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 Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:33 pm
 This is a PRP between Van (Kurama no Koishi) and Sanoh (Cooro Cooro). Setting:Van finds herself in the Yodsuwan family shop after realizing that her beloved dan tranh is locked far away in her parents' home.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 11:13 pm
Snow had begun to fall in Lunaria with the onset of winter, and for Van, this brought memories of the cold winters she used to spend at her parents’ home in the northern mountains. It had been years since she had played her dan tranh, the woman having long since set the hobby aside for more pressing matters, such as her job. The endless paperwork and many late night operations rarely afforded her the time to simply relax and do things that were fun.
Later, she wouldn’t be able to explain why she’d ended up in the Yodsuwan music shop. She missed playing the instrument, sure, but the more reasonable part of her knew that the many responsibilities she had wouldn’t allow her to. That was why, after all, the zither was kept at her parents’ house. If she had it at her own home, she was sure she would never get anything done.
She’d smiled briefly in greeting at the shopkeeper as she entered, paying little attention to him once she noticed the ornately decorated instrument in the back corner of the shop. Fingering its strings now as she deliberated, Van took one look at the price tag and felt her heart wrench a little. It was practically worth its weight in gold, a price that, for all she would use it for, she couldn’t yet justify.
Glancing backward once to see if the shopkeeper was watching her, she hoped it wouldn’t be too awkward if she walked right out of the shop again.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 1:55 am
Quite some time had passed since the last time Sanoh had been in charge of his family's much beloved shop. In fact, it had been such a long time, he hardly knew how to act! When a customer came up to ask him a question, rather then going straight to the point, he couldn't help but talk about every little detail, dragging on the conversation endlessly. The last man who had entered the shop to look at a flute for his girlfriend left empty handed, having been scared away by Sanoh's over eagerness to help. The poor customer after that had been frightened by the how hard he was trying to sell the pipa that was in the glass display. He could just imagine how badly his mother would scold him if she knew he was causing the customers to flee! And at any moment, she could walk right in and give such a verbal lashing!
So what to do when the next customer arrived? He would keep his mouth shut! But the silence of the shop disturbed him greatly, and he found himself tapping his foot almost irritably. Several different thoughts crossed his mind, until he slapped his forehead after finding himself so very foolish! How could he have not thought of such a solution to the silence than music! Instead of talking, what better way to greet customers in an instrument shop than with his own live melodies?
Glancing around for a moment to make sure his shop was empty, and going to poke his head out the door as well, he decided that he had enough time to retrieve his instrument, his beloved erhu that he left in his bedroom. He hadn't thought of bringing it to the store with him; his mother made it seem like it was constantly bustling up front! With a speed he knew not he had, mainly fueled by the fear of his mother suddenly appearing, he dashed into the back, grabbed his instrument, and dashed back again, trying to make it look as if he had never left his counter. Luckily, in the few moments he had gone, no one had arrived, and the shop seemed as empty as it was when he left.
A sigh escaped his lips, relief that nothing was out of place swept over him, and he placed his case on the counter, opening it up and tracing over his precious treasure. Perhaps if the music could be heard from the outside, it would attract more customers. And with each customer that came in and spoke to him, he would stop playing, thus ending his 'advertising'. It was a perfect plan!
As soon as he had set up to play, however, a customer arrived into his shop, flashing him a smile, before continuing into a corner. It seemed that she new exactly what she wanted in the shop, so there was no reason to get up and bother her, right? Conflicted feelings filled Sanoh for just a moment, for the impulse to just start playing with the bow between his fingers and the body against his thigh was simply too strong to ignore.
It started out with a single, long note, to make sure that it was tuned to his liking, before working on wards, weaving out a little story about the snow falling outside. A little part of him almost wished for the lovely lady to come up and speak with him, to express some sort of interest in purchasing something in his little shop. But he would not force his presence on her like he had done earlier. He'd much rather let this encounter happen naturally. For now, his fingertips and erhu would keep up the echoing conversation in the shop.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 9:32 am
Van was nearly about to leave to prevent herself from blowing a hole in her wallet, but the music that had begun playing gave her pause. It was a lovely melody, but its tone was odd, not something that she could recall hearing before. Swiveling her head around to peer at the shopkeeper and the instrument he was playing, the captain found that he was playing a long, skinny stringed instrument. It was one that she’d seen somewhere before, but she’d never heard it played and she certainly didn’t know its name.
Her musical expertise was severely limited outside of the dan tranh, and she didn’t want to look dumb by asking him needless and obvious(?) questions, but that was why he was the shopkeeper and she, the customer. If one were to ask her about the ins and outs of battle tactics and various weaponry, oh, she could talk for days.
