Awakening Beast. (Hellhound's Entry)

[Balthier]

Akemi half smuled silently at the Hellhound’s concern, the steam swirling around them as the last of the suds vanished down the drain. "Don't worry about the clothes for now, hero. We’re in my home, no one's going to judge you for being a little uncovered while we eat. I might have a yukata that will fit you" With the Hellhound clean, Akemi turned her attention to herself. She moved under the spray with a practiced, feminine grace that was a stark contrast to the Hellhound's raw power. Her hands, still smelling of honey and sandalwood, traveled over her own petite, delicate curves. She lathered her medium-small breasts and the soft slope of her hips, her skin pale and gleaming under the artificial light of the bathroom.

She took a moment to tilt her head back, letting the hot water sluice through her dark hair, washing away the tension of the previous night. Finally, she turned off the dial. The sudden silence was punctuated only by the heavy drip-drop of water hitting the tiles. Akemi stepped out, wrapping herself in a fluffy white towel. She grabbed a second, much larger towel and draped it over the Hellhound's shoulders. "Dry off well, like a good girl. I'll get the kitchen ready."

A few minutes later, Akemi emerged from her bedroom. She hadn't gone for a full outfit yet, opting for comfort in the safety of her apartment. She had pulled on a pair of blue and white striped panties that hugged her hips, her perfect ass, and a crisp white button-up blouse. The shirt was a little long on her petite frame, the hem barely covering the top of her thighs, and she had left the top two buttons undone for breathability, giving her enticing cleavage. As she moved around the small kitchen, the fabric pulled and flowed in a way that was inadvertently alluring, a casual, domestic beauty that could mesmerize.

The kitchen was soon filled with the comforting, savory aromas of a proper Japanese breakfast. Grilled Mackerel, sizzling gently, its skin crispy and salted. Miso Soup, steam rising from bowls filled with tofu and green onions. Steamed Rice, perfectly fluffy and white. Tamagoyaki, sweet and savory rolled omelets, sliced into neat yellow rectangles.

Akemi moved with a light step, her bare feet silent on the floorboards. She set the table for two, placing a generous portion of everything on the Hellhound’s side. When everything was ready, she slid into her chair, her legs crossed comfortably beneath the table. She would look up as the Hellhound approached, a truly adorable, beaming smile lighting up her face. The morning sun caught the moisture still in her hair, making her look radiant and entirely at peace. "Breakfast is served," Akemi said softly, patting the seat next to her. "I made sure there's extra fish for you. Come sit."

Edited April 19 by Balthier

[Warning]

Hellhound didn't argue about staying naked. Her nature was fully alright with that. After the shower was over, she only watched Akemi without moving for the moment. Being approached with the towel, it felt soft when her friend covered her with it. Being told to dry off gave her ideas of what she could do but to be a good girl, fire probably was not a good idea at that moment. The towel itself would do a good job. All Hellhound had to do was to use it to rub her skin with it and it absorbed the water enough to let her natural heat eliminate what little water was left on her skin. Her fur needed a little effort to get dry but she worked on it while her friend was gone, ending the process with drying her paws off.

Hellhound had to wonder what a yukata was but she did not search for any clothes. Her mischievous side was a little more controlled in this place, out of respect for Akemi. Besides, being naked felt natural to her. Once ready, the hound left the shower room and poked around to look curiously at this place. She did not touch anything but freely looked, trusting her friend and hopefully being trusted enough to be left alone for a moment on each others' side. If anything fragile was around, she tried to move tail in a way she did not tilt or push anything by accident. As she was not all that often among humans, Hellhound had a certain fascination with a lot of what she was seeing, as simple as it was for humans.

Once the scent from the kitchen started to spread, Hellhound finally found herself being lured toward the source while her belly grumbled, begging to be filled. Still, she did not appear in the kitchen just so casually. Poking her head from behind one of the entrance, the hound curiously peeked inside for what smelled so good. First, she eyed Akemi herself, appreciating the sight at the least. Her own pretty girl taking care of cooking a meal worthy of her hunger. Seeing and smelling it excited the beast girl enough that her tail wagged behind her and she had to control herself so she didn't drool. While she was not making much sound, her presence would soon be made noticeable as she was not trying to hide.

