Coming to Terms

[Guest]

It was set. In his vision, the dummy made of straw sat. It was built well, he noted. A construct of burlap and straw, stood upon a pole and bound with rope. Its eyeless gaze bore down upon the man standing before it, knife drawn. He closed his eyes and chuckled, before slowly raising his eyes to meet that gaze which could not see. He took a single step forwards, before flipping the knife around in his right hand. Pushing off from where he stood, Saeji Aeries ran for the dummy, shouting out as he did so, stumbling a little but continuing to run. This knowledge that he now had; the knowledge of the human body, pressure points, places that were best for killing--Nanaya's death had granted them to him. He had become the master of the body, and for that reason he was now the Assassin. As he ran down the line towards the dummy, he felt himself visualizing them all. Points for the most damage. The easiest way to kill the opponent. Each step kicked up dirt from beneath his feet, his eyes focused completely on the target now. The blade shimmered as he held it up and in front of his face, preparing himself for the attack. Another step, and he crouched down before the dummy, drawing the knife up once more and suddenly taking one last step before it. One would not have seen the movement without watching, but as quickly as he moved towards it, seventeen cuts were placed across the burlap sack, spreading out and ripping the fabric. A small smirk crossed his lips, and he moved around the body of the sack, flowing as easily as a liquid would around a rock, drawing the blade behind him and into the "back" made of straw and burlap. Without a second's rebate, the front of the dummy completely tore itself free, and straw poured out onto the ground behind Ace. A smirk, and he flicked the knife shut, storing it in a pocket and chuckling softly.

A hand was reached up to his face, and he adjusted his glasses, chuckling once more, turning towards the Jade Palace that he was outside of. A sinister glow came off of his glasses, and he started to think this all over. He was... different. Not amazingly different, mind you. He remained innocent and kind, though he also had a slightly bloodthirsty taste to him as well. Maybe it was the assassin? Probably. The man laughed internally, and slowly started to make his way towards the building, preparing himself for the world and all of it's strangeness. Closing his eyes, Saeji contemplated everything as it stood. He had been granted some strange knowledge, and although it was useful, it was also strange to him. He had never felt intent to kill at any present stage. That was why it was strange, because Saeji Aeries was not a killer; Nanaya Aeries was. For that reason, Saeji was confused, but also understood. As the new master of this body and mind, Saeji had access to everything that Nanaya had kept hidden from him. Ever since they had returned from Drachma, Saeji had spent his time keeping Peizhi happy, stopping himself from killing the smallest things, and attempting to come to terms with what was now a part of his mind. A soft sigh, and he stepped through the doors that lead from his army's training courtyard, and into the main rooms of the palace. A strange palace, this was, but it had many places to hide. Many places that would be beneficial to...

The Assassin he now was.

[Guest]

"I saw you trip, Saeji~" sang a playful voice from the corner by the door.

Peizhi smiled amiably at the rather grim and serious looking boy. Though her smile was genuine, it masked her troubled thoughts. Both she and Saeji had changed, in the short time they had known each other. A few days before, she could not accept what she had done and what she had become as a result, nor what she now saw in Saeji's aura, but slowly, she took it to heart. It was better to learn to accept reality than live in denial, she realized.

But they hadn't completely changed. No, they were still friends, he still cared for her feelings for him did not change. Things would still be alright. She knew this in her heart. What happened, happened. She still had Saeji, that was all that mattered.

"You should really loosen up, bǎo bèi, you look really tense and broody. Do you need a massage or some tea?" asked Peizhi, her voice lined with soft playful tones and concern. It was true that Saeji had seemed very distracted as of late, something was certainly on his mind. They hadn't discussed the incident at Drachma since they left Moscow. Not of the moment that Saeji lost control of his own self, and not of her....... well, she wanted his comfort, and she wanted to comfort him, she longed to simply make him happy and rouse that gentle side of him again.

