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 Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 12:50 pm
For Suji and Rowena.
Their adventure begins before they even arrive "home" - they are taking a cruise ship from the site of the Hotel to Thailand.
The "homeland" of his somewhat nomadic people is centered in the most remote province of Thailand, Maehongson, though even he is unaware of that name. His people have their own language and customs that are very different from the western world Rowena hails from. They are hostile towards humans, unlike Suji's curiosity and openness to the world around him. Learning about each other is important... but first they need to understand what they're saying to each other.
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Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 12:50 pm
  Taimin "Suji" Huang
INDENTRowena was in much brighter spirits than before (as to why - he couldn't say). That also made Suji feel uplifted. He followed behind her down the street until she selected another building to enter. He stood idly by, eyes wandering around to study each picture of lush landscapes, as she spoke to a man. The visit with this man ended with Rowena recieving an envelope, presumably with more rectangles inside, though Suji wasn't interested enough to check. Once they had exited the building and started walking again, Rowena began to explain something. A quick few paces later and he had caught up to walk next to her; the streets were too noisy to hear what she was saying from behind her.
INDENT"Now we're going to the boat," she was saying. "After that, the boat will take us to your home. It leaves soon, so we're going there now."
INDENTHe nodded to the first statement. Whatever a boat was, that was their destination. This boat would take them to his homeland. Something, they're going to there - the boat? - now. Overall, it made sense, and he nodded more emphatically at the conclusion of her explanation. It was less of for her benefit than for his; he was excited that he was learning her language quickly and that they were on their way home. The walk there was farther than the distance between the other buildings, but the very geometric layout of this human settlement made navigating easy. If they were to get separated or lost, he was sure he would be able to at least trace where they had come from. The smell of the sea - tinged with another more unpleasing smell he could not name - became stronger as they neared their destination. Was boat the word for the sea? How would the sea bring them home? He then remembered the giant machine that he had taken earlier; there must be a machine that crosses the sea, too. Was that what a boat was? His suspicions were verified when the gargantuan machines came into view, bobbing subtly at the end of long man-made piers. Suji's widened eyes were glued to the one they seemed to be approaching - so much so that he actually almost lost sight of Rowena as the pedestrian traffic seemed to increase. He hurried through the crowd to catch up to her (remaining closer to her this time) and they approached what looked like some sort of giant man-made piece of halved bamboo or something connecting the boat to the surface they now stood on. Rowena planted herself at the end of a queue of people leading up to the connecting device. There were uniformed men systematically checking each person on the line, similar to the jichang he had been in earlier. Rowena observed this as well, and turned to him with peculiar expression on her face. Though some words and gestures he understood that the short blades he carried were not good to have in this situation. They would be taken, he was informed, but he would get them back later. He removed each one from where they hung and carried them as they moved closer to the uniformed men. True to her words, they were taken. It was with reluctance that he let them go - all metals were a precious thing to his people, as it was hard to locate and produce - though Rowena assured him he would get them back when they arrived at their destination. Other than the restlessness he felt at being disarmed, ascending the platform and entering the boat were uneventful.
INDENTRowena's first order of business was to find something. She told him at first to find something - cabin 431 - but after her eyes met his blank stare she just told him to follow her. They wandered the windowless, tunnel-like passages that reminded him of a smaller version of the Hotel. Each door looked the same except for some shiny metal squiggles stuck to them. Was that what she meant when she said cabin 431? She finally located it after much wandering and they entered the room. It was filled with bizarre fixtures, appliances, and other human conveniences that puzzled him. He stood to one corner of the room while Rowena put her bag down. Suji guessed that they finally had a moment to rest, since they were alone and she had closed the door behind them. He approached her and sat on the edge of the broad surface of the human amenity that she was sitting on, finding it surprisingly soft. He recognized it as similar to something in her room back at the Hotel. That soft, geometric object was the object of his first question about the room. He awkwardly patted the smooth, soft surface and asked, "What is this?"
Color Me Fubar Decided to move it to a "Home" thread.
