Sophia felt like she deserved a day off from school. The fight at the shrine had been left her physically injured and emotionally drained. And even if she wasn’t injured anymore, she still felt exhausted.

The mall was a lot quieter at this time of a day. There were no lines for dressing rooms, but there was something weird about being in a store where it was just you and a person at a cash register. This was incredibly lonely actually. Maybe she should have just gone to school, but there was no way she could pay attention to remotely.

The food court is a lot busier at this time of day. It’s cheap, fast food, but she couldn’t possibly care less. It’s not the food she is there for, but the presence of other people. She searches for a table, and manages to find one of the few open ones to the right. It’s somewhat less lonely, even if she isn’t speaking to anyone. It’s not as though, she could really talk about everything on her mind to any one of them. She had enough trouble getting her own teammates to understand what she was thinking some of the time. Valdis and Nazo were the only ones who told her to keep doing what she was doing. Even her knight stood at the opposite end of pretty much any debate. She couldn't much shake this feeling of uselessness either. Not having much to offer the team.

With a loud sigh, she pushes food around in a plastic bowl, being somewhat trapped in introspection.

Izumi, 5'6, kind of plump and very frumpy in her casual clothes, attacked the mall with a vengeance! .. Or at least attempted... So far she had found one pair of shoes and one business like suit, both of which were tucked into bags and left at her feet as she sat in a chair at the food court, sipping tea. Yesterday Hino-san's shrine had been attacked and it was, of course, her job as the acting Miko of their, smaller shrine, to go and see if there was anything to do besides drop off cookies and tea for soothing roughened nerves. ... She had to do that later.. after the shopping trip from hell..

She stretched her toes out of her slip on shoes and flexed her toes. All under the table of course where few would notice- hopefully. She scanned the crowd with light pink eyes and lit upon a student. Someone was ditching school too. Oh, well Izumi was a teacher, or would be..She started in a few days a science teacher position. Shouldn't an educator be involved with ditching students? She sipped her tea and rested her gaze on the spot of sunshine before her. The heave of the shoulders (Sophia's) was enough to have Izumi slipping her shoes back on. She took up her tea, leaving her bags with in eyesight and padded over toward Sophia.

Sure she looked about as formal and educationally serious as a soccer ball. She was wearing a long black sleeved shirt with flowing-floating sleeves and a long black skirt that flowed and floated too. Neither would of won her a fashion plate experience and certainly neither one accounted for the lavender hair that flowed loose to her waist and the sunshine smile she offered Sophia. "Koniciwa... do you mind if I join you? Sometimes it is good to have company when one is feeling melancholy."

You have not missed a day of work in almost fifteen years. And you work sixty hours a week. Normally, I would think you are trying to impress a woman, but as far as any of us have been able to tell, you are celibate. Therefore, I am ordering you to take a day off, and stop making us all look bad. Go to a mall, have fun, get a hobby, just get the hell out of this hospital, or so help me God, I will have security escort you to a brothel!

With that rather unprofessional display from his boss, Peter found himself at a mall. It was... Well, it was safely undercrowded, and no one questioned him carrying an umbrella. He usually left before and after the sun, to avoid it's draining kiss. This was not a time he could take chances. After he was in the mall itself, it was... Pleasant.

Hobbies... Hobbies... And that was when his eyes fell on the food court. And on the woman with long purple hair. Well. They certainly did not make girls like that back home. It reminded him of Astra. IN the way that made his skin feel warm. He missed her. Had things worked out, their child would likely be about... The age of the child next to her.

A nagging sensation. Something he was forgetting. For the moment, he ghosted his way to the place that looked most appetizing to him... They still have Taco Bell!? Oh sweet merciful Ariel, Angel of Hope, I thank you. They even had fish tacos. Peter could have wept for joy.

One order that made the teenager behind the counter look to see if he had a party behind him, and Peter was told he would be brought the... Small platter of food. They insisted he take a seat. Something about a six foot four, red haired man staring you down looking like he'd eat you seemed to unsettle them.

He took a table next to the duo, leaning back, his coat wrapped around his legs as if it were a cloak, eavesdropping with little fanfare, making it look like he was staring impatiently at the man preparing his tacos. Which he totally was.

