At your question, he just breathes calmly and writes: 'It's alright, darling. No harm done. I'll just have to take a hot bath when we get back to Sandpoint.' He then gains that cheshire cat grin that made you so flustered before. He then writes: 'Well, darling, do you still wish for me to join you in that bath? Despite the fact that we agreed to take it slow?'
Alara winces; she can tell that you're unnerved by being splashed in the face with swamp water. She's a bit relieved that you don't appear to be mad at her, but that relief turns to embarrassment when your grin appears.
Then, just as quickly, is replaced by something else. She looks you squarely in the eyes. A flirtatious smirk is on her face.
"Only so long as we promise to keep our hands to ourselves." She speaks in a low, sultry tone of voice; one that by default carries a *lot* of lewd implications. A quick wink from her punctuates her sentence.
After a while, though, he regains his own flirtatious smile and writes: 'We might want to discuss taking it slow when we get home, darling. Otherwise, I might just give you kids before the month is over with.' He then kiss your lips one more time (with a slight nip on your lower lip), gives you a wink, and takes your hand. He leads you back to the team, a smirk on his blushing face. 'I think I may have taken this too far.'
As the group makes their way to Walthus's home, Piper turns to Masamune and writes: 'So, Masamune, what's your story? You know mine, seems fair to know a little about you. Other than the fact that Sharrd and Ash are your brothers, that is.'
Now, I need to find out what the Rusty Dragon's bathing policies are...
Masamune smiles at the question.
"Well to be honest while I was adopted by Koya. I have been with her for the shortest time. Before I lived with her, and my brothers I traveled around with my father Kenshin."
[spoiler=Mildly paying attention] "Koya is like a kennel...she takes in all the lost pups of the area. We each had no one else that was there for us, so she took the task of raising us on herself. She is a great woman." There is a bit of complete awe where this woman is concerned whenever Ash speaks of her.
To learn more about Alara and make her comfortable about it:
Figures this would come up. Should I shouldn't I does he really want to hear?
Mom won't like it SHE'S NOT HERE
Dad won't like it HE DOESN'T CARE
He'll hate you if he finds out.
...
She looks to you, pauses in the road again. Her voice is barely above a whisper, but she appears to have made up her mind.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Well I never saw my hometown, and the first thing I can remember is traveling with my father holding me upright in the saddle of Duty's great grandfather." At that Masamune pats Duty's neck, and Duty neighs in bliss. "I guess we traveled all the way from Tien Xia to Varsia, but the path we took is still hazy in my mind. All I remember truly of traveling was the horse, and the lessons my father taught. He was stern, and sometimes seemed cold, but I knew that he just wanted me to perform well. Must have been something to do with being an aasimar."
Masamune chuckles as he sees Ash speak about Koya once again.
"Do you still follow her around, and help her out? I always thought you two made a cute couple." Masamune smiles to show that he's only teasing Ash.
She moans into your kiss, gently returning it, softly probing your lips with her tongue again, this time lingering... warm... soft... wet...
As you break apart, she nods. "Where to begin..."
She sighs. "I think I should start with Mom first. She's a very quiet woman, but she loved me like no one else. From what she told me, she was enslaved once... some Ulfen warlord captured her in a raid. She never talked much about that, aside from how she was freed."
the words start coming--
"A young noble from Tian Xia wanted to establish a new trade route through the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. It never came about; once he saw the practice of slavery--" She snorts derisively. "--yeah, they called it 'thralldom'. Same s**t, different label. Anyway, he saw Mom being mistreated by the warlord once. The culture shock he felt from seeing slavery was bad enough, but that was the final straw. The warlord, his men, and his family were all slaughtered. His thralls were freed, and Mom returned to Tian Xia with him, to the empire of Minkai; she called it payment for allowing her to make her own choices again."
they don't stop coming--
"She always had a gift for stealth & spying. The noble's family wished to have her hone her gift, and allowed her to learn the ways of the ninja. She took to it with gusto; she told me that she saw it as an opportunity to never let something like that happen to her ever again."
shutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutup
"Mom and Dad met at a party hosted by one of the other noble families of Minkai. He was acting as the elven trading ambassador from Kyonin, hoping to establish some sort of trade agreement; something on imports or whatever. She was, well... not officially there. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she ended up following Dad around, trying to learn more about him. 'It was the first time in 30 years I ever saw another elf', was the reason she told me."
