here it's december every day
There is nothing quite like the perfect silence when it snows. No noise penetrates it save that of the snow itself, landing on the dry pampas grass. A heron flies low over the river, silent wings grey against a grey sky of feathered clouds.
* * * * *
I don't often write poetry, but I am an excellent poet. I am an excellent poet because I never make anyone read my poetry. The very best poem is the one you've never read (this rule holds true for an infinite number of things). But today I was testing out a large number of pens to see if they worked. I was just going to write down quotes, whatever came to my head, but then I ended up not quoting things, and then I ended up reflecting something that I saw on my travels the other day.
Transcribed exactly as written.
this be the verse
within this world of ours
the foxes sing in chorus
while in the ditches lie those
who came before
and who will know them? Who will mourn them?
Castoffs from life, with crooked jaws
Protruding teeth, rough fur,
and open eyes
that stare in empty,
hating promise
at the world from which they
were banished
The limp paws
Are ours, that staring eye
The swollen body
left among the heaped and rotting dirt
the eyes that will glare until the insects eat them
from that pointed skull
Due to having time on my hands for various reasons, I've been writing up a storm. Next week I have even more time on my hands: only two classes for the whole week. So I thought I would put up a sampler, of sorts, with a little bit from all my current projects. I don't think I'm going to do anything like requests, since I so often fail to fill them, but you're welcome to try to get me to work more on one project another by commenting, asking questions, reminding me of scenes I've said I'd write and haven't, flattering me, offering me creative exchanges of various sorts, and the like. All of these are exerted from the most recent part I've been working on. And yes, they are all Saiunkoku-related.
Given that they are exerts, don't expect them to make too much sense all by themselves. Given that they are recent work, they won't be edited to the point where I consider them up to snuff.
Saiunkoku: Demon Hunter
Shuurei looked around curiously from her perch next to Ensei as the carriage went through the streets. Kenshou was the largest city on the road to the Sa Province border, but it still seemed somewhat provincial to her eyes, accustomed as she was to the vastness of the capital. The architecture was subtly different, too, the roofs more steeply peaked, and the motifs around the windows and above the doors featuring fierce-looking protector deities rather than the flowers and clouds common to Kiyou. "Why do we need to stop at the Guild, anyway?" she asked.
"I don't think it's going to be easy, getting you two through to your post, so I'd like to hire some extra help along the way. I heard at the last supply post that a friend of mine is in the area, and if that's so he's sure to be at the Guild if he's looking for work. He's very good at what he does, and he's familiar with the lay of the land in these parts."
"Why would he be at the Merchant's Guild?" Shuurei asked. "Their main concern is the trade routes that run through the Province to the west, and also the internal markets in the city. I would think that they'd leave such matters as short-term hires up to the locals."
"This is true," Ensei nodded. "But since they're the most well-connected organization in Sa Province, not to mention the wealthiest, the local Guild factors also act as a hub of information-- and, to freelancers, as an impromptu job office. People can post their ads and requests at the Guild office (for a small fee, of course), and any travelers passing through can check them. Broader requests can even be sent to other Guild offices in neighboring towns, carried by the supply and trading caravans. In many ways, the Guild is more efficient and reliable in the Province than even the government offices or the noble families. They certainly employ more men."
"The mountains are high and the Emperor is far away," Shuurei murmured to herself, and steeled herself against a small shiver. For the first time, it was not only true but important.
Ensei patted her shoulder in reassurance. "That's why we waited until now to take anyone on. I wanted someone I knew, and someone I could trust."
The buildings grew closer together as they approached the town center, courtyard homes giving way to the downtown area. The guild factor lay near the center of town, set back behind its very own sizable square. It was a large building, inelegant but massive and stained yellow by the road dust that rose from passing riders and carriages. The ornamental panels that crowned the windows were painted with more elaborate versions of the entrance guardians, and the warding symbols were intertwined with those of prosperity and plenty.
