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 Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 12:06 pm
  This is a PRP between Van (Kurama no Koishi) and Kiran (Kazu-chan).
Setting:
Months removed from their last encounter, two Lunarians run into each other on Main Street to mend old wounds and friendships.
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Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 1:05 pm
It was fairly early in the morning, with the sun still rising in the sky. A particular raven-haired Lunarian surveyed the growing crowd in front of her, standing at the mouth of the main street that ran through the Imperial City. It was, by all appearances, a typical day in the markets. The produce vendors had already been up since the crack of dawn selling their wares, but the others were only just setting up now. And if one looked carefully enough, one could still see the late-night drunkards stumbling back home to their beds.
Van was not here for any of this, today. The fighter was in her third month of house-searching, and her luck had not changed since the very beginning. There were virtually no free apartments, at least, not ones that were readily affordable to a fighter just leaving her parents’ nest. Her appointment this morning with a potential landlord had fallen through, and her quest to find someplace new to live was renewed.
There was not much more the Legionnaire could do right now, except look on the bulletin boards for any new postings about a free apartment. This, Van had been religiously doing for weeks, only to find that the process was much more involved than she’d originally thought it would be. That, or she was just picky.
Deciding then to check the listings later, Van made her way into the street, bypass the sidewalk markets and heading towards the weapons shops. Later, she would go down to the fashion district. There was nothing that a little bit of retail therapy couldn’t solve. A more sensible part of her told her that she’d be able to afford more of the apartment options available to her, if only she didn’t spend so much of her hard-earned money on clothes and weapons. Van always ignored this little voice, though. Pushing the door open to one of Lunaria’s premier weapons shops, she stepped inside, smiling to herself as the bell on the handle announced her presence.
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Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 2:45 pm
Many shops weren't open just yet at the early hour of the morning when Kiran woke up and left his apartment. He nodded and waved to the people he passed as they got ready for another busy day. As he didn't have to be at work for a couple of hours, he decided to venture down to the weapons shops.
After that second battle with Van, one of his tonfas remained damage with a chunk gouged out from where Van's knife had dug into the wood. Since then, he hadn't been using his tonfas in battle, worried that little nick might bring about his downfall in his next fight. He decided a new pair was necessary and planned to purchase a new pair before heading to work.
His funds had been low lately with having to pay rent and buying his own food and other necessities of life. He had kept a small fund aside with each weekly payment from both his job at the shipyard and selling the fish that he caught at the docks until he thought he had enough to buy the tonfas that he had been eyeing at the weapons shop since he fought Van for the second time.
Arriving at the weapons shop, Kiran pushed open the door and entered it to the sound of a little bell on the handle jingling. "Oh, sorry," he said, stopping short before he bumped into the woman still standing just inside the entrance to the shop. He moved to sidestep around the woman, his gaze darting toward the rack that held a nice selection of tonfas.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:54 am
Van had paused at the doorway for just a moment, taking in the wares of the shop. Knives and swords adorned the walls, and racks upon racks of weapons cluttered the place. This shop wasn’t by any means the only place to get weapons, but it carried them in bulk and had a wide range—perfect for any fighter just starting out or otherwise. The Legionnaire didn’t have anything in mind that she wanted to buy, but if she looked long enough she would probably come up with something.
She didn’t notice the man behind her when he nearly bumped into her, and his quiet apology pretty much soared over her head. If she had known it’d been Kiran, she might have wondered why he was so apologetic to her, given the circumstances of their last meeting.
Instead, Van stepped forward after him, deciding to default to the shop’s selection of short swords, not unlike her own. As always, she skipped over the beginner blades, deferring to the more ornate and expensive swords. One of these days, she’d save up to buy her own. Functionality always had to be coupled with aesthetics, in Van’s mind, and there could never be too much of either.
Walking on, the fighter stopped in front of the rack that held the tonfas, pausing to admire the polished finishes on the new weapons. She’d always had a vague understanding of how to wield the wooden weapons—they were not too different from how she held her own swords—but she’d never used them much in practice. Van picked one of them up, testing its heft. When a familiar blue shock of hair caught her eye, though, she nearly dropped the tonfa she was holding.
The animosity Van used to feel toward Kiran had dulled since the last time they’d met, she noticed. Still, that didn’t keep her from being wary. “Kiran?”
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:27 pm
Kiran knew enough about shopping to not seem over eager in making a purchase. Even though he had his eye on a specific set of tonfas, he glanced at the rest of the selection. Perhaps another set would catch his eye. He picked up a tonfa from one set, trying out the weight and feel of the grip. If he was lucky, he could haggle with the shop owner to get a lower price on the tonfas that he wanted. For now, his plan was to make it look like he was still unsure of what he wanted.
