Partisan

The Age of Blades [ALWAYS ACCEPTING]

I'm waiting on WilsonTurner and after that I'll do a post again.

Academy 218: Still looking for new people to join - now is the primetime.

Kanajiro Hanamoto

---

Kanajiro eyed the girl while she talked. Her voice was alright, but her way of speaking was kind of try-hard. The pretty outfit and her way of speaking made it click, however, and Kanajiro realised she must be well off. “First of all, I'm not receiving anything. I am sending a card.” She seemed awfully hostile, something that Kanajiro could appreciate in some ways. Atleast she wasn't a wallflower, because that's what her appearance would make you believe. He grinned slightly at her, but not because he thought anything was funny. “Second, I never asked for your name.” The way he said it would make him sound slightly rude, aggressive almost. Possibly because she had assumed about him that he was receiving something, something he would require? Assumptions like that give people the wrong idea, and people with wrong ideas were annoying to Kanajiro.

He moved his fingers slightly, never feeling at ease when he was just doing nothing with them, almost as if they started itching when idle. They formed motions of waves, then contracted and extended again at a seemingly random pattern. Kanajiro looked at his fingers for a second before looking back at Mika. “I'm Kanajiro Hanamoto.” Something made him change his mind about getting rid of the formalities, and he wasn't even sure what. He'd smile at her 'compliment' on his hair but not pay it any mind, only nodding his head as a 'thank you' to keep up the respect. She seemed more concerned with receiving compliments than giving them, so a compliment from her was next to worthless he imagined. He did, however, give some thought to complimenting her some more, just to see if she was very susceptible to it. Atleast his compliments were genuine, as he didn't find anything about Mika notably repulsive, and her style of dress was pretty. Besides that she had a certain charm, Kanajiro couldn't deny.

Before he could act on his thoughts she surprised him with a question that seemed rather genuine. Given her clothes and way of speech he hadn't taken her for a girl that could actually be interested in anything other than herself or a mirror. “Osaka, Neon City, 'Shithole'. Call it what you want. I came from the labour area. It's in Japan, if you don't know.” He contemplated his next move for a second, before taking his arm off of the backrest and putting it on table, leaning in slightly. “I'm poor.” he said it with a smile, but it was a smile easily recognised as fake. One can hardly be happy about being poor. His smile would dissipate slowly and he would squint his eyes a little, almost as if he was trying to see into her soul. Ofcourse, he had no power that could do that, that much was clear. Slowly he would lean back and rest his arm on the backrest again, his hand going through his hair before hanging from the rest and dangling as it did before. “Why the interest? I'm not important.” This girl suddenly seemed so much more interesting than she made it look from the outside, and Kanajiro couldn't help but smile slightly at her complexity. He had underestimated her, and he didn't even know about her powers yet..

Academy 218: Still looking for new people to join - now is the primetime.

Neither am I and I am enjoying writing posts so far so I'll happily do it.

Academy 218: Still looking for new people to join - now is the primetime.

Would you have me handle a certain post cycle, or am I free to reply whenever and whatever I want? I'd be afraid to hog the thread.

The Age of Blades [ALWAYS ACCEPTING]

Oh, so basically like every character other than Joakim? I see. :P

The Age of Blades [ALWAYS ACCEPTING]

Ah, I see. Well, atleast you should have an outline for what you wanna write I guess.

The Age of Blades [ALWAYS ACCEPTING]

As far as I know Firefox should save closed pages, if you open them through history. It does that for me atleast.

Academy 218: Still looking for new people to join - now is the primetime.

Kanajiro Hanamoto

---

Kanajiro walked down the hallway after having just left his room, rolling his own cigarette and sticking it behind his ear for later. The academy had taken it's toll on his nerves, and despite not really having done anything so far, he'd felt quite stressed for no apparent reason. For that reason his face was furrowed into an even more so angry, frustrated look than it normally would be. God, could this day drag on anymore? He turned a corner and was met with a friendly, welcome sight. CAFÉ the sign above the doorway read, and Kanajiro felt like a cup of coffee would do him good at this moment. Besides, he had to ask for directions to the post office to post a card. His parents would probably be worried sick.

As he entered the smell of coffee entered his nose, along with whatever other aroma's roamed - the mixture was indistinguishable for Kanajiro. He eyed up and down the booths looking for a free booth for himself, but sadly saw none. They were all taken, some by individuals and some by groups. One girl in specific caught Kanajiro's eyes. She eyed asian, and more so wore popping colors that drew attention to her, unlike Kanajiro who wore nothing but black and white for the time being. Her skirt and shirt were a sharp contrast against his black pants, white shirt and black blazer. She definetely pulled off the schoolgirl look, that was for sure.

