Roleplay between Raiden and Miharu. Fluff warning.
Summary:
Raiden: hihi
Miharu: o hi um i'm going home nao
R: o can i come with u? 8D
M: ok. o.o
R: heylookit'smyhorsie
M: o.o?
R: wanna have a ride on my horsie? 8DDD
M: ok! <3
And then there's some awkward tripping/catching/touching. It's so cute you could just throw up.
Miharu sighed quietly to herself, having fulfilled her duty as Shirabyoshi for the night. She leaned over her bag of supplies, packing away her instruments, poems, makeup, and other necessities. It was time to retire to her room, time to lie in wait for the next time she would be called to perform for the nobles. It was a routine, monotonous life at times, but oddly satisfying. She smiled gently as she thought of this, and began to make her way toward the door.
Walking quietly down the hallway, Raiden let one hand hang lazily on the hilt of his sword, the other mostly hidden in the lengthy sleeve of his clothing; a simple, kimono-like thing the color of night. He wasn't trying to stand out, and had hence spent the evening relaxing, entertained by two novice Shirabyoshi. Having seen older and more experienced performers, they left him slightly amused, and a little bored. Crossing the path of an open door, he froze as he caught movement of fabric across the room. Sticking his head in the door, he smiled contentedly as he recognized its occupant. "Ahh, Miharu-san..."
Miharu stopped suddenly, forced out of her daydreams. "Oh!" The person who had surprised her was none other than... Sasaki Raiden, whose acquaintance she had made only nights before. As she realized this, she blushed profusely, and was immediately thankful for her thick mask of white makeup. One quick glance around told her that he was blocking her only way out, and that she would have to cross this man in order to return home. "Raiden-san, what a surprise," she managed to say, slightly flustered. She hadn't been expecting to see anyone so late at night.
Smiling broadly at her, Raiden stepped into the room, leaning comfortably against a beam in the wall with his arms folded lazily over his chest. His hair was, unlike usual, cast down around his neck and shoulders, the ribbon used to tie it snugly about his wrist. "Good evening," he replied, tipping his head to her, "I hope... I'm not interrupting you, am I?" In truth, he had been on his way out as well, but he didn't mind stopping for her. After all, what harm could a bit of conversation do? None, as far as he was concerned. Plus, here, outside of the confines of a small, uptight group, most formalities were dropped and a cool, comfortable atmosphere was present.
It seemed as if he was there to stay. Miharu weighed her options briefly, and found that there was only one option anyway. Politely, she returned his slight bow. "Of course not," she answered quickly. She would hate for him to be discomforted by herself! "I'm just... on my way back to my room, is all," she finished mildly, then breaking eye contact with him. Though still flustered, Miharu was appeased by the fact that she sounded as normal as everyone else. Thus, the shirabyoshi found it in herself to return her solemn gaze to his face and offer him a small smile.
"Oh?" he inquired, quirking a brow, "Well... if you don't mind, I'd enjoy accompanying you. I have a bit of a ride home, from here, so another soul to talk to for part of it would be most welcomed." He returned the smile, a charming expression that caught even the corners of his eyes. Leaning forward to stand away from the wall, he unfolded his arms and allowed the to take the same position they had before. Lifting one, he gestured towards the door. "Would you... mind joining me?"
"...certainly." Miharu found herself speaking the words before she thought his offer through. Perhaps it was the smile that charmed her, or maybe her automatic answer to everything was just affirmative. "That is, I am happy to oblige, Raiden-san," she amended herself, embarrassed at the accidental slip. Her smile held a note of uncertainty, but she moved past his extended arm into the hallway and stood waiting for him, ready.
Raiden himself had hardly noticed her slip of tongue; inwardly he relaxed at her answer, content that she had not taken his offer the wrong way. He followed her after she left, his long stride easily catching up to stand alongside her in the hallway. "Lead the way," he said, chuckling softly, "As I have no inclination as to where your quarters are." Why would he, anyways? He didn't have the lack of manners to inquire every possible personal detail from someone; plus, their location wasn't even a matter of importance. Shaking the thought from his head, he focused his mind back on the present; how had he managed to let it wander off like that in the first place?
Miharu nodded and began her walk toward the west wing of the palace, where all Shirabyoshi quarters were. She was slightly wary of the idea that following this, Raiden would know her dwelling places, but she also mostly trusted that he would not exploit such knowledge. There was silence for a few moments in the emptying, dark hallways, and normally Miharu would have been content with that. Raiden, however, had expressed his desire to converse with a soul such as herself to banish the loneliness, so now it lay upon Miharu to offer conversation. "I trust that you have passed a pleasant evening, Raiden-san?"
