Yeste' stood on the balcony outside her room (which was on the second floor and faced foward, on the same side that the doors were), she left the double glass doors that were covered by heavy black drapes wide open. She wore no coat as the weather was getting warmer, and she enjoyed the chilly wind whipping her hair wildly behind her.
Noises came from inside Yeste's room, the soft sound of a piano, though there was no such thing in her room. The sound (more specifically Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, 1st Movement) came from a small black stereo who's volume was turned up reletively high.
Yeste' was relaxing, standing on her balcony and listening to Beethoven. She closed her eyes and slowly started rocking back and forth in the middle of the balcony then, as the song became more lively she began to move around, slowly starting to waltz by herself.
She was imagining though, that she was in a grand hall full of people in beautiful dresses surrounded by royalty at a ball and that she was dancing with... someone.
Yeste' smiled to herself as she waltzed, not paying any attension to anything except the music and her fantasy.
It didn't take long for Itsuki to reach the forest outside Durem once he left his apartment. Being a Simu of pride, Itsuki decided he knew which way to go and didn't even take the dagger out of its place in the waistband of his pants. However, he wasn't paying attention at all to where he was walking, most likely being subconciously guided after all by the weapon in question.
Instead of looking ahead, the boy was concentrating on the small heart shaped chocolate in his palm. He was wiping it clean of any markings and thinking back to his conversation with Ian earlier. The poor boy had never been so confused and flustered since he arrived from the mirror and forgot where he was even heading.
He still managed to continue in the right direction, though. Save for a few good whacks by some lowlying tree branches, he was good to go.
Yeste' was completely lost in her daydream and completely visable to anyone who might be walking towards her home.
She had, unfortunately, set the stereo on 'repeat' so she wouldn't stop her waltz until she was interrupted or fell victim to fatigue. She spun and stepped slowly in time with the music, the skirts of the long black dress she wore fanning out at the bottom as she did so.
Fortunately for her, the snow was pretty much melted (at least in the forest) and the weather was getting warmer so being out on the balcony in a sleevless black silk dress wasn't cold.
She didn't know why she wore the dress, she simply had decided that morning when she woke that she wanted to. She didn't need a reason, she just did.
The dress in question wasn't anything very fancy besides the silk. It was sleevless, with a built in corset as she and Sao were so fond of, and a sown in slip. She wore laced up high-heeled boots with the dress (which held a nifty little surprise), and black gloves that reached to her elbows that had blood red ribbon laced through metal eye-holes. A red ribbon held the girl's hair up in a bun in the back, but two strands of hair had been allowed to frame her face.
Though there was nothing fancy to her, it didn't seem so as she glided across the balcony to Beethoven.
As he stared in the chocolate in question, he pulled out one half of Mana and carefully carved his name in kanji on the piece carefully. Replacing the blade back into his pocket, Itsuki could have sworn he was hearing... music?
He stopped where he was walking as he could see a large house not too far infront of him between the greenery of the forest. His thoughts were, thankfully, interrupted for now as he realized just where he had decided to head.
"...."
Slowly, Itsuki continued to walk towards the house, hearing the music growing louder as he grew closer. As the sounds got closer, they also became more distinct and he started to wonder if there was a party being held at the estate. Itsuki lifted his gold eyes to a balcony in which the music seemed to be stemming from.
There must've been a party indeed, but apparently there was only one person attending as he watched the young girl twirl and slide gracefully infront of his eyes.
Just who was she? There was something oddly familiar about her but he was sure he hadn't seen such an elegant young lady before... Itsuki couldn't do anything but watch as he stopped infront of her balcony, holding the small chocolate in his hand.
Yeste' opened her eyes breifly as she spun around and saw Itsuki standing below her balcony. It took her a second spin before she snapped out of her daydream and the fact that he had seen her dancing sunk in. She stopped suddenly, though gracefully, the bottom of her dress continuing to spin without her for a moment before coming to a halt as well. She walked to the rail of the balcony and leaned over a bit, looking down at Itsuki. Unknown to her, she was blushing a bit...
Yeste' stared at him with her mismatched eyes wide for a few moments before she shook her head and regained her calm composure.
"Greetings..." She called to him, not really knowing what to say besides that.