“You play well,” she commented finally, after a few minutes of nothing but song. Finding it easier now to tear her attention away from the instrument she was examining, Van forced herself to approach the counter and forget about the dan tranh, at least for the time being. “It’s lovely. May I ask what it is you’re playing?”
As she approached she noticed that the shopkeeper was in fact a boy, likely sitting the shop in his parents’ stead. Still, she wasn’t about to discount him just yet—plenty of teenagers these days were extremely sharp. The war forced everyone to be more mature, and besides, he was probably at least adequate if his parents set him alone in the shop.
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:49 pm
Whenever Sanoh played his beloved erhu a strange sort of peace came over him. Every emotion he felt at the moment came from the strings he so gently stroked, and with each note another breath of air escaped him. He was breathing through the music, letting his very soul intertwine with the body and bow. Never did he feel the urge to let his eyes open, for when his music played, his hands moved as if they thought on their own. Such sensations were always his favorite, and caused him to drown out everything around him.
Which, in hindsight, may have not been the best thing to do while managing the shop. Playing the last note, a long and drawn out note that slowly faded away as he removed his bow, he opened his eyes, finding them meeting with the same lovely young lady as before. Ahh!! He hadn't realized she had approached him, and felt terrible that he had let his mind wander so far from his given task. His hand brought up the instrument from his thigh, laying it across the counter, to give the girl a better look at it.
"Thank you. It's called an erhu. This one in particular is made out of an old piece of furniture that my grandmother inherited from her grandmother. It's a peculiar little thing and one of a kind, my own personal one." Ooh, when someone asked what he was playing, he just wanted to tell them every single little detail about that particular instrument. He knew every thing about the pieces in his shop, having studied each one from sheer curiosity about the history that this place held.
"I saw that you were taking a peek at the dan tranh in the corner. It's a very rare one indeed, inlaid with nacre and a bone bridge. It's atleast twenty years old, hence the high price." He was never one of always considering a profit or not. He earned his satisfaction through knowing that he helped spread music around the city. Or noise, depending on whether or not one knew how to play. Either way, he wouldn't judge.
"I would like you to know that we have others in a lower price range, if it seemed too expensive. Not to stare or anything, but I think it's a little obvious that you are a fighter, right? I'm sure you have other things that your money should be focused on. And with such a risky life style, something so extravagantly expensive shouldn't be in your lifestyle. Rest assured, the lower price is by no means a lack of quality. I have some I've helped to make myself, and I can attest to it's high class. That is, if you're interested in buying one." It was a bother to go into the back and pull out more instruments when no one would buy anything. He'd never say that outloud though, instead smiling a bit more, trying his best not to be too pushy.
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:49 pm
“How interesting,” had been the first comment out of the woman’s mouth when the boy began to tell her about the strange instrument and its origins—details which she hadn’t been asking for, but were nice nonetheless. Her hands ran over the slim erhu now, carefully, so as not to damage anything. “It’s—peculiar. I’ve never seen one before,” she admitted, smiling in a mildly sheepish manner. Then again, as a hobbyist rather than a professional, there were probably many things she hadn’t seen before.
Van perked up somewhat involuntarily at the mention of the dan tranh, both happy and reluctant to return to the instrument. She had just been trying to forget about the purchase, after all! Still, the topic of that particular instrument was slightly more interesting to her, and she more than willingly turned and looked over her shoulder at it as he spoke. At least there was some justification for the price. She couldn’t recall having spent that much on her own, and dropping a huge bag of gold on the one instrument would have put needless strain on her budget, captain’s salary and all.
She hadn’t even been planning on buying anything in the first place, but the boy’s convincing manner was enough to get her to consider changing her mind. “You’re right, I’m a captain with little time for these things,” she agreed, acknowledging the cheeky comment good-naturedly, “But I would be interested in a mid-range model if you can recommend one.” And if it’s reasonably priced, she added in her head after she finished speaking.
The woman was great at haggling, but she would refrain from doing so until she saw what the shop had to offer. Sometimes, if she liked an item enough, price was no object—particularly when it came to weapons and clothes and jewelry, for her. Today, though, price would be an excuse for her to fall back on if she couldn’t justify the purchase. The war was taking a toll on the economy, and even as a Legionnaire Van wasn’t exempt.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 10:38 am
"It is a bit of a peculiar thing, isn't? To be honest, I'm the first one since my great grandmother to play it. And she really wasn't that good at it! She was always one for the.. More mouthy instruments, if you know what I mean." A blush came across his cheeks once he realized that his words may have come off as sexual, but soon enough, he just shook his head, giving the woman a grin. She seemed to perk up as he had spoke about a cheaper version of the dan tranh, so with an nod, he gently returned the items he was carrying to their proper places.
