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 Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:41 pm
Toulouse wanted to respond with an immediate and fervent yes, but stopped himself. He so dreadfully wanted to promise Pasayo that he would come and see her again and again…but what if he couldn’t? What if somewhere along the way things went bad and he never would be able to see Pasayo again? If he promised that he would come and didn’t, what would she think of him? Toulouse didn’t think he could bare her thinking badly of him
His brotherly instinct took that moment to rear its ugly head until Toulouse was utterly taken with Pasayo in one swift passing of the moment. He wanted to be there for her and take care of her. He wished…he mentally shook his head berating himself for his silly feelings. It was so stupid for him to feel like that so suddenly, almost without cause. What would she have need of him for? She had her family, her loved ones. Toulouse knew that she couldn’t replace his sisters but…God, it was just so hard!
He looked at Pasayo mournfully for a moment as the little girl seemed embarrassed and ashamed or a mixture of both. She wavered on her feet from side to side looking so utterly adorable that Toulouse had to refrain himself from grabbing her up in his arms. Instead he satisfied brotherly affliction by simply smiling widely again.
“Yes. Yes, of course I’ll come and visit you…that is if it’s okay with you Piero?” Toulouse turned his attention to the now silver haired man, wondering what was to be found under that mannerly smile. Black magic was not something to be dealt with lightly and Toulouse decided that such a thing could only be that with which the barrier had been erected with. He would have to remember to ask about it.
Toulouse looked back at Pasayo. “Besides, I’m hardier than I look.” He made a silly movement of flexing his arms in a muscleman impression. “It won’t take me long to render fate useless I expect.”
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Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:05 pm
"I do not mind at all if you come here whenever you please, as I seem to recalling telling you that you were always welcome the first time we met. A man does not go back on his word."
Piero smiled at the interactions that this strange youth was performing with his little Pasayo, and he delighted at how well the child was responding. He had been so honestly worried about her nature, his memories of her being so despondent as an egg still rather fresh, but seeing her chatter like this placed his heart somewhat at ease.
When Houkan came into the room and stood at his shoulder he was well aware, and he placed a finger to his lips as a note to ask his brother to remain silent. Pasayo had her back to the younger man and did not notice his presence, which gave Toulouse more of a chance. While Pasayo did adore her Master greatly, it was whenever Houkan was in the same room with her did she really seem to be as alive as she was now.
"So you are strong? Is that why you are unafraid to die by that man's hands, as he said you would be?"
Pasayo reached over and playful tapped Toulouse's 'muscles', a thin smile on her lips. She did not fully understand his situation, her small mind barely able to comprehend what had happened only earlier and outside their compound.
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Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:35 pm
Toulouse smile dimpled again with a tiny flash of pink tongue between his teeth. His eyes sparkled in merriment as Pasayo teased him. “Me? Why, of course. I laugh in the face of danger, haha!” He nodded jauntily with a light laugh. “ And, not to wave my own flag but I used to be pretty decent sword fighter back in the day. Those kids don’t stand a chance against me.”
He was really just trying to assure Pasayo that everything was going to be alright, versus just showing off. Toulouse wasn’t positive that he could beat Icarus, only fools were positive. Still, he was pretty sure that he could. Icarus was only so good after all. He didn’t want Pasayo thinking that he wasn’t going to come back from that particular fight. She was just a kid after all.
Looking up over Pasayo’s head, Toulouse saw that a young man was now standing next to Piero. It wasn’t Sol obviously, so that left Toulouse with no name to put with a face that was so similar to Piero’s. A brother perhaps.
He smiled tentatively. “I didn’t forget what you said Piero. I just wanted to make sure, just in case…” Toulouse’s voice trailed off as he wrinkled his nose in reference to the earlier events.
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Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:57 pm
"There is no need to worry over things like that. This family has a way of protecting itself no matter the challenge, so either myself or my younger brother here will be able to aide you in any manner you need."
Piero motioned with his hand over towards Houkan, causing the younger man to sigh and shake his head. The mere mention of him being the room cause Pasayo to quickly turn her head and squeal slightly, running away from Toulouse's side and at Houkan's legs. She buried her face into them just right above his knee, her height allowing her to reach only that far, and Houkan merely smiled at the actions.
"It seems I have stolen away your playmate, do forgive me. My name is Houkan, and as you may have surmised I am the younger brother of this man here. Thank you for your care of Pasayo in her early stages, my brother tells me you were quite kind to her."
It was evident by Pasayo's actions and Houkan's gentle touches of her head that he was mainly her caretaker over Piero, though the affection showered on the little child and from the little child was not split between the two. She simply happened to enjoy Houkan's company more...at the moment.
