Kindling and Everfrost

The morning was warm and the mists of the village lazily clung down to the world. It caused a light haze in the air that always seemed to get everything wet. Of course, it was mist, and mist was simply water vapour. As such this was not a surprise, simply something one had to deal with. Clothing was waterproofed, homes were taken into account, and other such necessities of preparing for a life of constant wetness. As such it wouldn't be a surprise to any who saw him that Valen was wet. His sword flashed through the air as he swung it in practiced arcs and movements. The training ground he had chosen was empty of all but him. A fact that suited him fine as it meant he could get comfortable. That generally included removing his coat jacket for ease of movement and the garment was hanging from a tree not far off, somewhat protected from the mist by the canopy of the tree. Of course since mist hung in the air it tended to not help too much.

Generally when he went training if someone was there before him he left the article of clothing on. Simply because the scars across his back tended to distract some. When he was first though he wouldn't hesitate. It was more comfortable this way and if anyone came while he was there. Well, he had been there first after all. The scars on his back would be a multitude of brands each with a diagonal line through them. His back would be covered with them, dozens of designs and not an inch of his skin would be unscathed. One brand, upon the inside of his wrist, would be whole and unmarred. They were symbols of his past ownership. Each of those brands had been the chosen symbol of a previous owner of his. As Valen, had been born enslaved. He had only been free for a few years now actually and given that he had been completely uneducated prior. Was still learning things about everything.

His form for the sword was good, his muscles strong and quick, footwork precise. Upon his feet he wore simple black shinobi boots and above those upon his legs would be black shinobi pants. All practical and easily replaced. His black hair stuck up, unable to get wet enough like this to keep it's normally vertical appearance from showing. His red eyes were attentive to everything around him, as one might expect and he moved from kata to kata with a sort of silent, primal ferocity. A slick sheen of wetness covered his upper body, combined from the mist and his own perspiration. He had been here for hours working, training. He would be here for hours more, intent upon progressing.

[1]

Kirigakure almost always lived up to its name, almost constantly clouded in mist, a clear day was very few and far in between. This morning seemed no different, mist blanketing the land, rays of the sun rising in the East piercing the mist, warming it. It wasn't cold this morning, which was refreshing for most--although the next to enter the training grounds--the cold wouldn't effect.

Her footsteps was light, the young woman making almost no sound as she stepped across the training grounds, her feet bare of shoes--only a bandage wrap around the bridge of her feet being the only cover to them. Her figure was obscured, an old thin and tattered cloak tossed over her form loosely, a hood hiding her lengthy pure white locks. As she stepped slowly through the training grounds, the breeze picked up--the still mist begun to move, shift, spread, disperse even. It thinned out just enough to allow one to see a bit further, to take in vague views of objects or people in the distance.

The breeze shifted, and with a light gust, pulled the thin hood from her head--letting the young woman's snow white hair fall and flow out in the breeze. Icey blue hues peered out through the mist, taking in the views of the training grounds. It'd been a long time...years even. Haruko had returned to the village only a few days before, and had kept a low profile since her return. But out here, she hoped to be alone...and the cloak wouldn't be nessessary. Under it was here normal battle dress, pristine, much nicer looking then the tattered brown cloak she hid under, almost as if it'd never seen battle...but the blood soaked in by the outfit and washed out many times would tell a different tale.

But. Haruko wouldn't find herself alone. No. As her jaded and tired eyes cast a 1000 mile stare out into the distance, they'd shift, and focus--seeing movement in the training grounds as the breeze pushed away a bit more of the mist. She was about to turn around, leave, she hadn't want to deal with people since her return...but something drew the woman's interest. She continued further, closing the distance between her and the distant figure. She could make out the movements through the mist, a figure in a dance with their blade--training and honing their skills with a sword. It reminded her of herself, only a few years ago. Not that she'd progressed all that much since. She still wasn't strong...she still couldn't use her Ice Release, even after years on the roads hunting down and killing the scum of the earth. She stopped her approach at about 50 feet away, by now she could make out more details--and surely he'd likely have noticed her...she did nothing to keep her presence secret. She could see a young man, couldn't have been any taller then herself at 5'1"--maybe he had a few inches on her, if we counted his nigh vertical hair. If he hadn't stopped in light of her arrival, she'd continue to watch the young man from a distance, watching his form with a sword.

