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 Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 7:37 pm
The living quarters are in the east wing of the palace. Here is where one retires to in the evenings, to study for the next hour's classes, to practice the dance of fans or of swords alone, to make conversation with those who pass by the rooms, or simply to rest in wait of a new day. The complex is segregated by social rank, of course, and then further separated by class. However, this does not stop those who ardently desire to visit with a friend or a lover. Though peaceful in appearance, more occurs within this network of rooms than meets the eye.
[[ This is an open RP. All characters are welcome to visit. ]]
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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 8:03 pm
Miharu was finally making her way back to her room from the performance tonight; it had been a demanding one indeed. It was late now, for sure, if the slotted moonlight through the window was any indication. This illumination was the only light that guided her to her room tonight; apparently it was too late even for the lanterns to be lit. Certainly she would have been back earlier, had one drunk shogun not forced her to stay at his table with his crew of samurai. Their bawdy jokes and raucous laughter were the source of her present headache. Try as she might to appease them with poetry and song, she finally had to excuse herself from the rest of the occasion.
This much was enough to change her normally very pleasant demeanor into one that was slightly sour, but the shirabyoshi did know that some—it would be blasphemy to claim that she did not think of a certain someone—kept to the honorable code of bushido at all times. This was something that she kept to herself while others were still out and about, only reserving those moments late at night to ponder whatever might cross her mind. However, judging by the trying events of the performance and dinner, she would fall right into her cot and sleep until the morning.
That is, if she could find her way in this darkness. She recognized that she was in the shirabyoshi complex by now, but there was not quite enough light for her to differentiate between the sliding doors that seemed identical at the moment. "Hm..." The first signs of a frown appeared on her painted face. It was not like her to be irritable.
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Kurama no Koishi Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 8:36 pm
Ayame didn't like a lot of things: insects, hot weather, just to name a few. And chores. Oh, how she loathed chores. The thing that annoyed her in the present she would swear was the most frustrating thing on Earth---until later, when it was replaced by whatever bothered her then. She'd finished the floors it was "requested" she wash until they all but sparkled. With her assignment completed she'd retired to her room for what she had thought would be some nice downtime.
Alas, it wasn't meant to be.
Because that b*****d Orochi couldn't leave her be.
Sometimes the love letters were genuine; just as often they were clear attempts just to provoke her. Effective ones. She'd found the letter set delicately on the floor, the characters drawn with a patient hand and the paper in ideal condition. For some reason, one that was beyond her, the logic she prized herself in had failed her. At first, she'd thought it a note from someone else, instructions for another deed that needed doing. Not until she realized it was a mocking letter of affection did her blood boil.
Miffed by her maid duties to begin with, prodding her was like throwing gas on a fire. The young woman was outraged and that horrid man would face her wrath for this. That was him outside, wasn't it?! Snuck in to harass her further, did he?!
"OROCHI!" The door was pushed to the side so roughly the wall shook, albeit just a little. "I'LL--"
Oh.
"--feel really stupid for yelling at someone that isn't you," Ayame finished, much quieter. Someone with more shame would have been embarrassed. Personally, this didn't even make her top ten of 'oh, crap' moments. She went on to add a quick, but sincere in voice, "Sorry, I thought you were someone else."
The woman before her shared in her current anger--or, at least, annoyance--but was trying not to show it with much more tact.
"Bad day?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 8:45 pm
Echoes sprang up amongst the corridors as the heavily padded sound of rushing feet hit amongst the floor. The sounds came to a supreme halt before it began again, echoing into another direction. Once again, Soya had decided to forget the notion of sleep and wander the grounds during the night. In truth, she had done it quite a couple of times, each time also being quite close to herself being caught. The other maids worried about her; telling her it was not advantageous to go out into the night and get whatever business she had done. Others gossiped how she had a secret lover, but that was just plain lies and stories.
But this particular night was not different from the rest. Soya had go out to talk. With who you may ask? The flowers of the garden. They seem to be the only living embodiments that would listen to her stories. As she was talking up a storm, she accidentally cut her finger upon a thorn on one of the flowers. Being the superstitious being that she was, she rushed to her living quarters to fetch something to clean the wound. However, being how dark as it was, she could not find her way back.
