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Log cast: Tankero/Tora, Kaoru, Kenshin, Sanosuke, Aerith, Chichiri, 
 Red XIII, Makie
Log date: 2/27/00
Editor's note: Perspectives from both Kaoru and Makie are spliced into
 this log file.

Aerith's Flower Shop: Common Room
The common room, located across from the main area of the flower shop,
 seems twice the size of the shop itself. Through another set of doors
 towards the back of the room is a comfortable but small bed, while a
 set of cots lean against the wall in the spare room. Cedar paneling
 lines the walls and floor, with a few chairs and sofa arranged in a
 boxlike position. A fireplace is at the 'open' end of the conversation
 pit, grey stones singed slighlty along the edges. In the middle of the
 pit is a small table, while taking up one of the side walls is space
 for what looks like a kitchenette.  Kindling is left in a woodbox
 beside the fireplace during the warmer months.

Tankero, forever with the appearance of a weary traveller, he holds his
 head up, barely, as he wanders into the room. Having spotted the cots
 from the other room, and the distinct smell of meals once cooked here,
 he comes apparently seeking shelter. From over the top of his 
 neck-guard, he peers from one corner of the room to the other, from one
 person to the next.

Kaoru is just now walking down the stairs that descend from the second
 level, a slender hand lifted to muffle the yawn already escaping her.
 She just woke up from a nap, apparently. For shame! And there she had
 been the other day, chastising Sanosuke for being lazy.

Tankero keeps to himself, exclusively. Avoiding the rest of the rooms
 inhabitants out of a well-groomed habit as he makes his way towards the
 fireplace, the only acknowledgement he gives each of them is a faint
 attempt at a polite nod or two. His cloak pools on the floor around him
 as he crouches before the warm of the flames, his face remain hidden
 mostly, while odd shadows play over the visible features of his face.

Kaoru follows the newcomer's path to the fireplace with her eyes,
 returning his nod with one of her own, as well as a smile. "Hello," is
 offered, then she takes the final step off of the stairs, shoulders
 rolling back as she stretches with a second yawn, hand going back to
 her open mouth a moment too late. "Hn..." she hms to herself lightly,
 bare feet making faint muffled noise against the cedar paneling of the
 floor as she heads towards the center table.

Tankero doesn't reply to the second greeting, allowing himself to be
 distracted by the shapes the fire draws before him with the flickering,
 sinous lines of it's tongues. In fact, he gains quite a blank stare as
 he gazes into them, and it's easy to guess that the body hidden
 underneath the heavy cloak is slumped rather unlegantly and
 uncomfortably. The only movement or sound he actually produces is the
 very quiet wheezes of his breath, accompanied with the necessary
 shifting of his frame.

Kenshin quietly makes his way downstairs, taking a few light padded
 steps into the room, reserved and silent casting his gaze about the
 room and the people in here. Aerith must have visitors today possibly?
 A glance is given over towards Tankero, a bow of his head in polite
 greeting offered along with a faint but warm smile. "Konnichi wa de
 gozaru yo." The humble rurouni walks mover into the room, taking in a
 breath and smelling something from the kitchen. A little curious he
 walks over towards the door to there but catches sight of Kaoru out of
 the corner of his gaze and turns his head to her. Calling out her name
 in a light tone, "Konnichi wa Kaoru-dono."

The young lady doesn't seem too terribly put off by Tankero's lack of
 response. He did nod to her, and after all, it's pretty cold out there;
 had Kaoru just come in from the cold, her first stop would be the
 fireplace too. "Maa..." she murmurs to herself, then stops a stride
 short of reaching the center table, Kenshin's greeting catching her
 notice. Looking back towards the newly-arrived rurouni, she brightens,
 a hand lifting to wave while the other subconsciously smoothens down
 the front of her kimono. "Kenshin!"

Tankero gives the second spoken greeting the treatment he gave the
 first. Glance, nod, move on; not a man for courtesy, he. Once his
 attention has been returned to the fireplace, his frame rises with
 particularly deep heave of his chest, that then takes the form of
 prolongued sigh. Disturbing the flames, they coil and twist around the
 puff of breath, and only reluctantly return to their usual dance.

Kenshin strays from his path to the kitchen, turning and walking over
 towards the young woman to stop on the other side of the center table.
 "Oro? Is it cold outside de gozaru ka?" A glance is given over to
 Tankero warming himself by the fire, then turned over towards the
 doorway. He had decided to take a short nap, but it turned into a
 longer one and he must have missed the change in the weather during
 that time.

Kaoru had taken a nap as well, but saw the ice forming outside, some
 caught by the wind and tossed up into the air in a white dance of
 minute crystals. Lifting a hand, she absently brushes at her bangs,
 tucking them aside so as to keep them from her eyes, and nods once.
 "Hai-- I think the winds are coming back..." A glint of metal catches
 the sword teacher's eye. She blinks once, looking to the rurounin's
 side, then blinks again as she looks back to his face, her eyes wide.
 "Kenshin! You got your sword back!"

