Anonymous
Sept 19, 2012 0:38:36 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2012 0:38:36 GMT -6
Never once did Hangetsu think he would describe someone's touch as "forgiving" until Ren kissed him on the cheek.
He still smiled from Ren's faux offense of her delicate sensibilities.
"Perhaps I should stop the tour until I get a fainting couch put in. Who knows how you might react to my wardrobe."
Ren's mention of a costume party plus an erotic painting book led to Hangetsu being hopelessly lost in thought. He imagined Ren as a sexy Kyoshi warrior, a sexy dragon-lady and then a sexy metal bender.
Those mental images were filed away for later. Idly, he wondered if provocative costume Ren could stand up against painted Lin Beifong.
"I heard about a costume party. Zumi suggested..." he reached across Ren in part to get a book but mostly to "accidentally" brush his hand against her own. From the fiction bookcase came the second book of the Fleshbender series sporting a man in a metal bender's uniform stripped of it's upper armor leaving the fictional Hangetsu's torso nude and subject to many, many scratches, knife wounds and bites.
While the model was different from himself, taller, better looking, different colored eyes he was raising up his palm to adjust glasses he didn't have in the same manner Hangetsu did.
"I think I have the costume for this. What do you think?"
What turned out to be a joke suddenly became a silent but pointed question about how Ren would feel with him in that stage of undress. It was a question he asked himself simultaneously. He thought about the model on the cover and his own physique and thought that as far as costumes went an Air Acolyte or Sky Bison might suit his body more. Months of coffee making and sitting at a desk less like the tough cop stereotype and more like the pastry eating desk jockey stereotype.
He promised that should any non-fictional fleshbending occur Hangetsu would look more like the man on the cover and less like the man in his mind.
While Hangetu's living room/library flowed into his kitchen his bedroom was walled off like it's own isolationist country. His throat dried when he opened the door. It was where the tour ended and where his clothes were kept but there was one piece of furniture that had him concerned. His bed.
He pointed to the metal racks that lined each of his walls."There's no rhyme or reason. I just put them wherever." Other than the fact that he owned several different versions of the same white suit there was a variety and colors and cuts all tailored to his short, stocky form. Only a mat placed on the ground and chest of drawers holding two boxes one an old and ornate one made Hangetu's bedroom look like a place a person might actually sleep.
"My tie pins and cufflinks are in the box. Feel free to take a look."
He found himself staring at the bigger, older box decorated with metallic whirlpools with a sigh of sad nostalgia. Above it hung a closed shrine to his deceased grandparents.
Ren once more captured his thought.
"You should get a tie. You'd look really sexy in a tie."
Sept 20, 2012 20:46:22 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Sept 20, 2012 20:46:22 GMT -6
Ren giggled. "A fainting couch would probably make this place look a little more home-y," she teased, looking around the near-barren flat. "I can barely tell someone lives here." Which was true. Stubbornly, she pushed thoughts of her cooking dinner for Hangetsu when he got home, thoughts of the two of them enjoying a quiet but pleasant meal, of relaxing after dinner while listening to the radio. Nope. Not going to go there. Not yet. Yet? Not at all, not until Hangetsu gave some sort if indication. But it wasn't like she could ask.
Hangetsu reached across her, brushing against her writing hand, pulling out one of the books his sister wrote and pointing to the cover.
I think I have the costume for this. What do you think?
She glanced at the cover, then turned as scarlet as her robes. The portrait on the front had a mostly-bare man in what appeared to be just the outer most bits (much emphasis on 'bits') of a police officer's uniform. The model was not Hangetsu, but with a vivid imagination like her's it didn't take much for it to...
...
...
...
what was happening, again? Oh. Right. Hangetsu.
Ren turned to face him, but kept her eyes averted. If she didn't, she felt her features would burn clear off from the heat she felt in her cheeks. "I-I-I-..." the woman stammered, then took a deep breath. Easy, girl. "I think that... that... thatitwouldlookgreatonyou," she finally said, the latter half of her sentence coming out in a near-incoherent jumble. After a short pause, she added, "But what about the kids?"
Festivals always had kids. For the first time, she wondered if she liked that.
They passed through the small kitchen, and Ren once again noted how bare it was. It was somewhat reminiscent of her own quarters at the Island, but with a significantly less... warm atmosphere. Not that it was bad, just that it seemed so lonely.
Hangetsu lead the way to the bedroom, and she faltered. Was this appropriate? Did... did he mean something by it? Ren's body stiffened awkwardly as she followed, her steps halting and uncertain. Hangetsu didn't seem particularly inclined to do anything other than show her the room, however, instead showing her his cuff links and tie pins.
You should get a tie. You'd look really sexy in a tie.
How bold! How... how bold! She looked up at him, wide-eyed. "Sexy" was not a word commonly associated with her. Correction: was not a word associated with her, period. Ren's mouth worked soundlessly for a few moments before she was able to croak out her thanks. She didn't know how to wear a tie without looking more like a man, but she said nothing to Hangetsu, letting him keep imagining.
Casting her eyes to her surroundings, Ren noticed a small closed shrine. She stood in front of it, and opened it slowly, her heart pounding in her chest as she hoped Hangetsu would not be offended. She rang the small bell with its metal stick, clasped her hands together, and bowed. It had to be a shrine to his grandparents.
