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 Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 10:36 pm
After Setsushi left Kouyo to his work at the bookstore, Kumoru hung the "will return at" sign in the shop's front window, setting the hands on the little clock to about an hour later. Then he followed Kouyo back into the storage room, stepping just inside and crossing his arms as he studied the priest.
Kouyo's anxiety was apparent even before the necromancer entered the room, but he refused to look at him. He had been hoping for a little while longer to settle in, but he supposed it made sense, that Kumoru would wish to speak with him immediately. Projecting a feeling of contrite shame, the Porcelain forced himself to approach the mage.
Kumoru had his short sword at his hip, though he was unarmored today, and he rested one hand on the pommel of it as Kouyo came close. He was afraid, yet he would always come within arm's reach.... The necromancer reached out suddenly to grasp Kouyo around the neck and pull him closer. He could feel the Porcelain's pulse immediately quicken with fear under his fingers.
The necromancer would kill him for his insult? Kouyo had considered the possibility, but thought he knew Kumoru well enough to consider it improbable that the human would harm him. He let out an upset and fearful squeak and grasped Kumoru's wrist in both hands.
"Please," Kouyo said quietly but urgently. "This little bird meant no harm to his friend and teacher. His madness hurts him deeply, as well."
"If the little bird wishes to be intimate with me, I would most appreciate it if he asked permission to touch me first. Then perhaps I may consider playing along," Kumoru told Kouyo flatly. Then, his lip curling a bit in disgust, he added, "And if the little bird wishes to fancy me 'Ranko', then I refuse to allow myself to be used in such a fashion."
Kouyo nodded as much as he could manage, and closed his eyes. "Master Kumoru, I am sick," he told the human. "This little one would not dare touch you in such a fashion in his right mind. I fell into madness again, and did not fully realize what I was doing."
He opened his eyes again and peered up at Kumoru, projecting fear but also hopes that the human would have a shred of sympathy. Though... Kouyo himself was not sure he deserved it. Thoughts of harming himself crept in around the edges of his mind again.
Frustration and anger were immediately apparent on Kumoru's face, and his fingers tensed ever so slightly around the Porcelain's throat. Words failed him for a moment, then he shook his head. "Is it likely to happen again?" he asked with a grimace, taking half a step closer to Kouyo. "Next time you cast that spell on me, I will break it before you are finished."
The priest shied away, grasping at Kumoru's hand in a weak attempt to free himself. His stress and upset had really been taking their toll on his body, and Kouyo's nose started to bleed slightly as a result. Maybe his tower was where he belonged, because he simply could not exist on his own. He would always need Setsushi or the walls of the High Priest's tower to keep him together. Maybe he should have been content to go crazy by himself back in the Golden World.
"This little fledgling does not know," he replied, his fear apparent again in his voice. "I do not enjoy it, I swear. I take no pleasure in harming you like I did."
... It was so difficult to be angry with him. Kouyo felt desperate in his emotional projections, begging Kumoru for understanding at the same time he was clearly deeply ashamed with himself and also afraid of the human. Still, Kumoru could not easily forgive the Porcelain for molesting him.
"You seemed to enjoy it at the time," he commented tonelessly, studying the High Priest's face. Kouyo even seemed to pout now with the way his bottom lip had swollen where Kumoru had been forced to bite him to get him to back off. He had most certainly not been himself the day before.
Kouyo shook his head slightly, licking his lips nervously. A renewed rush of fear went through him as he tasted his own blood.
"I was not myself at the time," he pleaded. "I wished-"
"Who is Ranko?"
The priest struggled a bit, a pained look crossing his features. "I- I cannot tell you."
The necromancer kept hold of him, and tried not to show just how much Kouyo's anxiety was starting to wear on him emotionally. He did not wish to strangle the priest or anything, though, and so when the Porcelain started to break Kumoru's grip on his neck, the mage caught his wrist in his other hand.
"Kouyo," he hissed. "I cannot help you if you do not tell me anything." Kumoru had this nagging feeling that Kouyo would go back to Setsushi with that blood on his face, again renewing the suspicion that the tall Porcelain already always seemed to hold towards him. Whatever sickness the High Priest had in him, it seemed to be a problem in Kumoru's presence all too often. And then Setsushi seemed to think the necromancer was mishandling his friend.
It was intensely frustrating.
Kouyo managed to slip from Kumoru's hold on his throat, and stepped away from him. He wiped at his nose with his free hand, and tried not to completely lose himself at the sight of his own blood. Had the human done that to him? The priest was not at all sure. Closing his eyes, he sank to his knees, hands starting to shake as he projected to Kumoru that he would not speak a word to him about Ranko, not now. Perhaps in time.
"What did you do to me?" he asked warily, sniffling and licking his lips again.
"Nothing," the mage told him, letting go of his wrist as well. "You did that to yourself with your upset, I guess. All the more reason why you should calm down." Part of him was still furious, disturbed, and insulted, but he also found sympathy for the priest - the thought of going mad had always worried the necromancer, as history reminded him that it was a distinct possibility for one such as himself who dabbled in death magic.
He stared down at Kouyo as the Porcelain tried to stop the bleeding with one of his dust rags. Then he reached out to him with one hand and said, "Tell me later about this Ranko, then. And for now, why don't I heal your physical wounds from this ordeal, and we forget all about this. Not speak of it again. Not even to your Setsushi. Is that fair?"
Fair? Of course if it would get the blood off of him. His breaths coming in shaky gasps as he tried not to completely panic, Kouyo placed his jittering hand into Kumoru's and nodded. He looked up at the necromancer - and immediately felt dread as he made eye contact.
The mage of death smiled as he closed his fingers around Kouyo's blood-smeared hand. "And your punishment from your teacher for the insult will be the healing."
Kumoru closed his eyes slowly. "Not a word to Setsushi." And then he began to chant a spell.
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 11:18 pm
The spell was not the sleep spell, and so Kouyo was unprepared to resist it. The magic caught and held his breath almost immediately, and the priest tried to tug his hand away from the necromancer as he fought vainly against the spell, trying to inhale again. And then he felt Kumoru pulling the air from his lungs, and with it, his life.
There was a tiny part of him that was content to die this way - it would save him the trouble of killing himself. He likely deserved it for however Ranko might have died because of him. Or how she might yet die. He was not sure he could live with the shame of what he had done to Kumoru, even if they both promised to strike it from their memories. And the priest was still deeply terrified of how he had changed his relationship with Setsushi by finally revealing the truth to him about his wife. Did any of them have a shred of respect for him left?
Whatever Kumoru was planning, perhaps it would be better this way. Easier.
Kumoru could not heal anyone unless he first drew the life energy to do so from some other source. Ordinarily wounds that required magical healing were so extensive that it was dangerous, if not deadly, to use the injured person's own energy to heal them. However, Kouyo's wounds were superficial, at least physically, and the necromancer was confident that he could put the spell to efficient use, and would not need to take much more of Kouyo's life than he needed.
Kumoru had wished to put Kouyo in his place without actually harming him, but as he drew the breath from the Porcelain, he became concerned at how easy it was. He was obviously used to meeting resistance when he sucked the life force out of a person, and was naturally surprised when the Porcelain more or less permitted it. He grasped Kouyo's hands in both of his own and crouched beside him, studying his face carefully as he continued to speak his magic.
Reassurance as Kumoru killed him? Always so strange, these humans. Darkness crept around the edges of Kouyo's vision as he held onto the necromancer's hands and started to slump forward, still fighting to breathe.
He hazily projected to Kumoru that he had been thinking of dying anyway, though not completely seriously. But if his teacher (his friend?) wished that he die, then... this little bird will die.
No, this was not what Kumoru wanted at all. He had wanted to frighten the priest badly enough to assert power over him - the necromancer had not at all expected that he would be so willing to die. As long as Kumoru kept hold of Kouyo, it gave him leverage over Setsushi, and the High Priest himself was undoubtedly powerful in his own right. Beyond that, Kouyo was his first true student who was not also his child through whatever strange twist of Gaian fate.
