lucetilogs | (no subject)

[Have a distressed sad faced Marco. And here he thought the woman sounded like Big Mam. Which makes the sparrow him. WELL THAT BODES WELL.]

What happened next?!

[Snerk, Miyabi'd feel kinda guilty for making Marco so worked up if it wasn't so funny. Besides, that just means he's already enjoying her story, and it just started!]

Well... Long after this, the old man - while wandering on the mountains - met his old friend the sparrow! [Miyabi takes back the little paper crane, and the paper man, making them both bow to one another.] They both cried "Good morning!" to each other, and bowing low offered many mutual congratulations and inquiries as to health. Then the sparrow begged the old man to visit his humble abode, promising to introduce his wife and two daughters.

[Miyabi takes two more little paper cranes, and another piece of paper, cutting it into the shape of a house.]

The old man went in and found a nice little house with a bamboo garden, tiny waterfall, stepping stone, and everything complete. Then Mrs. Sparrow [Miyabi holds up a crane, a little yellow one.] brought in slices of sugar-jelly, rock-candy, sweet potato custard, and a bowl of hot starch sprinkled with sugar, and a pair of chopsticks on a tray. Miss Suzumi, the elder daughter [She holds up a purple one this time.] brought the tea caddy and teapot, and in a snap of the fingers had a good cup of tea ready, which she offered on a tray, kneeling.

"Please take up and help yourself. The refreshments are very poor, but I hope you will excuse our plainness," said Mother Sparrow. The delighted old man, wondering in himself at such a polite family of sparrows, ate heartily, and drank several cups of tea. Finally, on being pressed he remained all night!

For several days the old man enjoyed himself at the sparrow's home. [Look at the little paper man dance and bob about, hehe.] He looked at the landscapes and the moonlight, feasted to his heart's content, and played checkers with Ko-Suzumi the little daughter. [Tiny, green crane!] In the evening Mrs. Sparrow would bring out the refreshments and the wine, and seat the old man on a silken cushion, while she played the guitar. Mr. Sparrow and his two daughters danced, sung, and made merry. The delighted old man leaning on the velvet armrest forgot his cares, his old limbs, and his wife's tongue, and felt like a youth again!

On the fifth day...the old man said he must go home. [She lines up the little cranes, two parents in front and the two daughters behind, and makes the paper man bow politely before them.] Then, the sparrow brought out two baskets made of plaited rattan, such as are used in traveling, and carried on men's shoulders. [Miyabi quickly folds up two little boxes, and sets them down before the little paper man.] Placing them before their guest, the sparrow said, "Please accept a parting gift." [Little crane bow.]

Now one basket was very heavy, [she points to one.] and the other very light [Then the other]. The old man, not being greedy, said he would take the lighter one! So with many thanks, and bows, and good-byes, he set off homewards. [Miyabi puts the one paper basket in the hand of the paper man and "walks" him along with it.]

Oh. [Smiles happily. Much better part to the story.] That was very nice of them~

[Waits for Miyabi to continue, and yes it's obvious he's quite enjoying it.]

Mm, but that's not the end just yet! There's still a little bit left of the story... [Miyabi takes the little paper woman into her hand and waves her about, as if scolding the tiny paper man.]

He reached his hut safely, but instead of a kind welcome, the old hag began to scold him for being away so long! He begged her to be quiet, and telling of his visit to the sparrows, opened the basket, while the scowling old woman held her tongue, out of sheer curiosity...

[Miyabi moves the paper box out of the man's hand, and unfolds it, cutting up bits of yellow and white paper like cold coins and sprinkling them into it.] Oh, what a splendid sight! There were gold and silver coins, and gems! And coral! And crystal, and amber, and the never-failing bag of money! And the invisible coat and hat, and rolls of books, and all manner of precious things!! [Grinning from ear to ear, Miyabi makes both paper man and woman dance around the treasure...but sets aside the man and has the woman dance away, the turn left and right sneakily.]

At the sight of so much wealth, the old hag's scowl changed to a smile of greedy joy... "I'll go right off and get a present myself from the sparrows!" said she.

