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Snippet #2693441

located in Alternate Universe || Edo Japan, a part of Recrudescence, one of the many universes on RPG.

Alternate Universe || Edo Japan

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Characters Present

Character Portrait: Reiko Hino Character Portrait: Aram
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He wasn't going to ever get used to seeing their home like it was. In all honesty, he'd actually liked their quaint home, flaws and all. But Aram had always liked the small things like that. It held a sense of consistency to it, something he knew could change in just the blink of an eye. Though it had, he supposed it was also a lot nicer sleeping in a dryer area too. He sighed contently, taking a sip of his tea as he did so. He didn't know where Ayla was, currently, and that slightly concerned him. She was never up to any good when she disappeared like that, and he glanced out one of the windows. The sun was still high, so it was probably mid afternoon.

"I suppose I should go find her before she causes trouble," he spoke to himself, standing from his spot to set his tea and dishware away. Once he was finished, he paused momentarily, an image flittering across his mind. A frown settled onto his face. It was too fast to make out any details, but there was a strange feeling lingering behind. He pushed it to the back of his mind. It was something to meditate on later, but for now, he had other priorities. Once he was satisfied the door was closed properly, and wouldn't fall off its handles, he left. He was still getting used to that.

"Alright, where are you Ayla," he spoke to no one in particular as he journeyed into the village. It was quieter than usual, but the people in the streets seemed happy and content. Surely she wasn't here. It wouldn't be this quiet and calm if she were. Something did, however, catch his attention, and he made his way back towards it. A shopkeeper had just set out a fresh batch of dumplings, and he eyed them somewhat intently. He wasn't quite hungry yet, but they did look delicious.

“Oh, Takahiro, look. They have dumplings—you should try some!” Though the crowd was big enough that the street was fairly loud, it wasn’t too hard to pick out Reiko’s voice. Not because it was loud, but because the tone was markedly different from the norm.

The woman herself, in a russet-orange gi and brown hakama, had her arm looped through one belonging to a man with white-silver hair, dressed in shades of blue. The milky color of his eyes, as well as the way he walked so closely to her, implied that he was blind. He wore a patient smile, dipping his head at her enthusiasm.

“All right, all right. I’ll try.” They approached the stand, at which point Reiko must have noticed him.

“Aram-san! It’s good to see you.” She beamed at him, waving her free hand. “Were you going to try the dumplings, too?”

Aram smiled in her direction, dipping his head in a proper greeting. "Actually, I was contemplating whether or not I was going to," he confessed. He stood so that he was standing up straight, properly, and glanced at the two before him. "But if the two of you are so inclined, so shall I. They do look delicious, and it's been a while since I last had dumplings. Ayla has been making the same thing for three days straight ever since she discovered her kitchen," he spoke, a slight humorous tone to him. His eyes were bright and he smiled at the two of them.

"Ah, but where are my manners," he continued, turning so that he was facing the man linked to Reiko. "I am Aram, and you must be related to Reiko, if I may be so bold as to presume," he greeted. He caught the name Takahiro, but he didn't need to see in order to see the slight resemblance they had to each other. They may be of different coloration, but there was some subtle hints in their facial structure.

“Ah, yes,” the man said, turning in Aram’s general direction. Reiko let go of his arm and slipped past the both of them to speak to the dumpling vendor. “Takahiro Hino.” He bowed slightly, remaining in his spot. “I’ve heard much about you, Aram-san. Or perhaps I should say Saitō-san?” He smiled mildly.

Aram was confused for a second before it settled in that they had adopted the surname, Saitō. He'd forgotten that, and he'd also somewhat forgotten that it was, perhaps, improper to call someone by their given name. He'd have to remedy that. Clearing his throat, he shook his head to himself. "Ah, yes, that is correct. Forgive me, I had forgotten Hino-san was gracious enough to bequeath us that name," he spoke, his voice full of sincerity. He'd never be anything other, after all.

"I hope everything you've heard has been pleasant enough," he questioned, a sort of lightness in his voice.

Takahiro’s mouth turned up in a close-lipped smile. “It has all been extremely complimentary, I assure you. Reiko is very fond of you and your sister—she is always telling me about this or that thing one of you said or did.” He smoothed down one of the sleeves of his haori, a deep, ocean-colored blue hue. For one with no sight, he seemed to have a real sense of color coordination. Or maybe someone else did on his behalf.

“I doubt Tatsuya would ever say it, so perhaps I should: you do have our gratitude, for that.” His eyes moved slightly beyond Aram’s shoulder, to about where Reiko was. “It is difficult to explain what she means to us in words, for it is not the same kind of thing as human siblings feel. But I think it will suffice for me to point out that her happiness is important to all of us. Perhaps moreso than our own.”

He was a little taken back by that statement. He didn't realize that she was speaking of them and of what they said. It allowed a small smile to cross his face at the thought, and he turned to stare in the general area where Reiko was. She was a bright thing, wasn't she? He smiled and turned his attention back towards Takahiro. "Hino-san is too kind," he spoke, and thought for a minute. "I suppose she just has a sort of air about her. She does the same thing for Ayla, though I doubt she realizes it," he continued.