Deciding for himself that he'd rather face an awkward seating near someone he didn't know, and a cup of coffee rather than forcing himself to walk around or wait until a booth freed up, he closed the distance with a somewhat slanted but, strangely proud stride. “Excuse me.” He would assume her to be somewhat in touch with her Asian roots, although in this place there was no way to tell who was from where exactly. His head would bow lightly, though not too much. Just enough to make sure that she wouldn't be offended by the interruption, not too much to assure that she wouldn't get the idea that he thinks himself lesser than her. Ofcourse, the semi aggressive look in his eyes wouldn't fade, and his eyebrows remained furrowed inwards. His lips stayed straight and unmoved, unwilling to uncover the slight unease that Kanajiro felt. “I am new at this.. school. All the other booths are full. I'll sit in this booth?” He asked a question but didn't really wait for a reply, slowly sliding himself into the bench opposite hers. “Thanks.” His face was tilted slightly down towards the table, but his eyes were pointed directly at the girl whose name Kanajiro didn't know.

Slowly he eased into the bench, and laid his right fist into his left hand. Applying pressure he cracked his knuckles, for fun. Doing the same to his other fist, he would then rest his right arm on the backrest of the bench, letting his hand fall just over the edge of it while his left hand would make sure his cigarette was still behind his ear and then readjust it. “You look experienced.” Unaware of the innuendo of this sentence in.. more casual day to day usage of the sentence, he maintained a relatively serious facial expression and continued. “Can you tell me where the post office is? Or, in case this school is actually an actual school, when the first classes will be?” He looked left towards the café bar after he spoke, and mumbled something about 'or when someone will take our damn orders.' although that much would be harder to hear.

Looking back at the girl, Kanajiro took the time to assess her a bit better than his initial glance. She seemed nice, meaning she looked like a typical nice girl. Knowing a few girls from Osaka, however, Kanajiro had already learned that most girls are not actually nice. Not at all. He had to admit, he liked the flower that she kept braided in her hair. He looked at the flower longer than he probably could've gotten away with, but then again Kanajiro wasn't the type to care much about what her impression was - after all, this was his first day and he was still under the impression that he wouldn't meet most people he'd meet here ever again. She could think whatever she wanted and it wouldn't harm him.

Speaking of harm, he wondered what her power was. Something to do with her body? Unlikely... he had seen some people that had body-based powers, and most of them seemed to be insanely muscled. Maybe it was something else, and Kanajiro didn't care to spend more brainpower thinking about the infinite possibilities for her powers. He had barely a clue what his own was, except that it looked cool and that he could punch people in the face pretty hard with a crystal encased fist. But he had already walked past the arena once, and it made him realize that maybe there were people out there that were stronger. Not that he'd never take them on if they tried him, though..

Rationalizing in his head the entire situation, and realizing that it must be quite strange for her too, that is if she hadn't left already, he then decided he probably had to say something. “I like the flower. It goes well with your, um, clothes.” Smooth, Kanajiro. He mentally slapped himself in the back of the head, what a dumb thing to say. But all he did physically was drag his right hand through his hair towards the back in an attempt to get the strands of black hair out of his face and eyes. How did girls with really, really long hair put up with that he wondered. Looking away nonchalantly again, he silently wondered what was keeping the waitress so long. Any longer and he might just decide to start taking orders from people himself just to hurry up the process. Once again he mumbled to himself.. “Fucking baka's..”

The Age of Blades [ALWAYS ACCEPTING]

rip

The Age of Blades [ALWAYS ACCEPTING]

Gregar turned his head when he heard his name, or rather a shorter version of it, being called out from somewhere in the pine forest. The snow was picking up, and Amber urged him to continue. He complied, but kept his head turned to the direction of the sound while riding his horse onwards slowly. Then, suddenly as if the gods had loaned their divine favor to him, a figure came from the forest, riding at a near-battle speed. Thinking the worst, he reached for his swords before seeing a distinctly familiar face, brown flailing hair trailing behind it with specks of white snow stuck in it. “Kitty!” he yelled, slightly uneasy in his saddle as it was quite hard to react with his body while riding a horse. An embrace was out of the question, after all not even the most skilled riders could pull such antics off while on a horse.

“What takes you so far north? And where is earl Kevin?” Gregar had known earl Kevin to have sided with the crown, a loyalist if anything. But he didn't know of his death as of yet, and to see Brier without a guard or the earl nearby was quite strange. “Amber! It's Brier! Surely you remember her, my sister, right?” Gregar was unsure of the relation between the two - he had never been there to see them together, so he was unsure if they got along. Atleast they had common grounds in their.. less feminine skills. “Have you come to mourn father, Brier?” Regardless of what turn that conversation would've took, they rode on for the Wintershouse, since Amber was right, and they didn't know who was on their trail, or who was sent after them. While riding however, Gregar would tell Brier about the situation in the Forklands and the war in the Ironhills as he experienced it.

---

Joakim turned to Gavin, and nodded slightly. “That's a good idea Gavin, make ready a room of suitable..” His eyes glanced at the man, and although Kaz was dressed like a warrior, nothing denoted a particular status. “.. stature.” Not that it mattered much, the Wintershouse had plenty of rooms but they all looked a like - stone, with a single window covered with a simple linen cloth, a chest and armoire, a desk and chair and a bed. Maybe Gavin could throw in a few extra furs, for warmth in the bed. Joakim turned to the warrior man and smiled in a friendly way.

