Trio had headed back to her place for a while to check on other companions, and that's when Kikuei made his move, heading off of his shelf in search of Kujaku. Trio hadn't been bothering him as much as before - she seemed content to simply sit for hours and play with him, and her little kunkun was slowly getting used to his company. But he still wasn't sure he liked having her around. It was uncomfortable, and nerve-wracking.
Bored, he wandered down the steps, then through the branches, looking around for Kujaku. Or at least for another Ieldi to play with. Catching sight, finally, of a shelf above him, he darted up the steps, grinning as he almost pounced the last one and came into view.
Safrinni, having been immersed in the large book in her lap that was nearly as big as she was, had heard the footsteps on the ladder and didn't immediately react, assuming it was Karma back from one of her ground excursions with the food she'd said. At the sound of their eagerness, however, she peered over the top of the book.
Karma had never RUN before...maybe something was wrong? The little Ieldi no sooner had done so, than a large burst of color appeared on the shelf with her. That--that wasn't Karma...!! For that matter, it wasn't anyone she recognized, either. Eyes big as saucers, Frinni dropped her grip on the book and scrambled backward in a skittering crabwalk.
"Who--who---" she tried to ask in a very small voice and found she couldn't get any words out. Cringing, she hoped that he did not intend to hurt her...she didn't yet think she was able to fly.
Kikuei's eyes went wide at Safrinni's reaction, and he froze, not moving save for the grin he sported slowly fading into a worried frown. He didn't want to scare her more by moving away, but he also didn't particularly want to leave - maybe if he could relax her, they could be friends and play together, after all. Caught in the mental debate, he did nothing for a long minute before finally sinking slowly to sit near the stairs, watching her.
Safrinni, her backward movements carrying her to the outer lip of the shelf that hung over the pond at the base of the village tree, huddled there, her eyes warily on Kikuei. Why was he here...?? What did he want? .....why wasn't he doing anything now?
For what seemed forever, she simply stared back at him. Somewhere in the distance, a cicada began to sing. Mustering up what little courage she had, realizing that he didn't intend to go away or to make a move against her, she tried again to speak.
"....who are you?" she managed to get out in a little mouse-like squeak.
A question - he could answer that. Relaxing a little and offering what he hoped was a gentle smile, he finally spoke. "I'm Kikuei. Who're you?"
The egret ieldi's tapered ears folded back a bit in a slightly submissive fashion. Kikuei. She did not recognize the name. She'd heard often the name Kujaku when Karma spoke to her of her friend Youko and his ieldi charge....she'd likewise seen the peacock boy on a few occasions, but had found him very offputtingly noisy. She hoped this one was not as loud as he was colorful...
"M'Safrinni...." she murmured shyly, still watching him carefully.
Kikuei cocked his head to one side, watching her for another moment before fully grinning again. "Wanna play a game? I'm bored. I wanted to play with someone," he explained, drawing his legs up and rocking a bit as he held them to his chest. "I went looking for Kujaku 'cause we played in the pond the other day but I dunno where his shelf is so I couldn't find him. But I found yours, and I was thinkin' that maybe you'd wanna play a game." He finally finished, watching her expectantly.
A game...? She blinked slowly, almost afraid to tell him she'd never actually -played- before...and if all of the other ieldi were as flashy and vibrant as this one and Kujaku, it was a small wonder he wanted anything to do with her. She was so....ordinary. So easily-missed.
As much as her normal routine of solitude wanted him to leave her be, another part of her didn't. This was the first time she'd ever been approached by one of the others...it would truly be a shame to send him away and spend weeks agonizing over "what ifs" and "maybes".
"O--Okay..." she said with a nod. Saying was one thing, doing was another....it took her several more minutes to actually unhuddle herself and tentatively inch further back onto the shelf. It was almost as though she still expected him to spring on her at the last moment. "What kinda game...?"
Kikuei tilted his head for a minute, then nodded. "A music game! You make music and I try to imitate you," Kikuei said, tossing rules out before he really had time to think about them. "Then I'll make music and you imitate me. Okay?"
Safrinni seemed confused. Make music with what...? Or was that yet another thing the others could do that she couldn't? Blinking twice, she looked apologetically at Kikuei. "Never made music before...." there was a long pause before she winced, looking like it was almost painful to ask. She didn't want to dismiss him or the game entirely...especially if it proved to be very simple after all to make music ".....show me?"
Kikuei hesitated, eyes wide as he tried to imagine never making music. After a moment, he scrambled forward to sit near her.
