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 Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 3:46 am
 
This is a PRP between Van (Kurama no Koishi) and Cais (Never Crazy).
Setting:
An exchange of words and goods at the Trinh Family shop, between Van and Cais. Though they share ethnic roots, it quickly becomes apparent that they are far different than their common blood would suggest.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 4:35 am
Van didn’t need anything she was carrying in her shopping bags today. The lady never needed things, only wanted them. Her recent promotion to captain was as good of an excuse as any to go on a shopping trip, if not more so, since the promotion came with an upgraded paycheck. The new position was certainly much greater by way of stress and responsibilities, but that only allowed her more room for one of her favorite methods of stress relief—shopping.
The Legionnaire was not fussed about the obvious swords on her hip and battle-friendly attire, even though it made her stand out among the civilians in the marketplace. She couldn’t be bothered to change into something more normal, not when, by nightfall, she’d be back in the Legion offices to lead a mission for intel. In the meantime, Van was perfectly happy to spend her time fueling Lunaria’s economy with her conspicuous consumption.
A glint of light caught her eye, and Van turned to peer at what appeared to be a glass shop. She’d passed the place many times before during her near-daily shopping trips, but had never been inside for lack of necessity and interest. Decorations were nice, it was certainly true, she mused as she headed in the direction of the shop’s door, but when you lived with someone as big, ungraceful, and uncooperative as Bataar, it was better not to own anything fragile. Indeed, Van spent enough time replacing broken furniture every time they fought (it was often) to have to worry about replacing delicate glassware and vintage vases.
Van paid little attention as the bell on the door rang, announcing her presence, for her attention had immediately drawn to a crimson figurine resting just on the shelf opposite the door. She didn’t know enough about glass-blowing to be able to judge its craftsmanship, but the graceful curves and carefully spotted pattern of the leopard were enough for her to seriously consider the purchase. “I wonder...?” she thought aloud, not too keenly aware of the shopkeeper’s presence. She’d yet to decide whether price was an object.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 2:41 am
The warmth of the smoke brewing up into Cais' face singed at his eyebrows while he struggled to relight his fire. He'd been at the workshop all day tediously filling a large order his father had decided to leave to him, the whole "man of the house thing". Cais snorted and moved back as the blackened fire snuffed out, leaving behind nothing but smoke drifting into the haze of the workshop.
"That's done it." He muttered while wiping the sweat from his brow and tearing off his gloves, moving back towards the shop front with a disappointed air about him. The fire was the lifeblood of the craft and though he could probably get it going again within seconds the inspiration to complete the order had dwindled and died as the fire had. With a shake of his hair he managed to get the last remaining remnants of ash free and felt another sigh move through his pursed lips.
Irritation was the least of his worries. Soon his father would be home for his long trading route and come home to a half-filled order. Regardless of the fact it still had several days to deadline, the Trinh patriarch was a stern man in his business and had always aimed to finish things early to show a good and strong work ethic. Cais felt his fist hit the nearby shop doorway, creaking the wood that made up the small opening.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he barely registered the familiar ding of the shop bell and ignored it completely. Inclined to have a seat to recompose himself Cais felt his body move forward towards the stool placed behind the counter. Maybe a little time off of his feet would get his mind rolling again...
In the corner of his eye he swept across the room and felt himself stop and glance the way of the door. There nearby he laid his eyes on her and halted all motion. Cais had a bad run with most Lunarian girls. So far nothing had really gone right from attempting to mingle, even as friends things seemed to get stranger as time passed. His curiosity was already peaked as he watched her move closer to some of the pieces he'd put out himself. He knew better, he really did. His sister or his mother could come in and help her shop, nothing could go wrong that way.
But Cais could never help himself.
"Interested in glasswork?" He said, standing up as tall as he could while quickly rubbing away some of the dirt on his face as he approached. "I made that one myself."
((Sorry about there not being any color in this, my internet is spotty and I kind of rushed this out to make sure it would get posted >>;; ))
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Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 3:28 am
Upon entry into the shop, Van had not acknowledged the shopkeeper—in fact, she hadn’t even noticed him sitting behind the corner. This wasn’t for any physical reason, of course, it was more that whenever Van saw something she wanted, she tended to have tunnel vision. Though her violet gaze fell on the surrounding glassware, she did not see them. Years of growing up and becoming wiser had yet to cure her of this, but the Legionnaire had never seen a problem with her spending habits. It was a mutually beneficial relationship, wasn’t it? She got what she wanted, and the vendors got her hard-earned gold... and in this arena, it rarely mattered whether one was a Legionnaire or a Noble.
