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 Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 5:08 pm
 
Setting:
The Academy's Pondside
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 5:23 pm
The Zero Ghost lightly set his brush beside him. In the company of the a willow tree's shade and pondbug song, the pond's atmosphere was supposedly more calming than usual, but alas, its effect was null. Ling Gui could never truly fathom how his brother used wrist control so skillfully in calligraphy. While they yoked to Ling Shi Er, they never produced the whispy cao zi for Ling Gui when he attempted the task. His pale brows furrowed under his bangs, and he angrily crumpled the attempt in his hands before throwing it into the water for the fish to mock. He was decent at the art, but not admirable like his brother. Ling Shi Er's absence seemed to only cause Ling Gui to inherit his hobbies. Only a week ago, he sampled his brother's erhu, but his fingers were lame due to being accustomed to the zither.
Although he was probably never meant for the arts, Ling Gui thirsted to try. Surely, his brother's skill was simply a variable. If the variable was replaced with Ling Gui's own, the result should be the same. Transitory means. It was laughable from afar, a younger brother attempting something he was never fated for. But the thought evoked a new question: was Shi Er fated to become a strategian? The elder Ling never seemed fond of them, or frankly even discussed them. The younger Ling swore it was the elders that pressed such "genius" from him. He wanted to believe that his brother had no genius at all, but such thoughts were synonymous to shaming his closest friend and kin. How could he believe such things, when Ling Shi Er always repeated the best of his younger brother?
Forgetting. Forgetting all of it.
His fingers found the wooden box tucked within his robes, and he opened its lid to reveal pigments of color. Yes, his luck may increase with painting. Using a foot, he brought the water pot closer to his lap. He carefully dabbed the brush in wet, inked pigment and wiping the substance on paper, tracing the outlines of majestic mountains before tilting it in an artful descent to create the illusions of grandeur. It was nothing like writing war novels or devising new tactics. Art was an enigma. It didn't instruct, it didn't direct, it merely watched you. Shi Er had always said so. It wasn't the audience that spectated the finished work, it was the finished work that watched the audience. Ling Gui never quite empathized with such blasphemy.
Nevertheless...
"Doubt this resembles anything close to a mountain any further," Ling Gui murmured, his expression dark, but hidden by his hair. He was glad that he had such a veil, for if anyone was to brush back his bangs from his face, they would see that he was blushing.
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 6:05 pm
Bao wandered the Academy. It was such a wonder to finally be attending it. She thoroughly enjoyed each moment spent in the presence of others her age and the esteemed teachers. Her father was still a little uneasy about her being here. She could understand his reasoning. There were those of the Legion within the Academy walls and there were teachers that fought for the Legion. Still, it was nice to finally meet others. She felt so cooped up at home with the tutors that came and went and her mother that stayed in the shadows. Wei and Radha were also no fun at all. As a child, Bao had always been running around and playing. No, her two younger siblings were quiet little angels or so her mother thought. She quickly cast them from her mind. Thoughts of them always annoyed her.
Bao continued on in her exploration, running her hands along the walls and admiring the beautiful scenery that made up the Academy. Then she spotted another Lunarian sitting by the pond under a willow tree. She smiled and was just about to open her mouth when she realized what he was doing. He was painting. She crept closer to get a better look. It seemed to be mountains that he was painting. As he went through the motions with the paint brush, she watched. It was almost enchanting to watch the smooth motions.
At the end he spoke and Bao had to disagree with what he murmured. She rather liked it. Of course, Bao was never one for the finer arts. She completely failed at calligraphy, didn't have the patience to paint, and flirted with her music teachers too much to ever really learn anything. It was her father's fault for getting such cute music teachers though. She liked to do things that brought instant or almost instant gratification. That was why she enjoyed eating so much and flying kites.
In a soft voice, hoping not to startle him, she said, "I think it's beautiful." It was the truth. Out of all her faults, she was not a liar.
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 8:41 pm
Ling Gui's forefinger twitched, but he was otherwise unaffected by a stranger's interrupting voice. Tilting his chin so that several strands of hair would depart his line of vision, he saw that the speaker was a brightly-clothed female, her features dark and golden. Sucking in a breath, Ling Gui shook his head at her remark making the "death" tag on his hat tremble. She was perhaps one of those sympathetic Lunarians who only had good to say to him. He admired their goodwill, but his skill in the arts was truly mediocre. Ling Gui would be sure to tell her so. He wouldn't want her believing something that was untrue, and it wasn't a matter of speaking humbly, merely laying out plain and ordinary fact.