Haruko's eyes kept focus on the young man, as she's push past her former wallflower shell, and walk forward, closing the gap between them. Once she came within a reasonable distance, her voice would cross the divide, the Kaguya-Yuki hybrid's voice soft, soothing, almost cute--still having that young pitch to it. "Hi...I'm sorry to bother, I just...couldn't help but watch--your form with a blade is impressive." the ice maiden spoke, breeze pushing her cloak into a flutter and revealing her outfit under it. The woman lacked any shinobi equipment, but clearly dressed as a warrior. Now at this distance, she could see better, and was able to take notice of the fact he'd had no shirt on--which wouldn't be anything odd to her, if not for the sight of many brands and scars upon the man's back and body...it piqued Haruko's interest. She wished to know more. "...I'm Haruko. Whats your name, if I may?" she'd ask after introducing herself, always trying to be polite.

Valen actually wouldn't notice the woman at first. Soft footfalls on grass made wet from the mist, combined with his utterly average perceptive capability had left him wanting in terms of the 'hey dumbass someone's there' line of ability. So when she first arrived, and his back was to her, he would not see her and continue his kata. He alternated between slow movements, and then increased the speed to his best in short bursts. It was only when she spoke that he would know she had arrived and when she did he would not stop his own movements immediately. He grunted first, not rudely, but just as an acknowledgement that she had spoken before he went through the last few movements of the kata. Whipping his katana into a final few movements and sheathing it at the end with a single smooth movement. Then he would turn toward her, his chest heaving a bit from the exertion. He had been out here for hours after all. Nodding toward her as he took a moment to catch his breath he would finally speak. "Sorry, I wanted to finish. Thank you, I've found that I quite like the blade as a weapon it feels quite natural." He would say, his red eyes taking in her form.

She was almost his complete and utter opposite. Where his eyes were red, hers were blue. Where his hair was black, hers was as white as snow. About the only thing in common physically they shared was their height. His from malnutrition during important years for growth. Which was, about all of them. Hers for some other reason. All in all she was extremely attractive and he felt an odd pang of something he couldn't pin down at the observation. Whatever it was it probably didn't matter. When she introduced herself and asked for his name he would nod in head in acknowledgement before speaking."Valen, I suppose my surname would be Minamoto, after my caretaker. I don't have any other I could use. You look like you've been traveling, seeing the world?" He would ask before jerking his head toward the nearby tree that had his coat hanging off of the branch. Afterwards he would move over to it and reach inside of the coat before pulling out a towel. It wouldn't help the wetness for long, but it would hopefully help the smell of sweat from his exertions and he wiped himself off with it before setting it aside. Of course that action would showcase the brands on his back when he was moving at a normal pace and not practicing kata with a sword. As such the newly introduced Haruko would get another chance to look at them if she wished.

[2]

The one she'd eventually come to know as Valen hadn't noticed her, all the way to the point she spoke--and at the time, he was still honing his skill, movements smooth as she watched him finish, ending with the shirtless young man sheathing his blade before addressing her. He seemed polite enough, once he caught his breath he's apologize for the delay, that he wanted to finish. She'd done the exact same in her time training here, it didn't bother the woman in the least. Haruko used to lack confidence, and in a way she still lacked it at times, but she'd looked to his eyes, taking in the crimson tone. She'd notice the glance over the equal height Valen gave her, but she couldn't say anything--when Valen had his back to her, she'd been looking at his brands scarred into his back.

It reminded her of her own scars...

But for now, she'd cast Valen a smile as he introduced himself. He wasn't alone in noting the almost perfect opposites they was--his red eyes to her blue, his black hair to her white, and even if neither knew it yet, his will of fire to her heart of ice. Yet it may be what they had in common that'd matter. As he went on to mention she looked like she'd been traveling, it brought a faint laugh from her before she answered--about the time he'd went for his coat hanging from a nearby tree. "Something like that...but I'm home now." she'd respond with. He wasn't wrong in his guess, not entirely anyways--she had been traveling for a long time...'to see the world' wasn't her goal though. What he didn't know is that she'd been violently taking out 100s of bandits over the past two years. Garnering a sort of name for herself, while eliminating evil scum from the islands. But that story was for another time.