A boy in faded roughspun caught headstalls of the carriage team and expertly snagged the small coin Ensei tossed in that direction as he hopped down. "I'll be right back," he said cheerfully as he disappeared inside.
Eigetsu climbed through the partition to take the empty place on the bench beside her. "So who is this person we're hiring?"
"I don't know, but if it's a friend of Ensei's . . . well, I understand why he didn't ask for aid from the Emperor, and why he didn't want to hire anyone in the capital. It really is different out here."
Eigetsu nodded. "I'm not from this area, of course, but in many ways it's not that different. I was astonished when I came to the capital. It seemed so peaceful, so safe-- it was unreal. Of course I knew that the presence of the Emperor brought with it Heaven's protection, but I never really understood what that meant."
"Have you ever seen a demon, then?"
"Oh, yes, I've seen a lot of them. The farther you get from the capital the more common they are. Mostly it's just the regular vermin, but every once in a while you get a big one, or a dangerous one."
"What do you do?" Shuurei asked, fascinated.
"What do you mean?"
"To keep them away. I've never had to deal with something like that before, I never really thought about it in any practical way. But you must do something, or else they'd be more of a problem."
"Well, we do, of course. Most of the buildings have some kind of wards over the entrances-- like the ones you see around here. Those are pretty good for the small ones. For the common mid-sized ones, usually a village or town can muster a crew to take care of it. But sometimes you get the big ones, or the more dangerous predators. There are a lot of different kinds-- a scholar named Tei Puli catalogued more than two hundred. For the dangerous cases, it's best to hire a specialist, one of the demon hunters."
"I've heard stories about them, though they rarely come to Kiyou. What are they really like?"
Saiunkoku: Cyberpunk
He came awake to Ryuuki's shivering against his side. The room was dimly lit by the waste light reflected off the perpetual clouds outside. It was enough for him to see Ryuuki's face, the eyes wide and frightened. The small apartment was cold at night, the heating spotty at best, but the pile of blankets that Seien has scavenged here and there meant that they slept more than warm enough. "What's wrong, Ryuuki?" he asked, sleep clinging to his voice. "Are you cold? Did you have a nightmare?" He pulled his brother closer to him and readjusted the tattered layers of blankets over them, and the battered springs of the mattress creaked at the movement. The air of the apartment was cold, but their combined body heat and the piled blankets meant that they slept warmly enough. Ryuuki was still shivering, though, and he clung to Seien's arm.
"I heard something," Ryuuki whispered, although there was no one to hear them. "Something outside." He whistled to the house web, and it hummed back through the walls.
Seien listened, trying to hear beyond the ever-present noise from the web to the street outside. All seemed quiet, though: the local yaka gang had found a better place to race their upbikes, and there hadn't been any territorial disputes between rival gangs recently. At this hour even the deadheads were missing from the streets, gone to ground in their squats with their half-spent tabs. A siren wailed faintly in the distance, but aside from that it was as peaceful as the slums ever got. "It's okay, Ryuuki, it was probably nothing." He rubbed Ryuuki's back reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'm here, you can go back to sleep--"
The house web's hum suddenly changed timbre, and Ryuuki jerked upright and whistled sharply in fright. He pulled frantically at Seien's arm, but his words had disappeared into machine language and Seien couldn't understand. "Ryuuki! Ryuuki, use words, talk to me! What is it?!"