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Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 9:41 am
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Rowena didn't think to explain what a boat was, partly because she wasn't sure she could do so adequately, and partly because she still hadn't the faintest idea how he had gotten here and was hoping that he'd been on one before. So she led him to the docks at the other end of the city, not minding the walk and not wanting to spend more money on a taxi, the tickets safely tucked away in the purse she'd bought. Her backpack was a bit heavy with her things, but it was a reassuring sort of weight, reminding her that she had things that belonged to her now, that she wasn't destitute and locked away. And being Suji's...guide, for lack of a better word, made her feel more useful than she ever had before. It gave her an odd sense of purpose, and self-worth. The girl hummed a little bit as they walked, conscious of Suji's ever-watchful presence, and wasn't even worried about anything at the moment. She'd figured out the hardest part for now and was determined not to freak out about anything else until they were off the ship and didn't have a damn clue what to do next.
The girl hadn't the faintest clue she almost lost her master as they reached the docks and came in sight of the massive ships. She had never been on one before in her life and hoped she wasn't going to get seasick. A bit intimidated by it all, she was glad to turn around and see Suji there, not knowing that he had in fact just caught up to her after almost losing her. As they headed towards the gangplank, one of her hands reached up to hold onto a strap of her backpack, a bit worried about it falling off or someone stealing it. She couldn't help but be paranoid about things like that, knowing what people were like. Getting in line and making sure Suji was there with her, the girl sighed as they slowly made their way through it, part of her wanting to just get it all over with and be done at this point.
When they reached the guards who were checking everyone for weapons and contraband, she went a bit pale as she remembered Suji's swords. Luckily, she explained that it was a cultural thing, which they seemed to accept, so at least they didn't go calling the cops on a guy walking around with weapons like that. It was harder to convince Suji to hand them over, but Rowena managed to assure him that the swords would be returned to him once they got off the ship and that they wouldn't be damaged. Glad that they were able to avoid an incident, and that the man trusted her enough to listen to her assurances, the girl sighed in relief as they checked her backpack and then let them go down the pier and up the loading ramp. The next order of business was to find their room and she asked one of the crew for directions to the cabins. They were helpful, but Rowena had a poor sense of direction and Suji wasn't any help - not that she had really expected him to be. But with a bit of searching and probably luck, they managed to find the room. The travel agent had gotten them something a bit nicer so they had some space - but only one bed, she saw with a sigh as they walked in. The room was nice, at least, and there was enough space so she couldn't get claustrophobic.
The question sort of surprised her, and she wasn't sure if he was asking what the English name was, or if he didn't know what a bed was. If...he didn't know what a bed was, what did they sleep on? She was beginning to get a disturbing mental image of her life with him once they reached his home, though she had no idea what was really going to be the hard part. "That's a bed," she told him, looking around. A desk on the other side of the room had some coffee stuff and almost looked like a hotel room. Well, a nice hotel room, she guessed, looking over her shoulder at the open door to the bathroom. "What do you sleep on?" Rowena asked him, before going and getting the sketchbook out of her bag to bring over for him. That way it'd be easier, she reasoned, to answer.
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x"...to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength."
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 8:39 am
Taimin "Suji" Huang
INDENTA bed. This soft, lofty structure was called a bed. He still didn't know what it was for other than sitting on. Maybe groups of humans shared the bed when they had lengthy conversations or meetings? Rowena was gazing around the room while Suji continued to examine the surface of the bed. He pinched the perfectly-stitched top, lifting slightly and finding that the topmost layer was actually an unattached blanket. Maybe... maybe this was...
INDENT"What do you sleep on?" She asked, departing briefly after she had asked to fetch that blank book. Suspicions validated by her question, he concluded that the bed was what these humans slept on. But it made sense, he supposed... they didn't need to move their beds or take them with them. They could afford to be ridiculously large and cumbersome. Lacking the words to express his answer, Suji moved off of the bed and onto the wooden floor. He pressed both palms flat to the cool, lacquered surface to indicate the floor. Though it wasn't entirely accurate, he lacked further words or resources to illustrate his point. Really, they carried a thin mat or blanket - usually no more than a large animal hide - and would lay it out wherever the individual wanted to rest. But lacking the words for ground, floor, dirt, skin, leather, or anything else that could have helped him, this was the best he could do.
