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Post by Izumi, Yin on Jan 7, 2009 22:15:29 GMT -5
[continued from ``by the light of silver wings]
This place was pretty horrible to the scents. Hindari wondered why he had been sent out here today. He had never been to Aku before but it was rumored in the Izumi clan that an Izumi male ruled it. If Yin's suspcions were correct, Hindari was to report this to her. He was spying for the king of Aku in this mission. One look at him and Hindari should be able to tell if he was an Izumi or not. But the place surrounding the castle wasn't exactly grand. Hindari had been advised to eat nothing while he was there and not to drink either. He could see why. Everything was just so...dead...here.
He wondered how anyone could live in a place like this. The humans were such stubborn creatures. They were pretty stupid, too. Didn't they ever think there was some place nicer? Inside the castle wall that shunned the village, Hindari imagined it was a lot better. Of course the rich got the best deal when it was like this. It also meant that, unlike Tsukiyomi, the ruler here was selfish. That could be a common trait in Izumi as well as humans. A lot of people nowadays were pretty selfish. Hindari wondered if he was, too. But that was an irelevant thought therefore he casted it away from his mind a long time ago.
Right now he was atop a roof of one of the horribly made huts that peasants of Aku lived in. It looked like they had just taken sticks and mud and slapped it together in a cone shape with a triangle on the top or something. Hindari thought the Izumi cabins are home were much better then these pathetic ...slops of mud and sticks. Hindari couldn't even find it in himself to classify them as huts. His sense of smell and sight were the two he was working on right now. Concentrating on them so they were sharp and searching for any Izumi scent. Then he planned to gather information by eavesdropping. This was usually considered 'rude' but he needed as much information as possible. The people could get over his 'rudeness' since they were probably much, much worse. Especially since a lot of them were skin bags that held bones in them. None of them would make a decent meal and he'd fear sickness...
What a horrid place to live...
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Post by wulfbayne on Jan 7, 2009 22:38:44 GMT -5
How did she get herself into these kinds of situations? I mean, it was one thing to help Yang out... but this? This!? For Christs sake, what had she done to deserve this? Today Azusa found herself hanging upside down from the ceiling of a cabin, bound in tight ropes, and drugged up on something... she was laughing at everything! She even found herself laughing at this, and this definitely wasn't funny. Not. At. All.
The hut was small and smelled of body odor, alcohol, and whatever the prick was burning to keep her in such a delusional state. A small candle on a table was the only thing to provide light in the hut, and her captor - a scrawny, drunken, crippled old man (of all people!) - was dead to the world on his bed (a sack filled with hay). It was probably a lot more comfortable than hanging from a roof. Luckily, though, she had dropped the dress idea and was now in better clothing for travel. She wore tight black leggings and a sky-blue, light-weight women's tunic. She loved the shirt... but now wasn't the time to be thinking about it!
Focusing - something Azusa had been trying to do for the past three hourse - the Mizuno was finally able to form a small blade of light in her hand. She quickly cut through the ropes, but fell - rather ungracefully - into a heap of confusion on the floor. She had made so much noise when she had fallen, Azusa was surprised the old geezer was still out when she finally hoisted herself up onto her wobbly legs. Oh, this was terribly amusing! A grin cracked across her face and her body trembled in an attempt to hold back the laughter. She clapped her hands over her mouth and shut her eyes. No laughing! Azusa shouted at herself.
A few moments later she was over the fit and had found her way out of the small hut. Once outside she was so happy to smell the fresh air - even if it did have a decaying twinge to it. At least she'd get over the high from whatever that crack pot was burning in his hut. She wasn't over it now, though, and this was a rather crucial time...
Blinking and squinting, Azusa moved rather clumsily through the street. By four yards past the old man's hut she had knocked over two buckets, a ladder, and yanked someone's laundry line down... which she promptly tangled herself up in. It was all over then. She burst out into a fit of laughter as she tried to untangle herself from the small line, but the poor confused girl was on such a high - from whatever - that she was as helpless as a deer in the headlights.
