It was biting into her shoulders, the straps near dragging from the weight that she'd packed so tightly onto her back. The sweat was trickling down the back of her neck, the back of her shirt was soaked dark with it, the front as well. Dust and dirt filtered down to her face and she shook her head, huffing her breath up with lower lip stuck out in attempt to keep it out of her eyes. Her fingers were stiff, fingertips grasping the edge of a rock as her arm reached across the cliff face trying to find purchase with another pencil-thin ledge that was close enough to reach. If she could reach that, then her foot might be able to find a similar spot and she move that few feet to where she could make it down a little further. The ground wasn't that far away, not that far. Only a mere eighty, ninety feet maybe. Too far to slide, too far to fall.
Besides, that would be a very bad example for her son to follow, wouldn't it?
Muscles strained over the unyielding rock face, a little more, just a little more! Birds chattered in the background, the sound of the river crashing over boulders a welcome lull, and the breeze that came through in attempt to cool her body.
A little bit more, just... argh! An itch! An itch right between her shoulder blades! Kacee growled lowly, trying to ignore it. It persisted, that annoying little distraction that buzzed the back of her brain, teasing her with the sensation. The birds were louder now, chirping up a storm. Blinking rapidly to get the sweat out of her eyes, Kacee pulled her outstretched arm back to the tiny ledge she was dangling by and rolled her shoulders, one after the other in vain attempt to get at it. But. It. Wasn't. Working!
One more time, let's do this and get out of here, the blond thought to herself, breathing in and out of clenched teeth as she stared at wall of red stone, close enough to kiss.
Once more easing out her hand, bracing herself with her other limbs against the minuscule rock ledges, once more Kacee reached for that far off tip of jutting stone, just wide enough for the last joints of her fingers to hold. Her cheek was to the wall, her body pressed to the stone as Kacee squinted her eyes, easing her upper body to the side further and further to grab that one tiny ledge of rock.
Got it! Now for her feet.
Slowly, carefully she made her way down the last eighty plus feet of the sheer cliff, down to the green grass and tall trees, and near-deserted dirt road below. The chirping got louder, the closer to ground she got, and as she jumped that last seven feet down to the grass, the chirping finally began to dissolve into the excited yelling of her son.
"I beat you down, I beat you!" He was yelling as she dropped to her knees, shrugging off her pack onto the ground in effort to get to that damned, still present itch.
"You did, huh?" She shot a glare at the younger man, crowing up a storm as he leaned on the car door. "Great. You cheated and took the path down too. Now come here winner and scratch my back for me." Her frown deepened "That spot, right in the middle of my back. You know I can't reach there."
Ahhhhh, that felt so good! "Keep scratching! Little to the left, ok, down to the yea, right there!" Happiness rumbling low in her chest, Kacee pulled her hair to the front and began to unbraid her long length of blonde hair that had gotten wind blown and tangled in the climb. Casting an eye to the sky, and the position of the sun, she slowly turned to her child, a smile on her face. "I think we have time for one more swim before we have to head out. What do you say?"
"Objection over-ruled. We won't be late. There's still plenty of time to take a swim, then grab a bite to eat before I have to have you back at your fathers. Come on, you want to be stuck in the truck with me smelling like this all the way home?" That brought a grin and a nod, and both mother and son began shedding their clothes for their swimsuits underneath.
Later, much cleaner and in the last of her dry clothes (kept conveniently in the back seat for just this occasion) Kacee maneuvered the small jeep around streets of one of the many outlying LA neighborhoods. Pausing at a red light, she smiled over at her son, fast asleep in the seat beside her. He did good this weekend, in spite of the rainstorm they had Friday night. And in spite of the fact that she refused to let him bring a tent, instead making him find downed branches and having him help her build a lean-to type shelter. In the rain. She did however let him have a sleeping bag while she slept on a bed of pine boughs with a blanket. He was young, she thought to herself, turning her eyes back to the road. There was time for that lesson later. Time for a lot of lessons later, whether he grow up as kin or something more.
Ah, just the place! Pulling into the parking lot, she shut off the motor and pushed at the younger boy's shoulder once, twice. "Come on, wake up. I'm huuungry!" Taking a sniff, she grinned, showing barely a tooth. He smelled good, of pine needles and clean water, with the faintest undertone of wood smoke in his hair just as she did. After all, she couldn't make him eat the fish he'd caught raw, could she?
Not yet at least. But, speaking of raw fish! Mouth watering, Kacee climbed out of the battered old green jeep, shutting the door as she stared at the sign. Suchi and Sashimi, yum! Mother and son had that in common, along with their hair color, and their curious, adventuresome natures. Perhaps she didn't like fish as much as her cousins, the River Keepers, still she did grow up on a fishing vessel.
Rubbing his hair affectionately, Kacee led her cub into the restaurant. They would be a little late, of course they would. Still, there was plenty of time; Plenty! To get a good dinner before bringing the boy back to his father.
Tags: higashikuni sakamae, kacee hedinn Current Location: California Current Mood: hungry Current Music: What, you think the radio in this jeep works? Um, no. 11CommentReplyEdit TagsAdd to MemoriesShareTrack ThisFlag
jyu_ho jyu_ho jyu_ho Sat, Oct. 10th, 2009 04:08 am (UTC) As convenient as shopping malls were, they were awfully...impersonal. One could walk in, pick out an outfit from any number of identical items and walk out again without ever making eye-contact with another person. Sakamae didn't particularly think of herself as a snob (she'd had a lot of fun assembling a whole new wardrobe from scratch!) but she liked the one-on-one face time that small boutiques afforded. Not to mention that such places usually delivered her orders, and here she was hauling a mass of shopping bags out of the back of her taxi.
"Mooouu," she scowled, hooking the garment bag containing her three new suitdresses over her shoulder. She just wanted to get to her room, take a shower and go over Anuvu's fiscal reports from the last quarter. It would take at least an hour to decide what sort of an image to put on tomorrow; she hated being the face. If only Gatou-sama had let her go along as a secretary or assistant, put one of the kataribe in charge as a mouth. But no, he'd insisted she learn to ask the probing questions, to gather data actively rather than passively. As honored as she was by his trust, she couldn't shake the deep-seated fear that she was undeserving of it.
"That's enough of that," she muttered to herself. The cabbie hadn't been able to get her to her hotel, something about a light being down and traffic backing up. So she had to walk a few blocks, all her purchase slung along her arms. They weren't the lightest load, either.
Sakamae rounded a corner and stopped, sniffing delicately at the air. Was that...did she smell...pickled ginger? Her stomach gurgled hungrily to life at the stimulus, reminding her that it had been almost twelve hours since she'd had a real meal. She picked up the pace and followed the astringent scent to the door of a small sushi and sashimi restaurant. A quick peek through the window showed the chef hard at work behind the counter, rolling the gunkanmaki. And was that inarizushi she smelled? Her mouth began to water as she shouldered the door open. With any luck she'd get a good bite to eat and charm someone into helping her carry her bags back to the hotel.
