Private Tales Flowers are the Stars of the Earth

[Ginrou]

Ginrou nearly crawled out of his own skin when he felt a hand on his arm and heard that soft, sweet voice. Every muscle in his body froze, as his spine straightened and his eyes focused straight ahead. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her hand held out to him, delicate fingers tipped with white. Not quite claws and not quite nails, either.

"Ah, Yon, I didn't see you there." He could feel a flush blooming at the tips of his ears. They weren't supposed to see each other unsupervised like this - especially not when he was all sticky from the heat of the kitchen, and so dressed down. After all, they weren't kids anymore. But he couldn't exactly turn her away either, not after she'd already approached him.

Brown eyes looked down to meet those clear blue ones. He remembered to move, and shifted away from his work to face her. What had she asked him? Right. Something he absolutely couldn't agree to.

"There's no need to exert yourself for such a small hurt." A smile, that's what was needed. Gin softened his expression, corners of his mouth lifting in a practiced movement. He took her hand in his, as if to show her that the burn wasn't that serious. Even though it did sting quite a lot, and he could see the red mark already starting to blister across his knuckles. "You've just started feeling better, right?"

The sound of the crackling oil dulled, the smells shifted ever so, and Gin's attention was drawn back to the dumplings.

"Oh, they're going to burn!" he exclaimed. He pulled away from Yon's touch and gripped the pan in both hands, taking it off the flame. The last of the doughy dumplings sizzled haphazardly. Grabbing a pair of tongs, Gin placed them to cool in the flat woven basket where the rest lay. Dumplings rescued, Gin let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry," he apologized to Yon, glancing at her. A little more comfortable now that he had an excuse to put his hands somewhere else, as he busied himself with the last preparations. "What were you saying before?"

Hiei Hanae

 

[Hiei]

Yon's eyes narrowed, a glint of mischief there in as he stepped away and hid behind propriety.

But she heard the angry hiss of the oil and smelled the subtle change from rich hot spice, to the first signs of bitter carbon.

Her eyes went wide as she watched Ginrou tend to his work, skillful hands grabbing up the wooden tool and pulled the dough wrapped buns of meat out of the sizzling oil. Gingerly laying them to rest in a their cradle. A catlike smile formed across her lips.

"No, you have nothing to apologize for, Rou," she said, and stepped closer to him again, took his large strong hand into hers, her grip gentle and firm. She pulled his hand closer to her, bowed her head, and blew a cold breath across its surface.

A winter wind that cooled the heat of the burn, and turned the flesh back from the angry red, to its spring day fair. She smiled, and held his hand a moment longer. Then let it go.

"I'm flattered you would make khuushuur, Rou," she said softly. "It is your mother's return we celebrate, yet," she turned her head a moment as she let the warmth fill her cheeks. How many times had they shared the fried and flaky goodness together over the years. Beneath the plum trees in bloom, while Genki noodled about, begging for scraps. "No, I presume too much," she said more quietly, and looked to him with her tender gaze.

Her eyes came closed, and her lips curled up into her own half smile. "It just smelled so good, I had to come see if I could sneak a bite,"

Ginrou Hanae ​

 

[Ginrou]

Gin found his head bowing toward the crown of hers, as she pulled him closer once more. With one soothing breath, she drew the heat from his skin and replaced it with a cold that healed. There wasn't a single line of worry on her face as she worked. She smiled at him. Didn't let go right away, even after the sorcery had run its course. Gin's eyes were too preoccupied gazing down at her, to curve up into a return smile.

Would her lips be cold, too?

He blinked the thought away. When she let go of his hand, Gin retracted it. His other thumb smoothed over the place where the burn had been. Gone now. Dry, whole skin left in its place. There was no reason to act like a wounded animal anymore, but he still pouted a bit as she went on. Trying to tease something out of him. A confession?

She looked almost innocent there, standing with her eyes closed, complimenting his cooking. Gin knew better. A little laugh escaped him. Not exactly kind, but the smirk he wore was something more earnest.

