The Floating World [Private: Slight & Ryuko]

[SlightPhobia]

Shui wasn’t about to follow his belligerent daughter out. She was calling him by his first name, a ghastly informality that was void of all affection. She was stomping around. She was a resentful, confused child. “I am not a barbarian who chases his child through the palace and proceeds to flail her. I am a gentleman. I am always a gentleman.” Shui’s conclusion came in his standard, calm voice. Raising his voice seemed crass and harsh. He certainly wasn’t about to provide his surrogate daughter with another reason to resent him. For the time being, the man remained on his knees, staring at the young woman as she stomped away in rage.

He did at least have one parting observation to make though. “Of the two of us, who would you say is collected? Of the two: adult and child, who is generally not collected?” He didn’t smile in a cocky way or even grin. His face remained smooth and regal. That was Shui’s way. He seldom reacted with outward emotion. Sometimes he was just too polished.

[When your length suffers, so does mine so... x u x; Yeah.]

[Ryuko Matoi]

As soon as Aelieth had exited the chamber amd was out of her father 's gaze, she felt sorry. Not sorry for making a point, sorry for how she behaved. She loved her father, but she simply needed to make this point. She was harsh like this a lot, but it got out of hand today.

She walked over to the place in the palace she found the most comfortable: a small garden located in the middle. It was a place where she calmed herself in these situations. It had a small pond of about an inch deep, with a tiny waterfall above it. There were rocks scattered around the pond as well.

Aelieth sat down in the pond, the water reaching to merely above her toes. She sighed. This place reflected how she felt: like a pebble in a river. Too heavy to be truely one with the stream, too light to stop itself from moving... she just sat here for a while, calming down over time.

[SlightPhobia]

What would a father do when his daughter completely rebelled against him? He had done his best to shelter her, but Aelieth was who she was. She didn’t seem to care about tradition. She didn’t seem to care about whether or not she disrupted court life. She cared for her self-awareness. As admirable as that was, in Shui’s society it wasn’t done. It just wasn’t. Things were done in the way of the Eastern Sea people and that was that. Once Aelieth had left proceeding her tantrum, Shui had retreated to his study. He was a king, as it stood. He had duties to perform, laws to re-read, and calligraphy to practice.

The dim lighting of his silk-lined study was his present abode as his daughter had retreated to her private garden. He had warned her that he would not chase her down and Shui was true to his word. If he expected her father to chase after her, she would be sadly disappointed. Certainly, the guards would be dispatched to retrieve her were she to try and flee to the Fire King’s abode… but if her escape was immanent, what more could he do? He’d already exhausted his reasoning power.

Seated on a flat cushion, Shui was writing an old law in lovely, India ink with a brush. He’d written it many times and yet, he never tired of making his calligraphy. Preoccupied with the art or not, his mind was on his daughter for the time being. He was uneasy, tense, and his calligraphy suffered as a result.

[Ryuko Matoi]

(maybe in some form of magic, Shui can turn her into a younger age? For him, it'd be logical, as the girl clearly needs some re-raising?)

Aelieth had sat in her spot for a while now. She knew she had to face Shui over this. She did feel regret. But her curiosity was a thing she needed to feed, or it'd destroy her. The girl sat there and thought for a while. She already knew guards would stop her, and seeing that she can't fly, or swim, she had to get some kind of transport, which would have to be given to her by somebody. Her eventual conclusion, was that she was just not gonna leave, without Shui's say so.

She got up. Her robes were wet, but that was not a thing she minded. Essentially it was practically constantly the case. Water everywhere. She stretched a little and walked over to Shui's study. She knocked on her door, for her doing gently, for his, it was more of a rock being slammed against his door.

[SlightPhobia]

[I am not a personal fan of body / age regression myself. I'm also not following the psycho strong tick.]

Shui might have remained in his brooding trance had it not been the knock of his daughter. Gentleness was something that seemed to elude her altogether. Glancing up from his paper, he straightened on his knees before replying quietly. "Enter." It was a kingly thing to do. Casual was something that seemed to elude Shui altogether. Both of the pair had their ticks. His eyes fell to the wet hem of his daughter's robes and he sighed. Whether or not she was wearing court robes remained to be seen. He could only hope it was one of the outfits she'd put together.

"I do wish you would take better care of your clothing, Aelieth..." Shui greeted her. He didn't seem to be willing to bring up the earlier spanking the girl had fled from. That wasn't Shui's style though. "Have you come to talk?" He asked, keeping his eyes level with hers for a moment or two. He wasn't challenging her for dominance rather, he was attempting to read her mood for the time being.

[Ryuko Matoi]

(I am trying to create a story of a girl, too strong for her own good, stuck in a fragile and sofisticsted society)

Aelieth walked in. She already knew that Shui was going tp comment on her clothing. She quietly sat down, slowly, and carefully. She looked down for a while. And then looked up into her adopted father's eyes.

