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 Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:11 pm
  This is a private roleplay between Jianyu [Kuro-Mizuki] and Ishtar [Faylun]
Setting:
After graduating from the Academy, Jianyu goes back to his old school to get in some extra training. However, he meets someone new and completely...unexpected...
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Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:29 pm
It was early morning when Jianyu found himself back at the Academy. The sun was just barely reaching the skies, and a soft golden light streaked across the pristine white building, illuminating the elegant trim and the delicate letters that proclaimed what it was. It had only been a week since Jianyu had last been to the school, but since graduating he had found no need to return. He had moved on to become a fighter, finally being able to train for what he had spent his whole life studying for.
However, the previous day Jianyu had realized that he had left a significant amount of his homemade arrows in a cabinet near the Academy's archery fields. Somewhat reluctant to face the place he had finally managed to successfully graduate from, Jianyu had somehow managed to convince himself to muster up the energy to once more head back to the Academy of Lunaria.
And here he was, standing in front of its large, mahogany doors. There were the beginnings of students starting to arrive, and Jianyu gritted his teeth, ignoring the questioning stares from several of the younger students who were looking at him with a mixture of awe and fright. He stepped into the building and made his way through the wide hallways, hoping to reach the doors that led out to the archery fields without much hassle.
As he passed by the open doorway to one of the spacious practice rooms, however, Jianyu distinctly heard the sound of...music...? It was soft, barely audible above the voices of the students, but it was there nonetheless, and Jianyu paused, taking a few steps back to peer into the room.
It was a girl. No, Jianyu amended as his eyes landed on the figure swaying from side to side. It was a young woman, tall and graceful as she glided effortlessly across the floor, her slender arms twisting above her, a gauzy magenta fabric held in her delicate hands. Her hair, a darker magenta, tumbled down her back in glossy waves, catching the early morning rays of the sun.
Jianyu's breath caught in his throat, and for a moment he was utterly entranced, stuck in the doorway as he watched her dance across the room, beautiful and lyrical.
Who...is that?
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Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 4:19 pm
Ishtar felt eyes on her as she twisted and wove, her entire body coursing with energy. Smiling inwardly, she made no move to turn and look at her audience, and continued dancing. Her left hand, uncomfortable, was wiehged down by her scarf as she tossed it through the air. Ishtar was wistfully reminded of her fire-dancer torches she had left behind at the circus. It wasn't as if the academy would let her play with fire, no matter how trained she was. Ishtar couldn't fully show her skills without torches to dance with. For right now, she was going to have to dance with her silk sash, the color of watered-down wine. What if something happened to it? One wrong move, and the expensive cloth could tear. Be careful she thought, and immediately chided herself. Being careful never led to anything. If there was one thing Ishtar was an expert at, it was being reckless.
She took another long leap, her foot barely hitting the ceiling---Ishtar was going to make sure her audience, whoever it was, enjoyed the show.
The small entourage that typically followed her around the school was playing a soft melody, and her eyes snapped towards them. They seemed to hint that a brisker song should be started, and almost immediately the musicians seemed to get her gist. Almost instantly, a fast, rhythmic song started to play. The beats thumped through the air, in syncopation with the bottoms of Ishtar's slender feet. She closed her eyes and began a series of pirouettes and twirls. Well, this was new. Ishtar didn't normally dance in this fashion, it was rather too froufrou for a street dancer---Nobles and their kind tended to spin this way. Still, Ishtar had always wanted to try those moves.
The song ended as abruptly as it had started. Ishtar opened her eyes, and found herself staring at the many-faceted mirrored wall. She had danced with all the ferocity of a tornado, but now...Her reflection showed that her hair lay smooth and unruffled, her body barely showing a sheen of sweat.
She didn't notice her own reflection, however. She was too busy paying attention to the image of the stranger that stood in the doorway. A bow held in his right hand, with an impassive look on his well-chiseled face, the stranger looked like a statue of a long-forgotten god of the hunt.
