Dancing Underneath a Sky of Lust

While Itori's original plan had been to be awake when Kenna finally woke up it turned out that she had been underestimating just how long the demoness needed to recover. While her spiritual self didn't need any sleep it was unfortunate that her physical form wasn't so blessed, and while such things could temporarily be staved off with magic in the long run that tended to be impractical. Also it would be a bit excessive to start using magic to stay awake in a situation such as this one: Kenna might appreciate the idea of Itori being awake once she herself woke up but on the other hand they were in a safe location and nothing bad was going to happen, and the princess was sensible enough a person to be aware that Itori also needed rest. Besides, she might actually appreciate the sentiment of the kitsune falling asleep next to her bed waiting for her to wake up.

Regardless of any reasoning or motivation the result was that when Kenna finally returned to the land of the conscious Itori had yet to return herself. That wasn't to say that she'd left Kenna's side: even as she slept she was still sitting there, lightly slumped over and with her eyes closed. However her fingers were still entangled with those of the fire mage, and she looked as if she could be woken up with a light tap on the shoulder. Her expression was calm, as if she wasn't asleep at all and had merely closed her eyes.

In this state Kenna might be able to notice something which Itori usually hid rather well: in her sleep she wasn't smiling or showing any other strong emotion, which revealed a trait most people never picked up on, namely that despite smiling and frowning and showing other facial expressions Itori rarely seemed to show what was really going on inside that head of hers. When she smiled it looked genuine, when she frowned she appeared honestly concerned, but at the same time it was like that was just the surface, and that there were much different thoughts much deeper inside of the fox, never shown to anyone on the outside world. A face which showed the required emotions without revealing anything else.

Itori's face was so calm that it could be considered almost without emotion as she slept, like a painting rather than an actual person.

Of course Kenna was aware that there was plenty of emotion inside of the seven-tailed fox: her soul was an ocean, filled with many different thoughts and feelings, with deep crevices filled with secrets and hidden thoughts. What the demoness knew what nobody else knew was that Itori actually was filled to the brim with emotion, but unlike the younger people who let their passion show in every motion this spirit fox was positively ancient.

All that aside despite the princess's attempt at being stealthy the act of brushing a lock of silver-white hair behind the fox's pointy ear was enough to waken the spiritualist, a change of status first signalled by the twitching of her ears, quickly followed by a light moving of her tails. Feeling their fingers intertwine further eyelids parted to show those calm vermilion eyes, seeking out the golden orbs of her beloved partner. Her lips formed into a familiar smile, one filled with gentleness and quiet certainty, a smile which offered those around her a sense of confidence and warmth. "Good morning Kenna. It is good to see you awake again." Her voice came out without hesitation, as if she had been waiting for the opportunity to say it and wasn't going to let herself be slowed down by the fact that she had only just woken up. "It has been three days since you last opened your eyes. Not very surprising, considering the amount of strain your body and soul both went through beforehand. I am pleased to say that it appears no lasting damage has been done, although it might take a while to be fully certain of that."

When the recovering mage tried to push herself up Itori lightly squeezed her hand while at the same time reaching out with her other arm to gently but firmly push her patient back down onto the bed. "Please do not move just yet. While your recovery is proceeding without complications so far the less strain you put on yourself the sooner you will have returned to your prime."

The good news was that Kenna appeared to be aware of this after her attempt. The bad news (depending on your point of view) was that the heiress apparently was reminded of something Itori had said, something which would have to be discussed. Itori hadn't exactly been dreading this: dreading was for people who had yet to come to terms with inevitability (although it would be a lie to say she never suffered dread herself. It just was really rare). This was necessary, and the sooner it was done the better. Rather than bemoan her fate she would get on with it.

"You are correct. You have made it clear that you have a great deal of trust in me, and while I certainly appreciate the thought and am glad that you have such a positive perspective of me I am afraid to say that such positivity is not wholly warranted. Unfortunately it is also not something you can easily dismiss." So far as Itori could see there wasn't really a way for Kenna to absolve her, because in a way the demoness wasn't the only person the fox had betrayed.

