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Post by Lady Kuri on Sept 14, 2009 17:18:14 GMT -5
She looked up at him confused. He didn't look like any monk she knew. Having spent much time in the temple, looking for things to read she had seen those who were of the cloth. Afraid of saying something embarrassing she decided not to mention his looks. "I thought you were a smith." She said.
While the two of them talked, they were unaware of the danger that approached. For now it just looked like a black line on the horizon, a united mass whose heavy footsteps made the earth tremble as they marched. As soon as they reached the first row of homes the fires started. At first the waking village had no idea what was going on. On the other side of town, people were peering curiously at the smoke watching the solders approach.
Her head was pounding, Akiva rubbed her temples and groaned. "That's some interesting looking stuff." She said.
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Post by Lord Eshmon on Sept 14, 2009 17:54:06 GMT -5
"I took up smithing, along with other arts, as a path to peice, forging my wild and reckless emotions and thoughts into a physical form so they won't influence my own." His hand stops over a peice of iron joint work.
Taking it in hand he places the rest of the metal scraps into the bag and then quickly gathers a armfull of iron from the piles of scraps and the cultivator. Holding them like he was trying to squeeze them together he starts breathing, his breathing growing shorter as soon the metal glows brighter and brighter and slowly merge, his hands forming them into a rought bar shape which he takes one end of and precisly chooses a hammer.
Pulling the large black blade from the ground he lays it down in front of him and raises the hammer striking the bar against the blade as one would a anvil, sending a small amount of sparks from the red hot metal. He gained a rythm to his work almost imediantly.
"All my supplies are used in my work, small tools 'clang' for delicate repairs and constructions 'clang' brushes, for my painting and writing 'clang' charcols and pens for my drawings and sketchings 'clang' even a tapping set and inks for the rememberance mural that I place 'clang' apon my skin." He gives a short series of taps along one side of the bar before flipping it over and folding it. "And of corse my tools used for smithing."
His rythm repeats itself and he goes quiet for a momment.
"But I sense a troubled feeling in your question, unsure about something, was there more to your question? Beleive me I've heard many things in their worse mannerisms directed towards me, you may speak freely Akiva."His clanging rythm continues.
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Post by Lady Kuri on Sept 14, 2009 18:33:08 GMT -5
"No, I just don't feel so well..." She said folding her arms over her stomach. A horrid stench filled her nostrils, it smelled like smoke. As she watched him work she assumed it came from him. "Well... actually... I think your different." She smiled, the red had drained from her lips leaving them pale.
"I mean your a chimera... and a 'monk' and a gentleman of all crafts." She said, standing. Her legs were itching to move so she started to pace watching him as she walked. "And as knowledgeable as I wish I could be."
Spotting a small patch of daisies she kneeled to pick some. "I'm a farm girl and that's it. They think I'm a gifted but even if I was it wouldn't make a difference for me." She said, braiding the daisies into a chain. "I'll marry a farm boy and we'll have farm kids, and la-de-da everything will end up nice and neatly."
She bit her lip feeling as if she had spoken a little bit too freely to a stranger. "I love my family, and what we do is important... but I want to learn more than just manual labor." She said, tying the rope of flowers into a crown. She stood up straight and paced again.
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Post by Lord Eshmon on Sept 14, 2009 19:17:03 GMT -5
The iron bar had begun to take a twisted and disc like shape, he quickly swtiches to a smaller hammer.
"The first step to knowledge is to know that we are ignorant."He says calmly. "Knowing what comes next on the infinatly knoted rope of your life is something we only achieve at the end, when we lift ourselves beyond the cycle of the samsara and reach our perch in nirvana"
"The monks I studied with taught that our immortal forms, our souls choose what body we take so we might learn a lesson, be it patients, the joys of watching and teaching a child, or be it even humility and kindness. Once we have learned all we can, and our immortal form is at peace then it will rest outside the bounds of infinate reincarnations, samsara, and live peicfully in a blissful world, nirvana." The iron could easily be recognized as a pair of wings, but to what was still unseen. "Maybe you need to learn what this style of life has for you."
"Being I chimera give me powers far to dangerous for one such as I before I met the monks, my powers where violent, and struck out at the world around me leaving me homeless, kinless, and unwanted. I needed the monks to help me control this power, my emotions, and help me with my life overall."
He reaches into his bag and pulls out a pocketed roll filled with small hooks and starts picking, digging and stabbing at the hardening iron. It glowing red shape appeared to start filling into the form of a butterfly.
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Post by Lady Kuri on Sept 14, 2009 19:50:04 GMT -5
"The priests here never talk about those things..." She said, watching him shape the butterfly. His hands were so large, making the iron he shaped so easily look fragile. She placed the flowers on her head, and it slumped a little to the side. "That's beautiful."
As she contemplated what he said she realized that she had not come across such ideas in the temple. Anywhere at all actually, his ideas to anyone else would be alarming. It took her a while to see just how unusual he was. "You talk like a radical." She said.
It was a dangerous statement. If anyone was to hear his ideas all they had to do was run down the street to find a solder to take him away. She folded her knees against her chest to rest her head, she felt dizzy. "That smell..." The air was thick with smoke, even Hazen would smell it. Screams, she heard them in the distance clear as day.
