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 Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 8:26 pm
It had been a very long time since Miao Mengyao had done anything for anyone else.
Used to doing things mainly for himself (with a few notable exceptions), he had never really found any particular joy from taking the time to service others. He supposed the fact that he didn't get anything from it was not a very good thing, but considering he could not help what he was, there seemed to be no getting around it.
But now, all things considered, he supposed he had better...change his ways.
...the thought was very distasteful to him, mostly because Mengyao could neither figure out a way to do so (he was very set in them, old habits and such), nor could he figure out if he was even capable of changing.
Not for the first time, he wished he had his little sister to confide to. And, not for the first time, he banished every thought of his former life back to the recesses of his mind, stowed away in shadows and darkness.
That time was over. And there was no getting it back.
On this particular morning, Mengyao was neither in the woods, nor was he over near Amityville. In fact, for once he was still in the tent that the former clan of Conquest made their current (and hopefully very temporary residence, by himself on his bed near the back.
"Bed" was a wildly generous term, since it was nothing more than a mere cot with some scarce blankets, nothing like the luxurious four-poster he'd had back on Conquest. But it would have to do for now (there was no other option, after all), and Mengyao was not sleeping at the current moment anyway. Instead, beside him lay a bowl filled with various flowers and leaves, all different shapes, sizes, and colors. He held a few in his lap, threading one stem with another until he had created a small chain of them. Really, it was supposed to be a gift for Yuzhi; Mengyao felt oddly indebted to her after she had cried for him the other day, a strange sort of guilt settling in his stomach.
At least he could attempt to leave the flowers anonymously so as to avoid any sort of...sentimentality.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 9:24 pm
It had been a nice morning, Lifen felt, as she worked on her early-day chores - which had become a much smaller list since coming to the reserve, but still kept her going for a little while after waking up everyday. She had decided to take today off, having done scavenging with not only Mengyao, but the Amityville boils afterwards near the school - which showed the horsewoman a good time, and a little confusion - as she became 'close friends' with a minipet who was looking warm spot.
Sighing softly, she looked around her small quarters, putting her hands on her hips. It was meager, and admittedly a little noisy at times when others had found their way back to their own beds - but it was a little like home - five sisters had kept the household busy, even after a few had found their calling in life and left the household.
Dispelling the thoughts of those lost, she decided to leave for the day, slipping her translucent feet in to her heels, clicking them softly on the ground before leaving her little niche, hair undone and flowing out - it was a simple day, so she was going to keep it all simple, even her hair.
Stepping out in to the living quarters, she noticed that a lotf oher clansmen had left for the day, except for the tall noble she had known and loved, who seemed to be doing something secretly in his little corner - instantly perking her curiousity.
Walking quickly over to him, she looked over his shoulder quietly, lips pursed a little, eyebrows raised. Folding her hands behind her back, she tilted her head to get a better view of the splashes of colour that were in his lap and bedding. Flowers? Flowers seemed a little different for him - sure she knew he had a softer side of him, but she couldn't help but wonder what was occuping him so much that included the flora of the Weeping Woods. Exhaling softly, she murmured softly to him.
"What is mi'lord doing on such a wonderful day?" She sing-songed softly, leaning in a little more, interest peaked.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 10:46 pm
Studiously working the stem of one pale pink flower around the stem of an identical pale pink flower, Mengyao did not hear the soft tapping of feet behind him. He was utterly focused on the task at hand - at least until the scent of wildflowers and light perfume touched his nose, and a familiar voice wafted over his shoulder.
He should have known.
"Ah," said Mengyao, slightly flustered that she had caught him doing something he normally did not allow others to see, and for a brief moment he debated whether to just hide everything from view and make up some excuse. But it was Lifen, and they had known each other since they were small children. It would be pointless to try and hide anything from her now.
He shifted, moving the bowl to the other side of the bed (or lack thereof), and patted the space beside him so that she could sit.
"I am...making something," he said cryptically, as he pulled another flower - this one a tiny yellow bud of something - expertly weaving it into the others, nestling it at the base of one of the larger flowers.
