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 Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 6:25 pm
 With a smile and a brightly whistled tune Phea headed to the pond. Today was her day off, a day to relax and forget what is plaguing her. Which right now is her recent battle, loss and talk with Odilon. "No. Best not to think of that today." Phea says to herself. Speaking aloud, something she does when trying to force herself to do or not do something.
Shaking off her thoughts, Phea settles down by the water. She is in uniform, her day off having been a sudden thing. But she did grab her towel, bathing suit and a lunch before leaving the barracks. She also brought what she calls her 'day off bag'. It always stays packed since off time is often randomly granted. In it are a book and sketch book and pencil. The things she would be most likely to use in her free time.
At the moment all Phea has done is lay out her towel. That done she lay back on the towel, head pillowed in her crossed arms, enjoying the sounds and smells of piece.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 6:57 pm
 Eyes slightly glazed over from the heat of the sun, Jiao leaned leisurely upon the trunk of a tree near the pond. In his hand he held a long stick with a string tied to its end. At the end of the tree was a group of dead flies. Of course, he wasn't the one to gather it. He had gotten a little boy to do it for a piece of taffy.
The moment a frog tried to snatch the flies with its tongue, he would quickly grab it and dump it into a box with his other catches. Three frogs had already fallen victim to his trap. It had been an half an hour or so since the last frog, so he was getting a bit bored.
Usually this would be enough of a reason to quit his current activity and maybe go report for duty. But Captain Fishlips was still angry about his last prank, so it was still unsafe to return. Jiao was also still bitterly sore about his last loss, and his determination to get his petty revenge kept him going.
He was just on the verge of dozing off when he heard sounds of music. Jiao blinked. "Now why would there be people in place as out of the way as this?" He stabbed his stick into the ground, grabbed a frog and investigated the source of the noise.
Peeking around a tree, he froze. He strained his eyes further to confirm his suspicions. Face quickly adopting a grimace, Jiao retreated behind the tree. His quick retreat caused some noise when he brushed against a bush, but he dismissed it. "It's her. The psycho," he muttered.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 7:03 pm
Phea, listening to the music, has no idea someone was watching her. Well nothing confirmed. She did get a bit of a feeling that she was being watched. But it passed quickly enough that she does not bother dwelling on it.
Instead she digs out her book and starts to read. Something that becomes harder to do with each word. She loves this series, but at the moment it is in a boring part.
With a sigh Phea puts the book back. Then she grabs her swimsuit and heads off to find a spot to change.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:01 pm
His father raised him to never miss an opportunity. He'd only lost a few in his short life, but he wasn't about to let this one get away. Jiao trudged back to the pond's edge and plunged the frog into a particularly muddy spot. As it croaked in distressed, Jiao began to pile the mud on of the frog's bath. It started to fidget and mud fell of the amphibian as a result. "Move and I will put you in a pot and boil you," Jiao smiled as he squeezed threateningly. The frog went limp.
Satisfied, he went back to the area where that Noir was. She was gone! Jiao puffed his cheeks in irritation. Why were the Noir so damn annoying?! He crept forward tree by tree, to see if she had simply gone out of sight.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:11 pm
Uniform over her shoulder, Phea heads back to her towel. She is almost there when she sees the Hong Ambassador she had defeated not long ago. But.. what is he doing? She can see what looks like a mudball in his hand. And he appears to be looking for someone.
Could he be searching for her? Or is he playing some Hong game with a friend? Either way, Phea feels she should talk to him. She does have a few questions to ask. Keeping her eye on the muck he is holding she walks up behind him. "I never did ask your name. I am Amalphea."
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:33 pm
Croak! The only indication of Jiao's surprise was his involuntary squeeze on the frog. Smoothing his expression to one of mild curiosity, he turned around to face her. For who else could it be? As far as he knew, no one was around.
So her name was Amalphea? Despite the introduction, he couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. A sudden impulse seized him. "Hello. One moment, please." And with that requested pause, Jiao took several steps back. A small ahem and he threw the frog at her underhand with both hands.
