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 Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:12 am
The morning had gone well enough for Torao despite being woken up earlier than he would have liked. He was still planning ways to murder the bird that had decided that the tree just outside the cave entrance was the perfect place to practice it's solo. According to Hisoka, he and Sabella had already been up for a couple hours before the bird started. That had annoyed him but Hisoka kicking a few apples his way for breakfast more than made up for it. It didn't show on Hisoka's face but Torao knew that something had him in a good mood.
Somehow just the thought of not wanting to ruin Hisoka's mood had landed Torao in good spirits as well. After Sabella had left the two had chatted pleasantly for a while before Hisoka had gone off to take his usual bath. They didn't touch on anything particularly heavy, just the weather, life on the mountains, whether they should take a trip to steal some supplies from the two-legged kind or not, all basic topics. It was like old times. Like there was no dark subject that they had to tip toe around.
If only all days could be like this one.
Grinning like the cat who caught the rat he strolled over to the entrance to peer at the sky. His eyes never quite made it to the heavens, there was something peering at him from the forest that was much more interesting. He snarled. There was a kirin out there but it was not Sabella. Based on the size he was assuming it to be male and by the way it was watching him he assumed it was from Sabella's herd.
His good mood was gone. What the hell was her herd doing here? He scowled, no that wasn't the question. He knew why they were there. They were checking on Sabella's status. The real question was why were they there so soon? Growling he charged out of the cave fully intending to beat the answers out of that kirin, sacred beast or not the guy was asking for it. Fortunately for the both of them the kirin turned tail and fled. Unfortunately for Torao when he turned back around he found Sabella standing just to the left of the cave's entrance staring wide eyed at the spot where the other kirin had just been standing.
Torao kicked a rock. "Cave, now." He barked marching himself back inside.
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Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:27 am
Whatever Sabella had been expecting upon arrival home that had not been it. She knew Torao hadn't noticed her standing at the side of the cave gathering her courage just as she hadn't noticed the other kirin at first. It was his growling that had first alerted her to something being off. When he came charging out of the cave she finally noticed what and it made her blood run cold.
It was a scout. From her herd. She knew the stallion well enough, he was the son of the elders' best scout. He had skills like his father and she knew she had been seen. There was no doubt. If she hadn't he never would have shown himself. She had been seen and it was obvious enough that she still wasn't with child. Spirits help them all, this meant trouble and it completely shattered her idea to broach the subject gently.
Silently, hesitantly, she followed Torao into the cave. Did he blame her? It would only make sense, it was because of her that he came after all. She was bracing herself for a storm of anger. However, she soon found that while Torao was effectively trashing their home he wasn't actually yelling at her, just cursing under his breath.
"Torao...?" She asked quietly daring a half step forward.
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Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:43 am
So far tearing up the cave wasn't doing the creamy white stallion any favors. It wasn't alleviating his stress any. Really causing the mess only seemed to be further stressing him out. Sabella spoke and he growled in response before continuing on a minute longer. Finally, after kicking a woven basket over that Sabella had found in the woods, he calmed down enough to stop breaking things.
He rounded on the kirin. "Why the hell are your people all the way out here?" He demanded advancing on her like a dark storm. "It hasn't even been that long! Why can't they just mind their business?" It was a good thing Hisoka was out. The youngest would have never stood for this kind of misdirected anger. "Why doesn't anyone just mind their own business? Why can't they just leave us alone?"
As he looked at Sabella's frightened face he suddenly turned around and kicked at a stone wall swearing loudly. For a brief moment he had seen Kiyomi in her. For that brief moment he had sincerely wanted to snap her neck. "We aren't doing anything wrong...we never were..." He suddenly felt strangely defeated. He kicked the wall again.
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Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:10 am
As Torao bore down on her Sabella was regretting her decision to leave her herd for Torao and Hisoka. She should have stayed there and just continued following orders for the rest of her life. She stepped away from Torao slowly, her eyes wide and ears lying flat against her head. Her heart was racing so fast she thought that it might beat its way straight out of her chest.
She wanted to defend herself. Say it wasn't her fault. Run. Something! Years of conditioning were working against her. She couldn't even manage to squeak in her defense. It wasn't until Torao spun around and kicked the wall that she regained her senses with a start. Her heart slowly calmed as she watched the stallion hang his head slightly. He still looked angry but the atmosphere felt less like impending death and more anxious.
After a long, tense, silence Sabella slowly approached the stallion as one would approach a sleeping lion. "Torao?" She ventured hoping that she wouldn't regret opening her mouth. The only thing that moved were his eyes as they focused on her. "Are...you alright?"
He didn't answer. Sabella took that as a no. She bit her lip before steeling her will and nudging him lightly. "Lay down over there." She said gesturing to the pile of pelts and blankets. "I know something that will help."
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 12:59 pm
He glared at Sabella. Females. They caused nothing but trouble and at the end of the day they'd just smile at you like nothing was wrong. He looked away. Perhaps not smile. Sabella didn't smile much and most of the time when she did it was faked or unsure. She wasn't smiling now but she was nervous. Like she should be.