"Thank you for all your work," she said respectfully, addressing both of them with heartfelt gratitude. She said a prayer for the deceased that she learned in her studies, before turning around and holding out her hand to Hangetsu.
"When was the last time you said hello?" Ren asked kindly. It was uncommon for memorial shrines to be closed. She remembered how Hangetsu said he struggled with the last words he had said to his grandfather, and wondered if maybe he kept it closed out of shame.
Anonymous
Sept 28, 2012 15:32:56 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2012 15:32:56 GMT -6
Ren's blushing and stammering more than made up for the previous embarassment Hangetsu had experienced before. It was far too cute not to block out any other thoughts.
"Kidding. There's a reason I always wear three-piece suits. There needs to be a lot between my flesh and the rest of the world."
Going from the living to the bedroom after even a hint of sexual tension seemed like a bad idea but Ren had already seen the living room and kitchen.
It didn't help at all when the filter between his thoughts and speech malfunctioned and he mentioned how he thought she would look in a tie. A few moments had to pass before he once more had to remind himself that Ren was already familiar with dressing in the garments of another sex. The way Ren projected herself often made Hangetsu forget that in the most technical sense he was courting a member of his own sex.
Of all things, it was a relief when she brought up his dead grandparents.
"When was the last time you said hello?"
Hangetsu closed his eyes for a moment and let a slight grin escape.
"I needed advice just before I got dressed to meet you at the dock. I can't dress while the shrine is open...it's just...weird."
When he looked at Ren and then at the photo of his grandparents standing aside one another Hangetsu had to smile. It matched the proud smile of his grandfather who stood next to a taller woman with a serious expression.
"He always had that annoying look when he was with her."
He looked over at Ren and quickly looked away wondering if he had that same smug look when he walked down the street with her.
"Sorry...it's not the most exciting place around. I know, I know, for a guy who has two exciting jobs I'm pretty boring."
Sept 30, 2012 1:48:29 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Sept 30, 2012 1:48:29 GMT -6
She waved it off. "It's okay," she said, smiling at him. "Though, it looks a little lonely." She bowed to the shrine one last time before innocently sitting on the bed and patting the space next to her. Not another thought was in her head other than sitting down and resting her feet. They had been sore, lately, as she had been trying to work on her airbending training.
Not, of course, that she was an airbender! But all acolytes were expected to carry on the Air Nomad culture and tradition, and the bending arts were inextricable from the two. It wasn't exactly her forte. She wasn't exactly graceful; not a klutz, exactly, but she moved stiffly. Still, she tries her best, and her feet were sore, unaccustomed to the circle-walking. She was suddenly glad she owned no heeled shoes — she couldn't imagine walking in them now! (Or ever, really.)
Shyly, Ren clasped her hands in her lap. "Y-you were saying, earlier, about a kimono." She blushed. "Maybe we can rent one? I have a little money, so maybe a day's rental wouldn't be bad..." The acolyte trailed off. What was she saying? Kimono were expensive garments as a whole. Yards and yards of brocade fabric, heavier than summer yukata which were traditionally made of cotton. The obi --sash-- was also heavy, with a length of twice her height! It wrapped around and around the person wearing the kimono, making either a box-bow or a more elaborate, special occasion bow at the back with the extra fabric. Not to mention the ohashori to wear under it! And she'd have to buy geta for her feet, and the tabi socks to go along with them. Silk was so expensive, which accounted for the price of a kimono, which could be anywhere from a thousand to five thousand yuans! But... maybe a day rental wouldn't be bad. She had a couple hundred yuans left, maybe... maybe that would cover it.
She wanted to feel pretty, wanted to be dressed like so many other women during the fall festival. Maybe nothing quite as expensive as a furisode, with their long, almost floor-length sleeves and intricate mural-like designs, but at least a komon, the least formal kimono. Maybe a houmongi, even if it was more formal, if only for its pretty patterns.
Ah, but she was getting ahead of herself.
"I saw a store on the way here from the docks," she told him, her eyes averted in awkward embarrassment. "They sold and rented kimono. Maybe we can go take a look, before the festival..."
Anonymous
Oct 5, 2012 22:13:06 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2012 22:13:06 GMT -6
Hangetsu was glad that he didn't vocalize his first thought when Ren mentioned a place that sold and rented kimono.
He wasn't sure how Ren would take No girlfriend of mine is wearing a rented kimono.
After the mentally exorcising the thought of wearing something rented and therefore previously sweat in, Hangetsu was increasingly glad he didn't verbalize that he considered Ren his girlfriend as even he wasn't sure what Ren was to him or the other way around.
"We'll buy you one." He thought to the wad of yuans his big sister had given him but he was sure that it wouldn't cover something as extravagant as a custom-made kimono. Though difficult to manage, seeing Ren in a kimono put Hangetsu into the same obsessive space that made him spend most of his youth working towards his dream by shadowing his grandmother at crime scenes.
The scenario at its worst he'd be in debt to Izumi. At its most catastrophic he would be further in debt to Tae-yeon. He decided that if he had a photo of himself next to his pretty date in her pretty kimono he'd go into debt to Koh himself if he had to.
While the price was one hurdle a second came up that was infinitely more awkward.
