Completed [Stone Garden]Uhhhh....what now? [Tsukiko]

[Kreig Messer]

10th of Fall, 15th bell, 34th Chime.


Kreig, was without a doubt, a nervous wreck. not that he wasn't in this kind of situation before....ok he was on his first date BUT the nervousness was nothing new 'This...this is annoying feeling' Kreig thought 'maybe I should've chosen a different place?' He was quite anxious, he didn't like this feeling.... he looked at the stones laid out before him, the stones that represent the knights who died for the order's cause 'I wonder if any of you guys had this much trouble' Kreig thought as he bent down to look closely at the stones. The Stone Garden was a place of contemplation, to think of the sacrifices the order made and for its knights and citizens to contemplate what they have and what they could do to keep it.

"Probably did..." He chuckled as he looked around, not many were here.... some came to mourn silently, others simply to sort out there thought. A knight making sure nothing would go wrong on these sacred grounds 'Wonder if I'll ever get buried here?' He shook his head, remembering that the order doesn't bury their corpses, but rather burn them to preserve space. With a sigh he stood back up, he didn't quite know what to do.... 'When she comes, what will we talk about?' Will they talk about Claire? she did manage to charm her like she charmed her 'uncle', hobbies? Yes, he was certain she'd find a man who loves to fight to be quite riveting 'not like I'll lie about it' Philosophical debates of utmost importance '....HA'

In the end, he was perhaps over thinking this, but considering he was simply a 'dog who loved to fight' and well.... a nice svefra woman. He wondered if this date would go alright 'Actually, considering Razkar and Edreina...' Yes, with such an example there indeed seemed to be hope, and let there be hope that Kreig doesn't screw things up.

x

[Tsukiko]

It had been a good idea to arrange their meeting for those two bells, as it took Tsu a while to find the Stone Gardens. At some point, she had had to ask for directions from a storekeeper, who pointed her to the right path. Still, a curious creature as she was, the sailor side-tracked every now and then, pausing to look at an interesting display, humming along to snippets of songs that escaped some establishments, at times adding her own melodies and harmonies as she went.

Passing through the entrance, she paused, taking in the numerous stones that were set in the garden. 'So many lives,' she thought grimly, 'and yet these are not all of them.' It was indeed a place for contemplation. It lacked the business of the city outside, the very air having a different quality. For whatever reason, it had a calming effect on her. Perhaps it had to do with her 'father'.

Whatever the reason, she almost felt a sense of familiarity, in this tranquil place. Upon seeing the squire, she began to wonder what they would talk about. Since they were next to strangers, it was difficult to say what they might have in common, though she was open to listening to anything he wanted to talk about. The sailor walked as lightly as she could, placing most of her weight on the balls of her feet, coming to a stop behind him, and leaned forward ask quietly, "Am I late?" not wishing to disturb the other visitors, and in part trying to be mischievous.

[Kreig Messer]

Kreig was still lost in his own worried thoughts when his 'date' came, still worried about what to do. how not to mess it up and such. As such he didn't notice her walking behind him... which quite frankly the next thing she did made him jump, startled despite it being the calmest of whispers 'eep' He quietly yelped, then turned sheepishly to face her with a nervous smile "O-oh...Hello, um....well, no I believe your quite on time" He chuckled lightly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Um...I do hope you found your way easily enough....um, er...didn't get lost or anything?" He started berating himself on the inside 'Boy, stop being nervous. Be a man!' Easier said than done, whoever said the first step was the hardest didn't quite imagine what the second or third will be in this case "um...." What to say , what to say? Should he compliment her appearance? no, that could be too forward....Talk about Claire? Well she did tell him to say hi to the 'nice lady' yes that could work 'A good ice breaker'


'Er, Claire sends you her regards and thanks you for the sweet roll, she quite enjoyed it" Kreig said with a soft smile as he lowered his arm "I must thank you as well, I'm afraid as a squire they don't quite pay me anything" Kreig admitted, resuming scratching the back of his head as he sighed "Um.....so...um, I hope you don't mind the venue, it's the only place I could think of" He then looked into her blue eyes...and quite frankly found himself lost in it, his heart beating faster "er...um, so....um any hobbies?"

x

[Tsukiko]

Her smile widened slightly, as he let out a small yelp, she herself surprised to find that she had caught him off guard. 'His mind must have been quite occupied for me to surprise him,' she thought, amused. "That's good," Tsu chuckled softly, straightening at the same time.

