[Kota]

Oh ashes, ashes, Dust to dust The devil's after both of us ayase saki Kota blew softly on the kindling as the spark began to bloom into a flame. A new fire for a new camp, the young boy was holding down the fort--so to speak--as he awaited Uemon's return. Of course, it wasn't often that he was left alone, anymore, but the older of the pair insisted that some places were simply just too dangerous for Kota to tag along. And he had to help keep everything safe by staying behind.     Pointless, angry nonsense, really.     Nonsense that made him angry, that was.     The child bit down on the bone hanging halfway out of his mouth, splintering it between his teeth and sucking frustratedly on the marrow as he continued working on the campfire.     This region of land was a special kind of hell, he had found. Marsh lands, soggy terrain and almost constant rain. All a dangerous pain in the neck, and one that made it difficult to find dry soil to make camp. Let alone to be able to successfully start a flame when most of the local twigs and leaves were moist and wet inside and out.     While there was a home they could return to, Uemon and Kota were not made for the domestic life. No, they were wild creatures and belonged outside, as far as Kota was concerned. As nice as the inside was, it wasn't as familiar as this was.     Though, part of him was beginning to wonder if he missed having a proper roof over his head and warm sheets to bundle himself up in...     Kota. I won't just abandon you... but there are other places you can stay.     The words felt haunting, still as horrible to think about as they were to hear the first time.     The child looked up from his work, blood pricking his lip where the cracked bone had poked too hard amidst his worrying thoughts. No, no, things were much better like this...     Kota turned his attention from the small flame as it blossomed like a flower. From the shelter of the mouth of the cave, a draft of wind carried a scent--something foreign. Something sweet, and familiar, but wrong.     It didn't smell like an animal, but it didn't smell like Uemon.     It could be danger, Kota thought, grabbing his knife and sneaking away from the fire quickly to glance out at the forestry outside of the sheltered campsite. I don't know if I should ward the trouble off or investigate first. He could turn into a dog and bark threateningly. Though, if it was a hunter, then he would be in trouble.     But if he stayed as himself, a different kind of hunter could also be trouble.     Deciding on a middle-ground, the boy cupped one hand around his mouth and howled into the setting sun. Sounding not unlike a young wolf, the cry was to dissuade the stranger from drawing nearer. Wolves traveled in packs, after all.

✜

[ayase saki]

Saki was not a bow-hunter, she’d learned. The shaft and string felt wrong in her hands, her musculature ill-developed for drawing, holding, waiting, waiting, waiting. She must have learned to use one at some point, evidenced by her ability to loose a projectile roughly in the direction of her target at all, but it was equally evidenced by the scattering of rough-hewn wooden arrows around her makeshift training dummy that she had not been bred for violence at range. It wasn’t a total loss; she could sell the bow at the next town over and use the recouped funds more wisely. In the meantime, she still had to eat. Swords were useless for hunting, so the katana stayed sheathed at her hip. The kobun she drew to hack at a heftier branch than the ones she’d used to craft her practice arrows, scraping away the rough surface-bark and sharpening the tip into a deadly point, a poor man’s hunting spear. Nothing to sand the wood down with, and undoubtedly her palms would be prickled with splinters by day’s end, but it seemed a better option than backtracking miles to the blacksmith or going hungry for the second night in a row. Saki was always hungry. Common sense bade her to slink by ponds and bogs; her body knew how to maneuver through Marsh Country even if her mind did not recall, and this terrain was laughable compared to the sludge and muck of her old hunting grounds. Wading birds would be plentiful and complacent, comfortable in their position at the apex of the food chain and blissfully unaware that they were now being hunted in turn. Greed, however, turned her path away from the water: a deer, properly skinned and cured, would allow her to stockpile rations for the weeks ahead, an emergency stash in case of lean hunting or quick escapes. Life pulsed in a dull thrum around her, the miniscule and meaningless skittering insects and rodents that grubbed through desiccated underbrush and slow-blooming foliage. She paced through the trees, sleek and soft-footed, waiting for the stronger rush of viscous lifeblood to enter her periphery. She scented it thick on her tongue; a moment later, a wolf howled, and Saki followed the sound. Less fat on the lupine form, but wolves traveled in packs, and the meat would taste sweeter for the blood she spilled to butcher it. But as she drew closer to the sound, no pinpricks of a not-yet-dead wolfpack slid into her mind, only the singular heartbeat of an object at rest. Prey, paralyzed with fear? Were the wolves farther afield, and she’d found her deer after all? Then she smelled the must of a campfire built of damp wood, and common sense reared its head to hamstring her ambitions: no wolves, no deer, but a camper. A person. Alone in the wilderness with only flame for company; no one at all to see scraped wood splinter through skin and meat and bone— "Hello?” Saki called, self-sabotaging before she sickened herself. "Is someone there?”

