Deliviring Tariki's crystal
Tamako anxiously checked the crystal tucked under her arm, the fourth or fifth time she'd done so in the last five minutes. Satisfied again that it was still unharmed, she sighed and reached out to knock on the door in front of her. Hopefully Shiromaru was home, or someone would be able to tell her where he was. Shinobu had been asleep - alone, for a change - when she'd left the house.
As usual, Kailas was a chaos of sound, the more rambunctious souls in the house running like demented hounds down the long hallway that led from one end of the building to the other. Through this mess stepped the newest resident of Kailas, his tail lazily weaving back and forth behind him. When the door opened, he blinked, then smiled warmly. "Hello there. Whom are you looking for?"
Tamako blinked, a little taken aback. "Uh... hi," she said, studying the Juusanshi dragon curiously. He was even more... flamboyant in colouring than most of his kind, with the gorgeous tattoos running down one whole side of his body. "Nice ink," she said appreciatively, now half tempted to get something similar for herself. Of course, then it would just be copying, and not creative at all.
Iroke grinned, then took a step back and bowed, one arm sweeping to the side to invite her in, the other at his waist. "Thank you. Please come in. Is there anything I can do for you? And I regret that I don't know your name... I would be Iroke."
"Tamako," she introduced herself offhandedly as she stepped through the door and peered around. "Is Shiro around?"
"He's in the kitchen with Koralu," came a more familiar voice, soft-spoken and warm in an entirely different way than Iroke's. Hun Min walked in, Koumyou right behind him as the dragon tried to finish tying off Hun Min's braid. "Hello, Tamako," he offered softly with a gentle smile that lit up his eyes, while Koumyou shot Iroke a warning look that clearly said 'Back Off.'
After a moment, the white dragon finished with Hun Min's braid, then shot a grin at Tamako. "C'mon. I'll walk you there." He turned away from the others, leading the way down the long central hallway and into the kitchen. "Shiro? You have a visitor."
Shiromaru looked up from the game of Memory he was playing with a red feien, curiously. "Who is it?"
With a brief smile of thanks at Koumyou, she turned to nod at Shiro. "Hi, it's just me. I, ah... wanted to ask a favour of you." She was uncharacteristically awkward, running her fingers over the sharp edges of the crystal she held.
Shiromaru blinked up at Tamako for a moment, then stood and pulled out a chair, offering it to her. "Of course. Name it, and if I can do it, I will. Have a seat?"
"Well..." she cast a look back at Iroke as she slid into the seat and set the deep violet crystal on the table. "Actually, I hadn't known you had summoned another Juusanshi. I was... going to ask if you could guard this for me, but you're probably swamped by now."
Oh wow, that was pretty. Shiro reached out as if to touch it, but paused when his fingertips were a few inches away. "Kailas is a very, very big house," he mused, his eyes -- both eyes, now, since Shinobu had healed the right one and given him back his sight -- lighting up at the thought. "And I remain of the belief that 'the more, the merrier.' If you still want me to guard the crystal, I'd be honored to."
"Thank you," she said gratefully, nudging the crystal the last few inches to contact his fingers. "It's an old teacher of mine, some I respect a great deal." She glanced back over her shoulder at the three already present Juusanshi, and her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Not sure how he'll take this crowd, but it'll be interesting to find out. He was curious about this world, so he asked me to bring him here the last time I went home to visit."
"What's his name?" Shiromaru asked, pulling the crystal to himself and skimming gentle fingertips over it while Koralu watched, curiously, his game of Memory completely forgotten.
The other three watched from the doorway, the two dragons leaning against either side of the doorframe as Hun Min stood in the middle.
"Tariki-sensei," she replied. "Or, Tariki, I guess, to you. He's great, you'll love him." She smiled her thanks at Shiro.
Shiromaru grinned back at Tamako, then watched as Koralu clambered up onto the crystal. "You said he was your sensei. Sensei for what? You have me curious now..."
"Everything that didn't involve the 'Three Rs' or my martial training, pretty much," she admitted with a laugh. "He's the one who taught me to THINK."
Shiromaru nodded softly, then ran a hand over the part of the crystal that wasn't being sat on by a feien. "I'm truly honored, then. I'll make sure he's taken care of -- "
" -- and I'll make sure he's not antagonized by the dynamic duo here," Hun Min added helpfully, and yelped when the two dragons both kicked him in the shins simultaneously.
Tamako had to chuckle at that. "He handled ME as a kitten, I think he take anybody on."
