Private Tales Unlikely Paths Crossed

[Son Min Kyung]

23rd of Seagrass, Many years ago...

Kyung stood alone in a vast field, to his right a lush forest. Around him flowers bloomed and blossomed, bees buzzed, and birds chirped. The air was coated with a sea of pollen, with busy bees doing their part to bring about the wave of change. It was late spring, the time when plants flourished, heralding the beginning of summer. It was a time of change, of fun and happiness. Yet Kyung stood out,a brooding blue elf within a happy yellow field.

Kyung looked up, towards the sun, whilst it's light coated his body. "Fucking sun...all big and happy.." Kyung muttered to himself, looking back down to the ground, disappointed. The sun looked to happy for his liking...yet so did the ground. Frowning, he kicked the ground in disgust, walking over to the tree line.

Drawing his tantō, he stuck it into a nearby tree, mumbling to himself. He didn't notice the rustling next to him, too focused on his own brooding to pay attention. "Father...I'll show you. I'll fucking show you! I'm the one who deserves it, not that imbecile of a brother!" Kyung shouted to the sky, shaking his fist as he did so.

 

[Sannoru]

Something rustled again in the brush, occasionally thumps against wood as well, that was the prime point to see something blue, leafy and green swoosh between cover and cover. The populace always warned against these people, those demons, the yokai.


The being in the shadows stopped in hiding, fast like a squirrel, nimble like a cat, now observed the boy for a while. It assumed it was well hidden behind cover, gazing at him through gaps between leaves.
»What do you deserve?« It murmured from an unclear direction at the obviously frustrated kid.

 

[Son Min Kyung]

Kyung fell over, startled by the voice talking to him. Crawling backwards, fear gripped the young boys body, his body visibly shuddering. Within this moment, all of his training left him as he began to panic, unsure of what to do. Kyung couldn't tell whether it was just his paranoia or if it was real.

Deciding the voice was real, Kyung steeled himself and got back up. "I shall not be fooled by your trickery!" He hollered, pulling his tantō out of the bark, gripping it with two hands. His grip was shaky, betraying his fear as he looked around, making sure no one else was watching. Then with a fierce battle cry, he charged into the foliage, brandishing his tantō.

 

[Sannoru]

The person in the folliage jumped out and over the kid, landing where they stood before...though they almost hit the tree instead, something the other would likely not see unless they turned in time.
This agility was akin to the people warned about, and the present that stood in that place...was no adult or mighty warrior. No...
A girl of ultramarin skin and brown hair, made into two short, puffy braids, a comon style work fro girls at that time.
She wore a leafy cloak and her clothes were common in design.

»Hmmph, way to greet a stranger« she grunted as she turned to face the other kid.

 

[Son Min Kyung]

"Says the one sneaking up on people." Kyung scoffed, thrusting his tantō into a nearby tree, sitting down against it. "My father's going to kill me once I get home." Kyung sighed, taking off his pollen coated fur boots. They were prized possessions, made from the hide of a bear, they weren't supposed to get this filthy.

"You're on of those Yokai, aren't ya?" Kyung quizzed, furrowing his brow at the girl. He wore a simply made Chokha, white and brown, coated with pollen. He'd been warned about Yokai, about how they were demons and barbarians. From what he saw before him though, it didn't seem that way.

 

[Sannoru]

The lass posed like a brass statue; backbone straight, her body lightly angled and her arms flowing along the body, relaxed or tense? Both.

She nodded at his question, at movement some wispy shadows went off.
»This is Mirror forest, I have been tasked to protect it.«

 

[Son Min Kyung]

Kyung set his boots down beside him and stretched himself against the tree, straightening his back and flexing his muscles. Perhaps he could impress the girl, show off a little. He always hears about how much ladies like it when you do, especially from his parents. Yet, he doubted it would do as advertised.

"So what's so important about this forest anyway? And who are ya protecting it from?" The young boy quizzed, reaching upwards and pulling his tantō out with ease.

 

[Sannoru]

Perhaps if he were 10 years older, that would have worked in making the young lasses squeal and blush.
But you know. Boys are icky.
Sannoru only twitched her eyebrow.


»Order set by lord Illeryu Orew.«

Orew was the lord of the region, his might lay in his swift cavalry weilding razor sharp swords. He as well had a well known appetite for hunting.

 

[Son Min Kyung]

"Orew? One of those horse lords yes?" Kyung asked, leaning forward in interest. Lord Orew was well known back in his hometown of Vrázev. Every young boy inspired to be like Orew one day, or at least join his army. Kyung was obviously no exception.

