[ the arrangement Tomoe has found himself in with Goro Akechi and Ren Amamiya is something he's still trying to categorise in his own approach to the world. they're his allies, which is as far as he can follow. he's never had allies, not like this. definitely not humans. not people that he's meant to rely on. with Nanami, his entire existence is bound up in their contract — he feels secure when she is safe and happy, not out of sentiment but because that's supposed to be his only purpose. she's his whole life. the contract with Ren is only a verbal agreement, and there is none of a shinshi's certainty in it.
if it were Nanami, he wouldn't have let her out of his sight. he has no such reason to feel that panic over Akechi. he'll go to lengths to keep these allies alive, of course. it would be inconvenient to lose either of them, and he does appreciate the help they've given so far, out of his depth when it comes to relying on others. but he doesn't have an easy role to fit into and it isn't a dynamic he's accustomed to.
so he stays near Akechi for as long as they're under guard, a shape of coiled violence waiting to be sprung, but beyond the vault door, they go their separate ways for the time being. a shinshi would protect him completely. with allies, there is some expectation that all parties can look after themselves, which he's glad of. still, Tomoe's nature is either violence or devotion. he isn't the puzzle-solving type, and after a while, he grows bored of searching for clues and wanders in search of Akechi instead. if nothing else, perhaps Akechi can find some use for him.
he's expecting the collected side of his personality, sharp-tongued but methodical. when Akechi calls out at his approach, it becomes apparent that's not the case. ]
Put that thing away. [ he speaks casually, but it's an easiness with violence more than it is any kind of trust in Akechi. Tomoe has seen him in action; he can certainly be dangerous, when he chooses. and that's just what it's like to live amongst other youkai, so why should it bother him? ] I'm not interested in being shot for a second time.
[ the bullet he took during the escape in New Beijing was a jarring reminder of how weak his body is now. he can't brush off injuries the way he's used to doing. ]
iii.
if it were Nanami, he wouldn't have let her out of his sight. he has no such reason to feel that panic over Akechi. he'll go to lengths to keep these allies alive, of course. it would be inconvenient to lose either of them, and he does appreciate the help they've given so far, out of his depth when it comes to relying on others. but he doesn't have an easy role to fit into and it isn't a dynamic he's accustomed to.
so he stays near Akechi for as long as they're under guard, a shape of coiled violence waiting to be sprung, but beyond the vault door, they go their separate ways for the time being. a shinshi would protect him completely. with allies, there is some expectation that all parties can look after themselves, which he's glad of. still, Tomoe's nature is either violence or devotion. he isn't the puzzle-solving type, and after a while, he grows bored of searching for clues and wanders in search of Akechi instead. if nothing else, perhaps Akechi can find some use for him.
he's expecting the collected side of his personality, sharp-tongued but methodical. when Akechi calls out at his approach, it becomes apparent that's not the case. ]
Put that thing away. [ he speaks casually, but it's an easiness with violence more than it is any kind of trust in Akechi. Tomoe has seen him in action; he can certainly be dangerous, when he chooses. and that's just what it's like to live amongst other youkai, so why should it bother him? ] I'm not interested in being shot for a second time.
[ the bullet he took during the escape in New Beijing was a jarring reminder of how weak his body is now. he can't brush off injuries the way he's used to doing. ]