So, binding on her straw sandals, and tucking up her skirts, and adjusting her girdle with the bow in front, she seized her staff and set off on the road.

Uh-oh.

She's kind of a bitch, eh?

[What is censoring language?]

[Hey now, none of that foul language! B| That kind of talk gets a piece of paper flicked in Marco's direction, and a very irate look...as true as those words are.]

Careful I don't cut your tongue, Mister Marco. [She puts a finger to her lips for him to shush, and goes on, lining up the cranes again.]

Arriving at the sparrow's house she began to flatter Mr. Sparrow by soft speeches. [A bow or two from the paper woman.] Of course the polite sparrow invited her into his house, but nothing but a cup of tea was offered her, and wife and daughters kept away. [She pushes the three paper cranes back slowly.] Seeing she was not going to get any good-bye gift, the brazen hussy asked for one! The sparrow then brought out and set before her two baskets, [Miyabi makes the paper boxes again, but this time...they're bigger. Or, one is. One she makes of black paper. The other is much smaller. Her eyes lid in a sway that spells trouble, and a dastardly smile spreads on her face.] one heavy...and the other light.

[She picks up the black box, and holds it out in her palm toward Marco.] Taking the heavier one without so much as saying "thank you," she carried it back with her. Then she opened it...expecting all kinds of riches...

She took off the lid... [Her smile becomes a horrible grin, as the girl begins to unfold the black paper box--and then jumps up, slamming her hands on the table, then rising them above her like a monster, her voice high and going faster and faster as she goes on the list.] --when a horrible cuttlefish rushed at her! And a horned oni snapped his tusks at her! [She gnashes her teeth, grinning.] A skeleton poked his bony fingers in her face! And finally a long, hairy serpent, with a big head and lolling tongue, [She sticks out her tongue.] sprang out and coiled around her...cracking her bones! And squeeeeezing out her breath...until she died.

[Miyabi waits a moment, for Marco to recover from her scare, before she seats herself again after straightening her clothes and finishes off the story with a smile.]

After the good old man had buried his wife, he adopted a son to comfort his old age, and with his treasures lived at ease all his days.

[Nope, Marco has no problem with her getting her comeuppance. Revenge on the bitch yay! But he will keep the bitch part to himself this time.]

I think that's my favorite story I've heard of yours yet. [Because obviously the old man is his Pops and got to adopt sons = best story ever.]

[Aw, boo, it's always fun when someone gets spooked (because laughing at others' expense is just awesome, okayokay). But at least he's enjoyed the story overall, so Miyabi kicks her legs under the table happily.]

I thought you would like it. I don't really know any stories about phoenixes, though. Not any that are long and good... They're rare, and are only said to appear at the beginning of a new era, or at the fall of an empire. If you have any to share, I'd be more than happy to hear what you know.

[Tell her the story of your people.

]

Or both. [A wry grin and he rubs the back of his neck.]

Mah, I'm not as great a storyteller actually. Mostly I just read, or listen to my Pops. He's great at stories.

Start of a new era though...

There once was a dying man. His illness was due to overtake him in just a short time, but how long that would truly be, no one could safely say. He couldn't be cured, not even the cherry blossoms would save him for long. Face to face with his own mortality he decided he wanted to go out leaving a big impact on the world, to make it a better place for others, or to just experience something no one else had ever done before.

He set sail for Paradise. The ocean of dreams, where determination matter most and anything can happen. Along the way he had hundred of adventures, and met a young boy he passed his legend onto, the Will carrying on through a bond that tyrants could never understand. Rather than die quietly alone in bed, he chose the place he'd be killed, someplace to mark the destiny of a new generation and push them forward from the past.

It's an old tale and I've seen the names and faces change many times. Some think he's a hero, some think he's the devil. The dates change, and history repeats itself with it. But it has a beginning, and the winds of change follow in that Will's wake.

[Listening carefully, Miyabi eventually leans forward onto her hands, making herself comfortable as Marco speaks. Puh, not a good story teller...that's very untrue. Every word Miyabi hangs onto, and though she doesn't say much as Marco recites the story, questions are already fluttering about in her mind. She immediately smiles wide at the part about cherry blossoms - so they're special to people back in his world, too... - and shifts on her her seat. Paradise, an ocean of dreams and determination, where anything could happen...ah, that sounded so amazing! It was like a lot like what she heard about the sea from the other pirates she knew.]

