The Yuki Estate (Open and Accepting)

[Kirenai Yuki]

Kirenai Yuki

Kire smiles as she brushes herself off, and lifts up her kimono, revealing a bit of blood on her ankle. She waves it off as she says, "Just a small cut. Akio can take care of it when we get home. His healing skills are almost on par with my own, seeing as I can't heal myself. Nothing to fret over. Thank you for your concern." She smiles softly and ruffles his hair. "So soft..." she murmurs before something catches her ear. She was well aware of the townspeople whispering about Ralashar. A frightening look fell upon Kire's face as she walks over to the closest whispering mass.

She smiles sweetly at the people, "Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice you are staring at my friend over there. Might I ask, has he done anything to you?"

A hush fell over the group as she waited. One man bravely stepped forward, "No, milady. We were just discussing his...race."

Kire blinks,"He is a Dire. Why does that matter?" She narrowed her eyes slightly.

The color from the man's face drained a bit slightly as he stuttered under Kire's look, "I hear they are a brutal people who descended from the original demon lord himself. Why is such a man here?"

Kire brings herself to full height, her air changing to a serious one, "I am very dissapointed at this notion. There is nothing to be afraid or wary of. Certainly nothing to rudely whisper and gossip about. This man has done nothing to you. He is a Dire, yes, but he is a person of honor. He is also," Her eyes narrow further to make her point, " A Lord of the Yuki Estate."

The groups' eyes widened as they looked over at Ralashar. They bowed to him as they would any noble and look back at Kire.

She smiles and nods with approval as she looks around to everyone. "This man has saved me more times than I can count. He is someone to be respected. Not talked about in hushed whispers. It doesn't matter who you are, it's what you do that matters in life. This man devoted his life to serving and protecting the Yuki Estate and he has done so excellently, that Lady Hanako herself bestowed a title to him." She smiles at the townspeople and walks over to Ralashar's side. She places a delicate hand on his arm and smiles. She is tugged away by some children as she crouches down to their level.

"Children, I fear it is time for us to get going." The collective 'awwwwwwww' of dissapointment always pulled at her heartstrings. "I know, but I will be back again to play with you soon." They all crowd her into a giant hug as she beams with joy. She looks over to her two companions, "Are you both ready?"

ShiShikin

shadowninjadog

[ShiShikin]

▬▬▬▬◆ I Am At: Orphanage in townxxx◆ With: Kirenai and Ralasharxxx◆ Doing: Planning another errand.
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:Tab:Tetsuya watches as Kirenai lifts up her kimono to reveal a cut that have a small amount of blood on it. Thank goodness it is just a scrape. If it was anything worse he might have to carry her back to the estate which is...not such a bad idea. The man immediately reprimand himself for thinking like that. She is the daughter of Lady Hanako and a good friend to the Fudo family. Nothing more than that. Plus he is aware that Lady Hanako wants her to be engaged to Akio so best to keep his thoughts to himself. Before he realizes it Kirenai is ruffling her fingers through his hair causing the fox to stiffen a bit. He would normally grab her wrist and remind her that she should not be doing this when she is close to Akio but seeing as the boy is still at the estate he can only respond with a sigh. She really have to learn to not be so touchy with man else she will, one day, give someone the wrong attention. As much as he wants to say this he knows she is far too stubborn to listen to him and thus resorts to sarcasm instead, "Is this payback for the teasing this morning? If it is you have to do better than that." His voice is obviously laced with sarcasm but he will leave it up to Kirenai to decide how to react to it. Not a moment later Kirenai have taken her fingers out of his hair and goes over to talk with a small group of people. Tetsuya returns to entertaining the children but his ears are locked onto the conversation between Kirenai and the group. And he does not like what he hears. The people here seem to have their own prejudice. Something Tetsuya is very familiar with. While the fox tries to remain as normal as he can be it is not difficult to notice his sudden silence. Half of him want to set them straight but this is not his lands and he is not charge. Luckily Kirenai have already done this which puts the fox a bit at ease. Kirenai soon announces that they will need to leave causing all the kids to let out a long aww' although Kirenai promises that they will come back to visit.

