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 Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:05 pm
 
This is a PRP between Van (Kurama no Koishi) and Mu Ying (Zyphiris).
Setting:
Taking a moment to herself in a bout of homesickness, Van finds that she's not the only one who enjoys hanging out in trees.
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Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 11:30 pm
Van sighed, swinging her legs on either side of the sturdy branch as she leaned against the trunk of the tree. She was on a break from work, in the time between late afternoon and dusk. What better way to spend it than chilling 30 feet above the ground? Usually, the captain spent her time off more productively—these days, her “breaks” were just extra time to get ahead. Today wasn’t one of those days. Van was more than justified, in her mind, to take a bit of time to do absolutely nothing at all, and she was loath to admit that this time it was because she missed home.
The dark-haired woman hailed from the Northern mountains of Lunaria, where forest and jungle were abundant. As a fighter, she had moved out from the area closer to the beaches, citing a need for fresh air and a fresher start. That was two years ago, and though she’d acclimated to the change in scenery, when things got too stressful in the office and on missions, the captain found herself reminiscing on the days when she’d train by herself in the rainforest.
Scaling trees had always been part of that training, and Van had always seen it as more fun than work. There was something thrilling about having to avoid poisonous tree frogs and snakes, and the skill of climbing trees itself had served her well on more than one occasion. Van remembered with a crooked smile the times she’d escaped both enraged Noble captain and a mother tiger by simply climbing up the nearest tree. The light shrubbery closer to the city was child’s play in comparison with the rugged environment closer to home, but under the time constraints of Van’s captain responsibilities, it would have to do for now.
Still, Van made it a point now to return to the mountains at some point, if not for training, then simply for the sake of returning. The Legionnaire paid little attention to the movement in one of the adjacent trees, so lost was she in her thoughts. Monkeys lived in these woods too, didn’t they? Perhaps? In any case, it probably wasn’t anything she had not encountered before. “Those monkeys...”
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 9:53 pm
He had been watching the entire time from the nearby tree he was in, how a dignified woman such as she was climbing up a tree. He knew he shouldn't judge or stereotype, but it was a little ... unladylike ... especially since she was wearing such a dress. She was a skilled climber though, most definitely. Mu Ying decided that it would be inappropriate for him to continue watching, averting his eyes and taking his gaze somewhere else.
It was about 10 odd years ago that he had climbed his first tree, a proper tree, not the short ornamental types that decorated the gardens. He had learnt the hard way, scraped arms and legs, falling, cuts and bruises and later on, with a ferocious hound barking at the foot of the tree. It was necessary though, the great heights provided a perfect vantage point to survey the landscape, collect intelligence and the track movement of troops. At the same time, it was all too vulnerable a position beyond the fact that the consequences would not be pretty if you fall. One had to mask themselves well in the tree to avoid being an easy target. And though he could jump from tree to tree ... that really wasn't the preferred option.
It was a little ironic then that he was dressed in his light coloured garb that day. Of course, he too wasn't on duty; he hadn't been for quite some time. Climbing the trees provided him with the sort of feeling he missed when he sat up there in the watchtower. Those nights spent alone with his beautiful owl companion... they were sorely missed.
Xue Ning meanwhile, had found a nice perch in Van's tree, the owl staring unblinkingly at the captain whilst standing out sharply in the dark coloured environment under the canopy. Curious, who was this that decided to join them up here today?
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 1:16 am
Van hadn’t noticed the boy in the tree nearby, and so keeping her dignified image wasn’t very high on her list of priorities. She couldn’t be blamed for this, though—the chances of finding another Lunarian out here were slim, let alone finding one sitting in a tree. She had assumed no one was around to see her. Academy students were just letting out from the school now, fighters were on the battlefield, and captains... well, all of the ones she knew would be shocked to find her just sitting idle the way she was now. It was supposed to be a private moment for the woman.
The captain noticed in the corner of her eye an owl perched on a nearby branch, though she decided to ignore it. She was fully aware of the superstitions (bah, superstitions) her culture associated with the large-eyed creature, especially if it was staring at her in such a way, but she firmly believed in making her own fate. Besides, she mused, it wasn’t as if she could get much unluckier as far as life-changing events. Humming tunelessly for a moment, Van fished a notebook out of the purse she’d slung over an adjacent branch, deftly flipping the small journal open to study some glyphs and figures on the page.
For all that she was on a break, the guilt of not working always caught up to her sooner or later. A few minutes went by before Van’s attention was somehow drawn to her right, to find a white-clad Lunarian resting in a tree nearby. Surprise registered on the woman’s face, but she didn’t startle, instinct preventing her from doing so while she was still suspended in the air. Van closed her book and grabbed the branch above her head, watching the boy warily. How long had he been there?
He didn’t look threatening—by his face and clothes, he seemed to be of student age. Eventually, Van decided to voice herself. “How’s the view?” she asked, sounding just a bit dry. It had been quiet; nothing had passed them by in the time she’d been sitting there.
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Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 10:53 am
Mu Ying was a little taken aback by the captain's question ... more of a little shocked. What had she meant by the view; surely not her and the way she was sitting in the tree was it? The young man had to look away for a moment to hide his embarrassment at the thought of that. He knew the answer; it was an innocuous question. It just felt as though she calling him out for looking at her inappropriately, to which he would admit that he was not. Meanwhile, Xue Ning had decided the lack of attention she was getting from Van was most disappointing. The snowy owl took flight, swooping over to the next tree silently and claiming her perch on her partner's shoulder.
