Ashiko spun around, hastily clutching the silks to her chest, and trying to tie her obi back on with sloppy, hurried motions she would never dream of making on a normal day. She glanced back over her shoulder at her sudden and fairly unwelcome guest, trying to find her voice.

If the situation was different, Ashiko might have found the tableau funny; between her dark hair and eyes, the pale sloped skin of her back, and the almost artful dishabille of her robes, she looked like something straight out of a dirty wood-cut of old. Perhaps, years and years after the fact she might see the humor in it, but for now she was a shocked, vulnerable sixteen year old girl.

She finally managed some amount of modesty, though the final product looked more like a bathrobe than her normal put-together appearance. All the same, when she turned back around her arms were folded tightly across her chest. ".......so," she said, after staring at him for a long moment. Her voice was much higher than usual. "I-I...ex...an e-explanation is warranted, I should think. Sir."