Mengyao cast a sidelong glance at Lifen. Then he sighed a little.
"I am making something for...Yuzhi," he said finally, and the tiniest hint of embarrassment had touched his voice. "Since I...am not the greatest relative in the world, it seems."
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Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 7:33 am
A light chortle emitted from the horsewoman when she watched her friend go from studious to flustered in such a short time, it was amusing how easy it was offset him. Taking the initative given by her much taller friend, she moved a couple of rogue flowers from the mattress, and pulled her hair from behind her, securing it long enough to sit softly, letting it flow again when she was comfortable again.
Watching him fumble with words, she half expected him to clam up like he did with the other members of society, but she was patient. Playing with the petals in her hand, she fastened one behind her ear, the bright pink petals contrasting with her black and white streaked bangs.
"I can see you're making something. . ." She trailed off, trying to shake the bluntness from her words, before he antéd up, explaining himself further, which set her face in to a warm smile. She knew he cared about his cousin more than almost everything in the world. Scooting a little closer, she peered at his work, hand under her chin in a pensive look.
"Well then, that changes it, doesn't it." She stated, giving his design a look over.
"Flowers would definitively suit her, I do like the colours, it gives it a pop. But I think I may have something that could help it." She murmured. It was good that he was trying to rekindle his relationship with the little scholar, seeing them bicker was saddening to the Artisan, as they were all she had left from her homeland.
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Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 8:39 pm
One of the things Mengyao greatly appreciated about Lifen was the fact that she was, in fact, blunt. She did not mince words, nor did she shy around saying what needed to be said, a trait that Mengyao had been drawn to her in the beginning of their friendship. Lifen was honest with him, and he with her, and the balance of trust and respect they held for each other was precious to him.
She sat down next to him, and Mengyao continued working, twisting a few more flowers together. She pushed a flower into her own hair, and the gesture made him smile, though all he did was thread another flower into the chain he had already created. It was only a few inches long, so it would take him a bit to finish. However, the company of Lifen made it slightly easier somehow.
"A little, yes," he admitted, and gave a small sigh. Unexpectedly his greying fingers fumbled, Mengyao dropping several of the flowers. They fell silently to the floor, tiny pink and white blossoms against the flat tan of the tent, and in some frustration he lowered his hands, staring down at the unfinished creation.
"I made her mad at me," he said, and there was a slightly bitter smile on his face as he turned to look at Lifen. "But I always do, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised when she yells at me. But I'm sorry, my dear, you said you had something that could help? I welcome any assistance."
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Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 9:50 pm
Tutting softly, she pursed her lips as she watched him attempt to make the flower arrangement, a couple of the flowers slipping out of his hands. Taking the initiative, she stoood up again, splaying her hand out to show she wanted him to wait a few moments, as she pranced over to her little niche, picking up a small trinket before wandering back towards him, picking up the dropped flowers that rested around his feet before sitting on the bed again, grabbing for his work in progress, giving him another tut-tut sound as she lightly slapped his greying hand, showing that she wanted what he had.
Opening her hand, she showed him the little charm, it was small and dainty, a little green lotus made out of thin translucent glass, that shimmered in the sunlight. "One of my last ones, but we can keep it a secret." She stated, before looking around, to make sure Yuzhi wasn't there. "Say you just happened to have it. It'll work." She chirped.
"Now let me see that, you'd do better doing it another way."
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Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 10:12 pm
"Where are you going?" Mengyao asked, frowning slightly as Lifen rose. She made her way towards the area where she made her residence; a small, quiet niche that was quite sparse - and then returned with something clenched in her palm. She carefully extracted the flower chain - Mengyao gave a soft grunt as she slapped his hand - and then held out what was in her palm.
He sucked in a small, sharp breath.
A lotus flower. Not a real one, but one made of glass, the beauty and delicacy of the flower forever preserved. Each tiny curve of the emerald petals glimmered, shot through with minuscule dots of darker green.
It was beautiful. And he should not have it.
