In our bodies we will live, in our bodies we will die

[dishevelment]

Who: Ren Koumeidishevelment & OPEN (with one part locked to Ren Kouha roughcut)
When: IC 6/16 OOC 4/3
Where: Various places around the city
What: Koumei and Kouha need to have a Talk + Koumei attempts to find a hobby
Rating/Warning: Potential for serious, feels inducing discussions



A -- Locked to Ren Kouha

[It has been a short while since Kouha arrived in the city, and Koumei was overjoyed to have his youngest brother around. Although Haru insisted that it wasn't a problem, Koumei knew that he would need to repay the Saniwa back one day for allowing the two brothers to be in the same apartment. Just being together was enough for Koumei to be content.

But there was something that they needed to talk about-- something involving the Empire that they were supposed to inherit. Something involving their siblings, and the fact that one among them had allowed the darkness in his heart to swallow him whole.

Koumei was actually awake that morning, idly playing with the his little robo-pigeon and the robo-fox that resided in the apartment, trying to find a way to further delay the inevitable. He didn't want to talk about this...

But it was a shadow lingering over them that was hard to ignore.]

B

[There had been a common refrain he had heard over the last several weeks: "Find a hobby."

It was a strange notion for Koumei, a man who had spent much of his life supporting a war effort in one capacity or another. If he hadn't been in war counsels or attending to his work in the magic research facility, he was catching up on precious sleep or playing with his pigeons in Rakushou.

But, mostly it was sleeping.

While Doudanuki's insistence on teaching him how to use a sword was compelling, it was far from an actual hobby. That was work-- and the only way he was able to keep Doudanuki from destroying his hair.

Thus, Koumei found himself in the library perusing the various crafting books, looking for something that would catch his interest. If he wasn't there, he was looking at the selection of fiction novels of a variety that ranged from cerebral mysteries to sordid romances.

After checking out a few of them to read further, he went over to the gardens to enjoy the afternoon reading. Whether he actually spent the afternoon napping underneath a tree or not was another story, but regardless of the outcome he would consider the day well spent.

It was strange, having so much free time. He didn't know what to do with it.]

Comments

[dishevelment]

[Another play on words. This girl seemed fond of that. Bemused, Koumei reached out to accept the slice of pizza from the young woman and joined her.]

I'd never heard of it before coming to this city...but, it's hard to dislike something this good and convenient.

[iseaghosts]

Fright? It's really ghoul, like, with purple mushrooms and pink pineapple on it. What's your favourite topping?

[ She puts a macaron in the tower. ]

[dishevelment]

Purple mushrooms and pink pineapple?

[He's never heard of....either of those.]

I'm rather fond of it with clams, to tell the truth. although it seems like seafood isn't very popular on pizza...

[cresthopes]

All right then. But I sure hope when I get older, I get to read it! Because it sure looks exciting!

[He said before he decided to stretch his arms out a bit. Although, that's when he suddenly felt pain in one of his arms...]

O-Ow...!

B (as in slightly belated tag, whoops)

[imano]

[ Ima in a library after what happened last time he was in one that essentially them in? Well, actually he likes reading. Light, noncommittal reading, but he doesn't always have a lot of energy to terrorize donut & friends. Also, he needs a good hobby too, other wise he might do dumb things

So, fancy meeting Kouha here. Ima's got a huge stack of books and manga, ready to evaluate and see which he wants to borrow. ]

Mei-kun~ How are you?

[ Somehow a sing-song voice is managed at a low volume. He learned his lesson from that one time about noise. Libraries don't like it. ]

[nostatus]

[ There's no answer at first - well, no answer other than a groan as Shinpachi slowly realised that what his face collided with was in fact the ground and not something that just ran straight at him.

He then slowly starts picking himself up, but just as he's sitting, he notices what he just climbed off, and his jaw drops for a moment as he looks at Koumei. ]

H-hey! What were you doing?! [ As if it's the other's fault for.. you know, lying there.. Existing.. It's mostly just an instinctive reaction to being startled like that though. ]

[iseaghosts]

You can eat a whole one on your own, fright? It's bookay to be shellfish about pizza.