All the electronics in the small two-room apartment were coming to life, LEADs coming on, beeping and humming. He could hear the motor of the SHOUgakou bot whirring to life, heard its mechanical voice as it switched on. "Number five alive! Number five alive!" Ryuuki's face was screwed up with fear, his eyes closed, humming and whistling at the house webs, which thrummed with unaccustomed activity and crackling electricity. "Coming inside! In the web, coming--"
A loud crash reverberated through the ancient building, so loud that it seemed as if the room shook. It brought Seien flying to his feet, shedding blankets. His mind raced and he fought against panic, fought to clear his head. The door, that was the door. "Ryuuki! The traps, have the traps activated--"
Another reverberating clang was his answer, metal on metal-- what was it that was coming up the stairs?! He ran over to the big drawer in the metal desk, the one that he had impressed on Ryuuki that he was never, ever to open, and didn't even bother to unlock it-- he yanked it from its tracks with a strength he hadn't even known he possessed. The mod10 rifle inside was battered, but the charge was still good, and the slim, plain line of the barrel spoke volumes of its deadly efficiency. He checked it quickly and flicked off the safety. It was an adult weapon, too large for him still, but he swung its weight into place against his shoulder. Already he could hear heavy noises in the corridor down the hall. The traps had barely slowed them down; there was no possibility of running, of escape. This was their haven, their sanctuary; there was nowhere else to go.
Ryuuki was crouched on the mattress again. He had retrieved his precious veed googles from the workbench; they caught the light eerily on their carefully polished rims from where they sat on his sleep-tousled hair. He clutched his favorite spanner in one hand, holding it tightly against his chest-- not as a weapon, but as security. He wasn't whistling to the house web anymore, and his robots and the appliances had gone quiet, though their lights still blinked in the dimness. His wide eyes were on the rifle in Seien's hands, and Seien wondered if he knew what it was.
There was no time, no time for anything. "Stay behind me, Ryuuki. No matter what, stay behind me."
There was nowhere to hide in the tiny apartment, not even in the blankets tangled in a hopeless snarl on the mattress. He stood in front of his brother, and brought the charge on the rifle to life, feeling the energy under his hands. A small hand clutched at the fabric of his shirt, and Ryuuki's voice was quiet, tight with fear. "Aniue--"
"Stay behind m--"
The door to the main room reverberated, then burst inwards as the locks tore out of the wall. Dark, hulking shapes ran through into the main room, their tread heavier than they should have been, pounding on the floor. "Number five alive! Welco--" One of the men kicked the SHOUgakou robot and sent it careening across the floor, out of Seien's sight. Its voice cut off with the impact. Something in the other room shattered, but Seien couldn't see anymore. In less than a second one of the men was coming through the door to the bedroom, filling the whole doorway. Seien didn't even have to sight him: he pointed the barrel of the rifle in his direction, braced himself, and touched the trigger.
Saiunkoku: Father and Son
Shouka glanced up when the door to the archives swung abruptly open and startled. "Good heavens."
Sou Taifu's massive form bulked large in the doorway, imposing the way mountains were imposing despite the way he was currently stooped to accommodate the arm looped over his shoulders. The boy he supported looked like a sapling in comparison, spindly and slender to the point of breaking under the robe he wore. His face was pale and drawn, but there was a flush to his cheeks over that, and victory in his golden eyes. It was that look that made him so much older than his slight frame and meager decade of years accounted for, that brought to Shouka's mind battlefields that this child had neither seen nor imagined, and a man's face that lay hidden beneath the childish formlessness that Ryuuki still retained. His robe was dirtied and torn, which was unsurprising-- the servants assigned to him had never been particularly mindful in the first place, and by now they'd given up altogether-- but he was limping badly and obviously needed the support of his weapons instructor.
"I've brought your student back to you for patching up," Sou rumbled. "He's proven to have more pig-headed stubborn in him then good sense, which I hope you as his teacher will take responsibility for."
Ryuuki bowed his head contritely. “I’m sorry to cause a fuss,” he said, although neither his bow nor his words did anything to hide the fact that there was a new aspect to his bearing, a lift to his young shoulders that he'd never previously possessed.
"Bring him over here," Shouka said, hurriedly freeing a chair of books and papers and helping Sou to maneuver the young prince into it. "What have you two been doing? Sou, I asked you to teach him, not damage him--"
"Sou-shogun didn't do anything," Ryuuki protested in defense of his teacher, wincing when he jarred his foot against one of the chair legs. "It was my fault, really, it was my idea."
