I fight the river and the flow
There are too many things to say, and not enough me to say them.
Another excellent conversation that took place in Tokyo, regarding Hikaru no Go:
The Strange: ::randomly:: He bought a fan!
me: OMG, he did!
The Strange: He went out and bought a fan!
me: Yes, yes!
The Strange: And he clutched it!
me: He totally did!
The Strange: He clutched it while he was playing Go!
me: ::sob:: You understand! You understand!
Cue totally geeky bonding moment on the train, with an audience of wan seen-it-all Tokyoites.
Tokyo was wonderful, and tons of fun. In addition to what I mentioned in the previous entry, I saw the permanent Tokyo Cirque du Soleil show "Zed," I went to Comic City on both days, I attended a kabuki performance, I still managed to fail to go to Akihabara, I made a mildly hilarious pilgrimige to Burger King with two American friends, and I ate some astoundingly good Korean food at the Copain Copine. I need to get moving on the eBay thing now that I'm back, and actually list some stuff instead of merely intending to do it.
There might be a lot of posts forthcoming, because there's a crazy May challenge over on the saiun_challenge comm, and I'm going to participate as much as possible. To that end, this is the continuation of the extremely ill-advised Dark Jewels Saiunkoku crossover that I started writing ages ago, and occasionally add a bit more to. And I finally finished the opening scene!
Dark Jewels Saiunkoku: Roseford's Queen, Part 1
Part 2
She nodded. "We're on the outskirts of the Township, actually. I was just heading back myself, I can show you the way."
He leaned down and picked up her basket of dirty vegetables from where she'd left it. "That would be great, if you would. Things get lost sometimes, and I have trouble finding them again."
"Wouldn't you be the one who's lost?" Shuurei smiled, and made an effort to retrieve her basket-- one that he deftly avoided without appearing to notice it, transferring the wicker handle to his outside hand so that she couldn't hope to retain any dignity if she continued trying to grab it.
"How can I be lost when I'm always right here?" he said, perfectly serious but still smiling. "It's other things that move, my friend Kouyuu always says so. The library shifts places with the kitchens, and the stables can never be relied upon to remain in a single fixed location. Or so he tells me."
The stranger dropped into a rambling account of some of his friend's misadventures in finding his way from one place to another, with such disarming cheerfulness that Shuurei was too busy smothering laughter to be at all concerned about their chance encounter and who exactly he was, aside from the rather obvious conclusion that he was Blood. The occasional nonsequiturs he dropped into the narrative just contributed to the rambling pace of it, so that she barely even noticed as they traversed the familiar road that led towards Roseford-- and also to Rose Cottage and home.
"--but when we rode up to the house, his mother came out to greet us, and she praised the mare for a job well done-- and we realized that it wasn't Kouyuu who had finally been trained to find the way home, it was his horse!"
Her laughter at his story was cut short by a sudden tension in the air. They had already reached the gate of Rose Cottage, and Shuurei had her hand on the latch already when Seiran suddenly appeared on the stoop. He was only wearing his worn, serviceable clothing, but his normal humble demeanor and the cheerful smile he always greeted her with were completely gone. His silver hair seemed knife-sharp against the dimness inside he house, his shoulders squared and threatening, his lips drawing back in what promised to be a snarl-- but he wasn't looking at her; his suddenly intense blue-green eyes were focused on the man who had accompanied her along the path. The stranger had stopped in his tracks and was staring straight back at Seiran, but he had not changed his bearing at all in response to the unspoken but unmistakable challenge. His coat was still over his shoulder, the basket was still in his hand, a faint smile on his face-- but something was off about him, something not quite right, like the faint breeze that was stirring the ends of his hair that Shuurei couldn't feel on her skin-- and her instincts were screaming danger--
She smacked the stranger in the arm, and he jumped, his golden eyes coming back to her, blinking as if she'd just woken him up. "Stop that," she told him sternly, and then to Seiran, "You too, Seiran! He's just a lost traveler I met on the road, there's no need to get snarly. Look, he's carrying my basket for me. I invited him in for tea."
