Puffin Campfire; Tuesday Afternoon, after workshops

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

Despite having practised a bit that morning, Sakurazaki couldn't really get her attempts to work on a more Western form out of her head. She had told herself she'd do some meditation after her workshop, but the heat made her restless, and she couldn't quite focus. She was soon on her feet, talking quietly to herself in Japanese as she shifted through the motions, arms moving in haphazard response to the idea of having a sword. It didn't take her long to become extremely focused, although occationally frustrated, released through a brief pause and a growl. To a casual observer, it probably looks like a very ritualistic sort of dance...or a very strange sort of fit.


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Comments

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

Peter tried to conceal a grin as he saw Sakurazaki's movements and instantly realised she was using a sword in her mind.

"You could always go to the salle," he said with a grin. "It's not too late."

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

"Hm?" Sakurazaki, a little sweaty from shifting around the campfire like that in this heat, turns to the sound of a voice, wiping at her forehead with the back of her arm. If her face wasn't already red from the combination of physical exertion and sun, it would be now from embarrassment. "Oh, hi, Peter," she says with a little nervous grin, hands going behind her back and toe digging into the dirt. "I considered it, but it really wouldn't help. I'm, ummm..." Poorly trying to immitate your style? What are you talking about? "Well, using Yuunagi would only be a hinderance to what I'm trying to work on right now."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"You could use one of the practice blades in the gym?" he offered. Noting the nerves, he continued. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt. Should I continue on?"

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

Shaking her head, Sakurazaki gives him a dismissive wave of her hand. "I was already in the gym this morning working on it," she explains to him. "This is just sort of a distracted carry-over. Light, idle practise, I suppose, thanks to having nothing better to do." She gives a casual little shrug. If anything, maybe that would help explain it away if she was doing as poorly as she felt she was.

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

Peter grinned. "I know the feeling. I've been working through routines in my head all day during workshops. Thank you again for the spar on Saturday. That was fun."

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

Sakurazaki glows a little with her smile. "And thank you, too. It was a lot of fun." As well as an awakening, she adds in her head, but doesn't let her smile falter. "I still have quite the bruise on my hip, you know. But, then again, I do bruise easily."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

Rubbing his shoulder a bit ruefully, Peter nodded. "I was swimming earlier and still felt the hits to my shoulder. We'll have to try it again sometime after finding you a practice blade and sheath more like Yuunagi so you're not at a disadvantage."

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

Sakurazaki bites her lip. If that wasn't an opening, she didn't know what was.

"Actually, about that..." she starts slowly, nervously. Perhaps even a little shamefully. "Actually sparring with those swords sort of helped me realize something. I...I really can't depend so much on my Eastern style. It seems that, in addition to the rarity of swordskill as it is in this society, very few people outside of Japan actually use a kendo style. Especially with a rarely used type of blade. To call it a disadvantage seems an understatement. So...I was....I was wondering...if maybe...maybe you could teach me...your style? That's...kind of what I've been trying to do today, but it's really just been poor mimickry rather than actual attempting..."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"It's only a disadvantage if you make it one," Peter pointed out. "I'm sure that I'd be at a great disadvantage facing you with your longer style because I've never worked against something like that. The very fact of rarity makes it more dangerous at times. That being said, I'd be more than happy to teach you my style, if you like." He nodded then grinned. "Of course, I'm going to ask you to reciprocate."

[grand-fallguy.livejournal.com]

"Hey Setsuna!" Tim waved.

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

Sakurazaki takes a moment to catch her breath as she waves to Tim. She was kind of getting into her mild practise. "Hello, Tim. How are you today?"

[grand-fallguy.livejournal.com]

"I'm pretty good. I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

Sakurazaki shakes her head lightly. "Nope; this is just an idle carry-over from a good workout earlier." She shrugs. "Nothing important."

[grand-fallguy.livejournal.com]

"ah good. Listen, I wanted to ask you about Ranma."

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

Sakurazaki sucks in a deep breath. Don't facepalm, don't facepalm, don't facepalm....


