[NOT A BAD IDEA he probably needs the steadying hand, it looks like a strong gust of wind could knock him over...
He doesn't seem particularly bothered by it anyway, beyond that initial shock of surprise. He also seems a little lost when that question is posed, looking down at the floor and then back up again.]
...I'm not sure. [He had just started to walk, not really paying any attention to where his feet were talking him.
But he doesn't seem to give any sign that he'd turn Jae-ha away.]
[ . . . it's that bad, is it. Jae-ha's expression twists a little at that, but only for a second. Then he'll remove his hand at Souji's shoulder to just keep an arm around him instead, keeping him close.]
... then shall we go confer with the stars?
[If Souji doesn't want to go back to an empty room.]
[He sure doesn't want to go back to his empty room, not in the least. Yasusada had been there to fill it last night, but now it's well and truly vacant and that's not something he can face.
Anywhere would be better than here, honestly. The sky is just as fine, so Souji nods.]
I'd like that.
[Maybe they'll be able to reach the place where their dead are waiting, if they jump high enough.]
[and so Jae-ha will nod in return, aiming to guide Souji out toward the garden.]
Then let's see if they have any wisdom to offer us.
[he's quiet for a while longer, just trying to be mindful of Souji. his breathing, his health, his expression - the other man had certainly gone through a lot, after all]
[He doesn't seem so lost when someone else is leading the way, at least, like his feet are used to following even if the rest of him doesn't pay as much mind.]
Do you think we'll be able to use it?
[Wisdom from the stars... It's nice to think about, anyway. Souji's expression is actually pretty placid. His breathing, though even, does seem to sometimes rattle hollowly in his chest.]
...Something nice. A pleasant story instead, maybe.
[That's not wisdom, but it's still something he'd like to hear, honestly. By way of answers, he's not sure he'd like even the wisest ones the stars would have to give.]
[A beat; Souji glances over, and there's something like a pale ghost of an emotion that briefly flits across his face. Amusement, maybe? Surprise? Hard to say.]
Once, there was a dragon god who came to love humans so much that he wanted to join them on earth. Hiryuu, the Red Dragon, chose to become mortal and dwell with the people that he loved so dearly. However it was during a time of war and humans were still mistrusting, and they were so very close to turning against the king. The other dragons in the sky tried to convince King Hiryuu to return to them - but King Hiryuu said no.
He was human now, and he loves humans, and he did not want to return to the sky. Yet the dragons loved Hiryuu so much that they gave their blood to four humans who would become the Dragon Warriors. Each would be gifted with a different abilities - the eyes, the body, the arm, or the legs of a dragon - and were made to swear their love and loyalty to their king.
[Jae-ha's gaze drifts up toward the sky, wondering if the dragon gods look upon them even now.]
... they brought peace to the kingdom. Even when King Hiryuu passed, and the original dragon warriors passed, the power of the dragon would be reincarnated again and again and again.
[ . . . ]
I - used to hate that story. But I've been thinking about it differently lately... about the gods who could love someone so much that they'd write that love into the very fabric of history.
I thought about how I'd like to have your sense of loyalty - and how that too, is worthy of dragons.
[...Jae-ha is a good story-teller, honestly. Souji's attention drifts a little at the beginning, wandering in the sort of way his body had been moments before he was found. But the words hook that drifting attention back, and he finds himself really listening as they continue.
It's a lovely story, too. Something that would ring pleasantly with samurai ideology. The notion of being so loyal, so dedicated, so affectionate that your spirit transcends all else to continue following the one you pledged yourself to isn't anything he's unfamiliar with.
Jae-ha continues after, says he'd hated the story - and Souji makes a soft little sound of surprise, or something like it. But to view it differently, to think of his own loyalty as worth even mentioning in the same breath as such a story...
It's nice, isn't it? Even if the part of himself that acknowledges his own selfishness immediately wants to deny that it's a trait worth anything at all, he bites back the words and offers a small smile instead. It's a little weak, but having this anchor point seems to be helping him.]
...I enjoy stories like that. [Probably unsurprising.] It seems like something larger than life, doesn't it? Like something so much bigger than one single person could be.