Seiran didn't relax, precisely, but the charged air eased a little. "You did?"
"You did?" the stranger echoed, his head tilting in a further silent repeat to the question.
"Yes, I did," she said firmly, opening the gate. "Unless you're in a hurry?"
"Hm, I don't think so," he considered Seiran for a moment, who was still looming a bit on the stoop, then followed her into the yard.
Seiran had his arms crossed over his chest as they approached, and he was frowning at her. "My lady," he said, his voice carefully stripped of inflection. The title of respect sounded more like a scolding. "Didn't you promise to send to me if anything strange happened?"
"What's strange about a traveler?" she said, somewhat irritated at the implied breach of trust. "We get those from time to time. It's what the road is for, after all. He's been perfectly polite."
Seiran hadn't moved from where he stood, squarely blocking the steps up to the house. "We're already expecting someone. A message came while we were out-- the master says the Province Queen will be coming, and that she'll be bringing an important guest who wants to talk to you."
"Ah," the stranger said, before Shuurei could start on scolding Seiran for not telling her sooner. "That would be me, I think. Which would make you the Queen of this Township, I take it?"
She turned slowly and sized him up, suddenly wondering just what pendant the golden chain around his neck might hold. There was another glint of gold beneath his blond hair, now that she was looking for it-- an earring? "That's right. I'm Kou Shuurei of Roseford."
"I'm Ryuuki. Shi Ryuuki, of the Manor."
There was no need to ask what he was referring to-- the seat of the Territory Queen was the only house ever referred to so plainly. And of course as Queen of Roseford Shuurei was appraised of what had happened there, that rule of the Manor and the Territory had been taken over by-- "You're the Warlord Prince of Saiun Territory?!"
He appeared to consider. "Maybe 'interim caretaker' is more appropriate? Well, the title isn't really important." He smiled, his strange bright eyes demanding her gaze in return. "I have a proposition for you, Lady Kou."
Another excellent conversation that took place in Tokyo, regarding Hikaru no Go:
The Strange: ::randomly:: He bought a fan!
me: OMG, he did!
The Strange: He went out and bought a fan!
me: Yes, yes!
The Strange: And he clutched it!
me: He totally did!
The Strange: He clutched it while he was playing Go!
me: ::sob:: You understand! You understand!
Cue totally geeky bonding moment on the train, with an audience of wan seen-it-all Tokyoites.
Tokyo was wonderful, and tons of fun. In addition to what I mentioned in the previous entry, I saw the permanent Tokyo Cirque du Soleil show "Zed," I went to Comic City on both days, I attended a kabuki performance, I still managed to fail to go to Akihabara, I made a mildly hilarious pilgrimige to Burger King with two American friends, and I ate some astoundingly good Korean food at the Copain Copine. I need to get moving on the eBay thing now that I'm back, and actually list some stuff instead of merely intending to do it.
There might be a lot of posts forthcoming, because there's a crazy May challenge over on the saiun_challenge comm, and I'm going to participate as much as possible. To that end, this is the continuation of the extremely ill-advised Dark Jewels Saiunkoku crossover that I started writing ages ago, and occasionally add a bit more to. And I finally finished the opening scene!
Dark Jewels Saiunkoku: Roseford's Queen, Part 1
Part 2
She nodded. "We're on the outskirts of the Township, actually. I was just heading back myself, I can show you the way."
He leaned down and picked up her basket of dirty vegetables from where she'd left it. "That would be great, if you would. Things get lost sometimes, and I have trouble finding them again."
"Wouldn't you be the one who's lost?" Shuurei smiled, and made an effort to retrieve her basket-- one that he deftly avoided without appearing to notice it, transferring the wicker handle to his outside hand so that she couldn't hope to retain any dignity if she continued trying to grab it.