"Ohayo gozaimasu!" she called to the chef and the young woman behind the register. They replied in kind, confirming her thought that this was probably an immigrant-run business. The inarizushi smelled too good to be a cheap knockoff. The restaurant itself was a long, narrow affair, with tables lining the one wall not occupied by the chef's work station. Stools stood at attention before the counter, separated from the sides of fish by a sneeze-guard.
"[Is it your birthday?]" the girl inquired, nodding towards all the bags. Sakamae laughed sheepishly and shrugged the garment bag into a more comfortable position.
"[No, I'm afraid I lost my luggage on the flight from Kyoto]." she admitted, "[This is all on JAL! Is there somewhere I can put it while I have a go at your menu? I'm starving and I've saved a lot of money today!]"
The girl laughed and gestured for her to come around the counter. Her poor, detonated clothing had cost far more in Japan than equivalent items did in America. So she'd cheated a little bit...the only one hurt by this was Japan Airlines, and they were obviously staffed by morons.
With her things safely tucked away, Sakamae took a menu and her laptop to a nearby table. No sooner had she sat down and opened the laminated card than something else tickled her nose...something other than fried tofu. She glanced up from the lines of English-over-Katakana, past the other occupied tables. There, at the back of the restaurant; a towering blonde, so enormous Sakamae didn't know how she'd missed her when she'd walked in! The two women happened to be seated so that they faced one another, though the woman was focused on the child across from her. The Kitsune stared for a moment, hardly able to believe what Blood Scent was telling her.
ReplyThread Track This apathsolitaire apathsolitaire Kacee G. Sat, Oct. 10th, 2009 05:48 am (UTC) She was showing him again how to use chopsticks, or was he showing her? Grinning, they leaned close to each other, trying in vain to pick up that one sticky white piece of rice that would prove their mastery over the other person. sitting back, victorious, Kacee raised the single white grain up in the air, when Brandons' chopsticks suddenly clashed with hers and the piece of rice fell back into her plate.
"Cheater" She muttered good-naturedly, leaning back in her chair and stretching her head to one side, and then the other. Ahh, that felt good. Eyes half closed she lolled there, parental pride evident on her face and satisfaction evident in her bearing.
And that's when she caught sight of the petite Asian woman sitting not far away. An eyebrow raised up slightly, and she sniffed the air, turning her head a few inches back and forth, while keeping the Asian lady in her sight.
Her bearing changed then. Rolling her shoulders, the woman sat up slowly, her eyes flickering from the stranger to the child in front of her. Back and forth as the thoughts went through her mind. Leaning forward so that her mouth was hidden by the top of the child' head, she whispered something to him, something that made the younger man stiffen and almost twist his head and shoulders around to look before a harsh word from his mother stopped him.
Slowly, stately, Kacee stood up. And up, and up. Looking around at the other diners, the chef and young lady behind the register, she saw them for what they were, and then dismissed them from her mind.
Eyes upon Sakamae, the woman took a few shuffling steps to the left, and another to the right, before stepping forward and placing her hands together at chest height and bowing her head. It was not low, and it was not for long, but but it was obvious - if one were truly looking. Which most people did not care to, it seemed. This was California, after all, people did strange things all the time.
Raising up again, with shoulders back and eyes bright and focussed, Kacee continued down the aisle until she was standing at the side of Sakamae's table.
"I see that you sit alone, and you are not from around here." Oh wasn't that an understatement!
"It would be our pleasure for..." here was the hesitation, protective urges and hospitality urges colliding "For my son and I to have you as our guest, should you choose to accept. Would you do me the honor of joining us?"
ReplyThread Parent Track This jyu_ho jyu_ho jyu_ho Sat, Oct. 10th, 2009 06:52 am (UTC) Sakamae's heart froze in her chest when their eyes met. The woman's face was chiseled and weatherbeaten, intimidating even with laughter fading from it. She hastily looked back down to her menu, uncertain if she'd given some heinous offense by staring.
As a shinju, she had always prided herself on knowing the proper response to any situation regarding other shen. But...the Gurahl were so few and so reclusive that no one had ever instructed her on how best to greet one, let alone gauge their responses! Many hengeyokai believed the Great Bears were either extinct or in permanent hibernation, gone back to Gaia's bones. Kinkaku-ji had hosted a Gurahl in the past, so Sakamae knew those rumors to be false, but she had not been allowed the opportunity to speak with him. A curious thrill worked its way through her as she realized that another such opportunity was right here, walking towards her. Wasn't she shinju? Hadn't Gotou-sama chosen her to come to this place and build bridges with the Sunset People?
Well, then obey your Mandate and do as you were told! she thought as she lifted her chin to look up at the woman, who stood and performed a strange shifting of her weight. Ah, yes! This she remembered from her chats with Locke-san, that bears had dances for almost everything. Was this a greeting, then? She had no sooner recalled this than the Gurahl pressed her palms together and inclined her head.
Sakamae's heart suffered a second shock at that moment. This woman, rarest of the rare and second only to the Zhong-Lung themselves in wisdom, had just bowed to her. Her, a Kitsune of only middle-rank! She searched for the innate superiority of her kind and found that it had been utterly shattered by the Gurahl's gesture. She was still floundering for a properly humble response when the woman reached her table.
Yue-sama, Sakamae thought as she craned her head back to look way, way up at the blonde's face, She is SO tall. Was that not a little excessive of you? Couldn't you have given us a few extra inches? Is that so much to ask?
"I see that you sit alone, and you are not from around here. It would be our pleasure for...For my son and I to have you as our guest, should you choose to accept. Would you do me the honor of joining us?"
Decades of etiquette drills opened Sakamae's mouth and replied for her, before she could begin to wrap her mind around the concept of being invited to share a meal. She did dart a quick look at the boy, who was trying to watch without actually turning about in his chair. A son. She judged him to be too young to determine his true nature, and was further gratified at the invitation. Homids were so vulnerable; she should know, Kitsune constitution wasn't much better than a human's.
"It would be my very great honor," She ducked her head so low that her ears were level with her collarbone and her hair fell across her face in a russet screen. "And I thank you for your greeting. You are supremely thoughtful."
She stood then and looked to the register girl, who wore a puzzled frown. Sakamae flashed her a wide, easy grin and held up three fingers. "San nigirizushi, onegaishimasu!" The girl seemed reassured by her normal behavior, perhaps assuming them to be passing acquaintances. For her part, Sakamae followed the Gurahl back to the table, where she paused to bow briefly to the boy.
"Hello," she said, "My name is Sakamae Higashikui. Thank you for allowing me to share your table."
ReplyThread Parent Track This apathsolitaire apathsolitaire Kacee G. Sun, Oct. 11th, 2009 12:58 am (UTC) Whatever was one of the younger cousins doing alone so far from the Middle Kingdom and the Emerald Court? She was here and alone, that much was certain. Kacee had never known, nor met any who had traveled to those far off realms, and only rumors persisted of both the courts and their inhabitants.
