晁代玉 ||

[ grumble. ]

did you forget the name, or are you choosing not to say it?

[ stare. brow raising. ]

... it's your shrine.

... after they've broken it, flooded it, and probably worse?

i'd hope so, it's your shrine.

you keep an eye on them.

i'm never here, so.

... how would i not figure?

you're the babysitter.

... i'm going to go on another mission and let mikoto sort out the monkey problem when it happens.

... this shrine does not have space for hundreds of monkeys.

... don't ask me.

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flustered and shaken in a way she didn't seem to hate.
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ㅤ There is silence, despite how the dragon's eyes narrow at such a smug face. Her own hands lift and place themselves where Mikoto's had been, squishing her own cheeks and rubbing in a soft attempt to redirect and get her composure back. Whatever heart her new body has thrums a million,

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above. It was as if the fabric simply fazed through her to the ground. Her phosphorescence dims as the distance closes, and she scoops Darby up from under the arms.

ㅤ "How are you with heights?"
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Darby may spot a faint glow. Crimson irises aglow, streaks of jade hair illuminate in tandem. A bit brighter, then -
ㅤ 𝘧𝘭𝘮𝘱𝘧
- Dàiyù's clothing seems to simply fall to the floor, unveiling her nude form and the black ridges adorning the dragon's ribs and spine, similar textures to the horns

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ㅤ " ... Please. You're less demanding than the dog, and she doesn't ask for much." The dragon's eyes roll. It was almost playful, if she didn't speak with such monotony and strangle any possible smile into the dirt. It could easily have been misinterpreted as annoyance.
ㅤ On the approach,

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ㅤ "Changed your sin..?" Dàiyù's eyes narrow. Of all the things she'd heard, this wasn't one. Had she committed enough of an act to force a change? "Did you not have to breach the boundary? How did you get through?"
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Halloween...

[ Clicking her tongue. ]

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dragon struts forth. "How do you want it?"
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ㅤ ...

ㅤ "Cute."
ㅤ Her lips are struggling not to curve straight up into a smile. They twitch for a beat before she reins in control of her stoic mouth and face, leaving the light slant of her eyes as the only indication of her amusement. The blade is returned to its dirt sheath, and the

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ㅤ " ... I've rarely met a demon so early after their inceptions. Most demons that breach into our plane are either of higher power and age, or were dragged up as servile weaklings by the mentioned." Dàiyù's narrowing eyes aren't hostile. They are, however, dissective. "What led you here?"
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her pieces a slowly restructuring puzzle.

ㅤWhen they part, she says nothing. It's rare to see that vulnerability on her face; to feel so strongly the presence of the brightness in Dàiyù, a glimpse through the dark shell she'd battled since her rebirth.
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her hunters both.

ㅤ What an intimate feeling this was. It wasn't her first kiss, no, yet still - what difference there was made her heart soar. Leap, bound, and fly. Maybe it was her connection to Mikoto, her gratitude. Maybe she was just caught off-guard; maybe she'd softened too greatly,

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