Now, Soya was still running. As she took herself down another corridor, her arm slightly brushed against another's. She was not sure who it was, but it scared Soya until the hairs upon her neck stood on end. She dropped herself into a fetal position in front of the two, holding her arms upon her neck. "Please oh vengeful spirit, don't curse me!" she cried, not aware that the her apparent 'spirit' was just another female like herself.
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Kurama no Koishi Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 9:46 pm
Two things occurred in the next thirty seconds. A door rolled itself open with a crash, and one screech and several shouts ensued. Miharu managed to have the grace to halt her steps forward before she hurt herself by running into the female who now stood in front of her. Apparently, things were not as silent as they seemed, and not all were sleeping despite the late hour. She raised her painted eyebrows slightly in surprise as the woman stopped shouting and amended herself hastily enough. It quickly became apparent that the female standing in front of her was neither a shirabyoshi nor a maid, but a student. An older student, at that, perhaps older than Miharu herself. Idly she wondered at that, though it was not her place to judge the students since she and Shizuka had become full-fledged shirabyoshi rather early.
"I... must not be quite to the shirabyoshi quarters yet," she murmured, more to herself than to the woman in front of her. Miharu was not one to initiate conversation, shirabyoshi or no, because outside of the performance hall she was the most quiet and demure woman of them all. Upon the student's response, she began to speak in a quieter voice so as not to disturb those around her. "It's nothing of notice," she waved off both the apology and her unpleasant memories of the evening. "Just your average drunk samurai. And with that, I bid you a good ni—"
The fabric of her robes moved slightly, and Miharu looked at them in alarm, only to find that a younger girl—a maid, likely—had curled up at her feet, crying about vengeful spirits or somesuch nonsense. Briefly she forgot about the student. "Vengeful spirits do not come by here, only in the gardens at night," she commented good-naturedly (or as close as she could manage with respect to her personal situation). "You should be in bed; the nobles would not like it should you be tired tomorrow."
Her concern was only skin deep. Miharu tried to be a pleasant figure to all, but in the end, she preferred to associate with those of her ranking and higher. She never wanted to look back on her years as a maid or a student—those were done and over with forever.
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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 10:53 pm
Taking heed of the words from the woman, Soya directed her gaze up. Her grey gaze traveled over to the student, who indeed was wearing a kimono that made her highly jealous. "Um, yes!" Soya spoke as she bowed her neck slightly to the Shirabyoshi. "I-I will return to my quarters." Soya turned to the student also and bowed her head. Both their faces seemed to be taut with anger. Herself did not want to get scolded at, so leaving their presence seemed to be the best option. Bowing again a second time, Soya turned.
"Oyasuminasai." she said as she ventured off in a random direction. But noticing her utter mistake, she returned to the two. "Um, could either of you please direct me to the maid living quarters, onegai?" she asked, trying her best to not sound too lost within the darkness.
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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 11:31 pm
Ayame was obviously not too pleased with the brush off. A more submissive woman, or perhaps a wiser one, would have taken what she was given by the higher up, nod her head and say nothing. Ayame? Neither wise nor particularly compliant when her temper was already raging and only made worse by what, to her, was an obvious belittling. Only a woman who thought herself better would pass up the opportunity to wail about her woe in detail to anyone. Honestly, had she stayed, it wouldn't be too long until Ayame began ranting about her own problems. Women were just like that as far as she was concerned. "I--"
Low and behold, perhaps she was blessed by someone. Had she been able to finish her sentence the results would have more than likely been more diastorous than anything that could arise from a skittish maid interupting the potential pending verbal squabble. Or maybe not.
When the idea clicked it was hard not to grin, but she managed. Observantly, she watched the maid, and only the maid. Her eyes avoided Miharu's form entirely until the poor girl asked for directions. Only then did she cast a glance around, her eyes lingering on one spot for only a short while before moving to the next.