... Maybe he really did desire Kouyo's trust more than any sort of hold over him. Maybe he was wrong to be doing this.
The necromancer stopped drawing the life from Kouyo - he already had more than enough to heal him, as the Porcelain had been so willing to give it up.
Kouyo immediately gasped for air, slumping against his teacher as his vision swirled. He was silent as he worked to catch his breath. Even when his heart had stopped pounding urgently in his ears, though, the Porcelain still felt deathly tired, and so he remained clinging to Kumoru.
Why, he wanted to know. Why tease him, and only kill him halfway?
"I never wanted to kill you," the mage replied, his voice shaking a little from the extra energy he had just stolen from the priest, making him sound vaguely strange. "You are worth much more to me alive. I don't think you know how to live yet. So why die? I do not think that will not solve your madness the way you want it to."
He started to cast the other half of his spell then, to actually heal Kouyo's two little wounds. It was simple and took a matter of seconds; when Kumoru was finished, he helped the priest to sit up on his own, and handed him the dust rag he had been using so he could wipe off his face.
Kouyo sniffled again, grimacing at the taste of blood still lingering strong in his mouth, but his nose had stopped bleeding and the cut on his lip was gone as well. He felt like he should have been much more upset and afraid at what the necromancer had just done in order to heal him, but instead, the High Priest felt nothing.
Kumoru had not killed him. Kouyo was not sure how he felt about that.
The necromancer watched him for a few long moments, then stood. Perhaps he had been unnecessarily harsh, but... he could not admit his mistake.
"For all that you did last night, I will forgive you as soon as I am able, and will not mention a word of it to anyone. I swear it," he told the Porcelain, still crouching beside him. "And I hope you will forgive me soon, as well." He stood slowly and peered down at Kouyo. "Also... I hope you forgive yourself."
The High Priest looked up at the human, then glanced away and nodded. Not a word of it to anyone.
Forgiving himself would be the most difficult part, and why it would be so much easier to just remove himself from the picture. How could Kouyo ever be sure that neither Kumoru nor Setsushi looked upon him with well-hidden disgust? In many ways, he did not regret his marriage to Ranko, except for all the pain it had caused him, but Kouyo was still terrified at how he may have driven a wedge between himself and Setsushi. And then using Kumoru as he had.... It would be difficult to forget as he had promised he would. He did not blame the necromancer for wishing to kill him; certain tatters of his mind already wished to have Kumoru again, whether Kouyo could dream him Ranko or not.
"If you try to hurt yourself, though, I will stop you," Kumoru went on. "And I will tell Setsushi about that. You are under my protection here, so I will not permit anyone to hurt you."
"So you yourself can pull the breath from my body?" the priest asked quietly.
The necromancer's calm expression faltered for a moment, but Kouyo did not see it. It had been unnecessary. "I did not harm you," he told Kouyo. "I knew precisely what I was doing, and so I would never be able to hurt you like that. It is uncomfortable, yes, but you were also far too willing to let me take the life from you."
He crossed his arms and half turned away. "I could not kill you because then I would be missing a student. Jilan hopes to catch up with you someday in his studies of magic, and until then, his interest in you keeps him motivated. If I killed you, I do not doubt Setsushi would be distraught as well." He frowned. "Probably would come to kill me the second he heard of your death. Aodhagan would miss his cleaner, and this room would remain unfinished.
"Terrible idea, killing you." Hopefully Kouyo would understand.
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:34 pm
Kouyo followed Kumoru into the house after work, mentally silent as he dragged his bag of belongings with him through the door. He could sense that Jilan and Xiao Huo were both still there and well, and he smiled faintly as he retreated up the stairs to the room that had been his for his previous stay.
"I'd better see you at least a few times a day outside of that room, Kouyo," the necromancer called after him. "Or I will come up there and drag you out."
"Of course," the priest called back half-heartedly. He wanted to be with Kumoru, but at the same time he wanted to stay away from him. Kouyo needed someone and he could not really bring himself to stand beside either the human or Setsushi but... he had finally decided that if he was going to accidentally hurt someone with his pain and sadness, he would rather it was the necromancer.
He had, of course, told Setsushi this time that he had left, that he needed a bit of time away. Kouyo told himself that Setsushi probably wanted time away from his friend as well, to try to justify his hiding from his dearest friend in shame. ... Really, the High Priest had felt no particular need to be ashamed of his marriage until after he had told Setsushi. Once again, Kouyo wished he had said nothing at all-
Jilan brushed gently past Kouyo at the foot of the second flight of stairs up, and held out his hands as he projected an offer to help the priest carry his belongings. He was staying with them again? Jilan hoped High Priest Kouyo felt better this time and would not be so sad.
Kouyo jumped slightly with surprise, but then smiled fondly at the boy an relinquished control of his bag. He tells Jilan in vague terms as he follows him up the stairs that he is not really sad right now so much as dazed and confused. Hopefully it will pass soon, though.
Jilan's human guardian is a very confusing man.
Kumoru? Well, yes, but he is a necromancer. He studies magic that other humans are afraid to touch. Is he not brave for seeking such knowledge? Maybe no one will have to fear it anymore because of what Kumoru's studies discover.
Biting his lip, the High Priest herds Jilan into the tiny guest room set aside for him, and shuts the door before anxiously measuring the space.
... He feels that he should warn Jilan about Kumoru. Necromancy is dangerous, and the High Priest Kouyo wishes to ensure that the Porcelain here in Gaia will be safe. Kouyo does not mean that he is suspicious and untrusting of Kumoru, precisely, but ... from what he knows of other necromancers, the magic is, by nature, twisted and evil. Human necromancers in the Golden World have done terrible things to the Porcelain people in the past.
He chooses to leave off the part about the torture, more because he himself does not want to think about it than because he is afraid of somehow upsetting the boy.
Jilan sets Kouyo's bag down beside the air mattress, and half-follows the priest in his pacing. Wait, humans in the Golden World? The little scholar is confused - where did they come from? And why does that mean that Kumoru is the same? Just because he is also human?
"Karyasihu-"
The Porcelain name for Dragonlamp. Jilan scowled even as he shivered. Kumoru was Gaian, not from Dragonlamp. If the human was from his birthplace, why would Jilan have run to his arms to escape?
... He is not angry, just a little surprised. His father is not evil, so there is nothing for Kouyo to fear.
So he had to be careful in what he said....
Kumoru is certainly not evil like those of Karyasihu, but ... has Jilan never seen any darkness in him? He turns to face the boy, taking his hands.
Jilan shook his head, brow furrowing a bit in confusion.
He plays with souls - he has admitted as much to Kouyo. And the High Priest just... worries that the magic may stain Kumoru's heart over time. He has heard of such things happening before. So... will Jilan tell High Priest Kouyo if Kumoru starts to act unusual?
Kouyo does not doubt Kumoru's ability, he just wishes to ... to keep his human friend safe. Kumoru is not exactly like a Porcelain Sorcerer, but Kouyo has heard stories of them going mad with their own power, so he cannot help but worry.
So... Kouyo comes here to check on Kumoru? Jilan nods slowly, lowering his gaze. He really does not think anything is wrong, but he appreciates High Priest Kouyo's concern.
He hopes that his father and the High Priest can be good friends, though, since they are both powerful magic-users, right?
Kouyo smiles weakly and sighs, settling down on his air mattress for a moment. Then he remembers how dusty he probably still is from work and promptly gets up again. He is powerful but... he still needs a bit of time to remember how everything works. Coming to Gaia was a very unexpected thing for him, and it upset his magic a little.
For now, though, the High Priest needs a shower. Perhaps they can speak more when he is finished? He leans down to root through his bag for his towels and comb.
Jilan nods - that will be fine - and then leaves the priest's room. Perhaps later the High Priest can tell him more about Porcelain magic.
