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 Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:54 pm
"The body says what words cannot." Martha Graham (1894 - 1991)
Progress was slow, but with each grueling day, Amiel felt a little closer to his goal. He was frustrated often, and his temper was something that seemed to bubble ever closer to the surface, but the odd kirin had a way about it that calmed him in a way he hadn't experienced since Yysida. He wasn't afraid of the toil, or the slow progress, he simply wanted more. There were times he couldn't understand how he could want this so much, want to be better, and still have it be beyond his grasp.
Then Siryn told him he was childish, and he acknowledged the truth in it. He was like a child, impatient and stubborn, wanting more than he could rightly have, and faster than was possible. It was difficult not to, now that he had finally allowed himself to believe that such a thing was possible.
It was possible. He could feel the effects, small as they were. Things were becoming a little easier. He couldn't allow himself to become careless, but perhaps there would come a day when he was master of himself, mind, heart and body.
Hair whipping into his face, he wondered. A bird sang in the distance, a melody carried on the wind, and he turned, sliding his hands into his pockets.
Little things, small things he would never notice, showed his progress. His posture was more relaxed, and the dark air that hung about his head seemed more bearable. When he ducked into the house, there was something about his face that was almost pleasant, though no where near a smile.
It wasn't a frown, and that was something.
"Siryn." His voice was quiet as ever, deep and precise, as he walked along the colorful rugs strewn about the floor. The kirin had its head in the cupboard, though from across the room, Amiel could see an apron adorned its body.
How...
How perfectly ridiculous. It looked to be at least two sizes too big.
"Shall I brew the tea?" Lately, he'd begun to offer to help. Though he couldn't admit so much in words, especially not to her, he'd begun to anticipate Serenity's visits. There was something to be said for the honest effort she put forth, and the unwavering dedicated she seemed to show the cause.
Much like his own. He couldn't begin to fathom her reasons, but he was beginning to grow accustomed to her presence. It didn't bother him as it had at first, though he could do little to make her feel welcome.
"Yes, that would be wonderful." Turning, a streak of flour across its nose, Siryn bobbed its head. "She'll be here any time, I expect. Such a dear lady, she is. Always tending to us."
Glance flicking to Siryn, Amiel merely murmured, "Hm." and began to brew the tea.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 7:15 pm
Humming to herself as she waved a napkin over the still-steaming tempura, Serenity nudged the closed cookbook away from the edge of the counter. She hadn't needed to open it at all today, everything she'd made was something she'd made before. There were only so many things she could get in the small village, so she had exhausted the variety of foods she could acquire early on. She tried to not have any repeats from day to day, but from week to week repetition was impossible to avoid.
After the first day, she went and found a bento box and furoshiki for herself, as Siryn clearly expected her to stay for the duration of the luncheons. Not wanting anything too flashy, she had settled for a square of plain white with a hint of blue. As much as she hated to intrude every day, she admitted, at least to herself, her selfish desire to see Amiel more, and to enjoy the fruits of his labors. She wished, again selfishly, that she could have more of a hand in his progress, but knew it was impossible and such a venture would do more harm than help. Amiel had once accused her of such petulance, and Serenity hated to admit he was rather correct. She loved helping people, and there seemed to be more darkness in the world everyday.
Stopping to shake her head vigorously, she grunted indelicately. She couldn't be having such thoughts just before going to Siryn's, she needed to be a strong and positive influence. Fixing her bangs briefly, she picked up the tongs and put the now-cool tempura in each of the boxes, the final element to their lunches. On went the lids, and she tied each of the furoshiki into neat little knots. Stacking them, she paused to put her utensils in the sink for later cleaning. No sense in leaving an obvious mess, even though a full sink connoted slovenly behavior anyway.
Boxes in hand, she stepped out into the sunshine and relished the feeling for a moment. Of course she enjoyed the sunshine, but she wondered how Amiel felt about it, meditating under the sun all day. Maybe he enjoyed the feeling of the heat? She had heard of certain types of yoga that worked better when done in the heat...
Passing under the hugging oaks, she paused at the door. Balancing the boxes in one hand, she went through her quick routine of checking her appearance. She somehow doubted if Siryn would care how put-together she was, so long as she was happy, but Serenity refused to appear careless in front of Amiel. Clearing her throat and putting on a relaxed smile, she lifted her hand and knocked.
