pullmeoutalive | Of Princesses, Dragons, and Conquest

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Of Princesses, Dragons, and Conquest

[ she's no stranger to the idea. In times of war and strife, the heads of factions would most certainly not remain idle. Takane had known, and yet, she would have expected someone responsible for Oshu's well-being not to go about making idiotically reckless moves. And perhaps any other girl would be able to set it aside, realizing that for all of his bravado and skill and experience, Masamune was only nineteen.

But for someone who behaved far more responsibly than people twice her age, that wasn't an acceptable excuse. Any opposition wouldn't have seen it as one.

And truthfully, Takane's not fond of how it felt, knowing he'd risked himself to the point of being bed-bound for days, that he should have known better, that her chest squeezed - aching and sharp - whenever she went in to change bandages and exchange cool cloths, that she'd felt so helpless. Kojuro has probably already lectured him, but she's not the type to remain silent when she has things of her own to say.

Masamune should be mobile today. She's carrying a bucket of water to one of the vegetable gardens before she abruptly changes her course to seek him out.

At which point she will oh so subtly block his path. ]

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[ the dragon's been sleeping for what seemed to be a century. perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it had been forced to rest for a century, and a century was perhaps nothing more than a couple of days--maybe a week. he lost track of things when the days seemed so long, and his only comfort was that he'd managed to win the battle in exchange for some panic and a couple of lectures. kojuro always gave some good ones--they always made masamune think and feel something other than immense pride, even if that was the majority of what he felt, most of the time.

for once, though, masamune felt the slightest bit of something between guilt and actually feeling... well, something not guilt. the men of the army were quick to worry but also quick to celebrate, and that was how it was, most of the time; kojuro injected the logic and maturity, but there was an addition of something in recent days that made him think of things a bit more than kojuro had. rather, think of different things.

... she had changed his bandages and cared for him, and though he hadn't caught sight of anything past that it seemed to hit him in a rather awkward way. and she was now in his way quite physically: right in the middle of his path from his room to the front field. the swords at his waist seemed rather heavy, at this point. ]

. . . Yo, Shijou. [ he says this slowly, right after staring at the bucket of water and her face for a couple of seconds. ] Need something?

[ Takane's face remains impassive. Her voice, after a few additional seconds of silence, is equally calm and quiet. ]

Date Masamune. You seem to have regained your mobility. How do you fare?

[ well, niceties first. ]

[ ... somehow, he had and had not been expecting that. certainly, that was how most conversations with takane went. it seemed strangely consistent, despite the events of a few days prior.

well. enough dwelling on that. she had asked a question and he looks rather cocky as he answers, stretching his neck from shoulder to shoulder. ]

Seem fine, don't I? Couldn't keep me down for too long. [ again, a few days was rather long. details, though, as he looks back down to her bucket. ] Gardens are the other way, you know.

[ it was a statement that he thought fitting to slot in. takane was whimsical. one of many things she was, actually--so he doubted she was lost. ]

[ time was relative, long or short to whoever gazed upon it. Only a few days, but it had worn on her more than she would have liked-- she, who was supposed to have patience in abundance, hadn't slept well. Not for the sake of her nightly moon-gazing, and that's the most troubling thing. Even staring at it hadn't given her the slightest bit of comfort.

Even now as she stands there, taking in the sight of that cocky, self-assured smile, relief is warring rather violently with anger. The frustration swells abruptly and, with a simple shake of her head and a swift, clean movement - she trembles in that brief second, lips tightening -

She raises the bucket and upends it over her head. It's freezing as it cascades down her hair, soaking her upper half immediately and splashing onto the floor.

Takane carefully sets the bucket down and straightens, looking him in the eye. ]

I am well aware of where I ought to be right now.

[ ah, so there it was.

dumping water on herself was one thing he couldn't even pretend to expect; in fact, he's pretty sure that was for the vegetables, not takane, which is why he's not even quite sure how to respond to that little act, especially in combination with her stare.

that, at least, manages to knock the cocky smile off his face pretty quickly. kojuro would've been proud, really. ]

Ah, well. Good. [ . . . ] You're wet.

