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 Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:23 pm
  This is a PRP between Van (Kurama no Koishi) and Kiran (Kazu-chan). Setting: The market place in the crowded afternoon, two Lunarians meet yet again. Can these two make amends after their last fight?
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:58 pm
Kiran rubbed at his wrists in an irritated fashion as he wandered down the crowded market street. Despite the time that passed since the fight, his wounds still bothered him. They didn't physically hurt, but scars remained as a reminder of the fight, of his failure to protect his post. He didn't hate Van for what happened. After all, they were both fighting for different sides of the war, and it wasn't surprising that they would fight each other on the battlefield. But he couldn't stop himself from feeling bitter over the loss. The string of losses. Van had clearly surpassed him in terms of fighting skills. She had made Captain while he was a nameless fighter in the ranks of the Nobles.
He shook his head, bluish hair flopping about his face. This was supposed to be a day off from work and the war, but his mind kept shifting back to fighter mode. He hadn't paid any attention to the gossip going on around him or even noticed any of the fancy jewels dangling from Lunarians that he passed as he wandered down the street. That was proof of how much the war was occupying his mind at current since he would normally always keep an eye out for riches and an ear fin open for gossip. He also had the conundrum known as Iseul to figure out. The man had been acting strangely over the past weeks, even sending Kiran out on a secret mission which was unprecedented. He scratched at his head, too confused to understand any of it.
Trying to push away all thoughts of the war, Kiran glanced at the various shops around him. Plenty of the shops he knew of, but there were many more that he hadn't give much of a passing glance. Now he paid a little more attention, seeking out a decent enough place to have a meal. He still owed Van a meal, even if he hated to admit it.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:52 am
Quite unlike Kiran, the fight of a few months back was far from Van’s mind. Run-ins with acquaintances on the opposite side were pretty rare, anyway, perhaps because Van no longer had many friends who were Nobles. The paperwork from that mission had long since been completed and filed, a case closed. The time she’d spent dwelling on the fact that her opponent had been someone she’d otherwise be content to be friends with was brief, if only because in recent days she’d been swamped with operation after operation to direct. Her job never allowed her much time to let her thoughts wander, so when there was a moment of down time her thoughts were usually quite self-indulgent.
That was why, today on her lunch break, Van was planning to grab a quick bite and head to the fashion district to see about some sales. With the way things were going in the war, the economy had taken a recent plunge. It was the perfect opportunity to make a shopping trip, though the captain never needed much goading in that respect, especially when missions got stressful. Planting her feet for a moment, Van scanned the surrounding shops for a suitable place to eat, or at least a place that had decent food to-go. A familiar shock of blue hair caught her attention, though, and the Legionnaire now found herself staring at Kiran’s backside.
She was certain it was the Noble fighter—they’d clashed often enough for her to be able to recognize his form, now. Whether it was the best idea to approach him, though, was what made her hesitate. On the few instances they had run into each other, most of them ended in some sort of fight, even when there were people around. The last time she’d run into him had been no different; she’d left him tied up on the forest floor.
He wouldn't start a scene in broad daylight though, would he? Reaching one arm out to tap the man on the shoulder, Van figured it couldn’t hurt to say hi. “Kiran?”
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 9:32 am
Kiran glanced around at all the shops, but none of them looked good to him. He was sure their food was delicious, seeing as most of them were nearly full with people grabbing a midday meal. But he just didn't see anything at the moment that he wanted to eat, even with his stomach giving a little growl of hunger. Apparently, now the war was even messing with his appetite because he simply didn't feel like eating at all right then.
When he felt the tap on his shoulder, Kiran didn't have the chance to turn around before hearing the familiar voice. It was like recalling that last fight had somehow summoned her presence. He withheld a groan, not wanting to deal with any gloating over victory. With their relationship, it was difficult to tell how any one encounter might turn out. Several times, a fight would break out between them with little provoking. Other times, they could get along like friends. He couldn't be certain of how this encounter would go until they reached its outcome. He hoped it wouldn't end with a fight, not wanting to tally up another loss on his side.