If they did not surrender his damn Chalupa with that, there would be blood

Sophia looks up at the lavender-haired stranger. “Oh! Not at all,” she says, gesturing to the chair across from her. Her introspective face replaced with a glowing smile similar to that of the woman before her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to cause anyone any kind of worry. I’m pretty much alright. That being said, I wouldn’t mind the company.” It was kind of true. She was in alright condition. It could have been a lot worse. And it was reassuring enough to meet someone kind-hearted enough to go up to a complete stranger and try to comfort them. It made the world seem a little less crazy and violent.

The girl relaxes into her normal, bubbly self in the company of others. Extending a hand to introduce herself, she says, “Sophia.” She realizes it probably looks a little bad as she is a teenager obviously out of class. At least, she had enough foresight to ditch the school uniform on the way to the mall and just wear jeans with a long-sleeved wrap top. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be an issue here.

She takes a look at what the woman is wearing. “Where did you get that shirt? It’s pretty cool. I think I know someone who might like something similar.” It was Valdis’ style definitely. If she didn’t own it already, she could suggest it.

Izumi brightened up her smile and turned it more into a grin. "I stole it from my mother's closet." She tugged on the sleeves. "I was going for the down and out poet who was looking for real clothes to fit in with normal society while still trying to tell society to go to hell." She winked a conspirator's wink toward Sophia... She'd not pry, that simply wasn't her way, but that didn't mean she couldn't invite conversation on other topics... such as fashion... Even if she had know such knowledge or depth outside of raiding her mom's closet or her grandmother's closet- typically running into vintage clothing as both women were dead or missing for some time.

She "noticed" the red haired man sitting not far from them, in the sort of "I see you but your not touching myself so we're good" way. And yes, ever few minutes she'd shoot a look to the bags, half wishing someone WOULD steal them and half wistful thinking they should get up and move over on their own. Okay so she might be a Little lazy, but change was hard- for all that it was apart of life.

"My name is Hisa Izumi. Pleased to meet you Sophia-chan. Don't worry, I don't start working at the high school until Monday." She winked. "So I do not feel responsible to ask why you are not attending school. When I was younger, I often was stuck at home helping at our family's shrine and sometimes a few minutes alone in a public place with lots of space was heaven sent to sanity." Izumi set down her tea and slid into a chair while she spoke, accepting the invitation to sit-finally. "You can call me Izumi if you wish, though perferably not on school grounds if our paths would cross. I need this job and they don't pay much for mikos who are only really good at listening and cleaning." She sipped her tea and gave a happy, self contented sigh.

"But I do enjoy gardening, and science... and a good cup of tea." She smiled to Sophia. "I find that a cup of tea and a bit of conversation does wonders to heal a hurting heart. Already you are looking better."

One eyes was on the duo. Blah blah blah feelings, blah blah blah names, blah blah blah, one was a teacher, blah blah blah, the teenager was cutting school. If he was not feeling the most peculiar arousal towards that shrine maiden as she described herself, he would have tuned them out. It was like listening to Celeste drone on and on about colours. Oh sweet Ariel, please let them not start discussing what colours they looked best in. He had not done anything that evil, had he? It was only a few hundred thousand people who died because of his actions. It could have been worse. He could have been a politician!

Blah blah Tea, blah... Science? Interesting again... And feelings. Peter put two fingers on one thigh, stuck his thumb straight, and then balled it.. He was less patient, he noted, in his old age. This used to be his job. Espionage. Food? Yeah, not a hope in hell. Slowly going cross eyed, the once Inquisitor leaned back, and continued glaring at his taco slaves. So help him God, that Chalupa did not come, he would personally force feed that teenager a napkin dispenser.

And if they spat in any of his food... Ohhhhh. He could only imagine the terrible things he would do to them.

Marvels of waiting for a good time to cut into the conversation. Ah well, homocidal fantasies are just as fun. Really, I AM above all this, but even -I- have to have fun somewhere...

Sophia doesn’t notice the redhead’s eyes in their direction. Even if she had, it wouldn’t have mattered much to her. As far as she could tell, there was no danger here, only people eating lunch. She might have even invited him to sit with them if he looked like he wanted to join their table.

