[Southeast] It was like this when we got here!

She'd barely hit the ground before being scooped up. Shi-Oda was a large young man - perhaps not as large as his massive armor would imply, but absolutely possessing enough strength to hold his mate once he'd sheathed his blade. She was cradled in one arm, and her quiet blade in his free hand. He'd carried the little daiklave longer than she had, after all, though he'd never actually used it. "You're fine. Sleep." Came the quiet order, as he delicately sheathed the golden blade on her hip. Safe and sound. She'd fought back the fit of madness, and it seemed that it'd taken the last of her strength to do so. That he'd stayed out of her duel in the name of honor was the only thing keeping Shi-Oda's pride from tearing him apart for the disgrace of it all.

With Albrecht's departure and Kira's apparent pacification, the villagers were getting restless. Some of them were wisely backing off, beating a retreat before things got more improbably out of control. Others were standing by in shock, or waiting to see what was going to happen next. An unwise few had decided - of loyalty to the Yozi, perhaps - to close in around the towering Lunar with weapons at the ready. Perhaps they thought that taking Kira from him would be worth glory in the eyes of their rulers? Maybe the creatures of the dark just wanted to extinguish the light of the sun while it was waning? And here he was, with one arm spent on precious cargo.

Shi-Oda couldn't stop himself from grinning.

The avalanche roll of one shoulder dislodged his own blade free from it's sheath once more. A single pull brought the massive moonsilver slab forward with enough force to send the dust flying away from the impact zone, the first half-foot of the grand daiklave burying itself in the plaza's stones. Normally, he would boast. He would roar, so they'd know who they were dealing with. He had a legend to spread, after all. But those who were fleeing would carry the story that mattered today, and those who stayed didn't have long enough to give warning to the darkness save for the shattered remains of their bodies. 

---

At long last, and a couple hours later, Shi-Oda lay Kira's slumbering form to rest atop a bed of leaves with her glorious blades beside her. Varsi was clean, their job there was done, and she had all the time she needed to recover from her exertion. Blood would no more stick to moonsilver than grime to orichalcum, so in that regard, he hadn't much to clean. Better to focus his attentions outward, on the jungle around them. The Lunar sat nearby, peeling off his armor, sword nearby. He needed time to recover on his own - not from the workout he'd received, but from the thoughts the day had inflicted on him. Kira wasn't the unstoppable hurricane he'd thought she was after their first duel. That was one thing that needed to be accounted for in the future. He didn't really mind, however. 

The second was her fit of madness. While all Solars were susceptible to madness to a degree, it was common knowledge - among Lunars - that they never recovered from it. The slide into insanity only slid one way. Contingencies had to be drawn if hers had set in this early. Plans made. Perhaps she'd have one, two more years of healthy function before whatever had taken hold of her senses became a deathgrip on them; did she really deserve to spend those years fighting horrible things like in Varsi? Didn't she deserve a chance at happiness, in whatever form the lady from the West viewed such things? Shi-Oda drew a long breath and sat with his blade over his knees, tending to its edge - although he really needn't. He had heavy thinking to do, that was for sure.