(D10EM, Ishioka's Room, expecting) Where am I?

[Matsu Ishioka]

Ishioka gently brushes a little hair from Inoshishi's face, looking closer at her injuries. "Thank the kami it's not worse," he whispers, still filled with worry. He runs the back of his knuckles gently down her cheek, as he does to show affection.

When Narumi speaks, his face falls. She's mad at me he thinks, shocked. It's... It's my fault. I wasn't there... Ishioka's mask is gone as he settles back on his sit bones with his mouth slightly open, confused and hurting.

[Agasha Inoshishi]

Inoshishi blushes as her hair is brushed lightly, feeling acutely stupid. She smiles up at Ishioka just a little. As Narumi speaks and his face falls, she winces. She pulls her feet under her enough to sit up a little and reaches out to both Ishi and Narumi, either reaching at hands or grabbing at ankles.

“Don’t think anyone does ow mean on purpose. Maybe water? Then sorries. Then quiet talking and maybe rice.” She closes her eyes as much to help the headache as from not wanting to see her people unhappy.

[Usogawa Narumi]

"Very quiet talking, if you please," she spoke softly before opening her eyes and wincing against the light. Even the vibrations of her own voice made her head hurt.
A glimpse to Ishioka only feeds into her guilt-spiral and she moves her elbows to rest on her knees, the base of her palms to press into her forehead and takes a deep but shaky breath to stop the room from spinning.

[Matsu Ishioka]

Ishioka the problem solver pushed past Ishioka the soft heart and rose to get water from the pitcher he always kept. Safely, thankfully, on the other side of the room from his equipment. He mostly-filled the two cups he had, not wanting spills if either woman was a little shaky, and brings them back to the tiny circle that had formed. He pushes a couple pieces from the armor aside with his foot, screaming internally but not giving that concern any oxygen right now.

Kneeling, he hands one cup to Ino, making sure she has a grip before letting go. Looking closer at Narumi, he sets the cup aside and leans in to hug her. It's gentle enough to be safe for a baby, but firm enough for her to feel secure.

[Agasha Inoshishi]

Inoshishi gratefully accepts the cup, drinking it carefully. Her head hurts, her chest hurts, her nose hurts. Best. Morning. Ever. She looks over at Ishi and Narumi, smiling as he tries to hug her. Maybe it is a good morning.

“I am sorry I knocked over your armor. And drank much of your shochu. And dragged Narumi into this too. I know you’ve taken what I said to heart, both of you. I am sorry if I have moved ahead of where either of you had hoped to be. I wanted to get to know Narumi.”

[Usogawa Narumi]

His arms wrap around her and it's a moment before the hug is returned.
A long moment, probably feeling much longer than it is given the convoluted atmosphere of the room.
Caving in, she buries her face into his shoulder for comfort. But doesn't stay long before before she rights herself.
"Hai, we got carried away. If it helps, most of last night is a blur." She gives a sardonic but pained smirk.

[Matsu Ishioka]

The Lion sighs, but it isn't the angry sound the women may have expected. The prior night had gone strangely and he wasn't going to sort that out now.

Squeezing Narumi against him with one arm and catching one of Inoshishi's hands with his, Ishioka says quietly, "Maybe you can try again... with me? To at least protect my shochu," he says, half joking but half bitter.

[Agasha Inoshishi]

Inoshishi smiles at the hand grab and looks away at the slight bitterness and sighs slightly, still unhappy with herself for letting this happen. The movement shakes loose some of her long hair, not at all held in check anymore. But at least he's starting to feel better.

She says, quietly, even for hungover. "Hopefully will be the start of something new. A new tradition, perhaps. Aside from all this," she waves her hand, encompassing the full mess she's made, "are you happy we are becoming better acquainted? I thought that might please you." She's still looking away at the floor like it has some sort of brand new story to tell, but she doesn't sound particularly distraught, just quiet.

[Usogawa Narumi]

Things began to make sense, to come into some fuzzy form of clarity- despite the hangover- and Narumi thought she saw what was really going on. She smiled; it didn't seem to fit, but there was an attempt. She thought she'd done everything right. She didn't understand why she felt the way she did, why she didn't feel the way she thought she would, why Ishioka reacted as he did... when it wasn't how she thought he would...
"... I was just doing what I thought you wanted," her gaze flicked to Ino, then to their intertwined hands. She listened to Ino try to paint the whole thing into one pretty picture, a picture that admittedly looked very, very nice from the outside.
Her head hurt and her thoughts echoed and she felt overwhelmed with too many conflicting emotions at once.

[Matsu Ishioka]

Ishioka noticed the look and his eyes narrowed curiously, then Narumi's words hit him strangely. He struggled with what might be haunting her thoughts, suddenly feeling back outside those cursed walls she'd built up.

"I'm glad you're... getting to know each other. I do want you to get along," he says warmly. His eyes are bright with earnestness. "But I... also... want you to let me help," Ishioka says. There's no innuendo, no sexualization of the words at all. He's speaking much more generally than just the relationship between the Otter and the Dragon.