|
|
Post by set on Nov 24, 2007 23:15:01 GMT -5
Aimi let her tiny feet sink into the wet sand, at the same time letting the white hands of the sea lick her toes. At the sight of the sea she began to She closed her eyes and tilted her chin upward to let the sun warm her face with its illuminating haze...
Setsuko furiously wrote in her journal.
...In her head she relived the times she spent with him, with the tears from her eyes grasping onto the tiny seashell necklace they made together with her tiny small hands...
Blink. The warm substance streamed down Setsuko's face.
"AAYAAAAAA!!" Setsuko screamed, angrily throwing the journal at the wall. She smashed her head into her pillow and began to sob loudly. She gripped tightly onto the pillow with her fingers digging into the stuffing. "Why?! Why?!" she cried over and over again. Just writing about her character remembering those treasured memories brought back Setsuko's own memories of Kaito. Those memories immediately reminded her that Kaito was lost from her forever.
Ume burst into the room and immediately sat by her daughter's side. She comfortingly petted Setsuko's back. "Sei-sei, what's the matter now?"
Setsuko sniffed, her words muffled out by the pillow. "He's gone! I won't be able to see him again! He'll never return to me, Momma!" she let out a loud wail. Ume shook her head. Of course, even Setsuko's mother knew of the affection Setsuko had for the boy. It was sort of the maternal instinct; or it was just Setsuko talking so much about Kaito at the dinner table.
"He will return to you one day, Sei-sei. He will return to you once the time is--"
"You mean when I die, don't you?! What if I end up in a different place than him, Momma?! What if I'm never reunited with him even in death?"
"Setsuko Izoshima! Never, ever think like that! You're only making yourself more miserable!"
Setsuko was silent. She turned her head so her face was directed at the window by her bedside. "I'm sorry, Momma. I just want him back."
Ume also looked out the window. "If you really loved him that much, perhaps he shall appear in your dreams?"
Her daughter sat up immediately. "Love, Momma. It's the present tense."
Ume smiled at her. She pressed a fingertip at her tiny little nose. "You admitted it, Sei-sei. I gotchya."
Setsuko's eyes went wide. "MOMMA!!" she pounded her fists against her mother's shoulder, but her mother only laughed playfully.
"No need to be embarassed, Sei-sei. Now, I want you to prepare the guest room. We're having another soldier come by."
Setsuko backed off. "Momma, why do we take in soldiers like this when they can go somewhere else?"
"I believe it's because of the nearby building. They don't wish to go very far."
Setsuko jumped off of her bed. "Alright, Momma. I'll get the room ready."
|
|
|
|
Post by zhen on Dec 10, 2007 19:16:19 GMT -5
A happy stroll took place on the street that fine day in the port city. Down the road ambled she, a woman of nearly eighty years, the pitter-patter of her curled black slippers not heard in the morning air. Her name was Zhen, a master of firebending clad in a mulberry-colored robe accented with pale plum trim, as well as a deep purple sash around her waist and a ebony-rose skirt that brushed the floor. A pendant of white jade draped from her neck, engraved with a character for longevity both in remembrance of her late husband and to show gratitude for her long life. She also wore a smile on her face, as each moment of her life was now lived in serenity. She would thank the spirits with every opportunity for all her blessings.
In fact, she would be blessed to see the birth of her great-grandchild soon enough. This was the reason she had traveled from Yin Rei all the way to Hokage, where her son and a few of his children dwelt. She had stayed with her son and his wife, but felt like taking her usual morning walk to fill her aged lungs with fresh air. Though more could be said for the purity of the port city's air as it stood, but Zhen wouldn't complain. It would still afford her opportunities to see new faces.
Leisurely she would walk, peering at all the sights and hearing all the sounds. Her tiny, but limber form still at the peak of health, the old woman wasn't slowing down. Though at the moment, she did walk slowly so that nothing would be missed. She would stop to smell the flowers, or whistle to the birds in the trees. Anything at all, as long as it caught the wizened woman's eye.
|
|
|
|
Post by set on Dec 19, 2007 22:53:15 GMT -5
After setting the preparations of the room neatly for the guest to arrive in, Setsuko carefully shut the door and jammed a small key into it, twisting it until she heard the clock inside of the knob. They would normally lock it in case something happened; the last time they left it open, a stray animal got in through an open window and left a big mess.
Setsuko decided to take a fresh-air walk. Sliding her tiny feet into the slippers, she walked out of the door. "I got the room ready, momma!" she shouted to her mother, who was on the other side of the house. "I'm gonna step out for a bit!"