Her first reaction was to shy away, her little hands balling into fists and tucking themselves beneath her chin as he quickly came near her. She was well-aware of the fact her heart was pattering like a hummingbird's wings within her from the continual fright she seemed to be experiencing.
He paused halfway there, seeing her shy and wincing a bit. Stopping and curling back up, he watched her for a moment before saying, "Can you clap?" He held up his hands, clapping twice in demonstration.
Relieved when he stopped, Frinni blinked owlishly at him and then quickly nodded, holding up her own hands and bringing them together twice, just as he'd done.
He grinned widely, almost bouncing in place as she did so. "We can make music that way! Watch." He clapped three times quickly, paused for a moment, clapped thrice again pausing once more before doing a very quick rhythm of two three two one.
One ear twitched as she listened to the pattern he'd picked up, trying to get the beat of it. Unconsciously, her hands had started softly clapping along, a bit off-beat to his own, but eventually coinciding with him until they clapped in unison. Her eyes lit up a bit at this, seeming to shed at least one layer of her shyness. She -could- do it....she -was- capable of playing with the others. Very, very slowly, a thin smile began to unfurl on her lips
Kikuei seemed delighted at her willingness to learn. An impish grin coming into his eyes, he slowly changed the pattern of the clapping, wondering how long it'd take her to pick up the new rhythm. His eyes were wide with glee.
Hearing her own rhythm suddenly clashing with his, she blinked, startled, and paused a moment, listening to what Kikuei was now doing before attempting to pick it up again. Her brow furrowed a little with concentration, but her amber eyes had picked up a glow to them that wasn't ordinarily there.
"Think you can do that while I'm doing something else?" Kikuei asked softly, watching her concentrate. This was FUN, easily as fun as diving and splashing with Kujaku.
She looked up suddenly, her hands faltering before continuing the rhythm they held. Something...else? Biting her lip a bit, thinking, she then nodded. "I think so..." she said, trying to sound certain of herself. She wasn't entirely sure if she could or not, but supposed they would see.
"I'll keep clapping to help you out, okay?" Kikuei assured her. "You focus on that for now, and try to ignore what I'm gonna do." He waited a beat for the instructions to sink in, then began to whistle a counterpoint. It was a very simple little melody, and far from perfect, but it was definitely fun.
She did try very hard to ignore what he was doing, thinking that with as much lead-in as he'd given it, it would be something horribly confusing. However, as he began to whistle, she found that keeping her beat wasn't very hard at all. In fact, the two different strains of music seemed to mesh well. It wasn't her first choice in music, by any means, but still -- to actually be taking part in making it....
She allowed herself a faltering grin at this.
At her grin, he grinned in return, losing the ability to whistle for several long moments before finally giving up and giggling. "You're good at this!" he crowed, unable to keep still and thrilled to have found another friend to play with - especially one who seemed to like making music with him.
At his loud voice, Frinni cringed reflexively. She didn't seem to be able to help it....loud voices always made her feel two inches tall for some reason. Forcing herself to calm, she continued to clap, finding a slightly-fractured semblance of her former grin.
"Thanks." she said, somewhat sheepishly. Perhaps, if she tried hard, she could get past that....it would be nice to have at least one friend. And for that matter, at least one person in general, aside from Karma, that she didn't feel the need to be on her guard around. Her doubts about Kikuei were slowly fading....if he meant to hurt her or if his friendliness was farse, surely he would have let on by now.
He hesitated, then suggested quietly, "Make up a new rhythm and lemme see if I can do it." He'd caught the cringe, not at all sure why she'd done so - had he upset her with something he said? Maybe she didn't like compliments... Nodding to himself, he determined not to say that again, in case she didn't like it.
Frinni paused, her hands stopped clapping, and she puzzled for a moment before attempting to invent a new rhythm. Four single claps, five quick claps, one single clap, brief pause, repeat. Was it good enough...? She watched the other Ieldi for his approval hesitantly.
Kikuei considered, then began to imitate her, catching the rhythm fairly quickly. He offered a bright grin at that, then frowned for a moment before trying out a bit of simple whistling again.
Frinni listened to him whistle, not sure if it was as good as it sounded with the rhythm he'd had or not....maybe she'd ruined the game. Remaining hopeful, she continued to clap along with him, waiting until he told her to stop
He stopped finally, eyes alight. "Now you whistle," he directed, as though the ability to do so were the most natural thing in the world.