"Is that all?" he asked. Plucking one of the nicer looking kuurshuur from the basket, Ginrou pressed both thumbs into the doughy middle of it. With a crisp sound, it split in two. The waft of steam spread the rich smell around. Red meat seasoned with the red spices of the Mountain folk.

He kept one half to himself, reached a hand out and held the other half under Yon's nose. "Take a bite, then."

Hiei Hanae

 

[Hiei]

He gave a little laugh. A mean little thing that had her eyes peek open. Saw the way his lips crooked. So sure of himself. Shining as he was from all of his work.

A cool misty breath escaped her lips. A thin layer of rime frosted the pink petals of her mouth, and she quickly drew them in with short surprised breath, her eyes wide as she watched him rip the doughy morsel apart and offer her half.

Whatever cold she had felt melted away. Her face warmed by the heady scent of spices and peppers, and dribbling fat. Her eyes were wide, and she could feel her mouth water. She blinked. Huffed, and smiled as she turned away, feigning upset as she pout and crossed her arms.

"Really, Rou?" she played with her hair about her ears. "We aren't children anymore," she stone voiced. Her eyes flicked back, gleamed, her long tooth poked over the plump of her bottom lip.

She snatched up the flakey food item, quick as a snake grabbing a rabbit that might run away. Her alight with excitement as as he passed the food stuff between her hands and blew on the meaty, juicy, overflowing stuffs that threatned to dribble over the sides.

Lips pouty, she blew on it with short little puffs, and promptly took a big bight out of it. She made a sound of sheer joy. Tears in her eyes. "It's hot," she squeaked, still chewed, and took another bight. "Show gewd," she said through full cheeks.

Ginrou Hanae ​

 

[Ginrou]

She was so fast, inhumanly so. One moment he was holding the dumpling half, and the next there was naught but grease and dough flakes left on his fingers. It shouldn't of surprised him anymore, but it always did.

Gin nursed his own half, chewing through it slowly. The rich, fried food was good for life on windy bluffs. It staved off the cold, and sustained the hard work that marked mountain life. But for a prince of Sonshan, it was a bit heavy for the midday meal. It seemed perfect for Yon, though. She ate with big bites, devouring the morsel after just a few cheekfuls.

Maybe this was a good time to ask her something. They wouldn't have many other moments alone like this, and she seemed to be in a good mood.

"Yon, there's something that's been troubling me lately." Gin leaned back against the kitchen counter. He held the half dumpling in his hand as it let off more steam. A line of pepper-stained oil dribbled down his wrist. He wasn't being very careful. "What do you want to do? In the future, I mean. If I'm going to support you, I'd like to know."

Hiei Hanae

 

[Hiei]

She was still licking her fingers when Rou got all, well, Rou about things. She wiped the warm grease that coated her lips and the corner of her mouth on the back of her hand. And smiled, knowing and sharp as she looked at her betrothed.

"If," she started, and took a step toward him, her thin ox-like tail swished behind her, the wispy hairs at its end whishing like the strands of a fine feathered fan. Her long claw-like fingers traced his arm, scratched at the well made linen of his simple attire, and rasped across the hills and valleys of his form before they hitched away.

The tips of her fingers tickled and tingly, warm from the dumpling he had made for her as she clutched them into a a tight fist. The pad of her thumb tracing the feeling, as if the little friction there against her skin would keep it longer. "You support me, Rou, then you'll come to find out,"

She stopped at the archway that marked the entrance to the elaborate kitchen. Turned toward Rou, and smiled her half smile, her eyes closed again. "Thank you for indulging me, Ginrou," she said fondly, and bowed her head to him. "I am glad I got to see you like this," she rose, and turned to leave.

Ginrou Hanae

 

[Ginrou]

Yon took a step towards him, and he didn't lean into it this time. Hands clutching at the wood, knuckles pale, Gin stood trapped against the edge of the counter. Yon had given him an answer he'd expected, so why was his heart beating so fast?

"I understand." Ginrou swallowed. He watched the movement of her hands with hard eyes. He showed his teeth, but not in a smile. "You can do whatever you like, can't you, Yon?"

