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Friendly Conversationalist
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 Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 10:44 pm
Huan Yi shifted in her stiff seat, her restless eyes moving about the small corner cafe. The atmosphere was relatively quiet today, in comparison to other days when the small business had been swamped with customers. She had to admit that she preferred it this way, though; it was easier to enjoy the ambiance this way.
White circular tables lined the outdoor portion, shadowed by a high trellis covered in ivy. A blossoming tree hung low over the corner of the patio, shadowing the guests from the street and any abrasive sunlight. The chairs were a matching shade of stark white, the iron backs woven and twisted into eloquent patterns. Soft music drifted from the open doors of the kitchen and reception area.
During her short time here, she loved to come here. Out of any place in the city, it was the place that reminded her the most of home. The smell of tea and pastries wafted to her as the door opened, a young server bustling out to a nearby table with a tray laden with white tea and matching delicacies. Her eyes trailed after him to the happy couple he served, their hands linked together on the table top as they laughed at a quirky one-liner he threw their way.
She sighed. As much as she loved this cafe, it was lonely coming by yourself.
It was then that Huan Yi glanced at the small bundle next to her. Cerulean blue peeked out of the red plaid scarf that encased it, remaining warm against the slightly chilled afternoon. William had insisted that she left the egg at home, but she stood her ground. Something about this egg was special, and she didn't want to miss a moment with it. She wondered what kind of mysteries awaited her, swirling within the shell and ready to be released.
'Please hurry and hatch,' she silently urged, glancing at the empty seats across from her. With that, she folded her hands together on the tabletop, waiting patiently.
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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:35 pm
"Is there anything in particular you would like to do today? Our plans are entirely up to you."
Houkan smiled at the figure who walked next to him, his eyes gentle as he looked her up and down once more. It was an innocent gesture, one more of pride in the young woman's looks more than lust or want, and as he watched her raise a gloved hand to her lips he almost wanted to hug her close right away.
She looked so different now that she was dressed as a young woman instead of a young girl, the outfit she wore making her look so sophisticated and beyond anything he could have imagined from the first time he had seen her egg sitting on the table in the family's secondary room. If at the time someone had told him that the black egg with white scars would hatch and grow to be the find woman who walked next to him now he would have laughed in their faces without any regard to manners.
"How about we make a trip to the library? This is a book I have been wanting to read for a while now that you said I could look at once I grew older, and now that I am I believe it is only fair that you allow me that privilege."
Even her voice was deeper than it had been as a child, holding a richer and wiser tone with each note that escaped from her lips. With her hands folded in front of her as she walked, her head held high and her steps firm and unwavering, Pasayo had become a fine teenage woman.
"Then after they library, perhaps we should . . ."
Tee hee.
She trailed off in her speech for a moment as they passed a small cafe that was en route to their destination, her head quickly turning in the direction of a figure sitting in a chair. Had she imagined that, a small little flutter inside her chest that all at once had made her excited? Fusciha eyes quickly scanned the crowd for any sight of what had caused this feeling, Pasayo's fine features morphing slowly into ones of unease.
"....close."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 1:30 am
The bell above the cafe door jingled, and immediately Huan Yi's head snapped over to see who had come through the doors. However, the waiter brushed past her and moved onto another table, leaving the girl to sigh. Besides the waiter, who was she anticipating?
She couldn't help but entertain the idea that somebody would ask to sit with her. While the idea itself in this day and age sounded rather suspicious, she saw nothing wrong with a friendly person coming over to say hello, and opening the opportunity to make friends.
There was the cause, she saw. Her loneliness reared its head and gnawed at her intently, causing her generally happy mood to slowly tic away. A gentle rustling caught her attention, and she withdrew from these thoughts and instead focused on the source of the very slight noise: the egg that sat next to her. It had moved a little, even cheerfully.
"Trying to cheer me up?" she asked it with a chuckle, placing a gentle hand upon it and giving it a loving rub. It warmed under her hand. Maybe she was being a bit impatient. Sure, she wanted friends, but friendship wasn't earned in a day, much less five minutes. It was something that took work, mutual understanding, and--
As her head snapped up, her eyes locked with a very peculiar girl. If her bright fuschia hair and matching eyes didn't make her stand out from the crowd, it was her dark skin, and a gentle face interrupted by a hatched white smile marking extending from the corners of her mouth to each ear. This girl was watching her intently, curiously. What did this mean? Her head reeled as she took the sight of her in. Her clothing style was lovely (and Huan Yi had to admit a small twinge of jealousy as she tugged at her hand-me-down turtleneck sweater), suited well to her properly-proportioned body.