Who is he ? Ishtar thought dazedly. He seemed too young to be a teacher, too old to be a student. Spinning around again, thoughts ran through her head. It wasn't as if he's the first man I've seen. Why do I find...her thoughts trailed off.
Blinking a bit, Ishtar strode across the room, her long steps confident and fast. With a smooth motion, she placed a hand on the stranger's face. Looking up at him---he was only a tiny bit taller than she was--she traced the strange, runelike marks underneath his left eye. Smiling slowly, she murmured, "I'd like it if I could have my sash back."
For, in the strangers' other hand, was her sash, a pale, silky magenta. It must have fallen off of my bangle...but how? thought Ishtar. She was always aware of her surroundings when she danced. How was it that her sash, so firmly connected to her bracelet, managed to slip away somehow? Without her knowledge?
Looking directly into the strangers' eyes, Ishtar said again, "Could you give it to me, hon?" Her hand never left the strangers' face.
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Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:45 pm
She was dancing more powerfully now, her slender body twisting and spinning with the beat of the music. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be completely immersed in the ebb and flow of the music. Her scarf had come off while she was dancing, the gold link that had connected it to the thick bracelets on her wrists disconnecting abruptly. It landed with a soft thud a few feet away from Jianyu, and though the young woman did not notice that it had come undone, Jianyu did. Stepping forward, he reached down, picking up the magenta cloth. It slid like pale silk in his hand, but his gaze was still focused on the dancer.
She had stopped now, and was looking at him with an unreadable expression. Walking slowly, gracefully over to him, she placed a warm hand on his face. Jianyu jerked involuntarily, his eyes flashing as one long, slender finger traced the markings he had tattooed under his eyes so long ago. He sometimes forgot about them, sometimes didn't remember what they looked like, but the touch of this young woman sent something shivering up Jianyu's spine, something that he did not understand. Her voice was lyrical, low and melodious. Jianyu's hand rose upwards, gripping the young woman's wrist tightly as he pulled her hand away from his face; an involuntary reaction. He was still wary of strangers, even ones as...different as this one.
"Who are you?" he said.
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Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 11:07 am
Her thin wrist still in the stranger's grasp, Ishtar made no move to pull it away. Tilting her head a tiny bit to the right, she peered even more closely into the tattooed Lunarian's eyes. Maybe they could somehow reveal what he was thinking... instead, Ishtar just found herself sinking even more into their sapphire depths.
Then, suddenly, words excaped from the stranger's mouth, jolting Ishtar back to reality.
"Who are you?"
For once, she was at a lost for words. Opening her lips slightly, her tongue tried to find the words to explain who she was. Who was she, really? In the end, was she a performer? An Academy student? A Legionnaire? What had happened to her true name?
Maybe all those years of disguising her inner self had caused her to lose her identity---For, as of now, Ishtar couldn't find the words to describe herself.
Suddenly, she stopped her rambling thoughts, and Ishtar's practicality came in. She was acting like fool. A silly, lovestruck fool. Who was she? Ishtar, dancer extraordinaire. Somebody who had decided to---no, resorted to---attend the Academy to train as a Legionnaire. Then, as her normal, conniving self stumbled in, Ishtar began to worry. What if this stranger, as beautiful as he seemed, was a Noble? A tiny bubble of disgust rose up inside Ishtar, and she yanked her wrist away from the Lunarian. There was no way in hell that she was going to get involved with a Noble fighter, if that was what he was. Ishtar was never going to make the same mistakes her mother had.
"Dear, I'll tell you who I am. I'm Legion." whispered Ishtar, and in her heart she wished the stranger was that alliance, too. And if he was, maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way she did.
"Now, tell me, who are you?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 6:48 pm
The young woman was more feisty than Jianyu realized. She wrenched her hand free with a surprising strength, her dark eyes glittering as she proclaimed her allegiance with a fierce hiss of a whisper. She was looking at him with an expression of mixed disgust and anger, and Jianyu stared back, his eyebrows narrowing. He did not quite know where the irritation had come from, but either way, he was not pleased with it.
