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 Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 11:44 pm
Shen curled up on the cool surface of the roof, somewhat hidden behind the stone relief of a dragon in flight. The gargoyle had an impressive girth for an overhanging fixture, which was only befitting of the Cai family. He had no fear of dirtying his clothes – the tiles were cleaned as religiously as every other area of the house – or of being found. He suspected his mother knew of his favourite spot but she had yet to give him away: maybe she also tired of his father's banquets; maybe she felt sorry for him. She'd touched his sleeve today, the way you might stroke an unfamiliar dog.
But that was an awful thing to accuse one's mother of. Shaking his head at his audacity, he firmly berated himself, turning his attention to the sky in an effort to place the familial troubles out of his mind. He thought he could hear the cloudy roar of thunder in the distance but the stormclouds looked only mildly threatening, hanging on the edge of the horizon. He had two hours or so to safely moongaze; perhaps three before his father would tolerate being apologised to.
Shen lacked the Cais' natural ease with people; he made up for it with a mask so cultivated that he looked in the mirror sometimes and wondered if his face was disembodied. Of course, the same mask he'd constructed to hide his weakness turned out to be the very thing convincing his family that he was weak. For the most part, they had no need for pretense; his brothers especially prided themselves on ugly expressions that could make leaves wither. So it was common knowledge that Shen's father didn't like looking at him and the neutrality he maintained by thinking of ice, especially now that Shen was pale, white-haired and white-eyed. Shen thought, and was sure his father also thought, that he looked even less like his son.
Well, there was nothing for it. At least Shen had a TECHNICIAN now. He smiled into the dark, even as he wondered how best to ask Ivan home for dinner.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 12:11 am
The night was glorious. It wasn't particularly clear tonight, but the threat of a storm and the promise of rain only served to heighten Z's appreciation of the evening. He felt energized and alive as he ran nimbly along the rooftops of Death City, launching his lean body in an occasional jump or drop as the sloping surfaces dictated. There wasn't any particular destination or task that needed to be accomplished tonight; the night was all his, and the sensation left him feeling even more free and wild than he usually did.
Stopping at the top of a particularly high rooftop, Z stood still, balancing at the peak of the structure as he glanced around, waiting for something to pique his interest. Movement caught his eye, and Z's eyes narrowed fractionally as he stared in the direction of what he knew to be one of the more expensive areas of the city. Was it a thief? Or perhaps...
His body reacted faster than his brain, instinct and curiosity taking over as he found himself headed in that direction without conscious thought on his part. Anticipation caused his violet eyes to glitter in the moonlight as he approached the area where he'd seen the movement, the logical part of his mind informing him that it was the Cai residence that he was nearing before concurring with his instinct and curiosity that whatever it was that was occurring up there on the roof, whether it be intrigue or thievery, would be worth discovering. The Cai family had a long reputation of being WEAPONS, and they were well known in SHIBUSEN for their generally abrasive attitudes and sense of self-importance. He highly doubted that any member of that particular family would willingly end up on the roof, meaning that whatever was happening there had to be some sort of unplanned event.
Jumping lightly, Z left the rooftops and landed lightly on his feet on top of the wall that circled the enclosure. Running swiftly and silently along the wall, Z kept his eyes constantly roving, looking for a possible access point to the central building's massive roof. There. A tree would do just fine.
Z dropped from the wall, landing in a semi-crouch before flowing with the shadows towards the tree and scaling it in near-silence - a faint rustle of the leaves was scarcely out of place, but the noise, rather than marking the passage of a slight breeze, was in fact a reflection of Z's movements as he swung himself expertly from the tree onto the rooftop. A quick glance around to ensure he had yet to be discovered, and Z moved, heading towards the direction where he'd last seen movement.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 1:41 am
He was enjoying the shifting half-warm breeze that usually accompanied a change in the weather when two flickers made themselves known to the corner of Shen's perception. One friendly. The other... He cast his senses out - he had none of his brothers' brawn or his mother's strategem but he made up for it with exquisite instincts - they told him nothing. An unknown. Shen's mind automatically threw that into the box labelled 'intruder,' lifting his chin at the presence he recognised. This was Lao, one of the only sentries who had the peculiarity of being loyal to the Cai family, and no Cai in particular. The rest had soaked up the indifference of his brothers. Shen liked Lao, for obvious reasons; being consulted made him feel... important.
A slight shake of his head suggested Lao stand down, and he did so immediately, vanishing; there had been an incident last month with a thief, and while Shen didn't think such a thing should go unpunished, the mess the guards had made of him hardly seemed justified. Even more recent were the brash dares among the foolhardy SHIBUSEN population to touch the fabled gold koi statue in the garden. The chance of that was nil, considering it didn't exist. Better that Shen confirm an ill motive before Lao alerted his father. Bloodshed would be unavoidable if he did.