Tankero can't be said to be very alert of the conversation behind him,
 engrossed by the fire he's knelt before. In fact, it isn't long until
 he nods off into a light slumber as he's comforted by the warmth the
 flames provide. Indeed the traveller of a long distance, he probably
 has come to the first respite he's had of the weather in maybe weeks.

Kenshin tilts his head to the side a little, smiling warming and giving
 a light nod, reaching over with his right hand and along with the left,
 carefully slips the saya out from under his belt, to show it to the
 young woman. "Hai Kaoru-dono. The man did a wonderful job with the
 blade, he really has great skill de gozaru na." The rurouni's eyes
 deepen with dark violet colour, moving down to gaze to his repaired
 weapon, a weapon that has become a part of him. His lowered face lifts
 to give a warm look to Kaoru, then to glance over towards Tankero,
 though he refrains from introduction in case the man wanted to be with
 himself. "I was just going into the kitchen for a moment to see what
 Chichiri and Aerith-dono were cooking."

Tankero would very probably pretend he didn't notice the introduction,
 if it was given. And since he does seem asleep right now, chances are
 he honestly wouldn't be aware of such a courtesy. However, underneath
 his cloak, the stranges of sounds emerges. Not perfectly audiable, it's
 the kind of rumbling that's more in the ripples it nearly palpably
 loosens through the air around him rather than the noise it nearly
 makes.

"Saa... sugoi na, Kenshin..." Kaoru murmurs, sidestepping the table to
 approach the rurounin, indigo eyes dropping from his face to the saya,
 a smile spreading across her face. "Well, that didn't take long at all,
 did it? Though Bou-san seemed eager enough to start on it..." Frankly,
 she had been a little worried that a local blacksmith would be
 inexperienced with the kind of swordmaking processes that Chaijung
 blades required. She had worried that he might accidentally ruin the
 blade, or even the delicate metal itself. Looking up again, she pauses.
 "... Cooking? What time is it?" Pause again, this time to look over her
 shoulder towards Tankero, brows furrowing. 

Kenshin is looking over towards the kitchen when Kaoru asks of the time,
 causing the rurouni to glance over in question. "Oro? I am not sure
 Kaoru-dono.. I wonder if we missed dinner. If so I can make us
 something really easy de gozaru yo. " A smile comes to his gentle
 expression again, the soft padding of his feet heard as he takes a few
 steps over towards the kitchen again. To see what the others are up to
 and what is being cooked.

Tora's weight shifts once more in front of the fire, leaving his nap
 undisturbed as he falls on to his side in the enveloping warmth that
 spills forth from the burning wood. As he flumps uncousciously on to
 his flank, his hands emerge from the shrowding of his cloak to rest
 beside his head. They're covered in fur, bright orange fur with a
 cotton white underside as well, thickly coating along his limbs. The
 sound becomes quite obvious, since the rarities havent ceased by far.
 It's a purr what's trembling through the air. The traveller resting in
 the comfort of the fire quickly yet gradually grows and transforms to
 fill in his garments better. Soon, he possibly could have two or so
 more feet in height. The armor that extended into his face now is
 barely a neck-guard. The pelt now covers his face as well. And it's
 features, along with the muscular size of his arms, with each hand
 tipped with razor-sharp claws, are nothing short of monstrous.

Kaoru can't help it; she peers at the newcomer, her brows furrowed with
 concern, then arching high beneath her bangs she catches sight of the
 orange hands emerging from the cloak. She blinks once, then twice, but
 before she can say anything, Kenshin's words intrude upon her train of
 thought, breaking it off, and she looks back towards him to blink a
 third time. "I-- um-- what?" Complete sentences. That's not a hard
 concept. She gives a quick shake of her head, rubbing at the back of
 her neck, then, "Oh! Right! I hope we didn't though..." If only because
 she would feel really silly for having chastised Sanosuke for napping
 the day away, only to sleep through dinner.

Sanosuke lets out a loud snort. All this ruckus and light, and the bum
 is still sleeping like a baby. He reaches upwards with a hand as he
 continues his dream, smiling euphorically at an imaginary woman.
 "Mmm... Kieko, c'mere..." His hands move in motions that are
 embarrassing to describe, seemingly tracing the body of the girl in his
 dreams. A small bit of dribble drips down the corner of his mouth as he
 drops down his hands, and starts to snore quietly, mumbling from time
 to time.