"Van!" he greeted, putting on a friendly smile as he turned around to face her. No need for her to catch hint of the depressing thoughts circling his mind. "What are you doing here?" The answer was fairly clear since they were in the section of the market place filled with restaurants. She was obviously out to lunch, something that he would be doing too if his appetite came back to him.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 4:12 pm
Kiran’s inner turmoil was lost on Van as she watched him turn around, wearing a smile on his face. It was probably a little strange that they were so friendly with one another given the way they usually ended their meetings, so the captain wouldn’t have been surprised if one day the fighter just brushed her off or began giving her the cold shoulder. On the other hand, he hadn’t given her any reason to hate him outright, on the basis of pride or otherwise. As far as she could tell, the man meant well and was fairly pleasant, unlike some other Nobles she brushed shoulders with.
Returning the smile, Van answered easily, “Oh, you know. Just grabbing a bite and heading to the shops later. You?” It was as if their last meeting hadn’t been in the middle of a war. Van hadn’t been sure what to expect, but since Kiran hadn’t made it awkward she was more than willing to keep it that way. Now that she thought about it more, he had agreed to pay for lunch sometime, though whether that had actually been a true promise had yet to be seen.
She reached one gloved hand up to touch the taller man’s light blue locks, ruffling his hair in a friendly manner. “I haven’t seen you for a while,” she accused lightly, as if it had been his fault and not that of her busy schedule, “Thought you’d died or something!” It was all a bit of a joke, of course. Van and Kiran had come together in battle often enough that she knew he wouldn’t go down so easily.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 7:11 pm
Kiran nodded, expecting that answer. He shrugged easily with one shoulder and waved a hand around at the different shops. "Just looking for a suitable place to eat," he answered. So far, they were acting friendly toward each other. But he couldn't always be sure that would last. When he was younger, he often talked his mouth off without giving much thought about how it would affect the other person, which could lead to fights. He had changed quite a bit since that time. Legionnaires were no longer a source of complete hatred. He could be friends with them outside the war. And keeping friends with them sometimes meant treading lightly with his words.
He laughed, a bit awkwardly. "I do believe there was a promise made last time we met," he said, like their last encounter had been a casual meeting rather than a fight in the middle of a war. Though he may not to admit the loss and the owing of a meal, Kiran wasn't about to back out of the promise like a sore loser, though he did feel a little sore. "Thought I might scoop out a decent place for whenever you decide to cash in on that win." Treating Van to a meal wouldn't so bad if they kept things friendly like this. She was good company when they got along.
Kiran almost felt like a little kid when Van ruffled his hair. He could remember his parents doing that from time to time. Reaching up with a scarred hand, he brushed some of the stray locks out of his face. His hair was getting a bit longer than usual now that he thought about it. "I won't die that easily!" He chuckled. Even though he seemed to be a losing streak lately, the battles hadn't gone so far as to leave him in a critical state. Battered and bruised, maybe, but never to the point of being on the verge of death.
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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 1:53 am
He’d said it first, not her. That way, Van could claim she hadn’t forced the situation on Kiran, especially if it somehow ended in a fistfight later on. She hoped it wouldn’t, of course, but the captain did get into a lot of fights. It was hard to tell whether this was due to her hasty temperament or the fact that she’d been born and raised a warrior; either way, her manner of speaking usually involved fists. By this point, it was a way of life for the Legionnaire, and anyone who didn’t like it was too troublesome to deserve her attention.
Indeed, the captain didn’t have many friends who weren’t fighters, now. They were the only ones who understood that a no-holds-barred fistfight didn’t necessarily mean that she hated them (not usually, anyway). And she didn’t hate Kiran. Not usually. “I might just take you up on that today,” she said, her tone slightly apologetic, “I recall something about steak, now that I think about it.” That made the decision of where to go a bit simpler; she just had a Noble fighter in tow now.
Not that that was a bad thing—Van was fine with having Kiran around so long as he wasn’t trying to club her to death. She noticed the scarred over nature of his hands when he reached up to fix his hair after she’d played with it. The Legionnaire had never noticed them before; she’d never had time to, in the middle of a battle. Still, scars and bruises were signs that they hadn’t been sitting idle while a war raged around them.
