a fire crackles in the densely wooded forest, a small cabin nestled in uncharted territory in an area bordering the fabled hot springs. it's peaceful, despite the circumstances. the evening sets in as war settles on the horizon, the cozy warmth from the fire accompanied by the subtle chirps of birds and crickets. legs folded atop a small bed, möngke uses a small knife to whittle away at a wooden flute - hollowing it, cleaning it, and adjusting it properly. it'd be a nice present to give to someone at a later time. the cabin door opens, though he isn't startled by the footsteps approaching down the hall. familiar scent and recognizable strands of hair, "you came anyways... ejiri." [break][break]
he doesn't look up. he'd told her to stay comfortably in the water country - out of harms reach, though she had a habit of being disobedient (or hard headed, hah). still, he offers her a small smile as he looks up from the bed. "are you hungry? i made soup earlier. there's leftovers." flips the flute between his fingers, extending the end towards her. "a gift." it's finished, though it's plain. he's not exactly the most decorative, but later on he may tie a velvet ribbon with a lock of his hair around it. is that something girls find romantic? he'd have to ask someone what girls found romantic. eventually. [break][break]
the warmth of the cabin draws her like a moth to the flame, as she makes no effort to be quiet when she already knows that he's aware of her presence. kiyoko's long since given up on the idea of secrecy, as far as he was concerned. no matter how much she learned just by following and observing him, there was simply no possible means of her catching him off guard. [break][break] "you don't sound surprised," she points out as she steps into the room, already pulling off her haori and placing it on the back of a nearby chair. it was no longer needed in the presence of the fireplace and already, she can feel a pleasant heat return to her face and hands now that she was out of the cool night air. might even take him up on his offer of soup to warm herself even further. [break][break] when he holds something out towards her, kiyoko turns and draws closer, fingers wrapping themselves around the instrument when she finally sees what it is. lets them run across the wood almost reverently before she's lifting her gaze to his. "if i didn't know any better, i'd say you were spoiling me. it's barely even been a minute."
"so?" palms flat at either side of his thighs, he drums them atop the fur blanket. "you're gonna act like you don't like being spoiled?" teases with a slight smirk, knowing fully well that she had a certain need for considerable time, attention, and affection from möngke to make up for his otherwise awful vices habits. tilting his head to the right, his ear rings dangle with a soft jingle. "come here." [break][break]
his tone becomes a little bit more commanding, expectant of her to crawl atop his lap. sure, it was a little... fast, but it's been several months since he's last seen her. lips nip gently against neck, he flowers her with the light affections and closeness that he knows she adores. for the record: yes, she was spoiled. [break][break]
"i missed you." he whispers, nose beneath earlobe as he takes in the familiarity of her scent. "have you been well?"
she manages a sniff of haughty disdain, if only because she couldn't deny it. not that she had any intentions of doing so, kiyoko just liked to tease. and if he teased her back, well then, she was more than happy to play along. she considers him briefly, his gift held close to her chest, before she's stepping closer and sliding onto his lap with well practiced ease, tugging at the long slit of her dress as she went to make herself more comfortable. [break][break] well, this was one way of getting warmer, a pretty flush already settling high on her cheeks as she basks in the attention he gives her. all of her excuses fall to the floor in tatters at their feet, even as she presses her own unspoken 'i missed you too' to his jaw with a kiss, slender fingers sliding against the back of his neck in a familiar touch. [break][break] she pulls back to study him, gaze unknowingly seeking out any signs of injury or pain, her other hand resting the flute beside them on the bed before running up his arm and shoulder. being able to touch him like this is comforting, and while she doesn't worry, there is a quiet feeling of relief in her chest. "i have a few complaints," she hedges, lips pursed if only because she's unable to resist teasing again. "but i'm fine i guess." a small huff. "you would know yourself if you checked in more often."
