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 Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:18 pm
All Ryan could do was nod as he slipped under the blankets, finally noticing exactly how comfortable the bed was. He looked up at the ceiling for mere moments before feeling sleepy. Turning onto his side, he faced Tsubame and closed his eyes. "Good night to you too, Tsubame..." he said, the last words drifting off as he fell asleep easily, and likely more comfortably than he'd ever slept.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:23 pm
Eyes cracking open, Tsubame stared at Ryan’s sleeping profile; quite sure he was sound asleep. Flipping over, she pulled up the covers and tried again to drift off to dreamland. Sleep wouldn’t come to her though and after two hours of tossing and turning, she sat up in a huff. Slipping away from her bed, she paced to the other side of the room and propped against the far wall. Out the window the moon was a smooth crescent, illuminating a cool patch on the floor with shadow loving light. So tired, her eyes weren’t focusing well as Tsubame stumbled back to her bed and stared down at the rumpled blankets. Flicking a glance over her shoulder at Ryan, she bent and grasped the sheets and blankets and turned to spread them on the floor beside his bed. Pulling the pillow after her, Tsubame curled her tiny frame atop the blankets before pulling the rest over top, cocooning herself in the warmth they provided.
From her vantage point on the ground, Tsubame couldn’t lay eyes on Ryan but the closer proximity alleviated some of her anxiousness and she settled her head against the soft pillow once more. Now she could sleep, and as her eyes closed, one hand reached out to hold the base of sheets falling neatly off Ryan’s bed.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:44 pm
The light of the sunrise through the window opened Ryan's eyes as soon as it hit them, and Ryan was struck with shock for a moment before remembering that he wasn't at home - he was at the Shinigami Academy. Looking across, he was surprised to see that Tsubame wasn't in her bed...then he looked down and saw her sleeping on the floor, one hand holding onto his sheets. Making sure not to push his own blankets over her, Ryan got out of bed and stretched carefully, trying not to rip his decades-old shirt as he took it and his old jeans off, looking at the uniforms in the closet. Time to try putting these on... he thought as he looked at the unfamiliar clothing, trying to deduce how exactly he would go about doing so.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:59 pm
Waking slowly after she heard the closet open, Tsubame's eyes opened minutely before squinting unhappily at the early morning sunlight. Stirring in her blanket cocoon, she uncurled and stretched with a hearty yawn. Mornings had never been her favorite time of day, and added to her lack of a good nights sleep kept her rooted to her pillow. Only after another few minutes passed did she sit up, her eyes unfocused and distant as her blood pressure tried to catch up with her movements. Why is Ryan naked? She thought groggily, swaying slightly to one side. Shaking her head, Tsubame would not fall back asleep, she'd look around first, then pass out. Three minutes later, after staring at Ryan as he stood nearly buck naked, did the sight finally register with Tsubame.
Face flushing deeply, she press her sheets to her face and hid her eyes. "Ryan-kun, w-what are you doing!" Muffled against the fabric, her pitiable voice was garbled into sleepy mumbles. Sure, Tsubame had seen men naked before, but in her mind modesty was of utmost importance. So much so that even a man removing his shirt caused her to blush.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:42 pm
Ryan's head turned as he heard Tsubame, but all he saw was her holding the sheets to her eyes. "Trying to figure out how to put this damn thing on..." he replied, looking a bit puzzled. "Is there...something wrong with that?"
Obviously there is to her, he thought, his mind still catching up with him as he was still waking up. Facing her and holding the uniform in front of him, Ryan, took a step toward Tsubame. "Please excuse me...I'm just used to being able to get up and get dressed, though I think I need some help putting this on, if that's not too much to ask."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:57 pm
"No, nothing's wrong with it." Tsubame emphatically stated, wriggling out of her blankets and standing on wobbly legs. They'd fallen asleep, and Tsubame's tired body teetered towards Ryan before she could catch herself. Luckily nothing major, other than looking uncoordinated, happened. "And, I-I'll help...don't w-worry."
Tsubame knew she'd have to help him dress at some point, but so early in the morning wasn't what she'd been expecting. So, staring at the ground to keep from running away with nervous jitters, her hand tugged at the Kosode. "Put this on first, the left side goes over the right, and on the inside there should be a single tie at the bottom to keep the sides together." Picking at the stark white kosode, she she flipped the underside open and pointed haphazardly to the ties at the inside seem on the left and the bottom edge of the right flap.