It even made him forget that he was sitting on his bed next to a woman with his altar open, exposing him and Ren to the judgments of his grandparents and anyone else in the spirit world who took an interest in the mundane world of mundane policemen.
"If we get a kimono made for you..." he turned red and it didn't feel like a charming, shy gentleman red. It felt like the kind of red that only preceded a cranial explosion that would leave Ren scarred mentally as well as physically when he had to pull out skull shrapnel from her body.
...um..." he held his hands out and moved them as if trying to shape Ren's form out of clay. your, uh, dimensions...the tailor will have to know them."
As if his mind had been biding its time for this one moment to induce an bloody, blush-related death, Hangetsu imagined Ren naked.
It felt like the bursting geysers of blood only read about in pulpy wu xia books were pulsing north and south ready to explode in fury.
Fortunately, he imagined what his sister would say in such a situation regarding his chances of ever having a physical relationship. Thinking of his sister easily got his blood flowing where it should.
His mind went to the awkward brushing against tender areas that were part of the pants measuring process and then remembered that kimono didn't require pants.
"You know...I'm just being stupid. Never mind. Let's go shopping."
Oct 7, 2012 18:00:01 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Oct 7, 2012 18:00:01 GMT -6
We'll buy you one.
Ren clasped her hands together, her brown-grey eyes shining. "We will?" Her voice rose in octave on the last syllable. She leaned in closer, a smile spreading across her face. "You mean it?" she demanded. "Really and truly?" Oh, a kimono all of her own? She felt dizzy at the extravagance. She stood from the bed and twirled around in excitement, her braid swaying gently. "A kimono! A real kimono!" She giggled, and stopped twirling, leaning forward and kissing Hangetsu on the nose. "I'm so excited!"
Then Ren blinked. "Dimensions?" she echoed. Well, what was wrong with that? She'd give her height, and her waist, and there was no need to worry about bust dimensions... but Hangetsu turned crimson and told her to nevermind. She looked at him curiously, her head tilted to the side. "Um, okay...?" She was a little confused, but brushed it away. A kimono! For her!
Let's go shopping.
Ren laughed. "Now? Silly goose." She tapped her bare wrist to indicate time. "The shops are probably closed now." She wasn't sure what time it was, but it had to be late enough in the evening that the shops would have been shut up tight. She was a little disappointed — a kimono! — but knew it would have to wait.
"I should be getting back, anyway," the grey-haired acolyte admitted ruefully. "I want to get back to the temple before everyone's asleep. Will you walk me back to the docks?"
Anonymous
Nov 18, 2012 13:18:40 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2012 13:18:40 GMT -6
OOC: Time skip to the date after the festival
IC:
Hangetsu had no idea how he made it through the chapter of his namesake's "battle" to escape the lair of the pentapus women. In his sister's stories there was usually little breathing room between the scenes of eroticism and the bloody battles.
While Hangetsu the character was always up for either, Hangetsu the man felt more than a little squemish reading aloud lines about coitus with a group of pentapus/women hybrids.
"'The ink and pentapox marks from his lustful encounter still remained upon his skin upon exiting the cave of the now sleeping temptresses. The smell clung to him in such a way that Hangetsu had not noticed the smell of cooking meat. The heavenly scent would have figuratively knocked him down if the scent's owner had not already done so physically. There, standing before Hangetsu was a volcano of a man. A warrior of great skill and unsurpassed jealousy cursed to be forever ignited but never to die. Hangetsu's one-time paramour Burning Pheonix stood primed for another kind of tumble to which the aching metalbender sighed...To be continued in Fleshbender and the White Peril'."
He had no idea why he thought to read to Ren other than it was free. This was the date Hangetsu feared the most...the one without money. His debts had accumulated to the point where one more borrowed yuan from his sister might cause a rift in the family.
It was frightening that he had no meals out or activities to lean on to entertain Ren all he had was books, instant noodles and the dullest blade in his arsenal, his own personality.
Apologizing for instant noodles and pulp fiction seemed even more pathetic than providing them, but he felt Ren deserved better.
"I'll make us something to eat."
It was almost a plea for Ren not to leave, but instant noodles and stir-fried leftovers made for a weak case in Hangetsu's mind.
His sister Izumi had joked that he was lucky Ren was willing to settle for someone as boring as Hangetsu. He'd laugh even though it felt like a truth that cut down to his bones.
He placed two plates of dried seaweed flavored Flamey-O noodles stretched with leftover bean sprouts and cabbage on the table in his cramped kitchen along with two pairs of chopsticks.
"Would you believe that this is due to taking a vow of poverty rather than me just being bad with money?"
Dec 2, 2012 16:12:25 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Dec 2, 2012 16:12:25 GMT -6
OOC: Since this is post-festival, it should be post-Amon as well, so I'm going to add that in. Excuse the minor godmoding.
——————-
One thing she liked about spending time with Hangetsu was how much she laughed. It didn't seem to matter what they were doing, but she always had a good time. Every time she went back to the Island, her face hurt — in a good way! — from laughing and smiling so much.
Today he was reading out loud from one of his sister's novels. Perhaps they were supposed to be erotic, and maybe to some people they were. She even sometimes felt a little flushed under the collar. But by and large, coitus with hybrid creature women was funny. So was the long-suffering look Hangetsu wore when reading those passages, though she tried to hold back her laughter at his agony. Hangetsu was on the small couch, and she was sat comfortably on a throw pillow on the floor; her head rested against his thigh as he read to her.