Tora, remains altogether undisturbed. Frowns don't wake demons up, do
 they? Hence, he monopolizes the fire for himself, having the size to do
 so, he half-crawls sonnambulatorily towards it before once more resting
 on his side upon the floor. Peacefully, he half-robs the rest of the
 room of the warmth the fire used to provide before he squarely 
 engulfed it with his...rather large shape.

[Together, Kenshin and Kaoru continue on towards the kitchen.]

You push open the saloon-style doors and enter the kitchen.

Aerith's Flower Shop: Kitchen
The kitchen, as befits a cafe, is both very efficient and large, as with
 the rest of the business. Obviously, from the state of the room, a good
 deal of cooking is done. This is evidenced in the many cupboards of
 silverware, plateware, non-perishables and so on. The floor is covered
 with sandalwood planks, which only add to the aroma. The floor has been
 swept free of all hazards, without even a speck of dust in sight, the
 walls are painted pale blue to match the cafe itself. Towards the
 center of the room, though not in the way of 'traffic' so to speak, is
 a large table upon which many meals are prepared, such as chopping
 meat, and salads, etc. A meatlocker is located to the far back of the
 room, where ham and other foodstuffs are preserved for dinner and other
 meals. The counter holds several recipe books of various cultures
 neatly between a pair of vases of blue roses, and a window is left open
 to ventilate the room and bring in the fresh air, also giving you a
 view of the garden. Being quite large, this kitchen has not one, but
 two wood burning stoves and an efficiently working oven. Through the
 loose floor board is a passage down to the cellar below, where much of
 the food and such is stored.  There are various 'places' you can claim
 seating for as well.

Kenshin quietly peeks into the kitchen, stepping in with the light
 padding sound of footsteps signaling his arrival. That and a quiet
 reserved tone that says his greeting. "Konban wa minna de gozaru na."

Aerith ducks her head to keep from whacking it on the window again,
 "Just.. a little dizzy @.@" Tama, seated on the window, makes a noise
 that sounds suspiciously like a snicker.
Aerith looks around Chichiri and towards the door, smiling brightly,
 "Kenshin-san, Kaoru-san! Konbanwa!" ^.^
Aerith did not fall out the window, ignore anything you may have been
 told by the monk and his cat. <.<

Chichiri blinks beneath his mask, turning to see who entered and giving
 a slight wave. "Konbanwa no da!" n.n

Kaoru is on Kenshin's heels. Not literally, mind you, but keeping pace a
 step behind him, looking around as she clears the doorway and looks
 around. "Konban wa, minna!," she says, offering up her greeting to the
 chorus.

Kenshin is just stepping into the kitchen, moving to the side for Kaoru
 when his gaze catches sight of this. "Oro?" A glance is moved among
 Chichiri, Tama and Aerith, moved to Kaoru curiously and then settled
 back on the three before him. "Ano, are you alright Aerith-dono de
 gozaru ka?" His head tilts to the side slightly, returning the smiles
 offered to him with one of his own.

Aerith hops off the windowsil, stumbling a little and shaking her head.
 Whooph, all that blood rushed to her head. Kinda fun though. n.n "How
 are the two of you?" She asks with a smile. "Ne, if you like there's
 some past.. AAH! The cake!" She left it on the woodstove! She blushes
 fiercely, ashamed of herself for goofing off and forgetting all about
 it. o O ( I hope it hasn't burned! )

Guess that'll teach you to have the monk in the kitchen while you're
 trying to cook. n.n v He didn't mean to be a distraction though!
 Chichiri starts slightly at the shout of the cake, looking over to the
 stove. *sweatdrop* Then turning back to Kenshin and Kaoru, "Ano, how
 are you both doing no da?"

Kaoru pauses upon realizing the oddness of the scene they've walked
 into, a bead of sweat forming. Kenshin's inquirying glance is met an
 equally puzzled look, lips pulling into a quizzical smile as she
 spreads her hands in front of her, shoulders shrugging. Then, looking
 back, she sweatbeads further, looking from Aerith to the stove and back
 again, giving an awkward giggle. "Maa, I'm doing all right, Chichiri,"
 she says, looking back to the monk, smiling. "How are you?"

Aerith kneels by the wood stove - she's never cooking around you again
 Chichiri! You distract her too much! o.- o O ( I knew I shouldn't have
 sat down! ) Oh well. She starts to reach in and get the cake, only to
 oop softly at a warning, grab a towel and take the cake out that way -
 still ouching a bit, fanning away the scent of the cake, ".. Aww.."
 Slightly burned, but she can fix it.. she thinks.. o.-

Kenshin nods lightly, smiling as he watches Aerith moving over to the
 stove, an understanding look given to her and answering his friends. "I
 am fine de gozaru na. I just woke up from the nap I took after getting
 back from the village, my sword was finished. " As the flower girl
 takes the cake from the oven, Kenshin takes a few steps forward to peek
 at it, "Oh, gomen ne Chichiri and Aerith-dono, for missing dinner. I
 didn't realize I overslept de gozaru na." A light blush crosses his
 face as he looks to Aerith then over to Chichiri.