"You are called Toulouse? I have heard from Sol that he healed your injury and you should be alright to move, though please excuse me if you find me rude in asking if I may offer you a change of clothing? You are quite soiled."
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Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:23 pm
“I‘m very curious about that.” Toulouse moved to get up, bending over slightly and placing his hands on his knees as he did so. Something popped as he stood and he just rolled his eyes at the sound his suddenly creaky joints had made. He really was an old man! He continued easily. “Your vague descriptions remind me of my sithen. Is everything here like that?” Toulouse had merely assumed that Piero knew what a sithen was.
He smiled as the boy, Houkan, introduced himself. He was apologizing for Pasayo liking him more than anyone else in the room. Toulouse stifled a little chuckled at the happiness that Pasayo displayed to Houkan.
“Yes, that’s what they call me.” Out of an old habit, Toulouse dipped his head in a slight bow at Houkan without thinking. Oh how proper etiquette was rushing back into his head with all these strange gentlemen hanging about. “I doubt that there is a rude bone in your entire body Houkan. I’d really appreciate the change of clothes. Thank you.” Toulouse rubbed the back of his neck giving an embarrassed sort of laugh as his attention was brought back to his gore covered attire. He was surprised Pasayo had not fussed about it. He was wondering why he wasn’t fussing about it.
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Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:39 pm
"There is no need to be so formal with me, as I am sure that despite your appearance you are far older than myself and should be the one being properly respected."
Houkan bent down and was about to lift Pasayo into his arms when he noticed the state of her own clothing, frowning slightly at her before quickly grabbed the hem of her nightgown and lifting it up and over her head. The little girl gave a moment's squeak of protest as the sudden action seemed to startle more than embarrass her, and she quickly moved her arms back down to her sides from their forced raised position thanks to her shirt being off her frame.
Her back was still towards Toulouse, as she had not turned away from Houkan for even a moment, so it was easy to see the markings that decorated her body. The designs on her face were not her only interesting trait, as three white rings circled themselves around her neck and two large 'x' posed themselves on her small back.
"As for you, Toulouse, I think we are probably similar enough in height and build that my clothes may suffice for you. If you would not mind following me to my room I can fetch you a clean set, and you are more than welcome to take a shower or bath before you leave as well. Goodness knows this child here certainly needs one, what with her pretending to be ready for bed in the state she is currently in."
Houkan reached down and actually picked Pasayo up this time, the little girl quickly latching to his shoulders and burying her face into his neck. He did not seem to even notice the motion but simply smiled at Toulouse, waiting for the young man to accept the offer and follow.
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Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 9:24 pm
Toulouse merely laughed, delighted, and explained. “You know that saying about old habits? Well, mine are currently in their death throws.”
When Pasayo’s back was first revealed to him at her undressing, Toulouse was startled into thinking that she had somehow been maimed, what with the giant ‘x‘ there. However, his heart dropped back out of his throat when he saw more closely that they were just markings, looking for all the world like someone had taken chalk and doodled on black paper. Toulouse was going to say something but, to him, his question felt the same as asking a man how he had lost his arm. It was too personal.
A bath. That’s what Toulouse had been thinking about deep down as soon as his attention was brought back to his fusty clothes. His skin itched with his own dried blood and he thought it a miracle that he wasn’t yet scratching as if he had fleas. A bath would be wonderful. A bath would be warm and nice.
“A bath would be splendid.” It’s not that the words were gushed out, instead really being breathed out in a sigh of knowing comfort soon to come. Toulouse muscled practically screamed for hot water to wash over him. He smiled at Houkan as the boy held Pasayo to his chest. “Needless to say, I’m very happy that we are about the same height. Fate had to give me a freebie sometime. Lead on Houkan so Pasayo can hurry to bed.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:04 pm
"I would suppose that is a good thing for you then? You should always be able to speak and act however you want, regardless if it is proper or rude. Being comfortable in your own nature is what matters more than anything else."
Houkan was comfortable about he spoke and how he dressed, though some people would say it more like the actions he did everyday was ingrained inside his brain far past something simple like a habit. Since he was born he was always taught to speak properly, to dress in Victorian wear. Of course as he grew older he was allowed more freedom in his speech his dress, but he liked speaking properly and dressing in old fashioned garb. His older brother dressed and spoke this way as well, and as Houkan probably admired Piero more than anyone else int he world, why would he not emulate him?
"If you will follow me to the bathroom I will leave you to clean yourself while I fetch you a clean towel and a change of clothing. You will find everything you need set inside, as the guest bathroom is seldom used by anyone other than Dusk when he decides to venture out of his room."