"Hey!" someone yelled, and Azusa silenced herself immediately. The old fart was awake! "Hey! I never told you you could leave!" Said the wiry old man as he ran towards Azusa, shaking his knotted cane. At this point Azusa was laughing so hard she was close to tears, and so frustrated with the damn string that she swore to herself she'd never use string again! Azusa freed herself from the clothesline moments before the old man reached her and was on her feet and running while trying desperately to breathe between laughs. Dodging between two huts, Azusa doubled around and headed towards the old man's hut again and passed it from behind. How the hell do you get out of her!? This was so infuriating! She stopped and looked around. It wouldn't be long before the old man caught site of her again, and she needed to hide. Somewhere... anywhere...
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Post by Izumi, Yin on Jan 8, 2009 17:20:26 GMT -5
He had a pretty good idea of how he could possibly get into the castle. Aku's ruler wasn't going to come out here where all the disease and filth was - obviously. Hindari was going to try and climb over the big wall that segregated the poor from the rich. Then after that he would proceed to entering the castle in a very stealthy manor. Not that it would matter if the person ruling as an Izumi. He would probably be informed by the shadows that Hindari was within the castle. All Hindari needed was a glimpse and then he could get the information and go home. Hopefully nothing got too messy.
He was about to move to another roof when he heard the noise. Hindari blinked and though he didn't want to be distracted he felt he needed to look. When he did he found that (yet AGAIN) there was the Mizuno female - in trouble. Hindari wondered just how many times she was going to do this to herself. He also faintly wondered if she enjoyed it. Did she get some thrill out of being in danger? Hindari sighed and shook his head in her direction. Then he leapt to another building, landing gently on the roof and heading toward the castle. If she spotted him he wondered if she'd follow. It'd be better then running around the whole area and getting tired and recaptured. He wouldn't care if she came and joined him or not as long as she didn't do anything stupid. He still had yet to even figure out her name.
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Post by wulfbayne on Jan 8, 2009 18:57:24 GMT -5
Azusa turned and glanced behind her. There was nothing but shadows and an awfully eerie silence. A chill ran down her spine, causing the hairs on her arms, and the back of her neck to stand on end. The old man wasn't there, though, so maybe she had lost him. The Mizuno - still smiling foolishly in her drugged state - began to relax herself. Now she had to figure out where she was.
The streets were empty and the foul air was still. There was only the sound of the moaning wind, and the creaks of the houses as they shifted in the gale's cold push. Because the sun had been absent for so long the world was getting colder; the plants weren't at all fairing well, and the animal populations were slowly decreasing. If Yin didn't bring the sun back soon... the world would die.
In the silence Azusa's keener senses caught the sound of movement through air, followed by a creak in a roof as weight was settled onto it. Her eyes shifted towards the source of the sound and widened slightly. Hindari? She thought with a bit of a frown. For some reason using his name without him telling her seemed like theft and slightly rude. By obtaining his name through someone else - and not from his own lips - Azusa found it a bit... weird. Oddly enough, she still didn't think it was his name. She had called the man in her dreams Hindari, and upon doing so... he didn't really respond to it. Azusa frowned and shook her head. It's because he's a rude, stubborn, jerk... that's why. Azusa huffed, but began to wonder if that had been him; so, she followed him.
A while later she found herself on his scent trail - which was buried beneath the many disgusting odors of the city. She had lost site of him a while ago, but was determined to follow. She was doing something stupid yet again. That was when she came to see the castle, and Hindari's trail lead right to it. How did he get in? A castle was always heavily guarded. She found how he had done so, though, through a small, unnoticeable hole in a wall somewhere. She hesitated at it's opening, but decided it would be an amusing adventure to reflect on when she was over and done with this. Besides, this could be the last time she would see Hindari for a while...
Now within the stone walls of the castle, Azusa found herself in a darkened corridor. The red rug beneath her feet looked dusty and unused - maybe this was an old portion of the castle, unused these days. The air was frigid and had a hint of mold to it. The Mizuno frowned... she couldn't see a thing! A ball of light formed in the center of her hand, split in two, and took on the shape of two butterflies. The two insects took off and fluttered down the hallway, illuminating the cracked rock walls which were covered in filth and had small rivulets of water flowing down the slimy rock-faces. Grimacing, Azusa ran onward, keeping as close to her light source as she could.