Chichiri smiles. "I'm doing well, arigatou no da." Also glad to hear
 that Kenshin and Kaoru have been getting along all right. "I'm glad to
 hear that no da, Kenshin-san." n.n Looking over to the cake again and
 smiling awkwardly. Whoops. He kinda feels responsible for that burnt
 cake. o.o

Aerith says, "Your rest comes first, Kenshin-san!" She smiles warmly at
 her friend, a flicker of concern crossing her face briefly. She
 remembers what the doctors said about him, and hopes he gets the time
 he needs for his body to recover from his wounds in the previous
 battles. She straightens, humming a little as she takes the bowl of
 honey glaze and the brush. When in doubt, sweeten sweeten sweeten o.-

Kaoru hmmhmms softly to herself, hands moving behind her to the small of
 her back, fingers interlacing. She nods her head to Chichiri, then
 follows everyone's gazes back towards Aerith and the cake, pausing a
 moment before taking a step forward, away from the door and further
 into the kitchen. "Ne, did you save it in time, Aerith?" No, the
 sweeteners don't clue her into the answer to that question. Kaoru's
 cooking skills include the extraordinary ability to make a riceball
 resemble a burnt brick.

Aerith nods at Kaoru, smiling as she 'paints' the cake with the honey
 glaze, "I think so, it'll be a little touch in some spots but.." She
 pauses, "What was that noise?" She looks towards the door with a frown.

Chichiri da's? at the sound, looking to the door. o.o What was that
 about a quiet evening, Aer-san? n.n;

That we get so few of those? n.n;

That or, everytime we mention 'quiet evening' it gets not so quiet later.

We jinxed ourselves again! o.o

We'll never learn. 

Kaoru doesn't even turn; hearing the heavy cursing a moment after the
 loud crash, she bows her head slightly with a sigh, a hand lifting to
 pinch the bridge of her nose between forefinger and thumb. "Well,
 /somebody/ is apparently awake," she comments ruefully, stealing a
 sideglance towards the door with a faint smirk that is both knowing and
 annoyed as well as uneasy.

Kenshin watches curiously as Aerith glazes the cake, the smile remaining
 on his face as he watches on, offering with a light tone as he speaks.
 "It still looks like it will be good Aerith-dono." He trades gazes over
 to Chichiria and gives a warm look and a nod, glad to hear his friends
 are doing well. "Ne Kaoru-dono, I wonder if Sano--- His question
 concerning if Sanosuke would be hungry when he wakes up from his nap is
 halted by the sound or rather, noise coming from elsewhere. "Oro? Nani
 kore...?" He glances over his shoulder puzzled, turning with a few
 steps towards the door, glancing over to Kaoru and then back to the
 door. "Sano de gozaru ka?

Aerith smiles at Kenshin, "Thank you Kenshin-san." She looks towards the
 door, "Eh? Your friend..?"

Kaoru folds her arms across her chest, nodding to both Aerith and
 Kenshin in turn, still smirking. "Who else?"

Chichiri hms, a bit. As crazy as things have been lately, it's best to
 take a look. "I'll go and see no da." Heading to the door and going
 out.

Kenshin just blushes and bows his head to Aerith and Chichiri in
 apology. "Gomen ne de gozaru yo minna."

Chichiri pauses at the door to smile to Kenshin, before going to check
 on the rucus.

Kenshin can only just blush and trade glances with Kaoru and Aerith,
 glancing from them then over to the cake.

Aerith puts her brush down, looking curiously between Kenshin and 
 Kaoru - why the sheepish looks o.o "Ano.. if that was your friend,.. do
 you think he's all right?"

Kaoru follows Chichiri's path to the door with her eyes, emitting an
 exasperated sigh once the monk has the cleared the door and left the
 kitchen. Looking back to Aerith, she smiles wryly. "Oh, Sanosuke's
 fine! You could run him over with a cart full of large rocks, and he'd
 still be intact."

Kenshin raises a hand, nodding as he smiles. "Hai de gozaru yo. Perhaps
 it is not as bad as it sounded. Ne?" The rurouni looks over towards
 Kaoru for the moment, still blushing, he really can't help it. He
 doesn't want to intrude on anything here, though he has been invited to
 stay, him and his friends. He turns his gaze over towards Aerith again
 and still smiles sheepishly, then something causes him to look away.
 Over towards a point on the wall, his expression for the moment growing
 very serious, eyes thinning and the hue of the violet tone shifting
 slightly. But he is quick to try and cover as he looks back to Kaoru
 and Aerith and tries to regain his smile.

