prismatica | video

Entry tags:

video

[Good morning, Lunatia. The video starts with a view of hooves, a too close view of a face... and then finally... a centaur? Who keeps looking off screen while she talks and never seems to actually focus on the lens correctly.]

Hello? Can everyone see me? Connor, am I doing this right? Okay? ... Okay.

[She clears her throat and dips into a bow, the camera bobbing along with her.]

Hello! This is Konoha... some of you maybe think my name is Shizu, but- It's Konoha! I'm from Echigo province, in Japan, if you know it... and I'll be in your care.

If you don't know me, which, I figure is most of you, this city must be even bigger than the capital I'm the... well in my world we say jinba but I'm the "centaur". I haven't seen anyone else like me so I think I can say "the"...

Anyway... what I wanted to ask was... if anyone had an recommendations for... shops? I've never really shopped before, and I haven't seen any locals quite like me, so if you know somewhere that does... I don't know, tailoring? Or a restaurant with really big seats or tall tables? Anything like that!

I'd appreciate it, so... thank you very much!

[Another bow, another bob of the camera... and a blurry flash of android helping her turn the dang thing off. Thanks, Connor.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Hn.

He looks between the three bolts of colors, and wonders how much chroma that he actually has. There is really no way to know, hm?

Sesshomaru pauses to glance at his own robes, a brief look at the pattern on it, even though he is well aware of what it is. Hm. ]

That last one will do. [ It would be troubling if it turns out that he cannot buy all three for her. So, he will go with the last one. The color and those shapes look like they would be fine. ]

Let's go. [ He is at least nice enough to put back the one that he took out to take the one she chose. The next time I come back here... purple and pinks, perhaps. He thinks those colors would look nice, but those are more for winter than summer.

Yes, he's thinking that far ahead. ]

[What a strong decision-making power he has! There were so many options she's sure if she was shopping for herself she'd probably be in here for ages, a bit overwhelmed by all the choices.

But that settles it easily, and Konoha claps her hands together, nodding in approval as she prepares for the next step.]

Okay, then! Next step is using the metal box, so first get this out...

[She pulls her own device out from her harness pouch in demonstration, tapping on the hard screen.]

[ He watches what she does -- and attempts to not sigh. These people are truly lucky. It is a snide thought that he has before he takes out the device to tap it against the hard screen.

What an odd way for money to work. Somehow, to him, it feels more like it is just making a show than actually doing anything. But whatever, the bolt has been bought and he looks it over carefully once more. ]

Right.

[ Once more, he ignores the shopkeeper (one wonders if he'll be allowed back, but then again, he does pay so maybe??) so that he can hold the item that he just bought out for her. ]

Make a good kimono out of it. [ A pause. Right, he should be a little more clear. ] For yourself. [ A beat. ] You said you needed something like this, right?

[It's a simple process- So simple she hadn't even really believed in it at first, that all you had to do was press the money "app" on the screen and then touch it to a block at the register until it made a tiny sound. But at least that makes it easier to teach!

Covering up quite naturally for Sesshomaru's reticence, Konoha handles the small talk with the shopkeeper, bows their way out...

Only to be confronted with the bolt of silk.]

Eh- ?

[She genuinely looks surprised, blinking in shock and feeling... pretty simple all of a sudden.]

Weren't we shopping for you?

I don't recall saying that we were.

[ He blinks back at her, slowly. ]

I merely said I would learn how money would work here.

[ Perhaps, if she were shorter than him, he would have patted her head. It is that sort of feeling that grips him, but since she is taller and he would have to do it later. ]

This should help you out some, yes? [ And also, have fun with that Aerith person. Mmn, he thinks of saying that aloud, but decides against it in the end. Why does she need to hear that from him? She doesn't. ]

Oh...

[Now that he mentions it... He hadn’t said that, and she’d just assumed. Blushing slightly from embarrassment over how silly she must have looked, misunderstanding this while time, she thinks about trying to refuse such a nice gift... but that would be to refuse his kindness, and she’d hate to do that.

Instead, she reaches out to accept the bolt of silk, far nicer than anything she would have chosen for herself normally, clutching it to her chest and dipping into a small bow.]

Thank you very much! I’ll treasure it!

Mmn.

[ He gives a small nod in return to her bow and words. ]

This place is also tolerable. It is good to know it is here.

[ His way of saying that he's grateful that she showed him where to go, and how to buy things. Money is very confusing. Why are people concerned about it? Why can't things be settled through bartering (or recognizing one is superior to the other)?

Ah, well. ]

And you will soon have other places to be, don't you?

I think so, too. They even have food here that's kind of like home's.

[Shen Qingqiu had called it "dim sum", but a lot of it had been pretty familiar... and even the strange ones were still mostly the ingredients she was used to, which was nice.

At least she's used to human money, though she let her boss handle the matter of her wages and pay her instead in rice for her family.

The question of other places, though, seems to confuse her, and she stands there holding the bolt of fabric with a curious cock of her head. Did he mean... she might have other plans after this, or?]

- Will I?

Is it?

[ Who's to say? He certainly wouldn't know.

