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Masae watched with a slight twitch as his mother's gehaka moved everything from his rooms into boxes ready for the arrival of Yoshi and Mori. Masae hadn't actually told his mother he was leaving yet and as the sound of a high pitched scream filled the house he smiled.

Mori and Yoshi must have arrived.
"You." He said to Takashi snapping his fingers. "Gather my tea things in a separate box." Takashi was his mother's second husband and the only one he trusted with such precious belongings. His attentions momentarily caught as he noticed another gehaka drop one of his obi on the tatami floor.
"You!" He cried. "Watch what you're doing. One of those costs ten times what you are worth." He sneered watching as the younger gehaka scrabbled to pick it up.

His mother's wails were growing satisfyingly closer.
"MASAEEEEEE!!!" Masae winced as the scream pierced his eardrum. He nodded politely as Yoshi entered the room and began whipping his mother's gehaka into shape.
"What on earth is going on?" Shizuka cried as he entered the room. Once incredibly beautiful, now Shizuka was a hunched wrinkled shadow of his former self. "What is this about you leaving?" He cried supporting himself dramatically against the door frame. "And to live with that....that..."

Masae raised a hand cutting him off. "Don't even think about it mother. Not in the prescence of his first husband." He said gesturing to Yoshi who played along by raising an eyebrow in Shizuka's direction.
"But...but....Masae! How could you leave me...what if something happens to you." He said coming closer, blue eyes wide. "Don't think I don't know what goes on in that den of debauchery. Oh, just to think of it." He cried.

Masae gestured Mori over to a large stack of drawers and sighed.
"Mother, must you be so over dramatic."
The room was emptying fast, Shizuka becoming more and more flustered as she knew this was it. He was actually going.
"But I worry about you. All alone....with...him. Just the thought makes me feel feint...I just can't..." Shizuka trailed off as he sunk into one of his infamous swoons. Masae rolled his eyes to the ceiling and stepped over him. "Good bye mother." He smiled walking out of the room as his gehaka scrambled to bring him round.

~~

The journey to Ryuu's did not take long. Masae was more than relieved to finally arrive. Asking Yoshi politely to take the box with his tea goods to the tea house he went in search of Ryuu.
"I'm free." He grinned approaching him under the Willow. "Are you ready for a celebration?"

Masae smiled as Ryuu stood and took his arm, it was unusual to see him in 'relaxed' mode. Without his perfect kimono and fixed hair. It made him feel much more relaxed then he ever was at his mothers home.
"You should have seen her face Ryuu." He laughed as they walked down the stone path to the tea house. "I cannot believe you're moving in with that demon." He cried mimicing Shizuka to a tee. "Yoshi and Mori were perfect." He said, the grin from remembering his mother's face still on his lips. "Even helped me terrorize the old witch."

Laughing softly to himself he looked around the gardens. Ryuu's house was beautiful. He could imagine himself feeling much more at peace here. Plenty of inspiration for his various persuits. As they reached the tea house Masae slipped his arm from Ryuu's and slipped off his geta. Standing on the smooth worn wood of the verandah he looked into the tea house and smiled, there were the various pots and bowls all layed out perfectly, ready for him to begin. Smiling with contentment he stepped onto the tatami and knelt in front of the large iron kettle.

<---Kettle and instruments of sado.

<---Tea bowls.

As Ryuu flirted at the entrance of the tea house Masae kept his attention on his equipment. The flirtation embarassed him more than a little and in his mind was wholly unneccesary. How Ryuu could enjoy acting in such a way with the gehaka Masae did not understand.

In silence he adjusted the pot of tea which was slightly out of position and began. Dipping the bamboo ladle into the water and pouring a little into the bowl, carefully and with delicate precision he swirled the water around and poured it into a slightly deeper bowl next to him. Picking up a small cloth he wiped the tea bowl dry, turning it three times.

As he ran through the motions the world around him dissolved and faded, becoming nothing more than the gentle trickle of water from the waterfall outside. Placing the bowl on the tatami he picked up the pot of tea and the scoop, smiling as he carefully lifted the lid and placed it in the apropriate place by his side. His ears twitched as the sweet bitter smell of the tea powder reached his nose.