Kota -- 510

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kota]

Oh ashes, ashes, Dust to dust The devil's after both of us Hello? The voice was heard calling out from a distance away--not far enough to be undetected, but with enough distance that the owner was out of sight. Kota ducked his head and crouched behind a tree regardless, uncertain of what to do next as fear immediately seized him.     The intruder sounded like a woman, and Kota still wasn't sure what he thought about women.     Threat? Dangerous? It was outside, and the stranger--well, he knew nothing about her. Not if she was a warrior or a hunter, or incredibly brave. But she heard a wolf and drew nearer, so she might have just been incredibly stupid--     --Or she wanted to hunt.     Going toward a wolf meant that either she was stupid, or a hunter, which grew more concerning for the child as he rationalized the possibilities. Do I fight? Do I run? Do I yell back telling her to leave? That might make it easier to be found, Kota thought to himself, biting his lip as he clutched his knife tighter. Masa says there's no need to be all aggressive, but right now I'm protecting the camp, so maybe I should be. But he doesn't seem to like it when I growl at people, so maybe I should be nice. But he's not here right now to scold me if I am mean.     "Uhh--" Kota wavered, uncertain in his approach before finding some spirit as he yelled out, "You can't come here! You'll be eaten up--so go away!"     Hopefully, his warning was heeded.

✜

[ayase saki]

The temptation of a heartbeat pounded faster, meaty and spiced with fear-scent. Saki drew closer, damp slick on her throat and running down her back, though whether it was from mist or sweat or sporadic light rain was unclear. She paused at the edge of the damp and smoldering campfire, poking at the wet sticks and branches that kept it faintly burning with her makeshift spear. The voice that called out to her was young, boyish in the way of an adventurous younger sibling. A camper, a person: a kid, which was perhaps the greatest crime of all. Who would leave a child alone, when so many manner of monsters stalked these wilds? That life was so close that she could reach out and snatch it. Instead she crouched beside the fire, taking some of her roughshod arrows and adding them to the pile that fueled the flame. "There’s not enough meat on these bones worth eating, little wolf,” Saki called back. She tilted her head, listening carefully for muscle, motion, motivation. "I saw this fire and heard a howl and thought someone might need help.” A half-truth, close enough to honesty that it fell easily from her lips. "There’s worse than wolves in these woods. Certainly worse than wolf pups.”

Kota -- 213

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kota]

Oh ashes, ashes, Dust to dust The devil's after both of us The stranger announced that there wasn't enough meat on her bones that was worth eating, which Kota immediately thought was ridiculous.     He'd eaten frogs, before.     When he was hungry enough, the child hadn't been above eating grass or beetles, even. A fish or a rabbit was a good meal in comparison to those days.     Though, the woman didn't seem to think she was worth eating, and the boy heard movement toward the camp--she had drawn closer than he would have liked. And, cautiously, the child stalked closer back toward where the camp had been set up in the mouth of a cave, staying close to the brush and laying low. Hoping not to be spotted, but wishing to get a proper look at the intruder.     Glancing out from the foliage, Kota could see a woman poking around his fire as she explained that she thought someone might have needed help. Then, she gave a sort of warning to him.     That there was worse in these woods. Worse than pups.     The child bit back a growl, his dark eyes narrowing at the woman. "I don't need help, I am tha thing in the woods worst than wolves," he warned. Wolves don't scare me, anymore. I could probably even fight a bear. Still, though... the woman had arrows--though she was sacrificing some of them to the flames--and what looked like a sword at her hip. She's bigger than me, and her sword gives her more reach. If I got close enough to stab her with my knife, or try fighting with the sword, she would still be able to reach me before I could reach her. His eyes focused, glancing around the camp.     There was plenty lying about, certainly something he could work with.     Boda--his wooden doll, for instance.     If I can't get close to her, I might still be able to hurt her. He knew the puppet technique, and surely there was a kunai around where he could make Boda grab it... "So ya should leave, else I'll eat you an' use what bones are left over."     He, notably, had started to collect them.     Though, what few he'd had out in Uemon's absence, were mostly the bones of small creatures. Bird talons, the skull of a fox, some ribs and femurs of other smaller creatures.     He was beginning to build quite a collection.