After she left, he stood alone in the empty kitchen. Ginrou let out a sigh, but not in relief. He placed the half dumpling still clutched in his hand down somewhere - anywhere, he'd lost his appetite and didn't care to recover it.

Back scraping against the edge of the counter, Gin sank to the floor. Wrapped his arms around the place where she'd touched him. Stared at nothing for a little while.

Once his chest stopped pounding, he pushed himself up. Eyes fell to the basketful of kuurshuur dumplings. There was so many still leftover.

"Now, what am I going to do with all of these?"

Hiei Hanae

 

[Hanae]

Hanae smiled at the bundles of pink carnations, neatly tied in green ribbon. Of course, amongst them were the half-dozen yellow peonies. They were starkly bright against the soft pink, and altogether, the flowers looked as if they made another flower entirely. The young woman looked towards Hiei, her business partner.

He had been a rather good sport, even when Hanae had gently taken the scissors from him and told him to just watch her as she proceeded to cut the rest of the stems.

“Have you been to Gold District before?” Hanae asked, taking hold of the box and the Morikami family seal and managing to hold a good portion of the order.

At the ends of the green stems, Hanae had shown Hiei a bit of genius in oiling a sack so that water wouldn’t drip through it and could keep the flowers from wilting too quickly.

“I know the way.” She added, trying to grab hold of the black box tied with silver ribbon. She struggled, but somehow managed to hold it with it pressed hard against her chest. “Won’t be hard to find the Morikami estate, I think.”

Hiei Ginrou

 

[Hiei]

There were so many little tricks he had never really thought of. How even the angle of the cut on the stem could make a difference in how long the flowers would stay fresh. Or the trick with the oiled canvas.

"I have," he admitted. Often enough in fact. But he wouldn't share that bit of information, even if she pressed. Instead, he watched her gather up all the things on her own as he finished bundling he last few bouquets how she had taught him.

He had only really started to feel good about the last few, and felt a bit of the calm magic that came with a new craft in the last one but now, he only saw her. Her arms shaking with the strain of the burden, before she pressed it against herself.

Hiei cleared his throat, and finished the last bouquet. Bundled it with the others she had left behind, and carefully carried them, how he had first seen her carry the proud golden thousand-petal crown Peonies. Like a parent might a child.

He calmly strode over to her, long legs closing the distance quick, bent down and craned up most of the bouquets she wrestled with. "I'm bigger," he said. His voice light, and easy. Halfway between tease and earnest fact. "Only stands to reason I hold more," she was left with a couple bouquets, and the proud black box with its fine silver ribbon, as well as the seal.

"Did you eat anything, by the way?" he asked, concern in his voice. "It's a long walk,"

Hanae Ginrou

 

[Hanae]

Hanae looked up at Hiei, at first opening her mouth to object before closing it. He had a point. He was taller, and that meant he had longer legs and longer arms. Her dark eyes looked at his large hands, and strangely enough, she thought back to the way he had wrung out the rag over the pail before cleaning up the blood on her nose. Large hands that could be gentle, even if…

“I’ll eat tonight.” Hanae answered, making sure to hurry out of the gate of her home. “Don’t have time now. We need to get these flowers there before they wilt!” It had been a part of her master plan all along to skip eating, still very much excited for the fact that she had received such luck.

For every step that Hiei had to take, Hanae took two, but that was alright. She was the one setting the brisk pace, and her eagerness wasn’t about to wane anytime soon.

“Gold District is one of the prettier places,” Hanae said after a moment, when she was sure that speaking wasn’t going to cause her to pant. “Sort of like, well, it’s not that I don’t like the Blue or Red Districts, but Gold is just more elevated.” Alright, so maybe walking at this pace and talking was going to make her pant after all. “Whew. And we’re not even a quarter of the way there!” They weren’t even one-tenth of the way there, having only just started.

“You know, my hands get rather clammy when I’m excited,” she admitted, “you don’t think the sweat will soak into this box, do you?”