Now, not every day would you let your fragile and delicate little girl go out by herself? No, this one was quite different. This one manages to keep herself out of too much trouble when she's by herself. But there have been situations where she had been assigned escorts, and a few accidents have been commenced. One would think it odd for such a girl to be out by herself, skipping along happily like she had no care in the world. In some places, someone might as well snatch her away to a place unknown!
However, this has never happened. Or has it yet to happen? Then again, this village had been peaceful for quite some time.
The friendly little youth continued on her path. It was only a circle around the town, like she does almost every other day or when she gets the chance. At times, there will be strangers who spark interest to her; she skips along to their side and begins to talk.
And that was exactly what she did. A friendly elderly woman. Setsuko ceased her skipping and went to a head-held-high walk beside her. Despite her eyes being a dull color, there was a sparkle in them that made them seem brighter.
"Hello! I'm Setsuko, what's your name?"
|
|
|
|
Post by zhen on Dec 21, 2007 15:41:16 GMT -5
Not unwelcome in the slightest was this interruption, that of a raven-haired preteen girl hopping up to Zhen and introducing herself. Rather strange for a girl that age to be out by herself, but Zhen had faith that the domestic guards of Hokage would keep a watchful eye on Setsuko just like they would in every Fire Nation city and town. The elderly firebender then returned a warm smile to the child. "My name is Zhen. I'm charmed to meet you."
Steadily, she kept walking ahead, followed by the exuberant child. Her walk would not be hindered, slowed down by the girl, but she would carry on as before. Looking down the side of the road, her sienna eyes were caught by three tall poppies, a brilliant red-violet in color. Smiling, she walked ahead and looked them over, cupping her dainty hands around one of their cup-shaped blooms and smelling its gentle aroma. Closed eyes gently creaked open, eyes looking skyward as the smile on her face faded.
But her appreciation for nature's beauty quickly brought a notion to her head, which she would have loved to show teh nearby Setsuko. Walking up to her, she asked, "Do you like flowers, by any chance?"
|
|
|
|
Post by set on Dec 25, 2007 0:42:51 GMT -5
Setsuko smiled and nodded. "I wrote a little fantasy that had flowers once."
As she waited for the elderly woman's response, her thoughts seem to wander away and observe her surroundings. At the nearby marketplace, she saw the moving figures at their everyday business at the stalls. She saw a mother scolding her child for bringing up a spoiled attitude, a man at a stall bargaining and persuading his way into getting more money, and carts wheeled from stall to stall.
Her eyes wandered upward, focusing on the details of the clouds. They seemed to gently swirl into little whisps that made it look like a painting on a light blue canvas. Setsuko then looked to the sea, where her soft smile grew into a frown. Her dull eyes for a quick moment lost the joyful sparkle in them and for that moment had a glare of hatred. It didn't seem noticeable, for it quickly changed once she looked away. But deep in her tiny heart, she still saw the beauty of the sea as pure deception. The sea was the theif of her happiness, the bringer of her sorrows. She had never forgiven it for what it's done.
The sparkle returned to her eye once she focused back to Zhen.
|
|
|
|
Post by zhen on Dec 25, 2007 1:21:01 GMT -5
The girl before her seemed easily distracted, though Zhen saw few problems with it. Girls, especially ones her age, had every right and reason to allow their eyes and minds to wander in every direction, admiring everything they could behold. Respecting this, Zhen simply stood, smiling and patiently awaiting the return of the girl's attention. When dull but friendly gold eyes returned to Zhen, then she began her feat. Her grin increasing, her pleasant voice sounded a warning the girl while waggling the index finger of her free hand. "Watch this, but don't get too close."
Next raising her palm upward before her, the elderly woman abruptly flicked her wrist. A fireball the size of a cantaloupe melon appeared above her hand, at which point she rose her other hand to glide along the surface of the fiery sphere. Shrinking slightly in size, the flame was sculpted into its shape. Almost like an egg with line-like indentations running down its sides, small tongues of flame resembling petals or leaves grew outward from its lower edges. Her free hand moving gently over the flame, she did nothing to obstruct the young girl's view of the burning orb. Then, her hand rose to meet the edge of its partner, both palms facing upward to cup the shape above them.
With careful concentration evident in her facial expression, her chi precisely controlled, the woman of more than seven decades parted her palms. At the same time, the egg shape was made to bloom into a shape like a lotus, petals unfurling to reveal the cup-shaped stigma within. With careful attention given to detail, the brilliant shades of red, amber, and orange soon disappeared from Zhen's hand into thin air. Arms falling to her sides, she met her hands and clasped them behind her back. The petite old lady next smiled at the girl, then asked, "What do you think?"
|
|
|
|
Post by set on Dec 25, 2007 23:03:49 GMT -5
Setsuko's eyes focused in wonder at the shapeshifting fire, her eyes illuminating from the flame's light. She observed the detail of the fire's movement, and watched it take the form of the small egg shape. Her eyes grew larger and her eyebrows rose higher to be concealed even further under her raven bangs. An expression of amazement came upon her face when the egg opened to take the form of a beautiful lotus.
