Almost instantaneously, the long-haired yokai grew rather bored and somewhat irritated at the boisterous gestures and incandescent colors adorned  women by the rows and rows of women. Human women. His eyes lazily moved from one side of the ornamented grand hall from the most inundate tapestries lacquered in gold to the overbearing pungency of jasmine and rose. 

"Tch." 

Ready for whatever words escaped his Lord's lips, Jaken's eyes darted immediately upwards. Maybe the Lord is starting to realize just how much of a frivolous effort this has become to entertain such vain invitations. Silently, he sighed in unspoken defeat. It wasn't a new thing for the Lord to humor whomever thought he could be impressed by glamorous gestures, but it grew tedious nonetheless. Especially when it was apparent that these women were not just workers of the palace but the Only Workers of the palace it seemed.

After passing the castle gates, it was rows and rows of women and maybe a male cook here or threre but it was very drastic ratios between it all. 

"How strange-" Jaken thought aloud, firmly grasping his staff and raising it off the floor every few steps or so to not scratch the mahogany walkway. "M'lord, what makes you think this so-called Lord wants to meet with you? Riches? Grandeur perhaps?"

"......"

"Hm- yes, of course. That would be an utterly profound disrespect towards you M'Lord. Hmm, yes."

There was a gentle suck of his teeth then a continued silence. There were times that, although he would never admit it to someone lower than him, some of Jaken's words spoke a logical stance. Of course, Sesshomaru ultimately did not have to accept this invitation nor did he even ponder for a second as to how the invitation found him. But he figured if someone were to go such great lengths to garnish his attention, he thought it to be rude to disappoint them without even making a proper audience. 

Growing tiresome of walking in a blanketed direction, Sesshomaru stood in the center of the hall. Jaken fumbled behind Sesshomaru, looking around to anticipate whatever lay ahead of them. The atmosphere laid silent, still, and slightly awkward. All the women continued their Kowtow positions in equal angst of the stranger's next decisive move. 

"Jaken."  Sesshomaru's tone was cool, flat, and direct with Jaken at full attention.

"Hah! Y-yes, M'lord?"

"We're leaving. Apparently whomever has invited me couldn't even fathom the gaul to show his/her face." and with that, Sesshomaru turned on his heel towards the exit. He wasn't much for casual royal formalities, but he wasn't the type to allot so much patience for false promises.

 From what he could gather, there was a façade over the palace that he couldn't place his finger on nor did he even care to place so much emphasis on a siutation that he sought no benefit from. He didn't care to sit on a throne. His throne was the land and where he roamed, he ruled. Free of obligatory fashion and free of dilly-daddle that came with being responsible for a kingdom as superfluous as this one.

With his back to the women and his right foot in forward stance, a small hand reached out and grabbed the fabric from Sesshomaru's boots. Small, frail hands shot out from amongst the crowd of concubines that bore small jade charm bracelets and polished red nails. She looked up at Sesshomaru with hopeful brown eyes, the kind of hope that one has when they are seeking refuge or solace from the wasteland that lay in front of them.

Sesshomaru turned his head down at the girl, his golden-yellow eyes glowering down at her. He had seen this kind of stare before. The hopelessness that bounced across her chestnut-coated pupils and flushed face. The aroma of rice wine snaked up her hand and into his nostrils, gripping at his throat while leaving a silent kiss just before the final squeeze of death. She was a concubine, a young one at that.

"Un-hand him this Instant, Wench!" Jaken, the obedient dog he was, raised his staff to smash down on the girl's hand. He feigned that her hands would soul his royal robes and he would suffer the consequences later with a swift fist to the back of his head. He would not take the chance! Bolting down his staff to shoo the girl, Sesshomaru drew out a halt to the imp.

"Jaken." 

Inches away from her hand, Jaken looked up to Sesshomaru with 3 innocent blinks. He knew that tone better than anyone. Without even a rebuttal, he lowered the staff and crossed his arms with a brattish Hmph!.  The child, confused yet humored, covered her hand as she giggled. She thought it to be funny that such a royal and profound being had such an ugly creature as his guard.

"Silly frog!" her childish voice chimed in a playful whisper. 