Sesshomaru makes a very soft thoughtful sound as she tilts her head. He looks up at her, looking at her expression and face properly, before he turns his gaze away. ]

Yes. Clothing shopping with that person, right? [ A beat. ] Will you need chroma for it?

Yeah- It's really delicious, too.

[Before he turns away she just keeps looking somewhat innocently confused, trying to decipher out what he means. Clothing shopping... with that person...

Oh! Right! Other people could see all the conversations on the network "posts".]

With Aerith?

[Thinking she might have solved it, Konoha smiles to herself proudly, a bit touched that he didn't want to keep her from other plans.]

That's not until tomorrow, don't worry!

[As for chroma, though... She does have enough... But... he'd just used so much on her, and generating it gave chroma to both people... and the more he had the less likely he'd be to threaten shopkeepers............... so...]

I guess I am running a little low, but...

We'll eat here, then, sometime.

[ Because Konoha should not have to make every single meal. It would be good to treat her to these sort of things and places -- since she feels at ease here. ]

Mn.

[ He responds to her question with the half-sound. His eyes widen a little at hearing that it isn't until tomorrow, and he barely gives a small nod. ]

Hm. [ Reaching out, he takes her free hand to hold. There. ] You're probably hungry. Let's find a place to eat. [ Then, you also don't have to eat alone for a meal today. So, eating there sometime comes to eating there now. ]

[Her small smile at "sometime" because a bit larger when he takes her hand, and even larger with "now". Jeez, holding hands wasn't supposed to feel this nice... moonlacing was so strange.]

I'm almost always hungry, haha...

[Those two stomachs were to blame, it's not her fault!

Squeezing the bolt of fabric to her chest protectively, she points back down the street they came with both of their hands.]

There's a good place to the right at the end of the other street a man called Shen Qingqiu showed me! They have a courtyard with low tables that makes it easier to eat at... and maybe it won't be too crowded right now?

I see.

[ That is something that he is keeping in mind -- that she is always hungry. It seems more than gifts of cloth that he should bring food. ]

Shen Qingqiu, huh. [ Sesshomaru looks up at her briefly. ] I have met him, as well. He is not awful for a human. [ Look at this praise. ] If it is crowded, I shall just --

[ He halts in what he is going to say, and decides to not finish the sentence at all, before he starts to walk towards where she just pointed. ]

Oh, you have? He's a scholar, he said, and so smart- He taught me a lot about this area, and how to get settled and use the trains without being confusing.

[Definitely one of the people who has helped her a lot since coming here, and from a world... well, not Japan, but close enough that he knew how to explain technology to her in ways that made better sense.

Holding his hand gently and leaning down slightly so he doesn't have to hold his arm at a strange angle as they walk, she follows eagerly... and just as eagerly fills in the blank at the end of his sentence.]

-- get the food "to go" and take it somewhere else to eat!

[There's literally so many options, Sesshomaru!!!]

Did he?

[ It seems like he owes more to Shen Qingqiu for being kind to Konoha. Something to keep in the back of his mind, at least.

As she finishes his sentence, he turns his head away. There is a sigh that is building up in his chest and threatens to come out. However, he keeps it from doing so. Somehow. Perhaps, because he would never want Konoha to feel like her suggestions to him were being dismissed or considered annoyances.

No, that is the reason why. ]

Mmn. We'll do that, if it must come to it.

Yeah. He could probably teach you those sorts of things, too, if you need them.

[Konoha's hooves make soft little clopping noises on the Caihong district stone streets as she walks along behind him, looking down at their hands while he turns away- She doesn't push, but. She does tighten her fingers on his, though. They look really different... his skin is so pale and pretty looking to her, and her hands are the dark brown close to her equine coat color, rough and scarred here and there from hard labor... also hmm, he has really sharp nails, and hers are clipped short...

Still.]

It's really pretty in the courtyard, though, so hopefully they'll have space.

[Thankfully, when the dim sum teahouse comes into view... they are in a little bit of a downtime, half between lunch and dinner, so it doesn't seem to have as many guests as usual.]

No, that's fine.

[ It is not so much that he doesn't want to learn, but it feels not right to bother that person with his own small troubles.

In holding her hand, he notes the differences in the roughness. Hers from having to partake in hard labor and his own from wielding a blade. And isn't that fine? He will use what he has learned and know to protect her and what happiness she can have here. ]

Mn.

[ It is his favorite sound (no). However, it does seem like they have a bit of downtime and able to have them eat at the teahouse proper. Sesshomaru does let go of her hand as soon as they enter. There is a second when it seems like he will ignore the people that are running the restaurant, but that would mean Konoha would have to bow twice for her and him. ]

The courtyard, if it is available. [ He refrains from glaring and instead tips his head slightly. Rin did not ever care how he treated others (save that he just doesn't attempt to kill or harm those she likes), and accepted that he would be dismissive of them, but since such things seem to upset Konoha, he adjusts a little for her. ]

[Well, maybe it was fine, but. As far as Konoha is concerned, now he at least knows Shen Qingqiu is that sort of person, who could be asked. If he... ever did feel like it!

