6093/Don't You Give Up On Me

Don't You Give Up On Me
Date of Scene:	30 April 2021
Location:	New York Hotel Room
Synopsis:	(Scene follows: Family Matters) The trio return to Katsumi's hotel room. Nessa is let in on what's happening, and determinations are made to find a solution to this bizarre turn.
Cast of Characters:	Katsumi Oshiro, Nessa Donovan

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Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
It didn't take long to catch a cab and hustle back to Katsumi's hotel. The grouchy feline sat on the floorboard, beneath the cabby's chair. Because that's what cats do when free to roam in cars.

It's late in the afternoon by the time they get into the room; modestly luxurious, with a few cushy chairs, a large bed, and tufts of fur here and there. He's a longhair. This is going to be a lifestyle adjustment. But once inside, Katsumi nudges the door shut behind Nessa by leaning back against it. She looks relieved still to see her, but somehow drawn, burdened by the knowledge of what she has to explain.

The feline feels no such baggage. He first hops onto a chair, climbs onto the arm, and springs onto the foot of the bed. There, he turns to sit and face the women.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Even with Katsumi seeming relieved, Nessa's watching carefully to try and determine just how the Japanese woman feels. The cat is watched warily out of one eye, though the lion's share of the blonde's attention is on Kat. "You gonna be okay? I'm sorry about all of this again... I'm just gonna keep apologizing until I'm convinced you don't hate me or..."

She trails off, mostly because she doesn't know what to say.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro's expression softens in sympathy, and she leaves the door to move closer to Nessa. Hands lift to gingerly set to her shoulders, as if handling a china doll. "I don't hate you." She leans in a little. "I-"

"My word, are you about to /kiss/?," asks the cat bluntly.

Katsumi is abruptly derailed, snapping back in surprise. "W- uh- I- maybe! Wh- what if I was!"

"You do not have to try so hard to scandalize me. I am only a cat," chides the feline.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Thankfully, it doesn't appear as if Nessa's been injured anywhere near her shoulders, so even if Kat's being careful it's not further pain she has to worry about. Her eyes dart quickly to the cat, her gaze narrowing. "If you were only a cat you wouldn't be hanging around and giving off such a ridiculous magical aura. It's a good thing we're not trying to /hide/ or you'd be a dead giveaway."

There's a long pause before Nessa glances back to Kat. "We aren't trying to hide, are we? I mean, I don't know what's happened while I was experiencing the world's worst family reunion." Her attention darts briefly towards the feline. "Besides, the kissing isn't for your benefit. Don't be so self-centered."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Of course it is. She has been acting out since my arrival," sighs the feline.

Katsumi glowers at him, then looks back to Nessa. "No. We're not hiding. There doesn't seem to be much point to trying. I have a, uh... a god... staring at me." Her hands slip from Nessa's shoulders, her own sagging. "Do you want me to explain it, or the cat? He does shadow puppets when he does it."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"You ever wonder if maybe you're the problem, not her?" Nessa's arm snakes around to rest around Katsumi's waist, keeping the physical connection even as she seems to have deflated a little. "Make the cat do it. Just butt in and interrupt him if he's doing it wrong. Or maybe just for fun to annoy him."

The blonde offers a bright smile towards the cat. "Sorry, I'm not gonna be particularly nice to anyone who seems like an asshole to Kat."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"You are just as obscene as her," grumbles the cat.

Katsumi, meanwhile, dolls her head against Nessa's shoulder. People tend not to stick up for her. It's meaningful when they do. And perhaps even moreso when it comes from this person in particular. She makes no effort to extract herself from the arm now twining her bare waist, and rather leans comfortably against the other girl. She feels safe when Jen is around. But she also feels safe when it's Nessa. It's just a different kind of safe; a special kind.

"Very well. If you intend on taking more part in her life, it is only fair that you know what is to come."

"Short version," Katsumi instructs.

