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 Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 5:07 pm
Muoh Li examined the purple tinted ethereal blossom that was floating serenely in a decorated glass platter (one of his many collections). Lien Si had brought--or rather, it would probably be more proper to say it had followed Lien Si--into town earlier.
As it was, Muoh Li had noticed the lotus sitting quite contently on the edge of Lien Si's fur-lined cloak, a small detail that had, not surprisingly, been overlooked by Lien Si during his trek through the snow from the pavilion. When the doctor pointed it out however, Lien Si only cocked his head to one side and blinked.
Cautiously, Muoh Li stretched out one finger and tried to poke the glowing blossom, but somehow only ended up chasing the lotus around the platter of water. "Tsk. Didn't think it would work this time either."
He had tried to pick up the delicate blossom to transfer it to the platter, but each time he found that the blossom wasn't where he thought it would be. It was as if he had lost his depth perception. After watching the doctors antics for a few minutes, Lien Si had finally scoped up the illusive flower and dropped it on the platter (somewhat unceremoniously in Muoh Li's opinion, but the blossom did not look the least bit damaged). As if trying to cheer up the dejected doctor, Lien Si had added, "This is not your destiny."
Thinking back on the events of the day, the doctor mumbled to himself,"Lien Si really needs to work on people skills."
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:54 pm
China was different from England, very different. Then again, Byeoung-Keon probably fit in here more than England, if only because of his appearance. His father was English and his mother Korean and the lad ended up taking after his mother in looks. Black hair, pale skin, and narrow eyes. Perhaps in terms of personality BK was more suited for the Western setting, but he was unwelcomed there. Not even his father’s family approved of Byeoung-Keon, skilled as he was in the ways of business.
The type to venture into new markets, the boy found himself in the middle of China manning a store for his father’s friend while he was traveling collecting more items to sell. He was more than qualified though, and he enjoyed the sense of independence he had gained with the job.
Charged with a particular delivery, BK quietly stepped inside a small store with the package in the safety of his arms. Brown eyes hidden by thin-framed glasses cautiously surveyed the room. “Hello? Is there a Muoh Li? I have your delivery.”
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 12:27 am
The doctor sat up from his spot behind the counter, his interest perked. One, there was the mention of a delivery; it could either be a shipment of herbs and other Chinese medicines, or it could be one of his "toy" shipments, miscellaneous items from lands far away. Second, the voice was one he had not heard before and, as the town's residential doctor, he has spoke with a large number of the town's residents.
"I would be Hu Muoh Li," he answered, walking out from the counter so as to easier receive the package and greet the man. "Thank you for coming by in this cold, I hadn't been expecting to be getting any packages with this weather. From where is this delivery from?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:24 pm
The man lounging behind the counter straightened up at the name, intrigue gleaming in his wise eyes. Byeoung-Keon immediately turned his attention towards the older male. Was this Muoh Li? It seemed like a pretty darn good educated guess. His father’s friend had informed him that the customer was a doctor, and the stranger looked the part of a doctor (as far as he could tell, at least).
Taking a step forward, Byeoung-Keon walked toward the man, who was now standing up and shuffling over to the lad. He introduced himself as Muoh Li and the teenager politely smiled, carefully handing the box over to him. As the package exchanged ownership, its contents shifted inside. They sounded nothing like the herbs that the doctor was expecting.
He shook his head. “It was nothing. I’m simply doing my job,” he amiably replied. BK rubbed his hands together and blew on the frigid skin, his neck gratefully wrapped in a scarf his father had given him before his departure to China. As his face was directed towards his cold hands, his eyes wandered up to the doctor. “Kyung Rok.” The name was unmistakably foreign, Korean, and spoken with the smooth fluency of a native.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 5:42 pm
Hearing the items shift in the box, coupled with it's undoubtedly foreign origin brought about a drastic change in the doctor's original professional attitude. It was as if a switch had been flipped to the on position. His usual thin eyes were open and sparkling with excitement, he couldn't seem to be able to stop grinning, and the cold weather no longer seemed to bother him a single bit.
He quickly shed his many layers of blankets and furs and threw them over the counter unceremoniously, regaining full use of his limbs. The impact of cloth on wood made a soft "fwump" and sent ripples across the water's surface, the lotus bobbing up and down along with it. In stark contrast to his violent treatment of the furs, Muoh Li slowly and carefully shook the box twice, trying to see if he could figure out what the contents within could. He chatted as he examined the package.