[Jae-ha hates chains, prophecies, and fate. To him - the story of the Four Dragons holds all of those things. The idea of being born to just be a part of someone else's story... some part of it still upsets him. Even after it led him to Yona, the rest of the Dragons, and he was able to enjoy his time with them.... he remains convinced that everything about that journey was based on his own choice.
(Even if he's not sure that's true.)
Yet when he thinks of Souji and Sousei - two people are who unfailingly loyal to their cause - he thinks that the story would probably be wonderful to them. That they would be able to serve their country and their king, that a warrior's spirit could carry on even after the flesh rotted away. In that way, they remind him of Ki-ja.
In some ways, they're so much stronger than he is.]
To be loved by the gods.... I think it takes a special kind of person. [Fiery, strong, moralistic, and unimaginably kind.] Though I think serving that kind of person is a task all on its own...
I think you'd make for quite a remarkable dragon warrior. The kind who could conjure up legends all on their own.
[A remarkable dragon warrior, huh... Well, he does inspire legends already, in a sense - tales of demons wearing human faces, of men who should be dead but live on, maybe fueled by the blood they spill.
It's certainly not the sort of gallant and lovely thread that a tale like this is woven up from.]
You're really too kind, Jae-ha.
[His selfish heart craves exactly this sort of thing, but he knows it isn't a kindness he deserves. Especially now, when even his gruesome capabilities hadn't saved anyone, anyone at all.]
--Do you have any other stories that you like to tell?
Am I...? [He doesn't know if he'd agree with that.] I merely follow my standards of beauty in order to survive.
And I suppose that just makes me an incredibly honest person.
[Who thinks that Souji is an admirable person, who possesses qualities that Jae-ha doesn't, that can run toward a goal instead of away from fate. There are things about that that he can respect, even if they're rather different from him.]
... I suppose there are some. Stories about pirates, some about bandits, others about nobles.... I've lived a very full life. Are there any that sound good to you?
[It's kind of funny and also kind of awful, how many people in this place who are truly good and kind and strong don't seem to view themselves in such a light.]
Honesty is one of the best values anyone can have, I think. [And then, a less strained smile.] I like honest people.
[All of his favorite people are very, very honest, even at the cost of pleasantries or reputation at times. But he loves them anyway, because it's easy to trust them with what's important. It's easy to admire an honest person.]
[And he hums even as they walk along, and his eyes drift up toward the sky.]
All pirates have a treasure that they care for - right? In this case, the treasure was not gold or jewels... but rather, it was a town. It wasn't a very rich town, nor was it a very rare town. It was a port town... but the people in it were some of the kindest. They were unguarded, but beautiful, and perhaps that's why they were stolen away in the first place.
They were stolen away by an evil man - his name was Yang Kum-ji. He wanted to rule over Awa and its people, so he began to slowly rot it from the inside. He bought the officers into working for him, and he allowed crime to overtake the city, so long as he could benefit from it. He became the Lord of Awa, and he would use the soldiers under his command and others that he bought in order to harass the people. They would be injured, and the lovely women in the city would be kidnapped from their homes.
[When he speaks again, his voice turns warm, full of admiration and longing - ]
Enter the hero of our story - the beautiful, mature Gi-gan.
[Souji is quiet while Jae-ha speaks, attentive in the way one could expect from a good audience. Being able to focus on something else - something grander and farther away than the castle and things before him - does help in a way. The description of the city makes his heart ache for home, but he remains silent, instead focusing his active attention on picturing what's being said. A port-side down and its lively people, just milling about and going through the motions of daily life. A corrupt lord, sowing seeds of chaos in the midst of it all. It really is a little like a fairy tale in and of itself, isn't it?
At the mention of Gi-gan, there's a little fleeting smile, just the briefest lift of one. It's gone quickly, but he inclines his head forward, inviting the rest of the story before he makes any sort of commentary.]
[The fleeting smile is encouraging - and he's excited to tell the rest of the story.]
She was a mature lady - and didn't have too many resources at her disposal. First, she procured a boat, as most of Kum-ji's endeavors were out at sea. Next, she needed a crew. Soldiers were out of the question, and she couldn't find the funds to hire mercenaries.