Itori's expression had become more serious as she continued speaking. "To not waste too many words, suffice to say that upon direct contact with someone, be it physically, mentally or spiritually, I can perceive their feelings directly as well as their surface thoughts. For me this act is almost as natural as breathing, and would happen unintentionally were it not for the fact that I had trained myself to have control over such matters. However three days ago I repeatedly intentionally sought out contact with you to gain information about what you were feeling and thinking, because I found it amusing to use that knowledge to tease you. Given that the mind and soul are just as much as the body, if not even more, meant to act as someone's last bastion of safety and privacy doing such a thing without permission is usually a sign of severe disrespect and apathy towards the privacy and dignity of others."

"I find myself endeared by your insistence that I am deserving of your trust Kenna, but the truth is that on some level it is not you who can decide whether I am trustworthy or not. Even if you say that I have permission to look into your soul the fact is that I did this without permission beforehand, and did so without a pressing need. Worse, I did it for nothing more than for my own entertainment. Saying that I have permission would not remove the fact that beforehand I was willing to cast aside concepts such as privacy for the sake of my amusement." Itori didn't show any sign of anger, sorrow or disgust at herself: above everything else she looked displeased, as if she expected better of herself. "What possibly makes it worse is that this is not unusual for my kind. Most creatures have an inherent flaw in their desires, habits and behaviour. Just as humans will keep expanding their territory regardless of whether it would be sustainable or not, and dwarves have a deep seathed distrust for wielders of magic even if their intentions are noble, so is it natural for kitsune to see other creatures as playthings even if those creatures are on the same level of sentience and can feel just as strongly as us.

Of course these flaws are not impossible to overcome: there are humans who are content with their lot in life, and there are dwarves who befriend mages or even learn to wield magic other than what they put inside their metal and stone. But these traits are persistent, and if one slips up they can find themselves falling back into them. The fact that this happened to me means that it would be untruthful to say that I am above reproach or doubt, since it shows I have yet to completely subdue that... innate disregard."

WC: 1,413
TWC: 1,413/8,000

The comment about acting mortal caught Itori off guard, but other than that she already had a pretty good idea of what Kenna was going to say before the princess said it. Not that she minded it: she appreciated that Kenna was so supportive and encouraging, trying to get the kitsune to accept the fact that she pulled such a trick. However as she had stated before this wasn't something which could just be waved away. If she'd done it after Kenna had given permission to look into her head it wouldn't have been a problem at all, which also meant that techically the fire mage wasn't the one who could give the seven-tails absolution.

But holding such a position in an argument wouldn't get them anywhere. The both of them had a good idea of the situation and each other's position in it, trying to convince one another would most likely just end in frustration. Kenna thought it was good that Itori had breached the sanctity of her mind for the sake of messing around, Itori thought that some things were too important to violate them without good reason.

When she felt the warm hand against her cheek she lightly pushed her head against it, her vermilion eyes closing briefly before resuming their gaze into Kenna's own golden eyes.

"If you have no objections to granting me access to your mind and soul there is little reason for me not to make use of that permission, especially after what we have already been through. Although if you say that you want me to display my mischievous side to you... You have to realize that with a kitsune daring them to not hold back on their affinity for trickery can result in your life becoming quite a bit more confusing." As she said this she gave a small smile, looking a lot like a smirk. She might have a lot more self control than most and a liking for slow-paced and calm things but even so it was difficult for a fox to completely lose their pendant for toying with others, especially if being openly dared to do so.

Of course that thought was pushed aside by a sensation of alarm when Kenna once again tried to get up. Itori tried to firmly push her back down onto the bed but it appeared that this time around the fire mage was going to keep trying until she succeeded, so rather than start an entire struggle over it the seven-tailed siren eventually gave in and instead tried her best to help Kenna get up in a manner which would put minimal strain on her body. It might be time to repair the rest of th damage using magic, now that the demoness's soul and body had time to process everything that happened. One of the issues of being too eager to apply healing magic was that if you didn't give people time to respond to being wounded it could result in confusion and a body which didn't properly respond to harm.