Aerith blinks, "..Ohh.." Well that's pretty darn.. uh.. well that's
 something anyway! "I wonder what that was all about." She COULD,
 theoretically, ask the flowers - but lately  she's been getting a
 dreadful headache when she did that. Probably because she'd been
 overextending herself again. "I hope he isn't making a mess." Fretting
 over her poor flowers. Frankly, she doesn't trust him to take care not
 to harm them. But since she hasn't heard any 'calls' for help from
 them, she's relaxed in the matter. Besides, Chichiri's out there, and
 he's reasonable.

Kaoru can't help but giggle awkwardly at the expression on Aerith's
 face, shoulders shrugging. That's Sanosuke for you. Looking back
 towards Kenshin, she pauses just in time to catch the briefly serious
 look that crosses the rurounin's face. She spares a glance towards the
 door again, then hms softly as she looks back, nodding again to Aerith. 
 "Maybe. Maa... Maybe I should go see if Chichiri needs help?" She
 apparently mistook Kenshin's expression for concern over the situation
 in the storefront. That, and, well, Sano IS a lot to handle, especially
 if he's breaking things. Which he might well be, considering the crash
 they heard. She reaches to her back absently, touching the shinai she
 has strapped there briefly.

Kenshin looks over to see Kaoru readying to possibly head out of the
 room, with her looking away the serious tone has returned to his face
 and teh gaze for a brief moment returned towards the wall. As if he was
 staring through it and to the outside. "Excuse me Kaoru-dono, 
 Aerith-dono. I just wanted to check the gate out back de gozaru na."
 His left hand moves carefully to his saya at his side, to hold lightly
 as he too readies to step out, also trying to cover for his sudden
 change in demeanor. No use causing unneeded worry. With a smile to his
 gentle expression he bows to the two and says with a soft tone, "I will
 be back in after a little bit de gozaru. We can enjoy the cake then,
 ne?" He gives a light bow of his head and turns, the smile dropping 
 from his expression ever-so-slightly when he is facing away and heading
 out.

Aerith utters a soft breath of relief - "Well.." While she would rather
 find out how the others are doing, and what in 'sam hill' is going on,
 she doesn't want to put Kaoru out - after all the young woman might
 rather want to stay by Kenshin, right? Blinking at Kenshin as he starts
 out, her expression grows puzzled, "Ano.. of course Kenshin.." You'd
 think she'd have gotten used to the strange rurounin's manner by now.
 9.9;

Despite having made her statement a question, Kaoru is already moving
 towards the door that leads back towards the storefront. Her mind,
 apparently, has been made. However, her footsteps draw up short at 
 Kenshin's words, a quizzical look of her own crossing her face. She
 half-expected him to want to come with her to check in on Sano, or to
 stay in here with Aerith. Watching him head out, she frowns lightly.
 "Ara..." She shakes her head after a moment, looking back to the flower
 girl, and flashes a grin, inclining her head to her, a hand going to
 push open the twin doors. "Don't worry! If Sanosuke's making a mess,
 I'll make him clean it up."

Aerith giggles softly at the reassurance from the other young woman, and
 nods, giving an answering smile in return. "Thank you Kaoru-san." n.n

Kaoru's grin broadens slightly, then she disappears through the double
 doors. Oh Sanosuke... o/~

You step out of the cafe, back to the flower shop.

Aerith's Flower Shop
Entering the flower shop, you can feel a welcoming, happy breeze
 skirting around the room, stirring the petals and leaves of the
 flowers. On either side of the entryway are bay windows with cedar
 panes, and a latch on the windows to enable them being pushed open or
 locked shut.  The window seats are cushioned with a dark blue material,
 and the floor is covered with smooth redwood planks smelling vaguely of
 pine and sawdust.  Aside from the door that leads out of the shop, a
 second door leads into the common room and still a third door leads out
 towards the back where the gardens are cultivated. At the front of the
 room is a polished black counter, upon which is a small box filled with
 three rows of tea leaves tucked into neat square packets,  as well as a
 basket filled with packets of seeds. Behind the counter is another
 shelf with plants and books. Chairs are arranged around the room, while
 a long, somewhat old looking couch is against the wall at the back of
 the room, bracketed by a pair of tall sunflowers.  A new addition to
 this room would be the small cat basket resting in between the window
 and couch.  There are various 'places' you can claim seating for as
 well.

A cool breeze, lightly scented with lavendar and jasmine, accompanies
 your entrance.

More mass means reduced speed, right? Sano ducks that attempt swiftly.
 "Ha! Ya bastard, playing dirty, huh?" He reaches up quickly, trying to
 grab Tora's wrist, and throw him out the door. 