"Oh, yes," he replied to her question after a moment of silence, "It was pleasant enough." A small smile spread on his face. "I trust yours was as well?" He hoped, at least, that her evening had been fine. He rested his hand upon the hilt of his weapon, shaking the hair back from his face with a light flick of his head. He was not looking forward to the ride home in the dark of night, but even the somewhat shy and reserved company of Miharu was working to take his mind away from it.
The shirabyoshi could hear his smile and felt a natural smile spread across her face in return, though she did not look up to allow him to see hers. Upon remembering her evening, and the answer to his inquiry, she inadvertently slowed down, allowing Raiden to walk side by side with her if he wished—though their friendship was still quite premature. Miharu thought over her evening with chagrin, remembering drunken and inappropriate nobles, something every female in the court encountered at one point or another. She exhaled, and with it came a nervous chuckle, "It was as many other evenings," she said honestly. She searched for something else to say, and found nothing, so shut her mouth.
Raiden gladly stepped up to walk at her side, being careful to allow her to lead the way towards her destination. "Oh?" he stated simply in response, "I see, then." He wasn't quite sure how to reply, seeing as he didn't want to pry into the details of the evening. He could assume, however, that the usual stupor of drunken nobles and samurai was part of it; after all, not all warriors had the cultured, refined sense that he did. Many were mercenary scum that called themselves 'samurai', paying no heed to the code of honor that came with that title.
As he listened in the quiet silence that ensued, Raiden caught the sound of not only voice, but the impatient sound of a horse's whinny. Lifting his gaze from the floor, his eyes darted to the outside, recognizing this as the place he had entered. His mount stood there, pawing at the ground, having obviously noticed that his companion was walking by him.
Miharu was suddenly regretful of her rather blunt answer. What a way to end the conversation, she groaned inwardly to herself. The weighted silence that followed was endurable, but seemed too awkward for her sense of comfort. Her feet naturally maneuvered her outside near the courtyards, and there lay the path that would take her to her wing of the palace. What caught her attention was the sound of a horse, and Miharu, too, looked up from the ground in alarm. What was a horse doing here? Her widened eyes glanced around to her companion. "Raiden-san...?"
Raiden let out a soft laugh as he realized that Miharu would be somewhat confused by the appearance of the animal. "This is Susamajii," he replied simply, leaning to untie the rope bridle from a small tree, "My friend, partner in battle, and way of transportation." He smiled broadly, lifting a hand to the equine's face as he moved closer to him. "Have you ridden before, Miharu-san?" he inquired, head nodding towards the horse.
Miharu automatically took a cautious step back when she deemed that she was too close to the large animal. Her companion was completely at ease with the horse, but that was natural since they rode together, killed together... "Hello, Susamajii-kun," she said lightly, covering for her apprehension quite effectively. "He's beautiful." And that he was, a well-toned, lovely chocolate brown horse in his prime. She raised a hand as if to touch the horse, but seemed to recoil at the last moment. Were warhorses different from normal horses? Weren't they trained to run their enemies down? "I... have, Raiden-san," she said in answer to his casual question. What went unsaid was her mild fear of this horse who was... a warhorse.
Raiden let a soft smile cross his face as he noted Miharu's subdued fear of the horse. "He's safe," he stated lightly, rubbing about the base of his ears affectionately, "He is... quite smart—while he is indeed a war horse, he seems to know when and when not to act like it." On cue, the stallion rubbed his face against Raiden's side, nearly pushing him off of his feet. Having finished showing his affection towards the samurai, Susamajii reached his nose towards Miharu, nostrils flared to catch her unfamiliar scent. Almost... almost like he wanted her to pet him. "If you'd like, Miharu-san," he started, fingers twirled lazily in the rope, "You are... welcome to ride him for a little while. He is safe, you have my promise."
Miharu listened quietly to Raiden's reassurance that Susamajii was indeed as safe a horse as many others. She supposed that it made sense; a warhorse had to know who the allies and enemies were, in any case. Her hand was gentle, and more sure this time, as she reached out to touch the horse's coat, which was surprisingly soft as far as horses went. She smiled at his response, and moved to pat his muzzle. "Hello there," she whispered.