Saiunkoku: Dark Jewels crossover
Ryuuki was staring at his hands folded on the table, his face expressionless. There was no anger there, no pain, nothing at all. Seiran felt sick to his stomach.
Ryuuki looked up at him then and smiled, a small and utterly empty smile. "Don't tell Shuurei," he said softly.
"Ryuuki, you don't-- you don't have to--"
"It's fine. Seiga is right."
"No. You would never hurt Shuurei, no matter what happened. I know you, and so does the rest of the Court. You've been here your entire life, you carried the Territory after the previous Queen's death, you were the one who convinced Shuurei to come in the first place! What difference does it make if you're--"
"--in the Twisted Kingdom?" Ryuuki met his eyes across the table, and Seiran struggled to maintain that gaze, but it was impossible, like looking into the sun. His eyes slid away to the Gray Jewel that hugged the curve of Ryuuki's ear, the flaw in it refracting the light from the window behind him. "Everything is as it really is here. I can see everything . . . except what you see. It's because of the mists, you know. But which is more dangerous, seeing or not seeing? Which is worse, what was done to me or what I've done? Which is real, what I was, or what I am? I can't see anymore . . . Seiga is right. Shuurei is the only one who matters, and so I will go. But there are three conditions."
"Conditions? After lying to the entire Court, pretending--" Seiga caught himself, gritted his teeth, and sat back down. "Name them."
"First, the Consort's ring is to be placed in the hands of the Steward, and it is to remain there unless it is at Shuurei's specific request."
"Didn't you demand the ring for yourself when you asked the Queen to form the Court in the first place?" Seiga's eyes narrowed. "I see no reason why it shouldn't be the Queen's choice, this time."
Seiran's hands clenched under the table, though he kept his face impassive with an effort. Seiga didn't glance at him, but he felt the warlord prince's awareness. The thing in the wheeled chair pawed at the padded armrests with what was left of his hands.
Ryuuki continued as if he didn't feel the tension. "Second, all further inquiries regarding the previous Queen's Consort's sons, the descendants of Senka, is to be dropped, with no further investigation."
"I think we've all seen enough of your handiwork," Seiga said.
"And finally, all of this is to be kept from Shuurei."
"You want us to keep secrets from the Queen?"
Ryuuki looked at Seiga levelly, and Seiga fared even worse than Seiran had when it came to meeting his eyes. He sneered when he looked away, trying to cover it, but it was obvious that the attempt had shaken him. "The Queen is not to be told," Ryuuki repeated.
"Fine," Seiga said, ungraciously, attempting to hide his lapse. "I'm sure it would be distressing for her to hear of your . . . history. Better she think that you deserted her and the Court without so much as a wor--"
Ryuuki stood, and Seiga's words halted. But there was no danger to it, no additional charge to the already tense air within the room. Slowly, deliberately, Ryuuki splayed his hand in front of him, then pulled the Consort's ring from his finger and set it gently on the table. He nodded politely to the broken husk of a man at the far end and received a whimper in response. "I'll be seeing you, Koumei."
The door closed behind him with a soft click.
"Well." Seiga sighed, a little too heavily. "I'm sure we're all glad that that's--"
"Leave," Seiran said. Everything seemed to be moving very, very slowly. "Take that . . . that thing, that piece of filth, and remove it from this Court. Better yet, remove it from the Territory."
"Of course," Seiga said, standing. He probably did it quickly, but Seiran couldn't tell. "I'll see that Koumei gets the care he deserves, after--"
"He'll get the rest of what he 'deserves' if you don't remove him from my presence." There was a sharp retort, and a split appeared in the solid marble of the heavy tabletop. The Consort's ring danced on the surface, the sound of delicate metal on stone louder than it should have been. "Now."
And finally, a list of the projects that I have ideas for but haven't started writing yet.
