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 Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2010 6:28 pm
  This is a private roleplay between Kiran [Kazu-Chan] and Yue Lao [Face Your Demons].
Setting:
Residential area / fountain???.
Kiran and Yue Lao, after deciding they were both hungry from eaves-dropping on a roof, have retired to obtain lunch and have a picnic.
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Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2010 6:29 pm
Two statues guarded the gate, one on either side: one seemed to be some kind of fierce feline, and the other looked like it may have been a fox, before the weeds grew up around it. Yue kissed the fox's head, and then the lion's, and mumbled her thanks for watching over them. She did this quickly, a ritual that few had ever seen. Her mother taught her to do that when she was little, and she had never grown out of wishing good luck on her family. Yue pushed through the wooden gate, looking behind her shoulder for Kiran. "You can come through the gate, but you'll have to wait outside," Yue said, without explanation as to why she couldn't invite him in. It was because Chishio and her other-mother were still unacceptable in the eyes of certain others, and she had to help protect her family, even if it meant being slightly rude to Kiran for the time being.
Without hesitating on the path, Yue slid the screen door open and went inside. "Yowai, Chichi, I have a friend outside. We're going for a picnic!" Yue called, leaving the door open a little behind her, so Kiran would be able to see in, but not into the kitchen area.
A soft female voice, almost like melting butter, called back, "Lunch is all set out on the table, just wrap some up in the bento boxes."
"Can I use the fancy ones? Where's Chichi?" Yue asked, the sound of things opening and closing echoing through the open door.
"Fancy?" Yowai laughed, "Is it a special picnic, then? Go ahead, Yue, sweet; use them if you want. Your mother is outside in the back, tending to your weeds."
"I just like the pattern! You know I love the red ones, and we never use them," Yue protested. She was blushing furiously, and wondered how much Kiran had heard. "Tell Chichi I love her," Yue sing-songed. Clearly she had been filling the fancy boxes all along, because she had only just said that when she came swaggering out, the red lacquered boxes tied in a white cloth. She had her hand under the knot at the top of the cloth, and some kind of woven blanket over one shoulder. She flashed a smile at Kiran. "Now. Got anywhere in mind for lunch? If you're as hungry as I am, you won't want to walk very far," Yue said. She grinned, and rubbed her stomach with her free hand.
Her house was down outside the winding roads. It was in a strange part of the residential area, however much Yue would have liked to enjoy a picnic in a field or by a lake. In order to get to her home, one had to take a narrow alley down past where it looked like a dead end, but was in fact a right turn. Past that, there was a grassy corridor which opened on a courtyard of sorts, which was oddly well-kept. There were only three houses off the courtyard. To the left, there was a home with three floors, built strangely tall. It looked like it would topple over. Directly in front of the path, on the far side of the courtyard, was Yue Lao's home, with the gate guardians. To the right, the home was so obscured by tall, foreboding plants.
As much as Yue Lao wanted to escape into the wilderness to enjoy their meal, that would have to wait for another day. "Did you see that fountain, back in the square?" Where sunlight filtered down, and a restaurant and a few shops bordered the public area. "We could always eat there, unless you have a better idea," Yue's stomach rumbled. She reached out and clasped Kiran's shoulder firmly, her eyes pleading, though glittering with amusement, "Before I waste away of hunger!"
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Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 12:00 pm
Kiran tilted his head as he watched Yue kiss the statues at the gate of her house. He had never witness anyone do that and filed it away as an interesting little tidbit about Yue. At her comment, Kiran nodded. He wondered why he wasn't allowed into the house but decided it may be best not to ask. Yue probably had her reasons for it, and she hardly seemed like she would give a straight answer even if he asked about it.
But why would she want to keep him out of her house? That was another curious little detail to make note of. Kiran had little reason not to invite someone in to his house. But his mother might make the situation awkward, especially if the guest was female. He could just hear all her embarrassing questions, like if she was his girlfriend and how long have they been dating and where did they meet. That last question could spell trouble since his mother wouldn't be happy to hear about his little habit of climbing onto rooftops and eavesdropping on people's conversations. He shook his head. On second thought, he probably would have made Yue wait outside as well to avoid all of that. So perhaps it wasn't that strange for her to ask him to wait outside after all.