✜

[ayase saki]

It was clear the child wanted her gone from this campsite, and it was for exactly that reason that Saki settled in more comfortably, sitting cross-legged on the damp earth by the flames in order to kindle it with greater purpose. There was little she could do to force help onto someone who did not want to be helped, even if the someone in question was as young as they sounded. The wiser course of action would, perhaps, have been to simply leave, return to civilization, and alert the appropriate authorities that there was a feral child in the woods; but Saki found herself deeply entertained by this odd little wolfling. Curiosity, and the desire to endear herself to the untameable, won out over pragmatism. "You do seem like you can handle yourself,” Saki replied agreeably, peering around the campsite. She suspected that there was another person in play, though whether it was an adult caretaker or another feral child was a mystery she’d yet to solve; there was simply too much here for one person to carry alone, unless it was stored up inside a large sealing scroll. else I’ll eat you an’ use what bones are left over. There was a little collection of animal bones, and she wondered where he’d gotten them from: if they were the hoard of a scavenger, or the trophies of a killer. Tough and lean, muscle and sinew; from another’s lips the words may have been flippant, but Saki spoke from a subconscious place of sincerity. The meat on her bones was not worth eating because it would not be enjoyable to eat. This was a thought that was not allowed to rise to the surface. Her stomach churned. "I’d rather not be eaten today,” she said, "but I would like to get warm before I get back to hunting. May I stay if I feed your fire?” She was pleasantly unaware of whatever puppetry machinations were going on at her back or flank; her eyes had glazed over the wooden doll and dismissed it as a child’s toy, and nothing in her danger-sense would give her any indication that anything was amiss.

Kota -- 367

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kota]

Oh ashes, ashes, Dust to dust The devil's after both of us Kota bit back a snarl as he saw through the foliage the woman settling in at his camp, rather than getting out of there like he'd warned her to do. Still, though, unbeknownst of her abilities, he didn't want to make any unnecessary noise and reveal his location to what he deemed as an enemy.     Using his chakra to create tiny, nearly invisible strings, Kota attached his spirit to the lifeless doll that lay not too far from where the woman was seated--Boda. A practically harmless thing, really. It was crafted from wood, and though it had moveable joints--that was about all it could do on its own. It had no real weight or power to do any actual harm, and in truth, this was the first time that Kota was using the doll for something other than play.     The doll moved over to some of Uemon's gear, and sticking its small arm through the hole in a dull kunai, the little puppet picked up the weapon before scampering over to the woman and thrusting it into her back.     Of course, the force and power behind the attack was miniscule--even if he did somehow manage to hit near somewhere like the spine, the damage would be skin-deep and not do anything more than cause a slight annoyance and surprise.     And, of course, as soon as the woman's attention was--hopefully--turned to the doll, Kota shouted his answer.     "No!"     Performing some hand seals, the child used a transformation technique and shifted his form into that of a wolf. A small wolf, but a wolf nonetheless. With claws and fur and--most importantly--teeth. Which, if the woman did not react quickly in time, she would find lodged into her throat as Kota dashed forward in his new form and went for the jugular. SPOILER: Click to show NAME: Kugutsu no Jutsu - [Puppet Technique] RANK: C CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low [Continuous] CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [Puppetry] ELEMENT: N/a DESCRIPTION: The fundamental and most used technique of the style, Kugutsu no Jutsu allows a puppeteer the ability to use puppets in battle. While the degree in skill determines the number of puppets that can be controlled, for starters the user can control only one. By making near invisible strings of chakra from each of their ten fingertips and attaching them to their puppets they are able to control the puppet from various distances. However there is a delay between the puppeteers orders and the puppets movements, meaning puppet movement will not be instantaneous, and the response time increases based on distance. NAME: Henge no Shin [True Transformation] RANK: C CHAKRA USAGE: Medium (Low Drain) CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu ELEMENT: - HANDSEALS: 4 DESCRIPTION: After four hand-seals, the user is capable of transforming themselves either into a person or animal, as long as the creature is less than 10 meters tall. Unlike regular henge, this technique allows the user to completely take on the characteristics of the said animal, though they lose their ability to perform jutsu while transformed. They're also capable of holding the form in battle, even after taking considerable damage, though the more damage they take the more taxing the technique becomes. Damage is retained between both forms, so a broken arm in one's original form would make it impossible to fly if you transformed into a bird; and any damage taken in their transformed state is retained when they return to their original form. If this jutsu is used to transform into someone with a higher rank, you're still limited by the physical capabilities of your rank and specs; this same rule doesn't hold when transforming into an animal that might have natural physicality beyond the user.

