001. every reunion is a type of heaven // open post.

[kawaakari]

Take a prompt, take your time, post whatever you like.

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Sunday, the 13th, 11-ish(?) pm after the Great Koi?

[atlas_shrugged]

[ They'd just gotten back from the Measuring and the party after. The War Hounds had opted to let the air settle at the pond of the Great Koi. Brigade made a mental note to himself that every time he visits Seigi in the future, he would visit the Great Koi and pay him respects. Tell him stories and share his Pyros.

He knew what it felt like to be alone, to only have visitors now and then, to get stories sparingly. Maybe one day, after many visits, he'd be able to speak with the Great Spirit and know its name.

The others are turning in for the night but, as always, Brig doesn't feel the need to sleep. He'll turn in some time later, get his usual hour of sleep, and the day will go on.

He's tempted to just go out and run, really. To find a little spot to train as always. But he finds he has the rare opportunity to speak with one of Hikaru's mothers from a previous life cycle. A woman who, most likely, can give him a unique perspective as to his Brother Wolf.

That is if the Lady of the Night would care to share her story. Head of the Whisperers. From the short time they spent with her this morning, he could tell she guarded her information well.

He knocks on the sill of her office door. He knows she probably knew he was coming as he walked down the hall, but he was brought up to follow the proper courtesies by good men in the army, no matter how vulgar the language or rowdy they carried themselves sometimes.

He's brought with him a bag with three sake bottles. Not from Shinta cupboard of course. He bought these on their way back home. He'd brought three in case Kasumi Aoi turned out to be as strong a drinker as her son. ]

Good evening, Ma'am. It's Brigade. May I join you?

[kawaakari]

[The knock makes her look up from the maze of figures, statistics, reports, missives and other strange, 'random' tidbits of information that were only random to an untrained eye. When she hears the voice at the other end, though, a small smile touches her face.]

Of course. Come in.

[Well. This is bound to be interesting. She takes another drag from her pipe (black, gold tip, embossed with beautiful carvings of feathers and water; a gift from Hikaru), and starts clearing her desk. It would not do for her guest to see exactly what she was working on. It was rude. (Not to mention confidential.)

She does not bother fixing herself. She always makes it a point to wear kimonos that are comfortable but also more than suitable to go out into town in. So what if it is low cut? She is the Lady of the Night. Such things are expected, and also have their uses.]

Yay for Autonomic Control!

[atlas_shrugged]

[ He walks in, his foot falls controlled and measured so as not to make too much sound ]

[ He can't help but notice what she's wearing, and he focuses her eyes up and away from the skin of her chest. It didn't help all that much really because he found himself looking at her face, and he had to admit that this really was Hikaru's mother. ]

[ He notes her clear her table. She didn't have to do that. If she were busy, he didn't want to intrude. Either that or the documents were not meant for his eyes, which they probably weren't. ]

Uhm, if you're busy, I can just go. [ He motions if it'd be all right that he sits ] I brought some sake though. I think I've gotten better at picking the good ones, thanks to Sensei Oyama.

Lololol.

[kawaakari]

[And she's looking up at him and smiling as she sets the last of her documents aside. Smiling, chin in hand, pipe dangling from her fingers.]

I am never too busy for a drink in what I hope to be good company. Can you do that for me?

[Not that she isn't certain that he can. He is one of the War Hounds, the Netsach blade that some of her agents in the Philippines have been whispering about. The latest to catch the Blade King's eye, the last group in years.

Of course he can do that for her. She has questions, and some of them? Some of them, he will answer for her, even without knowing it.]

Re: Lololol.