Her attention was drawn away from the horse as Raiden spoke again, offering a ride on Susamajii for a little while. She loved the many forms of life that the earth had to offer, and would never pass up an opportunity, even one like this. "... Are you sure, Raiden-san?" she asked, concealing her marvel and excitement, but still taking a small step toward the saddle. She locked her luminous gaze with Raiden's, and as she did, the corners of her lips curled up solemnly. It was harder to see now, but Miharu's white face stayed illuminated in the moonlight. She knew that she trusted his word.
"Of course," Raiden replied, nodding his head, "I would not have asked unless Susamajii had approved." He smiled broadly, stroking the animal's face. "He seems very comfortable around you, Miharu-san." Gripping the bridle a bit tighter, he shifted his position so that he could adjust the length of the stirrups to better suit Miharu's height. "Do you... need some assistance getting up?" he inquired quietly, not quite sure how to ask. After all, he was a rather large horse, Miharu wasn't... the tallest of people. His gaze turned to the side to meet hers, throwing the reins up over the equine's neck and out of his hands.
Now Miharu realized that Susamajii was a very large horse—no less could be expected of a warhorse—and she could not suddenly decide that she would continue walking. Nor did she want to. She certainly needed assistance mounting this noble horse, being the petite person she was. That could merit a rather awkward situation. There was no one else around though, and it was dark enough that they would be concealed. Oh Miharu, she thought to herself, there is nothing wrong with this. The shirabyoshi shied away from Raiden's gaze, giggling softly. "I... suppose I may," she answered shyly. She maneuvered her self to face him, but did not look at him again.
Tentatively offering her his hand, Raiden allow the horse to drop his head and nibble at the grass beneath his feet, content to stand still for a minute. "Indeed." he replied after a moment. All she needed was a light lift up, after all—he didn't need to sweep her off her feet like he would with a small child. That... would make things awkward, nonetheless. Shifting his weight a bit, he gently took hold of her hand, almost afraid that he would break it, and managed to shift his weight a bit to heave her up two or three feet, his other hand carefully placed at her waist to spot her, should she accidentally fall.
Miharu felt her small hand disappear in his larger hand, and suddenly her feet no longer touched the ground. It was nothing personal, she assured herself, just necessary. Quickly enough, she swung one leg over the resting horse's back, and seated herself well. There. Awkward moment over. She looked down into Raiden's face—what an odd sensation—and nodded once, to tell him that yes, she was fine now. Silently she marveled at Raiden's strength and his potential to protect, a rare thought for those higher ups in court. She realized then that perhaps her gaze had lingered for a moment too long, and she looked straight ahead, smiling gently to herself. "Shall we continue?"
"Of course," Raiden replied, nodding to her. His eyes moved from her face, now some distance above him, hand moving to gently scoop up the rope reins of Susamajii's bridle. Leading him from the lush spot that he was standing in towards a more open section of the gardens, he slipped the reins over the stallion's head instead of to the side, handing them gingerly to the Shirabyoshi perched atop his back. "Just nudge him to go," he said, patting the horse's shoulder, "He is very easy to move about; since you have ridden before, I am sure that you will not have a problem, Miharu-san." He cast a reassuring smile up to her, stepping back from the horse's side.
Miharu happily accepted the reins from Raiden, returning his smile and thanking him quietly as she did so. "Let's go, Susamajii-kun~" she murmured, and nudged him into movement. She, of course, wanted to ride for a little longer than perhaps allowed, but she coaxed Susamajii into a brief trot around the small confines of the garden. She had him in a controlled canter for a couple of seconds, and the speed surprised a laugh out of her, but she slowed down enough to have him in a dancing movement by the time she returned to Raiden's side. She nodded at the samurai with a small smile. "He's a very well-behaved horse," she told him, now fully trusting in the horse—and by extension, Raiden. "I shall bring him a treat if I should see him again," were her further words as she patted Susamajii's neck affectionately.
Raiden laughed, watching Miharu's movements upon Susamajii's back about the garden. She was a natural, it seemed; the horse's movements were clear and concise, nothing wasted as she rode. Folding his arms over his chest, a bright smile crossed his face, nodding as Miharu returned and spoke. "I am sure he would love that," he replied, laughing again, "You are a skilled rider, Miharu-san; the ease with with you commanded him was astounding." His eyes moved up to look at her face for a moment, alight with a soft glow of excitement. The horse himself buried his face into Raiden's shoulder, a low, soft whuffle coming from his nose.
