The assassin's night out (OPEN)

The change in Azalea seemed to come quick. Her face becoming red, her speech becoming slurred while she leaned halfway across the table. Was this woman drunk from such a small amount of wine? If so, talk about a lightweight! If not, she could easily be having one of those weird human medical problems.

A stroke? I think that’s what they called them.

Whether it be that or not, jumping to conclusions might be necessary to save her life! Azalea had the classic signs! Slurred speech and she wasn’t using her arm as she tried to lean over the table.

“She’s either drunk from that small amount or having what the humans call a stroke…” Reika told Yuki.

“ARE YOU DRUNK OR HAVING A STROKE!?” Reika yelled as she got on her knees, placing her hands on Azalea’s shoulders. “WE CAN SAVE YOU IF YOU’RE HAVING A STROKE!” There was clear panic in the redhead’s voice as she shook the little human. No way in hell was she going to let Yuki’s new friend die so quickly after their first meeting!

The intoxicated human felt Reika's hands on her shoulders, pulling her away from Yuki. Azalea's unfocused eye looked into Reika's as she dropped her spear on the table.

Azalea's flushed face turned a darker shade of red as she leaned in further, pressing her face up against Reika's. Azalea's eye closed as she blushed, reaching out hesitantly to put her arms around Reika's neck as Azalea pressed her face into that mass of red hair.

"Tóc của bạn có mùi thơm. Nó thật đẹp. Thật là mềm mại!" Azalea said in her native language, laying on the table as she nuzzled into Reika's hair. Her cup was knocked off the table, though she just barely missed the bottle as Azalea threw herself across the table, going back and forth between rubbing her cheek against Reika and Yuki, whom she yanked towards them. "Thật là một con chó con tốt. Thật nhỏ bé và dễ thương!"

Stroke? What is a stroke?

Whatever it was Reika appeared to be quite worried! Did she have medical knowledge? It was entirely possible. Yuki's was very limited. Perhaps this really was as big an issue as Reika believed it to be!

The little wolf nodded repeatedly. They could save her if it was a medical crisis! Somehow! Where was the nearest Human medical center?! Surely it wouldn't be that difficult to locate, right? She just had to sniff around for an area drenched in blood and sickness!

And then the Human moved even closer, abandoned her spear. Clearly this was not an attack! Probably! What was she doing? Ah. Yes. A hug. That had to be it. Friends did that sort of thing. And at that point it dawned on her.

"She is most likely drunk."

Suddenly Yuki was yanked closer! Ears perked up, tail fluffed out behind her! But the tension swiftly melted away. Trust was important here. She had to trust that this was done with the best of intentions. A few weeks earlier and this would have ended very poorly for the Human. But now Yuki had started to change.

A change for the better.

You leave yourself too open. She could still attack!

She felt the woman's face press against the side of her head, the warmth of two bodies as she was pulled in close to both Azalea and Reika. Ears relaxed, tail gently swayed behind her. Yuki leaned in to the attention paid towards her. This was nice. It reminded her of a fond memory, a moment shared between her and her parents, a time when both held a younger version of the wolf between them.

A time when her family existed.

Arms lifted, awkwardly squeezing with gentle care around both of the girl's waists. Joining in this hug would further cement their friendship. It brought them a step closer towards becoming a new family. There was no way that she would be passing up on that opportunity.

Azalea didn’t respond, instead, her face seemed to turn an even darker shade of red as she closed her eyes. Was she getting worse? Maybe even passing out. This wasn’t good. Before Reika could even react the human wrapped her arms around the redhead’s neck and pressed into her hair.

What in the world was she doing? This sensation, this feeling set goosebumps on her body and a shiver down her spine. This didn’t seem like any embrace Reika had been given back at home. No, this felt more intimate. All she could do was stay still, paralyzed by this sudden feeling as color rushed to her face.

Aww, She broke her.