"When that's done, you put on the hakama." Shuddering, Tsubame stayed focused ont the weave of the kosode, counting the strands in endless cadence. She could at least look past something if she was stead fast on the observation on the construction of fabrics.
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 11:32 pm
Nodding, Ryan did as he was instructed, putting on the kosode and hoping that he'd done it right as he put what was (from his perspective) the left side over the right, tying it tightly as he looked at the hakama. "I guess there's certain order and appearance for every single piece, then," he mused as he stepped into the hakama, pulling it up and tying it on at what appeared to be the front. "Like this?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 12:05 am
“T-that’s right,” Tsubame began, glancing at the kosode and then to the flat frontal portion of the blue hakama Ryan held just above his hips. As much as Tsubame didn’t want to induce physical contact, helping someone who’d never worn eastern fashions needed it. So, taking a tentative step forward, she bent quickly with her arms round Ryan’s legs to retrieve the back portion of the hakama. Quickly raising the stiff back piece, she oriented it just above his lower back and drug the himo on either side forward. Passing each long tie beneath his arms, she tied the back piece in place temporarily across his chest. “Okay, so now,” Taking the front part away from him, her hands grabbed the himo in the front and Tsubame raised the fabric to just above Ryan’s waist. “You take the himo, the ties and wrap them around your back, and bring them back to the front.” Tsubame’s hands followed her words until the himo were pulled lightly forward. “Then you tug them tight,” Pulling the himo, she tightened them to just a little past being uncomfortable. “…and then you take the tie on the right and pull it out and to the left, placing the tie on the left over the top. Then you loop the left tie over and under and pull them tight a few inches below the top of the hakama.”
Finished with that part of the process, Tsubame pulled what was left of the himo behind Ryan again, and as awkward it was for her, reached under the back panel of the hakama and tied off the front of the hakama fully. Now that the front was tied, it was already holding up the back and Tsubame pulled the knot holding the other set of himo. “N-now, you take these himo and do the same tie like in the front, left over right, but this time when you flip the tie under, you push it under the already tied portion in the front.” Following her own directions, she did just that and pulled the himo snug. “Then you tie this off with a simple bow.” Finished, she skittered away, ignoring Ryan as she headed for her own closet and uniform. He’s clothed your fine. The body is covered, modesty is restored. That was her inner mantra as she took slow breaths, the uncomfortable span of time passed and she relaxed in small increments.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 12:53 am
Ryan watched Tsubame take off towards her closet, remembering every single instruction she'd given him. "It's like disassembling and cleaning a gun," he remarked, before walking over to Tsubame, standing next to her as he was about to enter the bathroom. "Thank you, Tsubame...and I'm very sorry for making you uncomfortable," he said, dropping his head a bit in a short bow.
Walking into the bathroom for a moment, Ryan looked at himself in the mirror and shook his head. He almost didn't recognize the person looking back - he felt overdressed and really quite silly. "...Tsubame, I don't really look as silly as I think I do, do I?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:46 am
Disappearing behind her closet doors Tsubame pulled down a uniform set, while acting out recovery from the awkward moment. “I……It’s always been a problem, I’m quite used to seeing people naked due to the nature of being a seamstress, but I’ve always felt an uneasiness about it. Modesty is a must in the courts, and because I was to deal with the court trained, I had to be court trained…it’s a habit and mindset that was only exacerbated by the learning process.” At least Tsubame was honest, and hiding behind the doors stripped quickly, and pulled on her Kosode. Straightening the top with sure fingers, she stuck her head beyond the door when Ryan spoke.
Looking him up and down from the profile he stood in, taking in to account his western features in eastern clothing. In her professional opinion, he looked delightful, but ruined the look of the clothing by thinking them out of place on his body. Slinking back behind her door, she stepped into her red hakama and deftly tied herself into them. “Ryan-kun, you don’t look silly.” Stepping out from her closet, Tsubame finished tying the front of her hakama into a well shaped bow. “You look like your out of your element, and the clothing is flattering in both cut and color.” Closing her doors, she trotted into the bathroom looking like her uniform was pressed to perfection. “Don’t think it’s strange looking,” Smiling brightly, she picked at the edges of his Kosode at the waist, flattening the back just a little more, “especially when you do look nice in uniform.”