...That was an amazing story! But it sounds more like the beginning of a greater tale than an actual story. Ehehe, but I like it, so thank you for sharing. I'd love to sail along the sea... I've never been sailing yet, but I've flown over the ocean a little bit...on some of the larger birds that live here.

Aye, it's an unending story so far. At least, if it ever does end, it hasn't happened yet.

Really? I go flying with Ace and Robin over there quite a bit, but Ace has his own skiff here, maybe he could take you sometime if you're not afraid of fire.

[Fangirl mode has been activated, cue uguu.]

You'd really take me flying?! Really? [That was a very poorly concealed squeak. Miyabi's flown on all manner of birds in Luceti, even the larger hawks and falcons, but a phoenix. Uwaah, it's as if the gods are gifting her something spectacular.] I'm not afraid! A-And I'd be happy to go flying with you--on you...uhm. Th-Thank you! Very much! Hee!

[Bow, bow.]

[Pats her head.] It'd be my honor Butterfly.

If you ever want to try sailing though, you should ask Ace. But I'll be glad to fly you out there sometime.

[Miyabi smiles and giggles, not stopping Marco from patting her on the head. Hehe, it was kind of reminiscent of how she was treated by her painting instructor, so she doesn't mind it much. Nostalgic memories come from the action, and she's never disliked being praised for something (who would?) in that fashion.]

I'll have to ask him some day, if it's really no trouble. But thank you! I'll be sure to repay you for it, too somehow! Ah, but...I won't be too heavy? I can shrink if that makes it easier for you.

[Laughs.] No trouble. You're already pretty tiny, no offense. And I've taken Ace flying, I'm sure he's much heavier.

[T-Tiny...hnnn. Miyabi's smile becomes a little restricted and she tries hard to not hang her head in despair. Instead. she moves right on to the next point of Marco's statement.]

Ace is surely much heavier than me - he's more muscular than some of the warriors I've seen in Kamui. He may very well put Oki to shame, and there's not a warrior I've seen yet that was stronger than he was. Was he always like that?

[That blush on her cheeks doesn't exist, so please ignore it. You're seeing things.]

Oki?

[Just an amused grin. He's actually pretty oblivious to that blush and stammering. Mostly just because he accidentally thinks of her as being even younger than Norma. OOPS.]

He's been that way since I met him when he was 17. Before he joined our crew he was his own pirate captain. A fiery rookie, captain of the Spade Pirates. He was pretty famous in his own right, eh? Rookies like that are extremely rare.

Before that, he was still always a fighter. According to his stories he used to hunt tigers and bears for food. Given his grandfather and Sabo, I believe it.

Oki's a warrior from the tribe that lives close to my village. He's among the strongest fighters, there, too! All of the villagers wear masks, and his is fashioned to look like a bear. [She grabs another piece of paper, blue in color, and a marker, and begins to draw on it. The end result being a mask that looks like this. But Miyabi puts it down to listen to Marco speak about Ace. Aaand her face promptly drops and pales a little at the mention of eating a tiger. A bear is bad enough, but even the Oina hunters hunt and kill them for meat and fur. But a tiger, that's...guh.]

H-He...he did...eh? [Wha-wha-wha...] Why would...b-but--you can't eat a... [Whimper. ;~;]

[Pats her head.]

Personally I wouldn't think they'd taste good. Usually entropy means the amount of energy you'd get from a carnivore is so minimal and all. [A shrug.] Ace was pretty wild, eh.

[Th-That doesn't make her feel any better at all! But as much as she wants to cry, or yell (sob, poor Gekigami), she just kind of stays where she is and lets the bluescreen in her mind pass normally.]

Y-Yes...he is. Th-That poor thing...

It's okay, I'm pretty sure the tigers were just ones that hunted him down first. Our world is... like that.

Your world is... [Weird, odd, strange, screwy, wrong, bad, cruel to animals, funny--] ...something.

Yes, that's a very apt description for it.

[All of the secret ones included.]

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