"But, we are here for dumplings, are we not? Let's see how good they are," he said, offering his arm in place of Reiko's. She was, after all checking out the dumplings herself.

Takahiro dipped his chin, resting a hand amiably on Aram’s forearm. His calluses caught the material slightly—it would seem that even he was accustomed either to manual labor or swordplay of some kind, though he wore no visible weapons now. His stride was confident despite his inability to see; he stopped easily just beside Reiko and withdrew his arm.

She had clearly just finished her negotiations, for she turned towards them with several skewers of dango. She held Takahiro’s out end-first; he grasped it easily and brought it back towards him. With the other hand, she extended one towards Aram. “Since you’re not very good at bargaining, this one did that for you,” she said, a faint glitter of amusement in her bright red eyes.

"Forgive my inadequacy," Aram stated, bowing slightly in apology. The smile on his face, however, belied his actual apology. "But thank you for helping," he spoke, taking the dango from her in the process. He stared at it for a moment before taking a hesitant bite. He blinked for a moment, lost in the flavor. He didn't know dumplings could taste this good. Maybe he'll get Ayla to make some when she returns, or if he ever finds her. It'd be nice to have something other than okonomiyaki or donburi.

"This is really good," he spoke, and he could hear the way it sounded. He was genuinely surprised. "What brings you here, Reiko-san? I doubt you were out for dumplings," he decided to ask, trying to shift his attention from the dango. It was a little distracting.

Her smile dimmed a little at that, and she sighed. “This one’s brothers are in negotiation with Akarui-dono. This one wanted to join, but Akarui-dono’s advisors were not very happy with the idea of me being there.” Her expression fell the rest of the way, but she seemed to make some effort to perk herself up. “Takahiro offered to go with this one down to the village for a while, so that I wouldn’t have to sit and think about what was going on in the meeting.”

Gradually, they moved away from the stand, to permit the small queue behind them to move. “But how about you, Aram-san? Is there some business we’re keeping you from?” She seemed halfway to an apology already.

He hummed when she spoke, taking another bite of his dango. Akarui-dono, he was the one that Sayuri would be promised to, if he remembered correctly. He did not allow his face to falter, and instead, pushed the thought to the back of his mind. It would not end well, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Instead, he pulled a smile to his face when she asked her question.

"I assure you, I have no intentions of doing any more bartering. I am leaving that all to Ayla, now," he spoke, chuckling softly. "But no, Reiko-san, I do not have any business to attend to, currently. I am seeking Ayla. She disappeared and hasn't come back yet. I am... worried," though that wasn't exactly it. He wasn't worried about her. He was worried that she might be doing something stupid. Like aggravating the Minamoto male, or some other person she shouldn't be.

An expression of understanding suddenly dawned over Reiko. “I think… I know where she is,” she replied, sighing softly. “Suya left the negotiations a while ago. He looked… unhappy, and he said he was going to the bar. I think… she might be with him, actually.” She reached up, rubbing at a spot at the juncture of her neck and shoulder just covered by her gi.

When her hand came away, he could see what looked like a mark in ink for just a moment, before fabric covered it again.

“That would explain quite a lot,” Takahiro agreed, quite sanguine.

"Oh," was the only thing that he could say. He pursed his lips together, though, in a slight frown. What was she doing with him? She was going to get herself in trouble one of these days, he just knew it. Well, perhaps if she settled down, she'd be able to stay out of trouble. His frown deepened at the thought. She wouldn't, and he knew why. Now was not the time for such thoughts, though. He was in the presence of Reiko and her sibling.

"Well I suppose that does explain a lot," he finally admitted, but said nothing further. He blinked, though, suddenly remembering what he'd originally wanted to say. "Ah, Reiko-san. I've been meaning to thank you," he stated suddenly, glancing down at her in the process. He had thanked her the day of the construction of their home, but it had felt somewhat inadequate. Like he could have done more, but couldn't. It was an odd feeling, but now that he had the chance, he could say so now.

"The home you've built for us, it is a gracious gift to have bestowed upon us and I would like to thank you, properly," he continued, though had it been anyone else, those words could have come off a little wrong. But Aram was not that kind of person.

She blinked up at him; she really was quite a small person. A confused look crossed her face for a moment, but then she shook her head, sending a ripple through her extremely long black ponytail. “You don’t have to thank me for that, Aram-san. Really, it was selfish of me—I just wanted to make sure my friends were living in a nice place. It doesn’t… It doesn’t really deserve any special thanks.” There was a very slight pink color rising in her cheeks, and she shook her head again.

Takahiro quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Aram chuckled softly at her reaction. An endearing thing, perhaps, but nonetheless, he shook his head. "Selfish or not, I appreciate it. Perhaps one day Ayla and I can make you a proper dinner to make up for it. Besides," he spoke, tilting his head to the side and smiling, "I think it was very considerate of you to do such a thing for us. We have only known you for a few months, and yet you think so kindly of us," he continued.

"You have an endearing and kind sister, Hino-san," he spoke to Takahiro this time.

If anything, Reiko blushed darker, but Takahiro only nodded, half-smiling.

“That I do.”