"I am Qian Jianyu." he said, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Son of Qian Liwei, a follower of the Legion. I am a Fighter of the Legionnaires, and you will not disrespect me in this Academy Hall."
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Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 2:55 pm
Feisty. That was an excellent word for describing Ishtar, right now. Just a few moments ago, she was relaxed and confident, ready to flirt with this new stranger. Then, suddenly...the air between them had suddenly a chilly tinge to it. Ishtar wasn't quite aware that her reply had caused the small hostility between her and Jianyu, but she did have a very small, nagging feeling that perhaps she didn't quite give the most polite of responses. She was a bit on edge, partly from suspicion, but also from the odd feeling she was currently experiencing.
Some sort of...dizzyness, in a way. A feeling that somebody has when they leap off a cliff, expecting the worse---only, instead of falling...
They end up flying?
Ishtar's mouth twitched slightly as she fought back the urge to smile, to laugh at the ridiculous way she was acting towards this Lunarian.
"I am a Fighter of the Legionnaires, and you will not disrespect me in this Academy Hall."
Almost suddenly, Ishtar felt a wave of relief as a her worries dissolved. Her instinct had proved to be wrong. This Lunarian--Jianyu-- was completely safe to be around. After all, weren't they both Legion?
As quickly as it had come, the cold, slightly hostile expression on her face melted away. Ishtar began to feel herself relax once again, and she broke her eyes away from Jianyu's now-icy blue gaze. Running a hand through her soft mane of wine-colored hair, she laughed softly, her inner feelings rushing out.
"Well, nice to meet you then, Jianyu..."The Lunarian's name felt comfortable on her tongue, and Ishtar felt goosebumps rise up as she stepped even closer to the fighter. Only a few centimeters separated their faces now.
Time to turn on that charm.
"I'm sorry if I seemed a little...disrespectful. Then again, you never know what sort of characters a girl like me will chance upon in this school. You have to understand, I needed to be on my guard."
Pursing her lips, Ishtar's wine-colored eyes drifted towards the mirrored walls of the room. She saw her and Jianyu's reflections. My, they matched together well.
They were both tall, slender, strong...and Legion. After all, wasn't it just appearances that mattered?
"You can call me Ishtar, darling, seeing as all the rest of my friends do. And that's what you'll be, right? My friend." Smiling a little at her current feeling of audacity, Ishtar resolved to not let her confusion come in the way again.
After all, this was a game. Flirting, charming, entertaining Jianyu---And for a game, she just couldn't afford to doubt herself.
Placing her slender, tanned hand on Jianyu's hand again, Ishtar turned around and faced the center of the room.
"Shall I teach you how to dance?"
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 6:02 pm
Ishtar. Her name was Ishtar. A unique, exotic name that fit her unique, exotic beauty.
She was standing rather too close. Jianyu held his ground, his eyes staring defiantly back at the young woman's, the fingers of his right hand resting lightly on the familiar, smooth wood of his prized bow. It was a habit, one that he was not interesting in breaking anytime soon. Until the war in Lunaria was over, Jianyu would stay on his guard, no matter what. One could not be too careful of anything.
"Friends?" he repeated, arching one dark eyebrow. "I am not...opposed to the idea. However, it will take some time to determine whether or not this 'friendship' will be plausible."
The hand that touched his was warm, small, and slender, the delicate fingers brushing against his skin. Jianyu looked down briefly, then back up.
"I am afraid...that I know little of dancing." he said. "I have not much had the opportunity to do so."
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Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 7:28 pm
Pursing her lips, Ishtar's expression mirrored that of Jianyu's. What sort of person would not want to be friends with her? Flipping her hair off to one side, she continued to try to understand the man.
How strange and stoic he seemed, with his formal way of speaking and quiet, undiscernible bearing. Jianyu was quite unlike the friendly brawlers Ishtar had become accustomed to seeing as part of her audience. So it was true that the Academy was full of different types of people from varying backgrounds. It was certainly true that she, a somewhat common street dancer, would never meet a reserved fighter like Jianyu...except here.