The whole situation was strange to him.
Maybe it was the setting, the music, her dress, or the day... but it felt odd in some way. Or the way she was leaning against the railing... as if this was all from a fairy tale.
But he didn't read many of those, so Itsuki was at a loss.
"...Hi there."
Hm, well at least that part was done.
As for anything else... well, he had no clue how to advance with the episode at hand. The boy wasn't sure why it was awkward to him, but he decided it better to survey the land around him and take in the appearance of her abode before looking at her again. Awkward-awkward, say something...
Oh, right.
"H-happy Valentine's Day?" Itsuki cocked his head to the side, as if searching for a little approval, "...I got your gift. ....Thank you." The words sounded foreign to him when he spoke, but the feeling was there.
Yeste' was glad she was high enough up that he couldn't see her blush. She chastised herself in her head before she smiled at Itsuki.
"Happy Valentines Day" Yeste' replied. She was glad that he liked it. She put her elbow on the railing and rested her chin in her hand as she looked down at Itsuki.
"Well then, I don't suppose you came all the way out here just to stand down there... Hold on."
Yeste' pushed off of the rail and through her balcony doors and turned off her stereo as she left her room.
In a minute or so Yeste' appeared at the front doors and opened one as they were very large and (though made of wood) kind of heavy.
Itsuki watched the young girl disappear and looked around again at his surroundings. He began to over-analyze everything again before he was thankfully interrupted a minute later by the girl pushing open one of the large doors. He got a better look at her and noted how different she looked from their first meeting. It was at this time that Itsuki remembered about the chocolate.
"Oh.. I have something for you. Its not much."
The boy extended his hand and offered the small chocolate in the small box he was holding in the palm of his hand.
Yeste' took the chocolate with a smile.
"Thank you."
She hadn't expected him to get her anything and was very pleased, even with a simple chocolate.
Yeste' stepped back against the door and motioned with her hand (the one without the chocolate in it) for Itsuki to come in.
Itsuki nodded and stepped in, looking around. He found himself overwhelmed by the size of the place, used to his small apartment with only two small rooms. He looked over at Yeste' to see if there was anywhere in particular she wished to lead him.
However, he didn't want to look helpless, so he decided some conversation would be in order, even if it wasn't his strongest point.
"Do you live here alone? ...Well, I mean, other than your caretaker. It was a woman, right?" He was doing his best to remember clues she might have given off on their first meeting.
Yeste' motioned for him to follow her as she made her way towards one of the grand stair cases.
"Well... kind of... there is Ereki, Tsume, and Saffron..." Yeste' shrugged. "They aren't exactly people, so I don't think they would count."
She led him up the stairs and down a long hallway until they reached a closed wooden door which Yeste' proceeded to open and walk through.
This room seemed to be Yeste's room. The carpet in here was blood red, and the walls black. The very large bed against the center wall was covered in a large black velvet blanket.
There was a red and black theme in this room, as if one could not tell.
Yeste' continued through the room, after she sat the chocolate on her nightstand, and out the doors to the balconey where she had been dancing before.
Itsuki followed her closely and was not surprised by the color scheme when they entered her room. At her explanation, he nodded, figuring them to be pets or something of that nature. At least having others must have been... exciting.
When he stepped through her room, though, he felt strange. The boy regarded bedrooms as private sanctuaries of their owners. So, to be invited into her room by this girl... Itsuki didn't have time to ponder on it much before he found himself following Yeste' out to the balcony.
He was rewarded by a wonderful view of the forest and he appreciated the sight. Being this high was pleasant enough, though he wished he had a balcony of his own.
The Simu walked over to the railing and leaned back against it, looking up at the sky between the treetops. Itsuki felt oddly serene with the setting and allowed himself a small smile. He was about to deem the situation perfect when he found something was missing... Going through each sense to see which one was unfulfilled, he realized that it was rather silent. Some music would be nice, like the kind earlier, and these thoughts lead him to remembering the girl's dancing.
Looking over to Yeste', the boy inquired curiously, "Do you dance often?" He had a habit of assuming others were following his train of thought, so he didn't find the question odd or out of the blue.