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Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 1:07 pm
Kouyo sat on his air mattress in his sleeping robes, his face in his hands. It was not all that late in the evening, but he was still exhausted from having the life drained from his body. That plus all the work left him wishing for sleep, but he felt his mind swirling with madness again.
The necromancer confused him so deeply. He had enacted retribution upon Kouyo for his insult with the very magic the priest feared most, then told him not to kill himself? Kumoru had to be working to control Kouyo's mind, even his control over his own life and death. The priest had given up that control to him so easily, wishing to admire and trust him.
Kouyo started to cry softly. Ranko held his heart, and now Kumoru held his life.
And that was why he could not bring himself to return to Setsushi's side that night. He could not stand to allow his dearest friend to see him like this. The Ice Maiden had seemed upset enough at the fate Kouyo had "trapped himself in" in making Ranko his wife. What would he think of Kouyo now? Like Setsushi's son, some sort of foolish child who had now allowed Kumoru to ensnare him as well. Whatever Setsushi would feel if he knew, Kouyo could not stand to know it.
Truly, he wished to die, but... Kumoru had been right. For all of the others, the High Priest could not take his own life now. He had to-
Kumoru knocked on the door, then was quiet a minute before calling out, "I know you're still awake."
The priest jumped at the sound, and quickly tried to scrub the tears from his face as he sighed with exasperation. Why did the necromancer have to trouble him now? He needed to be alone!
"Please leave me be," he managed after a moment.
"Let me in for just a minute," the human replied. Then, his voice suddenly dropping the slight edge of sternness Kouyo was used ot hearing, Kumoru added, "I just want to be sure you are alright."
Looking around for a place to hide or something, Kouyo hesitated a moment. Then he settled for remaining in his bed, but turned away from the door as he told Kumoru, "Fine."
He hoped his teacher did not mind seeing him so underdressed in only his sleeping robes. Kouyo was planning on sleeping soon....
"As am I," Kumoru said as he entered. "I just wanted to make sure I saw you before you went to sleep." He shut the door to the small room behind him, and stood beside Kouyo's bed. Then he turned away. "... Wanted to check that you were no longer suffering from my magic."
No longer suffering? It was alright that Kouyo had suffered before? He glanced back at the human over his shoulder.
"I did want you to suffer," Kumoru hissed. "But only for a few moments. I wanted... your fear and pain, not your wish for death. I am glad I found that in you, though, because I do not wish for you to die, by your hand or my own. You are... my friend, and I will do what I can to keep you alive."
"My human friend who would also hurt me with his magic?" Kouyo made his suspicion obvious as he turned towards the necromancer and slowly stood up.
Kumoru closed his eyes and sighed with exasperation. "Alright, I was wrong to do that to you," he finally forced himself to admit. "But sometimes I really have no idea what to do with you, okay? I have no idea what your problem is so I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing to help you."
He stepped closer to Kouyo, opening his eyes to peer down at him. "I told you once that if you want to be held and coddled all the time, you should stay with Setsushi. I want to see you help yourself."
A strange look crossed his features then, an eager smile laced with pain. Kumoru grasped Kouyo's shoulders and pulled him into a tight embrace. "You fear me for my necromancy, my playing with death," he whispered. "I would so much rather face the fury of your magic, be the evil for you to crusade against, priest, than see you constantly hidden away and weeping."
Kouyo was silent for a long moment as Kumoru held him firmly with slightly shaking hands. Was the necromancer touched by madness as well? But how? Kumoru seemed a man of such strength. Had Setsushi been right in thinking that the human had been asking for his help? The High Priest was not sure what to tell him.
"The first thing Kumoru needs to know about this little bird is that he cannot hate," he finally murmured against the human's chest, projecting his intent to be sure Kumoru understood him even if he could not hear. He could not trust the human because of what he had done, but that did not mean Kumoru had to somehow become Kouyo's personal evil instead. The last thing Kouyo needed was to lose his human friend and teacher.
"Then tell me what to do instead. Why did you come to my home? What do you need of me?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 8:31 pm
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Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 11:08 pm
"Dame Tenran! Ranko! Wait!" Kouyo shouted as he felt the world tipping, the dream fading suddenly.
The High Priest had come too close to the edge of his bed, and the slightly underinflated air mattress deposited him neatly onto the floor. Fortunately, it was not far to fall, and the room's carpet was still fairly plush, as it was apparently not used often.
Kumoru had been awake and nearby, pondering what should be done about Kouyo, when he heard the priest shout. Brow furrowing with concern, Kumoru let himself into the small room and knelt on the floor beside Kouyo, carefully arranging his robes with one hand as he touched the priest's shoulder with the other. He was physically unhurt, but of course the human was a bit wary, in case whatever madness from a few days prior held the Porcelain's mind.
"Are we awake now?" Kumoru asked slowly, studying the Porcelain's face.
As soon as Kouyo noticed Kumoru in the room, he shied away, brushing strands of hair that had come loose from his braid overnight from his face. He stared back at the human, inquiring how long he had been in the room. And when he would leave.
Without getting up, Kumoru pushed the door shut and told Kouyo, "I only came in just now, when I heard you shouting." He seemed well enough, the necromancer noted with a small smile, if he was telling him to leave already.
"I am fine," Kouyo said simply, sitting up and hugging his knees to his chest as he edged back against the mattress and away from the mage. He did his best to hide his pain from the human, but all of the agony he felt at possibly seeing Ranko again and being unable to speak with her caused his unrequited bond to tear at him with renewed fury.
The priest shut his eyes and turned his face away from Kumoru, projecting that he wished the human to leave him alone as he started to shed a few tears. His other thoughts were faint but also not completely hidden - he wished to be held, he wanted Setsushi, and he needed Ranko.
Kumoru recoiled at the Porcelain's need for that person - Ranko - again. He had said something similar before.... It sounded like a female name to him and Setsushi had confirmed as much, and so he wondered not for the first time if she was some sort of lover to the High Priest. Since he was apparently still unmarried.
He did not wish to be molested in her name again, regardless of who she was, but the necromancer wondered if it might be useful to keep Kouyo close by offering whatever physical affection he desired. If Kouyo would permit Kumoru to touch him again, or even just to remain in the room. He had told the Porcelain too much already about his darker magics, and so it was imperative that his relationship with Kouyo remain close, if not favorable, but he worried he had done too much damage already. He was not completely sure he could do what essentially amounted to... seducing the other man, however.
While the human hesitated, Kouyo told him, "Go now or I may go mad and mistake you for her again." His tone was faintly angry and his projections were clearly aimed at driving him away.
... The necromancer could not pressure him. He stood and smoothed the folds from his robes, then reached for the door. "Alright," he said, still regarding Kouyo with a calm expression. "But let me know if you need anything at all. Anything."
The priest looked uncertain for a moment, but still radiated his mistrust. "How can you expect me to want to touch you?"
He put his hands over his face and sighed; his obsessions were back, making him wish for the human to hold him, even as he struggled against the thoughts. Kouyo could not just... allow himself to walk straight back into the necromancer's claws, especially now that the priest suspected him to be touched with madness. He was so calm again today, and seemed concerned, instead of wishing for the priest's suffering as he had the day before. Always watching you like that, finding your weaknesses. They can only hold you close to their hearts by controlling you.
... Kouyo reached out to catch Kumoru's sleeve as he was leaving, bowing his head.
Kumoru stopped as he felt the priest catch hold of him. He shut his eyes for a moment before he turned to face Kouyo again. The priest was showing him his pain, but he tried not to let it show on his face. "What do you need?" he asked, starting to reach out to touch Kouyo's cheek.
"You wish to protect me from suffering, so you can inflict it yourself?" he asked, glancing at the necromancer's hand and resisting the urge to move away.
"... Yes," the necromancer replied after a long moment. He stepped back into the room, turning to face Kouyo. He started to say more, about how he still knew nothing of Kouyo or his madness, had no better way to help than to hope that the priest would try to fight him. But the High Priest put a hand to Kumoru's lips.