Kiran smiled when Yue returned. He stood just inside the gate, enough to let him view the front area surrounding the house but not really enough to let him see much inside the opened door to the house.
"The fountain sounds like a good place," Kiran agreed. He really hadn't thought much about where they would eat their picnic. Most of the places he knew of weren't exactly a good place to eat, especially the docks. His favorite fishing spot could be peaceful but troublesome to get to, and Yue probably wouldn't like to sit close to the water if she couldn't swim. Kiran chuckled. "Then we should hurry to the fountain! I wouldn't want you to waste away." He held out an arm for her to take.
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Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2010 8:05 pm
"Aren't you a gentleman," Yue laughed, "No peeking, and now escorting me to the fountain?" She stuck the tip of her tongue out at him and looped her arm through his. "Let's go, go, go! Where we stop, only I know," Yue laughed and strode off, lunch held tight in one hand, her other arm linked with Kiran's.
She took them through the courtyard, down the alley, to the left, and remembered it was to the right. She doubled back, and pulled them past several buildings with attractive fronts. As they walked, the apartments gave way to vendors and stores. Someone sweeping the steps of a tailor's shop waved to Yue and smiled. Yue grinned, but couldn't wave, because of the food and holding on to Kiran. Instead, she nodded her head. Once they were past the woman, Yue explained, "That's the store my mother started."
It wasn't much longer until they were in a square with a fountain in the center. It was beautiful, with soft cream coloured stone. Its centerpiece was a woman holding a dove sitting beside a man carrying a bow. The sculpture had been donated, all the vendors of the square contributing to its purchase. There were no benches, but Yue led Kiran to the fountain's side. The stones had been made thick enough that they provided a level, easy seat. she put the food down, and took her arm back, laying the blanket out so that it was more comfortable on the stones, trying not to dip the end in the water. It looked as if the water was about a foot deep, and little stones littered the bottom of the stone; people had carved or painted them with images for good fortune, luck, or other blessings. She moved the bento boxes to the space between them, and opened them up. She handed Kiran chopsticks, squeezed his shoulder, and sat down on the stones. "You're my guest at this fine establishment, so you get first pick," she said, grinning and leaning her elbows on her knees, her head in her hands. Her chopsticks were jutting out from one of her palms. Yue loved the sausages shaped like octopi best, which her mother always made. Alongside that, there was some tamago, a little salmon in sauce, and some eggs shaped like stars. That was just in the first layer; Kiran was welcome to open any of the bento layers and try his hand at some of the foods Chichi made.
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 12:59 pm
"Oh, well, if you don't like the gentlemanly act, I could stop," Kiran suggested with a playful smile. He hadn't really been thinking of trying to act like a gentleman toward Yue Lao. It was an unconscious thing, maybe because Yue Lao was a girl. He tended to fall into that kind of role when his sister was around, and it must have seeped through as he interacted with Yue Lao.
Kiran laughed as they started off toward the fountain. There were plenty of other Lunarians out by this time. Any of them that knew him would probably find it odd to see him walking through the streets with a girl other than his sister. Kiran glanced around Yue Lao to see the shop she meant. "So your mother is a tailor then?" he asked curiously. She hadn't really mentioned anything about her family until now.
After Yue Lao got a spot set up for them at the fountain, Kiran took a seat on the blanket. He bent one leg up under him while the other draped over the out edge. "It all looks really good," he said, not sure what to try first. His stomach growled hungrily at the sight of all the delicious food. It was a good thing they didn't go to his house to pick up a lunch. He shuddered to think what his mother might attempt to prepare for them. He picked up one of the octopi shaped sausages with his chopsticks then popped it into his mouth.
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Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 8:41 pm
"So it's an act?" Yue responded, raising her eyebrows as if she was surprised and offended; her lips, curled into a sly smile, gave her away. Yue didn't really care one way or another; it was the physical contact she loved.
