Xiu
- Masterful Virgin -
Fox in the snow%\1\%
Posts: 39
|
Post by Xiu on Dec 10, 2008 12:45:31 GMT -5
Tsuzuki frowned. "I really hope so." And, "Yes, I probably will. He was scary, but I don't think he was very interested in me." A thought occurred to him, perhaps an inappropriate one, but she'd been nice to him and maybe wouldn't mind. "Do you...don't you get cold as a fox, at night, if you stay in the parks? If you've been here so long- and I've heard the winters are very cold." Ah, good. He was not going to be kept down, which spoke well for his spirit, although it could also speak very poorly of his intelligence. Still, he did appear to possess reasoning skills - that was something. Xiu need not fear for him as he entered into the world without a fox spirit lurking around in the background and making sure he did not do something terribly foolish. She smiled slightly and glanced down a moment from his eyes, which might have looked like shyness had she blushed. It was more shyness on his part, that he should ask such a forward, but thoughtful and gently compassionate question. "Even natural foxes live outdoors in winter," she said softly, but with her free hand stroked his forearm in thanks. "It is quite all right. It may be cold, but it rarely snows; that is something."
|
|
|
Post by Tsuzuki on Dec 10, 2008 18:01:03 GMT -5
Tsuzuki gave a little shrug, his own eyes also lowering. "I just wondered. I've never been a fox." He'd been about to say he'd never met a fox who could talk, but then remembered that that was untrue. The last time...he almost blushed, a little guiltily. The last time he'd encountered one, the fox had been seeking his department's help in locating the Winter Queen, a request that would have been a noble one if it hadn't turned out to be Tsuzuki's horrible cooking that caused her collapse in the snow away from her castle. And he hadn't thought- since that fox had also been accompanied by a talking rabbit and a crocodile- that that fox had been a kitsune. There were many strange things in the world, apparently; that entire incident was a little embarassing for him. If Saya and Yuka hadn't liked his muffins, they should have just told him so! Trying to get rid of them like that...Tsuzuki pouted, too wrapped up in the memory of indignation to remember that he was with another.
|
|
|
Post by Nicolas de Lenfent on Dec 11, 2008 11:58:46 GMT -5
She patted his arm in consolation. He seemed to get altogether too shy and so on too quickly.
"It's quite all right," she repeated, although she still appeared to mean the words. "I appreciate your lovely concern. And you are right," she said, lifting her jeweled eyebrows, "and perhaps I will seek out a place to inhabit in this form. I have simply not given it much thought." Once she had tried to trick a monk out of his home so that she might live there instead, but it had not worked out for her.
|
|
|
Post by Maria van Helsing on Dec 14, 2008 9:11:00 GMT -5
"You have obviously never been to one of the Opera's parties."
*Maria grinned.*
"Stroke of midnight and suddenly it turns into a ..."
*Maria turned at the sound of Roxanna, smiling at her .... were they friends? Or maybe more like allies? Well at least they had a common enemy.*
"I really couldn't ..."
*She looked from Roxanna to the girl, who seemed to be alright.*
"Fine, one dance."
|
|
Zilia
- Masterful Virgin -
Life is a party. Death is, too, once you get the hang of't.
Posts: 20
|
Post by Zilia on Dec 14, 2008 17:34:27 GMT -5
Opera's parties? Was that one of those fabulous supernatural vampire bashes that was drawing attention away from Zilia's own? Maybe she'd look into it. She knew, of course, what an opera was, and an Opera House, but it had not occurred to her that there were wild parties at one and therefore assumed it was a pseudonym of some kind.
She wink at Roxanna in thanks and blew her pouty kiss before taking Maria's hands. "Thanks so much," she said, flashing her a smile.
