--->
" In his teenage years , Ichi used to collect these . Said that it was one of those "collectables" in a game . "
" He gave me this one , for luck . Be gentle now , Nancy . "
Ah , so /this/ was the crawfish that his boy spoke so fondly of .
Smiling , the weathered man scans his desk for something that would satiate her curiosity .
Until he finds it .
In his hand lie a shiny stone , held out towards the crawfish as tribute .
--->
@PROFAMILlAM
Standing before Arakawa Masumi was Nancy, great & terrible destroyer of worlds. All shiny objects on his table were hers to examine, and all stray scraps of food hers to consume. Would he offer tribute, or would hesuffer the same pinching that has befallen so many?
@misstatsu When isn't it hard for the poor little critters in big cities ?
I can hardly open up a cat shelter , but there's always a cardboard box and some food for whichever wanders by .
Her relent earns her a sigh of relief from the old man .
Higanbana vaguely rings a bell to him , an option once considered in earlier years , before the mess with the Omi Alliance .
" ... Can they be trusted , with the truth of my situation ? "
--->
꧁✬◦°⋆. ʏᴇᴏɴʜᴡᴀ .⋆°◦✬꧂
The woman inhaled deeply. Then exhaled sharply, the puff of air going through her nostrils coming out in shaky bursts.
Hearing the whole story made her want to go full scorched earth, but knew that the Amon clan wasn't to be trifled with.
--->
" I need something to hold over him , to keep him from rampaging against me and everyone I hold dear . "
" Something to buy us /time/ . "
Time to plan , time to kill .
Time to get Ichiban away from this battle that never should've reached him to begin with .
Even if it seemed fruitless to her , like any parent , Masumi will do/everything/ he can to spare his son the pain of his battles .
" I was betrayed , by ( TENDO * ) . Shot and left for dead . "
" But Jo was not content with letting my ... "talent" , go to waste . "
--->
꧁✬◦°⋆. ʏᴇᴏɴʜᴡᴀ .⋆°◦✬꧂
Gotta hand it to Amon Jo. He had a real talent for earning the hatred and bloodlust of his nieces. It had been many years since that last confrontation with Shinigami, where their usual tie turned into him ending up knocked out for 3 days.
--->
" He had brought me back from certain death , only to deal it on his behalf . "
" He'd wanted my talent for killing since I destroyed the Hikawa family , but I rejected him at every turn . For my children . For ( THEIR * ) future . "
--->
" /Only/ if we do this the wrong way . "
It's hard not to feel a small chill down his spine , but Arakawa did not get this far by letting violent impulses run wild .
" We need leverage more than anything . Something that stays their hand from bringing about an --->
꧁✬◦°⋆. ʏᴇᴏɴʜᴡᴀ .⋆°◦✬꧂
The reply he gave, she did not like. Not only was he in danger, but so was Ichiban.
That was enough to have the woman lose all composure. Probably even her sanity at this point.
---> all-out ( WAR * ) . "
The clashes the Amon have with Ichi is one thing . Tests .
But for Arakawa The Assassin to slip his chains ? Jo would kill ( ANYONE * ) to keep that secret buried .
" ... Do you remember hearing of that shooting in Yokohama ? --->
The scowl on her face had him internally wince .
As much as he hates to accidentally bring up a sore spot , the safety of his children and allies come first .
" I ... cannot , go into great detail , Yeonhwa . Not now . "
--->
꧁✬◦°⋆. ʏᴇᴏɴʜᴡᴀ .⋆°◦✬꧂
The moment that name was heard, Yeonhwa's guts twisted in near disgust.
𝑨𝑴𝑶𝑵
A cursed blood.
The reason for her birth and childhood tribulations.
But this begged the question: why did he want to know about them?
--->
" All you must know right now , is that information against their leadership will prove vital for the safety and security of those I call friend and family . "
" I know it's not much , but I /will/ tell you more when I can . "
A rare sight for anyone would be --->