Rather than invite the man in for just friendly chatter, there was a certain interest present for an alliance, given the fact that the Wintershouse would soon be set upon by the Harrighfields of the Ironhills, although not many men knew of this as of yet. The man looked capable, and his men, while looking a bit primitive, had characteristics of proper warriors, although they couldn't exactly be called 'soldiers'.. and any man on the walls, was a body that prevented the Harrighfields from winning. Who knew how many more men this warrior had behind him.

As soon as Joakim would've received an answer, he'd leave the scene and leave the guards to make sure the lot stayed organized. Besides, the soldiers standing behind him would no doubt take care of any problems this group could give them. As he walked back, he made sure Gavin was with him. Removing the sword from his belt, he'd hand it back to him, as well as the shield. In a hushed voice he'd talk to him, “Feed his men proper, and make sure they have plenty of wine. Drunk men talk, so make sure you find out why they are here, or where they are from. And keep them outside the palisades, I'm sure there will be trouble if they mess with the soldiers who are already drunk and pissed.” Atleast Joakim had picked up some knowledge from his brother, and the drunken soldiers had also given him plenty of clues as to the availability of info from drunks. Heading back into the keep, he went to his room to get prepared for meeting this warrior. And since he was a warrior, Joakim figured he'd best wear some proper attire - a ceremonial dagger, a longsword on his side and a lightweight leather jerkin. Atleast then he could win some martial respect, if everything went according to plan. When leaving the room he'd whistle softly, calling to him his dog, named Bravery, a young white haired husky that he'd bought off of the smith for a small sum. The other dogs were all in the kennels, but Bravery was special to Joakim. His footsteps echoed down the hallways approaching the main hall, where a fire had been lit in order to meet proper with this warrior - who should, by now, be ready to talk with Joakim.

---

Gidja eyed the man up and down again, but without the proper time to assess the 'black knight' as they had come to be called, she decided that getting out of the blizzard was the main priority now. “Aye, fine. Just make sure you stay close to me, I need to see you if something happens.” The black armor was usually a pretty good indication that someone was either a poor knight, or just some lowlife who had robbed a fancy nobleman or something - it was commonly known that the paint served against rust, but only the poor used this method, as normal knights could afford the upkeep of their armor and weaponry.

Turning the horse round and leading the way, she turned her face towards his. “I've not heard of this 'Lily.' I can guess her occupation from her name, however. How did a man with such come up end up in a black suit of armor?” It was an innocent question, as she had no preconceived notions about black knights - truth be told she had never met any either. Although asking such questions in the south would probably raise an eyebrow, or two, and maybe sever the head of whoever asked it. “Well, regardless you'll find yourself sticking out. The last black knight that travelled here took a wrong turn in the Forklands, and he hurried away as soon as he saw snow.” Bunch of cowards, she thought, but she'd hold her tongue in fear of the man not appreciating the insult. Riding on slowly, the snow getting thicker by the second, they caught up with the caravan eventually. “Well, I can tell you, if you're hunting bounties, you must be strapped for coin. If that's the case, there's a reason all the bannermen are here - I'm not sure what, but I think it involves fighting. You look like you can fight. Speak to young lord regent Joakim Weade, although I estimate he will want to speak to you when he hears theres' a black knight in the Wintershouse.” The last words fell as the caravan pulled into the castle, into the courtyard. The caravan master thanked Eirik and Gidja, who rode off to put the horses in the stable. However before dissapearing from sight, she turned her head again. A smile curled onto her face as she spoke to him, “.. actually, I'm not telling you you should speak to the lord regent. That's an order from the guard - so you better do it, or I'll find you and forcibly summon you in front of the lord.” A joke, but a serious one at that.

---

After all the commotion surrounding the caravan, the black knight and the foreign warrior would be done, the group of three would slowly trot into the castle, and not a sound would be heard as they did so. It seemed they went mostly unnoticed after the earlier happenings. “Eh, that's.. dissapointing. I had hoped more people were here to see the Oakheart, Kitty and the duchess of the Forklands. Such a shame.” He grinned at his companions as he dismounted and led his horse into the stables close to the keep, detaching his sword and shield from the saddle and attaching them to his belt. He unhooked the saddle and tossed it into a heap of hay on the side, before moving to help Brier with her saddle. “It's a pretty horse. Where did you get it? It's well fit for a pretty girl like yourself.” Truth be told, Gregar was a bit too old to playfully compliment his sister like that, but he didn't really care. To him she was just as much his little sister if she were 20 than if she were 10. Although over the yeards, he did have a more joking attitude when surrounded with friends. “It's awfully slow, though.” he grinned at her and Amber. Noticing that Amber wasn't exactly getting the saddle off either, he would walk over to her too and place his hand on her shoulder. “Allow me, my lady.” He smiled at her, and did his best to surpress the grin he felt coming up as it always felt a bid strange to refer to Amber as my lady. However he pushed through and got her saddle off as well, putting it over a piece of wood that seperated the stable compartments.

“Shall we head inside?” He didn't wait for an answer and lead the way to the great hall, where he'd hope to find Joakim, but would run into others undoubtedly if they decided to go to the greathall as well. Whether Amber and Brier would follow was mostly up to them.