He was aware of other people in the shop, all checking out various types of weapons, though he didn't give them much notice. His gaze drifted briefly away from the tonfas to a rack with long bladed poles, trying to look as though he was curious about them. Back at Uncle's place when he was first deciding on a weapon to use in battle, Kiran had tested out a weapon like that, but he found it didn't quite match him. It was easy enough to use in his style of fighting, but he preferred a weapon that could easily conceal and carry on his person at all times. A pole type weapon didn't allow him that element of surprise by appearing to be unarmed. It also lacked the ability to add protection to his arms when he guarded against powerful strikes.
He replaced the tonfa back on the rack. Then he wandered down a little farther and leaned in close as he squinted at a different set of tonfas. This set looked like it was mostly for aesthetic appeal with an intricate design carved into the wood. While it was nice to look at, Kiran wondered how well it would hold up in actual battle.
He blinked upon hearing a familiar voice say his name. Kiran straightened his stance and turned to stare at Van, for a brief moment completely puzzled by her presence. They hadn't exactly ended things on a good note after their last encounter, and he was surprised not to see a hint of that old anger twisting upon her face. "Van!" he greeted, throwing on a friendly smile though it came off somewhat awkwardly. He hoped they wouldn't have a repeat of their last two meetings, especially here inside the weapons shop. "What are you doing here?" he asked, though the answer seemed quite obvious given their location.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 3:22 am
His name had escaped her lips before she could stop it, realizing too late that he probably did not want to speak to her any more than she wanted to speak to him. The fighter hadn’t moved in waiting for Kiran’s response. It would have been entirely understandable for him to brush her off coldly, or ignored her completely. She had, after all, beaten him during their last encounter. However they had left each other last time, though, she was sure that neither of them was thick enough to start a fight here and now, in a weapons shop no less. At least for Van, being banned from the store was more of a sentence than any fight was worth right now.
Kiran surprised her with a smile, and startled, the woman smiled back. Van certainly wasn’t feeling as friendly as her smile suggested, for although her anger had abated, she hadn’t forgotten what he’d done. Giving up a fight was hardly the kind of insult that would be taken lightly. And now as the two fighters stood staring at each other, it became rapidly apparent that the moment was quite awkward.
Van quickly replaced the tonfa she was holding onto the rack next to her, when asked her purpose for coming into the shop. Running one hand through her thick ponytail quickly, she shrugged. “I am just seeing if anything catches my eye, today.” She certainly wasn’t there for the tonfas, at least, although it couldn’t exactly be said that she was shopping for anything in particular. “Though I have been mostly disappointed. And you? Are you looking for a new pair of tonfas?”
She walked past him now as she listened to his answer, toward a rack of more obscure, specialized weapons. There was among them a stunning pair of twin hook swords, which Van one day wished to be able to wield. Her skills were not yet up to par, though, and it would be years before she could use them effectively. Restraining herself from stroking the shiny steel weapons in appreciation, she turned, fixing her amethyst gaze on the other Lunarian. “Actually, I’m not in town to look for weapons at all. A new living space is still at the top of my list of priorities,” she admitted candidly.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 3:44 pm
Kiran waited calmly for Van's response to his question as he idly glanced over the selection of tonfas in front of where they stood. The one that Van had been looking at was one of the nicer sets that the shop had on display. He nodded absently to her question before tearing his gaze away from the tonfas to look at Van again. "Yeah," he said, throwing on an easy smile. "After you tuck a chunk out of my old pair, I thought I should get a new pair."
His original set had come from Uncle, who had quite a selection of weapons at his house. They had some age on them, but they had served Kiran well since he chose them. He almost felt sad to put them away in exchange for a newer, undamaged pair. It was like replacing a faithful companion. But he had always known that his old tonfas wouldn't last forever and eventually he would have to get new ones. He couldn't deny that there was some excitement in looking at the display in the weapons shop. It reminded him of being a kid in a shop full of sweets.
He gazed at Van warily after his comment. He had meant it in a joking way. The anger that he had felt toward her had subsided greatly since their last fight, which like another life time ago. He hoped it didn't incense her into trying to attack him. Starting a fight with Van was the last thing on his mind at that moment.
