There was nothing keeping him here, nothing that whispered to the ache in his chest, a string pulled taut forever tempting his feet into motion. It still pulled, that desire to discover his forgotten past, to find answers in the dark that otherwise laid thick and cloying in his senses, stealing dreams and leaving nothing but to questions with far too few answers. Koimata had encountered others in his self-imposed quest, dragons and wraiths, demons and angels; some seemed to recognize him, taking some strange humor from his presence but offered little when he dared ask why, until he had finally just stopped asking.

Drawing his hand away from its soft caress at his side, only to slide it carelessly through his hair, drawing out leaves from monochrome tresses, he made for the lake that stood at the edge of the forest and the adjacent town. Night was well under way, the coolness of the dark stealing away the humidity that clung to his skin, drawing the kitsune from his bed burrowed in betwixt the clutch of grand roots. The dark crept up along the sides of the path, here where the light of the moon could barely pass through dense foilage, drawing soft ruby eyes, until once again he passed his hand forward, sparking orbs of glowing wisps. Watching them bob, a slow smile touched his face, "Hurry along now," he beckoned, casting them out like fae amongst the summer leaves.

Not too far ahead, the trees began to thin out, the bobbing lights growing brighter as they came down to hover upon the surface of the pond. He had swum here more than once, dried his clothing on the smooth rocks and explored the pool of deep blue water. He hadn't been brave enough to venture down, small in comparison to the vast caverns that opened up below. Stepping down to meet his guide, he brushed his fingertips against the cool glow, bouncing them away, watching as they twirled and spiraled before kneeling down. Twin ears twitched at each sound, so alive to the closed-off crimson stare beneath them. Reaching up, he pulled the kitsune mask down, the smooth black porcelain sliding across his face, swallowing the silent growl that twisted his lips. Frustrated. 

Maybe he had missed the first sounds of something approaching, but, when it came close enough to hear the crunching of leaves beneath an uneven gait, Koimata's eyes darted up, the lithe creature tensing up, ears perking forward even as his tail fluffed up in surprise. "Who's there?" he called out, his voice low and raspy, the whimsicial movement of the orbs growing still, like miniature suns hovering over open water. The scent was rich, a layered palette of smells that could only arise from the choas of civilization. It did not belong to the forest, not in the way his own often did, and that was enough to make him wary.

Not until..., he saw him. The man stood out, vividly against the backdrop of the untamed forest, the sort of fellow he had seen in the more luxurious parts of the city, where the cobblestone streets gleamed white in the sun, and not a single thing stood out as broken or ugly. The heavy cloak made him appear larger than perhaps he truly was, a dense fabric falling in pitch hues against his frame. And a cane. Peering around his cover, he paused, his ears flicking. His eyes were a brilliant purple, made brighter against black sclera, with piercings stark against his face. He wasn't human, that much was obvious, an energy clinging filling the air with a heaviness that came with the more power of creatures. 

Yet his voice was gentle.

 It was easy enough to lie, to create an illusion of goodness, but the tone came slow and deep, even as he came to stand at the edge of the water. Perhaps he was aware of Koimata' place hunkered down to his left, yet he made no obvious attempt to seek him out. A moment passed, before the movement of the leaves gave him away, a mane of monochrome tresses amongst the bright green, before he turned to look at him, rising his full height. "You'd have to pardon my wariness sir. It is not common for others to come so deep into the forest, and you don't much look like a local," he whispered brushing the debris of his charcoal sleeves, looking inquisitively upon the man, pallid ears twitching. "What purpose do you have for being out here, if I may ask?" enquiring softly, he bowed his head, greeting even as his words fell quiet with the motion.