"I'm getting kind of excited now," Shiro admitted with a broadening grin, then set his elbows on the table, chin in hands as Koralu, ever-restless, clambered up Shiromaru's arm and perched on his shoulder. "How long d'you think it'll take?"
She shrugged. "For all I know, it could be five minutes, or five weeks. Probably relatively soon, though. I had it for a while, trying to decide who to give it to."
"I hope soon..." If Shiro had a tail, it'd be lashing; as it was, the tiger and the two dragon Juusanshi were lashing their tails in anticipation, watching the crystal.
Koumyou piped up, "The room next to mine is empty, too -- we could get it ready in advance. Tamako, what colors does he like? Do you remember?"
"Black, white, and purple," Tamako responded promptly. She grinned. Sensei always had liked to match or blend with his environment.
"Black, white and purple," Koumyou mused, and wandered away from the group, while Hun Min and Iroke remained behind. "He'll be gone for a while," Hun Min murmured, laughing, and Iroke nodded before the two of them followed after Koumyou.
Shiro watched them go, then looked up at Tamako again. "...How's Shinobu?" he asked after a moment, blushing faintly.
"Sleeping," she replied with a fond smile. "He looks even more like an angel when he's asleep, did you know? What'm I saying of course you knew," she finished slyly.
The blush only darkened, and Shiro looked down at the crystal instead of up at the cat. "...Um. Yes. Well."
She licked her lips, the expression of a cat who's eaten the cream and chased it down with a bird or two. "I'm glad you two finally worked out your differences. You're cute together."
"We were obvious to everyone but ourselves, weren't we?" Shiro glumly asked, toying with a Memory card.
"Well, DUH," she drawled, giving him an amused look. "Gimme a break. If you'd been any more obvious, even you two might have noticed!"
"That would have been for the better, though!" Shiro insisted, tocktocking a corner of the card against the table. "It wouldn't have taken Shinobu vanishing for a month for me to do anything about it, that way!"
"Sure, but it wouldn't have been NEARLY as entertaining for the rest of us!" Tamako countered, standing and stretching. "Anyway, I should get back before he wakes up and wonders where I went off to. See you around?"
Shiro grumbled, then chuckled softly and stood as well. "It was good to see you again. Tell Shinobu to come over if he feels up to it, once he wakes up, if you would? And anyone that wants to is welcome. Thank you again for Tariki's crystal."
"You're welcome. Take good care of him!" She glanced at the newest addition to the Juusanshi in Shiro's household, and grinned. "Ja ne!" With that, she vanished, slipping into the ether and skipping straight through the wall to the outside.
As usual, Kailas was a chaos of sound, the more rambunctious souls in the house running like demented hounds down the long hallway that led from one end of the building to the other. Through this mess stepped the newest resident of Kailas, his tail lazily weaving back and forth behind him. When the door opened, he blinked, then smiled warmly. "Hello there. Whom are you looking for?"
Tamako blinked, a little taken aback. "Uh... hi," she said, studying the Juusanshi dragon curiously. He was even more... flamboyant in colouring than most of his kind, with the gorgeous tattoos running down one whole side of his body. "Nice ink," she said appreciatively, now half tempted to get something similar for herself. Of course, then it would just be copying, and not creative at all.
Iroke grinned, then took a step back and bowed, one arm sweeping to the side to invite her in, the other at his waist. "Thank you. Please come in. Is there anything I can do for you? And I regret that I don't know your name... I would be Iroke."
"Tamako," she introduced herself offhandedly as she stepped through the door and peered around. "Is Shiro around?"
"He's in the kitchen with Koralu," came a more familiar voice, soft-spoken and warm in an entirely different way than Iroke's. Hun Min walked in, Koumyou right behind him as the dragon tried to finish tying off Hun Min's braid. "Hello, Tamako," he offered softly with a gentle smile that lit up his eyes, while Koumyou shot Iroke a warning look that clearly said 'Back Off.'
After a moment, the white dragon finished with Hun Min's braid, then shot a grin at Tamako. "C'mon. I'll walk you there." He turned away from the others, leading the way down the long central hallway and into the kitchen. "Shiro? You have a visitor."
Shiromaru looked up from the game of Memory he was playing with a red feien, curiously. "Who is it?"
With a brief smile of thanks at Koumyou, she turned to nod at Shiro. "Hi, it's just me. I, ah... wanted to ask a favour of you." She was uncharacteristically awkward, running her fingers over the sharp edges of the crystal she held.
Shiromaru blinked up at Tamako for a moment, then stood and pulled out a chair, offering it to her. "Of course. Name it, and if I can do it, I will. Have a seat?"