✜

[ayase saki]

In a past life, Saki may have been more in tune with the flaws inherent to the way she saw the world; knew what the gaps in her perception were, how to observe and track and hunt to compensate for what she could not know through blood-scent alone. But the Saki of this life was all of three weeks old, and she had too much faith in what she thought she knew. ”Ow,” Saki snapped, twisting in place to see what had just unceremoniously stabbed her in the back; she swung her makeshift spear as she went, whacking the offending party as if she were wielding a baseball bat. The doll, she realized, more baffled than frightened: was it possessed? Had she walked onto the pages of a horror novel? Before she assess anything that had happened with the doll and its dull kunai, she whipped back around as she tasted that rip-wild heartbeat hurtling towards her; she jerked her right arm up to defend herself, shield her vitals, and was rewarded for her efforts by the sharp, bittersweet tang of lupine teeth sinking into the meat of her forearm. Saki grunted in pain with a quiet son of a bitch and clenched her fist, but fought the urge to lash out or rip her arm away; she would just make the wound worse if she did, and she already knew it was going to be a nasty one. She felt disconnected; like she was observing from two inches behind herself, floating just under the surface of her own skin. She felt the pain in her back and arm, but distantly, as if the tale of what was happening was being recounted by someone else. This wolf pup was the thing-in-the-woods-worse-than-wolves; she’d thought it was a child, but clearly she was wrong. A talking wolf? Someone’s summon, maybe? Just territorial, or trying to protect something? "Well,” she said blandly, "you know how to make a point. I can be on my way, but if you’re so hungry for flesh then we both have something to gain here. Hunt with me instead of using my arm as a chew toy, and we can both sleep with full bellies tonight.”

Kota -- 378

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kota]

Oh ashes, ashes, Dust to dust The devil's after both of us Kota snarled, biting his teeth into the woman's flesh as she whipped up an arm to defend herself from his original target. An undesirable outcome, really. The boy didn't want to engage in a drawn-out fight with the intruder, because it meant he may be killed or--even if he lived, he wouldn't likely get out unscathed. Which would cause its own problems out in the wild, and he didn't want Uemon worrying about him again.     Still, though, as the young wolf bit down into the woman's flesh, she gave a different reaction than he had expected.     Swearing a curse in pain, but then all seemed to freeze between them.     The woman did not reach to impale her spear through his ribs, or rip open his jowls with her spare hand to release his grip on her arm. She didn't go for the eyes, or fight back. Instead, seeming to accept defeat.     Something Kota didn't know what to do with.     We don't have to fight each other? That's what she seemed to be saying, though Kota couldn't understand why that would be.     For what would seem like entirely too long, the wolf stared the woman down with its golden brown eyes, neither tearing nor releasing its grip on her arm as the boy considered their options. She may have been lying. Trying to get him to let go so that she was in a better position to fight back. Or, perhaps she wasn't a warrior at all--she only had those tools with her to protect herself, not to seek out violence. Either way, Kota was confused.     Why would she insist on intruding if she didn't want to fight for territory or resources?     The wolf continued to snarl, the growls emanating deep from within his chest until, slowly, he loosened his grip.     Still, though, as the animal backed away slowly, he did not break eye contact with his would-be prey, and vicious snarls continued to escape from his barred teeth. SPOILER: Click to show NAME: Henge no Shin [True Transformation] RANK: C CHAKRA USAGE: Medium (Low Drain) CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu ELEMENT: - HANDSEALS: 4 DESCRIPTION: After four hand-seals, the user is capable of transforming themselves either into a person or animal, as long as the creature is less than 10 meters tall. Unlike regular henge, this technique allows the user to completely take on the characteristics of the said animal, though they lose their ability to perform jutsu while transformed. They're also capable of holding the form in battle, even after taking considerable damage, though the more damage they take the more taxing the technique becomes. Damage is retained between both forms, so a broken arm in one's original form would make it impossible to fly if you transformed into a bird; and any damage taken in their transformed state is retained when they return to their original form. If this jutsu is used to transform into someone with a higher rank, you're still limited by the physical capabilities of your rank and specs; this same rule doesn't hold when transforming into an animal that might have natural physicality beyond the user.