Hiei Ginrou

 

[Hiei]

"No," Hiei said simply, walking beside her, and doing his best not to move too far ahead. There would be many hills left to climb, and she didn't seem to be holding up to well. "It felt like a sturdy enough box," he said, shifting the massive order of flowers they had put into a wide basket pack.

"We might want to invest in a rikshaw," he added, as a puller rolled on by. The light wooden wheels clacking against the brick road. "Could even put a little canopy over it to shield the flowers from the sun," he went on thinking. "Keep them from wilting so soon," was a little lighter than her cart, he imagined. The thing was small and sturdy, but it would have been hard to pull up these hills. More trouble than the pack, at least.

A daydream lived out in his head. Hustling up the side of the road behind the wooden bar of the pull cart. Stopping by the house to pick up another order. Hanae neath the shade of her mandarin tree. The silvery blooms sparkling across the sea of green leaves and budding growths of citrus that waved gently just above her. As if to bid him welcome. He blinked. Huffed as they made their way up another rise.

"You know, I can carry the box, if you want," he added. "If you feel nervous about it," he smiled, a small thing, as his eyes looked off into the distance. "You seem to have a lot on your mind, anyhow," he nod. "Makes sense, first big order, potential new client," his tone fell back to his colder calculated manner. "First impressions matter," who exactly that was for, even he would be hard pressed to answer.

Hanae Ginrou

 

[Hanae]

Hanae nodded along to Hiei’s words. A rickshaw would be a smart idea, especially if she was going to keep getting these large orders. A good investment. But was now too early to count her chickens before they hatched? She had small savings, or else she wouldn’t have considered the loan from Hiei in the first place.

“I’ll have to pay you first before I can consider such a thing.” Hanae said, no bitterness in her voice. It was just fact and good money management. Although she supposed good money management would entail not taking a loan from Hiei in the first place.

“I’ll carry the box,” She cast him a playful look. “You just want to know what’s inside.” And thus they continued on.

---

If Hanae had felt nervous before, she most definitely felt nervous now. She looked up at the grand gate of the Morikami household with a moment of anxious awe. There was a grandness to it that one didn’t see elsewhere. A subtle harmony between the ornate intricacies and genuine simplicity was wound into every aspect of this gate.

Slowly, Hanae pulled out the wood block of the Morikami seal, looking down at it and then glancing at Hiei, before she went over to the gate-keeper who was regarding the two of them with cold eyes.

“Excuse me,” Hanae said, holding out the seal, “but I have a floral delivery for the Morikami household.” The gatekeeper snatched the seal from Hanae, carefully inspecting it.

“Names?”

“Hanae and Hiei, from Pocketful of Petals.” The gatekeeper scrutinized Hanae’s face, as if they stared hard enough then they could decipher the truth. Perhaps they were doing so, but Hanae almost felt slight irritation. She wasn’t even lying! The gatekeeper looked back down at the seal, and wiped it clean from whatever sort of commoner-grease could be on it.

“You may enter in a moment.” The gatekeeper gestured to a male teenager to come towards them. “Inform the Mistress, if she’s busy with her swordplay don’t bother her like last time. Just go straight to Master Ginrou.” The teenager nodded his head and then hurried off into the estate.

“Don’t gaggle around.” The gatekeeper snapped. “If Lady Morkami catches sight of you, then I promise!” She jabbed a finger at Hanae. “You’ll never show your face here again.”

Hiei Ginrou

 

[Ginrou]

Ginrou had been left more or less to his own devices for the rest of the afternoon. Despite the general bustle of the household, no one seemed to need him. So he had washed off the grime of the morning, and eaten, and was now sitting in the shade of his room, the door open. A book was spread out on the low table in front of him, though he was getting through it slowly.

Footsteps outside broke Gin's attention. He looked up to see Jia Xin, one of the younger attendants, approaching him. The teenage letai stopped at the threshold of the entryway, head bowed respectfully. "Master Ginrou," he said. "There's someone at the gate for you."

"Did you get their names?"

"Erm, umm, no, I'm sorry..." The young man froze, eyes darting to and fro as he tried to pull up some kind of useful information. "They were carrying a lot of flowers?"