Yeste' looked down at the floor and then cocked her head to the side as she looked up at Itsuki.
"Well... yes..." She paused a moment to see what his expression was like. She hadn't wanted anyone to see her dancing.
You should have thought of that before you started prancing around out on the balconey like a ninny!
Yeste' usually danced in the ballroom, where it was much easier to imagine a grand ball and such, and where the music echoed off of the high dome celing; and she always made a note to lock the door before she did so... Usually she wouldn't be so embarrassed by anything she did, but for some reason dancing was the exception. She felt that she had to give off a cold as ice, hard as stone kind of thing to people, and dancing didn't help add to that image...
He just nodded in response and looked up again, thinking about it. He watched Ian dance some, but she just looked like a nut when she did and so Itsuki found it worth watching for the amusement. However, seeing Yeste' dance brought a whole new interpretation to the activity to him. Seeing her twirl and slide across the floor made him think of nothing less than grace and beauty, so he decided that dancing wasn't something bad at all.
He didn't find it odd for someone like her to be doing that, as he assumed he must not have known her too well once he saw her in the dress. The boy smiled again as he thought of her dancing to the music, wondering how it must have felt and if anyone else was capable of looking that graceful when doing it.
"...It was nice. Seeing you dance." He didn't look away from the canopy of limbs and leaves, continuing to smile to himself.
Yeste's cheeks turned bright red and she looked down in hopes that he wouldn't see. She didn't know what to say...
Gha! Yeste', say something you ninny!
Yeste' smiled at Itsuki, even though he wasn't looking. An idea had just popped into her head.
"Would you... like to..." Yeste's voice was quiet, and she was fumbling over the words in her head. "Umm... dance?"
He let go of the smile in response to her request and he turned his head to look at her, half expecting her to be joking. He wasn't upset, but taken off guard at such a suggestion. Dancing wasn't just a girl thing? Apparently not. ...Apparently it was also something that could be done in pairs. He was learning much today...
"I... I've never." It was the best he could respond with and he stood up straight, curious of her nervousness and startled at the prospect of him dancing. Though, she looked as if she had enjoyed dancing so, maybe...
"...I wouldn't mind learning, however."
Yeste' smiled and walked into her room quickly and turned on the stereo, though she turned it to a different song, one that was more of a waltz than the other. The music was interesting, the different instruments seemed to echo eachother back and forth, as if arguing or speaking. The composer of this song was called Vivaldi, and the song was Allegro in D.
Yeste' liked this song very much, and often heard Sao in the ballroom playing it on her violin accompanied by the larger stereo downstairs.
Yeste' hurried back onto the balconey and thought a moment. Teaching someone how to dance was going to be harder than actually dancing...
"Ok... what I was doing is called a waltz. Waltzes are usually done in pairs."
She stepped closer and grabbed Itsuki's hands (bitting her lip so she didn't blush too much) and held one loosely in one hand and set the other one on her hip, then put her hand on his shoulder.
"This is... where one's hands should be positioned when waltzing..." Yeste' explained.
"The steps are simple, all one has to do is count '1-2-3'. Its basically a square step. Most waltzing music has steady beats that one can count like that to, or that counts naturally..."
Yeste' looked at Itsuki to see if he understood.
Itsuki was not used to touching people, in fact, he rarely even touched Ian and so found the contact foreign to him. However, it wasn't unpleasant so he rested his hands where instructed and nodded when she spoke. He picked things up fast and listened attentively when being taught, this time was no different. He had a mission now, even if it was just something as simple as learning how to dance.
"I'm going to lead, so just follow me... I'll talk you through it. Usually the male leads..."
Yeste' took a moment to think of how to explain this to him.
"Ok... when I step foward you take a step backward with the foot infront of mine that is stepping. This is basically a box step... like this."
Yeste' released herself from Itsuki's grip and took a few steps back, raising her dress a bit so the boy could see her feet. She stepped foward with one foot, then brought the other foot foward then moved one foot behind the other to the side and brought the stray foot around, then she stepped back and did the same thing to the other side.
"That is the begining of a waltz. But the steps should be smooth and long. And on the third count one adds a turn... try the box step first..."