Finally, she asked in complete seriousness, "Miss, who are you talking to? We're the only ones here." Abruptly, she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "Oh, my! Do you see the spirit?!"
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 1:19 pm
Simply put, Miharu was merely too tired to put much effort into planning her actions or words, or even into noticing the effect such actions had on others. Ayame was offended; well, Miharu didn’t feel like noticing. Another day she would have apologized politely, and had the offended party been of noble birth she would have apologized until she was blue in the face. But Ayame was not. It was doubtful that they would even recognize each other if they happened to meet again, anyway, given the all-enveloping darkness. So, a small nod would have to suffice.
Her attitude toward the maid was no different. The shirabyoshi could well remember the times when she had been harassed by older maids, students, and shirabyoshi alike for just about everything. With that much she could empathize; such a lonely world it was when it came to the fight for the top. Despite that, if one could manage to keep a couple of friends, the prosperity of the Fujiwara and the Taira at this time didn’t mean much more than a few contesting voices.
Even if she were in a more agreeable mood tonight, though, she wouldn’t be of much help except to point in a vague direction as to the location of the maids’ quarters. Miharu herself didn’t know quite where she was going, except forward to where things hopefully would begin to look more familiar. That “The maids’ quarters must be back a ways,” was lost as Ayame had begun speaking right around the same time.
So Miharu was a phantom now. Perhaps the maid would piece things together and infer that spirits should not sound as human as Miharu just had, after telling her that sleep was imminent and that nobles would be as hawk-like as ever. Still, she couldn’t blame the girl if she believed Ayame; Miharu’s face was still deathly white with makeup, and the touch of her suikan was akin to those that the dead were buried in. Poor girl.
Miharu would probably pass the opportunity to terrorize a younger girl, as usual. The day’s events had been very trying and rest was the only thing on her mind.
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Kurama no Koishi Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 1:40 am
Soya felt the freezing stab hit her back as it quickly flurried up her spinal cord. She shivered slightly when she heard the student point out the apparent spirit. Soya dare not turn around however, as she knew if she would, she would probably wake up the entire floor of those who were at rest. She did not need that either, as she had gotten scolded enough that day as she had allowed the clothes she put out that day to be taken by the wind and get blown away.
Taking a stiff step forward, she directed herself down another corridor, not taking heed of Ayame or Miharu anymore. It seemed as though she was never going to reach the maid quarters. And even if she did, it would probably be the time of sunrise.
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:03 am
Various events in the day had left Kaede quite drained of energy, just about ready to collapse into a deep sleep, quite frankly she didn’t care where, only that she needed rest, but of course you couldn’t just sit yourself down anywhere and sleep, it was proper, some might say. The reason’s for the shirabyoshi’s tiredness were two things, one was that she had been working extensively for the past few days and quite late into the night, might one add, samurai and nobles just didn’t know when one needed rest, mind you Kaede doubted that they even paid any mind to what she may be feeling, oh well. Her second reason was that she was fairly new, only having been of her shirabyoshi rank a few months. Although she fitted her role well, there were times like these that seemed to take it out of her, no matter now she could rest, in wait for what was to come tomorrow.
Brushing a hand against a set of tall sliding doors, she could hear the faint and muffled sounds of chirping birds, her birds. This brought a smile to an otherwise, usually neutral and ever so slightly aloof expression. It was always a breath of fresh air when in your own territory so to speak; it also helped if you had a companion, well according to Kaede it did.
Wrapping her long fingers around the side of the door, she began to push it slowly, trying her best to be as quiet as possible. Though of course there was always that creaky floor board that seemed to screech and creak whenever you needed to be quiet, as if sounding an alarm to all within the living quarters, telling them someone’s up. Waiting a moment before continuing to open the door, she checked if any had heard the ghastly sound, rather surprised that she could not hear the scuffing of garbs and feet against the floor, thank goodness.
A sigh of relief escaped the woman’s painted red lips, finally she had opened the door and could retreat to bed, not before tending to her companions of course, they always came first before bed, sometimes much to Kaede’s dismay. To tired to really realize she hadn’t shut the door behind her, not that it mattered, she’d shut it later. Tottering over to a hanging light blue bird cage, a bright, yet sleepy smile crossed her features. It was times like these that relaxed her, you’d never see her usual proper, lady like and aloof façade here, nope quite a different person actually, one far more relaxed and day dreamy.
