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 Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 10:58 am
"Aha!" the girl cried, snatching up a musty old book from a vendor a bit off the beaten path from the marketplace proper. She was particularly good at looking for ancient objects that seemed useless to others, but were like gold for her, and knew of all the good locations to find such objects.
Excited, she pulled out a few coins for the old lady in charge of the place and tucked the book into the bag she carried around just in case she came across something worthwhile-- And books were always worthwhile. If she were going to learn all the best stories, afterall, she'd have to have all the best books. And the older the book, the better-- it might have some information too on the other pet project of hers.
She exited the vendor's store, opening up her new parasol to deflect the afternoon sun. It wasn't that she really had a problem with the sun so much as that she enjoyed playing with the parasol. She dropped it from her shoulder, letting the open parasol fall to about her ankles (while still in her hand) and spun around in a circle. This was certainly a very productive day!
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 5:12 pm
Having been given the permission to go out on his own for the first time since returning home from the horrifying debacle that had been his kidnapping, Toshiro, kept a tight grip upon the strong of his bow, which was slung around his back, along with a full quiver of arrows. Determined to never be taken advantage of again, the young archer had doubled his training regime on his own, even though he had yet return to school. And as such, he was able to talk his mother into paying attention to him for the first time in a long while, and had talked her into speaking to his father, on his behalf. He was a growing boy, after all. He needed a little bit of freedom. The kidnappers had been taken care of, after all, hadn't they?
With a soft sigh, amber eyes moved from the ground in front of him to the blue, blue sky above. He had a few coppers gangling in his pockets, and his stomach rumbled every now and then, reminding him that it had been a good few hours since he had eaten his sparse breakfast, having opted to take a few more shots of practice than sit through the family meal. He had hoped the presence of a new child, his sister Reina, would have eased the tension that he had lived with since he was a small child. It seemed to have only intensified his father's foul moods though, as often his mother was called away to nurse the baby.
Lost in his thoughts, which were once again turning towards food, as young boy's thoughts had a tendency to, he completely missed the young woman in front of him, a parasol swinging about her slim form. Narrowly avoiding running into her, the archer stumbled around her. "S-sorry!" he said immediately, a slight blush rising on the normally serious youth's cheeks. He hated making a fool of himself like this...
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 7:39 pm
Ina laughed, hoisting the parasol back over her shoulder,
"Oh, don't worry about it. If I'd noticed you I would've stopped swinging it."
She rather hoped she hadn't hit the poor boy with the parasol. But really, it was just wood and paper-- she doubted it'd hurt very much even if she did. She took him in quickly enough-- she'd been around so many people in her life she was fairly good at taking stock of them. This boy had an awfully solemn look about him, like he could use a bit of fun.
A grin lit across her face,
"I don't suppose you know any good stories?" she asked.
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Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:44 pm
Toshiro had been good and ready to make a quick getaway, to go somewhere to sit down long enough to get over the feeling of blood rushing it's way to his cheeks. However, all hopes of such an escape were dashed when the young woman he had nearly run into spoke to him. Amber eyes blinked in confusion as she spoke to him, and he took a moment to gather his thoughts so that he wouldn't stutter.
"Ah... stories, ma'am?" Perhaps ma'am wasn't the best phrase to use, he thought, taking in her appearance again. Yes, she was older than he, but by no means was she old, or a 'ma,'am'. "I don't think I do," he added after a moment, his brows knitting close as he looked at her with suspicion in his eyes now. Was she another reporter, here to gather 'facts' about his kidnapping, only to sensationalize the story into something that will sell papers, and make a mockery what he, and all involved, went through.
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Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 6:40 pm
Ina blinked. No stories?
"None at all? Doesn't your mother read you stories at night or anything?"
She definitely didn't like being called a ma'am, but she figured she'd get over it. A grin spread across her face,
"Well, perhaps we'll have to find some stories, then! Would you like to come with me? I know some good places to look."