OOC:((Bao bei is a mandarin term of endearment, like darling or baby. Peizhi uses the term playfully))

[Guest]

"I saw you trip, Saeji~" A slow turn, and Saeji was met with a bubbly young lady approaching him from the door. He stepped forwards a mite, giving her a kind-hearted smile. "Did you, now?" A chuckle, and Saeji stepped towards Peizhi, gliding across the ground as he did so, taking the woman into an embrace and holding her against his body. "You should really loosen up, bǎo bèi, you look really tense and broody. Do you need a massage or some tea?" He blinked, and nodded, stepping back from her and tilting her head to the side. "Y-yes, I think that sounds like a good idea. How about we have tea in my chambers? I have all that you need for making wonderful Jasmine tea. C-come..." Patting his pocket, Saeji turned away from the girl with a chuckle, as he started on his slow walk towards his room, leading her there. From the courtyard that he was in, it was a short distance through a narrow corridor that lead to the main throne room, and from there it was simple. A few twists and turns down familiar settings, and Saeji had once more entered his... for lack of a better word... boudoir. Stepping away from the door, he turned to Peizhi as she entered the room behind him. "Hee, Xiao Mei Ren~ Give me a minute, alright? I need to change out of this sweat-coated clothing into something more comfortable..." He gave her a kindred smile, and walked into the closet itself, hunting through the clothing. Picking out something that looked relatively casual, he turned back and left the closet, walking behind the changing area.

A chuckle. "Don't look... or you can look, I don't mind either way." Sliding the sweat-drenched clothing off of his body, Saeji let it drop to the floor, making soft noises with the collision. He reached for the pants, letting them move up his legs as he stepped into the material. He continued to reach and grope for other parts of his clothing, placing them onto his body as he did so. His shirt, on the other hand, he didn't bother to button up. It was too hot in here, in his opinion, and he needed the breathing space. Walking out from behind the shutters, he looked at Peizhi and giggled at her. "Ah, yes. Are we going to have that tea, then?" Tilting his head to the side, the youthful Emperor of Xing walked to the edge of his room and sat on the floor beside a tea set, leaning his back against the cool wall and fanning himself. He wasn't ashamed of his revealed scar now, nor was he worried about her seeing him nearly shirtless. This was a calm, relaxing place for him. She was a calm, relaxing girl. Things were, as they stood, alright in this world...

Even if I want to kill that which stands between myself and her...

{{I believe Xiao Mei Ren means Beautiful Little Girl. Could be wrong. XD}}

[Shula Brighton]

{BUMP}

[Guest]

"Y-yes, I think that sounds like a good idea. How about we have tea in my chambers? I have all that you need for making wonderful Jasmine tea. C-come..." stammered Saeji, in a manner that Peizhi thought of as cute, rather than awkward. Smooth and calm one moment, fumbling over his words the next. It was adorable, everything he did.

And so she followed him, matching his pace and keeping close as they left the courtyard area and strolled down the ornate corridors of the Jade Palace. They passed the desolately empty throne room, perhaps the most decorated room in the entire palace, and traversed the labyrinth of corridors once again, until they finally reached yet another lavish room, handsomely dressed in Xingese flourish and ornament. It reminded her a bit of her father's room, yet, exceedingly grand in comparison. This was the chamber of the Emperor of Xing, afterall, but more importantly, it was the bedroom of Saeji. As this notion, Peizhi's expression brightened as she glanced about the room, familiarizing herself with everything from the colour and patterns of the walls to the rich silk covers of the over-sized canopied bed, complete with an ornate Xingese window style patterned headboard and a pagoda style roof for its canopy with fierce winged golden dragons perched on each corner, their maws gaping widely in a silent eternal roar.

"Hee, Xiao Mei Ren~ Give me a minute, alright? I need to change out of this sweat-coated clothing into something more comfortable..." said Saeji, as he waltzed into the large closet off to the side.