Sophia giggles, “The sleeves are so cute though. It’s kind of difficult to be intimidating with flowing sleeves in my opinion. Well, I guess the fact that it is black helps to intimidation factor.” For a second, she is reminded of David with all his black shirts. She wonders if he ever wore the ones she gave him. It’d probably turn his social life around a bit. That and smiling. “But it’s a popular look in some circles with a few accessories.”

“Thank you, Izumi. I’ll make sure to switch to something more formal later. And, I don’t normally skip class,” Sophia says, a little sheepishly in response to Izumi starting her job. “It’s a rare occurrence actually. I was just… too tired. I’m… already starting with a bad impression here. I swear I am normally a good student most days.”

Playing with a golden pendant around her neck in her left hand, she stares at the cup of tea, “Hurting heart… I wish I had love problems. That seems so easy! And would mean someone has shown some interest.” She categorized her problems as a restless mind and ongoing moral dilemmas and dealing with her own teammates. None of those were boy troubles at the moment. “Honestly though, it’s nothing I won’t get over though,” she smiles a little back. Bad things tended to weigh on her heavily only for a day or two before she let them go. “I appreciate your concern though.”

Izumi kept being distracted… that red haired man kept looking at those people working at the food stand for Mexican food like they were going to be devoured. Okay so he might have been hungry. Izumi knew all about hunger. Some rituals at the temple required fasting for days on end, but that didn’t excuse the feeling of bad energy coming off him. Was he one of the people who attacked the shrine yesterday? She found herself tucking her hand in her pocket for an ofuda scroll. She was nowhere near as good as some of her Miko-counter parts, but she had enough in her to do a bit of purifying without a lot of ritual.

Even if it’s a drop in the well, her grandfather’s voice intoned in her head. It may be enough to crack the hold evil energy has on a person and allow their true natures to show through. Even if you’re not good at it, Izu-chan, you have a duty.

She was lost just long in enough in thought she missed most of what Sophia said about imitation… yeah she was.. OH CONVERSATION.

She gave her a grin. “You seem like a very nice young lady with a sunny personality. Hardly what the impression I was getting from a distance. I hope you forgive me for interfering in your thoughts to come over and share a table.” She tried, she really did, to focus on Sophia. But that nagging sense of evil energy nearby was like someone constantly dragging their fingers on a chalk board. It was Sophia’s comments about love trouble being.. easy… Ah to be young again…. (Yeah cuz thirty two is such a grandma…)

“Hearts can be hurt by more than romantic love, Sophia-chan.” Izumi smiled wistfully. “And there are many shades and colors to love too, right? I love my grandfather far different then I loved my old boyfriend, for example. I love some of the patrons who come to our family shrine like extended family members too. Sometimes it’s their hurts that add to our own. And sometimes the heart can hurt simply because it can’t act even in the face of evil en..” She trailed off and blushed.

She tossed her pink gaze back toward the red haired man. “Gomen, Sophia-chan, I meant to say sometimes one cannot act even when one knows they should because it might do more damage than good.”

Love, love love. Was that all women talked about apart from Fashion. To a man who had lost that, it certainly... His fists were balled. Memories of her face. Astra, her hair so pale in the light of the library, both when he was only just meeting her... And then when she knew what he was.

And Kasumi. Saving his life, only to then run from him... And then to banish him. His heart felt something he had been apart from for so long. Anger. Closing his eyes, he recited a battle prayer to himself, focusing on suppressing that feeling. That was the same anger that...

The walls closed in.

No one would save him this time.

He could feel his heart hammering. He was suffering an adrenaline rush. His eyes would have focused completely, the pupil almost invisible on the malachite border. Because that seed had sprouted. NonononononononononoNONONONONO His hands were shaking. The sunlight was nowhere that he could see it, but he could still feel it. He could FEEL the sun over him. Feel it staring at him. She knew. She knew he was suffering. She would be laughing at him, that bitch.

He knew what was coming next. He could feel Lorekeeper rousing himself. Or... Mastermind. Whatever he had been called. You abandoned them!

SHUT UP! EIGHTEEN YEARS I HAVE BEEN FREE OF YOU!

You won all those times. I ONLY NEED TO WIN ONCE.

His hands were steady, he could metabolize this dissonance into Discord. He knew how to deal with that. He was resting his elbows on his knees, and his fingers in his hair. The prayer was empty in his mind. It was paling compared to a song he was hearing. I never cared for seeing their blood, I kept my blade wiped clean!