The fall festival had come and gone; they had a wonderful time, going from game-to-game, from shop-to-shop, celebrating the coming of the harvest. Aside from being worried about ruining her brand-new kimono (she didn't), Ren had a fabulous time. She couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun, without worrying about how she appeared, or about people picking up on the discrepancy between her body and her clothes. Being with Hangetsu gave her a sense of confidence, and of belonging.
It was a wonderful feeling.
Their time together had been limited after Amon's attack on the Probending Arena. Understandably, as a policeman, Hangetsu had a lot of responsibilities to take care of. She wondered how he was taking the bad press against his hero, Chief Bei Fong. After the attack on the Arena, the publicity on her had gone sour; even one of the Council members — what was his name? The one that had come to the Island that one night? — had suggested she be replaced as the police chief. it wasn't something they talked about, and a small part of her wondered why. Ren didn't press it though; if Hangetsu wanted to talk about it, she was sure he would.
I'll make us something to eat.
"Ah, okay!" Ren moved slightly so he could get up, smoothing out her acolyte robes as she waited. She didn't have to wait long; Hangetsu soon set down a couple of plates of noodles on his small kitchen table. Stretching a bit, she stood and made her way to the kitchen, not noticing anything amiss with the meal.
Would you believe this is due to taking a vow of poverty rather than me just being bad with money?
Widening her eyes a little, Ren tilted her head to the side as she took a dainty bite of noodle-and-cabbage. "You took a vow of poverty?" she asked in surprise, remembering the somewhat expensive kimono he had just bought. She bit her lip. It wasn't polite to ask about other peoples' finances. Maybe he had some saved away, or something? She took another bite of noodle. It was a pleasant meal; vegetarian, like she needed (though she really missed meat sometimes!), and the noodles had been cooked and spiced to perfection.
"This is good!" she said, smiling genuinely. "How'd you make it?"
Anonymous
Dec 7, 2012 3:06:59 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2012 3:06:59 GMT -6
Ren's sunny disposition was one of the three major stabilizing forces in Hangetsu's life along with Tae-yeon's cold analysis and his sister's gallows humor. Police corruption had been put on the back-burner due to recent events thrusting him into the role of "real cop" according to his fellow policemen. How badly he had wanted out of the Internal Affairs Department was nothing compared to how desperate he was to get back in.
Something about his work now seemed off...not something he could express in words. Like knowing something in his bedroom was askew but not knowing what. Definitely not something to burden Ren with.
When she complimented his dish and asked how he made it he couldn't resist making the dopey smile his sister had dubbed his "Ren Grin".
"Sometimes my dad would come by and look after me and 'Zumi. We always had instant noodles and there was always something leftover so that's what he made." He closed his eyes and smiled wistfully before smirking. "It was both the best and worst food I ever tasted. Dad would always smoke as he cooked, head tilted down dropping ash into the noodles. If it didn't taste like you were licking a burial urn it was quite good. Rather than say anything critical I asked him to teach me to make it."
"Instant noodles, oil, soy sauce, sugar, some Fire Nation pepper, and whatever vegetables or meat is about to go bad. Hold the cigarette ash and you have the Tsukishima Instant Noodles: A Cullinary Apotheosis...uh, Dad and Izumi named it. I prefer 'Still a week until payday noodles'."
For a moment Hangetsu wondered if he was coming off as passive aggressive concerning his lack of funds.
"But it was worth it to see you in that kimono...not that you aren't pretty in your Acolyte robes...or anything else for that matter...or..." His hands and brain had coordinated against his runaway mouth by scooping food into it.
He was glad his dignity had some defenders.
It was the first day off since the attack on the arena and he didn't want to spend it thinking about work, but it refused to leave his mind.
"How secure is Air Temple Island? I know you have some sort of austerity to maintain but you have guards and the like, right?" He loosed his grip on his chopsticks once he realized he was close to breaking them. "Are you safe?"
He tensed again and his wooden chopsticks broke.
Lack of sleep and a dearth of leads on Amon made fertile ground for the darker aspects of Hangetsu's imagination. In those thoughts Ren didn't fare well.
Jan 22, 2013 16:05:08 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Jan 22, 2013 16:05:08 GMT -6
Ren giggled huskily as Hangetsu stumbled over his words, waving a hand to put him at ease. "I understand what you mean," she said, trying to ease his awkward compliment-giving. She took another bite of the simple meal, enjoying the flavour. It was drastically different from the food served at the Island, which, while not exactly bland wasn't teeming with taste either.
The smile slipped off her face when Hangetsu mentioned security at the temple. Her grey-brown eyes turned downcast, and she fiddled with her chopsticks as she answered. "I... I don't know," she admitted, her voice soft as she wrinkled her nose absently to push her glasses back up her face. "it's not really something I'd ever thought about." She pushed the noodles around, trying to remember what one of the acolytes had said. "It's not like it's unsecure, considering Master Tenzin and Avatar Korra are there. And Avatar Korra's friends are now staying with us — the other Fire Ferrets and another girl, Miss Sato. Avatar Korra also came to the Island with a bunch of White Lotus bodyguards, and all of the Acolytes know some measure of 'Airbending'." Here Ren gesture with her fingers to note punctuation. "It's not exactly airbending, of course, but we know the forms and motions well enough."