:Tab:At these words the girl that was playing with Tetsuya earlier looks up at him with pleading eyes and the fox simply nods with a smile as if to reassure her of it. The girl smiles back as a reply and wonders off to follow the other children. Looking back at Kirenai he finds that she is, once again, touching Ralashar's arm. Seriously she needs to stop being so touchy with other man else she would jeporadize her friendship with Akio. However he does not comment on this and simply sighs as he ruffles his hair once again. Kirenai asks him if he was ready to which Tetsuya replies with a nod, "If you plan to head back to estate bring Ralashar with you. I still have a sword to purchase and...well..." Tetsuya's voice seems to trail off. Obviously the fox is hiding something but he feels that it is his own personal business and that he should not drag a member of the Yuki family into it. After all the errand he fails to talk about is sort of close to his heart and he does not want people intruding into things that are not their business. Wanting to quickly change the subject Tetsuya looks over to Ralashar and asks, "So do you prefer a kantana or ninjato?" Obvious evasion is obvious. But as of now the fox does not wish to speak of his other errands or about his reasoning for keeping it secret.

Kirenai Yuki

ShadowNinjaDog

[Benji Bent]

Ralashar remained silent and still as the people continued to talk so much and obvious that Lady Kirenai finally noticed. He looked to the side as she walked over already uninterested in such words and how the people felt. Their slight worry was not misplaced with someone of the Dire and Ralashar felt no different over himself. They were right to fear Dire wrath and brutality. Their reaction to his title and her statement caused him to glance over to them all as they bowed. Now this was a sight he was far from familiar with as they all paid him sudden respects. '..They were right to fear..' He thought to himself before shifting his head away so he was no longer facing them, trying not to let his face show too much.

He didn't seem too used to people paying respects and such and his slight sigh concreted that fact pretty quickly. As Lady Kirenai set her hand on his arm he simply nodded a moment, bowing his head to her before looking away once again. With that the people swiftly made their exits, a few remaining to watch the Yuki family and companions interact with the people and misfortunate. When she asked if he was ready and flicked his head down in response, pushing off from the wall and turning on his heel quickly and made his way to the exit. He turned to Tetsuya a moment when he posed his question after saying he should take her home and then looked back to the road.

"...An Odachi. Have the end of the hilt hollowed out." He said suddenly, the request rather strange considering the practicality of such a weapon. But he stated the request and then turned back to them, looking to Lady Kirenai for her answer on where they would be going and what she planned to do. He seemed a little uneasy at this point. But not a dangerous type more or less stressed out or nervous. "...These people should never bow to a Dire." He stated suddenly before looking back to Tetsuya before letting his arms rest across his chest once again.

ShiShikin

Kirenai Yuki

[Kirenai Yuki]

Kirenai Yuki

Kire notes on Tatsuya's sketchy behavior, but lets it goes. She closes her hand and opens it, letting a few apple blossom petals float in the wind. "That's fine, Tatsuya." She looks at Ralashar, still ruminating about what Tatsuya is hiding. She would know soon enough. "Shall we, Ral?" She tried out a nickname and giggled. Surely it would annoy the Dire but she wanted to try. "It matters not what you are here. No one should prejudice you simply based on your history or your race. Kitsunes aren't always benevolent creatures, either. There are the Nogitsune, the kitsunes of void or darkness. You should give yourself more credit, darling. " She walks off to the road that led to the Main House, wondering what Akio and her mother were discussing.

ShiShikin

shadowninjadog

[Royal OneeSama]

Hanako watches as they leave and turns to Akio. "Come, Akio." She stood and walks into the house, down a hallway and into a big room, made for meetings of the families and important affairs. Hanako sat at the head seat as she looked upon the Akiyama heir. "Now, boy. You've been childhood friends with my daughter. Wouldn't you want to be more?" She tilts her head and waits for his answer. As she waits, she quietly observes the child before her. He has grown into quite the handsome man. She was aware of his mother setting him up to meet other girls, but she knew from Akio that they had fallen through. She smiles a bit to herself. Such a kind boy.

