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 Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 8:21 pm
Sakn puffed his chest up, the epitome of bravery-and stupidity- when Ran questioned his strength. In his mind, Sakngea was certain he could move mountains if he wished! He was stronger then strong, and most definitely capable of fight off the three of them.
Yet, every time he opened his mouth, yet another person would speak, which caused his anger to rise and rise. His glare flickered from Ran to Jianyu to Ishtar, and when the woman finished her threat, his whole body stiffened.
How dare she think to threaten him. The redhead's lips curled into a dark smile. It was a promise for a fight, something that Sakn would eagerly accept. But, in his mind, what was the point in waiting for tomorrow? He had already insulted the spirits(or perhaps they found this liveliness entertaining?), so why hold back.
He took a step forward, arm drawing back to start the fight; aiming for the mad woman's infuriating -albeit quiet beautiful- face. He would hit her so hard that the air would explode from her lungs. He would show her!
But, as he went to swing forward, a small hang grabbed at his arm. The weight of the body connected to that hand caused him to jerk to a sudden, and unexpected stop. He blinked several times, face close to Ishtar, though his look was now one of confusion mingled with rage.
"C'mon Sakn, please. Let's just go." the voice begged, and for a moment Sakn didn't register who's voice that was. All he could see, all he could hear; all of his being was pure anger. For a moment he even thought to spin and hit the person who had dared to stop him.
He jerked his arm forward, attempting to remove the hand from his arm, but felt the fingers tighten and his arm was again tugged back. "Sakngea." the voice said again, and the boy recognized the voice this time as Xiu's, yet his anger remained.
Sakn wasn't going to leave! NEVER! He was a man, and this woman had insulted him. And threatened him. And just generally pissed him off. Again the bumpkin boy attempted to pull his arm from Xiu's small (but stubborn!) grip. He wanted to hit them, show them who was best!
Then he noticed something. Something that caused his face to pale and his stomach to drop. Red hair, bobbing through the crowds, a glimpse of an angry woman's face, accompanied by an angry mother's voice that pierced through the general cacophony of the crowd:
"SAKNGEA!"
The boys stomach dropped. Oh no. Anything but her! Anything at all. With stumbling steps, the boy spun on a foot, running from a fight he had, just seconds earlier, been dying to start. He felt Xiu's hand leave his arm as he turned, but the boy looked so relieved that he didn't think to move. So Sakn grabbed the back of his small monk-friends robes and yanked him backwards and through the crowd. (He did call to Ishtar as he ran though. He called back: "BETTA'NOT DISAPOIN'ME, GIRLY!" Though it was left to be questioned if 'Girly' meant Ishtar or Jianyu.)
He would do anything (even run away from a fight!) to get away from that she-devil that was his mother. Thankfully the crowd had thinned slightly, and there was less pushing and shoving needed to maneuver through the crowd. This made Sakn quiet happy, and even as he ran (half-dragging Xiu behind him), he felt his anger give way as a calming feeling washed over him.
Taking a sharp turn, the boys came to a halt in an alleyway, and Sakn put his hands on his knees and exhaled sharply before he felt something bubbling in his chest.
Next thing he knew he was laughing. Laughing so hard it hurt; so hard that his eyes teared up.
Maybe, in the end, Festival wasn't so bad. Or at least not boring.
"Sorry," he managed to gasp between laughs, "X-xiu."
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 9:07 pm
Huang was sure that he had seen Eiji and although the boy looked at him, Huang could tell that Eiji barely even recognized him. Why am I not surprised? Huang shook his head as he try to speak up through the crowd to Eiji and reintroduce himself, however Eiji was distracted and the crowd grew more populated, sending him down a torrent of rushed Lunarians.
As he escaped, he noticed that he had landed himself oddly enough in front of the grave where his brother Xiao and his fiancee were. Huang stared before shaking him, this night had been an odd amount of acquaintances and friends to talk to, and Huang had been introduce to two new people. Joining his brother and Shu, they kneeled before the grave.
"Ah, Huang did you get lost from your companions?" Xiao patted Huang on his back before smiling to Shu, "It is a good thing that the goddess sent you to us then, for it is time for us to retire and for me to return our lovely woman to her home." shu blushed before smiling and nuzzling into Xiao's arms.
"Yeah, Too bad I left Yue and Jianyu alone." Huang sighed but shook his head, those two would be fine and he would see them again, the festival did go on for another two days!
