1 The Princess and the Pawn [NK/Private] Sun Apr 16, 2017 9:57 am
Yamada Kegare
D-rank
Yamada Clan compound
Two men were sitting at a Shogi table, one combing his beard with his hand, the other tapping with the slender, gloved fingers of his left hand upon the white, smiling mask he wore.
"Seriously, not going to make a move, Iwatobi?" The masked man stopped tapping with his fingers upon his mask, his irritation quite audible from the tone of voice he was using. "You make your lackeys bring me here for a game and now you're doing nothing. I could've gone to the library to do some reading. You should know that I have my own affairs to deal with."
The bearded man looked up, his hand still wriggling around with the thickgray hairs that grew from his sharp chin. A slight grin appeared on Iwatobi's face when he noticed Kegare's irritation. He knew the man in the smiling mask as much, if not better than his own brothers and sisters and visa versa. They had been comrades from their youth and despite the difference in paths they had taken and obstacles they had had, the old man was probably the only one who had managed to lift the veil around Kegare's mysterious persona.
It had after all been more than forty years ago when Kegare had been brutally and savagely wounded in a prank played by a now deseased member of the Feudal Lord's court. Yet even now, Iwatobi could feel the bitterness inside the masked man.
"I get it, this wasn't just for some game, right?" The masked man sighed and placed both his hands upon the Shogi table while leaning bckwards a bit. "I'm fifty eight years old Iwatobi, I'm not a child like those pampered members of the higher ranking members of our family. I got to where I am by being who and what I am, not because of some overprotective family or some sort of destiny carved out from birth."
Iwatobi suddenly chuckled and raised his hand for one of the servants to bring the both of them some tea. "I know that very well old friend and I wasn't trying to deceive you... it's just that I know how strongly you feel about the main branch of the family after they cast you out."
A huff left Kegare's lips, his head tilting to the left while his piercing golden eyes looked at Iwatobi with intrigue and a bit of doubt. "That's great, coming from a member of the Main branch."
The bearded old man wanted to respond, yet was interrupted by the servant arriving with the tea, so he simply accepted his cup, took a sip and placed it down next to the board filled with Shogi tiles. "It so happens that you've been asked to meet with one of the main branches most prized members; Yamada Alexis, does that ring a bell?"
The masked man looked at the servants with an almost rage-filled stare, until they realized that he wanted them to leave the two of them alone, so he could drink his tea in peace. "Well, I've heard of her... quite the Go player if I recall correctly, but what does that have to do with me?"
Iwatobi cringed when Kegare removed his mask and ook a sip fromhis tea, even after all this time it was still not easy to look his friend in the eyes when the mask had been removed. "Well yes, that's the one. She's going to have a game with a member of the Feudal Lord's court soon and you were asked to keep her company during this time, after all it seems that the Feudal Lord is interested in this child and her skills."
Kegare sighed again, drinking the rest of his tea before putting on his mask again and looking straight at Iwatobi with a look that only conveyed pity. "More like the Feudal lord wants her to marry one of his court's members and given my unique position as someone between the barriers of both the court and the clan, I'd be suited to prepare the young girl for the news?"
"Something like that," Iwatobi laughed, patting Kegare on the shoulder. "They'll be expecting you around eight O'clock, so aren't you glad I got you out of your bed at five?"
A barely audible grumble came from behind Kegare's mask. "I guess so."
"Good, I'll send word to her parents that you'll be arriving shortly," Iwatobi was still tearing from his earlier fit of laughter when he called a servant to relay the message of Kegare's immenent arrival. "Oh yes, don't spook the girl too much...nor do I advice being too rough with the member of the Feudal Court, given your... history with them."
"If the brat's going to be annoying or any of the court, they will remember their debt towards me... both the clan and the Court, Iwatobi... both of them still have to pay," The masked man didn't laugh, his voice was thicker and harder than earlier, as if a bunch of bad memories came flooding back into his mind. "I still haven't forgotten."
"Neither have I my friend, neither have I," Iwatobi answered, having calmed down considerably, responding to the masked man's cold voice with his own understanding tone.
Hours later, the masked man arrived at the home of the girl he was supposed to accompany for the day, until the Feudal Lord's relatives had arrived in the evening.
Wearing his usual bordeaux attire, his smiling, white mask and white gloves to mask and veil each and every part of his disfigured body and visage, Kegare would've stood out among the people of the main branch who still wore more traditional styled clothing, while he himself wore a more elegant and contemporary style of clothing, more fit for nobility than anything else... though mostly because it was the kind of clothing that covered up everything.
He had been led to the garden of the house who's inhabitants were the wealthy and noble members of the main branch and coincidentally also the parents of the child he would be tending to that day.
