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Post by reed on Oct 3, 2006 12:58:34 GMT -5
Reed walked along each entrance of the stables, making sure that each one had food and water. He had brushed them and cleaned them up; picked up all loose feathers and... other.... stuff. His boots clunked along as he walked out of the barn. He heard a distant rumbling and saw a carriage being pulled by two ostrich horses. Of course he was in the middle of the road as it was approaching so he back up out of the way.Though he caught in a huge dust cloud he caught a glimpse of who was in it. " Oh. . . . My. . . God. . ." Now covered in a layed of grime Reed made his way to the house.
Back at the house Ting ha just finished ALL of her chores. "Finally!" She said throwing a kitchen clothe of her shoulder and plopping down next to Jialing. She looked up to the carriage coming to wards them. Reed was waving a white rag around. "UGH! Why'd she have to come NOW??" Ting straightened up and and stuck two fingers in her mouth resulting in a screeching whistle. The boys in the field looked over and Ting motioned to the carriage. The two came running as fast as they could to the house. The smaller one flew through the open door and up to his room. Kai looked to Ting , "is it REALLY her???" "No doubt,"... Kai recalled the day he met her. She was telling him about manners and how her would probably never get off his "god forsaken farm". He then decided to throw mud at her dress. "Good times.... Good times."
The carriage drove up and when the door was opened, a woman in her early 50's stepped out. She was short and small, only about a foot and a half teller than Ting, though you could tell her age. She had black hair and green eyes. Her hair was held up in a bun with two lines of hair coming down to her lower back. She was wearing a green lengthy dress and orange/red fox fur skin scarf. Ting got up and gave the woman a short hug. The old lady looked like she wasn't enjoying a minute of it. "Aunt Zuina. I think you remember Kai. And this is Jialing." The old woman ignored Kai but then walked up to Jialing for a 'closer look'. "Jialing Xiang, was it?" She said her voice, snooty and arrogant.
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Post by jialingjin on Oct 3, 2006 22:27:12 GMT -5
Jialing stepped forward from where she stood behind Ting. She tilted her head to the side as her brown eyes narrowed and through her rumpled, dirty hair there was a flicker of recognition. Years and years ago.. When Jialing had been little, A wealth woman came to buy a select few of her tapestries, her mother told her that the tapestries were going to the family of the boy she was betrothed to. Her face had had less wrinkles and tension lines back there, but the snake like sliver of her eyes was still the same. Jialing had made a breif appearance those years ago to present her tapestries to the woman, remaining silent but standing there as the woman looked her over. She had changed much since then.. Her skin had become rougher and dried from the sun, her face had grown longer with age and her hair now formed a rat's nest around her face instead of being neatly brushed. Her eyebrows lifted as she found her voice, approaching the taller woman and looking up at her with mild and unafraid disgust. "....Madam Zuina...?!?"
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Post by reed on Oct 4, 2006 13:43:31 GMT -5
Zuina's eyes became. . . really creepy in Ting's eyes, "Ha!," She exclaimed taking a step back , "I KNEW it was you! Finally. . . Perhaps Hiashi's death finally got to all of you. . He always was the most stubborn out of all you. perhaps we all gained something out of this." Zuina said walking up the porch, " Now I would like an audience with Minge." Once the old hag was inside, Ting stared wide eyed. And to make things worse Reed was standing behind the elderly woman before she had excused her self. His eyes were narrowed and his hair was like it was spiked up with rage. Reed made his way up the porch. "Clean out your room Ting." He said walking past her up into the house and slowly making his way up the stairs. Kai gritted his teeth. That woman should watch it or she's gonna end up dead. Ting couldn't bare the fact of what she had said.. "What a whore!" She said angrily. "And how did she know your family name!? You haven't even told US your last name!" No one said any thing. "What the heck is going on!?" "Shut it, Ting..." Kai said as his response.
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Post by jialingjin on Oct 4, 2006 16:14:09 GMT -5
Jialing didn't move out of the way when Zunia passed her, bumping shoulders with the same woman who had snootily told her years ago her tapestries were 'up to par'. Her face appeared suddenly over her shoulder, thick strands of dirt-covered hair falling into her eyes. "I can not believe you all are related to that!" Xiang Jialing ignored Ting's remark, preferring rather to keep the secret of how Zuina knew her family name as long as possible. Why it was Zuina who set up the whole affair between the families.. No clue why. It wasn't like the Xiangs were rich or anything.. sure their tapestries adorned the halls of the Bei-fongs and even the Earth King themselves.. but the money went to supplies (golden thread was more expensive than anyone realized) and to paying their supplies and the peddlers who sold their tapestries. Jialing rarely saw a dime of her own work. Then again, Goro also always said that their mother was hoarding the money and soon as the children were married off.. would run off and live a lavish life. Jialing did not know what to believe.. except that she didn't Zuina from the moment Zuina annouced the arragement for her and Zuina's nameless nephew.. Jialing fumed, running a hand through her hair and spiking it higher.. "I can not believe I sold that woman one of my best tapestries whne she said she would use it as a capret for her Shapeis!"
