Runara lays down on the wooden shrine floor. Wondering whoever else to approach in the group that got screwed over by other competitors in the tournament.There were a lot of interesting fellows to meet, even with her servant around. She still needs to get along with some of the people here to survive.
Looking around, she noticed a black haired man. She would approach him... But the thing is, with her outfit being as it is, it probably gives off an imagery of her being a brothel worker if she approaches first. So she rises up to a seated position and looked at that man.
Stare...
Wagging her tail around, she kept staring at the black haired man. Probably unaware that she's being weird herself. But she would keep staring, and staring... and staring until the man noticed her and approaches her.
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Even though he was one of the first to wake up, Noriko made no sudden moves to get a bearing on their current situation other than his conversation with Tsubaha earlier.
He felt the need to pace himself since it really wasn't a good idea to overexert one's body after just being poisoned. The best way to relax would be to go back to sleep but he feared that if he decided to doze off after just waking up from being poisoned then he'd truly bite the dust this time around.
So he settled for the second best method that his master taught him: meditation. As he was trying to focus, however, he couldn't help but get the feeling like he was being watched.
Scanning his surroundings for anyone eyeing him suspiciously, his eyes inevitably met with a black haired fox doven who seemed like she was trying to punch a hole right through Noriko with how intensely she was staring at him.
"Meditation's not gonna work unless I get the thought of being watched out of my mind. Better sort things out with her first."
After an exasperated sigh, Noriko approached the doven casually before asking her a question in an uneasy voice.
"Um,... have we met before? Because you've been staring at me super hard for quite a while now. I haven't done anything to offend you, have I?"
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Upon noticing that the black haired man see Runara staring intensely at him. Runara immediately looked away, realizing that she's been staring at him. It was probably rude of her to just stare at him.
Oh no, he's approaching! Is Runara going to be in trouble?. . . She squeaked in surprise when he adressed her uneasily.
"Umm... Uh... No, it's nothing of the sorts really..." She looked down, visibly fidgeting her fingers.
"I um... Just wanted to get to know you... I mean!" She suddenly looked straight at him, but she turned down once again.
"You know... I just doubt myself on how to approach you, considering how I dressed and all that so um... Sorry for staring..."
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The black haired swordsman could be seen sighing in relief upon realizing that he hadn't done anything to wrong the Doven woman in any way. It seems that she was just curious about him, though knowing that in itself was a bit weird for Noriko.
Usually, he was the one who takes the initiative towards befriending others. He just hasn't been actively socializing with anyone in this disgruntled group of people because everyone looked like they'd rather keep to themselves at the moment. No surprise there, since that's what getting set back worse than square one does to people.
"If there's any better time to get to know each other, then it's right now. I'm guessing we won't exactly have any time to sit around and talk like this once we get moving since everyone should be adamant about getting their bells back." He explained.
"And if you're worried about your dress, don't. I may be from the Jiao Jing Wushu School but I wasn't born in Shang land. I'm a Tousawan Migrant, and I practice a style of swordsmanship developed by my Master, who's also a migrant. It was her connections that got me admitted to the Wushu school in the first place." Noriko said enthusiastically
"What I'm trying to say is that I've been exposed to different cultures and met different types of people. Sure, your attire is, how can I put this... a bit of an eye-catcher, but it does have its charm and makes you look very alluring. I haven't met many Doven in my life but most of the stories my Master told me held very high regard for your people so I would assume there's a perfectly good reason regarding your attire. If I have to make a guess, it's either a ceremonial or traditional outfit."
Realizing what he had just blurted out aside from the fact that he had been prattling on without so much as telling the Doven woman his name, Noriko blushes from ear to ear and breaks his gaze from the fox-girl in embarrassment.
"Whoops... there I go again. Being a chatterbox without even introducing myself. Sorry about that." He mused.
After clearing his throat and regaining his composure, Noriko extends his hand towards Runara and smiles at her warmly.
"My name's Noriko Amagawa, a student... of sorts... at the Jiao Jing Wushu School. Hobbies include, reading, training, and fishing when i have the time to spare. I'd rather we would have met in more favorable circumstances but it's a pleasure meeting you regardless, Miss..."
Crap. He forgot that the Fox Doven hadn't given her name yet. He didn't even know if handshakes were acceptable gestures in Doven culture. This was certainly awkward and Noriko hopes that she wouldn't find it more awkward than he's feeling right now.
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Turns out the black haired swordsman are in the same idea as Runara. Getting to know others should be done now when everyone had the time to talk. Who knows when the time like this could happen again.
He seems to be nice enough to not consider Runara a... well, what most people would see Runara in first glance. She was relieved to hear that. Though the man seems to blabber a lot that Runara tilted her head and wonders if she should cut himself from talking any further before introducing themselves.
Thankfully he stopped himself from going further
"It's alright, it was quite fun to hear you talk." She giggled at his rather amusing long talk.
And then, he extended his hand to Runara and introduces himself as Noriko Amagawa. Upon hearing that his hobby includes fishing however... Runara looked up to Noriko with bright eyes, mouth open wide, like she just saw an idol. She began fantasizing Noriko fishing big fishes for Runara to eat... And then realizing that she's been leaving him hanging on that handshake...