"...I can't accept that," said Mengyao, and reached out, closing Lifen's fingers over it, his larger hand covering hers. "That's something precious to you, isn't it? We don't have much of the Isles left; and besides, I haven't done much to deserve to take that credit"
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 7:27 am
It was like him, to try and humble himself towards a gift, she realized as his grey hands covered her pale skin. It was commendable, but at times, a little irritating when she tried to offer up the gift to him and his cousin. Setting her jaw a little, her eyebrows creased softly as she looked up to him with mis-matched eyes.
"Miao." She stated, short and sweet - a name she did not use often due to social standings. "I would give anything to have my sisters again. This is but a personal effect, and I've got a few more, so don't worry." She defended, giving him a bit of a pleaing look. Yuzhi was his cousin, and although she wasn't as close as sister or a parent, there wasn't much in the picking and choosing they had left when it came to family.
"I will not regret this, and if it gets you points with your cousin, it will be all worth it. Now watch."Scooting closer to him, she placed the pieces in her lap, before lifting the partially done chain, and deftly worked a few of the dropped flowers in to the string, "And now, this." before adding the lotus in it, making a couple loops with the material to house the glass flower, before adding a couple more, so he couldn't get it out.
"It gets easier with time, I assure you." she offered as she laid the partially done piece in his hands again. He wasn't getting away with allowing her to finish it, she just wanted to show him a couple of tricks.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 2:00 pm
Her hand felt very small compared to his own, and her fingers lacked the greying of the Infection. Lifen's condition showed itself in other ways - like the white strands that were streaked through her dark hair that had not been there before.
"Miao."
His eyes flickered, his head jerking just a little. She did not often use that name, which meant that she was being serious. Turning his head, his mismatched eyes met hers, Mengyao pressing his lips together.
"I would give anything to have my sister back as well," he said quietly - the first admission that he had indeed lost much during the destruction of the Isles, as much as anyone else had. But he did not like to show that side of him. It was worse, weaker.
Pathetic, whispered a voice in his head, but Mengyao pushed it aside.
Lifen had taken the little flower chain before he realized she had, and was now proceeding to thread the tiny glass charm through the strands. Mengyao watched her work in silence, and then gave a small sigh, reaching out to take it back once she was finished.
"What would I do without you?" he asked her lightly, and shook his head. He wove another flower through the strands, then another, until the chain was almost a foot in length.
"I hope, she, ah...likes it."
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 2:51 pm
It was a reaction she was expecting to get, but she still couldn't help but let her gaze fall from his. It wasn't intimdation that had made it so, but more of an apology for bringing it up. He was as passionate about the lost of his family as she was, and she knew it. They all were. It was the darkness in the back of her mind, the whispers that sometimes tried to take on the sound of cries, voices that mocked her, barely in her reach.
"Then we have something in common," She quipped softly as he started working on his gift again, her eyes watching his hands to make sure he wasn't doing anything incorrrectly. "Something that binds us. Well, moreso than originally."She finished, slipping her feet out of her shoes and tucking them under her, to the side, feeling more comfortable this way.
She sat back a bit, closing her eyes for a moment of silence, just content to be around her friend as he worked on his gift for Yuzhi. Hearing him murmur a question, a mischievious grin tugged on her lips, as her red eye opened, looking at him, and then his hands. "It is possible that you would have still be fumbling with flowers." She stated.
"But I know she'll like it. I do." She offered up, her voice never wavering.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 3:01 pm
He felt her shift beside him, and Mengyao moved a little to the side so that she had more room, pulling his voluminous sleeves onto his lap. The flowers fluttered, smelling like sweetness, and Mengyao reached up a hand to push a few stray strands of hair away from his face.
He gave her a sidelong glance, amused in spite of himself. "I'm quite all right with binding myself to you, dear friend of mine" he said, lightly teasing, and then grinned - back to that trademark smirk of his, brushing away the frown that had been there only seconds before. "I think I kind of like you, anyway, you know - I think I'll put up with you for a little while longer."
