|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 4:03 pm
  SettingNot too far away from Van's home in the middle of the jungle!
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 4:19 pm
Sara was so close to graduation she could almost taste it, however she had found out that her studies had done more than just teach her spells. They had slowly over time strengthened her connection with the souls around her. This had kicked off a most unusual side effect, one that was was not yet aware of. She rested in her bed peacefully, her long teal hair loose and her body wrapped in a plain white robe which was maybe one or two sizes too big for her. She was always so warm when she slept and she did not like to feel restricted. The moonlight flooded into her room and cast a faint glow on her tanned skin.
'dance with us Sara, dance with us.' Over the past months she had come in contact with many spirits, more often than not it was the children who wanted her attention. Who looked to her for guidance as they moved on. The voices echoed in her mind and before she knew it she sat up and slowly crept out of bed, her eyes were shut and her movements slow and elegant. Still fast asleep she started to follow the voices, down the halls and out the front door of Hua's estate. 'dance with us Sara, dance with us.' They continued to call and the young Mongol continued to follow. Even when her bear feet started to bleed due to the jagged rocks she did not wake, she did not even feel it. The cold breeze, the rustling trees, nothing disturbed her slumber. Her mind was a prisoner to the children, in her dreams she was dancing with them.
She had been walking for some time, deeper and deeper into the dark jungle, the moon itself was hardly able to shed light onto the ground due to the mass of branches and leaves. Though after a while she came into a clearing, twigs crunched as she stepped on them, her robe was torn due to the bushes on the ground. Though she was still wondering, she was still following them. Finally one root tripped her and the teal haired girl landed with a thud, waking her instantly. She gasped and sat up, heavily breathing and looking around confused. Where the hell was she!? She rested on her knees, jewel like eyes tying to remember how she got here. Was she dreaming?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 5:02 pm
Sleep had eluded Van tonight. It wasn’t that the girl wasn’t tired—normally she’d be asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow, but today she’d been careless. On her way home from the academy that afternoon, the young Legionnaire had quite literally run into a small family of tree monkeys. She hadn’t seen them over the mountain of groceries she was carrying home. Van, being much larger, had escaped unscathed save for a few crushed fruits. Unfortunately, she couldn’t say the same for the small monkey that had been in her direct path.
This wasn’t to say that Van was exactly the caring sort—surprisingly spiritual, perhaps—but life force was an entity not to be tampered with in her eyes, let alone wasted. Immediately afterward the student had gone to make an offering to the Goddess to beg Her forgiveness, but this wasn’t enough. It was never enough, for the girl always took these things too hard. This was why she was meditating just outside of her house as the moon began to descend in the sky. The jungle sounds were the most lively at this hour, and it was in this state that she could feel the most at ease in light of her perceived sin.
Breathe in, breathe out. Her breathing was nearly imperceptible amidst the night sounds, which were varied yet constant. Van let her mind open, hearing and feeling every step, every screech, hoot and call. One sound surprised her resting mind, however. Violet eyes opening sharply, Van looked around for the source of the thud. That had not been a natural sound. Someone was out where they should not be walking. The Au family had no neighbors for miles, and while the boundaries of their land were not marked, few would venture this deep into the wilderness anyway. Grabbing at a large wooden branch, the girl made off toward the source of the sound.
It was only a brief matter of speed and stealth before Van had found the perpetrator, and suffice it to say that it was not what she had expected. Holding the branch in front of her cautiously, she eyed the other girl. She looked fairly harmless, confused even, but it never hurt to be careful.
”What... are you doing here?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 5:24 pm
'dance with us Sara, dance with us.' She could still hear them, she raised a hand and rested it on her chin in thought closing her eyes for a moment. "It seems the spirits lead me here in a dream, I guess they wanted me to meet you Miss." She stated with a small smile turning to look at her before looking down to see her attire, her white robe was hanging over one of her shoulders, the material was ripped and dirty around her feet and of-course where she had just fallen. Her hair was messy and a few leaves where stuck in it, ontop of that she had scratches on her feet and legs. She shook her head and sighed. "Though I wish they had not lead me here in my sleep, or at least have told me to get dressed first." She added with a small pout.