Project List
Demon Hunter: Seien-Kochou conversation re: Ryuuki (flashback)
Drabble: based on manga scene during Shuurei's time as consort
Omnia: Kochou-Ryuuki conversation re: marriage and relationships, post Ryuuki proposing
* * * * *
I don't often write poetry, but I am an excellent poet. I am an excellent poet because I never make anyone read my poetry. The very best poem is the one you've never read (this rule holds true for an infinite number of things). But today I was testing out a large number of pens to see if they worked. I was just going to write down quotes, whatever came to my head, but then I ended up not quoting things, and then I ended up reflecting something that I saw on my travels the other day.
Transcribed exactly as written.
this be the verse
within this world of ours
the foxes sing in chorus
while in the ditches lie those
who came before
and who will know them? Who will mourn them?
Castoffs from life, with crooked jaws
Protruding teeth, rough fur,
and open eyes
that stare in empty,
hating promise
at the world from which they
were banished
The limp paws
Are ours, that staring eye
The swollen body
left among the heaped and rotting dirt
the eyes that will glare until the insects eat them
from that pointed skull
Due to having time on my hands for various reasons, I've been writing up a storm. Next week I have even more time on my hands: only two classes for the whole week. So I thought I would put up a sampler, of sorts, with a little bit from all my current projects. I don't think I'm going to do anything like requests, since I so often fail to fill them, but you're welcome to try to get me to work more on one project another by commenting, asking questions, reminding me of scenes I've said I'd write and haven't, flattering me, offering me creative exchanges of various sorts, and the like. All of these are exerted from the most recent part I've been working on. And yes, they are all Saiunkoku-related.
Given that they are exerts, don't expect them to make too much sense all by themselves. Given that they are recent work, they won't be edited to the point where I consider them up to snuff.
Saiunkoku: Demon Hunter
Shuurei looked around curiously from her perch next to Ensei as the carriage went through the streets. Kenshou was the largest city on the road to the Sa Province border, but it still seemed somewhat provincial to her eyes, accustomed as she was to the vastness of the capital. The architecture was subtly different, too, the roofs more steeply peaked, and the motifs around the windows and above the doors featuring fierce-looking protector deities rather than the flowers and clouds common to Kiyou. "Why do we need to stop at the Guild, anyway?" she asked.
"I don't think it's going to be easy, getting you two through to your post, so I'd like to hire some extra help along the way. I heard at the last supply post that a friend of mine is in the area, and if that's so he's sure to be at the Guild if he's looking for work. He's very good at what he does, and he's familiar with the lay of the land in these parts."
"Why would he be at the Merchant's Guild?" Shuurei asked. "Their main concern is the trade routes that run through the Province to the west, and also the internal markets in the city. I would think that they'd leave such matters as short-term hires up to the locals."
"This is true," Ensei nodded. "But since they're the most well-connected organization in Sa Province, not to mention the wealthiest, the local Guild factors also act as a hub of information-- and, to freelancers, as an impromptu job office. People can post their ads and requests at the Guild office (for a small fee, of course), and any travelers passing through can check them. Broader requests can even be sent to other Guild offices in neighboring towns, carried by the supply and trading caravans. In many ways, the Guild is more efficient and reliable in the Province than even the government offices or the noble families. They certainly employ more men."
"The mountains are high and the Emperor is far away," Shuurei murmured to herself, and steeled herself against a small shiver. For the first time, it was not only true but important.
Ensei patted her shoulder in reassurance. "That's why we waited until now to take anyone on. I wanted someone I knew, and someone I could trust."
The buildings grew closer together as they approached the town center, courtyard homes giving way to the downtown area. The guild factor lay near the center of town, set back behind its very own sizable square. It was a large building, inelegant but massive and stained yellow by the road dust that rose from passing riders and carriages. The ornamental panels that crowned the windows were painted with more elaborate versions of the entrance guardians, and the warding symbols were intertwined with those of prosperity and plenty.
A boy in faded roughspun caught headstalls of the carriage team and expertly snagged the small coin Ensei tossed in that direction as he hopped down. "I'll be right back," he said cheerfully as he disappeared inside.
