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[judicialassistant]

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[chippedsoul]

[They sure don't. He definitely doesn't want to dwell on what he did to those wolves. He closes his eyes, this anger quietly boiling beneath. Anger towards himself. Once again, he's inconveniencing others for his own failures. Knowing 76 cares makes it feel even worse. His body starts to curl itself around Susato.]

...We'll find him, together. [It's what Susato told him that night, right?]

[judicialassistant]

[ For the briefest of moments, as he slowly curls around her, she can see that look again. The look he had given the fox in the forest. She tenses up slightly, nervous, not helped by his anger that she feels in the form of warmth, but what he says is so at odds with what she remembers from that time. And that anger is replaced with a determination she'd always admired in him. ]

Yes. Together... I'm glad you remembered that. [ Because by the end of it, between his Noctaere mind and his injuries, she doesn't know what he would remember of that night and what he wouldn't. This is the first time they've really been able to speak about it, what happened with Jack. ]

[chippedsoul]

[He doesn't seem to notice his movements left Susato feeling tense, preoccupied with what he could recall from that night. If anything, he's learning it feels nice to brush up against someone warm.]

...It'ss been quiet. [By that, he means the town isn't being rampaged by a giant wolf zombie thing.] I wonder what hass happened...

[judicialassistant]

[ She's actually glad he didn't notice. It doesn't take her long to relax again, finding it odd that she can take comfort with him in this form; yet she doesn't seem to shy away from him as she ponders his words with a worried expression.

He really doesn't seem to know. ]

Where do you last remember seeing him?

[chippedsoul]

...Edge of town. Wass trying to force him away, into the foresst. [They ended up making a hell of a mess. That area was probably radiating with nightmare energy now.]

Nothingss happened in town...?

[judicialassistant]

. . . [ She thinks about it, letting out a relaxed sigh. Could such a fight really have have resulted in nothing? ...She wishes she could stare at Iris's sky right now, fake though it was and the same every night, but she's liable to fall asleep if she turns off the lights. ] Just some frozen areas I've noticed on my way to and from the Wild Harvest. I thought it was unnatural. I would have tried to burn them, but... I think I hoped the rain and warmer weather would wash them away.

[ Plus she didn't want to cause more damage? She hasn't been around them at the right time to notice any animals trapped within, but she did sense something sinister about the thorns and vines that seemed to frozen within. ]

[chippedsoul]

...He has control over shadowss and ice. [Let's hope what Susato saw doesn't get worse.]

Leave it be, sstick to the lit pathss. I'll follow you if I musst. [From the shadows of course. No one need to be seeing a giant snake.]

[judicialassistant]

[ She knows... thanks to their time in Whoville. It is the same way she recognized the wolves as 76's, but again, We Don't Talk About That. She will do as brother says, for now, but someone is bound to get hurt sooner or later.

She seems to ponder on this and meets his eyes with a tired look, yet somehow also determined. ]

You don't have to do that. I promise to keep your kitchen together in one piece for when you get better. And you will get better.

[chippedsoul]

[He flicks his tongue with a hum.] I can get a possible meal thiss way.

[He didn't particularly want to bring up making snacks out of creatures, but...well, it gets his point across. It's beneficial for the both of them, he thinks. His head turns slightly, an eye glancing up at her.] ...I sshould take my leave. Sso you may rest.

[judicialassistant]

[ . . . Nope. Nope. She doesn't want to think about it. Not the wolves and not the animals that might become trapped, nightmare or no. Truth be told, she doesn't want him to leave either, not when they're finally talking, but that's not really fair, since he needs the rest, too.

... ]

You can fit into the guest room again like this. [ It's posed as a suggestion, but she will absolutely insist if it came to it. ] But...

[ ......How does she ask this without it being weird? ]

[chippedsoul]

[....She doesn't need to say anything for him to take a guess.] You want me to sstay. I don't know if that'ss a good idea. [What if his presence make the nightmares worse? What if he loses himself again and see her as a midnight snack? What would Yujin think of finding him in his daughter's room like this?]

[judicialassistant]

[ She doesn't know if it is either. She doesn't understand it herself. It is dangerous. Snakes are dangerous, especially one of his size. She should be terrified of him, but she somehow still sees him as Kazuma-sama.

And she wants him to stay, if only for a while longer. ]

Only until I fall asleep.

[chippedsoul]

. . .All right. [He moves his head from her lap, so Susato could actually move and make herself comfortable. He'll move his body accordingly if needed as well, his tail sliding a pillow back onto the bed that had fallen earlier.]

[judicialassistant]

[ She sees the pillow being nudged onto the bed and quietly makes a grab for it, putting it back where it belongs. Her smile isn't overt, but she clearly is relieved at his answer. Her lap still feels warm when she gets up, which is...far more difficult than she wanted it to be. ]

Just a moment.