[ The things she mentioned taste just like regular ones, they're just a completely different colour. ]

[dishevelment]

I've never tried-- thats quite a bit of pizza to eat!

[It was also far greasier than anything he was accustomed to. He needed to take his time getting used to it, or his stomach would get upset again.]

[dishevelment]

[--Oh dear.]

What-- are you okay, Takeru?

[dishevelment]

[Excuse you!]

I was taking a nap, if that's not obvious. It's a hot day, and this is a good tree to nap under.

[Clearly. Could no one else see the pristine balance between sun and shade that filtered between the branches and leaves of this fine tree? The grass beneath it was cool, but the sun was warm.

It was a Grade A Napping Spot.]

Late is always good~

[dishevelment]

[Koumei himself had a range of genres in his hand that went from the sordid (and possibly smutty-- it was hard to tell with all the purple prose) romances to the gritty murders to the cerebral pieces of science fiction, clearly trying to make up his mind about which one he wanted to read. Imano's intrusion was a welcome one, which Koumei responded to with a soft laugh.]

Fairly well, Mister Imano. How have you been?

[iseaghosts]

It's not that much, I can eat two at once.

[ She shoves an assortment of things at him, fully expecting him to join in on the building. Then she puts picks up a spoon to put there, but changes her mind and makes it stick to her nose instead with a giggle. ]

[roughcut]

It's not like you could hide them for long when we're sharing a room.

[Of course he did. That might be insulting coming from anyone else, but since it was one of his brothers, he knows it's only that Mei was hoping he wouldn't have to involve Kouha in it. That means it's probably going to hurt, but it's still important, so he settles down across from Koumei with minimal fuss.]

I don't think there's much avoiding whatever it is, so what I want's gonna have to wait.

[Once he's settled, he tries to hold still, be he naturally fidgets. He plays with a bit of hair with one hand, holding onto his seat with the other. Despite the fact that he's the one pushing for this, he's nervous. None of this news can be good, so he has to brace himself for it.]

[dishevelment]

[It was war-- and war was never good. Too many good lives had been lost to the might of one party imposing their will upon another, be it Al-Thamen imposing it's will upon Kou from within or Sinbad and the Seven Seas' Alliance imposing from without. In truth, he had wanted to spare Kouha from this pain, but he knew in his heart that his youngest brother had been a warrior from the day he was born.

Blood was nothing new to him. Neither was pain...and Koumei was forever sorry it had taken him so long to even find the information that there was a third son fathered by Ren Koutoku. Earlier intervention could have spared Kouha some of the pain he's already experienced...

But they were both the products of a war that wasn't even their own. There was no choice for them but to endure, for the sake of whatever the future might hold.

Folding his hands together in his lap, Koumei squeezed at his fingers nervously and fought off the urge to find a lame escape like another man would bat away a mosquito. Then:]

...I think we need to first determine what we know of what's happening within the Empire by the both of our perspectives. What do you recall of Aladdin from the last time you saw him?

[dishevelment]

Two?!

[Impossible! He regretted eating as much fried squid as he did at that festival, even if it was delicious. His stomach was a mess for days afterward.

But, his system simply wasn't used to deep fried food. :|

Eyeing the mess of items uncertainly, Koumei idly reached for an item (an ornamental umbrella? What was that doing in here?) and delicately pulled the tiny paper dome down so he could prop it up amidst the 'tower'.]

My, that's certainly a lot. How do you do it?

[corona]

[ Escaping her worries... Yeah, that's exactly what it is; the apt comparison makes her laugh unexpectedly as she turns back to the shelf and pulls out The Wizard of Oz, which she knows is on this shelf because she spends an ungodly amount of time at the library checking out more books than she's ever able to finish reading before they're due. ]

If you like make believe, you will love this. My mother likes stories – I mean, she used to tell me about the monsters who live under the beds of disobedient children? [ shudder ] I'm so glad Cerealia doesn't have those. But, um. Y-Yeah! Escaping your worries. That's an interesting way to put it.

What worries are you escaping? [ --Stranger I've Never Met Before ]

[dishevelment]

The worries associated with having too much time on your hands.

[A simple, egalitarian answer that was punctuated by a sage nod.]

