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 Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 7:39 pm
"What's stopping you from believing me?" Kiran demanded. But there was a tiny inkling in the back of his mind, a passing thought that suggested maybe she was hiding more about herself than he could ever realize. But that wasn't surprising. There was plenty about himself that he had never told her, and probably wouldn't tell her.
His head ached, and his eye stung when he touched it. He hissed, dropping his hand away from his face. He glared at Yue, not angry with her but with the fact that she had taken him down with ease. That he hadn't been able to do more to help with whatever had upset her. His vision in his left eye was blurred and distorted; his eye swollen from the hard blow. Kiran dropped his gaze and looked away, embarrassed and bitter over his uselessness toward a friend. He wanted to throw out a joke, put on a mischievous smirk, and somehow lighten the mood of the situation. But this was one of those rare times that words seemed to escape him.
"I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to help you," Kiran said at last, his voice a low mumble through tightly pursed lips. His fingers curled, digging into the dirt of the street that was now a gooey mud from the rain pouring down on them. But at that moment, it hardly mattered to Kiran that he was soaked to the bone. His muddied clothes clung to his body, and his dampened hair plastered against his head with his bangs hanging down in his eyes. He ignored the help that Yue offered him as he remained sitting, beaten, in the darkened street.
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Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 5:23 pm
She bit her lip, so hard that her teeth nearly sliced through. She relaxed the pressure before she could do that, however. "I can't believe you, because we're both very secretive; until you understand the bad things I am, I can't trust that you're not drawing the wrong conclusion." Yue tried to say it as clearly as she could. She was using a lot of effort, given she was not naturally good at being clear. More like naturally good at being as obtuse as possible. Or irritating. She was also good at that.
He really did look unwell; the wound was swollen already. He resisted her help, and refused to get up. Was he mad at her? He deserved to be, after she had picked a fight with him. She didn't want him to keep getting rain in his face, but there was nothing for it if he wouldn't budge. So instead, she brushed the bangs away from his face and sat down in the mud next to him. She closed her eyes to keep the rain out of them. "Of course you helped me, fiend. More than I deserved." She took a deep breath, but didn't seem to want to look at him. She felt bad about what she did, but he really had helped. He had kept her busy so that she could snap out of it.
"You hungry?" she asked.
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Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 10:13 pm
"Well," Kiran said, shrugging his arms out to the side and dropping them again. "I can't argue you that. Maybe I am drawing the wrong conclusion, but I can only go off what I know. And what I know is that you don't seem useless or selfish to me. Is it really so wrong for me to see you like that?" He watched Yue, trying to see beyond what she showed him. But she still seemed cloaked like the night to him, hiding more secrets than she revealed to him.
He shivered at the brushing touch of her fingers moving aside his clinging bangs, from the cold, from his frustrations, from any number of things that he couldn't quite name at that moment. Lifting his head, Kiran stared up at Yue, squinting through the rain. He hardly believed that he had helped her anyway. But watching her, he couldn't sense any lie in her words. Perhaps he simply couldn't read her as well as he would have liked, but it made him feel slightly better to think that she was speaking truthfully. If he really did help her in some, small, way, that made him feel a little better, about his defeat and his swollen black eye.
"Yeah," Kiran answered, feeling the subtle gnawing of hunger at his sides. He climbed to his feet and tried to wipe off the mud on his hands on his soaked clothing. "Loser buying?" He cracked a joker's grin.
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Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:42 pm
Maybe they really would be okay. Yue Lao wanted to believe so, even though she didn't see how he could ever forgive her. He didn't seem as angry at her as she had expected. It was kind of nice to be surprised for once. "Maybe we're just puzzles to solve," Yue answered, with a smile. And maybe one day they would finally know each other better. It seemed possible, if this was what they'd survived together already.
When he shivered she resisted the urge to find him something warm to wear; Chishio would have. Chishio always had some blanket or heavy wool outfit ready to pull on any unsuspecting Lunarian with a shiver. Yue wasn't like that, though. She would seldom fret over anyone or mother them at all. In fact, she'd often turn things into a joke even when they were serious. It was just what she was used to doing. She finally looked over at him, and hoped that he understood she was being sincere. He had helped her; she wouldn't lie about that.
"Good! At least we didn't break that, then," Yue said, referring to his stomach. She grinned wider. "I think I owe you! So I've got this. You can come eat at the restaurant where my boss sends her wine as part of a business agreement?" she offered, "Not that we'll be drinking anything! But they have great food... and they owe me for something, so why not?" Yue had helped out in tricky situations at the restaurant more than once, because it was built very close to her Othermother's brewery proper. She pointed in the right direction, then added, "...We should probably find dry clothing, first."
She was looking down the road, then, and what she said without looking at Kiran was, "My boss is close friends with my family." It was a personal detail she offered on purpose, without wanting it to be apparent what kind of gesture it was. So she didn't look back. As if it was the most insignificant fact, and she wasn't concerned with seeing how he reacted.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 3:23 pm
Kiran smiled somewhat. "I guess I'll just work harder to figure out how to solve the puzzle that is you." And that was a challenge he was eager to try his hand at. It was much more fun trying to figure out someone who didn't reveal everything at the onset.