Chichiri doesn't like the sight of the sword as it's moved, even to
 nudge him. He brings his staff around so the sword pushes at that
 instead. But since Tora is so strong it makes little difference as the
 monk is shoved to the side, staggering backwards and finding himself
 with his back to the wall, glad for it so he doesn't fall over. The
 monk sighs under his breath. "Would you two knock it off no da!" Who
 care who throws the other outside anyway? o O (.. daaaa, like bickering
 children no da.) You'd think they could at least step outside civilly.
 >.<

Kaoru steps onto the scene from the cafe area, having promised Aerith
 that she'd go see if Chichiri needed help and to make Sanosuke clean up
 any messes that he was making. However, while expecting to walk in on a
 mess, this isn't exactly what she was thinking she'd walk in on.
 Drawing up short after a few steps, her eyes widen, her hands lifting.
 "What's going on here? -!"

Tora did miss in that attempt, by far too telegraphed by his previous
 action of getting the monk out of the way. Yet... Well, he's jus the
 kind of creature that doesn't move if he doesn't want to. The wrist is
 grabbed but he doesn't budge, not even by an inch as Sanosuke applies
 torque on him. It's true that the bigger they are, the harder they
 fall, but it's also true that you'd have to do something rather DRASTIC
 to get them going. In responce, he brings his own arm back and tries to
 toss the loudmouth out the door again without actually taking a grip on
 him.

Red XIII lowers his head then snaps it out as he barks loudly when
 Chichiri is moved, his long tail swinging to the side, moving like a
 snake. The sounds of his drawn claws clicking against the floor is
 heard, his fur rustling more, lip curling to expose more teeth and that
 eye narrows into a thin slit. As Sanosuke and Tora try to push each
 other around, he moves acordingly, making sure to not be kicked by
 their movements but trying to stay close so that he can attempt to
 corral them outside.

Sanosuke says, "WAUGH!" Seems Sano's in over his head here. He goes
 flying out the gate, and a loud crash can be heard soonafter. "GOOD
 IN' DAMNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"

Chichiri stays where he is, leaning back against the wall and facepalms.
 >.<;; Well, at least the sailors are never bored. There's always
 something for them to fix.

Tora follows Sano-san out, stomping in a graceful yet extremely heavy
 and powerful trot. The ground shakes at his passing, while he holds his
 sword behind him. A growl follows him like the peak of a
 percussionist's career in an 120 member orchestra.

Kaoru facepalms as well, groaning loudly. "Oh, for god's sake--" she 
 mutters, peeking through her fingers just in time to see Sanosuke go
 flying out the door, then Tora trotting out after him. Grimacing, she
 reaches to her back, fingers closing around the leather-wrapped handle
 of her shinai in the same movement that she uses into stepping forward,
 intending to follow the two brawlers outside. She does however pause,
 looking back to Chichiri, brows knit together. "What's going on? Are
 you alright?"

Chichiri lowers his palm from his face to nod to Kaoru, "I'm not sure,
 but it's probably not worth fighting over no da." It usually isn't.
 "I'm fine na no da." Letting Kaoru leave to keep an eye on her friend.

Red XIII hops out of the way as Sanosuke sails past him, landing a few
 feet away and watching as the fighter moves passed him. Seeing that
 Chichiri is more in the open and when the big beast of Tora moves by to
 head out and finish his beating on Sanosuke, he moves over and sniffs
 at the blue haired monk, making sure he is alright as well as turning
 to growl out the door.

Kaoru gives a slight nod to Chichiri, then a quizzical look to Red XIII
 before she continues towards the door, making sure to slip into her
 sandals on the way out. It's cold out there, and she's not in the mood
 for frostbite, especially if she has to drag Sanosuke back inside by
 his hair. Shinai drawn, the young woman disappears out the door after
 the two.

You head out of the shop.

Aerith's Flower Shop: Front Entrance
Stepping off the main path and onto the curving road leading up to the
 flower shop, you spare a glance around. The path you stand on is
 covered with dried clay, a dull red in color, and on either side of you
 the path is bordered by the lush vegetation of various types of flowers
 and blades of grass that reach to about your knees in height. In the
 distance you can hear the faint nickering of the horse (or horses) that
 is stabled nearby, and further on you can see a two story house with a
 stone chimney, shadowed and bordered by several thick trees.
The sky is mostly clear, only high altitude clouds forming thin, cotton
 like layers break up the austere field of blue sky.  The temperature is
 cool, but not as cold as it has been, the breeze enough to motivate
 enough to wear some sort of protection from the weather when traveling
 out doors.  During the night, the stars give off their continuous glow,
 aided by the moon, their light enhanced by the reflective surface of
 white snow over the surface of the earth.