"Ugh, even if this garden is beautiful, it does not hide the atrocities and decay of this family by a long shot."
wc: 1079
twc: 1079
Two men were sitting at a Shogi table, one combing his beard with his hand, the other tapping with the slender, gloved fingers of his left hand upon the white, smiling mask he wore.
"Seriously, not going to make a move, Iwatobi?" The masked man stopped tapping with his fingers upon his mask, his irritation quite audible from the tone of voice he was using. "You make your lackeys bring me here for a game and now you're doing nothing. I could've gone to the library to do some reading. You should know that I have my own affairs to deal with."
The bearded man looked up, his hand still wriggling around with the thickgray hairs that grew from his sharp chin. A slight grin appeared on Iwatobi's face when he noticed Kegare's irritation. He knew the man in the smiling mask as much, if not better than his own brothers and sisters and visa versa. They had been comrades from their youth and despite the difference in paths they had taken and obstacles they had had, the old man was probably the only one who had managed to lift the veil around Kegare's mysterious persona.
It had after all been more than forty years ago when Kegare had been brutally and savagely wounded in a prank played by a now deseased member of the Feudal Lord's court. Yet even now, Iwatobi could feel the bitterness inside the masked man.
"I get it, this wasn't just for some game, right?" The masked man sighed and placed both his hands upon the Shogi table while leaning bckwards a bit. "I'm fifty eight years old Iwatobi, I'm not a child like those pampered members of the higher ranking members of our family. I got to where I am by being who and what I am, not because of some overprotective family or some sort of destiny carved out from birth."
Iwatobi suddenly chuckled and raised his hand for one of the servants to bring the both of them some tea. "I know that very well old friend and I wasn't trying to deceive you... it's just that I know how strongly you feel about the main branch of the family after they cast you out."
A huff left Kegare's lips, his head tilting to the left while his piercing golden eyes looked at Iwatobi with intrigue and a bit of doubt. "That's great, coming from a member of the Main branch."
The bearded old man wanted to respond, yet was interrupted by the servant arriving with the tea, so he simply accepted his cup, took a sip and placed it down next to the board filled with Shogi tiles. "It so happens that you've been asked to meet with one of the main branches most prized members; Yamada Alexis, does that ring a bell?"
The masked man looked at the servants with an almost rage-filled stare, until they realized that he wanted them to leave the two of them alone, so he could drink his tea in peace. "Well, I've heard of her... quite the Go player if I recall correctly, but what does that have to do with me?"
Iwatobi cringed when Kegare removed his mask and ook a sip fromhis tea, even after all this time it was still not easy to look his friend in the eyes when the mask had been removed. "Well yes, that's the one. She's going to have a game with a member of the Feudal Lord's court soon and you were asked to keep her company during this time, after all it seems that the Feudal Lord is interested in this child and her skills."
Kegare sighed again, drinking the rest of his tea before putting on his mask again and looking straight at Iwatobi with a look that only conveyed pity. "More like the Feudal lord wants her to marry one of his court's members and given my unique position as someone between the barriers of both the court and the clan, I'd be suited to prepare the young girl for the news?"
"Something like that," Iwatobi laughed, patting Kegare on the shoulder. "They'll be expecting you around eight O'clock, so aren't you glad I got you out of your bed at five?"
A barely audible grumble came from behind Kegare's mask. "I guess so."
"Good, I'll send word to her parents that you'll be arriving shortly," Iwatobi was still tearing from his earlier fit of laughter when he called a servant to relay the message of Kegare's immenent arrival. "Oh yes, don't spook the girl too much...nor do I advice being too rough with the member of the Feudal Court, given your... history with them."
"If the brat's going to be annoying or any of the court, they will remember their debt towards me... both the clan and the Court, Iwatobi... both of them still have to pay," The masked man didn't laugh, his voice was thicker and harder than earlier, as if a bunch of bad memories came flooding back into his mind. "I still haven't forgotten."
"Neither have I my friend, neither have I," Iwatobi answered, having calmed down considerably, responding to the masked man's cold voice with his own understanding tone.
Hours later, the masked man arrived at the home of the girl he was supposed to accompany for the day, until the Feudal Lord's relatives had arrived in the evening.
Wearing his usual bordeaux attire, his smiling, white mask and white gloves to mask and veil each and every part of his disfigured body and visage, Kegare would've stood out among the people of the main branch who still wore more traditional styled clothing, while he himself wore a more elegant and contemporary style of clothing, more fit for nobility than anything else... though mostly because it was the kind of clothing that covered up everything.
He had been led to the garden of the house who's inhabitants were the wealthy and noble members of the main branch and coincidentally also the parents of the child he would be tending to that day.
"Ugh, even if this garden is beautiful, it does not hide the atrocities and decay of this family by a long shot."
wc: 1079
twc: 1079