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 Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 6:44 pm
Hisame looks down at the little figure who timidly walks next to him as the pair continue down a sidewalk, the early morning sun shining over and casting their shadows on the pavement, and he sighs inwardly at how it has come to this.
It was but a few weeks ago he found the child and now he cares for him, this Porcelain he only knew to be one because of past meetings, though he does not know his name. Hisame cannot hear the child's voice though he knows that he has been trying to speak, so it is with desperation that he takes a path he has only walked twice before to a place that can hopefully help. He has seen many Porcelain in this area, seeing as one of them lead him there the first time, so maybe they will help him?
Kinji in turn looks up at Hisame and gives a small smile, trying his best to hide the uneasiness he feels around this human man. While Hisame has done nothing but be kind and caring, the inability to communicate unless Kinji is desperate for something makes him feel. . .afraid. There is no one else for him to speak with, no other Porcelain around, so he simply follows Hisame as they continue to walk.
He asks where they are going, though he gets no reply.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:23 pm
Now that the weather has finally turned amenable and Setsushi has a morning off, the Knight has taken the opportunity to begin a project he began planning many months ago. Dressed in faded Gaian attire, perhaps something he obtained at a thrift store, he works in a corner of his yard, plying a weeder, apparently engaged in an attempt to remove the many dandelions.
While he started cheerfully, the tremendous number of weeds and the monotony of the work have begun to wear down his enthusiasm. Now bored, he pauses after extracting one plant, rests the tool on his shoulder and wipes his forehead with the back of his hand, glancing along the length of the street -- seemingly abandoned, as Kinji and Rown has not quite become visible yet.
... ... ... And then, he suddenly slips the weeder around, grasping it in both hands as one would a weapon, and begins a quick series of stabs at the air, then turning and twirling it in a wide circle, as if to fend off a ring of attackers. He proceeds to battle the invisible enemies, his face full of grave concentration -- and moves in a terribly clumsy manner, as the little weeder is much too short to be a proper spear and Setsushi is unused to this form anyway.
This appears to be the situation in which Kinji will first meet the fearsome and infamous Maiden of Ice.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:43 pm
Hisame and Kinji rounded the corner just in time to watch the Porcelain Setsushi lift up the weeder and jab it into the air, causing the human man to smirk and cover his mouth to remain polite and the small Porcelain at his side to duck behind his legs. The child was a little nervous though he dared to touch Hisame's pants, the pressure causing the human to look down and give a reassuring pat. It was only though occasional actions like this that the two at least understand they cared somewhat for one another.
"Um...sorry to interrupt you, but I was wondering if I could trouble you for some help? I have this child here and well. . . "
Kinji shook his head behind Hisame's leg, clearly feeling nervous in front of this man. While he seemed silly because of what he was doing Kinji could tell that he was someone of great skill, even if he did not know who he was. There should be respect there, he felt.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:54 pm
Setsushi upon hearing the voice, Setsushi spins around, striking an overly-stiff pose with the weeder tucked behind his back, as if this giant is a little boy caught playing with something with which he should not -- an impression compounded by his nervous smile and the deep blush spreading across his cheeks.
"Yes!?" he almost chirps. "How may I be of service?" He pauses a moment, his brow twisting a little as he scrutinizes the human's face... not recognizing this person and wondering if he has perhaps up and forgotten. gonk
... It is a moment more before he notices the small Porcelain boy accompanying him, and his head tilts slighty as he sends a warm, but still awkward and hesitant greeting towards Kinji. He is quite sure he has not met this one before, and so inquires of him, politely but kindly, who he might be?
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 8:12 pm
Hisame sighs, thankful that this Porcelain can actually talk. He was terrified that none of this special race could speak at all, seeing as all the children he has met before could not speak to him properly. He cannot communicate at all with Kinji other that through touching, and that is not helpful if they get separated.
"Ah, yes. My name is Fujioka Hisame, this is. . .well, I don't know his name. I found him wandering around where I worked one day and recognized him as a Porcelain. I've meet one of you before, one who called himself Silver, but that was about it."
Hisame reaches down and ushers Kinji forward, the small child still holding on to his pants with a bandaged hand. While he was not infectious, he was healing, Kinji still likes to keep his hands and eyes covered to keep them hidden and safe. The human understood the child's wants very quickly, Kinji oddly firm on it when they had first met.
"I brought him here in hopes you could help me? I know he can hear me and he seems to understand what I'm saying but that's about it. He can't talk to me or doesn't talk to me, and I'm at a loss as to what to do."
Kinji answers that he is called Kinji, from the Islands of the Ray, and that he does not know the man before him and would kindly like to know his name. He is glad to see another Porcelain, the expression on his face more than proof, though his emotions remain calm if not a bit shy.
He looks up at Hisame and a feeling of unease, if not a little bit of sadness, issues from him as he thinks about the man. He cannot hear his voice, and Kinji worries that the man may be abandoning him here because of it.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 8:39 pm
Setsushi bows slightly, introducing himself as "Setsushi." This is his house, he explains; he also sells udon here at noontime, and is apologetic that Master Hisame and Kinji were unable to dine--
... ... ... Setsushi then pauses, looking between Hisame and Kinji. ... Does Kinji mean that this human cannot understand mindspeech? He looks Hisame over, quirking an eyebrow, wondering -- this strikes Setsushi as strange, as none of the other humans he has encountered so far have such a difficulty.
"His name is Kinji," he finally tells Hisame. "He is from the Islands of the Ray, in... Ryuukoku?" He looks to the boy for confirmation. "He speaks normally for a boy of his age, at least to my mind; it would seem that Master Hisame has some difficulty hearing him." He enunciates his words very clearly -- though the projections accompanying his words, reflexively given off even though Hisame cannot sense them, are polite and apologetic, the tone of his mouth-voice is reminiscent of the one that would be used with a small child or a beginner at a language.