Ruffling her long teal hair she stepped a little closer to the girl and gave her a small polite bow, even though she looked homeless did not take away from the act she was raised to be polite. "My name is Sara. I am sorry for intruding, may I ask what exactly I have intruded on?" She requested standing up once more - cocking her head, she was surprisingly calm. However that might be because she was still tired and half asleep.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:34 pm
Van listened intently as the other girl spoke, raising one perfectly plucked eyebrow as she began talking about spirits and dreams, things mostly beyond her fighter mind. It was apparent that Sara was to be a Soul Conduit. Realizing this, Van lowered her branch a bit, reasoning that the girl in front of her posed little physical threat. Otherwise, she couldn’t be too sure, but it didn’t seem as if any harm had been intended. Giving the girl another once-over allowed Van to lend some credibility to Sara’s story. It did look as if she had been sleeping, although she couldn’t begin to comprehend how anyone could walk so many miles out into the jungle without waking up... or getting mauled, for that matter.
“I’m Van,” was the automatic reply, “You’re in my backyard.” And with that, she began to walk away.
She had only taken two steps before pangs of conscience began to hit her. Most encounters with Van were give and take, reciprocal—and Sara had neither given nor taken. Van sensed no danger from the girl, so leaving her alone was more than reasonable. Then why, Goddess forbid, did she feel guilt now? Was it perhaps leftover guilt from her earlier encounter in the jungle? The purple Lunarian shook her head. That was ridiculous.
Then, she got to feeling uneasy about leaving someone all alone out in the jungle. It may have been her backyard, but this backyard was much more than a yard. It wasn’t uncommon to run into aggressive wildcats and poisonous creatures on her way to and from the Academy. Van turned on her heel and stepped back up to Sara, reaching one scaled hand out.
“You should come with me. It’s dangerous for you to stay here, and it’s too far to walk back by yourself.” Suffice it to say that Van was not the happiest about this sudden decision—she generally tended to want to take care of herself and only herself. However, it was probably the most efficient of her choices. She wasn’t about to walk someone back to town in the middle of the night; she needed some amount of her beauty sleep before the morning, at least! She’d lose a little time helping the younger girl out, but she was being a good citizen. Van only hoped that Sara wasn’t a Noble—Mother wouldn’t be too happy about that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:28 pm
"Oh dear, have I really wondered that far?" She mumbled to herself looking out, a small shiver running up her spine as she wondered what would have become of her if she had kept going. Maybe she could have found a land beyond Lunaria, now that would be a discovery to go down in the records but then again she thought it was more likely that she'd would walk off the edge off a cliff on the way, or something like that. She was not a graceful person normally, she was always falling over or into things so goodness knows what she would be like asleep. Although by the looks of it she had not done too bad getting this far with out dying in some ridiculous way.
She looked at the women as she held out her hand, she cocked her head to the side before raising her own and placing it in hers. "Thank you, Van. I do not know what I would have done if you had not found me." She really didn't, she had to admit for a moment there she thought she was going to turn and just leave but she knew she wouldn't. She seemed like a nice enough girl and she was sure the spirits would not have made their paths cross if they knew she would turn and leave her to be eaten, right? Sara wondered to catch up with her, standing by her side and waiting for instruction.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 4:44 pm
Van waited patiently for the other girl to finish mumbling to herself. She didn’t know much about Soul Conduits, but if this one had made an impression on her it was certainly that they were an odd sort. Sleep-walking miles into the jungle? Talking to herself—or was she talking to the spirits? The Lunarian shook her head slightly; she was thankful for the fact that she’d chosen the warrior path. It seemed more down to earth, in more ways than one... and besides, Van had enough going on in her head that she couldn’t imagine dealing with otherworldly souls, as well.
An amused glint fell upon her amethyst eyes as Sara’s hand rested in hers. “Of course. Not many people come out this way, you know,” was her comment as she began to lead them in the direction of her house. She was, for the most part, quiet during the 15 minute trek, except to tell the other girl to watch her step, or her head or ‘DON’T STEP ON THAT’. As the stone and brick building came into view, Van realized that there was quite a bit she didn’t know about Sara, and that she still wasn’t sure how to handle the other girl in the morning when she had class at the Academy. Turning as they reached the steps, the Legionnaire decided to pose a few questions.