"Oh no, it's very undeveloped and novice," Ling admitted, struggling to maintain an even voice. He sighed before pounding the brush in the water pot, wetting the pot's rim with colored liquid. "My elder brother was much more admirable in painting," he said, nodding in afterthought.
He didn't try avoiding eye contact with her, but he was careful to ensure that he wasn't mumbling. Ling Gui often felt that he was a conversational dry spell, but he was skillful (usually) at selecting proper diction.
"It's a suitable distraction for now, I suppose. Finishing books is rewarding, but waiting for critiques is just tedious." the ghost boy added flatly. "I suppose you must be a brilliant painter, after all, women generally are. It's a strange pattern I've noticed."
Every Ling woman had been a virtuoso at one form of art or another. His brother was just a fortunate Ling that inherited the trait. Ling Shi Er inherited many things, and for this, Ling Gui horribly missed him.
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 11:07 pm
Bao thought that it was quite interesting, the way he dressed. She had never met a Lunarian that dressed quite like that. For some reason, it gave her a slight chill when she noticed the “death” tag on his hat. His hair fell over his face as if in a mask but he had tilted his head a bit so she could see his face. He seemed so very pale to her. It made her think of the sun and moon. She was like the bright sun and he was like the pale moon. Of course, her skin could also be compared to the dark night. She did have very dark skin. It was everything else that was like the sun. She liked it that way.
Bao smiled at him when he supposed that she was a brilliant painter. Of course she was actually quite horrible at painting. She had neither the patience nor the skill to do so. "No, I assure you that my painting skills would make your painting a masterpiece. So to me it really is beautiful."
She did like books though. If he wrote stories, fictional ones, she would love to get her hands on them to give a critique. Reading any original copy of a story or even a factual document would bring great joy to her. "You write? I love to read. If you are ever in need of a critique, feel free to offer your writing to me." The way she said it held a hint of a double meaning. Just a slight bit of flirtation slipped into the sentence.
Bao moved to sit near him, upon the stone bench that was set near the pond. One of the things he had said was nagging her. The mention of an older brother. Why the use of the word 'was'? At first, she was unsure about questioning him about it but it was really bothering her. She just had to know. "Did you say your brother was better at painting?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 12:17 am
Ling Gui's lips tipped up awkwardly, slightly taken aback that the girl was persistent in her praise. He truthfully didn't think his work amounted to anything, but he was somewhat content that she thought otherwise. Sometimes it was just an issue of value of perception, or perception of value. He nodded finally, surrendering to her opinion. He didn't have much energy to argue, and frankly, he'd prefer if she'd leave him be so he could return to his moment of artistic inability. Failure was definitely better left unexploited, and Ling Gui admitted this darkly to himself. She humored him, the way she said things. He wondered if she was always so amicable and amiable with everything and everyone, or if she was simply bored.
He wouldn't blame her. The Academy didn't have as much to offer as they said they would. He seemed to learn more watching the Academy fail at certain things than he did observing their "successes".
"Mmm I doubt I'd show anyone anything I've written other than my grandfather, no offense intended. He seems to know mistake and merit well. At least, for me, personally." Ling said sullenly. He wished it wasn't so, but it was very true. The books he wrote were difficult to be understood by anyone outside of the Ling family, being mainly about strategies and numbers. To outsiders, he inferred that it probably read like complex jargon.
At her question about his elder brother, he fell silent.
"Yes. He's very talented. There's nothing he can't paint."
From her expression, he wondered if he was being charming today. He was never sure of when he was or when he wasn't. The Ling girls were usually giggly, the Academy girls were different.
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 4:01 pm
Bao listened to him with her full attention even as her eyes had strayed to the pond. She wondered what family he belonged to. He didn't seem like a particularly happy lunarian. She had to admit that it bothered her a little that he seemed so intent on putting himself down and didn't seem all that happy to begin with. She'd have to find a way to get him in a much better mood. Bao didn't like being around sour faces, as she liked to call them. Mother tended to be a sour face around her all the time. She felt waves of disappointment rolling off her mother every time they saw each other. Bao didn't care though. Father's approval meant so much more to her.