INDENTWith the largest obvious structure of the room addressed, he moved to the desk to ask what each individual item on it was. He then began to inquire about the lamps, then moved into the bathroom to question the various fixtures and toiletries. Suji was like a toddler asking what's that to everything. Aside from physical development, the biggest difference between the two was that everything was alien to the adult; though a toddler would have at least seen the objects before. After the main bedroom area had led to the bathroom and all the things in there had been given names, Suji was content for the moment. He moved to the windows to peer out at the water and the dock. (Fortunately, he did not start pointing at things through the window and inquiring about them, too.) The water-faring vehicle they were aboard, the boat, wasn't noticably moving. He wondered just how long it would take to reach the distant shores of his homeland. Hopefully no longer than a day or so... the air was stifling and stale and artificial to him. Not only the smell and feel of the air, but it was also markedly drier and cooler than the climate he had grown up in. It felt strange to want time to pass quickly; time was never something to worry about when everyone in your tribe simply didn't die naturally. He was restless. There was so much to learn but right now it was mere memorization and regurgitation of vocabulary. He still couldn't really communicate verbally or nonverbally yet.
INDENTAfter a moment of staring out the window he finally looked back at Rowena and asked, "What now?"
Color Me Fubar I think we can do a little time skip. Aside from "wtf is this meal-time banquet s**t," unless they explore the amenities/activities of the ship they're probably going to focus on teaching each other, right? So maybe we can advance a few days, assume that they've acquired a better understanding of each thanks to him being a lightspeed learner, and he finally starts to inquire what the amenities are... or Rowena wants to take a break from the books and have some fun? I'll PM you for some planning.
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Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 3:41 pm
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It was rather awkward at first - all right, it was downright bizarre. He hadn't the faintest clue what most things were and trying to explain them when he looked at her like she was being silly was just ridiculous. After all, he seemed to live such a simple life, so attempting to tell the man why they needed 'this' and 'that' when he never had made her feel selfish and silly. But Rowena did her best and it wasn't as if Suji was stupid - just the opposite. He caught on so quickly that she found herself opening up to him, talking more and more and feeling comfortable. He never looked as if he was judging her or trying to make her feel stupid and didn't seem to mind when she had to fall silent and think, or stammered out of embarrassment. He was just as patient with her as she was with him, perhaps even moreso, although whenever she asked about her life when they arrived at his home he would frown and fall silent, or change the subject. That was beginning to worry her, but...she didn't know how to ask.
The ship turned out to be an excellent place to teach Suji more English, and to explain more things. In turn, he began to teach her words from his language, though she butchered it with her awful accent. He seemed to think that was funny, but not in a cruel way, and had her repeat them to his satisfaction. Rowena was still amazed by his abilities - eating lead and then writing with his finger, for example - and she had no idea what he was. Clearly not human. But neither possessed the ability to ask or explain and it was a mystery she would have to solve later. There was a library on the ship they went to, where she showed him books that helped explain things. She sketched things as well for him, and he did the same. The young woman was having more fun on the ship with her new master than she had in a long time, able to be herself with him judging her. It was clear she was happier now, being able to use her mind and have some fun. Suji was more than willing to follow her around and let her do as she pleased, while he explored on his own.
About a week into the trip, she decided she wanted to try out the pool. It was large and on one of the decks. Having bought a bathing suit, a simple one-piece, the young woman pulled it on and grabbed a towel, her hair up in a ponytail. "Come on, Suji! We're going swimming," Rowena told him happily, taking his hand to pull him out the door with her. She was getting used to doing that, as he was always interested in whatever she did it seemed. Heading to the deck, she found a chair and set her towel in it to claim it before stretching. There weren't too many people around, a few kids with their parents, and one or two men her age that were lounging around. Not paying attention to anyone, the young woman headed to the pool and tested the water out. It was nice and warm from being in the sun and she smiled to herself. She loved to go swimming and had been eyeing the pool all week.
Humming to herself, she went to the deep end and dove in, having gone swimming all her life and good at it. She came up for air after a minute, slicking loose hair from her face and smiling happily as she floated and relaxed. It was then that one of the kids bounced a large beach ball over to her and it smacked her in the head, dazing her for a moment. She floundered and went underwater for a moment, simply losing her balance for floating.