Therefore she knew of no rite, no dance of greeting; yet still the occasion called out for such a thing. So after giving forethought to the situation, she set out and carefully crafted the steps, combining certain Gurahl movements of greeting and welcome, with the correct stance of non-hostility toward a younger cousin, and ended it with the Middle Kingdom gesture of respect.
Kacee didn't know Japanese, she barely pronounced the names of some of the foods she and Brandon were eating; still, it was good and filling, and now they could share their meal with another as well.
As for Brandon, he was squirming in his seat by the time they got back, his blue eyes alight with intelligence and over-brimming with curiosity. He stuck out his hand in a thoroughly Western gesture of welcome. "Hi! I'm Brandon. Brandon Walker. Are you a friend of mom's? Because she said" A low growl from his mother's direction stopped the boy in mid-sentence, and he looked up to lock gazes with his mother. Kacee cut her eyes to the chair at the table in front of their petite visitor. And in a flash Brandon was jumping out of his chair and scraping the chair legs of her chair back, trying to pull it away from the table so that Sakamae could sit.
"I am Kacee Catch-The-Wind-Running, known among folk here and around as Kacee Hedinn, and I am pleased to meet you, Sakamae Higashikui." His mother stated, turning her head from her son to fasten her eyes once more on the Kitsune. "It is so rare that we ever get to meet or even see our younger Western Cousins that I felt the occasion called for celebration." In fact there were two of them, it could very well nearly be a fest.
"And please, as our guest, it would please me greatly to be allowed to buy your lunch and -." Her son broke in then, his voice higher pitched, not yet having dropped by puberty. "Yea. We'll buy you lunch, won't we mom?"
"Of course Brandon."
A rough and calloused hand came up from her side of the table, swatted the boy lightly in the back of the head and then proceeded, over his muffled complaints, to ruffle his hair. "Please excuse my son" She said slowly, conversationally, over his attempts to duck and dislodge her hand from the top of his head.
"He is young and likes to interrupt his mother. I am certain however, that this will change as he grows older, right Brandon?" The boy in question had finally given up trying to dodge her hand and was now sitting there with a hand-hat atop his head and a look on his face. Removing her hand, Kacee reached for her clear cold glass of water.
"Have you been here long?" She asked, setting the goblet back down after taking a sip. "Because if you have not, perhaps I could suggest to you certain places and items of interest, if you have the time."
ReplyThread Parent Track This jyu_ho jyu_ho jyu_ho Sun, Oct. 11th, 2009 05:01 am (UTC) There were many modes of greeting among the Courts, and a wise shen was careful to observe any that might be suggested. Sakamae shook Brandon's hand gravely before he got up to draw her chair back. Polite as the prompted gesture was, she immediately wondered what his mother had not wished him to repeat.
Her nose told her that Brandon was definitely not Gurahl, not yet. But Hedinn-san spoke freely of their kinship in front of him, so perhaps he'd been informed of the possibility. These things were unnecessary for the Kitsune, who knew what a child would be based off the ease of its birth. But she knew that the Kahn typically fostered their children until they came into their power, and the Nezumi were mostly born of rats and raised in communal swarms. She had never in her life heard tell of the bears' preferred method.
"Truthfully, Hedinn-sama, I know of only one other Healer having ever encountered us, and he had come East," she grinned at that, mischievous humor lighting her eyes behind her usual Court-mask. "It's only proper that one of us should come West. Yin and Yang."
She covered her mouth as Brandon flailed under his mother's immobile grip. It was not necessary that they buy her meal, but it would be exceptionally rude to refuse. Laughing aloud, she patted Brandon's elbow and said, "Thank you for your most gentlemanly offer. I see you've already had rice...may I suggest a dish or two that you might like?" Menus in places like this could be obtuse to a non-Japanese speaker. The owners might not be able to translate it well.
"I only arrived this afternoon," she replied, "And I've had some poor luck with my luggage. I'm not certain how long my business will keep me here, but I'd love to see more of Los Angeles. I've never been to a Western City, before...it's much different."
She was primarily interested in the parks, the monuments, the bastions of the Emerald Mother amidst the Weaver's works. Kinkaku-ji would like to know how well the corporations they petitioned cared for their own backyards.
ReplyThread Parent Track This apathsolitaire apathsolitaire Kacee G. Wed, Oct. 21st, 2009 08:25 am (UTC) "Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated." Kacee didn't really know what the words meant, she could sound them out, but as to translation? No. And her ears could have perked as she heard the Kitsune's words. A Gurahl, gone to the East? Now that would make a great story!
"If you arrived just this day, then it is our good fortune to have met you when we did. We will of course help you to find your luggage." Airlines, they were always losing baggage! Well, Kacee could get her settled, and help her as much as possible before bringing Brandon home.
“We are on our way to the Airforce Base in El Segundo, only a few miles away. His father lives there. I myself live to the North.” Several hundred miles to the north in fact; but that was not a question asked yet, or one to be answered. “If it would please you, I would see our Eastern Cousin safe and settled before I return. I can remain for another day, two at the most; and then I shall not bed own this way for some time.”
At that moment, Brandon chose to wriggle in his chair, giving a momentary glare at his mother before focusing on his dinner. The topic of conversation was perhaps not the best, and Kacee strove to change it before the boy once more made his thoughts or feelings known in front of their guest.
“Have you decided yet what you would like to eat?” With a look under his eyebrows at his mother and a brighter-eyed one at their guest; the boy blew the blond streaked hair out of his eyes and pointed to one dish, and then another; attempting to sound them out the way their guest had said them.
ReplyThread Parent Track This jyu_ho jyu_ho jyu_ho Sat, Oct. 31st, 2009 07:19 am (UTC) "I'm afraid my baggage is not so much misplaced as...in pieces. They mistook my laptop batteries for a bomb." Sakamae risked a sidelong glance at the boy, thinking the story might amuse him. No matter the race, young males liked a good explosion. "So they blew it up."
She waved a hand back towards the counter, "I was just on my way back from replacing it. I would be most honored by your escort, and perhaps I can offer you the use of my hotel's shower before you go on your way. Have you recently returned from camping?" Her self-mocking grin turned a little mischievous, not quite teasing. Though it didn't suit her current image to look it, she knew the sensation of dried river mud behind her ears and under her nails, of leaves in her hair and pinetar in her fur. It would not be fun to sit in a car with grit itching away where only soap could remove it.
Sakamae leaned over Brandon's shoulder, surveying his choices. "Both very tasty! If you're feeling adventurous, I'd recommend the uni, sea urchin." She smirked at him, daring him to refuse. "Myself, I'll have the tuna nigirizushi." She prefered nigirizushi, where the fish was strapped to a hand-formed cake of rice with a strip of nori, to the popular Western rolls. Makizushi was neater to eat, but all that extra nori stuck to the roof of her mouth.
ReplyThread Parent Track This apathsolitaire apathsolitaire Kacee G. Mon, Nov. 2nd, 2009 08:21 am (UTC) "It did? Really?" Brandon was all wide blue eyes under shaggy blond hair as he studied her, listening to her story. "Just a computer battery? Wow!"