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 1:00 am
"Very understandable," Ryan replied, thinking about his own culture. "Victoria was dead for decades, but many of the older people I came into contact with decried women's bathing suits of the time, saying that women should be wearing long heavy dresses when swimming. Why, I have no idea, but...that was how they were raised."
When complimented on how he looked, Ryan gave another short bow. "Thank you again, Tsubame. I was always told that I would look good in a military uniform, but the military didn't wear these sorts of uniforms. I'm glad to know that you don't think I look strange, though - I feel moreso out of place because I'm from North America and wearing a uniform that wouldn't be standard there."
Smiling again...she smiles so much, Ryan thought as he looked at her. Part of him wanted to smile, but part of him was determined to remain composed as he always had been. Trying to distract himself, Ryan decided to take the conversation elsewhere. "Well, then...what's the order of the day?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 1:24 am
"That would be going out and acquiring a chess set and new clothing for you." Bouncing out of the bathroom in good spirits, Tsubame's braided pig tails lashed happily behind her. Dropping to her knees next to her bed, she dug through her satchel with vigor and produced her wallet which was hastily shoved into the top of her kosode. Returning a moment later to the bathroom doorway, she was still smiling. "Like I said before, don't worry to much about the cost."
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 9:15 pm
"Cost is everything," Ryan said, the old frugality returning to him once again. "I hated giving up the few hundred dollars I needed for my trip to Europe, but I'd never had that sort of money in my entire life." Opening the room door, Ryan stepped out, nodding at Tsubame and beckoning for her to follow. "Well, we should go then, shouldn't we?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:20 pm
"Frugal aren't we," Tsubame teased, scrunching her face into a sour expression before laughing softly. "I understand poverty Ryan-kun. I lived in it before the shop became affluent." Dropping her soft tease, Tsubame became serious, something she rarely did, and stared down the much taller student. "My offer is not because of pity, nor the want to flaunt my savings. Do not think that of me, Ryan-kun." Sternly stepping out of the bathroom, she followed him to the door. Placing her hand on the knob with care, "But your right, we should be off." Pulling the door open she padded out on light feet and turned back to Ryan, her normal smile gracing her lips once more. Her mildly harsh demeanor gone as she left with Ryan at her heels.
---------
Walking briskly, she came to her favorite shopping district located near the Academy and began the search for a chess set at a wood carving stall. The booth was lavishly hung with backdrops of bright silks and the beautifully shaped cravings displayed over tiered tables. Towards the back, near the vendor's cashier table was an assortment of wooden game boards, and Tsubame looked over them with a critical eye, searching the stock for the elusive chess set.
((From here until we've concluded this little addtion to our character's interaction will be a temporary PRP, just like in the title. I will change the title back as soon as this is over with.))
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Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:03 am
Ryan followed Tsubame, looking with interest at some of the carvings before his eyes fell on the game boards. There were many and he recognized almost none, guessing that some of them must be used to play games that Tsubame might be familiar with. Looking over the boards, Ryan stepped around the table and away from Tsubame before he noticed one with the pieces set up on it - and it was one he recognized instantly despite the cultural differences. The pawns were armored figures brandishing swords, while the rooks were towers designed much differently than medieval towers with buttresses and ramparts. The knights were much like the pawns but on horseback, while the bishops appeared to be moreso like robed scholarly or religious figures. The queen was dressed...well, much like Tsubame had been dressed when Ryan had first met her, only much more exquisitely and holding an open fan, while the king wore battle armor that was much more defined and distinct than that of the pawns, yet his sword was put away as if it were unneeded.
By contrast, the black pieces appeared to be much more stealthy in nature. The pawns looked to be tightly-robed figures with the only slits being for the eyes and hands - and they were all unarmed. The towers were much the same as the white pieces, but the knights did not ride horses - they were instead crouched archers. The bishops carried strange weapons that resembled miniature versions of scythes, one in each hand, and the queen was dressed much like the white queen, only her hand carried something that looked like some sort of dagger rather than a fan. The king, meanwhile, wore armor like the white king's, only his sword was noticeably shorter and drawn, strangely held perpendicular to the body with the handle on the left side of the body, yet the sword was held in his right hand. "So...this is how they would be designed, then..." Ryan said, thinking out loud. "It's much better than any chess set I've seen..."
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