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Silent Comet Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 12:05 am
"Would you get the door, Amiel? I'm up to my ears in flour, as it were, and I don't want to get anything on our guest's pretty dress."
Looking up from where he was arranging the mats on the table, Amiel grunted, knowing full well that Siryn would have asked him to greet Serenity regardless. Subtle the kirin was not, but Amiel dealt with it. Things could have been much worse, after all, and he had agreed to submit to Siryn's whims as long as he resided in its home. If it wanted him to be friendly toward Serenity that badly, he could find a way to oblige.
Running the heels of his hands down his pant legs, he turned, tail swishing slightly behind him. In the time he'd spent there, he'd learned the layout of the room, and could have passed through it with his eyes closed and still not disturbed a single knick-nack. Still, he was mindful of his tail, and did his best not to track in brambles or leaves in it.
Opening the door, he blinked at the sudden sunlight, a little impressed, as he always was, with Serenity's appearance. She was such a stark contrast to him, especially standing in the frame of the door, haloed by the sunlight that washed over the fields. Despite their obvious differences in appearance and temperament, she sought him out, had done so even when he wished her the farthest thing in the world from him.
Siryn insisted one day that he would be grateful for such a thing. Amiel doubted.
"Serenity." Tipping his head, he rolled one shoulder back, gesturing for her to come in as he stepped aside. Before, he would have been entirely stiff, formal. Even now, even when he didn't notice, his motions had become more casual, less rigid.
Small things. From behind the chair, Siryn smiled.
"How lovely to see you, my dear." Wings buzzing, it placed a hand to its cheek, sighed deeply. "You seem lovelier each day. I fear that one of these times, you'll steal my heart."
Ignoring Siryn, as he generally did in such a context, Amiel extended his hands, holding them palm-up for the bento boxes. There was no warmth in his voice, but then again, there was no hostility or forced politeness as he murmured, "I'll take these."
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 11:58 am
Serenity's smile widened slightly at Amiel's usual presence at the door and she returned his slight nod. "Good afternoon, Amiel." There was no bow, no rigid formality as there had once been. He certainly wasn't greeting her with open arms, but Serenity wasn't sure she wanted him to. The reciprocated formal mannerisms she had seen in him the first time they met were somewhat missed, but it was heartening that he was finding the ability to be more familiar with her.
Laughing lightly at Siryn's commentary, Serenity placed the boxes in Amiel's upturned hands. "Thank you." She whispered with a smile, making sure to look into the shifting crimson glow of the warrior's eyes as she said it. She was sincere in her concern for him, but his past words occasionally came back to her. Idealistic and selfish. Selfish she may be on occasion, but idealistic... Seeing him slowly find peace in the company of others and himself was worth every moment.
Casting off the low thoughts, she took her own previous advice and put the past in the past. She turned to Siryn with a smile and a shake of her finger. "You flatterer, you just want more tempura in your lunch." Laughing, she moved past him and briefly touched his shoulder. "I did remember though, there is an extra piece for you today." She had actually given both Amiel and Siryn an extra piece; inner peace could not be gained on an empty stomach. Picking up three sets of utensils, she turned to move them to the table.
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Silent Comet Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 12:28 pm
Accepting the boxes, he was fleetingly grateful that Serenity didn't take the opportunity to brush hands with him, easy as it would have been. He was still not in a place where casual touching was welcomed or even accepted, and there was a part of him that wondered if he ever would be.
Select few, perhaps. That was how it had been in the past, and though he was trying to move forward, his past must always be acknowledged. More than that, he had to take pieces of who he was and meld them together with pieces of who he wanted to be, or so Siryn said.
It was proving difficult, but Amiel was not one to turn away from a challenge... even when it was his own self that he was attempting to overcome.
Eyes flicking across the room, he watched Siryn sigh happily and drape itself over Serenity, the casual affection natural and easy for the kirin. Amiel hiked a brow, expression impassive, and looked away.
Such things were beyond him.
Having noticed the look, Siryn grinned, patting Serenity's cheek with a tiny hand. "Thank you, dear. I'll be well and truly fat, and happy, by the time you're finished with me. Ah, such things can't be underestimated."