Once the elderly woman had the fire flower disappear, Setsuko's hands immediately clapped together in excitement.
"That was spectacular!" she responded. "How I wish I could bend fire, but with how careless I can be, I'm certain to cause accidents." She grinned a silly little smile, the area between her eyes wrinkling a bit.
Her face relaxed. "But what is it like to have such a gift?" she asked curiously. "I see few members of my family who have the ability to bend, but they've only stated that they're able to do so. And they never really talk about it either."
|
|
|
|
Post by zhen on Dec 29, 2007 15:32:48 GMT -5
It was always nice for Zhen to see someone who appreciated the fine art of firebending. Thus, she offered a gentle smile at the girl's enthusiastic compliments and put her hands in her long bell sleeves. As she wondered if Setsuko could firebend, the girl launched a flurry of questions and statements. A tad disappointing that the girl could not firebend, since she would have been glad
Thankfully, Zhen was more than glad to answer the girl. "The ability to firebend is one I cherish and appreciate. I am grateful to Agni for this blessing, and always will be."
Stopping for a split-second, the elderly woman looked the girl over. Estimating the girl's age to be around nine or ten yeard old, she continued. "I have trained as a firebender for more than seven of your lifetimes," she said, pausing to hold up three fingers on one hand and four on the other, "And I remain a student of the art down to this day."
Returning her small hands to her sleeves, she smiled at the girl again. "But I have always known the danger in it, which is why I'm always careful with the flames I can create." As a small smile touched her features, Zhen added one other statement. "Or the lightning, for that matter."
|
|
|
|
Post by set on Dec 29, 2007 16:43:07 GMT -5
Setsuko listened intently to the elderly woman's words. Indeed, she has been amazed by the art, even though she's rarely seen it; but that's the entire reason why she was fascinated, because she doesn't see the beauty of it so often. Sometimes the circus comes to town and they have wonderous displays that include firebending shows, but Setsuko misses them at times when she's too busy with her chores.
Then again, the beauty deceived the mind and distracted it from its dangerous capabilities, just as the sea has done to many minds. For a split moment that thought was going to plague her own mind and tell her face to make a physical reaction, but instead she stuffed it away into the back of her head.
"Lightning?" Setsuko asked. "I've never seen lightning being bended before. Then again, since it's so dangerous maybe that's why I've never seen it around here."
|
|
|
|
Post by zhen on Jan 2, 2008 2:19:16 GMT -5
"Few have mastered it. Maybe that's why you've yet to see it." Zhen remained her usual placid self, though an urge to demonstrate the ability welled up within her. Her eyes swept the area, observing anything that may tell her a suitable area for such a display was near. Cold-blooded fire was dangerous any way one looked at it, so extra caution was needed. Of course, Zhen was confident in her ability to control it, so she worried little about harming anyone in the vicinity. Still, she knew the loud crackling sound may have startled or alarmed the citizens of Hokage, which was her main reason for finding the remote area for her exhibition.
But the elderly woman realized the girl probably knew a place where lightning could be released, since she herself was a resident of the city. With gentle gestures and a kind facial expression, she rose her query. "I would be honored to show you. But do you know of a place where I could show you? A tall hill, or an open field? Some place away from all these people and buildings? I can't show you here and now, or else people might get zapped."
Though it occured to Zhen that the girl was probably told not to follow strangers, she also figured Setsuko would take the wise course. The elderly firebending master was hardly a dangerous criminal, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.
|
|
|
|
Post by set on Jan 5, 2008 17:40:35 GMT -5
"Hmm..." Setsuko pondered, putting a finger to her chin and looking up at the sky in thought. An open field? A hill? Shichiro mentioned something like that to her once before. She looked around, her eyes scanning for an easy path to the open area. Her finger then pointed in the direction down the main path of the town.
"This way!" she said. "After following the path, we'll find another that branches off into a field of houses. Up there there's a fence with a broken gate. Past that should be a field of tall grass that has this giant hill."
The active little girl started off at a quick pace at first toward the destination, but slowed down to look back and make sure Zhen was following behind her. She would switch her views back and forth to make sure she wasn't going to bump into anything and to make sure Zhen wasn't too far back.
