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 Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:30 pm
 The gehaka shifted his wings as he seem to doze off, his eyes drooping closed even more and faint smile on his face. The blood from his gash had made thin symetrical lines down his side but he was still oblivious to it. He breathed in and out slowly, an ear quivering at the sound of the softest footsteps passing bye. The orchid that had been near him suddenly blew off, the light pink petals scattering over him. A very pretty picture but he wrinkled his nose and simply turned his head to the other side, now in a light sleep.
He had had a rough morning, two of his mothers Gehaka training him more brutally than usual. Enju was a fist fighter and was easily capable of defeating and handling armed opponents. Today though, he was put against two of mother's best swordsmen and, needless to say, he didn't handle it as well as he could have.
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:41 pm
He had noticed the way the Haka was trying to hide his smiles, his interest in the story. He supposed he wanted to seem superior, no wonder, a lot of them did - still, he took those few slips, those few crooked glimmers of a twisting smile as a compliment. Even if he would not full and outrightedly show it, Noriko had at least been entertained by this gentle Gehaka for a moment.
"Yes, I know many like that," he said quietly, a soft glimmer of truth in his eyes as he let them rest on the back of the form moving before him. He stood there, waiting patiently until this little known stranger had gone in first - never letting him too far ahead, but never too close at these points. He was wary of others a lot of the time. "My mother's Gehaka taught me many stories, each of them knew different ones, and there were so very many. I could tell you until I was out of breath, and they still would not all be spoken," he laughed softly, stepping up and slowly removing the shoes on his own feet, lesser in value and slightly scruffed from his work habits, though they were sturdy and useful.
Almost immediately, a rather precious Gehaka came to their aid, bowing as is custom and slowly moving to escort them to a room in the back of the little tea house. The small table in the center was hand crafted, patterns of blooming trees over the top and matching patterned lamps hanging from the walls to dimly light the room. From two similarly flowered ones, brass in composition, curled wisps of incense fingers.
"After you," Makoto said with a smile, nodding for the Haka to take whichever spot he'd prefer.
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:42 pm
Once he realized that the Gehaka was indeed sleeping, Reizo relaxed. The scene was more than ideal for a painting, and he thought that people might actually buy it. It wouldn't be as popular as a print of a Haka, of course - who really hung pictures of Gehaka? - but if he put a certain spin on it, war hero or something of the like...yes. That would do quite well.
Smiling to himself, the artist settled the board and parchment on his knees, twisting open the top of the ink open and dipping the brush in. His eyes scanned the scene again, holding the small, delicate brush poised over the parchment. It took a while to figure out just what lines would go where - it had to be translated to a carved block of wood, so the lines must be precise.
After a bit, he was happily painting away, tracing the delicate lines that made up this pretty Gehaka's frame.
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:54 pm
Enju unconsiously rustled his wings as a fresh breeze blew by, chilling him slightly and made him turn his head to the other side. The training had been carefully planned, the two swordsmen Gehaka had synchonized their movements well, giving him little time to react to their attacks and even less time to dodge or retaliate.
He had lasted eight minutes, the glinting of swords rushing through his flashback. Everywhere he turned the flash of metal was in front of him. It took two more minutes until he got a fatal wound, or what would have been a fatal wound if he hadn't of been sparring. A few more slices and cuts were on his wings and weren't bandaged or taken care of, simply open and healing naturally. His skin was stained in various places just a bit darker because of the blood he had rubbed off.
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:59 pm
Noriko's ears twitched slightly, he was quite happy of this find. He moved into the room and seated himself on the floor, at the head of the table. Makoto could come sit to his left, so he could poor him tea with out getting in his way and the like.
A few moments after they were situated the tea was brought in and set down between the two, steam rising from it's porceline spout. Noriko's eyes trailed up with the steam, watching it spread out into the air and slowly disappear. He motioned that the gehaka could poor for him, and drummed his fingures idly on the table.
