Sapphire Ambassadors

Staying still is harder tonight, as colors are laid into still tender skin. That low hum with her exhalations began sooner.

It helps that it's under hands she's come to trust in numerous ways, and that she is well acquainted with the difficulties of art and doesn't want to make his work more difficult by moving or crying out. She does try to watch the pain without grabbing hold of it, along with other thoughts that slip in and away, or end up spoken without much attachment to them.

"Easier to mix colors before poking them in? Or are there...effects that work better putting the ones you'd mix side by side, jab by jab?" she asks, hands flexing tight and releasing in physical reflection of her less visible mental motions. She's only casually draped in underkimono, having shed the elaborate formalwear as soon as she entered.

Because it was important not to get ink on them, of course.

And those hands do their best to make the process as painless as it can be. The needles move quickly but go no deeper than absolutely necesarry with each stroke.

He kneels in front of her, bare from the waist up as he works. The shading and coloring were always the most difficult part but they were when a tattoo truly comes alive.

"Both. Some colors come premixed but when doing certain transitions and shades you can do them directly on the skin. Leads to much better results if the colors blend and bleed naturally together."

There's a low chuckle, going perhaps a bit longer than it might. "I suppose bleeding is a particularly good term for it here, neh? Hmmm...but tell me about your day, while me and your colors are bleeding together...if that's not distracting. There aren't many days left, and I'd like to store up all I can against the ones where I'm only going to be waiting on letters to know how you've been."

Yoshiaki leaned in close to her legs so his eyes could capture all the details he needed. His long hair was tied back with a ribbon to keep it out of his face and to get plenty of light.

"My day was rather normal, worked out in the morning ran into Shosuro-san in the flower garden. Presented artwork a normal day as far as the tournament goes." He looked up briefly "but this is certainly my most anticipated part of the day."

"Hmmm...getting to stab someone repeatedly? Thought you didn't consider yourself much of a bushi..." she teases, resisting the urge to reach over and run her fingers through that silver hair. It's charming tied back. There's the sharp, steady pain of his work all tangled up with drinking in the sight of him and reacting to the countless incidental touches that aren't stabbing steel. She wears a flush that has as much to do with that anticipation as with the pain.

More quietly, she adds, "I know what you mean though. The rest of the time is presentations, and preparing for them, and making connections that might count for something later on...and then," she takes a long, deep breath. "there's this time with you, and it's peaceful and so focused." and time grows so short "I look forward to it from the moment I leave in the night."

"Well usually only part of the time with you is something I would consider peaceful. I don't think I'd call the things that happen after the work is done 'peaceful' necessrrily." He says with a subtle grin as he works.

"But yes. You are certainly the best part of my day. I wish I could spend all day with you." He took a breath and sighed "but we push boundaries as it is."

"There's a peace to it. A center that's just us." She clenches her hand against the chair, to keep from reaching, a soft-edged smile settled in place. "I've found it working at the forge too. Very physically active, but somehow peaceful inside. Hmm...less yearning though."

"We're headed the same direction a bit when we leave here, yes? Could travel together and have a few more days, and perhaps fewer boundaries." She pauses, thoughtful. "Though I suppose you're traveling back with all those you brought with you to display your work."

Her gaze flicks toward his own new work. "When did you fit the new one in? It made an impression, offering up one so raw. Though I might have been biased, being so fond of the canvas."

He nodded "our holding borders Unicorn lands, we could travel together quite a while depending on where exactly where in Unicorn lands you are heading back to." He said, a bit of warmth seeping in at the thought of travelling with her "my brothers and sisters are not ones to gossip. Should you wish to save space by sharing my tent or coin by sharing a room." Small villages along the way were less likely to generate gossip as they wouldn't know nearly so much about them."

He briefly looked down to the healing moth on his thigh "inspiration struck sometime last night. I worked on it in pieces through out the day. It felt....sincere, I know the judges won't understand the depth of it which is why I didn't bother giving a speech about it but hopefully between the different elements they read some of the meaning."

"I would like that," she says quietly, voice grown a bit distant with thought. "It's as good a path home as the other options. And numbers...and you..." There's a hesitation, not quite trusting that they get to have this, but willing to try. "I like to see that moth when it's healed, and you'll be able to see this one, and help if there's any trouble with it healing..." Each rationalization pulls her farther into the plan.

"Ah, hmm...did you and your group come with...that is, are you traveling on horseback to return?" She looks away, nervously picking up the cup of tea that remains at least something of a distraction. Her tone nervous and breath a bit short.

He shook his head "No we made our way on foot. Takes a bit longer but we find meaning in the journey." He chuckled a bit "we do make quite the spectacle of ourselves as we travel. Most people have only heard of the bizarre Tattooed monks, for a group of seven to show up in your village, to many it was a shock."

