[RP]Obake Blade

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo nodded slowly. "So it would seem." he said, looking at the two. His smile didn't fade from his lips, but it didn't quite reach his eyes anymore. Rather, he seemed to be looking somewhere past the Ranger and Merchant, to someplace far in the distance. "Neither of them have worked up the nerve to make it official, but...I'm sure it will only be a matter of time. No?"

 

He looked back to Maggie, his eyes alight with amusement again. "Did Aya ever say anything about what her dream guy would be?"

[JasraLantill]

"Oh, I don't know about that, Aya," he said, brushing a wisp of hair away from her face. "You've got more than enough on as it is."

Aya smiled shyly. "Thanks," she said, "but that's not what I meant. I'm wearing what I was wearing yesterday."

 

She looked down at her dress, a bit worn, and a bit wrinkled, and a bit dirty as she had been climbing cliff faces in it. Then she leaned forward a bit to get a better look at the impeccalby dressed Lady Haruka. "But she's so... elegant. Like Hoshiko was, remember?"

 

She looked at Carwyn askance. "You think she might be a wind mage, too?" she whispered.

[Rogue Nine]

Carwyn bit his tongue as Aya looked wistfully at Lady Haruka. Aya, you could wear a burlap sack and have it look elegant, he thought. He figured he'd made her blush enough for one night, however.

 

"Well," Carwyn started, his eyes on Takara and Lady Haruka again, "if the old adage proves true, then the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, especially if a wind whips up and blows it back." He chuckled idly at his own awful joke, then frowned. "Though I can't imagine why she'd be here at a monastery." He yawned and stretched his arms up over his head and cast a look towards the opposite end of the table. "Speaking of which, I wonder if the monks need any help with dinner..."

 

As if hearing his words, the door at the end opened up and a number of monks came filing in, each with a wooden tray of food. They moved quickly and efficiently, placing plates of food on the table. A thin, bespectacled monk approached Carwyn and Aya and set down two bowls of soup in front of them. Carwyn sniffed, recognizing the rich aroma of potato soup. He shot a grin at the monk. "Thanks so much, it smells fantastic!"

[Quist]

Maggie's forehead burrowed in throught. "Her dream guy, huh?" She chuckled as she remembered. "She'd tell me about all the people she got to meet traveling with her father, but there were only a few that she talked about in that way. Let's see... the criteria for her dream guy reads almost like one of those stories the monks used to tell. He needs to be kind, but strong; handsome, but not haughty; have a good sense of humor, but know when to be serious." She pursed her lips. "He doesn't have to be wealthy, but he should know how to provide for himself and others. And he needs to love animals. With Bob, that's kind of a prerequesite," she told him, grinning. "Oh, and he needs to be totally in love with her." Maggie sighed. "She's such a romantic when she wants to be. Can you tell that she's been a bit sheltered?"

 

Just then, the doors to the kitchen flew open and the monks came in to serve dinner. The smell of rich herbs and soup came wafting through the hall. "I think Abbott Carlisle notified Brother Damien that you were back," she called out across the table to her friend. "His potato soup was her favorite dish to eat here," she said to Kyo.

[Jason Skywalker]

Akira grabbed his spoon and gulped a sip of the soup. It was good. But he couldn't ignore the glances from Kyo, Aya, Maggie and Carwyn. But they where right to look at him that way. He was acting strange. He took another sip and then glanced at Kyo with a look that meant to say "I need to talk to you".

[Grace]

"So you went on a journey of the winds," Takara said softly, finally finding her tongue. "Where did you find yourself?"

 

"I traveled west until I reached impassable water," her mother answered. "Then, I allowed the wind currents to carry me wherever they would go and they brought me here. Here, I have remained. It has been two months now since I arrived."

 

"And yet they said there were no other visitors," Takara observed. "Strange, isn't it?"

 

"Hardly," Kaori replied. "I stay out of their way, often going to the kitchen after the monks are asleep to prepare my own meals."

 

"Why do different today?" Kaori smiled at her daughter's question.

 

"Takara, it's been eleven years since I left you with your father and your husband," she said. "When I saw your company approaching and saw you with them, I knew why the winds had brought me here."

 

"A reunion, then?" Takara asked. Her mother nodded.

