... yeah. From... sharks and drowning, to put it succinctly.
[there was a whole lot of other stuff but. she makes a gesture to her right shoulder, and then moves to lift her left leg where it's bandaged around the calf. shark bites, babey.]
... it's what I meant when I said - when you go in those places, they'll probably bring up what you least want to experience. They'll recreate the whole thing.
[in her case, one of the last few things she truly feared]
I'd assume if you did something like kill someone, and something wasn't stopping you, you'd frogmarch yourself to the execution whether people liked it or not.
[ it balances out, probably. ]
...
[ he snorts. ]
Alright. Wanna get back to the other bikes? I can show you a wheelie and you can decide if you wanna replicate it at your own peril.
... I mean, if it was an innocent person, probably. Otherwise I'd want to live as much as anyone else. That's just human.
[which she says with an awful lot of certainty, almost like she's been through it before? anyway she's not clarifying that though unless he asks more about it! cool!
she shifts back on the bike properly if he doesn't want to take over]
Let's go then.
[she'll wait for him to hold onto her again before she just fucking floors it]
[what a great time to start NYOOMING BACK. she's not actually avoiding the question though, she just thinks it'd be better to have a conversation when her back is not to him and when his arms are around her waist!
lili drives fast though - she'd probably be a terror behind an actual car. but as is, they'll make it back to the bikes even faster than they made it out the first time, because she saw no reason to take a nice and scenic drive when it's so much more fun to go full throttle.
but as she nudges him with her good shoulder to get off the bike - ]
[ but dana it's so romantic. and yeah, thank god lili an has no cars to run amok in, the streets will remain relatively safe.
probably.
ash hops off the bike and wanders over to the other spares, examining them closely before picking out one of them and kicking down the stand so he can wheel it over to where lili is, and reset it so it's stable enough to lean against. ]
Only if you want to talk about it.
[ he knows enough about sharing what you want to share, and not having your hand forced. ]
[she'll wait and watch, kicking her own stand down while she again adjusts her seating so it's like being on the bike side saddle. she's still an ojou at heart.]
I don't really mind talking about it, so I'll answer regardless -
But I feel like I don't know that much about you? Should I be asking you questions too?
[she normally wouldn't ask but a ) given the task and b ) kaoru said that you go on dates to get to know someone, now she's just checking because she's confused]
It'd be more epic if I could do a wheelie. It'd be... raw as fuck? [LILI,, and without much hesitation] But I don't mind if it's a date. I'd rather do this than sit around with some cakes or whatever.
[kaoru is out there wanting to strangle her somewhere. please stop being bad at being a shoujo.]
You can always just tell me to shut up if you don't want to answer - I don't really have an interest in forcing you to do something against your will. Knowing anything is only worth it if you trust me enough to share willingly.
[otherwise it just seems wrong? but she'll start - ]
Try not to wreck your shoulder again and maybe we'll find somewhere else with motorbikes when you're healed. [ "raw as fuck"... lili. ] Works for me.
[ kaoru is valid. ]
...
Hm. I learned back home, you get all sorts in Raquel. And -- nah, not exactly. I'm at a miliary academy, but I'm not exactly a soldier. They'll keep pointing us at shit they want fixing and calling it a training exercise, but no.
[ questions for questions is fine. ]
You mentioned five great tribes? And your dad leads one of them? What're they?
Always stuck doing other people's work... I feel like that's pretty common for the people around here.
[but she doesn't seem to mind questions for questions, at least. if he wants to learn about her, she's surprised but her guard isn't as up after a few weeks.]
There's four tribes that make up the entirety of Kouka. Water, Earth, Wind, and Fire. They all control sections of their land, and the Water Tribe has a vibrant trading relationship from our ports as well as the most beautiful sights in the whole country, even the capitol. The Sky Tribe protects the royal family, and those are the five tribes.
My father is General An Joon-gi and - I guess technically looking over our lands is his duty. [though she sounds bitter. wonder why!]
You said you're from Raquel? What kind of place is that?
... Sounds a bit like the Four Great Houses. The idea of one family running a section of land, and there being one area that belongs to the royal family.
[ hmm. he shifts his weight again. ]
Tourist town. People come to area to visit Ordis, with all the fancy stuff catering to the nobility, and the shopping and the views. But they'll always veer over to Raquel for a good time -- we've got the bars, the gambling halls, the restaurants and the hostesses that people'll pay good cash for.
It's something like that - though the Generals aren't really based on family. I hear that the former General of the Wind Tribe keeps handing off the responsibilities to whichever rascal he picks up and likes the most. I'm still trying to figure out how to ensure I get control of my lands once my father's done being useless.