((OOC: OM GSO LOST SO I AM PULLING HUANG OUT LOLOLOL OTL TILL NEXT TIME THOUGH /shakes fist at Honey/ ))
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 9:27 pm
All hell was going to break loose. He just knew it. Somewhere inside, his gut was yelling to just run away and damn the consequences. And for one bleak, terrifying moment, he thought Sakngea was actually going to punch him in the face. He saw his friend jerk and whirl halfway towards him. Xiu tensed, waiting, feeling the anger from Sakn and Ishtar simply radiating in waves. Thank the gods that Sakn only tried to shake him off.
Xiu was about to say something before he distantly heard a woman’s voice yelling for Sakngea. Then it was like a wind demon had suddenly spirited him away. “GAH!” Xiu yelped in surprise as he was jerked backwards at top speed. He tripped and stumbled, watching Jianyu and the others get smaller and smaller. Vaguely Xiu realized that Sakn was dragging him off. For what reason he didn’t know.
Unable to dig his feet into the ground to stop, Xiu just waited until the ride was over. Finally the world stopped whooshing passed him and Sakn’s laughter filled the alley way.
“Sakngea?” Xiu asked, thinking his friend had gone insane. But then that infectious laughter started to get to him and Xiu started laughing too! “Gods, you fool!” He chuckled affectionately, giving the redhead a push as he regained himself. “You do have a penchant for trouble, huh? C’mon. I’ll walk you home in case you need more back up.” The last part was said in a half teasing manner. Like Xiu would be any help in that department. He just wanted to walk home with his friend.
And that's what he did, despite the distance.
((ooc: OH just wait Nyx. Day two will be filled with fun and shenanigans! *u*b ))
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 10:22 pm
Jianyu cast a warning look down to Ishtar just before she stopped herself from speaking. She had slid an arm around his waist, but he had a feeling the gesture was not meant to be romantic; merely it was a tactic to keep herself from creating further tension by turning the situation physical. His fingertips tightened on her bare arm as Ishtar spoke, and Jianyu resisted the urge to cover her mouth with his hand.
My, what fire she has...was she always this way?
The answer was yes, of course. Ishtar had always been one to speak her beliefs without any pretense. But this time it seemed there was something...rough about her actions; as if her words were frayed at the edges. Jianyu was not quite certain as to the reason behind it, but it was part of why he could not stay mad at her, even with her temper. There was something very unexpectedly vulnerable about Ishtar, something he could not leave alone despite her brash nature.
He glanced over at Xiu. The boy was looking somewhat desperate now, yanking on Sakngea's clothing. Jianyu offered him an apologetic smile, giving a small shrug before turning back to the redhead. He was about to say something when a loud voice screamed Sakngea's name.
Oh my, Jianyu thought, raising an eyebrow. There are two of them..?
The boy had a somewhat panicked expression on, which quickly turned to a smirk as he darted away, caterwhauling behind him. Jianyu scowled, resisting the very childish urge to stick his tongue out at Sakngea as Xiu and Ran also departed.
"The idiot." he muttered, meaning Sakngea as he shook his head. Turning back to Ishtar, Jianyu let his arm drop, folding his hands into his sleeves.
"I must find my family." he said. "But I wish to speak with you more. Meet me sometime tomorrow, at the Festival."
Bending his head, Jianyu brushed a quick, friendly kiss to her cheek and gave her a small bow of respect before straightening, turning around and disappearing back into the crowd.
Tomorrow will be another day, he thought as he made his way through the throngs of people. Tomorrow I shall go and pick up Yue on my way to the Festival and we will meet with the others.
What will tomorrow bring, I wonder?
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 10:24 pm
 Day Two :: The Celebration :: Begin.
Mid to late afternoon. A little cooler than the previous day, though still warm enough for short sleeves. Dress is much simpler than Ribbon Day; relaxed, comfortable, and festive, easy to move around in to participate in all of the events. There are multiple booths and stands around with games, musical, dance, and theater events, as well as many food stands and crafts tables.
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 12:28 am
Another lovely day. It seemed Lunaria had forgiven Her children for their transgressions on such a hallowed tradition.