Heedful of Maria's warnings about her lack of dancing abilities, Zilia went into a slow half-waltz. As time went on, she expected, Maria would find dancing beginning to be a lot easier than she had expressed thoughts towards earlier, this being because they were slowly by surely rising into the air by tiny gradations. After all, Zilia was hardly as innocent and powerless as she might have looked.
|
|
|
Post by Tsuzuki on Dec 15, 2008 8:56:40 GMT -5
She patted his arm in consolation. He seemed to get altogether too shy and so on too quickly. "It's quite all right," she repeated, although she still appeared to mean the words. "I appreciate your lovely concern. And you are right," she said, lifting her jeweled eyebrows, "and perhaps I will seek out a place to inhabit in this form. I have simply not given it much thought." Once she had tried to trick a monk out of his home so that she might live there instead, but it had not worked out for her. Tsuzuki blinked at her, a little confused by her overly comforting words, but then he brightened. "I'll bring you a house-warming pie!" Tsuzuki's food was not edible, but he didn't know that. And if he was making a pie for her, then he might as well make a few for himself. He smiled to himself, pleased with the thought.
|
|
Xiu
- Masterful Virgin -
Fox in the snow%\1\%
Posts: 39
|
Post by Xiu on Dec 27, 2008 18:37:47 GMT -5
Xiu was moderately dubious, but moments later she saw no reason to be. Foxes were not known as picky eaters, and anyway, back in the days of the shrines, offerings of freshly-baked food had been common. And she rather missed them. This offer endeared her to the polite little ninny that he was more than she would have allowed in a more cautionary mood, and her eyes narrowed a little as her mouth flattened into a rice-paper smile that was nonetheless quite lovely.
"I will like that. But, pies on the mind, perhaps we might make our way to Paris and fetch for you a meal that you can devour without suspicion."
|
|
|
Post by Tsuzuki on Dec 27, 2008 21:12:48 GMT -5
Tsuzuki smiled back, his own eyes crinkling. "Sure. Sounds great!" He glanced around for the little slip of a girl Xiu had said was the hostess, and also the Lady of Darkness, or some such, wonderign whether she would mind if they left. Tsuzuki had trouble believing such a beautiful girl could harm anyone, but he was also aware that if Xiu had told him so she was probably right. Foxes liked to trick, and to twist words around, but Tsuzuki didn't think they were actually allowed to flat-out lie to humans. He couldn't quite remember the myths, which made him feel minorly ashamed, but only because he was imaging what Tatsumi would say were he there. Still, Xiu hadn't done anything against him, and now she was offering to eat with him. So- she was practically a friend now.
|
|
Xiu
- Masterful Virgin -
Fox in the snow%\1\%
Posts: 39
|
Post by Xiu on Dec 27, 2008 21:18:36 GMT -5
Xiu knew of Zilia less from experience than from hearsay, which she felt was undoubtedly positive, and while she did not suppose that Zilia would take offence to their swift departure, she suspected it was possible Lady Zilia would like to greet them on the way out and nothing Xiu said could sound exactly polite about it. And Tsuzuki - well, he did seem especially foot-in-mouth to her and she didn't want to think about what sort of grim mess he could get into on accident.
So she was very elegant in leaving, moving in her hanfu robes with the gravity of a Catholic priest in his, her arm gently guiding Tsuzuki towards the door. "How did you arrive? Did you take a cab? A door, a shortcut?" There were all sorts of ways to get here. Xiu had come through a park in Paris, going under an archway that led - sometimes, if you intended it to, and at a certain time - into the yawning mouth of the castle.
|
|
|
Post by Tsuzuki on Dec 27, 2008 22:10:50 GMT -5
Tsuzuki took the guiding arm with the manners of a gentlemen, a little absently, head turned a little to the side, back straight. He glanced behind them again, purple eyes scanning the room. Then he turned back to Xiu, giving her his complete attention at the question.
"The invitation the strange person gave me had an address on it, but when I went looking for it I couldn't find it anywhere. I was wandering back and forth in the street... " Tsuzuki shrugged, giving an embarrassed little smile. "There was this little cake shop...but when I went in the door, I suppose it was a portal to here. I came out behind some bushes."
|
|
Xiu
- Masterful Virgin -
Fox in the snow%\1\%
Posts: 39
|
Post by Xiu on Dec 27, 2008 22:16:23 GMT -5
"Mm, not uncommon," said Xiu with a not-unkind smile, though it was a little bit eerie and elfin. Perhaps that could just be attributed to the lighting, though. "Getting in is like that early on. It's getting out that's the trouble. Lady has large suites to accommodate the hundreds that can't get out for the first few months. As large as the castle looks on the outside, it's infinitely larger on the inside."