For her part, Kacee sat back, relaxing in the atmosphere and listening to the conversation. This was so much more relaxing than her constant arguments with Brandon at times like this, arguments because her young pre-teen seemed to think her life was so much more exciting, and that he would rather live with her than his father and his father's new - that is - newest girlfriend. He just didn't seem to understand and no lecture, no conversation could get it through to him that he would be better off here, with his father than with her.
And he was safer here, in LA, on a military base than becoming a latch key kid and more, with her solitary roaming nature taking her away from her place for days, sometimes weeks. That was exactly the thought that would haunt her in weeks to come.
To his credit though, her cub didn't just jump on the suggestion of a real shower; he looked to her first. It showed both wisdom and a kind of restraint, very much appreciated by his mother. She nodded once, and took the small teacup in her large fingers, attempting to sip the hot tea quietly. Sugar was alright in tea, but what she really wanted was honey. And of course they didn't have honey here.
"We were, how did you know?" Kacee kept quiet as Brandon spoke to their guest. It gave her time to listen and think.
Brandon launched into their week long adventure; the fishing and tracking of wild animals, the swimming in the small river the sleeping without a tent, how his mother was teaching him to keep bugs away using natural stuff you could find in the woods and keep food cold and safe from animals and make his own fires. And about how his mom slept on a bed made of pine needles and how she could climb up and down the rocks on the side of mountains using just her hands and feet, just like Spider Man almost!"
"And yea, a shower would be great, thank you!" Anything to keep from having to get back when they were supposed to.
"That is a generous offer. One I would be glad to accept, and with thanks." Said the woman watching the exchange between the two of them, her smile kind, her eyes considerably warmer.
ReplyThread Parent Track This jyu_ho jyu_ho jyu_ho Tue, Nov. 3rd, 2009 05:05 am (UTC) "Oh yes, so remember that the next time you fly. Their motto is 'Better Safe than Sorry!'" Sakamae shook her head and snapped a set of disposable chopsticks into component parts. She rubbed the cheap bamboo sticks together, smoothing off the splintered fragments so that she could eat without jabbing the inside of her cheek.
"Hmm," she tapped one against her chin thoughtfully, "I suppose it's because you smell like creek-water. City-water has been processed and cleaned, usually with chlorine. But you smell like wet leaves and rock-moss." A safe answer; if he knew what his mother was, he'd likely accept it. If he didn't, it was plausible enough that a human might be able to tell these things.
She'd always enjoyed the company of children. They said anything that came to their minds and were so transparent in their attempts to manipulate adults. Except in rare cases, such "manipulation" was benignly meant, to acquire a new toy or get out of some trouble. Just being around them helped her center, refocus, remember herself in the midst of the minds she inspected and assessed day in and day out. But there were no children at Court; she was the last shinju born to Kinkaku-ji, and most shen did not experience their First Change until twelve, thirteen at the youngest. Listening to Brandon chatter on about starting a fire and sleeping out in the open as if no one had ever done those things brought a wide, genuine smile to her face. Her shoulders lowered as tension eased from them, knots smoothing out along her neck and spine.
Their food arrived as he spoke, along with extra plates in case they decided to share. Sakamae was quick to divvy up the nigirizushi between them, always pleased to share her culture. And what bear wouldn't like a healthy cut of tuna? It looked to be stomach meat, the reddest, finest-grain of the fish. She'd have to thank the shopkeeper on her way out.
"Here, now," she told the boy as she lifted a piece to her palm, "You have to eat it all in one bite, or you'll have a mess." With that, she crammed the whole piece into her mouth, a more-than-generous amount that made her left cheek bulge like a chipmunk's. Western etiquette dictated small bites, and Japanese manners mirrored this with certain dishes. Shushi was not one of them.
ReplyThread Parent Track This apathsolitaire apathsolitaire Kacee G. Tue, Nov. 3rd, 2009 12:09 pm (UTC) "Do I really?" He tried sniffing at his arm, but the smell of soy sauce and fresh fish was too strong for his young nose, and he simply couldn't tell. His mother could however, and could tell the smell of pine needles, and smoke, and a myriad of other things that could sense to any other changing breed that they were not of the city.
Both mother and son were happy to follow suit, and soon bulging cheeks and wide smiles replaced words as they chewed their way through the rice and strip of seaweed as well as the tender tuna slices. The talk grew lighter, Brandon attempting to use the chopstick as she had, and telling her about the fish they caught, and how to tell both the type of fish as well as if it were healthy to eat. He seemed to take great pleasure in his descriptions, and had to be reminded once, and then gently again not to talk with his mouth full.
After the waitress had replaced their empty teapot with a full, fresh one, the younger man leaned closer to Sakamae and asked in a loud whisper "How do you say thank you?"
Kacee could have stayed and eaten for much longer, but out of deference to their Emerald Court guest, and because the hour was getting later, she refused any extras, choosing to simply chew on the shushi that the Kitsune offered, and declining any extras so that her cub could try more, could eat more.
"Are you almost ready Brandon? I'm going to have to call your father soon, and let him know where we are."
"Will I get to see you again? Mom has to go back to work up north, but if you're here for a little while I can show you the library after Mom leaves, or some of the local sights if you want? If" Hesitation showed through as he fumbled.
"If you aren't too busy. I'd understand though." Kacee looked from the child to the pattern on her teacup. So easy for him to accept and forgive. He did it so often. At least he didn't finish the sentence with 'Adults normally are.' That might have struck a nerve. Fortunately for her, he was content to simply say his piece and move on.
ReplyThread Parent Track This jyu_ho jyu_ho jyu_ho Wed, Nov. 4th, 2009 04:53 am (UTC) "'Arigatou gozaimasu,'" she murmured back to Brandon, watching the waitress turn away to hide a smile. "At least, for formal things like meals. If you're casually saying 'thanks,' then just 'arigatou' is fine."
She repeated it for him once or twice, gently correcting his pronunciation as he tried it himself. She was very pleased that he'd even thought to ask. He certainly was a credit to his parents. Even more pleasantly surprising was his invitation to show her around. Sakamae got the impression that it was as much to break out of what he saw as his "mundane" life with his father, but it was still quite thoughtful.
"I have meetings the rest of this week," she said, "But I'm free this weekend as far as I know. Should we say...Sunday afternoon?" She snuck a glance at his mother, hoping that, by allowing him to ask at all, she approved of the idea.
Sightseeing aside, she would genuinely enjoy spending time with him after days spent mewed up in board rooms and offices. She would have to be firm about setting aside that afternoon, refuse any extra meetings that might come up. Her own childhood had been peppered with such broken promises, as was any child raised in politics. She would avoid doing the same to one who wasn't if at all possible.
Sakamae fished through her handbag and came up with a slim, silver cigarette case. A flick opened the lid, revealing it to be full of business cards rather than carcinogens. She handed one of the cards to Brandon and slipped another across the table to his mother while he was preoccupied with it.
"That's my cell," she said. "It might hit you up with a long-distance charge, but you can call it any time." she grinned as she tucked the case back into her purse. "But why don't I call you to rendezvous? I don't want your father wondering who's been calling Japan from his phone."