Breathing in deeply of the afternoon air, Li smiled to herself against the sweet taste of the blue sky; the food court's allure was unmistakable amongst the booths of crafts and games, a constant come-hither tug. Luckily, she wasn't hungry enough to justify making her way there just yet, and as it were, something far more intriguing caught her attention: the music. The dulcet strains of wind and string lead her by her ear-fins more assuredly than any delectable scent, filled with an inward thrill of joy as she found the area she sought. Lunarians playing their instruments while yet others still swayed and danced in flashes of color and cloth, the onlookers donning peaceful smiles or encouraging applause...this was where she wanted to be. With her pride worn as a mantle over her black cheongsam, fingers idly tracing the red embroidery by her neck before she stepped into the throng to join the audience.
Li decided she'd visit the crafts and take a gander at the games at a later time during the day, settling amongst the celebrating Lunarians with ease. For now, she was happy to listen to the sweet story that the music told to those who listened, hands folded together and resting just beneath her collar bone, debating in joining the merry making. It did her heart well to see the strength and unity the Lunarians still possessed despite the war that darkness covered.
(( Li`s outfit, withouttheprovocativeposecoughhack ))
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 3:20 am
(HE IS NOT WEARING THAT SARONG IN THE SAME WAY THE PERSON IS IN THE PICTURE. lololol hes wearing it like a normal sarong. OTL )
It had seemed, to begin with, that Sakn would get away with his little disappearing act the first night of Festival. His mother didn’t complain at all when she arrived home; didn’t lecture, didn’t yell, didn’t even bother the redheaded youth. He slept peacefully, barely moving an inch.
Then came morning.
Upon waking up, Sakn found himself staring at what his mother had chosen for him to wear to the celebration today. And upon seeing it his stomach dropped. There was no way he would be seen in that! Never! Never, ever, ever, ever ever. Of course, he went to his father for support, complaining about how embarrassing it was, and how no man should have to ever wear that.
Issue was, his mother (curse her demon soul!) had already gotten to Noreaksey, and had convinced her husband -through some kind of trickery!, for sure!- to take her side in all of this. And while his dad explained in a very monotone, sorry-kid-I-gotta-do-it-way that he had to listen to his mother today because Sakngea had ditched her last night, blah blah, hurt her feelings, blah blah, personal slave, all Sakn could think about was that thing.
And then he found out that was just the beginning.
Children ran screaming through the wide venue at the celebration. Sakn liked to imagine they were running from him because of how frightening he looked. Sadly though, he didn’t look very frightening at all. In fact, if people had eyed him yesterday for what he had worn, today was ten times worse (or maybe a hundred!).
Dressed in yet another sarong, but a pale off-white color this time around, and made of a fine cottony fabric (Sakn was at a loss as to where his mother found the money to buy these nice, random pieces of physical embarrassment). Small shells hung from the hem, and clinked annoyingly as he walked, which caused the boys face to flush even more then it already did. He was the center of attention, and while he usually enjoyed it, today Sakn just wanted to crawl under a rock.
And to sum it up, his mother had forced him to bath and when he attempted to braid his wet hair, she slapped his hands before combing his locks out, stating that today he would be leaving his hair down and unbraided. And, again, this usually wouldn’t bother Sakn (he let his hair hang loose all the time when he was alone at home). Except he was to be surrounded by people he barely knew--or knew at all!-- and he didn’t want to look like a girl! But his father wouldn’t back him up and his mother insisted.
She wouldn’t even let him pull it back into a tie, and so he had to walk about with his hair hanging (slightly wavy from being stuck in braids so often) and a dark green krama draped over his bare shoulders (shirtless, again) in an attempt to cover himself a bit from the sun.
He spent a bit of time with his mother, as he had promised, enduring the coos and pinches (in places a man should not be pinched!) he got from her city friends (the reason he hated city folk) over his outfit. The compliments about his undone hair, the shells on his skirt (SARONG!) and so on and so forth. He nearly cried for joy when she said he could go, and with the speed of the devil, the boy booked it down the venue.
He loved Celebration. It was a fun day, made for laughter and enjoyment. Food stalls littered the streets, and people laughed and the air was so much nicer. No somber feelings, no sadness. And he could actually do something enjoyable today. Like play some checkers.
Sakn soon, after sitting down and pouring out his polished black and white stones from their small bag he kept on him, found himself surrounded by curious children who would touch his hair or sit close to him as he set up a game. He tried, at first, to scare them off, but his attempts were half-assed and truly, he didn’t mind their company (he even sullenly, with much glaring and complaining, let a couple girls make little braids in his hair--flowers was where he cut the line though!). Some of the older ones even sat down to play a game or two with him.