"You're still looking for a place?" He blinked wide, surprised eyes at her. She had mentioned looking for a new place when they met up on Cherry Tree Hill. Their last encounter hadn't exactly been one of great conversation, and Kiran still harbored some self-disgust at how his moment of giving up toward the end of the fight. Part of him thought she would have found a place since then. He put a hand to chin, pondering a moment. He had been keeping an ear out for news of any place that might be available, even though they weren't on the best of terms with each other. "I might know of a place. If you don't mind a yurt." He didn't know what kind of place exactly Van hoped to find.
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Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:33 am
“... ah, that.” Van murmured, scrubbing her head sheepishly as she vaguely recalled the fight that had occurred between the two of them those months ago. They had exchanged a fair amount of good blows, tonfa against butterfly sword, and now that she thought about it she did remember getting her blade stuck in his weapon. Peering briefly at the tonfa rack before turning her attention back to the Noble standing in front of her, she opened her mouth, as if to issue an apology. No such thing was said, however. Van still struggled with saying sorry, and she wasn’t sure she’d forgive him so easily for what had happened, so she looked away. “They really do have some nice tonfas here, hm?”
She’d covered the apology with an empty statement, one that she didn’t entirely expect him to answer. She knew that, had she been in his place, she would have been upset by the broken weapon alone. Her own swords had been given her upon promotion by her father, and they meant more to her than just their sentimentality as her first true weapons. It was surprising that hers were as intact as they were, and she was grateful for this, along with the fact that Kiran didn’t seem to be too angry with her, either.
Grateful for the change in subject, Van answered quickly to his next words. “I am. You wouldn’t believe it—everyone’s fallen through.” She didn’t attribute this to the fact that she was also especially picky, but her dismay at her lack of success was evident in her tone. The Legionnaire wasn’t anywhere near giving up, of course, but the process had been grating on her patience as of late. Thus, she perked up visibly when the Noble mentioned that he knew of a place. It was too soon to make any decisions, though the opportunity was still something to get excited about.
“Really? I’d love to go see it!” She didn’t mind the fact that it was a yurt. The Legionnaire could have smiled, until she remembered that by normal conventions, she was still supposed to be wary of Kiran. Watching the other fighter expectantly, she added, “If... you don’t mind, of course.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 1:35 pm
"Yeah," Kiran mumbled with a hint of awkwardness as his gaze swept over the selection of tonfas. It didn't seem like his comment had rekindled that old angry between them. He was glad for that, though there was lingering sense of a need for an apology. He didn't think the blame was entirely on one or the other; he had as blame as Van in the starting that fight, having responded instinctively to her punch. But he couldn't bring himself to be the one to say it first. Van had been the one to throw the first punch.
He nodded at the question. "There are a few that I'm thinking about buying," he admitted and glanced toward the man working at the shop. At the moment, he was speaking to another Lunarian who was looking at a long bladed sword mounted on the wall. "Hoping to get a good deal. Though I think I have enough to pay full price if it comes to that." He wanted to bargain for a lower price so that he didn't waste all the money that he saved up on them, but he knew a good set of weapons wouldn't come cheap. If he went too low, Kiran knew the weapons shop worker wouldn't sell to him.
Part of him was glad the apology went unspoken. He had had a rough time of it before, when they were still Academy students and he wanted to apologize for trying to steal her necklace. When not forced to do under his mother's orders, Kiran found making an apology rather difficult, probably because for the first time, he had actually meant it. The prior apologies had never been sincere. He couldn't explain why Van was the first to make him want to apologize for his wrong doings.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said honestly. He knew how hard it could be to find a place, having moved out himself. Though from the sound of it, his search had been much easier than Van's search was going. He gave a bright smile to Van. "Certainly! I can show it to you right now if you like." He wondered if the location of the yurt would be all right with Van. As he recalled, the man had mentioned the yurt being available in a Noble neighborhood.
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:10 pm
Van followed Kiran’s gaze as he glanced up at the shop owner, who was helping another client at the moment. Then, nodding in understanding, she resumed her former posture and turned to face the Noble standing next to her. Lowering her voice so that she would not be overheard, she murmured, “Let me know which ones you’re looking to get—I’ll get the price down for you.” And it was true; in all of Van’s dealings in both day and night markets, she had become quite the veteran at haggling. In past experiences, too, this particular man had yielded easily to Van’s charms, for she’d practically stolen a brand new pair of deer horn knives that day. Sweet-talking had become part of the woman’s skill set, and the Legion captains knew this well.
This wasn’t something that Van often offered to help others in without a price, least of all for a Noble she’d been actively fighting the last few times they’d met. The Legionnaire couldn’t shake the feeling of obligation, however—though she hated the Nobles’ cause, it had been her who’d damaged Kiran’s weapons in their previous meetings. With this small transaction coming to pass, she would consider things between them even. If the two of them couldn’t see eye to eye, at least the fighter wouldn’t have to express the apology aloud. For indeed, this was the closest thing to an apology that Kiran would get from her.
