An Aura of Bloodshed

Chapter 7: Are You Alright?

A few days have passed since the incident at Ishinakku Village. At the moment, Kitsune was headed to Jesse's house. He wound up giving her his address, because he was far too tired -and stressed- to drive safely. She had been worried about him, because she hadn't seen him since the case. And the last time she did see him, it was like he completely shut down.

Kitsune was rather concerned, and that's putting it lightly. Even after she bid him farewell that evening, the trauma portion of his aura was still quite large. After a few days of rest, she was hoping that he recovered a bit more. Hopefully he was in better spirits!

Eventually, she found herself back at Jesse's house. Admittedly, she did find it odd that such a large house belonged to only one person. She sometimes questioned if he ever got lonely. Being a Chastiser made it hard to make friends- something she knew all too well. The only friend she really had was a small black kitten named Boo.

Walking up to the front door, she rang the doorbell. It didn't take long for Jesse to answer. Honestly, it was strange seeing him out of his usual work attire. Instead of the full suit he usually wore, it was just a white button-up shirt, a pair of black dress pants, and black dress shoes.

He blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting the company. "Ah- Kitsune, hello. This is a pleasant surprise." He stated.

"Heh, hi Jesse. I'm sorry for just dropping in like this- I wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing." Kitsune explained.

"Well, I appreciate the sentiment." Jesse remarked, before looking her over. It was almost hard to believe this was the same woman that helped him kill a demon.

Her red hair was tied into a braid with a lily-shaped hairpin keeping it together. The dress she wore was a bit shorter, ending just above her knees. The dress was a soft, pastel yellow with light blue bows on the collar and on the sides of the sleeves. The skirt poofed out a bit, adding to its cutesy charm. To complete the look, Kitsune had white knee-high socks and black mary jane heels. She looked so innocent, so unassuming.

Yet this woman could most definitely kill someone, if she wanted to. He knew that for certain.

"Hm- that's an interesting outfit. I must admit- it's strange seeing you like... This, and not dressed for cases." Jesse responded, before realizing how that could sound. "Ah- not that it looks bad, of course!! I was just saying that it's, you know, different! It looks nice on you- I'm just going to shut up now." He scrambled.

Kitsune chuckled a bit, patting his shoulder. "It's alright, Jesse. Don't worry, I think I get it. And thanks! You look pretty good yourself." She responded.

Jesse sighed a bit, moving his hair out of his face. "Well... Thank you. Anyways, why don't you come in? It's quite chilly out here." He offered.

"Sure! Thank you." Kitsune nodded, stepping inside the large house as she looked around. "Your house is really pretty, Jesse. Really spacious, too." She complimented.

"Heh- why thank you. I try my best to keep it clean. It's a bit challenging, given how often I'm away from home, and that I have to do it all by myself, but I manage." Jesse responded, as him and the redhead sat on the couch.

"So... How have you been? Are you alright?" Kitsune asked. "Ever since... That night, I couldn't help but worry about you." She remarked, worry appearing in her eyes.

Jesse was silent for a moment. "I'm... fine, I suppose... Definitely not the best, but not the worst either. I guess so-so would be the appropriate way to describe how I feel right now." He answered.

"Do you... Have any upcoming cases?" Kitsune asked.

"Hmm.. Not immediately, no. Why do you ask?"

"Wellll..." The redhead paused, lightly kicking her foot. "I was wondering if you'd ever wanna go hang out sometime. Like, maybe we could just- go out to get coffee -or tea, if you don't like coffee-, get to know each other better... Things like that. Besides, maybe some chill downtime could do us both some good."

She turned to him, smiling a bit. "So, what do you say? Are you up for it?" She asked.

Jesse hummed, thinking it over. "Hmm.. Ah heck, why not." He shrugged, smiling a bit. "Sure- I accept your invitation, Kitsune." He replied.

"Yay!" Kitsune chirped, making her friend -or acquaintance?? She wasn't sure what they were yet- chuckle a bit. It was nice, actually being able to relax for a moment.

He definitely never expected to make a friend while out on a case, but he certainly wasn't complaining.