"I've been itching to do that for several days, you see. And now that I've finally satisfied the urge, my formal name is Wu Jiao Long, given name Jiao Long," he replied. From his pocket he produced a hand cloth and wiped his hands on it.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:47 pm
Phea might have been able to avoid the muck covered frog, after all she had suspected he would throw it. For some reason, even she herself is not sure, she stands there and lets it hit her. The slimy creature hits her in the chest, making a splat sound.
Quickly Phea slides her hand under it, giving the frog support. She does not hold it, instead letting it decide to stay or go as it pleases. "Feel better?" She asks, doing her best to school her voice and features to be blank. Her best is not good enough, though. If one is paying close attention they would see her expression waver now and then, showing her true feelings to be of annoyance and anger.
Phea does smile at his name, making a note to remember it. "Formal and given. Which would you prefer I call you?" She had never run into a name convention like this. But then the Hong Dynasty is not something covered very well in a Pawn's education.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:59 pm
Did he feel better? No. He hadn't gotten the reaction he wanted, but then again, it was no more than he would expect from someone he had dubbed stoic the moment she spoke during their fight. With a small smirk, he did notice the strained area around her eyes. Perhaps not so stoic after all. Jiao finished clean his hands, balled the cloth so that only the clean areas showed and tucked it back into his pocket. With another pause, he supposed he could start being courteous now that he had finished being petty. So he reached into his other pocket to pull out his back up hand cloth.
Offering it to her, he sighed, "Not by much." Now, if he could get a rise out of her, that would be truly amusing. To break that poker face would be a feat he would relish.
"Ah, yes. I had forgotten that your custom is the reverse of ours. I would prefer Wu. I do not think our acquaintance warrants the familiarity of being called by my given name." Luckily, many Blanc and Noir chose to forgo the last name so he did not embarrass himself much. But in a nation with as much emphasis on family reputation as Hong, it was unavoidable.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:27 pm
Phea smiles and takes the cloth. "Thank you. Most people call me Phea." She shrugs, indicating she does not care if her full name or nickname are used.
Carefully curling her fingers around the frog she moves him and her hand away from her chest. With the other hand she starts to wipe the gunk off her skin and swimsuit. It is clumsy work since Phea refuses to let go of the frog. His recent bout with her chest seems to have left the poor creature dazed. Phea ponders the possibility of keeping him. There are enough bugs in her room to satisfy even a ravenous amphibian. Easy to understand, given how her shutters do not fully meet the stones framing the window.
Then again, there is that pond below her window. Maybe she should gather frogs to live there. Just at this moment a glob of frog slime and mud falls between her breasts and into her suit. Phea grimaces at this, not because she is prissy and hates to be dirty but because it is cold and feels icky.
Turning her back on Wu she quickly fishes it out. Before turning back to him she makes sure all her vital bits are still covered. Next she wipes off her hand and the frog as best as she can. Then, following Wu's example, Phea folds the cloth so only clean parts show and hands it back. "So, what would make you feel better? A rematch, perhaps?" She wonders if he has anymore slimy critters to toss at her. This thought makes her smile again. Wu reminds her of a little boy with a crush. Her little brother had once stuck a snail in his crush's pants. But then her brother was only eight at the time. Phea does not think Wu has a crush on her, simply a childish sense of revenge.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:50 pm
"Amalphea, then. I don't think I like you enough to use your nickname, just yet. Not that I mean any offense," Jiao responded. He tapped his side for something to do while he waited for Amalphea to finished washing off the dirt. When she made to hand it back, Jiao put his hands. "Actually, you may keep it. I have more than enough hand cloths that the loss of one is a drop in the bucket."
Rematch? Jiao gave a small scoff. "You're more battle crazy than I thought. No, though I am quite bitter over my loss, my superior would be quite put out if I tried to demand a rematch. We are here on 'peaceful' terms if you remember," he explained. More than put out actually. Jiao might actually be sent home for his lack of diplomacy. For even a soldier represented Hong outside of the empire and they were all expected to uphold the image of an empire with interests that weren't of war. And as for the rematch, he wasn't in the mood for being scratched up and bloodied.
