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 Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 2:50 am
 
This is a PRP between Van (Kurama no Koishi) and Sara (BikiCakes).
Setting:
Van, having learned of a certain Priestess' return, ventures out to meet her little sister for the first time in months.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 3:24 am
Van stepped onto the temple grounds, hearing the rhythmic clacking of her boots on the stone ground follow her as she made her way toward the entrance. Normally the captain wouldn’t have been found anywhere near such a religious place, as she mostly scorned any organized form of religious manifestation (she preferred interpreting her belief in the Goddess for herself) but today was a well-deserved exception. It had just gotten back to her that Sarangerel Odtsetseg had returned from her pilgrimage after many long months. Not long after the Mongol had left, Van herself had managed to get promoted. There was simply too much to catch up on now, so instead of waiting for the younger woman to seek her out, Van had taken the initiative.
It wasn’t something she’d thought through too much, she realized now as she awkwardly fingered her gift of flowers and a tin of good tea, feeling significantly indecent compared to the thickly robed Lunarians in the courtyard. Van rarely had to worry about what she was wearing, for usually it didn’t matter, but she certainly stuck out in this setting. She was an obvious military head, her weapons and battle garb (however fashionable) an aggressive contrast with the spiritual appearance of those around her. None of this distress showed on her face, however—as a captain, she had an image to project regardless of her attire, though that would probably dissolve as soon as she saw her best friend who was now a priestess.
Congratulations were certainly in order, if only Van could find her first. Peering around, the Legionnaire scanned the scene for an unimposing Lunarian to question. She had nothing against priests and soul conduits, but it was always unsettling to witness them talking to things that no one else could perceive. For someone whose entire life had centered on the tangible world of war, it was too easy to just ignore that souls and soul magic existed. Except in Sara’s case, of course.
“Excuse me,” Van began suddenly as an older woman walked by, one who appeared to be a hired hand, “Can you direct me to Priestess Sarangerel?”
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 3:17 pm
The woman looked at Van for a moment, not used to having such visitors. Her brown orbs eyed the Captain rather nervously, focusing on her weapons, wondering if it was safe to let her near Sarangerel. "The Priestess. She is." She began, though before she could finish her sentence, the her words were cut off by a cheerful voice, booming from down the long corridor with excitement.
"Its okay Kairie, I am here." The Priestess gave a small chuckle, her long teal strands of hair trailing behind her with the material on her dress. The corridor was made of wood, a long red carpet ran down the middle and on either side candles were laid out to provide light. The temple was rather grand, though it was far from the most elaborate place of worship in Lunaria. Never the less this was Sara's to look over, to protect and preserve.
When she got close enough, she reached out and grabbed Van's hands, leaning forward and kissing her cheeks affectionately. The notion took Kairie back by surprise, not many people received such treatment from the conduit. "Van, the spirits told me you were coming. How ghosts like to gossip when a gorgeous and stuningly curvaceous woman is walking down the path." Sara was in the middle of study when she heard the news, the teal haired woman was determined to read every piece of paper in the library but old tomes could wait. No sooner than the spirit has finished his sentence was the scroll was placed on her desk and she was out the door.
"I never at all said she was pretty." The spirit protested, he was a young man, clearly a fisherman's son. He wore nothing on the upper part of his body but on the bottom were some baggy pants with shells and rope hanging rather casually. Sara had picked him up somewhere and since he was rather charming she decided to take him on as a companion, his name was Kenji. "Hush, Van is beautiful, the blush on your cheeks say that much. If you were not mortally challenged you would be swooning for her attention, like many young men in the military are. You have made quite a name for yourself whilst I have been gone, Captain." She put her hand on Van's face and looked over her shoulder at the boy, stroking her pale skin gently - the conduits hand was cold, like ice to the touch. Then the spirit mumbled something she could not quite understand and faded to nothing.
Sarangerel then turned her attention to the other woman, one of the many servants that acted as her handmaidens. "Kairie, if you could please get the room overlooking the garden ready for us. It has been a long time since we have shared tea and we have a lot to catch up on." The woman bowed her head respectfully. "Yes, Priestess." She responded before going to see to the Priestess's request. Sara smiled, finally getting the Captain to herself, her sight was enough to take her breathe away.
She smiled and then walked passed her, releasing her hands and looking back over her shoulder. "Come, we have much to discuss. You must have many handsome trainees under your wing. I have spent the last few months in a temple, were the youngest man was old enough to be my father's father. I feel like I have aged fifty years, I must hear about all the gossip I have missed out on and any new revelations in your life." She stated, giving a firm nod. She always felt so free when she was around Van, so much so she was acting like she never left. One might think the reunion would be awkward, but not with them.