Akio Akiyama

[InariKamiSama]

Akio's face was crimson as he scrambled and stuttered for an answer, "O-Of course I want more! I just don't want it to seem... forced..I love Kirenai, but I want her to want me..." His ears were pressed to his head slightly. "I know I'm not exactly the best looking guy.. But I'm strong with magic and physical weapons, I'm an expert strategist...I can cook.. what I'm trying to say is that I would cherish Kire and love her as a good husband should...." He looks at Lady Hanako and smiles weakly. "When it comes to Kire.. I just fall apart."

[ShiShikin]

▬▬▬▬◆ I Am At: Road leading back to the main housexxx◆ With: By himselfxxx◆ Doing: The blossoms are lovely today.
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:Tab:Tatsuya watch as both Kirenai and Ralashar start heading back down the road that leads to the main house. Once they have vanish from view he let out a soft sigh. apologizes Lady Kirenai but this is something I have to do on my own. With that the fox turns on his heels and ventures further into town. He eventually comes across a local inn which have a restaurant built in. Not a place for nobility but he needs to stop here to pick something up. Stepping inside he is greeted by the chatter of the other customers that have made this place their regular go-to for a good lunch. He sits himself down and orders a light meal when the server came. yes he plans to eat something here but the main reason for this visit is that he is waiting for a message from home. Pretty soon Tatsuya's ears catches onto the front door as it opens and he looks back as a fork-tailed neko enters the inn and sits in the chair across from him. This is Benki, one of the people that serves the Fudo family as a guardsman. The cat takes out a small scroll and places it onto the table in front of him causing Tatsuya to sigh. This does not go unnoticed by the feline as the guy simply raises an eyebrow at the fox's reaction.

"You don't like receiving your mother's letters anymore?"

:Tab:"You read me wrong Benki." Tatsuya takes the scroll off of the table and stuffs it into his robe so that he can get it back out if need be, "Every letter I read my mother's health gets gradually worse. I am just afraid that one day I will open one up to find her dead. If only I could find a way to ease her from that illness." The fork-tailed neko remains silent knowing well he cannot pretend to know what the fox is going through. Being far away from home without any way to look after his illing mother must be a hard experience. Plus the fact he cannot come back home without causing an uproar only adds to this. Tatsuya catches onto the feline's suddenly silence which causes him to smirk, "If you have time to worry about me you are best off looking after my father. Without me around he will have to fill in my place as the stand in's adviser as well as the leader of the Fudo family militia." With that said the fox gets up from his seat. The cat tries to say something back but is stop upon looking at Tatsuya's eyes. "I will reform the Fudo Matriarch's infrastructure. When I come back home the lands will be a place the Fudo family will be proud of." His eyes shows unwavering determination which is reinforced by the tone of his voice. Right now Tatsuya is unable to return home but he is dead set on making sure that the Fudo family will be proud of him when he does return. And hopefully the people will see that his gender does not make him less of a capable, and kind, ruler than his mother was. The neko can only simply smile at the young males vigorous spirit and shrugs causing the fox to grin. Tatsuya walks out of the inn causing the neko to lean back into the chair. That boy. He takes after his mother. Before too long the server returns with the order only to find that Tatsuya have left. The moment Benki mentions that the fox is gone the server presents him with the bill causing the neko to shout, "Tatsuya you jerk!"

:Tab:Sadly those words never reaches the fox's ears as Tatsuya is already a good distance away at a local blacksmith. He could have gone to one that specialized more in swords but the fox always tries to help the local families whenever he is able. After tell the smith about the weapon he wanted forged the fox stands waiting for a few minutes. A petal from an apple blossom sweeps pass him and Tatsuya snatches it in his hand. He slowly opens his palm allowing the petal to once again be picked up by the breeze. I wonder how long it will take before I can see mother again. The last time he saw the blossoms was during the sakura festival last summer. And now here he is seeing the apple blooms by himself. Such a sad thought causes his ears to drop but only briefly when his ears sudden perks up at the sound of footsteps. The smith have returned with a newly forged odachi made with the best metals that was allowed. The new blade was wrapped in a cloth to prevent it from being scratched and the smith hands it over to Tatsuya. The fox gives his thanks and pays for the blade before heading down the road that leads to the main house. While he does not talk much his mind is in overdrive as he tries to figure out his first step to rebuilding the lands that his family have been in charge of.