And it was only a short jump from that, to hearing the words that had made him decide to leave for Japan in the first time.

How long have you been fighting with your thoughts clouded by that brand of sweet poison?

She wanted to talk about acting?

“There are two arguments, and there is no correct answer. Because there is always a divide between Emotion and Logic. If you act, as opposed to doing nothing, you are brave, even if you do damage. If you do nothing, you are a coward, even if you might succeed. The problem is that Chivalry holds Courage as a virtue, but never defined it. For years, people have looked to that ideal. Courage can sometimes be exercised in patience. Bravado causes one to act when they would harm themselves. So it really comes down to, is the harm it would do as dangerous as the Good? A cancer must be cut out, or else it will spread.”

Evil Energy. You can sense it, can you not? Sense the remnants. Let us see just what you are made of. It had been eighteen years. But it felt good to be wearing the mask again, felt euphoric to give into that cold hatred. “Regardless, if one's duty dictates one must do harm, one must. That is what it means. Duty does not distinguish between Good, and Evil. We are not in the lands of Knights, but of another warrior long dead. Ones far more worthy of praise.” Samurai.

Sophia looks surprised when Izumi mentions evil, but then looks letdown when she backtracks. “No, it’s ok. My situation is a little different I’m afraid. I want to act, but I just don’t have much power to do so. At least, not in the way I would want to.”

There is some building tension around, and Sophia begins to feel somewhat uneasy. It was like a sudden ramp up of negative emotions. It wasn’t too much unlike being in David’s soul, watching him beat a shadow of himself with a piece of rebar. Unsettling. What was going on with the redhaired man next to them? Perhaps, it might be worth examining his heart. Curious as to what it might look like, she peeks inside his soul.

She doesn’t mind the redhead’s sudden jump into their conversation. Regarding his words carefully, she waits for him to finish. At the same time, she wonders if she is surrounded by mind readers. The two strangers were touching on things that had been on her mind.

She looks curiously at him, but gestures to an open spot at their table, “First, if you want to join us, you are welcome to pull up a chair. It’s a little odd holding a conversation when you’re all the way over there. And I would agree that there is no correct answer, but it is refreshing to actually hear someone talk of moral duties. I think a lot of people are uncomfortable with the idea that there are things we must do, but I think it’s important to acknowledge that. We do not have a choice in all matters. I do not think on the subject of morality that there is a divide between emotion and logic. All moral debates need both to avoid arriving at terrible conclusions. Our ideas of right and wrong stem from emotions, but we can gauge validity of arguments through logic. I don’t think divide between bravery and cowardice is as simple as acting and not acting. I think context matters a lot. And bravado isn’t always endangering the self. Where is the room for self-sacrifice then? I wouldn’t agree all self-sacrifice stems from bravado. No, again, context matters.”

Her expression turns more serious as they edge into deeper, darker waters. “I do not think it is anyone’s duty to do harm. That normally stems from the duty to protect or save people. So we can think of that as primary duty that must be fulfilled and doing harm as secondary duty which can sometimes be ignored depending on context. I think repositioning it to a primary duty is problematic. It can justify a lot of bad things and make one too comfortable with violence. I think saying one’s duty is to do harm is a simplification of what one stands for that allows one to be at peace with taking actions against another individual. One should remain uncomfortable by the idea of doing harm. It’s important to look at one’s opposition as human, not as something to be destroyed, even if you must do harm out of lack of options and because you have a duty to protect others. And I do think duty does distinguish between good and evil as it was born out of a sense of what is right and what is wrong. That would be divorcing duty from morality, which I believe is impossible. In fact, all warriors that believed in a sense of duty also believed in benevolence and doing good.”
Her head falls into hands, “Or perhaps none of this makes any sense. It certainly doesn’t to a lot of people, I think.”


(OOC note: Sophia has the power to see what someone’s heart look like. Feel free to describe Peter’s in however much detail as you like.)

Izumi’s hand tightened on the Ofuda scroll in her pocket. She was pretty damn sure if this guy was more than just a little evil then she’d probably only succeed in pissing him off. And she didn’t have any way in which to make things better- as usual. She forced her fingers to begin smoothing out the crinkles in the paper… the soft rustling of paper really was the only sign that she was doing anything in her pocket. The other hand, the left hand, stayed on the table and after a moment picked up the almost abandoned teacup to sip it slowly.