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Post by reed on Oct 5, 2006 11:17:40 GMT -5
Ting folded her arms, " Well only by marrage. She's Aunt Minge's far off sister in law or something or some thin'... I'm pretty sure she's been removed couple times too; And trust me, if we could we would have removed her at least another 100 times again.." Ting scrathced the top of her head. "Jia? Is it okay if I bumk with you for a little bit? Because what happens is that basicly all the girls take over the house and the boys sleep in the barn. And since we have, " Ting paused for a few seconds, "about 10 female reaitives, I don't want to get stuck bunking with any of our crazy family and i don't think that you want to either. " Ting said smiling sheepishly, " So how 'bout it?"
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Post by jialingjin on Oct 5, 2006 12:07:13 GMT -5
Jialing grimace at the prospect of being stuck in the house with all the women. She turned to ting, and pulled the little girl close, ruffling her hand with her hair. "Whadda say to camping out under the stars? I'm sure I can whip us up a tent out of a ostrich-horse blanket.. or something." Shrugging her shoulders, she peered down at Jin who stood by her legs, his golden tail up and wagging back and forth like a whip. "Jin would like it better too.. Old hags bother him." And Boy was Zunia as haggy as she remebered her. The young woman put her forehead in her hands and sighed heavily as she threw a pathetic 'Help me' glance back to Reed and Kai.
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Post by reed on Oct 5, 2006 12:22:53 GMT -5
Ting gasped. A pure smile of joy plastered on her face. " You mean it!?" Ting said giving Jialing a huge hug almost knocking the two down. " Ha-hah, I can't wait! I'll go clean out my stuff!" Ting let go of Jialing and raced in to the house and up the stairs to "her" room. Kai scoffed, " She sure got over that pretty fast." Kai chuckled, " Good luck 'campin' out' with her." Kai said taking a seat on the porch next to Jin. " Just out of curiosity, how do you know the old hag?" Kai leaned against one of the pillars and took out his pipe. the lit the tobacco and continued, " i mean, you sold the ice queen a piece of art; I really don't think she would say: " HA! I knew it was you!" . Then continue ranting about God knows what." Kai finished with the impersonation of her. During this, Reed had left to go wash the grime off him before any of the other cousins showed up.
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Post by jialingjin on Oct 5, 2006 12:32:31 GMT -5
She sighed heavily, stepping over to kai and knocking the ember off his pipe with a flick of her finger, forcing him to re-light if he wanted to smoke so bad. "My family are the Xiang Tapestries Makers of Lochan. You can see our handy work in nearly ever noble house and in the Earth King's palace. Yet.. we're poorer than dirt." Jialing moved to a post opposite of Kai's and leaned against it, facing him. She propped one foot on the post, the other as support and crossed her arms across her chest. "Madam Zuina.. as I was forced to call her.. is a fan of my family's works." Jin sat at her feet, rubbing his head against her leg and leaving a streak of eye gunk on her pants. She flicked it off with a disgusted sneer at the dog.
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Post by reed on Oct 5, 2006 12:46:44 GMT -5
Ting looked at her plants. "Now what am I going to do with you." Ting had spent about two months growing this plant. It was a type of ground cover and a vine. It to help keep water for droughts. Ting thought she could save everyone work with this.
Kai furrowed his brown like a child, " Now was that necessary?" He said once again lighting it with two small spark rocks. "My family also has some Xiang tapestries. I always thought you guys were rich." Kai turned the side blew out gray smoke, " Anyways, I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed but I'm smart enough to know that's not all of the story." Kai once again remove the pipe from his mouth and let the smoke escape, " Please continue." He said finishing to let Jialing continue her story.