The shadow was perhaps too sleek and sure-footed to be a student, using the tallow to mask his movements. Was it a burglar after all? The idea that this might be something more sinister entered his thoughts but did not linger. There were more discreet ways to commit those crimes than trespassing in the dark of night.
Show them nothing, thought Shen grimly, as the figure joined him on the rooftop. Only fools revealed their hand too early, and Shen shifted silently into a crouch, arranging his robes casually to conceal the lay of his feet. When given the choice between attacking and conceding the first move, Shen preferred to lay in wait, observe, lull a little, and then...
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 2:07 am
Z kept senses on full alert as he neared the spot, sensitive ears searching for any hint of movement, any noise out of place. The place was silent, almost strangely so, but Z couldn't quite figure out what exactly it was that was out of place. Moving soundlessly over the tiles, he used what little cover he could find as cover as he edged ever closer to the spot where he was sure he'd find something, if not someone.
Rounding over one raised edge of the large roof, Z dropped himself into a crouch, defensive posture perfect as he snapped his head left and right, noticing the figure almost directly across from him but only allocating it a portion of his attention as he searched the area for any other possible intrusions. Identifying none, his violet gaze ran swiftly back towards the slight figure, taking in the crouch, and the carefully arranged robes that hid the other's true posture. Unable to resist, Z grinned. Whether this was an intruder or a defender for the Cai family no longer mattered, only the fact that there was someone here, ready and facing him with such icy control.
Z relaxed, almost imperceptibly as he cocked his head slightly, the slender side ponytail dropping from behind his shoulder to float gently with the breeze as he did so. His eyes still glittered from the excitement of the events and actions that had brought him here, and he looked rather wild as he crouched down a little lower, one hand resting lightly on the tiles in front of him. "Who are you?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 8:18 pm
Shen's senses prickled; he felt more than saw the other moving over the roof, and his suspicions were confirmed when a dark head emerged from behind the curve, sweeping the area as if Shen were part of the scenery. His eyes and teeth glinted in the half-light of the moon above, the only illumination. A thrill-seeker surely, even if he was an admittedly gifted one, at least judging by the devilish set of his mouth. Young. Still, there was nothing to suggest he wasn't dangerous, apparently unarmed or not.
Shen watched in silence as the man settled deeper into a crouch that mimicked his own, at a distance of a few metres. When the grin turned on him, Shen's muscles tensed but he gave no outward sign, eyes trained on the sinewy frame. The stranger was tall but not bulky, and wearing all black. It didn't inspire much confidence in his already dubious position. Shen took all this in coolly, along with the sharp scrutiny. He knew this was some kind of statement or test, but he could not tell if he'd passed or failed.
"I think," he said levelly, with just a hint of frost, "The question is, who are you? This is private property." Testing the waters, he stood, clothes unfolding with a slide of silk.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:39 pm
Whatever answer it was that he had been expecting, it definitely hadn't been this. An attack, perhaps, or some aggressive verbal response from the other, definitely, but to have his question answered with such calm control intrigued him.
"Mmmm." The sound was neutral as Z restlessly flicked his tongue between his teeth, the only movement he made as he remained in his crouch despite eyeing the other's sudden change in posture with a small hint of wariness. The figure moved in the dark with an easy grace, controlled actions hinting at training and perhaps a deadliness that was belied by his - or was it her? - small stature. The voice had seemed to belong to a male, but the waist-long hair that had revealed itself when the figure stood seemed to belong more to a girl than to a boy.
Realizing he had been silent for a few moments as he studied the figure in front of him, Z shifted slightly, a mere tensing and relaxing of muscles before he smiled, teeth flashing white in the moonlight. "So it is." In sudden realization, facts combined with his intuition to come to one clear conclusion; this figure, standing in front of him in a rustle of silk, was in fact, one of the Cai. Z's head righted itself and his violet eyes held no trace of its earlier mockery as he returned the question with one of his own, not needing, but still wanting confirmation of his realization. "Is it yours?"
Though his gaze never left the other's, Z began to reassess the events that had occurred till now through a different light. Perhaps there had been no intruder before himself, after all. The fact didn't bother him, but it meant that this slight figure before him had been up on the roof for no discernable reason. Rooftops weren't exactly fashionable places to be, these days.