"Is he recruiting soon?" Kyung asked eagerly, his brow furrowing in interest. Occasionally, the lord would come recruit people to his army, oftentimes choosing recruits himself. Kyung strives to be one of the few chosen for his calvary regiment, the best of the best so to say.

 

[Sannoru]

»... «
She was as still as before, but slid one leg slightly behind. Her robe moving only slightly in the moment.

»I know not of it.«

She admitted, of course, she like many others, at least the young uns are delegated to simple tasks like guarding plots of lands or transporting letters.
When she gazed at him, it was clear to see that he was very eager to be of high stock like the local lord was.
She blinked slowly;
»You can be anything, but choose to be with lord Orew. Are you of his domain? Do you live nearby?«

 

[Son Min Kyung]

"Vrázev, just past this mountain here." Kyung replied, pointing to a nearby mountain to the North. "If I remember correctly, it's right on the edge of Lord Orew's territory." As far as he was aware, Orew was still his lord, so he was perfectly eligible to be recruited.

Looking downwards, Kyung began to feel the blade of his tantō, running his fingers along the edge of it. "Blade's dull..." The young man muttered to himself, tossing the tantō to Sannoru with hesitation. After all, it's trip to the grindstone has been long overdue.

"If Novograth's willing, perhaps Orew'll be recruiting today." Kyung exclaimed, looking back up at the young last. Looking around, one could see that there was no mount nearby and that both his shoes and feet were worn down. Perhaps the young lad traveled here by foot.

 

[Sannoru]

Her hand swiped across and took hold of the blade by the handle. Her arm remained extended like that: she observed it with a brief glance before having it, her arm fall aside her body like that.

»This is useless.«
For being useless, she still kept hold of it.

»What town you hail from.« Sannoru in fact did not come from here, but far off lands.

 

[Son Min Kyung]

"Useless eh? This blade has saved my life, several times in fact." Kyung retorted, his brow furrowing in anger and sincerity. Kyung was indeed prideful, hailing from a culture that taught him that pride was good, even necessary.

"Vrázev, a town of savages and barbarians as some folks put it. Excellent cavalrymen though, especially on the back of a Svijerog. You're elders have probably told ya to not talk to Kazačmryi like myself." Kyung replied in response, stretching as he did so. He wasn't trying to impress Sannoru this time around though, simply preparing to head back home.

"Although, you're not from here, aren't ya Yokai?" Kyung observed, analyzing Sannoru down to the last strand of hair. The boy could be eerily observant when he wanted to, oftentimes correctly guessing where some people are from.

 

[Sannoru]

My this boy, his people and his tonguetwister words, though this one she knew...she though.
»Here, have your bo-da-lo back.« Bodalo, a dagger, right? She tossed the tanto with a low arm swing back.

You know, she woon't even try to pronounce those words. instead she just signaled with her hand the propper characters for 'Kazačmryi' - »I know little about. You are one then? Is Lord Orew one too?«

»Yokai live further north, where it's still warm, before the hindlands behin.«

 

[Son Min Kyung]

Kyung caught his tanto from the Yokai, turning around to look into the woods. Trees weren't exactly plentiful in the mountains, yet they weren't considered sacred either. The young boy simply didn't understand the need to guard a forest if you didn't use it.

"Yes I am. As for Lord Orew, I must say that I don't know. I've only seen him once, when I was much younger, and he didn't seem like one of my kind. Then again, what do I know?" Kyung remarked, turning to carve something into a nearby tree.

Kyung merely nodded as Sannoru told him where the Yokai live, continuing to carve the tree. "My Dedek once told me this old legend." Kyung chirped, glacing over to Sannoru. "He once told me that trees grew from corpses, the roots sprouting from the skull. So if you dug deep enough, then at the base of every tree you'd find a skull, followed by the rest of the corpse. Hell, perhaps one of these trees grew from my Dedek's skull, he was buried here after all."

 

[Sannoru]

»Then what would the chance be...that you are now carving your 'dedek's' tree?« Sanno did not fully comprehend that unique word much, and only played off feeling that it might've been somebody important to him.

 

[Son Min Kyung]

"Perhaps it is, then again, I remember him being buried deeper in these woods." Kyung responded, stepping away from the tree, showing the carving to Sannoru. It was a carving of a snowflake, a rather jagged one though. Regardless, it was quite decent, considering the fact that Kyung didn't know much about the craft.

"I don't recall hearing your name, Yokai. Mine's Son Min Kyung, what's yours?" Kyung asked, turning to face Sannoru.

 

[Sannoru]

»It is unwise to share names,«
the yokai scoffed, turning a little. Though her eyes gazed upon the snowflake mark.
Quite an effort spent for such a mark.

When talking people don't expend such energy to craft. Was he even listening?