Shigure was a man of many talents, but there were a few that he had to thank his curse for. His sense of smell and hearing was much stronger than a normal human. But he barely had to rely on those to detect the change in her demeanor as her eyes fell on him. She appeared to be slightly surprised to see him, but a little more than he might have expected. The novelist had wondered whether or not, as a witch, she would be able to figure out that he was cursed. He had written a book or two with topics about witchcraft, but research on that kind of practice might vary from world to world.
As he stood there staring at her, his countenance didn't change from the enigmatic expression that he usually wore. Taking a couple of steps forward, he smiled easily, placing a hand behind his head sheepishly. "I'm afraid that I've had a little bit of trouble finding my way around here. But, you needn't worry about catching anyone's attention, Yuuko-san. I'm certain that you have bedazzled all of Somarium," he said, winking as he stepped up to her. Reaching out, he took her hand and brought it to his lips.
Shigure hadn't discussed with Hatori whether or not it was best to keep their transformations undisclosed, but he saw no reason to advertise. Somarium was full of all types of mystical beings. Here, he wouldn't become a test subject or be looked upon with disgusted eyes. At least, not like he would where he came from. And yet, there was a large part of him that wished to deny the bond struggling to remain in tact within him. For that reason alone, he would keep it a secret for as long as possible. His eyes slowly traveled from her face to the table next to her as he let go of her hand. "Sake? It's been such a long time since I had that."
Once their skin made contact to one another, she could feel that the young man was under a curse. It was hard to discern what it was, with all the animalistic spiritual pressure she felt around him as well. She was tempted to ask directly what was the nature of his curse, but she refrained herself. She would find out, one way or another, she was almost sure of it.
The physical contact felt slightly foreign to her even if it never showed on her face. The last person she had touched had been Watanuki while the last person reaching for her like that had been Clow, centuries before her present time. Still, she looked at Shigure through half-lidded eyes while he kissed the back of her hand.
"You flatter me too much, Sohma-kun...."
She watched him look at the bottle of alcohol and smiled at him, pulling back the sleeve of her kimono to expertly pour the rice wine into the empty cup.
"Then, please, join me for one cup..." she said, though her tone implied that she wouldn't mind his company for a longer period.
He had been looking for any change in reflexes at the contact of his hand holding hers. A shift of an eyebrow. A twitch of her lips. A visible jump or even a glimpse of surprise in her eyes. But there had been nothing. Which meant that she either felt nothing or she was very good at keeping her tells hidden. Shigure was no stranger to that game, himself. Even though the contact had caused something to stir his senses, he never showed it as the unwavering grin remained in tact.
"That's very kind of you," he noted, eyes continuing to stare at her. "But I'm afraid that I have nothing to offer in return." His tone carried its usual teasing inflection as he slipped his hands into the opposite sleeves of his yukata and took a step towards an empty chair.
Keeping her seductive smile on her face, Yuuko sat down on her chair, making it clear that she was expecting Shigure to follow suit.
"Your charming company is well enough to replay for the sake..." she said sweetly.
Reaching for her cup of sake, she took a small sip as she looked at him intently. If looking past the curse and spiritual pressure, the Witch could feel that the man was troubled. As if he had been ruminating darker thoughts than what his smile led to believe.
"So tell me, Sohma-kun, has your walk outside helped you clear your mind?" she asked, smiling enigmatically. Perhaps if she gave some, the young man would return the favor and answer her curiosity despite himself.
"Clear my mind?" Shigure's cheek dimpled as his smile grew, and he took a seat across from the woman, fixing his gaze on her intently. "Whatever would I need to do a thing like that for?" His hand slipped around the sake cup and he brought it to his lips for a slow sip. "Somarium is quite the peaceful environment and I'm used to the quiet and serene sort of lifestyle, so this place isn't much of a change from the norm."
Even if her expression hadn't changed, there was a slight shift in her scent, giving off a smell that he was used to receiving from the opposite sex. Women generally found him puzzling, and convinced themselves that he was a person worth figuring out. That generally didn't last, however. For all of his flirting and humorous jest, he really was a standoffish man. It just wasn't clear at a first glance.
"What about yourself? A beautiful woman spending her time outside in this type of heat?" He tilted his head slightly and resting his chin in the palm of his hand. "You certainly are a brave soul."
Yuuko was able to stop herself from raising an eyebrow at Shigure's words. By the way he had looked surprised to find her here, he had not planned to come and see her. And since he knew where she lived, walking around here could only mean that he had been lost in his thoughts. The fact that the young man had brushed away her question only reinforced the Witch's belief that he had something on his mind. The black haired woman decided not to press the issue and follow the change of subject breezily.