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 5:06 am
Shen's eyes flickered as the intruder made a non-committal noise, falling silent in a slow, ponderous rumination before answering Shen's question with another question of his own. Just who was the one who needed to explain himself here? Calling up his full restraint to hide the wash of feelings - some of them quite irritated - Shen considered the slight change in posture and the dawning light in the other's eyes that suggested he knew full well who Shen was. But he wasn't running away.
That was a point in the stranger's favour; reputation alone could be crippling, and most instigators unintimidated by his size turned tail at the insignia on his clothes, or failing that, his name. This person - long-haired, with a curve to his mouth that imbued his expression with a faintly predatory turn - recognised his family and showed no fear, holding himself too still and assuredly to be a mere ignorant student. Curious now, though still cautious, he took two small steps forward, the speed and long robes giving the brief illusion of floating.
He had the faint intuition that his behavior intrigued the man, whereas his odd appearance hadn't raised any interest. "In my culture, it's only polite to offer a name before requesting information," he rebuked mildly. "I am Shen, of the Cai clan, and this is my father's house. If you have no business here, I suggest you leave. He doesn't take kindly to outsiders."
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 6:09 am
He was right. Brief triumph at his correct assumption flickered through Z's eyes, almost too fast to register before a slight frown of concentration caused his eyes to narrow. Shen Cai... the name was not unfamiliar to him, and he suspected that the figure before him was in actuality a student at SHIBUSEN, for all that they'd never met. Not that it was a surprising state of affairs; Z rarely ever made attempts to get to know the general student populace in SHIBUSEN the way Lucien did, though he had managed to meet and get an idea for quite a few over the past few months due to his increased activity in the school.
Z hadn't moved from his crouching position when the other - Cai Shen, his mind supplied, automatically reverting to the East Asian way of placing surnames before given names - seemingly floated forward, but at the implied threat of danger in the other's tone, he finally changed positions. Keeping himself mostly hidden in the shadows that the gargoyle fixture cast in the pale moonlight in order to prevent causing an alarm from any possible guards there may be on the premises, Z stood to his full height on one swift motion. 'I guess you're right," a mere lift of one shoulder indicated how much he cared, though he continued to speak, "I'm Z. And I was merely curious about who would be on the roof at such an hour."
The threat of having the Cai clan's patriarch after him didn't faze Z in the least, especially as they would have to not only find him, but catch him as well. Strangely, he sensed no true hostility from this particular Cai in front of him, and in fact, had he been pressed to answer, would have guessed that Cai Shen was more warning him than threatening him.
Increasingly fascinated by the situation he found himself to be in, Z smiled fully. "So, tell me. What brings a Cai up here onto the roof at such an hour? Watching for intruders like myself?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 8:46 pm
"Z," Shen acknowledged with a slight incline of his head. A little frisson of foreshadowing ran down his spine as if it was in a hurry to be somewhere else. Kimura, his mind supplied, pieces clicking into place. It wasn't that he kept up with gossip at SHIBUSEN but he was a Cai after all, and he liked to know what he was dealing with at all times. The WEAPON of an infamous rookie pair, fast climbing the ranks – provided that he was who he claimed. "There's a saying Westerners have about curiosity and cats," he said lightly, tone neutral despite the loaded content of his words. "But that doesn't bother you, does it?"
The excuse wasn't unlikely. If Z was as fearless and volatile a tomcat as the rumours would have you believe, it would explain away the power in his shoulders and his presence in what was essentially the Cai stronghold; Shen had yet to see him make a superfluous movement with his body, if not his face. The chimerical quality of his eyes and mouth only emphasised his stillness below the neck. Shen hadn't let his guard drop; had in fact tightened it a fraction when the other stood with an easy grace.
"I'm not in the habit of revealing my business to strangers. Even guests have the courtesy to refrain from interrogating their hosts, and you have not been invited." He paused however, momentarily disarmed by the other's smile, and found himself returning it reflexively with ingrained politeness. "If you really wish to know, I was enjoying the view."
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 2:26 am
The regal tilt of the other's head amused Z, though he hid it well. Briefly, he wondered if this slender white figure before him had heard of his name, but decided it didn't matter. In fact, his reputation at SHIBUSEN would only serve to emphasize his professed reason for being on the rooftop of such a family's residence. "And they say that satisfaction brought it back," Z returned, amusement evident in his voice as he shifted again, arching his back in a a graceful line. "You know, they say cats have nine lives."
His violet gaze rested on the other's face as he tested the waters. "And to meet the Cai who would rest on rooftops to enjoy the view, I would count the cost of one of those lives as well spent." Cai Shen was nothing like what he'd expected from one of the noble clan. Granted, the bearing and the formality was there, as well as the detachment and icyness he'd long ago learned to associate with all highborn, but the typical Cai aggressiveness and general irascibility was missing. Interest piqued, Z could do no other than prolong the conversation.