 

"Yes," she agreed. "And to meet my grandson for the first time."

 

"Where is he?" Takara wondered aloud. Kaori smiled sheepishly.

 

"I think he may still be in his room, trying to recover from startling his grandmother before he knew who she was," she answered.

 

"He tried to get in your head, didn't he?" Takara sighed. "Ooh, I'm gonna have to have a talk with him."

 

"He got your name," Kaori answered. "It rather startled him and the fact that he was strong enough to get even that startled me. I'm afraid I snapped."

 

"Well, even that won't keep him from food for long," Takara said, smiling faintly. "He'll be down in a moment or two and you both can apologize."

[JasraLantill]

"I think Abbott Carlisle notified Brother Damien that you were back."

 

Aya smiled at her friend Maggie, then searched out Brother Damien. "Thank you, very much for remembering me, Brother," she said to him as he continued to serve out the food. He merely smiled and nodded in return. Obviously, he had taken a vow of silence since Aya last visited.

 

"Brother Damien is the best cook," Aya commented to Carwyn. She closed her eyes and savoured the scent of the soup. And...," As she opened her eyes, she gently nudged Carwyn with her elbow. "He makes excellent toffee cookies."

 

She heard a slurp. Slowly, she turned her head towards the noise, and then frowned worriedly at Akira. Obviously, he wasn't aware of monk protocols. It was traditional for the Abbot to say a blessing over the food before anyone consumed it.

 

As the Abbot took his place at the head of the table, Aya slid down in her chair as discretely as she could, reached out with her foot, and gave Akira a gentle tap in the shin.

 

Still looking at him, she cleared her throat, then nodded to where the Abbot stood in preparation for the blessing. She hoped that Akira would get the hint and put down his spoon before any offense was noticed.

[Jason Skywalker]

Akira felt the tap in the shin and then put down the spoon, a bit surprised.

 

"Oh, i'm sorry, please, carry on Brother," Akira apologized, a bit embarrassed as he gently tapped Aya in the shin as well as a thanks.

[ForceFightWMe12]

Once everyone had settled, and the food set, Abbot Carslisle stood and extended his hands over the table, his fingers stretching out as if he were reaching all the way to the far side. His eyes closed, he waited for the hall to fall silent before beginning the evening prayer.

 

"Through the will and hospitality of the gods..." he began, his peaceful, yet powerful voice ringing around the stone chamber in the silence. The prayer wasn't short, but wasn't overly long either - and once it had finished, the Abbot opened his eyes and looked at the travellers fondly, smiling kindly. "We also thank the gods for our new visitors and old friends. We pray that we might be able to provide for all that they need, and in return, they can provide us with kinmanship."

 

With this, the prayer closed, and the meal began. Kyo turned to the soup before him, having made the decision that - out of respect to the monks - he would remove his gloves for the meal. This was something almost unheard of for him - he never took off his gloves. Not because of habit, and not because he was paranoid of attack or something of the sort. But because of the marks that were hidden beneath his sleeves, the marks that began only an inch or two above his wrist. Even so, he knew that eating with gloves on would be quite rude.

 

"Well, if it was Aya's favorite," he said, grinning, "Then I figure it has to be good. She's done most of the cooking for us herself, so I trust in her good tastes."

 

((Wow...that was really lame of Kyo...*sigh*))

[Quist]

Maggie finished her own small prayer, then picked up her spoon and tucked into her soup. She'd overheard Aya telling Carwyn that Brother Damien was the best cook and Maggie couldn't agree more. The quiet monk really enjoyed the art of cooking, and it was always a delight when he made up a meal.

 

Taking a spoonful, she swallowed it, savoring the taste. She glanced over at Kyo and saw that he too was enjoying it. "So Mr. Ruroni, you never did say what business you had here," she said. "I do hope it's something interesting. So few people come to the monastery seeking interesting things. Usually it's just for the monks' advice on their farming seasons." She rolled her eyes.

[ForceFightWMe12]

He smiled faintly, looking into her eyes, glowing with curiosity.

 

"I think I mentioned before that I'm a bit of a...historian. Others might call me a treasure hunter. I'm actually a bit of both." he shrugged, "I was journeying to find an old relic when I had heard of the library that the monks had amassed here. I was hoping that I might be able to find some information on the relic here."