At the end of the hall had been a stone staircase which wound upwards around a column of stone. The staircase ended at a wooden panel. Light poured into the tunnel, as well as warm air and a delicious smell. The Mizuno's stomach growled at the smell - there was the scent of pastries, soup, and well-seasoned meat. Now, the meat wasn't something that peaked her appetite, it was the sweet, sweet smell of cherry pie. Oh, she wished she could have some... Moving close to the panel, Azusa put her eye up to a small hole in the wood and looked at what was in the room beyond.
A long table covered in expensive table settings and an abundance of food stood at the far end of the room. People were dining, and she could hear their deep voices, as well as the the clink of their tableware chiming in every now and then. She couldn't make out any faces, though... I wasn't here to eavesdrop, Azusa thought, I was here to find him... but I lost his scent, I wonder if he's still here. A frown crossed her features as she thought of not being able to see the Izumi again. Why am I so disappointed? Azusa asked herself with a quiet snort. He's not at all like the man in my dreams, and therefore I'll have nothing to do with that pompous, arrogant jerk. In her inner rantings, Azusa had noticed that one of her butterflies had slipped out into the room...
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Post by Izumi, Yin on Jan 8, 2009 19:25:44 GMT -5
Getting into the walls and then the castle itself had been no simple task. Hindari had been extra careful and still was as he prowled throughout the large stone castle. It was extravagent on the inside. Everything was very well made, rich-looking, and Hindari figured everyone who lived in the castle was spoiled. People were everything - to his annoyance and disadvantage- doing whatever they pleased unless they were slaves or paid workers. Maids were running through the castle, cleaning and such. Hindari had a sudden thought of amusement as to why Yin didn't have maids running around. They could be males maids for her pleasure. But though his teacher was lazy she wasn't that lazy. Often she would send other Izumi off to do simple tasks but she did a lot of chores every day. It was always obvious she wanted no part of it. Hindari and many others questioned why she had returned after leaving and leaving them all to kill each other off to very small numbers as well as attack other clans. Everyone was slowly regaining power and members still after the horrifying war.
He was trying to find the King, but he was being very difficult and not cooperating with Hindari's want to find him. He was surprised that he had yet to be caught and imprisoned. With every silent step he took he expected an attack of some sort. It had yet to come but he could just feel that something was about to go terribly wrong. It wouldn't be him that made the mistake, but who? With a quick thought he sighed and his shoulders slumped a bit with dismay. Had she seriously followed him into the castle? Hindari closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead in a way that said he was not pleased. Actually it was the same thing that Yin often did after a face-palm gesture. He looked up ahead and had a slightly tired look in his eyes. The emotion quickly dispersed and he continued his sneaking.
His first priority was to find the king, and then he guessed his second was to go and find the female. What had her stalking him like this? She seemed put off by him yet she followed him everywhere. It made no sense to him. If she didn't like him then why did she stick around? He wondered if all his 'fangirls' felt that way. Why didn't they all just leave him be? Were his looks really that much attractive to make him be stalked despite the fact they disliked his personality?
Hindari peeked around a corner to see many maids running in and out of a big double door. The smell of food was strong from there so it was safe to assume it was both time for dinner and the dining hall. Hindari moved into the shadows and slipped into the room, gazing out at everything from the dark corner. It was also very nice looking. Though he never recalled seeing white butterflies anywhere so how did they get....in...here...Hindari felt like doing Yin's famous forehead-palm gesture right then. It was her! She was about to get herself in trouble! But where was she? His eyes darted around as he tried to contact her as quickly as he could.
Stop your butterflies before you get yourself killed.
Hadn't she listened when he had told her to think before she acted? Women...Hindari would never understand...
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Post by wulfbayne on Jan 8, 2009 20:07:10 GMT -5
In all of her life, Azusa had never seen so much food piled onto one spot at one time. She was overwhelmed by the large display and all the colors and aromas coming from the hot meal. Oh, how she wished she could have some... she hadn't eaten in a day or so now, ever since that crotchety old man had somehow bound her in rope and doped her up beyond reason. Ugh, she was so happy all of that was over.