“Sorry, if I may ask, are you of Legion allegiance? And you don’t happen to go to the Academy, do you?” She was crossing her fingers for affirmative answers to both questions. It would make life much easier for her if she didn’t have to deal with Noble parents and opposing neighborhoods in the wee hours of the morning. Looking at Sara again, she realized faintly that she felt some sort of inclination to protect the seemingly vulnerable girl.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 11:44 am
She blinked and looked over at the purple scaled Lunarian as she asked her next questions. "That is correct, on both parts. Though I am to graduate soon, or so I have been told. It is strange, I can not imagine not going to class every day. I am guessing that means you attend too? Warrior I suspect by your aura, its a lot warmer than what I am used to." All the old men who taught her were so cold. Not in personality but to a person who was very sensitive to aura's being in the temple felt like you had entered a ice cave, and no amount of clothing you wore would help because it was not actually cold, if it was at all possible to feel mental cold then that was it, a concept that few could relate to.
Wanting to move quickly from the topic of alliance Sara looked over in the direction of Van's home. She did not really like talking about the war or what side she was on so the quicker the conversation drifted else where the more comfortable she knew she would feel. "Is that your home? It is lovely! Though in a rather interesting location, is there any reason for in being placed here?" She asked wondering if it was designed around some kind of holy space of if the builders wanted a challenge. She rested her hand on a nearby tree and took in a deep breathe, she was exhausted in truth. Walking still burns energy even if you are asleep and tonight Sara felt like she had walked a damn marathon. One thing was for sure, she was not looking forward to walking back in the morning.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 3:55 am
Even though the hour was late, even though she was escorting a stranger back to her house and circumstances were pretty much anything but ideal, Van could not help but chuckle as she listened to Sara mumble about the spirits behind her. The other girl was charming, in her own way.
In actuality, Van was fairly impressed that the girl could keep up with her all the way back to her house, though she did not feel the need to voice this. She’d found Sara in a particularly rough spot in the rainforest, but she supposed that if she could get all the way from town to there, she could make the comparatively shorter trip back with Van. The purple girl wondered if this had anything to do with spirits.
Van was relieved to hear that Sara, too, was aligned with the Legion. At least her mother would not make a huge fuss about it in the morning. Realizing that the other girl had asked a question, Van made a hasty reply. “Yeah, I’m a student too.” She found herself at a loss for words when she heard the next few sentences. She had a warm aura? What did that mean? Van supposed she could ask later; she never minded talking about herself.
“Thanks, I guess it is,” she said sheepishly, looking up at the traditional-style pool house that she called home for a few years now. It was a fairly large building, particularly for being out in the middle of the wilderness—it had to house four big-headed Lunarians, after all, and accommodate all of their varied responsibilities. Van motioned for Sara to come just inside, where the small pool that was the center of their house was.
“My mom wanted to live in a place that reminded her of her homeland,” Van explained simply, shrugging. There was a pause as she wondered whether she should divulge the other reasons. She figured that Sara seemed innocent enough, though, and continued. “My brother and father are also Captain and Tenryujin. They’re involved in a lot of confidential matters with the Emperor that require seclusion. Anyway, do you need anything, food or water before we go upstairs? A shower?” The young woman smiled quietly as she offered her hospitality. It was in this way she’d repay the Goddess for her mistakes earlier.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 5:30 am
She broke off from her train of thought and gave the girl a gentle smile. "Your family must be very proud. Though they both started out like us, do you want to become a Captain Van? I know you would be able to if you wanted." Sara had the habit of seeing the best in everyone, seeing potential and virtues that even they did not know ware there. Being a religious women she had to believe the spirits controlled everyone's destiny but she also believed that ones own determination and desire was taken into account when they were writing it. As long as you had a good heart she was sure that good things would happen.
"Oh no I am fine thank you... though a shower and a change of clothes would be very appreciated I do not want to trail dirt into your lovely home." She felt awkward asking, however since she was offered she saw accepting Van's kindness preferable than spending a very uncomfortable night with the dirt clinging to her body. She bowed her head a little in thanks to the pretty purple Lunarian. She did not know why she ran into Van, but she knew there meeting was important. She felt sometime in the future Van might need her.... or she might need Van.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 3:49 pm
Van bristled visibly as she heard the names of the two captains. Bataar and Jianyu were captains now? Here she was only about to graduate from the Academy! Granted, it had been a very long time since she’d seen either of them—at least over a year, and Jianyu she had only met once. The problem was with Bataar. This particular Legionnaire couldn’t stand the thought of lowlife scum like him being ranked the same as her brother. No, this would not do. “Ah, I do know them. I trust they are well.” Her neutral tone would do well enough to cover her irritation for now.
Nodding once as Sara continued, Van returned the expression with her own brief smile. “Actually, I’m just about to graduate from the Academy,” she admitted proudly. Even though others had taken greater strides than her, she still considered this an accomplishment. “After this, I’ll be a Captain in no time at all!” The assurance was more for herself than anything else—knowing now that she had to catch up and surpass, Van vowed to herself to make good on this silent promise.