At Kiran’s candid statement, the corners of her lips turned up slightly in a subtle smile, so very different from the usual battle sneer that she was sure he was used to seeing by now. She couldn’t help but hope that this particular house would be the one she’d finally move into. Perhaps in return for her help, he would be able to help her close the contract on a new living space. It was best not to get too ahead of herself, though, and Van strode back towards the tonfa rack. Eyeing Kiran expectantly, she asked, “Well?”
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 10:28 am
Kiran snapped his gaze back to Van, tearing it away from the tonfas that he had been examining. "Really?" he asked, unable to mask his surprise at the offer. His gaze darted back to the worker, still busily helping out the customer. He could see how a woman might be better at haggling for a lower price. If he batted his eyelashes at the man hoping to get a better deal, he would probably get a punch to the face. A woman's charms would definitely have its uses.
He hadn't been expecting Van to make that kind of offer, though. When they first met on Cherry Tree Hill all those months ago, Van had mentioned being in search of a place to live. Kiran had offered to keep an eye out for any such place. He was merely fulfilling that promise by announcing that he might have a place for her to live. It never occurred to him that she would offer help to him in return.
She did damage your tonfas, a small part of him reminded. But Kiran dismissed that thought with ease. That was a risk when battling. He couldn't expect to go into a fight and not risk injuring himself or damaging or losing a weapon. However, if Van wanted to do him this favor, Kiran wouldn't argue too much and would consider things all squared up between them.
Kiran walked a little ways down the rack before coming to a stop. He reached forward and lifted a pair of tonfas from their place on the rack. "This is the pair," he explained, somewhat obviously, as he twirled one of the tonfas in his hand. They were a bit on the pricier side, part of the reason he had waited to purchase them. But after several trips to the weapons shop and testing out virtually all the tonfas they had for sale, he decided that this set was the best for him. They were light but hard wood and sturdy, and he knew they would withstand most attacks. Though he would have to remember to watch out for bladed weapons from now on, unless he wanted another chunk dug out of his tonfas.
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 1:44 pm
Van merely shrugged at Kiran’s surprise, widening her arms in an open movement as a wry smile appeared across her face. Though she tended not to offer this kind of help to others, it wasn’t as if it was difficult for her to do so. On the contrary, haggling for the lower price had become a staple in every one of Van’s transactions. The fighter was efficient this way; she stretched every last bit of gold to its fullest value, and this was how she came to have so much by way of weapons and possessions. It wasn’t as if she was wealthy—she simply knew how to spend what she had.
Placing one hand on her hip, Van followed Kiran as he returned to the tonfa rack. She inclined her head silently as he showed her the pair he wanted to buy, grasping the hard wood of the weapons as they were offered to her. Twirling them slowly in her hands as her violet eyes checked over their price, the fighter noticed their similarity to the mandarin duck knives of the schools of baguazhang, and couldn’t help but wonder whether she could also pick up such a weapon.
The notion was quickly dismissed, however, as Van took both tonfa in one hand and tucked them under her arm, sliding easily over to the newly vacated counter. In the end, the Legionnaire was aiming to eventually learn a different kind of martial arts entirely—the spins and twirls of bagua arts were a bit much for her style.
Smiling gently at the shop owner as he recognized her, she got to work. She could tell from the older man’s eyes that he was a bit suspicious of her sudden attempt to buy a weapon that was so different from her usual, but she insisted, with well-timed smiles and touches, that the favor would be well worth the monetary deficit. Anyone who knew her and saw her now would have laughed—the blushing female act she was putting on now was so very different from her everyday, independent demeanor. A few minutes later, Van turned her back on the grumbling man and stalked back toward Kiran, a wide smile on her face. “40 per cent off,” she announced, placing the tonfa back into the Noble’s hands with an expectant look in her eyes. She hoped the yurt he’d found would be worth it. “Now. It’s your turn to deliver, Kiran.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:23 pm
Kiran stood back, waiting and watching as Van worked the man at the counter. It was fairly impressive to watch her as she talked the man down in price on the tonfas. He would love to take tips on how to haggle for lower prices, since it would go a long way to keep him from going broke every time he had to buy something, like new weapons. But he couldn't pull off the same tactic as Van, at least not here where the employees were all males. Perhaps at another shop where the workers were female, he would be able to better put those little flirting touches and looks to use in haggling.