Azusa stepped away from the wooden plank and looked it over. Why was there a wooden plank right here? Didn't anyone notice that there was a bit of the wall that wasn't stone? Maybe it was behind something. Placing her palm against the wood, Azusa pressed some of her weight against the board to see if it would give a little. It didn't give a little... it gave a lot. Startled, Azusa grabbed the board before it could move too much and snatched it back into place. She let out a heavy sigh and scolded herself mentally. She was in a castle, with a ton of guards, and greedy rich people. Exposing herself wasn't going to be a good idea.
Exhaling a deep breath Azusa shrugged off the fact that she had almost gotten herself killed - again - and decided she wouldn't find Hindari. He was probably long gone by now... but no, he was still there, and she came to this abrupt realization when his thoughts had suddenly entered her mind. It had been the first time anyone had ever done that... Yang hadn't exactly mentioned this either. Startled, Azusa leaped backwards and collided with the plank which was knocked out of place. In the moment of her surprise the butterflies had faded. Azusa tumbled out from behind a large tapestry which depicted some mythical creature... which was actually quite terrifying. "You're late!" Someone said in a scolding tone as they grabbed Azusa to her feet. "I told you to be here before we started setting everything out - and now we're halfway through the meal! I should boot you to the curb." Startled, Azusa looked at the woman who had grabbed. She was short and stout, with thick glasses sitting on her round nose. "L-late?" Azusa stuttered, looking around. "And you're not even in uniform!" The woman continued before dragging her off. "Uniform?" Azusa asked, looking around at the maids who were running busily through the room. Oh, someone must like me up there... Azusa thought to herself, absolutely amazed she had been grabbed by the woman and not an armed guard.
Well, it turns out the woman was armed... but not with weapons. Instead she was armed with the horrid maid outfits. They were... rather skimpy. And itchy. Azusa hated itchy things! How the hell was she going to get out of this one? This is all his fault! Azusa thought in a huff as she tugged at the tight outfit. Thanks, asshole. She thought. Maybe the message was conveyed to him - she had no idea how it worked. I'll get you back for this, you jerk.
The woman returned. "Oh, you're ready! Get! Go! You need to help with the food." And she was pushed out the door to go an help. When she was sure the old woman was occupied with other things, Azusa turned the opposite way and hurried down the hallways. It was like a maze! She wouldn't get out of here. "Oh!" She exclaimed in frustration as she realized she needed to get her clothes back. Turning around, Azusa did her best to find her way back to the room she had been forced to change in. As she ran several men came out from a door. Quickly Azusa dodged around a corner and hid herself in a dark corridor as she waited for the men to leave the hall... As she waited, Azusa tugged the stupid bow out of her hair and tossed it on the ground. "What a horrid outfit," she murmured, poking at the puffy parts.
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Post by Izumi, Yin on Jan 8, 2009 23:06:48 GMT -5
Her insults to him amused him to where he would give a slight smile. Though he was still irritated that she had messed up - again. So, with the kindess he held way deep down, Hindari decided to help her. Again. Taking the form of a maid, he moved along the castle with ease. Unlike Azusa, Hindari had a good sense of direction. He wondered how she had even survived this far. She was a domesticated demon and he doubted she could ever change back. She belonged as a pet to the humans. Though love between a demon and a human was strictly forbidden. It wasn't his fault, either. It was just the truth being stated. She didn't belong back with the demons. She was going to get herself killed.
Hindari slipped into the room after she had changed and grabbed her clothes. Then he went to following her until she had hidden herself. That is when he vanished and appeared behind her - still a female - and spoke.
"Here," he held out the clothes to her, "get dressed."
He had to get her out of here before she did something stupid. Again. Didn't she listened when he said to think before she acted?
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Post by wulfbayne on Jan 9, 2009 1:00:54 GMT -5
Startled by the unexpected voice, Azusa spun around and came face-to-face with... a maid? She blinked a bit and looked at her clothes. "Thank you," Azusa said, taking the clothes. Oblivious to who actually stood before her, Azusa wondered why a maid was helping her... how a maid knew she needed help. She really didn't think too far into it, and didn't care to think into it. All she wanted to do was get out of this place as fast as she could.
After a good few moments of examining the outfit, Azusa found out how to get it off. It was a mess of frill and laces. An absolutely degrading outfit, she wished she could burn it. She quickly tugged the clothes off, recoiling momentarily from the cool of the dark hallway, and then proceeded to return her normal clothes to her back. It felt so good to have something comfortable on her once more.