She also took note of the boy next to her, who hadn't seemed to notice that her attention had been driven elsewhere. All she saw was the back of his head, but he appeared to be in high school as well, perhaps a few years older than herself.
The gaze didn't lift. Should she do something? Acknowledge her? Mrs. Egan and William both had said to avoid talking to strangers, but Huan Yi didn't much see the sense in that - how else was one supposed to make friends?
So she raised her hand, very timidly, and curled her fingers in a child-like wave, producing a small smile in hopes of enticing a conversation.
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Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:40 am
"Pasayo? Something the matter?"
Houkan turned as his noticed his companion had not spoken to him for a few moments save for the cryptic 'close', and when he spotted her gaze moving towards a young girl sitting down at a table inside the cafe he could not help but wonder if the two were perhaps friends. Pasayo did go out more on her own now that she was a teenager, only to run errands mind you, but there was a slim chance that she had met the waving girl on one of those trips.
"Someone you know?"
He leaned close to her as he asked, his towering frame of six feet dwarfing the young woman's height of only five-five. To a passerby it may have looked like a lover leaning down to whisper sweet nothings in his beloved's ear, though in this case it was more or less Houkan trying to make sure he was heard against the traffic which had picked up at the corner as the lights changed.
"No. I do not know her, but there is something with her that I believe we are both quite familiar with."
Pasayo's reply was soft and sudden, and she turned to look at Houkan for a moment before she made her way from his side and towards the door of the cafe. Her plans had changed instantly from doing whatever it was she had wanted to do previously to now focusing on the small girl before her and that strange feeling that was echoing inside her being.
"I am going to find out why. You are welcome to come along if you wish, though I doubt you would walk off and leave me alone."
Her words held a mock tone to them, teasing in every syllable, though at the pale streak that ran across Houkan's fine features she felt slightly guilty for phrasing her sentence the way she had. The accident had not been that long ago after all, and the wounds on the heart were probably far more fresh to him then they were to the young Ashen teen.
" . . . "
She opened the door with a ring, the bell overhead signaling her entrance, and as the waiter looked up at her and was about to ask her for seating she lifted a delicate gloved hand in the motion that she did not require any assistance from him. She had a destination already in mind, what with this strange girl and the pang calling to her, and with swift yet poised steps she crossed the room before stopping at the table.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:17 pm
The egg jiggled as Huan Yi waved. Was this strange-looking girl connected somehow? She felt it too, a connection running deeper than coincidence.. had the egg called to her perhaps? She didn't doubt it.
The tall boy to the girl's side turned around, and Huan Yi got a glimpse of his face. He was a very attractive boy to her eyes, her heart giving a momentary flutter in her chest before settling back down as he leaned over to speak to the girl she had waved at.
'Lovers?' she mused, shaking her head slightly at her foolishness and breaking away from the sight. She folded her hands together and rested her chin atop them, contemplating this new development as she closed her eyes. Could she also know about the eggs? It was possible.. not to mention her unique appearance. It was very eye-catching, certainly, but her curious stare and the charming curve of her face gave her a less menacing look than the tattoos would normally give another.
The door jingled, and immediately her eyes sprang open and back out to the street. The strangers were gone. She felt a pang of disappointment, her gaze drifting back to the door only to land on the stranger she had been seeking, now standing tableside to her. Her heart gave a jolt as she blinked. What should she do next?
She took a steadying breath and smiled slowly. Now was the time to make friends.
"O-Oh, uhm.." she began, bowing slightly from her seated position and indicating the chairs on the other side of the round table. "Hello. P-Please feel free to join me." It was a start, at least.
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Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 7:21 pm
At the sound of the girl's voice Pasayo seemed to snap out of whatever had driven her without regard to come into the building, and quickly a blush spread across her cheeks. She looked around as if all of her actions had been in a daze and without her knowing what she honestly was doing, and for a moment it looked like she may simply dash back out before Houkan came up behind her and smiled down at the young woman before the pair.
"Sorry about that, sometimes she just simply walks over to people without first thinking over what to say or do. Please pardon her manners."
He placed his hand on Pasayo's shoulder, causing the blushed shame to spread even further on her cheeks. It was hard to tell that she was blushing thanks to the pitch black nature of her skin, though it was clear by the way her eyes were glistening that she was feeling embarrassed.
"We will take you up on your offer to sit though, since it now seems that this child does not wish to go anywhere else."