She wondered what Kenna was planning to do, but once more her thoughts were pushed aside by new ones as she heard the mysterious voice inside of the demoness speak up. It wasn't the corruption, which had safely been removed. This was a voice the kitsune had heard before which appeared to play an important role in her beloved's being, so she listened attentively to the conversation held between the two entities before her who shared a body. She was surprised that the hidden entity would show interest in Kenna's love life, although she only outwardly responded by smiling back at the fair-skinned beauty before her. While the lack of clothes made for an interesting sight it appeared that the vixen was more invested in staring at Kenna's face, although one of her tails did stealthily brush along the bare stomach before quickly retreating again.

Although her amiable demeanour was put to the test when the spirit inside Kenna addressed her directly. From what she had head in the past this entity had been trying to look after Kenna, which was why the fox wasn't immediately hostile towards a warning to take good care of her. It was understandable that after guarding someone's back you didn't want to entrust them to someone who'd be much more careless about it. When her beloved protested against the statement regarding her frailty Itori raised one hand to stroke the demoness's hair with a fond smile.

It was when Akhator invaded her mind and began to really lay into her that the kitsune began to lose some of her patience. Outwardly it only showed by her smile becoming a little stiff, her tails lightly twitching behind her, but as Akhator kept talking and kept making it clear that he didn't actually have much trust or respect for Itori the fox's mind slowly became colder. However she let the entity finish speaking, not wanting to interrupt him in case he had some important information to give. However as he spoke she inspected his being thoroughly, and when he tried to pull back out of her mind he'd find that the infinite ocean that was her soul was stretching out in all directions around him with no sign of an exit in sight.

"I understand your concern for Kenna and I will do my best to treat her well. She is very dear to me and I would much rather harm myself than her, especially knowing that she is vulnerable and might not be able to recover. I have lived a long life and experienced many things, so if needed I would gladly take the pain upon myself as I know how to process it and let it pass afterwards.

However even if I respect your desire to protect her you must understand that it is unbecoming of an entity such as yourself fot speak with such disdain and hostility towards someone who has already made it clear that they hold no ill intentions and has actively worked to the betterment of the one you are protecting. Beyond that I feel that even though your motives are laudable my connection with Kenna is something to be discussed between the two of us, not something you threaten me about behind her back."

Her soul felt as if it was emanating the chill of the grave, Akhator's being assaulted by a cold which was unnaturally sharp. "I shall do my best to make her happy and look after her well being as I have done so far and beyond, but I hope that next time we meet it can be done with less pretentious mannerisms." With that Akhator was unceremoniously shoved out of Itori's mind, the cold leaving him as suddenly as it had arrived.

Outwardly Itori had been silent for a while now, but finally leaned forward so her forehead brushed against Kenna's. "I must admit that I found your true appearance quite endearing. I would not have expected myself to approve of demon horns but they reminded me that stylish additions can only enhance a beautiful face." While she was speaking the truth she was also trying to get a bit of a rise out of Kenna, given that the heiress had made it clear that she liked it when Itori allowed herself a bit of mischief. And teasing people never went out of style.

WC: 1,239
TWC: 2,652/8,000

It was a relief when the demon didn't try anything after he was forcibly ejected from Itori's mind. As annoyed as she was at his attitude she did acknowledge that he was acting out of concern for Kenna, and since he was a part of her being it also wouldn't do to establish a bad relationship with him. She just hoped that in the future he would be more agreeable. While Itori prided herself on being reasonable and avoiding conflict where possible she also wasn't a doormat, which could make things tricky if the bound soul kept an aggressive attitude in future encounters.

That said she put the minor confrontation behind her as she instead focused on Kenna. It looked like the princess was also somewhat confused by Akhator's behaviour, even if she wasn't aware of what exactly had just happened. Staring into Kenna's golden eyes Itori smiled as she saw that her teasing compliment had hit home. The fiery heiress was always a rather energetic and passionate person: watching her get flustered was adorable and the kitsune had to admit that she could keep flirting like this for a long time before she'd get tired of it. Although there was something to be said for spreading it out to savour each occurrence...