“Com’n! Really!?” the redheads voice broke through the crowd as he lost yet another game to a small boy. They were betting loose change (the kinda change that you could by sweet buns and small candies with today) on the games, and he had lost two times already, and to the same kid! It was frustrating, and Sakn watched as his pocket cash slowly dwindled. If he didn’t win soon (cuz he wasn’t gunna back out!), he wasn’t going to be able to get a sweet bun later! “Y’sure you ain’t cheatin’?” he accused the young kid, who looked at him with a grin (missing his two front teeth) as he moved yet another piece, taking one of Sakn’s.
“GODS DAMN IT ALL!” Sakngea roared as the children surrounding him laughed and clapped their hands. And while he was frustrated, Sakn couldn’t help but grin. It was too good a day to be too angry, and he figured he’d win the next round any ways.
Or the one after that.
Hopefully.
Of course, he was only acting this way for the kids. He was still manly of course.
(ahem....the nice side of sakn. which wont last long once someone notices him that he actually knows. OTL he will completely DENY everything. and
i rambled. /fail)
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 10:41 am
Kiran sighed with relief as he made his way toward the festival with his sister at his side. He was still forced to wear what his mother reserved for his festival clothing. But today, the clothing was much less restricting and not as itchy as the yukata that he had to wear the previous day. He managed to escape the house in a dark blue vest and long pants, similar to something he would wear normally. His sister also dressed in blue, wearing a sleeveless dress, though Kiran wasn't sure he approved of it. Already, he could see a few boys eying his sister, and he disliked that. He didn't trust random strangers who might hurt his sister.
Ever since they grew old enough, their parents had allowed them to wander off to the festival on their own, after their mother made certain they were wearing appropriate festival clothing, of course. And since that time, it had become their little tradition to always go to the festival together. Kiran could have left on his own, leaving his sister to enjoy the festival with their parents, but he preferred being able to keep his own eye on his sister to ensure her safety. If something were to happen, not that he believed their parents would ever let something happen to her, but on the chance that something did happen, Kiran would feel guilty for not being there to protect his sister.
The first thing to catch his attention when they arrived was the music filling the area. Kiran never really got into the music scene. He had little talent for it, and music wasn't present often in his everyday life. But Xiuying's eyes lit up at the sound, and Kiran dreaded what he knew would be coming. Though music wasn't a big part of their lives, Xiuying did love to dance when given the chance. She had a natural grace to her that Kiran completely lacked.
"Why don't we go look at the food stands or the crafts?" Kiran suggested, hoping to divert his sister's attention from the idea of asking him to dance with her.
“GODS DAMN IT ALL!”
The nearby shout caught his attention, and the curious side of Kiran came out. He hardly noticed the pout on Xiuying's face as she followed along behind him. She kept a tight grip on his hand as they weaved through the crowd, not wanting to get lost from him. When he found the source of the shout, Kiran stared down at the red haired youth.
"What's going on here?" he asked curiously, wondering what the earlier shout had been about and about the polished stones set up between the red haired youth and the grinning kid sitting across from him.
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 12:01 pm
She couldn't bear to wake him up in the morning, still feeling apologetic for having lost him the previous day. He'd promised not to tell their parents- and Shan always kept his promises, so she was safe from the potential wrath of their parents, but really, she'd been too careless. Ruffling his hair gently, Enlei pulled Ruishan's blanket over him again, then kissed him on the cheek.
They would be going out again, later in the day, and she had better start getting ready- time to pick outfits! Enlei expected to be running around quite a lot today- there was so much to see, and then she had to make up for time lost yesterday. Though most of the booths and stands were the same every year, the fact that it was a festival made everything interesting again. As usual, Enlei supposed, they would go their normal route: walk up Main Street, then walk down it on the other side, so they wouldn't miss any stall.
As she dressed she pondered yesterday's events- and the people she'd met. Captainman, whose name was something like goldfish; lady-without-ribbon.. Ishtar? And their group of friends, whose names she hadn't quite caught. Enlei didn't quite believe in that know-your-enemy philosophy; she didn't want any emotional attachment to people she might end up having to kill someday.
With a sigh, Enlei toddled back over to her bed and flopped down on it. Nevermind the wrinkles in her clothes; she'd be getting more of those at the Festival later, anyway. The girl closed her eyes, half-ready to fall back asleep, until she felt a tug on her sleeve.