Although many of the books here are strange-- I think I might like the 'historical fiction' genre the best out of any here so far, just because I don't need to think about computers and other devices that might be part of the fiction.

That book you have...what's it about?

[nostatus]

[ Maybe Koumei will have to teach Shinpachi a thing or two about the best tips and tricks as to getting a nap..

But right now he's still a little too preoccupied. Mostly with rubbing a hand against his forehead to relieve some of the pain. It's nothing too bad - as a warrior he's certainly used to worse - but since Shinpachi is a five year old manchild not so deep down, he has to whine for a little bit. ]

Geez, you should watch out.. Aren't people going to trip over you when they're trying to make their way through here? Look-- it's even bad for us both, 'cause now you're awake too! [ A lose-lose situation at its finest. ]

[iseaghosts]

I'm a monster, some of us can eat lots.

[ Or, she's just used to food like that. It's tasty, so she has it pretty regularly.

She puts a crab stick next to the umbrella. ]

[cresthopes]

Yeah, I think so! My arms are just a little tired from practicing all day long! Using the bow and arrow sure is a lot more work than I thought!

[Especially pulling the string back. Definitely pulling the string back!]

always the bees

[heiwana]

...I see. [ Kousetsu had hobbies but they might not be for everyone so he's not sure if he should offer up his own ideas for the other. ]

What are...somethings that you enjoy, Koumei-san? Perhaps finding something related to one of those things will help make it easier to decide.

[roughcut]

[If Kouha could hear those thoughts right now, he'd be doing his best to to soothe and allay any fears that Koumei had about his upbringing. Sure, it was messed up and lonely, but they'd come for him eventually. It wasn't their fault that their father was a piece of human trash in Kouha's eyes, or that his mother mentally collapsed.

In the end, they protected him as best they could, and they gave him a way out of that darkness when he couldn't see it himself. Hadn't they done plenty for him? That was one of the reasons Kouha pushed himself so hard. He refused to let them down, no matter what he had to do to achieve that. If sitting down and listening to painful news was part of those duties, he'd take it without a single complaint.]

Aladdin?

[He looks surprised, but he considers the question seriously. It's been a while since they've met, to Kouha's disappointment. Aladdin's a fun kid, even though he's technically aligned with Alibaba and not Kou proper. But Kouha counts him as a friend, so it's easy enough to remember when.]

Haven't seen him in person since Magnostadt, I think... After that, I went to the Tenzan Plateau, and I didn't go with you guys to Balbadd or the summit. By then, we had a bunch of other things to take care of.

[He gives Koumei a meaningful look. They both know he's talking about Hakuryuu and Judar committing regicide, and the war that followed. At least, he assumes that both of them know. Is that what Mei's getting at?]

[dishevelment]

So...you know what happened.

[Again, it wasn't a question but a direct statement. The aftermath of Hakuryuu's regicide and the casualties of that entire fiasco were impossible for anyone in Balbadd not to notice-- not when Alibaba's entire Household was in tears, not when Morgiana had used so much of her magoi searching for an answer that she reached her very limits...

Not when Aladdin looked like how Koumei had felt over a decade before, when they learned of the passing of Emperor Hakutoku and his two eldest sons.]

And you know what that means for the rest of us, [he added, his voice deceptively even despite the shadows of sorrow in his eyes.] There's no way we can redeem Hakuryuu after he's cursed his own Fate-- not with that young Magi as he was when I last saw him, and not with the strange alliances he seems to have made.

[rampion]

[ She holds up what turns out to be two books she's for some reason wedged into the same cover: one, incidentally, is a historical textbook examining... sacrifice???? Literal and otherwise!

The other is something called Infinite jest with the second word in lowercase, and it's what she hands over first, shaking her head at herself derisively. ]

Too long. I couldn't read it. Not - that I didn't try, because what I did read? Super good. I'm... just not the fastest reader, I guess! You can take it if you're interested. What's your name, anyway?

[dishevelment]

Koumei, [He said with a gracious bob of his head, carefully omitting his family name for the sake of brevity.] That looks like an intriguing book and, since it's so highly recommended from a fellow reader, it must be decent.

Thank you, Miss...?