First, she had to come back to the situation at hand and make good on her other offer. Van motioned again for the other girl to follow her through the door. Walking around the still pool toward a large hallway, Van trotted up the stairs, ducking into a room—her room. It didn’t take her long to fish out a pair of green flannel pajamas and a towel from her closet for the other girl. “Here,” she said, quieter now that they were inside, “The bathroom’s just next door. After you’re done come back here, alright?”
Now that she thought about it, she had never been in a situation where she had to offer her hospitality to a complete stranger—usually because she never stuck around long enough for any such situation to present itself. There were firsts for everything, though, and Van decided now that she didn’t mind, as long as they were all as docile as this one seemed to be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 2:37 pm
Sara nodded her head as she was given direction, taking the clothes and towel from Van with a low and respectful bow. "Okay, thank you for your kindness I will not be too long." She smiled before heading next door. When she was on her own she sighed, Hua was going to be so mad in the morning and she felt bad for being such a burden, she would have to make sure she made it up to Van when she could. She wondered what she might want in return.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sara did not want to be on her own for too long, however at the same time the water felt so good against her skin she did not want to leave it. She thought about everything, about Mei, about Cais, about graduation. When she was by herself all she did was contemplate, wonder and worry. When she was all cleaned up she dried herself quickly and got dressed, wrapping the towel around her long hair, it always took so long to dry. She then went back into Van's room. "That was heavenly." She stated as she wondered over to look out the window, there really was a jungle out there. It was hard to think that the girl would be used to this, to Sara the view was amazing. She then turned back to the purple scaled Lunarian an leant against the wall. "I guess it is pretty early, we should really get some rest before we have to go and attend class's tomorrow." She nodded her head, feeling the exhaustion making her limbs heavy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 1:17 am
Van merely waved it off when Sara thanked her for her so-called kindness. In this particular woman’s mind, it wasn’t so much kindness as necessity, something any other Lunarian would do for a member of the same faction. Besides, regardless of how it was painted, if Sara had been found dead the next morning on Au property, the family would be uncomfortably scrutinized... as if they weren’t already, with Vinh Hung and Thanh Long holding high positions among the Legion. All of this Van only realized now when Sara had left, and not in the moments when she decided to help the other girl.
Shaking her head to clear it, Van stepped back into her closet to drag her now infrequently used futon out into the room. Van was not a girl with many friends these days, especially since she’d upped the ante on her studying habits. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had stayed over—those days were long ago. But now that her efforts had finally been rewarded, she supposed she could afford to enjoy the company of others, even if only for a while.
It was in the middle of this train of thought, while she was finishing smoothing out the sheets that Sara re-entered the room. Noticing how the other girl stared out the window at the wilderness, Van had to stifle a bit of a giggle. “What doesn’t kill you out there only makes you stronger, eh?” she asked, surprisingly good-naturedly. And it was true—the brutality of the jungle could only help the rising warriors in this particular family. “Don’t fall asleep there now, this futon’s much more comfortable, I swear.”
The young woman patted said futon once before standing to jump into her own bed. She waited for the other girl to settle before crawling under the sheets. “Night, Sara,” was her sleepy murmur. And as she rolled over onto her side, she decided to wait until later to think about any repercussions the night might have. With all that had happened, it would certainly be much easier to fall asleep now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 5:46 am
Sara nodded and then wondered over to the place where she was meant to be resting for the night. It seemed very comfortable but to be honest she was sure that she could sleep outside in a tree and have no trouble sleeping at the moment, she just needed to recharge. "Good night Van, thank you - I will try not to wonder away whilst I rest." She stated with a small smile, she was sure the spirits would not lead her away for the second time, unless the aim was to make her dinner for some kind of wild cat. Sara laid down and rested her head, pulling the blankets up to her chin and closing her eyes. Sleep came easily but that was to be expected. It had been a busy night. As she wondered off to sleep she could not help but thinking about Van, she was so pretty and so nice. She was glad they met, even though there meeting came under strange and rather awkward circumstances. Someday she would repay her for her kindness, when she knew how. ✿*ﾟ‘ﾟ･✿.｡.:*.:｡✿*ﾟ’ﾟ･✿.:｡✿*ﾟ‘ﾟ･✿.｡.:*.:｡✿
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