He whistled as Van announced how much she had gotten off the original price. "I was only expecting to get maybe ten percent off on my own," he admitted with a winning grin as he appreciated her skill with haggling. He had always put his skills to use at theft and wasn't nearly as skilled at the idea of haggling as Van clearly was. Kiran took the tonfas and slid them into the holster tucked behind his back where they would be in easy reach if he needed to bring them out in a fight.
He nodded as he lead the way out of the weapons shop, holding the door open for her as they left. "It's down this way," he told her, guiding her through the streets in the direction of a Noble neighborhood. Kiran hadn't actually seen the yurt himself, though he knew its location from the conversation with the man trying to find a buyer for it. He didn't know if it would be exactly what Van was looking for or if it would meet her standards of a good place, but he thought perhaps it best not to mention any of that to her. After she kindly helped him get a great deal on the tonfas, he wanted to find her a great place to live.
If this yurt didn't work out, he would keep listening for anyone looking to sell a place. He didn't want to leave a debt hanging over his head with her. After some twists and turns and winding streets, they arrived at their destination. "Well, this is the place," he announced, throwing out an arm to it. The size of it made his apartment look tiny in comparison, but he hadn't been looking for anyplace big when he sought out a place of his own.
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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 6:13 pm
Van couldn’t help but crack a smile at Kiran’s reaction; the way he was grinning, one might have thought that her feat had been some small miracle. It wasn’t, but the fighter appreciated the motion all the same. “It’s a good skill to have,” she murmured as she nudged the other fighter in the direction of the shop owner to pay for his new weapons. “Since you’d get knifed if you tried to steal from here,” she finished, with an air of amusement that indicated she hadn’t forgotten the nature of their previous encounters, but had gotten over it enough to joke about them.
The Legionnaire noticed the small courtesy of his holding the door open for her in the back of her head as she followed closely behind him, trying not to get lost in the crowd. It was polite of him, at the very least—few Nobles she knew would do the same for someone they knew to be of the opposing faction. Coexisting was difficult enough, and though she and Kiran seemed to be on amicable enough terms right now, they’d not been without their clashes on the rough road to a shaky friendship. This was why, as they went deeper and deeper into the Noble neighborhoods, Van couldn’t help but be a bit concerned for her welfare.
These thoughts were momentarily forgotten when they stopped in front of a yurt. The fighter blinked—surely she was seeing things, and the fancy building in front of them wasn’t actually for rent, or at least not at a price she’d easily be able to afford. These were Nobles, after all, and though Van’s family was nowhere near lacking in wealth, she wanted to pay for these things herself, now.
There was a post just in front of the yard, and Van reached out to grab one of the sheets of paper listing the details of the place, her eyes amethyst registering mild surprise at the price and inviting commodities listed. Realizing something now, she turned to Kiran, a brighter, genuine smile stretching across her face. She was so ecstatic she could have kissed him. “This is great, Kiran.” She settled for patting the other fighter on the shoulder gratefully as she rushed past him on her way back to the city. “This means a lot, really—thank you!”
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:02 am
"A skill I should probably devout some time in perfecting," Kiran said, chuckling as he made his way toward the shop owner after Van's nudge. He had no intention of stealing from the weapons shop. While some might not think it with the way he lifted jewels and money purses from people, he did have limits where it came to stealing. Those who worked hard, like weapons merchants, were on the list of people never to steal from.
He paid the owner what was owed to him for the pair of tonfas. The owner didn't seem entirely pleased with having to sell them at a greatly lowered price, but he accepted the money and thanked Kiran, telling to come again and have a nice day. Kiran suspected the owner hoped that Kiran wouldn't come with Van next time so that he couldn't use her charms to get a better deal on his next purchase.
The walk to the yurt was a quiet one. Having a quiet companion was nothing new to him, being used to it when he walked around with his sister. His relationship with Van, though, was a shaky one where he worried one wrong step would shatter the thin ice they tread upon. His big mouth often led him into trouble by saying the wrong thing, which he tried to avoid doing at that moment. They were getting along well for the moment, and he didn't want to ruin that by letting slip some unintentional insult that might cause a punch to be thrown. Similarly, he kept his hands at his sides to ensure no misinterpreted action that might be seen as an attempt to hit her.
Kiran smiled when he saw the expression on Van's face after seeing the yurt presented before her. "I'm just glad you like it," he said with a shrug, like it hadn't been such a big deal. Though from the smile and the happiness on her face, it was clear that Van was overjoyed with the yurt. Kiran was happy that he could fulfill his part of their deal.
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