She led him, still gently, on down the impressive steps, through a crowd of strange people she did not gaze at once who were all entering, and began to explain in languid tones how one did escape the place. "You can't simply walk out of the door, nor go to the place you came in at; they exit all at strange places and you must ask for one specifically. Train your mind on it as you go through. Your concentration must be good, or you'll end someplace else." She stopped beside a gargoyle that looked as though sometimes it was very much alive and looked at him patiently. "And if we are both thinking of different places, we neither of us might make it to them. Tell me, where in Paris would you like to come out?"
|
|
|
Post by Tsuzuki on Dec 27, 2008 22:42:28 GMT -5
Tsuzuki's eyes widened a little, eyebrows lifting, before he frowned. How completely unfair, to trap her guests like that. How completely malicious- the superb, bizarre, contradictory hospitality of Zilia was beginning to annoy him. Tsuzuki didn't think much of taking on the Lady of Darkness, but he couldn't have been one of those trapped guests. He had to go back to Japan eventually, to do his job- although- trapped in a castle without any exits...that would make a fine excuse, one that no one, not even the Chief, could find fault with...
He made a little humming noise in the back of his throat, lowered eyes darting to the side and then quickly back as the strange, almost reptilian man he'd been staring at turned his head and caught Tsuzuki's gaze. "I don't know- I can't remember many of the street names. How about, hmm, right in front of the Opera house? It makes such an impression, although I've only seen it a few times. And I can make us invisible so everyone doesn't turn and stare when we pop up." Concentrating wouldn't be a hard task for Tsuzuki. Well. It could be, but not for something like this- this was serious. He might never eat real food again if he didn't get out of this place. "Thank you for showing me the way out."
|
|
Xiu
- Masterful Virgin -
Fox in the snow%\1\%
Posts: 39
|
Post by Xiu on Dec 27, 2008 22:46:29 GMT -5
His naivety was beginning to give her a real pleasure where at first it had seemed an annoyance. Having somewhat adopted him within the last ten minutes, it felt less like a burden than a gift that was being given her - rather than a burden dropped on her shoulders, maybe a delicate coat. Like one of those fine European ladies' coats Xiu had seen and admired in the streets. Europeans were both loud and brusque, and she did not always admire this, but the culture bemused her, and she supposed it bemused him at times, as well.
"Yes, I know of where you speak. Standing in the streets before it, the cobblestones, with the carriages driving by, and the moonlight glinting off the statues... Is that a picture you hold well in your mind? If you approve, we might think of it very firmly as we step to the right of this handsome fellow," she said, with a gesture of one slim white fingernail in the direction of the gargoyle. "And arrive right there, quite hidden to civilian eyes."
|
|
|
Post by Tsuzuki on Dec 27, 2008 23:16:50 GMT -5
Tsuzuki nodded, taking a slightly firmer hold on her arm not out of fear or nervousness but simply to include her in his little trick of invisibility. It was not pure invisibility to which he reverted, but rather to his less substantial form which only other inhabitants of the Meifu, spirits, or gifted humans might sense. Some supernatural things too, he supposed- Xiu would surely have seen him were he walking like this around Paris, even as he whirled and side-stepped to avoid the mortals who would have passed right through him anyways. Call him old-fashioned, but Tsuzuki had never liked the look of himself half-way inside someone else's ribcage.
"I'm with you."
|
|
Xiu
- Masterful Virgin -
Fox in the snow%\1\%
Posts: 39
|
Post by Xiu on Dec 27, 2008 23:21:33 GMT -5
Xiu herself was often invisible to others, simply because, as a fairy creature, she was more often than not only on the etheric plane, and mortals with the sight were rare, particularly in large cities like these. But she was not acquainted with Tsuzuki and did not know that he did not mean actual invisibility, and felt rather too polite to refuse his offer of sharing it.
"Good," she said. "Three, two - "
She expected him to step forward at the same time as she did, when she took a step then.
((Must flee for tonight, but you may start a new thread, if you wish, or wait for me to tomorrow, whichever.))
|
|