quarim
Dragon Clan
Merchant*Qolat*Gaijin
Posts: 334
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Post by quarim on Nov 8, 2011 18:56:57 GMT -5
"We are on opposite sides of course but I doubt we will meet on the field. My duties keep me away from the main battles. I have come to you to ask if you would care to join me? I tire of waiting and with the birth of your children approaching there does not seem to be any reason to wait much longer. Will you accept my gift of immortality? I do not ask you join my crusade to kill the kami but will you not join me and find your own path? Perhaps we could find a new way together."
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Bayushi Haruka
Scorpion Clan
OOC Cleanup Crew
Samurai? Battle Maiden? Cavalry? Paragon of Courage? Friend of the Lion
Posts: 1,054
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Post by Bayushi Haruka on Nov 8, 2011 19:11:14 GMT -5
Haruka was absolutely gobstruck, and she failed to hide it in her expression somewhat as she gasped and raised her hand to cover her mouth a bit. "Are you sure? Are you certain?"
For him to have abandoned forcing her to his treacherous cause caused a great deal of confusion. And after a slight awkward silence from her she recollected herself, holding her own hands on her lap. "But will this taint my body? Will this destroy the young life within me?" The real concern of it finally coming to the surface as he offered it again to her. Again she was off balance and bewildered at the proposition, but she needed answers.
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quarim
Dragon Clan
Merchant*Qolat*Gaijin
Posts: 334
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Post by quarim on Nov 8, 2011 19:19:55 GMT -5
"It will not taint you at all, but must wait until after the child's birth or it shall not live. But if you are ready to give up your current life then we should start preparing now. After all it will not be easy escaping your husbands shadows, they seem to be everywhere. And we will need to make arrangements for you to retrieve your other child from Shoju. So much to plan, My Lady. That is of course if you are serious about this. Are you serious? Or have you changed your mind?"
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Bayushi Haruka
Scorpion Clan
OOC Cleanup Crew
Samurai? Battle Maiden? Cavalry? Paragon of Courage? Friend of the Lion
Posts: 1,054
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Post by Bayushi Haruka on Nov 8, 2011 19:35:05 GMT -5
She continued to be astonished by his words. Had she really thought this through, had she actually even believed it was possible? She swallowed hard, not wanting to seem like she was rushing a thing, because right now that was the last thing she wanted. "I have not really considered your words carefully enough, I'll admit. I wasn't sure if your words were real or if I was just imagining some creation in my mind."
Her voice trembled slightly, "I wish to know, though I'm not certain if I am ready to commit my life to such an offer." One of her hands went up to caress her throat, quietly wondering about the one that had savaged her neck. Yun-san...
After a short while she gave him a much more firm answer. "If you would have me among your ranks, if you would give me such an impossible honor... I am not worthy of such a gift." Her form trembled, still completely uncertain. "The child is due soon. When he is born, I can decide then."
Unable to comprehend it now, she really wasn't certain if she was right for this sort of power. A warrior like herself to live forever was a tempting prospect, but in her mind it was also a terrifying one. She ran the scenarios of the possibilities through her mind, as a dense fog rolled in around them.
Fleeting visions of her in some imagined future could be heard and partially seen in silhouettes. Most of them marking her as some sort of animal for hunting, a not natural foe that needed felling, and her standing above the bodies of all she'd slain in war or in peace. Such a future troubled her greatly.
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quarim
Dragon Clan
Merchant*Qolat*Gaijin
Posts: 334
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Post by quarim on Nov 8, 2011 19:52:39 GMT -5
"I understand, My Lady. I do not wish to pressure you, but please keep in mind that we are in times of war. At any point either of us could find ourselves dead. I may come back but who know how long that will take. I do advise you to be sure of your decision for it will affect your life for all eternity, but do not dwell on it so long that you miss the opportunity."
Sprinkles laid down on his back and stared at the sky and listened to the waterfall for a moment.