Minutes later they left the house, hand-in-hand; Enlei was determined to never leave her brother today, not even for a minute. As expected, the streets were crowded, though unlike yesterday, the air was almost static with excitement- and joy. Children were running around (how could their parents let them!) laughing and playing, some with goldfish, others with marbles; and then, in a corner, there was a small group clustered around a red-headed woman.
"Jiejie," Ruishan called, tugging at her hand and pointing at the lady. "Can we go look at that?"
"Sure," the older girl laughed, not bothering to take a closer look before they approached the group- at least, not until they were right in front.
The red-head (such pretty curls! Enlei was a tiny bit jealous, just a tiny bit) was a scantily clad (and flat-chested) lady with a manly voice and a pretty colourful vocabulary; Enlei was slightly regretting saying yes now (what if Ruishan picked up some of these words, the horror) but it was just a little too late to back away. And Ruishan was staring at her with those puppy-dog eyes (pleaaase, can I play?)
Enlei sighed. The lady seemed to be losing to a young child about Ruishan's age; it was a funny sight. Yet still she was good-naturedly grinning, and Enlei liked that.
"Wait for your turn, Shan."
She was so preoccupied with watching the game that she hadn't even noticed Kiran and Xiuying were nearby as well.
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 12:07 pm
The wood cover over her window had been slightly dislodged. Light filtered down on Yue Lao, who slept in her bundle of blankets. Chichi was singing downstairs, some wordless melody, while Yowai made breakfast. Yue didn't really want to get up, even for the celebration. She dragged one of the lighter blankets over her head to block out the light and lay on her side, her back to the window. The cheongsam she'd worn the day before was draped over the beam at the side of her lair. She was grateful not to have to wear it again for a while, and hoped Chichi would alter it to be a little longer, even if it meant layering it strangely. Yue didn't like being so exposed.
Finally, when she realized sleep was not returning to her, she pushed her blankets aside and changed into her under clothes, leaving her sleepwear folded on her pillow. Day two. She smiled, thinking of her new friend and re-encountering Huang Fu. She wondered about Ishtar and Jianyu, what had gone on before. There seemed like a kind of intimacy in some of the things they said, which was why she hadn't returned after getting a drink. Well, one of a few reasons. Her othermother had needed help at their stand, so she had stayed with her.
Yue stretched and yawned, stepping onto her ladder and climbing down to the main floor. She padded over to the breakfast table without saying anything and sat down, cross-legged, serving herself tea from Yowai's teapot. Whenever Yowai was home, there was a pot of tea on the table; Yowai was constantly drinking oolong. She said it cleansed her. "My sweet moon child, you should try this on!" Chichi said, from somewhere down the hall. How she had known Yue was up, she wasn't sure. Yue sighed and took another sip of her tea, placing the cup down.
"Don't worry, my love, it's much more... tame, today," Yowai assured her, smiling, from across the table. She had coarse paper in one hand, and her cup of tea in the other. She was reading an old story she had recorded from an elderly woman she had known as a child; even after all that time, it was still her favourite story. She often read it in the mornings.
Yue Lao smiled wryly at Yowai and put her tea down to comb through her hair and rebraid it while Chichi came around the corner with an embroidered over robe. Thankfully, it was modelled after the one she normally wore. Instead of being the plain magenta cloth she was used to, it was a fade of blushing pink and a soft cream colour with gold embroidery. Festive, but very similar in design to her usual robe. She put it on happily, content to be back in her usual style of clothing, even if the colours were a little softer than she was used to. "Thank you, Chichi. Will you be helping Yowai today?"
"Yes! As friends, of course, but... well, you know about that," Chishio said, smiling, though her eyes reflected her unhappiness at having to hide still. "So don't worry about helping us, alright? You stay with your friends." Chishio beamed at Yue. Traditionally, Yowai and Chishio spent the festival together, while Yue wandered off on her own. It wasn't that her family wasn't close, but Yue knew that both women had a lot of mourning to do, and a lot of celebrating, and it was usually better if they had time alone together. Yue made herself scarce, with contentment. Sometimes she took their place at the booth, so that they could continue on with their celebrations.
"Thank you, Chichi," Yue said, grinning. She finished her tea and set the mug down, getting up. "Wonder what today will hold," Yue mused to herself.
Yowai was staring at her with her soft smile, the one that said she knew things Yue was trying to hide. It was always disconcerting, and Yue really disliked it. Chishio left to go back into her sewing room, to finish Yowai's embroidered robe.