She savored the green tea flavor and let it warm her mouth and then her throat. She was still debating on her own choice of words- directed toward her and her young imposed upon guest- when Sophia spoke up, not only bringing the evil juju man closer to them, but invoking a conversation. Should she stop it? Was there a chance he could corrupt their young friend..?

Or.. perhaps he was just hungry… She nursed her tea listening to Sophia with an interested ear. Oh she didn’t try to interrupt, but it was a wonderful reminder that one should never judge a book by the cover. Sophia had seemed like such a nice, but troubled girl, but listening to her now spoke of a young woman who had seen too much and been tested by a stronger fire. In truth, she was quite the mature adult as she sat there addressing- in very big girl terms- the evil juju man’s comments.

Except for that last part… She had been going so strong but then toward the very end she swallowed her own tongue and took back her words as an almost apology. Who had wounded her so that she didn’t trust her own perceptions on the subject? It sounded quite logical and sound to her- very.. sense-filled.

Izumi finished smoothing out the offended ofuda scroll and smiled wistfully to herself. Do no harm indeed.. She glanced toward the poor would have been eaten workers and hopped up. “Excuse me a moment.” She moved over first to grab her bags, it only took a brief moment, maybe two or three seconds before she dropped them back at the new community table. Then she trotted, yup trotted, with lavender hair swaying behind her to her ankles to the counter.

She leaned forward and batted her eyelashes toward the employees who were obviously a little distraught over the glaring fiery inferno that was as cold as ice glaring at them. She murmured a few soothing words and gathered up half of the order- the other half was still being prepared… such was the lot of someone who ordered enough food to feed a small army. She wiggled her way back toward the tables, no doubt in roughly the most decent amount of time for Peter to have started responding… she might miss the first part, but she’d catch the last bit.

She’d plop the food down in front of him and wink. “I’m a horrible grouch when I’m hungry. Since we disturbed you the least we can do is help facilitate the grumpy bear syndrome.”

I was like you once, but your God showed me another path. Your powers will never prevails against me, because I AM HIS CHOSEN ONE! He shuddered, voices he had suppressed all his life, knowing each and every dark impulse so intimately made him almost sick, but it could not quell the heat in his skin, the fatigue coursing through him, or the hunger eating at him. He almost mechanically moved the table he was sitting at to be next to the one they had been sitting at with ease that should not have been in a man of his frame.

“How do you account for men like Nobunaga, or many of the other Samurai who united Nippon during the Sengoku Jidai? They were aware of the consequences of their actions, of the lives who would suffer. They were still warriors, willing to kill for the sake of their own ambition.” He had empty eyes. He had taken his glasses off, and was looking Sophia in the eye, the cold bleakness there. “Morality is a fundamentally subjective concept. With Bushido, one sets aside any morality but to do as one's master commands. Compassion was a tenet simply to prevent alienation of the commoners. Many samurai could and would summarily execute a heimen simply out of trivial offense at an action. And that is nothing compared to the abuses laid on a hinin, or an eta.”

He chuckled then. It was a dark thing, filled with an entropy. “And that is simply Amorality. In the realm of Immorality, I can cite atrocities and terrors that were carried out in the name of any cause. Duty to do harm will always become primary to those who must do so. Human hearts are filled with a darkness that can be overwhelming. Some humans fight against it, some embrace it. Some are corrupted by a Dark Goddess from beyond the Stars, some give into Desire, and are corrupted by a Demon within the Sun.”

He paused. “All hearts begin in the darkness of original Sin. And all will eventually so end, if the evidence I see continues. Such is their nature. Darkness sprouts, grows within it, consumes it. I see time after time, people become swallowed by their own darkness, fighting with an empty solace that their hopes and dreams will be achieved. It is a sweet poison that they keep fighting against. Your friend, who is currently getting my food, can likely sense the darkness that is inside of me.” He spoke of it candidly. “I have lived with it for nearly twenty three years, and have put it into remission by simply accepting it, and keeping it locked away.” Darkness hidden, was Darkness that grew. “The... Covenant. There are things worse than them. Things that can corrupt against one's will. Such a force found me when I was in my twenties... This would have been just before the turn of the millenium.... It is part of why the Covenant were unable to reach me. I am already tainted, as you may be able to see from the pallour, and the cold look of my eyes.”

