“To defend, yes,” Moriko agreed with that much. The confusion evaporated, and understanding brought sadness with it, “you killed it.” Her voice carried regret, soft and almost disappointed, “you weren’t defending anything,” the girl shook her head, “you hunted it down and murdered it.” There was no anger, no reproach, just a grieving melancholy.

"I did. Yes. Not cruelly. I did not make it suffer. It was a clean death, the same it would have given me." He shook his head, still confused, but without guilt. "It has no qualms of attacking man, or children, or otori. I did not try to trap it, or wound it or poison it. It was a hunter and a hunter."

He could pick up on her hurt, on the sadness in her features.

"I..." the words were not there. He just sat for a moment. "... I prayed for it, to honor it, to thank it for the challenge. To usher its spirit into the others of the wilds, I did not think..." he shook his head.

"You... think less of me now, do you not?"

She pressed her lips together for a moment, unable to meet his eyes, "do you think it deserved death? was it malicious in some way? did it understand why you sought revenge upon it?" her voice quavered. Moriko avoided answering his question, waiting to see what he had to say in response.

Ryuu remained silent, regarding her. "It is an apex predator. It exists to hunt for itself. I am an apex predator. I hunt down criminals, I hunt down things that are more dangerous." Yet his eyes waivered. He could hear it in her voice. "It certainly is not malicious, it does not know why it kills, other than survival and to eat. I do understand why I would kill, why I hunt."

He remained seated, watching her. "It did not understand why we hunted it. But it and its fellow did charge, they were prepared to kill us as well." He straightened, trying to prepare himself.

"Moriko-san.... I... there was no more malice in my actions than in theirs. There is no hatred for the Drifter."

The Phoenix was disappointed by the answer, “does it please you, then? to bring death? You had a choice, you did not have to go to where the drifter was, it would not have charged you if you had not invaded its home.” Moriko’s eyes glimmered in the fading light, it seemed she might cry, “you claim no malice, but you went looking to snuff out a life. Not for hunger, not for self defence, not to make the city safe, but for the pleasure of it.” Shaking her head, she turned her face away, hiding herself behind a curtain of dark hair, “it did not deserve such a fate.”

"I... do not understand. There was no pleasure in the kill, it is not joy that springs forth from it. The challenge, the skill of it. But not in death. I am not a monster, Moriko-san." He shook his head. "There was approval by the governor, to help cull, especially as a result of what has happened recently." Yet he found himself unsure.

"I... I did not know this would bother you..." finally, his shoulders dropped. He finished his cup of sake. "..."

Moriko turned to look at Ryuu, her hair twirled by the sudden movement, shocked and dismayed, “Ryuu-san, no, I could never think of you as a monster.” He had, unwittingly perhaps, created an out for himself, “the governor requested this?” There was no danger of tears now, her disappointment diverted to a new—or rather, an old—target.

"I do not know if it was a request or others sought it, but approval was there. I was approached by another to aid them with my skill." He looked to her. "There are Spider who would go out and raze nature, or would seek to test their viciousness against another. That is not who I am. I cannot lie and tell you I do not enjoy hunting, but I never sought to satiate a blood lust."

He swallowed, watching her.

"But I am a Spider, and I am very good at those skills. I know why some would approach me for help in that endeavor."

A wry smile curled one corner of Moriko’s mouth, “make no excuses for your talents, our skill sets are similar, it is the outcomes that differ,” she could have pointed to the scoreboards at the end of the orbital defence trial to remind him that she could be deadly, she just chose not to be. Maybe I should introduce him to Fu, the girl mused, wishing she hadn’t gotten distracted on the hunt. After a moment she realised she’d lapsed into silence, and shook her head to clear the cobwebs.

“Please don’t misunderstand me, I am appreciative of your ability, but what was wrought on those drifters,” she let the sentence hang, he already knew how she felt about that.

"I understand." Ryuu nodded, bowing his head to her. "My enjoyment of the Hunt is nothing that is paramount to my joys in life. It is easily relegated to something to be done for necessity, and not for sport Moriko-san." He took in a deep breath.

"I have already prayed to the spirits of the wilds to usher in the Drifters we killed to their next journey, but I ask your forgiveness. I do not wish to ruin our night because of my actions."

The girl softened, almost melting, "and you shall have it." Moriko looked down at her hands, a shy smile on her lips; "nothing is ruined," the Phoenix looked up at Ryuu through her eyelashes, her hair framing her face, "I believe you are a good man, Ryuu-san."

"I do not know about that. I simply try to live by the ideals we all strive for." He finally looked up to her, nodding. Sitting up straight, he was almost a stone sentinel, entirely focused on her again.

He smiled, small, but reassuring. "I thank you, Moriko-san."

Moriko lifted her chin to look at him more fully, “I believe in you,” she murmured softly, and it was true. Sometimes he seemed carved from alabaster, stern and imposing, but she had never found him to be unkind. Sometimes, his expression didn’t seem right, like a puppeteer inexpertly jerking at his strings, but then the light would catch his eyes and none of that mattered. The young Phoenix pushed a disobedient strand of hair back from her face, ready to chase away the gloom of what had happened, “let me refill your cup and, here, I have something else, too.”

"You have already done so much, there is no need to give anything else." Ryuu's eyes focused on hers as she refilled the sake cup. He tried to remain in the moment, to hold onto it for as long as possible.

Moriko sniffed, “you would dishonour me by refusing?” she teased, the young Phoenix not able to suppress a grin for long enough to pretend to be offended. Opening one of the other containers the picnic set held, she revealed a selection of miniature sweet pastries from the Serenity Bakery, “I didn’t know what you liked,” her tone sheepish as she offered him the deserts.

"I... no.. I mean..." his face quickly turned red at her teasing, retreating slightly till she smiled. Ryuu looked to the treats. Debating internally for a moment. Still, never sure on what to do for sweets. Delicately, long fingers plucked one from the tray.

"This one." He nodded, watching her.

“I’ll have to remember that,” she picked something for herself and set the tray down where they could both reach it. Pastry in one hand, sake in the other, Moriko shuffled close to Ryuu once more. “Maybe I shouldn’t tease you, but you blush so prettily.”

Another drink from the sake as she shuffled closer. Watching her, weighing propriety and comfort and desire with equal measure in his mind. Ryuu did not move, rather welcoming the closeness.

"I am glad, then, as it is brought out so easily." He tried a little self depreciation, before taking a bite from his sweet.

As before, she settled in next to him, looking out over the forest, a sliver of room between them. A firefly-like creature lazily hovered about, weaving between fungal stalks, and a scout on otori-back patrolled along the same road they had ridden the other day. She took careful nibbles of her pastry, well aware that she had a habit of managing to spill food on herself, or getting it on her face, and she was trying to be careful.

The wind carried in that fungal scent, intermixed with the candle. Ryuu watched her from the corner of his eye, noting the care she took as she nibbled on the sweet. There was something about the way she carried herself, he found it artful. The way her hair fell free as she spoke, the demure way she brushed it back.

He finished his cup, and cursed his courage to jigoku. Delicate fingers came up, finding that stray hair, and gently... quietly... brushed it back behind her ear.