She looked back up at him after he passed on her offer to critique his work. Bao didn't mind. She honestly did not expect him to say yes. Writers tended to be particular about who they shared their work with. She offered him a bright smile. "No problem. I'm sure you feel more comfortable sharing it with your grandfather too. After all, I'm just a girl you met but a moment ago." Maybe if she kept saying positive things, he'd come around.
Bao had to wonder when he became so silent at her question about his brother. When he placed his brother in present tense, she felt relief. "You must be so proud of him." At least he could be proud of something. All she had for her siblings was annoyance. They were so incapable of doing things for themselves. Just a couple of spoiled brats. She looked up at him and offered another smile. "I'm the oldest in my family, so I hope I can set a good example for my younger siblings." If they even felt the need to follow her example.
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 2:33 pm
Ling-Gui relieved a soft smile in the golden girl's direction. He wasn't the type to easily reveal his smiles, but he didn't want the poor girl to believe that she was a bother to him, because she truly wasn't and he admitted to himself that having another Lunarian nearby was reassuring. Still, the canvas upon which he painted was a sorry spectacle and he'd rather the paint to disperse into oblivion. He blamed the entirety of his troubles on the Ling family and their traditions of child-raising and family value. If he were born from a different womb, perhaps he and the golden girl would not have met under such circumstance and he would never had said such things to her.
"It's alright, it doesn't bother me," Ling began, reassuring the girl. She was very kind to speak to him at all; he possessed a chill to most Lunarians, though females tended to not mind him much and seek his company. In the Ling household, the reason was usually due to his analytically abilities and perception."Yes, my brother is an impressive Ling, a clear justification of our family's member as a brilliant strategians."
"You are very kind to say such things to me, my greatest apologies if I gave you a cold impression, golden girl," Ling apologized, setting down his brush and studying her complexion. Her garments reminded him very much of sunshine, in the same way his reminded the Ling girls of ghosts and the dying. It was a comical analysis, a girl who appeared to be the embodiment of life conversing with a sullen spirit. "You must be a very warm sister to your younger siblings, they are fortunate."
"I haven't properly introduced myself," Ling-Gui said, suppressing a blush. He'd been too preoccupied with self-criticism to exercise politeness. "I am Ling-Gui of the Ling family, a strategian and ghostwriter, quite literally. And you, golden girl?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 2:36 pm
Bao noticeably brightened at his soft smile, if it were even possible for her to be brighter. She rewarded him with a very please smile, her eyes alight with joy. It must be a rare thing for him to smile because it seemed almost awkward to her. Maybe it just seemed awkward because she was so very open with her smiles. Even her servants constantly smiled around her. It was hard not to smile around people she cared about. She could only wonder about what kind of family he came from for such a depressing air to come off of him.
Bao blinked up at him when he mentioned that his family were strategists. Most likely for the war. She couldn't remember ever seeing him or those that looked like him at the meetings her father had with the other nobles. She cast her eyes down. He may just be fighting for the other side. That made her sad. She didn't want to categorize those she met by which side they were on. She only wished to make friends. Her smile seemed to melt away at that thought.
The golden girl comment made her smile again. Bao turned her orange eyes to him. She shook her head to disagree with him. "You didn't give me a cold impression. Though smiling more is a must." She laughed a little and ran her hand through her bangs. "I rarely see my siblings to be honest. They cling to my mother and never leave the safety of our estate, almost the opposite of me. They are spoiled and unkind." Bao wished that she could do something to change them. It was one of the few things that could truly make her upset.
Bao recognized the name and knew in an instant that she would one day find herself at odds with him. She kept the smile upon her face. The blush almost made her hold his hand in reassurance. She was usually very open and not opposed to doing things like that, even with strangers. It pained her father sometimes. "You can just call me Bao. Actually, I don't mind being called golden girl either. At least I'll know it's you if you call me. I've never heard anyone call me golden girl before." Her father had dropped the family name a long time ago. She hoped that for at least some time they can be friends. Surely the war would cause them to become enemies. She didn't know if she could hurt someone that she considered a friend.
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