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 Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:43 pm
Tumbling not far from the ruby kitsune a thick bound tome clattered heavily on the ground. Laughing heartily the spikey haired man glanced at the near miss.
"Oh s**t...sorry about that. You'd think the owner would magically keep these things secure with them being so high."
Hovering beside a set of shelves, he slowly lowered himself to eye level. Grinning broadly he crossed his arms behind his back smirking.
"So what are you looking for here? Perhaps I can be of assistance?"
Of all the times he had been to the Soul Fountain, every once in awhile there would be one of the stuffy intellectual types only interested in the books. He was far from one of them. But they still had their place.
Raising his eyebrows at what he saw now, she definitely didn't come across as one of those types. She was one who was comfortable with body. Such was always a good thing in his book. The owner could take a few pages from that book.
Curling down from behind him a lime green fur colored tail grasped the fallen tome from earlier.
"Again sorry about the book, tactical efficiency is always my vice."
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Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:59 pm
As was her disposition, Red remained near lifeless as the tome missed her. Of a certainty, her eyes had followed it as far as they could and she lifted her head upright to "pay attention" to the man that had either dropped or tossed it, but she didn't appear surprised, expectant, or any such thing in between. His laugh she found annoying, or perhaps just out of place, but either way it wasn't enjoyable.
"You cannot help one find what one does not intend to seek."
His eyes. Like most males, he knew what he liked, and though he lacked subtlety, was shameless in indulging. It was one of those things she never liked to think about. Men would devour her with their eyes if they could, and yet she had not let it deter her from dressing comfortably. Perhaps there was solace in that they were only looking. In response though, she held a cold glare on him, informing him, if he could lift his eyes, that she did not appreciate it.
"You have many other vices I am sure, but I do not care to hear them. Rather, you can explain to me what you did your tail. Green fur is not what one considers normal."
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Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 9:23 pm
It was clear that she was unamused by his attention but, she had to know that that top could only incite leers such as his.
"Ah, so you wander into random libraries and blindly thumb through books for the fun of it. Sounds like a good time. I'll have to try it one of these times. Could be fun. Maybe then I can spout pseudo philosophical musings."
Giving a factitious expression of deep though he laughed to himself.
"Again I'm sorry, I many times get a head of myself..."
Blinking his golden hued eyes he smirked.
"Yes your correct a green tail is far from normal, but so is a set of foxes ears...and a rather cute tail of your own."
As he said the last part he blatantly glanced at her behind.
"Yes a rather cute one..."
Shaking his head he sighed once more resuming his gaze at her face.
"Yes my vices are apparent..."
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:11 am
"You are quite the base character indeed."
Let him do as he will, so long as he was not so disrespectful as to touch her. Personally, she delighted in proving to herself just how disgusting men were,even if it put her in a sour mood. Likely it was to catch up to her one of these days.
When next she spoke, she made sure that the tone of her voice was strict, proud, and very matter of fact so as to prevent this seemingly awkward Saiya-jin from misunderstanding in the least bit how she distinguished herself from him.
"My race hides in shame in a world full of discriminatory beings who know the very worst of mortal cruelties. Perhaps as an act of mercy, we were gifted with the uncanny ability to blend in to our surroundings. That said, my ears and tail, no matter how cute you think them to be, are completely normal. I daresay a normal Saiya-jin like User is even normal, for if nothing else, his tail is the standard brown. Yours however is clearly different and I surmise that since the rest of you is not green, that must be its 'natural' color in a manner of speaking."
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:14 am
Running his hand through his hair the spikey haired man laugh heartily once again. This woman was a cavalcade of self depreciation, haughty pride and rage all rolled up into one. He liked it.
From what he had observed of people, they were quick to pick out the fallacies of others but refused to dwell on their own. He liked to pick out his own and broadcast them as loudly as possible. With little to nothing to hide, he cold tackle more pressing issues.
"You are a kitsune if my experience hasn't failed me...."
He looked over again, this time just to further exasperate her.
"Yeah you are."
Gaining a more serious expression he spoke in a more dry matter of fact-ly tone.
"That idea of shame is something I find doubtful. Your race feels no shame in anything. A proud species, your people enjoy manipulating and coercing things toward your means and direction. What would first come across as fear by many others is more along the lines of bemusement. Were you more fearful you would not inherently do little things such as that top of yours that draws attention. If you find my statement a joke, theres a book about 5 shelves down and 3 shelve stacks high from here that elaborates on that."
Not waiting for a response from her, he continued on, stretching his well muscled arms overhead. He himself wore an unflattering thrift story army jacket over top a dark tone mesh shirt that was likely a size to small. The black cargo pants he wore were loose and aligned with a single pin stripe on both sides, giving them a more stylish than the rest of his worn attire. His shoes were a rather pristine set of black striped adidas shell toes which further contrasted to his upper body. Ironically the spikey mass of black and purple hair that lay upon his head was surprisingly clean and well managed despite its style. The dichotomy of it all was likely odd to say the least.