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:43 am
The twelve-year-old scowled as she continued to speak to him. Maybe she wasn't after a story about his kidnapping... But who could blame him for being so mistrustful? "No, my mother does not read bed-time stories to me any more." Nor had she ever, he realized with a sad sort acceptance. He took a step back from her as she suggested going to look for stories.
"I'm not really interested in that sort of thing," he said in a stiff, polite voice. He wasn't very keen on going anywhere with strangers. True, the young woman looked harmless enough, but he'd been tricked before. "Thank you for the invitation, but I'll have to decline."
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 5:30 pm
She tilted her head,
"Oh, but I've got some good ones..."
Ina clapped her hands together,
"Oh, but you must! It'll be lots of fun, I promise!" She gave him the most pleading look she could conjure up,
"I'm Ina, by the way."
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 6:07 pm
After a moment's consideration, the youth bowed lightly, bending at the waist. "I am Toshiro Qi. It's... a pleasure to meet you, Ina," he added after a moment's hesitation. "If you would like, I suppose I can come along with you in the search of a few stories to add to your collection." He smiled tentatively, just a slight curving of the corners of his mouth upwards. "I know this area of the city fairly well, since I grew up here, so if you're in need of a guide, I may be able to help you there as well." Ina seemed rather well-traveled, though, so Toshiro wasn't exactly sure why she was so insistent upon his coming along, but... He could handle himself if things turned sour. He was never going to make the mistake of trusting those who seemed genuinely interested him. Looks could be deceiving.
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 6:44 pm
Ina bounced up excitedly,
"Oh great!" she took him by the hand. Of course she already knew the area, but to see it through someone else's eyes would be so much fun!
"Yes yes! Please show me about! I'd love to see the world through different eyes."
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 6:53 pm
Toshiro nodded, and took a few steps forward, pausing to make sure she would follow. "The market is best for gathering stories, I would think. So many people, and from all around the world. Many of the vendors are willing to entertain, if it means making a sale." Again that tentative, almost shy made it's way onto his mouth. "What sort of stories are you interested in, miss Ina?" Perhaps tourguide wasn't his role of choice, but he so often had the opportunity to talk that once he was started, he fell into a natural rhythm easily enough.
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 7:04 pm
Ina giggled,
"All of them, really, but my favourites are adventures."
She skipped after him happily, then twirled in a circle with the parasol out--looking for all the world like a girl dancing in the rain,
"What sort of stories do you like?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:49 pm
He watched her move, wondering all the energy that she seemed to have pent up inside of her. He was hardly ever that energetic... Save when practicing his tumbling and hand-to-hand combat, but he wasn't sure if that really counted. "I like stories that are... complex. With lots of characters and things going on. Twists and turns and surprising endings." He was surprising himself at the moment, though, with out... talkative and candid he was becoming. Perhaps he been needing someone to speak with? Or perhaps it was something to do with Ina? Either way, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he was enjoying himself.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:43 am
Ina turned to face him, walking backwards towards their destination,
"Oooh yeah? I haven't got very many of those, actually. But that's because most of my stories are told and not written. And people don't like to talk long enough for those kind of stories."
She tilted her head thoughtfully,
"Maybe I'll have to go about collecting some books with longer stories in them to add to my collection."
She liked this guy, now that he was loosening up a bit. It seemed much more fun now that he was talking back,
"Do you have a favourite one?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:56 am
A favorite story? He thought about his home, and his father's study, where volumes upon volumes of leather-bound tomes lined the walls. He enjoyed reading all of them, even if some of them were a bit over his head. "I likes stories that are historical. Stories about the Avatar, and generations that came before me. I like to learn, I guess." He offered her a bit of a sheepish smile, and shrugged. "I love novels, too, though. I don't think I have one single favorite story, though. Too many to pick from."
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Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 3:36 pm
"Oh! I met the Avatar once!" Ina beamed and skipped forward a bit more, swinging her parasol-- but careful enough to make sure she didn't hit him with it-- and looking about for anything that looked particularly interesting.
"Have you ever been up by the docks?"
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