The room overlooking the garden was at the back of the temple, it was one of the few places that worshippers were not to enter. In the room was a small table, placed on it was a incense burner (which was filling the room with the faint smell of smokey rose and vanilla), and also a teaset. Kairie opened the door for them, and stepped to the side to let the young ladies enter.
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:03 pm
No sooner had Van questioned the woman did she hear a familiar voice echoing just ahead. The captain turned to see a lovely priestess—her best friend Sara walking towards her, arms outstretched expectantly. The captain let a laugh escape her as she fell into the embrace, squeezing the younger woman briefly before pulling back to take a better look at Sara. “Your hair is so long now, my dear,” was the first thing she said, though it was obviously not the only thing that had changed; it was simply the first thing she could think to say. Sarangerel, the woman Van had always considered to be a younger sister, had grown up and matured.
She would always be a younger sister to Van, of course, but it was heart-warming to see her in charge and responsible for something important, such as the temple they stood in. The captain suddenly remembered why she was here, and pushed the bouquet of flowers and the tin of tea into her friend’s hands. “These are for you.”
It was a moment before Van realized that Sara seemed to be talking to someone else, and she didn’t have to look to know that there was nobody behind her. These were the things that made the captain a bit uneasy about being in this sort of temple, even if the spirit was as admiring of her as Sara was making him out to be. Van managed a smile anyway, for both the priestess and the surrounding spirits. The captain lifted her ice-cold hands off her face, trying to warm them with hers as she always did, but to no avail. Finally, she settled for following Sara to a room in the back of the temple.
“Handsome?” she asked as she seated herself in one of the chairs at the table, “I suppose—they’re all a bit young, and I’d prefer some of the other captains, actually.” A sly grin flashed across the woman’s face briefly as she shrugged off the scandalous suggestion. There were far more important things she’d been involved in, some which she was sure had gotten back to her friend already. “The prison raids are going well, as I’m sure you’ve heard.”
Van wasn’t here to talk about work, though—she already lived and breathed it just about every hour of the day, and this visit was supposed to be a well-earned break from all of that. “Old men aside, how was your pilgrimage?”
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 10:49 am
Sara took the gifts from her friend with a small smile, burring her nose into the flowers before putting them in a vase in the corner of the room. She backed away from them slightly, looking over her shoulder at the woman with lavender scales. "Thank-you. You never realise how much you love flowers, until you are living in a snowy wasteland where none are to be found." Everything on the mountain was a shade of grey, she had longed to see colour and smell the scents that came with spring. Sarangerel loved life and never was meant for a place so deprived of joy and laughter. She often sprayed perfume in her room to remind her of home, the smell helped her remember Van, made her feel like she was close.
Ah yes, she had heard of the prison raids. She wondered over to the table and took her place on one of the silk cushions, leanging over and pouring the freshly made tea into small china cups, decorated with cherry blossoms and birds. "There is very little I do not hear about, my little butterflies are always fluttering around, brining me whisperings and secrets. Ones that are available to you whenever they are needed." Why have a fly on the wall when you could have a spirit? They were the best spies anyone could ask for and through them the Priestess had learned of some interesting events. She took a small drink from her cup, steam dancing from the hot liquid. "Lunaria is in a fragile state, even though I have never intentionally gotten involved in the war or the politics behind it, I can not say in the shadows any longer." She began, placing the cup back on the table.
Sara then drew a long drag like object from the folds in her clothes, and lit the end on the incense burner. She did not mean for the topic to be so heavy, but it was best to get all the important things out of the way so then they could truly relax without clouded minds. "I would rather report to you than a stranger that has not earned my trust. The temples supplies, healing facilities, documents and spiritual workings are yours at request." She nodded, bringing the object to her lips. It was a bad habit that she had brought back with her, however it helped her relax and ward off the panic attacks she had been suffering from. It even helped her sleep, a most difficult of tasks these days.
Then the talk turned to her journey however she did not really have much to report back. "It was as I expected it to be, tedious, strenuous, difficult... cold. Though the temple in the mountains had the most amazing array of writings, some so old the ink had warn away and the pages had started to turn to dust. I learned a lot from the old men too. Thir words might have not been kind of comforting, but they were valuable." She was glad that she had undergone the special training, even if she did not really enjoy it. Now she had all the tools she needed to write her own future, she could start doing things her way. She was not a student anymore, it was time to start making her own decisions. Her face lightened, ghostly eyes looking over at her old friend. "Let's turn to happier topics, we have to have one of our outings before the week ends!" She exclaimed excited, she wanted to have some fun - something she had been deprived off lately.