Upon seeing her thoughtful expression, Jiao was able to hazard a guess as to what her thoughts were. "I haven't anymore frogs, if that's what you're wondering. Well, I do. But not for you. They shall be serving a different purpose..." He let it trail off ominously (hopefully, anyway).
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:16 pm
Phea waves away his statement. "I know. I know! Noir always initiates battle. I simply wanted to know if you wanted a rematch. I will not issue one if you do not want it." Phea seems frustrated about this. She may have fun battling, but she always has to take the initiative if she wants to have that fun.
She takes a deep breath, calming herself. Today is supposed to be about relaxing. "That can wait for another time. So, what plans do you have with these frogs?" She asks, voice full of curiosity. "Though, you will not get this one back. I will keep him. His name will be Fred." Her tone is light, joking, making it hard to tell how serious she is about naming a frog. It is evident, though, that nothing short of a battle loss will get her to give up the frog.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:31 pm
Jiao couldn't resist the smirk that slipped onto his face. Yes, definitely obsessed with battle. "Well, should you somehow catch me in the training grounds at your castle, I would be more than happy to engage in a friendly match. My captain would love to take advantage of any opportunity to throw me into danger. The frogs are for him. I plan on filling his pillows with mud and then stuffing frogs underneath his blanket," Jiao grinned.
Upon hearing that Amalphea would not be giving the frog back, he affected a shrug. There were more where those came from. He was slightly uneasy at how absolutely she made such ridiculous statements, but she was a Noir. They were all strange. "Fred is silly name. It should be...what name do you use for those...ah! Billy Joe Bob. I heard a farmer in Blanc mention it once," he mused.
Perhaps the Noir was not so serious after all?
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:43 pm
"I will look for you, then." She smiles at him, then gives a "Humph!" at his Fred remark. "Fred is short and sounds nice." Said matter of factually.
Phea ponders this, wondering why on earth Wu would do that. "Why? Surely you will get in trouble." She watches him, head tilted slightly, and wonders if maybe he is pulling her leg. "You are serious, right?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 11:00 pm
Pause. Wait. She wasn't really going to look for him, right? His eye twitched once. He hoped not. Jiao gave her one long stare to make sure of this. She would. Perhaps the comment was not so wise, after all. "Fred is a human name. Billy Joe Bob suits the frog much more," Jiao deadpanned. "If you want that frog to live a wholesome life, Billy Joe Bob should be his name."
Jiao gave an evil smile. "Getting in trouble is a small price to pay. It is not as if the man can do much. His family is much lower in status than mine. If he thinks I would willingly get up before the dawn to do what pointless errands he has scrounged up for me, he thought wrong. So yes, I am very serious," he drawled. He was well aware that his pettiness transcended common sense. Then a glint from the sun caught his eye. "Now isn't that..." He pointed towards the trinket on her chest. "It is! I knew you were the one to take it!"
Granted, it was a mere bauble. But the act was more galling than anything else.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 11:23 pm
"Do not be silly. Names can not hurt anyone or give them a better life." Phea pulls the frog closer to her, almost snuggling it. "Fred is a fine name for him. He will be Fred the Frog. Or FF for short." Phea grins, still making it hard to tell how serious she is.
"I see. Well woul-" She is cut off by his next words. Phea looks down, taking notice of her pendant. She had not forgotten it, simply ignored it. She had hoped he would not notice, and had tucked it into her bathing suit. Some movement must have pulled it loose. "It is customary to claim a prize for winning. Had you won it would have been something of mine taken." She shrugs, making it out to be a small thing. "If you have some other prize, I may be willing to trade." She puts a slight emphasis on the may, making it clear that just anything would not do.
Brushing this all aside, Phea continues with her previous statement. "As for the frogs, I would be willing to help. Pranks are things most Pawns do not get to indulge in." This is not entirely true, there are Pawns who pull all sorts of pranks. Rooks even. But never against a commanding officer. Nor has Phea had a chance to partake of such antics. She does not exactly have many friends. Most consider her too quiet and unemotional to bother with.
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