Buzzing over to the table, Siryn perched on the edge of its favorite stool, tail winding around one of the legs. Conversationally, it began, "I was thinking of going to market today. I'm trying to convince Amiel to accompany me. Don't you think it would be a splendid sort of outing?"
Gaze lifting briefly, Amiel eyed the kirin a moment before intoning quietly, "Such plans are news to me, Siryn."
The market certainly wasn't his favorite place in the world, but he would go if it was deemed necessary. Supplies for breakfast and dinner had to be procured at some point, after all, and Amiel was capable of carrying more then Siryn was.
Apparently, it also helped his patience thrive in situations that would irritate him.
Hmph.
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 1:11 pm
Serenity laughed aloud as Siryn swooned over her shoulder. The kirin was so naturally hyperbolic, the sheer contrast between it and Amiel was almost comedic. Perhaps it was on purpose, to be so comfortable in the world that to rub off even a little on someone was a step in a more peaceful direction.
Serenity tried unsuccessfully to suppress a smile at Siryn's proposal as she quickly passed out the utensils in their usual sitting arrangement. She had long since grown accustomed to Siryn's roundabout manipulations and plots, but always knew they were for Amiel's benefit. Even being called out for a backwards statement did not faze the kirin, perhaps that too was part of its master plan.
"It sounds like a fantastic outing, the market can be terribly diverting." Pushing her skirt underneath her, she sat and absently straightened the tablecloth in front of her. "And it's such a lovely day, you'll hardly find better weather for being out and about."
Sneaking a glance at Amiel, she wondered again how he felt about sunshine. His demeanor was once such an unnerving thing, as dark and mysterious than the midnight hour, occasionally frightening as clouds moved over the moon to hide the only hope of light. But his mood had become something overcast, like a very slow dawn on a cloudy day. Or perhaps he was moving in reverse, Serenity thought with slight humor, reconciling his deep crimson color. A dark night moving backwards into a fiery sunset. Or perhaps that sunset was Amiel's own fiery past, that which led him into the darkness of night. And Siryn seemed the open noonday, a warm sun burning away the chilled dew of a cold morning.
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Silent Comet Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 1:29 pm
"Yes, precisely." Sniffing at the offered food, Siryn couldn't help but emit another happy sigh. Truly, it loved food, possibly more than it had ever loved another living being. Perhaps that was why Siryn remained single, despite his blatant appreciation of men and women alike?
Ah well. It had no need to fuss over such things. The simple life it led suited Siryn, and when the time came that its arrangements no long did, it would change them.
"Amiel brewed the tea today. Actually, he's been tending my herb garden, and doing a remarkable job." Siryn tucked its tongue in cheek, watched Amiel's movements halt for a moment, his brows twitch lightly together.
Very subtle signs, but the kirin could tell Amiel was a little embarrassed. They'd come to know one another rather well during their stay together, largely in part to the fact that Siryn made its business out of knowing others. Amiel was not an easy read, but there were small indicators that became more obvious over time.
Looking to Serenity, it smiled. "But I've embarrassed him, so I'd best fill my mouth with food before he takes his temper out on me."
Eyes downcast, Amiel sampled his own lunch, continuing to ignore the conversation. He wasn't a being who ate for enjoyment, but rather simply to sustain himself; at least, that was how it had been in the past. Serenity seemed to be putting forth real effort with her lunches, however, and he noticed that they were exponentially better than anything he could concoct with his own two hands.
A man could get spoiled on food that good. For that matter, a man could get spoiled on Siryn's cooking - it had seemed to pick up flavors and recipes from all its customers, and the fare was certainly varied. Sometimes it was very good, and sometimes it was very bad, but either way, Amiel ate.
Lifting his tea to his nose, he sniffed, eyes finally falling on Siryn. Though they still glowed with the menacing aura he'd been born with, there was no contempt in them.
"If my temper lashed at you, Siryn, it would be the fault of your own teachings." He didn't intend the statement to be harsh, but simple fact.
Such honesty would not have come from him during the time when he had first met Serenity, assumed the guise of a knight. How much he had wanted to be that knight. To have those principles and morals, to be the kind of being that others looked up to in something other than fear.
He did not want those things now, not in their entirety. He wanted bits and pieces of them, certainly, but not to the extreme that he had been attempting.
Of course, he didn't want the violent, bloodthirsty extreme of his personality, either.