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x"...to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength."
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 9:10 am
Taimin "Suji" Huang
INDENT The time he spent with Rowena was filled with learning about her alien human culture. The amenities of the vessel included pre-gathered food (though his stomach suggested the food was not all organic). He learned that first night that humans preferred to get their daily rest all at once, which he didn't think he would ever adjust to. He learned that they had a special cleansing ritual with an assortment of scented products, and he also learned that nudity was a source of shame and embarrassment - though he already had an idea of that, hence why he chose to be almost completely covered. With careful eyes on not just her but other humans aboard the ship, he realized that they did not condemn displays of emotion. Gradually, without his noticing, Rowena began to affect him; emerald green eyebrows would sometimes arch with curiosity or furrow with confusion or contemplation and sometimes his eyes would widen slightly with surprise or interest. A combination of raised brows and slightly quirked brows greeted Rowena when she emerged from the bathroom in a body-hugging garment that only covered her torso. Even though it left little to the imagination as to the shape of her body, apparently it was appropriate because no actual skin could be seen. How redundant!
INDENT Yet still Suji followed the human girl through the ship - now familiar to him - and to the frontmost section of the deck, where a large rectangular body of chemical-laden water sat. It was called a pool, she had explained the first time they had passed it. And this time, Rowena was going to swim in it. His hand was released when they arrived (he still hadn't asked her why he couldn't touch her but she could touch him) and he saw other people amuck; men wore looser shorts while women wore tight things. Suji remained where Rowena had put down her towel, watching from afar from one of the chairs (which was more suited for being in a reclined position, but he preferred sitting upright to attentively observe his surroundings). After first feeling the water she dove in and re-emerged soon after. She seemed to be relaxing in the water just fine until a large, bright spherical object bashed the girl in the face. Consequently, Rowena struggled momentarily before her head went under. Suji sprang to action at the first impact and had leapt in the water by the time she began to sink. Silk and cotton and bamboo fiber and all, the man swam through the pool without much difficulty. He hooked an arm around Rowena from behind and dragged her to the surface and to the side of the pool. He hoped, since there was no solid surface beneath her, that the impact of the object hadn't irreparably damaged her. Even in his kind, he knew the head was an integral part of the body, after all.
INDENT Despite the many sets of eyes staring at the fiasco with shock, all Suji cared about was getting Rowena on to dry land deck again, though the pool being more like an abrupt hole in the ground than a sloping basin made his rescue efforts a bit more awkward than expected.
Color Me Fubar I think that Rowena's response to being grabbed from behind would be pretty immediate, so you can decide whether she wiggles free now or he actually manages to pull her up onto the deck.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 11:43 am
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The last thing she had really expected was to suddenly be grabbed from behind and lifted up so her head was above the water. Expecting it to be the lifeguard, who was already hurrying over despite his confusion over Suji's 'rescue', Rowena coughed up the chemical water and looked over her shoulder to see it was her master instead dragging her through the water as if she was going to drown. Confused, she struggled to get free, the feeling of being tugged backward disconcerting, but they were already at the side of the pool. Her hands gripped the cement, rough and hot under her fingertips, and she shook her head as he finally let her go - perhaps realizing she wasn't going to drown at that moment. "I'm okay - I'm okay," she managed, afraid he was going to do something more drastic if she didn't tell him that she wasn't going to die.
"Are you all right?" That would be the lifeguard, his job usurped by the overly-concerned master, and the man crouched down at the side of the pool next to the two. "How's your head?" he asked, reaching out and pulling Rowena from the water, setting her firmly on the ground. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and nodded, paying more attention to Sujii than the man. Or the people staring at the scene in abject curiosity. It wasn't every day they saw a man like her master, after all, let alone a scene like that.