So instead - there were fishermen. There were fishermen and traders, brothers and fathers and friends, who volunteered what little brawn they had. They picked up weapons they didn't know how to use and trained under Gi-gan's command in order to save the town that mattered so much to them. It was a difficult fight, of course, and they struggled initially....
Until one day, a snot-nosed, dirty-faced boy fell out of the sky. He landed on the boat, and he saw Gi-gan's work and he said to her, 'I'll do anything, so let me stay here.'
She scoffed at him - rightfully so. Yet... she took him in.
The boy had been blessed with the power of dragons in his leg, so he could jump from boat to boat and learned how to fight alongside the pirates. For years, they made small gains in order to try to restore order to their town and protect what they could. It was after a visit from at traveling band of misfits, and the efforts of one brave girl who led them, that they were finally able to defeat Yang Kum-ji one one fateful night. The girls he had enslaved were sent back home to their families, and Captain Gi-gan found her victory.
That night, the pirates celebrated and drank to their hearts' content, drinking and laughing... and the next morning they would wake up fishermen and traders again, knowing that their treasure was saved and all theirs.
[It's a tale full of success and valor, certainly... But the part that stands out most starkly to Souji is the end. The pirates drank and celebrated, and when dawn came - just like that, a broken spell. The end of something, in a very finite way, even if they were all still alive.
(He's thought more here than he ever has before, about just how ill-suited he'd be to times of peace. How anything other than the life he leads would be lacking, nearly-painful.)
And beyond that even still, there's a sense of mourning for a great leader he'd never really known. All leaders carry burdens. The good ones have heavier burdens than they really ought to carry. It's part of what makes them good, after all. Souji's quiet for few seconds longer, absorbing the details - Gi-gan's valiance, the pirates and their bold truths, and Jae-ha's new home among them. The brave girl and her traveling band of misfits, and the good they'd done.
He reaches out, touching the back of Jae-ha's hand.]
I like that one a lot. [He has no smile to offer this time, but there's a certain softness in his voice that seems less fragile.] ...I'm glad that everyone was able to keep that city safe. Do you all still watch over it?
... no, not me. The Captain doe- ... did. She remained in Awa, but she knew that I had another place to go. The brave girl who had shown up to help in the final battle... she'd come looking for a dragon. She didn't force him to leave, but rather he chose to go with her.
[ . . . for one reason or another. Jae-ha laughs faintly at that before shaking his head.]
It appears that there's always another adventure to follow, just when you think your life's work might be over. It wasn't time for me to rest yet.
[It's a soft sound of understanding, as some other things Jae-ha had said much earlier begin clicking into place in the bigger picture that he is. Souji's expression softens, something faintly fond in it.
It seems good people attract good people in the end, huh?]
That brave girl is waiting for the dragon she'd come to get, then?
[haha little does his ass know
BUT REALLY it's good to know that Jae-ha will be going back to a place like that, where he's wanted and needed and has an adventure laid out in front of him, new and fresh and exciting. And equally good that Gi-gan will continue as she had, overlooking the town she'd saved.
They'll just have to retrieve her to ensure that continues to be.]
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no subject
... you, of all people, shouldn't be apologizing to anyone right now.
[In all honesty. Jae-ha is just going to remain there, keeping a light hand on Souji's shoulder if only to steady him.]
... where are you going? Will you let me walk with you?
no subject
He doesn't seem particularly bothered by it anyway, beyond that initial shock of surprise. He also seems a little lost when that question is posed, looking down at the floor and then back up again.]
...I'm not sure. [He had just started to walk, not really paying any attention to where his feet were talking him.
But he doesn't seem to give any sign that he'd turn Jae-ha away.]
no subject
... then shall we go confer with the stars?
[If Souji doesn't want to go back to an empty room.]
no subject
Anywhere would be better than here, honestly. The sky is just as fine, so Souji nods.]
I'd like that.
[Maybe they'll be able to reach the place where their dead are waiting, if they jump high enough.]
no subject
Then let's see if they have any wisdom to offer us.
[he's quiet for a while longer, just trying to be mindful of Souji. his breathing, his health, his expression - the other man had certainly gone through a lot, after all]
no subject
Do you think we'll be able to use it?