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2020-08-05 09:19 am (UTC)It was biting into her shoulders, the straps near dragging from the weight that she'd packed so tightly onto her back. The sweat was trickling down the back of her neck, the back of her shirt was soaked dark with it, the front as well. Dust and dirt filtered down to her face and she shook her head, huffing her breath up with lower lip stuck out in attempt to keep it out of her eyes. Her fingers were stiff, fingertips grasping the edge of a rock as her arm reached across the cliff face trying to find purchase with another pencil-thin ledge that was close enough to reach. If she could reach that, then her foot might be able to find a similar spot and she move that few feet to where she could make it down a little further. The ground wasn't that far away, not that far. Only a mere eighty, ninety feet maybe. Too far to slide, too far to fall.
Besides, that would be a very bad example for her son to follow, wouldn't it?
Muscles strained over the unyielding rock face, a little more, just a little more! Birds chattered in the background, the sound of the river crashing over boulders a welcome lull, and the breeze that came through in attempt to cool her body.
A little bit more, just... argh! An itch! An itch right between her shoulder blades! Kacee growled lowly, trying to ignore it. It persisted, that annoying little distraction that buzzed the back of her brain, teasing her with the sensation. The birds were louder now, chirping up a storm. Blinking rapidly to get the sweat out of her eyes, Kacee pulled her outstretched arm back to the tiny ledge she was dangling by and rolled her shoulders, one after the other in vain attempt to get at it. But. It. Wasn't. Working!
One more time, let's do this and get out of here, the blond thought to herself, breathing in and out of clenched teeth as she stared at wall of red stone, close enough to kiss.
Once more easing out her hand, bracing herself with her other limbs against the minuscule rock ledges, once more Kacee reached for that far off tip of jutting stone, just wide enough for the last joints of her fingers to hold. Her cheek was to the wall, her body pressed to the stone as Kacee squinted her eyes, easing her upper body to the side further and further to grab that one tiny ledge of rock.
Got it! Now for her feet.
Slowly, carefully she made her way down the last eighty plus feet of the sheer cliff, down to the green grass and tall trees, and near-deserted dirt road below. The chirping got louder, the closer to ground she got, and as she jumped that last seven feet down to the grass, the chirping finally began to dissolve into the excited yelling of her son.
"I beat you down, I beat you!" He was yelling as she dropped to her knees, shrugging off her pack onto the ground in effort to get to that damned, still present itch.
"You did, huh?" She shot a glare at the younger man, crowing up a storm as he leaned on the car door. "Great. You cheated and took the path down too. Now come here winner and scratch my back for me." Her frown deepened "That spot, right in the middle of my back. You know I can't reach there."
Ahhhhh, that felt so good! "Keep scratching! Little to the left, ok, down to the yea, right there!" Happiness rumbling low in her chest, Kacee pulled her hair to the front and began to unbraid her long length of blonde hair that had gotten wind blown and tangled in the climb. Casting an eye to the sky, and the position of the sun, she slowly turned to her child, a smile on her face. "I think we have time for one more swim before we have to head out. What do you say?"
"Objection over-ruled. We won't be late. There's still plenty of time to take a swim, then grab a bite to eat before I have to have you back at your fathers. Come on, you want to be stuck in the truck with me smelling like this all the way home?" That brought a grin and a nod, and both mother and son began shedding their clothes for their swimsuits underneath.
Later, much cleaner and in the last of her dry clothes (kept conveniently in the back seat for just this occasion) Kacee maneuvered the small jeep around streets of one of the many outlying LA neighborhoods. Pausing at a red light, she smiled over at her son, fast asleep in the seat beside her. He did good this weekend, in spite of the rainstorm they had Friday night. And in spite of the fact that she refused to let him bring a tent, instead making him find downed branches and having him help her build a lean-to type shelter. In the rain. She did however let him have a sleeping bag while she slept on a bed of pine boughs with a blanket. He was young, she thought to herself, turning her eyes back to the road. There was time for that lesson later. Time for a lot of lessons later, whether he grow up as kin or something more.
Ah, just the place! Pulling into the parking lot, she shut off the motor and pushed at the younger boy's shoulder once, twice. "Come on, wake up. I'm huuungry!" Taking a sniff, she grinned, showing barely a tooth. He smelled good, of pine needles and clean water, with the faintest undertone of wood smoke in his hair just as she did. After all, she couldn't make him eat the fish he'd caught raw, could she?
Not yet at least. But, speaking of raw fish! Mouth watering, Kacee climbed out of the battered old green jeep, shutting the door as she stared at the sign. Suchi and Sashimi, yum! Mother and son had that in common, along with their hair color, and their curious, adventuresome natures. Perhaps she didn't like fish as much as her cousins, the River Keepers, still she did grow up on a fishing vessel.
Rubbing his hair affectionately, Kacee led her cub into the restaurant. They would be a little late, of course they would. Still, there was plenty of time; Plenty! To get a good dinner before bringing the boy back to his father.
Tags: higashikuni sakamae, kacee hedinn
Current Location: California
Current Mood: hungry
Current Music: What, you think the radio in this jeep works? Um, no.
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jyu_ho
jyu_ho
jyu_ho
Sat, Oct. 10th, 2009 04:08 am (UTC)
As convenient as shopping malls were, they were awfully...impersonal. One could walk in, pick out an outfit from any number of identical items and walk out again without ever making eye-contact with another person. Sakamae didn't particularly think of herself as a snob (she'd had a lot of fun assembling a whole new wardrobe from scratch!) but she liked the one-on-one face time that small boutiques afforded. Not to mention that such places usually delivered her orders, and here she was hauling a mass of shopping bags out of the back of her taxi.
"Mooouu," she scowled, hooking the garment bag containing her three new suitdresses over her shoulder. She just wanted to get to her room, take a shower and go over Anuvu's fiscal reports from the last quarter. It would take at least an hour to decide what sort of an image to put on tomorrow; she hated being the face. If only Gatou-sama had let her go along as a secretary or assistant, put one of the kataribe in charge as a mouth. But no, he'd insisted she learn to ask the probing questions, to gather data actively rather than passively. As honored as she was by his trust, she couldn't shake the deep-seated fear that she was undeserving of it.
"That's enough of that," she muttered to herself. The cabbie hadn't been able to get her to her hotel, something about a light being down and traffic backing up. So she had to walk a few blocks, all her purchase slung along her arms. They weren't the lightest load, either.
Sakamae rounded a corner and stopped, sniffing delicately at the air. Was that...did she smell...pickled ginger? Her stomach gurgled hungrily to life at the stimulus, reminding her that it had been almost twelve hours since she'd had a real meal. She picked up the pace and followed the astringent scent to the door of a small sushi and sashimi restaurant. A quick peek through the window showed the chef hard at work behind the counter, rolling the gunkanmaki. And was that inarizushi she smelled? Her mouth began to water as she shouldered the door open. With any luck she'd get a good bite to eat and charm someone into helping her carry her bags back to the hotel.
