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 Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2006 11:02 am
 Enju brushed his har back from his face again, doing so every few minutes when it draped across his eyes. It was annoying but helped when he wanted to look at the Haka without him seeing. He kicked stones out of the path's way childishly, tucking his free hand in a pocket in his trousers.
"I try to swim a lot for that very reason. I'm in training a lot and the cold water relaxes my body..."
It was plain to see he was battle torn. Strangely, the Gehaka didn't hvae many scars but what he did have was a lot that were starting to heal. It was obvious his specialty to gain a Haka would be his fighting.
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Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2006 1:52 pm
 At the mention of training Masae stopped walking and took a proper look at the gehaka. Noting the healing bruises in a different light this time he looked up to the gehaka's eyes, refusing to let him look away.
"You fight?" He asked bringing his fan down to tap against his thigh thoughtfully. He knew most gehaka knew how to protect their haka and businesses but he had never met one that fought as a speciality. He was intrigued.
Realising that he had forgotten his usually perfect manners he flushed slightly and turned his attention back to the path, taking up his slow pace once more, fan back to shield his delicate skin from the sun.
"What is your skill? If I may ask. Which fighting do you specialise in?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2006 9:40 pm
Enju nodded in answer to his question. He was acutally built better than any other Gehaka so it wouldn't suprise anyone if he actually was a fighter. It was a comical combo, a gardener and a fist fighter. Enju held the eye contact evenly, seeing the Haka wanted to see his eyes as well.
"Hand to hand combat. I don't really care for weapons...I don't really care for fighting either, but so far I can disarm almost any opponent with any weapons."
He grinned, a bit pf pride beaming through his smile. He didn't think the Haka would be impressed, most weren't, not knowing how much it took to actually be able to do something like that.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 1:20 am
Masae raised an eyebrow, his eyes still on the path in front of him. He had heard of gehaka being employed for possessing one particular skill, but never so many.
"A gehaka who is both a skilled gardener and a fighter." He said, not bothering to hide the wry tone behind his words. "Such attractive qualities, which I must say make me suspicious." He gave a glance at the gehaka's bare wrists. "As to why you are not bonded already." He gave Enju a playful tap on his wrist with the edge of his fan.
It was a move quite out of character for Masae, gehaka usually made him incredibly nervous. Especially the fighters. Enju appeared to have a calmness about him that put Masae at ease a little more than was usual.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 1:55 am
Enju chuckled lightly, his wings loosening in a sign that he was relaxing. Usually, when he was nervous his wings were folded in as much as possible, trying to look small perhaps. He shrugged at the compliment and gave the Haka a sly grin.
"Let's just say I have a very picky mother..."
Which he did. The more Ran kept Enju training and getting better, the more valuable he'd become. He rubbed his wrist, tempted to ask the same as why the attractive Haka hadn't already had Gehaka himself. Or maybe he had, but why was he by himself? He walked with his head down thoughtfully, ears drooping peacefully. He didn't want to appear too forward or out of place and quietly spoke. He didn't want to appear like he was scrutinizing the Haka, that would be rude and certianly earn himself a beating.
"What...what about you, are you bonded?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 2:21 am
Masae smiled a little. If only his mother was so picky. He had been trying to push him onto any gehaka of marrying age. He noted the hesitation behind the gehaka's question. It was a bold move, one that Masae actually admired. People who tiptoed around him actually made him angrier than those who showed a little backbone. Masae prayed on the weak.
"No, no I'm not bonded." He said pointing to the absence of red around his eyes. "And as to why, I suppose I am quite picky." He laughed again. "Actually very picky. I hadn't found a gehaka who intrigued me enough." He shrugged, it was mostly the truth. He had seen many gehaka, but most bored him to tears. If he were to enter into a business contract, as that was his opinion of bonding. He would have to be able to put up with their personality and conversation.
"As we are being frank with each other." He began returning Enju's sly smile. "Do you like that your mother had kept you single this long?" He paused, that sounded wrong. "I mean, do you object to being bonded or would you welcome the change in situation?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 2:41 am
Enju had forgotten about that, something quite silly to forget but he always forgot those little details. He sneered at himself, slightly embarassed. Enju was a courageous fellow and very observant, he knew when a Haka minded if he talked or not. The worst punishment he had gotten was merely a slap on the wrists.
He nodded as Masae spoke, unconciously drawing nearer to him to listen better. Enju was a very sweet Gehaka and oddly enough a very touchy feely kind of person. His father had been one of the nicest Gehaka he'd ever known and he had gained most of his traits. He had a different view on Haka, and hand't really thought about them. He liked them well enough but he didn't favor Haka over Gehaka and vice versa. Both boiled down to the person themselves and how he got along with them. He let a foxish smirk slide onto his face, letting out a short laugh.
"I don't mind being single. I've had a few offers...but really, I wouldn't mind the change or staying the same..."
He was very unpartial to change and seemingly everything. He took everything in stride, taking everything for what it was and letting it run it's course. He was really philisophical in a way.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 3:10 am
Masae laughed with Enju, this flirting game was easier than he had first thought. For that's what they were playing, a game. Dancing around each other's personalities talking about flowers and bonding, testing the waters. Feeling unusually daring Masae also moved a little closer to Enju.
"So, Mr nonchalance. What if I were to say you had caught my interests." He gave a small snort of laughter. "But then that should be no suprise to a gehaka who has had several offers." He teased flicking his fan shut and then open again.