[Wisdom from the stars... It's nice to think about, anyway. Souji's expression is actually pretty placid. His breathing, though even, does seem to sometimes rattle hollowly in his chest.]
no subject
[Jae-ha's voice is quieter then - ]
... is there something you'd want to hear?
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[That's not wisdom, but it's still something he'd like to hear, honestly. By way of answers, he's not sure he'd like even the wisest ones the stars would have to give.]
no subject
I may not be the stars - but I wonder if my stories will suffice?
no subject
...I'd like to listen to your stories, too.
no subject
Once, there was a dragon god who came to love humans so much that he wanted to join them on earth. Hiryuu, the Red Dragon, chose to become mortal and dwell with the people that he loved so dearly. However it was during a time of war and humans were still mistrusting, and they were so very close to turning against the king. The other dragons in the sky tried to convince King Hiryuu to return to them - but King Hiryuu said no.
He was human now, and he loves humans, and he did not want to return to the sky. Yet the dragons loved Hiryuu so much that they gave their blood to four humans who would become the Dragon Warriors. Each would be gifted with a different abilities - the eyes, the body, the arm, or the legs of a dragon - and were made to swear their love and loyalty to their king.
[Jae-ha's gaze drifts up toward the sky, wondering if the dragon gods look upon them even now.]
... they brought peace to the kingdom. Even when King Hiryuu passed, and the original dragon warriors passed, the power of the dragon would be reincarnated again and again and again.
[ . . . ]
I - used to hate that story. But I've been thinking about it differently lately... about the gods who could love someone so much that they'd write that love into the very fabric of history.
I thought about how I'd like to have your sense of loyalty - and how that too, is worthy of dragons.
no subject
It's a lovely story, too. Something that would ring pleasantly with samurai ideology. The notion of being so loyal, so dedicated, so affectionate that your spirit transcends all else to continue following the one you pledged yourself to isn't anything he's unfamiliar with.
Jae-ha continues after, says he'd hated the story - and Souji makes a soft little sound of surprise, or something like it. But to view it differently, to think of his own loyalty as worth even mentioning in the same breath as such a story...
It's nice, isn't it? Even if the part of himself that acknowledges his own selfishness immediately wants to deny that it's a trait worth anything at all, he bites back the words and offers a small smile instead. It's a little weak, but having this anchor point seems to be helping him.]
...I enjoy stories like that. [Probably unsurprising.] It seems like something larger than life, doesn't it? Like something so much bigger than one single person could be.
[Wow, coherency. Incredible!]
no subject
(Even if he's not sure that's true.)
Yet when he thinks of Souji and Sousei - two people are who unfailingly loyal to their cause - he thinks that the story would probably be wonderful to them. That they would be able to serve their country and their king, that a warrior's spirit could carry on even after the flesh rotted away. In that way, they remind him of Ki-ja.
In some ways, they're so much stronger than he is.]
To be loved by the gods.... I think it takes a special kind of person. [Fiery, strong, moralistic, and unimaginably kind.] Though I think serving that kind of person is a task all on its own...
I think you'd make for quite a remarkable dragon warrior. The kind who could conjure up legends all on their own.
no subject
It's certainly not the sort of gallant and lovely thread that a tale like this is woven up from.]
You're really too kind, Jae-ha.
[His selfish heart craves exactly this sort of thing, but he knows it isn't a kindness he deserves. Especially now, when even his gruesome capabilities hadn't saved anyone, anyone at all.]
--Do you have any other stories that you like to tell?
no subject
And I suppose that just makes me an incredibly honest person.
[Who thinks that Souji is an admirable person, who possesses qualities that Jae-ha doesn't, that can run toward a goal instead of away from fate. There are things about that that he can respect, even if they're rather different from him.]
... I suppose there are some. Stories about pirates, some about bandits, others about nobles.... I've lived a very full life. Are there any that sound good to you?
no subject
Honesty is one of the best values anyone can have, I think. [And then, a less strained smile.] I like honest people.
[All of his favorite people are very, very honest, even at the cost of pleasantries or reputation at times. But he loves them anyway, because it's easy to trust them with what's important. It's easy to admire an honest person.]
--Pirates... I'd like to hear more about that.
no subject
Alright, I do like telling this story.
[And he hums even as they walk along, and his eyes drift up toward the sky.]
All pirates have a treasure that they care for - right? In this case, the treasure was not gold or jewels... but rather, it was a town. It wasn't a very rich town, nor was it a very rare town. It was a port town... but the people in it were some of the kindest. They were unguarded, but beautiful, and perhaps that's why they were stolen away in the first place.
They were stolen away by an evil man - his name was Yang Kum-ji. He wanted to rule over Awa and its people, so he began to slowly rot it from the inside. He bought the officers into working for him, and he allowed crime to overtake the city, so long as he could benefit from it. He became the Lord of Awa, and he would use the soldiers under his command and others that he bought in order to harass the people. They would be injured, and the lovely women in the city would be kidnapped from their homes.
[When he speaks again, his voice turns warm, full of admiration and longing - ]
Enter the hero of our story - the beautiful, mature Gi-gan.
no subject
At the mention of Gi-gan, there's a little fleeting smile, just the briefest lift of one. It's gone quickly, but he inclines his head forward, inviting the rest of the story before he makes any sort of commentary.]
no subject
She was a mature lady - and didn't have too many resources at her disposal. First, she procured a boat, as most of Kum-ji's endeavors were out at sea. Next, she needed a crew. Soldiers were out of the question, and she couldn't find the funds to hire mercenaries.
So instead - there were fishermen. There were fishermen and traders, brothers and fathers and friends, who volunteered what little brawn they had. They picked up weapons they didn't know how to use and trained under Gi-gan's command in order to save the town that mattered so much to them. It was a difficult fight, of course, and they struggled initially....
Until one day, a snot-nosed, dirty-faced boy fell out of the sky. He landed on the boat, and he saw Gi-gan's work and he said to her, 'I'll do anything, so let me stay here.'
She scoffed at him - rightfully so. Yet... she took him in.
The boy had been blessed with the power of dragons in his leg, so he could jump from boat to boat and learned how to fight alongside the pirates. For years, they made small gains in order to try to restore order to their town and protect what they could. It was after a visit from at traveling band of misfits, and the efforts of one brave girl who led them, that they were finally able to defeat Yang Kum-ji one one fateful night. The girls he had enslaved were sent back home to their families, and Captain Gi-gan found her victory.
That night, the pirates celebrated and drank to their hearts' content, drinking and laughing... and the next morning they would wake up fishermen and traders again, knowing that their treasure was saved and all theirs.
no subject
(He's thought more here than he ever has before, about just how ill-suited he'd be to times of peace. How anything other than the life he leads would be lacking, nearly-painful.)
And beyond that even still, there's a sense of mourning for a great leader he'd never really known. All leaders carry burdens. The good ones have heavier burdens than they really ought to carry. It's part of what makes them good, after all. Souji's quiet for few seconds longer, absorbing the details - Gi-gan's valiance, the pirates and their bold truths, and Jae-ha's new home among them. The brave girl and her traveling band of misfits, and the good they'd done.
He reaches out, touching the back of Jae-ha's hand.]
I like that one a lot. [He has no smile to offer this time, but there's a certain softness in his voice that seems less fragile.] ...I'm glad that everyone was able to keep that city safe. Do you all still watch over it?
no subject
... no, not me. The Captain doe- ... did. She remained in Awa, but she knew that I had another place to go. The brave girl who had shown up to help in the final battle... she'd come looking for a dragon. She didn't force him to leave, but rather he chose to go with her.
[ . . . for one reason or another. Jae-ha laughs faintly at that before shaking his head.]
It appears that there's always another adventure to follow, just when you think your life's work might be over. It wasn't time for me to rest yet.
Not then... not now either.
no subject
[It's a soft sound of understanding, as some other things Jae-ha had said much earlier begin clicking into place in the bigger picture that he is. Souji's expression softens, something faintly fond in it.
It seems good people attract good people in the end, huh?]
That brave girl is waiting for the dragon she'd come to get, then?
[haha little does his ass know
BUT REALLY it's good to know that Jae-ha will be going back to a place like that, where he's wanted and needed and has an adventure laid out in front of him, new and fresh and exciting. And equally good that Gi-gan will continue as she had, overlooking the town she'd saved.
They'll just have to retrieve her to ensure that continues to be.]