Off Balance

Zhizhu went into the kitchen and sank onto the floor in a lotus position. Her blades were at hand, and she closed her eyes, seeking a measure of peace. The wind outside moaned eerily. Her eyes flew open and she tensed, half-expecting an attack. The moment passed and she sat there feeling irritated.

It was a strange thing for Zhizhu, to feel unsafe in her haven. It was supposed to be a place of safety, a place where she did not have to be on constant alert to attacks. Yet she had learned a ritual from Yuki to alert her of intruders. She and the other Scouts had plans to procure jade to protect their homes.

Of course, they had good reason. Being attacked by wraiths while they were sleeping was a fairly good motivation to seek protection. It was fantastic luck that they not only survived the attack, but came out the victors.

For Zhizhu, the lost peace of her home was an annoyance beyond the obvious ramifications. Even as a Devil Tiger, she understood the balances of things. To be an elegant devil, she could not lash out without understanding. Crude chaos was a medium for akuma and beasts. She needed to find a center within herself before she could affect the world around her.

Finding such a center was difficult when every noise was a distraction of possibly fatal origin. Zhizhu refused to let herself become paranoid, but she also could not relax her alertness. It was another reason in a growing list of why she chafed at the court's edict to wage only a war of influence with the Sohei.

She had done well, she thought, at creating a center within herself. It was a place from which she could deal with her power-hungry demon, yet turn its energies to her own uses. She was turning her back on her humanity a piece at a time, yet still found that she could care about her uji-mates. She may never say so to them again, but she had told each that she did care. Except Thorn, but she still did not quite know what to make of him.

Zhizhu had spent more than a week at the court, learning to harness yet more of her demon's power. Now she need not fear starting a fight in a public place; the mortals would simply flee in terror, their minds unable to hold the memory of her form. It was a boon when they did not know if the Sohei would somehow bring the fight to them.

She hoped they did. The woman Peony might have the court's mandate to strike against the Sohei, but no one would fault the Scouts if they were driven to defend themselves. It was true that the Scouts were rapidly expanding their power base in the city, but Zhizhu still felt the storm of a fight hovering on the horizon. The waiting made her restless.