"I personally have no race as I am not a naturally occurring species, but I likely am some part kitsune myself. To say anything about being normal in a world that is vastly populated with people unadorned with anything as fantastic as pronounced ears, or even a stylish tail, is a laugh."
Rolling down his coat sleeve he revealed a rather odd lime green patch of skin, situated in a straited pattern.
"Yeah its weird..."
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 8:43 am
"So you are more learned than you present yourself. How reassuring, though I suppose what you call manipulation, and I shame vary on a single basis. Though I will not deny that we are indeed very manipulative to the point of warping the very fabric of reality around us, I am not so prone as others of my species to hide the fact that I am not what a human would call 'normal.' However, all said, I suppose there is no further reason to speak humbly of my kind."
If he truly thought he were irritating her, he was easier to manipulate than she would have assumed, considering the lack of effort on her part. His eyes truly did bother her, but knowing her own sentiment about the male gaze, she dressed herself in order to attract it. For men such as this one, it proved easier to contort their feeble little minds, because no matter what reason he justified his leering gaze, she was still making him look.
"You would be foolish, however, to assume that kitsune never feel shame."
Eying his exhibited right arm, she kept mum on her opinions concerning the appropriate use of 'normal' and 'abnormal' on such a planet as this. His own display she would classify as abnormal; regardless of the color of his tail, that was still a marker of a Saiya-jin, and there were a significant lot of them on this planet unaccounted for, she knew. For that reason they would be normal. He on the other hand, was a hybrid she speculated, and though she had only read trace amounts of information on the race that naturally possessed green, patchy skin, she was equally sure that the two races could not interbreed.
For all this, her gaze betrayed nothing as always, since he announced before hand that he was not a naturally occurring species.
"So what would you consider yourself?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:09 am
Breaking his gaze with her he looked to the towering shelves of books all around them.
"Yeah...the bundles of wood pulp and adhesive resin have their own little places in my heart."
Feigning a mock tear. Looking back to her, crossed his arms.
"And know I'm not so simple to think that common traits are the end all be all in every species. Natural variation is also what allows a race to evolve and change with the times. You are still yourself. But you still carry many of those attributes I spoke of anyway. That in itself is something to be thankful for."
Growing silent he seemed to honestly mull over her question.
"I am myself. Classifying something that has no natural existence can be thought of as not existing. As I was put here without my permission, just like you. I have no choice but to be what I am...And rather than delve into all that existential bullshit, I just live as earnestly as I can."
Leaning against a set of books he smirked.
"Earnestly..."
His expression darkened for brief moment as he seemed to have stumbled onto something else in his thought process.
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:23 am
Of all his flaws, she had to admit he was very articulate. His mind seemed closer to human than Saiya-jin - not having the standard fixation on food and combat - and for all she knew, he had about as much homo sapien in him as anything else. If he did, though, the green race and the Saiya-jin traits claimed genetic dominance on the rest.
"I would not begin to guess how simple you are...or are not. This brief conversation has proven that you have your moments."
She too remained silent after his reply, though she was not so much thinking about what he said as debating whether or not to end the conversation as it stood. He had, for better or worse, shut the damn monkeys up, which might help her in discovering the nothing she was looking for. In other words, she was now bored enough with him to prefer to stare at a blank wall for entertainment. However, something dawned on him, or so it seemed, and she decided to hand the reigns to him.
"Explain."
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 11:06 am
Crossing his arms over his chest he frowned for a brief moment his shroud of absurd confidence shedding for a brief moment.
"Saying or doing anything in earnest is a load of crap. None of us actually are what we claim to be all the time. Even overt jackasses like myself are relying on reaction to function."
The veneer resurfaced once again.
"From what I can tell about you is that you are someone who prefers to keep yourself at arms length. You give more of yourself away than most people notice, but most of use are too self absorbed to realize it."
Furrowing his brow he seemed displeased.
"Hah...there I go trying to dissect you again. Silly me. Vices again."
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:03 pm
"Try and dissect me as much as you want, if you truly wish to waste your time. You'll know when you cross line."
For a long moment her gaze just rested on him, before she eventually returned to staring at the ceiling as she was before she had met him. As she had stated, he was free to say whatever he wanted about herself or anyone else so long as it pleased him. Whether or not she would grace him with a response was another matter.
If nothing else, Epithany's library was full of knowledge, but also had patron's worthy of such a collection. Even seemingly vulgar men could prove to have at least a trace amount of intellect if they so desired. To much of the world though, what use was knowledge if it didn't directly effect your neighborhood, or, better yet, your own home? Certainly the scholarly path was not for everyone, but the world at large was too ignorant in general, resulting in a case of the blind leading the blind.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, Red realized the monkeys were still dancing, but she was more comfortable with them now. Let them dance.
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Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:42 pm
"Dissection aside, you have yet to refute the majority of my...observations. Should I be foolish enough to believe that I may be... I don't know. Correct."
