hauntedking | [KENOS] IC Inbox

[ That's simultaneously comforting and a little off-putting. He doesn't know why. ]

A poet? Hardly. I'm just... ignorant of this form of art for the most part. I know almost nothing of it or what makes it beautiful.

Learning more about it seems as if it might be enlightening, in a way.

That approach is admirable enough itself~ To be open to learning, rather than rejecting that which is unknown simply for that sake.

[She keeps doing it, as long as she is not stopped.]

Shall I show you mine? I am quite proud of them.

I would be interested in seeing them, yes.

[ He's still wary, but honestly this is surprisingly pleasant so far. ]

Learning new things is always rather enjoyable.

In person... ? Or here, in the world of smoke and whispers of the heart?

[She has her personal preference, but...]

I feel as if in person would have more of the desired impact, wouldn't it?

[ Completely guileless. ]

I agree completely~

Shall I come to you... ?

Well, is there a place you would prefer to meet? I have a house in Springstar.

I make house calls ♡

That seems easiest. Simply show me where and when and I shall be there~

Easily done.

[ Maybe he shouldn't just give his address out - but he does. It's an image of a small little house with a front garden on a sunny street in Springstar. ]

[How cute.]

I'll be there soon, Your Highness~ Just give me an hour or so.

[And true to her word... Kiritsubo arrives in at the door with a bag of shopping, wearing the shape of a blonde woman she has used to make several acquaintances and take clients with in Springstar. One that wasn't connected at all to the broadcast from the Oracle labyrinth.]

Hello, hello~ Anyone home... ?

Edited 2024-01-20 15:45 (UTC)

[ Dimitri takes the hour to putter around his house and prepare for a guest. A touch of cleaning, splash some water on his face, make sure his hair is tied back and out of the way... and prepare some tea and some snacks, just in case.

The door opens to present the young king; he's dressed down in high-waisted trousers and a flowing cream-colored shirt. He examines her for a moment and then smiles, beckoning her inside. ]

Welcome, welcome. You must be Kiritsubo! Please, come in. Would you like anything to drink? I'm afraid I can only offer water or tea...

[ Inside there's a small sitting room-slash-studu, a dining area with a table and a few chairs, a small kitchen and what must be a bedroom and a bathroom. ]

[Kiritsubo would be amused if she knew what sort of preparations had gone into her visit. But as it was... she was amused either way, in the manner in which fishermen tended to feel when they tried a new method of bait fishing that was doing particularly well.

The door opens... and Kiritsubo's chin tips up to view her host. This shape was only a few inches taller than her "natural" one, and the blonde king towers over her... not that she seems intimidated at all, despite being a Zenite supposedly on enemy territory, entering the home of a man who had actually exploded a man during the last Oracle trial. (Technically.) It's all smiles.]

That I am~

[She even gives a little curtsy, though it lacks the gravitas one would normally require from meeting royalty.]

I'd love a tea actually, thank you.

[Brushing some of her heavy hair back over her shoulder, she freely waltzes about his home once shown inside, fingers brushing over the back of a chair, examining the decor, already seeming to make herself comfortable (or perhaps check for traps?).]

[ Fortunately, Dimitri is not the type to lull someone into a false sense of security and then try to murder them in his own home. So he's exactly as he appears, even if he's a little surprised at how fast this is starting to go. He nods and gestures for her to sit as he starts to putter around the small kitchen. There's already water on to boil and so it won't take him more than a few minutes to have something ready. ]

Please, make yourself comfortable. This shouldn't be more than a few minutes. I hope no one gave you too much trouble on your way here?

[Obligingly, Kiritsubo eventually stops her little exploration and takes a seat, near enough to the hall that she can still engage him from a distance, hear him well from the kitchen and watch him putter. How strange- a king, puttering. The king of the demon world certainly didn't do such things...

But it's fun to watch. Had Kenos done that to him, or... ?]

It's kind of you to ask...

[Though she often dressed quite provocatively, she had come rather modestly clad today, all for the effect of what she planned to later do. Long skirts and sleeves flutter as she shifts and crosses a leg on her seat, checking her nails briefly while he works on the tea.]

I've just been keeping my head down...

[By, you know, changing her entire shape and avoiding those that had been ruined by the unexpected broadcast, but. She doesn't say that. She doesn't know if this fellow read the papers.]

Thankfully, the people of Springstar seem willing enough to tolerate me as long as I stick to my work. I suppose not raising a hand against any Meridians during the trial also helped...

[ He's always been a bit of a putterer when it comes to domesticity. Or gardens. He prefers to work and he likes helping people, so... it comes a little naturally. He turns back to her, bringing along a steaming teapot and a couple of cups for them to use. He sets the tray on the table and then slides a chair out for himself to use. ]

I suppose it would help, yes, although quite a lot of them seem hostile to most Zenith, regardless. I'm sure I wouldn't find a warm welcome in Highstorm these days.

