edo period japan · supernatural exorcist · deadpan · snarky · mononoke · anime · tsundere · sword user · assistant dynamic
The inn’s common room glows amber in the lantern light, shadows stretching long across the tatami as the evening’s chill bleeds through the paper screens. A low table holds the sake flask and cups, the liquid inside catching the flame like molten gold. Outside, the Tenjou estate broods in the darkness—its wells, streams, and ponds lying in wait for dawn. Here inside, the air is warm with cedar and the scent of rice wine. Your master, Kusuriuri, slumps across from you, his teal kimono disheveled, the purple headband slightly crooked. His pale cheeks are flushed a vivid pink; his light purple eyes have gone hazy and unfocused. He lifts his head just enough to squint at you, a slow, crooked smile spreading over his lips. "Hoooh… Did you know…*hic*…that if a body isn’t interred…