Yue was hard to miss, and hard to forget. Some of the women who saw her working at the Ichi-Koi stared at her as she passed by, whispering to each other. Yue Lao paid them no heed whatsoever. It was no secret what others thought of her, but also of no concern. Besides, the more flamboyant she was, the more she hoped to draw attention away from her mothers; usually it was Chichi that collected her from outings or troublesome situations. Yowai, when it came to motherly duties, was never the one to act. They really had no choice. If Yowai kept showing up interchangeably with her mother, Lunarians might start to wonder what kind of relationship Yowai had with Yue Lao. "Yes, Chishio specializes in fine garments." Yue Lao didn't mention that Yowai's brewery was what had bought the store in the first place. The family lived modestly, but they had a good foundation.
"It's a good thing I didn't make it," Yue laughed, "Or it wouldn't be a question of what to pick first, but which looked edible." Yue Lao was not much of a cook at all. She could make rudimentary dishes, but apart from that, her cooking was undesirable. Yue watched as Kiran picked one of the sausage octopi, and laughed. "You have excellent taste, those are the best ones!"
After Kiran chose one of the octopi, Yue took a slab of tamago and relished its perfection. The right texture, just the right sweetness. Her mother had bound it to rice with a small piece of nori, making a tamago sushi. "I think I would die happy if I could eat one of my mom's bento boxes for a final snack," Yue Lao joked, relishing the first food she'd eaten all day, or at least what felt like it.
"What do you eat at your place, Kiran?" Yue asked, curious.
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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 11:02 am
"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't," Kiran responded cryptically as a wide grinned flashed across his face. When he thought about it, he would probably attribute the gentlemanly act to his "knight in shining armor" complex. Knights generally acted gentlemanly toward females. Or at least, that was his understanding.
Kiran wondered if his mother had ever bought clothing from the store. But he shook his head. He never really paid attention to his mother's shopping trips.
Kiran laughed as well. "I doubt anything I cooked would be any better." He was still learning how to cook but only knew what Yuudai had taught him. There was still plenty he didn't know about cooking. He picked up one of the star shaped eggs and popped it into his mouth.
"I'd rather have your mother's cooking than mine," Kiran said, cringing at the thought of his mother's cooking. "Her cooking is probably the worst cooking in the world." He sighed, looking over the bento for what to try next. "But if you try to cook anything in the kitchen while she's there, she'll start yelling and chase you out waving a frying pan." He laughed and shook his head as he stole one of the tamago. "It's hard to try to practice cooking when she's home most of the time."
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Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 5:46 pm
"Well, I guess we'd better never try to cook anything," Yue answered, amused. At least if neither of them could cook, they were matched in that. Sometimes Yue found it refreshing not only to find interests in common with another, but also shortcomings. If they all matched, though, Yue would find it extremely disconcerting. Kiran made Yue Lao relatively comfortable, though she was still too eager to speak in riddles. That was nothing unusual. Yue was typically a little cryptic. Even when she had first met Jianyu, she had spoken obscurely, and Jianyu hadn't hesitated to point that out. It was, possibly, one of her most striking traits, though she couldn't help it.
Yue scooped up a piece of eel with her chopsticks, trying not to make a face as she crunched on the spiny parts. Eel was easily one of her least favourite aquatic meats. She liked the flavour, but found the bones hard to tolerate. It was one of Yowai's favourites, when she asked Chishio to make lunch, though.
"She can't be that bad, can she?" Yue laughed. Because Chishio could cook, Yue hadn't really considered what would happen if a mother couldn't cook. "If you can't cook, and her cooking is... less than desirable, I'm amazed you don't starve," Yue added, grinning. She poked Kiran in the side with her free hand. He was rather slight, now that she thought of it, but she hadn't really taken that to mean he was starving. "You practice cooking? I don't think I could bring myself to, even if I should," she admitted, sheepish. "What would she do with the frying pan if she caught you?" Yue asked. She started to picture Kiran running from a woman with a frying pan, and she couldn't help herself: she burst into laughter, and dropped the rest of her eel into the fountain.
