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Post by Izumi, Yin on Oct 11, 2008 13:08:23 GMT -5
Silence. That's all the young princess heard as she stood in the middle of a beauitful garden the castle held near it. She couldn't help but admire the beauty of Fall, a smile spread across her face. Her eyes were sparkling as her pale fingers brushed over the different specimens of plants. She was so glad to be alone right now. She had even managed to get past Kei long enough to have a few moments to herself.
"You were so pretty in the Spring," Good murmured as she brushed her fingertips upon a wilting flower. She picked it, setting it down on the ground. "There, now you will grow nice and healthy next year."
She blushed happily, standing back up. Good was wearing a nice kimono today that was long but didn't drag on the ground. It was a lovely white-ish silver color, made of silk, and the sleeves were long, stating she was unmarried. Good never wore anything revealing so her chest showed nothing nor did her legs show or any other part of her body. She hated revealing clothes...hopefully if she found a husband he wouldn't ask that of her.
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Post by Kei Koruno on Oct 11, 2008 13:25:57 GMT -5
A moment to herself? Ha! As if she got such a luxury. At the moment, Kei was sitting in the top of a tree near the edge of the garden, unseen to her, and watching. Bodyguards had to guard bodies, after all, and since she still had one, he had to guard it. And the more diligently he did so, the more she would trust him, and the more she trusted him, the sooner it would be that he married her. That will be nice, he thought, because she’d look better with shorter sleeves on. A proper wife doesn’t bundle herself up unless it’s cold out, and since this was a beautiful autumn day, if anything she would get too warm in such a thing. Well! He’d just have to marry her quick, then, before she got some kind of heat stroke.
Anyways. Enough of the silly thoughts. It was time for Kei to be acknowledged. He held his knees against the branch he was sitting upon, and tilted himself backward, so that he was hanging upside-down in plain sight of her. Like the beautiful hunk of man he was, he flashed her a big smile. “My, your garden looks so lov-e-ly in the Fall, doesn’t it?” he said, in a sing-song voice. “Or perhaps it’s just the lady in it that gives me such an impression.” Yes, this was his persona—joyful, playful, a little flirty, but a generally fun fellow to have as a friend and bodyguard. What wasn’t to like?[/size]
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Post by Izumi, Yin on Oct 11, 2008 13:39:11 GMT -5
She had not been aware of his presence at all. Good had been utterly startled by his sudden presence. Her scarlet eyes widened and she jumped a bit, gasping in a breath.
"Kei!" He smiled a big smile at her as she tried to calm down. Her already seemingly pale skin had seemed to go a bit paler. Well, so much for being alone! Good could just never get away, could she? A soft sigh threatened to escape her lips. He was speaking so she listened to him. Actually, it was more like he was almost singing.
He tried to flatter her...and it worked. Good felt her cheeks become hot and she quickly looked away.
"Oh, please..." she murmured shyly, "I'm sure it's just the garden, mom did a good job of keeping it going. It's dazzling, isn't it?"
That's right, change the subject...fast.
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Post by Kei Koruno on Oct 11, 2008 13:52:31 GMT -5
Kei chuckled a little. He thought she would be startled, after all, he was known amongst some of the jumpier servants in the castle as Kei the Unexpected. Scaring the maids was becoming something of a pastime to him, but nonetheless, he found it so much more satisfying to startle the princess herself. Ha. She was so easy. All he had to do was throw a little flattery, and she turned red and looked away. It was adorable. But he wouldn’t let the subject go that quickly, of course, being the persistent sort of man he was. He started to swing himself back and forth on the tree a little.