Taking the scoop he placed two ammounts into the bowl, tapping the lacquer instrument three times on the edge before returning the lid to the pot. Now to the ladle again. Scooping out some water and pouring it carefully into the bowl, he picked up the bamboo whisk and began to move it swiflty back and forth in the bowl.
The tea was almost ready, a frothy light green. He lifted the whisk and made a light figure of eight in the foam before returning it to it's correct position.

His thoughts returning to the room he picked the bowl up and turned it three times so the pattern faced him. Standing slowly he crossed over to Ryuu and knelt before him, placing the bowl on the floor.
"Your tea." He said softly bowing his head to the floor as was proper and pushing a bowl of sweet tea sweets in Ryuu's direction. "Please start." He said returning to the pot to make aome for himself.

Masae was glad to see Ryuu enjoying his tea. It was pleasurable enough to make, but to watch someone else appreciating his tea was mush more important to him. Especially someone like Ryuu whom he held in such high regard.

Making his own tea he moved over to join Ryuu. Taking a delicate tea sweet he unwrapped the fine paper covering and sighed happily. This was how life should be. Peaceful and full of nothing but beauty.
"Well." He began grinning at Ryuu, "you can demand tea of me as often as you like. I have to repay your hospitality somehow."

Masae settled down to drink his tea. It was perfect and very expensive. "mmm. I could get used to this." He smiled. "So dear Ryuu. Is there anything I need to know about the workings of the house, rules and such? Best to tell me now whilst I'm in the mood to listen."

Masae nodded listening to all of Ryuu's information. The size of the house was rather intimidating, but something he would get used to. Nodding, he looked out over the gardens. He would be content if he was forced to live in the tea house.

"All I need is a place where I can be alone and enjoy my hobbies." He said looking over at the expanse of the house. He spotted a couple of gehaka bustling around and shuddered a little. He wanted as little to do with them all as possible.
"I only need the use of one." He said quietly. "For my hair and such. The others, if they stay out of my way I will have no reason to quarrel." He paused and looked at Ryuu, his blue eyes completely serious. "They trouble me Ryuu, know that. I do not act the way I do to cause problems as you may think."

He blinked again and replaced his blank look with a grin. "One question. Eating arrangements? Will we eat together? I do so enjoy our meal time gossip." He asked putting his bowl down and inspecting his nails. "I think I am going to enjoy living here." He said giving Ryuu a conspirital smirk. The idea of being able to persue his other favourite passtime, bitching with Ryuu, more often made him extrememly happy.

"Just the one will be sufficient when I am alone, no more." He knew Ryuu would take the comment the wrong way but he meant no inuendo. When he was alone he did not like to be around groups of gehaka. Around Ryuu it would be no problem, just in his rooms he prefered to keep them to a minimum.

At Ryuu's next comment Masae's porcelain skin turned as red as the orchids in the corner of the tea house.
"Thank you for the offer, but I don't think I will be in need of such arrangements." He said sniffing and adjusting his kimono. Anything to take his attention away from his burning face.

Managing to regain some sort of compusure he settled out of his seiza position and tucked his legs under him. His obi felt tight and uncomfortable, he wished he had also changed into Yukata before he had joined Ryuu for tea.

"Do the other council members frequent the house often?" He asked a slight sneer on his face. I might be sure to make myself scarce on those days."

At the mention of tea Masae stood and adjusted his obi a little, losening it and adjusting the neck of his kimono so it was looser and made him feel much more relaxed.
"That's better." He said bending down to pick up Ryuu's bow. "I wish i had taken the time to change." Kneeling down beside the pots he swiftly made tea and carried both bowls over at the same time sitting next to Ryuu. There was less ceremony this time, but he still took the care to place the bowls in the correct position and bow once finished.

He had noted Ryuu's twitch at the mention of the council and shot him a wicked grin.
"I get it. No talk of your beloved job in the house." He laughed picking up the bowl. "What would you rather we discuss o honourable one?" His voice was laced with it's usual sarcasm. Grinning he sipped the tea.