[Kirenai Yuki]

Kirenai Yuki

The apple blossom petals had done their job following Tatsuya. Kire normally didn't so such things, but she was a tad concerned for Suya's behavior. Now she knew why. As they gathered back into her hands, she closed them. She opens her hands again and there was nothing. She would not say anything to Tatsuya. She did not want to cause more stress on him. He had enough of that from his land. She looks over to Ralashar and puts a finger to her lips with a smile, indicating not to mention it to anyone. After all Kitsune were tricksters. They all had their tricks. Covert recon was hers.

ShiShikin

shadowninjadog

[Benji Bent]

Ralashar simply remained silent as he let Lady Kite lead the way back to the estate, his attention off of the village for now as he thought over the children and the people. He looked to her as she labeled him with her own nickname and paused to mull over the idea of such a thing. He was always Ralashar or whatever his Mistress decided to label him. He paused when she mentioned trying to be easier on himself and to forget what he was around the people. "...But you have goals. Your kind always has an outcome or plan. Dire want blood. There is no objective to their slaughter or battles. When on a battlefield most Dire will end the enemy first and then turn on each other if their wrath isn't fulfilled. Unless allied to a stronger Dire or leader they will often go mad." He stated suddenly to shatter the small silence, walking on the path beside her with his hands resting at his side.

While he was not the same as the ones he described he knew what they were like and was very much aware of their methods. In truth he may have been responsible for a few of the orphaned people in the Yuki lands before joining them. The thought caused a tinge in his chest before he let a small breath out and watched her retrieve some apple blossoms. No doubt more tricks from the Lady. He nodded simply and remained silent after his little speech.

ShiShikin

Kirenai Yuki

[ShiShikin]

▬▬▬▬◆ I Am At: Road towards the Main Housexxx◆ With: Kirenai and Ralasharxxx◆ Doing: Trying to distract himself
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:Tab:Tatsuya takes his time walking back to the main house. He observes the people of town as they continue to bustle about the roads either to rush to buy some goods or to do an errand of their. Such a lively town brings a silent smile upon the fox's feature and on the inside he wishes that his own lands will one day be able to be up to par to this one. But first I have to rebuild the Fudo Matriarch from the ground up. Just thinking about it is enough to make him exhausted but Tatsuya will not be the one to give up so easily. Not when his own people, and family, depend on him to make the lands a better place for them. After a bit of walking he actually manages to somehow catch up to Kirenai and Ralashar which sort of surprises him. After all the two had a good head starts so he was sort of expecting them to be at the main house at this point. "And here I thought you two would be at the main house by now." The fox makes his presence known and he tosses a cloth wrapped blade to the Dire, "Hallowed hilt tip like you asked. But you owe me a nighttime spar for it." Reminding Ralashar of the spar that they had agreed upon earlier. The sword may not be up to par compared to the man's current weapon of choice but it is the best tha human hands can make. Tatsuya catches up to the two and ruffles Kirenai's hair a bit, "For messing up my hair back at the orphanage. I swear you spent the morning trying to fix it only to mess it up again." The words come off as somewhat jokingly but he is just complimenting her in his own way. After all he is not as straightforward as Akio is sometimes and one needs to read in between the lines to really get what he means sometimes. But he will leave that up to Kirenai to decide.