With that he gently pulled the chair next to the younger woman out, Pasayo sitting down in it after carefully moving her gown so as to not ruin it, before he moved and sat directly across.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 2:01 am
Huan Yi smiled timidly, her eyes quickly dashing to the tabletop as they sat. Now that they were here, she didn't even know where to begin. She eyed the egg to her left, which sat perfectly still, quietly, as though observing the scene from a distance.
"O-Oh, quite alright," she replied softly to the boy as her hands began to tremble nervously. She swallowed hard to rid herself of the nervous lump forming in her throat, knowing full well that she was blowing this perfectly decent opportunity to meet new people. "I-I'm afraid that I'm not very good with first meetings, do forgive me." And immediately, she apologized, as she did everytime she made a careless error. She was nervous about making friends in the city, especially since the woman across from her had been in sort of a trance when she had come upon her table. There was a perfectly good chance it may have been a fluke, but--
The thoughts stopped abruptly. There was a soft rustling, and Huan Yi glanced over at the scarf-wrapped egg. It was wriggling beneath its confines - subtly, but surely moving. Before she could reach over to put a calming hand on it, the scarf shifted on the shell, and the two tiny wings were exposed, flapping in a lilting, jittery manner, as though this whole ordeal amused it.
Did.. did the egg like this? She frowned in thought, glancing over to the other guests. They must think she was crazy, to be carting around this strange egg and fussing over it like a mother hen.
"I.. this will seem rather strange, I'm sure.. but I believe my egg likes you." She gave them a small smile, red blooming brightly in her cheeks and across the bridge of her nose. It was a terribly embarrassing thing to say, given the fact that she had just met these people, but for some reason she felt comfortable talking to them about it.
It could have been the girl's outlandish appearance that may have tipped the young woman off, but she couldn't be sure. Instead, she swallowed fiercely, spitting the next few words out in a nervous rush as she tapped her fingers against the edge of the tabletop.
"By chance.. d-do you know anything about these eggs?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 7:11 pm
At the mention of an egg and this young girl's apparent feelings about saying something about it, both Houkan and Pasayo could only do their best not to laugh out loud and risk hurting her feelings. Houkan found the way she acted to be much like Pasayo, chattering and polite yet still so innocent, while Pasayo found her to be quite interesting and almost a little endearing which was a little silly considering this girl before her was much, much older. Pasayo only looked like a teenager, she was still hardly more than a few months old.
"You could say that we have our fair share of knowledge over those types of eggs. More than enough of a fair share, actually."
Houkan looked over at the woman to his right, noticing that she was no longer looking at Huan Yi but at the egg that had revealed itself to them. His first thoughts of the object were that its coloring was stunningly beautiful, the blue attracting such attention like it was almost demanding it, and he could understand now why Pasayo's gaze had turned to the egg.
"If I were to say that this woman you see before you happened to come from just such an egg, would you believe me?"
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 2:32 pm
"W.. What?" Huan Yi's eyes snapped up to the boy's face at this latest revelation, before drawing towards the young woman to his side. She watched the egg that sat beside her, and the egg seemingly preened under her attentive gaze, ruffling its wings proudly.
'Certainly fond of the attention it's getting,' she thought with a smile, returning her attention to the two new guests. She was pleased that her instincts had led her down the right direction. Now, perhaps, she could get the information she needed.
"So, the little one in this egg," she began, patting the egg softly, "Will hatch into.. a child?" It was astounding, really. The egg was large, but a child? It seemed so outlandish, children hatching from eggs. Then again, strange eggs with wings materializing in random places didn't seem like a common occurrence.
"I wonder.. what are they, uhm-- you, I mean?" Without thinking, she directed this more at the young woman across from her. Upon a moment's reflection, she realized how rude the question was. Where were her manners today? Her cheeks colored brightly and she bowed her head. "I-I'm so sorry, that was a terribly rude thing to say-- Oh!"
With another gasp, she realized that she had completely forgotten to introduce herself. One mistake after another, fumbling her attempts at forging bonds with other people. No wonder she wasn't very skilled with friends. Secretly, she hoped when whatever little one hatched from the egg would forgive her this trespass, or at least that she could articulate her speech a little better when that time came. As if to echo her thoughts, the egg's wings folded quietly, as though concerned for its caretaker.
"I also.. completely forgot to introduce myself. M-my name is Huan Yi." She kept her head demurely bowed, eyes firmly focused on the trembling hands that rested in her lap. Her face was still red from embarrassment, and she could only imagine what they must be thinking now. "If y-you could please teach me what you can about these eggs, I would be m-most grateful."