"Of course I do. They are quite elegant and smooth to the touch, not to mention the combination of red with gold complements those eyes of yours." She could also tell that her beloved asked more for herself than to hear Itori's answer, but the seven-tailed fox was more than eager to answer affirmatively, and only partially because she suspected doing so would elicit another blush from the beautiful demoness.

Watching Kenna return to her true form the spiritual vixen smiled, voicing her approval of the princess's appearance with her gaze alone. She herself wasn't fond of demons, and she was aware of discrimination, so she could imagine that Kenna might have issues with revealing her true self to random strangers. After all most demons were of the type that they would cause misery and misfortune to those who crossed their path, so for most mortal races there was a mostly justified dislike of fiends and other types of hellspawn. The fact that Kenna was an outlier, a demon who had no incentive to stir up trouble amongst the creatures of Earthland, was both fortunate and unfortunate. Itori, who could see into the soul and heart of beings, had a relatively easy time dismissing her own dislike of demons when it came to Kenna because she had looked into her beloved's soul and seen that it was indeed so unalike those twisted monsters who'd inflict suffering for their own entertainment. Most others would have a harder time accepting that Kenna wasn't like the majority of demons.

But that just meant that Itori had to be all the more supportive. Now that she wasn't letting her perspective be tainted by a distrust of anything demonic she was completely honest when she said that Kenna's true form was beautiful. Hair as white and lustrous as her own, and fiery crimson eyes which were lit up by little sparks of gold. Combined with the rest of Kenna... A less restrained kitsune might have licked their lips.

When she noticed that the princess was still feeling the pain of having her body be pushed way past what it could safely handle Itori placed a hand on the fire mage's shoulder to help steady and support her so she wouldn't have to move as much. That she had woken up after three days of sleep was a good sign, it showed that Kenna was on the path of recovery. But it would take a bit longer before she'd be in good condition again, and the spiritualist stated as such. "I understand your desire to be up and about now that you are finally awake, but you must rest as much as possible."

She tilted her head when the other woman asked for something, making it clear that she herself was aware it wasn't the soundest of requests even if that did not stop her. Itori thought she had a good idea of what the request would be anyway, a thought which was confirmed as Kenna asked to be healed. Itori's first thought was to say no, as there wasn't a pressing need for Kenna to be fully mobile and she preferred erring on the side of caution when it came to not messing with someone's nerve system. However her beloved demonic friend hadn't asked for complete negation of the pain, but merely to lighten the load a little. She let her expression settle into one of thoughtfulness as she contemplated her options, until finally she nodded slowly. "I believe I can facilitate that request. Please do not move."

With that said Itori leaned forward once more, her seven tails spread out behind her as she placed her hands on both of Kenna's shoulders (gently, of course) and looked into those crimson eyes as she began to weave a rather elaborate spell. She didn't want to throw around powerful healing magic when it wasn't completely necessary, so instead she'd do something a bit more complicated which would at the same time allow her to monitor her patient closely.

As the spell developed Kenna would feel her pain fading away, her body becoming a bit lighter as some of the stress put upon it was softened. At the end of the process she would still feel that her body wasn't in optimal condition, but it was a detached feeling, as if it was a memory rather than something she was feeling right now.

Itori meanwhile frowned briefly before her expression became calm once more and she straightened up. Her ears twitched and she flexed the fingers on one hand before nodding in satisfaction. "That should be sufficient. It is better for both the body and the soul if wounds are healed naturally, so I have only restored your body so far as is needed for you to be able to move about without putting undue stress upon yourself. Beyond that I have linked your sensory input to mine, effectively allowing me to keep an eye on your condition by feeling your pain as my own." She had to admit that it wasn't the most pleasant of sensations, but it was well within what she could tolerate. And this way Kenna's body would still react appropriately to the stress: with Itori's skill it wasn't too difficult to make the body think that it was still sending the right messages to Kenna's brain and receiving the correct responses, even if it was Itori's mind that had taken over the task.