head tilts upwards, chin against bosom as he quirks his left brow and gives a catlike smirk. "does wittle weiko-chan miss me too or not~? nya~~n?" doesn't let her off the hook so easily, making sure she's trapped with his arms loosely wrapped about her waist. to be fair, she was probably average height for a girl, but that didn't mean anything to möngke. bullying small people was how he often got some of his daily pleasure. knows he's asking for her to pinch or bat at him, and he chuckles in response to pushing a button he knows will make her eager for blood. small people, especially girls, were closer to hell anyways. [break][break]
they continue their playful banter, little teases and quips. after conversation dies down, he's comfortable in silence with his head against her. "i have a plan, but it's a little risky." he hums in a whisper, but won't divulge any further. to do so would offer invitation to disaster, and he's fairly confident in the abilities of his current director and his team to see it's handled adequately well. "have you been getting along with the others?" it was loose... others being the crew situated in kirigakure, the others being the associates of vajrakilaya, the others being her co-wives the madames. [break][break]
"are you being a good girl?" though the fact she was here, and there hadn't been any devious reports... well, he supposes she's been behaving fairly well with möngke's women (and men). what can you do? he's a dionysian hedonist in a world such a concept doesn't exist. [break][break]
"are you saying you have plans that are never risky?" she laughs. if he's vague, then she doesn't push him any further. sometimes it's better to not ask questions and when it comes möngke — well it's only natural that she's learned to leave things as they are. if there's anything she needs to know then he would tell her. [break][break] gentle hands keep running through his hair or running along his earlobes, tugging at his earrings slightly because she just can't seem to help herself. maybe she yanks his earlobe a little too roughly this time, chin jutting out stubbornly. "what do you think?" kiyoko's grown used to his ways, but she is very much spoilt in the sense that she wants him to focus on her alone. especially when she's gone through the trouble of travelling all the way here herself. because it's not as if he was going to return to her anytime soon, was he? [break][break] "if i was naughty, would you do something about it?" kiyoko's smile is cheeky as she pushes him down, hands braced on his shoulders as she settles more firmly against him. she's not heavy by any means, knows that he can easily toss her off of him if he wanted to but — that was the fun of it, wasn't it?
"a-ah-teh-reiko, brat." puffs his face at her a little, annoyed - but not in a threatening way. more of a slightly sulking (don't tug my ears, what if you hurt me!) way. anyone else would get their wrist broken, but there were certain individuals who could do, essentially, whatever they wanted to his hair, ears, and body with little consequence. she ought to be thankful that she's high priority on the list. [break][break]
he hums, before an abrupt shove to his chest flops him onto his back. offers her a blink, observing her from where he was stuck beneath her. let's his right leg stretch out, cracking his toes as he looks directly up to the ceiling with pursed lips. [break][break]
"well, probably would have to spank you." definitely not a punishment, according to her. [break][break]
"but then i'd put you in emotional timeout. no contact, no kisses, no souvenirs. just send you a letter every week that says 'when i say be a bad bitch, i mean be a good one'." sticks his tongue out between his teeth, eyes half-lidded and flirtatious. "thankfully, you're a very good girl. i don't have to stress out about you using your poisons like some evil queen getting rid of the concubines." there's a little bit of a subtle hint of her status within the hierarchy there, and he won't stroke her ego any further as he smiles contentedly with full affection on his features. [break][break]
bites her bottom lip in a poor attempt to smother her smile, fingers fidgeting with his clothes as she stares down at him from her perch. looks quite pleased with herself too, situated as she is, entirely too comfortable. kiyoko flips errant strands of hair over her shoulder, before pursing her lips thoughtfully. "luckily for you," she amends, "i'm a very good girl then. so you still owe me kisses and souvenirs." [break][break] and it wasn't as if she had any interest or intention of doing anything he suggested. kiyoko's poisons were meant for the most dire situations, and while she may have used one or two of his people as (willing) test subjects for her toxins, she was always quick to offer antidotes and remedies when she was done. she smacks his chest for absolutely no reason, other than the fact that she wants to pretend to be offended that he'd even consider her vindictively poisoning his lovers. of all the absurd things. [break][break] "don't look at me like that," she adds. if only because the sight of him is enough to tempt her. "if i didn't know any better, i'd say you're the one people should be purchasing for their pleasure."
the literal pikachu shock on his face- "madame, wow- are you? did you just call me a whore?" well, whores don't get paid. his girls and boys got paid handsomely for their work within the houses. [break][break]
still, it was the principle of it! [break][break]
he'd do some very explicit content to that booty if it wasn't for the law of the lands! equivalent of that one "if it wasn't for the laws of these lands, i'd slaughter you"- except a cat would be brutalized, you know? [break][break]
he chuckles from where he lays beneath her, "what's from with my expression? am i too hot for you, my lady~?" plays into her notion, not egocentric enough to care about a role reversal. women tended to rule the world, anyways - they had a knack for a more subtle control over the brutes that disciplined societies. "so? are you gonna pay me for my service then? my kisses don't come for free, i'll have you know." he was a whore, of course he came free. [break][break]
kiyoko laughs, rather loudly this time, first at the shock clearly displayed on his features and then his teasing that comes after. she ends up sliding sideways off his lap, melting into a heap of giggles at his side. "w-will you stop!" she's out of breath a little bit, even though she was the one to start it. it wasn't a lie though. he really would be popular amongst the kisaeng house's guests! how else would anyone explain the harem he'd collected for himself. [break][break]
when she does manage to catch her breath, kiyoko slings her thigh over his leg. "why i should pay you though?" licks her lips and nudges at him with her foot. "all of this is already mine." pulls his hand towards her so that she can play with his fingers, quietly marveling at the difference between their hand sizes. "if i had to spend money on someone, shouldn't it be a new toy?" pretends to think for a moment, expression coy as she glances at him.