It gets a flat look from the feline. "To begin," he says, raising a paw to set against his woolly chestfluff, "My name is Herukage, emissary of Makai-no-Yomorinushi, Lord Protector of the Night, shepherd of animalkind, father of beasts, and god of yokai. He willed me into existence to serve as his voice in guidance to- her." The conclusion is a little halting, the paw motioning towards Katsumi.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa seems to be more than happy to offer the additional comfort, her sleeve pulled just enough to see that her arms aren't really damaged aside from where her hands are bandaged. "Yeah, you don't really get much of a choice of me being a part of her life, so get used to it." She pauses. "Provided that's what she wants."

The suggestion of a 'god' gets a bit of a serious look. "Alright, I'm following. So what does this god want with Katsumi? Why are you supposed to 'guide' her? Also, can't say I'm sure of why a /cat/ is a good choice of someone to help. No offense."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Humans never seem to understand what they are seeing. Or rather, the potential for what lies just beneath the surface. This is either why, or perhaps the fault of, humans not being natively magical," pontificates the cat. His paw sets to his little chin for a moment of contemplation, studying the pair, before setting back down on the bed.

"Yeah, funny you should say that," muses Katsumi. She then tilts her head to cuddle in more insistently onto the shoulder. "She wants. If you have to vanish for family crap again, you're taking me with you."

Herukage exhales an audible sigh, then continues: "Centuries ago, there existed an isolated village at the coastal edge of Japan. Their samurai lord was called away, and they felt defenseless. Paranoia drove them to murderous derangement. They slaughtered any animal they could find - wild animals, even lifelong, devoted pets. They began killing each other, as well. The few remaining elders pleaded with the gods for intervention, and the one who answered was Makai-no-Yomorinushi - infuriated by the wanton death of the innocent."

"He instructed them to build a shrine to exact specification. My body happened to be a part of its design. And once done, they were to conduct a ritual; batter a human for the sake of a beast, and shed their own blood upon the shrine."

Herukage's head tilts. "Questions so far?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa gives an amused grin. "The assumption that humans aren't natively magical is something you might want to reconsider sometime," she notes, though her gaze goes back to Katsumi at the mention of family crap. "To be fair in this particular case there was some sort of teleportation portal thing going on that I still haven't figured out, so it's not like I purposefully jumped on a plane to ditch you."

She nudges Kat a little. "But if I was ditching you on purpose, I'd /tell/ you. I promise I won't be the kind of jerk who just doesn't tell you what's going on, 'kay?" Her attention is slowly drawn back to the cat, her expression something along the lines of 'oh, you're still here' as she listens to his explanation.

"Okay, I'm still following. Something go wrong with the ritual?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Yes, a few mystics and black magic practitioners notwithstanding, humans are profoundly basic creatures with fragile minds. I would not be here were it not so." Herukage lifts his hindquarters a moment before sitting again, readjusting on the foot of the bed.

"Charming, isn't it?," Katsumi asks. "Makes me look like a beauty pageant contestant." She finally lifts her head, having been nudged. "Gonna make you recite my number once a day." Nod.

"Back to the point," Herukage interjects. "Nothing went wrong with the ritual. Word of the village savagery reached the daimyo, samurai were dispatched, and every last one of the villagers were cut down. Elders, everyone. None spared. So the ritual simply never took place. Until..."

"...until I f***ed up," Katsumi notes, ducking her head.

"Odd turn of phrase, but perhaps? A little over four hundred years had passed."

"...and the federation I was with was doing this promo series to lead in to us doing this big event in America. This happened literally the last day I was in Japan, right?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa rolls her eyes. "You're lucky I don't have a reason to fill you full of ice shards. /Yet/." Her arm squeezes Kat in a bit of a hug, though she raises an eyebrow at the mention of the ritual again, looking between the cat and Katsumi. "Wait how did /you/ mess it up?"

Her eyes fix on the cat again, a very unamused expression on her face before she turns towards Katsumi a little more fully, her tone softened. "Go on."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Threatening a cat. How absurd," remarks the totally normal animal.

