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 Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 7:00 pm
It had almost become routine.
For the months that Tsai Shen had lived at his Aunt's home, a Fire Nation woman had arrived to spar and train approximately once a week, sometimes more. He never knew when it was going to be, because she came only when she could, an inconsistent method, yet, he had come to expect, and almost anticipate, her visits.
She was charming yet antisocial, extremely polite but generally rude, beautiful and boyish, swift yet slow-to-accept. Strong and delicate. Intelligent, but sometimes incredibly unaware.
Li Ren fascinated him.
Khutulan found this highly amusing.
"Auntie," A sharp look from those hard eyes and the boy cleared his throat. "Aunt, you don't understand." The tiniest twitch of her mouth showed her humor, and the black-haired woman watched him slowly continue his stance-practice, sipping her tea. "Arranged marriages aren't right. I know she has one." He shifted into another stance and mumbled grumpily. "I bet he's a real prat, too."
"Dao Rui will be here soon." Khutulan calmly mentioned something she was actually interested in, and Tsai Shen was, predictably, distracted.
"Dao! I haven't seen her since I was four!" She used to beat him up. His cousin. He was actually excited. They'd been in letter correspondence for a while. She was a Nomad.
"Concentrate on your stances, boy."
"Yes, Aunt."
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 12:42 pm
Li Ren's visits had become increasingly sporadic lately. There had been a time when she had disappeared for nearly two weeks. When questioned about it, she became curt and it was clear that Li Ren did not think anymore highly of her arranged marriage than Tsai Shen did. It was also clear that it was not something she much wished to talk about. Li Ren had a strong tendency to compartmentalize, and her life as a noblewoman was worlds away from the one she lived out on the streets.
The golden dragon hairpin that she had proudly worn when Tsai Shen had first met her had abruptly disappeared one week and had never been replaced. Instead she wore her hair in a simple knot, or sometimes a ponytail, secured with a cord that looked as if it had seen better days. To Li Ren, it seemed as if it had been ages since she had worn anything else.
Her fiance had come to visit again earlier this week. His increased visits did not please her, but there was nothing she could do. The day after he had departed, Li Ren had made her way back to Khutulan's school and as she arrived through the main gates, her steps were unhurried, as if she had come to accept the strange routine.
As she entered, she saw Khutulan looking calm as usual and Tsai Shen busy with his stances. She didn't pay much attention to anyone else training at the school. She clicked her tongue as she approached Tsai Shen, teasing playfully, "You look like you're trying to explode boulders with your mind."
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Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 6:38 pm
The exotic boy's solemn expression immediantly broke as a grin appeared to light his face. This late in the afternoon, dusk, really, the last students were putting away their things and bidding Khutulan a good night. There never were very many about, as the stern woman's style wasn't appreciated by all.
"Ah, my love, that is where you are mistaken! I was clearly trying to summon you with my thoughts, and it worked! But dreams have a way of producing what one desires most! Perhaps I am sleeping, then?"
A decidedly charming grin from the earthbender was quickly removed by Khutulan's switch to the back of this calves. Dancing away from his Aunt's half-hearted whippings with a good-natured smile, he turned the motion into a quick bow in Li Ren's direction.
Tsking, Khutulan took another sip of tea, her brown eyes studying the girl before her. Her fiance had been making visits more often, it seemed. "Good evening, Li Ren."
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 8:48 am
"Good evening," Li Ren replied, nodding respectfully towards Khutulan.
Li Ren's attention then turned back to Tsai Shen and her lips quirked into a smirk as she stepped around him. "Fair lady, I swear to you that you're wide awake," she assured him in a smooth, low voice.
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Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 3:34 pm
"Not quite so awake, it seems I had mistook my gender for that of a more masculine variety." A warm chuckle and the tall young man instantly shifted from his relaxed, if wary, stance to one designed for power. Without hesitation, he flew at her, his barefoot directed toward her stomach. They'd grown to the point where they no longer doubted one another's abilities.
Tsai Shen had no intention to hurt her, and trusted her to block his attack. The sparring was something he looked forward to. As Khutulan left the training yard to enter her home, his grin flashed and he continued in his heated, suggestive tone.
"I strike at you only so I may have an excuse to touch you, kind sir."
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Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 7:16 pm
Li Ren didn’t block. Instead she allowed her weight to fall back just enough to slide to the side of Tsai Shen’s foot. She used her own motion now to help her instantly build up the momentum to swing her leg up and catch her opponent’s opposite hip with a good natured kick. In her mind’s eye it would hopefully send him sprawling while he was still balanced vulnerably on just one foot.
Li Ren clicked her tongue disapprovingly, "Enjoy it, for it is the only excuse you'll have to touch me."
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