"Ohayo gozaimasu!" she called to the chef and the young woman behind the register. They replied in kind, confirming her thought that this was probably an immigrant-run business. The inarizushi smelled too good to be a cheap knockoff. The restaurant itself was a long, narrow affair, with tables lining the one wall not occupied by the chef's work station. Stools stood at attention before the counter, separated from the sides of fish by a sneeze-guard.
"[Is it your birthday?]" the girl inquired, nodding towards all the bags. Sakamae laughed sheepishly and shrugged the garment bag into a more comfortable position.
"[No, I'm afraid I lost my luggage on the flight from Kyoto]." she admitted, "[This is all on JAL! Is there somewhere I can put it while I have a go at your menu? I'm starving and I've saved a lot of money today!]"
The girl laughed and gestured for her to come around the counter. Her poor, detonated clothing had cost far more in Japan than equivalent items did in America. So she'd cheated a little bit...the only one hurt by this was Japan Airlines, and they were obviously staffed by morons.
With her things safely tucked away, Sakamae took a menu and her laptop to a nearby table. No sooner had she sat down and opened the laminated card than something else tickled her nose...something other than fried tofu. She glanced up from the lines of English-over-Katakana, past the other occupied tables. There, at the back of the restaurant; a towering blonde, so enormous Sakamae didn't know how she'd missed her when she'd walked in! The two women happened to be seated so that they faced one another, though the woman was focused on the child across from her. The Kitsune stared for a moment, hardly able to believe what Blood Scent was telling her.
The woman was shen. More than that. Gurahl.
no subject
Date: 2020-08-05 09:20 am (UTC)apathsolitaire
apathsolitaire
Kacee G.
Sat, Oct. 10th, 2009 05:48 am (UTC)
She was showing him again how to use chopsticks, or was he showing her? Grinning, they leaned close to each other, trying in vain to pick up that one sticky white piece of rice that would prove their mastery over the other person. sitting back, victorious, Kacee raised the single white grain up in the air, when Brandons' chopsticks suddenly clashed with hers and the piece of rice fell back into her plate.
"Cheater" She muttered good-naturedly, leaning back in her chair and stretching her head to one side, and then the other. Ahh, that felt good. Eyes half closed she lolled there, parental pride evident on her face and satisfaction evident in her bearing.
And that's when she caught sight of the petite Asian woman sitting not far away. An eyebrow raised up slightly, and she sniffed the air, turning her head a few inches back and forth, while keeping the Asian lady in her sight.
Her bearing changed then. Rolling her shoulders, the woman sat up slowly, her eyes flickering from the stranger to the child in front of her. Back and forth as the thoughts went through her mind. Leaning forward so that her mouth was hidden by the top of the child' head, she whispered something to him, something that made the younger man stiffen and almost twist his head and shoulders around to look before a harsh word from his mother stopped him.
Slowly, stately, Kacee stood up. And up, and up. Looking around at the other diners, the chef and young lady behind the register, she saw them for what they were, and then dismissed them from her mind.
Eyes upon Sakamae, the woman took a few shuffling steps to the left, and another to the right, before stepping forward and placing her hands together at chest height and bowing her head. It was not low, and it was not for long, but but it was obvious - if one were truly looking. Which most people did not care to, it seemed. This was California, after all, people did strange things all the time.
Raising up again, with shoulders back and eyes bright and focussed, Kacee continued down the aisle until she was standing at the side of Sakamae's table.
"I see that you sit alone, and you are not from around here." Oh wasn't that an understatement!
"It would be our pleasure for..." here was the hesitation, protective urges and hospitality urges colliding "For my son and I to have you as our guest, should you choose to accept. Would you do me the honor of joining us?"
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jyu_ho
jyu_ho
jyu_ho
Sat, Oct. 10th, 2009 06:52 am (UTC)
Sakamae's heart froze in her chest when their eyes met. The woman's face was chiseled and weatherbeaten, intimidating even with laughter fading from it. She hastily looked back down to her menu, uncertain if she'd given some heinous offense by staring.
As a shinju, she had always prided herself on knowing the proper response to any situation regarding other shen. But...the Gurahl were so few and so reclusive that no one had ever instructed her on how best to greet one, let alone gauge their responses! Many hengeyokai believed the Great Bears were either extinct or in permanent hibernation, gone back to Gaia's bones. Kinkaku-ji had hosted a Gurahl in the past, so Sakamae knew those rumors to be false, but she had not been allowed the opportunity to speak with him. A curious thrill worked its way through her as she realized that another such opportunity was right here, walking towards her. Wasn't she shinju? Hadn't Gotou-sama chosen her to come to this place and build bridges with the Sunset People?
Well, then obey your Mandate and do as you were told! she thought as she lifted her chin to look up at the woman, who stood and performed a strange shifting of her weight. Ah, yes! This she remembered from her chats with Locke-san, that bears had dances for almost everything. Was this a greeting, then? She had no sooner recalled this than the Gurahl pressed her palms together and inclined her head.
Sakamae's heart suffered a second shock at that moment. This woman, rarest of the rare and second only to the Zhong-Lung themselves in wisdom, had just bowed to her. Her, a Kitsune of only middle-rank! She searched for the innate superiority of her kind and found that it had been utterly shattered by the Gurahl's gesture. She was still floundering for a properly humble response when the woman reached her table.
Yue-sama, Sakamae thought as she craned her head back to look way, way up at the blonde's face, She is SO tall. Was that not a little excessive of you? Couldn't you have given us a few extra inches? Is that so much to ask?
"I see that you sit alone, and you are not from around here. It would be our pleasure for...For my son and I to have you as our guest, should you choose to accept. Would you do me the honor of joining us?"
Decades of etiquette drills opened Sakamae's mouth and replied for her, before she could begin to wrap her mind around the concept of being invited to share a meal. She did dart a quick look at the boy, who was trying to watch without actually turning about in his chair. A son. She judged him to be too young to determine his true nature, and was further gratified at the invitation. Homids were so vulnerable; she should know, Kitsune constitution wasn't much better than a human's.
"It would be my very great honor," She ducked her head so low that her ears were level with her collarbone and her hair fell across her face in a russet screen. "And I thank you for your greeting. You are supremely thoughtful."
She stood then and looked to the register girl, who wore a puzzled frown. Sakamae flashed her a wide, easy grin and held up three fingers. "San nigirizushi, onegaishimasu!" The girl seemed reassured by her normal behavior, perhaps assuming them to be passing acquaintances. For her part, Sakamae followed the Gurahl back to the table, where she paused to bow briefly to the boy.
"Hello," she said, "My name is Sakamae Higashikui. Thank you for allowing me to share your table."
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apathsolitaire
apathsolitaire
Kacee G.
Sun, Oct. 11th, 2009 12:58 am (UTC)
Whatever was one of the younger cousins doing alone so far from the Middle Kingdom and the Emerald Court? She was here and alone, that much was certain. Kacee had never known, nor met any who had traveled to those far off realms, and only rumors persisted of both the courts and their inhabitants.