Itsuki watched her feet closely then looked back up at her when she stopped. "...I think I understand." He took a breath and did his best to mimic her steps. One, two, three... "Is it... like this?" He wasn't sure if he was any good at this whole dancing business, but he was determined to at least make an effort.
"Yes, you've got it... to make it more complicated, and a true waltz, you have to add a turn..."
Yeste' demonstrated the step and turn and then went back to position herself with Itsuki as she had done before.
"Now you take the lead and I'll follow... it should all come together naturally..."
Yeste' smiled and waited for Itsuki to start.
"One, two, three and then turn..." It couldn't be that hard, could it?
Itsuki nodded, finding himself not nervous at all as he set out to complete this mission without fail. Finding the beat shortly, he lead Yeste' across the floor doing his best to keep rhythm with the steps she had taught him. Occasionally glancing at his feet, he soon became more confident with what he was doing and was able to look straight at her.
It didn't take long for him to understand the wonders of dancing as he found it slowly start to become second nature, as if the music was the one in control of his body. The boy didn't give up concentrating, however, and continued to keep time in his head as he focused on the task.
Yeste' smiled at him and let herself be swept along. Itsuki was doing very well for someone who had never danced before. Yeste' enjoyed this, it was fun, and she had to make an effort to keep a giggle of joy from escaping.
She never would have immagined that she would ever be dancing with Itsuki.
"Would you like to see the armory when we are finished dancing?" Yeste' asked, though she hoped that he would want to keep dancing, at least for a short while longer.
"...Armory?" This sparked a new interest in him but he quickly went back to concentrating on the waltz, chastizing himself for getting distracted even if only briefly.
"That does sound interesting. ...I'd like to see it." Today was turning out to be an amazing day... Much more fun than training in his room or on the roof, though he was sure he would still have to continue that. Just getting out once in a while would be good, he decided. Especially if it involved knives... and dancing wasn't too bad either.
"Ok then..." Yeste' kept dancing for a while longer, not wanting the waltz to end, but sadly the music stopped and she reluctantly pulled away.
"Follow me."
Yeste' led Itsuki back downstairs and through a series of long hallways until finally they came to a locked wooden door. Yeste' took out a key from her glove and unlocked the door, which opened to reveal walls lined with racks and tables with all sorts of different kinds of weapons; spears, daggers, swords, you named it and it was there.
"Sao enjoys collecting weapons, and using them too..."
When the door opened, Itsuki was taken by surprise by the shear amount and diversity of weapons in the room. He couldn't help himself but to slowly step inside and gawk at the walls. He was more overwhelmed than anything else.
"T-this... Its amazing," he stated, finding the will to blink a few times, "if I had this many weapons, I could be strong..."
The boy looked to Yeste', tilting his head to the side. He was having a hard time associating the girl in the dress as someone who would wield objects like these. It was equally difficult to remember her as the girl he first met upon breaking into the antique shop. How things can change in such a short time...
He found himself staring at her while he thought, then shook his head to snap out of it. Remembering his initial question, he furrowed his eyebrows at her in curiosity, "Sao... she's a good fighter, isn't she?"
Yeste' noticed Ituski staring at her and cast her eyes down at the ground with a blush.
"Well... I've never really seen her fight, but I suppose that she is. She has been teaching me a little... not too much yet. She says she will really teach me when I'm older..."
Yeste' walked over and grabbed a dagger off of a table and weighed it in her hand a moment before she spun it around with her wrist a few times.
"I like this one best next to mine."
The dagger in question had a curved blade with what looked like very fancy caligraphy engraved on it. The shaft was brown leather with a gold cap on the hilt. Yeste's eyes kept wondering lazily around the room, coming to rest anywhere but on Itsuki, she didn't want him to see her staring at him....
What is wrong with me? Why would he care if I look at him or not? Why do I care? I probably seem like a complete ninny to him...
"How lucky you are..." Itsuki knew he was jealous of the situation she was in. Of course, he got stuck with the fangirl while she got someone she could learn a lot from.
"It must be great to have all this knowledge and resources at your fingertips... I hope you use it well." He folded his arms across his chest. "I look forward to our next confrontation. Hopefully, I'll be more prepared." Of all things Itsuki could think of as humiliating, losing a second time to the same person, especially a woman, had to be near the top of the list. Even if this particular girl wasn't weak, it became a personal goal for him.