As Valen went over to the tree and retrieved a towel, she indeed had a better view of the man's back. He wouldn't see it, but for a moment, she looked on with a pained expression, knowing exactly how that pain felt. She wanted to ask him how he ended up like this...but the other part of her was almost afraid to. Afraid to bring up painful memories, or even be reminded of her own. She took in a silent shaky breath and let it out, as she'd take a few steps forward, coming to about 8 or so feet from Valen, the young hybrid pulling the tattered brown cloak tighter around herself, trying to keep mostly covered by it. "Valen huh...well its nice to meet you Valen." she'd speak again, voice even softer now that she didn't have to speak up so much to cover the larger distance from before. From here she noticed the one brand without a slash through it on the man's wrist at some point in him drying himself off, catching a glimpse of it. She let out a quiet sigh before looking to Valen with a fairly serious, if not concerned expression.

"...I don't wish to intrude. But...your scars, the brands on your back. How did you get them. I'm sorry if me asking is rude..they look like they was painful." she'd ask, and her observation came from first hand experience. She'd been beaten, tortured, used as a living punching bag, burned repeatedly by fire jutsu just cause they figured out she could resist it better then others. Used for sport in one-sided fights, and equally used as a reward. Icy hues tried to meet his eyes if he'd turned to face her at any point, still with an aura of concern. She didn't realize it, but her hand was gripping the front of her cloak closed tightly, an unconscious reaction--the want to cover herself and her own scars and burns--manifesting physically without her even realizing it. Even though her dress alone covered it and she had no need to hide further. Even years on, and so much growth she'd undergone, the signs of PTSD was there.

Her response to his question would bring a nod from him. He would not delve deeper into the subject. It wasn't really his place and as he walked to retrieve his towel he would sense more than feel her presence coming alongside him. His ears still weren't able to pick up her soft footfalls even now that he knew she was there. He would have to work on his observation skills it would seem. Train his ears to hear everything he needed to and to try to make his eyes sharper. Still, that was something that could only be managed with practice and effort. As he was drying off he would feel her eyes on him, not feeling bothered per say, but definitely feeling something. Should her cover the scars? He tended to not bother when he was the first on the training ground but this was the first time anyone had actually approached him when he was first. Others just avoided him and did not bring up the subject. He would turn toward her after tossing the towel aside and catch her blue eyes with his red ones. A pang in his chest alerted him that something was indeed odd with him and he placed a hand over it and looked down for a moment in curiosity. Then he would meet her eyes again, knowing it would be rude to not when they spoke unless he was actively doing something potentially dangerous. Like say, training with a lethal weapon.

Her question would elicit another nod, he had expected that but the question itself did not bother him. He would turn his back to her again, his head turned so he could look to her with one eye. "I was born a slave. They're the brands of those who had owned me. The lines through them signify they were a previous master." He would begin, holding up his left wrist to show the unmarred one. "Apparently, my back ran out of room. This was the mark of the master I had belonged to when i was freed about four years ago." He would say, before turning back. He would consider her last words before speaking. "They are, I'm due for another doctors visit for some...nurse..I think she was called, to rub some sort of ointment into them to help them fade. Apparently if the village had a talented enough medical shinobi they could heal them with no problem. Not even a mark, but apparently it doesn't have one." He would say, talking about them idly at this point.