Katsumi peeks up at Nessa through her bangs like a scolded teenager. "Okay, so they wanted a spooky backdrop for my promo, and they heard about this village ruin from the locals on the way to the airport. I was having a... bad time.. trying to make the promo work. Really big bugs out there. Anyway, I took a break to cool down, and found some d***wads kicking a cat around in the woods. So I, y'know, pounded'em. And when I picked up the cat, it scratched me. I must've bled on the shrine, either by bumping into it or when I shook my hand out. But..."

She pauses, magenta gaze lowering in thought.

"...actually, I remember blacking out and waking up I think in the van. I said I was fine to go on to America, figured it was fatigue or something, and I landed here." Her gaze lifts to Nessa again. "..where the.. blackouts kept happening. And the fatigue. And my eyes started changing color..."

"It was seeding. Bonding with you," adds the feline.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Mm, I believe I was threatening an emissary of a god, but if you want to go on pretending to be /just a cat/, I bet I can go find you some Fancy Feast," Nessa smiles innocently in the 'totally normal animal's' direction before focusing fully on Kat. "So /you/ didn't fuck it up, you didn't do anything wrong." She studies the other woman for a long moment. "Alright, so it's bonding with you. At least there's more of an explanation for things now, yeah?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Are you sure you know what a cat is?," asks Herukage, aloof and airy.

"Hush," Katsumi hisses at him. Her attention turns back to Nessa. "So here's the deal-"

"Oh, I will explain it," interjects Herukage. Katsumi grunts at the interruption, but he continues, regardless: "Completing the ritual bestows upon the human a part of the divine Lord Protector - a blessing called the Yokai Soul. She now has aspects of his divinity, to enact his vengeance upon humanity. She is his divine wrath - a human, charged and empowered to to cleave swaths of humanity."

"Which I'm /not/ going to do!," Katsumi quickly notes, trying to catch Nessa's gaze.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa lets out a slow breath. "Oh great," she looks from Katsumi to Herukage for a moment. "Given that the entirety of the village was wiped out, I would assume that the wrath had been already covered. Even if Kat managed to accidently get this ritual done, there's no one left that deserved to be just wiped out."

Her attention turns back to Kat, offering her another squeeze. "Unless cleaving swaths of humanity involves you taking down people who seriously deserve it, I can't see you doing that." She is, however, refocusing on Herukage with a very serious look. "I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"There are no shoes. I withhold nothing," Herukage replies. "And the wrath is not satisfied. Samurai butchered the villagers. This is not justice. Humanity's murderous fear of the unknown has not been punished by those it has wronged. As the sun yields the horizon to darkness, the Yokai Soul stirs. And she," he lifts a paw to point to Katsumi, "becomes his instrument of vindication."

"Whiiiich," Katsumi drawls in an effort to retake Nessa's gaze, "is not gonna happen. I promise. I won't do it."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa's gaze is serious and not amused as she looks between Katsumi and Herukage. She settles on the former. "I believe you," she agrees. "I don't think you're going to hurt innocent people. Doesn't mean you aren't stuck with an awkward situation involving magical things beyond your control."

It's the feline she focuses on, though, the arm around Kat tightening a little in an oddly protective manner. "Right, so your god wants her to get revenge on people who haven't done anything wrong? Kind of sounds like he's a bit misguided if all he wants is to kill people because he didn't get to kill to culprits himself. If there's anything I've learned from dealing with Irish mages tangled up in a bit of fae trickery, it's that wording and intention are important. So what, /exactly/ needs to be vindicated at this point?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro eyeshifts. "I mean, I hurt people all the time. Meaning to or not. But this sounds a lot more like.. killing people.."

"It is," confirms the cat.

"See!?," asks Katsumi, suddenly a little more tense.

The assertion from Nessa, however, takes the feline's focus. "It does not surprise me that you, a modern western human woman, does not understand matters of divine honor. It is not necessary for me to explain, nor is it my place to justify the Lord Protector's divine will. But I will speak clearly."