"Considering that, as you say, I have not been invited, then I wouldn't fall under the category of 'guest' now, would I?" Z grinned, the idea of being invited to such a place offering him much amusement, though with Lucien as a partner, such things were bound to, and had, already occurred. "Besides," Z went on, and stopped.
The mention of the night, and the view from the roof temporarily distracted him from from the thread of conversation. He'd known the night was majestic even from the city rooftops, but from here... The stars seemed to dazzle especially bright, sparkling lights seeming to be close enough to touch through the spots of cloud here and there. "It's amazing out tonight."
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 1:09 am
"So they do," Shen allowed, another smile threatening to overtake the corners of his mouth. "But even those may run out if they're discarded recklessly enough." Whatever differences that existed between himself and his family, there were certain Cai traits he'd not escaped, and a competitive streak was one of them. He relished the idea of a verbal spar – not half because this stranger seemed to be a worthy opponent. The cat analogy was apt; watching the other stretch, it was evident that Z harboured a panther's grace, and likely the claws to match.
The smile unfurled fully as a distracted Z drifted from the conversation to admire the sky. It was a favourite pasttime, and this man didn't seem to be the type for artifice. Maybe, like a feline, it was useless to question his motives too closely. He'd drink your milk when he was in the right mood and knock it over when he wasn't. And climb your roof, apparently.
Below them his relatives were coiffed in their finery and measuring his brothers against the yardstick of their own children. No doubt his esteemed great-aunt was commenting on his absence and his father was tying strings around his shame. The Chinese were great believers in strings (the Chinese were also nonbelievers in happy endings, but Shen stubbornly ignored this fact) and if the fates had brought him Ivan and a fellow stargazer within the span of a fortnight, Shen thought he might relight his incense sticks as many times as the frail cores allowed.
"Yes," he agreed simply. "Perhaps I'm not the best person to extend the invitation, but you're welcome to join me if you ever feel inclined." Strange circumstances aside, he was glad for the company. Something to ward away the loneliness.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 4:07 am
"Recklessly..." Z echoed, flashing a wide grin as pinpoints of wildness danced in his eyes, "What's life without a little danger?" He suspected that the Cai before him rarely ever courted needless risk, and would fail to understand the meaning behind his words, but life was meant to be lived, in Z's opinion. As fully and as crazily as one could, especially since it was at that point, those few seconds when one stood to lose everything, that one achieved clarity and could taste the sweetness of life.
Now that he was no longer concentrating only on the slight figure before him, he could identify other sounds from below - muted strains of music, and the harsh clash of voices that indicated that some form of revelry was occurring within the Cai residence. Face still turned slightly towards the sky, Z slanted a glance over at Shen, reading the situation all too easily as he came to the conclusion that for whatever reason, this particular Cai had no interest in the political games and family posturing that prevailed in the upper classes.
His conclusion was only confirmed at the other's next words. It appeared that he was not the only one out of their unlikely meeting that was curious about the other. "Maybe I will," Z pushed the boundaries of their slight truce by taking a step forward, away from the shadows of the hideous fixture in a deliberate, sinuous movement. Cocking his head to regard Shen with a hint of challenge in his eyes, he then dropped into a cross-legged position facing the seemingly endless night sky. His guard was still there - present in the almost unnoticeable tenseness of his shoulders and the alertness of his gaze - but he was no longer on full alert as he tipped his head back to study the darkness.
Perhaps it was the night, or his surroundings and company, but Z was feeling unusually lyrical tonight. It was a strange mood, and finding himself sharing his enjoyment of the night and the freedom it offered with someone else only compounded that strangeness. "You know," he paused, somewhat surprised at finding in himself a need to speak, "while we're on the topic of proverbs. There's a saying that may be appropriate. 'Aim for the moon...'" Z turned his head to face Shen, once again, testing, "Do you know the rest?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:50 pm
"Maybe," Shen said agreeably, neither conceding nor contradicting. He knew how fragile camaraderie could be, and while a contest with Z would be a constructive – perhaps even thrilling – test of his skills, Shen thought privately that he had more to fear from his father's wrath than the other. The dead stayed dead and felt nothing. The living had the benefit of hurting again and again. His father had taught him everything he knew about inflicting pain, but Shen wasn't foolish enough to suppose that he'd passed on the entirety of his techniques. At any rate, all the knowledge in the world wouldn't save him in the event that he was on the receiving end. So no, Shen didn't see the need to be acting recklessly, not when day-to-day living was fraught with traps. "Heaven forbid you live a long and fruitful one," he deadpanned, but his eyes were laughing.