"Well..." she cast a look back at Iroke as she slid into the seat and set the deep violet crystal on the table. "Actually, I hadn't known you had summoned another Juusanshi. I was... going to ask if you could guard this for me, but you're probably swamped by now."
Oh wow, that was pretty. Shiro reached out as if to touch it, but paused when his fingertips were a few inches away. "Kailas is a very, very big house," he mused, his eyes -- both eyes, now, since Shinobu had healed the right one and given him back his sight -- lighting up at the thought. "And I remain of the belief that 'the more, the merrier.' If you still want me to guard the crystal, I'd be honored to."
"Thank you," she said gratefully, nudging the crystal the last few inches to contact his fingers. "It's an old teacher of mine, some I respect a great deal." She glanced back over her shoulder at the three already present Juusanshi, and her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Not sure how he'll take this crowd, but it'll be interesting to find out. He was curious about this world, so he asked me to bring him here the last time I went home to visit."
"What's his name?" Shiromaru asked, pulling the crystal to himself and skimming gentle fingertips over it while Koralu watched, curiously, his game of Memory completely forgotten.
The other three watched from the doorway, the two dragons leaning against either side of the doorframe as Hun Min stood in the middle.
"Tariki-sensei," she replied. "Or, Tariki, I guess, to you. He's great, you'll love him." She smiled her thanks at Shiro.
Shiromaru grinned back at Tamako, then watched as Koralu clambered up onto the crystal. "You said he was your sensei. Sensei for what? You have me curious now..."
"Everything that didn't involve the 'Three Rs' or my martial training, pretty much," she admitted with a laugh. "He's the one who taught me to THINK."
Shiromaru nodded softly, then ran a hand over the part of the crystal that wasn't being sat on by a feien. "I'm truly honored, then. I'll make sure he's taken care of -- "
" -- and I'll make sure he's not antagonized by the dynamic duo here," Hun Min added helpfully, and yelped when the two dragons both kicked him in the shins simultaneously.
Tamako had to chuckle at that. "He handled ME as a kitten, I think he take anybody on."
"I'm getting kind of excited now," Shiro admitted with a broadening grin, then set his elbows on the table, chin in hands as Koralu, ever-restless, clambered up Shiromaru's arm and perched on his shoulder. "How long d'you think it'll take?"
She shrugged. "For all I know, it could be five minutes, or five weeks. Probably relatively soon, though. I had it for a while, trying to decide who to give it to."
"I hope soon..." If Shiro had a tail, it'd be lashing; as it was, the tiger and the two dragon Juusanshi were lashing their tails in anticipation, watching the crystal.
Koumyou piped up, "The room next to mine is empty, too -- we could get it ready in advance. Tamako, what colors does he like? Do you remember?"
"Black, white, and purple," Tamako responded promptly. She grinned. Sensei always had liked to match or blend with his environment.
"Black, white and purple," Koumyou mused, and wandered away from the group, while Hun Min and Iroke remained behind. "He'll be gone for a while," Hun Min murmured, laughing, and Iroke nodded before the two of them followed after Koumyou.
Shiro watched them go, then looked up at Tamako again. "...How's Shinobu?" he asked after a moment, blushing faintly.
"Sleeping," she replied with a fond smile. "He looks even more like an angel when he's asleep, did you know? What'm I saying of course you knew," she finished slyly.
The blush only darkened, and Shiro looked down at the crystal instead of up at the cat. "...Um. Yes. Well."
She licked her lips, the expression of a cat who's eaten the cream and chased it down with a bird or two. "I'm glad you two finally worked out your differences. You're cute together."
"We were obvious to everyone but ourselves, weren't we?" Shiro glumly asked, toying with a Memory card.
"Well, DUH," she drawled, giving him an amused look. "Gimme a break. If you'd been any more obvious, even you two might have noticed!"
"That would have been for the better, though!" Shiro insisted, tocktocking a corner of the card against the table. "It wouldn't have taken Shinobu vanishing for a month for me to do anything about it, that way!"
"Sure, but it wouldn't have been NEARLY as entertaining for the rest of us!" Tamako countered, standing and stretching. "Anyway, I should get back before he wakes up and wonders where I went off to. See you around?"
Shiro grumbled, then chuckled softly and stood as well. "It was good to see you again. Tell Shinobu to come over if he feels up to it, once he wakes up, if you would? And anyone that wants to is welcome. Thank you again for Tariki's crystal."
"You're welcome. Take good care of him!" She glanced at the newest addition to the Juusanshi in Shiro's household, and grinned. "Ja ne!" With that, she vanished, slipping into the ether and skipping straight through the wall to the outside.
