willowed | split on a stranger

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sam winchester

split on a stranger

Nuriko loves working under Robin Goodfellow. That man is sharp, sweet, an asshole, and above all, decadent in ways Nuriko hasn't been able to enjoy since her time in Emperor Saihitei's harem. (Before the days of knowing him as Hotohori.) Even though there's much of the harem that Nuriko didn't come to enjoy until after she made it her goal to work up the ranks, that doesn't make her any less fond of the fine food, the intricate decorations, and the lovely clothing above all. Working for Robin earns Nuriko enough of a salary to purchase beautifully tailored outfits, deliberately showing off as much of her long legs as she can.

The styles here are at once freeing and restrictive, Nuriko's found, but she's never minded a bit of interesting fashion.

Making the most out of her break, Nuriko cuts herself a slice of chocolate hazelnut torte and sets about meeting some of her fellow employees. Figuring that height's as good of a starting point as anything, she sets after the tall, broody brunette, grinning as she seats herself down directly across from him.

"You know," she remarks, tilting her head. "When you're that tall and refuse to smile, it might intimidate a lot of people."

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Semele's is really not the ideal job for a person like Sam. But, at the same time, it actually is. He's more than familiar with the work now, it keeps him busy and enables him to almost constantly keep an eye on Dean. And he knows the clientele.

Miraculously, he's managed to not even feel the need to threaten any of them yet. Though he's come close.

It can't be good for his blood pressure. But then, when has he ever really cared about that? His brother eats cheeseburgers and french fries and deep fried anything for the same reason; neither Winchester has ever thought they'd live old enough where their health would be an issue.

He's cleaning up a recently vacated spot at the bar when the girl, another of Robin's employees, drops down right across from him and he arches a brow. "Maybe that's what I'm going for," he says, sweeping the rag across the countertop.

"Bad for business," she points out, mimicking his expression for all of a couple seconds before she relaxes, ever comfortable in her own skin. With a life like hers, one has to be just that. "And you may not care much for this establishment, but I know someone of yours who does. You're keeping an eye on him, right?"

Nuriko glances over her shoulder, looking around for Dean. Catching him clear across the room, she grins again. It figures that they'd be in one another's range of vision.

She'd do the same with her siblings, were they around.

"At least making a vague attempt for employee of the month would keep your position secure," she says, tapping on her cheek with a finger. "Though I think he can handle himself in times of rowdiness."

Sam's gaze follows hers to where Dean is dutifully gathering empty bottles and glasses. Bussing isn't in his job description, but it's nearing the end of the night and the crowd's dwindled and everyone's doing more than their part to pack everything up as quickly as possible. There's something about her calling attention to Dean that unnerves him and his frown deepens as he turns his attention back to her.

"What do you care?" he asks, suspicion mounting. She looks perfectly ordinary, conventionally beautiful and utterly human. Not that that ever means anything. She looks like she belongs on the cover of Dean's favorite magazine and maybe that, all by itself, is what makes Sam nervous. Like she's a trap.

Her smile fractures for a second, before Nuriko turns it back on in full. Truth be told, she's spent long enough in this place that it makes her uneasy knowing just how hard it apparently is to get out. Even if there's no life of her own that she needs to look after, that only seems to worsen things, leaving her feeling restless. Out of sync with the world. And with no way of knowing how to get back.

She can be a great actress, but sometimes, there's just no hiding it.

"What else am I going to do with my time?" she asks curiously, wanting to know his answer. "I've tried getting out of this town. Doesn't work. And I don't exactly have my own brother around to watch over. What's wrong with talking to some colleagues in the meantime?"

Something about her reaction gives Sam pause and a little bit of the hardness in his expression falls away, shoulders easing as he looks at her again, less judgmental this time. Less like she's yet another monster in this godforsaken town.

"You have one?" he asks after a long moment, tucking the rag he'd been using into his back pocket. "A brother, I mean."

Stilted and forced as it is, it's his attempt at furthering the conversation.

"I have an older brother," Nuriko says slowly, contemplating whether or not there's any risk in admitting to it. Probably not. There's no way that his destiny would bring him to another world, anyway. He's always shied away from anything bigger than himself, shied away from Nuriko's destiny, never to be heard of again after Nuriko began his role as a celestial warrior. "And I had a younger sister."

She rubs at her chin, tracing with her thumb along the line of her jaw.

"Neither of them are here. Which is good. It makes this place extraordinarily boring, but it's easier this way."

Sam doesn't miss the difference between had and have she uses, but chooses not to comment on it. Not sure if she'd done so purposefully or if it's simply a manner of speaking. Either way, it's not really his business.

Instead, he focuses on the rest of her comment, nodding very slightly in agreement. He'd spent a month in this town with no hint of Dean, not to mention the many more before it. It's not the same, of course. This Dean, the one only yards away, both is and isn't the same brother who made a deal and died for him. While they'll never stop being brothers, sometimes Sam isn't sure anymore if they're still friends.

And he wonders if maybe that's for the best.

"Is that why you're here?" he asks, crossing his arms loosely. "In Semele's. You're looking for something interesting?"

Nuriko glances up at the ceiling as she considers, tilting her head back and forth, as though that might dislodge a thought or two. "Not exactly," she says, eyes narrowing. "From a selfish perspective, yes, I'd probably be here if I had no other obligations. It's a lot more interesting than most of the city is. Everyone here has an agenda. Maybe not always by choice, but..."