[she is so fucking mean.
though at the description of his hometown... she nods...]
Mm. That seems like the kind of place I could see you doing well in. [lili,] It also sounds more entertaining and lively than... Ordis?
... So like a nobility system but elected? Sort of. [ what the fuck ] So you're not guaranteed it just because you're his daughter, you've gotta prove you can run the show?
[ that would explain
so much about lili ]
It's got good people there. You get the assholes with too much money and no sense, but we're the ones draining their bank accounts so it's fine. And yeah, it is. Ordis might be the fancy place, but when it's going to sleep, that's when Raquel wakes up and shines.
... well, I want control of my lands, but not even just in the future. There was a drug trafficking problem that plagued a lot of our towns, so I wanted to fix it. It doesn't matter to me if I get a title as long as I have the power to repair what needs to be repaired. I'll accept exile again if I have to.
[talking to lili an is her dropping casual bombshells into conversation continuously.
though she just huffs a laugh at that.]
They have to learn their lesson one way or another? Men are stupid and easily swindled anyway. [GOD SHE HATES MEN] So why'd you leave it and go to the military academy instead?
Drug trafficking problem? [ no, no. please. elaborate. ]
They really are. Catch a guy after a big win, when he's riding that confidence wave, and buddy up to him and you can bleed him dry again at the tables with some liquor and a bit of suggestion. Especially if they're willing to bet against you straight up, not through the casinos. [ it sounds like he does this often enough. ]
Hostesses do the same thing, but just for the pleasure of their company. Same concept, different execution.
[ ... hm. ]
Someone told me I could get some information I wanted there. And it got some persistent people off my back in the process, so... I applied.
[she sounds less like she minds, and not even that she's surprised, but like something that she's just taking note of.]
There's a drug called nadai - drinking too much of it can make someone... lose their minds, I suppose is the best way to say it. They're numb to pain, they're extremely violent, but they're also haunted by vicious images of them hurting everyone they love. People get addicted to it, and die from it. My father wasn't doing anything about it... so I did.
[because she was sick and tired of indecision, and of watching people suffer when she was actually even a little bit in a position to do something to fix it]
What information were you looking for?
[something tells her she's going to run into a brick wall here. she asks anyway.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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You might have noticed that Akira actually has two legs again.
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Seems like most of us are back in good shape.
[LILI your CASUAL MENTIONS OF TRAUMATIC INJURIES]
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Oh, you died in the village?
[ it's fine. this is just life now. ]
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... yeah. From... sharks and drowning, to put it succinctly.
[there was a whole lot of other stuff but. she makes a gesture to her right shoulder, and then moves to lift her left leg where it's bandaged around the calf. shark bites, babey.]
... it's what I meant when I said - when you go in those places, they'll probably bring up what you least want to experience. They'll recreate the whole thing.
[in her case, one of the last few things she truly feared]
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...
That narrows down the options, then.
[ after a moment he just gestures at her shoulder ]
And sorry. If ribbing you about that on Friday was unwanted or something.
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she peers at his expression curiously]
Oh? You care about my feelings?
[lili an is such an asshole]
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Unless they really fuckin' deserved it.
[ yeah! ]
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she just looks amused though]
Glad to hear you don't think I deserved it.
But I'm tougher than that, and know you didn't mean any harm, so don't mind it. I'm not accepting your apology because I don't want it.
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[ it balances out, probably. ]
...
[ he snorts. ]
Alright. Wanna get back to the other bikes? I can show you a wheelie and you can decide if you wanna replicate it at your own peril.
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[which she says with an awful lot of certainty, almost like she's been through it before? anyway she's not clarifying that though unless he asks more about it! cool!
she shifts back on the bike properly if he doesn't want to take over]
Let's go then.
[she'll wait for him to hold onto her again before she just fucking floors it]
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[ i mean. he's gonna press?
but he also gets a hold on her again to let her nyoom them back to where the bikes are. vroom vroom. ]
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lili drives fast though - she'd probably be a terror behind an actual car. but as is, they'll make it back to the bikes even faster than they made it out the first time, because she saw no reason to take a nice and scenic drive when it's so much more fun to go full throttle.
but as she nudges him with her good shoulder to get off the bike - ]
Do you want to know about me?
[she just sounds curious, if a little surprised.]
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probably.
ash hops off the bike and wanders over to the other spares, examining them closely before picking out one of them and kicking down the stand so he can wheel it over to where lili is, and reset it so it's stable enough to lean against. ]
Only if you want to talk about it.