It seemed now that differences were all they shared in common. Ishtar inwardly rolled her eyes at herself. She was supposed to have changed---flirting with every male Lun that came her way was certainly not how she wanted to begin her Academy life. But then, she couldn't help but talk to this stranger. Ishtar was more curious than ever about Jianyu.
"...I know little of dancing. I have not much had the oppurtunity to do so."
Who on earth had never had the time to dance? The idea seemed incomprehensible to Ishtar, and she furrowed her brow at Jianyu's statements. Well, then again, he did seem like the type of Lunarian who spent all his time training for battles and not enough time celebrating them.
Grabbing Jianyu's hand, she pulled him towards the door. She would teach him to dance, alright. But not in the cold, presently silent Academy room, with it's cold walls and high ceilings. No, Ishtar would take Jianyu out into the crowded market street, and give him a taste of the festivities there.
Besides, it would give her more time to contemplate whether or not she liked him.
"Come on, fighter. Let me show you how to truly dance---amidst the crowds."
Ishtar laughed as they stepped out of the doors of the Academy and into the bustling street outside.
There she was. Safe in her natural habitat with a handsome Lunarian. What could go wrong?
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Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 11:54 pm
Jianyu watched carefully the myriad of expressions that danced across Ishtar's slender face. She wore her emotions openly; he could see a mixture of curiosity and wariness, but there was also something else; something that Jianyu could not identify. He had never before met anyone such as the young woman standing before him; she was quite unlike the cheerful Van from the morning on the hilltop, or the sweet, somewhat innocent, yet adventurous Ah-Ra from his night at the Ichi-Koi Inn and Bar. There was something in her that Jianyu had difficulty reading.
Though this was not quite that unusual. Jianyu was not good at understanding most emotions, especially not the emotions of women. And this woman in particular was quite...unique.
He did not have time to react as Ishtar grabbed his hand, towing him from room and out of the Academy. He let her, partially because he did not wish to cause a scene by jerking his hand away, but also partially because he was curious as to where she was taking him.
They ended up in the midst of Main Street, among the bustling patrons that crossed here and there. Loud voices called out from street to street, stand to stand, shouting out prices or bargains they were interested in. There was the scent of spices mixed with seasalt, and Jianyu could see the top of the Qian Tattoo House far off in the distance. He turned back to Ishtar, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion.
"What exactly are we doing here?" he asked.
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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 5:25 pm
"What exactly are we doing here?"
"I suppose you could say I'm not one for empty rooms. I think this---" Ishtar waved a slightly tanned, slender hand over the bustling crowds. "---is more my comfort zone." She stepped through the crowds, still grabbing on to Jianyu's hand. Ish moved faster, step by step, until she and the male Lunarian were spinning and twisting through the crowds, weaving in and out amongst the marketpeople.
The colors, the sights, the sounds. The exquisite blue of Jianyu's eyes, the silky sheen of her sash, the mix of eastern and western languages in the crowds.
"Mama, look at this---"
"Today is a n---"
"Hurry up, we'll be late f---"
"I can't wait for th---"
If there was something special about Ishtar, it was the way she could maintain self-awareness through confusion. She simply didn't let herself be swept away by the crowds. Ish hoped Jianyu was the same---that he wasn't claustrophobic.
Moving with Jianyu through the crowds, half dancing, half walking, Ishtar gazed up at the sky. What a fantastic day. Ishtar prided herself on her actions, the way she expressed herself. Right now, she tried to come up with words that could describe this euphoria.
With her burgundy hair streaming around her, and dark eyes flashing, she turned back to Jianyu.
"Don't you love this, Jianyu? Don't you love Lunaria? If we're going to be true Legionnaires, we have to value what we're fighting for. And this. This is what I want Lunaria to always be like,"
Her lips continued to move, the words rushing out before she could think.
"This constant, flowing dance of lives. I love it. I love this, Jianyu,"
Going too fast now, the thoughts became words before Ishtar could fully process them.