Van started walking down the paved road, toward one of the restaurants near the end. As she did, she nudged the Noble on the arm. “Looks like you haven’t been sitting on your hands, either. Were you burned?” It wasn’t like her to be too concerned about someone like Kiran, but curiosity won out.
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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 11:01 am
"Was it steak?" Kiran wondered aloud, though he knew Van wouldn't make it up. He vaguely recalled worrying about his money when she mentioned steak during the fight. Now that worry crept up on him again, and he hoped she wouldn't ask up to buy some super expensive steak lunch. There was the possibility that he would be living off meals of nothing but rice for a while if she did. But he certainly couldn't back out of the deal now that he brought it up and she was considering taking him up on it now.
Kiran kept pace with Van as she led the way down the street. At the comment, he glanced down at his hands and gave a laugh. "You know me, can't sit still for very long." He grinned, though most of their meetings ended up in fights. They probably knew more about each other's fighting styles rather than personal information. While it was true that he didn't like sitting around doing nothing, it didn't mean he couldn't. Two of his hobbies involved sitting and being patient in the forms of fishing and eavesdropping on gossipers or staking out known places where Legionnaires might hold secret meetings.
He debated how to answer the question, what to tell her about his scars. They weren't the impressive battle scars that many fighters might display. They were simply reminders of his own failure to master the hand seals for his fire magic. After a moment, he gave up the internal debate and nodded. "Burned," he agreed, rolling a shoulder. "No big heroic stories on that though." He chuckled like the wounds were almost humorous rather something serious.
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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 7:43 pm
“Don’t be like that,” Van answered airily, grinning backwards briefly as they made their way down the crowded street. She liked to think that she was somewhat reasonable; she herself had been a fighter until not too long ago, and was well acquainted with the limitations of a fighter’s salary. Even her captain’s salary didn’t leave much in the form of spare change, and she occasionally found herself starving in order to buy the latest styles. At least it kept her figure from growing too wide.
It was clear that Kiran hadn’t wanted to elaborate too much on the nature of his scars, so the Legionnaire wasn’t going to push. Likely it had resulted from a battle or magic-related accident. Even she was aware of such a threat, especially every time she felt the electrical currents run through her short swords in the midst of battle.
Van hadn’t had a fancy sit-down place in mind. The captain didn’t have the time to waste on waiting for a table, and admittedly she didn’t want to push her luck with Kiran lest they—somehow—decided to draw their weapons in the middle of a high-society restaurant. It was better not to be noticed, no offense to the blue-haired Noble. When they found themselves in front of a run-down deli, Van turned to Kiran and smiled again, a glint of mischief in her violet eyes. “Had you going for a moment there, hm? The beef wraps are pretty good here, if you don’t mind the storefront.”
Indeed, the place looked like it could use some cleaning, but the most authentic restaurants were always the holes in the wall. She contemplated the menu for a few minutes before coming to a decision, eyeing the Noble expectantly when she’d finished.
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Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 9:20 am
Kiran's gaze scanned past the restaurants they passed. There were plenty of high class and well known restaurants along the way, and Kiran kept expecting Van to pause at one of them and decide that was where they would eat. He laughed at the comment. "Perhaps I got knocked around a few times too many and forgot," he joked with a teasing smile.
He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants, removing them from sight. The scars were all pretty much self inflicted burns caused by poor skill with seal form magic. The freshest set of scars resulted from his pathetic attempts to burn through the ropes that bound his hands after his fight with Van. But with his hands tied up, he couldn't properly perform the hand seals. Definitely not the kind of story he would like to boost about.
When Van finally picked a place, Kiran stared at it in surprise. The run down look of the deli made it seem like it had had better days. He probably would have passed on by it without it giving it much of a second glance. He nodded. Van certainly had had him going. He wouldn't have expected Van to pick a place like this one. "If they taste as good as they smell, I won't complain." Nothing could be as bad as his mother's burnt cooking.
He glanced over the menu as he decided on what he wanted. Once he had his order in mind, he turned to Van and gestured toward the deli. "Ladies first."
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 1:02 am
Van needed no extra urging, stepping forward to place an order for one of the standard beef wraps. Now that she thought about it more, she was starving. The captain had had to forgo breakfast earlier that day, having woken up a half hour later than she was supposed to due to overwork. Missions and the paperwork associated with them always ran her to exhaustion, so it was the little things that kept her happy. Most days it was a new dress or weapon, but right now it was food.