“Of course, your mother certainly knows how to create beautiful things,” he said, wondering if he should hop down and approach her. … Nah. Being flirtatious while upside-down was kind of fun. “But truly, to say that these plants would be nearly as stunning without a princess in the middle is like saying a tree is just as beautiful without the leaves. If possible, I think I’d like to paint this someday in the future.” He had heard from one of the cooks that good girls love to have paintings of themselves, so perhaps Good was the same. She seemed like a good girl, and he had learned how to paint quite well, so maybe that would be something to bring them a bit closer.[/size]
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Post by Izumi, Yin on Oct 11, 2008 14:18:37 GMT -5
"Hn," was all she could reply with because she couldn't look at him right now. How could she let herself be flattered so easily? Good was not full of herself or anything. She thought even some of the maids were more beauitful then her. She frowned and forced the color to disappear from her cheeks before looking back at him.
"Yes, mom comes here every day. She always finds some form of time despite how busy everything has been lately. With Yin's curse and all.."
Her eyes shifted up toward the dark sky, gazing at the stars as they dotted the blanket of dark blue.
"It's been hard on farmers..."
He mentioned painting and Good's scarlet eyes slowly shifted toward him. She nodded a bit. Good enjoyed painting a lot and she would often paint when she needed to think.
"I will watch if I can when you do. It'd be a nice painting, I'm sure....Kei-san..."
He was such a strange guy, but not in the bad way. He was just...chipper...a lot...more then normal guys, she guessed. But Good didn't get to socialize much, anyways, so how would she know? She was so sheltered! Good hated it so much, it frustrated her beyond belief. Why couldn't she get out of here? She wanted to travel to the other places like her mother did. But no..she was stuck here...
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Post by Kei Koruno on Oct 11, 2008 14:47:49 GMT -5
Oh, darn. The color went away. That was unfortunate, because he had liked it. It meant he was having progress. The fact that she wanted to hide her susceptibility to his sweet talk meant that she was either very shy (which, as he knew, she was) or she had the same reaction to anyone who did it. Possibly both. Or maybe she hadn’t gotten his reference when he said her mother created beautiful things? She had created Good, after all, so the garden wasn’t the only pretty sight that what’s-her-name, Aurelia, had created. Oh well, the obliviousness was cute too. But, as he looked up towards the constantly nighttime sky, he had to agree with her on this. He didn’t really like the curse. It was just so boring to constantly be stuck in the nighttime. Where was the fun and adventure of doing daring things in broad daylight? Where was the happy, joyful world he loved to play in? Kei could care less about the stupid farmers; he just wanted some sunshine again.
He sighed, and exaggerated it, but still made it seem believable. Instead of frustration, he put on a quietly saddened expression—completely fictional, of course. He had to seem like he sympathized with the farmers. “I am aware. They can’t even get any food on the table, much less earn a decent living with all of their crops dying…” Ladies fell for men with a sensitive side. But he still needed to be in character as Kei, so he pretended to be hiding his sadness at the situation with a smile, and resumed his cheery attitude. “Well, of course you would be watching. I’d only paint this garden if you were in it. As a matter of fact…” It was a good thing that he knew how to prepare in advance. Kei had always been good at steering conversations towards a certain end, so when he had snuck into the tree without getting seen, he had also taken a few things with him and put them on the above branch. He pulled himself up with his legs to fetch them.
An easel dropped from the tree and clattered into a harmless pile of soft dirt, followed by a blank canvas. Moments later, Kei hopped down, holding a box of supplies and brushes. “I came here with that in mind. If you would allow it, m’lady?” he asked, as he set the box down and bowed slightly. He had to act humble, since technically, he was still her subordinate for now. But as long as he showed love, and acted with kindness, she would come to fall for him… or at least accept it when he asked her hand. He didn’t need her to love him, he only needed her to marry him. And once they were wed, then his plan would come to true fruition.[/size]
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Post by Izumi, Yin on Oct 11, 2008 16:13:43 GMT -5
Good missed the sun and she wondered why Yin had done this to them. It was not all of them who had killed some of her clan! It was her father that had secretly been slaughtering the Izumi...At least that's what everyone was speculating. She sighed and her eyes grew sympathetic. How could she let all these poor people suffer? When they had done no wrong! Her mother used to be such a close friend to Yin but now it was suddenly torn apart. It really wasn't that good at all and Good had it in her mind she should try and talk to Yin. But that would be plain suicide and she knew this, too. She was needed here...not dead.