She pauses for breath. Its starting to become easier for her to talk about this.
"Dad found out that Mom was more or less stalking him almost immediately. I said before that my Dad's a wizard; to be more specific, he had a fascination with divination magic. He wasn't at all angry that Mom was stalking him; he told me he was actually rather flattered by her attention." Alara shrugs her shoulders. "Mom said that was the reaction she least expected from him; actually quite frightening for her, as a matter of fact."
Oh, this? This is the easy bit. Wait until you get to your later years. STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP
"Eventually, Dad actually asked the Amatatsu family for permission to court their best ninja." She pauses, looking over at you. "That was the noble family that freed Mom."
She chuckles a bit, not her usual melodic one, but a shy, nervous one instead. "They left the decision up to her. And... five years later, they had me!" She pauses again. Her face turns a deeper shade of pink. "According to Mom, I came along nine months to the day they wed. I can only imagine what the ceremony was like." She tentatively adds.
Another pause for breath. Her blush starts to fade, and she gives you a grateful look. Your listening to her rambling appears to be having a good effect on her.
...looking like he's waiting for you continue your tale.
"...you're not the first."
Oh, there you go. Now you went and did it.
Her blush comes back, and gradually goes from pink to full-blown red as she continues. "I lived in Minkai for a good 80 years of my life, and 30 of those years were spent trying to have a stable relationship, but more often than not just settling for one night stands. I was 50; about the equivalent of 15 in human years, and I didn't really care about anyone's happiness but my own."
Himiko... Hisao... Tetsuo... Vallis...
She continues after taking a shuddering breath; she seems to be close to tears. "Dad didn't mind me going out with all those people; in fact, he always provided me with night tea so I could do so safely. Mom, on the other hand... well, she kept warning me that I shouldn't treat people's hearts like toys. Sometimes... I didn't listen until it was too late."
She closes her eyes, fully red-faced, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. She's bracing herself for your reaction.
Here it comes...
...what?
As she reads your words, her happiest smile to date appears on her face amidst tears of joy. She pulls you into a hug and returns your kiss, this time letting her tongue run freely along your lips, practically begging to be let in...
As you wipe away her tears, she closes her eyes again.
A devious grin replaces her sunny smile, but none of its warmth is lost. "You know, Mom told me not to tell anyone who I really am or where I really come from... I wonder if this was her way of ensuring I don't blindly follow orders, or if I'm still being a rebellious daughter and she'll have a fit if she finds out." She breathes a sigh of relief. "Either way, it felt GREAT to finally get that off my chest."
Wow, I don't even know what the hell I was so worried about! Who knows... he might even enjoy having a girlfriend (wait. Girlfriend?...oh my. It fits.) with... experience.
She licks her lips, the memory of your tongue on hers still fresh in her mind. A slight blush appears on her face; you can tell that she wants more, but your current situation precludes that, to her frustration. "We should get moving again. I think the others might be leaving us behind."
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
Masamune gets quiet for a bit, but continues on slowly.
"I was being hunted by some people, and my father tried to protect me. While we were able to get away without getting hurt my father decided that Sandpoint would be the safest place to hide me. He brought me to Koya, and asked her to take me in. Koya being the kind soul she is took me in. Then he left, and I haven't heard from him since. I don't know what has happened to him, but I will find out."
"How do you and Koya get along nowadays?"
Masamune gets quiet for a moment before responding.
"While I do care for Koya being there for me. She, and I don't exactly see eye to eye. She tries to do what she thinks is best for me, but I think differently. I still see her around, and help her when I can, but we aren't friends exactly. More like I want to prove I'm right, and he thinks time will prove her right."