A soft smile painted Ginrou's face at the news. So the flower sellers had made it before sunset. At least something was going right, today. Setting his book down, Ginrou rose to his feet. Ducking through the doorway, he stopped on the pathway next to Jia Xin.

"You want to become a scribe, right?" Gently, he placed a hand atop the younger man's head. Jia Xin flinched, and his ears flattened, but he was trained well enough to keep his posture straight. "Next time, remember to note their names and purpose. If the gatekeeper forgets to ask, don't be afraid to ask yourself."

Cat eyes widened, and Jia Xin nodded hurriedly. "Yes thank you, Master Ginrou." The kid seemed to realize that he'd gotten off easy, in the younger brother's presence.

Gin lifted his hand and went down the garden path, towards the main gate.

---

At the gate, Gin saw the two flowersellers, and that over-zealous guardswoman keeping them from passing through. He was surprised to see that they didn't have a cart or any extra hands between them. Their whole operation really did just seem to be the two of them. Perhaps Gin should have gone to one of the more established flower shops for such a large order. But, no, those peonies had been something extraordinary - and here the two florists were, a dozen bouquets in hand.

"Hello, Hanae and Hiei, wasn't it?" Ginrou greeted the two of them. "I hope you haven't been waiting long."

The next step would have been to wave them through the gate and welcome them in. But, well. The gatekeeper was still standing there, in everyone's way. Menacingly. Gin tilted his head and looked at her expectantly. She cleared her throat.

"Master Ginrou, I can get someone to take the flowers, there's no need for them to enter."

The smile on Ginrou's face widened, his eyes squinting up pleasantly. "Thank you, Suyuna. But I've got it from here. Please step aside so I can show my guests in."

The gatekeeper scowled, but kept her mouth shut. She stamped her spear on the ground once, and stepped backwards with a salute.

Hiei Hanae

 

[Hanae]

Hanae felt relief when Ginrou appeared. The gatekeeper was scarier than Hiei, somehow her scowl was far worse than his. She had stood nervously beside her business partner, unable to speak in fear that she would be shushed like a naughty child.

Hanae bowed her head at Ginrou’s arrival, and when they walked through the gate, Hanae saw the gatekeeper make the gesture that clearly said she’d be watching the two of them. A chill went down Hanae’s spine.

“We weren’t waiting long at all,” Hanae said, feeling the icy glare of the gatekeeper fresh on the back of her head. “And we won’t take up more of your time than is necessary!” She added quickly. “We can leave the flowers with you and leave right away, I wouldn’t want to burden the Lady of the house.”

Hanae looked back at Hiei, searching eyes.

She wasn’t good at small-talk. But… wasn’t Hiei worse at small-talk than she was? He’d be of no help to her.

“I also, well, I think you dropped something on your shopping trip. I have it. And. Something extra?”

Ginrou Hiei

 

[Hiei]

Hanae's eyes looked to him, he bowed his head and opened his mouth to speak,

"Most-"

I also, well, I think...

Hiei was struck. But, had the grace to hold his bow, and go on in silence. Words shared earlier, reminders of his position, played through his mind. Loan broker. Without rights. Not a true business partner.

The full weight of the bouquets strained against his shoulders. His back wet with sweat where the burden had rested. Still, he bowed on. His muscles no strangers to the strain of performance.

He was no guest here. But a servant, to a guest.

Ginrou Hanae

 

[Ginrou]

The flower seller seemed startled by something. She rambled on about leaving the bouquets quickly and not being a burden. Ginrou listened politely as he took them down the garden path, even though he was confused by her comment.

"Hm, did the gatekeeper tell you that?" That was odd. It was Suyuna's job to bark at outsiders, but she hadn't seemed all that bothered when he'd told her earlier in the day that the two merchants were coming. "Lady Morikami enjoys the arts. I don't think my mother would turn such a talented florist as yourself away."

Come to think of it, back at the flower stand, his sister had given them the same dirty look as the gatekeeper had...