"Tell me, what other talents do you posess, besides carpentry and story telling?" He looked to the other, eyes finding the other's gaze and holding it, even though Gehaka weren't often allowed to look directly at a Haka. He wanted to see this man, his eyes were pretty. Just like the rest of him.
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 2:20 pm
He had sat down calmly at the left of the Haka, though, as his eyes were caught - he could not help but let the gaze be held. It seemed with some calmness that he found the small porcelein pot and managed to pour the tea, into the cup, using his ears to tell how close the substance was from the rim.
"Besides those? Well, from the time I could hold a sword in my hands I was trained by my mother's rougher Gehaka. Half the day went to sword fighting and training, the other half was taken up by the more learned of them to give me a bit of a mind of all things. Nature, art, the basic beauty in life," he whispered it, softly, gray eyes dancing as he seemed flooded with a tidal wave of flash backs, "I may be a little more intelligent than some Haka might like, and my gentle nature makes them think I am incompetent, but I assure you I am no less capable than any other." Why was he talking as if he were trying to sell himself?
He shrugged slowly, moving to pour himself a bit of tea, then slowly set the porcelein teapot down upon it's original, designated spot. "Forgive my opinion, if it goes against your own, but I, and my mother's Gehaka, saw no need for every Gehaka to behave as a baffoon. At least a couple should be capable of assisting a Haka of more difficult tasks."
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 2:32 pm
He let his cup sit, it would have to cool before he could drink it and he would not make a fool of himself by blowing on it. "A jack of all trades, so to speak." Yes, a very good find indeed. His eyes moved away from the other's, slipping over the room and taking in these details as well.
"Your opinion pleases me, Makoto. Though too many wise Gehaka and we would have a disaster on our hands." He murmered, overing a slight smile. Half a joke and half a seriousness. "But a handful of rare gems among the grains of sand such as our gehaka society... yes, that is very pleasing." He slipped his hand against his cup, testing how hot it was. He was growing quickly impatient with waiting for it, he was rather thirsty.
"What do you wish to achieve in life?" A strange question, if any. Gehaka were supposed to live for their Haka, that was all. But Noriko honestly wanted to know this.
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 2:35 pm
Reizo's eyes kept being drawn to the wound on Enju's chest, the Haka actually wincing a little. He wondered what had garnered such an injury. Continuing to paint in flowing lines - the now destroyed orchid by the Gehaka's face, keeping his head pointed that way, the pond beside him - he bit his lip, eyes flicking between the composition and the scene itself. Eventually, after about 45 minutes or so, he was done. It was a rough sketch, really, something that would be refined later on when he was back at the studio. For now, it would do.
Sitting back, he pressed his lips together in a thin line. Really. The wound looked bad, though he was fairly sure that - unless this Gehaka was terribly slow - Enju wouldn't be sleeping there if he was in any danger. His work done for now, Reizo pulled his knees up to his chest, feet on the bench, breathing in deeply and closing his eyes for a moment.
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 2:42 pm
Enju's eyes fluttered open as the sun that had finally risen to its peak had glowed through and woke him. He stared at the sky for a minute, stretching his fingers and toes. His ears shifted and drooped down as he sat up, the blood from his wound not even dry because it was still flowing pretty freely. No wonder he had slept so long, lack of blood. His eyes widened and an annoyed smirk found its way to his face. He eyed the petals arily and brushed them off.
He stood and stretched his wings, but nearly falling backwards after he rose, very dizzy all of a sudden. He plopped down with a loud thump and looked over his wound, pursing his lips.
"Well, this won't do..."
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 2:54 pm
Reizo's eyes fluttered back open at the sound of a voice, almost instantly on his guard, one foot lowering back down to the ground, quite quietly collecting his things so that...