"Aha.. I actually got... a just bit... lost.."she said, trailing off. It was her turn to be sheepish, as she stretched the truth.. just a bit. Her cheeks coloured slightly with embarrassment for her troubles in finding their meeting place. Hoping her 'date' didn't notice, she watched with interest, as she saw various expressions cross his features. 'Hmmm.... He's... more nervous than I am,' she observed, smiling at this endearing aspect. She wondered what he could be thinking, that made him so anxious.

"She is quite welcome," the sailor returned with a soft smile of her own. "Don't mention it," she replied with a wink, "and this venue... I quite like it actually. It's... It's calming." Tsu wondered what impression this place left for him, for it likely held a different meaning for him, than it did for her.
"Hobbies? Hmm..." she thought for a moment, going through a short mental list. She generally spent most of her time wrapped up in her thoughts, unless she had some concrete plan, or often as not, wandering places such as the Baazar, observing the current ways of the world. Not something she exactly counted as hobbies. "I suppose... learning new skills... and singing?" naming the first two things that popped into her mind. "... and you?"

[Kreig Messer]

'Eep, she smiled....she has a cute one' Kreig thought as he felt a blush come on his face 'Wait....what did I do to make her smile? gah, this is so nerve wracking...wait, she's speaking, I should probably listen' Perhaps should would be a better word rather than probably, but nonetheless he paid Tsukiko rapt attention as felt an insane amount relief wash over him as his shoulders slumped in relaxation 'She likes the place, yes, ah....yes, so I do know good locations to take a girl' One wonders if the brawler realizes she might prefer another venue next time, well....if there happens to be a next time, yes....lets pray once more he doesn't mess things up.

Then he listened to her hobbies, and wouldn't you believe it? All that nervousness he felt before suddenly dropped on him like a ton of bricks singing some...well...whatever prideful song Syliran's had really 'Gah, she likes learning and music....those are much better hobbies than mine' He thought as he broke out sweating 'Should I tell her I love fighitng?! what would she think of me then?! Some brute?! Should I lie?! No I'm a horrible liar and I love fighitng too much to lie about that...oh dear gods why did I ask her out?!" Yes yes, all those lovely thoughts certainly helped the situation, didn't they? Perhaps dousing him in fire pitch and setting himself alight, that was sure to score some pointers. After the cascade of negative thoughts, he manned up as he tooke a deep breath and admitted what he liked "Um...I'm ashamed to admit this, um not of the hobby itself just to be clear, but um...I enjoy fighting with my fists" Kreig then loked down at the ground as his shoulders slumped once more "Gah, I'd understand if you don't like me because of it..... " And he was turning into a dejected puppy already, ready to leave despite the fact that Tsukiko said nothing yet to indicate what she thought or felt.

x

[Tsukiko]

Fighting? Tsukiko perked up slightly when she heard this, glancing over, only to see him so dejected... it was cute she decided. Reaching over, she took his hand in hers and began examining it, tracing a few of his callouses before spreading out her own beside his, comparing the two. The sailor's hand had been toughened up from the ropes of her ship, and from what she could tell, she probably had more callouses than the squire.

"Why are you ashamed? It is a way to defend yourself and even keeps you fit. Perhaps you could teach me," she said thoughtfully, still inspecting their hands. "How to fight with my fists that is... it is one of the many things I have little experience in," she added, her lips turning up at the corners in an amused expression.

Tsu looked at him, her amusement turning into curiosity as she watched his expressions. This Kreig was quite an interesting fellow; he was obviously quite self concious, at least from what she could tell. Also, from the way he had just told her of his love for fighting, she wondered if he was over processing his worries of what she might think of him, or if he thought of her as one of those delicate, meek creatures called "Ladies." If it was the first, she wouldn't mind, but if it were the later, she would enjoy dispelling such notions. Then again, it would be a step if she could somehow get him to be comfortable around her.

[Kreig Messer]

'So soft' Despite the callouses of her hand, her hands were gentle...which considering the callouses either meant Kreig really had a thing for the beautiful before him or somehow the woman was breaking some hidden rules of the universe to accomplish having such gentle hands 'She wanted to learn how to fight' While he was curious as to why, he did recall that the woman before him was a Svera! A hardy sea faring race who were also natural warriors, fighting was one of the many things they needed to know as they braved the sea. That thought actually helped him relax considerably.