Leaning back he would lean against the tree before reaching up into his coat again and pulling down a box. He had used some string to tie the box into coat so it wouldn't get wet, the towel had actually been hanging from the box itself. With that he would sit, his back leaning against the tree as he spoke. "Hungry? You can share my lunch if you want, sit down if you wish." He would say, not making a move toward her in anyway. She seemed nervous about something and he had seen the behavior from others. Especially women, before on the slave ships. He didn't know what it meant, but he had seen more than one end their own life over time and he had decided he didn't want that to happen to this snow haired woman. He didn't really know how to help, but being nice couldn't hurt could it? Upon opening the box one would find a couple of sandwiches, chips, a sizeable bowl of soup, chicken noodle or something or other, and a drink. Milk? Apparently someone thought that was a joke given his height. He didn't pack lunches but someone had been leaving these boxes on his apartments door step for him. He didn't know who.

[3]

Orbs of ice remained focused on Valen, even when he discarded the towel and turned to face her, the contrasting hues meeting briefly. The young Maiden of Ice and Bones noted Valen's aversion of his eyeline, the hand coming over his chest and the glance down to it--before the man returned his gaze back to Haruko. With her own self esteem issues, it'd been easy for her to pass the glance away off as a confidence issue--completely missing the possible reality of what that small gesture actually was. She used to struggle to look someone directly in the eyes, but having been thrusted into a position of importance before--she had to become firm in her conviction, and learn to overcome her confidence issues. These last few years had given the woman a lot of progress mentally, even if physically she had a long way to go.

Her question though, it'd see Valen turning again to show her the branding on his back, her eyes averting a bit to glance over them. Her hand down by her side tightened into a loose fist, pained to see them, and a small swell of anger within her as the man shared his tale. Her eyes transitioned to the one on his wrist as he presented it, continuing to listen to the young man speak. Finally her focus broke and she simply had to look away, eyeline falling down and to the side, she hated the thought of it--what he had to have went through. She obviously was no stranger to that living hell.

"It must have been rough...I'm...sorry to hear you went through that." she'd say as the man leaned against the tree and retrieved his boxed lunch, Haruko letting out a shaky sigh as she forced herself to calm down a bit. She was a mixed bag of emotions, at times cold enough others felt she had none--when reality was, she had so much pent up emotion she'd let bottle up, it'd sometimes have explosive results. But she was aware of this flaw of hers, and actively working to keep it in check. She'd let go of the front of her cloak and her other hand loosened up as well, her turning to look back to Valen as the young man would offer to share his lunch with her. The white haired hybrid would shake her head, declining. "No, thank you though." she'd say, but even if she declined that offer, she would go ahead and take up the offer for her to sit with him. The young woman stepped over to the tree and would go to sit a couple feet from Valen, her making sure to swipe her cloak and the skirt of her dress under herself as she sat, making sure she didn't sit in an awkward way that'd have her skirt ride up.

She leaned her head back against the tree and looked up, eyes lost in the skyline above, where hints of blue sky, clouds, and the sun could be seen peaking through the mist. A breeze had been blowing, continuously pushing the mist away, it was actually becoming mildly clear. Maybe it'd be a nice day today in Kiri. "...I understand what its like...to be a slave...to be hurt and left with scars by evil hands..." she'd say, voice soft and a bit quiet now, but still loud enough for him to hear only a couple feet away.

"...I'm sorry I asked. I just...had to know. Because of what I been through myself...I originally came here to train today, not meddle in your business..." she'd go on to say, head leaning back forward as her gaze went to the ground. With her hand opposite the side Valen was on, she'd reach across herself and slip the cloak from her shoulder, bringing her arm out of it. With a bit of a turn, he could see a portion of the upper shoulder of her back. Most of her back was covered by her outfit, but it had larger openings around her arms, and showed a good bit of her shoulders. Her otherwise perfect and beautiful skin was clearly covered in scars and burns, he could only see a little bit of them, but it told the tale that her whole back was like that. "...You said you was freed 4 years ago, right? About how long ago I escaped my own hell." she'd vaguely explain, before going ahead and pulling the cloak back over her shoulder, but not putting her arm back through it.