"So, now that you can once again move, do you have any suggestions what you wish to do now? Personally I would suggest having a meal: neither of us has eaten in the last three days, and nutrients are an important part of recovering healthily."

WC: 1169
TWC: 3,821/8,000

It pleased Itori greatly to see that Kenna didn't actually mind the teasing, in fact appearing to enjoy it on some level (although that could also just be the fact that the teasing came in the form of compliments). Old as the kitsune was she wasn't as impulsive as one might expect from her kin. Nonetheless she still appreciated the opportunity to play around a little from time to time, especially if it was with someone so close to her with whom she could share both her affection and care as well as her more tricksome side.

The unpleasant sensation she got from sharing Kenna's pain was also quickly becoming more bearable. The beginning was always the most unpleasant as the mind suddenly had to switch gears to respond to the nerve signals. Once the kitsune had a little bit of time to adapt the pain turned into something that nagged at the back of her mind, difficult to get rid of but relatively easy to ignore. Although she could tell that Kenna wasn't necessarily happy with this arrangement, as the kitsune hadn't expected the demoness to be.

In fact this idea somewhat depended on Kenna not being entirely happy with it. Not that Itori would phrase it like that out loud: she was keenly aware that people could take that kind of sentence entirely the wrong way. Being so old had its benefits but it also meant you had to keep in mind that other people with a shorter perspective could interpret what you said in ways you might not anticipate.

As such the white-tailed fox just gave a gentle smile, with perhaps a hint of amusement in it. She put the hand she had been flexing back on Kenna's shoulder to join the other one, which allowed her to have a good idea of what was going on inside her beloved's heart. And her mind, especially thanks to the link. "Do not worry about it too much Kenna. I have lived a long time and experienced many things: a small amount of pain is easily borne. That having been said I decided upon using this method to grant your request because I know you do not wish me harm. By sharing your pain I can allow you to move while you still have motivation to not overburden your body. I believe this to be the most ideal solution currently, as while I could simply restore your body to its optimal self doing such a thing carry risks in and of itself."

She would explain exactly what she meant by that after they'd moved, as Kenna had already spent three days in bed and clearly didn't want to stay in it for any longer if she could avoid it. The fox's smile became visibly amused now, although definitely not with any malice or condescension. Leaning back she pulled her hands back as well so the demon heiress could finally get out of bed and get herself dressed. The kitsune would stand up and head towards the middle of the room, inspecting the plateau upon which she'd purified Kenna's soul while the demoness got to work getting herself cleaned up and dressed. As she now shared Kenna's sensory input she could tell what movements the demoness was making but also how her body was responding to it. While her beloved friend was still as lively as always it seemed she was managing to keep the stress on her body to a minimum.

When Kenna was finished with her preparations Itori turned back to face the other woman, the kitsune dressed in her standard outfit: a long pleated red skirt, a golden obi sash around her waist and a white kimono jacket with wide semi-detached sleeves. An outfit which could almost be considered ordinary, at least in the lands of Midi. In Fiore it was somewhat outlandish but still rather mundane once you got used to it. Which suited Itori just fine, since it was comfortable and it didn't draw any more attention to herself than her ears and tail already did. And her magic for those who could sense that kind of thing.

"You look good, both in health and in appearance." It seemed that the rather momentous event hadn't left any lasting physical marks on the demoness. Or maybe it was just a fiend's traditional vitality?

Taking Kenna's hand she followed her beloved through the portal into Ace of Spades, quickly orienting herself in the familiar city. She gave a smile and a nod to the surrounding citizens, who quickly relaxed once they realized who the two were that had appeared out of nowhere. Kenna was an important figure in Sabertooth, the guild which was known for protecting this city in times of need, and Itori had a habit of spending more time within this city than in the confines of the guild hall, helping people out where she could.

As Kenna led the way Itori got a good suspicion of where the demoness was heading, her suspicions confirmed when eventually they were standing in front of a café that Itori had frequented before, although she had to admit that she usually prefered The Red Dragon Inn. Perhaps that was simply familiarity, since she couldn't remember having any complaints about the quality of the food in this establishment either.