✜

[ayase saki]

The splinter of tooth and bone and the flow of hot blood down the rain-chilled skin of her hand would be a gorgeous symphony; the pelt of a wolf still downy in its juvenile years would make a fine cloak; the knuckles of paws too big for its body knobby and perfectly prepared to be hewn into dice and soothsayer’s bones; meat tender with youth and spiced with fear— Her stomach growled. Saki swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat and relaxed her fist. Her nails had dug deep enough into the flesh of her palm to draw blood; she focused on that feeling, the pain in her hand and back and arm. It grounded her, brought the specter of herself back home. The wolf backed away. Saki knelt to meet its level. She put her spear down, though not before casting a wary eye around to ensure she was not about to be stabbed again by the haunted doll. She wrapped her hand around the open wound on her forearm, compressing it to staunch the bleeding. "I’m out hunting,” she said, "and you’re on your own. Do you want me to leave, or do you want to hunt with me?” She felt certifiably insane for speaking to a wolf as if it could speak back, but there was intelligence in those golden-brown eyes, and something had been speaking to her before. Hopefully it wasn’t the fucking doll. But it was small and alone in the wilderness. There was evidence of at least one person existing at this campsite, but gods only knew where they were or how long they’d been gone, and this was a young thing frightened into ferocity. So she was indulging a sense of kinship; sue her.

Kota -- 295

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kota]

Oh ashes, ashes, Dust to dust The devil's after both of us She was a hunter, or at least, that's how she described herself. She didn't look much like the hunters he was used to--but Kota supposed she did have arrows and weapons that were appropriate for hunting. So... did he want her to leave, or did he want to go hunting with her...?     On one hand--he did want her to leave. And she was wrong--he wasn't alone. He just... was alone right now.     So--there was no reason for him to help her. She was an intruder, and he didn't need her help. It seemed like she wanted his help, right now.     But... there was no such thing as too much food.     If he did go hunting with her, instead of just staying behind waiting on his own... he might have better luck bringing in a bigger haul.     The child imagined hunting down a whole deer, or maybe even a bear! He could do so much with the claws and teeth and furs, and the meat could be dried and would last them forever.     So... if she... wasn't actually angry, and really actually just wanted to hunt...     Slowly, Kota released the magical technique and returned to his usual form. Whereas he had previously made deadly eye-contact with the woman, the boy quickly turned shy to look right at her. "Well... if ya want help huntin', I s'pose I could help ya get somethin' to eat," he mumbled awkwardly, fiddling with his shirt. Her blood still stained the skin around his mouth. "I'm not alone, though. I'm part-a a pack. You're the alone one."

✜

[ayase saki]

Equal parts selfishness and goodwill drove Saki through her decision-making process; on one hand, this was a small creature alone, et cetera. If she could do something to set a lonely, intelligent creature up with enough meat to last a few days, then why shouldn’t she do it? On the other hand, Saki herself was very hungry, and a helping hand—or paw, as it were—would only help ensure that she had enough meat to last a few days. Nothing wrong with a little quid pro quo. The soundness of her offer only cemented itself when the wolf went up in a poof of smoke and a young boy stood in its stead. He couldn’t have been older than ten, by Saki’s best uneducated guess, and where the wolf had been bold and brazen with bloodied teeth, the boy now could not meet her eyes. She remained kneeling, feeling suddenly that it was vitally important that she ensured she was at this kid’s level. You’re the alone one, he said, and Saki huffed, amused. "True enough,” she said. "Thanks for helping me. I’m Saki, it’s nice to meet you.” Context clues would dictate that there was another person who made camp here, though whether that was a wayward guardian or just another feral swamp-child was a mystery Saki did not have the tools to unravel. She found herself instead waylaid by what he said—you’re the alone one. Clear and obvious in this moment, but had that always been the case? When she woke up tethered to an IV drip with staples in the back of her head, no one had been at her bedside. When she’d returned to her abode after getting discharged with a bottle of pills that said Sasaki Ayase—take every 6 hours or as needed for pain, there had been no evidence that anyone else lived there. You’re the alone one. "You’ve got schmutz,” Saki said, rubbing at her own lip with her thumb to show the boy where he’d smeared her blood on her face. "I was tracking deer before. You need anything before we head out? Leave a note or somethin’ in case your pack gets back before we do?”