Peizhi giggled and continued her observation of the room. There were a few more decorations, antiques that were probably older than she was. Opposite the bed, there was a rather large traditional ink painting of what looked like a cave. It was beautiful, and like the rest of the contents of the bedroom, it added to a balance of fung-shui. It had an old life to it, but a serene aura. Peizhi spun around in time to catch a glimpse of Saeji as he vanished behind a divider in the corner near the closet.

"Don't look... or you can look, I don't mind either way."
Peizhi giggled, "Tee-hee, maybe I will~". She merely teased him, but it was a perfectly viable notion. Mischievous thoughts flashed through the girl's mind.

Bright brown eyes darted to Saeji's figure as he emerged from his privacy screen, glancing from his smiling expression, and then lingering upon his open shirt. Scrawny as he might have been, his body was lean and defined, something that seized Peizhi's gaze with with unexpected allure. She had always thought Saeji was cute, but suddenly.....Her gaze drifted again, as she finally noticed the miscoloured streak that ran down his chest, a scar that had closed up some untold amount of time ago. At that moment, a swirled of mixed emotions and impulses swelled within the young girl's chest. Desire, to stroke his skin with delicate fingers. Concern, as to whether he might have been in pain, or if he had been hurt. Curiosity, about what had happened, to give him such a scar. But perhaps.....she should ask so bluntly about such things.

"Ah, yes. Are we going to have that tea, then?"

His sudden speech interrupted her medley of thoughts, causing her to cheeks to tinge with sudden embarrassment.
"Oh, right, sorry"

Peizhi hurried over to the set of tea on the low table where Saeji had sat against the wall and was now fanning himself. Glancing about, she spotted the metal jug with a cord sticking out from it. Picking it up with her hand, its weight told that it was already filled with water. Well that worked just fine. Lightly humming and old Xingese tune, she set to plugging in the electric jug and preparing the water to heat up. While that was warming, she reached for a small china container and removed its ornate lid. Gentle fragrance was released into the room as the jasmine let loose its pleasing aroma. Taking a small glass spoon off the table, Peizhi scooped up the small green leafy pearls and spilt them into the fine china tea pot, then did so once again. After a few minutes, when the water was finally steaming hot, she poured it into the the teapot. Green pearls swirled around as currents of hot water filled the pot, whilst steam carried the strong aroma into the air of the room. She placed the lid over the pot and returned her busy gaze back to Saeji.

"Three more minutes, and it'll be ready" said she, with a smile. She had a fair amount of experience in serving tea. It was something most noble clans taught their daughters, much to her chagrin. It was useful though, unlike all the stiff dresses and formalities. At least tea was delicious and relaxing.

"So, how about that massage?". She had already drawn close to Saeji's side of the small table before he could say anything. Soft, delicate fingers reached for his shoulders, grasping hold of them with a firm gentleness as she manuevered herself to his side, pushing her arm between his back and the wall so that she could have access to his shoulders and back. She began to press and knead at his tissue, rubbing her fingers firmly across his skin so, enticing the tension in his back to die down and let his body relax. "How does that feel?" asked she, upon a gentle murmur into his ear.

[Shula Brighton]

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[Guest]

She was... she was looking. No, he wasn't surprised; he'd always received stares when he'd bared such a thing to the world. It was an ugly scar he could not deny the image of, so he would not deny it. Even if it detracted from that look of his chest, he would be fine with its existence... he'd always been fine with its existence. Smiling softly, he tilted his head to the side as she spoke. "Oh, right, sorry" So, not only had she been staring, but she had let it distract her from making the tea? Tee-hee~ At least he had people to help him with such a thing, though if things went the way he wanted, then he may have to do such things on his own. Chuckling quietly, Saeji tapped a finger on his temple as he watched her do her business with the tea pot. Surprisingly, this martial arts girlie looked extremely cute and homely when she did such business; was it how her family had taught her? He knew little of such affairs, though he had always been told of the ways of the other families. The Hua were just one of many of the noble families, though they were just as steeped in tradition as the rest were, he might add. Sighing softly, the intelligent young Emperor of Xing watched this youth with a curious expression; smiling as the scent of the tea started to waft into the air around them.

