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a name like a noun
Halfway through the night, someone tripped over him in the kitchen.
"What th," they said.
"I apologize for the intrusion," supplied Raidou instantly. In the same moment he was on his feet. He had slept in all of his effects but the Yumizuki cloak, which he had spread on the floor and in a motion replaced, his holsters, and his sword. The demons sensed movement and churned in their tubes, eager to find what manner of human was there, acting like he owned the place. The idea of kitchens pleased most of them very much.
When everything startled with light they quieted, albeit none for very long. Raidou took this chance to fasten both holsters by feel. His eyes adjusted to Narumi, who blinked at him and said, "You scared the wits out of me."
"I apologize for the intrusion," repeated Raidou.
He should have done without sleep. No Gouto-dono would hear his excuses. But then Gouto wouldn't hear much of anything before dawn, being fond of his naps. His legs were shorter. Right away there was quick brush of claws on Raidou's hand, not in earnest but in warning. Cracking one eye, Gouto rolled it round from his descendant to their host, rumbled, "Silence, both of you, or elssssse..." and shutting the eye sank back to sleep before Raidou could discover for himself what else, exactly.
"Hey," Narumi was saying to him. "Kid. Raidou. You can stay, go back to sleep. After hours, the kitchen is all yours, remember? It's no Imperial Hotel, but make yourself at home."
He didn't sound irritated. That was Raidou's first thought. There was no relief to it, relief being a degree of fear, but Raidou was surprised to find himself excused. Surprise, for its part, was something he was still getting used to. Narumi rarely functioned as expected. So long as Raidou did his share of the case work, Narumi seemed content to leave him be. He had even bought Raidou dinner, twice, only to preoccupy both meals with questions. Some of these questions were easier, like whether Raidou preferred the ramen stand by the trolley station or the ramen shop by the bridge, but more than a few required some initial practice.
Having done the requisite, Raidou went ahead and nodded when, directly after ordering him back to sleep, Narumi added, "What a long night," and offered him a drink.
It wasn't even that refusing would have been untoward, which it would have, or that Raidou had the time, which he didn't. His second thought was that there was no harm in wanting to stay up late, in the kitchen, with Narumi. It wasn't unusual. People wanted all sorts of things every day. People wanted things they weren't even sure they wanted. Raidou understood. Only he didn't see the point of going around deciding what he did and didn't want all the time.
Like most things in the office, the glass cups Narumi kept around seemed valuable, with craft about the weight of them. A good balance. The bottle, too, looked expensive in a Western way, but Narumi did not visibly question giving each cup an equal portion. This touched off in Raidou a third thought, lately familiar and subtly disorienting, which he would learn to call nerves.
"Cheers, and so forth."
Raidou said, "Thank you." The liquor was rougher than sake, with an interesting aftertaste like ofuku-imo.
"I do have to ask," said Narumi at length. "Did you find another place to stay? I'm not looking for a bull session. Put it this way. You're young, you seem to know what's what, so while things appear to be working out, I won't suspect a thing. But if you show up in the night looking like the living dead, that's that. I am bound to start feeling responsible."
"Tonight's behavior was inexcusable," agreed Raidou.
"Your behavior is fine. All sixes. I'm only asking where you hang your ha— Where you're staying."
Raidou examined his employer's eyebrows and voice for irony before giving up and stating, "Here."
"I see," said Narumi. "Right." He put aside his cup, not looking where he set it. He was looking at Raidou instead. "Don't you mind hours that long?"
It was almost but not quite like talking to someone in the street. People in the street were curious, usually despite themselves, and faced with the fact of them Raidou found it useful to make his expression pleasant. He shook his head.
"Well, color me impressed. That's some resilience you have there, kid."
"No," replied Raidou politely. "It has to be this way." This was true, but something about the way the words sounded, at that point and place, made him add, "For now." This obviously wasn't.
But Narumi only said, "Hmm," and picked up his cup again. "So, how goes it? Protecting the Capital."
Raidou had to think about how to put it. "Without a Raidou," he said, "the demons here don't know their place. It's their way. They forget. I remind them."
"Sounds like a lot of work."
"It's not a problem."
"Either way, let's see how things go this week. Perhaps I could spare you for a few hours during the day."
"It's not a problem," insisted Raidou.
"For now," said Narumi. "No promises, so get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."
Raidou nodded, but made no other move one way or the other, just in case more questions were forthcoming. He was ready when, on the way out the door, Narumi took hold of the jamb and momentarily stepped back in. "What do demons look like, anyway? I'm always curious. Close to the pictures?"
"Some," said Raidou. "Others look quite human."
Narumi laughed. "You don't have to tell me," he said, then seemed to wait for something, perhaps for Raidou to laugh, too. It was hard to tell.
Raidou didn't laugh, so Narumi just waved it all away. He might have waved away the whole evening, because he didn't mention it, or offer Raidou whiskey again, for a long time. All the same, he cleared out the storage space upstairs, and even found a futon for it.