“I promise they’re good,” she assured Kiran, a small smile spreading across her face. “You know I wouldn’t poison you! I didn’t last time, remember?” The reference was to the last time they’d exchanged friendly words, any fights they’d had in between forgotten or momentarily ignored. There had been nothing of harm in those fruit skewers. The Legionnaire wasn’t expecting him to trust her entirely, of course, but he had to give her credit where food was involved.
Indeed, poison was usually the farthest thing from her mind when it came to her repertoire of assassination techniques. At the moment, she was simply pleased to introduce Kiran to the deli they were standing in front of, almost as if they were friends... never mind that the situation had only come about because he owed her lunch.
She even waited for him to take the first bite when they got their orders, watching his expression carefully for a reaction.
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 12:36 pm
Kiran ordered a simple beef wrap, not feeling up to trying something a little more adventurous. He still hadn't fully gotten his appetite back either. After they ordered, he paid the man for both their meals, keeping to the promise he made to Van. Luckily the cost didn't cut too deeply into his wallet, unlike how some of the fancier restaurants around here would have.
He grinned at the reference to their meeting on the beach, that seemed quite a long time ago now. "I wouldn't expect poison for you." Surely, there were plenty of assassins that employed the use of poisons to eliminate a target. But after that conversation, he didn't see Van as one of those assassins. He doubted he had any target on his back that have a Legion assassin after him.
When their orders were ready, Kiran accepted his wrap from the man. Though he hadn't been feeling all that hungry, he took a large bite as if that proved he was completely fine. He munched on it for a while, and even without anything fancy to it, the warp was surprisingly good. After swallowing his mouthful, Kiran grinned and said, "I shall never doubt your choice of eateries again." He took another bite and licked off some sauce that had dripped onto his thumb.
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Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 1:01 am
Smiling after she’d finished chewing and swallowing the bite in her mouth, not wanting to seem overeager about eating, the Legionnaire captain paused for a moment to speak. “Thaaank you Kiran,” she said in an appreciative tone, her voice lilting slightly in song. Then, before she could stop herself, “Next time it’s your pick.” Blinking once as she realized the implications of her words, she decided not to amend herself.
It had taken long enough for them to be comfortable enough with each other that they could be in each other’s company without trying to kill each other. Even their last fight hadn’t seemed so filled with hatred—it had resulted in this meeting, after all. So when Van had spoken, she meant it. Between war and work, friends could be hard to come by. Kiran was good company even if she only ever saw him once every few months. This thing they had, the fragile friendship, wasn’t something she minded.
There were some lines that would never be crossed, of course, since they were probably destined to fight again, but at the moment it was just nice not to have to eat alone.
A little while later, when they’d both finished their meals, Van dusted her hands off and decided it was time to excuse herself. “Hey, I’ve got to run, but it was good seeing you! Don’t die between now and the next time I see you, alright?” Such was the nature of their meetings—it could be weeks or even months before they ran into each other again. She laughed briefly, before turning with a small wave of the hand.
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Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 12:14 pm
The words digested slowly in his mind as Kiran stared at Van. He wasn't aware that there would be a next time. With the way their relationship worked, the next time they met could end in a fight or be another encounter on the battlefield. But "next time" didn't have to mean the literal next meeting between them, he realized. It simply meant the next time they shared a meal together. But that still caused some surprised to him. In all their encounters, they rarely ate together, this being about their second time doing so.
"I'll have to hold you to that," he said as he grinned widely. He filed away a little note to remember that since it could be weeks or months before they ran into each again. Their schedules seemed to keep them both fairly busy. He couldn't speak for Van, but his own schedule only gave him a few odd days to relax outside of work, missions, and training.
He laughed as he wiped his hands clean. "You don't have to worry about me," he said with a cocky air about him as he tapped a fist to his chest, like it somehow proved his toughness. The overconfident expression dropped for a moment. "You take care though, okay?" Opposite sides of the war and several fights between them, Kiran didn't Van getting gravely injured in battle. She was a friend to him, despite how shaky that friendship might be.
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