There would be no danger if he asked permission. He knew now that he had had taken a great risk in not doing so the first time. He shut his eyes for a moment and sighed; it did not please him to do this, but... the thoughts that plagued him only grew worse in Kumoru's presence. Why did some part of Kouyo still wish to admire him?
"This little bird wishes to be intimate with you," he said quietly. "If only for a few moments, to quiet my suffering from my latest dreams."
Kumoru pushed the door shut again, and pulled Kouyo closer without saying a word. And then he indulged Kouyo's request.
After several minutes, Kouyo pushed the human away gently, and moved back himself, as well. He looked faintly upset as he fixed his sleeping robes to get his shoulders and collarbone decently covered again. Truly, nothing at all from him? He does not even smile? Only to control you.
"This only perpetuates my madness, Kumoru," he said finally. "You cannot take away this pain. Certainly not in this manner. I was wrong to think this would even lessen it." The priest shook his head slowly, then turned away. "I cannot remain here with you. I should be with my own kind to heal."
The necromancer rested a hand on Kouyo's shoulder, which the Porcelain quickly shrugged off.
"Kouyo, wait-"
The High Priest pointed at him, stepping away again to put more distance between himself and the human. "Do not do that again, Kumoru. I think you hurt yourself more than you hurt me, even if you cannot see it." But why do you push him away now? You could never ask Setsushi for such affection. You want the human even now. He tastes of magic, no?
"No!" Kouyo shouted, waving a hand at the air as he backed across the room, away from Kumoru. His projections shifted to images of a bird attempting to land on twisted and thorny branches that broke at its every touch; he put a hand to the side of his head as his eyes focused on Kumoru again. "You feel nothing of the sort for me! Love me and perhaps I will return to your hand, human."
He began to relax then, and brushed stray locks of hair from his face before continuing. "I cannot tend to your poison until I have recovered from my own. And you are not the medicine I need."
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Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 7:32 pm
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Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 9:55 pm
Fighting fear to bring forth honesty.... Such bold words, and now Kouyo was left in doubt of himself again. So many things he wished to do, to be, but he could never be more than little broken Kouyo. Sometimes he wondered if he was quite able to fly yet, or if he would ever learn. In his meditations, he could not help but see himself as a little broken hatchling, crumpled on the ground after falling out of the nest; other times he was the little songbird, free from its cage with no idea that it needed to fear prowling predators.
He was certainly not going to flutter stupidly back into Kumoru's claws. If he paid the human necromancer a visit again, it would be to drive the madness from him once and for all. ... Because the priest had a nagging feeling it hurt the human, as well, and he clung desperately to the hope that, as Setsushi had suggested, Kumoru had been subtly asking him for help.
The memories of the black-haired man's fingers on his neck and shoulders still disturbed the High Priest, however, and he tried to drive those thoughts from his mind in favor of kinder ones. Whether they were truly kinder or not, memories of Ranko returned, which in turn reminded Kouyo that he had finally decided to cut his hair. Fear at what Setsushi thought of him for it went along with the decision, and this, coupled with his own doubts, made the Porcelain fairly sure that he as not going to get to sleep any time soon.
He clung to what he remembered of that little feeling of admiration Setsushi had shown him, and tried to reassure himself that this was the right thing. It was honest, but not ostentatious. A married man's short hair only showed his sacrifices to his wife.
... Kouyo considered then what he had sacrificed. He had retained his rank and position as High Priest, and even in spite of all of the precautions in place to keep him a maiden for whatever reason, the Name had not exactly abandoned him promptly after he made love to Ranko. Really, he had asked to leave it when he had begged to go with her, so that he could remain her husband even after she left the Golden World, never to return. And, of course, she had not accepted.
A deeply troubled feeling settled into the pit of the priest's stomach as he recalled his vision of when Ranko left him. She had only ever really asked for one thing of him - for his "name". And he had withheld it? So Kouyo had never made any sacrifices to her at all. He had been too afraid or too upset or just too... stupid to give his precious Ranko the only thing she had ever wanted of his.
In that case, what good would cutting his hair do? She was not here. Setsushi cutting his hair meant nothing. Nothing to her, at least.
And here was Kouyo married to a human, too. He would likely never see her again, never be loved by her. All he had left was the comb that had decorated her hair, and the memories of the time they had together, which even now were fading from his troubled mind. The High Priest began to cry then. He had so deeply feared that he would go mad and die young, never knowing companionship. Ranko had brought him such hope and such happiness that he had allowed her to devour him completely, but that also meant that now, he could never know the love of a Porcelain woman.
For the last two years, he had tried so hard to avoid thinking about that in particular because it depressed him so profoundly. Kouyo had known love, but he feared he would never know the feeling of a true partner on the other side of his mate-bond. He would never know what it was like to be mated to one of his own kind, to draw both strength and comfort from her presence not just because she possessed great charisma like Ranko but because she was a true woman who felt him and loved him.
The calm of Kouyo's meditation quickly tore away like the petals of a flower in a sudden heavy rain; he buried his face in his hands and tried to keep his sobbing as quiet as possible for fear of awakening Setsushi.
The High Priest deserved to have his hair remain long because he had made himself into a... a maiden-against-Porcelain, against his own kind, and that was something that could never be changed. He was more of a maiden than Setsushi, because his dearest precious friend could still marry someday, while Kouyo could never know the true love of his own kind. And so Kouyo would keep his hair long until Ranko, and no one else, cut it.
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Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 9:57 pm
Chourou came to Setsushi's house alone, intending to check on how her fellow Knight was doing and to tell him where she and her family were now living. It was a bit far-off from the Ice Maiden's residence, but close to where the human Akram lived. It had seemed strange when they all first arrived in Gaia to find the Dragon Knight Setsushi living in a modest house of his own and running a little noodle shop out of it at the same time, but Chourou now understood fully how difficult it was for the Porcelain of the Golden World to gain their footing in this new place.
Now that Reiga and Uki and Ako had a roof over their heads, the Knight of Bukoku figured she could make sure all of the others were living well enough, as well.
The woman knocked at the door; it was apparently left open all the time, but she would not enter unannounced or uninvited.
The High Priest heard the sound of knocking somewhere in his meditation, and took a deep breath as he returned himself to Gaia. Almost as soon as he became aware of the room again, a deep anxiety settled into his chest as he wondered who was there - it could have been any one of the other Porcelain, but it could have just as easily been Kumoru.
Still, he could not be rude. Kouyo stood and brushed the folds from his robes, padding over to the door to open it.
"Hello?"
"Sir Setsushi-" No, someone the Knight did not recognize. Her brow furrowed slightly in confusion as she struggled to think who else this might be, but her mouth hung open uselessly as Chourou could not come up with a name.
Giving off a small relieved feeling as well as his welcome, Kouyo stepped back from the doorway, lowering his eyes and holding one hand up near his face to hide it partly. Setsushi was not here presently, but the lady would be more than welcome to wait here for him, he told her. This little bird could not offer her soup, unfortunately, but if she required a drink, he could provide water or tea.
The greetings seemed subtly scripted, as Kouyo still held deep anxiety when it came to strangers, even Porcelain ones, but he was sure to allow the visitor to see that he was truly thankful for the company.
Chourou offered her polite thanks and stepped inside, studying the young man for a moment before turning her gaze away from him as well. She had never seen a maiden behave in quite such a fashion, hiding his face, but then the Knight had hardly dealt with much of what was "normal" in Toukoku. Truth be told, she half wanted to tell him right out that he had nothing to fear from her, that neither of them really had to cling to such propriety for the moment, as it surely counted as a special situation with all of them in this strange other world. But Chourou also feared offending the shy young man, and therefore kept her curiosity and her desire to reject all of the silly politeness both on short leashes.
Instead, she just sent out a simple inquiry asking by what name she could call her kind host. This one is "Chourou of Earth, Dragon Knight of Bukoku."
The priest gave off a feeling of respect and surprise, and bowed to her before turning away again, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor. "I have heard your name before," he told her, his voice soft. "And I am honored to actually meet you, Dame Chourou."