No, just the man. Ginrou stopped in front of an open pavilion room. He turned to look at Hiei and Hanae, and especially at Hiei. It was hard to see his face, he had the same bow to his head as before. But he didn't look suspicious, only tired. And like he needed something to drink. Seems the man did a lot more for the florist than just the math. So what was Gin missing?

The thought didn't have time to percolate in his mind, as the little flower seller kept talking. Ginrou heard what she'd said, about him dropping something. But he only smiled at her, genteel and a bit dumb.

"Please, before we get to business," he started. Slipping out of his cloth shoes, he stepped into the room, expecting the two of them to do the same. "You can set your things down in here and rest for a moment. It's a long walk from the Blue District, isn't it?"

The room was meant for visiting emissaries from other lands. It had a raised table in the center with long, leggy chairs tucked in around it. There was a flowery sofa and matching chairs in one corner, and a stocky writing desk of Allirian make in the other. This particular branch of the guest houses didn't see much use, so it was a good place to go when he didn't want to be bothered.

Hiei Hanae

 

[Hanae]

Hanae nodded her head, shoulders tense.

“Thank you.”

Was this the proper way of doing business? She made sure to remove her shoes, stepping into the room after Ginrou, glancing back at Hiei to make sure he was going to follow.

Hanae was quite intrigued by the table and went there first, after a moment of looking around the room, to set down the flowers in her arms, as well as the black box. She stepped aside, arranging her flowers so Hiei had plenty of room for his.

“Set them down so the petals don’t bunch up, like this,” Hanae explained softly, showing Hiei at least twice before her dark eyes went to Ginrou.

“It is a long walk,” Hanae agreed but shrugged with a smile on her face. Now with all the flowers out on the table, Ginrou would most likely see the half-dozen yellow peonies, but she made to gesture to it yet. “I’ve never had the longest legs but I’ve always walked pretty fast. Hiei was able to keep up just fine, though!” A slight jest. Hanae had huffed and puffed more than Hiei had most likely, but she was also the one who had decided on the pace.

She looked past Ginrou at the desk. How intriguing, the inside of this home. The furniture was unlike anything her family would have used. Then again, they had all been rather staunch traditionalists. Even with the idea of magic, rejecting the “new” magic that was bragged about in Elbion or Vel Anir. The old ways were best.

Hanae’s hands fiddled with the skirts of her dress.

Hiei Ginrou

 

[Hiei]

Hiei bowed in gratitude to the man's generosity. Ginrou, he remembered. Youngest son of the Morikami estate. He was just a child then, wasn't he? Same age as the young attendant who had brought them here, most like.

"I'll wait outside, thank you," he said, in a hushed tone. The sort men of his position knew how to send. Just loud enough for the right person to hear. Face angled so only so much of the sound carried so far in such an open room.

A polite refusal to a polite offer. Street level politics.

He did take his shoes off though, even followed them in to set the precious cargo down by the desk. Gently, with care. They had worked so hard putting them together. No sense in letting it go to waste now do to a bit of carelessness. A bit of distraction.

The sale would lead to more business. More business would lead to him getting his coins back all the faster.

He caught Ginrou's eye as Hanae ventured around. "Excuse me, Master Morikami," he said with graceful bow, and stepped back out to the porch. Back to the cool breeze, and the shade of the awning. His long steps hardly made a sound, bare feet gently slapping against the polished wood of the floor.

Outside, he sat at the edge of the raised wooden porch. Allowed himself a small act of rebellion and impropriety by hugging his knees up against his chest and keeping his feet flat against the floor. His chin rested against his knees as he sulked some.

This was the same little guest house he and Hinoka had performed in. He remembered the desk. The odd furniture. How she had sat at the floor while the matron and her guests gathered around him, hungry eyed and smiling as Hinoka strummed her haunting melody. Her voice carried so well in such intimate spaces.

He shook his head, and buried his eyes against his legs. Now wasn't the time for that.

Ginrou Hanae

 

[Ginrou]

Ginrou watched with shaded eyes as the man excused himself. It wasn't improper, in fact just the opposite. But he couldn't shake that suspicion that his sister had infected him with.