‘’Did you miss me?’’ She let out a soft coo, whispering to her animals, trying not to wake the neighbouring shirabyoshi and shirabyoshi-to-be. It was unbeknownst to her whether or not others were about, there probably was, but it did help to whisper just in case she was the only awake soul. Reaching for the cage door, she opened it slightly, only enough for her hand to reach in and pull a small pottery bowl out ‘’Oh I know, I know you wish to come out, but you can’t now.’’ She sighed softly, moving her free hand towards the cage to press a long finger through the bars in order to caress the soft blue and fallow feathers of the creature. She listened contently to the song like chirping while she prepared their food, an assortment of seeds and a bowl of water.
Once all that had been done she tended to herself, removing her snow white make up to reveal rather pale and milky skin, not that far off from the ghost white make up she wore. The reason for her rather pale complexion was due to barely going out as a child, her mother made sure that she attended shirabyoshi classes as soon as she was old enough, it was just the time before that, that she took it upon herself to teach her daughter in the ways of a lady and one of her rules was 'A lady should always have pale skin, for it allures the right men' What in the world her mother was thinking, she didn’t know, but that was her mother and that was how she grew up, pale skinned and lady like.
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:53 am
Shizuka was dressed in a light white underrobe as she herself removed her makeup and ran a brush through her long, raven-black hair. Her own skin was pale under the makeup, which really was the proper way to go about things. After all, if one had any hint of a tan it usually suggested that they were of lower class. It was a strange sort of unspoken rule, but a rule all the same and in Shizuka's mind rules were meant to be followed.
The elegant woman heard the creak of the floorboard and the soft, whispery murmurs coming from the direction of where the newest shirabyoshi was situated. No one knew her well yet, and she was a bit of a curiosity with her pet birds. Shizuka didn't mind her, although there weren't many people she did mind, she reflected. She had been a shirabyoshi for quite some time now and her closest friend was Miharu. She hadn't created a lot of space to really tend to more friendships as she was often busy, always practicing or entertaining. The life of a shirabyoshi was not one of simplicity.
Still, she stood, opening and closing the sliding door to the particular area she was situated in as she stepped out onto the smooth, raised wooden walkway. The next sliding door was open, and the woman peered in spotting Kaede speaking to her pet birds. The small winged creatures had always allured Shizuka with their elegant weightlessness.
"Kaede-san?" Shizuka murmured, standing in the doorway with an expression of open curiosity. She had time right now and Miharu was not currently around. She was tired, yes, but getting to know the newest addition to the living quarters couldn't drain her of that much energy. Their rooms were close, after all.
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:14 am
Kaede's brows pulled together in confusion, a slight frown flooding her features at the sound of her name, was she imagining it? No of course not, she was tired but not that tired. Letting a soft sigh escape her lips she straitened herself out, composing herself before turning to face this unknown person, well the voice wasn't entirely unknown, nor was it completely familiar, though Kaede could place a face to the voice, the name escaped her. Saki...Shiro....Satomi? No those weren't close, she didn't even recall if it even began with an 's', though that letter did sound about right. Shaking her head a muffled tutting sound escaped her lips, rather annoyed at how she couldn't remember the person while they knew her name perfectly.
Turning around slowly, the usual neutral expression danced upon her face, her half lidded gaze looking the other woman up and down. It was odd to Kaede when looking at fellow Shirabyoshi without their make up on, it was at these times that you could really get a feel for what they looked like, rather than them all looking alike. You could really pick out detailed features, one being that the woman in front of her looked more feminine than Kaede, much to her dismay, all though Kaede's slightly less feminine features helped her in her line of work, not that she wasn't pretty, she just wasn't as dainty looking, some might say ''Hello.'' She finally spoke, bowing her head deeply to greet the fellow Shirabyoshi, before looking back up she chose to add to her greeting ''You'll have to forgive my rudeness, but I can't quite place your name.'' She spoke in slight whispers. Kaede's voice was one that suited her well, deep with gentle tones and any bit of drowsiness that may have been there before was gone, the only tell tale sign of her tired state were the dark circles that were beginning to form beneath her eyes, on her other wise pale face.