"Kyung Rok, that's Korean is it not? You seem to speak the language quite well, have you ever been to Korea....uh," the doctor looked up at BK, sparing a moment of his attention in hopes of catching the teen's name.
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:07 pm
Byeoung-Keon carefully examined the expression on the man’s face, the boy’s own brown eyes twinkling with amusement as he watched the full-grown man light up like a child opening presents on Christmas. It was a sight to see.
Muoh Li shrugged off blanket after blanket, fur after fur with unusual vigor, receiving a soft chuckle from the Korean. He waltzed after the doctor, his ears catching the sound of rippling water. Byeoung’s gaze slowly traveled to the glass platter and the lotus that serenely rested in it. His eyebrows furrowed. A lotus on a platter filled with water? This was unusual. Where was the logic in this? BK contemplatively stared at the white flower before noticing that it was his turn to speak. His head snapped towards Muoh Li.
“Ah, yes. Kyung Rok is an old family friend of my father,” he answered, slyly grinning at the doctor’s last question. “Why, yes. In fact, my mother is Korean. My name is Byeoung-Keon Gyeong by the way. Feel free to call me Byeoung or BK.”
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:43 am
"Byeoung-Keon Gyeong..." Muoh Li rolled the foreign syllables over his tongue slowly, trying his best to imitate the Korean's intonations. "Byeoung...?" He tested the name, all the while making quick work of the packaging of the box.
His had easily broken and cut through the layers of ropes wrapping, and wax with his nails--his surprisingly sharp nails. Pulling off the last layer of protection, Muoh Li cleared away and dumped the debris beside the pile of clothes, sending another gust of wind down the counter--his assistant will deal with salvaging the usable from the trash later. Carefully he picked though the items, examining each tiny detail. If he wasn't a grown man he probably would be giggling the whole time, but hey, learning about other countries and cultures and spreading the knowledge was his hobby, it was difficult not to be giddy.
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 7:30 pm
Byeoung felt himself wince at Muoh Li’s attempt at pronouncing the Korean name. It was to be expected, though. BK himself was not the greatest at Chinese, having never learned the language until recently. He could converse in Korean or English with little problems, but Chinese was still difficult for the boy. Perhaps a few more months and he would hopefully have picked up enough of the language to transition into his new life.
He smiled. “Calling me BK will also suffice. I think that will be easier to pronounce?” offered Byeoung-Keon.
Watching the man eagerly pick through the items in the box, he chuckled and waltzed over to the counter with the lotus. He stared at the flower with curiosity, tilting his head to the side. “May I inquire as to why you have this lotus on display?” he asked.
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Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:51 pm
"Bee-Kay..."
Muoh Li paused his motions to consider the alternative. How fortunate that the pronunciation of two letters had Chinese equivalents, unlike "th" or "eh." The doctor made a mental note, attaching the name "BK" to Byeoung's face.
On mention of the lotus, Muoh Li finally broke his attention away from his new toys and looked again at the purple tinted blossom. "An interesting specimen is it not? Despite it being a summer flower it still blooms so beautifully in the middle of winter." He moved over toward the lotus, and the teen. A number of people had come in today, and as it were two other of these strange lotuses were sitting around the shop as well. However, this teen was the first to really acknowledge this lotus. Perhaps...
"Personally I think it's confused. My," a pause, "Friend brought it in unknowingly when he came today, trailing on the edge of his cloak."
The lotus seemed to notice the attention as well, glowing warmly, softly, beckoning.
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 4:35 pm
Unlike last time, Byeoung did not find himself cringing at the pronunciation of his nickname. It was actually much more pleasing to hear then the older man’s attempt at the boy’s full name, rude as that sounded.
He stood with his back straight and his fingers interlocked behind his back. Byeoung’s dark brown eyes intently stared at the doctor behind the screen of his glasses, eagerly waiting for the elder to speak and quell the lad’s curiosity. As Muoh Li began to answer his question, Byeoung watched him stride toward the lotus. BK nodded his head. “Indeed it is. In my opinion, it’s quite an anomaly,” he replied as he leaned forward to take a closer look at the blooming flower. Then he furrowed his eyebrows and angled his head to look at Muoh Li. “You speak as if this flower has a mind of its own. That sounds preposterous.”