"Uh....Well, I'd be quite happy too" Kreig said as his face turned red from her gentle touch, he couldn't turn his face away though as he gazed at her beatiful face 'THINK, what would Orion do in this...wait?! ORION?! no no no, bad example' He threw that thought quicker than one would throw away a baby's dirtied cloth diaper "Though I must admit...my style of fighting is quite...um...brutal to say the least" He held her hand this time, gently touching as he looked deep into her eyes. He didn't know what he was doing now really, as he raised his left to gently caress her face. Yes, he was feeling quite relaxed with the beautiful creature before him....though the progression of this encountre is quite abnormal....like one of those sappy tales "...er, if you don;t mind me asking, could the price of me teaching you, be you singing a song?"

x

[Tsukiko]

Her eyes widened slightly, surprised at his intimate touch. It was like a scene from a ballad. Oddly enough, the roughness of his hand was comforting, almost reminding her of sun-warmed sand, and at first, unconsciously leaned into his palm, eventually closing her eyes. That was, until she realised that she was being incredibly forward. Leaning back, she took in his agreement with delight, but was puzzled by his request. "But... you haven't even hear me sing before?" she asked, curious as to how he had decided upon such a form of payment.

"I mean... I wouldn't mind... umm, perhaps you should listen before you decide?" She began going through a mental list of the songs she knew, both excited and nervous at the prospect of singing for someone else. It had been a while since she had sung to anyone but the Moon, herself excluded, and she speculated what kind of reaction she would get. As she spoke, she matched her expression to her words. "Are there any that you like in particular? Sad, happy, fun... sultry?" her voice dropping slightly on the last, with a slight, playful smile playing across her lips; perhaps to tease him a bit. "Or perhaps one of darker things," she murmured quietly. Oh how she did find some dramatics quite amusing/

[Kreig Messer]

Her face felt incredibly soft as she rested against the palm of his hands. It felt like things were moving quite quickly, but Kreig didn't mind that... he just wanted to feel her face and look at it longer, so he felt a tad heartbroken as she pulled away, still he kept that smile on his face and chuckled slightly "I'm sure with a voice as soothing as yours, any song shall be great" he complimented as he gently reached for her hand and squeezed it lightly. Then she said he should listen to her sing first before he decided....then listed off the songs, he blushed furiously at Sultry as a certain dream he once had came to mind 'Oh dear gods no' Then she went to 'darker things' quite frankly....He didn't know what to choose...he knew what NOT to choose thought.

'Ah, what should I ask of her' He closed his eyes and raised his head as he pondered "Hmmm....how about a sad song, a song that touches the soul deeply?" He opened his eyes and looked at her, he didn't quite know why he chose a sad song, he supposed it was a better choice than nothing as a happy and fun song could be heard anytime at a tavern and well...he didn't want to hear sultry and wasn't quite sure how he'd take a dark song as well.

x

[Tsukiko]

A sad song... not what she had expected him to choose, but who was she to say? 'Then again, considering our current setting...Ah well, what song, what song... something that touches the soul... deeply?' What did he mean by that? She didn't believe she could pull of such a tune, at least, not during the day. Settling on a song, though not one that deeply touched the soul, it was both a sad and happy song, containing some of her memories. Tsukiko had composed it one night, during one of her more contemplative moods, and had been more of an unconscious thing.

"Mmm... Though this may not exactly touch the soul, I think you might find it... interesting? It is not complete," 'perhaps it never will,' she added silently. "But... ah... never mind. I'll sing you the first part. Please tell me what you think at the end?" With that, she took a deep breath, placed her hand on her stomach to monitor her air support, and began to sing the slow intro, as if it were a lullaby.

Looking to the moon
I remember, I remember
Darkened skies, forgotten goodbyes
An unpaid boon
Perhaps I left too soon

The opening was a sad tune, but more lonely than sad. Ending on a lower note, she continued and began the first verse, the first note an octave higher than the last of the introduction.

Plunging through the air
From sky to seas
Didn't know a thing
That had happened to me
The next thing I knew
I was one of the crew
And had no memories
Of what had once been

The next part began a tempo that was a hair quicker, for it was leading to the chorus, which was even more upbeat.

I will search, to the ends of this earth
Until I find where I belong
I will search, and find my way
Even if it takes me 'till 'Someday'

She paused for a short beat, during which she took a quick breath, and dove into the rhythmic chorus. Her voice carried a slight lilt, colouring the melody with grace notes here and there.

I've been travelling down this road
All on my own
I hail from far away
From lands forgotten old

I have no memories
Of days from years ago
But aye, there is one thing
One thing I know
I know of my family
Sailing on the seas

Gradually slowing down on the last two lines, she let the last note fade. Turning to the squire, she tilted her head. "So... what did you think?"