As soon as Akemi carried the food to the table then sat down on her chair, Hellhound finally came out quietly then moved closer. Naked in appearance but doing nothing to make it weird. She looked like she was in her element, acting perfectly natural about it. The welcoming sight made the hound smile, at least, That was not the breakfast that she had expected but it sure was the one that she desired at the moment. Still, she had to behave. Looking at another seat, Hellhound moved close to sit down, letting her tail free where she could. "It smells good, Akemi...~", she commented, her ears perking up at the sound of extra meat. Calmly, she started to eat what was offered, making cute sounds of satisfaction.

[Balthier]

Akemi watched the Hellhound eat with a quiet, private fascination. Seeing the Hound so content, so thoroughly humanized by a simple bowl of rice and fish, sent a warm flutter through her chest. Beneath the table, she let her guard down further. She extended one leg, her soft, bare foot lightly grazing the Hellhound's dark, powerful calf. It was a gentle, flirtatious brush, a secret communication in the quiet morning. She let her toes linger there for a moment, a playful smirk dancing on her lips as she watched for the hound’s reaction.

However, as the flirtatious moment settled, Akemi’s expression shifted. The lightheartedness in her eyes dimmed, replaced by a clouded, somber look. She set her chopsticks down neatly across her bowl and took a slow, steadying breath. She looked directly at the Hellhound, her gaze steady but heavy with a complicated truth.

"I’m so happy you’re here, and that you’re safe," Akemi began, her voice dropping to a serious, quiet tone. "But... we have to talk about what happened before. Before we were friends."

She leaned forward slightly, her cleavage heaving with one deep breath, fingers lacing together with Hellhound's on the tabletop. "My friend Hikari... she was in the village during your first attack. She was badly hurt when things caught fire. She’s been in the hospital since then, recovering."

Akemi paused, searching the Hellhound’s fiery eyes, not with anger, but with a plea for understanding.
"I want to go see her today. I want to visit her and make sure she’s okay. And..." She hesitated, her heart beating a little faster. "Do you to come with me. It might be hard, but I think it's important..."

[Warning]

Hellhound was focused on eating for a moment until the touch on her leg made her jump slightly, letting out a subtle vocal sound as well. She was not caught off guard often but she didn't need to check what was touching her. If anything, she felt embarrassed that it made her react but she otherwise smiled, being even entertained that Akemi was comfortable enough to play with her like this. While she did not voice any comments, being too busy to eat, her tail at least looked like it wagged a little more, showing that she enjoyed it.

As the moment settled and Hellhound quickly finished her meal, she remained sitting down to behave and curiously watched her friend. What she saw before as a playful attitude seemed to change into an other mood. The beast girl could not tell what but she was not expecting anything bad from it. She knew that Akemi could get serious at times, perhaps for personal reasons. Humans had many of these complexities in their life after all. Many of which the hound did not understand. To try and understand humans was still a bit hard.

Akemi showed her happiness but then the words turned into something darker... Hellhound did not guess right away that it was about the village. Before they were friends could be anything that she was doing in hell or elsewhere. Still, her ears could not help but drop slowly with her eyes showing some concern. Akemi suddenly asked about something she did not do before and the hound did not expect this kind of conversation but perhaps it had to come sometimes. She could barely speak to ask but listened very carefully to her.

As Akemi leaned forward, Hellhound felt her hands touch hers left limp, her fingers interlocking with hers, before the village was finally mentioned. In this position, Akemi would surely feel the beast girl's reaction through her hands which showed no resistance nor hostility of any sort but still gave a nervous movement. Her ears dropped on her head completely. She was not the kind to show regret over any humans hurt in battle but her pride had changed since meeting with Akemi. This memory made it harder to feel like a good girl.

The hound's eyes showed that she felt worried, maybe of disappointing her new friend... A scar that may never be forgotten. Akemi wanted to go see this friend of hers and Hellhound did not mind as she was not the only friend of Akemi, after all. Maybe she could hide in her room and wait. It would make Akemi happy. But then, this request made her ears perk up. "...Y-you want Hellhound to come with you? Are you sure it's okay...?" She did not argue it. She would do as she wished. "If you think so, I will...", she said, willing to behave.