"This is so serene. Your dreams are beautiful. You know we could make the Empire like this don't you? I'm not speaking of maho this time either. With the power of the jinn in our possession we could bring a lasting peace to the Empire. We would not even have to use force or reveal ourselves. All from the shadows could we bring light to all."
He watched her face studying her to see how she would react to this. Did she know anything more than she let on? Did she discover anything on her travels yet?
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Bayushi Haruka
Scorpion Clan
OOC Cleanup Crew
Samurai? Battle Maiden? Cavalry? Paragon of Courage? Friend of the Lion
Posts: 1,054
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Post by Bayushi Haruka on Nov 8, 2011 20:10:37 GMT -5
The fog gently cleared as her gaze turned up. The stars were indeed intense, and Haruka let out a soft sigh. She wasn't nearly as apprehensive as before.
"Does this mean you no longer wish to assault the heavens... does this mean you are willing to work with that power in a manner that won't disturb the balance?"
Her hand gently extended out to caress the flower again, she brought a few drops of water from the pool and gently let them fall onto the petals and form into droplets to enhance its fragrance. She turned to look over where he lay.
"Because if you don't wish to make war on the Kami... I would very much be..." She struggled to word it best, as she didn't want to make it seem like she'd been happy about his words, but didn't want to anger him now by outlining him as another enemy. "Pleased, regardless of the path I take. I think I would certainly be more content to be at your side knowing that the heavens can rest easy."
Haruka just smiled, trying to make light of such deep and dangerous topics. Really all that was in her heart was to protect the celestial order, as she was just a humble soul.
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quarim
Dragon Clan
Merchant*Qolat*Gaijin
Posts: 334
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Post by quarim on Nov 8, 2011 20:23:22 GMT -5
"I will continue my war against the kami. It is my path. But I will not use the jinn to do so. That is unfair to you. To ask you to seek an item for me to harm what you find dear is wrong. I give you my word that if you retrieve this item for me I will only use it in a way that you approve of. I hope that calms your fears of this item. Having such an item loose in the Empire is dangerous. Find it for me and I swear I will use it only for good and keep it's power and location a secret from everyone. I fear time is running out. With the Lion being over run such an item could be found. That would be disasterous." Sprinkles wondered just how far he should push. "...And there is another who can alter dreams. Unless you have spoken about the lamp to others he should know nothing of it. But dreams are tricky they can be used to spy on someones most secrete thoughts. I do not have such power but he might. We must be cautious but time is against us on this matter."
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Bayushi Haruka
Scorpion Clan
OOC Cleanup Crew
Samurai? Battle Maiden? Cavalry? Paragon of Courage? Friend of the Lion
Posts: 1,054
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Post by Bayushi Haruka on Nov 9, 2011 23:12:11 GMT -5
Haruka seemed calm, but somewhat unconvinced. He was happy to give her his word, but how far could he really be trusted now. It wasn't something she was really willing to test.
"I have spoken to no other soul about the lamp, not a single one." She was bluntly honest. "I have only one soul I intend to share the information of this, and that is the Lion Clan Champion himself. If anyone can aid my finding of it, it will be him. I can understand why you wouldn't want to approach the Lion, and I can certainly see why you would want the 'friend of the Lion' to uncover the location of it on your behalf."
She straightened up and looked at him, finally ignoring the flower by the pool and focusing on him. "It's not a mystery why you came to me, Sprinkles-san. But I'm still disheartened by your desire to still pursue the kami."
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quarim
Dragon Clan
Merchant*Qolat*Gaijin
Posts: 334
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Post by quarim on Nov 9, 2011 23:21:34 GMT -5
"You did not see them. When they came they killed so many. We were warlords killing each other but we were free. When they came they demanded our slavery or death. How is that any different than the Yobanjin who invade your homes? They need to be taught a lesson. They need to suffer like we suffered at their hands."
Sprinkles voice held nothing but anger. But Haruka could see the tears he shed. He was crying.