The record player of Frinni's mind scratched to an abrupt halt. Whistle? But...but she'd never whistled before...!! "Uhm..." she faltered, wincing. How did you do it...? It looked like he had just put his lips together and then blown to make the music come out. Doing the same, she was disheartened when only a silent gust of wind came out. She tried again with the same results. "I don't....I don't think I can...." she said, looking upset with herself.
Immediately, Kikuei looked upset - he seemed to be stumbling all over himself with this game, first making her run, then flinch, and now making her unhappy. Casting about for some way to fix things, he finally said, "Maybe I can teach you?"
She hadn't meant to upset him, and immediately felt bad that it seemed she had done just that. Setting her jaw a little, she tried to think of some way to explain herself....that she was like this around everyone, not just him. Would he understand, though?
"Could you?" she asked, her eyes lighting up a bit. She paused then, hands fidgeting. "I--M'sorry. I don't....I just get scared a lot....it isn't you." There...that had been about as barebones of a summation as she could provide.
He blinked at the apology, hesitantly moving closer. "You don't have to be scared of me," he offered softly, reaching out toward her. "I just like to play games..."
Her first impulse was to pull away from his hands, but she steeled herself, trying to remain still. ~He isn't going to hurt you.~ she told herself firmly. ~But what if he does? No....no he isn't. Its okay.~ In the end, she remained where she was, deciding this would be a test.
He didn't actually even touch her, instead letting his hand hover nearby for a moment before offering a soft smile. "I have fun playing with you. Do you think maybe we can be friends?"
"You want to be my friend...?" she asked, sounding genuinely surprised. It was that easy...? For all of her fidgeting and uncertainty, he'd still managed to like her. How was that possible? For a brief moment she almost felt as though she might cry, but she quickly pushed that away. That was the LAST thing she needed to do right now.
She didn't give a verbal answer, but nodded her head twice briskly.
He beamed at her, smile as vivid as his colors as he nodded back and moved to sit beside her. "Great!" For a moment, he didn't seem to remember why he'd been moving over beside her, but the memory of teaching her to whistle quickly came back. "So... whistling..."
Yes, whistling. She straightened a bit, still reeling a bit from the shock a moment ago. It was nice that he switched topics quickly, in a way....if it were left up to her, she'd still be cowering where she was when he'd initially come up.
She turned a bit, facing him, giving him her full attention like a student ready to learn.
He started to say something, then stopped, his brow furrowing as one hand lifted to scratch the back of his head. After a moment, he puckered his lips, whistling briefly and concentrating on it to figure out how he did. Tentatively, he tried out a few different notes before tilting his head. "Okay... make your mouth into a little 'o'."
Cocking her head slightly, Frinni pursed her lips into a pucker much in the way he did, waiting for further instructions. She'd paid close attention while he'd whistled, wondering what it was she'd been doing wrong earlier....it -seemed- simple...
"Now, when you blow, try blowing kinda soft," he said, not sure he was explaining it right but having no idea just how TO explain it.
The egret ieldi nodded her head and inhaled, exhaling gently. Still no actual whistle, but, on the outrush of air, it had carried what sounded like potential to be a whistle...a whisper of pitch somewhere within. Looking hopeful, she moved to try again.
He waited, leaning forward slightly and staring at her in excited anticipation.
It took several tries...each with about the same result. Maybe...if she blew a little harder. Inhaling again, she did so and suddenly a loud, shrill, single-note whistle escaped her mouth, startling her as her eyes went wide and she simply stared, wondering if that had possibly come out of her.
Kikuei startled back, then cheered loudly, whooping as he clapped. "That was GREAT!" Bouncing for real now, he moved back to her side, eyes alight.
A pink flush rising in her face, showing like a beacon beneath her alabaster skin, she looked fixatedly down at her lap, trying to hide the fact she was trying not to dissolve into giggles. That was...she didn't know what that was. It struck her as a little funny that, for as frightened as loud noises made her, here she was capable of producing one of the loudest noises she'd heard yet.
He leaned over, nudging her. "Try it again!" he demanded, eyes alight.
It came a little easier this time. On her second try, she produced another whistle...this one not quite as loud as the first had been, and it wavered, breaking in the middle, but it was a whistle nonetheless. This time she made no effort to disguise her delight in the fact she'd done it and practically beamed behind the soot-colored mask over her eyes.
Kikuei cheered, getting to his feet to bounce in excitement before seeming to think of something. "Hey... wait right here. I'll be right back, okay?!"