He continued to look around as well when he noticed what he thought was Yeste' avoiding his gaze. That's just dumb. She wouldn't have a reason to do that. He dismissed the notion as quickly as it came.
"I suppose... but what am I going to do with it all?"
Yeste' sighed and hoisted herself up onto the table she had grabbed the dagger off of. She held out her hand and gathered shadows around it, then shaped them into the form of a man and woman who began to dance, much as she and Itsuki had. After a moment of watching her shadows she waved her hand and they dissapeared in whisps of smoke.
"By the way... You have yet to tell me your name..."
"My name?" Of all things, the boy hadn't realized he didn't tell her this much. Usually, he didn't give much thought to such a thing, but now that it had become an issue of full attention, began to wonder against giving out his name so freely to others. The name was a key to the person's life, if it were to get in the wrong hands... ...I think I can trust at least her.
The boy shrugged as if to show that his name was no 'big deal', "Its Itsuki."
He watched her play with the shadows and hid his jealousy rather well. Just simple things like that reminded him of how far he had to go before he was satisfied with himself. Itsuki knew it probably wasn't possible, but he hoped one day that he would have some kind of powers, too.
"...I guess this means you have to come visit my place someday?" He changed the subject to get his mind off things.
Yeste' looked at him and smiled.
"I suppose so, Itsuki..." Yeste' nodded to herself and commited the name to memory and matched it with his face.
Itsuki... that name fits very well...
"Would you like to meet Ereki and Tsume? Or are you hungry? The kitchen isn't too far and I could try to cook something."
Yeste' wasn't real sure about cooking, usually Sao was the one who cooked... and she didn't want to make something disgusting or something he wouldn't like... that would thoroughly embarrass her.
"...Food?" Wait a second, hungry... food...
Itsuki blinked. "...What time is it?" He instinctively looked around for a clock or window and frowned. He wasn't particularly hungry but he usually associated food with time, probably due to his only interruptions were for this reason. Ian would worry if he was gone for too long and while he didn't care whether she did or not, he didn't want to clean up her disembowled body if she thought he left her for good. Or even worse, she might start whining to him...
Hn. He hoped it wasn't too late. He wasn't looking forward to going back and he rather enjoyed this place so far.
Yeste' was about to answer when the grandfather clock in the front entrance began to chime. Yeste' waited for it to stop.
"Its about 6:00... why?"
Is he that anxious to leave?
Six... Ian will be starting dinner soon... I'm sure she'll complain if I'm not there. Hn, I'd rather not leave, though... Itsuki sighed and rubbed his head.
"I have to get going then. ...," he was hesistant to blame his guardian in fear of looking like a mama's boy, "... if I'm not home for dinner, I know she'll complain."
He turned as if to leave, but something felt odd. Even to him, someone who didn't sense others' feelings, this didn't seem right to end it like this. So he slowly turned to look back at her and cocked his head to the side, "...I had fun, Yeste'. ....I'd like to see you again." Itsuki didn't think he'd say something like that to a girl but he decided that she had earned his companionship.
"How would you like to come over my apartment next weekend for dinner?" Remembering her mention cooking, he assumed it was something she was good at and continued, "You could bring something and... I could make something. ...It could be fun?" The boy was unsure if this was an acceptable offer and hoped he hadn't messed up socially, again.
Yeste' smiled, glad that he had a good time and wasn't leaving because of her.
"Yes, I would like that very much." She nodded, not thinking about the part where he said 'you could bring something'.
Yeste' walked with Itsuki to the front door, so he wouldn't get lost in the many twisting hallways of the mannor, and stood there.
"Goodbye, Itsuki..." She nodded slightly, a gesture she replaced waving with, and then turned to head back up to her room. She waited until she was sure he wasn't looking/was gone and then she made a mad dash for her room.
He nodded back, "Bye." Then headed back through the forest.
A good distance away from the house he stopped and rubbed the back of his neck, thinking upon the events of the day.
"......"
Itsuki shook his head out of confusion and kept walking, sorting through his thoughts on the whole way back.