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Bayushi Haruka
Scorpion Clan
OOC Cleanup Crew
Samurai? Battle Maiden? Cavalry? Paragon of Courage? Friend of the Lion
Posts: 1,054
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Post by Bayushi Haruka on Nov 9, 2011 23:28:24 GMT -5
She felt strange watching him suffer this way. She'd never considered the battles of the past as the kami vied for control from the other forces in the world. For her the stories were never so painful.
But in Rokugan's stories the kami never did anything, it was only Lady Sun who had annihilated the Burning Sands and turned them into the hostile landscape they were now.
Haruka could still now help but feel some empathy for the gaijn though. "But then... how do you expect anything to change Sprinkles-san?" Referring to an immortal in such an equal sense really still felt strange now. "You survived the destruction of the lands, and what if one of the kami survives your battle and seeks revenge just as you do now... The cycle will never end." She hoped this angle might invoke some sense of compassion in his heart, though she doubted it.
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quarim
Dragon Clan
Merchant*Qolat*Gaijin
Posts: 334
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Post by quarim on Nov 9, 2011 23:34:50 GMT -5
"Perhaps you are right. But for now I must continue. Is it not the children's place to replace their parents? The time of the kami is gone. Now is the time of man...and woman. Right now I seem like a madman but one day I will be viewed as a visionary."
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Bayushi Haruka
Scorpion Clan
OOC Cleanup Crew
Samurai? Battle Maiden? Cavalry? Paragon of Courage? Friend of the Lion
Posts: 1,054
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Post by Bayushi Haruka on Nov 9, 2011 23:50:54 GMT -5
Haruka seemed to wimper a bit in her mind. Nothing would deter him from his goal it seemed, no matter how hard she tried. Her gaze sank in some defeat.
"I... Understand how you feel Sprinkles-san. I remember when the Yobanjin were defeated after invading my birth clan's territory..." For once she winced and seemed almost regretful for performing a necessary act of bushido. "I didn't spare one that surrendered, defeat means death..."
The conflict had never brought her conflicted emotions like this before, it seemed only in comparing it to his vendetta with the kami that it seemed wrong.
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quarim
Dragon Clan
Merchant*Qolat*Gaijin
Posts: 334
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Post by quarim on Nov 9, 2011 23:59:06 GMT -5
Sprinkles sat up and took her hand and gentle rubbed it.
"Are we friends My Lady? I mean can we over come our differences? Are they so great?"
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Bayushi Haruka
Scorpion Clan
OOC Cleanup Crew
Samurai? Battle Maiden? Cavalry? Paragon of Courage? Friend of the Lion
Posts: 1,054
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Post by Bayushi Haruka on Nov 10, 2011 0:16:38 GMT -5
Her gaze returned to him as she examined his gesture as well as his expression. "A friend..."
Haruka wrestled the ideas through her mind. Such a lonely ever enduring soul reaching out to her, and yet consumed by such anger and rage. She sighed deeply.
"Sprinkles-san, of course we are acquaintances. But I wonder if you can aspire to be someone I can trust fully. Will I be able to think that you will mean me no harm, am I to believe that you will protect what is precious to me?"
She remained still and just watched him. His posture and expression could betray anything if he wasn't sincere now. She quietly calculated what would be running through his mind. An immortal who finds a woman with an open mind, willing to bestow a gift of immortality... or so he says. So many things were traps these days. Even he was a supporter of the opposition in the war, it could all be one impressive ruse.
But then again with men like Sprinkles at his side, Hantei would have no need for people like Haruka. It all kept flooding her mind as she listened to his response intently.
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quarim
Dragon Clan
Merchant*Qolat*Gaijin
Posts: 334
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Post by quarim on Nov 10, 2011 0:25:26 GMT -5
With all sincerity Sprinkles spoke, "I mean you no harm. But I grant no protection to what is precious to you. That may seem hallow and meaningless but consider that no one else would ever be so honest with you. In this world lies are everywhere. Is it not the Scorpion's purpose to spread lies and have truths to manipulate?"
Now it was Sprinkles who was studying her. Somehow this conversation had become a game of court where truth was the weapon.
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