The paralyzation was suddenly broken as she felt the gentle waft of something furry and a tiny arm wrap around her waist. Yuki had joined in this odd embrace, setting Reika slightly at ease. Hesitantly she wrapped her arms around both women, joining in the lovey-dovey moment. They were an odd group, but this, this felt nice.

“She is definitely drunk.” Reika said with a giggle. “A hug though, this is nice.” The shinigami closed her eyes and just enjoyed the warmth. It felt like being at home again.

"Những người bạn đầu tiên của tôi. Những người bạn thân nhất của tôi~" Azalea murmurred, nuzzling her cheeks against the two girls, an arm around them both. One hand stroked Reika's hair while the other rubbed Yuki's ears.

The far-too-easily intoxicated assassin had a dopey look on her face, laying on the table and hugging her new friends. Her eye was closed, but after a moment of nestling herself between the two girls, she opened her eye and propped herself up.

"ở lại đêm! Tôi sẽ quay lại ngay." Azalea said before bolting to her bathroom, shutting the door behind her. There was a crashing sound, and some more Vietnamese that sounded as if it could only be cursing before the door opened and Azalea stood in the frame.

Her Gothic Lolita clothes were gone, replaced by cat-eared pajamas. Though, the lower part of her pajamas seemed to be on backward and her top was crooked, showing off her stomach. She was pale, with lots of scars criss-crossing her frame. But, in her hands were the cause of the stupid grin on her face. Two pairs of pajamas, one with dog-like and the other a cow-like pattern.

"Ngủ cùng qua đêm!" Azalea giggled out at the two.

"Hugs are quite pleasant. There is nothing wrong with them."

Yes there is.

Fingers touched upon her ears. For a brief moment they stood on end, body tensing yet again only to relax as the sensitive appendages were rubbed. Heat filled her face, tainted it with pink as she shivered and relaxed further into the loving embrace. It certainly did feel nice! Very, very nice!

Too nice if you ask me! She is weakening you! Preparing to strike you both down! Listen to this Demonic speak of hers!

Yuki didn't understand any of the words that left Azalea's lips. But she doubted they were anything malicious. Still, the entire scenario was a little strange. The poor woman's table had been accidentally cleared away and now three women laid together upon it. Was this some Human thing she'd not heard about?

Humans are strange.

Suddenly Azalea sat up. Yuki did the same, releasing her grip upon the two. Was something wrong? Instantly her senses were alert. Then her new friend bolted off into the bathroom.

Ah. Perhaps she simply needed to use it.

There came a crashing sound. More foreign words. "Is everything okay in there?" she called out. Azalea was drunk, after all. But it should be fine as long as she didn't hurt herself, right?

When she next emerged the Human was dressed in something entirely different! An unusual outfit with ears nearly mimicking her own! Of course they were obviously fake. Also she had partly failed in her dressing up. Yuki lifted a finger, pointing at the woman's bottoms.

"They are backwards, I think" she remarked, not quite getting the idea presented to her. Did she wish to show off these strange clothes? Dress up in them for the Shinigami? Wait, she had two sets. Did she want them to dress up too? For what purpose? Would Reika even fit in one of the sets? She was bigger than either of them.

"I am somewhat confused" Yuki stated, looking to Reika for answers.

In an instant it was over, both shinigami had been released from the drunken woman’s embrace. Quickly Reika sat up straight, adjusting her clothing as Azalea darted off to the bathroom. All of this was strange, very strange. Seemed like humans were a little more quirky than the shinigami, even more so with that strange gibberish that the woman spewed. The redhead shrugged it off.

When ya gotta go, ya gotta go.

Like we should.

Reika couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Tonight Boreas was being a little more chatty than usual and it was beginning to irk her. Trying to relax back into place, there came a loud crash from that little bathroom and even louder gibberish, causing Reika to jump. Yuki took the words right out of her mouth.

“What the hell?”