She blushed, thinking of her wooden legwork and the fact she had yet to make it through the training device. Be the leaf, indeed.
"My biggest concern is Miss Pema," she added softly. "The baby is due any day now, she shouldn't be exposed to anything strenuous or shocking." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear in a never-ending futile attempt to keep her locks neat. "I think there are some secret passage ways out of the Island, but I've never seen them."
The acolyte set her chopsticks down, folding her long , slender fingers in her lap. "How serious is this Amon threat?" she asked, looking at Hangetsu in concern, her brow creased. "I mean, obviously he's a very dangerous man, but do you think it's likely he'd attack the Island? If he is supporting non-bender zealots —" Ren practically spat out the word "— then why would he attack us? There are only a dozen benders on the Island, but many more non-benders live there..." She trailed off. It didn't make sense! Surely Amon would rather lure out the Avatar and Master Tenzin, rather than risk injuring potential supporters.
Anonymous
Feb 2, 2013 11:59:02 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2013 11:59:02 GMT -6
The threat Amon posed. It made sense that Ren would ask but that didn't mean Hangetsu didn't dread giving his take on the issue.
Hangetsu's grandmother once told him that discussing security with someone you intended to protect was not in that person's interest.
"Placate them and go about your work."
The problem was being reassuring without actually lying. He sighed and cast his eyes just to Ren's left because he knew that if she wrinkled her nose and pushed up her glasses again he'd have to communicate a complex issue with grunts and hand gestures. He put his hands flat on the table next to his bowl in order to keep from peering over his folded hands ominously as he did when it came to matters of grave concern.
"I think that the last Airbenders as well as the Avatar all gathered on one island is too tempting a target to pass up." His hands moved of their own accord and intertwined just under his nose as he rested his elbows on the table.
"I don't think Air Temple Island is safe. An isolated place containing the entirety of one group of benders, the most prominent of which is a Councilman?" He finally felt courageous enough to look directly at Ren. All the beauty, wrinkled noses and glasses readjusting she could muster couldn't distract him at that point.
"I'm afraid for you, Ren. I'm...just..." he couldn't think of a good word. frantic with fear."
Once more his hands moved of their volition but this time towards Ren's hands. Though those belonging to the Air Acolyte were larger than his own he hoped to project a feeling of protection even if it contradicted his admission of fear.
"I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you."
He commanded his wayward hands away from Ren and felt like a fool.
"Forget I said anything. We have Chief Beifong. Having her on our side is the next best thing to being immortal. Just...please be safe."
With a jarring, thump on his kitchen table Hangetsu stood with a mischievous smile before disappearing into his bedroom and exiting brandishing two flat plates of metal."How is your sense of balance?"
Fun may cost but scrap metal was cheap and skating across the wires between buildings was free.
"You haven't seen Republic City until you've seen it from this height...and going really fast." Now that he thought of it, bending Ren across the wires seemed like a terrible way to see the city.
Hangetsu paused and tried to think of the things his father and sister would say to encourage him to do something rash and stupid.
"The worst thing that could happen is dying and that's just a free ticket to the spirit world."
He titled his head toward the hatch that led to the roof his apartment shared with Lemurland. Some men took women they intended to impress bend-skating as a fun way to show off and Hangetsu was determined to ruin the chances of any man who would dare try to impress Ren in the future. It also changed the subject from the darker one he himself brought up.
Feb 17, 2013 6:04:01 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Feb 17, 2013 6:04:01 GMT -6
She almost missed it. It was hidden within doomsaying and his words of concern, and it almost slipped by her completely undetected and would have had he not reached out to touch her hands just then. All of the other words melted away, completely drowned out by the soft declaration, so nonchalantly inserted as if he had said it a hundred times before. Though, she thought to herself, perhaps in his own way, he has.
All too soon, Hangetsu wrenched his hands away, asking, almost pleading with her to forget he said anything. His dire predictions about the Island had already been forgotten indeed (probably something that she'd recall at a later, more inopportune time) drowned out by the softer, gentler, sweeter words he'd uttered. But Hangetsu stood suddenly, banging the table as he moved, startling her into dropping her chopsticks. Ren looked up at him — how interesting to do so! — her face and eyes struggling with the abrupt change in topic.
The metalbender was joking nonchalantly again, going on about seeing the City from high up and at high speeds. She guessed he was talking about taking her on that wire-surfing trip he had promised when they first started dating. She held up her hands, and remained seated.
"Wait!"
Her voice came out in a little squeak; Ren cleared her throat and tried again. "Please, wait." She patted the table gently with the pads of her fingers. "Won't you sit back down?" she asked sweetly, tilting her head to the side and smiling a little nervously. "I'm not too sure that it's a good idea for me to be speeding across the tippy-tops of the City in robes, if you catch my meaning. And," she added, her voice catching and wavering, "I want to talk about what you just said. Uh-buh-well, not what you just just said, but what you said a few moments ago." Her mouth felt dry. She licked her lips and swallowed, but it didn't seem to help. Her heart was doing curious flips, seemingly both in her chest and in her stomach, simultaneously.