He had no idea how these things were done, but he guessed there was no harm in making his possible intentions known.Masae was a business person first, and when it came to business you didn't pussyfoot around.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 3:25 am
Enju was more than aware of the game they were playing. He played it all the time, just not with Haka usually. He was good natured but flirty but kept it on a playful level. His ears twitched at Masae's voice, snickering a bit at his comment. He straightened up, shrugging as if he didn't care, and his voice becoming charmingly smooth and filled with arrogance.
"I wouldn't be surprised, of course. It's pretty common place now, I get offeres everyday, it's quite tiresome really."
He couldn't hold his voice in that tone and began to laugh, his head dropped back as he did. Enju couldn't relate on a business level, he was far too laid back to be deal with such things. Licking his lips, he shrugged again, an honest movement, for he didn't really know what to say to that. He'd never really met any of the Haka who had wanted him and this experience was turning out well enough that he didn't really mind if he did propose an offer. He might even persuade his mother to take the offer, seeing how much he was getting to like Masae.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 1:57 pm
Enju's comment made Masae's mouth twitch into a smile, a smile that quickly turned to laughter. Not the restrained fake kind but a proper laugh that caused him to almost fall off his raised geta. He had a vision of Haka queued up around the Arehoudai flower stall fanning themsleves whilst Enju wearily turned them away.
His laughter dying he fanned his face and shook his head. Few people had the ability to make him laugh like that. Very few. Masae considered the idea of placing an offer with Enju's mother. Masae needed three things in a first husband sense, apathy and someone who could stand up to his demands. So far Enju met all of these.
Turning serious again Masae tapped his fan against his lips thoughtfully. They were drawing nearer to the house.
"It is my belief that all big decisions need to be slept on." He said softly, his smooth voice curling around the words. "So if you can keep those hoards of Haka at bay for one more night tomorrow I may pay you and your mother visit. Unless you have any objections of course." He stopped at the gates of the house. "Now would be the time to express them if you do." His voice had returned to the cold, clipped manner of before. For maybe the second time in his life he was nervous.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 2:25 pm
Enju laughed with Masae, watching the Haka chortle at his jesting. He didn't often find Haka that would laugh with him or Haka that he could joke around with freely. It was hard for the Gehaka, since he didn't know how business it was for Masae or any Haka for that matter. Enju was more of a down to earth, free spirt but he could understand to some level.
His basket twitched a bit, his laughter subsiding as well. He dropped his head thoughtfully. He mused about being married to the Haka. That would certianly be an interesting adventure. All that he was concerned about though was that he'd continue to care for the garden and help the younglings and his friends keep up with their flowers.
Enju dulled his mischevious grin to a patient smile, listening to Masae. His ears perked forward suddenly, almost stopping in his tracks. He thought he'd been joking about making an offer. He instead got quiet and looked up ahead, obviously thinking deeply. He grinned suddenly, nodding his head and looking sheepishly at Masae with a tinge of that raw truthful smile he always seemed to have.
"No...no objections at all. If your serious..I could probably get my mother to take it easy on you. Like I said, he wants to keep as long as possible, he's kind of stingy like that."
He cakcled weakly, brushing against Masae very lightly. Now, it may come as surpise or not, but Enju was into the whole true love bit. Or not true love, but at least love. He was actually a very loving person when he wasn't being a complete flirt or joker.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 2:31 pm
 "It isn't conceit," Seichou murmured softly and airily as he settled himself now, swirling his hands through the cool water and half-preening, "if it's true. And I don't doubt you." He ducked his head under the water and came up sputtering and gasping, shaking his head hard so that water beads flew every which way, gleaming in the sunlight and plastering his black hair to his honey-bright skin. "I know I'd spend my life sketching, if I could. I'd love to sit in some shadowy comfortable place all the time and draw. Maybe learn to paint, or to ink. My mother does the most lovely calligraphy when he's not screaming and apoplectic." A small blush colored Sei's cheeks and he ducked again, as though afraid of reprisal.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 2:38 pm
 Shizuka smiled at Sei as he spoke and ducked under the water. He wondered why Sei sputtered the way he did.
"Do you swim often?" he asked kindly, in an off-hand sort of way so that he wouldn't offend Sei. He didn't want to insist that the Gehaka was a bad swimmer, he just wondered why he did the things he did.
"I guess we'd all do what we love for our entire lives if we could... but what would happen if you were married to a Haka who hated your talents and wanted you to only do his bidding?" He said, suddenly staring off into space. He couldn't imagine being forced into doing something that he hated, like battling. "That's the only thing I've truly afraid of in life... losing the one thing that I value more than my own life right now: my art."
He swam along, using his wings to propel him as well as his arms. He floated and let himself sink and was actually graceful in the water, something which he was most definitely lacking on land.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 3:14 pm
"I don't get time to swim often," said Sei, as he let his body float, slightly gawky in the water, a tangle of limbs almost disproportionately long to his slender, slightly small height. "So I look a little silly in the water."
He paused, then his ears drooped slightly. "If I lost my art... well, I suppose I'd be just like everyone else. I'd have to learn to fight, or risk displeasing my master. I suspect," he said, almost acceptingly, staring down into the cool water, "that I wouldn't live very long."
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 3:46 pm
Masae smiled again, not minding the slight contact for once. To be honest he was shocked that Enju actually seemed interested. Masae was not the worst haka, but he was far from being among the nicest. He nodded at Enju's words placing his hand on the rough wood of the gate.
"Until tomorrow then." He said bowing his head a little. "Thank you for an interesting afternoon." He was about to enter the house when he had a second thought, turning back he gave Enju a grin. "I wouldn't worry about your mother. I'm very well connected. In fact I can bring a little persuasion with me." With that he nodded his head once more and dissapeared through the gate. Closing it behind him he stared at the wood a little. That was the last thing he had expected to happen when he had set out that afternoon.
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