How embarrassing.
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Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:55 pm
"My name is Houkan, and this young lady is-"
Houkan gestured to himself with his hand as he introduced himself, moving it over to motion warmly at Pasayo to give her a chance at her own due. He had been the only one doing a majority of the speaking after all, and since Pasayo was the one who had brought them both in here it was time for her voice to be heard.
"My name is Pasayo. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Pasayo's hand were folded in her lap and she leaned forward slightly in her chair, as if bowing, returning upwards to smile gently once more at Huan Yi. It was almost like she never seemed to frown or show expressions other than ones of shock and that smile, but that seemed to suit her just fine.
It should be noted that her voice had deepened over her aging, though as quickly as it had occurred, and it held a tone to it that seemingly should have belong to a woman much older. It was rich and full of a sense of maturity that even Houkan at times was envious of, but he seemed to like the panicked tone she could make when she was flustered as well. It was endearing.
"As to answer your question, yes. Inside that egg is a child waiting to be born again, a chance at a new life. What we are, myself and that egg, are nothing more than Ashes and wind carried and formed over time in an effort to repopulate a dying race."
Though Pasayo sounded so knowledgeable about what the egg really was she was mostly going on what her memories told her and what she felt was the thing to say - after all, she did have memories of a past life. That must have meant that she had died and was born again and that all the Ashe eggs she had seen, all the Ashe children and adults she had seen so far, were people who had been reborn.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:04 pm
"Honestly?" Huan Yi couldn't get her head around it. Children hatching from eggs? As though to make doubly sure, she moved her eyes from Pasayo to her egg-cased companion, which fluttered its wings in confirmation (at least she took it as a confirmation). "How incredible.. and you say to repopulate a dying race?"
It was almost too much. If she were a sensible person, she likely would have chalked all this up to nonsense and fairy tale beliefs. However, she was far from being realistic - the fantastic was much more appealing than the drab reality that life offered. It was one of the things that made her miss home: the cottage had looked so picturesque, as though it could be the setting for a fairy tale. She used to pretend that it was when she was little, and that fantastic creatures would bound out of the flower beds to either whisk the child away or join her in a game.
Now the fantastic was becoming reality, and quite honestly, Huan Yi couldn't be more thrilled. Sitting before her was what the contents of the egg - her egg - would become. The beautiful girl with the rich voice and graceful manner about her.. she could barely contain her curiosity on the subject, with Pasayo so readily answering her questions.
"Thank you so much, Pasayo, Houkan," she added, giving the boy a quick nod and bow of the head (she couldn't look at him for too long, save her blush might give him the impression that she had taken to him; handling boys, outside of William, was a skill she desperately lacked). Her cheeks began to color brightly again, and without thinking she reached for the egg to her side and pulled it into her lap, keeping it close to her body. Something wiggled on the inside and the wings flapped proudly.
Friends. This egg would bring her a friend. And by the looks of things, it would only bring her more.
"I.. would be honored if I could be friends with the both of you." She said the words in a hurried, nervous fashion, her heart fluttering wildly at her momentary bravado, but she liked the sound of what she had said. Huan Yi couldn't wait.
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Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 12:22 pm
"There is no need to thank us, really. It seems only natural now for all of us who know what an Ashe and their egg is to take a new guardian under a wing and explain the situation to them. No one likes to flounder around without an idea of what is going on."
Houkan folded his hands together and leaned against the table, his elbows propping him up as his lips touched the side of his fingers. The motion did not make him look rude at all, if not more dignified and wiser, and from behind his hands he still looked Huan Yi deep in the eyes. Though she turned away with a red blush on her face he still would not turn his face from her, the desire to look at someone as he spoke strong. Pasayo was the same way, her head turned at all times to keep an eye on Huan Yi's face.
"As for being friends with us...you certainly do not waste your time in asking. It is rather cute."
He winked at the girl and smiled behind his hands, getting a mildly disapproving flicker of the eyes from Pasayo. While the teen Ashe knew he was only playing around, that he would be more than glad to add Huan Yi to his circle of friendship, she knew it was also inappropriate for him to be acting in such a manner.