The youth was walking slowly down the hall, still carrying Pasayo who kept her weary face pressed against his collarbone. The warmth of her breath tickled his neck with each exhale, and he could not help but smile. As he rounded a few corners he stopped in front a rather ornate metal door that sported a crescent moon plaque in the middle, and he pulled down the handle to crack it open. The smell of clean leaked out through the narrow opening that was darkness incarnate, and Houkan reached his head inside and flicked a light on. Yes, this house had proper electricity despite its nature.
"Here you are, Toulouse. Please use whatever you would like to and take as long as you need. Feel free to leave your soiled clothes in the hamper near the door and my elder brother or I will wash them and get them back to you on your next visit."
The youth pointed out different things here and there as he spoke, and before he turned to leave he knelt down and rested Pasayo on the floor, patting her head.
"I hope you do not mind watching her while I run to get your clothing? She should not be any trouble to bathe, so please do as you please."
With that he turned and walked out leaving the child Ashe, topless and in her bloomers, standing in front of Toulouse with wide eyes.
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Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:57 pm
Toulouse looked at Pasayo who looked at him looking at her. What? Toulouse blinked blue eyes slowly, his brain cranking like Houkan’s metal moon door. Words like b*****d and son of a motherless goat floated through his head. He was supposed to wash Pasayo? Wasn’t that queer? Didn’t Houkan think that it was a weird thing to push such a thing on a stranger? Apparently not.
“Uh…” Came the stuttered articulation. “C’mon I guess.” He finished lamely. It wasn’t that bathing children was new to him, he had bathed his sisters loads of time, but the fact that Pasayo wasn’t his real sister posed a kind of problem. How would she take to him giving her a bath? Supposed she had a fit that it was him and not Houkan bathing her?
Whatever.
Toulouse located the various objects about the room that Houkan had pointed out like the all important bathtub. He was happy to see the tub was unusually large, seeming to be very deep. Deep was good and meant more hot water all around. Toulouse turned the old-fashioned. brass knobs of the tub at full blast, letting the water gush out into the white porcelain, splashing as it did so.
As the bath readied, Toulouse searched out a washcloth from under the sink and found some soap and shampoo in the cabinet. There were no towels, but Houkan had already stated that and Toulouse assumed that the boy was getting more.
Nearly full, Toulouse turned off the taps and watched the steam from the water rise up in lazy curls, fogging up the glass of the mirrors. He felt the water, not too hot or too cold. Deeming it satisfying, Toulouse began to peel of his clothing.
Shoes first, then the shirt. He pulled it over his head, the dried blood make a sticky kind of noise as it broke and flaked off like old scabs. He folded the shirt placing it on the edge of the sink. He did to his pants and socks successively, folding each in turn until he was left only in his usual black silk boxers.
Toulouse prayed that Pasayo wouldn’t be angry or upset with the bathing arrangements. He turned his back to the girl, discarding his undergarments as he plunged into the deliciously warm bath. He sank up to his shoulders in the liquid with a sigh.
Suddenly it hit him. Despite telling himself time and again the Pasayo was not his sister, Toulouse found himself enacting one of his dieing habits. He was in the water and Pasayo was not. It had seemed only natural that they bathe together. He and his three sisters always washed together. What was he thinking?
Still, Touluse beckoned to Pasayo. “C’mon I guess.” He repeated again. “Get in before the water gets cold.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 9:13 am
A wide small broke across Pasayo's little face as Toulouse invited her into the tub with him, the whole while he had been moving about the small girl had sat watching him. It was not that she was doing so because she wanted to be perverted or anything of the sort, but it was more or less that she was unsure if he was going to invite her to bathe along with him.
She had almost always bathed together with Houkan, and if not him then his older brother Piero, so to take a bath with an older male stranger did not even register the slightest bit in her mind to be weird. At the invitation to join him Pasayo quickly shed the purple bloomers she had been wearing and scuttled over to the side of the tub, using her small hands to try and grasp the edge and pull herself in. It took a few tries and a jump before she could actually make it over, and with a startled squeak she cleared the edge and tumbled into the water face first.
"Beh! Water up my nose!"
She came back up, clearly standing in the water's depth and having it rest at her chest, and shook her head a little as she sneezed to clear her nose. It was comical to see her dripping wet and shaking her head like a small dog, her manners and lessons now only applying to her words and not actions.
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 1:26 pm
Toulouse laughed gaily, his apprehension gone, as he brought his arms to shield his face from the giant splash that Pasayo had made. Water sloshed over the edge of the tub, splattering the ground in wet droplets.
“Sorry, I should’ve helped you in. Well, at least I now know that you are a secret Olympic diving champion.” He tweaked Pasayo’s drippy little nose with a smile. “I give that splash an eight point five.”