"I doubt that." He grumbled slowly making his way to the pile. He didn't feel like fighting with her. He'd win. She'd slink off to some corner. Hisoka would come back. Then he'd lose. It was funny how that always seemed to work. There were never any winners when the three of them fought. Only losers and occasionally bruises and cuts.
Still grumbling to himself about every trouble he'd had in the history of his existence he dropped unceremoniously on to the pile. "I know yer a kirin and I know Hisoka thinks that makes you special...but seriously. Your not." There. He said it. She could walk on water, he'd watched her do it but that wasn't anything all that special. What good was that? Communing with fish? She was a horse, what could a horse want with fish?
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:26 pm
Torao thought he knew everything. Sabella suspected that this is what lead to so much of his poor judgement. Keeping secrets instead of telling the truth. Charging in head first without assessing the danger. Assuming that all she could do as a kirin was stand on water for a few minutes. He was very wrong there. She was raised in a pure kirin heard and as a result she was a fully trained kirin. "Just...try not to move." She said as gently as possible while maintaining some sort of firmness in her voice. It would do to order the stallion around but it would be just as bad if he kept moving while she was at work.
She stepped close to him before taking position at his side. After looking over his back for a moment she bowed her head and twisted her neck so that her horn pointed down. It was not a comfortable position but it was necessary. "Now, just relax."
Taking in a deep breath she slowly lowered her horn seeking out the first point. She found it practically on instinct alone and she gently pressed down. This was the gift of the kirin. The innate knowledge of these points that could release tension. After a few short moments she lifted her head and moved to the second point. It would take a little while to finish but she imagined he would feel better after. Then perhaps they could have a calm discussion.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:45 pm
By the time Sabella had finished Torao found himself wondering if Hisoka had secretly known about this ability the entire time. He found himself chuckling lightly at the small pun. He lifted his head slowly, feeling almost like waking from a short nap, and glanced at the kirin. She was stretching out her neck but otherwise she seemed the same as normal. And yet, he didn't feel the familiar scowl pulling at his lips that normally graced his face when dealing with women. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. He was under some kind of kirin spell but he didn't really care.
"You been able to do that long?" He asked slowly getting to his feet. He felt lighter and less tense. It was strange and absolutely baffling but the confusion was worth it. She had said it would help him and so it had. Upon remembering why she had offered to do this in the first place Torao felt a sudden heaviness resettle in his soul.
"So...that spy...he was after you, right?" He moved towards the cave entrance and flinched. Hisoka was standing at the entrance. Torao swore under his breath. He'd been hoping to have a moment or two to question Sabella without Hisoka interfering.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:54 pm
"What spy?" Hisoka asked suspiciously stepping in to the cave. It was nice to come down from the hot springs without hearing the angry rantings of Torao the second he was close enough. It was nice that Sabella and Torao seemed to be getting along today. But a spy? What was a spy doing around there and what did they want with Sabella?
He looked between the two silent soquili before it slowly dawned on him. "About children, right?" He asked frowning deeply, a motion accentuated by the red on his lips. They weren't going to take the trios word for it any longer. They wanted results. "And you're not." His golden eyes were fixed on Sabella. He knew she wasn't, Torao didn't want to touch her.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 3:00 pm
Sabella shook her head. "No, I'm not." A prolonged and awkward silence settled around the three of them. All three understood the situation perfectly. A promise was a promise even if it was one none of them cared to fulfill. If they didn't own up to it Sabella would be taken by force. Hisoka and Torao were a powerful force but their stealthy tactics were no match for numbers.
Sabella looked at the faces of her companions. They were worried. In different ways and probably over slightly different things but worried all the same. She could empathize with them. She didn't want to be taken. This was her life now. This was where she belonged.
"Well...we should...keep our word." She shuffled slightly. This was not how she had hoped to breach the subject. There had been a certain amount of tact in her mind when she had pondered over the situation. This was the tactless version of that approach. "I know you don't want to...but...they'll leave us alone after that. For good. Isn't that worth it?" She was surprised by her own boldness but someone needed to say it and it was her fate hanging on the line more than anyone's.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 3:16 pm
Torao exchanged looks with Hisoka. It almost felt like looking into a mirror their expressions matched so perfectly. She wasn't kidding, none of them really wanted this. "We could steal a basket." He suggested only half joking. The deep frowns meeting his suggestion made him scowl and roll his eyes. "I was kidding." If only they had liked the suggestion it would save them a lot of grief.
Whatever strange kirin magic Sabella had worked on him earlier seemed to be wearing off far to quickly for his liking. "Just give me some time-" He stopped short of finishing his sentence. He'd already had months to think about it and no thinking had happened. Just pushing it to the side like it wasn't there just waiting for time to run out. Time was up. He wanted to kick the wall again but settled for storming out of the cave.
"Fine." He muttered on his way out. "If there's no other way. Fine. Just don't expect me to be happy about it."~*~~~*~
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