Raiden's praise startled another smile out of the shirabyoshi, and a faint blush appeared on her cheekbones. "Oh, you flatter me, Raiden-san," she bubbled, looking away as she made to leap off of Susamajii. In truth, Miharu's experience with horses only went as far as rides around the palace grounds, on quite domesticated horses. She loved the animals though, and most of them loved her if they were willing to. She felt as if there was a real companion to be had in certain animals, and her new smile was for both Raiden and Susamajii. "Thank you, Raiden-san—" she remembered the horse, "And you too, Susamajii-kun, for allowing me the brief ride." She slid off the horse's back now, but one of her geta caught in a crevice between the stone tiles, and she stumbled...
Raiden flashed another smile at her statement, somehow slightly pleased with both himself and Susamajii for gaining her soft-spoken thanks. He moved to reply, but was startled as she appeared to stumble after hitting the ground. Reacting much faster than his train of thought, he bolted the foot ot two forward, slightly spooking the horse, who shied just a bit away, and managed to slip his arms gracefully about her, catching her before she fell any farther. "Ahh, Miharu-san," he stated, barely concealing a soft stammer and a faint bout of color rising to his own cheeks, "Are you... alright?"
Miharu thought that she was about to regain her balance, but Raiden didn't let her get to that point, having caught her easily before she could fall. The fleeting expression that crossed her face could only be described as shock, but when she raised her eyes to meet Raiden's, she had composed herself to a look of mild surprise. That much was evident in her wide eyes, and she could feel the blush spread across her face as accompaniment. "H..." the first syllable was not audible at all. She tried again. "Hai, Raiden-san." Miharu flashed a grateful (and slightly embarrassed) smile up at him. "I am... fine. Thank you."
It was then that she realized how she must have looked at this precise moment in time, being in a man's (strong, yet gentle... those were but a few thoughts in the storm in her head) arms in the middle of the night... alone. She resisted his touch in the mildest way, the blush on her face becoming fuller now. A gentle giggle erupted from her throat; it was soft enough that one could not tell whether it was nervous or pretentious.
Raiden was, to say the least, relieved as Miharu's nervous but affirmative reply came that she was alright. As he caught her embarrassed look and face full of blush, he too realized the effect of the situation. He gently loosened his grasp a bit, enough to allow her to stand on her own should she have found her feet. He himself found himself watching her face for a moment, eyes bemusedly locked upon hers. Why... why hadn't he just let her go immediately? Such... strange behavior from a samurai. Still, as he stood, he cautiously straightened his back, standing at his full height once more.
Miharu busied herself with making sure her appearance and her robes were respectable, though in reality there was not much that was needed to be done. How she wondered at what had gone through her head just moments before and... she was glad now that the moment of awkwardness was mostly over and... it was just so strange. She smiled a conscious, apologetic smile at Raiden when she was ready; she hadn't meant to make it so awkward.
"I... think we can be on our way again," she said, offering to wave by the past moments of discomfort with a few words. She would surely be thinking of this late into the night, but while she was still in his company it would be embarrassing and certainly awkward if she kept dwelling upon it. Picking up her bag, she moved forward a few paces and turned around expectantly with a subdued laugh.
Nodding, Raiden adjusted the sash at his wait so the sword at his side felt right again, reaching over to grab Susamajii's reins as he did so. Looping them loosely about a branch, he moved back to Miharu's side with another bemused smile on his face. "Of course," he replied, tilting his head, "After all, it is quite late now." He himself didn't have much need for sleep, but he was sure that the Shirabyoshi at his side was already exhausted from this day's activities. "Lead the way, Miharu-san." he said, smile changing from soft confusion to his usual charming expression.
Despite her best intentions, it was mostly silent on the way back to Miharu's quarters. It was not as awkward as it could have been, but there remained a bit of a nervous weight in the air between them. Occasionally a word of formality or chit-chat was exchanged between them, though the silence remained predominant.
Finally, Miharu found herself at her door, and she turned around to look at Raiden. "Here I am," she said mildly, her fluid voice the only sound in the empty hall. "Thank you, Raiden-san, for walking me back." she said politely. It was most important that she should thank him, especially after what had happened. How rude would she look if she didn't? "It... was a pleasure," she found herself adding.
And it truly had been, in more ways than not. Miharu discovered that she did quite enjoy his company.
Hardly even noticing where they had gone once in the interior of the building again, Raiden was mildly surprised, but managed to hide it from his face. "Ahh, yes," he started, bowing slightly, "Any time I am around I would be more than happy to again." he replied. It was true; he quite enjoyed her company, and at this point in the night, would have something to think about for the ride home. What did he think of her, any way? He couldn't sort out what he was thinking here in this hallway, but he knew that he would soon enough.