After a brief sweep of the room, Nuriko turns back to face Sam, lips curved in a smile.

"Let's just say that I don't think I'd be brought here without a reason. I don't think it's coincidence. So I'm trying to figure out what that is, and soon, and this place seems to be a place where I'd be much more likely to find answers. There's a lot that goes on here." She raises her index finger, turning it around, as though swirling the murmurs with her finger like so much smoke. "If you listen carefully, you learn a lot."

There's a perfect, if strange, logic to her words and Sam finds himself nodding slightly, mostly in acknowledgment but also partially in agreement. After all, while Sam is largely here to keep an eye on Dean, he can't deny that isn't the only reason. What better place to get an ear on the happenings of the supernatural in this place than in the lion's den.

Or, well. Maybe not the den, but at least a common hang-out.

"So what've you found out?" he asks, letting a faint, friendly smile finally push through as he crosses his arms loosely over his chest. "Anything interesting?"

"That people here aren't nearly as accustomed to monsters as they were where I'm from," Nuriko says with a slowly widening smile, tapping thoughtfully on her cheek as she turns her gaze on the crowd. "Back there, demons were everywhere. Demons were expected. You watched out wherever you went, because people disappeared so frequently, pulled away by ghouls... it's almost like they've grown soft here."

Tilting her head, Nuriko grins at Sam, her nose wrinkling. "Maybe that's the fault of big protectors like you. Giving up way too much of yourself for the rest of us, mm?" She leans forward, taking a small sip from her glass. "At least, that's the impression I get."

It's difficult to tell if she's flirting or not, his gauge on that sort of thing have long been broken, but her manner still makes him smile, head cocking to one side curiously.

"In my experience, 'big protectors' like me are often as useless as we are helpful," he says, resting his hands loosely on his hips. He feels ridiculous even using those words, repeating them only to emphasize how much they don't fit him at all. "And trust me, if you knew anything about me, you'd agree."

The rest of her comment makes him curious though and he pulls out an empty glass for himself along with a bottle of whiskey, tipping himself a couple shots worth. "So where are you from? And why the demon problem? You don't have any hunters?"

"No, that's true. You big protectors are horrible at hiding yourselves," Nuriko considers, letting her eyes briefly glance over the pretty picture that he makes, hands on his hips in a manner almost assertive. "Sometimes it takes the gentler sort to really skirt along with any finesse."

Crossing her legs easily, Nuriko smiles, watching the amber liquid slosh around in Sam's glass.

Getting people to drink always feels like a victory of a sort. It implies trust, in its way.

"Miaka used to say that my world is a lot like... ancient China? But I've never heard of that. I'm from the country of Konan," she replies, knuckles brushing against her chin. "Demons were just common. You had your hunters, of course, but people fell to demons faster than the hunters could kill them. Especially considering some of the hunters got killed, themselves. I don't have a great history with them. I'm not a fan."

"I'm assuming you mean hunters and not demons," Sam says, fighting a smirk.

She's interesting, he'll concede that much. And certainly attractive. The kind of woman Dean -- the Dean he remembers from back home anyway -- would've been all over in a heartbeat. But there's just too much about her Sam doesn't know or understand, and just enough that makes him wary.

If nothing else, that keeps him talking.

"So what did you do then? Just let demons have their way with people? Look the other way?"

Nuriko lets out a laugh before she can stop herself, slightly bitter and mostly brittle, her eyes narrowing slightly at the memory. She bites at her thumb for a moment, trying to decide how much to share. It's in the past. Talking about it probably won't hurt anyone. The demon doesn't exist anymore, and the ones here are so much better at hiding that Nuriko doesn't even know how to smoke them out.

If he's planning on judging her, he has no real ground.

"Oh no. If I come across a demon, I do what I can. But it was harder to get around and search for them; we didn't have telephones or cars, or even that train I came in on. We had carriages. You couldn't..." Nuriko sighs, shaking her head. "If you were lucky, your village had someone who could look out for everyone."

"So, you're saying you would've been a hunter if you'd had more reliable transportation," he says, arching an eyebrow. Though it's not quite so clear in his tone, Sam can't keep his judgment at bay. Though he hasn't always rejected the wait-and-see approach, he doesn't give it much thought anymore. Especially here.

Still, he's curious as he takes another swig of his drink and drops the empty glass on the counter to refill. "And these village over-seers," he says, glancing up at her again as he pours. "What were they, hmm? What would they do to help people?"

"I'm saying that if I set out without reliable transportation, coming back might have found my home village in ruins. You make choices based on who you care most about, don't you? Or can you blame other people for it?" Nuriko asks, her eyes narrowing slightly, though not in a tone of unfriendliness. She doesn't plan to apologize, though, for putting the needs of her loved ones first. If she can help others in the process, she will.

But sacrifice only goes so far.

"Anyway, if you were lucky, you had a strapping young lad to take care of your village. Maybe a few," she remarks with a slight exhale. "They weren't any different than the rest of us. You couldn't spend all of your time hunting demons, that wasn't a good use of time, wouldn't feed your family. I never fell in that role, exactly."

Her gaze drops, lashes fanning over her cheeks. "Things were a little different for women. Let's just put it that way."

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