The door slid open, revealing Azalea in some strange looking costume that was rather revealing. So many scars seemed to decorate the human’s frame. Seemed she had lived a hard life in this world after. Things seemed to get stranger by the second as the woman held two goofy costumes in her hands with that mischievous grin.

“I… uh.” Reika was rather speechless. Did their new friend intend to turn this little gathering into a costume party? All the shinigami could do was shrug. “I don’t have a clue what gibberish she’s saying! C-costume party, maybe?” It was a question to no one.

You’re on your own for this one, kid.

Azalea stumbled out of the bathroom with a grin, holding the sets of pajamas. But, seeing the looks on her friends faces, she faltered, frowning. Slowly, she lowered her arms, tilting her head.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times, starting to say something but stopping herself each time. Finally, Azalea shook her head and very slowly said, "You two... sleep... over? Friends... do that, right? I... saw it... in a film one." Azalea tried to say, over-enunciating her words in Japanese.

Azalea let her arms droop to her sides, looking at the two Shinigami as she tried to think clearly. Of course, she thought to herself. They probably have things to do... They're spirits, right? That means they're important doing spirit stuff.

"You... no need to. If don't want. That's... okay too. Just... a thoughts." Azalea offered an out, though the excitement in her voice had died down, returning to her usual flat tone. She set the two costumes down by the table, slumping down into her chair, knees to her chest and she picked up her spear and hugged it again.

Good. She gets it.

The poor Human's smile faltered, faded eventually. Within a moment all of her excitement evaporated. A familiar painful feeling tightened its grip around her heart. Guilt.

"Ah."

Was that something that did friends? She didn't know! Well, she did know that drunk friends stayed the night to sleep off said condition. This was something entirely new to her. She didn't wish to disappoint her new friend either.

So Yuki pushed herself to her feet and made her way over, settling her hands upon the woman's shoulders. "Worry not. I do not mind staying the night. Your request was simply new to me." Of course she couldn't speak for Reika. Perhaps the other Shinigami would decline, and that would be okay. But Yuki already lived with enough guilt on her conscience.

With a nod she picked up the dog costume, looking it over. It would definitely fit. Of course it was very unusual, and it might be a little discomforting due to her tail, but she could bear with that discomfort for a friend. Besides, it was just one night. She had spent more time hunting in this realm in the past.

"Usually I do not wear clothes when I sleep" she mentioned, stepping into the bathroom while her free hand went to work on relieving herself of her robes. Of course she was also curious about what it might feel like to wear proper Human clothes. This could be a fun experiment, right? In any case it didn't take her long to shed her uniform.

Her body also was covered in scars. Faint thin lines which crossed this way and that, remnants of her many past hunts blended in with her early years spent suffering at the hands of people who disliked what she was. She had no top, but she did keep on the strawberry printed undergarments. Once she was dressed in the unusual sleeping apparel Yuki folded up her robes and settled her zanpakuto atop the uniform, carrying both back out into the main room to be set aside.

She looked pretty ridiculous, although she wasn't embarrassed by it. Two sets of ears. Her tail was left to stick out the back of her pants. It was uncomfortable. But if this is what it took to see her new friend smile then it was a small price to pay.

"How does it look?"

The pair of shinigami didn’t understand the human customs, especially with the language barrier between them. All of this became evident as the smile slowly faded from her face, her body slowly drooping as words that were broken, yet understandable were spoken. A slight pang pulled at Reika’s heartstrings as she watched all of this unfold before.

This is just sad.

Was this what humans did with their friends, dress up and stay the night? Such an odd thing to do, but Yuki did ask her to stay the night during their drunken shenanigans. Maybe they weren’t so different after all

Yuki being the first one up to take up the chance of staying the night and putting on the costume left Reika with two choices: either leave or put on the costume and stay. Hardly any good choices. She couldn’t just up and abandon a friend in this weird costume ritual. A sigh of defeat left her as Yuki picked one of the costumes and ventured off to the bathroom to change.