It looked like the demon heiress was even more familiar with the place, as she quickly got the two of them a good seat where they could speak without having to worry about being interrupted or perhaps even overheard by the wrong kind of person. Not that the terrace was that crowded. Or that the people of Ace of Spades couldn't be trusted.

She gave another smile as Kenna showed such familiarity with the place that the waiters already had a good idea of what she would order. The kitsune herself took her own menu and flipped through it, although her flawless memory meant she could have ordered just as easily without it. Sometimes she wondered how many of her behaviour patterns she'd just become used to even though they served no purpose beyond making her appear more similar to other creatures.

Knowing that the fiery mage was footing the bill Itori ordered enough to make for a solid meal, although it was still less than she might otherwise have ordered. Her unique metabolism meant that the only real limit to how much she might eat at any given time was the amount of resources and time available to her. She certainly didn't doubt that Kenna could have afforded it, but it was simply rude to empty out a café, especially on someone else's wallet. Her meal was rather diverse, although there was a distinct leaning towards meat.

Nodding in thanks as the waiter brought them their drinks Itori made herself comfortable in her seat as she gave a small shake of her head in response to Kenna's attempts at apologizing. "I would have been more concerned if you did not show at least this much urgency in acquiring some good food. Being in a coma might slow down your metabolism but your body still remembers what it wants and needs." With a quick glance she looked around at the café before returning her vermilion eyes to Kenna. "I have eaten here before myself. The food is definitely of good quality, although I believe I still prefer what The Red Dragon Inn has to offer." Leaving her drink untouched for now she took a small breath before continuing. "As I said earlier there is a good reason why I did not restore your body to the point that you would no longer feel pain. Simply put if you become used to being healed on an instinctual level it can cause unfavourable changes in how you react to being wounded, prime of which being a reduced reaction to being wounded. You can most likely imagine how that could prove to be disastrous. While this is not an insurmountable obstacle the easiest path is to minimze the amount of magical healing you receive."

The question about how she was feeling wasn't exactly unexpected, although maybe she hadn't been thinking that Kenna would immediately get to the root of the matter. Looking back into Kenna's lovely eyes the kitsune appeared calm, if a bit thoughtful as she was considering how to answer. "Truthfully? I believe I am all right. It is hardly the first time that I have been forced to use extreme measures against corruption, although I must admit that this case was definitely the most intense. Nevertheless you should not worry about me Kenna. The corruption has been dealt with, and as you saw at the end Nemesis was nothing more than shallow malice without purpose."

Raising her tails she displayed all seven of them behind herself, only two short of the full nine that would make her a creature of myth. Itori's expression became... genuinely pleased, more so than her usual gentle smile of contentness. "In fact I might argue that I came out of it better than before. Each new tail carries greater changes with it. The difference between five tails and seven tails is already substantial, even if it does not penetrate the barrier that separates the mortal from the divine such as the obtaining of a ninth tail does."

Lowering her tails back down so they wouldn't get in the way or stand out too much the kitsune returned the question to Kenna. "But how do you feel Kenna? I am confident that I have managed to completely erase the corruption and Nemesis, but both as the one who is looking after your recovery and one who is close to you it is important for me to know how you feel."

WC: 1,634
TWC: 5,455/8,000

Now that the two of them had all the time in the world Itori wasn't going to rush Kenna on anything. She'd let the demoness think about her answer. While the corruption was gone that didn't necessarily mean that Kenna had nothing else on her mind: there were wounds which ran a lot deeper and were a lot harder to heal. The corrupion might have been buried deep inside of the demonic heiress, defiling her core and twisting her self, but at the end it had still been something invasive, something which could be removed and healed.

The most deadly of wounds were those which came from within.