“The view ... is alright,” came a very lame response, almost sounding sheepish. Surely she wouldn't be too interested on what he had actually gathered from his observations – dry information mostly - so he kept it to himself, lest he bore her even further. “My respects to you Captain, I did not expect to see you here,” he greeted her sincerely, Xue Ning letting out a few low hoots to express her own greetings. The young man kept still, unsure if she would continue to address him. He knew that on his part, it would be rude to intrude on his superior's thoughts or attempt to make any small chat, so he waited for her to speak. By then, Mu Ying was finding it rather interesting that he was encountering a few Captains in the oddest of places. It did make sense though, that he was running into people more often now that he was awake when they were awake. A bit of social interaction was the trade off for taking on the night watch duties, though Mu Ying wasn't too sure anyone would particularly enjoy him as company.
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 11:49 pm
Van waited expectantly for his answer, not necessarily because she thought he really needed an explanation as to what he was doing in a tree (although that was curious), but more because that was what she’d come to expect of others. Barking out commands was something she had to do every day, and if her demands weren’t met she was well within her rights to punish those under her for it. It wasn’t a power trip, simply a way of life, and besides she had been quite civil just now. He was just a boy, after all, though it was this that prompted her to move her leg so that she was sitting sideways on the branch instead of straddling it.
The severe expression on her face lightened slightly at his words as she realized the humor in the situation. Just how often did they climb trees to find someone already up there? The woman hid her smile, though one corner of her lip curled up visibly, regardless. “I was not expecting you here, either, though I should have guessed at the presence of your lovely owl.” she answered, nodding at both of them in acknowledgment. Her eyes glanced over the other Lunarian again as she looked for signs of what he’d been doing before she arrived. He didn’t seem to be reading, as she had been, and there was nothing else present to suggest otherwise.
It was possible, of course, that he simply enjoyed the act of sitting in a tree, a sentiment that Van shared to some extent. The woman would never say that she liked to hang out in trees when questioned about what she did in her free time, though—it didn’t seem like something that was “proper” for a woman of her age and rank to do, no matter how common it was among others. She was quickly learning, these days, that it was difficult to be truly alone.
Deciding then to save herself the guesswork, she inquired, “What brings you up here?”
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Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 8:44 am
The young lunarian was significantly more composed once he saw that the lady was sitting in a more proper position, the action prompting him to give a slight dip of his head involuntarily. Whether or not that would have been regarded as condescending of him, he would only begin to worry about it later as he struggled to break out of his current state of confusion. “T-The view,” he answered a little too quickly, in a manner that was almost too quizzical and jerky to sound convincing. Mu Ying closed his eyes and silently mocked himself for such an inadequate answer. Had their previous exchange not been about the view too? It was true though, that he did scale such great heights for a glimpse of the surroundings from a bird's eye view – a view that yielded him much information and at times, entertainment. Watching people busying themselves in the street, children playing street games, even the boisterous arguments that the ladies of the household seem to enjoy having at the marketplace, all this presented him with a little bit of enjoyment. But perhaps it was more than that; the moments of solitude provided him with some sense of ... solace ... and comfort, maybe even just the feeling of familiarity with the job that he does. Though all this wouldn't be quite an appropriate answer would it?
“I simply enjoy being up here, really, there is nothing more to it,” he admitted finally, bowing his head a little sheepishly. “She of course enjoys it up here, I'm simply here to accompany her,” he smiled, gesturing to Xue Ning. A moment of hesitation.
“Dare I ask you the same question? Or perhaps you might even feel the same way as me?” he ventured with the conversation, keeping his tone respectful as always. Maybe, if she required, he might even have a bit of information she might be interested in hearing about.
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 2:15 am
Van found herself holding back a chuckle at the younger Lunarian’s initial response. It had been a small social oversight on his part, but the captain wasn’t one to call attention to such things, so she waited patiently for him to recollect his thoughts and try again. Some people were not so adept at meet-and-greets. Still, she liked to think she was sympathetic to those Lunarians, even if she couldn’t entirely relate. There were more interesting things to judge another person by, in any case, such as their reasons for being in a tree far away from civilization.
“I see,” she answered, briefly flicking her orchid gaze over the pair perched in the adjacent tree once again. “I hope I haven’t disturbed you with my presence, then—it was not my intention.” She didn’t see the need to express that she’d expected to be alone today as well; it was apparent now that it wasn’t in the cards. Van returned the boy’s smile more openly when she saw it, happy to see that he didn’t appear particularly bothered. At least, like herself, he wasn’t bothered enough to cause a scene over it. It wasn’t proper for two Lunarians of any age to fight about whose tree was whose, anyway.
She reached a gloved hand behind her head and rubbed her neck then, her expression changing from friendly to one that was similarly sheepish. “I do,” she admitted, “It reminds me of home. I always climbed the trees in the Northern mountains, you see, and there aren’t any good trees by the sea where I live now...” Van trailed off, worried that she might sound a bit childish in front of someone who seemed to be academy age.
“I suppose I miss it sometimes, which is why I come out here,” she finished finally with a shrug and a smile. She’d decided that homesickness wasn’t something to be embarrassed about.
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