Open Log
Characters: wavesoakedlegs, behisstrength, kagayakashi and all the guests!
Location: 12 Olie Street in the Phanga neighbourhood.
Time: Throughout the afternoon.
Style: Whatever you wish!
Status: This is an open log for Gracia's birthday celebrations, so set up threads and mingle with one another. Anybody is welcome! Your hosts and behisstrength will be around, of course but the mundanes won't, so ( Read more... )
Location: 12 Olie Street in the Phanga neighbourhood.
Time: Throughout the afternoon.
Style: Whatever you wish!
Status: This is an open log for Gracia's birthday celebrations, so set up threads and mingle with one another. Anybody is welcome! Your hosts and behisstrength will be around, of course but the mundanes won't, so ( Read more... )
[There are two packages sat on the table before him, ready to be given to Gracia when she appears.]
[It had taken some time for Mitsuhide to decide on some suitable gifts, but he is quite satisfied with what he decided on in the end. Hopefully they will be enjoyed.]
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Rather than interfering Motochika stays quiet, silently witnessing the progression.]
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This part details a province, a city to start from, a village along the way and the path from that village which leads to a hut.
[He points to the two names, next.]
You are close with this part. Nankobo Tenkai is the name I took after the Battle of Yamazaki, unworthy of my true name as I was.
[Mitsuhide moves back again, closing his eyes for a moment. Many difficult memories and thoughts move through his mind, but he holds the sadness back; this is a time to focus on Gracia and what he is giving to her.]
I was not sure at first whether or not I should give this to you; things happened a little differently for you at Yamazaki, after all. But in the end I decided I should. That necklace contains the information you would need to find Akechi Mitsuhide back in Japan.
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Look at my face, my girl.
[He looks at her directly, eyes sad but posture strong, so she can see his face properly. Mitsuhide is only 25 years old, and if she was to really look, she would see how young he was.]
In my Japan, I was obviously born later than in yours. There is more. You see, I have no wife... I had no daughter...
[Because he'd been so focused on his devotion to Nobunaga that the pleas of his family to take a wife had been, if not ignored, then put to one side. I can marry once his rule is certain. That is what he had always thought. Fate had made it otherwise.]Whatever happened in Yamazaki for you, I know this; I would never abandon you or Lord Motochika in battle. Whatever version of me it may be. If I disappeared before my dear Lord d-died, then... then it was not willingly. I also know that after Yamazaki, I ( ... )
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Despite the dramatic turn of mood -- despite Gracia's tears and Mitsuhide's underlying sorrow -- he recognises that this is a step forward on the long path to healing. They have not lead easy lives, but they have survived, and so they must reconcile themselves with the past and carry that with them into the future. No one else can do it for them.
Motochika moves so that he can take a hand each into both of his; he brings Mitsuhide's and Gracia's hands together, afterwards, and then holds them between his own palms. His grip firm, though not uncomfortably so.
They needed this talk -- that much was clear. That did not mean they had to go without physical comfort, the literal feeling of not being alone, as they addressed loss and abandonment.]
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Strangely enough though, it didn't hurt. It was merely the motion that she felt inside of her, but it brought her no pain.
After Motochika moves to place their hands together she finds herself breaking eye contact briefly, just so she can glance at it - all three of their hands joined together in one way or another. She blinks, feeling the warmth radiate from the contact. She moves her fingers gently across her father's palms, eventually intertwining them. She realizes that the necklace in her hand was trapped underneath their hands as well. It makes her smile a bit. ]
I can't imagine you being that different. Even if you had no family where you came from, you're still my father. [ Gracia looks up at him again. ] Nothing will change that ( ... )
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[One day... as far as he was concerned, they would all be returned to their worlds. Different versions of the same one, but still different. Nothing that Motochika had ever said had managed to persuade him otherwise. Back in his own, there was nobody who would miss him. His daughter and his lover, in their own, should not be alone and would not. The ache in his own heart at the thought of it did not matter.]
[His eyes remain strong, though, even as those thoughts run through his mind. He tightens his own grip.]
Breathe deeply, my girl. Nice and steady. You will not need to be alone again.
[In truth, every time he has heard it, a part of him has felt a little unsure of the wisdom of allowing her into battle. How had that happened? Mitsuhide would have done everything he could to shield her from war. Loss, pain, death... there ( ... )
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The choice of gift says plenty about Mitsuhide: that Mitsuhide had never truly given up on living despite all appearances. Perhaps their happiness will always be tempered by the tragedy they have experienced, but to Motochika eyes, this is a sign that even in their own versions of their land, they will both be at peace one day.]
Yet in time you will succeed, or you would not have been given this gift.
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The Akechi stubbornness was present in both of them, it seemed, though in different manners. ]
[ She pauses for some time, letting all the words and emotions sink even deeper into her core. A broken man - that was what she would find if she chose to seek him out. A broken man who had all his dreams shattered and had his only support taken away from him. In part, she felt a tad bit guilty. So that was what she addresses first. Gracia glances at Motochika, her red hair slightly veiling part of her face.I shouldn't have left ( ... )
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Not that any good would come out of saying as much, so Motochika does not voice it.
What's done is done.
Some good has come out of it, at least -- Gracia's resolve is the kind of legacy that honours the departed.
Motochika raises his eyebrows a fraction at mention of a husband, but that's a matter for Mitsuhide to address first, and a glance at the younger samurai reveals that Mitsuhide's thoughts are elsewhere.
Motochika recognises that expression. Silently he places a hand upon the small of Mitsuhide's back.]
The promise of a better tomorrow... there is an additional reason to celebrate. [Dwelling will do no good now; it's an unsubtle hint.] The day is not done yet.
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Father, you're part of my happiness. I want you around, always.
[ Somehow, her birthday became bittersweet. She was supposed to be happy today, to enjoy herself, but now...now her mind was filled with other things to worry about. Still, she couldn't allow the hardwork put into the party to go to waste, so she leans back straight and puts on her necklace quietly. ]
I'm almost an adult. One more year to go, and I really won't be a child anymore. [ Gracia smiles, though there was little mirth. ] I hope I'll still be in this city by then. [ She looks at the two, sadly. ]
I hope I don't have to leave. This place is like the land you've always dreamed of. Nobody is fighting, everyone is at peace. The curses are bad sometimes, but they go away after a while.
[ She bites her lip. It was extremely selfish on her part, but Gracia couldn't seem to bring herself to care. She says nothing else after that. Her words, her expression, they all imply what she truly desires. Perhaps it wasn't to ( ... )
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[With a last surge of strength, Mitsuhide offers Gracia a warm smile before she leaves and says:]
You will be happy. Everything I see in you, and heard from you today, tells me this is true.
[A nod.]
Lord Motochika is right. There is much of the day left; your friends will be here soon, I am sure. Keep smiling, Gracia.
[He waits long enough for her to leave and get to her room before speaking again. Glancing at his lover, still sat at his side, he lets his mask slip and asks:]
Do you think that was the right thing to do, my Lord?
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Yes.
[A life untouched by sorrow was impossible for those born into their age. The necklace had brought deep-seated pain to the surface for both father and daughter, yet it also gave hope for the future. It was ultimately a resounding step forward.]
For Gracia, and for yourself.
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