[atlas_shrugged]

[ It's not really how she looks that gets to him. He's not saying she isn't pretty, but that's really not what's gotten his attention. It's how she moves, how she carries herself. ]

[ He thinks to himself one thing: This woman is dangerous. ]

I'll try not to disappoint, Ma'am. [ He smiles as he sets two bottles on the side, off the table, neatly aligned. He sets two sakazuki (He's grown fond of drinking sake in the flat cups thanks to An'yu) on the table. He'd seen a set of them when he bought the liquor and wanted one of his own. They were metallic black kintsukuroi. ]

Please don't laugh if I made a "Gaijin" mistake of buying this kind. It was an impulse buy. [ He starts to pour drinks into the two cups ]

Evening of the 16th, back from Shin Yamatai

[atlas_shrugged]

[ They'd just arrived back at Seigi early in the evening. Everyone settled down again, Brig and Taning looked through the pictures in Brianna's phone of the Stormguard armor they couldn't take home with them, and the day passed on. ]

[ Brigade makes his way to Kasumi's office at around 11pm in the evening again. Late enough, he believes, for everyone to have turned in and gone and done their own things. It's the third night he'll be drinking with her. It's been enjoyable to say the least. And challenging at worst. Kasumi, as expected of a woman of her rank and the mother of Hikaru Shinta, was a wall of diplomacy. ]

[ Brig enjoyed it nonetheless. She seamlessly mixed her charms with her technique, making it impossible to see any openings. But there was a pattern, as with all language, and Brigade found he liked the tone and measure of it. ]

[ He knocks on the sill of her office door again, as he has the two previous nights ] Good evening, Ma'am. We just got back today. [ He's holding two bottles of Arashi sake. Godfriggin' expensive, but when he'd tasted one he knew he wanted to take two home for drinks. ] Is it okay if I join you tonight?

[kawaakari]

Of course. Just let yourself in... I'll be with you in a moment.

[Her voice is coming in his direction at a bit of a distance. She is actually behind one of the screens in her office, taking her mangeyko and her armor off.

She had an engagement tonight.]

because it has to be done. haha

[atlas_shrugged]

[ As he walks in and tries to look for where her voice is coming from, he sees her silhouette from behind one of the screens, taking off what seems to be her armor, leaving her shadow's curves to be seen.

He immediately looks away and walks to the patio outside, setting the bottles down and preparing the sakazuki. He lights up a cigarette and waits for her to step out. ]

just as planned. =w=

[kawaakari]

[Kasumi, on the other hand, seems perfectly at ease with the fact that there is a man in her office while she is changing.

The armor is draped over the screen. The kimono disappears. The shadow, in the meantime, is bending low, as she slips on a new set of underwear, a different bra.]

Did you enjoy Shin Yamatai?

[Because she wants to keep his attention focused on her.]

not quite.:))

[atlas_shrugged]

[ Brigade is absolutely oblivious to what the woman is doing. He's not the type to take advantage of a situation. He's just smoking his cigarette at the patio, looking out at the garden and, yet again, the stars. She had such a great view here ]

Yes, I do believe I did. [ He thinks of all the things that had happened in the past day and half. The conversations, the sights. ] It was enlightening, in so many ways. Although I'm sure Taning is still dreaming of his own set of Stormguard armor.

[atlas_shrugged]

[ Brigade's dressed in a white shirt, his brown leather jacket, jeans and a pair of black Chuck Taylor's. A pair of TFV dogtags he'd gotten from his last missions with the Conspiracy before he'd gotten the signal not to take any more jobs hangs around his neck. He knocks on the pane of Kasumi's office door. ] Ma'am, I'm here.

[kawaakari]

Give me a moment.

[Setting her things aside now, and - in a move rather different from their usual - standing up to answer the door herself. She already has the sake.]

Shall we?

[atlas_shrugged]

Yes, Ma'am. [ He offers with a motion of his hand to carry the bottle for her ] We can pass my room for one of the other bottles I bought if you think that won't be enough.

[kawaakari]

This bottle should be fine. [Handing it over with a smile now.] As things stand, we should not drink until so late this time.

[Granted, this, too, is also drawing a line.]

[atlas_shrugged]

[ Brig's surprised but doesn't show it. Well, he thinks he doesn't show it. ] Busy day tomorrow? [ He tilts his head in the direction of the door, waiting for her to be the first to walk ]

July 31 || Tuesday

[atlas_shrugged]

[ He's holding the box with Kaien's pipe in his hands as he lingers just outside Kasumi's office. It's been awhile since he was last here... and their last conversation had ended on a very curt note. He's not quite sure what to feel.