He laughed at her comment. "I think I would be worried if you had," he joked. The area where he had been hit still ached, but it was easier to forget the pain when he was joking around like usual. "Are you sure? Being the victor usually entails perks like getting the loser to buy you a free meal." He reached up and ran a hand through his wet hair, slicking his bangs back and out of the way. "Oh, a favor from a restaurant? That may be one of the best kinds of favors to collect on." His stomach ached at the idea of having a nice, hot meal, especially on a wet, cold night like this one.
"Haha, yeah," Kiran agreed as he scratched behind one ear fin. "Dry clothes would be great right about now." Wet clothes tended to weigh heavily and cling uncomfortably.
Kiran glanced at Yue. One thin brow lifted curiously. Had she just offered up a detail about herself for free? He mulled it over as he folded his arms behind his head. What could he offer up in return? He walked down the road. "My sister is mute," he said quietly. It wasn't something he told people often, if ever.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:48 pm
Yue Lao laughed. And then she realized she was kind of sore. Her rage had blinded her, but now that she was more herself, the strain of their battle was beggining to really settle in. She shivered in the rain. "Likewise! What fun would it be if we were easy to work out?" she asked, smiling though she felt quite unhappy in terms of temperature and condition.
"I'm always sure," Yue said, though it was more a hyperbole than truth or lie. She was sure she could be sure, and so in this particular case, it was true enough. "It is," she agreed, "but I never have time to collect it on my own, so you're really helping me out, giving me a reason to go." Yue rubbed her belly and sighed. She did love to eat, it was true, but she was always so busy. Of course, at home she devoured whatever was offered to her. She wasn't a very picky eater.
"Did you want to stop somewhere to change out of your wet clothing before we go to the restaurant, or food and then somewhere dry?" Yue tugged on her braid, wringing water out of it with a grimace. Her earrings were slick with mud and rain, and they no longer shone like they normally did.
Although she was already on her way by the time he told her that personal detail, she stopped. Turned. And smiled. That was pretty much her only reaction. Because the smile was the best she could do to communicate how happy she was that he had not only understood her, but offered something up of his real life. Yue made sure to walk in pace with Kiran then, and she may have poked him in the side in a friendly way. Just maybe.
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 1:19 pm
Kiran laughed with a nod of agreement. It was like Yue had read his mind. Or maybe they just had similar thinking about that. But things did get a little dull if there wasn't a little mystery to figure out with other Lunarians.
"Well then, I'm happy to be of service," he said with a gentlemanly air as he bowed toward Yue. At home, he had to sneak food before his mother got into the kitchen. It really amazed him how terribly she cooked. How many times can a Lunarian burn a fish before they realize they're cooking it wrong? Surprisingly, he was still counting the number of times his mother did just that. Yet she still refused to let anyone else try a hand at cooking their dinners.
"Hm," Kiran said thoughtfully as he looked over his soaked, muddied appearance. "It might be better to dry up and change first. Unless your friends at the restaurant don't mind us coming in looking like this." He laughed. He knew plenty of restaurant owners would throw a fit if customers came into their restaurants in such a state, dripping water all over.
Kiran smiled in return as they walked side by side down the road.
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 2:14 pm
Yue Lao breathed an internal sigh of relief that Kiran wasn't going to hate her until they died. But she was also not looking forward to going home. She felt a little shameful about what had happened, and wasn't sure she was up to facing Yowai just yet. So she'd put up with the discomfort, just a bit longer. It was better than dealing with the whole mess of going to her place, changing and then going out. It was just going to keep on raining anyway. Yue Lao was looking forward to a hot bath.
"So polite, fiend," Yue complimented him, though her voice held back laughter. She kept looking over at him, and realizing what she'd done, and looking away ashamed. His eye really didn't look very good. She had never received a black eye; it looked painful.
She listened as he suggested their course of action, given her options. "Probably. Well, they wouldn't mind so long as we ate in the kitchen, so that's up to you. I'm a bit worried about you being in those damp clothes right now, though." Yue mumbled the last part. She was also amazed she was telling the truth. Yue was unaccustomed to learning to worry for others, but lately she had to learn. It was still a little new for her.
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 7:11 pm
Kiran rolled one shoulder in a shrug. "It comes and go," he admitted. He was hardly the most polite Lunarian, but even he could pretend to be a gentleman from time to time. He, of course, looked far from a proper gentleman in his current state with mud splattered everywhere and a black eye.
Kiran nodded. "Well, if they're not going to mind, then I guess there's no reason not to head there right away," he said, tossing a grin her way. He didn't mind eating in the kitchen, and he was starting to feel hungry enough that he didn't really want to delay too long in getting some food into his stomach. He leaned toward her, just barely catching the last part that she said. It did feel chillier while soaking wet with the rain continuing to pour down on them.
"I feel - A-a-" he made as if to sneeze, glanced at Yue, then laughed. "I don't think I'll get sick from a little rain like this." He stared at Yue. "Are you feeling okay?" He looked worried for her health too. If he had anything dry and warm or an umbrella, he would offer it right up to her, but he lacked anything like that.