Somehow he wasn't surprised when Z breached the gap a little more, feeling out all the corners of their ceasefire. Marginally loosening his own guard, Shen closed the remaining distance, sinking to sit beside him. There was still room to maneuver, but the trailing ends of his clothes brushed Z's knee. To sit too far away would perhaps be rude, but Shen was more concerned about sitting too closely. He was intimately familiar with the buffer of awareness that was property of all warriors, and some had hair trigger reactions. He'd seen spectacularly gruesome results. As it was, Shen chose a space that meant he was extending a measure of trust; even with his reflexes he wouldn't escape unscathed if Z decided to a slam a dagger through his back.
"And you may land among the stars?" It wasn't a phrase Shen placed much stock in, too opposite to his teachings: if the aim was the moon, a Cai's only option was to overextend. Shen would wait until his brothers landed, and perhaps a little longer. Stars were nebulous; there was no guarantee you wouldn't fall. He didn't think Z would appreciate this explanation though, so he merely smiled. "If you think about it, all the city lights are like stars, but on the ground. Like the sky is upside down."
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Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:25 am
Z grinned and was silent a moment, as there was a grain of truth in the statement. He was very much aware that his particular lifestyle was not particularly conductive to having an extended existence, but had come to terms with that very early on.
The laughter in the other's eyes was a curious thing to see in a Cai, though it was not entirely surprising given the events that had occurred during their encounter. Unable to resist, he commented in return, "I had thought the probability of my living a long and fruitful life would be the same as the chances of finding a Cai capable of genuine laughter. Maybe there's hope for me afterall." There was a hint of mockery in his words, directed equally between them both for their opposing ways of life. It was Z's way to be brutally honest, saying and mentioning topics that were generally better left unsaid - but it was in his nature to test, and push, to see how far he could go, and this strange meeting was no exception. If it caused him to be tossed from the roofs into the fire, then so be it (at least he would enjoy the chase, and have the knowledge that a laughing Cai was still a stiff one).
Z had expected to have to control his urge to react when the other sat down beside him, close enough to touch, and was vaguely bemused to find no such compulsion. Perhaps his subconscious had read the situation better than he. As it was, the mismatch between his conscious belief and his intuition caused a quiver of muscles that he quickly controlled.
"Something like that. It's apt, even if you consider the city to be the stars. Even if you miss, you'll land amongst brightness and life." He didn't disagree with Shen's observation, seeing the city lights in almost the same way. "The higher you go, the more it appears that way, and the stars in the sky blend into the lights below." The thought brought with it another, and Z shrugged lightly before turning back to face the vast emptiness. "That's in my experience, anyway. Have you seen the lights from the top of the tallest building in the big cities?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:05 am
Shen noted the brief ripple of the other's muscles but made no comment. The barb directed at his family was more difficult to ignore. His mirth faded as he considered Z with a steady, unrelenting gaze. The appropriate action at this point was to challenge him on his statement, but that would be steering the evening in a direction he'd hoped to avoid. The observation on the general character of his clansmen wasn't wholly wrong either. Such disparaging remarks were made all the time, if only when perpetrators thought they were out of earshot. Half irked and half marveling at Z's audacity, Shen folded his hands, deciding there wasn't the need to stir the waters further – precisely because Z seemed to be so intent on doing so. As expected of his unusual WEAPON form, the other was hard to grasp. Held wrongly he would likely cut to the quick.
"You seem to be working hard to diminish your chances." Humour from Shen was rare; delivered with the same expression he habitually wore, it was dry and unexpectedly mean. He tried not to use it often. It wasn't befitting. Still, Z had started it and if Shen had one vice it was this: he liked to win. "Not all of us are as we appear."
He followed Z's gaze and contemplated that they were actually examining a slow reflection of the past. If the moon were to explode, they would have one and a quarter seconds of peace before they found out. In the peculiar, languid atmosphere of night, it was a strangely comforting notion.
"In the cities? No, I'm afraid I've never had the privilege." Shen had been brought up in the Cai household. In Death City, yes, but mostly in the household. It was one of the ironies that Chinese philosophers so adored he supposed. Under the roof he was safe from everybody except his family. On the roof he was safe from everybody except himself. It was part of the reason Shen seldom ventured outside. There, he was safe from no one.
But he had thought about flying. No planes; nothing metal and overbearing, just his arms and his body cutting through the sky at breathlessly fast speeds. He was sure that if Ivan used him properly, it might feel like that. "Is it very beautiful?" A slip of longing entered his voice too quickly for him to catch.
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