[ and this was a deep and amazing comment from your Lord of Oshu, ladies and gentlemen. ]

[ the look she gives him would be DUH if it were given by anyone else. But Takane tends to be a little more subtle than that. ]

I would rather begin this with a cool head.

[ which is as good an admission to anger as she will give. ]

Date Masamune, what worth do you think your life possesses?

Edited 2012-03-28 04:40 (UTC)

[ that question makes him pause, but it's a different one than the water bucket--in fact, this is the silence that fills when the one-eyed dragon is thinking. it's not hesitation, because he knows what to say--it's not the wording, either, because he knows how to say it.

maybe it's the fact takane's asking it, or maybe it's the fact that she just admitted that she's angry so he's sheepish in the way he is around kojuro. as much as he didn't act like it sometimes, it wasn't as if he set out to make them angry. the complete opposite, actually, but sometimes he just had to do the things he did. there was just... no other way to do it, in his eyes. ]

I'm not going to die, Shijou.

[ But you nearly did, she doesn't-- refuses to say, nor does she say that yes, one day he will, just like she will. Her mind is ten steps ahead, deciding what to say and what to keep to herself and how to say it. ]

... Foolhardy decisions cannot always be rectified. While you still live, it takes but a single reckless action such as your last to strip away your efforts and those of the ones who would want to see you soar. If you are able to, I would suggest considering Oshu before your pride.

[ but it's not ten steps this time. It's hardly five steps, would have been a mere one or two if she hadn't forced herself to suppress as much emotion as she could. Right now, she gazes at him and her eyes are unusually dark and narrowed. Yes, Takane is more than capable of staying composed.

But loss, or the near-occurrence of it, will set anyone off-balance, and finally she tucks a long strand of damp hair behind her ear. She doesn't know how to stress this to him. She's not his Right Eye, she hasn't known him as long as those who loyally follow him, most of whom wouldn't dare to glare at him like this. Scolding him to this extent would almost be pushing it. It would be easier to look down.

She doesn't. ]

Dragons are not invulnerable, Masamune.

[ Oshu needed him. His people needed him.

Maybe Takane did, too. ]

[ he's surprised, almost, to see her lecture her like kojuro did. she was usually of cryptic words; sometimes little words, but sometimes a sufficient amount of words with what seemed to be little meaning, yet... quite deep. but this was obvious, this speech--everything had been laid out in front of him and his first thought would maybe be something along the lines of look at her. kojuro would be proud if he wasn't so incredibly focused on the way she seemed to be-- well, affected.

he wasn't silly, or stupid. he wasn't oblivious to some things like yukimura was--and for all his hot-headedness and recklessness he seemed to know the effect it had. kojuro wouldn't let him leave without his acknowledgement of it. he had mentioned takane, and masamune had some semblance of what she was feeling, though at the end it could only be a guess (she really was so hard to pin down, yet at the same time not at all, perhaps because of their similarities--).

seeing it first hand was something else. ]

... Hah. You really know how to--

[ -- and then something hits him. ]

Masamune? [ oh, now she was really laying it on thick. ]

[ of all the things to focus on-- she briefly laments being herself, where someone like Makoto or Iori would have been able to be much louder and much more succinct about it, not at all afraid to display their emotions.

And she isn't afraid, she's just been raised to suppress such things, for propriety, because the Shijou name needed to be respected. So with him, why--

Well, no. Takane understands why. But she's not entirely certain she wants to dwell on it. ]

If you have graciously extended a listening ear, then I have nothing more to say.

[ except so much more, but none of it is useful. ]

[ so maybe zoning in on that wasn't the best thing, but it was at least a window into takane's thoughts. the she would move to first name at all was one thing he didn't expect--she was always so prim, and never had he actually thought she would shift to such a casual way of referencing him.

he had never doubted they were comrades--to hear the first name crop up somehow, however, brought him some positive feelings that he couldn't quite place.

maybe hearing that is why he's not quite prepared when she abruptly ceases her train of thought. he had expected more; kojuro had always said more, drove the point home until it was in his thoughts, said everything he had been thinking and left his thoughts bare on the table for masamune to understand.

takane had gotten there, approached it, resisted and stopped, and somehow something about this entire exchange felt restrained, incomplete, hidden--as she usually was. but he can understand some things; they had that prior connection. yet there were some things he could always only make vague guesses at... things he could only infer and never completely be certain of.

maybe hearing that is why he's not so inclined to let it continue on as usual. ]

First time've heard you get to that point. [ and he looks at her for a moment. ] Sure you've got nothing else, Takane?