"I guess it's trying to return to its natural environment," Yue said, eyeing the eel under the foot or so of water. The fountain surface rippled, constantly disturbed by the water falling from the center piece. She leaned over to pluck it out with a sigh, "As much as I hate eel and would rather just leave it there, that would probably be rude." Not that Yue was particularly concerned with her manners, typically, but she did believe in keeping shared space clean if possible. Teasing someone was different from leaving things to rot. She looked pretty precariously perched, as the fountain ripples had managed to move the eel further into the fountain. It seemed as though either she would slip and fall, or the slightest nudge might send her into the water.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 12:07 pm
"But if we never try to cook, we'll never be able to get any better at it," Kiran pointed out as he looked over the food in the bento, trying to decide what to try next. With everything looking so delicious, it was tough to choose one thing at a time, but he also didn't want to appear rude and gobble up every bit of food in the bento.
Kiran shook his head. "I have to wonder how she never gets any better at it," he confessed. "You would think with all the years she's been cooking that she would improve rather than remaining constantly bad at it." He picked up another star shaped egg to pop into his mouth. He laughed at Yue Lao's comment. "Well, we got used to it after a while. Even if it tastes bad, it's better to eat it than to starve. Right?"
He rolled his shoulder in a shrug. "Well, I try. I met this guy while selling fish and he offered to teach me to cook." He knew it was a skill he would need if he was going to live on his own eventually, like he planned. "She'd probably give me a spanking with it." He laughed at the childish image it brought to mind. "But I'm much too quick for that to happen."
Kiran grinned as he watched Yue Lao trying to fish the eel out of the water in the fountain. He agreed that it would be rude to leave it in there. A devious thought wiggled its way into his head seeing how Yue Lao sat on fountain wall. He reached across and gave her a poke in the side.
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Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 7:10 pm
"So long as I can feed myself, I don't see any other need," Yue answered. She didn't plan to inflict her cooking on anyone else, so as long as she could prepare simple dishes to keep herself in good health, it didn't particularly matter to her. She couldn't see herself with a family, and she wasn't exactly a good prospect for a wife. Cooking, to her, was something that while Yowai and Chishio seemed to enjoy it and were skilled, she had no interest.
"Maybe she needs someone to push her! To learn new things," Yue laughed. "I suppose it would be better to get used to it than starve. Eating burnt food makes me gag, so I hope at least she doesn't burn it, for your tongue's sake...!" She added, cringing, though she still grinned.
Yue noted his shoulder rolling again, amused. She liked that he had that constant gesture. It was kind of reassuring. "That sounds kind of ... suspicious," she laughed, "There's probably more to the story than just that, though." Yue looked at the fountain, in wonderment at the ease with which Lunarians could enter each others' lives... and the swiftness with which they might leave. Yue, herself, often left quite fast. Once she was done with someone, she seldom saw the need to keep in touch. Kiran was amusing, though, and she didn't relish the idea of never seeing him again.
She didn't even see his scheming face, nor his approach, and his poke pushed her off-balance enough that she tipped over into the fountain, dropping her chopsticks and falling on the eel. Soaking wet, spluttering, and then finally laughing, she raised herself so she was sitting. "You fiend! I could have drowned in these raging waters...!" Yue paused, then, and smiled wickedly. "I have a gift for you, sneaky fiend." She reached down and peeled something off her side.
Yue Lao let something fly, and giggled madly as the sopping wet piece of eel went sailing towards Kiran.
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 11:04 am
Kiran shrugged with another roll of his shoulders. "It is nice to be able to eat delicious food every once and a while though," he pointed out, sneaking another octopi sausage. The only time he got to eat food that actually tasted like food was when he ate out, if he had the money for it. Kiran chuckled. "I don't think that would work out so well." His mother didn't take criticism of her cooking well, so they had to grin and bear it.
"In what way does it sound suspicious?" Kiran questioned with seeming confusion. He blinked with a false innocence upon his face. "It went just as I said. Nothing more, nothing less."
Kiran laughed loudly, drawing the attention of people nearby. He had only meant to make her jump with the little poke. He hadn't expected her to take a dive right into the fountain. "Fiend! I'm wounded!" Kiran placed a hand over his heart like he felt the pain of that barb, but he couldn't wipe the amused smile from his face. "You better get to shore before those raging waters pull you under."