No, it was probably nothing. His attention turned back to the flower seller, who was wandering around the room. A soft laugh escaped him at her joke, and moreso at the intrigue in her dark eyes. "Sorry for the odd decor," he apologized. "The other rooms of the house are all occupied, right now. The chairs aren't so bad, once you get used to them, though."

In a sweeping gesture, he grabbed a chair and dragged it out from under the table. It made a funny scraping noise across the floor. "In Allir, the men pull a chair out for the women, like this." Then, one hand still on the back of the chair, he turned to Hanae. The other hand folded across his midsection, Gin gave a deep bow to her. "Have a seat, my lady."

Hanae Hiei

 

[Hanae]

Hanae looked back at Hiei, at first confused then worried. When they had arrived to the gate, he had grown increasingly more solemn. While she understood Hiei was far more quiet than she was, and she could be comfortable in his silence, it was unusual that he had spoken so little, wasn’t it?

Had she said something wrong? Maybe with her earlier chitchat? Or maybe he realized that she was going to give the yellow peonies for free? That must be it. He was upset with her and probably wanted her to charge for those as well. But she was already making so much money today! And a free gift could be a good way to get the Morikami’s coming back to them instead of—

“Oh?” Hanae looked at Ginrou, tilting her head like a bird. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she came around the table, resisting the urge to touch the wood, and with a sheepish smile sat down on the wooden chair. Her feet could touch the floor, but her legs felt so strange with how they seemed to naturally spread apart. How immodest! Quickly, she slammed her thighs tightly together, crossing her ankles as well to hide the fact that her attire, in this position, would show off her ankles like she was a courtesan.

“Thank you? This is new to me.” Hanae decided to say, if only because she wasn’t sure if she should say anything in particular to this unusual gesture. Then looked up at Ginrou. “Have you been to Allir?”

---

Outside the Morikami home the sounds of dogs could be heard. Yips and yaps that were broken up by a huff of exertion and the sound of something heavy being dropped onto the floor. One of the dogs barked excitedly to only be shushed in loud exasperation.

“You can get your treats if you keep that hag of a gatekeeper off my ass.” The voice belonged to a man. The dogs continued to bark, even after his bribe for they were dogs and he was a man.

Not even a few seconds later and the man would hoist himself up and over the high wall with ease, not even slipping off from the smooth tiles that decorated the top of the wall. With a grunt, he would land onto the other side, finally inside the Morikami grounds. He looked around, cursing under his breath as his dogs kept barking.

It was only then that he even noticed Hiei crumpling himself up into a miserable state. The man’s eyes narrowed, a hand quickly going to the hilt of the sword on his hip. Dressed fiercely in a black robe with vivid swirls of orange and yellow patterned throughout, his bare chest would have shown from the loosely tied robe but was covered by a series of bandages.

“You!” He shouted to Hiei, not realizing others were close by. “Another suitor for my lifelong rival, aren’t you?!” As if Hiei couldn’t realize that the brown haired man was addressing him, Ryosuke pointed a tanned finger at him. “If you want to see Matsuri, you’ll have to go through me first!”

Hiei Ginrou

 

[Hiei]

Hiei's eyes came up at he sound of a bark. Found a doggish man stand before him, broad chested and wrapped in a fighter's fashion. Hiei glared at him, cold and disdainful.

"Don't think so highly of yourself, dog," he hissed, his hands balled into fists at his side.

Hiei was in no mood to deal with some up jumped fool's antics.

It did not help that the strange light of twilight made it difficult to discern the finery of his robes. Or the noble colors they bore. "Skulking around the shadows. Like some criminal," he smirked at that. If the man wanted to throw down, Hiei was more than keen to it. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he growled through a weird grin.

Ginrou Hiei

 

[Ginrou]

Actually, what had he been thinking? A blush creeped up Ginrou's neck as the consequences of his actions played out. Hanae had to pass very close in front of him to get into the chair. And then she smiled so sweetly as she looked away. Of course, Ginrou was a gentleman, so he wouldn't peer down as the flower seller sat and shifted her weight around. Even if it would be easy to do so from his vantage point...

