[D14, EM, closed, Ishioka's] So early it's almost LN

[Matsu Ishioka]

Ishioka hadn't had an easy time getting to sleep, but he had, finally. And he slept fairly deeply, or so he thought. But the whisper soft sound of a letter sliding under his door makes his eyes fly open and his heart appear in his throat. It's still dark in the room, but he feels like there's a pull to that letter, knowing it's the thing he's been waiting two weeks to see, that makes it almost magically visible. Carefully, he rises and walks to pick it up, only noticing when his hand approaches the letter that it's shaking a little.

[Agasha Inoshishi]

Inoshishi slumbers on, her late night excursion leaving her still soundly asleep. She wasn’t sure if she’d disturbed him when she returned, but she thought not. His soft snoring hadn’t changed and when she’d slid back onto the bed mat, she’d felt his hand slide back over her hip possessively, and she’d been asleep as her head hit the mat.

Now, however, it’s her turn to sleep through something. She whimpers softly as her warm partner gets up, arms reaching out even in dreams to beckon him back before they flop back beside her.

[Matsu Ishioka]

Ishioka hears the soft whimper, the room otherwise silent, and he feels a pull back toward bed even if the letter is there, now in his hand as he straightens and looks over to Inoshishi. There's a moment of indecision, knowing that now or later the name in the letter will be the same.

But it's been two weeks of uncertainty, of especially a few days with incredible uncertainty, and the Lion needs to know now that the letter is in hand. Ishioka walks lightly over beside his small table, pulling a small candle from his pack and lighting it almost without thought. Navigating his limited traveling kit, even in darkness, was easy from memory, and soon there was a small halo of light spilling around the table.

Ishioka takes a heavy breath as he looks at the letter one more time before opening it. He looks at Inoshishi and breathes deeply, then opens the letter. Matsu Ishioka is betrothed to... And there's an audible sigh of relief as the big man relaxes, not realizing his hackles had been raised defensively against an unexpected outcome. With a ragged exhale he sets the letter down, blows out the candle, and walks lightly back to bed.

He's careful to slide as close to the sleeping (for now) Dragon as he can without jostling her too much, but he also has to put at least one arm around her sleeping form. He gives a squeeze that he thinks is gentle enough not to disturb her, and then sniffles of relief can be heard quietly filling the room.

[Agasha Inoshishi]

Her not-so-sleeping form, it turns out. Somewhat stiffly, because it's not like she's slept that long, she whispers, without moving "what are you sighing about at this hour." Feeling the arm around her, she presses backwards into the Matsu, hoping this isn't just a O-Dark-30 booty call. Not that she would mind, but man, she had to sleep sometime!

As she nuzzles back into him, a fuzzy sense of 'maybe not a good call?' goes off somewhere in the back of her head. But he's too warm, it's too late, and she's too tired as she recognizes something isn't right. She rolls over at the sniffles, dark eyes staring levelly into Ishioka's face, for once, everyone being the same height laying down. "What is wrong, beloved?"

[Matsu Ishioka]

He gives another sniffle, then a happy sigh. "Today, all is right with the world," he says, voice wavering but clearly elated. He brings a hand to the vicinity of her cheek or temple, it still being too dark to be sure, but it's enough purchase for him to tip their foreheads to touch.

Ishioka gives a little sigh of relief that's twinned with a happy exclamation. It's quiet, controlled for the time of day and being so close to her ear, but it's the kind of sound he might make after winning a difficult contest.

He takes some more breaths to calm a little, but his big body is practically trembling with happiness.

[Agasha Inoshishi]

Inoshishi smiles up at him, that sleepy, unashamed to be on a face sort of smile. "I could have told you that in the morning! We are together, how could it be any different?" She's about to go back to sleep when she hears the excitement in his voice. "But this is not like you, my love, to wake up in the middle of the night and be so...happy. What has happened?"

Her voice sounds much more formal at night, like it's running on autopilot, her emotions having a hard time filling her words as fully when she's had maybe an hour of sleep. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a bell keeps clanging madly, the grim-faced Inoshishi that knows, KNOWS something is off with her right now ringing for all she's worth. But sleep-fuzzed, besotted with love Inoshishi doesn't recognize this at all, leaning in closer to Ishioka, her hand reaching for her mushroom pouch out of habit, only to close on air. Startled, she inhales sharply, the exhale from which smells strongly of dark black tea, as does her whole face, really.

[Matsu Ishioka]

As Ishioka calms enough to relax, he calms enough to notice Inoshishi's gasp, to notice she seems... off... and to notice she...

As the Lion's eyes narrow in the dark, he tries to place the scent. It's common enough that...

"You were having some late night tea, Ino-chan?" The question sounds slightly cold, distant, with Ishioka suddenly laying still.

[Agasha Inoshishi]

oh. FUCK.
Oh, now you listen. NOW you hear me
Shut up. Just have to be truthful.

After that brief freeze, she closes her eyes for a moment, opening them again looking slightly more awake.

“Yes, beloved. I attempted to apologize for whatever misdeeds I’d done to make Narumi-san avoid me.” That part is said in her usual, appropriately open tone, the one she uses when playing House with Ishi. This next, however, clearly has some distant sparks in it, a fire that could burn brighter depending on response. “What do you think she had to say?”

[Matsu Ishioka]

The Lion blinks, not having expected either the explanation or the question.

"Uh, Narumi-san was avoiding you," he asks, surprised and confused. "I hope she explained that, then... Uh, and I..." Ishioka is given pause by the distant fire he can sense behind Inoshishi's question.

He wraps both arms around her to hug and pull her closer. "I don't know what she would have said," he says conspiratorially, "but I'd like to."

[Agasha Inoshishi]

"Uh, Narumi-san was avoiding you," he asks, surprised and confused. "I hope she explained that, then... Uh, and I..." I…”

Inoshishi’s brow furrows slightly at the honorific used, but not enough to stop her from not wanting to be pulled in closer.

He wraps both arms around her to hug and pull her closer. "I don't know what she would have said," he says it’s conspiratorially, "but I'd like to."

She raises her hands to his face and kisses him, her palms resting on the sides of his head. Breaking the kiss quickly she says. “Not a bad answer, my beloved, and I’ll forgive you your suspicion this once. I have said you are the only man for me, it’s what I meant.l

“However…” her hands fall, trailing down his chest. “It seems she was right and that you DID know why she was giving me space.” She punctuates each of the words after ‘did’ with tiny fingers poking Ishioka’s ribs. Her eyes glare, but it’s a friendly, playful kind of glare.