She looked down at her nearly finished noodle dish, her voice only slightly above a whisper. "Did I hear you right?" she asked, afraid to look up. "Did you say you love me?" Without realising it, Ren held her breath in anticipation of the answer, second thoughts and doubt running through her mind as soon as she let loose the words. Maybe she had heard him wrong.
Anonymous
Feb 21, 2013 1:01:30 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2013 1:01:30 GMT -6
After a long pause Hangetsu realized that unlike some wild beasts Ren would not lose interest in a still and quiet prey and go about her business. He sat down across from the lovely woman he was now too terrified to look at. The top of his table was far too interesting and safe to tear his eyes away.
Bluntness was a family trait Hangestu wasn't particularly enamored with. That combined with spending so much time with his grandmother Han, to whom lie detection was second nature, left the young police officer as someone who sometimes gave away too much much information.
He was trapped by Ren's gaze and retreated to his favorite defensive tactic: shifting responsibility onto someone else. In bending parlance he switched from the negative jing of retreating into an attacking jing he would hardly consider positive.
"This is your fault, you know. Somewhere around chapter three you...did something. I don't know what but you did something that made me think : 'Wow, I could stay like this forever'. I think you readjusted your glasses or something."
A state of recrimination was not something, Hangetsu discovered, he could sustain for long against Ren. He wondered if everyone's first love held that kind of sway over a person.
"You heard me correctly." Finally, he found his courage and reached out to stroke his love's cheek but stopped short wondering if he hadn't been too impetuous with his feelings.
"I know this isn't really fourth date talk...I think, maybe I'm wrong, um anyway, yeah. Love. All that stuff."
That moment seemed like it would be precisely when Ren came to the realization that she could do better than Hangetsu. As if the time they had spent together was nothing short of criminal in its neglect of other, vastly superior men.
Short, awkward, boring and according to his sister, sometimes insufferably arrogant. Stupid as well. He couldn't forget stupid.
Feb 28, 2013 1:38:43 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Feb 28, 2013 1:38:43 GMT -6
A small smile came to her face as Hangetsu hemmed and hawed but finally admitted he had said those words.
I know this isn't really fourth date talk...
And it really wasn't. Ren didn't now how to feel about it! She was, of course, excited. Pleased. Thrilled. Over the moon. Whatever sort of colloquialisms existed that meant happy, she was sure it applied to her. Despite his obviously low self-esteem (for whatever reason, Spirits only knew), Hangetsu was definitely charming. Awkward at times, but funny and intelligent. Charismatic, even, though often when he wasn't trying to be. Ren knew Hangetsu was a kind man — kinder, in fact, than anyone she'd ever met.
And that was the problem. She certainly had feelings for him, and in the more-than-just-friends way. Her stomach fluttered whenever she thought about him (which, over the past two months or so was quiet often); she had entertained thoughts about moving in together, fixing meals together, maybe adopting a puppy or something. Of the holidays and festivals they'd share. Of marriage.
But how much of that was new-boyfriend feeling? How much of it was her confusing her feelings of appreciation and gratitude for not rejecting who she was, and how her body looked? Was it truly love? Romantic love seemed so... fiery in herstories! A heated glance, passionate kisses, discarded garments strewn about the floor. None of those things had happened between them, and the thought visibly coloured her cheeks a bright pink. Of course, lust was a key element in her romance novels as well. How confusing.
She had to say something now, something to end the silence and reassure him that he needn't be embarrassed. Ren looked up and smiled, her voice sweet and her lessening-pink face honest.
"I think it's definitely worth thinking about, staying like this." She hesitated so say 'forever'. Nothing was forever, unless they rejoined in the Spirit World as well. 'I... I don't know if I can say love — I am not very wise in matters of the heart, I think, but I have never felt this way about anyone." It was the absolute truth.
Now embarrassed herself, Ren dropped her gaze to her lap, her hands folded neatly in them. Her heart hammered in her chest, echoing in her ears. Hopefully, Hangetsu wouldn't be hurt that she couldn't say she loved him back (yet?). It was the last thing she wanted to do.
Anonymous
Feb 28, 2013 23:38:01 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2013 23:38:01 GMT -6
When Ren admitted she was wise in matters of the heart Hangetsu chuckled.
"If you are unwise in matters of the heart then I'm a complete imbecile on the subject."
Ren's blushing and sheepish gestures reminded Hangetsu that she too was new to this and assumed it was one of the reasons she was so forgiving of what he saw as his glaring flaws as a boyfriend. It seemed that at least once per date the young metalbender had to make a fool of himself.
"I mentioned I haven't been sleeping well so let's just call this sleep-deprived madness and go have some fun...um, free fun."
Money was hard to come by for Hangetsu and fun even more so. His sister Izumi often accused him of being a workaholic but growing up training to be a worthy consort of Lin Beifong left little time to be idle. If he wasn't practicing his bending he was doing his grandmother's detective legwork and what idle time he had was spent trying to improve on those fields.
"Would you like to work a case with me, Ren?" He paused. "Actually, it would be more like a walk where I stop by suspected fences and ask them questions. It won't be as exciting as one of my sister's books..." he grinned and held back a laugh which resulted in a snorting sound. "But the dialogue should be better."