Tora had, for some strange reason lower himself down on to a knee as he
 Sanosuke came into reach. His sword thrusting right into the floor at a
 very shallow angle... Nothing is done to stop the punch, nothing except
 for a better target being given to it. The fist meets his chin, STRONG,
 it actually tosses his head back, twisting it with pain that bespeaks
 of at least a broken jaw.... This, as excrusiatingly painfull as it
 obviously is, doesn't stop him, it only gives him a second or two of
 pause. The sword comes up once more, scooping the floor right out of
 Sanosuke's feet in an attempt to catapult him straight up with all of
 his obviously mighty strength.

Kaoru comes out of the flower shop a minute or two after the two
 brawlers went out. Well, one got thrown out, the other just sort of
 followed. She's taking up the rear of this particular train,
 apparently. Sandaled feet skidding to a halt once she's outside, she
 looks around, shinai gripped in one hand while the other reaches up,
 pushing her bangs back from her eyes as she tries to catch sight of the
 two-- which isn't very hard as she looks in their direction in time to
 see one's fist collide with the other's jaw. Her eyes widen, then she
 starts forward, but only a step. "Sanosuke!"

Sanosuke flies up, unable to avoid the attack, as his punch is hard to
 recover from quickly. He hits the ground on the back several feet away,
 head first, sliding a bit. Ow. That hurt, with all the gravel and
 stuff. And his hand! Damn, is the guy made out of solid steel? As soon
 as he stops sliding, Sano grips the ground, and stands up slowly,
 panting. "Stay outta it, Jou-chan. The bastard started it first. Gonna
 teach him a lesson."

Tora isn't at all amused with the resistance this noisy fellow is
 putting up, he who could slaughter dozens with just an disinterested
 swipe. Then again, he doesn't want to kill this one. Heck, no one
 should die for being loud. Still, that reasoning is weakened by the
 quite thick trickle of blood that's oozing out of his mouth. "Threaten
 to skin me...", he growls out amidst the crimson juice that he spits,
 "...Robbed me from my sleep, and threatened me again?! Freak?!  You
 *dare* wrong me, and claim the righteousness?!"

Kaoru grits her teeth, her fingers tightening around the leather-bound
 handle of her shinai, moving forward another step, but still staying
 clear of the conflict itself. She's impulsive, but not stupid; she
 can't do any good if she's run over by one or both of these
 powerhouses. "I don't care who started it, Sanosuke! You can't fight
 here!" She pauses briefly, then blinks once, taken aback by Tora's
 words. She looks sharply to him, then back again to her friend, her
 expression tightening. "What?"

Sanosuke raises an eyebrow. "The hell? What the hell are ya talkin'
 about?" Trying to flex the fingers of the hand that hit Tora without
 wincing, he peers carefully at the furry guy. "Ya mean..." He suddenly
 bursts into laughter, slapping a hand onto his forehead. "WHATTA
 TIGHTASS!"

Tora's eyes widen at the sudden change in his opponents attitude to the
 encounter, still bleeding quite profusely from the corner of his lip,
 staring at Sanosuke as he doubles over with his laughter...The insult
 put things slightly back into perspective. He's growling again, at
 least, lifting his sword into an aggresive stance. "You've mocked me,
 insulted me, challanged me to this, and yet you *laugh?!*...." Yet
 another pause goes by, a blink or two as he straightens, dropping his
 apparent guard with a huff. "I don't want to quarrel if you're merely
 an idiot without any control over his mouth. Sleep peacefully inside
 and so will I."

Sanosuke shakes his head. "Naw. I'm gonna go get some sake and laugh
 over it with some of my drinking buddies." Shaking his head, he gives a
 nod to Kaoru. "Seeya later, Jou-chan. Beat up on Kenshin for me." He
 then cracks his neck, and heads off.

Kaoru just looks between the two, plainly confused. Even moreso when
 both of them suddenly drop their guard, first Tora, then Sanosuke, with
 the latter actually walking away. After a long pause, she lowers her
 shinai slowly, then purses her lips, shaking her head. Whatever. -.-;

Tora turns about on his heels while he brings his sword up and about to
 slip it into the hidden sheath at the back of his chestpiece of armor.
 He isn't overly pleased by having his jaw fractured by a single punch,
 yet he wants his sleep far more than how he wants retribution... Yet,
 he pauses before Kaoru, all eight towering feet of him, glancing down
 at the shinai. "Just what did you expect to do with a stick?"

Kaoru starts to put her shinai back at its place strapped to her back,
 seeing as the conflict's over and Sanosuke's since walked away, except
 when Tora pauses in front of her, her fingers instantly tighten around
 it. Her chin lifts, her indigo eyes shifting all the way up to meet his
 gaze boldly, swallowing her nerves to put on a frown. "Stop you two
 from fighting," she replies plainly, blunt.

Tora takes his turn to chuckle, not half as scandalous as Sanosuke
 despite being perhaps nearly twice as big. "Noble, bringing down two
 eagles with a fly swatter." At least that bit of laughter makes him
 forget the searing pain running along his chin as he continues on into
 the flower shop, seeking that warm fireplace again.

