Kyuden Shika

The scratch at Narumi's door want especially noticeable, even in the largely quiet inn. The somewhat insistent whisper of, "Narumi-san," was more pointed, and hopefully enough to bring her to the door to admit a slightly frazzled looking Lion, who should most definitely be asleep at this hour.

The light was on in Narumi's room, she was still up when there came a scratching at her door. She'd not been back from the sake bar long.
After several moments, the door is slid open slightly and there's a pause of assessment from the other side... before it's pushed open fully and a slender hand reaches out into the hall to grab hold the fabrics of Ishioka's kimono and pull him fully into the room, most unceremoniously.

There, sliding the door closed behind her, Narumi wears a simple night robe tied closed tightly at the waist. Barefoot and with her hair in a messy knot at the nape of her neck. Her eyes are rimmed red, her face makeup-less.
She says nothing, waiting for him to go first.

"Narumi-san," he says, her name steadying him slightly. "I am sorry to disturb you..." The Lion looks down, seeming nervous. "Um... We should probably sit. I have..." He sighs quietly. "Something is bothering me, and I..."

Ishioka stops, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Narumi-san. I shouldn't be bothering you when I can't form my thoughts properly." He makes no move to leave, clearly wants to be with her, but is struggling.

Her eyes widen. "You sit down! I don't need to sit down... I'm fine," she points... pointedly... at the cushions by her bedroll. "Zeni for your thoughts?" her cheeks are flushed, and her lips quirk into a subconscious small smile when she looks at him.

Lost in his own thoughts, Ishioka doesn't notice anything amiss and sits as directed.

"I went to talk to Asahina Bo-san," he says with a sigh. "I probably shouldn't have," he says, shaking his head a little then looking up at her.

The smile drops as soon as he says Bo's name and Narumi pouts dramatically, shifting her weight but remaining standing.
"So I tell you things have changed with Bo, and ...you send me away? For over a day, leaving me alone to think all sorts of things about what you must think of me... Only to find out that instead of talking to me, you went straight to him? How is that fair?" She speaks quickly, and not necessarily as quiet as the hour would dictate she should.

"What? I didn't... I wasn't avoiding you..." Ishioka looks both defensive and self-conscious, feeling like he's in the wrong but not in the way that he thought. "I mean, I was trying to be ok and..."

"I had to see him. I saw how he looked at you at the contest this morning and it was too much. So i had to meet him. To make sure..." The Lion stops. His eyes look sad and hard at the same time, but he stops to let her yell at him more.

"So what?" she huffs, "So what if he looks? He can look at me all he likes!" - the colour to her cheeks darkens and it's obvious she is not happy, but for all the times Ishioka has seen her upset, he's never seen her angry before.
".. To make sure what, exactly? What were you thinking?" Narumi makes a small attempt to lower her voice to conversational.

The Lion had waited patiently, took it in stride when she said the Crane could look, but when she puts the question to him, he has to respond.

"To make sure he's good enough," he whisper yells, tired enough to show his annoyance on his face and in his voice. "I went to talk to him, to give him a chance, so I could be ok if it... isn't... me," he trails off, still not wanting to say those words, especially as the fatigue from the day and all the thinking he's done catches up with him. He breathes heavily, then hisses, barely above a whisper, "and he's not."

His annoyance only seems to spurn her on and Narumi smirks darkly, eyes sparking, "So this is all about you and your feelings?"