Herukage hops from the foot of the bed onto the arm of the nearest chair, then moves onto its cushion to look more directly up at Nessa. "She has a very brief time to come to terms with her destiny. Then she will begin visiting his wrath upon humanity. Or the gift will be taken back."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"First of all, /Herukage/, I understand plenty. It does not surprise me, however, that you know little of how the world works in the modern era. I hate to tell you this but if you're interested in your Lord Protector's will being done, you're likely going to be very disappointed." The growl in the back of Nessa's throat as she spits the words out has a bite to it.

"What happens if the gift is taken back? Its purpose is rather useless now."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
The cat gives Nessa an odd look, head faintly tilted, followed by a souring of the expression. "I would not be disappointed. I will have served the god of yokai as desired. That is my only purpose. It is he who would be disappointed, resulting in an unenviable situation for those responsible. Namely, her."

"Talkin' about me like I'm not right here!," fusses Katsumi. She squirms a bit to face the cat as well, giving a dirty look.

"Should the gift be rescinded, the Yokai Soul would no longer be on Earth. At least not active. Perhaps the shrine would await another ritual. Either way, the power would be gone, and its bearer destroyed." After a beat, he adds, "I should be more specific for you. Katsumi would die. Or one would hope she died. Living without a soul is, I imagine, a strange type of Hell. If she felt anything at all afterward, or were even capable of moving."

Katsumi starts to pale at the thought.

Meanwhile, Herukage contemplatively looks to the cushion beneath his paws. "Yes. I would recommend destroying any physical remains as quickly as possible before something else inhabits the husk. Either way, she," his head lifts again, paw points, "would be no more."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
That's enough for Nessa to release Katsumi in favor of moving over the cat in a rather threatening manner. "If you /ever/ refer to Katsumi as a husk again, I think you'll find that your god is going to have to find a different messenger to carry out his will." Her bandaged hands are clenched into fists, teeth gritted both out of anger and the fact that she's moving her hands in a way they probably shouldn't be while injured.

She turns away from the feline in favor of facing Katsumi. "You know I'm not going to let that happen, right? Any of that."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro lets out a squeak at the sudden lack of comforting presence to lean on. But she quickly finds her footing again, hands fretting together beneath her chin.

Herukage, meanwhile, looks up at Nessa placidly. "Threatening a cat again. Humans are exhausting." The paw raises, brushing mildly against his forehead and evidently not at all bothered by the very obvious and menacing threat. "I caution against false hope," he adds as Nessa returns to Katsumi. "For as upset as you are now, consider how you would feel if she listened to you and perished. If her continued life matters to you, it is time to put the outrage aside and focus on avoiding seeing her meet that end. Ill-fitting the gift as she is, none of us desire it."

Katsumi's head has bowed again, eyes squeezed shut. She nods stubbornly to Nessa, actively attempting to block out the cat's drone. "Y-yeah," she murmurs quietly. "Gonna.. figure something out. Some way to- to get it fixed."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
The cat is ignored, mostly because Nessa's busy focusing on Katsumi. She reaches a bandaged hand over to try and raise the woman's chin so she can fully catch her gaze. "Hey, you think I'm gonna just let anything happen to you? I'm not just some 'exhausting human'," she points out. "I've dealt with magic my whole life, I just got back from dealing with more of it and now have a family that /really/ owes me one. So researching this is something I can definitely get help on."

Her intention is to try and calm Kat, not pay attention to the feline who seems to be the one causing the problems. "We'll figure it out. You know we will. Have you /seen/ how stubborn I am?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro lifts her head to look back to Nessa, frowning at first. But soon, she's forcing a weak, uncertain smile. "Okay. Just- don't get hurt over me. You already did way too much for me, from like the day I arrived in this stupid conutry. If I have to-.. to.." She doesn't say it. "..it's better that than.. doing what it wants, right?"

Right?

Herukage politely clears his throat. "Night will be falling soon. You have much to learn."