[ she pauses in the process of reaching down for the bucket, fingers closing over air. She's quick to straighten up, leaving the bucket for now, but that leaves her standing before his gaze with her thoughts conflicting and clashing with each other. Kojuro had been quite the influence on her, from what she'd observed, the way he handled Masamune and his temper, how he looked out for him but refused to coddle him. And while Takane has had her fair share of experience in dealing with the tempers and personalities of others and getting her point across-- she can't be as straightforward.

She would excuse herself - he's given her that opening, she's still angry and concerned and upset - but in the same way she'd caught his attention, the sound of her name is what stills her. To catch her off-guard? To hold her there for a little longer?

... No. To her, it's Masamune's way of understanding, the way he's entirely too blunt at times, and yet he understands her far more than she would have originally expected. He knows she's guarding the rest of her words. And he's inviting it, as difficult as it is for her to continue. ]

It may be of little use to you.

[ he's closer. he's found confirmation, now--takane has more to say, she's hiding things, she's verified what he had felt and what really felt almost natural for him to think, where as it was so incredibly difficult for others. it might just be due to the fact that everyone in the date clan was merely used to saying that they felt. masamune, who had to deal with different people, different strategies, condition himself outside of that... was much more used to it (or perhaps takane was just like this, in some instances--).

takane was part of them, now. that he knew too--with or without her confirmation. ]

Name one time you've ever been of little use to me. [ and it's those statements he saves for kojuro, for his army--those honest, simple messages. he doesn't say these often--he never feels the need to, but now he feels the need.

everything she said was something. ]

[ Takane is silent, though not for lack of anything to say. It's what she says and what she monitors and slips discreetly beneath her secretive smiles and vague words-- that was her lifestyle. Even now, the reason she hesitates before replying is because she doubts that it's her answer to provide. Her personal use, to the young lord of Oshu with so much responsibility on his shoulders, to the dragon bolting across the battlefield, to the nineteen-year-old man who lived recklessly and joyfully and still could be so mild and at peace when they wandered at night-- that wasn't for her to decide. It was his.

He'd already answered, hadn't he? In his own way. Rare, but he'd likely said it because she'd needed to hear it. Strange, that it both warms her heart and makes it ache. It's a fact she's aware of as acutely as she is that she's still dripping wet.

Takane chuckles, humorlessly. Almost tiredly, for one who knew her well enough to detect. ]

I have come to realize my own powerlessness over the course of the past few days. And while I comprehend that your decisions are, of course, your own, should you see fit to continue to risk your life for whatever reason you may have...

... Please allow me to be present.

[ she hadn't wanted to stay behind this time. Silver Princess or not, whatever the nickname was this time, Takane had hated remaining idle like an actual princess and waiting for news , knowing only that Masamune had charged into something dangerous. And then he'd returned, badly injured, unable to walk on his own, and--

It had cut past her calm, deeper than she'd thought. ]

[ that borderline-tired chuckle. she had said what she wanted. and he smiles, smirks, grins, whatever it was on his lips at that, just from that fact that she had finally let it known what she wanted. and of course he was fine with it--ultimately what he wanted was for her to follow what she wanted to do.

she provided him with plenty, present or not, and somehow it gives him a jolt of something to hear her say she'd rather be there. it's dangerous, but he understands her thoughts. he always had, but this time he's more than certain. she's a princess, perhaps, but not in the way they had originally thought. for all her looks, takane was capable of more than the stereotypical limitations.

maybe he'd have to run it through kojuro, but he was lord. and he doubts kojuro would deny him, either--he had only the utmost confidence in takane, who had proven herself to be a dragon.

at the same time, there's that feeling of in-between-guilt. something that was different than before. ]

As simple as that. [ he doesn't tell her to be careful, he doesn't tell her that it's dangerous, he doesn't tell her that this was war, and he also doesn't tell her that he'll be okay--

--because he considered her an equal, and those things didn't need to be told to him personally. he knows she knows. ]

Let's say it'd be an honor. [ and maybe, let's say thanks. ]

[ it's true that they understand each other on various levels, that it was politeness and her own upraising that had kept Takane from answering to Masamune's wishes, the ones he wouldn't have spoken. Whatever their relationship, it wasn't one of dominance and subservience. He trusted her to do what she wished. She trusted him enough to find a sense of loyalty in, to want to remain by his side and to find herself perturbed and restless when she had to stay behind.