Valen would listen as she spoke, his expression becoming curious as she..apologized for him having to through what he had? Why would she apologize for it? It had been life, a difficult one, but life nonetheless. In the end what he couldn't understand was just how horrible his existence had been growing up. As it had been all he had known for most of his life. He had simply become become acclimated to it as he had grown up within that foul system. He didn't see it as a foul system, just a system. He literally could not see it as any other. Some people were slaves, some were not. He was one, simple as that. Owners, masters, ever changing. Her refusal of sharing his lunch would be met with a nod although her acceptance of sitting near him would be met with a surprised feeling of something warm in his chest that he still did not understand. Looking down he'd place his hand over his chest again. "Am I broken?" He would ask himself under his breath in confusion, not at all understanding what he was feeling or dealing with. Still, that was a problem for future Valen.

He would take a bite out of one of the sandwiches as he leaned against the tree, listening to her as she said what it was like to be a slave. To be harmed by evil hands. He didn't understand what evil was though and he tilted his head to the side, wondering if he should ask the question. Then she would apologize for asking, that she had intended to come train and not meddle in his past. Still, there we things here he clearly could not understand. A great many things. Furrowing his brow in consternation he would lean his head back against the tree and look up. A gesture oddly in tune with what she had done. Finishing that half of the sandwich he would reach for another, pausing over it to speak. "Let me finish eating and we can train together if you wish. First though, I need help understanding something." He would say as he took a bit out of the second half of the first sandwich. There were two, both cut into triangles. He would chew and swallow, basic manners having been drilled into his by his caretaker. Then he would speak again, he voice coming out curious, and confused.

"There's a few things I'm confused about actually so please bear with me..I'm largely uneducated you see." He would begin, warning her in advance of why his questions might seem silly or stupid. He'd been called out on it before and while he didn't really care if someone thought he was stupid. He felt it fair to warn her that he was. "I don't understand why you're apologizing for my life as a slave. It was just life, I was born into it. It was all I knew for fourteen years. So far I know, it was a hard life, but that was it. So I don't understand why you're apologizing. The marks on my back simply mark whom I belonged to. Nothing more." He would say, trying to portray his thoughts carefully, but probably failing. Seeing the scars and burns in his skin from her years enslaved made him wonder if her experience had been different from his. He was branded, starved, and beaten. She seemed to have been burned for torture, cut up for torture, and probably more. Thinking to himself for a moment he would take an idle bite of his sandwich before speaking again.

"For that matter, what is evil? I don't understand the term." He would ask, his confusion evident as he turned his red eyes toward her. She would cover her shoulder back up and as he waited for a response, or while she said it, he would eat more of his sandwich, finishing the second half of the first one. During the last bite he'd eat it too quickly, and start to cough. His hand would cover his mouth as the other pounded on his chest, his face becoming mildly comical for a moment before he reached for the milk, opened it, and took a drink to help clear his throat. After a quick drink it would clear and he would breathe, feeling like a dumbass for eating too fast again. "Sorry, didn't mean for that to happen." He would say, as if anyone would intend to choke on a sandwich.

[4]

Having been looking up at the sky when Valen questioned himself about being broken, Haruko didn't see it or even hear him--the woman while quite perceptive, still wasn't anywhere near her limits for her senses. As such, this went unnoticed. As it'd seem, he'd end up mirroring her glance upward, for a moment their poses half matched. But when he mentioned he could train with her if she'd wait for him to finish his lunch, but even more intriguing was his request to understand something, this would have Haruko glance his way without turning her head much, before moving back forward, awaiting what he had to ask.

Haruko would first get a bit of a 'fair warning' from him, that he was rather uneducated, and this manifested into some of his confusion he'd follow up expressing. This would have Haruko turn her head to look at Valen as the young man explained that he didn't understand her sentiment, that it'd just been life to him. That his slavery was simply all he known. As he spoke she thought, it maybe even taking her a few moments for it to truly dawn on her how he viewed his former life, and how skewed that vision was.

This was only confirmed for her when he admitted to not even understanding the concept of 'evil'.

Haruko took in a breath and let it out in a sigh, even if Valen didn't understand what was wrong with his previous life, or felt it was just 'normal', it still pained the young woman to think about it. If anything...it made it worse. He was so used to it, that it was just everyday life to him...he'd effectively been brainwashed simply by it being all he ever known. The thought of that tore Haruko apart inside. She took a few moments to process it all, and contemplate her response...it'd be just about this time she'd watch him take an extra hasty bite of his food--and begin choking.