She immediately went to hug him...
"My hero!" She said as she hugged him. But she quickly let go as she realized she just hugged a stranger without even introducing herself.
"Ah... Sorry, it just excites me that... Well, you can fish..." She looked away, visibly blushing red, her tail moved to cover her face from Noriko.
"Um... I'm Runara Blazeheart, a dancer from a Doven Kingdom. And as you can obviously tell, I... like to dance, originally came here to perform for the festival, but somehow..." She trailed off, Noriko could probably guess what words would complete that sentence.
After some pause, she looked back at Noriko
"I... also like to fish..."
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Noriko didn't know much about Doven gestures so he didn't know how to feel except being quite embarrassed when Runara reciprocated his handshake with a hug.
Turns out she's a huge fan of fishing and gave him a hug out of sheer excitement. Though he certainly has never met anyone who referred to him as a "hero" even though he firmly believes how much an honest work fishing is.
"I certainly didn't think I'd find a fellow fishing enthusiast here of all places. Tell you what, after we're finished with this tournament, how about we go fishing, just you and me? I know some spots around Jiao Jing that other fisherman would be envious about!"
The fox Doven's attire finally made sense when she explained she was a dancer. Though how outdated was her information for her to not realize the change in the festival from a jovial celebration of Shang culture to a not-so-friendly competitive festival where people risk it all to get favors from the emperor? If everyone here did not get tricked into drinking poisoned water then they might have already been at each other's throats by now.
"A dancer huh? Could it be that you didn't know the major change about the festival before you arrived here in Shang Land? It's been quite a few years since the festivities were replaced by this battle royale style contest for a wish. Don't tell me you got roped into this by accident?"
An exasperated sigh escaped Noriko's lips as he thought how unlucky Runara had been to be an accidental participant.
"In any case, I'm actually half glad that we've all had this sort of crappy bad luck happen to us. Otherwise, I don't think we would be in such friendly terms had we come across each other. Everyone here has that one desperate wish that they want to be granted by the emperor. I'm no exception to that."
Indeed, if they had met under different circumstances, they may have had to cross blades, or worse, take each other's life for the sake of getting the other's bell. After all it's not every day that you get a country's leader to personally fulfill a request.
"How about you, Runara-san? Even if you ended up joining the Festival of Swords by accident, do you have a wish that you want fulfilled?"
Hearing Noriko offered to do some fishing when this tournament is done made Runara hopeful enough to want to survive this tournament. Just to fish... And have a feast of fish... And perhaps...
Wait that was too soon for her to think about being together forever with a stranger. Especially one that she didn't know much about yet. And for how she got here however...
"Ah no actually, there's still some cheery festivity, and I was actually hired to perform there. But somehow I got lost in town. And then well, I got myself into the sign ups for this battle royale thing..."
Yes, she was actually, really, going to dance for the festival. But being a small little fox in a big town... She got lost, and well...
"... Yeah... That was really embarassing, I signed up for this by accident..."
Runara blushed red and looked down in embarassment as she realized it. She got lucky that she and her servant, Tsubaki got themselves in a group like this. Although some of the members left a lot to be desired. She was confident that she could get through this predicament safely with a group like this.
Onto the topic of wish... Runara heard that the victor of the battle royale could have a wish granted by the Emperor. She knew what she wanted out of this. Although she doubted that if the Emperor would get what she meant by that...
"My wish huh..." She said, putting her hand on her chin as if thinking of something.
"Please don't laugh at my wish..." She continued, blushing red once again... It was a wish that was simple enough in words, yet in reality... It would be hard to grant her wish.
"I wish I could find my true love... Like... Someone that I would spent my entire life together forever..." Runara revealed her wish to Noriko, she then sighed before noticing that she should ask him about his wish as well.
"Now that I said my wish... What about yours?" She questioned.
Noriko felt a bit relieved that Runara still managed to do what she had set out to do in Shang and enjoyed herself... until she got herself mixed up in this mess that is.
With that said, it was really weird how she "got lost". Getting lost was one thing, but this was the first time he's ever encountered someone who got so lost that they accidentally joined the festival?
"Maybe the recruiters were desperate for participants and ended up forcing her to join against her will? That's pretty sick though, all things considered. Sure she gets a wish if she collects three bells but it was fortunate that she knows well enough how to handle herself or else she'd end up as just another dead participant." Noriko thought as he pondered on Runara's explanation of how she ended up joining the Festival of Swords.
"I'm just glad you're alright despite signing up for this by accident. Most of us train the entire year just to prepare for this event. You must be really skilled in combat to make it this far." Noriko said in a genuinely impressed manner.
Regarding her wish however, Noriko noticed that she pondered quite a bit about it but with the way she asked him not to laugh at her wish meant that the Doven dancer already knew what she wanted from the start but must have been hesitant to share it with anybody else, specially someone she had just met and barely knew.
"True love, huh?"
