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 Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 3:49 pm
{ pondside meetings}
:: [shen hu] & [rosemallow] ::
:: o-Kikumaru-o & Kurama no Koishi ::
:: Glade // Teritia::
:: Setting // overcast day; late afternoon ::
 
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 3:55 pm
Shen Hu put his lucky lantern down on the gravelly stream bank, looking ahead up to the small pond for any signs of danger. He was getting slightly paranoid ever since someone had stolen his precious lantern. "Coast's clear."
To most gladiers, it would appear that he was simply talking to himself, but he knew better. The flame that dwelled within the lantern had a mind of its own, and, recently had become a good friend, despite how bizarre that sounded.
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Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:56 pm
Rosemallow was a rather reserved gladier as far as gladiers went. This wasn't to say that she was shy or unassuming—she loved the prospect of exploring unknown lands and making new experiences—she just preferred to do so by herself. It came as a surprise, then, when she emerged from the nearby brush and found another cetus at her pond.
Well, it wasn't her pond, but it was her special place, a place that no one else was supposed to know about.
"Hi?" The greeting sounded more like a question. Rose was obviously baffled at the other's presence.
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Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 12:48 pm
Shen Hu glanced up momentarily at the newcomer, and then promptly ignored her and went back to examining his precious lantern.
After a few awkward moments had passed by, he felt the unwavering gaze of the other cetus upon him, and, making a quick decision, raised his head and nodded in her direction. "Hello." He arranged his body to hide the lantern before once again looking in her direction. "Who might you be?" he asked in a formal tone.
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Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 1:44 pm
Well, this was a bit awkward.
Rosemallow hadn't received the best first impression of the male presently standing in front of her. What decent gladier so openly ignored a newcomer like that? She wasn't about to let that go so easily, though, and stood her ground, waiting expectantly for acknowledgment. She deserved at least that much!
Noticing his protective stance, Rose made a small effort to see what the other was trying to hide... to no avail. Exhaling a bit, she spoke. "I'm Rosemallow," she said matter-of-factly, very much expecting a name in return. "What... what are you doing here?" The cetus didn't necessarily have an overinflated sense of entitlement; she just wanted to know who he was and why he was in her happy place.
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Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 12:21 pm
Instantly noticing the other's interest in his lantern, his first instinct was to hit her on the head with a rock and run away before she could steal it.
Then, as common sense returned, he slowly moved away so that the lantern was in full view. He hoped that he wasn't doing the wrong thing, and mentally prepared a quick escape route.
"Rosemallow." Surprisingly enough, the name rolled off his tongue easily, as if he had said it many, many times before. "Cleansing the soul," he replied to her second question, completely oblivious to the fact that she wanted him to give his name as well.
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 12:12 am
The cetus tilted her head slightly to the side as she watched the other back away from what seemed to be a lantern. Taking but a moment to marvel at it, Rosemallow smiled shyly. "It's pretty," she said, nodding at the ornament. She meant no harm, really—Rose was just a curious gladier. She was about to ask why he seemed to carry it around all the time, until he spoke.
Something clicked in her mind when he said her name. Somehow, some way, the way he said it sounded... familiar. Why this was, though, Rose couldn't begin to guess. The idea flustered her a bit, enough that she began her next sentence with a small stutter. "I-I see," she murmured. Then, more quietly, "And... your name?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 6:59 pm
"Thank you." Shen Hu dipped his head a little in acknowledgment. Deep inside, he was quite grateful to find someone who shared the same quiet fascination with his lantern. Normal gladiers either chose to ignore him, or badger him about his lantern.
"My name...is Shen Hu," he replied after a moment's hesitation. He wasn't quite sure if this was the smartest thing to do; after all, his natural instinct was to be cautious and paranoid about his surroundings, and he had hardly even met this new gladier. "May I ask what brings you to this tranquil location?" he asked quietly.
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Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 1:20 am
Rosemallow seemed pleased to hear a name, and even more so after she realized that she wasn't being blatantly ignored anymore. "Nice to meet you, Shen Hu," she said honestly, smiling the only way a gladier could. If Rose was anything, she was very trusting. Hopefully this time, her trust wasn't severely misplaced.
"I come here a lot to think," she continued as he prompted her. "It's nice and quiet if you just want to sleep or contemplate. I guess you could call it my special place." It wasn't quite so special anymore seeing as she had found out that she wasn't the only one with access to it. It wasn't just hers... though she wasn't opposed to sharing it if she found someone worthy.
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Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:56 am
"That's...interesting." Shen Hu raised an eyebrow as he contemplated this information before shaking his head and looking at Rosemallow again. There was something strange about the way her crimson eyes met with his own amber ones, but he couldn't figure out exactly why this was happening.
"I plan on continuing to the pond," he suddenly announced. "Are you coming?" he asked, meaningfully glancing into her mysterious eyes once again.
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Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 3:16 pm
The cetus had to blink momentarily as his rather curt reply. Rosemallow wasn't expecting him to inquire about her own preferences—he hadn't seemed like the kind of gladier who would care, judging from first impressions. But first impressions were transient, and especially with the way he was staring into her eyes, she had to question whether she'd been right the first time.
"Of course," she answered mildly, feeling a blush creep up into her cheeks—thank the heavens for fur. Rose nodded and approached him slowly, as if to follow.
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 3:10 pm
Shen Hu nodded, as if agreeing to himself. "Ji'an will be with us, of course," he added as he nodded briefly at his lantern before starting to make his way down the pebbled stream bank down to the pond. The rushes and ferns rustled softly as the two walked slowly, and he made sure to not let his lantern be extinguished by the muddier water around here.
Before long, he noticed how the other cetus started to flush around the cheeks, so he quickly stopped and turned to her. "Are you all right? You look as if you have a fever," he commented, a little bit of concern beginning to creep into his voice. He mentally told himself to stop this charade; the other was still a stranger, why should he care?
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:38 pm
Ji'an? Rosemallow had opened her mouth to question who Shen Hu was referring to, until the other cetus motioned to his lantern. If she was curious about his treatment of it, she didn't show it. Instead, she idly wondered why he all of a sudden decided that she wasn't such a threat to it anymore.
Rose was taken aback, to say the least, when he abruptly stopped in the middle of the path to inquire as to her well-being, something about her having a fever. She realized that she must still be blushing, and the question only worsened the condition. "I'm f-fine," she said, trying to sound convincing, "Perfectly fine." The gladier offered a small smile in order to shake the notion that there was anything wrong.
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Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 1:00 pm
"If you say so." Shen Hu wasn't one to pry into others' buisness unless it directly involved him, so he chose to be courteous to Rose and tried to ignore the feeling of uneasiness that hung around them. It wasn't exactly a bad feeling...just kind of awkward, something that he wasn't completely used to.
"We're here," he announced as he cleared away the final stretch of rushes and slippery grass to uncover the side of a clear pond, where a few lazy fish swam around. Without saying anything else, he carefully positioned his lantern over the water's surface, and with the utmost precision placed it gently on to the pond water. Miraculously, the lantern stayed afloat despite that heavy-looking gold plated bottom.
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Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:33 pm
The cetus was glad, to say the least, that Shen Hu wasn't the prying type. It wasn't as if Rose had anything to hide, for that matter, she just got flustered easily when it came to awkward questions. She happily continued to follow him.
Upon their arrival, Rosemallow crept up to the water's edge and lay down on her stomach to watch the few koi swim around. They were one of the many reasons she loved this place—the sense of peace they invoked with every pass was contagious! The gladier was less uncomfortable, already. Sparing her new companion a glance and a smile, she said, "Would you like to watch the fish with me? They're so beautiful."
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