Running his hand through the spiked mass of two tone hair atop his head he settled down atop a nearby stool.
"Worry not for time, I believe we were both in great need of ease from our isolation Miss..."
Pausing he sucked on his tongue the fact he had yet to even inquire her name hitting him.
"Haha...It seems I have taken to harassing you without even learning your name."
Producing a card from within his coat he smiled once again.
The small placard read,
"Romulus R. Diablos; Corporate Investigator"
"And you are?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 12:58 pm
"Someone who will request your services reluctantly."
She answered sharply after looking at the card, hanging her head back yet again immediately after. He liked to talk, and he liked to speculate. There was nothing wrong with this in and of itself, but his outlook and opinions struck her that moment with his claim that he might be correct. She had yet to deny the truth to any of his claims, and yet she had not given away any hint that he might be right either. From his perspective, people were more like to deny falsehoods than acknowledge truths. Therefore, if a claim met with silence, he believed that the likelihood of his being right was pretty high. In actuality, this may very well be the case with most people. She however, saw little reason to be so confident.
Nor did she see any reason to argue this with him. Truth be told, whatever it was he had said, she had discarded almost immediately after responding. She could take a moment to recall the extent of their conversation and separate the truths from the untruths, but that would require her to do something she could care less about. If he was right, good for him. If not, none were harmed, and therefore, for the time being at least, there was no need to rectify anything.
"Since your type never seem to disappear though, you should address me as Red."
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 2:01 pm
Laughing heartily at her response, he was once again amused and impressed at the the same time. Aspects of her personality reminded him of her. The dry wit was one, but that was not something too strange. No it had be how resolute she was about everything.
Though it may all be an act, even she was clearly not aware of it. To be so heavily invested in appearing one way, she was something else.
"Red huh?...seems fitting.
Sucking on his tongue, he grew silent as if tasting out the word. Breaking his brief silence he once more spoke.
"Turnabout is fair play. I suppose after prodding and analyzing your psyche, I deserve that. You can call me Rome, Romulus only looks good on the card."
Rising from his seat he turned with the book that had dropped in hand.
"You are one of the first to inquire what a corporate investigator is...Heh I suppose thats a good thing."
He proceeded to climb up to one of the higher shelves. The introduction was over and the lady of the house seemed so protective of her books.
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 2:35 pm
For some stretch of time she simply remained idle. As it was, the pleasantries were now officially over. She had made yet another acquaintance who turned out once again to be male. The thought disgusted her, but despite how she might feel about him, if he was to remain so welcoming despite her reactions against him, which she knew were partially undeserved, it might prove beneficial for her to at least remember his name should a favor ever require his special services.
Were she the suspicious sort, she might expect great things from him. In history, his name birthed a mighty empire that commanded the majority of the European continent. Clearly he was named under the assumption that he was equally capable of achieving great things. If he was aware of that, it might explain his arrogance, but then again, so might his genetic heritage.
At length, she grabbed her own book and returned it to its proper place, the shelf right behind her. She truly had wanted nothing and did not go out of her way to procure it. Rising from her seat, she made her way elsewhere, perhaps to explore the rest of the facility, or perhaps to leave. It would even suit her to run into someone more agreeable, but there were only three such people, possibly four, and she did not think them bound to come to a library any time soon. A shame.
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 8:13 pm
The desolation of the library was disheartening. Red herself did not profess to be particularly learned in any particular field or other; she even had a tutor in her most expert field. Nevertheless, it would be nice if others showed an interest in literature, even just as a leisurely pastime. The stifling silence that surrounded her felt like an unnaturally dry, dusty cloak that clung to every part of her body. She felt it, smelt it, and tasted it on those occasions when her lips cracked and she sighed.
How sharply a turning page sounded in this lifeless space. Nothing muted by or slurred into the accompanying cacophony people so often trained themselves to ignore in public places; just the crisp note of bent paper trying to slice the air with its broad side. Her finger ran against the smooth ridges of the page's grain, top to bottom, the sliding noise serving as a transition from observations of the world around to observations of the world within.
A large collection of mana some distance away broke her concentration as she tried to keep the black lettered words as clear in her mind as they were on paper. Try as she might, the black smoothed into the beige and she had to allow herself to observe the phenomena if but for a moment. Immense as it was, she knew that far away there was more than one entity. Separating them from one another was akin to counting follicles of hair by rubbing them between two fingers; the knew there was more than one, but that was all. The collection of energies made her feel a myriad sentiments, balancing out as uninterested disinterest overall. From so far away, and with little concern, she could not make out one person from an of the others. With more effort, it would be simple, but effort was not her current prerogative.
Returning to her book, the words rediscovered their sharp borders and continued with expert articulation to draw her mind closer to its world, a world where she did not exist save to observe and judge; a god who could not make or unmake, but simply know. Such powerlessness, and yet, how mighty.
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