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Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 11:06 am
There was the shoulder roll she had come to expect of him. Yue smiled. Even now he still did that. Yue Lao didn't expect him to be polite, or a gentleman. A few times he had surprised her, and she liked that about him. She couldn't help but smile a bit wider as she thought of the time he had promised to catch her if she was falling. That was what he had done this time, too, wasn't it? Yue Lao rubbed her grimy hands on even grimier pants. "We are quite a sight," she added, off topic. Then, returning to his manners, "If you were polite to me all of a sudden I'd think you had been taken over by an evil spirit," Yue said, wiggling her fingers at him and making a spooky face. Or at least, what she interpreted to be a spooky face. Covered in dirt and rain it probably looked more like she was crazy.
"They won't mind. We just can't get anything dirty," she said, "but there's a staff room behind the kitchen where we can sit. So we don't have to worry about a thing." Yue Lao hurried up a little bit. She didn't notice him leaning in closer to hear her. So when he started to sneeze, or so she thought, she was surprised.
"You'd better not, Fiend! Or we'll have to fight all over again so I can kick your illness out of you!" Yue wrinkled her nose at him, but winked. The restaurant was approaching rapidly. "Hm... I don't know, yet, Fiend. But better, I'm doing better. That's what should matter." Suddenly, as if realizing she had said something honest again, she ammended with a grin, "Besides, I'm the one and only Yue Lao! What could possibly make me feel anything less than spectacular?" She turned to him with a big grin, and then with a rather impulsive gesture slipped over to him to hug him close for a moment before bounding off to the restaurant.
Her soggy clothing made her actual size apparent; instead of all the loose-fitting clothing she normally wore, it was clear Yue was growing in the damp outfit. They both were, and all had been. Students could only stay students so long, after all. "I smell food, fiend! Keep up!"
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Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 1:03 pm
Kiran laughed at the off topic comment. They were indeed a sight. Anyone that saw them coming down the road on a dark and rainy night like this one might mistake them for swamp monster that had crawled out of the marshes. Another laugh bubbled out of him as he imagined terrorizing that poor person by actually pretending to be the muddy swamp monster they so resembled. His gaze slipped toward Yue, and he bit his tongue to stop another laugh at the look on her face. "How do you know you don't have that backward?" Kiran teased lightheartedly. "What if I'm really a gentlemanly gentleman, but an evil spirit has taken over to make me do wicked things." A twisted smirk cut across his face, almost stretching impossibly wide.
Kiran looked Yue up and down then looked at himself. Not get anything dirty? He could see where they might have some problems with that. He rubbed a hand down one arm, and only some of the mud washed off. He would need to take a hot bath and really scrub at all the mud to get it off him.
A real smile flashed across his face. He liked that they fell so easily back into their usual banter. It could almost make him forget about the whole fight, except for that lingering throb to his blackened eye. "Better is good." He nodded. Even if things weren't perfectly good again, it was better than the fight making things even worse. Kiran laughed. "Oh, I forgot who I was talking to there for a moment," he teased, but any further jokes stopped short when she suddenly hugged him. He hadn't expected such a move on her part, and it threw him off for the moment that all he could respond with was a light hug with one around about her shoulders, easy enough for her pull away at any moment.
The mention of food snapped him out of it. He grinned as he hurried to catch up with Yue. "I wonder if they'll have any tender, juicy lamb," he said with a laugh.
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 3:51 pm
They certainly did look like some kinds of beasts. Yue would like to think she still looked pretty badass, but it would be hard to tell under all that dirt. Bruises were blooming in a few places, and her usual drunken swagger had a slight limp to it. Yue Lao sized Kiran up, pursing her lips. She appeared to be giving it a lot of thought. Finally, she said only, "Not possible, fiend! Just not possible," and grinned at him. His smirk only served to enhance her own smile. She rocked back and forth briefly. It was for fun, not because of instability.
If only the rain had been a warm, gentle rain to clean them off. She sighed and wished for that kind of weather, but knew it was futile. No force would be that kind to the academy students. Yue Lao was mercurial; one moment, she could be livid, but the next she would be back to her usual self. Or, perhaps it was more accurate to view it in a way that her "usual self" was the necessary default, and any change to her grinning, joking and teasing self was a distortion of the true, original image. Thus she would rever t quickly to her natural state.
The fight had been good, in a way. It had made them closer, even if they wouldn't recognize it. Yue Lao and Kiran had shared personal details about their lives, which was something they never would have done before. Their friendship had been easy, but shallow; fighting had deepened it. "Don't forget!" Yue scolded, joking, and smacked his arm, "I am the one and only. Don't make me remind you again...!" She trailed off, waggling her finger and grinning suddenly.
"They might," Yue replied, her eyes glittering with mischief. Her smile looked absolutely predatory, though she seemed to be attempting an innocent look.
Surely, things could only get better. Perhaps they would not have to fight again...? Or would further fights only serve to bring them closer, as they appeared to be rather bad at it if left to their own devices?
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