"Indeed. This peaceful atmosphere is not much different from the one I am used as well. At least this way, feeling homesick seems to be less easy when one can feel as at home here."
Yuuko drank from her cup as well, looking over the young man with a smile. To the Witch, anyone, everyone was interesting, was a puzzle to be figured out. Because everyone had a interesting story to tell, no matter how much they might think how boring it could be.
Shigure's question made her smile slightly wider: "Thank you....but really, the heat is nothing compare to what one can endure in my world. And the weather is so beautiful, I could not help myself but get outside of the shop. And it is a good thing that I've decided to sit here instead of staying cooed up inside. I would have missed your visit otherwise...." she added the last while cocking her head on the side slightly, her eyes alive with a teasing twinkle.
"Indeed. Had I not been out for a stroll, I would have missed the opportunity to enjoy your company." Shigure took another sip and sat back. She certainly was much more beautiful than the Dreamberry had promised. Of course, after discovering that Somarium was filled with attractive people, it came as no surprise. It was a bit refreshing not to stand out like a sore thumb. The Sohma family, particularly those cursed by the Chinese zodiac, were all easy on the eyes. Instead of being the handsome, bachelor novelist, he had truly become an anonymous hermit in this new world. For now, he welcomed the solitude.
"Ne, how has your business been? Have you gotten any customers?"
Feeling his eyes on her once more, Yuuko leaned back in her chair before pushing a strand of black hair behind her shoulder. She turned her head to look back at him, a small smile on her lips. Shigure was, of course, even better looking than what she had expected. Truly, the Dreamberries wear not made to give a fair representation of the beauty of the Somarians.
The Witch shrugged slightly at the mention of potential customers. As much as she enjoyed Shigure's presence, she was the kind of person that considered her work to be confidential and therefore never shared information about those that visited her shop.
"It is calmer than what I am used to, but I appreciate the slower pace. And what about you, Sohma-kun? What do you do of your free time in this world?"
Shigure noticed the nonchalance in her answer, but it didn't bother him. The less he knew about her, the easier it was to keep attachments at a minimum. If there wasn't such a cumbersome curse to deal with, he certainly wouldn't have minded getting a little closer to the witch. But she was dangerous. Anyone who had abilities as great as hers was reason enough for him to tread lightly. He didn't expect to learn anymore than he already knew about the seductive beauty waiting for him to reply to her inquiry.
Granting her an easy smile, he finished the small cup of sake and lazily rested his chin in his hand, which was supported by the elbow he had propped on the table. "In my free time?" Why, read all of the books I am unacquainted with in hopes that one will provide a clue, of course... Not that he expected he would find a way back to Akito. Nor did he think it was possible to bring her to him. But she had been very much alive and present in Somarium only a matter of weeks ago. Shigure had already resigned himself to believe that a world without the impatient goddess wasn't worth living in.
Not a trace of his thoughts slipped through the impenetrable smile he wore as he cocked his head slightly. "Oh, you know... just learning all I can about this world and the people here so that I can write about it someday."
The Witch chuckled at his words. Though nothing in his tone of voice or his facial expression had given away the young man's true intentions about the information he was trying to collect in this world, it was easy to think that writing about it one day was not the real reason behind Shigure's long hours spent in the library.
"You do know that none of us will remember our time spent in this world, right? In that case, reading and learning about others that live with us seem like a waste of time, don't you think?"
She took a long sip of her sake before she refilled her cup up.
"And trying to find a way out of here is also a waste of time, it would seem. The price to walk back to our dimension is too high to pay, even for me...."
She looked back at the black haired man beside her, her most beautiful, seductive smile on her lips as she leans slightly closer to Shigure, almost whispering now:
"And so it seems, that all one can do is enjoy this world's finest citizens, until our purpose here becomes clear to all of us, wouldn't you say so?"
As he stood there staring at her, his countenance didn't change from the enigmatic expression that he usually wore. Taking a couple of steps forward, he smiled easily, placing a hand behind his head sheepishly. "I'm afraid that I've had a little bit of trouble finding my way around here. But, you needn't worry about catching anyone's attention, Yuuko-san. I'm certain that you have bedazzled all of Somarium," he said, winking as he stepped up to her. Reaching out, he took her hand and brought it to his lips.