grins from ear to ear, and enjoys her company being shifted to the side of him. her laughter is cute, and he's comfortable. doesn't resist her grasp, his eyes shifting to his rather rough hands, far too used to being balled into fists or slightly calloused from the use of his bow and arrows. he didn't understand her appeal with them, why she liked the little nicks and weary scars on the palm, between his fingers, or on the back of his hand. he much preferred hands like hers. soft to touch, easy to nibble, soothing against the skin. [break][break]
she's very certain to assert that he does, indeed, belong to her. he smirks, head lolling to the side to give her a careful gaze. he likes her features, quite a lot. he's hesitant to say he loves it. "please take good care of me then. i break fairly easy." he whispers. there's been a few occasions in the past where her healing has assisted him, and though he originally had no intention for her to continue following him - he can't say he minds it anymore. contrary, to be frank. [break][break]
"hmm..." head shifts, turning to gaze back up as the ceiling as her fingers dance against his own, letting his left leg unravel from beneath his knee to instead lay atop her own crossing over his right. "there's a few cute boys i've noticed. i could pay for them if you'd like? just, y'know. the rule." her attempt at trying to make him jealous would never work. he has in the past gotten a little flustered sometimes, but recently... with her status and proximity to him, so long as she takes care to follow the rule, he doesn't mind if she uses and discards some men. though granted, she probably wanted him to get possessive. head turns to gaze her in the eyes, giving her a knowing heh of a smirk. [break][break]
it's easy to feel content when they're like this together. she feels lighter, knowing that he's right there beside her and even if he's smirking at her after his little confession, kiyoko likes him like this too. riling him up isn't easy, at least not unless she's doing something particularly reckless and as much as she might bask in the aftermath of his displeasure, bruises pressed into her skin as if to remind her of how easily breakable she is, kiyoko has no intention of seeking that out tonight. [break][break] for now, she wants to give him what he has given her, a place of refuge in the middle of everything else. [break][break] "oh yes, the rule." playfully rolls her eyes at him. "i'm very picky though, but you know that already." she huffs out a breath of laughter, burrowing closer against his side so that she can tuck her chin against his shoulder. the truth was that for all her joking, they both knew that she wasn't someone to take lovers for the sake of it, even if it was simply fun and games. while she liked the idea of möngke being jealous and territorial, the fact that he wasn't was simply enough, if only because it was vastly different from what she had before she met him. but she's loathe to think of her husband now. [break][break] it's just a little bit ironic she supposes, that she sometimes entertains the thought with him. a territorial möngke would probably have her quivering in her boots, in the best way possible. but maybe the irony of it was the point, maybe that was why this meant a lot more to her. "maybe i should just get a puppy instead," she muses. "at least he'd be around all the time."
right hand raises, and a slow pet of her hair ensues. she's clingy, he doesn't mind it. the way she breathes against his neck causes slight tickle, but he ignores it - offering just a small tense and chuckle beneath the released breath he holds. she sounds a little pouty against his ear, and his eyes fall to half lids as he considers what she's saying. yes, yes - he's not around currently... or well... hasn't been. he's been too busy putting the pieces of who he is back together. trying to remember his complete identity beyond a name he can't fully relate to, a clan he no longer recalls, and why his body feels heavy his his heart feels dead. [break][break]
it thumps, at least. around her. and the few others he's entrusted it to. [break][break]
"tell me what breed. i'll get you whatever you want." he doesn't add a fancy title onto his words, wanting it to be known that he's serious and not making a small joke. pulls her into a tighter hug, burying his own face against her shoulder as his nostrils release a breath, lips pressing a few kisses against her skin afterwards. "when... if i move." he starts, though his words are confusing and vague, "when things pick up," his eyes open after being closed, chin resting against her shoulder as he stares at the ceiling in thought. [break][break]