The little bird was "Kouyo of Water".
"Kouyo the High Priest?" the Knight promptly inquired. She had never paid the affairs of the priesthood much mind; she had always sort of pictured the High Priest as some stuffy old zealot, too high up in his lofty tower to understand any of the common people as he dictated his morality and worked his control through their fear of the Name - nothing at all like the red-haired young maiden who was still politely yet shyly offering to prepare tea for her. He looked as though he could easily have been her son.
"Some tea would be nice," Chourou told him finally, hoping that her delay in answering had not made him too anxious. "I would also enjoy conversing with the High Priest, as well, if he would not mind the company of a military woman?"
"Not at all," Kouyo told her, trying to hide his usual worry at interacting with strangers. The Gaian Porcelain he had met thus far were all children, or at least appeared as such, and so it felt distinctly different to run into one of Setsushi's age, and one whose name he knew from the Golden World. A woman, moreover, though Kouyo was gradually getting used to female visitors. He was thankful for her politeness, as the careful and plain responses propriety demanded felt much more comfortable to him, but the priest still found her presence a bit intimidating.
"This little bird knows little of the world outside, however," he went on as he selected two of Setsushi's teacups from the cabinets and brought them to the table, then filled the teapot with water from the tap. "So I fear I will make for dull conversation."
"You know more of Gaia than I do, I suspect," the Knight replied with a small smile as the young man returned to the table with the teapot, holding it in both hands rather than by the handle. The pot was steaming by the time Kouyo set it down, and she lifted the lid to study the water briefly, impressed, as he fetched the tea.
"The High Priest lives here, then, with Sir Setsushi?"
"Yes," Kouyo replied without elaborating, and settled down in a chair across the table from Chourou as he offered her a choice of two small canisters of tea leaves.
He glanced up at her briefly after the Knight had picked her tea, and gave off a gentle feeling of concern as he poured the water for her. "Dame Chourou has a place to live as well, yes?" he asked.
Chourou nodded and thanked him for the tea. "I have a place now with my family," she told him. "A human man, Akram Mercier, gave us a small home of our own in exchange for work. And so I am working for him to repay the debt."
She blew lightly on the tea, eyes focusing on the steam for a moment before she looked back at the priest. "I cannot deny that part of me hopes we will have found a way home long before I have toiled enough to pay for a house, but at the same time, I cannot let the full debt go unpaid...." Chourou laughed softly at herself and took a sip of tea.
Though he still kept his eyes lowered, the High Priest no longer tried to hide his face, instead curling his fingers around the warm teacup. He did not recognize the human's name, but was thankful at least that the Lady had not had the pleasure of meeting either Master Whitestone or Kumoru.
"I hope this Akram Mercier is a good man," Kouyo said, though if he had been willing to offer help to the Porcelain woman and her family, then he surely must be a better person than Master Whitestone. "I, too, have found employment here, but living with Setsushi has been the easiest for me. And certainly the least lonely."
"The human has been very helpful thus far, though his customs are strange. Everything is business to him, though, so I believe we can trust him to be honest in our transaction." She was quiet for a moment, then conceded, "I am glad that I do not share house with him, but rather with other Porcelain. I do not know what I would do if I was trapped here alone, away from my family. Or even if the four of us were trapped here without any others like us."
She put one hand to her mouth and shuddered as a feeling of fear and upset flowed through her body at the thought of being away from Reiga forever, and Chourou was thankful that the High Priest was not watching her. In an attempt to cheer herself up, the Knight then sent reassuring feelings to the High Priest. "There seem to be many of us ending up in this strange other world, so as long as we hold close, we will never be lonely."
Kouyo looked up from his tea and made eye contact with the Knight as she spoke. Then he smiled and whispered, "That is true," before returning to studying the tea leaves at the bottom of his cup as he sipped at the warm drink.
He was silent for several long moments, keeping his gaze on his tea, or on the table. Then he inquired, "Is there anything in particular you wanted to ask this little bird about our new temporary home?"
At the High Priest's use of the word "home", Chourou quietly chided him with her projections that he should have more hope: they would find some way back to their real home soon. Sir Setsushi was not alone, nor was High Priest Kouyo. With more minds working together now, then the answer should come much more easily.
Then she spoke to answer his question, telling him, "No, nothing comes to mind, but I know I can come to you for help." Chourou thought she caught his eye for a moment again, and offered a smile.
The priest's eyes went instead towards the lady's cup, and he held one sleeve out of the way with one hand while he reached with the other for the teapot to refill her drink. He found himself somewhat reassured by Dame Chourou's confidence, but still feared that the situation was more complex than even he had yet discovered.
"This little bird has seen things in his dreams that lead him to fear for our homeland, but... I hope we will have the means and the strength to set things right."
"High Priest Kouyo is a seer, then?" Chourou asked, feeling a bit foolish for not knowing. She had heard of a few spiritual leaders in her homeland who had seen the future in their dreams, but she had not yet met any of them. And the handful of the Toukoku priests Chourou had met so far were clerics of the battlefield, who had definitely put all of their efforts into learning healing techniques.
... Then she recoiled slightly and put a hand to her chest, becoming acutely aware again of the stain of her infidelity and suddenly fearing that the quiet young priest could somehow see it on her. What precisely could his power do?
Giving off a shy pleading feeling as the Knight edged back from the table, Kouyo half-reached one hand across to her - Dame Chourou had nothing to fear from this little bird, no reason to be troubled. "The High Priest is a seer," he told her, withdrawing his hand after a moment but still projecting faint worry at the lady's reaction. "No power at all save for what the Empress can gain through what I see."
Kouyo dearly hoped he had said nothing wrong to offend the lady.
The fear gave way to nausea again, and less urgent worry, and the Knight set her teacup down, shaking her head. "No, I-" She put her hands to her head for a moment and took a deep breath, then tried again. "I meant no offense. I'm sorry." She peered down at his outstretched hand, even as he took it away, wondering why he had seemed frightened.
She still wondered what all he saw - was it limited to his dreams? Or could he see things in the waking world as well? Was that why he refused to look at her? At the same time, however, part of Chourou began to wonder if the priest might be able to help. The Toukoku priests were supposed to aid and heal; the Knight of Bukoku was naturally a bit skeptical of this reputation, since the priesthood was surely as much of a system of control as the tedious tower of the bureaucracy. At the same time, though, no Porcelain of the Empire would be foolish enough to hold the priesthood in such esteem if they lacked the power to do what they promised.
But something he had said.... "No power? You mean to say they keep you in a tower only to consult your visions?"
The High Priest smiled, hiding away his pain at the memories. "Always in my birdcage in the Golden World, seeing only those visitors who wanted to hear my songs. No worldly temptations to trouble my meditations." He would never go back there, even if they did find a way out of Gaia; it was one thing that he felt he could tell Dame Chourou with confidence and conviction.
"I am not shirking my duties here in Gaia, however," he went on, his voice growing a bit stronger and more confident. "I wish to serve us here as well as I can. So... if there is anything this little bird can do for Dame Chourou, please just ask." Kouyo looked up at her again as the shy softness returned to his voice, though his projections showed that he meant every word.
Whatever had made her appear so fearful before, Kouyo hoped he would be able to help if she asked about it. He wanted to like her and to befriend her, but even beyond that, it hurt him to see her troubled as she had been before.
The Knight could not shake the faint fear of the High Priest's power, not knowing the extent of it, but his appearance and his manner went against the stereotypes she had formed out of bitterness towards what she had seen of Toukoku's rigid power structures.
"Nothing comes to mind right now," Chourou told him, finally relaxing. "But if I find I require your help, I will call for you, little bird Kouyo." Even if the Name allowed him to see the dirty stain she had put on herself as plainly as he could see the color of her eyes, the Knight tried to tell herself that this shy young maiden would not judge her harshly. Perhaps in time she could see if the High Priest would be able to help her heal her damaged spirit.