"Master Houkan, please. I know you are merely teasing but to say such things to a young woman is inappropriate."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:22 pm
"C-cute?" Huan Yi's face flushed a brighter shade of red and spread rapidly to her ears as she lowered her eyes to the table. She fumbled with her hands in her lap as Pasayo chided Houkan, still feeling the boy's eyes on her as well as Pasayo's. She couldn't remember a boy ever having called her that (at least to her face), outside of William in jest or when Mr. Egan would pay her a compliment. "I-It's not a big deal, Pasayo, honestly--"
The winged egg flapped its wings rapidly at her, as though it were trying to garner the attention back to it. The girl chuckled and patted the smooth surface gently, feeling it rumble softly beneath her palm.
"We haven't forgotten you," she replied as her hand strayed to touch the wings curiously. They fluttered at her touch and folded back against the surface. "So a child comes out of this egg.. does that mean I'll be more like a parent to it? Or a sibling?" Once again she felt the weight of her companions' gaze upon her, and she chewed her lower lip anxiously as the questions quieted on her tongue.
"I.. thank you, though. I'll look forward to spending more time with you." She laced her hands together on the tabletop and swallowed her nervousness, raising her head to look Houkan in the face. For a moment, she had to blink as she took in the finer details of his face, just to make sure her senses weren't playing tricks on her. His eyes gleamed a fine shade of silver, and just around the rims of his lids was a matching shade.. was it makeup? She couldn't tell; although Houkan did not seem to be the type to wear makeup. However, she shook it off and merely beamed at the two of them pleasantly. She could contemplate that later, and asking about it may make her appear rude.
"I only hope I can help others as you're helping now." She turned to face Pasayo. "And thank you too, Pasayo. You're being terribly kind to me."
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Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 11:21 pm
"You may say that it is alright with you that he behaves and speaks as such, but as a gentleman he knows better and thus should control his actions."
Pasayo's words had a slight barb to them as she glanced over at Houkan, who merely shrugged, but once the egg was brought out and conversation turned towards it once more Pasayo's voice was filled with warmth. For a reason unbeknown to her or others she had such a high affinity for these eggs, a strange ability that allowed her to seem more empathic towards them, and whenever one was around she always was her gentlest - not to mention happiest.
"Towards that child, you can be whatever you wish to be - a parent, a sibling, a friend. You may even find that you grow to love them as something more once times passes, though you may think it difficult to look past their age and at their body."
While she looked like someone who had reached the age of seventeen, Pasayo was in actuality nor more than a few months old. It was because of what she was that allowed such a drastic change, and she wondered just how shocked this new friend would be to find that out.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 1:18 am
Huan Yi chuckled to herself as she watched Pasayo softly chide Houkan for his rudeness. It reminded her of herself and William, although they tended to be a lot more demure about it than her and her brother did. She found it rather respectable. Her eyes wandered to the egg and watched it wiggle in amusement at the two, and her mind began to wonder about it.
What would this egg become? Her mind's eye pictured a miniature Pasayo jumping out at her. However the girl's words as she explained about them and the relationship with the caretaker they might develop made her quietly dismiss this idea. It didn't seem logical to think that way.
"I see..." She nodded slowly as Pasayo finished her explanation. "Thank you for explaining it so well. I feel as though it's a little clearer for me now." She smiled at her, but felt herself cringe inwardly. She was grateful for all the help they were providing, but when she made excuses and thanked people too much she knew it stemmed from a little from her own awkwardness.
She didn't have a way with words - Huan Yi connected more on emotion. The continual cycle of thank-yous and sorries were just a way to keep the conversation going - she enjoyed their presence, and would have enjoyed it as much even if nobody was speaking. But people tended to get bored and leave when the conversation was over.. she didn't quite feel ready to say goodbye yet, as selfish a desire as it was.
As though to provide some saving grace, the bell hanging above the door jingled and a young male waiter swept out to the table, carrying her long-awaited chai tea. She nodded gratefully.
"Thank you so much," she replied quietly, as the waiter swiveled to face the other two. His face stumbled slightly in surprise as his eyes washed over their unique features, but he quickly covered it up with a smile.
"May I bring you two anything today?" It was here that Huan Yi saw her opportunity. She loved to do nice things for people.
"P-please, order what you like. I'll gladly treat you." She said it warmly and with a wide smile, hopefully invitingly. The egg wiggled next to her impatiently, as though they were forgetting it. Her hand stretched over to rest on it soothingly, as she rubbed the top gently.
'Don't fret, little one,' she thought, too afraid to say such with the waiter present, 'I'll bring you here once you hatch. I have you to thank for this meeting, after all.' Self-satisfied, the egg settled its wings and sat perfectly still, much as a child waiting for a reward would. Huan Yi couldn't repress the giggle that bubbled in her throat.
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