He chuckled softly at the other and watched him closely. "A mind of their own... that's good to know. I'll have to suck up to them. I mean, how could you hate me if your tails don't?" He was trying his best to be cool. It had been a long time since he had just hung out with someone like this, and he wasn't sure if he was being obvious about how out of his depths he was.
As Ash got serious, Kazan followed suit. This wasn't something that he could joke his way through. "Well, the binding would for sure be a lot of help. It makes it way easier to run away when he's hot on my tail." He knew that he'd eventually have to find someone who could break this curse. So far nothing he had tried had worked and the only permanent resolution he had come across would be to end his bloodline for good. He had never considered it for even a second. He had worked so hard to protect his loved ones and keep them out of harm's way. So far he had managed to keep the Oni away from them, but his little brother had his own curse to deal with.
"I know... It's bad. I've been working on fixing it... or at least finding some way for my family to protect themselves." So far, he had very little to do other than follow the Oni around so he could try to stop the demon before it attacked and hurt anyone. The results had varied, but he was getting better at tracking him down and putting up a real fight.
"I know he can track the kanabo. It's why I always keep it on me. But it seems he can also sense the power in orders. He tries to hunt them down and kill them. I'm not sure why. I think he might be able to gain some power from them." There was a little pause as he glanced over at the other. "I can feel it. The bloodlust. When I use my weapons for too long, I start to lose control. I figure he must be the same."
As usual, all roads led to him. Every part of it felt like it was his fault. He didn't have any control over it, but he couldn't help but blame himself. "I can feel how close he is, but that's about it. Just a general sense of direction. It's not too accurate."
"Let's not be so pessimistic about it. At least he doesn't go all murder-crazy on random civilians every time, right? And if he's as attached to that club as you think… well, it could mean we just have to destroy that to stop him, right?" Ash offered up what little optimism he had left after that fight, but deep down he knew it wouldn't be that easy.
When Kazan explained that there were 'orders' that drew out that kind of aggression, he felt his blood freeze for an instant. His expression remained casual, though he couldn't quite hide how his ears flicked forward. "You know about Orders, huh?" He raised an eyebrow, voice dropping into something more cautious. "And you said he can sense power in them? That… could be useful, but it could also get messy real quick if they're powerful enough." His mind raced back to his earlier thoughts about his tails being an 'order.' It made sense why an Oni would target someone like that. They were attracted to powerful beings. He'd heard tales before of creatures that were drawn to those with great power or influence.
The more he listened, though, Ash had to admit something: Kazan was trying. Even if his curse was terrible and complicated, Kazan wasn't sitting around feeling sorry for himself. He was out there doing what he could, trying to keep his family safe. That took guts, especially when dealing with something like an Oni. "I gotta respect you for that, man. Keeping your loved ones out of harm's way… it's tough. Believe me, I know how that goes." A brief, more serious smile crossed his lips as he patted his side lightly.
"Listen, I don't think this curse is something you need to fix on your own, though. Whatever you've got planned, I'd be happy to pitch in. Maybe we can get some help from people who know more about breaking curses than I do. I know this one witch, actually. She's good with that kind of stuff, if you're interested."
His eyes flicked over to Kazan again, assessing him carefully as he added, "Just so we're on even ground here—you're not holding anything back, right? You're sure there's nothing else I should know about that Oni, or you for that matter?" He smirked but kept his tone light, not wanting to come off like he was interrogating. Still, there was that small flicker of suspicion nagging at him. It wasn't just about Kazan, but about this whole mess and how they were in it together now.

