And look! He talked to a shopkeeper!

Konoha smiles a bit proudly behind him and mouths "thank you" at the waiter who bows and then leads them to the courtyard, offering them their selection of table, with only a few other customers scattered here and there, dining on small, steaming dishes in bamboo baskets and sipping on fragrant tea. It's nice and quiet in this area, the sound of wind chimes and a bubbling water feature nearby adding to the atmosphere.

Definitely a place Shen Qingqiu would recommend.]

How about that one?

[There's a table in the far corner, a bit away from the rest, with a low table and plush cushions to sit upon.]

[ Something like this makes her this happy?

Even if he isn't looking at her, he can feel her beaming brightly. It really does feel like the sun is behind him with how happiness seems to radiate off of her. His head is held high as he follows after the waiter -- his eyes remain fixed in front of him rather than looking around.

His pointed ear wiggles slightly at the sounds. They're really familiar. ]

Fine.

[ Sesshomaru has a tone almost comes off as uncaring. In a way, that's true. If it makes Konoha happy, he sees no reason to think more on it. He takes his seat first, as any lord would, and brushes himself off as he tips his head up to look somehow even more regal. ]

Order whatever. I don't care. [ A cold response and he waits for that business to get over. He waits until the two of them are alone before he finally speaks again: ] Are you feeling that you are settling in well?

[In the end, Konoha was a simple woman. She liked working hard, a full belly, and a safe and happy family. She could be made happy with something even as small as someone she'd hoped would come to be able to interact with this place better showing that perhaps they would.

She carefully lets go of his hand, preferring to use both to help herself down to the floor, lumbering carefully to her knees and then onto her side, arranging a few cushions to stuff here and there to support herself comfortably by the low table before reaching for the menu. There were so many dishes, but they were all only small portions with just two to four pieces, so...]

One of everything please! And a nice tea.

[Okay, so she doesn't know enough about tea to order a specific one, but. A nice one!

Once the waiter is off to prepare the order, she takes his hand again. Chroma and all that!!]

I think so... It's getting easier to sleep in the strange houses, at any rate. What about you?

[ Chroma and all that!!

He rests his hand on top of their lightly clasped ones. It is good to hear that it's getting easier for her to sleep in the apartments. Her voice is still light and doesn't sound too burdened. No one's bullied her yet, then. Good. His gold eyes pause to look to the hilts of his swords still resting at his side.

However, at the question of how he is doing, Sesshomaru would rather continue to live in the open area rather than live in an apartment. It takes him a second to realize that it would make it difficult for Konoha to visit him.

His eyebrows come together as he thinks that he could always visit her, but her feelings are generous and she wouldn't want to be a burden. Hn. ]

No other problems, then? [ He decides to shelf his thoughts of moving into an apartment for a few more seconds, as he decides to make sure he is right that she is not suffering any other issues. ]

[Definitely just for chroma. It's not like she enjoys affection of this sort or anything, or how warm and comforting it felt. As much as she enjoyed meeting new people, as many friends as she'd managed to make... There were still times she needed a little reminder not to get lonely or homesick for her own world- for the man she'd loved that she hadn't managed to admit her feelings to, for her parents, for her boss...

Absently, her thumb moves softly back and forth along the side of his palm.]

No other problems. Not with people anyway.

[It's almost... weird, in a way, not to be discriminated against at least in some ways... But she doesn't quite know how to express that. She does, however, know a dodge when she sees one.]

Are you mostly keeping to yourself?

[ Then, it is only difficulties with clothing and the like. He believes these will be easy fixes for her. If they can be acquired, she won't be troubled. Why does it feel like this is a hollow answer, though?

Sesshomaru only keeps his hands where they are at first. His eyes close before he lifts his fingers to lightly pat the top of her hand. Once, twice. ]

I am. [ Interacting with people has never been something that he does. (Only when he becomes plot-relevant!) It may be even more obvious due to how he is not very sociable, or seemingly friendly. He thinks briefly about Kagura -- but he does not want to get in her way of freedom and living. She should find her own way without feeling as though he's holding her back from whatever that may be. ]

There is no reason for me to get too close to anyone here. [ He would say that even if he was back home. ]

[Konoha finds it very ironic that he can say that right now, sitting next to her and patting her hand like he is, the bolt of silk fabric carefully stored behind her so as not to get ruined by any of the food that arrives. But she doesn't say that, instead just nodding along.

So he is...]

Was it the same in your world? I guess you were really busy with your duties...

[Since his father had passed, she just assumed that made him Lord of the West, which sounded like it would make him needed all over the place...]

That's right.

[ He can, at least, answer the first question that he did not attempt to get close to too many people back in his own world. Just Jaken, A-Un, Rin, Kohaku... he frowns just a little before deciding to clear a matter up. ]

Duties? [ Sesshomaru can guess what she means but starts out with a question, at first. ] My father did not name me to be his successor. [ A beat. It doesn't hurt as much because he believes his father wanted him to surpass him instead. ] He had grander wishes for me, yet the person that is to inherit everything is ... not yet capable to handle anything.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject