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Jan. 18th, 2009 01:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dagas_isaPrompt: 088 The First Time We Met
Universe: Original-- Axisworld
Genre: General, Fantasy
Rating: PG
Warnings: References to alcohol, small reference to sex. A whole lot of exposition.
Word Count: 1214
In the towers, Landra has learned, hierarchy means everything. The homeless only wander below ground or in the lobby. Barracks on the first residential floors, the homes for foreign workers and foreign students. The Sisterhood of Wisdom in Saiden occupied the top floor for foreigners, between the immigrants and the respectable middle class.
Zomi has never said much about her own position or family, but as Landra steps off the elevator to the sixty-fifth floor and notes that she does know which home belongs to Zomi because it's the only one on this floor, she immediately sees that Zomi or someone in her family must be very high ranking indeed.
People crowd around the hallway leading to the apartment proper. A few Landra recognizes from the University. A couple of the sisters edge along the wall, looking to stay away from the Saidenese men who leer at them. Landra only thinks to do the same after she notices their behavior. Zomi stands in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by admirers wishing her a happy festival.
People wear colorful coats, much more colorful than their everyday wear, and so perhaps when a man in red moves through the crowd skillfully enough that it seems as though the waves of people part for him, Landra thinks nothing of him. Zomi flashes that trademark smile at him, and bows deeply in the Saidenese way as he passes on festival wishes. He passes his gift to her, the traditional small pouch of gem, but does not linger. That is Landra's first sign, that the man in red is not ordinary, for he seems as immune to Zomi's spell as Landra herself is.
The crowd flows in, almost at the man in red's lead, though conspicuously not, and when the people have thinned enough, Landra bows to Zomi.
"Happy Festival. May your next year carry joy and prosperity." She's rehearsed the formal language for two days, since she decided to attend a Saidenese festival party. Into Zomi's hands, she presses her own offering of gem.
Zomi accepts the gem, stowing it in her obi with the rest of the money she's collected. "You came!" Landra hopes she doesn't imagine the glow in Zomi's eyes when the Saidenese woman realizes that she showed up.
"Of course. I'm very curious at what happens at a festival celebration."
"Oh, this is just a minor holiday, this year." Zomi waves her hands dismissively, "Not so much a formal celebration, just a little home party. Come on in."
Even full of people, the Shikuzu home still opens spaciously. A large picture window looks over the last quarter of the large moon shining on the lakes, and the main room itself could have fit seven of Landra's quarters in the Sisterhall easily.
Zomi lives high within the hierarchy. That fact surprises Landra doubly, for the fact itself first, but also for the surprise at the fact. Of course the confidence, the magnetism, similar to high-ranking professors back home, but Zomi has always shown a desperation that betrays any position.
A man approaches Landra with a tray of food. "Please, try some." He speaks in a thick Islauin accent, an easterner. There are others in her university who do similar work. Ilsauin immigrate north as well as south.
"We hire them for the party. Since everyone else is celebrating someone's festival tonight." Zomi explains, as she picks a dumpling from the tray. "'Nori cooked everything herself though."
"Nori?"
Zomi points to the corner. A woman in tan stands there next to the man in red. She's taller than Zomi, more angular, but within the facial lines a ghost of resemblance resides. "Your sister? Or is that the man?" From the tray, Landra picks a dumpling as well, and bites into it to taste the dark meat of a flying bird.
A laugh greets her. "Nori--Inori--is my sister. The man next to her is Kozan Kakkatou." Zomi turns to another well-wisher and laughs, while Landra looks again at the two. Even she knows the basic meaning of Saidenese names, the last syllable tells the rank, and Tou is the highest.
Ahh, the sister is his lover, Landra thinks. The Saidenese take lovers, their attitudes about sex and love much less controlled than the ones the universities in Tercio. Would that explain the wealth?
"Anyway, Inori's the seneschal here. That means she's busy."
"They are lovers?" Landra blurts the question out before she can censor herself. Rightly, she refuses the plum wine offered by another Ilsauin, as she is too loose even without alcohol in her system.
Zomi shakes her head. "Inori only works. She doesn't care to have lovers. I'll introduce you."
They weave through the crowd.
"Nori!"