''Do come in.'' She offered, her brows pulling together in a brief frown as the noise from her chirping birds rang in her ears. Why they were making such noise was beyond her, she had done everything, changed their water, gave them their food, talked to them for a few minutes...Ah, now she knew, the reason for their now rather lively and sudden attitude was because of the appearance of an unfamiliar face. They probably were either intrigued or frightened, Kaede assumed it was the first.
Besides the noise of the birds, there was a moment or two of awkward silence, of which the young woman tried to stop, although she wasn't sure of what to say, her mind quite frankly drew a blank. Usually she'd be right on it, being able to think of a good few conversation starters, though there was nothing, it was amazing what tiredness could do to you ''It's also my humblest of apologize if I woke you, I shall make sure next time to take more care.'' She finally said, bowing her head once more to the other young woman, her brows furrowing and her nose slightly wriggling at the thought, had she woken her? Or was she already a wake? Not that it mattered now, after all she didn't seem angry, but then again, one never knew.
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 12:11 pm
Shizuka was more or less used to seeing shirabyoshi without their makeup, as she was a dancer who had been in the profession for a good few years now. Still, Kaede was new here and so it must have been odd to see Shizuka like this. "I am Shizuka Gozen." She replied in explanation for her name; Lady Shizuka. Certainly, Kaede probably should have known her name, but she was new. It wasn't something Shizuka really minded. Her own voice was soft, more like the calm murmuring of a small stream.
The woman nodded at the invitation to enter, doing so, her brown eyes fastening upon the songbirds as they chirped. She wasn't sure what their chirping meant, but she didn't mind it. It was actually rather pleasant to hear in the late evening; calming, although some would disagree in their dislike for animals or pets. Shizuka had never really stopped to consider opinions such as that in her life; her thoughts were purely independent.
"You did not wake me." She added, well aware that Kaede was probably quite confused as to why Shizuka was here. It was fairly pitiful that most women really couldn't trust eachother right off the bat here. "I heard you just as I was removing my makeup."
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:08 pm
"Shizuka-chan? Miharu called softly, tapping at her friend's door with a carefully filed fingernail. There was no response, surprisingly, as her friend was usually in her room by this hour. A mildly perplexed expression knit the delicate features of Miharu's face together as she continued down the hall to return to her room. It wasn't unlikely that Shizuka had been called to perform overtime for the nobles and samurai, who often knew no bedtimes or sleeping schedules. At least this was true in Miharu's case—most nights, her clients kept her for hours longer than her schedule allowed. Tonight, incidentally, was a relatively early night. But where could Shizuka be?
The shirabyoshi found the answer to her question quickly as she heard muted voices coming from an open door just yonder. Peering into the room, she found two shirabyoshi in nightly attire, just as she was. One of them was Shizuka. "Ah, Shizuka-chan, I've been looking for you," Miharu stated, her voice akin to the sound of bells. Noticing the other shirabyoshi, she continued, "And Kaede-san, I see! Why haven't you two invited me to this late night discussion of yours? Do you mind if I join you?" Her gentle tone was one of friendly teasing, but sincerity still shone through her dark eyes.
Having just returned from a rare bath (no one ever bathed more than every few months, though Miharu had been chastised many times for bathing more than once a month), the woman smelled rather nice, a stark contrast with the reek of the palace as a whole. Her long, thick hair, having just been washed, shone mahogany in the dim light of the room. This lighter hair was unique in the court, but it was also not a preferable shade, making Miharu self-conscious at times. As a shirabyoshi, though, Miharu was certainly not lacking in talent or ability, if her frequent calls to perform were any indication. She had not yet performed with Kaede, however, and was keen on getting to know her fellow performer a little better before the time came that they would have to work together.
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Kurama no Koishi Vice Captain
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