Too amused over the situation, Kiran missed Yue Lao flinging something his way. The eel smacked him right in the forehead then slowly peeled itself from his face and plopped onto the stone wall of the fountain. Kiran stared at Yue with a serious expression on his face. "You know, it's not nice to throw food at someone," he pointed out with an oddly flat voice. He picked up the eel then flung it right back at her as a mischievous grin cracked his previous expression.
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:27 am
Yue Lao couldn't help but imitate his shoulder roll, a mischievious grin tipping across her lips. "Perhaps I should learn, then; I've seen the light!" Yue pressed her hand against her chest, as if she was in rapture, her face taking on an exaggerated expression of enlightenment. "Food is the way! Good cooking will guide my steps, surely," she lowered her eyes to the ground and sighed heavily, pretending to sob with joy. When she snuck a glance up at Kiran, her wolfish smile was still firmly fixed in place, and her eyes sparkled.
"Everything you do sounds suspicious...!" Yue Lao laughed, but didn't elaborate. She doubted that was all there had been to the meeting, and the arrangement, but she wasn't about to argue over something so insignificant.
Yue Lao scoffed as his false remorse. "Wounded?! So I guess you're some kind of masochist, grinning while you're so clearly in pain!" She wrinkled her nose, then giggled.
Self-satisfied, she gloated while his expression turned serious and he peeled it from his forehead. "Maybe I'm a better ranged fighter than I thought," she teased. He threw it back, and she squeaked, then the squeak turned into mad laughter. Clearly, Lunarians were staring now, at this girl in the fountain and the boy throwing a piece of eel. No one seemed to want to approach them, though, perhaps thinking them mad. She threw her hands up to shield her face, and took the soggy eel to her arm. "You want to fight, fiend?" She asked, laughing. "Ultimate weapon: soggy Yue!" Yue giggled and lunged at Kiran, trying to get purchase on him. She didn't really think about anything beyond getting him wet too, and it didn't occur to her they might both end up in the fountain. That was only if he slipped too, though; there was a chance he managed to escape her sloppy lunge.
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:27 pm
Kiran noted the roll of Yue Lao's shoulder, and a grin played across his face. Then he laughed at her comment. "Seen the light? Was it a big flash or a small burst?" He nodded firmly. "Food is always the way. And the first step to cooking is to hunt down some tasty little lamb." It seemed to him that was becoming a little joke between the two of them.
"Does it?" One thin teal eyebrow rose as Kiran tilted his head to one side in a curious manner. To him, nothing he did sounded all that suspicious. But maybe that was only because he knew all about his own action while someone looking at him from the outside had little knowledge of what went on in his mind.
"Hm." Kiran tapped his chin thoughtfully. "No, I don't think I'm a masochist. Pain isn't very fun to experience." He could still recall the tenderness of the wounds he received in previous fights.
"You fight?" he asked curiously. From the teasing manner in which she said it, Kiran wasn't certain if Yue Lao meant the comment as just a joke or if she really was a fighter. If she was, that would be another thing they had in common. Kiran almost missed her "ultimate weapon: soggy Yue" comment, lost for a brief moment in his own thoughts. He moved to dodge her sudden lunge. But the moment of distraction cost him time. She collided with him, knocking him into the fountain. After managing to sit up, Kiran laughed. "Hey, are you trying to drown me-" He cut off his question when he noticed a large, angry looking man towering over them.
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 6:05 pm
Talking with Kiran, Yue was pleased to note, was a constant motion. A constant, fluid motion; it was as if Kiran was perfectly suited to verbally spar with her. Except she didn't feel like it was sparring, so much as an exchange. What he said, she responded to, and he would respond in kind, often eliciting a grin or laughter from her. She had laughed frequently since meeting him earlier that day, and it already felt like they had been spending frequent time together, though in reality they really had just met. Time and its relativity seldom mattered to Yue. She fixed her gaze on the present only long enough to observe, and then she was off to the future again, planning.
"I like the way you think, my friend! Little lambs are certainly the first step, and I somehow nearly forgot...!" Yue was impressed even he remembered. He was full of surprises, really. She wondered if he would continue that way, or if they would eventually grow tired of one another, or if Kiran might run out of things to say. She would feel a little remorse, if Kiran were to reveal himself as less quick-witted than she perceived him during their first meeting.