The Priestess flicked her hand, Kairie bowed out of the room and left them alone. Finally they could talk more freely. "Van, forgive me for asking this." She began, rather sheepishly "How is my Captain?" Her conduit days were over and the Priestess had no intention of chasing after him like she once did. She knew what her leaving meant and how difficult her new position made any relationship between the two. However, that did not mean that she was able to let go. She just wanted to know he was doing well, then with that in mind she could get on with her own duties with a peaceful outlook.
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 12:30 pm
Van simply nodded, bringing her teacup to her lips to sip the fragrant tea. Between the two of them, Sara had always been more of the talker, whereas Van was often content to just listen... at least, until something did not please her. It was in this way that she herself had seen success as an undercover agent during her fighter days; she’d always been good about deflecting personal inquiries and keeping the topic away from herself. Of course, with Sara, there was little she needed to hide. Van was still quite skeptical as far as the use of spirits as spies, for if they were as good as the Priestess was making them out to be, there would be no use for the prison raids the Legion was conducting now. They would have found the Emperor by now.
“Duly noted, Sara. You are very kind,” was Van’s simple answer, as she placed her cup back on the small table and peered beyond the Priestess’ shoulder, looking outside at the gardens. It was astonishing how such a place could seem so peaceful and removed from the war, though they all knew it was foolish to rest thinking they were safe. There were always clouds on the horizon.
Her attention was promptly brought back to the present, when a tendril of smoke wafted her way. Van blinked once, but decided not to draw attention to the habit that Sara had clearly picked up from the old men on her pilgrimage. She was hardly one to judge others based on their recreational and stress-relieving activities, if her own were any indication. It was just a bit strange to associate the ever-innocent Sara with a pipe. The motion looked rather funny on her, actually, juxtaposed against her friend’s pure appearance, and Van could feel the corners of her lips quirking up just so.
She was so distracted that she almost didn’t hear the question directed her way. “Captain?” she repeated, looking puzzled for a moment. What other captains did Sara associate with? It was a few seconds before it dawned on her that her friend was talking about her roommate, Bataar. Technically, he did still serve as a Captain. “Ah. He is fine, grew a tail and horns not too long ago,” she said, referring to his recent change to tenryujin. Van idly remembered what had transpired when they’d first run into each other since their promotions, seeming amused in spite of herself, a marked change from before. They had all matured.
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:32 pm
"Anytime, you know you can come to me whenever you are in need of help. Just remember to bring along some of your handsome army friends sometime, oh and sake. I have been sober from almost four months, I am long overdue a trip to the bar... If we can slip me passed my guard. Oh and the bath house, I have missed being naked in a spring with you." Most of what Sara said were jokes and jests, her exaggerated arm movements and her large excited smile said as much . She saw Van crack a smile at her pipe and she did not mind, the raven haired girl looked so pretty when she smiled. If she could get a laugh then her day was made. The two had an interesting relationship, some spirits had even named Van her lover, the two were close and it was true she loved Van, maybe it would be easier if she just ran off with the Legion Captain.
Now would that not just be a shocker?
Sarangerel went to pick up her cup with her free hand, but stopped at her friends response to her question. She pulled back her hand and put her pipe on the incense burner, she was not expecting that. The Priestess put her elbows on the table, lacing her fingers together and resting her chin on her hands. She looked at Van with a look of both great interest and shock and for a moment a awkward silence lingered, a bird could be heard singing outside. "Hmm." Her throat hummed, it seemed like a lot had changed, more so then she had expected, more so than she wished. She had heard of these creatures from legend, but she never expected Bataar to rise to such heights. She loved him, she had faith in him and she admired him... but she never thought he would actually make it to this stage, it was just insane. Bataar, her Bataar?
There was no hiding now, being a Tenryu meant that the Captain was now in the eyes of all the important characters in the Noble fraction. He had told her before this promotion of hers would make it impossible for them to stay close, now he had been blessed with the greatest honor that the Goddess had to offer... well let's just say whatever hope she had was dashed. Never the less, she was happy for him, she knew this was something he wanted. She finally sighed and relaxed, the intensity in her face fading to nothing. "Interesting. Well if he did not make children cry before." She chuckled, trying to make light of the situation. Though Van, her closest of friends, could probably tell what she was thinking from her ghostly eyes.