[ he knows enough about sharing what you want to share, and not having your hand forced. ]
[1/2]
I don't really mind talking about it, so I'll answer regardless -
But I feel like I don't know that much about you? Should I be asking you questions too?
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wait.]
Is this a date?
[she normally wouldn't ask but a ) given the task and b ) kaoru said that you go on dates to get to know someone, now she's just checking because she's confused]
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Depends on if you want it to be or not.
[ gasp.
the music swells. flowers burst out of nowhere. ]
Counts towards a task if it is. [ the flowers immediately die. ]
But riding motorcycles is a pretty epic choice for a date, just saying.
[ there's another pause, before he adds: ]
You can ask me things, if you want. I reserve the right not to answer though.
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[kaoru is out there wanting to strangle her somewhere. please stop being bad at being a shoujo.]
You can always just tell me to shut up if you don't want to answer - I don't really have an interest in forcing you to do something against your will. Knowing anything is only worth it if you trust me enough to share willingly.
[otherwise it just seems wrong? but she'll start - ]
Where'd you learn to ride? And are you a soldier?
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[ kaoru is valid. ]
...
Hm. I learned back home, you get all sorts in Raquel. And -- nah, not exactly. I'm at a miliary academy, but I'm not exactly a soldier. They'll keep pointing us at shit they want fixing and calling it a training exercise, but no.
[ questions for questions is fine. ]
You mentioned five great tribes? And your dad leads one of them? What're they?
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[but she doesn't seem to mind questions for questions, at least. if he wants to learn about her, she's surprised but her guard isn't as up after a few weeks.]
There's four tribes that make up the entirety of Kouka. Water, Earth, Wind, and Fire. They all control sections of their land, and the Water Tribe has a vibrant trading relationship from our ports as well as the most beautiful sights in the whole country, even the capitol. The Sky Tribe protects the royal family, and those are the five tribes.
My father is General An Joon-gi and - I guess technically looking over our lands is his duty. [though she sounds bitter. wonder why!]
You said you're from Raquel? What kind of place is that?
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[ hmm. he shifts his weight again. ]
Tourist town. People come to area to visit Ordis, with all the fancy stuff catering to the nobility, and the shopping and the views. But they'll always veer over to Raquel for a good time -- we've got the bars, the gambling halls, the restaurants and the hostesses that people'll pay good cash for.
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[she is so fucking mean.
though at the description of his hometown... she nods...]
Mm. That seems like the kind of place I could see you doing well in. [lili,] It also sounds more entertaining and lively than... Ordis?
[stuffy place...]
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[ that would explain
so much about lili ]
It's got good people there. You get the assholes with too much money and no sense, but we're the ones draining their bank accounts so it's fine. And yeah, it is. Ordis might be the fancy place, but when it's going to sleep, that's when Raquel wakes up and shines.
[ lili'd have a blast in casinos, y/n? ]
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... well, I want control of my lands, but not even just in the future. There was a drug trafficking problem that plagued a lot of our towns, so I wanted to fix it. It doesn't matter to me if I get a title as long as I have the power to repair what needs to be repaired. I'll accept exile again if I have to.
[talking to lili an is her dropping casual bombshells into conversation continuously.
though she just huffs a laugh at that.]
They have to learn their lesson one way or another? Men are stupid and easily swindled anyway. [GOD SHE HATES MEN] So why'd you leave it and go to the military academy instead?
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Drug trafficking problem? [ no, no. please. elaborate. ]
They really are. Catch a guy after a big win, when he's riding that confidence wave, and buddy up to him and you can bleed him dry again at the tables with some liquor and a bit of suggestion. Especially if they're willing to bet against you straight up, not through the casinos. [ it sounds like he does this often enough. ]
Hostesses do the same thing, but just for the pleasure of their company. Same concept, different execution.
[ ... hm. ]
Someone told me I could get some information I wanted there. And it got some persistent people off my back in the process, so... I applied.
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[she sounds less like she minds, and not even that she's surprised, but like something that she's just taking note of.]
There's a drug called nadai - drinking too much of it can make someone... lose their minds, I suppose is the best way to say it. They're numb to pain, they're extremely violent, but they're also haunted by vicious images of them hurting everyone they love. People get addicted to it, and die from it. My father wasn't doing anything about it... so I did.
[because she was sick and tired of indecision, and of watching people suffer when she was actually even a little bit in a position to do something to fix it]
What information were you looking for?
[something tells her she's going to run into a brick wall here. she asks anyway.]
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