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Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 11:16 pm
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:08 pm
All of the red and pink decorations and hearts for this "Valentine's Day" perplexed Kouyo, and so he had begun to poke around a bit in the books in his storage room, looking for some sort of hints as to what all this Gaian love holiday was about. If nothing else, it kept him from being reminded constantly of how badly he missed his own wife; it was therefore easy enough for the priest to figure out that the holiday was not something for him. Still, if he was going to be spending some length of time here in Gaia, Kouyo figured he might as well try to find something out about their festivals.
He briefly considered asking Kumoru, but decided against it, fearing for what the necromancer might ask for in return. He also considered asking Master Whitestone, and actually found himself slightly more willing to interact with him than with the other human, but he was also more difficult to find. Finally, Kouyo settled on leaving a note in a conspicuous place in the storage room before leaving one day, politely inquiring if Master Whitestone had any books that might be helpful.
Sure enough, the next morning, there was one waiting for Kouyo in the center of the floor - a thick book labeled Encyclopedia of Saints, with a piece of paper marking one page near the back. Aodhagan had left no message in reply, but Kouyo got a vague nervous feeling like perhaps he was being watched again from where ever the bookstore owner hid and scryed.
The shop was silent; Kouyo had taken to coming at various hours of the day, even when Kumoru was not working. He no longer trusted in the necromancer's "protection" from Master Whitestone, and the High Priest had ultimately decided that dealing with one of the pair of humans was just plain easier than risking having to deal with both of them at once. Today, Kumoru would not be in until the afternoon, and Kouyo's contract permitted him to work at his own pace, so he figured he could take some time to flip through the thick Encyclopedia.
It seemed to be a book of people, with a short biography for each. Aodhagan had marked "Saint Valentine of Rome", a man who had lived apparently some time ago in Gaian history. The book provided a brief and rather vague account of his life, followed by a lengthier explanation about "Romans" and some sort of fertility ritual, and how a feast in the name of the saint may have been intended to replace it. It did not seem particularly romantic in origin, at least.
Kouyo made some notes to himself to look up the historical information he did not understand (Or ask Setsushi? His friend seemed to have taken some interest in Gaian history), then set about reading some of the other stories of the other saints in the book.
Apparently a good deal of prior knowledge was required with regards to human religion, but the Porcelain High Priest found it easy enough to pick up on what made the saints virtuous. It seemed that humans valued many of the same things that the Porcelain did, like kindness, and willingness to help the sick and small. He did find it quite curious that many of them remained unmarried and virgins, and seemed to often frown upon their sexuality.
What Kouyo found most troubling, however, was the number of saints who were apparently killed for believing in their God (just one? no need to distinguish?). Perhaps it was in part because all of his own kind followed the Name, while humans seemed to have numerous religions; moreover, he could not imagine Porcelain exacting some of the torture and brutality described on another. Reading of the deaths of some of the saints made the priest feel vaguely ill.
Setting the book aside, the priest sighed and leaned back against one of the boxes of books in his storage room. He took some comfort in the knowledge that there were at least some humans out there who were peaceful and kind. Kouyo still did not want to believe that all of them were cruel at heart, but... Kumoru and Aodhagan did not tend make that very easy for him.
He glanced back at the Encyclopedia of Saints, and realized that it had really done little to answer his original question. The saints might make for interesting conversation with his human "friends" sometime, but Kouyo still doubted that he would ever be able to understand the people of Gaia.
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Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:34 am
Kouyo jumped as he heard the sound of the shop's front door's bell jingle, indicating that someone had entered. The door was supposed to be locked, and beyond that, Aodhagan never used that door. It could not have been Kumoru, either, as he was again not scheduled to work until the afternoon. Clutching the book he happened to be holding to his chest, the priest held his breath and listened for any voices outside in the main room of the used book store.
... He thought he caught the sound Master Whitestone's deep voice, along with another female voice. The latter sounded familiar but Kouyo could not quite place it-
And the High Priest had little time to wonder as Aodhagan came back to the storage room, smiling as he informed the Porcelain, "You have a visitor."
The red-haired priest climbed to his feet, still giving off a feeling of anxiety as he set the book aside. "Who is it?" he asked softly as he brushed his hands over his clothes. The motion had been intended to get some of the dust from the floor off of himself, but he ended up with more smudges of it instead.
The shop owner reached out to catch Kouyo's hand in order to help him climb over a few boxes, then caught him around the waist to drag him out of the storage room as he decided that the Porcelain was being too hesitant.
"Here you are," Aodhagan told Lucretia. "Feel free to leave whenever you're finished with him. I'll be around to lock the door." He released Kouyo and bowed elaborately, then headed back into the storage room.
Kouyo sank to his knees on the floor as Master Whitestone let him go, and held his shaking hands to his chest. As he worked to calm himself down, the priest projected his apologies to the spirit: this little bird did not want to be rude in receiving Miss Lucretia, but his boss always tends to leave him quite shaken up like this....
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then pulled his mask down below his chin so he could speak more easily. "Now, Miss Lucretia wished to talk with this one?" Kouyo asked softly, glancing up and finding her a bit more clothed than usual which was a relief.
The Porcelain remained kneeling on the carpet, and so Lucretia leaned down closer to him. She had spoken to him very little the times he had visited her home, and so she was a bit uncertain as to how to address him. Lucretia smiled a bit warily.
"It's almost Valentine's Day, you know" she told him. "And I, ah, wanted to be sure you have a Valentine. Since Jilan told me about how lonely and sad you are."
Kouyo's brow furrowed and he looked back down at his knees. Then he looked up at Lucretia after a moment, smiling a smile that did not reach his eyes. "Thank you, Miss Lucretia, but I'll be okay. I don't really understand Gaian holidays, anyway."
If nothing else, it struck him as strange that the lady was asking him. Really, though, Kouyo had decided that he was best of not thinking about the love holiday at all.
"Really?" The Ice Rose looked uncertain for a moment before her expression became eager again. "Everyone has to have someone to be their Valentine for Valentine's day, though. And there's someone I know who wants you to be their Valentine."
The priest shivered in spite of himself, in part because of Lucretia's proximity, and in part because he thought he knew to whom she was referring. He had been worrying that such an encounter could be dangerous, particularly with how the human necromancer had most recently attempted to hold onto him.
"I would not know how to be a proper Valentine," the priest told her, unwilling to sound rude by telling her outright that he did not trust Kumoru any further than he could throw him. "Does he not have a Gaian Valentine who is more familiar with the holiday's traditions?" ... What did a Valentine have to do, anyway? Marriages in secret, like the short piece about Valentine of Rome said? Probably not, from what Kouyo had gathered so far.
"It's easy. I mean, I'm setting up the date for you. That's the hard part." She edged closer to the Porcelain, reaching out to lightly rest a hand on his shoulder.
Kouyo could feel the cold of her skin through his clothing, which disturbed him, so he edged away from her.
"A date?" he repeated, giving off a faintly troubled feeling. "I should not. I... I already have a Valentine. I think."
"Oh, really?" The girl crossed her arms, studying him closely as a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Still trying to get out of this?
"Who is it, then?"
The High Priest sat back and hugged his knees to his chest, sighing, but he said nothing and did not look at the Raevan.
"It's that Setsushi, isn't it?" Lucretia concluded, laughing a little and giving the red-haired Porcelain a knowing glance. Fortunately, she had already thought of this, and had come up with a plan to keep the Knight out of the way.
"Come on, just come on this date I was nice enough to set up for you, okay? You need more friends anyway."
Aodhagan emerged from the storage room again and walked up behind Kouyo. "What's this about a date for Valentine's Day?" he asked, exaggerating his curiosity. "Someone wants to take the little bird out?"
It was already done? So this visit was about forcing him to agree to... being a valentine or whatever. Kouyo shivered a little and chewed his bottom lip. Much as he did not want to see Kumoru again - he strongly suspected the necromancer was meant to be his "valentine", since it was Lucretia asking him to do this - the priest was also quite fearful of what might happen if he got the spirit girl angry.