Kota -- 377

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kota]

Oh ashes, ashes, Dust to dust The devil's after both of us Kota stared on as the woman knelt near him, still not making direct eye-contact anymore, but keeping his attention on her nonetheless. She seemed... completely unfazed by his prior hostility, even going so far as to say it had been nice to meet him. Nice to meet me? But I bit you! Incredulous, he raised an eyebrow before finally looking her in the eye, uncertain.     He thought over her name, for a few moments. "Saki." It was short, and nice... but there was something about it that just wasn't... quite... right...     "I'm Kota," he introduced himself. "And I think you're dumb."     The boy gathered up a few things, leaving his wooden doll behind--because there was no need for it, and it would make certain that Uemon knew he was coming back. Though, he'd already promised not to run away, so he didn't think he needed to leave anything behind... but Boda was precious to him, and didn't need to accompany him on his hunting. He was just more likely to get lost, that way. Or broken. Neither of which Kota wanted.     So, with his knife and his wakizashi, Kota felt quite prepared to handle their hunting expedition. Though, he wondered if it would just be better to stay as a wolf. His sense of smell was much better when he was a wolf, but... well... he sense of smell wasn't terrible right now, either.     And maybe I can get more practice until I'm exactly like an actual wolf, he thought to himself.     "You've got shmutz," he mumbled, wiping his face with a sleeve and pointing to her arm with his other hand. The woman asked if he needed to leave a note behind, and Kota simply shook his head. "Nah." He wasn't really the best writer, and he didn't think it was necessary. They'd probably be back well before Uemon ever returned, and even if they didn't, Kota doubted that the other pack mate was going to panic.

✜

[ayase saki]

The boy seemed completely gobsmacked that she was being polite, which was fair, considering that he had violently bit her and she would likely need to pay for medical care in order to ensure that she didn’t get a horrible infection. She wasn’t angry, though, far from it; he was just a kid, and what Saki felt wasn’t pity so much as… empathy. Kinship. "Yeah, probably,” Saki agreed, more than happy to accept his verdict on her stupidity. It had gotten her this far, so she was doing something right, or at the very least she wasn’t doing anything terribly wrong. Kota didn’t need much in the way of preparation, as it turned out, and he had his own knife and wakizashi to keep at his side. With Saki’s makeshift spear in hand and her katana at her hip, she felt equally prepared, and in relatively good spirits that they would be able to make it out the other side of this with a decent haul in hand. "Deer went westward,” she said, nodding her head in the general direction they were going; if Kota was good, then she would lead the way, trusting her instincts to tell her when her prey was close at hand. After a few minutes, though, she thought: well, he already thinks I’m dumb, and ventured to ask: "What’s up with that doll, by the way? Is it haunted or something?”

Kota -- 240

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kota]

Oh ashes, ashes, Dust to dust The devil's after both of us The woman agreed that she was probably stupid, and Kota simply nodded with the conclusion. And in a way... it wasn't said in a mean-spirited way necessarily. At least, his intentions weren't to hurt any feelings--he didn't consider other peoples' feelings enough to begin thinking about hurting them--but rather, he'd stated what he'd observed. She seemed dim-witted. If she was a hunter, perhaps her strength could get her by in dangerous situations thus far, but she didn't seem intelligent enough to thrive in the wild on her own. Lucky and strong, maybe, but not keen in the ways of the world.     At least, in his opinion.     Her being dumb, to him, was more commentary on how weird she seemed to him: an observation. Not spoken with malicious intent.     "You want a whole deer?" he asked, dumbfounded. "That's way too much for two people. We should try to find some birds or rabbits."     Unless she intended to leave much of the carcass behind for other wildlife to pick at.     Though... as he thought on it--a deer wasn't the kind of thing he hunted, often. Thinking back to when that wild man had kidnapped him and tried hunting a cow, which the young child had also thought was ridiculous even back then. But he'd only been a child, back then. There was no use for such a creature. But, now?     "Hm... was it a boy deer or a girl deer?" he asked. If it's a boy... maybe I can use it's skull and horns for my secret project. He might just be more cooperative depending on the woman's answer. Though, if he was dissatisfied, he would likely instead berate her and teach her why her idea was stupid and overall a bad choice. She couldn't help that she was an idiot, so Kota was more than willing to tell her the better option if the deer she'd seen was, in fact, a female.     Her question about his doll caught him off guard, though.     Haunted?     "What's 'haunted'?"

✜