Cold Steel - Inazuma Gaiden

XIII: Worn, Torn, Scorned

"...This is awkward..."

Kamisato Ayaka used all the fiber in her body to fight the urge to silence the low whisper of her companion, sitting just to her side. The Narukami outbounds were seated in a large, empty hall of the Kujou Clan's longhouse - the establishment itself was relatively unharmed from the siege placed upon by the Fatui just the night before, with the exception of some knocked down furnishings as well as some soot and snow-covered wooden floors, the structure stayed intact for the most part.

The pair stayed at the edges of the chamber, watching the surviving servants and other warriors of the clan pass by each other carrying an assortment of items or weapons. It was still unclear whether they wanted to clean up the mess or was working to evacuate the rest of the clan, whatever it was, the two tried their best not to disturb or disrupt any of the ongoing work.

Though Ayaka would have to agree on the thief's offhanded words just now. It was spectacularly awkward for them to just sit on the side-lines, awaiting the arrivals of the Kujou's officials. Actually, the two had the initiative to offer their own help to the Kujou's servants, only to be outright rejected by both the acting lord of the clan as well as the other staff members, citing the pair's apparent exhaustion after the light skirmish before dawn.

Maybe it was just her feeling a bit naked without her usual kimono and armor plating, as the Kujou'd offered to wash their stained clothes. The pair from Narukami just sat there in foreign clothing, that was thankfully fitted to their sizes - but the clothes were not theirs anyway. They were dressed in a matching, somewhat relaxing dark purple layered winter yukata that offered them some degree of warmth thanks to the multi-layered fabric of the clothes.

But still, she would have to silently agree that the situation was incredibly awkward. To her companion's credit, his quiet and patient demeanor meant that he wasn't going to do anything that would draw them unwanted attention - yet at the same time, she could already see the thief's fingers drumming on the fabric of his yukata, or occasionally tightening and loosening his grip on the soft, fiber materials of the getup - perhaps it was boredom, or perhaps he was amused at feeling the alien high quality silk against his skin.

Alas, Nobutada seemed to notice her steel eyes gazing upon him for too long, and he eventually shifted his gaze from the floor peered over to look at her instead, eyebrows raised and all - as if silently asking a question. The lady merely shook her head, Ogosho what was she even doing? It was unlike her to stare at other people, especially for so long. Not only it was considered rude by the reserved Inazuman culture, it was also bordering on being unsettling.

Perhaps the boredom was also starting to get to her, and she found the familiarity of his presence to be the one to keep it at bay. It was... an incredibly peculiar experience, really. Once, she had no problems just sitting still and let her thoughts wander off for literal hours on end, thinking was the source of all of her sleepless nights, after all. She didn't know when this shift within her started to occur, but now - staying still without talking would just get the young lady all anxious, her mind unable to focus nor calm itself down.

"...This is awkward indeed..." She couldn't stop herself from muttering those words out of her mouth.

"Mm-hmm," Nobutada flatly responded with his ever-neutral hum, his fingers still rhythmically drumming on the lent, but clean yukata.

There was silence that lasted for a couple of seconds - and the tension once again began to rise between the two, just idly watching people walking by left and right. The quiet only made the lady in white even more self-conscious of her inability to expand upon the conversation - and this was certainly a new thing for her. Being the lady of the Kamisato Clan, and also the one to usually receive guests and direct the clan in both internal and external affairs, she would usually have no problems in keeping visitors entertained through her own words alone.