The boy sitting at the counter spoke to her before she could inquire about the figurine she had her eye on, and she turned to him with a polite smile. “This one?” she asked, her voice carrying neatly over the small distance between them, “It’s lovely. How much are you asking for it?” Her hand hovered over the red leopard, wanting to run her fingers over the smooth glass, but she refrained. Van was ever the careful sort, but some shop owners hated their things being touched, and it wouldn’t do to have broken something before the conversation was over.
Now that her attention had been lifted from the wares, Van found herself peering around the place in her peripheral vision. There was no one else in the vicinity, and the place, though small, was well-stocked with intricate glassware. By all appearances it was a mom-and-pop shop, not unlike many of the stores in this area of the markets. The Lunarian standing at the counter didn’t appear to be old enough to be any kind of patriarch, however, perhaps clocking in at a few years younger than herself.
“Are you the owner?” Van gestured, referring to the shop they were standing in. It never hurt to make small talk with the shopkeepers. If she was friendly enough, sometimes they would even cut her a deal.
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 10:40 pm
Cais felt a smug smile come on as he closed the distance between himself and her, glancing at the piece. He remembered it well enough, having spent many hours on it's first go which had been a present to his younger sister. The smile remained at the memory though his eyes became fixated on the Lunarian in front of him. She had a grace to her and clearly knew what she wanted, there was already admiration blooming within him towards her. Clearing his throat softly he nodded to her.
"Thank you. It's probably one of my better ones." He put softly, glancing back at it with eyebrows furrowed. Though he worked on pieces and often minded the shop, he'd never been the one to set the prices - that was his father's decision mainly. Cais blinked and tried to recall what he'd set it at. There was no recollection and he faltered a moment before turning back to her. "15." He put out confidently.
Watching her view the store brought out a sense of pride in him and he felt himself stand at his full height, following her gaze. The shop was full, which had been pretty standard in the previous months given the trend for more practical wares being the demand. Blinking back at her he shook his head, somewhat shyly.
"No, my father owns this, I only mind the shop and make wares." He said with a shrug. "I have the "soul of an artist, not of a business man", or so my mother often says." He said with a laugh, shaking his head a bit. "But if the boot fits."
There was a sincere smile on his face that only faded once he remembered he was in the middle of a conversation. "Ah, so you're interested in glass work?" He asked casually, happy to have someone to talk to.
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 4:41 am
Van nodded at the other Lunarian’s words, feeling a slight pang of envy at the apparent show of skill that were the shop wares. She herself didn’t have any artful hobbies that were as tangible as glass sculptures, none that she was any good at anyway. Even if she had been, her family was rooted as a military clan; she’d never hear the end of it if she’d declined their tradition. And so, music and kite-flying had taken a backseat to the war effort, much more so now that she had become a captain.
The price seemed reasonable to the woman, and she reached into the purse hanging from her shoulder for the amount he’d called for. “I’d love to take it off your hands,” she murmured, fixing the boy with a friendly smile as she turned to place the gold in front of him for him to count. Seeming mildly impressed at the notion that he’d made many of the wares in the shop, Van swiveled her head around to briefly survey the glassware again, looking for evidence of a signature style that might be his.
“You’re lucky to be so talented,” she admitted, “I’m sure it saves you from resorting to the war to earn your bread.” Van had no idea that she was presently talking to a fighter from the other side, of course, though this wouldn’t color her opinion of the young man in the room too much unless he presented her with reason to.
Continuing as if she hadn’t said anything of consequence, Van shrugged, and the small, close-lipped smile returned to her face. “I’ve always admired the work on display here as I pass, but money is tight these days. I couldn’t help myself today, though.” It was not at all a lament—instead, she seemed rather excited about her find, as she always was during an impending purchase.
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:09 pm
A brief moment of loss passed over him followed by a filling joy as he glanced the money over before pocketing it, taking the treasure with both hands and wrapping it carefully with some nearby bits of parchment, tying it with a small wiry bit of rope before handing it back over. "I hope it suits wherever you aim to put it well." He said with a grin, fixing some of the stray hairs near the back of his head.
With a jolt he seemed to go rigid at mention of the war. With a shake of his head he managed a mumble. "Talented here, yes. But even if not to earn my bread, it's still something I tend to get involved in." Cais couldn't help himself, really. A lot of the time he'd felt trapped in the workshop and storefront - even though he could easily lose days to it happily - he always felt he wasn't doing enough.
With another shake of his head he turned back, forcing himself to grin back towards her. "Well I'm glad you stopped in. I think you might be the first customer we've had in a while now." He hesitated, not sure of what to say next. It had been a long time since he'd talked to anyone around his age, aside from the occasional smartass remark he got when he ran into an enemy.