[ She walks the paces required to turn off her light, activating Iris and her night sky. ]

[chippedsoul]

[In the midst of her prepping, he might have yawned. Don't mind those fangs being shown for a moment. He glances up toward the ceiling when the false night sky appears. It is rather cozy in here having the sky there. He looks to Susato, making space for her when she returns to the bed. Being in the dark is completely his element, still able to see. Which probably makes him look a bit more menacing in the darkness with those yellow eyes of his.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato also cracks open her door just a tiny bit while she is up. While no doubt Kazuma would have found a way to open the door regardless, the least she can do is make it easier for him later.

She catches him yawning, the sound calling her attention just before the lights go off and reveals his yellow eyes. A shiver runs through her body, but she just crawls into bed and pulls the covers over herself, staring up at the ceiling, too. ]

Thank you. [ For staying? And indulging a selfish wish? Too tired to figure it out, she closes her eyes, shifting her weight slightly to try to get comforable. ]

[chippedsoul]

[Once she's settled, he slowly makes his way around her. His body encircles her in a protective manner, though one could also think he was trapping her in. Once he finds her hand, his tongue flicks it, coming forward to try and wiggle his head underneath it. He's just doing whatever he thinks she would need to feel comfortable, and knowing he's within contact might help.]

[judicialassistant]

Mmmh. [ Feeling his tongue against her hand causes her to stir, but it is a far cry from what Kazuma saw when he entered her room, a far more peaceful expression on her face. That same hand idly strokes at the scales on his head, though it's unclear whether she's doing it purposefully, or if she really did knock out just that fast.

Either way, she won't be having anymore nightmares tonight. ]

[chippedsoul]

[Well, the plan was to leave once she was fast asleep, but that doesn't end up happening. He got so comfortable that he thought to rest his eyes for a bit.

And then morning was suddenly here. Though honestly, it was the best sleep he's had since he arrived to the Mikotoba's home.

He's not sleeping in the same spot as he was before though. He's now partially laying on the floor. Bed was just too soft. At some point he tried to change back into his more human appearance, but only manages halfway, effectively taking on his naga form instead. His human top half was laying on the floor, his snake bottom still on her bed. His horns just scrape's against the wall as his sleeps on his back, with something, or someone wrapped in one of his big arms.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato herself has managed to completely sleep through falling onto the floor, her sleep equally deep and peaceful--no longer plagued with any nightmares. She clings to him like some childishly large teddy bear, and perhaps she ended up following him onto the floor that way, because as much as she loved Iris, the bunny was smaller and did not emit his comforting heat.

The sun starts to peek in through her windows, but just barely. It would normally be enough to at least get her to stir, but as it is, she just shifts closer within that large arm of his, causing his snake bottom to flop onto the floor with the rest of him to finish the job. ]

[chippedsoul]

[If only her room was just a little more spacious. The bed is being moved and nightstand being knocked arounds as he tries to curl his tail around him. 5 more minutes. Worry about that noise later. Can't ignore the best sleep he's been needing. Turning onto his side, both arms are now covering her as she's pressed against his chest, along with a snake tail wrapping around them.]

1/3

[judicialassistant]

[ Her brow seems to furrow at the noise; however reluctantly, she seems to have heard it. Distantly, she remembers that their entrance still isn't fixed at this point, so she should probably be more concerned. A low moan of protest seems to escape her, as if to say, 'Mr Robber or Mr Ghost, could you please come back later?' but in the end, whatever sense of responsibility she has kicks in.

She blinks.

That sure is a whole lot of skin. ]

2/3

[judicialassistant]

[ S...Skin... With a whole lot of cuts and bruises, and familiar scaling, glimmering a silverish white. She breathes out a puff of air, trying to get her own hair out of face, but when that doesn't work, she finds just enough movement in her arm to try to brush it out of her face.

Still warm. Still comfortable. Though with a quick glance over his body to try to get her bearings, she can see that she's on the floor. When did that happen? ]

[judicialassistant]

[ Whatever morning brain fog starts to lift. She goes to scream, her heart racing, but she thinks better of it, clamping her mouth shut until it just comes out as a high-pitched squeak (Toby's new toy...? No, there is no Toby yet.)

There are many thoughts! Many. And they are all coherent, too. Her first one being that she needs to put some distance between them. She squirms, though his strength is impressive, even in his sleep.

It doesn't help that her next thought seems to be about those injuries of his yet again. Are some of the wounds reopening, or is it just her imagination? ]

K, K, Kazuma-sama--! [ Stammering in a hushed, yet urgent whisper. ] You're... You're big again...?

[chippedsoul]

Hm...? [What's that high pitch squeaking noises? A mouse...? No it's talking. His still healing wounds were starting to poke at his conscious, making it harder to ignore the aches and pain and continue to sleep. He could feel something squirming in his arms. Soft....squishy.

What is that? Trying to get out? Maybe it was a stray pray trying to escape. Won't take long for him to realize immediately that's not it, once he opens his eyes. He's staring down at the face of his Legal Aide, somehow in his arms.] . . . [Smooth guy is too dumbfounded by the situation to say something for once. Or do anything. What the hell??]