He didn't know. It would be suicide for a Gehaka to attack a Haka, although that wouldn't bring him much satisfaction if he was already dead. Not that he really thought that this pretty thing was going to try to kill him. It was just the wariness of a being that was terribly fragile and knew it all too well.
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 2:56 pm
Norito may not want to make a fool of himself, but he could tell when someone was quickly losing their patience. He had no high standards to live up to and there were certainly no others in the room at the moment. Not only that, he didn't have any Haka to honor, so - he simply reached over and took the cup into his hands. Eyes on the Haka - just to make sure he trusted him enough, he blew gently on the tea. Not enough to make a disturbing sound, but enough to notch it down a degree or two. He set it down slowly, back in front of him.
He smiled as he heard the words, nodding his head slowly. "I'm glad it pleases you. Though, I don't think we're going to have any sort of epidemic anytime soon. Most Gehaka are trained only in the swords area only," he shrugged, taking a slow silent sip of his tea. Hot, stinging even. Still, he showed neither pain nor care.
"To please whatever Haka would have me in as many ways as I am allowed," he said with a nod, bowing slightly to him as if this were some code encrypted. He believed it, to the fullest. As long as he was free, he would go and come as he pleased, working to provide for himself. But as soon as a Haka claimed him as their own - his duties were no longer focused on himself.
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:02 pm
He watched as the Gehaka cooled his tea for him, though it was just a tad silly. He could have forced himself to wait, it was more proper.. but at the same time, he was very pleased. He took the cup slowly, lifting it to his lips and taking a careful sip. He shut his eyes as the warm liquid slid down his throat, enjoying the bitter-sweet flavor of the tea.
He opened his eyes again, taking another sip before setting down his cup. "That is really the only wish you have in life?" He said, voice faint and curious. He watched the other directly, his face a silent mask of calm.
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:08 pm
He smiled triumphantly as he saw the ease with which the Haka drank down the warm liquid, watching the expression of his face as he took in the bitter-sweet flavors. Yes, he could have waited, but why make such a pretty Haka wait for tea when someone was completely capable of doing it for him?
"I suppose I wouldn't mind having a nice home with a Haka that at least finds some use in me, does not treat me purely as an object, though object I may be," he finished, nodidng as if to confirm it to himself, taking a long sip on the hot tea, feeling it trickle down his throat in drips.
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:16 pm
Enju paused in looking over his wound, finally standing and turning, prodding the bandage to soak up some blood. He suddenly had a feeling of tension in the air and someone looking at him. His half-lidded eyes traveled up, resting laguidly on the Haka before him. It took him a few minutes while staring to realize he shouldn't be. He was a very unsually audacious Gehaka despite being fiercly trained.
Dropping his head, he bowed, letting out a quiet grunt as pain from the gash shot through his body. He dropped to a knee, wondering if he could play of his weakness and being overly polite and decided to greet the Haka. He didn't like showing weakness, even if there was a good reason for him to be weak. He very slolwy stood up again, wondering to himself if it'd be alright to leave or if the Haka would dismiss him. His eyes suddenly caught sight of a picture, in the Haka's grasp, his eyes narrowing to see it more clearly which he couldn't with his head down.
Instead he looked at it pointedly, feeling a bit of deja vu at the little section of the picture he could see. That...wasn't him was it?
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:35 pm
Reizo returned the stare. He would have snapped at Enju almost immediatly, but he was still off his guard, fingers gripping the wood below the peice of parchement. The Haka's body was tense, looking like he was about to get up and actually flee. He didn't, of course, because the shame of running away from a Gehaka would be too much for him.
Finally, the tension was broken as Enju went down on one knee. If Reizo was less attentive, he might have believed that the Gehaka was being repentant for bad behaviour, but...no. Enju was very clearly in pain, something that eased the tension a little more. Though the Gehaka could still probably hurt him, he felt a bit safer knowing that the other was wounded.
Reizo began to fidget with the board, growing protective of it as soon as he felt the Gehaka's gaze tending that way.
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