"I.... I am sorry for what happened back there..." she started. The girl had allways been better at punching stuff than she was with words. She sighed and continued. "But please.... understand that, except for my wish to see my origins, this is simply not a place for me. I cannot be one of your sophisticated and gentle subjects. You should know by know..." she said to him

[SlightPhobia]

Shui closed his eyes fluidly. It might have appeared collected and calm on the outside, but beneath the surface, he was aggravated. His daughter was impossible, stubborn, and void of awareness of what it meant to inherit a royal position. "I do not have the luxury of shunning my duties, my people, or many a millennium of tradition." The quiet clink of his ink brush sounded as he sat back on his heels and locked eyes with Aelieth. "Therefore, it is preposterous for you to enter my study under the thin veil of a lie. If you are sorry for something, you correct the error. If you regret, you simply offer a feeble few words and continue as you were, child." Child? Shui had dropped the neutrality. He was flat-out being cold now.

The man's fine lips pressed together to form a hard, line. Though he did not frown, he may as well have. "It is self centered to expect a civilization and society to adapt for an individual. You can argue against this and preach uniqueness and individuality all you like, but it isn't done." Withdrawing the ornate folding fan from the breast fold of his robe, he slapped it down atop his thigh. Shui was pretty furious, truth be told. His daughter had tested his patience enough for one day-- for a lifetime, no doubt. "I have taken great care in raising you. I have not passed down the burden of you being head princess; I saw you were different from birth." This came with a stern, "However..." As hard as his voice was, he did not raise his voice. Shui didn't really believe in yelling unless he was in the throws of battle. Shouting was not a behavior to direct at one's surrogate offspring. "You continually complain about society not accepting you. Have you ever once tried to accept society? The answer is no-- do not lie and try to convince yourself you have. Our culture is our culture. Just because you are the counter-culture does not give you a right of way. There are no free passes here, young lady."

He took a long breath through his nose and pulled the cord beside him, ringing the servant's bell. If at all the girl tried to speak, he lifted his hand as though to silence her. "Bring us some honey lavender tea. Please leave a few blossoms in," Shui dictated to his servant. Of course the maid servant bowed and backed out. As sexist as it seemed, again it was simply tradition. Shui continued then. This was... going to be one of those long fatherly rants, it seemed. Shui was famous for those. "You continue to buck every authority and rule passed down to you. Why? What have I done to you, child, to earn your constant, obstinate defiance?" He was tapping his folding fan steadily against his thigh now. It was clear papa was pretty upset. "When I try to correct you by hand or scold, you defy me. Even today you have shown you are a bird preparing to leave the nest. Even birds that leave stay with the flock though..." Closing his eyes, he looked away from his daughter and stared out the window at the rising moon. "Your arrogance surpasses all I have known. I will not praise you for it. You may call it self awareness and a quest for knowledge, but you fool only yourself I assure you. I will not bless your leaving. I will not bless your departure because I know the man you wish to call father... and I will not bless anything that would come of you knowing him." He concluded grimly. Shui was stubborn, that was certain. The Eastern Sea people had been at war with the Fire people for century upon century. No amount of scandal would change that overnight. "You were born of your mother's womb and I have never once subjugated you. You should know this by now." He concluded, reiterating her words. He refused to return his eyes to her, glaring at the rising moon all the more. He couldn't look at her now. He was convinced she would slip away into the night.

[Ryuko Matoi]

Aelieth, despite her fiery rage, was calmly listening to the words her father spoke. She absorbed the knowledge, despite it being the tenth time she heard this. She managed to hold out until the end of his speech. She then opened her eyes again, to look at her adopted father.

"I... I never spoke of wanting to call the fire king my father. I want nothing to do with the man. But I only wish to see what my real origins are. As for the metaphor with the birds... Please realize, that some birds live in flocks, and some do not. And realize the fact that you took in a bird of a different species" she began. She then took a deep breath. "and to add... I have not attempted to join this society, because it is simply not what I am. I am not your pretty and gently princess... I am not a backstaged archer... Neither am I a maiden of the standards you wish me to be. I diconnected from the people here, because I would not fit in. You cannot place a rugged rock between polished gems. It would ruin the sight of them" she said, using his game of metaphors.

[SlightPhobia]

Shui did not soften. "Your arrogance knows no boundaries." It was all he had to say. Even once the servant returned with the tea, he was silent. Taking a few sips, he continued to watch the moon. Once he had sipped a bit, he set his cup calmly. Leveling his eyes with her, he looked at her in a very detached way. "Get out. Do not return to me preaching your mantras again." Was he throwing her out? Apparently this was what it'd come to. Granted, he wasn't literally throwing her out of the kingdom... but he was banishing her from his sight.

Standing, he turned his back to her and stepped out onto the veranda. With that said, he closed the sliding door behind her and left his spoiled child behind to think all she pleased. His long robes trailed behind him as he wandered the outside veranda, staring at the glassy garden looking pools that reflected the moon. What a damnable night this had turned out to be. What good had come of loving someone outside of his people? Nothing. Quickly enough, he resented Aelieth's mother. Quickly enough, he closed down his open doors.

[Ryuko Matoi]

Aelieth's glance froze. She got up, her wings, both folded upon her back, now wiggling in anger. She gave him a glare and then walked off, her footsteps heard troughout the entire palace. "fine!" she just says as she walked off. She did not destroy anything, she just walked off angrily. She hated when he did this. She began to mutter on her own on her way to her room, where she curled up on her bed and began to sob.