[ He looks a touch sheepish. ]

I may have gone slightly overboard.

[ Well. The less said about that the better. ]

[His house guest welcomes him back with a smile, brushing a bit of imaginary dust off the table for him to place the tea upon. It smelled nice and fragrant- a good choice. Another surprising thing from a King. Interesting, interesting...]

Is it really "overboard" if you are fighting desperately for a cause... ?

[She had not been doing that, and she had no intention of pretending otherwise. If the citizens of Highstorm wanted to resent her for her casual seeming approach to the faction conflict, they were free to.]

The more explosive outcome, well. That sounded like an accident to me.

[She read the papers, which had made quite a fuss over that one, but...]

Are you alright, after that?

[She sounds genuinely interested, perhaps even concerned.]

Sort of. I didn't realize that the idol would do... that.

[ He sighs and pours them both a cup as he considers, glancing up with a little frown and a shake of his head. His speech comes after a moment, a little halting. ]

...well. I've experience with bloodshed and wars. I'm managing. It's not the first terrible thing I've seen and I'm sure it won't be the last. I think I'll be alright. Thank you for asking, though.

I believe hardly anyone would.

[So, an "accident". Even her own eyes, which could see the 「truth」of things... likely would not have been able to「see」something so specific as the outcome of a person coming into contact with an effigy. Perhaps she would have been able to sense it would not be a good outcome by any means, but.

The specifics of a gory explosion? No. But she keeps her expression a sympathetic one, the blue eyes of her transformation soft.]

I have seen war, too, but, still...

[She lets the comment trail away, just implication, before she smiles ever so slightly and gestures to the tea he has brought.]

Here we are, to have tea and discuss my work, despite the fact that we are supposedly at war ourselves.

[Was that not laudable, in some way? Some proof that peace could be had?]

[ He'd known it wouldn't be good. But he'd done it anyway.

He's not sure what that says about him. He doesn't know if he likes it. But for the moment, he's trying to brush past it with a wry smile and he picks his teacup up with a little sigh. ]

Yes, exactly. I'm sorry about that - so please, tell me about your work. You said that the tattoos you do matter to people - have you done any on yourself? Would you mind sharing some of that personal meaning...?

There is no need to be sorry.

[... About what part? She does not say, as if it should simply be obvious what she is referring to. But since he seems to wish to move on... Well, she is not opposed to that, when the topic changes to one of the things she is most proud of in this world. Or any world.]

Of course. It is difficult, and it requires quite a few mirrors, but I have done most of my own work...

[Not ready to shock him, not that quickly, she first rolls up her sleeves, revealing that on her upper arms are matching tattoos of a turtle and a crane, swimming and flying over abstract swirls of blue that must represent water and clouds.]

Do these animals mean anything in particular, in your lands... ?

[ He leans forward to examine the tattoos with an expression of wonder on his face. He appreciates the artistry, clearly - and learning about it, too. ]

That must have taken a great deal of time...!

[ His eye sparkles and he glances up with a little shake of his head. ]

To the best of my knowledge, no. They're animals, of course, but they don't symbolize much in my particular region. Although... it's quite cold, so we don't really have many turtles in Faerghus. And cranes only at certain times of the year, in certain places. What do they mean to you?

[Though she occasionally did more Western-style or tribal tattoos, learning new skills as she traveled the world over the centuries and adapting the shapes to suit the sense of her clients, Kiritsubo was first and foremost a master of traditional Japanese irezumi, and the turtle and crane are done in that semi-realistic style.]

Indeed, they did.

[Her fingers trace gently over the shell of the turtle, the feathers of the crane.]

Where I hail from, it is said a sacred crane lives for one thousand years, and the turtle for ten thousand. Together, they are a prayer for long life... and, they represent lovers, as well, the only ones who can understand each others sense of time.

...that seems quite romantic, honestly. The latter one, anyway. Which meaning did you think of when you put it on yourself? If that... isn't too personal of a question, anyway.

[ He's being very polite about it. The best he can, anyway. ]

It can be. But... it is still a bit tragic, don't you think? Even if they will have one thousand years together... the turtle will still be alone for nine.

[She had been "alone" for five hundred years... and how it ached. Nine thousand? It would be too painful to bear. So she had simply taken steps to assure she would not need to.

Though the king apologizes for potentially asking too personal a question, Kiritsubo does not seem bothered. She simply answers, letting her sleeves fall back down,]

Myself... I was thinking of both. A long life with the person that I love in my orbit.

[Perhaps it is indicative, that she does not say "with" them, or "at their side"... ?]

To just be close to them? Not necessarily even... with them?

[ That jumps out at him and then he blanches a little, realizing he is prying perhaps a little too closely. ]

Forgive me; I don't mean to bring up anything painful or to ask anything... overly personal.

[ It does strike a chord with him, though. Perhaps not quite in the romantic sense (or maybe it is), but it reminds him of a person he knew once. ]

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