The Priestess finally broke her thought, reaching out for her cup and taking another drink, she did want to see him again, but she knew at the moment that was most ill-advised. The longer he remained unaware of her arrival the better, for both of them.
She then remembered the situation in which she had left Van in and the trauma she was going through. Van might have not remembered everything she had told her that drunken night, but Sara would never forget it. Van's cries of pain still haunted her dreams. She knew it was a touchy topic but she needed to ask. "What about your brother Van, has there been any news on the case?" She asked, her tone gentle and full of nurture. She did not want to upset the lavender scaled woman, but she would rather be up to date with everything incase new developments came later.
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:24 pm
Van could feel her smile widen at Sara’s little speech—it was always reassuring to know that in spite of all the time they might have spent apart, she could come back to Sara and everything between them would still be the same, even when nothing else was. “I am a Captain of the Legion,” she replied in like manner, placing her hands on her hips in a mock-boast, “I can smuggle anything into anywhere.” It was an exaggeration, of course—Van was adept in concealing objects on her person and disguising herself and others so that they would not be noticed. Bringing them into the temple would require a different level of craftiness on her part, however.
She didn’t know what kind of reaction she was expecting out of the Priestess, though it quickly became apparent that she did not seem exceptionally pleased, probably for several reasons. Van herself had been fairly nonplussed at the change, having lived around a tenryujin all her life, and Bataar had also been unimpressed with her promotion—in each others’ eyes they were still enemies, after all. Nothing had changed about the fact that they fought practically every night they were both home, though in [marginally] more mature ways now that they were older.
The captain scooted her cushion over to the priestess, so that they sat next to each other now instead of across from each other. Van had nothing to say that was appropriate for how Sara was feeling; she was certain that the priestess knew where he stood with Van, and much of what she could have said about him would’ve been half-hearted, if not an outright lie. So instead, the captain settled for placing her hand over Sara’s, giving it a gentle squeeze to let her friend know that she was there.
What she was not prepared for was the sudden change of subject, returning the attention back to her. “Ah, my brother?” she asked, lifting one hand to rub the back of her head in a clearly disturbed manner, though her face remained calm, “He runs with the Nobles, now. The family has disowned him.” It was strange how she could speak so calmly of the entire ordeal now, even though the wounds had not healed one bit. Her new position forced her not to dwell on these things, but as soon as space freed up in her mind, it was filled with thoughts of her brother’s defection. They hadn’t decided what to do about him yet, but eventually they would have to.
There were too many family secrets, too much classified information with him, to allow him to continue.
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:09 pm
The Priestess smiled at her friends response, she knew she was joking, but a small part of her hoped she was serious. Her guard was suffocating and she hated to think her life would be under total surveillance from now on. Sarangerel liked to spend her time doing things that most her elders would not approve of, which meant the hired swords needed to go. "Now that is the spirit, you will have to train me in the way of the ninja." She chuckled, looking down at her friends hand on her own. For a woman who had personal space issues, she did not mind it when Van invaded it, infact it was comforting to have her so close.
Then the conversation turned to her brother, Sarangerel looked on, her eyes full of empathy. She always acted so strong, even when she was hurting. "I see." She sighed, lifting her free hand to rest it on her friends face, she stoked her long back locks behind her fin and pulled her into a hug. It was in the past now, still, she had left at such an awkward time. She wished she had been here for her, it was the only thing she regretted about her trip. "Van. I..." She was going to say she was sorry, she rested her forehead against her friends, but before the words came out of her mouth the door to the room was slid open and a familiar handmaiden entered.
"Priestess!" She began, looking over the scene. She could not see what was happening, but by the blush that rose on her face, it was clear the handmaiden had gotten the totally wrong impression. "Oh, erm, excuse me." She bowed her head and backed up towards the door, hoping that by some miracle the ladies would not notice her presence. Kairie was a skittish creature, much like Sarangerel was at her age, it was one of the reasons why she had decided to take her on as a student. Sara opened her eyes and blinked, looking behind Van and wondering why Kairie was acting so strange. She was a strange girl, do not get me wrong, but she was acting even stranger. Then it clicked, like a bolt of lightning. Sara moved her hand's to Van's shoulders and holding her at arms length. "Wait, what... oh, no no no no no no no no no." She shook her head, her face turning a crimson colour. She knew being so over-friendly and affectionate with the lavender woman would come back to bite her in the a** one day.
Curse you spirits and your cruel humor!
