Otherworldly

Evelyn was happily chowing down on the rabbit the unknown man had offered her, even as a little voice in the back of her head whispered 'don't trust strangers'. It was a tad bland in flavour, but it was better than an empty stomach full of regret. Her roving eyes had settled on her brother a long time ago, gaze sharp and focused, as the monks tended to his wounds while he slept. She was still afraid. Though she figured she was either dreaming this entire thing, or stark raving mad...and for the moment she was inching towards the former. The language they spoke was so much different to modern Japanese, and she found herself tripping over words when she would receive a confused stare or blank face. Nothing would stop the flush of her cheeks at that point and the certainty that rather than a dream, it was undoubtedly a living nightmare set by her insecurities and vivid imagination. Yet she couldn't help but feel that for something as imaginary as this new world, it felt incredibly real. She shook her head to banish the thought, and instead attempted to locate the man that had carried her. It proved futile at first, but with an intense survey she found him rather quickly. Then proceeded to choke on her meat. Their eyes had met, or at least one of them did and the molten core that glanced her way was impeccably sharp. However, it wasn't his intense stare that had made her inhale her food and choke, but there was something odd about him that made her eyes squint to see. At first, she didn't believe it, but the images on the cave walls and her mother's voice ringing in her head caused doubt to seep deep into her pores. There were markings flush across his arms and face, and…

"Are those...animal...ears..?" Mizuki flinched then immediately sprang to life. He hadn't even made it one foot when the unmistakable glow of fluorescent bindings snapped him into place.

"No step further!" The familiar yell of one of the monks echoed through the camp. Ryō was looking on perplexed but knew better than to step between. It didn't stop him, however, from gripping the handle of one of his blades and inching protectively towards the trembling wide-eyed woman to his right. His friend and brother noticed this hidden movement and suddenly felt an overwhelming amount of shame. For all that they'd been through, he had never reacted this way towards an innocent. Dread filled him as he slumped against the bindings. I am [not] him… his mind trembled.

The monk that had intervened, stepped forward with determination and searched the older males face. Certain that he would cause no harm, he dropped the hold he had upon him and levelled him with a glare.

"She is [protected]." Mizuki lowered his head and replied with some hesitance.

"She knows." The monk hummed in acknowledgement.

"We know. We have known. Protection is necessary." The golden hue of his eye snapped sharply at the robed man.

"That is highly unusual for a mortal," the monk narrowed his eyes as Mizuki continued, "not as well trained as you are..." and then nodded his head gently, softening his face.

"It seems she was born with such power, and yet..."

"She is reacting as if I am her first otherworldly being." Both the monk and Mizuki gazed over at the woman in question. She seemed average enough, albeit foreign in the lands of the Rising Sun. She had already begun firing questions at Ryō, seemingly forgetting the fear she had excluded previously. The white-haired male laughed lightly underneath his breath and placed a firm hand on the monk's shoulder.

"I will apologise. There are many a question I would like to ask...though I do believe she has much more." The old man nodded and patted the hand on his shoulder, giving Mizuki a small nod out of politeness and meandered off to join the others of his group. Now, he thought, we'll find out who you are.

Evelyn couldn't keep her mouth shut to save the world, and her poor brother was evidence that the noise spewing from her mouth was unwelcome and just a [little bit] too shrill. He'd been awake for a few moments now, but his hand had already unconsciously reached for a soft clump of dirt while he was resting. He'd decided at that moment, to hell with the consequences and subsequently lobbed the ball of earth right at his sister's face. The moment it hit was like one of the quietest moments he'd ever been in, and he'd watched on almost in slow motion as it smacked her left cheek and disintegrated into tiny pieces onto her lap. Michael was certain he was probably going to die soon, because Evelyn had been in mid-yell-question when it hit. He grimaced internally. It may have, possibly, got in her mouth...since the look on her face made him certain he'd be dying very, [very], soon.

His poor sister was trying hard not to swallow, as she could feel tiny bits of dirt floating in her mouth. The strange man who she had been relentlessly questioning, now stood stock still and was watching with comically large eyes as everything around her seemed to freeze. She eyed her brother with mild disdain, but the deep chuckle that came from the other side of her made her head snap around painfully. Those strange markings still adorned his flesh in delicate and intricate patterns, but what yet again caught her off guard was the warmth that was radiating from his lone golden eye. The change felt like whiplash since moments before it had been filled with a sudden anger and darkness she'd never ever seen before in a person. Honestly, Evelyn didn't know what to do. So, he did it for her and bowed deeply.

"I have come to give my sincerest regrets and apologise for my earlier actions..." the rich baritone of his voice startled the young woman, but she could feel the emotions rolling off him in waves. She relaxed, at least somewhat, and stretched herself into a straight sitting position.

"I...arigatou..." Ryō had slinked off into the background as she answered, and joined her brother by his side to watch the exchange with curious eyes. Mizuki was still bent over, and it was starting to make Evelyn fidget in discomfort. His white hair, loose from his usual braids, was pooling around his shoulders and the tips were just not touching the ground. Red dyed them, vibrant and piercing. She squirmed even more at the silence that followed. "Onegai...don't bow anymore…" Your hair will be ruined. Mizuki smiled politely as he slowly postured himself. He gestured to the space next to her in question and Evelyn nodded mutely in acceptance. The towering figure that had cast shadows upon her, now settled down with some distance next to the brunette.

"I see you are still frightened. I am sorry...but you must understand that what you [see], frightened me." The softness of his drawl carried off for a moment, "We are...not used to mortals identifying what we are." Mizuki could see some confusion written on the delicate features of her face and breathed in the calming scent of waterlilies with a gentle smile.

"Mortals? What you are…?" She squinted her eyes together in thought before glancing hesitantly at the ears lying atop the head of this new stranger. She tried to gather her courage, but it fled at the sight of that now familiar golden fire trained on her very own icy blue hues. A timid gulp of a question left her mouth in reaction. "Who are you?"

[Onegai – Please]