"My sweet, fiesty girl... soon, we're going to have to talk about something. You know what it is," Yowai proposed, looking back at the brush work, admiring a simple painting her own mother had added to the story for her. Yue Lao sighed and made a face.
"There's nothing to talk about. Just leave it to me," Yue assured her, grinning.
"Can't do everything alone, my dear," Yowai said, looking up over the pages. She smiled at Yue, but it was a worn one. She was clearly not going to let this one slide, whatever this one was. Despite Yowai believing Yue knew what she wanted to talk about, Yue didn't really know what it was Yowai needed to discuss. Yue wouldn't let it ruin her day, though. She was looking forward to maybe seeing some of her friends, playing some games.
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 2:36 pm
Sakn grouched, grumbled and groaned his way through the third game, face falling into sullenness as he watched the little boy before him (with his ivory fines and still-missing front teeth) steal-with ease- every one of his checker pieces. He had not expected to be losing to a little kid, and had bet more into these games then he probably should have. So, when the boy scooped up the last of Sakn's pieces, the red head shooed him off with a curse and a grunt (though the smile still gleamed in his eyes, even if his lips were in a frown). The boy bowed in faux-politeness before turning tail and booking it out of the crowd of people. Probably to go enjoy treats that Sakn wouldn't get to buy now. (Lucky brat!)
He glared at the rock set up before him before noticing that someone was speaking to him. Someone who wasn't a small child. The fisher boy looked up, squinting through the sun light, and found himself looking to the curious face of a blue-haired boy.
He tilted his head slightly as he processed the boy's question, before responding, "Whut dus it look like?", he raised an eyebrow then and began to once again set up his checker set. Sure, that boy may have beat him, but the next person would lose. Surely, and then Sakngea could get his money back and go get those delicious sweet buns!
He glanced back up again as he set out the rocks, and noticed that the boy was still staring at him, curious(and behind him was a strangely quiet girl who looked much like the boy...perhaps siblings?). The red head sighed, he disliked explaining things and really, it was a common game, everyone should know it!
"It's cawled checkers. Havn' y'heard of it befur? I's jussa simple game'f stratigy is awl," he finished the explanation lamely before letting his eyes momentarily scour the group of children before him. At first it looked like most of the people were perfectly fine just watching him, but then he saw two small kids watching him most intensely.
"You," Sakn said in his most manly, demanding voice (with the smile now visible on his face again) to Shan, "Y'look like y'wanna try," he then turned back to the first boy who had questioned him, "I's pretty simple really, iffin y'wanna watch'n'learn."
Sakn then waved his hand at the two younger kids who had shown up, motioning for Shan and Enlei to move in closer. "Well?" he barked when the small boy eyed him for a moment, "Y'gunna play wit'me or whut?"
While he watched, the boy decided to pull his hair back (maybe it would help him concentrate better if he felt less like a girl!) and tied it into a ponytail of sorts with his krama.
"Dun' anyone wanna play a game with Sakngea, master o'the checkers!" he exclaimed, mainly just because when he said it all the little kids that were surrounding him giggled and laughed at how silly the big redheaded hick sounded when he spoke.
Sakngea also thought it made him sound cool.
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 6:21 pm
Kiran frowned, trying to recall if he had ever played a game called checkers before. Maybe when he little, but that was so long ago, and he hardly remembered every little detail of his life. If he had played checkers before, he couldn't recall it.
"A game of strategy, eh? That sounds like it could be interesting," Kiran said, grinning as he crouched down to watch the youth play the game.
Xiuying sighed out a breath and shook her head. Knowing her brother, she knew it wouldn't be any time soon before he decided he was bored with watching the game. And there were still plenty of other sights to see! She had wanted to check the craft stands and see the theater and listen to the music, though it was loud enough to hear even here, and join in the dancing. All that seemed to be lost the moment Kiran got interested in the game.
Kiran looked toward the person the youth had addressed. "Ah!" he exclaimed as his eyes brightened with recognition. "It's you!" He thought back over his memories from the previous day to remember the girl's name. "Enlei!"
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 6:21 pm
Jianyu had meant to go pick up Yue on the way to the Festival, but was unexpectedly detained by a letter from his irresponsible, idiot brother - the very same one who had decided, quite suddenly, to elope with That Innkeeper's sister and causing him all sorts of problems. Junjie had written to say that he and the former Koga Natusko were quite happy together and living a few cities away and to not worry about them in the slightest love and kisses, Junjie and Suko.