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Post by jialingjin on Oct 5, 2006 12:59:07 GMT -5
"There's no more to be sad. Zuina and I didn't get along when she came to personally pick up an order of tapestries and asked to meet with me. She looked me over, made some rude comments about my hair and went on discussing business.." Jialing shrugged, not going any further into details. if Zuina didn't remember setting up the whole thing, then more power to her. Jialing was not going to be conned into a marriage to anyone. "And we're not rich.. All the profit I ever saw went straight into my supplies. My brother Goro suspected my mother of hoarding it.. or shipping it off to her relatives. She's the last of the weavers in her family, most of them retried or too arthritic to work. That's one of the reasons why I left.." Jialing sneered, looking at her hands which still bore the faint lines from the thread where it would cut her skin as she worked the loom. "Couldn't stand it.. I hated weaving."
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Post by reed on Oct 5, 2006 13:12:36 GMT -5
Kai nodded. " I can respect that. After all, I hated glass making, and I ended up. . . . Well; sailing. " Kai blew a ring of smoke up in the air. " Though after a while, I kind of missed it, you know? Of course you never miss the burns but the concept." Kai looked to jialing. . . . " Are you sure here's nothing else? You can tell me; after all I have 21 years of secrets in me I'm sure I can take on a few more."
Reed changed his clothes. He made his way to Ting's room. "Hey Ting," Reed said standing int he door way, " I'd hide that stuff. Remember when Grandma Sakura saw stuff like that last time?" Ting nodded, " Can I put it in the barn? Me and Jia are going to camp out tonight so I don' know where to put them." Reed nodded, " I'll help you carry them down once i hide my stuff in the attic.
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Post by jialingjin on Oct 9, 2006 16:31:16 GMT -5
She rolled her eyes at him, the charming young pirate.. er.. I mean ocean-goer could certainly work any woman around his little finger, except Jia. With practiced sensuality, gained from spending the past two years earning a living by less than respectable means, She stood and approched Kai with a devilish grin. Her fingertips reached up to touch his chin ever so slightly, her dirty palm upward. Her large brown eyes batted, lashes fluttering against her cheeks as she pout her lips. "Why Captain Kai.. that's so reassuring.." She then snapped her hand up and snagged his pipe, pulling it from his lips. "My secrets are mine to keep." She turned on a dime, her thick, stringy hair whipped around the back of her neck as she hurled the smoking pipe out into a soybean field.
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Post by reed on Oct 10, 2006 12:41:07 GMT -5
Kai shook his head, " Now was that really necessary?" Kai coughed, " And you do know it was still lit an' there's no way that all that smoke is coming from just my pipe!" Kai yelled at her. Kai got up and ran to wards the field. Kai dug through the plants. e looked for his pipe. Kai found his pipe and left the scene. He earth bended some mud on to the fire ceasing it. Kai took his place back on the porch. He wiped away the grime. " heh, it's still ok." .." I'm just not going to smoke in front of you unless there's a least three yards between us. " Kai stuck the pipe in his pocket after looking for any thing wrong with it. " You know I'd appreciate it if you didn't attack my pipe any more. " He finished off emphasizing the word attack.
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Post by jialingjin on Oct 12, 2006 17:02:14 GMT -5
"Then don't smoke and you'll keep both your lungs!" Jialing hollered over the field with a satisfied smirk. She and Kai had a Hate-hate relationship.. and she'd like to keep him around for that aspect of the relationship. She clicked her tongue sharply, clapping her hands to draw Jin over to her. The golden dog bounced over to her side, and looked up at her with those big brown eyes. "C'mon Jin.. lets go see if the witch is saying anything about us." The two quickly vanished inside the house, sneaking down the hallways quietly as they followed the loud, obnoxious and self important voice of Zuina to the formal seating area. Minge and Zuina were both seated at a low table, their legs curled under them as they sat at cushions. Jialing hunkered down right at the door, kneeling well behind the paper-and-wood door. She dug a hand into Jin's fur, which was beginning to look worse for wear, and kept him back at her side as she turned her head and tuned in.
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Post by reed on Oct 17, 2006 11:24:20 GMT -5
"You worry to much," Kai said lacing his fingers behind his head and leaning back, " Haven't you ever heard the saying, "Quit worrying!"? It's done wonders for me. Kai peered over to the sneaky Jialing, " If you're gonna throw eggs at her give me a holler."
Ting walked out side. She had changed her clothes from...what she was wearing before to a semi-loose shirt with sleeves that went to her middle for arm, and a pair of light brown clam diggers.( Not much of a change but she did have her hair in pig tails.) She asked Kai where Jia went. Kai answered with an, and I quote: " Probably to go total refuge on Zuina's ass...paragas....es.." Ting shook her head, " It's not like I've never heard the word ass before."
Ting went up behind Jialing and tapped her on the shoulder, " What are you doing?" She whispered.. .
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