"I love you."
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 10:59 pm
Watching Ishtar dance was quite fascinating. Every move was graceful and elegant, each twist of her body, each touch of her dewdrop words beautiful and engaging. It was like she drew people in with her dancing, made them stop and look and stare, utterly transfixed, until they could think of nothing else. Jianyu watched her with interest, one hand resting lightly on the bow at his hip.
"I do not think 'love' is the right word for my feelings towards Lunaria." he answered, studying her large, dark eyes. "I respect it, and I am loyal to it. I will fight for its rights and the freedom we all deserve, but love? Love is an emotion that is overused and ill-defined in nature."
He stopped abruptly at Ishtar's next words. They confused him, made his own mind race with a blur of thoughts and emotions, everything moving together too quickly, blending together too much to be cohesive. He did not even understand the concept of love, at least not the love that she was most likely referring to. The love he held for his family was different than the love for a woman or for a man with whom you were not related. Jianyu frowned, his fingers tightening automatically on his bow.
"'Love?'" he repeated. "How is it that you can say you 'love' me? We have only just met, and I have been told many times that love is something that takes time to cultivate."
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Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 3:11 pm
Ishtar's eyes drifted away from Jianyu's face for a moment as she contemplated his words.
He was right. Love was rather overused, but for her it was clearly defined. It was a feeling you recieved that made you want to fly, that used all other emotions as fuel to burn on.
Love was something that, after it ignited, would burn out just as quickly and leave you with a emptiness, a lack of all other emotions.
It was true, then, that Ishtar didn't exactly love Lunaria. She was definitely not ready to die for it, at least. What she loved, actually, was the moment---the dancing, the Lunarians, the starlight. And that adoration was slowly burning out as she realized she was making a complete fool of herself in front of Jianyu, who made her feel like a child.
An overemotional, restless child who was blurting her heart out.
How different they were. Even though they made a graceful couple, standing together in the middle of the bustling crowd, anybody could see how they contrasted. He was stiff and slightly unsure of the mass of bodies around them; she seemed to melt into the crowd at times, as if her dancing seemed to flow through the civilians.
Ishtar rarely showed her unsurety, and even though moments ago she'd been a little confused, she was now regaining her confidence.
"Time means nothing, Jianyu. For me...it's something that can't be counted. How do you know how long we've really known each other?"
Ishtar paused for a split second. She never went into deep monologues like this. For her, it was simple, quick words that flitted on the surface. But tonight, something was just different. It was odd how Jianyu brought out her hidden characteristics---in any other circumstance, she would have never acted like this.
"From the time I met you to now, the sun has set. The stars have come out. This world has just shifted it's place in the universe, and lives have been extinguished and lit. I can't say that we haven't known each other for a short amount of time. My life has always been winged, Jianyu.
The sense of time you have means nothing to me. You can't say we've only just met."
Ishtar stopped dancing, her still figure silhouetted against the crowd.
"I can say I love you, Jianyu, but I guess the true meaning's been lost on me. Our personalities are so different. Love isn't something that grows on me. It's not like a fire---well, then again, I suppose it sort of is. It's not like a tameable fire for me. Sooner or later, everything combusts."
Ishtar started to turn around, her head twisting to look at the emptying street. It was always the same for her. She burned, and then something-or someone- would come around to extinguish it.
It was obvious that Jianyu was a little, if not completely, taken aback by her straightforwardness. But Ish didn't regret the words that left her mouth afterwards. They came out sounding a little angry, and a little hurt as well, but she didn't really mean it.
"I'm guessing you're more starlike, Jianyu. You'd rather moon over something far away that's always there, burning slowly and faintly, instead of the explosions facing you. That's what makes us so different."
But our lives are like fires, Jianyu, and they're not a tameable ones either. You ignite quickly, and then you die---nothing starlike about us. And what is love but all your emotions come to life?
Ishtar smiled a little, and started back on the path towards the Academy.
"I'm going to go home. Goodbye."
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