"How can I be lost when I'm always right here?" he said, perfectly serious but still smiling. "It's other things that move, my friend Kouyuu always says so. The library shifts places with the kitchens, and the stables can never be relied upon to remain in a single fixed location. Or so he tells me."
The stranger dropped into a rambling account of some of his friend's misadventures in finding his way from one place to another, with such disarming cheerfulness that Shuurei was too busy smothering laughter to be at all concerned about their chance encounter and who exactly he was, aside from the rather obvious conclusion that he was Blood. The occasional nonsequiturs he dropped into the narrative just contributed to the rambling pace of it, so that she barely even noticed as they traversed the familiar road that led towards Roseford-- and also to Rose Cottage and home.
"--but when we rode up to the house, his mother came out to greet us, and she praised the mare for a job well done-- and we realized that it wasn't Kouyuu who had finally been trained to find the way home, it was his horse!"
Her laughter at his story was cut short by a sudden tension in the air. They had already reached the gate of Rose Cottage, and Shuurei had her hand on the latch already when Seiran suddenly appeared on the stoop. He was only wearing his worn, serviceable clothing, but his normal humble demeanor and the cheerful smile he always greeted her with were completely gone. His silver hair seemed knife-sharp against the dimness inside he house, his shoulders squared and threatening, his lips drawing back in what promised to be a snarl-- but he wasn't looking at her; his suddenly intense blue-green eyes were focused on the man who had accompanied her along the path. The stranger had stopped in his tracks and was staring straight back at Seiran, but he had not changed his bearing at all in response to the unspoken but unmistakable challenge. His coat was still over his shoulder, the basket was still in his hand, a faint smile on his face-- but something was off about him, something not quite right, like the faint breeze that was stirring the ends of his hair that Shuurei couldn't feel on her skin-- and her instincts were screaming danger--
She smacked the stranger in the arm, and he jumped, his golden eyes coming back to her, blinking as if she'd just woken him up. "Stop that," she told him sternly, and then to Seiran, "You too, Seiran! He's just a lost traveler I met on the road, there's no need to get snarly. Look, he's carrying my basket for me. I invited him in for tea."
Seiran didn't relax, precisely, but the charged air eased a little. "You did?"
"You did?" the stranger echoed, his head tilting in a further silent repeat to the question.
"Yes, I did," she said firmly, opening the gate. "Unless you're in a hurry?"
"Hm, I don't think so," he considered Seiran for a moment, who was still looming a bit on the stoop, then followed her into the yard.
Seiran had his arms crossed over his chest as they approached, and he was frowning at her. "My lady," he said, his voice carefully stripped of inflection. The title of respect sounded more like a scolding. "Didn't you promise to send to me if anything strange happened?"
"What's strange about a traveler?" she said, somewhat irritated at the implied breach of trust. "We get those from time to time. It's what the road is for, after all. He's been perfectly polite."
Seiran hadn't moved from where he stood, squarely blocking the steps up to the house. "We're already expecting someone. A message came while we were out-- the master says the Province Queen will be coming, and that she'll be bringing an important guest who wants to talk to you."
"Ah," the stranger said, before Shuurei could start on scolding Seiran for not telling her sooner. "That would be me, I think. Which would make you the Queen of this Township, I take it?"
She turned slowly and sized him up, suddenly wondering just what pendant the golden chain around his neck might hold. There was another glint of gold beneath his blond hair, now that she was looking for it-- an earring? "That's right. I'm Kou Shuurei of Roseford."
"I'm Ryuuki. Shi Ryuuki, of the Manor."
There was no need to ask what he was referring to-- the seat of the Territory Queen was the only house ever referred to so plainly. And of course as Queen of Roseford Shuurei was appraised of what had happened there, that rule of the Manor and the Territory had been taken over by-- "You're the Warlord Prince of Saiun Territory?!"
He appeared to consider. "Maybe 'interim caretaker' is more appropriate? Well, the title isn't really important." He smiled, his strange bright eyes demanding her gaze in return. "I have a proposition for you, Lady Kou."