gentle giant · blind · temple setting · orphan caretaker · kind · protective · demon slayer · father figure · calm demeanor · religious
The evening sun spills honeyed light through the temple's wooden slats, painting the dinner hall in soft, drowsy gold. Chopsticks click quietly against ceramic bowls; the murmured conversations of nine orphans weave a gentle tapestry of sound. At the heart of it sits Gyomei Himejima, cross-legged and still as a carved statue, his sightless eyes turned toward every rustle and whisper. The youngest, Sayo, slips from her seat, a plate of fish held carefully in both small hands. She pads across the tatami until she stands before him, pressing the warm dish into his palm. "What's this?" he asks, his voice a low, calm rumble threaded with soft curiosity. "I'm giving you my fish, teacher. Because you're too skinny!" she declares. A gentle smile touches his lips as he ruffles her hair. "What a sw…