"Yes...it's why I take those who do not have any food some every day," She smiled softly to herself. "I hope that they eventually pick up and do well. I don't like it when people suffer, not at all."
She scratched her right arm, as if she were nervous or something. It was just a small action she did for some unexplainable reason. It seems people did that a lot nowadays. But the subject went from sad to the painting yet again. She felt herself flinch ever so slightly at what he said.
"Me?" He wanted her in the picture? Why? Good would seem plain compared to the fantastic garden around her...
He was gone and then back with...painting supplies!? Good's eyes slightly widened in surprise, had he really thought all this out? Good wondered this as he asked if he could paint her. How had he known she'd be here, anyways? But how could Good also say 'no'? She was too kind for her own good and no pun was intended there.
"Yes, you may if you wish to, Kei-san."
Good nodded, "just tell me what to do and I'll do so."
Poor Good...so submissive...
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Post by Kei Koruno on Oct 11, 2008 16:44:15 GMT -5
Kei stood to his full height, and smiled. He looked as if her speaking of taking food to the less fortunate had warmed him somehow, when he actually saw it as a waste of perfectly good food. It was like feeding scraps to the dog under the table. “You’re very generous, m’lady, for helping those in need. I’m glad to hear that.” No he wasn’t. It was pitiful that she gave a damn about those lowly creatures who didn’t know better than to live in the slums, but if he looked at it the right way, it was kind of endearing. Like a child who wanted to save the chickens from being broiled for dinner. Oh well, someday she would learn not to do such foolish things. Once he became her husband, he would forbid such pointless excursions. It was unseemly for a woman of her standing to be stooping low just to keep the poor bums well fed.
She flinched. Ha! Was she nervous around him? Well, he had a powerful personality, he could understand her being intimidated by him. It just made his job easier. As soon as they became closer friends, and he had dropped a few obvious hints of love for her, then she would feel guilty if she refused to take his hand in marriage. There were no better suitors out there. He had a perfect face, a brilliant mind, and (as far as they knew) a caring heart. Her silly little hunch would be completely disregarded in the face of such a wonderful husband. He stood up the easel and wiped off the canvas before setting that up as well, at an angle facing her. The fact that he never ceased to surprise her amused him to no end. Being spontaneous and fun got the most interesting reactions from people! He seemed to have a bounce in his step as he looked at her and got the angle of perspective just right. Of course she agreed to it. There was no way she couldn’t.
“I very much wish to,” he said, as he finished setting up and peeked out at her from behind the wide canvas. “Do whatever you wish to be painted as doing. Just make sure you remain beautiful for a little while so I can capture it.” Yes, he was flattering her again. And yes, he would never stop doing that, because when women were showered with it enough, they eventually would start to swoon. Fortunately, the moon was bright as always, so he could see her quite clearly in the garden. It gave her a strange sort of glow, like she was some kind of spirit who haunted her mother’s garden. Somehow, it still seemed pretty.[/size]
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Post by Izumi, Yin on Oct 12, 2008 8:53:43 GMT -5
Good nodded and a small blush of thanks appeared on her face. They villages had children, too, and Good would do anything to help them. She wanted to be just her mother, who approved of what Good did. Their kingdom was built on kindness and truthworthyness. They would rely on one another and help each other when it came to bad times like this right now. This system had worked well as the villages were greatful to their queen and they respected her and loved her. They loved Good, too, and she was glad for that. If it came down to it, the villagers would help them, too.
"Thank you, I'm glad you think so, Kei-san."