Noriko took a moment to ponder Runara's wish. Most participants would have requested an exorbitant amount of money or a prestigious title that grants them the status of a noble. Since the festival was open to everyone including criminals, they'd most likely use the festival as an opportunity to buy back their own freedom and erase their criminal records. But wishing for true love? That would stretch the limits of the Emperor's power considering that "True Love" isn't something one may come across in his/her lifetime.
"In my opinion, wishing for true love is no laughing matter. Sure some people may consider your wish to be vague or unachievable, perhaps even trivial... but there are very few people who manage to find true love in its romantic form within their life time. So seeking true love is a very noble cause." The black haired swordsman says in a calm yet serious manner.
After pausing briefly for a bit to heave a deep sigh, Noriko continued his response in a more sincere tone.
"With that said, however, the Emperor of Shang may not be able to completely fulfill that wish. Sure he could arrange for a countless number of suitors for you to choose from but the likelihood that one of them would be your true love is very slim. It feels fake... An artificial bond created out of fear and compliance to the Emperor's order and your wish. That's not true love at all, in my opinion."
Finally, he voiced his opinion on how he would imagine Runara meeting her true love should be.
"I believe that you'd have a higher chance meeting that person naturally rather in such an arranged fashion. The way your relationship would develop in such a natural course should weather the tests of fate and time and ensure that the two of you would be able to remain and create happiness for yourselves until death do you part. Sure beats the only thing keeping your relationship together is the guy's obligation to the Emperor's orders, right?"
It seemed only fair to reveal his own wish to Runara but there was a matter of uncertainty in him. What did he truly want? Sure he wanted to settle down, own a piece of land for himself, preferably near a lake where he could fish whenever he pleased and make a home there, perhaps even have a family... but those were all things he could attain without the need to request them from the Emperor. Until now, he never really thought too hard what his wish was but after being placed in a situation that requires him to describe something more concrete rather than abstract, he realized that deep inside, there was one thing that has been gnawing on his mind ever since he officially became a student at thee Jiao Jing Wushu School.
"Embarrassingly enough, I never had a clear wish until you asked me about it... I entered this tournament with a vague desire to settle down somewhere I could pass my days in peace. " That meant that he really had no business chastising Runara for entering the tournament with such a vague wish. The realization made him blush from ear to ear in shame.
However, a fiery resolved now burned in Noriko's eyes as he revealed to the Fox Doven his honest wish.
"But I realized that wasn't what I truly wanted... To find the whereabouts of the woman who "saved" me and taught me what it's like to be human. My mentor left me under the care of the Wushu school one day and never returned. I needed to get some closure about what happened to her and only then can I say that I can be at peace."
Runara listened on as Noriko talked about her wish. It seemed that it's true that the Emperor might not be able to actually grant that wish. As perhaps the relationship created with the wish would feel untrue and fake. Her wish is just too vague and have a lot of uncertainties. Runara realized this, she knew she wouldn't have her wish actually fulfilled... Though listening to Noriko's opinion...
"So are you saying I might meet my true love here...?" Runara asked hopefully. She already had some of the guys attracting her in the first glance. And she wouldn't mind sticking with one of them if she knows them better.
"Oh right... This is fate that we're talking about... Who knows if fate says I wouldn't meet my match here right?" She sighed, resigning to the fact of the uncertainty of what she seeks.
She would then continue listening to Noriko with full attention. She giggled as he admitted that his first wish was just as vague as her's.
"Well, I mean, having peace had many definitions no? Maybe a full retirement, or freedom of doing what you want... Or something else, I dunno." She said after giggling.
But then, he explained his actual wish. Hearing him explained his wish to find the whereabouts of his mentor. It seemed that she had a lasting impression to Noriko that he's uneasy to the fact that she went missing.
"Oh... Um... I... Don't know what to say... Maybe, if she's actually alright when you find out, maybe you could show her how you've progressed. Um... Maybe have a true love, or something...?" She seems to put an emphasis on true love, perhaps hinting at something... Yet she quickly realized it and...
"ActuallyforgetthatIeversaidanything." She said quickly as her face reddens and hastily walks away from Noriko.
Noriko felt a sense of guilt crawl up to him when he heard Runara's response. It had seemed that all his talk about fate had significantly discouraged the Fox Doven while his sole intention for it was to open her eyes to a more realistic perspective of viewing her dream.
"Ya' know, it's also bad if you leave everything to fate and live a passive lifestyle. There's an old saying in my homeland that goes like this. "The gods provide to the man who earns it." I'm not saying that I'm a philosopher but If I'm to interpret that, it's go like "Fate would reward the person who pursuits their dreams in earnest." So you're really on the right path, Runara-san. But I don't think leaving it to other's people's power would get you what you want." The black haired swordsman replied skittishly as he scratched the back of his head.
He was rather taken aback when the fox doven said something about finding true love once he finds out what happened to his mentor. It was as if she not only provided him a goal beyond what he already had but was also providing him the means of attaining said goal. It only made him more suspicious when she left in a hurry, seeming all flustered.
The thought of settling down and having a family of his own was still fresh on Noriko's mind as he saw Runara off with a satisfied smile could be seen on Noriko's face.