Unpleasant, to say the slightest. But Takane didn't bother making assumptions about Oshu's One-Eyed Dragon, admitting only that he was someone worth trusting in. She'd made the request, rather than the outright imperious demand, because of that trust. That respect. And if he had said no, she would have honored his answer.

Her eyes lift to rest on his single blue one and the expression on her face is briefly uncertain as she studies him. She can read enough from his look, the way his lips are turned up and the almost triumphant tilt of his smile. But there's seriousness there, and Takane understands. He's not granting or acknowledging this lightly. They both know the risk. The danger. She's safer here, but she isn't caged. And she doesn't intend to be.

Kojuro may have Masamune's back.

Takane will fight for the rest. And with that, the uncertainty fades and she finally, truly, smiles. ]

That honor... I believe I must claim it as well. [ you're welcome. ] Please continue to clear the skies above, Masamune.

[ her smile knocks the expression off his face for a moment. it isn't a bad silence, but an observant one. when that small bit of observation is over, however, he returns the smile. it has the smallest bit of cockiness in it (what was a masamune smile without that?), but it was dominated by... fondness. ]

Heh. I don't plan on stopping. [ but she didn't need him to tell her that. she was--from the moment he had met her--someone under the skies of this dragon, too.

and with a bit of thought, he lays a hand on her shoulder. his face makes it seem like he registered something just then, which he makes clear with what he says next: ]

. . . And you don't plan on drying, do ya?

... [ her head tips ever so carefully to one side as she looks momentarily blank-- just before her expression clears. The heavy feeling between them is still dissipating - and something tightens at the sight of his smile - but she can relax a little more now. At the very least, she'll be able to be productive. ]

In due time.

[ "in due time". he imagines kojuro might scold him for letting takane go with an answer like that without making an effort to correct her predicament; he also quite can't let himself do nothing in the face of... well, a soaking shijou.

so he removes his hand and turns his back, looking over his shoulder and craning his head in a symbol of follow me before he moves across the compound. ]

[ she stands there, looking laughably like a lost child for the span of twenty seconds, but she understands the signal well enough, and there's not really a reason to disregard it.

... She does pick up the bucket first before she follows him, though. ]

[ he almost wonders whether she is going to follow him when she doesn't initially move, but that's merely because masamune is just special that way. when she does, however, he's moving along the corridors to his room--the one where he had kind of been for a whole century, recently.

he just needed to get her something dry. maybe going to her room was a better way to go through with it, but he's not exactly thinking that far just yet. ]

[ Takane has to raise an eyebrow when she realizes which direction they're headed-- and oh does she know this layout well, having walked along it for days to her destination. It's slightly relieving to have his back ahead of her, though. Proof he's upright and fine. Still that proud, reckless dragon.

... Who, by the looks of it, isn't going to let her handle her drying on her own. ]

[ it's one-half "kojuro will kick my ass" and one-half "she got wet because of me, bad dragon manners" or something like that, but masamune's by now shoved the particulars out of his mind and is only focusing on getting to his intended location.

... and once there, quite quickly propping open the sliding door into the room with a whole lot of scrolls on the ground. when masamune was bored, masamune was bored.

messy or not, though, he's just going to look for something to dry takane off with.

and maybe clothes too big for her. wasn't that usually done when the person didn't live around here? but first the towel. ]

[ she's content to wait patiently - because he is the authority right now, and she's sure protesting won't work - while her attention drifts to the scrolls, expression softening discreetly. He wasn't the best at bedrest, but he'd held up remarkably well, for him. ]

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1/2.. LET'S TRY THAT AGAIN BOO ITALICS

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