Good watched him play with the canvas and she felt her cheeks grow hot again. She wanted to hide her face when they did. No one asked to paint her before and it was just...different. Good wasn't sure how to describe it but she felt so shy and self-concious at that moment. But it was just Kei being...Kei...so why did it matter? Taking a breath she forced the blush away yet again. But she didn't know what to do, what would she do? Maybe she could hold a rose or something...Good felt sort of lost. Maybe she should ask him for help on what she should do? Surely he had a hint or something? Good figured he wouldn't mind her asking, he seemed to like it when she did certain things. Asking for his help wouldn't be too hard, right? But then wouldn't it seem she couldn't do things for herself? That was a big lash of inner conflict right there. Because someday Good would have to lead Tsukiyomi after all, no matter how much she didn't want to. Why couldn't she learn to refuse!?
"U-umm..." Ok, now she really did hide her face with he hair as his words made her entire face go red. She also hid her face with her hands, feeling as if she could feel the heat from her cheeks radiating off them. Beautiful? That is something only her mother called her. Others told her she looked nice that day or pretty. But never beautiful. Good hated it...she hated the fact she was blushing so madly because of it. But she just couldn't help herself! Beautiful? Good was certainly not that, was she? Pretty was more appropriate...yes...pretty...
"O-ok..." she murmured and unhid her face, able to control her blushing again. She thought of her background and decided that she should make it an alluring picture. Her pale skin was dazzling against the moonlight and if people didn't know better maybe she would've been mistaken for a vampire. Her hand reached out and took a rose and she brought it up and held it in front of her chest, gazing down at it. Really, the affect of the full moon shinning on her back make this a dazzling picture. But it felt...strange...doing this...
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Post by Kei Koruno on Oct 14, 2008 4:31:59 GMT -5
This girl seemed to take turns having a face like a ripe tomato and then looking like someone poured baking flour on her. It was kind of funny to him, seeing how he could turn her from one to the other in the blink of an eye, and with the flick of a brush. Which he did, granted that the brush meant his head. He seductively tossed his hair back, and looked like the prince that he darn well should. She was flattered for now, so the next step was to get her attracted, even a little bit. Possibly, she might see what a “sensitive” and “loving” person Kei was when he was done with the painting. Luckily for him, he had a very precise and fine-tuned style when it came to the arts. He could make her look so much more beautiful on the canvas than she did in real life. Supposedly, the idea was that she might think that this was what he saw when he looked at her, and that would be more flattering than any of his verbal assurance could be.
Kei was very aware of the fact that each step made him win a little more. Seeing him as: a person who agreed with her beliefs and values? Check. A happy, cheerful man? Check. Attractive? Check by default. A good—or at least good enough—man? Probably check. A good husband? Well, that one was for later. But they would have lots of time for that. The plan would be more effective the sooner it was complete, but that was no reason to do a sloppy job. When it was fulfilled, he wanted to make sure that for her, there would be no turning back. Kei was not a man who left his jobs incomplete, so if Good was to be broken, then it would have to be beyond repair or else he wasn’t doing his job right. He put some of his paints on the palette, picked out a brush, and looked at her. The picture seemed to be bluish, but he wanted her to look a little radiant, so he decided to fabricate a slight golden glow around her hair. The rose was a nice touch; it would work well with her tinted cheeks.
He faked a look of slight breathlessness. “Perfect, thank you. I am honored to have this chance. Stay right there,” he said, mixed some of the colors around with his brush, and began. Kei was moving along fairly quickly for a man who was so detail-oriented, but he figured that once he got the shape down, he could touch it up to perfection once it was done. Her face would be difficult, because he did not know exactly what proportions gave a woman beauty, but he figured that making it slightly cleaner and more youthful would work. As long as it looked gorgeous to her, it would be fine. He decided to continue making discussion while he worked, otherwise it would get tedious
“Tell me something about yourself, Good,” he said, trying to sound sort of like a child who is curious about why the clouds change. “Oh, and don’t be afraid to move your mouth. Just try to keep the rest still.”[/size]
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