She facepalms. Things were so much better when no one could talk because then, no one wanted to talk to her...

"What about him?" she asks tenatively.

[grand-fallguy.livejournal.com]

"Is he, uhm, prone, to bouts of thinking he's a five year old girl? I mean is that part of the curse?"

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

"Ugh."

Right when she'd finally been able to get the Ranma-chan out of her system...

"The Ranma-chan Effect. Yes. Not a part of his curse, no. It appears to be a deeply rooted psychological multiple personality, brought out when he's struck particularly hard on the head....which we hopefully won't have to deal with any time soon."

[dude-its-jude.livejournal.com]

Jude drifted over, draping himself limply over a convient log. This heat was killing him. And if someone questioned the board shorts and skin look, he could always say he was planning on going swimming.

He still might.

Right now he was too busy watching Setsuna with a grin on his face.

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

Sakurazaki had pursued her little mindless practising for a little bit more, and didn't notice Jude until a few shuffling steps backwards, some Japanese muttering, and a quick pivoting jump has her accidently swinging an idle hand right into his face.

She snaps around when she hits something and promptly gasps when she sees what. "Ohmigod, Jude! I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!"

[dude-its-jude.livejournal.com]

"Whoa!" Slow to react, Jude tumbled right off the log, sprawling on his back with his feet in the air. They settled after a moment and he peered at her from between his knees, looking a little wobbly for a moment before beginning to laugh.

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

It doesn't take long for his laugh to encourage a laugh of her own to surpass the sudden embarrassment and guilt that had seized her. "I'm sorry!" Sakurazaki says again, but this time with a cute grin as, leaning over him a bit, she offers him her hand to help him to his feet.

[dude-its-jude.livejournal.com]

Jude took her hands but instead of climbing to his feet, grinned wickedly and tugged, hoping to send her sprawling on top of him.

Or beside. Beside was good, too.

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

There was a very surprised little shriek as Sakurazaki found herself being pulled forward...and then found herself on top of a shirtless Jude. There would be flailing with her massive blushing if she wasn't using her arms to hold herself up, hand pressed against the ground by his shoulders, to create a little bit more of an appropriate distance between them.

Yet she isn't getting to her feet. Not yet anyway.

After the initial shock disappears, the fierce blush remains, but a shy grin creeps onto her face. "Hey," she says quietly. "That wasn't fair."

[dude-its-jude.livejournal.com]

"Nope!" he agreed cheerfully, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist. He didn't want her to go anywhere, but he wasn't about to stop her if she wanted to go. Then, ruthlessly taking advantage of the situation, he leaned up and kissed her.

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

Sakurazaki really should have seen that coming. Perhaps she actually did. But being kissed like that always made something in her chest leap up and shock her, even when she wasn't at all surprised. Her elbows bend a bit, lowering herself a closer to him, stealing away some of the awkwardness and allowing herself to put a little more into it as well.

Such a perfect moment, she can't help but think, at first. But the thought soon climbs, adding that it was perfect despite the initial shock and embarrassment, which lead to a brief debate in her head on whether or not she had anything to be embarrassed about. After all, he was her boyfriend, and kissing was just what couples did. At campfires, too, sometimes. But at campfires in the middle of the day, toppled over one another in the dirt with one of them rather scantily clad? Right outside her cabin, where, at any moment, anyone could step out and witness the inappropriateness in all its glory. Any of her cabinmates....Stark, River...Alphonse!

And then that they were outside so anyone could even pass by, moving between cabins or going for visits. ...Peter, Pippi...Ranma!

Red faced but keeping her flailing very under control, Sakurazaki pulls herself from the kiss. She gives him a little smile, an action that puts her in danger of just returning right back to the kissing, but she proceeds in scrambling back up to her feet. She takes his hand and stands her ground until he's on his feet too.

"Come on, you." Despite her embarrassment and panic, she's grinning rather fondly, brushing idly at her skirt with her free hand. "Get up out of that dirt."