He turned back toward the lotus, astonished to find it softly glowing.
Perhaps it wasn’t so preposterous.
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:25 pm
"Who knows?" The doctor set his weight against the counter, running a finger around the blossom (which still refused to let him touch it). "You have to admit it's pretty though."
He stopped and looked at the lotus with his head tilted in contemplation, then straightened up, having made a decision.
"Tell you what, since you're the first person to have had an interest in this flower, allow me to gift this lotus to you as celebration of making your acquaintance, and of your coming to our town." Muoh Li wasn't too worried that Lien Si may object to his current actions, after all, Lien Si always said that, if they take it, then it was meant to be. If they didn't, then that too, is fate.
Besides, though he may just be imagining things, he felt that the lotus and the man seemed to have a similar vibe, a sort of resonance.
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 3:27 pm
Byeoung shrugged his shoulder, grinning. Admittedly, the flower was pretty. Its large, white petals were dipped in dark pink and contently basked in a warm glow, a warm glow that drew the boy in. His gaze rested on the lotus, his gaze blank, but entranced by the blossom. “I must agree with you on that,” he answered in a trailing voice before sighing and softly shaking his head. What was that just now?
He lifted his head to stare at the doctor with a polite and somewhat baffled look. “Me? Why, I couldn’t.” BK smiled formally at him, raising an arm to cover his heart. “I appreciate your kindness, but I’m just not sure if I can raise this flower.” His eyes flickered back to the lotus. “It’s quite mysterious . . . and I don’t know much about tending to plants. I’m afraid I may just kill it.” He chuckled uneasily, hoping his attempt at humor was successful.
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Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 11:24 am
Muoh Li waved away the rejection, a smile on his face. One small objection wasn't going to deter him, after all, rejecting at first is the polite response.
"Oh don't worry about that, these mysterious things are quite easy to care for from what I've gathered. They don't need sunlight, dirt, or water even (it just looks nicer on a platter this way); they only need a stick of incense burnt in its name each day to keep it in this realm.
"Besides--although I don't see it happening anytime soon--if and when the flower does indeed stop blooming and begins to wither, the whole plant is edible and has many medicinal uses. As strange and confused as this one may be, I see no reason for it to not still retain those properties, if not be even more potent than its summer siblings."
The doctor went on and listed the many medical uses and tasty goods that use the lotus, ending with his brows furrowed in contemplation. "Hmm. I bet a good amount of gold could be earned if someone could figure out a way to cultivate lotuses out of season..."
He added distractedly, thinking over the possibility. "Plus it also smells nice and can make a nice night light."
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:49 pm
The doctor was undeterred by Byeoung-Keon’s response, seemingly set on persuading the boy to take home the sweet enigma of a lotus. As the son of two parents well-versed in business and the art of rhetoric, it would take various reasons to convince the lad to accept the white flower.
He warily eyed the plant, a hand coyly reaching up to his glasses and subtly pulling them down, as of he could see and understand what Muoh Li was talking about. The lotus’s extreme independence further puzzled him. No sunlight, dirt, nor water? Did that even make it a living thing anymore? “Are you sure this thing isn’t made out of wood, or something? I find that to be incredibly unrealistic,” Byeoung remarked, skepticism weaved into his tone. Still, that also meant that no maintenance was required and it acted like decoration. What was the harm in that?
Muoh Li began to rattle on other positive uses for the flower (if it could still be considered a flower at all).
BK eyed the blossom, crossing his arms and pursing his lips. He weighted the pros and cons that were laid before him. “Perhaps, but would it really be alright? I mean, I’m merely a delivery boy and we’ve hardly met.”
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:22 pm
Muoh Li merely laughed, "Of course, to be able to meet like this is also the work of fate. Instead of having this blossom just sit on my counter getting ignored, might as well give it to you. I imagine you'll be bringing me more deliveries as well. That and I'd love to hear stories of your travels if you ever have the time."
He looked at the lotus, a smile on his lips. "You can touch it yourself to see if it's made of wood. If anything, I'd think its unearthly qualities would only make its powers more potent. Of course, I don't recommend trying to eat it while it's still pretty and in full bloom. I'm actually curious to how long it would last."
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