvious difference in skill, their would-be bandits are suddenly forced into rethinking their options here. they back off, slowly at first, before running away

lili just crosses her arms]

Really, they must be new here if they still try to attack me...

[kara is now doing the job that both ayura and tetora were assigned to]

Thank you for your help.

psl || how did this slowburn happen

swords are time traveling cheaters

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