The moment she was looking into his heart, it was like falling into a pool of cold slime. It was clinging to her, and it was most importantly alive. This cold slimy hatred was coursing through her. It was so greatly vast, that if she was not looking for anything else, she would be lost in it forever. But after a few moments of this terrible cold, there was a surging heat. This was pressurized, scouring the hatred off of her. She has pierced a wall of some sort. Getting out was going to mean going through that again. But more importantly, there was a surge of emotions. Fierce anger, first, an outer layer to it that was a bright and hot as the sun. And then it got scary. Intense lust, but just as strong an Empyreal love. It was boundless. Where there had been in comparison a tiny layer of the icy slime, this was broad, and all consuming. Whoever this was focused on, if they ever found it, would never want for love again.

And then she hit the core. And it was like bricks were tied to her waist. Because it was depression. Homesickness, pain, and a single thought so strong it was translated as a sentence, not a feeling. “I failed them all.” Such crushing loneliness, and an inability to solve it. Misdirected passion. Consuming Lust, and Pure Love. And that out wrapping of empty hatred, with the darkest shards of corrupt ambition...

“I perhaps most easily embody how easy it is to be corrupted... But that does not answer your question. Every man, is the hero of his own story, to coin a phrase. No one believes they are doing evil. Adolf Hitler believed that he was saving Germany. Six million people would disagree if they were alive to do so. It takes a world shattering experience to know you are the villain. Killing should, but does not, remain uncomfortable. I should know.” He closed his eyes, and chuckled. “I was forced to kill someone to protect my own life. It was not distasteful to me. I quite disliked having to clean up afterwards, as I am... Uncomfortable, with what Blood does to my senses, but it was not the act of killing itself. The military, as an example, bypasses the human instinct you are talking about, that demands that we not do harm against one another, by tricking the brain for that crucial few seconds. It leads to numerous psychological disorders unless one maintains that desensitization, turning soldiers into weapons, or you have extensive therapy. The first works more often than it does not. The seconds works far less than one would hope.”

He smiled though. “But, you have ideals. I like that. Stick to them. You compromise your ideals, you have nothing. That is another thing I know very well.” He did not see, but certainly smelt her bringing his food. He cracked one eye open, looking her dead in hers, catching her wink with the subtlest of smiles. “I suppress my ravenous beasts with food. You are both welcome to share. I have more than enough.” There was a sardonic sense of humour to that smile. “Though I recommend keeping your fingers away from my mouth~” And like that his finger was hooked into one of his burrito's wrappers, tearing through it with ease, unwrapping it, and devouring it much like a snake would.

He did pause to say one thing to Izumi. If she knew french, she would understand it. "<I do wish I could keep you. I have not seen someone as beautiful as you in two decades.>" He looked sidelong at Sophia and his expression would hopefully be enough to tell her to not ruin the surprise if Izumi did not know.

“Oh sure,” Sophia nods to Izumi as she walks away. She turns her attention back to the male stranger.
She gives some thought to what he is saying about men of the past before continuing, “No, I was talking about an ideal moral code. The world is not perfect and neither are people, so most people never live up to them. However, I wouldn’t go so far as to say it is amoral, but a different set of priorities. If you truly believed the world would be better under your rule, you could create a utopia through an iron fist, then you may deem all your atrocities worth it for a hope for the future. Or if you believe your oaths are more important that lives, that oaths are the end-all of being honorable, then you might see it as justifiable to execute a man simply because you were told. This is not a code I agree with. It’s not one that I view as morally right. But I can see how one might believe it would be. My point is it is a different morality, but not the absence.”

Perhaps, looking into Peter’s heart as he spoke about darkness was a terrible idea. Sophia feels shaky as she keeps looking. It left her with that ill feeling she got around some of youma and zodiac. Sickening. Diseased. And the hatred, it was literally consuming. Eating her alive. How did people live with an emotion like this? But there was no going back from this.