Up close, the family resemblance both strengthens and weakens. Their faces have the same lines, a strength in the brow and nose, and Inori, turning around, radiates a similar energy as Zomi, a confidence rooted in a place deeper than birth, though its expression is sour, not sweet, and that enough throws off any sense of relation between the two. She has about four years more than Zomi, and her smile does not quite reach the eyes. "Enjoying yourself?"
"Very much. The food's delish. Anyway, this is Landra Porjava, she's a student. This is Inori Shikuzu, sister and Seneschal of Utame."
"I see." Inori bows, but not low, and no smile plasters her face. "A pleasure."
Landra imitates her. "A pleasure, as well."
The Kakkatou breaks in. "You are forgetting someone."
Landra wishes she could sneak away. But Zomi and then crowds of people block escape routes.
"That's not necessary, Zomi has already--"
Zomi touches Landra's arms and turns her to face the man. "This is Kozan Kakkatou. Steward of Utame, and Second Heir to the Kakkatou Holdings. Sir Kakkatou, Landra Porjava, student."
The words sound so plain, but the Kakkatou doesn't seem to mind. He bows, a ceremonial nod of his head, while Landra does the full bow the Cultural Advisor at home taught the exchange students. Then, he does something she could never suspect.
He clasps her hand in his. "A pleasure." His voice resonates; he could be a choral singer in the university. Like Zomi and Inori, he exudes power, not as strong as the other two, but potent enough to put Landra on alert.
"A pleasure to meet you."
"A Tercio, right?"
"Y--yes."
She cannot read his expression, the glint in his eyes that accompanies a smile. "A pleasure," he repeats. "I hope that Utame proves hospitable."
"It has..." Landra speaks cautiously. "People have been very friendly." Only belatedly does she realize that the Kakkatou still holds her hand. She withdraws. Some of her sisters are present tonight, are any watching her? She looks around. Junrey and Mailia are both nearby, talking to a few of their Saidenese classmates. Landra does not see the others. Zomi has wandered off and Inori is somewhere else.
"If there is anything you need," Kozan says in a low, conspiratorial tone, "please let me know."
That leaves her without words, until she remembers what a Tercio should do. "I should--I should mingle more. Perhaps some other time."
She turns away from him, but she never stops feeling his glances upon her.
Universe: Original-- Axisworld
Genre: General, Fantasy
Rating: PG
Warnings: References to alcohol, small reference to sex. A whole lot of exposition.
Word Count: 1214
In the towers, Landra has learned, hierarchy means everything. The homeless only wander below ground or in the lobby. Barracks on the first residential floors, the homes for foreign workers and foreign students. The Sisterhood of Wisdom in Saiden occupied the top floor for foreigners, between the immigrants and the respectable middle class.
Zomi has never said much about her own position or family, but as Landra steps off the elevator to the sixty-fifth floor and notes that she does know which home belongs to Zomi because it's the only one on this floor, she immediately sees that Zomi or someone in her family must be very high ranking indeed.
People crowd around the hallway leading to the apartment proper. A few Landra recognizes from the University. A couple of the sisters edge along the wall, looking to stay away from the Saidenese men who leer at them. Landra only thinks to do the same after she notices their behavior. Zomi stands in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by admirers wishing her a happy festival.
People wear colorful coats, much more colorful than their everyday wear, and so perhaps when a man in red moves through the crowd skillfully enough that it seems as though the waves of people part for him, Landra thinks nothing of him. Zomi flashes that trademark smile at him, and bows deeply in the Saidenese way as he passes on festival wishes. He passes his gift to her, the traditional small pouch of gem, but does not linger. That is Landra's first sign, that the man in red is not ordinary, for he seems as immune to Zomi's spell as Landra herself is.
The crowd flows in, almost at the man in red's lead, though conspicuously not, and when the people have thinned enough, Landra bows to Zomi.
"Happy Festival. May your next year carry joy and prosperity." She's rehearsed the formal language for two days, since she decided to attend a Saidenese festival party. Into Zomi's hands, she presses her own offering of gem.
Zomi accepts the gem, stowing it in her obi with the rest of the money she's collected. "You came!" Landra hopes she doesn't imagine the glow in Zomi's eyes when the Saidenese woman realizes that she showed up.
"Of course. I'm very curious at what happens at a festival celebration."