At first Haruko blinked in confusion, but then became maybe just as panicked as him as she watched in horrified concern, even gasping before blurting out "Are you okay?!" even though it was evident he wasn't. But a quick chug of milk seemed to wash down the lodged food, having Haruko let out a big sigh of relief as she saw he was okay. She then looked at him with a stern look. "You need to be more careful." she'd say firmly, followed up with a 'Hmph' as she looked off to the side, crossing her arms in front of her.

It'd only be a few seconds later she'd speak up again, voice returned to the soft tone from before. Her response to his questions. "...I was apologizing about what you been through because thats rough, its a hard life to live...its not right, no one should be anyone's slave." she'd go on to explain, as she paused a moment she turned back to face him, her azure gaze iced over in concern as she'd look into his eyes, provided he was looking her way at this point. "Its wrong, what you went through...no one deserves to be treated like that. You deserved a childhood, a life not dictated by someone claiming to own you...you're a person, no one should own a person." she'd attempt to explain, likely not wording it well, but trying her best.

"...You asked me what is evil. Every person who has ever branded you and claimed you as their own is evil, worthless scum of the planet who mistreat others for their own benefit or even fun...Evil people are immoral and cruel...what you went through is cruel, you deserved so much better then that." she'd go on to say, at the end her gaze would shift, down to the space between them, a mix of earth and the roots of the tree they leaned against. She tried to hide it, but did a piss poor job of it, but by now tears formed in the woman's eyes as she thought about it.

"The fact you feel thats just...how life is...its not...you deserved freedom, deserved to be treated better." Haruko's voice was now a bit choked up, as she'd take in a deep but shaky breath, trying to force herself to calm down. She'd fairly suddenly push herself up, taking a couple steps away with her back now to Valen, as she didn't want to be seen crying. It made her feel weak. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so emotional." she'd say, forcing herself to bottle up her emotions once more, put a lid on it and pack it away...even if this almost always resulted in an explosive outburst when all the bottled up emotions can't be contained any longer. Once she felt composed enough, which took a couple moments, she'd finally turn back to face him, having dried up her tears, but the redness to her eyes and the tip of her nose told the tale clearly.

As he began to choke she would cry out if he was okay, to which he was obviously not. However he got everything well in hand and proceeded to catch his breath for a moment after choking for the brief moment. Once that was done he would set his milk down next to him and turn back to her. When she had told him to be more careful he had heard much less of the timid personality that she was displaying thus far. Was she just hiding her true self? Or was she simply nervous about meeting new people? When she began to speak of why she had been apologizing, that apparently his life had been considered hard by the normal standards of the world. That the individuals who had taken him, sold him, and branded him, had been evil people. That no one deserved to be treated the way he had been. Tilting his head to the side he would consider those words for a bit, chewing on them in his mind. According to her they were worthless scum on the planet. Apparently she felt he deserved so much more than that and that brought him to even more heights of confusion.

How could she know any of this? For all she knew he was evil too. He could be just as cruel hearted and immoral as well. Yet she was evidently willing to not even consider the idea. Was the fact that he had been a slave for such people affecting her thoughts in that direction? Perhaps. He didn't think he was evil though, at least he never wanted to particularly harm others. He loved to fight though, found it fun. He enjoyed the contest to an immeasurable degree and winning was even better. Of course that did not happen all of the time but still. Even then though, at times when he won his opponent was dead. Had that made him evil? As Haruko continued she would begin to get choked up, having difficulty calming herself down. He tilted his head to the side as he let her try to get a hold of herself. Then she would move away, turning her back to him. This would cause him to look at her in even more confusion. Had he angered her somehow? He had warned her he was uneducated, but perhaps she hadn't been expecting someone quite this...stupid?