Eigetsu climbed through the partition to take the empty place on the bench beside her. "So who is this person we're hiring?"
"I don't know, but if it's a friend of Ensei's . . . well, I understand why he didn't ask for aid from the Emperor, and why he didn't want to hire anyone in the capital. It really is different out here."
Eigetsu nodded. "I'm not from this area, of course, but in many ways it's not that different. I was astonished when I came to the capital. It seemed so peaceful, so safe-- it was unreal. Of course I knew that the presence of the Emperor brought with it Heaven's protection, but I never really understood what that meant."
"Have you ever seen a demon, then?"
"Oh, yes, I've seen a lot of them. The farther you get from the capital the more common they are. Mostly it's just the regular vermin, but every once in a while you get a big one, or a dangerous one."
"What do you do?" Shuurei asked, fascinated.
"What do you mean?"
"To keep them away. I've never had to deal with something like that before, I never really thought about it in any practical way. But you must do something, or else they'd be more of a problem."
"Well, we do, of course. Most of the buildings have some kind of wards over the entrances-- like the ones you see around here. Those are pretty good for the small ones. For the common mid-sized ones, usually a village or town can muster a crew to take care of it. But sometimes you get the big ones, or the more dangerous predators. There are a lot of different kinds-- a scholar named Tei Puli catalogued more than two hundred. For the dangerous cases, it's best to hire a specialist, one of the demon hunters."
"I've heard stories about them, though they rarely come to Kiyou. What are they really like?"
Saiunkoku: Cyberpunk
He came awake to Ryuuki's shivering against his side. The room was dimly lit by the waste light reflected off the perpetual clouds outside. It was enough for him to see Ryuuki's face, the eyes wide and frightened. The small apartment was cold at night, the heating spotty at best, but the pile of blankets that Seien has scavenged here and there meant that they slept more than warm enough. "What's wrong, Ryuuki?" he asked, sleep clinging to his voice. "Are you cold? Did you have a nightmare?" He pulled his brother closer to him and readjusted the tattered layers of blankets over them, and the battered springs of the mattress creaked at the movement. The air of the apartment was cold, but their combined body heat and the piled blankets meant that they slept warmly enough. Ryuuki was still shivering, though, and he clung to Seien's arm.
"I heard something," Ryuuki whispered, although there was no one to hear them. "Something outside." He whistled to the house web, and it hummed back through the walls.
Seien listened, trying to hear beyond the ever-present noise from the web to the street outside. All seemed quiet, though: the local yaka gang had found a better place to race their upbikes, and there hadn't been any territorial disputes between rival gangs recently. At this hour even the deadheads were missing from the streets, gone to ground in their squats with their half-spent tabs. A siren wailed faintly in the distance, but aside from that it was as peaceful as the slums ever got. "It's okay, Ryuuki, it was probably nothing." He rubbed Ryuuki's back reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'm here, you can go back to sleep--"
The house web's hum suddenly changed timbre, and Ryuuki jerked upright and whistled sharply in fright. He pulled frantically at Seien's arm, but his words had disappeared into machine language and Seien couldn't understand. "Ryuuki! Ryuuki, use words, talk to me! What is it?!"
All the electronics in the small two-room apartment were coming to life, LEADs coming on, beeping and humming. He could hear the motor of the SHOUgakou bot whirring to life, heard its mechanical voice as it switched on. "Number five alive! Number five alive!" Ryuuki's face was screwed up with fear, his eyes closed, humming and whistling at the house webs, which thrummed with unaccustomed activity and crackling electricity. "Coming inside! In the web, coming--"
A loud crash reverberated through the ancient building, so loud that it seemed as if the room shook. It brought Seien flying to his feet, shedding blankets. His mind raced and he fought against panic, fought to clear his head. The door, that was the door. "Ryuuki! The traps, have the traps activated--"
Another reverberating clang was his answer, metal on metal-- what was it that was coming up the stairs?! He ran over to the big drawer in the metal desk, the one that he had impressed on Ryuuki that he was never, ever to open, and didn't even bother to unlock it-- he yanked it from its tracks with a strength he hadn't even known he possessed. The mod10 rifle inside was battered, but the charge was still good, and the slim, plain line of the barrel spoke volumes of its deadly efficiency. He checked it quickly and flicked off the safety. It was an adult weapon, too large for him still, but he swung its weight into place against his shoulder. Already he could hear heavy noises in the corridor down the hall. The traps had barely slowed them down; there was no possibility of running, of escape. This was their haven, their sanctuary; there was nowhere else to go.