Work. Work was what was needed to change the tempo of both the cop and the air acolyte. Maybe working a case together meant opening up different facets of their relationship.
"Suigetsu...my grandfather....he had this weapon. A beautiful sanjiegun my grandmother bought for him before they married. It was understood that once Suigetsu died I would inherit his wired gloves while Izumi got the sanjiegun. One day the weapon was missing and suddenly my dad had money to take us out to eat and to the zoo."
He sighed. "That creep stole and then sold what was to be Izumi's inheritance. 'Zumi and Suigetsu didn't say more than three words to dad the rest of Suigetsu's life. I want to find my sister's inheritance. "
Mar 4, 2013 23:00:53 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Mar 4, 2013 23:00:53 GMT -6
Luckily for Ren, Hangetsu didn't seem to mind. She smiled a little and breathed a sigh of relief as she looked up at him, tilting her head to the side as she listened to his proposal. Not THAT kind of proposal, though, she thought to herself in a moment of silliness.
"That... sounds interesting," she said slowly, trying to understand. "But I am not sure what I could do to help." But her demeanour was eager and her eyes shone. Ren had read some detective novels in her time as well. "Wouldn't um... wouldn't I be exposed to privileged information, though?" She scrunched up her nose. According to all the novels she read — which, admittedly, were fictional — the presence of a third, unofficial party during a police investigation would breech protocol which would make any evidence available inadmissible in a court of law.
It didn't seem to be that kind of case or detective work though, considering Hangetsu already knew the who and the what. She stood up suddenly, grinning widely, her braid flipping in an curve with the force of her movement. "It sounds really interesting," she said, suddenly all scholar. "Maybe I can take notes for you. I'm a good scribe." She wiggled her ink-stained fingers.
Anonymous
Mar 5, 2013 0:00:27 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2013 0:00:27 GMT -6
The idea of Ren taking notes on his investigation provoked an odd combination of pride and wistfulness in Hangetsu. At the time all he could do was smile and sigh softly.
"Notes...yeah. I'd like that. That's how Han trained me. I was just this little kid scribbling furiously trying to comprehend just a tiny bit of what was happening around me. This time I'll get to see what the other side is like. Just...if I tell someone that you only dress like an acolyte as a means of putting your victims at ease...." he grinned and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Just stand there and try to look dangerous. Someone has to be the muscle."
Once outside Hangetsu was relieved that the weather was still brisk enough to wear an overcoat and fedora. Although, he never admit it to his big sister one instance of a forced game of dress-up with her had permanently altered his fashion choices.
Now you look like a detective, he remembered her saying. It was a fashion choice of a teenaged girl who was fond of pulp fiction but it felt so right. It was also the first time he remembered being acknowledged as anything more than her weak and weird little brother.
Within those first few steps down the stairs that led outside of Lemurland, the jazz club over which he resided, Hangetsu felt different. The convergence of Hangestsu the boyfriend and Hangetsu the detective didn't seem so dichotomous.
"What is your family like, Ren?"
The blunt question made him think those two sides of him weren't quite so harmonious.
"I go on and on about my sister, Han and Suigetsu which you're probably sick of, but I don't hear much about your family."
He gently brushed her hand with his.
"If it's a sore subject I understand given how I feel about my dad."
Across the street as they walked Hangetsu casually pointed to a pawn shop.
"Fence. Not the one we're looking for, but still." While he didn't know it at the time a lot of "friends" of his parents were fences. Idly, he wondered how many illegal transactions he had seen without even wondering where his parents got all of the things they had sold.
A few more criminal landmarks arose but Hangetsu kept quiet. The mystery that most occupied his mind at the time was walking beside him.
Mar 5, 2013 8:10:07 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Mar 5, 2013 8:10:07 GMT -6
Still uncertain what was happening, exactly, Ren eagerly grabbed her little bag. She never went anywhere without a small pad of paper and a pen, tucked so conveniently behind her ear. She followed Hangetsu, wondering what he would get out of interrogating a fence.
When they were walking through Lemurland, Hangetsu turned the conversation to her.
What is your family like, Ren? I go on and on about my sister, Han and Suigetsu which you're probably sick of, but I don't hear much about your family. If it's a sore subject I understand, given how I feel about my dad.
The woman touched his arm gently and smiled a small, sad little smile. "I had a sister, a twin," she said softly. "She did shortly after we were born. Sometimes I wonder if our spirits had switched bodies on accident."
She fell silent for a moment, continuing only when they had stepped outside; Ren blinked in the sunlight. "My parents say we looked very much alike when we were babies. We both got sick, but I was the one who survived. Sometimes I wonder what would've happened had she lived. If-—"
Ren fell silent as someone passed.
"Mother and father," she resumed, not finishing her last thought, "were nice people. I just don't think they knew quite what to do with me." Ren laughed a little. "Not that I can blame them too much, I barely know what to do with myself."
And that was that. Ren didn't know if she was exactly ready for an in-depth discussion of exactly why she left her family. She would rather revel in the positive, bright looking future --especially now that Hangetsu was in the picture — than dwell on the unpleasant, hurtful past.
Fence. Not that one I was looking for, but still.
