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Jan. 18th, 2009 03:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dagas_isaTitle: A Friend Indeed
Word Count: 607
Rating: PG
Summary: Landra apologizes before she says goodbye.
Landra never felt so happy or scared when Kozan opened his door. Relieved mostly. He looked almost the same as he did at work, the richly embroidered cloak was unbelted, showing the plain white shirt he wore underneath, and his long hair had come unbound.
"It's you!" Landra smiled a bit at that. At least he didn't seem angry.
"It's me," she smiled. "Can I come in?"
He stepped aside, bowing. "Be my guest, pretty student."
She left her belongings outside. No one lived on this floor except the Kakkatou, and few people actually visited him at his home. Fortunes rose and fell too quickly to assume anything, and she had brushed him off like so much dust their last meeting.
"What brings you visiting?" Kozan said. "My charm, my personality, doubtless." Even in his home, he played the high-ranking noble, more so now than he ever had in his office when it was just them.
"I came to apologize." Landra said. The words she'd spent the past weeks hiding behind the sisterhood came to the fore. "I misread your intentions. You've helped me a lot since I've come to your tower, and you've probably been the best companion I've had in well... a long time."
"That's it? To apologize? Very well, I accept." Kozan opened the door for her again, bowing.
Landra found her way out. "I just wanted to say goodbye, too. The Sisterhood rescinded their sponsorship. I'm headed back to Tercio." She choked on those words. A year, a year and a half ago, life up north had been tolerable, neither good nor bad. Now though, could she stay there, disgraced and caught in a life that offered nothing she wanted. Landra gathered her stuff and headed down. She could rent a hotel room for a week while she wrapped up her affairs. Take the Underground out.
"Just like that?" Kozan asked.
Landra looked up, but she dared not look towards him. She felt too near tears to let him see it. "What?"
"You're going to apologize to me, and then just say good-bye?"
Landra said nothing, just shouldered her bag and dragged her trunk of books down the hallway.
Kozan wouldn't let her alone. His footsteps, heavy even without wearing his boots, loomed behind her. "You do realize, I'm not going to let that happen."
"What do you propose I do? Go to the Brotherhood and ask if they'd like to adopt a little wayward girl? I can't just stay here illegally."
"Why not? Who's going to force you to leave?"
Landra thought on that. "The Tou. The Tata. You. Rodya. Rodya wouldn't. So I suppose, that makes it you." She regarded him. The entire time, Kozan had slung his arms across his chest, but now they lay at his side, palms outstretched. She understood. "No, you wouldn't."
"I could sponsor you." Kozan said, taking one of the bags that threatened to slide to the ground. "You could buy a name here, become a resident of Utame."
"Your family discourages that, don't they?"
"Don't concern yourself with them. They discourage a lot of things. Up to and including finding one's Seneschal in the Rows, keeping a suspected criminal free, and letting foreigners have even temporary residency. I do it anyway. Stop your silliness." Kozan picked up another bag and opened his door again. "You can sleep in the spare room. I'll bring out some blankets."
Landra knew better, but she said it anyway. "Oh, not in your bed?"
"If you're interested, I'm sure I could make room. We'd have to snuggle up real close though."
She knew better. "I'll take the spare."
Word Count: 607
Rating: PG
Summary: Landra apologizes before she says goodbye.
Landra never felt so happy or scared when Kozan opened his door. Relieved mostly. He looked almost the same as he did at work, the richly embroidered cloak was unbelted, showing the plain white shirt he wore underneath, and his long hair had come unbound.
"It's you!" Landra smiled a bit at that. At least he didn't seem angry.
"It's me," she smiled. "Can I come in?"
He stepped aside, bowing. "Be my guest, pretty student."
She left her belongings outside. No one lived on this floor except the Kakkatou, and few people actually visited him at his home. Fortunes rose and fell too quickly to assume anything, and she had brushed him off like so much dust their last meeting.
"What brings you visiting?" Kozan said. "My charm, my personality, doubtless." Even in his home, he played the high-ranking noble, more so now than he ever had in his office when it was just them.
"I came to apologize." Landra said. The words she'd spent the past weeks hiding behind the sisterhood came to the fore. "I misread your intentions. You've helped me a lot since I've come to your tower, and you've probably been the best companion I've had in well... a long time."
"That's it? To apologize? Very well, I accept." Kozan opened the door for her again, bowing.
Landra found her way out. "I just wanted to say goodbye, too. The Sisterhood rescinded their sponsorship. I'm headed back to Tercio." She choked on those words. A year, a year and a half ago, life up north had been tolerable, neither good nor bad. Now though, could she stay there, disgraced and caught in a life that offered nothing she wanted. Landra gathered her stuff and headed down. She could rent a hotel room for a week while she wrapped up her affairs. Take the Underground out.
"Just like that?" Kozan asked.
Landra looked up, but she dared not look towards him. She felt too near tears to let him see it. "What?"
"You're going to apologize to me, and then just say good-bye?"
Landra said nothing, just shouldered her bag and dragged her trunk of books down the hallway.
Kozan wouldn't let her alone. His footsteps, heavy even without wearing his boots, loomed behind her. "You do realize, I'm not going to let that happen."
"What do you propose I do? Go to the Brotherhood and ask if they'd like to adopt a little wayward girl? I can't just stay here illegally."
"Why not? Who's going to force you to leave?"
Landra thought on that. "The Tou. The Tata. You. Rodya. Rodya wouldn't. So I suppose, that makes it you." She regarded him. The entire time, Kozan had slung his arms across his chest, but now they lay at his side, palms outstretched. She understood. "No, you wouldn't."
"I could sponsor you." Kozan said, taking one of the bags that threatened to slide to the ground. "You could buy a name here, become a resident of Utame."
"Your family discourages that, don't they?"
"Don't concern yourself with them. They discourage a lot of things. Up to and including finding one's Seneschal in the Rows, keeping a suspected criminal free, and letting foreigners have even temporary residency. I do it anyway. Stop your silliness." Kozan picked up another bag and opened his door again. "You can sleep in the spare room. I'll bring out some blankets."
Landra knew better, but she said it anyway. "Oh, not in your bed?"
"If you're interested, I'm sure I could make room. We'd have to snuggle up real close though."
She knew better. "I'll take the spare."