Without looking away from Nessa, Katsumi replies, "Not tonight."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa is continue to ignore the cat, no reaction from her in its direction even as it speaks. "I can't say if I will or won't be hurt, but what I am telling you is that I'm not going to let you die, nor am I going to let innocent people get hurt." She lets out a deep breath. "Fae are notoriously tricky creatures. They like to play games and try and trick people into things. It's a matter of finding a loophole, really. All we have to do is find a way to satisfy the vengeance in a way that doesn't hurt you or people who don't deserve it."

She winces as she unclenches her fists, but moves them to rest on Kat's shoulders. "I don't think I've ever done 'way too much' for you. Besides, I already owe you for leaving you alone to deal with all of this. I can make it up to you."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro nods at Nessa. "Right. Just... finding a way to make it work? Like, if there's a caveat? Or some way to make both of us happy?" After a moment of thinking on it, she winces. "That means I'm still gonna be living with this.. thing... watching me. Judging me. Waiting for me to do what it wants..."

"He," informs Herukage. "Makai-no-Yomorinushi is masculine. A father to animalkind."

"Yeah, yeah, heard the spiel," grumbles Katsumi as she refocuses on Nessa. "If... worse comes to worse, Nessa.. uh.." She inches closer to her, enough that she's a few inches from touching noses. "..if I lose control, or something... you'll stop me." She swallows. "..right? It's either you or Jen, and I think.. you.. would probably be less painful.."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
The look on Nessa's face is hard to describe. It's something that looks like pained, confused, and worried all at once. "Kat..." She swallows hard. "Don't ask like that. I'm not going to hurt you. And I /won't/ kill you, but if I need to put a gentle stop to whatever's going on, I'll do that. You're gonna be just fine."

The blonde's eyes flick over to the cat momentarily. "She's not going to train or prepare or do whatever tonight, so maybe you'd like to go find an alley to chase some rats in?" She doesn't focus on Herukage for long, instead looking back to Kat. "Lawyers are all about loopholes, pretty sure you know a rather good one," she shuts her eyes for a second. "You know I'm going to do everything I can, right? Like hell would I let you die."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Yare yare...," chides the feline as he hops down from the chair. He makes his way to the television at the end of the room, whereupon in the floor is set an errant cushion from the sofa. He pads onto it, kneads momentarily, turns a circle, and curls down.

Katsumi doesn't see any of that. Her inhuman gaze is fixed on Nessa in front of her, even when she glances away. "But if I.. if I stop being me.. I don't wanna be that. I don't want the last thing I do, the thing I leave behind, be me just... being a worse version of myself." She pauses, opens her mouth, then hesitates again. Instead, she leans forward to clutch onto Nessa's middle, latching herself to her. Her face buries against the blonde's shoulder. "Is this my bunny moment?," she asks quietly. For anyone else, that would probably be the weirdest thing she could've said right then.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa's arms wrap around the other woman, hugging tightly. "Don't pull that shit about you not being you. If I can live as some popsicle of a person who can barely keep a handle of her own life, you can deal with being a werewolf." There's a slight smile at the comparison, but her arms as well as her tone are firm.

"Maybe. I can understand your frustration a bit more now... but I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. I'm serious about that. I'm not just trying to say that in some desperate attempt to make you feel better. I know a thing or two about magic and destinies and stuff, so I've got a leg up."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro nods, nuzzling into the shoulder, comforted by the proximity, the tightness of the hold, and more than anything, who it's coming from. "It's turned into a real mess. I dunno if I would've preferred to just stay f***ing narcoleptic or whatever..."

Suddenly, her head tilts back from the shoulder to look at her face. "Oh, it's not a werewolf thing. We went over that. He made it real clear. This deity requires me to actively choose to be... like.. a killer."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa raises an eyebrow at the suggestion of the choice to be a killer. "That's not something you're going to do. There's got to be some loophole. Or way we can change this to work in your favor. I don't know what yet, but I'll figure it out. It's not a maybe. You're staying you, regardless of this situation."

She leans in to rest her forehead against Katsumi's. "Don't you give up on me."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro's head tilts to meet Nessa's, and her eyes shut.

"I never did."