Application for Castiza, The Revenger's Tragedy

[chasteasaknife]

And where was this place? No sooner had her family been reconciled, than they'd faced Antonio's wrath, that Vindici had dared brave the deeds that had increased that fickle lord's holdings. It took little imagination to guess at what fate awaited them, and yet she was here, in a room too drab for the Duke's liking even in a dungeon. Some oubliette

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[serrulata]

He should have been recovering, but the apartment was small and Kurama has never been one to just lay around and do nothing all day, even after having the life nearly beaten out of him. Besides, he had to acclimate himself to moving about with one eye out of commission for now, and he was sure it would bring great joy to everyone to watch him stumble into crap his unreliable depth perception wasn't picking up.

He managed to just barely nick his shoulder on the door to the sorting room when he came in, all in fresh bandages and a ratty old Ramones t-shirt and ratty old designer jeans. He looked like a fashion-conscious mummy.

"And surviving it, which is more useful than succumbing to the pain," Kurama said, of her answer to the Hufflepuff question. "That trait is admirable."

[chasteasaknife]

Castiza openly gawked at his condition before remembering herself and lowering her gaze.

"Canst thee think of nothing, then, that it would be better not to survive? I can."

[serrulata]

Kurama smothered a smile at her expression, then considered the question.

"I can't speak for most people," he said at length, putting his hands (carefully, they still ached something fierce at times) in his pockets. "But I can't think of a single time I'd have rather died than survive and come back stronger. I may lose a limb, or," he smiled wryly, "an eye, but if I have survived intact enough to deal back what was done tenfold, then I consider it an accomplishment."

He paused a moment, and then added, "being dead is not all that great a gift, even in the most painful of experiences." He should know; he'd been there more than once.

[chasteasaknife]

"Perhaps for thee, dishonor leads to strength. I would use strength to fight in the first place, and see if I might thus save myself." She bit her lip, seeming to shrink in on herself. "And that only if guile failed me."

[serrulata]

Kurama wilted a little, hunching his shoulders. He didn't consider facing down and surviving a stronger opponent a dishonor, just another step towards victory. But his issues weren't on display here, hers were.

"Do you not believe your own worth, then?" He asked, realizing that it was very difficult not to drop a thee or thou in the sentence. "All losses are terrible, whether great or small, but none so much as the loss of your sense of self."

[chasteasaknife]

"I have protected my self," she sniffed, "And would have fought harder, had it been needed. I have not wealth nor title, but I need it not, as long as I live untainted by the world's wickedness."

[serrulata]

Kurama put his head on one side. "At the cost of its beauty? What's the point of living if you can't find a reason to appreciate it, if you see every shadow as a threat?" Which he could definitely have been accused of sometimes, but didn't let that show in what was visible of his face. "You're looking so hard for the compost that you don't seem to see the flowers."

[chasteasaknife]

"And in a town turned midden? It was a cesspit I dwelt in, and the clumps with the vilest reek did steer the others. What fate would thee prophesy for a flower there?"

[serrulata]

Kurama's mouth set in a little smile. "Even in a wasteland, something beautiful can emerge," he said, his eye twinkling with the mischief of someone about to pull off an absurdly over-the-top display of power. He scratched the back of his neck, feigning sheepishness

[chasteasaknife]

He had likely not expected fear, and shock that froze her stiffly into place.

"A harlot might paint herself to seem fair," she said uncertainly.

[serrulata]

No, the fear he hadn't expected. His eyebrows knit together, and he frowned. Flowers (at least in anyone's hands but his own) were so unthreatening, but he may as well have thrown a knife.

He bowed his head briefly, both in respect and a little sadness. "I suppose a harlot isn't allowed to be fair beyond the use others put her to?" He bit the inside of his cheek. That might have come out too harsh, and he didn't want any more fights for a long time. "Forgive me, I was impulsive. Give me a minute to catch my breath and I'll take them back."

[chasteasaknife]

"Thy speech winds like a serpent; I wonder that it might be laying a snare." It wasn't the flowers that scared her, but their sudden appearance, in a way no natural flower did. And from his words, she would not doubt if he were a whoremonger as well.

[serrulata]

Kurama bit the inside of his lip. He hated having to explain himself. And to do so, he'd have to give too much away. But he could see that accusing look in her eyes, and while he was a thief, a murderer, and a conspirator, the one thing he would never do was sell someone for sex, or buy it. His ego wouldn't have it, for one thing. On the other hand, the less people knew about his life in detail, the better. That was for Kusuriyuri's eyes only. He glared defiantly at that accusation in her eyes, though it wasn't as heated, lacking an eye and all.

"Sometimes ugliness is necessary for survival, and we cover it with something falsely pretty. But beauty, the truth of it, still exists. I don't bother laying traps where none are required."

He began to pull his youki back, a little too hastily. The flowers began to wither and he winced at the sight of them. The conversation in metaphor. Such drama.

[chasteasaknife]

"Thy tongue is too nimble for me," she said, too sheltered to realize the double entendre. "I know not what lies behind thy words."

[serrulata]

Kurama sighed, defeated, and pulled his youki back entirely. The flowers and grass withered, and then crumpled to dust, leaving the floor with a fine, dull coat.

"I'll try to be simpler next time," he said, feeling more than a little frustrated. Maybe it was a human thing, but he couldn't understand not asserting an ego. She looked like she could kick his ass, but that answer... he shrugged. "I am sure you are useful for more than you seem to think. More positive than ruin, anyway."

[chasteasaknife]

"I earned honest money," she told him. "I was no burden, for all I would not further my mother's ambition."