"Frog?! You dare to insult me? You disrespectful chi-"

"Oi! Just what do yer think you're doing?" a burly guard strolled up to the same line of concubines, his breath reeking of cheap sake and mackerel. Sesshomaru's nose wrinkled and his finger twitched. How barbaric some minions could be he could never understand, nor did he want to see the rest of his army if he sought himself worthy to be inside of the castle. 

He wore dull-grey armor and his boots had a patched stitching right on the toe. On his lip bore a scar that curved around the edges of his jaw that was flesh-colored, uneven, and unsightly. He was instructed to pull anyone out of the line who seemed to be the rebel of the batch and, unfortunately for the young concubine, she was heard more than she was spotted among the waves of women.

He marched over to the lass with a slight limp, the patchwork in his boot had broken through and he feared a splinter or a stone was lodged in his toe which made him all the more irritable. The girl took one look at the guard and instantly shrieked. She knew of this guard from the older women in the camp and he was the most feared along with another who was recently promoted to Lieutenant. She put her hands together, silently praying for his forgiveness and his overlooking of her behavior but it was for naught. The guard had already been at his wit's end with this young wench.

She was a repeat offender, a prankster, and always under Kojitsu's good graces because she was so young and he spoke favor over her. But the guard felt it to be a prime opportunity to enforce discipline onto the girl with the Lord Kojitsu hidden away in his tower with the latest of his lays. 

He sought the opportunity to strike. 

A dark smile spread across his scarred face in a perverse glimmer. He reached down for the girl, clutching the tufts of her hair by the scalp in firm grips. Her mouth opened to gasp, but only meek shrieks broke into fearful shudders as she felt her body lift off the floor. The concubine immediately next to her, her elder sister, clenched her fists to harness her anger with burning tears. Each crystalline drop stained the hem of her silk sleeves. 

She couldn't do anything in fear that her and her sister's punishment would be far, far worse combined than it would be separate. 

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean- oof!" the guard, his lips frowned in disappointment, took his opposite knee and hiked it right into the girl's stomach to silence her cries. He had grown tired of the bitch and felt justified in the deliverance of her punishment. 

It was then, seeing her still body dangling in the air, that the lord had had enough of this pagentry of a palace.

There was but a swift gust and the guard found himself dangling in mid air by the hands of the mighty daiyokai. A bored expression littered his face but his hand began to emit a greenish-yellow glow that, at initial view was a mere flicker, turned into a vast hue of light that engulfed around the guard's neck. 

His yellowed eyes burned into the guard's with a disgust at such horrendous acts upon an unsuspected child, concubine or not. The guard wriggled and gasped for air, dropping the girl to the floor with a thud as he instead wrapped his hands around Sesshomaru's wrist, pleading for relinquishment.

"Gah! P-please! Spare me!" his neck burned hotter than a freshly lit stone cauldron. He felt his insides begin to bubble and his eyesight began to blur. Sesshomaru tightened his grip even more. Tighter and tighter as the older sister cradled her sister back to consciousness, her senses of hope catalyzing into fear watching this mysterious demon burn his barren claws into the guard's neck.

The pain continued to surge through his body, an insufferable heat chasing immediately behind it. His face transitioned from red, to white, then eventually blue. Sesshomaru knew how long it took to stun, kill, and permanently damage an enemy thanks to his Dakkoso abilities. Within a few more seconds, deeming his "Warning" to be suffice, the Dakkoso vanished and Sesshomaru threw the guard across the room into an ornamented gong.

"Jaken. We are leaving."

There were faint claps emitting from the opposite end of the grand hall. They were slow and boded an impressive tone as it echoed throughout the hall. The tantric motion of each clap was followed by a dark, intrigued chuckle.

"My," Kojitsu beamed, "Normally we have our introductions over wine and entertainment, but I do fancy a good show every now and again."

Jaken was the first to turn around, but Sesshomaru remained with his back to Kojitsu.

"And who are you?!" barked Jaken "State your presence in the name of the great Lord of the Western Lands!"

Kojitsu spread his arms, a humored grin spreading from cheek to cheek.

"You are looking at the Lord of the Northern Lands. And you must be Sesshomaru, I presume."