"Oh, this is just a minor holiday, this year." Zomi waves her hands dismissively, "Not so much a formal celebration, just a little home party. Come on in."
Even full of people, the Shikuzu home still opens spaciously. A large picture window looks over the last quarter of the large moon shining on the lakes, and the main room itself could have fit seven of Landra's quarters in the Sisterhall easily.
Zomi lives high within the hierarchy. That fact surprises Landra doubly, for the fact itself first, but also for the surprise at the fact. Of course the confidence, the magnetism, similar to high-ranking professors back home, but Zomi has always shown a desperation that betrays any position.
A man approaches Landra with a tray of food. "Please, try some." He speaks in a thick Islauin accent, an easterner. There are others in her university who do similar work. Ilsauin immigrate north as well as south.
"We hire them for the party. Since everyone else is celebrating someone's festival tonight." Zomi explains, as she picks a dumpling from the tray. "'Nori cooked everything herself though."
"Nori?"
Zomi points to the corner. A woman in tan stands there next to the man in red. She's taller than Zomi, more angular, but within the facial lines a ghost of resemblance resides. "Your sister? Or is that the man?" From the tray, Landra picks a dumpling as well, and bites into it to taste the dark meat of a flying bird.
A laugh greets her. "Nori--Inori--is my sister. The man next to her is Kozan Kakkatou." Zomi turns to another well-wisher and laughs, while Landra looks again at the two. Even she knows the basic meaning of Saidenese names, the last syllable tells the rank, and Tou is the highest.
Ahh, the sister is his lover, Landra thinks. The Saidenese take lovers, their attitudes about sex and love much less controlled than the ones the universities in Tercio. Would that explain the wealth?
"Anyway, Inori's the seneschal here. That means she's busy."
"They are lovers?" Landra blurts the question out before she can censor herself. Rightly, she refuses the plum wine offered by another Ilsauin, as she is too loose even without alcohol in her system.
Zomi shakes her head. "Inori only works. She doesn't care to have lovers. I'll introduce you."
They weave through the crowd.
"Nori!"
Up close, the family resemblance both strengthens and weakens. Their faces have the same lines, a strength in the brow and nose, and Inori, turning around, radiates a similar energy as Zomi, a confidence rooted in a place deeper than birth, though its expression is sour, not sweet, and that enough throws off any sense of relation between the two. She has about four years more than Zomi, and her smile does not quite reach the eyes. "Enjoying yourself?"
"Very much. The food's delish. Anyway, this is Landra Porjava, she's a student. This is Inori Shikuzu, sister and Seneschal of Utame."
"I see." Inori bows, but not low, and no smile plasters her face. "A pleasure."
Landra imitates her. "A pleasure, as well."
The Kakkatou breaks in. "You are forgetting someone."
Landra wishes she could sneak away. But Zomi and then crowds of people block escape routes.
"That's not necessary, Zomi has already--"
Zomi touches Landra's arms and turns her to face the man. "This is Kozan Kakkatou. Steward of Utame, and Second Heir to the Kakkatou Holdings. Sir Kakkatou, Landra Porjava, student."
The words sound so plain, but the Kakkatou doesn't seem to mind. He bows, a ceremonial nod of his head, while Landra does the full bow the Cultural Advisor at home taught the exchange students. Then, he does something she could never suspect.
He clasps her hand in his. "A pleasure." His voice resonates; he could be a choral singer in the university. Like Zomi and Inori, he exudes power, not as strong as the other two, but potent enough to put Landra on alert.
"A pleasure to meet you."
"A Tercio, right?"
"Y--yes."
She cannot read his expression, the glint in his eyes that accompanies a smile. "A pleasure," he repeats. "I hope that Utame proves hospitable."
"It has..." Landra speaks cautiously. "People have been very friendly." Only belatedly does she realize that the Kakkatou still holds her hand. She withdraws. Some of her sisters are present tonight, are any watching her? She looks around. Junrey and Mailia are both nearby, talking to a few of their Saidenese classmates. Landra does not see the others. Zomi has wandered off and Inori is somewhere else.
"If there is anything you need," Kozan says in a low, conspiratorial tone, "please let me know."
That leaves her without words, until she remembers what a Tercio should do. "I should--I should mingle more. Perhaps some other time."
She turns away from him, but she never stops feeling his glances upon her.