"If you would give me just a moment, I'll pull out some models that might suit your fancy. I'm Sanoh, by the way, it's a pleasure to meet you." He took one more moment to give her a bow, before disappearing into the door way that was behind him, hidden from view by an ornamental screen. Behind the screen was a multitude of different instruments, many were already labeled to be delivered, but there were a few here and there that were available to be sold freely in the shop. The shop mainly did requests for custom instruments, and the ones up front, though very high quality with a beautiful sound, were mainly for display. It took him mere seconds to retrieve what he was looking for, and soon returned to the counter, resting three cases before Van.
"It seems that we have several to choose from, so today must be your lucky day! They are several orders that have been canceled through the years, hand made by my father and mother. I have them set here, so you can test them out for yourself, if you'd like. The blue-tinted bordered one is the most expensive, though far cheaper than the one that you were looking at earlier. The red-bordered one is mid-class, and has never been played before, sans the times we have tested it for quality control, and even then, it was only strummed. The final one we have is the very rare indigo nacre lined shell. It is the cheapest, for the sheer fact that we are so upset that it's been here for so long. We have played it a few times, and there is just something magical about it. It almost seems as if the scent of lavender escapes from each note that is played.. " The boy almost seemed to loose himself in the majesty of the last one.. Out of the three, this particular one was his favorite, and it was such a shame that it had been stored away for so long. If the woman wanted, he would sell it for even cheaper, for this dan tranh deserved so very much to be played regularly once again.
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Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 12:06 am
Van smiled uncertainly at the boy’s acknowledgement of the strange instrument, any sexual connotation lost on her as she returned her hands to her side. It wouldn’t do to break the shopkeeper’s personal instrument while trying to make a purchase and risk being kicked out. “I think it sounds wonderful when you play it,” she offered, “Even if I don’t know what it’s supposed to sound like. You’re easily better than me, at least.”
She had been so intrigued by the mention of a cheaper dan tranh that it had taken her a moment to realize that he had introduced himself to her. She inclined her head slightly in response. “Van. Pleased to meet you, Sanoh.” No sooner had she named herself that he disappeared into the back room, leaving her alone for a few seconds. Before she could distract herself by peering around the shop again, though, he’d reappeared with three large cases in tow. The captain watched with interested eyes as he took each out of its rectangular case and set them in front of her.
At first, it had been the blue one that had caught her attention. The craftsmanship was impressive on all of them, but it was clear that that one was the best made. Van liked to believe that she had a good eye for that kind of thing—usually, she opted for the most luxurious things her hard-earned gold could buy. Still, the more reasonable part of her reminded her that she shouldn’t be spending too much on her hobby, and so she turned to the red-bordered dan tranh, lifting a hand to pluck the strings experimentally. She let the notes resonate in the still air for a few seconds, finally nodding to show that she approved of the sound.
But when Sanoh pointed out the third, indigo-lined dan tranh, she moved to try the instrument, intrigued by the way the boy was trying to sell it to her. “It’s beautiful,” she admitted, referring to both its appearance and sound. “How much are you looking for, for it?” She was expecting something in the ballpark of thirty, forty gold pieces. Hopefully it wouldn’t be much more than that.
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 7:55 am
Sanoh had never been the best sales man when it came to haggling. He really hated that particular kind of action, since it always meant he lost a considerable amout of gold for his family's shop. His mother, always the buisness woman, told him to always request that the payment be higher than the actual cost or worth of the item, so as to make a profit. His father was the opposite though, saying that playing with a person's money was just as if one were playing with their heart. That sometimes, the extra coin saved was the difference between eating another day, or going hungry. Though surly, this wan't the case, as Van seemed to be wearing rather lovely items that did not show any real signs of monetary difficulties. Then again, he wouldn't know. It was none of his buisness, after all.
The price is 37 gold pieces. It's as low as I can go, right there. There was no reason for him to lie about it, and it certainly not the 80 gold pieces his mother wanted him to ask for. She'd understand, right? If was for a member of the Legion! And a higher up, nontheless! It wasn't that often that someone of such caliber came into their humble little shop, and even rarer that the were here to actually buy something and not just dragged about by their mates in an unfortunate attempt at a date. He'd really love to see Van leave with the instrument and a smile..
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