"Okay..." Frinni nodded, though she was puzzled. He wasn't leaving already, was he? ....would he really be back? Fanning the small wings on her back once, she shifted herself to a slightly more comfortable position to wait.
Kikuei ran down the steps and over the pathway, trying ot find his way back to his shelf. He finally did, gathered up what he was planning to bring and running back to Safrinni with delight in his gaze. "What do you think?" he demanded, appearing suddenly several minutes later draped in beads and clinging to a soft velveteen bag.
Safrinni blinked, not exactly sure what to think. He was suddenly much...shinier? "You're pretty." she said, examining the beads from where she sat, fidgeting a little and suddenly very self-conscious of the fact she was rather drab by comparison. "It kind of looks like the pond." she remarked, pointing at one of his green-blue wings where one of the beads had settled, seeming to set off the luster in the feathers.
He blinked, then grinned, moving to unwind the bead strings from himself after setting the bag down. "euphoric showed me this," he offered, looking for a small branch to attach them to. Waving her over, he fastened five strands, then stepped back as the beads caught the sunlight and sparkled.
She wasn't entirely sure what he was doing until she approached and stood, surprised at the display. It--it was like watching the sun play over the pond and she didn't even need to go down below to watch...! "Its beautiful...." she breathed, her feathers ruffling a bit and her hands clasping.
He grinned delightedly, reaching out and brushing his hand across them lightly and listening as they chimed back softly. "See?" Everything seemed to be either music or games to him...
As the beads clinked musically together, producing not a harsh clanking noise or the loud raucous clapping they'd been producing a few moments ago, she smiled serenely. It seemed not everything Kikuei did involved lots of noise and somehow that was a comfort to her.
"When the wind blows, they chime together a lot, and sound really pretty," he said, grinning at her before moving to get the gems euphoric had brought him, cupping a hand and showing her the sparkling beauties.
Peering into his cupped hand, she blinked and then cautiously extended one finger, gingerly touching the surface of one and tracing the top facet. "Euphoric must like you lots." she remarked, looking up at him again.
He frowned a bit, drawing back before glancing down at the gemstones. "She did. I miss her," he whispered, staring at the stones as though they might answer him.
"She went away?" Safrinni questioned, her ears perking a bit. That---was hard to believe. It had taken her so much indecision and agonizing to decide whether or not Karma could be trusted before she had given up the last of her reservations and settled on the foxcoon's shelf. If Karma should just spontaneously not come back, she would be lost. Utterly lost. She certainly wasn't prepared to invest that degree of trust in anyone else.
The ieldi gave a shudder at this, not wanting to think about it.
Kikuei looked suddenly vulnerable, something twisting in his gaze before he shuttered his eyes, glancing up at her with a shadow of his former grin. "They sound pretty when you shake them," he offered, which explained the small scratches on some surfaces. Hesitating, he abruptly thrust out his hands, staring at her. "Pick one."
Safrinni hesitated, startled by the offer. She didn't want to be rude, but.... "But they're yours, Kikuei..." she said softly, wanting to see if he was sure or not.
"Pick one," he insisted, brows furrowed deeply. A moment later, he said something much softer, that might've been "Please?"
Frinni bit her lip and then nodded once, hesitantly selecting a light blue gem. Blue was a color she'd always been drawn to for some reason, despite the fact she lacked any blue to speak of on her body. Holding it between two fingers, feeling the warmth it had absorbed while in his hands, she watched him carefully, making sure it was really all right with him.
He seemed to almost relax, carefully setting aside the other gems before peering at her thoughtfully. "Maybe... maybe we can figure out a way to make it so that you can wear it?" he asked, wondering if she really even liked it enough.
Gently transferring the gem to her own cupped palm, she examined it a bit more closely, liking the way the light shone on it, smiling a little. As he made his suggestion, she looked up, her ears perking a bit.
"Really? Do you think we can?" she asked, sounding hopeful. She could already feel herself growing attached to it...along with being her favorite color, it had been the first gift she had ever been given. .....from....her first friend, she forced her mind to add. Yes, at this point it was safe to consider Kikuei a friend, she decided.
~Its rude to take and not give back.~ a stern voice in her head reminded her. A voice that had seemed to be with her ever since she'd been reborn that she recognized, yet didn't...yet somehow was compelled to obey. Just as she was wondering what he might like, moving to take a step backward, her ankle bumped something soft.