Azusa checked over everything, making sure she had everything. There was one thing missing... that small seashell which she had strung onto a silver chain. Azusa furrowed her brows and looked about her. It had to be here somewhere... she checked her pockets, and any other place it could have been stashed... but it was nowhere to be found! Her shoulders slumped a bit, and she turned her attention to the maids outfit - maybe it was somewhere in all the laces? She looked through it quickly, and soon found it wasn't there. She remembered seeing it around her neck when she had been tugged into the room to get dressed in the uncomfortable outfit, maybe it was still there? Azusa sighed. If she went after it, she was sure she'd regret it. Recently she was sure she'd regret a lot... and she never really did. When standing up to Yin... sure, she had been hurt - and there was still a scar - but because of that encounter she had realized that she wasn't as weak as she had originally thought. She was strong. Yeah, she was strong.
Filled with the new courage, Azusa squared her shoulders and started back in the direction she thought was the way to the room, completely forgetting about the maid who had helped her.
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Post by Izumi, Yin on Jan 9, 2009 15:53:11 GMT -5
Well, he had gotten absolutely nothing out of that. So Hindari decided to not follow her. He had helped her this one last time and now he had his own business to attend to. Keeping up his diguise he made his way back toward the kitchen. This is where he had to squeeze him and hold his ground against the pushes and shoves at the choas within the room. The place was being cleaned right now since there had just been a meal prepared. Then there was the taste-testers preparing to test the food and hopefully not die because of someone. Hindari's dark eyes shifted around and he found something that reflected him in it.
Looking at his diguise he noticed he still held dark hair and eyes - attributes of the Izumi. So he decided to change his eyes to a gold-ish color. His now fake honey eyes darted toward the desserts that were being prepared to be taken out to those who feasted. He took it upon himself to grab some of the delicious looking platters and head out toward the dinning room. Surely the king was in there - eating. Or did he have some sort of private corriders he liked to eat in? That seemed like something a king would do. Much better then eating with the others, yes.
There was no way he could ask around for such information. Instead he would eavesdrop on the gossiping rich as he served them. Unfortunate for him as he entered the room - he saw a great amount of the males took an interest in his feminine disguise. So he had to strategically avoid being touched by them and would have to pretend not to hear them calling him over. He had to pretend that he thought they called to another. And when they addressed him he would say he was busy and brush them off. If they needed another drink to tell him and he would fill it for them. Hopefully the attention would die down and he wouldn't seem so...stuck out. He was displeased by the attention. He wished to fade into the background. But no matter what gender he was - it seemed impossible for him.
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Post by wulfbayne on Jan 9, 2009 16:55:32 GMT -5
Back in the room where the highly uncomfortable outfit had been forced onto her, Azusa looked around. She saw her reflection in a large mirror that hung on the back wall of the room. Black lace hung from its top, and framing it were two large windows. Each of the windows had two wooden shutters, a deep mahogany in color, that were tightly locked. It seemed no light from the sun or moon could get into the room. But candles lined the walls, filling the chamber with a warm, flickering glow that caused all of the shadows to dance in chaotic motions. The rest of the room seemed to be filled with junk and other employee outfits. Torn fabrics littered one side of the room, while old furniture was piled up on the other. Azusa's maroon eyes skimmed the room until she spotted the soft white glow from the seashell as it reflected the candlelight.
The Mizuno approached the small vanity table on which the necklace rested and picked it up. Quickly returning it to its rightful place upon her neck, Azusa spun around and started for the door - but something caught her attention. From behind a curtain that covered a corner in the left side of the room a hand protruded. The girl blinked. That wasn't normal. So, she quietly crept over to the curtain and peeked behind it. A girl - who looked about the age Azusa did - was laying bare and motionless upon the cold stone floor. Her hair was a bright blonde - almost white - and her eyes, which stared emptily at the ceiling, were a reddened chestnut. Maybe that's why the older woman had confused her for a maid... but now wasn't the time to think about that. The girl was dead! Scooting quickly away from the curtain, Azusa hoisted herself to her feet and moved quickly for the door.