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Post by Lord Eshmon on Sept 14, 2009 20:15:24 GMT -5
"It's a issencents burner, in the shape of a moth, for your mother and family, we'd burn them at the temple to clear the mind, it helps calm those who need calming, and help lighten the spirit."He says putting the final dimple in the wings which he had shaped like a small bowl. The legs where to hold the dish up where the inssecents would be places.
"I'm not radical I simply think differently, much differently than this...emporer...one of the monks once told me. wisdom is veiwed as weakness by the powerful because a wise man can lead without power, but only a powerful man can lead without wisdom."
He blows on the rin figure and slowly it starts to cool and take the darker iron color. He sets it down just as he hears the screams.
"Why must the impilcations of my words manefest on such a nice day." He stands placing his tools back into bag. "Let us go to your family and make sure they are safe." He slides the blade back into its sheath and clicks the block back over the handle, and readjusts his bag as stands holding the issencents dish carefully. "Lead the way, Akiva."
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Post by Lady Kuri on Sept 14, 2009 21:33:55 GMT -5
The army had begun to surround the village, so they could begin their razing from the outside. She stood, feeling the need to hurry. She ran down the road and the condemning feeling grew. Halfway there she could see her home, and she could also see the men setting fire to their field.
"No!" She screamed and ran faster towards her home. The door was barely hanging onto the frame, when she swung it open it fell off. Everything a mess, table and chairs burnt and broken, the plates smashed and the glass scattered on the floor.
She screamed, as bullets riddled the walls with holes. A strong set of arms grabbed her. "Where's my family?"
"Same place your going." He started to bind her arms together. Another solder looked up at Hazen holding a gun to his chest before knocking his knees out from under him.
Anger burned in her chest as the tears formed. She had never felt anything like this before, her very heart was filled with liquid heat that spread through her veins. "You monsters." She groaned, feeling light headed. Her body shook and cold sweat formed on her brow. What happened next she didn't fully remember. The flowers on her head slowly began to die, as the water in them drained. Ice cut into the solders neck, freeing both Akiva and Hazen from their grip. She wobbled on her feet leaning against the sink. The metal was hot, she could see the heat radiating through the windows. She looked like she was about to faint.
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Post by Lord Eshmon on Sept 14, 2009 21:44:00 GMT -5
Hazens arm wraped around her shoulders, gently, he lifts her up and pulls her from the house. He lays her down, and stands turning around. His gaze had gone stoney, and his lips silent.
He turns to rid the house of flames before the structure collapsed.
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Post by Lady Kuri on Sept 14, 2009 21:59:27 GMT -5
She didn't believe it was happening, looking around she could see all their sheep had run and the horses were panicking in the stable. She sat up and approached the stable door, the horses were dangerous when they were spooked. As soon as they saw they were free they bolted.
"We have to get out of here." She said choked with sobs.
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Post by Lord Eshmon on Sept 14, 2009 22:02:22 GMT -5
With a thunderous clap, the flames from the house leaped onto Hazens arms and hands, spiraling up to his shoulders before dissapating into hot jets of air. The fires over her home die, and Hazen shakes the cinders from his arms.
"I agree...." He turns to her. "Do you have anywhere we can stay while we wait for these soldiers to leave?"
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Post by Lady Kuri on Sept 14, 2009 22:16:24 GMT -5
"We can't stay here..." She said watching the horses run into the forest.
She said walking walking towards him. "Come on." She said taking him by the arm, mostly because she felt like she would fall over if she took another step. "We have to head toward the trees, we can hide there."
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Post by Lord Eshmon on Sept 15, 2009 18:20:36 GMT -5
He took her by the arm, helping her to the trees.
"Akiva.....do you still want to escape the life of a farmgirl?"He asks calmsly, setting the moth dish down on the ground and getting to his knees before it. He reaches into his bag and pulls a small bag, and places a pile of issencents onto the dish and lights them, filling the air with a calming, almost floral aroma, small sprials of smoke twist their way out of the pile.
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Post by Lady Kuri on Sept 15, 2009 18:53:16 GMT -5
"Not like this..." She said, as the village disappeared from view. She watched him light the incense, but the sweet aroma couldn't calm her nerves.
She said, salt on her lips. She didn't know if it was the sweat or the tears that she tasted. She bowed her head, as the incense swirled around her feet. "We cant wait here forever." She said.
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Post by Lord Eshmon on Sept 15, 2009 18:57:55 GMT -5
"Then do what you can for you family now, sit with me and pray, to give them a safe passage, and protection from harm.....it is all we can here." He places his hands on his knees palms up and closes his eyes.
"If you would like, I could educate you in the ways, arts, and crafts the monks taught me, that way no matter what your next footfall may be you will be prepared for what comes next...."
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Post by Lady Kuri on Sept 15, 2009 19:38:23 GMT -5
She sat next to him, and tried to copy his pose. "I'd like that Hazen." She said quietly.
Akiva didn't know how long they sat there. The sun cast its light through the leaves, bathing them in a green glow. The prayers had calmed her down, but she also felt drained of energy. She nodded off a couple times before falling into a deep sleep. She wasn't sure how Hazen had occupied his time, she lost track of what he was doing when she started falling asleep.
When she woke up it was getting dark out. "Hazen?" She asked rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
Instead of his voice she heard two others, talking to each other. She couldn't make out exactly what they were saying just their footsteps and a couple words.
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