Toulouse was secretly happy that Pasayo didn't mind bathing with him. It made him feel a lot better about the whole thing. Feeling emotionally stable, Toulouse’s muscles began to unknot, relaxing themselves inch by inch in the warm water. He sighed leaning his head back against the side of the tub, closing his eyes for a moment, enjoying himself as he sunk a bit into the water.
“So,” He opened one eye and peeked at Pasayo, smiling again. “What’s the first thing that you do for a bath Pasayo?”
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:09 pm
"We usually wash our hair first. Master Houkan helps me with mine because I still get soap in my eyes no matter how hard I try. I am getting better though, so you do not have to lend me a hand unless you really want to."
Pasayo did not have to move much for the water to come up to her chin, the level rising each time that Toulouse moved even in the slightest. There was plenty of room in the tub for the teen male and the little girl so there was no fear of touching one another, and Pasayo bounced around a little before she reached for a bottle of shampoo that was right behind her.
"When we wash our hair we have to let the soap sit in it for a few moments so the tangles do not get a chance to build up. Then we make sure to rinse it all out or it will dry funny and our hair will make crunchy sounds."
She had a hold of the shampoo bottle now, though seemed to be having difficulty with the lid. It was one of the type that required popping down one side to make an opening, and as hard as she pushed she could not get it to go down.
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:40 pm
“Ah. I see, I see. I definitely don‘t want to have crunchy hair.” Toulouse nodded seriously, sitting up. The water dipped and sloshed as he did so. “Here, let me get that. Don’t you just hate it when it sticks like that?” He opened the shampoo bottle with an easy pop.
Toulouse smiled as he a squirted a generous amount of the shampoo into his hands. He first slathered it into his own hair until the golden color was dyed a rich brown, then ruffled it through Pasayo’s vibrant pink hair, gently pulling at it until it stuck up in all angles like a giant cow lick. “I think that suits you my dear. You should wear your hair like this more often.” He laughed making a funny face as he undjusted own hair with his hands to make it flare up in a lopsided Mohawk. “Now we match!”
Toulouse had no qualms in making himself look silly, hoping that he would be able to amuse Pasayo in play. He had forgotten how fun it was to bathe with another person. He used to do it with his family all the time and realized in that moment how much he had really missed it.
Toulouse drifted easily around Pasayo towards the facet. “My mother showed me a secret for no-soapy-eyes. I‘ll tell you mine and you tell me yours, then we can compare.”
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 9:01 am
Pasayo giggled merrily at the actions Toulouse did to her hair, the spikes amusing the tiny child more than they should. It was probably because she was feeling giddy over being near Toulosue more than the actions he was spending with her, an area of her heart pounding with a feeling he was so uncertain of.
It was not love, to be sure since she was such a child and could not understand that emotion, but it was something close. Perhaps a feeling of longing? A feeling of relief? It was in the corners of her mind, whatever it was, and the child did not dwell on it too long.
"Master Houkan has a cup that sits near the tub and he pours the water over my head that way while I cover my eyes. I try to do the same for him but I cannot reach his head so we usually end up both sticking our heads under the water's top together and pretend we're...mermaids? I think that is fish they looks like a human but lives underwater, right?"
The whole time Pasayo had been speaking with the older Ashe she had had her back to him, a strange sign of modesty in a child that barely understood the meaning of the word. If he had been Houkan she probably would have been climbing all over him without a second though, but now her manners seemed far more reserved.
"So what is your secret?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:02 pm
“Oh, your way is much, much better.” Toulouse said with a nod to the back of Pasayo’s head. He wondered why she wouldn’t face him. “Come to think of it, it’s really not a secret but more like…like…a tradition. That’s it.” Toulouse smiled to himself thoughtfully rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“When it was time for us to bath my mother would call, ‘oh where have my little flowers gone?’ And my sisters and I would come running and screaming as we splashed into the water.” Here, Toulouse sighed, his voice getting a little thick. “She used to wash our hair the same way Houkan does to yours, but she used a small watering can - silly really - and then she would say that water makes the flowers grow and that we would be her most beautiful flowers. It makes sense I suppose, flowers being her livery and all...” Toulouse trailed off, clearing his throat suddenly as he gave a hard swallow. He was being stupid again.
“What am I saying? It‘s all stuff and nonsense really.” He said with a dry laugh at his own musing. Seeing Pasayo made his heart swell with a sudden remembrance of his mother. He hadn’t thought actively of her in ages and wondered why he was talking about her now. Thinking of her always made him sad.
Toulouse sloshed the water a bit in his hurry as he grabbed the shelved cup that Pasayo had mentioned. “Your way is much more easily done besides.” Toulouse laughed disliking that it sounded a little fake in his ears. He scooped water into the cup. “Here, I’ll rinse your hair for you. Lean back then.”
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