Kuroki
12-30-06, 11:01 PM
"Roki, hurry it up already."
As Hirota shouted up the boat's crudely craft ramp, the girl couldn't help but blush at the attention. She scuttled faster to catch up, her head cast downward in case any of the other passengers had heard her brother's cries. When she set foot on the dock, the sister couldn't help but notice how it might have seen better days. The pillars that kept the unstable mass of wood up were encrusted with a thick combination of brine and barnacles; creating a sort of living skin that that gave doubt to the pier's future. Kuroki was thankful of her shyness for once. Large splinters and rusted nails jutting from the wood like pikes would pierce her sandals with ease. Carefully the girl jumped from safe spot to safe spot, though her erratic motions were the subject of ridicule for the other passengers. The red returned to her checks when she heard their muttering.
When Kuroki finally arrived at her brother's side, he had only cold looks to give her. "What took you so long?" he growled.
"I was just -" She stopped mid sentence when Hirota put his forefinger under her chin. Her brother always hated it when she didn't look him in the eye. "I just forgot a few things in our cabin."
"What could you forget? It was no bigger then a closet," he snapped. The girl looked at him speechless for a moment, turning her head towards the pale sky.
"Sorry," she replied humbly.
The man let out a irate sigh, he knew he needed to get rid of tension if he was going to talk to her. "It's fine. Let's just go." One last blunt look was all he gave her before setting off, the girl closely falling at his heels. He squeezed tightly at the bundle of animal fur in his arm, so tight that his knuckles turned a shade of white. Kuroki could tell it was her fault. The ship they came on had been terribly stressful. Relentless waves churned the boat just as hard it did the passenger's stomachs. Such a simple vessel, designed for escaping debtors and criminals, was never meant to sail water for so long.
As she brushed a few stray brown hairs from her forehead, the sister could only hope it wasn't the man that smiled at her that enraged Hirota so. "I shouldn't have looked at him," she though. "I made him think I was interested." She was so enthralled by her own guilt that she didn't see her brother stop in from of her. The small girl almost fell into wet earth beneath her feet.
"Will you be more careful?" scolded Hirota as he turned to catch her. It was simple enough to lift the lithe girl, though how she remained so boorish at such a small stature alluded the man. Before his sister could apologize, he nodded to the building beside them. It was similar to every building near it, but larger. A thatched roof made from carelessly thrown straw, masonry composed of mismatched bricks; it had all the charm of a cozy small town inn. "Glass seems sort in this tone," joked the man as he pointed towards a shattered window, hastily boarded up for incoming storms. "The place looks cheap enough, and we have enough money for a few days room and board." The brother clutched at Kuroki's hand, pulling her forward with him. "I just hope that the crowd's sober enough for us."
The girl was surprised when Hirota pulled open the heavy oak door. The inn had a dining hall set for a feast, with tables lined up in rows atop a dirt floor well worn with footprints. The heavy smell of smoke came from the dying chimney, coughing its lasts breaths as the heat inside it withered to a cinder. Though large and well lit, the place seemed all but empty; a few stray souls sat at the ample tables. Kuroki couldn't help but feel sorry for them, a deep awareness of how lonely they all seemed. Even as she was pulled towards the man working the bar, the sister couldn't take her eyes off them.
As Hirota shouted up the boat's crudely craft ramp, the girl couldn't help but blush at the attention. She scuttled faster to catch up, her head cast downward in case any of the other passengers had heard her brother's cries. When she set foot on the dock, the sister couldn't help but notice how it might have seen better days. The pillars that kept the unstable mass of wood up were encrusted with a thick combination of brine and barnacles; creating a sort of living skin that that gave doubt to the pier's future. Kuroki was thankful of her shyness for once. Large splinters and rusted nails jutting from the wood like pikes would pierce her sandals with ease. Carefully the girl jumped from safe spot to safe spot, though her erratic motions were the subject of ridicule for the other passengers. The red returned to her checks when she heard their muttering.
When Kuroki finally arrived at her brother's side, he had only cold looks to give her. "What took you so long?" he growled.
"I was just -" She stopped mid sentence when Hirota put his forefinger under her chin. Her brother always hated it when she didn't look him in the eye. "I just forgot a few things in our cabin."
"What could you forget? It was no bigger then a closet," he snapped. The girl looked at him speechless for a moment, turning her head towards the pale sky.
"Sorry," she replied humbly.
The man let out a irate sigh, he knew he needed to get rid of tension if he was going to talk to her. "It's fine. Let's just go." One last blunt look was all he gave her before setting off, the girl closely falling at his heels. He squeezed tightly at the bundle of animal fur in his arm, so tight that his knuckles turned a shade of white. Kuroki could tell it was her fault. The ship they came on had been terribly stressful. Relentless waves churned the boat just as hard it did the passenger's stomachs. Such a simple vessel, designed for escaping debtors and criminals, was never meant to sail water for so long.
As she brushed a few stray brown hairs from her forehead, the sister could only hope it wasn't the man that smiled at her that enraged Hirota so. "I shouldn't have looked at him," she though. "I made him think I was interested." She was so enthralled by her own guilt that she didn't see her brother stop in from of her. The small girl almost fell into wet earth beneath her feet.
"Will you be more careful?" scolded Hirota as he turned to catch her. It was simple enough to lift the lithe girl, though how she remained so boorish at such a small stature alluded the man. Before his sister could apologize, he nodded to the building beside them. It was similar to every building near it, but larger. A thatched roof made from carelessly thrown straw, masonry composed of mismatched bricks; it had all the charm of a cozy small town inn. "Glass seems sort in this tone," joked the man as he pointed towards a shattered window, hastily boarded up for incoming storms. "The place looks cheap enough, and we have enough money for a few days room and board." The brother clutched at Kuroki's hand, pulling her forward with him. "I just hope that the crowd's sober enough for us."
The girl was surprised when Hirota pulled open the heavy oak door. The inn had a dining hall set for a feast, with tables lined up in rows atop a dirt floor well worn with footprints. The heavy smell of smoke came from the dying chimney, coughing its lasts breaths as the heat inside it withered to a cinder. Though large and well lit, the place seemed all but empty; a few stray souls sat at the ample tables. Kuroki couldn't help but feel sorry for them, a deep awareness of how lonely they all seemed. Even as she was pulled towards the man working the bar, the sister couldn't take her eyes off them.