Still, she hadn't turned down his invitation to drink. And he would really like to speak with her again. He gathers what courage he has left in him and knocks on her door ]

Good evening, Magistrate Aoi.

[ He's back to being formal. He's afraid to offend her. He thinks he may have offended her before. He hasn't brought any alcohol either. Only the pipe because he's thought it would be best to give it to her tonight for safekeeping till they can address the matter of Brother Kaien being MIA. ]

[kawaakari]

[She's been aware of his presence ever since she came around, but decided to continue working as per usual. He'd come around when he was ready to.

Hence, when the knock and the greeting comes, she's simply setting her things aside and bringing out that bottle of sake, together with two cups.]

Good evening. Come in.

[And she'll smile at him the moment he does, and lean back in her low chair, arranged impeccably as always.]

[atlas_shrugged]

[ Brig steps in, box in both hands like a sacred relic. Well, technically, it was.

How long has it been? 2 months? And he remembers how hard he tried to find a way to get back here. How slightly sad he was that he wasn't able to visit her when they were here at Seigi after they walked with Brother Death in Aokigahara.

He notices the sake and the cups. Well, I guess they were drinking. Keep it casual, Brig.

He sits down in front of her table and carefully places Kaien's pipe on her desk. ]

[kawaakari]

[She knows what's in that box immediately.]

You are bringing this to me for safekeeping, I assume.

[Saying that as she's pouring him a drink.]

[atlas_shrugged]

Yes, Ma'am. The only safer place I could think of leaving it with at the moment is with your son. And I know how painful it is for him to look at it.

[ He picks up his cup but waits for her to pick up hers before taking a drink ]

It would be tactically unsound to leave bring it with me to Africa. And even if it's safe here in Seigi, I'd rather be sure it's in the best hands, Mother Wolf.

Waking the Dead 2.0 || September 30, 2063 || Friday

[icarusalsoflew]

[ He and Hotaru take the 4 AM flight back to Tokyo, which means that straight after spending a good part of his evening curled up at Joshua LaRue's side yet feeling like the inches between them were miles and after going on duty, he's silently preparing his things, pressing a kiss to Josh's forehead (one that lingers too long, and makes his chest ache), he and Hotaru get driven to the airport by Diego Salazar, the latest South American to join his conspiracy. The boy doesn't ask questions.

Good on him, for the moment. Obedience is sometimes difficult to teach in Zangyaku's special cases, and outside of that? Hikaru's pretty damned sure that he wouldn't know how to answer anybody who asked him how he was doing.

He could have ported to Seigi, or maybe Blood Walked. He took the flight not just because he was looking out for Hotaru, but because he was hoping to clear his head. It didn't work out that way. What happened instead was that the heavy, tight feeling in his chest just got worse. Midway through the flight, it was joined by a headache thrumming on his temples and sitting just behind his eyes.

Suffice to say, once all of that really registered and it was clear that short of knocking himself out he wouldn't be able to get rid of it, he quietly drew up some psychic walls between him and his Wardens, keeping them from seeing what was really going on.

He can feel their concern radiating behind those defenses he's made now, as he's walking down the quiet corridors of the Shinta compound in Seigi. It's 8 PM, an hour after dinner. He hasn't dressed down yet, even if he's already settled Hotaru down for the night with Thanatos and his older sister to keep her company. After he has talked business with Kasumi Aoi, the Mother of the Wolf, he plans to go back out there. Duty calls, always and ever.

Have the silhouette of the boy whom you once called(?) your son first, then a quiet knock on the shoji door that opens up into your private quarters. The weekend is about to start: it has always been your custom to have one night where you step out of your office and keep to yourself in your rooms. The rest of the weekend may, after all, be only too busy with engagements. With people. ]

[kawaakari]

[ If there is anything that Kasumi Aoi firmly believes, it is that, no matter the years, no matter the trials, no matter her own personal feelings where it concerns her son: she is his mother, will always be his mother, and every step she has taken since she picked herself up from her own fall back in Hikaru Shinta's twenty-seventh cycle, it is done with his best interests at heart.