Much less smoothly than before, Gin left her side and went to the other end of the table. Didn't sit down himself, since that was suddenly feeling like an improper thing to do. He was grateful for the question when it came.

"I've never been outside of Sonshan," Gin admitted. He'd actually only recently started venturing outside of the Gold District to other places around the city. He smiled, awkward, feeling like he'd been caught in a lie. "I read that bit in a book..."

Someone shouting right outside had the smile fall off Gin's face. It was replaced by a quizzical look. Not exactly alarmed, more annoyed than anything. "Sorry, I should go attend to that."

Gin headed to the open doorway and peered out to see what the commotion was about, though he already had a good guess. Lo and behold, he found that wild dog of a man standing in the garden, pointing some kind of accusation at the flower seller's assistant. With a cold glare, Gin noticed that Ryo had trampled some of the crocuses blooming at the edge of the path with all his stomping around.

"Ryosuke," Gin said from the doorway. He crossed his arms, unimpressed at the half-dressed man's display. "If my sister wanted to see you, she would go find you. So why are you jumping our wall in the middle of the evening?"

Gin didn't say it very loud. He wasn't one to shout. It was possible that Ryo wouldn't hear him at all, in the worked up state that the man was in.

Hiei Hanae

 

[Hanae]

Hanae smiled at Ginrou, listening intently until… oh goodness, what was with all that yelling? Hanae made to get up, then stopped, nodded her head diligently at Ginrou and then waited. For around ten seconds. Curiosity got the best of her and she stood up from her seat, peering off to the side of Ginrou.

She could see an improperly dressed man, pointing a finger— oh no, was that Hiei’s voice? What on Arethil was going on?

---

“Dog?!” Ryosuke shouted, beginning to stomp over the flowers to get to Hiei, but paused once he saw Ginrou appear. He looked from Ginrou to the sulky miserable man in blue with a crazy grin and then back at Ginrou. He pointed his finger at Ginrou.

“Negative! Matsuri looks forward to our training sessions and tonight,” Ryosuke finally brought his finger down, making a fist and slamming his chest hard. “And tonight? I’m gonna win!” Looking as smug as one could be, with his dogs yapping loudly in the background, as if they were the sole reason why Ryo had to yell and shout as much as he did, the man proceeded to step towards Hiei.

“After I get a warm up in with this asshole that is trying to take Matsuri away from me! Not until I beat her can some skinny man try and marry her!” His hand lashed out, aiming to grab Hiei’s robe and pull him close.

Hiei Ginrou

 

[Hiei]

Hiei shot up bolt straight, hands clenched at his sides. One hand whipped out, and a finger pointed out accusingly at the loud man. "What?!" Hiei shouted.

The dogs barked, and reminded him of the insult he spat earlier. He growled, let his hand come back down, and shut his eyes as his brow twitched and his lips curled.

"What kind of stupid nonsense are you going on about," he hissed. "I am hear, delivering flowers, you imbecile" his voice cut. He huffed, his hands still clenched and ready. He took in a long breath, and let it out easy. Hands relaxed. His eyes fixed on the doggish man.

He let the man grab his robe. Chests bumped as neither gave ground.

The cold glint in his eyes, the smirk on his lips and the punk-proud crane of his neck said all he wouldn't. Bring it on, dickbag.



Ginrou Hanae

 

[Ginrou]

Ginrou flinched when the reckless man pointed a finger at him. In the past, he had been a target of both Matsuri's and Ryo's "warm ups". Their combined barrage had made him resilient in some ways, but in most other ways it had just made Gin a bit sheepish. Part of him was happy not to be on the receiving end this time.

He ought to call for someone and put an end to this nonsense. But.... come to think of it, this was the most Hiei had spoken since stepping through the gate. Ryosuke had a way of prying information out of people. Maybe he could learn something more about the flower seller's assistant, if this brutish display was allowed to go on a moment longer.

Keeping quiet for now, Gin only squished himself further against one side of the entryway so that the little flower seller would not have to lean around him to see as she came forward.