"I'm okay. Just got bopped on the head," Rowena assured him, rubbing her face. Her nose was a bit red from the ball smacking it, but it hadn't done any damage to speak of. Giving a shy grin to the two men, she was relieved when the lifeguard nodded and went back to his seat overlooking the pool, reassured that the girl wasn't severely hurt. Glad he left, the girl looked back over to Suji and gave him another faint smile, moving so she was sitting at the edge of the pool with her legs in the water. "Thanks for helping me," she told him, realizing he'd been worried about her and had wanted to help. With the scene over, the rest of the people went back to their own activities, which was a massive relief to Rowena. The last thing she wanted was for everyone to keep staring like they were some sort of sideshow entertainment.
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x"...to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength." `MaliceMizer ooc // I'm sorry this is short and shitty. ><
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:21 pm
Taimin "Suji" Huang
INDENT Suji successfully pulled her to the edge of the pool, not terribly affected by the additioanl cargo or the weight of his wet clothes. When she was able to grab the hard, abrasize concrete side he identified she was well off enough to let go of her. Her insistence that she was fine confirmed it, though he imagined that her face must hurt. A projectile of that size would have a definite impact. As an unfamiliar human approached and engaged Rowena, Suji was attentive - especially when he reached for her - but once out of the water she wasn't going anywhere, so he eyed the offending projectile item from the corner of his vision. He spied children of various builds playing with it without any difficulty of staggering under its weight. Its buoyancy and the ease in which it was passed around meant it was lightweight or even hollow. No wonder why Rowena hadn't been seriously injured.
INDENT He looked back up in time to see Rowena give him a strange look and sit down at the edge of the pool. Unphased by the onlookers, he pulled himself from the water completely, sitting cross-legged beside her. His ornate clothing (his only clothes, in fact, though they had remained remarkably pristine up until now) clung to him, though the dark colors attracted the sunlight and pleasantly warmed him. To her thanks he said nothing, though a subtle straightening and lifting of the fingers of the hand closest to her indicated her words were heard.
INDENT "I think you have trouble. I do not know, that," he indicated with a lifting of his chin towards the kids' beach ball on the other end of the pool then looked back at her with his usual unwavering stare, "is... not hurt. What is that?"
INDENT When Rowena granted him a new vocabulary word, Suji tucked it away for later reference. After a momentary pause, he lifted his hand and smelled the chlorinated water on his skin. It was not a pleasant smell. Then her master moved further down to the woven cuff of his sleeve and sucked on it, just enough to extract a sample of the funny water. Upon swallowing, he identified its components and found them to be much less unnatural than he had thought. "Why is water, kèluv?"
INDENT It took a moment for Rowena to understand he was inquiring about the reasoning behind the chlorination. She explained and he didn't comprehend at all, but nodded anyway. He looked back out over the pool and the human children playing with their ball. The way the human children played was far different than the way his people played. Humans like objects, toys, and tools. His people relied on their own bodies for entertainment, competing in feats of strength or skill or mastery of their powers. Living a transient, nomadic lifestyle meant that any toys would have to be taken along with them; thus, they had none. He wondered if, perhaps, his people would enjoy throwing and catching things for fun...? Suji's attention was redirected when Rowena said something. He couldn't tell if it was a question or a statement from her wording and tone, but identified the key content words clothes, you, and have. Going off of those words alone, he answered what he thought she had asked. "I have clothes. This." He pulled at his sleeve and then his leggings, indicating the clothing he was wearing. "You want?"
INDENT Her exasperated expression told him that he had not understood. She pulled him up and, after grabbing her towel and beginning to pat it against her hair and body, led the wet man away from the pool and into the cabin of the boat. First they returned to their room where Rowena dressed in something more covering. She threw a piece of fluffy cloth at him, like the towel she had brought to the pool, and he caught it awkwardly. He recalled seeing her use it to absorb the water from her hair and body and mimicked her actions, starting first by squeezing his hair between its clean white folds and then patting it down his body. It was a quick and efficient way to dry off, he noted. When Rowena was finished changing once again he found himself pulled along to an area of the ship they hadn't been in. This room was similar to the little places where Rowena had acquired her own clothes. She needed more? He couldn't fathom why. Suji's eyebrows knitted together and he looked to his companion with confusion.
Color Me Fubar I don't mind it. As for this post, though... uhh... well... it's something? We'll slowly get back into the swing of things, I'm sure.
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