Kairie closed her eyes and bowed lower, to the point when she looked like she was going to loose her balance. Her words were high pitched and shaky. "I am sorry to disturb you. It's just a woman is here regarding the haunting." Sarangerel knew which one she meant instantly, she had been investigating ghost activity within Lunaria and she had asked a servant from a noble estate to come in for questioning. "Okay, I will be with here in a moment. Take her into my study, thank you Kairie." She nodded as the girl exited the room rather quickly. Sarangerel exhaled, bringing back her hands to rub her temples gently. She pouted and looked over at Van. "Two days, I remained serious and professional for two days, now they know I am human." So close, yet to far.
Oh well, when she gossip died down she would win them back.
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:42 pm
Van knew when she spoke up about her brother that Sara would be all over her, trying to make sure that she was alright—it was always this way, whether she had progressed well down the road of healing, or whether the wounds were still fresh and had yet to scab over. While Van preferred to face her demons alone, she never minded when Sara was there with her. Even when she wasn’t saying anything the priestess seemed to understand, or to at least be perfectly fine with staying with her for as long as it took. Sighing, Van closed her eyes, feeling her friend’s cool forehead touch her own. The gesture was appreciated, probably more than Sara knew.
All of a sudden, though, contact had been broken and Van felt air filter between their faces where they had been touching before. Blinking her eyes open abruptly, the Legionnaire found that she literally was at arm's length with the priestess now. Turning in the direction of the door in search of the source of the commotion, her violet gaze fell upon a very shell-shocked maiden, the very same one who’d escorted her into the temple before.
Realization was instantaneous—Van placed herself in enough of these situations to know when one was coming from a mile away, though she never predicted that someone would walk in on her with a woman, and in a temple of the Goddess, no less. Her lips twisted into a smile, and she had to look away from Kairie, concealing her mirth. When she did leave, Van allowed herself a minute to laugh openly, the rare bell-like sound echoing in the empty room. It was simply too comical—she couldn’t recall the last time Sara had looked so embarrassed, and the crimson blush had lingered so long.
It was nothing to Van, of course; she didn’t have to see these people every day. When her chuckles had subsided, Van placed one gloved hand on her friend’s shoulder, smiling more brightly now. “If that’s the case, I won’t keep you, then,” she said, rising to her feet to head toward the door. One thing occurred to her before she exited, however, and she turned around again, her expression immediately serious. “Sara.”
This was what she had come to tell the priestess, after all. “The Nobles have been targeting our temples in search of the Emperor,” she stated, watching the priestess' face to make sure every syllable was clear. “Another division is being sent to protect the ones that have not fallen, but we will be stretched thin. Please, stay alert, and safe. Send for me if you need me.” Van never wanted to be the bearer of bad news, but there was no way around it. Now, more than ever, she thought as she stalked off the temple grounds, it was imperative to remain diligent.
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:43 pm
Sarangerel knew full well of the temple raids, and was fully confident that if the Noble's came she would be ready for them. It was true that a couple of years ago the idea of an attack might have scared her, now it just seemed like another issue she had to deal with, one that she would handle calmly. She was touched that the other woman was still worrying about her, she would never unwelcome such thoughts, despite how much she knew they were not needed. She gave a wide smile, putting her elbow on the table and resting her chin on her palm rather casually. Her ghostly eyes were playful and focused on the captain who seemed to be getting ready to leave. She did not want her to go just yet, they had only just been reunited. "Van I will be fine." She tried to reassure her, though she knew there was no chance of that happen. Van was a lioness and she was her cub, it was something she had learned to accept.
"I am the Priestess of this temple, it is mine to protect - who knows, I might even yet surprise you." She appreciated her offer of help and would not hesitate to accept it if circumstances did not tilt in her favor, though for now there was no point making a mountain out of a mole-hill. Worrying was not going to solve anything, especially when she had to be strong to those looking to her for leadership and security. She was not used to people relying on her, but she knew that over the years she had learned enough from Van, Bataar and Yue to keep herself out of trouble. They had been good teachers, and better friends.
She stood up finally, shaking her skirt and her hair so they both feel straight behind her; without her heels the long teal locks actually trailed on the floor, maybe she was long overdue a haircut. She wandered gracefully over to the door and slid it open, resting her head on the frame and reaching over to stroke Van's raven hair, it was always so soft - like silk. "I look forward to our next meeting, it will not be as clouded with such heavy thoughts." She leaned over and planted a quick peck on her cheek, before watching her leave. Her eyes only then showing a hint of sadness. It seemed she would just have to look forward to their next meeting, and more happy reunions.
When the lavender woman turned the corner and left her sight, the Priestess sighed. "May the Goddess watch over you, sister." She whispered, shaking her head and making her way down towards her study. Her work was just beginning.
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