Masamune shrugs at the question.
"I'm not sure. All I know is that we were attacked at midnight once by some black cloaked assassins, and then father told me that we had to go. When I asked why he simply said that they were after me."
Masamune claps Piper on the back when he reads the second message.
"Thank-you friend. It means a lot to have somebody willing to help me."
"Yeah, I can sympathize with not quite getting along with your parents. Desna knows that Dad felt let down when I told him I wanted to do what Mom could do; he was really looking forward to having someone he could teach magic to."
She pats you on the back with a smile. The world could be in imminent danger of being destroyed by a falling moon and she'd still be smiling, it seems. "But, hey, she's still family, right? That's what really counts. So long as it doesn't develop into anything serious, I wouldn't say there's anything wrong with disagreeing with your parents once in a while."
She shrugs her shoulders, pensively looking to the sky. "Kinda like how Mom and I disagree on whether katanas or nunchaku are better..."
@Alara
Masamune smiles at Alara.
"Have to say I always preferred the katana myself. You?"
"Nunchaku. No contest."
She turns to Piper while digging around in her satchel. "Katanas are kinda like bastard swords, except they have a bit of a curve to them. Helps with chopping things to pieces. Pretty much every samurai I've met uses one. Nunchaku, on the other hand--" She finishes digging around, producing what appears to be a pair of wooden bars connected at the ends by a short length of rope. "--are basically two lengths of wood or metal tied together by rope or chain. They're small, easy to conceal, and harder to master than they look."
Alara demonstrates by twirling her nunchaku in an improvised kata.
Left. Right. Behind the back. Up. Down.
Up. Up.
"Yeah, I know I make it look easy--"
Down. Down.
"--but it's only easy because I'm going fast."
Left. Right.
"If you slow down at all--"
Left. Right.
"--you lose momentum--"
Behind the back.
"--and you can smack yourself--"
Up in the air.
"--right upside the head!"
She finishes her kata by catching both halves of the nunchaku with her hand, grinning.
"If you want to take a few swings with it, fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."
She rubs the top of her head, wincing. "Believe me, I have the bruises to prove it."
He tries to spin the weapon.
Piper swings the nunchaku around, although with considerably less grace than you. He doesn't get hit in the head. However, his hand isn't so lucky. After getting hit, he drops the nunchaku in pain. After shaking his injured hand a couple times, he picks up your weapon and hands it back to you, a bruise already forming on the back of his hand. He just has a smile and writes: 'I guess I'll stick to my rapier and flute. Thank you for showing me, my dear.'
"You're welcome. I more or less learned how to use nunchaku the hard way: trial and error."
She blushes a bit, and briefly looks at the ground. "Well, mostly error."
She turns back to Masamune. "I think you'd get along well with Mom. She has more muscle mass than me--" She flexes both her arms to demonstrate. "--so she's more fond of using weapons that complement that." She stops flexing. "Nunchaku are, ironically enough, easier for me to use because of how light they are. Katanas are too heavy for me to comfortably wield. I know how to use 'em, but every time I try to swing one I just make myself look like an idiot."
"Well you should use whatever weapon you're best with. For some of us it's the katana, for others the nunchaku. Each person has their own individual weapon that they are the best with."
So, he's saying I can make anything look elegant... does that mean...?
Her blush turns red, and her eyes widen. She rapidly shakes her head, trying to refocus on the conversation.
Piper's eyes widen and, for what feels like the millionth time today, gains his cat like grin, his face taking on a light tint. He leans into your side a bit and writes: 'What are you thinking about, love? Something... naughty... risque... lewd? Like I said earlier, you can tell me. I won't get mad.'
"Um, could you excuse us for a bit?"
Not really waiting for an answer, Alara takes Piper by the arm and leads him a short distance away.
Well, okay. A lot.
--stretched against the wall, leaning back, letting him see me fully. Fingers splayed, running along my breasts, every moment of holding myself back being the sweetest torment imaginable... Every movement I make, every step, every twist, all for him. All mine. All my own.