"What th," they said.
"I apologize for the intrusion," supplied Raidou instantly. In the same moment he was on his feet. He had slept in all of his effects but the Yumizuki cloak, which he had spread on the floor and in a motion replaced, his holsters, and his sword. The demons sensed movement and churned in their tubes, eager to find what manner of human was there, acting like he owned the place. The idea of kitchens pleased most of them very much.
When everything startled with light they quieted, albeit none for very long. Raidou took this chance to fasten both holsters by feel. His eyes adjusted to Narumi, who blinked at him and said, "You scared the wits out of me."
"I apologize for the intrusion," repeated Raidou.
He should have done without sleep. No Gouto-dono would hear his excuses. But then Gouto wouldn't hear much of anything before dawn, being fond of his naps. His legs were shorter. Right away there was quick brush of claws on Raidou's hand, not in earnest but in warning. Cracking one eye, Gouto rolled it round from his descendant to their host, rumbled, "Silence, both of you, or elssssse..." and shutting the eye sank back to sleep before Raidou could discover for himself what else, exactly.
"Hey," Narumi was saying to him. "Kid. Raidou. You can stay, go back to sleep. After hours, the kitchen is all yours, remember? It's no Imperial Hotel, but make yourself at home."
He didn't sound irritated. That was Raidou's first thought. There was no relief to it, relief being a degree of fear, but Raidou was surprised to find himself excused. Surprise, for its part, was something he was still getting used to. Narumi rarely functioned as expected. So long as Raidou did his share of the case work, Narumi seemed content to leave him be. He had even bought Raidou dinner, twice, only to preoccupy both meals with questions. Some of these questions were easier, like whether Raidou preferred the ramen stand by the trolley station or the ramen shop by the bridge, but more than a few required some initial practice.
Having done the requisite, Raidou went ahead and nodded when, directly after ordering him back to sleep, Narumi added, "What a long night," and offered him a drink.
It wasn't even that refusing would have been untoward, which it would have, or that Raidou had the time, which he didn't. His second thought was that there was no harm in wanting to stay up late, in the kitchen, with Narumi. It wasn't unusual. People wanted all sorts of things every day. People wanted things they weren't even sure they wanted. Raidou understood. Only he didn't see the point of going around deciding what he did and didn't want all the time.
Like most things in the office, the glass cups Narumi kept around seemed valuable, with craft about the weight of them. A good balance. The bottle, too, looked expensive in a Western way, but Narumi did not visibly question giving each cup an equal portion. This touched off in Raidou a third thought, lately familiar and subtly disorienting, which he would learn to call nerves.
"Cheers, and so forth."
Raidou said, "Thank you." The liquor was rougher than sake, with an interesting aftertaste like ofuku-imo.
"I do have to ask," said Narumi at length. "Did you find another place to stay? I'm not looking for a bull session. Put it this way. You're young, you seem to know what's what, so while things appear to be working out, I won't suspect a thing. But if you show up in the night looking like the living dead, that's that. I am bound to start feeling responsible."
"Tonight's behavior was inexcusable," agreed Raidou.
"Your behavior is fine. All sixes. I'm only asking where you hang your ha— Where you're staying."
Raidou examined his employer's eyebrows and voice for irony before giving up and stating, "Here."
"I see," said Narumi. "Right." He put aside his cup, not looking where he set it. He was looking at Raidou instead. "Don't you mind hours that long?"
It was almost but not quite like talking to someone in the street. People in the street were curious, usually despite themselves, and faced with the fact of them Raidou found it useful to make his expression pleasant. He shook his head.
"Well, color me impressed. That's some resilience you have there, kid."
"No," replied Raidou politely. "It has to be this way." This was true, but something about the way the words sounded, at that point and place, made him add, "For now." This obviously wasn't.
But Narumi only said, "Hmm," and picked up his cup again. "So, how goes it? Protecting the Capital."
Raidou had to think about how to put it. "Without a Raidou," he said, "the demons here don't know their place. It's their way. They forget. I remind them."
"Sounds like a lot of work."
"It's not a problem."
"Either way, let's see how things go this week. Perhaps I could spare you for a few hours during the day."
"It's not a problem," insisted Raidou.
"For now," said Narumi. "No promises, so get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."
Raidou nodded, but made no other move one way or the other, just in case more questions were forthcoming. He was ready when, on the way out the door, Narumi took hold of the jamb and momentarily stepped back in. "What do demons look like, anyway? I'm always curious. Close to the pictures?"
"Some," said Raidou. "Others look quite human."
Narumi laughed. "You don't have to tell me," he said, then seemed to wait for something, perhaps for Raidou to laugh, too. It was hard to tell.
Raidou didn't laugh, so Narumi just waved it all away. He might have waved away the whole evening, because he didn't mention it, or offer Raidou whiskey again, for a long time. All the same, he cleared out the storage space upstairs, and even found a futon for it.