"Oh?" Surprise thumps her cup down a touch harder than intended. "That's good...well fine. Um..I imagine it'll look even stranger with one Unicorn among the lot. And walking is good--I'm notVeryGoodWithHorses" The last comes out in a rushed mumble, before she adds, with an excited warmth to her tone, "slower means a little more time anyway, which is welcome. Right?" She can think of far worse ways to spend this bit of the spring. And it's still less than your average court season's dalliance.

He nodded "yes it indeed means quite a bit of time together. Though be warned we often end up getting involved in local business as we wander. A few of my order are predisposed to heroism and the rest to keeping the group together. We surely extended our trip by a week if not more on the way here." His smile was slightly exasperated but the kind of expression one wears thinking about the antics of those they care about.

"And what's this issue you have with horses?" He asks gently

“Sounds like one of those books with stories of a traveling hero, or pair of them. Should write their adventures down someday.” There’s a pause as she slowly thinks through something a moment. “Do they, and you, usually travel together? Or they just sort of developed this when they came together to be part of your presentation?”

A longer silence and a sip of tea to drag it out, trying extra hard not to squirm when more than just the physical discomfort wanted her to. “Horses terrify me.” She says in a small voice. “The sound or smell of them… And they know it. So I can’t really ride. Everyone in the village knows it, so it’s usually not a huge thing. But it can be …awkward when others learn about it.” Her eyes stay fixed. On the teacup clutched tightly in her hand.

He chuckled a little "Yes I suppose it does sound a bit like that." He continues working a bit "we don't typically travel together no, we were all part of the same monastery. They traveled more than I did but typically alone, going their own ways in some verybrare moments meeting on the road. I stayed in the monastery but I did all of their tattoos. This is our first time all travelling together like this."

After her words she would feel the pricking stop and after a few moments a slightly damp finger, as if it'd been washed and partially dried came under her chin "it is nothing to be embarrassed about sweet one. We all have our fears and struggles. Just because yours is uncommon does not make it less valid." He said before reaching up a bit to kiss her gently before settling back into the work.

There's only a moment to process the absence of the steel before she's looking into his eyes, tasting that kiss for just a moment, a calm and pleasant one. She watches him return to the work, hissing slightly at the returning sting, before settling.

"It's just...horses are like sunlight and wind for my clan: something that's just part of life without having to think much about it. So it's a bit of a mess being cut off from that. But thank you for not..." She shrugs, not sure what reaction she was relieved to have avoided. Laughter? Scorn? "Anyway, traveling on foot sounds better, even if I'm sharing your time with a small horde of your fellow monks."

"Is your new tattoo one of the empowered ones? It was ethereal, even with the swelling."

He nods "I understand. Well maybe not fully as I am not from your clan but I can sympathize. We do not always like things that mark us as different."

"As for the tattoo I'd say it's empowered by the emotion behind it, by the connection it gives me. But if you are asking if it let's me fly or something like that then no it is just regular ink on skin."

She smiles a bit. “And sometimes the things that mark us as different…create connection.” Her fingers twine together, resisting the urge to reach and stroke through his hair. “I feel lucky that you can mark this connection. Poems are beautiful, but they’re somehow less solid.” She’s not sure yet what to call this beyond connection. It’s too new and bright.

“I did wonder if it let you fly…or maybe move quietly.” She grins, “hopefully it wouldn’t create an irresistible urge to dive into fires.” Her hands loosen, moving to rest at her sides. “I can’t help with flying either, though if you’ve an urge to walk across the ceiling…so long as it’s wood or stone, I can cajole the earth kami into helping with that.”

He smiles at that. He might not quite know what to call this either but he was never one over concerned with labels. He cared for her, and enjoyed being around her. He was drawn to her and that's what mattered.

"I may take you up on that. I did always envy my brothers and sisters with more obvious mystical powers." He said in a still lighthearted voice "We'll have plenty of time to try all kinds of things on the way home. Explore all kinds of things." He said somewhat significantly as if he were referring to more than just prayers to the kami.

"You've enough to make you stand out in this lifetime, maybe that's why you ended up with more subtle gifts." The warmth of her tone clearly approves of the ways in which he stands out. Her hands clench, and she reaches out, hand hovering just over his shoulder as she exhales in a frustrated huff. "Are you trying to see how long I can stand not touching you while you talk like that? It's like one of those fairy stories, where the would would be done and perfect...if only I'd been able to restrain myself for another minute." Her hand flexes, fingers stretching wide just over his skin, before closing into a fist to be pulled back and clutched close, with a low laugh.

"I pass the test...for now..."

He gives a little throaty chuckle at that "perhaps I am. Maybe I'm letting all that tension build up so when you do get to touch you do so with much more vigor." He says playfully.

"I am proud of you, able to resist such temptations, perhaps a little reward for you when we are done then?" He says with a sly grin as he focuses on his work.