Shigure hadn't discussed with Hatori whether or not it was best to keep their transformations undisclosed, but he saw no reason to advertise. Somarium was full of all types of mystical beings. Here, he wouldn't become a test subject or be looked upon with disgusted eyes. At least, not like he would where he came from. And yet, there was a large part of him that wished to deny the bond struggling to remain in tact within him. For that reason alone, he would keep it a secret for as long as possible. His eyes slowly traveled from her face to the table next to her as he let go of her hand. "Sake? It's been such a long time since I had that."
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The physical contact felt slightly foreign to her even if it never showed on her face. The last person she had touched had been Watanuki while the last person reaching for her like that had been Clow, centuries before her present time. Still, she looked at Shigure through half-lidded eyes while he kissed the back of her hand.
"You flatter me too much, Sohma-kun...."
She watched him look at the bottle of alcohol and smiled at him, pulling back the sleeve of her kimono to expertly pour the rice wine into the empty cup.
"Then, please, join me for one cup..." she said, though her tone implied that she wouldn't mind his company for a longer period.
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"That's very kind of you," he noted, eyes continuing to stare at her. "But I'm afraid that I have nothing to offer in return." His tone carried its usual teasing inflection as he slipped his hands into the opposite sleeves of his yukata and took a step towards an empty chair.
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"Your charming company is well enough to replay for the sake..." she said sweetly.
Reaching for her cup of sake, she took a small sip as she looked at him intently. If looking past the curse and spiritual pressure, the Witch could feel that the man was troubled. As if he had been ruminating darker thoughts than what his smile led to believe.
"So tell me, Sohma-kun, has your walk outside helped you clear your mind?" she asked, smiling enigmatically. Perhaps if she gave some, the young man would return the favor and answer her curiosity despite himself.
Reply
Even if her expression hadn't changed, there was a slight shift in her scent, giving off a smell that he was used to receiving from the opposite sex. Women generally found him puzzling, and convinced themselves that he was a person worth figuring out. That generally didn't last, however. For all of his flirting and humorous jest, he really was a standoffish man. It just wasn't clear at a first glance.
"What about yourself? A beautiful woman spending her time outside in this type of heat?" He tilted his head slightly and resting his chin in the palm of his hand. "You certainly are a brave soul."
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"Indeed. This peaceful atmosphere is not much different from the one I am used as well. At least this way, feeling homesick seems to be less easy when one can feel as at home here."
Yuuko drank from her cup as well, looking over the young man with a smile. To the Witch, anyone, everyone was interesting, was a puzzle to be figured out. Because everyone had a interesting story to tell, no matter how much they might think how boring it could be.
Shigure's question made her smile slightly wider: "Thank you....but really, the heat is nothing compare to what one can endure in my world. And the weather is so beautiful, I could not help myself but get outside of the shop. And it is a good thing that I've decided to sit here instead of staying cooed up inside. I would have missed your visit otherwise...." she added the last while cocking her head on the side slightly, her eyes alive with a teasing twinkle.
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"Ne, how has your business been? Have you gotten any customers?"
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The Witch shrugged slightly at the mention of potential customers. As much as she enjoyed Shigure's presence, she was the kind of person that considered her work to be confidential and therefore never shared information about those that visited her shop.
"It is calmer than what I am used to, but I appreciate the slower pace. And what about you, Sohma-kun? What do you do of your free time in this world?"
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Granting her an easy smile, he finished the small cup of sake and lazily rested his chin in his hand, which was supported by the elbow he had propped on the table. "In my free time?" Why, read all of the books I am unacquainted with in hopes that one will provide a clue, of course... Not that he expected he would find a way back to Akito. Nor did he think it was possible to bring her to him. But she had been very much alive and present in Somarium only a matter of weeks ago. Shigure had already resigned himself to believe that a world without the impatient goddess wasn't worth living in.
Not a trace of his thoughts slipped through the impenetrable smile he wore as he cocked his head slightly. "Oh, you know... just learning all I can about this world and the people here so that I can write about it someday."
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"You do know that none of us will remember our time spent in this world, right? In that case, reading and learning about others that live with us seem like a waste of time, don't you think?"
She took a long sip of her sake before she refilled her cup up.
"And trying to find a way out of here is also a waste of time, it would seem. The price to walk back to our dimension is too high to pay, even for me...."
She looked back at the black haired man beside her, her most beautiful, seductive smile on her lips as she leans slightly closer to Shigure, almost whispering now:
"And so it seems, that all one can do is enjoy this world's finest citizens, until our purpose here becomes clear to all of us, wouldn't you say so?"
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