It would not take him much longer to finish now. Mengyao tucked a pale green leaf beneath the stem of a particularly bright pink flower, and then added another flower beside it, this one a sunset-gold.
"Yes, well..." said Mengyao, and trailed off a little, his hands stilling for only a moment before he continued with his ministrations. "I do not have my sister anymore, so I must take care of the things I do have...even if those things are...not quite what I expected them to be."
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Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 1:13 pm
Listening quietly to her friend's proclamations, she tucked her hands together on her stomach, nodding softly every so often, enjoying the smell of the flowers that he had procured for this endeavour - the smell seeping softly from the flower that sat in her hair, making her kind of feel like going back to the forest outside.
"I think we have that in common about being binding each other to ourselves - I'm happy it's you, Mengyao." She murmured softly, both eyes open again, her pale skin defying her once again, allowing the softest of red show over. It was the worse part about being as pale as snow, everything showed on her when she couldn't help it. She wasn't sure how to take the confession, but it left her a little warmed, at least, her pride chidding her at letting him have the upper hand.
Leaning in a bit, she looked down at the flower charm and back up to him again, eyes softening a bit. "You'll have to keep me updated on what happens, okay? You're both the closest thing I have to family now, and I want this to work out." She admitted to him.
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 10:19 am
She was blushing again, her cheeks pink. Mengyao suppressed a smile. It was so easy to read her expressions like this, her pale skin betraying her, and it made him feel at ease, like he was back on Conquest. Reaching over, Mengyao gently touched her warm face with the tips of his fingers.
"I will stay with you always," he said gently, and then leaned over and kissed her cheek where his fingers had been only seconds before, smiling as he pulled back. "Even when you find a nice man to settle down with, I will be there...standing next to him...you know, making certain he is allowed to have you."
Grinning at her, his tone teasing, Mengyao drew away, and went back to focusing on the flower chain. His greying fingers fumbled with the tiny materials, too small for him to work with, and for several moments he was silent as he worked, trying to get it perfectly. After a short amount of time, however, he held up the chain, almost finished.
"I will," he promised Lifen, and smiled again, reaching for another flower. The smile, however, had turned slightly sad, an edge of bitterness to his voice as Mengyao added "...I do not know whether it will work, but...one can only hope. She has her brother; I cannot interfere with that. I am neither her brother, nor her father. I am her cousin, and I cannot, in good conscience, step in to take her brother's place, especially considering he is here for her. I do not know him well, but he is a good person and he cares deeply for Yuzhi. That is a bond I cannot - and do not wish - to break."Nerpin All of the feels. All of them.
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 9:55 pm
He was making it hard to keep her pale complexion, her eye dropping a little, hidden behind dark lashes as he placed a kiss on her cheek - this was the second time in a short while, wasn't it - she kind of leaned in to the exchange, exhaling softly.
Hearing his question, she let down her wall and sort of fall against his shoulder, allowing the warmth replace the one that was slowly flowing out of her cheek, a soft grin starting to tug at her face. "I think I'm happy right here, so I'm not looking for anyone to replace you looming over me." She admitted, closing her eyes a bit as he worked.
"Just don't let Yuzhi wait too long." She didn't want to move, but flowers had a life expecancy.kuromeez ~feels ~feelsfeels ~feels
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 10:51 pm
Being with Lifen, at least, made Mengyao remember what life had been like before chaos had torn their lives apart, before everything had been ripped from their hands and destroyed. She was a constant that he relied on to always be there, even when nothing else was.
He knew he relied on her too much, but it was difficult to stop now, after such a long time. And this time it was Mengyao's face that flushed a light, pale pink that was hardly visible, yet still there. He could feel the warmth in his cheeks, and his hands faltered only briefly before beginning to move again, feeling Lifen leaning against him.
"Yes, well...let us hope that we will never stray too far from one another," said Mengyao, and smiled, threading the last flower into place. He held it up to examine, running his thumb over the soft petals.
"I think I have finished. What do you think, dearest?"
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