:Tab:The rest of the journey back to the main house is awfully quiet. Tatsuya, who have been rather outspoken at the start of the trip, is uncharacteristically silent. Not because he hates the company of the two but he is still aware of the letter that he is carrying with him. Should he open the letter and risk finding out his mother might be dead or should he save himself the heartache? Of course any son would want to know how his mother is doing but when the last few letters being nothing but bad new Tatsuya cannot help but feel a bit anxious about opening another. Again the fox ruffles his hair. A sign of him being either unsure or a bit perplexed. He is definitely not going to be able to get a well rest tonight. That much he is sure about but he is not going to tell that to Kirenai anytime soon. He does not need to drag the girl into this mess. Wanting to get his mind off the letter for a bit the fox finally speaks up, "So Lady Kirenai what kind of tea do you think is best?" Everyone at the main house enjoys tea. Tatsuya included, "Might drink some before I get back to my studies. Or at least before I try to catch up on my sleep." The last sentence is but a murmur although it is nothing too important. For someone like Tatsuya small talk is not a rarity but the subject of tea is something he made up on the spot to distract himself. If he continued to think upon the letter from his mother he would have likely drove himself into a deeper spiral than is needed which is not a good thing for his mental health.

Kirenai Yuki

ShadowNinjaDog

[Kirenai Yuki]

Kirenai Yuki

Kire smiles a bit as Ralashar explained how Dires were. "I feel like you are not most Dire, dear." She left it at that as she continued to walk at her leisure. She rather enjoyed being outside. She takes a deep breath of the air and catches a familiar scent. She smiles as the last apple blossom petal that had attached itself to Tatsuya returned, disappearing from sight as he came up to them. 'And here I thought you two would be at the main house by now.' She looks back and smiles, "I decided to take the pace slower and enjoy a leisurely walk back. It's such nice weather.." Her hair shimmered as the sun set, giving it an almost golden glow. "I always preferred apple blossom and jasmine tea. It is light, but pleasantly fragrant." They get to the gate and Kire opens it. She looked around and saw no one. She figured Akio and her mother were still talking. She turns to Tatsuya and bows. Then, before he could react, she takes a flash step inches from his face, ruffling his hair. She may like to walk at leisure, but she was the fastest moving creature at the estates, surpassing even her mother and Akio. Her giggles were clear bells as she pats his head, stepping back. "You need sleep I think." She turns and walks off without a reply, through the door to the main house.

ShiShikin

shadowninjadog

[Benji Bent]

Ralashar had no reply for Kire when she mentioned he wasn't like his actual people. He looked to the side when she left it at that and inhaled gently before looking back to her. '...You are very trusting Lady Kirenai...I wish you were right... ' he thought to himself before continuing to walk with her. It had been a slow and enjoyable pace as he kept and eye out, his body shifting as a familiar voice called out to them.

He caught the blade with his left hand, holding it still for a moment before allowing his right hand to slowly trail across it. He then tapped the hilt and nodded slightly at the work before holding it at his side, the entire blade rather large even for him. " Thank you Master Tetsuya. We can spar whenever you desire." he said simply before continuing the walk to the estate. He had little to say on the action between Kire and Tetsuya considering he had no say on such manners. He was his own man now but still held no official power on the realm. But was that something he wanted to do..? Gain some power and start his way up the ladder? He had the determination if it came to it. But that would mean dealing with Hanako. He couldn't harm his Mistress even if he needed to.

When they arrived he simply remained at the side of Kire, following his natural duty to attend to the Yuki line as he had been for some time now. Did this man ever do something independently..?

ShiShikin

Kirenai Yuki

[Royal OneeSama]

Hanako merely watched as Akio let his feelings known to her. Her heart melted at the sight of it. She loved this child dearly as her own and she knew that what he said was true. He would treasure Kire until his last day. She held her emotions in check as she leaned back a bit, "You have a bit of a road ahead of you, my little kit. Kire has many suitors and so far, none have even begun to interest her. I give you permission to court her, but you need to let your feelings known to her, Akio. Else, Im afraid she will never catch on." She brings a hand to her chin. "I wish you luck, my dear. You might have another contender coming soon as well. And you might not like this one." She chuckles as she thinks of the other boy, but she doubted he would act on such things.