[JasraLantill]

Even though she was famished, Aya sipped her soup slowly, not only to be polite in the presence of their hosts, but she was savouring every tasty drop of the thick, herb-infused liquid.

 

"I was journeying to find an old relic when I had heard of the library that the monks had amassed her," Kyo was saying to Maggie. "I was hoping that I might be able to find some information on the relic here."

 

"The library's in the south wing," Aya said across the table to Kyo. "Lots of scrolls in there, though..." She looked down both lengths of the table, to see if any of the monks were listening, then lowered her voice to a whisper. "Though nothing all that interesting." She remembered being sat with Maggie in front of those scrolls at the insistence of her father, while Abbot Carlisle taught them how to read. It had been boring to her, and even though she had excelled at it, she much preferred listening to someone tell a story than reading it for herself. "Except for the legends," she added in a normal tone of voice. "They're not too boring. Especially," she grinned, "the scary ones with monsters and mages in them." She looked at Toa then, giving him a wink. "Pyromancers, geomancers, hydroman...."

 

She frowned suddenly. "Where is Tellis? I thought she was right behind us on the stairs?" With a sideways grin, she glanced at Carwyn. "Enjoying the splendid view, I thought she said. And, speaking of missing persons,..." She looked at Kyo. "Where is Kai?" Her brow crinkled with worry. "It's not like him to miss meal."

[ForceFightWMe12]

"No...it's not." Kyo muttered, frowning. Looking around, he saw that what Aya had noticed was true - everyone was assembled, but neither Tellis nor Kai had joined them. Strange...

 

A thought struck Kyo. Kai had been acting stand-offish before they had arrived at the monestary, and he hadn't been with the main bulk of the group. He seemed almost reluctant to enter the building.

 

"Did you even see him come in with us?" he asked the young merchant, then mentally smacked himself, adding a mumbled, "Stupid question; of course you didn't. You were unconcious on my back."

 

Looking to Carwyn and Maggie, he posed the same question to them. "I can't even remember seeing him enter the monestary with us. Do you?"

[Rogue Nine]

"I didn't see Tellis coming down the stairs," Carwyn replied. "Maybe she's off freshening up before dinner?" He frowned. "And Kai, I don't think I saw him come in with us...I was a little busy trying to keep Toa from falling off Bob." He looked at Kyo, then Aya. "But wherever they are, I'm sure they're fine. I'm pretty sure whoever crosses either of them probably won't live long enough to regret it."

 

****

 

Tellis clambered up the the small hill to where the fire was. As she expected, Kai sat at the fire, having his dinner. "Enjoying your solitude?" she asked, a little out of breath.

[JasraLantill]

"Yeah, you're probably right," Aya agreed with Carwyn, but she was looking at Kyo. "Did you say that you carried me here?" She gave a confused look at Carwyn, and then Kyo, and then back to Carwyn. "I thought that...."

 

She looked back at Kyo. "You carried me here?" She looked down at her soup, then nodded. "Sack of potatoes...." she said quietly, remembering her strange dream.

[Quist]

"You were out like a light, Aya," Maggie piped up. "I thought you might've been dead." She locked eyes with her friend. "But Mr. Ruroni carried you all the way here without complaint. He was very gentle with you," she said, smiling at Kyo. Then she looked back at Aya and winked. "Even if you were just a 'sack of potatoes'."

[ForceFightWMe12]

"Carwyn was busy strapping Toa onto Bob's back with Tellis." Kyo said nonchalantly, shrugging.

 

"Regardless of how safe they are, I think my mind would be more at ease if we actually knew where they were." the swordsman said, switching topics with seemingly no notice as he grabbed for a peice of bread. "Anyone have any clues?"

[Rogue Nine]

"Kyo's such a mother hen," Carwyn quipped, then swallowed another mouthful of soup. "Let's get dinner put away first, then we can form a search party if you want." He chuckled. "Though I'm sure finding out where they are is only a matter of asking around," he said, gesturing at the line of monks eating at the table.

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo rolled his eyes at Carwyn's comment. "I'm just trying to keep track of the people I dragged along with me." he said, taking a drink from the water in his goblet, "It wouldn't do for me to lose them, now would it?"