Ryuuki was crouched on the mattress again. He had retrieved his precious veed googles from the workbench; they caught the light eerily on their carefully polished rims from where they sat on his sleep-tousled hair. He clutched his favorite spanner in one hand, holding it tightly against his chest-- not as a weapon, but as security. He wasn't whistling to the house web anymore, and his robots and the appliances had gone quiet, though their lights still blinked in the dimness. His wide eyes were on the rifle in Seien's hands, and Seien wondered if he knew what it was.
There was no time, no time for anything. "Stay behind me, Ryuuki. No matter what, stay behind me."
There was nowhere to hide in the tiny apartment, not even in the blankets tangled in a hopeless snarl on the mattress. He stood in front of his brother, and brought the charge on the rifle to life, feeling the energy under his hands. A small hand clutched at the fabric of his shirt, and Ryuuki's voice was quiet, tight with fear. "Aniue--"
"Stay behind m--"
The door to the main room reverberated, then burst inwards as the locks tore out of the wall. Dark, hulking shapes ran through into the main room, their tread heavier than they should have been, pounding on the floor. "Number five alive! Welco--" One of the men kicked the SHOUgakou robot and sent it careening across the floor, out of Seien's sight. Its voice cut off with the impact. Something in the other room shattered, but Seien couldn't see anymore. In less than a second one of the men was coming through the door to the bedroom, filling the whole doorway. Seien didn't even have to sight him: he pointed the barrel of the rifle in his direction, braced himself, and touched the trigger.
Saiunkoku: Father and Son
Shouka glanced up when the door to the archives swung abruptly open and startled. "Good heavens."
Sou Taifu's massive form bulked large in the doorway, imposing the way mountains were imposing despite the way he was currently stooped to accommodate the arm looped over his shoulders. The boy he supported looked like a sapling in comparison, spindly and slender to the point of breaking under the robe he wore. His face was pale and drawn, but there was a flush to his cheeks over that, and victory in his golden eyes. It was that look that made him so much older than his slight frame and meager decade of years accounted for, that brought to Shouka's mind battlefields that this child had neither seen nor imagined, and a man's face that lay hidden beneath the childish formlessness that Ryuuki still retained. His robe was dirtied and torn, which was unsurprising-- the servants assigned to him had never been particularly mindful in the first place, and by now they'd given up altogether-- but he was limping badly and obviously needed the support of his weapons instructor.
"I've brought your student back to you for patching up," Sou rumbled. "He's proven to have more pig-headed stubborn in him then good sense, which I hope you as his teacher will take responsibility for."
Ryuuki bowed his head contritely. “I’m sorry to cause a fuss,” he said, although neither his bow nor his words did anything to hide the fact that there was a new aspect to his bearing, a lift to his young shoulders that he'd never previously possessed.
"Bring him over here," Shouka said, hurriedly freeing a chair of books and papers and helping Sou to maneuver the young prince into it. "What have you two been doing? Sou, I asked you to teach him, not damage him--"
"Sou-shogun didn't do anything," Ryuuki protested in defense of his teacher, wincing when he jarred his foot against one of the chair legs. "It was my fault, really, it was my idea."
Saiunkoku: Dark Jewels crossover
Ryuuki was staring at his hands folded on the table, his face expressionless. There was no anger there, no pain, nothing at all. Seiran felt sick to his stomach.
