12/10/2025, 8:36 PM
Skill: Heartbroken
Where the dark-furred stranger had made an attempt at politeness, this sharp-eyed woman who now approached held an entirely different carriage about her. Although her expression remained stoic and utterly impassive, Osamu could see how her nostrils subtly flared as she took in his scent; assessing him, his origins.
Well, she would be hard-pressed to find any lie in his statement.
Hua Kexin appeared to be more invested in keeping the conversation light, offering a small olive branch of polite commentary to break up the awkward moment.
Not cultural, he surmised.
What inner strength he still possessed flagged in the visible slump of his shoulders.
Well, she would be hard-pressed to find any lie in his statement.
You heard me correctly,he said gruffly. As miserable as he felt, she would not ruffle him further. There was a strange accent to their speech, he noted, one wholly unfamiliar to the aging Samurai, and he wondered if it was cultural to behave so imperiously toward a grizzled warrior simply trying to have a quiet moment to himself.
Hua Kexin appeared to be more invested in keeping the conversation light, offering a small olive branch of polite commentary to break up the awkward moment.
Not cultural, he surmised.
I would hardly call myself hospitable, but the gesture is kind,Osamu replied. His eyes turned back to sea, silver gaze stretching, reaching, longing hopelessly for a horizon and a future that now seemed forever lost to him.
The injury is within, Hua Kexin. It cannot be mended by a healer's touch.
What inner strength he still possessed flagged in the visible slump of his shoulders.
It was, perhaps, a matter of time. One man cannot guard a kingdom of ghosts.
![[Image: ZvwmV36.png]](https://i.imgur.com/ZvwmV36.png)