Despite all this, she keeps eye contact as she journeys deeper toward the core of his heart. It comparison to the cold, the warmth is welcoming, but even that is sick. Disguised as something comforting, it was no less destructive. It’s a twisted form of love that ate at her just the same as the cold. This was obsession. The infinite nature of it disturbs her more than the hatred she encountered before.

Then she sinks, and she wonders if she will be tethered to this stranger forever. The pit of it all… sorrow, pain, anguish, failings. She begins to tear up a little, and finally looks away. She wipes her eyes a little, hoping he don’t really notice. There was nothing she could do here. The red-haired man would be left with his corrupted heart while she left it. It wasn’t fair for anyone to live that way…

“No… Izumi can feel it, but she cannot see it. I can see why you would feel this way. There is nothing pure for me to point to as an example that you haven’t seen corrupted. I am surprised you live like this and haven’t fallen deeper. I am sorry for what has happened to you. But I get the sense you won’t regard that sentiment as anything other than meaningless words despite all the sincerity I have for them. I wish I had more to offer you…” As much as she wanted to save everyone, she couldn’t see a way to help him.

“As for original sin, I do not believe humans are born sinful or sinless. We are neutral entities with the ability to choose as we will. I choose to view this as there are ways for us to do great good without forgetting that we can always be tempted into doing terrible acts if we are not careful. But to name a human as inherently bad or good seems… well, it seems like a simplification. No one only does bad or good after all. I think we have more power than you say. We always have the ability to change what we do so long as we don't believe ourselves to be trapped into one path.”

She narrows her eyes at him when he speaks of killing remaining uncomfortable. That was a choice, not some destined thing. “No, I wouldn’t be like that. I would not be like the others who don’t seem to care about the bloodshed. I would remember all of their faces. I would mourn each one. I would choose to keep my humanity over my peace of mind. I’d bear the guilt.”

Looking down at her food as he smiles at her, she says, “No. I don’t aim to forget these things. But thank you for helping me remember just how important they are.”

She smiles back at Izumi as she brings food. “Yeah. I just remembered that I came here to eat,” she laughs. Just as she picks up her utensils, she ends up putting them back down. The French shocks her a little, and for a second, she looks fearful for Izumi. Having this man’s affection seemed like a terrible fate. Resuming a more neutral expression, she says to the male stranger, “I never caught your name by the way.”

Izumi was raised to be a good, conservative housewife and priestess. However that didn’t stop her from leaning over and whacking Peter’s hands with a napkin. “Chew for the love of Kami! You’ll choke eating like that!” She tisked under her breath and moved to take up her cup of green tea. A small smile lurked at the corners of her mouth. If she understood the French she gave no sign. She did however catch Sophia’s worried look.

She gave the smallest nod of her head toward her and settled back in her forgotten chair. She tucked one leg under the other so she was effectively sitting on one leg. She let the two flow the conversation around her- after all, Sophia was doing a good enough job for the two of them talking.. but not eating. Izumi absently nudged the utensils closer to the girl when she was glancing back around her way again. She mouthed the word “eat” then went back to semi contented watching.

The ofuda quietly burned a hole in her pocket (not literally, figuratively.)

The hooded viper look he gave the woman who swatted him was brief, before he swallowed, and chuckled. “It has been a very long time since someone has had the courage to do that. Most people worry that I will bite their hand off.” He had a pleasant, if not a tad cold from practiced detachment, expression on his face, and settled into a slightly slower, more careful manner of consumption, refraining from devouring things whole. “I am not going to sprout fangs and wings, or horns. My corruption is of the spirit, not the flesh.” He was keeping the corruption in check right now, and even if he could feel the Sun above him, he would not let it harm these two.

“However, as to my name... Well, I know your given name, Sophia, and Lady Hisa's as well, so I would be amiss to not share mine...” He pondered for a moment. “But to give you a name that has no meaning in this world... I suppose it is what I self-identify with, so it would be the correct one. Peter Emile. No honourifics, even if you feel the inclination. I despise them.”

His voice in the moment when he bade no honourifics made it clear, as he used a more serious, and even commanding tone. It was an order, not a request. “And on that note, Sophia, please, do not starve yourself for sake of conversation. I am from Canada, I do not mind you eating and talking at the same time. You are a growing girl.” He idly gestured with one gloved finger towards the food, before looking at Izumi. “Yourself as well, Izumi.”