Ryuuki looked up at him then and smiled, a small and utterly empty smile. "Don't tell Shuurei," he said softly.
"Ryuuki, you don't-- you don't have to--"
"It's fine. Seiga is right."
"No. You would never hurt Shuurei, no matter what happened. I know you, and so does the rest of the Court. You've been here your entire life, you carried the Territory after the previous Queen's death, you were the one who convinced Shuurei to come in the first place! What difference does it make if you're--"
"--in the Twisted Kingdom?" Ryuuki met his eyes across the table, and Seiran struggled to maintain that gaze, but it was impossible, like looking into the sun. His eyes slid away to the Gray Jewel that hugged the curve of Ryuuki's ear, the flaw in it refracting the light from the window behind him. "Everything is as it really is here. I can see everything . . . except what you see. It's because of the mists, you know. But which is more dangerous, seeing or not seeing? Which is worse, what was done to me or what I've done? Which is real, what I was, or what I am? I can't see anymore . . . Seiga is right. Shuurei is the only one who matters, and so I will go. But there are three conditions."
"Conditions? After lying to the entire Court, pretending--" Seiga caught himself, gritted his teeth, and sat back down. "Name them."
"First, the Consort's ring is to be placed in the hands of the Steward, and it is to remain there unless it is at Shuurei's specific request."
"Didn't you demand the ring for yourself when you asked the Queen to form the Court in the first place?" Seiga's eyes narrowed. "I see no reason why it shouldn't be the Queen's choice, this time."
Seiran's hands clenched under the table, though he kept his face impassive with an effort. Seiga didn't glance at him, but he felt the warlord prince's awareness. The thing in the wheeled chair pawed at the padded armrests with what was left of his hands.
Ryuuki continued as if he didn't feel the tension. "Second, all further inquiries regarding the previous Queen's Consort's sons, the descendants of Senka, is to be dropped, with no further investigation."
"I think we've all seen enough of your handiwork," Seiga said.
"And finally, all of this is to be kept from Shuurei."
"You want us to keep secrets from the Queen?"
Ryuuki looked at Seiga levelly, and Seiga fared even worse than Seiran had when it came to meeting his eyes. He sneered when he looked away, trying to cover it, but it was obvious that the attempt had shaken him. "The Queen is not to be told," Ryuuki repeated.
"Fine," Seiga said, ungraciously, attempting to hide his lapse. "I'm sure it would be distressing for her to hear of your . . . history. Better she think that you deserted her and the Court without so much as a wor--"
Ryuuki stood, and Seiga's words halted. But there was no danger to it, no additional charge to the already tense air within the room. Slowly, deliberately, Ryuuki splayed his hand in front of him, then pulled the Consort's ring from his finger and set it gently on the table. He nodded politely to the broken husk of a man at the far end and received a whimper in response. "I'll be seeing you, Koumei."
The door closed behind him with a soft click.
"Well." Seiga sighed, a little too heavily. "I'm sure we're all glad that that's--"
"Leave," Seiran said. Everything seemed to be moving very, very slowly. "Take that . . . that thing, that piece of filth, and remove it from this Court. Better yet, remove it from the Territory."
"Of course," Seiga said, standing. He probably did it quickly, but Seiran couldn't tell. "I'll see that Koumei gets the care he deserves, after--"
"He'll get the rest of what he 'deserves' if you don't remove him from my presence." There was a sharp retort, and a split appeared in the solid marble of the heavy tabletop. The Consort's ring danced on the surface, the sound of delicate metal on stone louder than it should have been. "Now."
And finally, a list of the projects that I have ideas for but haven't started writing yet.
Project List
Demon Hunter: Seien-Kochou conversation re: Ryuuki (flashback)
Drabble: based on manga scene during Shuurei's time as consort
Omnia: Kochou-Ryuuki conversation re: marriage and relationships, post Ryuuki proposing