She listened attentively as Kenna reminisced one of her earlier adventures as part of Sabertooth. Itori hadn't known the demoness back then, but from what little she said the white-haired woman had been her reckless self even back then. The tenko refrained from nodding as Kenna pointed out that she had a habit of getting hurt. Truthfully it was impossible to deny that the heiress to the demonic throne was rather reckless, and that some of the injuries she received would have been avoidable if she could just be a bit more cautious in how she approached danger. Itori did actually find Kenna's passion and ability to stride towards danger attractive... if she could just be a little bit less careless about it.

"It is true that sometimes you end up obtaining injuries which might have been avoided if more cautious measures had been taken." Itori spoke truthfully, although beyond that she remained quiet as Kenna concluded her little rant with the statement that she felt fine all things considered. This is where she allowed herself to smile. "I am glad to hear that. But if you do notice something that bothers you I hope you do not hesitate to tell me." The tenko could tell that the demoness wasn't being entirely truthful, but she wanted Kenna to feel safe to explain at her own pace. "At the very least you can rest assured that if you were to obtain any scars in the future I would do my best to erase them for you. If you wish me to, that is. Some people believe that scars are a symbol of the life they have lived after all." Itori herself didn't care much for scars, but she wouldn't deny others their right to wear them if they felt like that was a part of being alive. She guessed that for people with a limited lifespan there was a greater importance in carrying mementos of past deeds.

When the food arrived she thanked the waiter and then got to work eating her own meal. She ate with proper etiquette, even though her stomach was always eager for more food. However when she saw that Kenna was dropping her smile and preparing to be more honest about what she really was feeling she slowed down, although she would wait for the demoness to start talking of her own accord. When she did begin to talk she put her silverware back and instead watched Kenna with calm but gentle eyes as her beloved friend got deeper into what was really bothering her.

She wouldn't interrupt her partner, but she did reach out and place one hand over Kenna's when it was clear that the demoness was beating herself up. Her gaze was understanding as she wanted to show her passionate friend that she was here and all too willing to listen, if letting these thoughts out would help her feel even a little bit better. Of course Itori had more in mind than just that: she was going over ideas for how to help Kenna out with the more practical issue, such as the lack of a mana core. Without such a thing using magic was a twisty and awkward business, and given that it was the same as a biological organ lacking one was also a lot like being crippled. She couldn't let Kenna go through life without one, especially since she was the one who exposed her to the sensation of emptiness that had come with the disappearance of the corruption, necessary as it had been.

Only once Kenna had finished talking did Itori speak up, still holding the demoness's hand in her own. "You should be less harsh on yourself Kenna. You might have made mistakes in the past but you have done the best you could with what was available to you. A fair judge would include the limitations of the mind, and no that is not meant as an insult." Of course skin contact also meant that Itori could get a direct grasp on Kenna's feelings and thoughts, which she felt less guilty about now that her beloved had made it clear that she didn't mind. "There is nobody whose intellect can take into account all the possibilities and make decisions without bias or preconceptions. Hindsight makes us all look like fools."

Wearing a reassuring smile she gave Kenna's hand a light squeeze. "Blaming yourself for your past actions will only result in regret and insecurity, especially if you also begin to blame yourself for the actions others have taken regarding you or in reaction to you. Learning from the past is a necessary trait for those who wish to live a better life in the future, but do not let your mistakes haunt you in the present."

Having said her piece on that part of Kenna's concerns Itori let go of the demoness's hand and leaned back in her seat. "That said if the lack of a mana core is bringing you so much distress we should find a remedy to the situation. It might not be a physical organ but it is still a part of your being, so it should be possible to either regain it or replace it. I would have trouble sleeping at night knowing that my actions of removing the corruption brought about a different type of complication if I did not make an attempt at resolving the situation." She frowned as her tails swayed behind her before moving lower to the ground. To not let the food grow cold she picked up her eating utensils and took several bites before following up on her words. "It does not have to happen immediately, but from the way you speak of it I suspect you would rather not leave this unattended for too long. Once you are willing to address the issue I shall do everything in my power to render aid, although to be most efficient I would require full disclosure surrounding the events which resulted in you losing your mana core."

WC: 1,118
TWC: 6,573/8,000