"I don't think I ever caught your name." He pushed on awkwardly, nearly tripping over the words. "I'm Cais." His eyes remained on her, but he still felt like an ambushed deer unable to decide which way to go. Should he bother trying conversation? Should he attempt more than just a single transaction. With a deep breath he let out a sigh. Battle he was fine with. Work he was fine with. Trying to make conversation - not so much.
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Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 1:05 am
Van’s eyes followed the younger Lunarian’s movements appreciatively as he wrapped her new purchase carefully for her. If there was one thing that hadn’t changed about her in all of her years, it was the fact that her happiness was practically childlike when it came to successful shopping. Smiling, she thanked him graciously as he handed the wrapped figuring back to her, before turning to tuck it safely away in her shopping bag. “I have just the place for it,” she assured him, natural confidence oozing into her words. Her aesthetic perceptions weren’t limited to dressing herself, after all.
She didn’t miss how he stiffened suddenly when she’d mentioned the war so offhandedly. It had been her fault, honestly—the captain rank meant total immersion in the conflict that kept Lunaria in shadow. Sometimes she forgot that there were a good many civilians still trying to make as if things were still just peachy. The war certainly hadn’t touched everyone the way it’d touched her life, though she had no idea of knowing how completely wrong she was about this green-haired boy in front of her.
“Is that so?” she asked then, easily going with the flow of the conversation. Van didn’t seem to notice any discomfort on his part, for she herself seemed perfectly at home. “I’ll be sure to spread the word about this place, if only I knew the name—?” Turning around, the woman peered in the direction of the door to search for the sign out front.
The sound of his voice retrieved her attention, and her violet gaze once again fell on him. She smiled. “Captain Au Tuyet Van. But you can just call me Van.” she said, reaching one gloved hand out in greeting. Van hardly noticed that she’d included her title in her self-introduction; it was something that was automatic to her now. With an affluent military clan as family and countless faction meetings to report to, it came with the territory. “Pleasure to meet you, Cais.”
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Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 4:39 pm
Her way of continuing on was amazing, Cais noted mentally while his body slowly took itself off the defensive and relaxed. He felt rather relieved in the fact he'd begun a conversation without it turning sour - which seemed to be one of his greatest curses. "Captain, huh." He said thoughtfully, remembering back some some captains he had seen before. She didn't seem to be one of the ones he knew or had seen in passing, and though she looked familiar in some way she was obviously kind enough. He swear he'd heard the name before though, if only he could remember where exactly. Regardless he continued on. "It is a pleasure to meet you also then, Van." Cais said, taking her gloved hand and shaking it with one his calloused hands, taking it back a moment after.
"Well, my father isn't much for names, so it usually just goes by Trinh Family Glassworks" Cais said with a shrug. There wasn't much to it, just their name which had many years ago been something of note but now lingered as a mere remnant of itself. "Family business and all. Father, mother, sister..." he hesitated a moment then blinked. "...and me." He finished with a half-smile, though lost himself in thought a moment before returning to his earlier comment.
"I guess what I mean to say is it affects everyone. Even a glass shop." Nothing got his blood boiling like the war, especially in the most recent months where he had been stalked down by an attempted assassin and spent most every night seeking a way to further the cause. There had not been much rest in his life since he had left the academy but that was very little to pay to continue the way he was - for the good of his fellow Nobleman.
He shifted in his stance at the thought, becoming fuller while standing tall as he looked back at her. "But you seem like you've seen your share of it, so I'm sure you already know that." Cais shook his head. "It's kind of terrible what a prolonged war like this does to everyone, but all things come to an end eventually." There was a gleam in his eyes, a fools optimism truly, but even he could feel the tide of battle growing stronger towards it's inevitable end.
He was stuck in thought and staring. "Ah, sorry to lose myself in thought." He said with a sheepish grin. "I get a little ahead of myself sometimes."
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 11:14 pm
“Trinh Family Glassworks,” Van repeated, pronouncing the name in her mother tongue. “That will be easy for me to remember.” It appeared that the two of them had something in common after all, but perhaps that was where it ended. The Captain found herself wishing that her own family was smaller, that they could operate as a unit on a regular basis as Cais seemed to be saying about his own family. It was impossible for Van’s family now—they’d been scattered across the land as the war called for it, and in one isolated case, across factions. She herself was only just now patching things up with her father, but the situation as a whole was still less than ideal.
Shifting her bag on her shoulder, Van was about to comment when the other Lunarian returned the conversation to an earlier subject, one that she’d thought to steer their idle chat away from. She didn’t mind, of course—the war was never far from mind, and she always had something to say about it whether prompted to or not. Van didn’t know which faction Cais reported to, however, if he did at all, so it was wisest to keep things neutral for now. They were in a glass shop, after all.