The shop owner's sudden interest terrified him, as well, and the priest half-wondered if he had been in on this, too. He knew would not be given a choice in this matter.
"Fine," he murmured. Perhaps Kouyo could just go and not say a word and Lucretia would be happy and Kumoru would leave him alone. "Where do I need to be, and when?" The priest got to his feet slowly, glancing worriedly between Aodhagan and Lucretia.
"Today at one in the afternoon, at the smoothie place two blocks up the street." Looking intensely pleased with herself, Lucretia drifted closer to Kouyo again. "You know where I'm talking about, right? You can like, see it from the doorway of the shop."
"Yes, I do. Thank you, Miss Lucretia." The High Priest badly wanted to measure the bookstore a few times to calm himself down, but was trapped between the pale-haired human and the Raevan. He backed himself up against one of the shelves and stood there shaking, and tried not to break down completely.
"Don't worry, it's a nice little ice cream shop, if you haven't been there," Aodhagan assured him. "Nice place for a date, I should think, especially your first date in Gaia."
"Look a little happier, Kouyo, it's Valentine's Day," the Ice Rose urged, seizing his shoulders. "And don't worry about Setsushi. He'll have a valentine, too."
The Porcelain looked up then, eyes wide with sudden worry for his dear friend. "What?" he choked.
Lucretia let him go and twirled around once. "That would be me."
Kouyo grasped at the blue ribbons trailing from Lucretia's hands, visibly shaking with upset. "Be very careful with him," he told the spirit, peering into her eyes and giving off an intense protective feeling for Setsushi that both begged and demanded that the girl take him seriously. "Be very careful with him and do not break his heart."
That the spirit... did not quite exist below the ribs was a small comfort, Kouyo supposed. But she was also clearly magical, and he had no idea what sorts of abilities she possessed. Swaying on his feet a little from his deep concern for Setsushi in addition to his usual anxiety, the High Priest stepped away from Lucretia and hoped he would not faint.
The Ice Rose's brow furrowed and she slipped her ribbons out of Kouyo's hands, clearly surprised by his sudden intensity. But she nodded, and told him, "Of course I won't break his heart. It's Valentine's Day, duh. You just don't do that on Valentine's Day."
"His heart seems a lot stronger than yours, little bird," Aodhagan commented, his tone teasing as usual, as he caught Kouyo under the arms.
"Just as long as you make sure you're at the smoothie shop when you're supposed to be. Don't break your valentine's heart by standing him up!" Lucretia scowled and shook her finger at Kouyo. Then her smile returned and she brushed her fingers lightly against Kouyo's cheek before moving away towards the door, leaving the priest with a fierce case of goosebumps and... well, the arrangements his date.
Aodhagan winked at Lucretia and assured her, "I'll make sure he's ready to go." As the girl left, he frowned a little and attempted to blow some of the accumulated dust off of the top of Kouyo's head.
"Thank you," Kouyo muttered numbly. Here he was, getting thrown into the ocean again....
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Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:21 pm
Aodhagan had told Kouyo that it was about a ten-minute walk from the bookstore to the smoothie shop, and had ensured that he left on time to make it in time for his date. To be sure that the priest went to the little cafe instead of running home, Master Whitestone had even been kind enough to walk Kouyo most of the way there. He had also managed to get most of the dust off of the Porcelain, though his skill at wind magic was considerably less refined than Kumoru's.
And so Kouyo combed his fingers through his long hair, trying to get it all back in order again so he did not look like he just walked through a windstorm. Not that it had terribly much to do with what Kumoru thought of his appearance.
As he reached the the smoothie place, Kouyo caught sight of Kumoru sitting at one of the tables by the window, dressed in his robes and armor, and tried not to break down right there from anxiety. Hopefully he would come out of this unharmed and still free of the necromancer's claws, and hopefully Setsushi would also be alright in Lucretia's grasp....
Kumoru was pleased to see Kouyo actually arrive, though his feelings about the Porcelain himself were still mixed. He stood and went to the front to meet him, tugging the swinging glass door open and holding it for the priest.
"Hello there," he said, his tone neutral.
Kouyo avoided looking at him, but projected a greeting and spoke a soft, "Hello," in reply. He worked to keep his own thoughts and deep anxieties walled off, which was something he knew he had the ability to manage, but worried on top of everything else that something would happen that would cause him to crumble again. In the necromancer's presence, Kouyo again felt very vulnerable.
Without touching him, Kumoru urged the Porcelain into the line. "Pick out whatever you'd like to eat or drink here," he told him. "I'll pay."
"Alright, thank you," the priest replied, venturing to look up at the menu. He was hungry, though he did not really want to be in debt to the human. Still, he decided it might be best to just do what Kumoru said for this part of the date, at least.
He scanned the lists of drinks on the board over the counter, wondering what everything was. Kouyo realized he was not entirely sure what a "smoothie" even contained, though he knew what they looked like, at least, from the stylized picture on the sign at one end of the menu.
"I like the milkshakes here," Kumoru told the Porcelain. "That's like flavored ice cream that you can drink. They can put cookies or fruit in it here, too, for you. Or you can get ice cream like you eat with a spoon with whatever toppings you want. And there are the smoothies, of course, which are more fruit than ice cream. And they have burgers and things here, too."
He smiled slightly as he recalled the first time he had been here. The mage had come with Aylana when the then-pregnant Fa'e had told him that he was meant to be the guardian of one of her children. He had not been able to forget watching her dip french fries in ice cream before eating them....
Meanwhile, Kouyo made a face. So much sweet milk. "This little bird is... forbidden from having such decadent things," he told the human, hoping it would not be a problem. Gaian hamburgers did not exactly appeal, either; though the High Priest was permitted to eat meat, he rarely ever did. When he ate it, it was in small amounts, but always fresh and steaming and good. He was not sure he liked any of the ways that Gaians prepared their meats, so far as he had seen. Nothing at all that appeared to preserve the form of the animal that had given its life for his nutrition... unless the Gaian beef-creature was a perfectly round and boneless animal, and Kouyo was just ignorant.
"... What is a 'bubble tea'?" he asked, seeing it named with a shorter list of flavors at one end of the menu. Those came in green tea flavor, apparently, which sounded palatable, at least. And as long as he was pondering the menu, the priest figured he did not have to really talk to the human about anything of consequence.
"I'll get you a small one of those and you can try it," Kumoru told him, then ushered the Porcelain to the counter. He did not even attempt to make Kouyo place his order for himself, to the priest's relief, but spoke and paid for him before directing him to the table he had occupied before by the window.
A few moments later, the mage joined the Porcelain, giving him his bubble tea.
Kouyo quietly thanked the human and tasted the drink... finding it, like the others, sweet and full of milk. It was like something for a rich spoiled child. He decided he would permit himself to drink no more than half of it, if for no other reason than because his anxiety was rapidly making him sick to his stomach.
Glancing out the window and sipping occasionally at his strange milk-tea, Kouyo worried about Setsushi to try to keep his mind off of the necromancer across the table from him. He mentally berated himself for not showing greater strength and allowing himself to be hustled off on this... "date" or whatever it was supposed to be. The High Priest should have gone home to warn and protect his dearest friend from the spirit. Instead, he had come here as instructed, like a coward, and was now forced to hope that Setsushi - truly much stronger of heart, as Master Whitestone had said - would be able to fend well enough for himself-
-Wait, was that an eyeball or something!? Kouyo quickly snatched a napkin off of the table and discreetly spat out whatever it was that had just come up the straw from his drink; the priest examined it with a mixture of curiosity and vague horror.
Kumoru laughed softly. "Those are the bubbles," he told the Porcelain. He pointed out the rest of them at the bottom of the cup. "They're safe to eat, and they're not eyeballs, though for some people they take a bit of getting used to."
He kept watching Kouyo more or less in silence as the priest tested one of the bubbles, regarding with amusement the faces he made.
