[Work that had to be done had to be done, if you were alive, Matoba insisted, making it ever clearer just why he was part of the Alliance. Their dinner goes by with similar matter-of-fact chatter, and when they're roaming the aisles of the festival in search of a cat they may or may not even still be present, it continues.]
[Matoba stops to watch the goldfish game with undue seriousness at Natori's suggestion, but decides that a live goldfish wasn't as interesting as some prepared food. He makes this declaration with the same seriousness as he had addressed Natori's teasing about the bakeneko with.]
[If he's self aware about it, he's never shown it. Not then, not now.]
[The night wears on and he seems to eventually, somewhat dejectedly, admit that they are probably not going to find the cat again. But by then they have already been walking about for long enough to forget mostly about it, and Matoba ends up stooping to leave the skewers for a small circle of bakeneko by the Tamamo stalls instead, waving and cooing to them and embarrassing Natori in front of his senpais, the cats.]
At least there are no fireworks to hide an assassination behind, this time, [Matoba dryly remarks as they stand shoulder to shoulder on the edges of the crowds, bathed in the dark glow of lanterns as the Daitengu makes their announcement of the truce. They're standing close and his head is cocked, near-tilted to Natori's shoulder.]
no subject
[Matoba stops to watch the goldfish game with undue seriousness at Natori's suggestion, but decides that a live goldfish wasn't as interesting as some prepared food. He makes this declaration with the same seriousness as he had addressed Natori's teasing about the bakeneko with.]
[If he's self aware about it, he's never shown it. Not then, not now.]
[The night wears on and he seems to eventually, somewhat dejectedly, admit that they are probably not going to find the cat again. But by then they have already been walking about for long enough to forget mostly about it, and Matoba ends up stooping to leave the skewers for a small circle of bakeneko by the Tamamo stalls instead, waving and cooing to them and embarrassing Natori in front of his senpais, the cats.]
At least there are no fireworks to hide an assassination behind, this time, [Matoba dryly remarks as they stand shoulder to shoulder on the edges of the crowds, bathed in the dark glow of lanterns as the Daitengu makes their announcement of the truce. They're standing close and his head is cocked, near-tilted to Natori's shoulder.]