Jianyu stared at the letter, debating on whether or not to crumple it up and toss it in the nearest fire, or simply shake his head in disgust and resignation. He had sent his sister to tell Yue to go on ahead of him and to not wait, considering he was nearly two hours behind schedule and was, in fact, still staring at the letter incredulously.
That idiot brother... Jianyu let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. Well, dwelling on it would not do much good. He stood, smoothing down his black silk pants and straightening his dark red and gold shirt. His mother had tried to get him to wear the traditional hat, but after some pointless arguing, Ehuang had realized that Jianyu had absolutely no intention of putting it on and had eventually given up.
Fifteen minutes later, Jianyu was crossing onto Main Street, barely able to make his way through the thick throngs of people milling about. Everything felt much more alive today; there was an undercurrent of energy and enthusiasm that one could not help but be swept away with. Jianyu felt the tension in his shoulders relaxing slightly as he stepped around people, giving them each nods of respect.
He needed something to drink. Jianyu stepped over to a nearby outdoor cafe, allowing himself to be seated. A few moments later, there was a plate of dried meat to munch on and some hot tea. Jianyu raised the cup to his lips, taking a small sip as he let his gaze roam around the ongoing Festival.
Today is another day, is it not? he thought, absently tugging on a ribbon in his hair. I wonder if today will be as...eventful as yesterday was...
Most likely it would be, although Jianyu was not quite certain as to how things would go this time around.
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 7:47 pm
On closer inspection (not that close!) Enlei realised the red-head wasn't a woman, at all, but actually a rather pretty man. Whoops. At least she hadn't directly addressed him as 'Miss' or something. He looked almost intimidatingly strong, and she didn't want to get Ruishan hurt if he got insulted and attacked them.
The game ended with the little boy winning, and when he'd left with his prize she followed the red-head's gaze- he was answering someone's question, it seemed. Someone familiar!
Then the red-head was beckoning to them, but Enlei couldn't stop herself from smiling when she saw the boy from yesterday, and his sister; she was glad to see them again. And he'd remembered her name, even.
"Xiuying!" she said, waving to him---
then remembered. "And Kiran," she finished lamely, pretending that she'd addressed his sister first. She could feel her face heating up slightly, and instinctively she looked away from him, focusing on something else in the background.
What a mistake to make..
"Hey, Kiran," she tried again, hoping to distract him from it. "It's nice to see you again!"
Ruishan was already sitting down, looking up at the man expectantly.
"Could you teach me to play, Master of the checkers?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 7:53 pm
Huang adjusted his silk jacket over his shoulders. It laid loose over his frame and he could move around a lot more freer then the outfit he had worn last night. His outfit was a deep navy color and a white shirt underneath. Oddly enough though, In his hair was a small pin with a moon symbol tucked to the side, Shu had given it to him last night in remembrance of her mother and he wore it proudly for his future sister-in-law.
He greeted his brother and Shu in their rooms before cocking his head. Xiao wasn't quite dressed yet and held Shu in his arms. Xiao smiled at Huang before waving him in, "Come come Brother, I have good news and better news." Xiao smiled as Huang came and kneeled down before him. " Shu and I will take advantage of the festival today and stay home, it seems mother and father and our siblings wish to attend the games and what not." Xiao sighed before returning to his grin, "But for you my young brother means a free day at the festival, Mother has approved of this and Shu and I would like some private time. I am sure you will find some of your friends there though." Xiao cocked his head and Huang rolled his eyes, His brother, ever worried about what Huang did.
"Alright brother, I will enjoy myself then..." Huang got up to leave before turning around, "Remember, you know how to reach me and that i will be home no later then tonight." Huang bowed his head before heading out.
Freedom.
He was free to do what he wanted for today and that was amazing enough as is. As he gathered with the morning crowd heading to the festival, he thought of all the things he could do and decided first and for most what he wanted to do was play games. He had always heard of them as a child and with his skills, he could probably excel at some of the games.
One booth caught his attention indeed, it was a game booth set up with a wall and target. The man was ushering people to throw darts into the target and the closer you get to the center, the closer you got to winning a prize.
Huang stepped up in a instant confident in his skills. "I will take a turn at this sir." Huang smiled at the man who handed over the darts and stepping back, intently focused on the center, letting the dart fly.
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