Therefore she knew of no rite, no dance of greeting; yet still the occasion called out for such a thing. So after giving forethought to the situation, she set out and carefully crafted the steps, combining certain Gurahl movements of greeting and welcome, with the correct stance of non-hostility toward a younger cousin, and ended it with the Middle Kingdom gesture of respect.
Kacee didn't know Japanese, she barely pronounced the names of some of the foods she and Brandon were eating; still, it was good and filling, and now they could share their meal with another as well.
As for Brandon, he was squirming in his seat by the time they got back, his blue eyes alight with intelligence and over-brimming with curiosity. He stuck out his hand in a thoroughly Western gesture of welcome. "Hi! I'm Brandon. Brandon Walker. Are you a friend of mom's? Because she said" A low growl from his mother's direction stopped the boy in mid-sentence, and he looked up to lock gazes with his mother. Kacee cut her eyes to the chair at the table in front of their petite visitor. And in a flash Brandon was jumping out of his chair and scraping the chair legs of her chair back, trying to pull it away from the table so that Sakamae could sit.
"I am Kacee Catch-The-Wind-Running, known among folk here and around as Kacee Hedinn, and I am pleased to meet you, Sakamae Higashikui." His mother stated, turning her head from her son to fasten her eyes once more on the Kitsune. "It is so rare that we ever get to meet or even see our younger Western Cousins that I felt the occasion called for celebration." In fact there were two of them, it could very well nearly be a fest.
"And please, as our guest, it would please me greatly to be allowed to buy your lunch and -." Her son broke in then, his voice higher pitched, not yet having dropped by puberty. "Yea. We'll buy you lunch, won't we mom?"
"Of course Brandon."
A rough and calloused hand came up from her side of the table, swatted the boy lightly in the back of the head and then proceeded, over his muffled complaints, to ruffle his hair. "Please excuse my son" She said slowly, conversationally, over his attempts to duck and dislodge her hand from the top of his head.
"He is young and likes to interrupt his mother. I am certain however, that this will change as he grows older, right Brandon?" The boy in question had finally given up trying to dodge her hand and was now sitting there with a hand-hat atop his head and a look on his face. Removing her hand, Kacee reached for her clear cold glass of water.
"Have you been here long?" She asked, setting the goblet back down after taking a sip. "Because if you have not, perhaps I could suggest to you certain places and items of interest, if you have the time."
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jyu_ho
jyu_ho
jyu_ho
Sun, Oct. 11th, 2009 05:01 am (UTC)
There were many modes of greeting among the Courts, and a wise shen was careful to observe any that might be suggested. Sakamae shook Brandon's hand gravely before he got up to draw her chair back. Polite as the prompted gesture was, she immediately wondered what his mother had not wished him to repeat.
Her nose told her that Brandon was definitely not Gurahl, not yet. But Hedinn-san spoke freely of their kinship in front of him, so perhaps he'd been informed of the possibility. These things were unnecessary for the Kitsune, who knew what a child would be based off the ease of its birth. But she knew that the Kahn typically fostered their children until they came into their power, and the Nezumi were mostly born of rats and raised in communal swarms. She had never in her life heard tell of the bears' preferred method.
"Truthfully, Hedinn-sama, I know of only one other Healer having ever encountered us, and he had come East," she grinned at that, mischievous humor lighting her eyes behind her usual Court-mask. "It's only proper that one of us should come West. Yin and Yang."
She covered her mouth as Brandon flailed under his mother's immobile grip. It was not necessary that they buy her meal, but it would be exceptionally rude to refuse. Laughing aloud, she patted Brandon's elbow and said, "Thank you for your most gentlemanly offer. I see you've already had rice...may I suggest a dish or two that you might like?" Menus in places like this could be obtuse to a non-Japanese speaker. The owners might not be able to translate it well.
"I only arrived this afternoon," she replied, "And I've had some poor luck with my luggage. I'm not certain how long my business will keep me here, but I'd love to see more of Los Angeles. I've never been to a Western City, before...it's much different."
She was primarily interested in the parks, the monuments, the bastions of the Emerald Mother amidst the Weaver's works. Kinkaku-ji would like to know how well the corporations they petitioned cared for their own backyards.
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Date: 2020-08-05 09:20 am (UTC)ReplyThread Parent Track This
apathsolitaire
apathsolitaire
Kacee G.
Wed, Oct. 21st, 2009 08:25 am (UTC)
"Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated." Kacee didn't really know what the words meant, she could sound them out, but as to translation? No. And her ears could have perked as she heard the Kitsune's words. A Gurahl, gone to the East? Now that would make a great story!
"If you arrived just this day, then it is our good fortune to have met you when we did. We will of course help you to find your luggage." Airlines, they were always losing baggage! Well, Kacee could get her settled, and help her as much as possible before bringing Brandon home.
“We are on our way to the Airforce Base in El Segundo, only a few miles away. His father lives there. I myself live to the North.” Several hundred miles to the north in fact; but that was not a question asked yet, or one to be answered. “If it would please you, I would see our Eastern Cousin safe and settled before I return. I can remain for another day, two at the most; and then I shall not bed own this way for some time.”
At that moment, Brandon chose to wriggle in his chair, giving a momentary glare at his mother before focusing on his dinner. The topic of conversation was perhaps not the best, and Kacee strove to change it before the boy once more made his thoughts or feelings known in front of their guest.
“Have you decided yet what you would like to eat?” With a look under his eyebrows at his mother and a brighter-eyed one at their guest; the boy blew the blond streaked hair out of his eyes and pointed to one dish, and then another; attempting to sound them out the way their guest had said them.
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jyu_ho
jyu_ho
jyu_ho
Sat, Oct. 31st, 2009 07:19 am (UTC)
"I'm afraid my baggage is not so much misplaced as...in pieces. They mistook my laptop batteries for a bomb." Sakamae risked a sidelong glance at the boy, thinking the story might amuse him. No matter the race, young males liked a good explosion. "So they blew it up."
She waved a hand back towards the counter, "I was just on my way back from replacing it. I would be most honored by your escort, and perhaps I can offer you the use of my hotel's shower before you go on your way. Have you recently returned from camping?" Her self-mocking grin turned a little mischievous, not quite teasing. Though it didn't suit her current image to look it, she knew the sensation of dried river mud behind her ears and under her nails, of leaves in her hair and pinetar in her fur. It would not be fun to sit in a car with grit itching away where only soap could remove it.
Sakamae leaned over Brandon's shoulder, surveying his choices. "Both very tasty! If you're feeling adventurous, I'd recommend the uni, sea urchin." She smirked at him, daring him to refuse. "Myself, I'll have the tuna nigirizushi." She prefered nigirizushi, where the fish was strapped to a hand-formed cake of rice with a strip of nori, to the popular Western rolls. Makizushi was neater to eat, but all that extra nori stuck to the roof of her mouth.
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apathsolitaire
apathsolitaire
Kacee G.
Mon, Nov. 2nd, 2009 08:21 am (UTC)
"It did? Really?" Brandon was all wide blue eyes under shaggy blond hair as he studied her, listening to her story. "Just a computer battery? Wow!"