Just as her fingers brushed against its knob voices reached her ears and the doors opened wide. Swiftly Azusa spun around behind the opened door and hid within its shadow. "Dead you say?" Asked the woman who had drug Azusa in here. "Where?"
"Behind the curtain, ma'am," came the response of, what sounded like, a younger boy. There was the sound of movement as the fabric from the curtain was pulled back to reveal the corpse in the corner. "I just told her to get dressed, too," the woman said in a solemn voice, "what a pity. But, that's what you get for being a tart. Go fetch a guard so this can be removed." Her orders were followed by a quick "yes ma'am" and then the sound of feet moving quickly across the stone floor.
Azusa peered out from behind the door and watched as the older woman made the girl a bit more decent by covering her in some torn fabric she pulled out of a pile. "Poor dear," she murmured to herself, "I warned you about him."
A few moments later the boy was followed in by a guard and the body was promptly removed. Good, they're leaving, Azusa thought with a relieved sigh. When all had been quiet for a few moments, the Mizuno moved out from behind the door - but stopped dead in her tracks. The boy was still in the room... and crying? Now that she got a look at him, he had the same color hair as the woman who had just been carried off. The boy spotted her and stopped crying. "Demon," his lips formed quietly, followed by a sharp whisper of the same word. "D-Demon!" He cried out. Azusa's eyes widened and she shook her head furiously. "N-no!" She said, holding her hands up. "I-I'm not!" The boy's eyes flicked from her to the door. "You killed my sister, 'idn't you?" He asked in a very unintelligent manner. "I'll 'ave you burned for this!"
"I didn't kill her," Azusa said, "I only came in here to get my necklace and I found her - then you and the older woman came in... I-I had nothing to do with her death!" The boy's lips fell into a deep frown, and in a flash he was out of the door and down the hall crying 'demon' at the top of his lungs. Azusa was right behind him, though, and was able to tackle him into an unlit hallway of the castle. She had him pinned in a matter of moments and his mouth covered. "Shh!" She pleaded, "I'm not a demon - honest!" That was a lie, but, a couple of months ago she had thought it was true. Grabbing her hand, the boy pulled it away from his mouth and glared up at her. "Then what are you? I never seen a human like you 'afore." Azusa thought quickly. "I'm a magician," Azusa said. "Magician?" The boy asked, suddenly brightening. "So you make yourself look different from normal humans with your spells and magic?" Azusa gave a hesitant nod as she stood up. "You must be the entertainment for tonight!" The boy exclaimed with a bright smile. "I'll show you where the party is!"
At that the boy hopped up, grabbed Azusa's wrist, and drug her to the large double doors and into the dining hall. Inside the warm room, the boy grabbed a guards attention and told him about Azusa. The guard looked her over. "A bit late, ne?" Asked the guard, but he shrugged before moving over to a rather plump man who was busy conducting a small band that was playing. The man paused for a moment and then looked at Azusa. "Ah! The entertainment!" He exclaimed before waddling over to Azusa and dragging her front-and-center. By then Azusa had at least been able smart enough to shift her appearance by dulling her hair to a tinted blonde and making her eyes a reddish-brown color, almost like the woman she had found earlier.
Clearing his throat, the conductor silenced the table and introduced Azusa. "For our grand viewing pleasure tonight," the man said in a surprisingly loud voice, his over-sized stomach bouncing a bit as he spoke, "the famous enchantress, Madame Zariah!" The people sitting at the table clapped and watched Azusa with eager faces. Oh crap, Azusa thought looking around, what if the real Madame Zariah shows up? She seemed to pale slightly and a nervous tremor started in her hand. This is bad... very bad... Forcing a nervous smile, Azusa looked about at the people and decided to simply play along. "I'm glad to be in the presence of Aku's finest," she said in a light voice, "but I'm afraid my... my assistant is a bit late." She slowly began to relax herself. "But while we wait-" and I figure out a way to get out of this, "-let me entertain you with some... minor tricks which started my career." She clapped her hands together and looked around the crowd. Oh, what was she doing? Thinking back to her childhood, Azusa began to perform several very minor tricks she had learned playing with the other children. Fortunately, the crowed seemed impressed with these simple tricks...
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