It was just one night. That’s all she had to get through. She could watch Yuki’s back and vice versa. No way anything could possibly happen with the pair together, besides, it seemed that Azalea had really taken a liking to them. Reika stood up, grabbing the remaining pair of pajamas as her little friend left the bathroom.

“Well don’t you look cute as a button.” Reika giggled softly. “With double the ears, you should be able to hear every lil’ peep from across the town.” She gave the little wolf a friendly tap on the head. “I’m next. You play nice with Ms. Cat over there.”

Slipping into the bathroom, Reika examined the pajamas closely, trying to figure out what in the world they were trying to mimic. All those strange spots covered it, with little horns, and… was that some kind of udder? No. There was no time to wonder about it just yet. The others were waiting for her to change.

In no time flat, the redhead managed to slip into the pajamas in what she thought was the correct way. It was hard to tell - the thing seemed a bit small for her height. Not that it really helped that the two in the other room were far shorter than she was. The top exposed her stomach and the bottoms might as well have been capris. Reika looked flatly into the mirror. “I’m a cow… What an udder disaster.”

Rolling her eyes, Reika exited the bathroom and strutted into the room with the head held high. This was all so embarrassing, but she was going to own it. “Moo-ve aside, Yuki. I’m hoofing it through and owning this costume! I’m Reika the cow!” She said moving past the pair, turning around to face them as she placed her hands on her hips. “I’m sure you’ve herd of me though! Tonight the steaks are high and there will be no beef between us!”

Oh, yeah. I owned it.

Azalea's eye lit up as she saw her new friends trying on her outfits. It was just like in the movie, right? Three girls from different backgrounds but they all bond over the shared experience of the night.

Azalea's eye in particular focused on Reika, who had the most stunning appearance of the lot. Obviously Azalea's clothes would be too small for the Shinigami, but it kinda worked on the taller girl.

"So cuuuuute..." Azalea murmured, looking at both girls before nodding to herself. "Animals... Are so cute..."

Azalea leaned forward, fidgeting in her chair as Reika's puns made the small girl clutch her sides, giggling. Azalea reached put to pat both girls on the head, softly thanking them for staying as she closed her eye, smiling from ear to ear.

It had not been her intention to force Reika into staying, but unfortunately that is what had happened. Well, sort of. Friends stuck together regardless. She was just being a good friend. But perhaps the two of them might actually enjoy these shenanigans?

When a finger tapped against her head Yuki's tail wagged a couple of times. She did appreciate the compliment, even if her face didn't show it. And perhaps if the ears on her outfit were real maybe she would have double the hearing! But she liked the level she had now. Still, improvement wouldn't be a terrible idea.

Just need to figure out a good way to hone my senses.

Soon Reika emerged from the bathroom. She was certainly more exciting than Yuki was! The smaller clothes covered much less. Of course Yuki's gaze did wander, but her ultimate response came in the form of a single thumbs up! "Very attractive. You probably don't need the udders." Just like she didn't need the ears!

Reika's puns were both extensive and on point. The little wolf couldn't help but smile at the comedic genius of her friend. Unfortunately Yuki was not so adept at such things, and so she would have to play a different part. Hands lifted up, fingers spread slightly.

"Woof."

A hand patted atop her head, prompting her tail to wag yet again. This was nice.

Ah, it was good. The puns that hide how uncomfortable she was did the job. Laughter and smiles distracted the duo while Reika tried to become comfortable within her own skin.

The reviews were in and they were rather surprising. ‘Cute’ and ‘attractive’ seemed to be the words of choice. Looking down at the outfit though, the words seemed a bit pandering. Reika just smiled and rolled her eyes. There was no way this outfit could be considered cute or attractive, especially with it riding up on her frame. How did humans handle these things?

A pat on the head and a ‘woof’ from Yuki, the evening seemed to be settling down nicely. Reika sat back down next to the table, grabbing her cup of wine to finish it off.

