to walk with you in moonlight (part two)
anonymous
February 18 2010, 01:44:20 UTC
Celt learned his language quickly, and within weeks was chattering along to him quite happily. "I had to have talent with languages," she told him one day as they lay in his bed, her head on his chest, his hands stroking her hair. "My sisters each speak a different language, so to talk to them at all I had to learn them all."
Celt told him of her sisters -- Hellenes and Rus -- and how Hellenes lived in a sun-drenched rocky land of islands, while Rus lived in a land of ice and snow. "And what of you?" China asked her, curling a strand of her hair around his finger.
"I think I will go west," Celt said, her lips brushing against his skin as she mouthed softly at his chest and belly. "I will go until I find only ocean, and then perhaps, one day, I will cross even the ocean."
"There is nothing out there," China assured her, catching her chin in his hand and lifting her eyes to his. "All that there is in the world worth having is here, with me. Stay with me."
"You are older than I, and you must be wiser," Celt told him as she sat up, straddling him. She was not taller than him, but her body was corded with muscle. His hands stroked up and down her body, feverishly warm and alive. Only the blankets around them and the metal torc she wore about her neck were cool to the touch. "So you know why I cannot stay. There is something waiting for me out there, I feel it."
After they made love, China sat up and began to play his se, plucking at the silk strings expertly. Celt curled in his blankets and watched him. "You have so much already," she said softly, casting her eyes away from him. "You make words from marks of ink. You spin silk from butterfly cocoons. You make magic, Zhongguo. And yet you want me. What can I give you?"
China sat the se aside. He could tell she was troubled, but all he could think of was something to make her stay.
"Suppose I were to ride away tomorrow and leave you," Celt went on. "You would forget about me and remember not my name in a thousand years."
"I would think of you every day," China said.
She shook her head sadly. "Do not make rash promises. I don't know anything of silk or ink, but I know the promises of men are quickly made and quicker forgotten."
Re: to walk with you in moonlight (part two)
anonymous
February 18 2010, 02:43:42 UTC
This is quite interesting, and non-op!anon rather likes this fill!
Hopefully author!anon won't mind if I nitpick a few details :3 -China would not have left his hair down during the time period of this fic. Only crazy men would have left their hair down. -Green jade would be only one of the best kinds...White jade is also very highly prized. -China would not have been profusely bowing to the woman he bumped into - apologizing once with the most formal bow would do.
Re: to walk with you in moonlight (part two)
anonymous
February 18 2010, 04:30:19 UTC
Author!anon sez...
-- This is set over a thousand years in the past. AFAIK, the Chinese traditionally did not cut their hair short until the Manchus instituted the shaved-head-with-pigtail look. It was considered filial piety to grow your hair long (your hair is a gift from your parents, therefore you should not cut it). -- Yes white jade is nice, but perhaps green is simply China's favorite. :) -- He is a very nice young man and knocking over old ladies isn't something he would normally do, hence the apologizing. You could also read 'bowing' as just meaning one or two bows, not a whole succession of them.
Re: to walk with you in moonlight (part two)
anonymous
February 18 2010, 16:17:40 UTC
Anon that hates school here. Thank you for filling this! :D Can't wait to see how you address the final parting. But I'm a little jealous that I didn't get a chance to fill :/ I have to go find something new to fill now. :)
Celt told him of her sisters -- Hellenes and Rus -- and how Hellenes lived in a sun-drenched rocky land of islands, while Rus lived in a land of ice and snow. "And what of you?" China asked her, curling a strand of her hair around his finger.
"I think I will go west," Celt said, her lips brushing against his skin as she mouthed softly at his chest and belly. "I will go until I find only ocean, and then perhaps, one day, I will cross even the ocean."
"There is nothing out there," China assured her, catching her chin in his hand and lifting her eyes to his. "All that there is in the world worth having is here, with me. Stay with me."
"You are older than I, and you must be wiser," Celt told him as she sat up, straddling him. She was not taller than him, but her body was corded with muscle. His hands stroked up and down her body, feverishly warm and alive. Only the blankets around them and the metal torc she wore about her neck were cool to the touch. "So you know why I cannot stay. There is something waiting for me out there, I feel it."
After they made love, China sat up and began to play his se, plucking at the silk strings expertly. Celt curled in his blankets and watched him. "You have so much already," she said softly, casting her eyes away from him. "You make words from marks of ink. You spin silk from butterfly cocoons. You make magic, Zhongguo. And yet you want me. What can I give you?"
China sat the se aside. He could tell she was troubled, but all he could think of was something to make her stay.
"Suppose I were to ride away tomorrow and leave you," Celt went on. "You would forget about me and remember not my name in a thousand years."
"I would think of you every day," China said.
She shook her head sadly. "Do not make rash promises. I don't know anything of silk or ink, but I know the promises of men are quickly made and quicker forgotten."
"So you never make promises?"
"Only ones I can keep."
Reply
Hopefully author!anon won't mind if I nitpick a few details :3
-China would not have left his hair down during the time period of this fic. Only crazy men would have left their hair down.
-Green jade would be only one of the best kinds...White jade is also very highly prized.
-China would not have been profusely bowing to the woman he bumped into - apologizing once with the most formal bow would do.
^^
Reply
-- This is set over a thousand years in the past. AFAIK, the Chinese traditionally did not cut their hair short until the Manchus instituted the shaved-head-with-pigtail look. It was considered filial piety to grow your hair long (your hair is a gift from your parents, therefore you should not cut it).
-- Yes white jade is nice, but perhaps green is simply China's favorite. :)
-- He is a very nice young man and knocking over old ladies isn't something he would normally do, hence the apologizing. You could also read 'bowing' as just meaning one or two bows, not a whole succession of them.
Reply
looking forward to more! ♥
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Thank you for filling this! :D Can't wait to see how you address the final parting.
But I'm a little jealous that I didn't get a chance to fill :/ I have to go find something new to fill now. :)
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Who doesn't though?
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