Theirs is not a perfect relationship, and it is her opinion that any mother who has illusions that such a thing is possible is projecting expectations that are unfair, both to themselves and to their child.

This is why she has kept her silence, even as whispers reached her ears of the events that have transpired in Colina de las Espadas. Even as she feels through the Warden connection that there is a heaviness that he will not speak of, a heartache he cannot voice, and that he is, to put it simply, not as well as those who have not watched him for as long as she ( and a handful few, ) would presume.

( Perhaps -- just... perhaps -- if things were not so complex between them given then and what the years afterwards held for them both, she would have reached out to him the way the other Wardens wish to, out of concern. But then again, she is not that kind of woman. )

So she bides her time, lights the pipe that was given as a gift so very long ago, and turns her gaze out her window towards the rest of Seigi. She does this, even as their leader draws up the psychic walls around him like a thick cloak.

She can wait. The patient know that it is always good to wait.

When that knock comes, she bows her chin and takes a long and satisfying puff to relax herself before she lifts her face towards the direction of her door. Does she really need to say out loud that you may enter? You know her habits as she knows yours. ]

[icarusalsoflew]

[ He picked up the sound of your heartbeat the moment he was out there, giving him the perfect means to figure out where you are (by the windows where the breeze comes in, lounging back among your favorite pillows, smoking from your favorite pipe one he gave you). It was calm and steady even after you knew that he was coming around. No hitch appears afterward, nor any other tell-tale sign that you're going to move, or invite him in.

Granted, it was not like you would ever call for him to come around, not when you leave this particular door to your chambers open. You'll have to excuse him: he's rather bad at being your son.

So - after taking a deep breath - he's stepping inside, moving towards you, then dropping down on both knees on one of the floor pillows. He then arranges himself properly before you before he bows his head in greeting. You may note that he hasn't met your gaze or looked at your face, not once, since he entered. ]

I'm home.

[ Seigi, in many ways, is your space more than it is his own, and your chambers are most definitely yours to keep. It's only proper that he greets you with respect, in and beyond the fact that these days? You're standing at the helm of his conspiracy a lot more often than usual. ]

[kawaakari]

Okaeri.

[ Her tone is even, but kind. She is also pushing the brazier his way with the practiced, elegant motions of a woman of her experience and station before she holds out the pipe ( hers -- and his, should he wish to smoke from it ) in his direction.

She has been quietly counting down the minutes to his arrival at her door, fully aware that he would not come until his youngest sister was settled and possibly put to bed. It does not take eyes to see the amount of care her son takes with Hotaru Fukuzawa. After all, family has always been important to the Blade King. It is one of the reasons why all of Zangyaku address each other as brothers and sisters, regardless of age or rank.

( She can see his pain through the little things: that averted gaze, even the dip in tone in his voice. If she were another woman Asami Fukuzawa, perhaps she might have chosen instead to reach out and tip up that bowed chin, drawn those violet eyes to hers and asked simply: What is wrong, my son?

But again, she is not that woman. So she offers this instead: ) ]

The little one has been put to bed?

[icarusalsoflew]

[ And as she is preparing what will be their communal space, he is shifting, drawing one leg up close to his chest and letting the other relax against the floor. He's taking the type with a quick and appreciate look in her direction, and taking a drag. A long drag, with a notably long exhale.

His shoulders have not relaxed yet, not the way that they normally would after getting a good fix. ]

Yes, she has. [ A wan smile, as he remembers the way she put both of her hands on either side of her face and drew him in so that she could kiss him on the forehead. ] Setsuna is going to stay with her again, at least until I'm back from my Walk.

[ Tohru will be with him, at least in one sense of the word. Celestial Masters have such a convenient range of abilities. ]