“What’s next?” She genuinely inquired. “What else happens in this ‘film’ you watched?” This was Azalea's home, it was her strange customs. Surely there couldn't be any more weird things to add to the list. Hopefully, no more revealing costumes - Reika gently wrapped her arms around her stomach, hiding the exposed skin.

Aza smiled at the two girls, settling herself down between them. The small human girl had her eye closed, thinking. In the movie, there was all those subplots about the girls' lives. The noblewoman whose family wanted to force her into a marriage. The tanner's daughter whose husband was drafted. The guardswoman who wanted to be a soldier. They each had their own aspirations but were drawn together by coincidence. The noblewoman loved the captain of one platoon, whom the guard wanted to serve under. But the other's husband... Actually, Azalea couldn't really remember how the tanner's daughter tied into the story.

Azalea's head kept tilting from side to side as she thought, putting her arms around the two women and hugging them softly. How long had it been since she sat like this with anyone else? Not since... not since her parents had been alive, she thought.

Azalea's head drooped as she kept trying to remember what happened, her thoughts drifting. But, after about a minute of the human nodding her head in thought, she went still. Her mouth opened as if to say something to answer Reika, but the only sound that escaped her was a gentle breathing.

Having gotten her new friends to dress up with her, and being so happy to relax with the girls, Azalea actually fell asleep while hugging their waists, a small smile on her face as she sat there between them.

Once more Yuki had returned to her seat. Like Reika she had retrieved her cup for another sip of smooth, delicious wine. The other Shinigami made a good point. What was next for them? Already things were a little awkward, but it was still enjoyable. What new strange things were they going to do with the Human?

As Azalea settled between the two spirits Yuki sat up, setting her cup aside so that nothing would spill. She didn't want to dirty the woman's lovely costumes. It was good timing too as the Human pulled each of them closer into another hug! Good thing Yuki wasn't too ticklish.

They sat there together in silence. Yuki could only imagine what sort of thoughts went through her new friend's head. Her mouth opened, and for a good minute the wolf waited in partial excitement for the anticipated answer to Reika's question! Then she heard breathing. Just gentle hushed breathing.

Ah. She is asleep.

She glanced up towards Reika, shrugging helplessly. The Human slumbered. Yuki didn't really want to disturb that slumber either. And so she leaned her head against Azalea's shoulder, closing her eye to copy the woman. In reality her ears were perked up, listening in for anything which might disturb them. She wasn't really tired, but she could at least keep her senses sharp so that the other two could relax!

Reika didn’t know what was going to happen next. All she did was enjoy a little wine, just like Yuki. Just sitting there, waiting for the next words to come out of the drunk human’s mouth. Yet nothing came. Instead Azalea settled in between the two spirits as they both set their cups down, suddenly pulling them into her embrace.

In the silent moment they lingered in their new friend’s embrace, not realizing she was drifting off to sleep. Azalea was comfortable with complete strangers to hold them until she dozed off - it was rather sweet. Reika looked to Yuki as the little shinigami shrugged. All the redhead could do was shake her head and smile as the little wolf joined Azalea.

This is friendship.

Sitting in silence, listening to the soft breathing of her friends, Reika found herself alone to her thoughts and what was next to come. She looked at her tiny friends and the love that seemed to be shared in this union. All of this seemed so odd to come so quickly. From back alleys to costume changes. All of it was… well, fun.

Reika slowly removed herself from Azalea’s grasp and silently moved across the room, grabbing the blanket from the human’s bedding. With a soft smile, she draped it over the pairs’ shoulders, covering them up before returning to their side. It was the least she could do. The redhead leaned her head onto Azalea’s shoulder and gave a content sigh.

Friendship was weird. It let you and your friends bond over the goofiest of things, doing stuff for fun even if it was embarrassing as hell. Friendship was kind. It was being there, supporting your friends in their moments of uncertainty. Friendship was love. Like being together, embraced, as the night carried on.

//Exit