From across the room, Siryn clucked its tongue. "Do you hear the lip I put up with, Serenity? Such a mouthy one, this student of mine."
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 2:05 pm
The idea of Amiel working in a garden was enough to make her laugh, as Siryn seemed to make her do so often, but she knew such a thing would embarrass Amiel beyond what even Siryn did on occasion, and so she held her tongue and settled for a polite but contemplative hum of interest. Though she did immediately take a sip of tea, to see the fruits of his efforts. "The tea is quite lovely, Amiel." About to remark on his patience for brewing, she held that in as well. Her self-imposed list of Things Not to Talk About still held, and bothering him about quantifying his progress with mundane tasks continued to stay high on the list.
At Siryn's final, but amiable, shot at Amiel, Serenity couldn't help herself and covered her mouth as she giggled, caught in the humor between bites. Pausing to swallow, she lowered her hand and tilted her head in amusement. "Now, now you two, play nice..." She heard a bit of the old Amiel in his words, the plain, cruel truth he'd spoken during their fights, but never before. But at the same time, while the words were the same, and she could hear the familiarity in the tone, the cruelty was gone. The intent to hurt and push away, it simply wasn't there any more. Amiel may not have wanted to be around others, strictly speaking, but he had retained his inner self while changing...something. It was no doubt impossible to name exactly what was changing, but it was something in Amiel, and he did seem to be happier. Glancing over and noting his introspective look, Serenity mentally revised that. At least he didn't look any more miserable. And who knew what he was truly thinking, maybe being overtly happy was something he simply didn't intend to work on. A sudden caricature of Amiel skipping through a field of flowers came over her, and Serenity coughed discreetly to cover the laugh that nearly burst from her.
"So," She began, trying to move away from the unnerving image. "Will you two be enjoying the pleasure of each other's company at the market later today? I'm fairly certain the mushroom merchant said he was getting a new shipment in this afternoon."
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Silent Comet Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 6:16 pm
Mushrooms... Yes, Siryn could use mushrooms. There were plenty of dishes that it could experiment with, given some fresh mushrooms were on hand. That sounded like a perfectly lovely idea.
"Indeed, I think we must, now. If Amiel would be so kind, that is?" Beaming at the dark constellation, it added innocently, "I'm certain I'll find much more than I can carry with my own arms back."
As he was chewing, Amiel merely looked at Siryn, having resigned himself days ago to the benevolent tag-team that his two companions had formed. Though they were simply looking out for his best interests, so he was told, he couldn't help but notice that each time they were together, they played off one another. Siryn had enough ideas on its own for the things to occupy Amiel's spare time, but it seemed that Serenity particularly inspired it.
Well. There was nothing to be done. Whether he wanted to or not, it seemed likely he would be going to the market.
Setting his utensils aside, he wiped his mouth with his napkin, eyes downcast. "That's fine."
Beaming, Siryn turned to Serenity, patting her hand. "Thank you, dear. If I hadn't heard of the mushrooms, why, I might've put it off... but fresh is best, really. I think we'll set out just after lunch, as Amiel is finished for the day anyhow, and I've nothing on my plate."
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:54 pm
"What a wonderful idea, I'm glad I remembered to mention it." Serenity beamed at Siryn and tried not to stare at the suddenly downcast Amiel. Was going to the market truly so terrible for him? She figured being around a mass of people would be difficult, but maybe she had overestimated just what he was comfortable with yet. His solitude always seemed to be very important to him, though perhaps he didn't get much of it under the tutelage of the wise, but very enthusiastic Siryn. She wished she could do something to cheer him up...
"Perhaps," The word escaped her as soon as the idea came to mind. "I could come with you to the market instead?" She cast a quick sidelong glance at Amiel. "I'm sure dear Amiel has worked so terribly hard, perhaps a break is in order?" She looked down and straightened her box, trying to hide her anxiety. It seemed like it would make Amiel the slightest bit happier, but what if Siryn had a larger plan for wanting him at the market? What if she was only interfering in the process? "I probably can't carry quite as much, but I would love to help out if I could..." Serenity hoped that provided the kirin enough of an out of it truly wanted Amiel at the market. Maybe they could even all go, Serenity would be more than happy to spend more time with the both of them, and maybe having someone to share Siryn's attentions would bring some relief to Amiel.
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Silent Comet Vice Captain
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