Yue was pretty good at avoiding pain. She didn't exactly get in a lot of fights, though she knew she would in the future. Fighting had a strange effect on her; she loved the physical contact, even with her enemies, and that conflicted with the fact she didn't particularly like pain. In fact, she would gladly avoid taking physical damage, though it wasn't exactly easy to do so, since she was still a rather unskilled student. She was training, though. "I'm glad to hear you're not a masochist...! Or I'd have to worry about you," she teased.
"Of course I fight; they have ballads about me, you know," she said, wiggling her eyebrows, grinning. Was Kiran a fighter, as well? His expression, the weight behind the question, seemed to suggest either he was also a fighter, or he had something on his mind involving the position in the army. Yue Lao didn't typically bring her allegiance into conversation unless someone offered theirs. She was used to Yowai being diplomatic during business transactions; Yowai couldn't afford to alienate half the market by bringing her political views into her art. It shouldn't be mistaken for a lack of belief in her cause, however; Yowai was fiercely loyal to the Emperor.
Successful at tipping Kiran into the fountain with her, her laughter cascaded forth, echoing slightly in the fountain's pool. "You started it...! Besides, if I drowned you, who would I have to throw bits of eel at, or eavesdrop with?" Yue didn't notice the man approach, but she definitely noticed his presence. He cast a lumbering shadow over the fountain. "Hey, stranger; you look pretty warm, care to join us for a swim...?"
He grunted angrily, and Yue laughed. She was fast, even though she was weighed down with her wet clothes, and she reached for Kiran's hand to make sure he was able to get up quickly. She had noticed his reflexes were quite good so long as he wasn't distracted, though, so she had a certain amount of faith in his ability to stand up without her help. Still, she reached for him. The next step was gathering the bento boxes. Thankfully, they had only opened the top one, so she slipped the lid back on. She didn't hear the man right, but she thought he had said something about them causing trouble. The stranger did lunge for her, which both startled Yue and made her burst into laughter again.
"Too slow!... hey, Kiran, I think it's about time we got going, what do you say?" She grinned at him mischieviously, trying to ensure she wasn't caught by the lumbering man, the lopsided bundle of bento stuff gripped in one fist. Her heart was racing, and the sunlight felt good on her damp, cool skin. The glimpse of the fountain, the angry lunarian and Kiran painted quite a picture; Yue froze it in her memory, a moment of strange contentment.
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Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 4:04 pm
Kiran gasped in mock horror. "You forgot the lambs? But they're such a tasty little snack!" He wondered if she had actually forgotten about the earlier conversation about little lambs or if she was only teasing him. Either way, a grin was plastered on his face. He enjoyed the back and forth play they had going on between them.
"Oh, have they? I don't I've ever heard these ballads." He doubted any ballads would be written about him, though he grinned at the idea of having his name known by everyone for years to come. He liked getting attention whenever possible. He shared the same beliefs as father, joining the Noble alliance as well. His mother also sided with the Nobles, even though she didn't approve of her son joining the fight. But his sister remained neutral, only hoping the fighting would come to end soon. Kiran didn't bother to ask Yue Lao about her alliance. If she ended up being in the Legion alliance, that could ruin the relationship they had going at the moment.
"But I didn't mean for you to fall in!" Kiran argued with a laugh. He was already climbing to his feet when Yue reached for his hand. When the man tried to grab at the back of his vest, Kiran ducked quickly out of the way. The man was large, and Kiran would bet that one hit from him would leave him dazed. But Kiran was smaller and nimbler. He danced easily out of the man's reach each time he made an attempt to grab him.
The man made a lunge for him. Kiran twisted around, managing to get behind the man. Then he lifted his foot and gave the man a swift shove with his foot. The man stumbled and took a tumble head first into the fountain with a big splash. "Maybe he wanted that swim after all," Kiran said, laughing as he ran to catch up with Yue. "But I don't think he'll be happy with us." He grabbed hold of Yue's hand as he reached her and kept running. "Getting out of here sounds like a good idea right about now!"
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