The captain’s smile turned almost apologetic, as if she took some of the blame for how the war raged on and on without letup. “Eventually,” she echoed quietly. It was all everyone hoped for, but Van didn’t believe it could be done, not yet. The longer they fought, the more it seemed to alienate everyone. Peace was only going to be achieved by force.
“You’re lucky, at least, with the four of you having something here to come back to. I never see my family—they’re all in different states for the war effort.” She shook her head slightly, as if amused, for she’d long since come to terms with this fact. With as many captains and generals as the Legionnaire had across her extended family, the only hope they’d ever have for a family reunion was in celebration of victory. And even then, there was one captain who’d never come back, one she used to call her brother.
It was a bitter thought, one that always stung her heart whenever it crossed her mind, but Van tried not to let it show. Instead, sounding cheerful in spite of herself, she merely said, “So don’t take them for granted!”
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:23 pm
The conversation was going into an interesting place which made Cais silent for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. Though she had meant it to be good, he had to think it over - he did take them for granted occasionally, he was aware of that. Just like he had taken his brother for granted, and then he was gone from the family forever. Dead to him, though not gone from the world.
"If that's the case with your family, then I suppose all I can wish for is a quick end." Inside the fighter wanted to take back his own words, it was all too much wishful thinking for him that some part of him wanted to desperately hold onto, but couldn't due to realism.
He was never good at truly hiding his emotions and his eyes moved to thoughts of sadness, thinking back to that night when he'd attacked his own blood for sake of the war. "Ah, sorry." He said, blinking his way back to the room around him. "All this talk is probably not the most fitting for small talk while in a shop."
Cais was still studying her, some part of him maybe picturing a family of Nobles.... and then it occurred to him. He stopped, dead in his thought and his eyes seemed to focus on her further, narrowing just a twinge. Most Nobles he knew stayed near family, stayed together with the war efforts and, to his own knowledge, weren't spread that far from each other.
Not here, not here, not here... If he was going to make accusations or get angry in store, there'd be no helping him - but his mouth often ran rampant. "There's too much sorrow in that subject, I think. Of not seeing others, or having them taken from you." His eyes darkened.
"Ah, but... is there anything else here that has your fancy?" It was as polite as he could make it, though his suspicious were drawing out that darker side of himself little by little.
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 5:50 pm
“Ah, you’re right. It was my fault,” Van said, sounding politely apologetic again. Years ago, the war had seemed like a distant thing, a story to be left in the history books. When she was at the Academy, that was all it really was. As a captain now, she lived and breathed war, and few were the moments when the fighting wasn’t on her mind. She wasn’t only responsible for herself now; she held hundreds of lives in her hands. It was a sobering realization, one she made often.
Her gaze sharpened at the mention of loved ones being taken. That was exactly what had happened to her brother. She didn’t see him as having left them; he had quite literally been taken from out of his bed that fateful night. This boy standing before her certainly had made an interesting choice of words, but whether he served the Legion or the Nobles remained no clearer than it was before. She wouldn’t push, not in public like this. “All of us have felt the casualties of war, and the losses of those who were... taken by the N—by the others, as you so aptly put it.”
She’d nearly slipped and namedropped her allegiance, though in her mind it was the Nobles who did most of the taking. Why should the Legion have to take back what was already theirs?
“I will be happy with just this purchase today,” she said then, quick to change the subject when the opportunity presented itself. The captain hadn’t missed the way that Cais seemed to suspect her of something. Van wasn’t able to put a finger on it, but there was a tension in the air now that hadn’t been there earlier. Better to bow out now, then, than risk an embarrassing confrontation. “Thank you, Cais. It was a pleasure—hopefully I will be by again someday.”
The captain meant it, as long as she was in the dark about his allegiance. For now, they were simply fellow citizens. Nodding once, she headed out the door.
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:30 pm
"Yes it was, take care." He said dryly with a wave.
In a moment she was gone, but her words echoed hollowly in the small shop and Cais felt his arm slam down onto the main desk. The glass in the room seemed to shiver from the force but calm once more. I knew it. Bitter thoughts rose up inside of him as his eyes followed to the way she had gone. He hated that his hunch seemed to be almost clarified in that one instant, that he could still be blind to such things.
His hand remained clenched so tightly his nails began to press into his palm and he let out a loud groaning of anger before pulling it back. A long moment passed of silence before focusing back onto the door. If we meet again, it won't be like this. He thought to himself.
"I won't forget." He muttered, before turning to busy himself with paperwork. The words she had spoken had seemed pained, almost as he had been - but that was a poison he was not going to concern himself with. Back to his work, he tried to put it away from his mind but as he had said, he was certain he wasn't going to forget her anytime soon.
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