"I am not sure what I can do," he says, frowning. "I am not a scholar... I may be able to ask one, though." In the meantime, he addresses Kinji: is there anything the boy needs that Setsushi might be able to provide?
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 8:59 pm
The young man seemed confused, greatly confused, as he watches an exchange he cannot hear nor understand take place between the two Porcelain. While he is thankful for Setsushi giving him his own name, his real appreciation comes forth when the name of the child he is caring for arrives.
"So your name is Kinji? That's a fine name, I bet you write it with gold, don't you?"
Hisame looks back and forth from Setsushi and down to Kinji, who smiles shyly at the human as well as the older Porcelain. He is minding his manners well, and he gets another pat on the head from Hisame as a reward. The motion makes Kinji slightly nostalgic for someone who once did the same perhaps, but it quickly passes.
"Setsushi-san, you said he speaks like a normal child of his age but I can't hear anything he says at all. It was the same with with all the Porcelain children I've met though - can they just not speak out loud? Forgive me if I am being careless with the use of my words, but it's hard to do things for Kinji-kun if I don't know what it is he wants."
Kinji senses Setsushi's tone as the older Porcelain speaks and he shakes his head at the request, saying that Kinji is fine, Hisame-san provides everything he needs without actually trying.
He just wants to know if all humans cannot hear him, or is it just Hisame? He says there is a woman near where they live now who can hear him, but she's an elderly human.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:19 pm
Kinji is quite sure he doesn't want some candied fruit or a bean paste pastry? Setsushi asks with a smile.
Addressing Hisame in a more serious tone, he replies, "Most children do not speak aloud, yes. But... It is more that adults of high Lucidity speak aloud." He pauses, frowning, clearly having difficulty putting a concept that would be easy to project into spoken words. "Kinji speaks the way all Porcelain do.
"It is unusual that you cannot hear him; I have not yet met a human who could not understand my mindspeech. However," he says, casting his eyes down a little to try to convey the embarrassment and politeness he wants to project, "there is much I do not yet know about the varieties of humans.
"Kinji does say that a woman near Master's residence can understand him." He looks at Kinji, wondering if he should suggest Hisame work through this interpreter... but then has an idea, and instead asks Kinji how old he is. He looks to be about the age when he would begin practicing syllables -- how much has Kinji studied so far?
Setsushi bends down a little to study him more closely. ... And now seeing more of the boy around Hisame's leg, abruptly wonders -- why is he wearing so many bandages??
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Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 4:48 pm
"A woman near my house? Who could he mean...?"
Hisame looks puzzled as he glances down at the little Porcelain, only to smile widely as he notices the large smile that graces the little one's face.
Kinji loves bean paste! He eats it all the time with Hisame-san, because Hisame-san's grandmother makes it for him. She's the elderly woman who can hear him, since Hisame sometimes doesn't stay at that house but at his work.
Kinji shrinks back as Setsushi asks him about his bandages, and he timidly wonders if the great man has head of the Islands of Ray? If he has, then he knows what reason Kinji has for the bandages.
"Also, about my not understand, I have been told that I'm a little thickheaded when it comes to listening to others. Do you think it could be because I study a Martial Art, or simply because I don't have the talent for it?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 5:22 pm
"Yes -- Master's grandmother," he says.
Setsushi once again humbly declines to speculate-- ahem, right. "I cannot speculate on the cause of your inability; I know little of the physiology of humans and less of the various influences upon it..."
... But his attention turns away from Hisame, as Kinji's strange bandages and cryptic answers are much more concerning. Setsushi does know of the Islands of the Ray, but he is not sure how his knowledge explains the bandages -- he was not aware there was anything more exciting than a fishing village or two in that region. And... fishing injuries do not seem quite an adequate explanation to Setsushi...
He takes a step forward, still trying to get a better look, though he also glances up at Hisame to ensure it is all right, and also does not press the boy too aggressively with his projections.
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Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 8:19 am
As Setsushi steps towards Kinji the small boy backs away and behind Hisame for a moment, though he knows this to be rude and slowly apologizes as he steps closer again. As he moves towards the man the red marks on his hands are visable, those not beneath bandages anyway, and the streaks on his face show a bit more clearly.
There was a very bad sickness on the Islands, one that had no cure, and he has it. Or had it, as Kinji knows that Hisame is still healthy despite having touched him all the time to help bandage his eye and hands, but he can't help but wonder if they means humans are immune to it and it is a Porcelain only disease.
But...he has met other Porcelain before Setsushi-dono and they are not sick, as far as he can tell. No one has said anything.
Hisame sits in silence as he watches the pair, assuming that they are communicating. Kinji seems nervous to him while dealing with this older Porcelain, but the human knows it is good for the child to be able to speak and be heard.
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Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 5:01 pm
Setsushi stares at the markings, then steps back, frowning, though he restrains his emotions behind a wall while he thinks things over. Finally, he wonders if it isn't a good idea for "Kinji to see a Gaian doctor?" It is true that they may not be so familiar with Porcelain anatomy and physiology, but "Perhaps they can determine whether or not it is yet contagious?" Part of his communication is aloud to benefit the human.
Setsushi indicates to Kinji that he and the human should stay outside as he returns to the house, scrubs his hands thoroughly in the sink, then takes out a red box, such as would be used for giving chocolates during the Gaian love holiday, and stuffs some candied fruit and bean paste sweets inside. He carries this package out and hands it to Hisame. "For Master and for Kinji," he says, and looks back to the Porcelain boy before telling him with genuine regret (though also anxiety) that though he would like to invite them inside to drink and dine, if they do not yet know for sure if he still carries a fatal disease...
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