After a couple of moments, after for apologized for getting so emotional his look would continue to be confused. Then he would take the couple of steps to close the distance between them, slowly. Her face was red from crying, especially her nose, and as he moved he would reach into the lunch box and pull out a napkin for her before offering it to her wordlessly. Then, if she let him, he would move around her a bit, not completely behind her, but just near her shoulder before laying a single hand on the part of the shoulder that had showed her own scars. Upon contact she would feel that his body eat was a bit hotter than normal. As if he was a warm fire on a cold day, and then he would speak. "You say that I deserved a childhood, that I deserved to have a life not dictated by someone else. Does that mean everyone should have such a life? You too? Everyone?" He would ask, his voice quiet and contemplative. If she answered he would listen to her answer before quietly asking a question that would seem almost off topic. "What does 'emotional' mean?" He would ask, his tone still quiet. At this point he would take his hand from her shoulder, remembering that it was apparently rude to lay a hand on someone without their permission.

[5]

(Turning in this topic for current exp and converting this to a FB for Valen, freeing up the thread slot. I'll be resetting my post counter from this point to facilitate this ^_^)

The young woman could read the confusion on Valen's face once she had faced him, Haruko not exactly sure why--he had told her he was uneducated. Clearly he was rather disconnected from emotion as well. Maybe that was it. Still, the man would end up approaching her, and offering a napkin--saying nothing. She'd glance to it, then back to Valen, shaking her head. "I appreciate it but I'll be fine." she'd go on to say, taking in a deeper breath, letting it out slowly as she further composed herself...she'd become quite a well of emotions over the years, yet could at times come off so cold. Speaking of which, as she did this, Valen had rounded about to her side--and the young woman would notice him go to lay his hand onto her shoulder. She'd allow it, but she had noticeably tensed up right before contact was made, but trying to relax her shoulder soon after.

She could feel his body heat, it was abnormally high. As if fire flowed through his veins. But like a reflection, Haruko was very cold to the touch, as if Ice ran through her veins. This balanced the heat from his hand, what might be uncomfortably warm for others, didn't bother the Maiden of Ice and Bones. She had a natural resistance to fire...something that had been exploited in her past. She'd glance to him as he spoke, considering what he asked. She'd glance forward again after thinking for a moment. "...Every child should have the chance to grow up free, feeling loved and cared for...sadly that isn't the world we live in." she'd say, unsure if it was a good response--she wasn't the smartest, but she at least had her heart in the right place.

Valen would pose another question...sorta out of left field, asking what 'emotional' meant. This had Haruko let out a small sigh, before turning to face Valen. "Well...you know what emotions are right? The feelings you...well, feel. Anger, sorrow, happiness? she'd ask, trying to get a read on what he knew and didn't know...maybe she could help him connect to his emotions more. Then again, he made for a good warrior in the state he was. Still...one should understand emotions.

She would reject his offer of something to wipe her eyes with and he would shrug and pocket the napkin. It did not matter to him either way if she took it or not. Granted he did not know what else to do with someone who seemed so, choked up? He was not sure if that was the word or not. Still, either way he was not sure what to do in this situation. When he went around behind her to touch her shoulder regarding the scar the cold and warmth would create a sort of duality at his touch. It felt intriguing. Not bad, it actually felt kind of good. Still that was not important for the moment. When he asked if everyone should have the kind of life she envisioned she would respond with yes. Although it would not be in as few words.

Tilting his head to the side in curiosity at that thought process he would consider it. Everyone having a good life? Everyone being loved and cared for? He thought he remembered hearing from one of the sailors on one of the many ships he had been on mention a place called ‘Heaven’. Where that sort of thing would happen. Where only good things happened to everyone there. Did that mean Haruko wanted everyone to go to heaven? You had to die to get there right? So if that was the case did that mean she wanted everyone to be dead? This thought process would cause him to tilt his head back to the other side in curiosity as he thought it through.

Eventually though the question of emotions would come up and he would blink at her in confusion. “No? Not that I’m aware of. I feel lots of things but I wouldn’t know what they might be called. At times I feel warm and sleepy, like an inner warmth is spreading throughout my body. At other times I feel as if I could fly. At others I feel a deep fire inside and a desire to hurt whatever made me feel that way. At other times I feel like I just want to go back to bed. As if nothing matters and I want to hide away and be by myself while I feel that way.” He would say, answering her question to him as best he could.

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