The priest cowered a little under the necromancer's gaze, but said nothing and tried to ignore him. He knew Kumoru would have to leave before too long to arrive at the bookstore in time to start his own shift; Kouyo would just have to survive for under an hour, and then he could rush home and see if Setsushi was there.
"Are you still interested in learning magic?" the mage finally asked, deciding that Kouyo was not going to speak to him unless he initiated the conversation.
Kouyo shook his head. Or, well, he still held some interest, but was unwilling to deal with the human's madness as well as his own.
He glanced up at the human, looking vaguely hurt, and added that, if Kumoru still wished to teach the little bird, then Kouyo could attempt lessons again, but only at the bookstore. The High Priest was not well enough to live under the necromancer's roof, and was unwilling to visit.
Kumoru glanced away and nodded slowly, and told the priest, "That would be fine. After all, part of why you are cleaning the storage room is so Aodhagan will permit you hang around the bookstore, right?"
... The priest admitted that he had nearly forgotten about that, but yes, Master Whitestone had mentioned that. So... as long as they had a nice neutral place to meet.
And Kouyo reminded the human again that he did not want to learn any of his necromancy. Then he turned his gaze back to Kumoru, projecting a hesitant suspicion: why did he seem to have such sudden interest in teaching Kouyo again? Particularly since the last time they had really spoken, it had seemed as though Kumoru wished-
"I apologize for that," Kumoru told him, his tone patient but tense, as he stared down his nose at the Porcelain. "I apparently cannot hold onto you as closely as I would like, and so I will not try.
"I only ask about your lessons in my magic because I realized I might be able to get you a book of portal magic. And you would have to know how to read it."
Kouyo took another sip of his drink, and choked on a bubble. Haltingly, he projected his interest as he coughed, then more articulately told Kumoru when he could breathe properly again that he would consider the offer. He would need to speak with Setsushi, first.
The High Priest felt a bit hopeful, that perhaps now Kumoru would be kind and helpful as Kouyo wished he would be. At the same time, though, he remained wary, and realized he had become cynical about the necromancer; with good reason, he supposed.
Perhaps he would also consult with the Name, to pray for his own strength of heart.
Of course he would need to talk to Setsushi.... Kumoru nodded.
"Well, you know how to reach me when you decide. And you know when I am working; you may always speak to me there, as well."
Realizing that he should probably finish his ice cream before it all turned to soup, the mage started eating again, glancing up occasionally to see if Kouyou looked like he might wish to continue conversing.
"... Where are Setsushi and Lucretia?" the Porcelain asked several long minutes later, as he decided he had had enough of his strange tea-with-eyeballs.
A smile tugged at the corner of the necromancer's mouth as he told Kouyo, "If I know Lucretia, probably just wandering off somewhere. Or maybe they're playing laser-tag." He studied the priest's face for a moment, picking up on his anxiety again. "She would not hurt him, if that's what you're worried about."
Laser-tag was... a game of some sort?
Kouyo tried not to worry, but it was difficult. He slouched in his seat and swirled the remaining bubbles around the bottom of his cup until Kumoru was done with his ice cream. Then he offered the remaining bubble tea to the human.
"You can have it if you like. I'm not going to have anymore."
"Didn't like it?"
"Too sweet, and this little bird is afraid all the milk will make him sick."
"Next time, I guess I'll have to try to find a place where you can eat the food, I guess."
The necromancer got to his feet, brushing his hands over his robes to smooth out the folds, and took his garbage, along with Kouyo's. "You're free to flutter back home now, little bird," he told the Porcelain. Then he bowed and added, "Thank you for seeing me."
Kouyo got up as well, pleased that this "date" had been far more painless than he had expected. He only hoped that it would be just as easy to continue his magic studies. The Porcelain also considered not without suspicion what the mage might demand in return for the book of portal magic if he was able to find one for him, too.
He politely but guardedly wished the human a good day at work and followed him out of the smoothie shop, and followed several paces behind down the sidewalk as he headed back home.
Now Kouyo just had to wait for Setsushi to return.
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:50 pm
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 3:26 am
Kouyo went through the motions of his day with mechanical numbness. He had been cleaning bookshelves for weeks, and so could carry out the task without really thinking about it. Which was good, as the High Priest's mind was elsewhere.
He still could not shake the feeling of Setsushi's anger from the previous night, to the point that a part of him dreaded returning to the house at the end of the day. It was not, however, because he feared the Knight, Kouyo realized, but because he felt so thoroughly ashamed. Setsushi had been correct - the priest had thrown himself out in danger far too many times, and it was completely selfish of him to constantly rely upon the older Porcelain for help.
Kouyo knew he was High Priest at least in part because he was supposed to be receptive and intelligent; he had to take the answers that the Name gave him and try to figure out their meanings, which were hardly ever obvious. Even with all his anxiety, Kouyo had heard Setsushi's worry in his anger, had felt his protection in his exasperation. From this, he had determined that Setsushi still loved him, or at least still cared, enough to set poor little stupid Kouyo straight.
... What had he hoped to find in Kumoru, the High Priest wondered. He had certainly never gone to the human with the intent of injuring Setsushi through harming himself, nor had he been craving pity. Now that he found he was thinking at least a bit more clearly after Setsushi had shaken him up, the extent of the priest's prior insanity was sinking in, and he realized just how dangerous what he had done really was. Throwing himself into the human necromancer's arms could have broken him as surely as if he had thrown himself onto jagged rocks. Perhaps... he had seen something of his wife in the man at some point, but it was now lost on Kouyo. He harbored desperate hope that Ranko still loved him somewhere, and held great doubt that Kumoru was capable of such warmth towards anyone. Whether he had hoped to better himself or find comfort or whatever in Name he had been thinking, the priest gained far too little compared to what he put at risk.
For now, Kouyo thought of his relationship with the human as something like a contract that had been canceled or reached expiration. ... Or, well, perhaps that might also be unnecessarily harsh towards Kouu, as the High Priest had long considered his blood father in much the same manner. He had missed his father until realizing one day that he existed just fine without him, and found that he took far more pleasure in Setsushi's visits than in his rare and awkward meetings with Kouu. Perhaps he had hung onto hope that Kumoru would prove a like-minded companion, or even just a tolerable acquaintance, for too long; as Setsushi had forced him to see, he had found little besides pain and fear. The High Priest did not wish anything bad upon the necromancer in spite of how he had taken advantage of little Kouyo, but now he knew for sure that there was nothing to gain in remaining close to him, and that cutting himself away from the human was, clear as day, the best thing he could do. Not just to satisfy Setsushi, but for his own health, too.
Kouyo felt a faint lingering disappointment, but hoped that, as long as he planned to end his dangerous relationship to protect himself, the failing was no longer his own.
-----
Kumoru peered over his glasses at Kouyo, hands resting lightly on the page of magic he had been scanning in a subconscious move to prevent the writing from being clearly seen.
"Have you spoken to Setsushi, then, about the book of portal magic?" he inquired, his tone polite as usual.
The High Priest shook his head, and tried to remember to keep his chin up. Much as he had always desired to be passive and giving and kind, Kouyo knew that Kumoru would be looking for signs of his weakness.
"I have not," he replied, softly but firmly. "I decided without him that my people's separation from our homeland is a Porcelain problem, and I already have Porcelain means to attempt to solve it. My time would be better spent using what I already have than learning your human magic."
Kouyo lowered his eyes for a moment to make a gesture of gratitude, but kept his shyness in check - this was how he could be the proper Porcelain High Priest of Gaia. "I appreciate your offer, Kumoru, but this is something for which I cannot ask your aid. I- I must work with the others first and foremost.
"If you still wish to help us, please send Xiao Huo to Setsushi's home more often. He has seen the portals and so I need his help to better discern a course of action."
Finished, he fell silent, reaching up with one hand to brush some stray hairs back out of his face and resisting any other motions of his hands that might betray his nervousness.
Kumoru studied Kouyo closely for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then he smiled ever so slightly.
"Alright. And I will do as you have asked, High Priest Kouyo."
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