His eyes follow my every move. Wide open. In awe. I squat... slowly. Hips gyrating. Legs spreading. Arms above my head. Eyes lidded in pleasure...
My eyes snap open. Locked with his. Seeing him feeling what I'm feeling now.
Empowered.
Elegant.
Erotic.
I stand, slowly. Walk towards him. Eyes locked firmly on my prize--
"...dancing?" Alara shakes herself out of her thoughts long enough to reply to your question. She offers you a rather embarrassed smile.
The world could be in imminent danger of being destroyed by a falling moon and she'd still be smiling, it seems.
@ Alara
Masamune chuckles as you take Piper away.
"Good luck you two."
@ Piper
Masamune pulls out his sword to better show it off.
"Yes this is a katana, and I am a samurai. The blade itself isn't that hard to learn how to wield, and it doesn't take that much strength. It just takes the practice, and knowing the proper forms to use it correctly."
Masamune considers the question of what a samurai is before responding.
"A samurai is a warrior of honor, and valor. They are supposed to be the ultimate expression of a lord's honor, and his fiercest guardians. They are sort of like the knight of a king. The must always act with honor, but some don't always act that way. While each samurai picks what ideals they wish to follow most follow the Way of the Warrior. I have decided on following the Way of the Dragon."
"I know. And... thanks."
She raises her head looks you in the eye. Her hand finds yours and takes it, leading you back to Masamune.
I'm lucky he's so understanding. Now I need a bucket of ice water to help calm me down.
She pales a bit, however, when Piper asks her what a ninja is. "Well, a ninja is a sort of... specialized killer and spy." She admits with a guilty look on her face. "Whenever a lord needs someone stabbed or something swiped with plausible deniability, he turns to people like, well... me."
She starts shifting from foot to foot. "We're trained in the arts of espionage, sabotage, assassination, and a few other '-ages' and '-tions' that you don't mention in polite company." Any blush that she may have had at this point has well and truly faded. "I've even heard stories of ninjas who became so powerful, they're able to tell the laws of physics to shut up and sit down. Running on water, jumping over city walls, that sort of thing."
Piper seems interested in your explanation. He writes: 'There are proper forms? What are these forms?' At the mention of different orders, he writes: 'Way of the Warrior? Way of the Dragon? What are those?'
After your piece, he smiles at you and writes: 'No need to feel guilty about your profession, darling. You should feel proud. You have the potential to do great things. Besides, the fact that you're a ninja doesn't change who you are. You're still the positive, lovely woman that I care for.'
She turns to Masamune, looking between him & Piper, prepared to answer more questions.
"To answer your first question, Piper, Mom so far taught me two things: how not to poison myself when applying stuff to weapons, and how to win fights. In short, and I quote--" Alara puffs out her chest and adopts a mock-serious expression. "'Rules are for fools. Do whatever it takes to win.'" She reverts to her normal posture, barely suppressing a giggle fit.
"As to your second question..." Surprisingly, she isn't blushing for once. In fact, she adopts a flirty smirk. "Ninjas do all they can to get close to their targets."
She steps closer to Piper, momentarily forgetting Masamune is watching. Her smirk never leaves her face. "I suppose I could ask YOU the same question, Piper. What does bard training entail at the White Grotto?"
"The proper forms are just small little things. they aren't important, but for learning how to use the katana with one hand. I'm sure someone who had martial training could use one as long as they used two hands. The Ways are a different matter. The Way of the Warrior focuses on honorable comabt for your lord. They decide to let their lord decide what is best for them, and they follow. They Way of the Dragon is all about protecting your friends, and family no matter the cost. We dedicate ourselves to helping out those we view as allies, and friends no matter the cost to ourselves. The only other Way I know of is the Way of the Ronin, but that is a darker path. Those samurai have either committed some grave crime, or decided to care only for themselves. They follow their own path, and no two of them are alike."