Jasmine Tea. Mòlìhuā Chá. A brew specially made in Xing, formulated by brewing flowers of jasmine into the mix. An especially tasty tea, one that was subtly sweet at the same time as being of the other tea-like taste. Chortling internally, Saeji stepped towards the woman as that aroma firmly implanted itself into the atmosphere of the room. "Three more minutes, and it'll be ready." She was smiling. That smile on her face, it made Saeji's heart soar throughout the skies. That woman was something special, something different to this world that he was stuck in. A world full of protocol, red tape, bureaucracy. Jemutin was almost at the end of his rope--any lesser fool could see it--the meeting they'd had when he'd first met Peizhi had been a rough one. Honestly, Saeji had always expected resistance to his new ways. He wanted to remove that which gave the Nobles power and give the people a fair chance; he had heard of it being called a "Socialist" style of government. He retained a position of power, but chose to take as few perks as possible--the ones that weren't forced onto him were refused. This girl... she wasn't a perk. She had wanted to be there just as little as he had, so he had seen a connection. It was... as simple as that. Turning slightly away, he took a seat and breathed out, relaxing himself. It was always nice--having a break after a training session.

"So, how about that massage?" Without warning, hands were upon his shoulders, Saeji's cheeks glistening slightly with sweat that simply accentuated the blush that slowly showed up. He could feel the tenseness in his own back, each muscle pushing for dominance over the rest. It was frustrating to this teenager who was used to moving with fluidity. Closing his eyes, the boy with the softly-glowing blush on his cheeks bit down on his lip and sighed with content as each of the mounds of flesh pushed their way back. He moved and twisted and gave more contented sounds as each push assisted his back in loosening up. "How does that feel?" "Better than the services the twins usually provide, that's for sure. They can get rough." Not elaborating on 'service', Saeji smiled quietly, not turning due to the feeling of her fingers still kneading his back. "Ahh... you really do have magical fingers, Peizhi. It's usually quite difficult to get those knots out of my back, especially after most sessions at the dummies." Calmly chuckling, Saeji cricked his neck while she moved, hoping to get that stiffness out as well. This moment, why couldn't it last forever...?

[Shula Brighton]

{BUMP}

[Guest]

Giggling at his comment, Peizhi’s fingers worked gently into Saeji’s tissue, trying her best to take all the strain off of his body. He was incredibly stiff, and she could not help but blame the tribulations that came with the task of running the entire country of Xing. Not to mention that he pushed himself so hard, especially since the war in Drachma. A pop resonated from Saeji’s neck, which sounded as uncomfortable as it probably felt. Tentative to his needs, she quickly refocused her attention to his neck, rubbing the stiff muscle gently.

This was a wonderful moment, and Peizhi could not help but think that it would be a blessing to have moments like this every day. The longer she spent near him, the greater her desire to embrace the boy that had come to command her affections and kindle her heart. Even his scent was enticing, the smell of his sweat, his sweet natural smell, the smell only he had, that she had grown familiar with. Every aspect of him called to her, and inevitably, her wild heart gave in to her impulsive emotions. The young woman wrapped her arms around Saeji’s chest, her own soft breast pressing against his back as she leaned into him. Her chin rested upon his shoulder, her soft lips pressed against the skin of his neck in an affectionate kiss. With each breath she drew, his scent permeated throughout her being. Passion engulfed her mind, filled her with unyielding desire. Inexplicable, incomprehensible was her infatuated fervor to herself; Overwhelmed and only knowing her wish to express her love and affection for Saeji. Being near him was intoxicating, and though she felt herself being slowly lost to passion, she cared not for the consequences. Embracing him more tightly, she nuzzled into his neck, hoping that in this bold display of affection, he would return her feelings. If he would only return her love for just this very moment, they could melt into one another.
“Do you love me, Saeji?”

[Csilla Angelis]

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