She looked to the direction Hangetsu pointed, but she didn't see it. There was only a pawn shop — no fence, it was an open property. "Where?" she asked curiously, trying to peer around the shop. Maybe it was to the side, or in the back?
Anonymous
Mar 8, 2013 16:05:14 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2013 16:05:14 GMT -6
Ren's elaboration on her family brought Hangetsu back to one of their earlier dates when the subject of children was brought up. There was an unspoken disagreement on the subject of a child's discipline versus the need to be oneself. As someone raised by his grandparents the white-clad, part-time detective's assistant had assumed that parents being physically there was enough.
When he idly pointed out a fence it took nearly a minute for Hangetsu to process Ren's question and his reverie was broken.
"...Oh! Fence. I get it." When criminals, a some-time crime fiction writer and other cops were his most frequent companions it was difficult to remember that there was nearly another language that was spoken.
"I mean a place that sells stolen property."
Fencing. Making one's bones. There was a whole lexicon of criminal terminology that he assumed everyone in Republic City knew. Suddenly, taking Ren on a walk to deal with a criminal no longer seemed like a good idea. Then it seemed like a good idea because he was sharing an important part of his life. Then it seemed like a bad idea to subject Ren to any more bad people than she had been exposed to already. A cynical Ren was something Hangetsu could not fathom, or wanted to.
Hangetsu made himself a deal. If he was going to show Ren his world he would spend some time getting to know the ways of robes and meditation.
The green, metal-plated boots Hangetsu wore in case of emergency knew to stop before his mind did. Mysteries focused his mind in a way where location and destination were details delegated elsewhere. When he saw they had arrived at Heian Antiques the detective had to wonder how much time he spent thinking about Ren as opposed to talking to Ren.
He opened his mouth to speak but actual sound took longer. "...I get a little, you know, uh, preoccupied when there is a mystery afoot." While he was a terrible liar Hangetsu knew to exercise tactful omission...even if it was infrequently.
He thought it best not to tell Ren that she was the mystery.
"Before all of this Equalist insanity I was investigating a missing evidence case." He shook his head with a small sigh of disgust. Cops breaking the law filled him with a contempt he didn't like bringing into a date with Ren. "I don't have enough evidence against the officer I suspect but some idle chatter led me to think this is where he fenced his goods. Would you talk to the proprietor for a little bit so I can look around? Or if you want I can chat him up while you look. Just check for tiny, discreet holes. As if someone stuck a needle into it...because we did. Sometimes expensive impounded items get small piece of metal we can detect inserted."
It was such a common thing in his life Hangetsu had no idea how a normal person would feel about playing either role. Once more he felt the need to assure Ren and therefore himself.
He grabbed her hand and looked up into Ren's eyes. "I doubt anything will happen but if it does I will protect you. I promise."
It still felt strange saying anything remotely macho to someone taller than himself but the basic instinct to protect someone he cared so deeply for more than cancelled that out.
Mar 20, 2013 18:56:01 GMT -6
Post by A Long Display Name Here on Mar 20, 2013 18:56:01 GMT -6
OOC: Since I'm not sure where you want to go with this, I left it a bit open-ended.
————————
The confused expression on Ren's face dissipated. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her face alight with the discovery of a new word. "I see!" The pen perpetually balanced behind her ear was suddenly in her hand as she scribbled down the definition in a small, leather-bound notebook, following Hangetsu to their destination without looking up — a skill learned from a lifetime of reading while walking.
"...I get a little, you know, uh, preoccupied when there is a mystery afoot.
Ren looked up at the apology, nodding gravely but her eyes excited, as Hangetsu went on to explain the case. "Talk to the-- Oh, oh, um-—!" Her voice squeaked with nerves, something that hadn't happened around Hangetsu in quite some time. "I'd-- I'd rather look around, if that's all right!"
Hangetsu grabbed her hand just then, looking into her eyes with the utmost sincerity.
"I doubt anything will happen but if it does, I will protect you. I promise."
She smiled. "I know you will," she murmured softly, giving his hand a little squeeze, and, after a moment's hesitation, leaned down to give him a soft kiss on the cheek (blushing furiously after). She had every confidence that he would, she realised. She trusted that he would do what he could to take care of her — which was entirely appreciated, considering that while she was at least a whole head taller than him, she had none of his training.
They entered the shop, Ren slightly behind Hangetsu, her head bowed in what she hoped was a serene manner. Her clothes still clearly marked her as an Air Acolyte, and she did her best to look like she was up to nothing more than looking through the items people had pawned.
She knew the basics of pawning: one would exchange an item --collateral-- for a sum of money, whose worth was determined by the pawn shop proprietor. Then there would be so many days to repay the sum of money, often at interest, or the pawn shop would keep the item instead. It seemed like a perfectly reasonable enterprise, but clearly, it was all too susceptible to abuse. Briefly, she wondered if proof of ownership was required before someone pawned an item. It was apparent, however, that in the case of a 'fence' versus a legitimate pawn shop, the ownership of an item was considered a negligible detail.
As discreetly as she could, she browsed the selection of odd nicknacks, finding an occasional piece that did, truly, strike her interest. She would linger over these pieces, partially to create the impression she was here as a customer, as well as out of longing. About halfway through the shelves without seeing anything that might be what Hangetsu was looking for, she glanced over at him with a small smile to see how he fared with the proprietor.