Setsuko always talked to strangers and never really had a problem with it. Once a man tried to sell something to her and didn't leave her alone, but after Setsuko got into talking about what sounded like nonsense she ended up scaring him away. Now, following strangers wasn't so bad. Besides, Setsuko mainly talked to the friendly and kindly-seeming strangers instead of the mysterious or mean-looking ones.
|
|
|
|
Post by zhen on Jan 7, 2008 21:20:38 GMT -5
As young Setsuko bolted off, ushering the elderly woman to follow, Zhen saw her actions were rather foreseeable. Now presuming the girl to be an adventurous type - one would have to be to talk to a total stranger like Zhen - it left little doubt in her mind that Setsuko wouldn't know a place like the one described. "Sounds like you know your way around here," the firebender said with a smile and a calm, blithe voice.
Now dredging on the grassy path to the open field, she followed at a steady pace. The girl was fortunate to have such a limber old woman following her, considering Zhen was still at the peak of fitness for her age and had little trouble keeping up despite how quickly the girl bounded through the meadow. The elderly firebending master never once left her sight, though she would nod and reassure the young girl she was still present each time she looked back.
|
|
|
|
Post by set on Jan 15, 2008 22:15:57 GMT -5
"Here we are!" the joyus girl proclaimed, climbing up the very large hill. She opened her arms wide and felt the soft breeze's warmth weave itself around them. She remembered now how she was able to reach this place again; she was taken here before. By Kaito...
Her arms fell to her sides. She remembered Shichiro mentioning this place because he had been there with his friends after Setsuko had with Kaito. He was telling her some sort of prank they pulled on someone, but she didn't remember the full details. All she could think of now was the time she and Kaito came to the hill one day. For a moment the brightness in her eyes faded to dullness.
"Look! I can touch the sky!"
"I can touch it further than you!"
"That's 'cause you're taller than me! Hey, wait-- Wait~!"
"What? I won't drop you."
"It's too high up here!"
She stared blankly out into the horizon for another moment before finally snapping out of it. The brightness returned to her eyes as she turned to Zhen's direction.
|
|
|
|
Post by zhen on Jan 16, 2008 15:01:58 GMT -5
The tip of the hill offered a wonderful view. Atop it, the whole city of Hokage could be seen in a panorama sprawling across the horizon. With her hands in her sleeves, Zhen closed her eyes and took a deep breath to clear her mind. When she opened her eyes to see the young girl glancing at her, she knew it was time to demonstrate the technique that showed her prowess.
"Observe..."
Gently, her arms dropped to her side. Pointing the middle and index fingers of her right hand, face bereft of emotion, she rose it in a wide arc. Doing so, she parted the negative and positive chi in the air around her, allowing a glowing trail of electricity to follow her petite hand. At the same time, her other hand moved in front of her, another electric trail shimmering in its wake. With both hands pointed to the right, she quickly brought her fingers together before her face, forcing the energies to combine, then rapidly swung her hand out to the right again. Fingers pointed to fire away atop the hill, she released a bolt of white-hot lightning from her fingertips.
The bolt would harm no one, being aimed high over the city, but it would certainly be an impressive sight to behold. After it flew from her hands and disappeared, Zhen put her hands back in her sleeves. She did little more than smile at Setsuko, wondering what the girl thought.
|
|
|
|
Post by zhen on Jan 29, 2008 16:17:15 GMT -5
"Grandmother!"
Turning as she heard the voice, familiar in tone, Zhen caught sight of a young man - her grandson, in fact - running up the hill. No doubt guided by the crackle of lightning, he hurried to the elderly woman. "Well, what a pleasant surprise," said the firebending master, hands in her sleeves. Extending a hand toward the small girl, she continued; "Zhuge, I would like you to meet Setsuko."
Nodding, the young man of fourteen took a moment to catch his breath, bent over with his hands on his knees and his face flushed in red. "Hi," he murmured to the girl, but it soon became apparent that this was no time for formalities. Standing erect, he brushed back his pitch-black hair and looked Zhen straight in the face. "Grandmother, we must go now."
Raising a hand to her mouth, she exclaimed; "Is it time already?" She wondered if she would be called to witness her great-grandchild's birth already, although she was certain everyone had said the infant would be due a week from then. Nonetheless, she knew one could never be too sure of that sort of thing.
But her Zhuge shook his head. Grasping the old woman's hand, he lead her down the path. Though she looked back at Setsuko, she heard her grandson state the reason. "Not yet, but my father and mother have asked you to join them for midday tea."
Zhen knew right then that she had been gone for too long. Her grandson had probably been asking around, looking for any clue as to where the elderly firebender had wandered. She did have a habit of doing that, even when she was off in a different city visiting her family. And with a final wave to the girl, she followed her grandson back from where he came. "Farewell, Setsuko! Return home soon! I pray we'll meet again someday!"
-Zhen has left this thread-
|
|