Looking down, she saw one of her plush cats...dark blue, mottled with little white stars, and a pair of angelic wings on his back. Smiling, she picked it up, examining it briefly as though checking it for scuffs or damage before offering it out to Kikuei.
"Do you like kitties...?" she asked hesitantly.
He blinked, nodding slowly before reaching out to pet the cat for a moment. "It's very cute," he offered, smiling at her.
She hesitated and then held it out to him. "....would you like him?" she asked shyly. "He's soft...he keeps bad dreams away." Safrinni offered. One of her heels dug at the shelf floor awkwardly, half-expecting him to say no. A plush toy really wasn't much compared to something as pretty as a gem, and she knew it...
His eyes went wide, and he looked up at her before carefully taking the kitty from her with a soft, "Y'mean it?" When she released the toy, he hugged it close, a slow smile beginning to light up his face.
"Uh huh." she nodded, feeling proud somehow when she saw him happily accept the plush. It felt good to see someone else smile and know she'd been the reason for it. Smiling, she watched him hug it and placed her hands behind her back, her left hand still holding the gem he'd given her and her thumb still idly tracing its corners and facets.
He grinned at her, then turned back to the beads, running his hand across them again. "I'm glad I found your shelf," he said suddenly, still snuggling the cat with one arm.
"I'm...I'm glad you did too." she said in return. And she found that she was, really. Before he'd visited, she'd been sure that all of the other ieldi children would hate or ignore her. Or that all of them were loud and raucous and would expect her to be the same. Maybe more of them were like Kikuei had turned out to be. "Its nice to have a friend." she added sheepishly.
Kikuei nodded vehemently, his head bobbing up and down on his neck before he stopped. "Now I've got two friends!" He reached out, catching her arm and only then seeming to realize her hands were behind her back. Dropping her arm almost as soon as he'd touched it, he said cheerfully, "You try making them chime!"
Blinking as he caught her arm, seeming to forget to pull away this time as her nerves had calmed themselves considerably from what they'd been a few minutes ago, she didn't even flinch. And when he requested that she make the beads chime, she turned to where he'd hung them, reaching out, trying to see if there was a particular trick to it.
Letting her fingers play over the strands as though it was a very odd harp, she produced a jingling of noise, someone reminiscent of falling rain. Again, the sound, combined with the way the light shone through the shimmering greens and blues made her smile.
Kikuei moved back, flopping onto the floor and watching as she played with the beads. He set the pretty cat in his lap, leaning back on his hands and ignoring the way his hair settled in his eyes, looking ragged and disheveled.
Taking this as an invitation to keep 'playing' the beads, she continued to pluck at the strings experimentally, producing different cadances of soft noise as different sizes and shapes of beads clicked together. Every now and then she looked over at Kikuei to see if he was still, indeed, there or not.
Kikuei watched for a while, occasionally adding his own whistles and clapping to the light tinkle of the beads. At length, though, the sun began to set and he glanced up at the dimming sky before frowning and reaching for his bag and slipping all the gems but hers back inside. "I hafta go... Trio's probably back," he said, sounding more sour than she'd yet heard him. "So she's probably looking for me." He paused, then looked back at her hopefully. "Can I come back again?"
Frinni's ears drooped a bit, seeming disappointed that he had to leave...which was funny considering when he'd first shown up, she'd wanted nothing MORE than for him to leave. But he'd been nice to her....
"I'd like that, Kikuei." she said sincerely, nodding softly. "Thank you for coming to see me...and for the shiny." she added, looking down at the light blue gem still in her palm.
He grinned, moving to unhook the bead strings and wrap them back around himself until they appeared to be a ton of bead necklaces again. "Thank you for the kitty, Safrinni." He paused, then added, "Maybe you can come to my shelf sometime. I've got other pretty stuff that we can play with... and we can make more music again." After a moment, he giggled, adding, "Practice your whistling!"
Beaming a smile at him, she felt herself blush again. Yes....she had to work on that, didn't she? As he gathered his things up, she offered him a wave. "Bye Kikuei." she said. "See you soon." And with any luck, she would. Karma, thankfully, wasn't very possessive about letting her leave the shelf...it was just that she'd never chosen to. Maybe she WOULD seek him out one of these days. It wasn't as though the tree was enormous, after all...surely she'd find him eventually.
Happily, he began whistling, making his way off of her shelf and heading back to his own with a bright grin that even the thought of facing a worried Trio couldn't dim.