For her part, Kacee sat back, relaxing in the atmosphere and listening to the conversation. This was so much more relaxing than her constant arguments with Brandon at times like this, arguments because her young pre-teen seemed to think her life was so much more exciting, and that he would rather live with her than his father and his father's new - that is - newest girlfriend. He just didn't seem to understand and no lecture, no conversation could get it through to him that he would be better off here, with his father than with her.
And he was safer here, in LA, on a military base than becoming a latch key kid and more, with her solitary roaming nature taking her away from her place for days, sometimes weeks. That was exactly the thought that would haunt her in weeks to come.
To his credit though, her cub didn't just jump on the suggestion of a real shower; he looked to her first. It showed both wisdom and a kind of restraint, very much appreciated by his mother. She nodded once, and took the small teacup in her large fingers, attempting to sip the hot tea quietly. Sugar was alright in tea, but what she really wanted was honey. And of course they didn't have honey here.
"We were, how did you know?" Kacee kept quiet as Brandon spoke to their guest. It gave her time to listen and think.
Brandon launched into their week long adventure; the fishing and tracking of wild animals, the swimming in the small river the sleeping without a tent, how his mother was teaching him to keep bugs away using natural stuff you could find in the woods and keep food cold and safe from animals and make his own fires. And about how his mom slept on a bed made of pine needles and how she could climb up and down the rocks on the side of mountains using just her hands and feet, just like Spider Man almost!"
"And yea, a shower would be great, thank you!" Anything to keep from having to get back when they were supposed to.
"That is a generous offer. One I would be glad to accept, and with thanks." Said the woman watching the exchange between the two of them, her smile kind, her eyes considerably warmer.
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jyu_ho
jyu_ho
jyu_ho
Tue, Nov. 3rd, 2009 05:05 am (UTC)
"Oh yes, so remember that the next time you fly. Their motto is 'Better Safe than Sorry!'" Sakamae shook her head and snapped a set of disposable chopsticks into component parts. She rubbed the cheap bamboo sticks together, smoothing off the splintered fragments so that she could eat without jabbing the inside of her cheek.
"Hmm," she tapped one against her chin thoughtfully, "I suppose it's because you smell like creek-water. City-water has been processed and cleaned, usually with chlorine. But you smell like wet leaves and rock-moss." A safe answer; if he knew what his mother was, he'd likely accept it. If he didn't, it was plausible enough that a human might be able to tell these things.
She'd always enjoyed the company of children. They said anything that came to their minds and were so transparent in their attempts to manipulate adults. Except in rare cases, such "manipulation" was benignly meant, to acquire a new toy or get out of some trouble. Just being around them helped her center, refocus, remember herself in the midst of the minds she inspected and assessed day in and day out. But there were no children at Court; she was the last shinju born to Kinkaku-ji, and most shen did not experience their First Change until twelve, thirteen at the youngest. Listening to Brandon chatter on about starting a fire and sleeping out in the open as if no one had ever done those things brought a wide, genuine smile to her face. Her shoulders lowered as tension eased from them, knots smoothing out along her neck and spine.
Their food arrived as he spoke, along with extra plates in case they decided to share. Sakamae was quick to divvy up the nigirizushi between them, always pleased to share her culture. And what bear wouldn't like a healthy cut of tuna? It looked to be stomach meat, the reddest, finest-grain of the fish. She'd have to thank the shopkeeper on her way out.
"Here, now," she told the boy as she lifted a piece to her palm, "You have to eat it all in one bite, or you'll have a mess." With that, she crammed the whole piece into her mouth, a more-than-generous amount that made her left cheek bulge like a chipmunk's. Western etiquette dictated small bites, and Japanese manners mirrored this with certain dishes. Shushi was not one of them.
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apathsolitaire
apathsolitaire
Kacee G.
Tue, Nov. 3rd, 2009 12:09 pm (UTC)
"Do I really?" He tried sniffing at his arm, but the smell of soy sauce and fresh fish was too strong for his young nose, and he simply couldn't tell. His mother could however, and could tell the smell of pine needles, and smoke, and a myriad of other things that could sense to any other changing breed that they were not of the city.
Both mother and son were happy to follow suit, and soon bulging cheeks and wide smiles replaced words as they chewed their way through the rice and strip of seaweed as well as the tender tuna slices. The talk grew lighter, Brandon attempting to use the chopstick as she had, and telling her about the fish they caught, and how to tell both the type of fish as well as if it were healthy to eat. He seemed to take great pleasure in his descriptions, and had to be reminded once, and then gently again not to talk with his mouth full.
After the waitress had replaced their empty teapot with a full, fresh one, the younger man leaned closer to Sakamae and asked in a loud whisper "How do you say thank you?"
Kacee could have stayed and eaten for much longer, but out of deference to their Emerald Court guest, and because the hour was getting later, she refused any extras, choosing to simply chew on the shushi that the Kitsune offered, and declining any extras so that her cub could try more, could eat more.
"Are you almost ready Brandon? I'm going to have to call your father soon, and let him know where we are."
"Will I get to see you again? Mom has to go back to work up north, but if you're here for a little while I can show you the library after Mom leaves, or some of the local sights if you want? If" Hesitation showed through as he fumbled.
"If you aren't too busy. I'd understand though." Kacee looked from the child to the pattern on her teacup. So easy for him to accept and forgive. He did it so often. At least he didn't finish the sentence with 'Adults normally are.' That might have struck a nerve. Fortunately for her, he was content to simply say his piece and move on.
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jyu_ho
jyu_ho
jyu_ho
Wed, Nov. 4th, 2009 04:53 am (UTC)
"'Arigatou gozaimasu,'" she murmured back to Brandon, watching the waitress turn away to hide a smile. "At least, for formal things like meals. If you're casually saying 'thanks,' then just 'arigatou' is fine."
She repeated it for him once or twice, gently correcting his pronunciation as he tried it himself. She was very pleased that he'd even thought to ask. He certainly was a credit to his parents. Even more pleasantly surprising was his invitation to show her around. Sakamae got the impression that it was as much to break out of what he saw as his "mundane" life with his father, but it was still quite thoughtful.
"I have meetings the rest of this week," she said, "But I'm free this weekend as far as I know. Should we say...Sunday afternoon?" She snuck a glance at his mother, hoping that, by allowing him to ask at all, she approved of the idea.
Sightseeing aside, she would genuinely enjoy spending time with him after days spent mewed up in board rooms and offices. She would have to be firm about setting aside that afternoon, refuse any extra meetings that might come up. Her own childhood had been peppered with such broken promises, as was any child raised in politics. She would avoid doing the same to one who wasn't if at all possible.
Sakamae fished through her handbag and came up with a slim, silver cigarette case. A flick opened the lid, revealing it to be full of business cards rather than carcinogens. She handed one of the cards to Brandon and slipped another across the table to his mother while he was preoccupied with it.
"That's my cell," she said. "It might hit you up with a long-distance charge, but you can call it any time." she grinned as she tucked the case back into her purse. "But why don't I call you to rendezvous? I don't want your father wondering who's been calling Japan from his phone."