ShiShikin

[ShiShikin]

▬▬▬▬◆ I Am At: The Yuki Estatexxx◆ With: Kirenai and Ralashar >> Himselfxxx◆ Doing: Going towards the kitchen.
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:Tab:Tatsuya listens as Ralashar thanks him for the blade. While it does not annoy the fox much it is one of his tics and the guard have been hitting it a bit, "Ralashar is it really needed for you to attach the word Master to my name?" He have kept silent about it the first couple of times since he figured the Dire was just being respectful. But even so Tatsuya still finds it a bit unnerving to have people call him that. Even the people back at home knows he prefers to not have honorifics attached to his name. "I am not a Yuki Ralashar. And even if I was it will only make it harder for me to spar with you if you keep that up." Of course whether or not the guard continues with using the word master is up to him but the fox will continue to be adament about getting the guy to stop if he does decide to continue using such titles.

:Tab:The fox's attention is drawn towards Kirenai, however, as she mention about the weather being nice. A smile writes itself across the kitsunes face upon hearing those words. They bring up the many happy memories that he had before coming to the Yuki Estate but it will be a while before he opens up enough to share any of them with anyone. He simply nods in agreement with Kirenai's statement and watch as she open the front gates of the estate. When Kirenai bows to him the fox have to let out a sigh. Did he not just explained to Ralashar that he was not one to like being formal when outside a political setting? However the next thing Tatsuya knows the girl is in his face once again ruffling his hair. However Tatsuya does not reel back or looks shock. The exact opposite to be exact. One of his ears is somewhat lobed down but that smirk and raise eyebrow seem to suggest that she have failed to catch him by surprise. However to see her giggle at such an act causes the fox to smile and chuckle briefly. Her childish laughter is starting to become contagious. She once again tell him that he needs to sleep. Didn't I just tell her this morning that sleep was not easy for me? However instead of saying that he follows after Kirenai and suddenly decides to hug her from behind. Of all of Tatsuya's teasing ways this is one act that is unexpected. A smile paints the fox's face as he brings his mouth close to Kirenai's ears, "You are a very kind soul Kire. Don't you go changing that for anything." The words are spoken in such a low whisper that only Kirenai can hear them. Tatsuya then pecks Kirenai lightly on the cheek before unwrapping his arm around her body. He does not know how Ralashar will react and if anyone else sees it they will assume that Tatsuya was just being Tatsuya. After all the guy have been known to tease the poor girl. But the actions behind that hug and light kiss is not out of need to get a rise from Akio. It is a way for the fox to show her that he appreciated her always trying to look out for him as well as some minor affection. The last part something Tatsuya will never allow himself to admit to. After all Kirenai already has someone to show affection to her thus Tatsuya knows to keep her at arm's length when emotions are involved. Thus why he never takes courtship seriously even though he does tend to do things that normal man should not be doing. Like teasing her in front of her fiancee.

:Tab:He lets Kirenai a few seconds to recover from his surprise hug before walking pass her, "Think I will have apple blossom and jasmine tea. Looks like everyone else have gone somewhere so I might as well make up for the lunch I failed to eat." Now that is a bit of useless info. Maybe he is hoping Kirenai will accompany him for tea? Oh well he did not ask directly so she if free to do what she wants. As he wonders down the hall of the estate he cannot help but realize how empty it seem to be. Lady Naeko and her son seem to be gone along with Lady Hanako. The three must be discussing about the set up which causes the fox to slightly sigh. Honestly if they wanted Kirenai and Akio to be together they should just say it outright already. The thought causes Tatsuya to sigh which, in turn, causes a smirk to paint itself across his face, "I am sighing more than usual today." He is definitely going to need some tea to shake this off. The fox quickens his pace a bit hoping to reach the kitchen before anyone notices his return.

OOC:

I think you might have quoted the wrong person Hanako. You need to quote Akio I think.

Kirenai Yuki

ShadowNinjaDog

[Kirenai Yuki]

ooc

She's at work. I'll have her fix it when she gets home lol