[3yks]

Kai smiled at Tellis, "Kai is ... not sure it would be best for Kai to enter the monestary," he shrugged and gestured at his meal, "Kai has cooked enough that this lady could eat with Kai, if she pleased." He pulled a second plate and a fork from his pack, setting it next to his own, and then divided his dinner onto the two of them, he had cooked enough for two, though he'd probably have eaten it all himself if nobody had come out. It was not monk's potato soup, but it was a variety of very good smelling vegetables, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and a few others.

 

He watch Tellis a moment, then decided to open up. "I think that I once killed a man in there," he said softly, glancing down at the monestary. "I have done evil things in my days, Lady Tellis, things I am not proud of ... and somebody in there might recognize me. I'm not afraid of justice, but I feel that right now I need to help Kyo with his mission. When this is done, I will find the punishment for what I've done in my life," he stared down at his plate, then picked up his fork and began to eat quietly.

 

(Just as a note, tommorrow (sunday) is my first day off in over a week, and I do plan to check in a few times throughout the day, so I'll be able to sustain conversation if need be )

[Jason Skywalker]

"I wouldn't worry much about it. Kai's a fighter and Tellis' a Hydromancer. Even if they didn't come with us, which i doubt, they can handle themselves. By the way, Brother Abbot, this soup is delicious!" Akira told him, smiling, then remembering something.

 

"Say, i have a question," Akira started, taking out his pendant and carefully throwing at him, "Open it please."

[Rexraptor2000]

Toa thought the whole 'couples' scene was hilarious, although now he felt a bit alone even though he was surrounded by monks. Some of the monks didn't look too happy that Toa hadn't taken off his gloves, and the adding of his Insanity Spice to the soup didn't make it any better either.

 

When Aya gave him a wink when talking about legend scrolls, he smiled faintly. There were only three Pyromacers in history really worth noting: Pyro, an elemental general under Obakenare, Pynecro, the only known Pyromacer in history to have taken up necromacery as well (The only known), and Pyrian, a warlord Pyromacer who had tried unsuccessfully to conquer the continent about five to six years ago.

[Rogue Nine]

"No, it wouldn't," Carwyn replied to Kyo. "But if past experiences are any indication, they should be flocking back soon to you. What with your magnetic personality and all." He shot Kyo a toothy grin.

 

****

 

Tellis hitched her skirt up to take a seat next to Kai. Taking the plate from the ground, she inhaled the scent of the food and finding it to her liking, took a fork and put a pepper in her mouth. "You cook well," she commented.

 

Chewing thoughtfully, she looked off at the monestary in the distance. "Everything has done things they are not proud of, Kai, even the most pious of men. But you do what you must do in order to survive in this world." She tucked a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear, then looked at him with her grey eyes. "I can understand if you did not want to make mention of it to anyone before, but you could have at least told us where you were going," she said slowly, without accusation.

[Grace]

((I want to remind everyone that Takara and her mother, while it wouldn't be too difficult to tell they're mother and daughter, there are differences. Kaori's hair is silver; Takara's is black. Both have blue eyes and I picture their facial features very similar. Takara dresses fully in black; Kaori is dressed in silver robes.

 

One final thing, nobody seems surprised to have been joined at the table by soneone who wasn't in their party, even though the Abbot said they had no other visitors. I believe that even Maggie would be surprised by Kaori's presence at the table, even though she'd know Kaori was in the monestary.

 

Oh, and M_A, shouldn't 'Yuri' be talking with Katsuro? Hurry it up, please! Katsuro's gonna wanna get down to dinner sooner or later ))

[Quist]

"Well, we all saw Lady Tellis upstairs in the dormitories," Maggie chimed in. "It's probably as Mr. Stormchild said and she's just in the lavatory or something. It's easy to get lost in this monastery." She smiled. "I still lose my way sometimes. As for Mr. Kai, he was with us all the way here, I think. Now that you mention it, I don't recall seeing him in the foyer. Perhaps he is still outside?"

 

((Sorry for not making Maggie more aware of the fact that Kaori is there, Grace. She's a bit preoccupied with Aya and her new friends. And since Maggie is one to respect other's privacy she'd not be one to question Kaori's actions. She is surprised at Kaori's appearance at the table, however. I think I probably should have conveyed it better. ))