Kaoru doesn't stop Tora, letting him pass, but not before fixing him
 with a haughty look that betrays the insult inflicted by his chuckling
 reply. "Better to try and bring down the two eagles than let them both
 kill themselves smacking into a mountain," she mumbles irritably,
 fingers relaxing their grip around the handle of her shinai as she
 finishes putting it away.

Tora doesn't seem particularly bothered by the look, far too used to
 being at least disapprooved of for this or the other reason.
 "Maybe...", he says as he finally steps inside. "But just whom would
 the mountain be?..." His voice trails off, the last syllable rather
 guessed than actually heard. In his wake, a few droplets of blood stain
 the floor.

[Irked, Kaoru retreats back inside the flower shop. But what about her rurounin friend, Kenshin? Meanwhile...] 

Aerith's Flower Shop: Lakeside
Further into the garden of pure, clear harmony and peace you come across
 a large lake surrounded by the lawn and path. This garden is one that
 must be experienced rather than being seen, to allow visitors to
 discover life's deeper spirituality. Every aspect of the garden has
 been refined to encourage visitors to slow down and observe. Each turn
 on the strolling path can reveal new subtleties of meaning. Each
 feature of the garden appears from partial concealment, in order to
 create a sense of mystery. The blossoms of cherry trees and azaleas
 give way to the myriad greens of summer and chrysanthemums or vibrant
 maples in autumn. As one moves around the perimeter of the lake, each
 turn of the path reveals plantings chosen to create a different focal
 point or mood that changes with the seasons. Here, the beauty of nature
 is celebrated by the garden's weathered stones, thatched roofs, and
 bamboo fences, the echo the surrounding plantings. A flower petal
 falling to the surface of the lake suggests the ephemeral nature of
 life. While the completion of the garden, the rocks and backbone of
 this creation, are carefully chosen for their dark tones to suggest age
 and mystery. These stones are deeply buried, with their grain following
 the horizontal contours of the earth to convey balance and strength. 
 Still further in, past a light blanket of mist, you glimpse a short
 bridge crossing over into a copse of trees.  The newest addition to
 this lakeside area would be a swing that can seat three, rigged up to a
 particularly sturdy redwood, and positioned to face the lake. Cedarwood
 is used for the bench-swing, smooth with a curve at the bottom.  -You
 feel an odd, prickling sensation at the back of your neck, as if you
 were being watched, and judged.-
The sky is mostly clear, only high altitude clouds forming thin, cotton
 like layers break up the austere field of blue sky.  The temperature is
 cool, but not as cold as it has been, the breeze enough to motivate
 enough to wear some sort of protection from the weather when traveling
 out doors.  During the night, the stars give off their continuous glow,
 aided by the moon, their light enhanced by the reflective surface of
 white snow over the surface of the earth.

There's something in the garden that doesn't belong there. Amidst the
 beauty of nature preserved is a figure, clad in red and brown with skin
 as pale as the snow that covers the ground, as white as the moon and
 stars that shine brightly from above. As beautiful as her surroundings,
 and yet, she doesn't belong there. Death does not belong in a garden
 brimming with life such as this one. The smell of death and blood
 clings to the girl; it shows in her movements, her step, the roll of
 her shoulder, and the elegant gesture of her hand as she reaches out to
 one of the flowers that line the pathway through the garden, her
 fingertips hovering a hairbreadth away from its delicate petals, as if
 afraid to touch them. Perhaps she is. Who knows what would happen if a
 woman who stunk this badly of death touched such a simple, yet eloquent
 creation of nature? The scene fades back briefly, flickering out of
 view as she recalls a few days earlier-- the dark knight Ashuram, when,
 after a long time's thought, she accepted his offer. She needs the
 money, she tells herself, and besides, he didn't ask her to kill
 anyone. Only a kidnapping. It's none of her business what he does with
 the girl after that. If she wants to find her way back home, she can't
 ask questions. Makie Otono-tachibana lets her hand drop after a few
 moments of reaching out to the flower without touching it, her fingers
 curling into a loose fist that she tucks to her chest, head bowed. Her
 trademarked shamisen isn't in hand, hidden away somewhere in the garden
 for safekeeping. Instead, resting around her shoulders, the two blades
 hanging downward like a second pair of arms, is her tri-sectioned
 glaive, the blades themselves swinging dangerously as the wind catches
 both them and her newly-sheared hair, the sharp edges somehow staying
 clear of cutting the woman.

A chilling breeze creeps in onto the scene that unfolds in the backyard
 to the flowershop, the day had been warm and even bringing with it the
 thoughts that there might be a early spring, bringing with it the
 thoughts of warmer weather and what to do to prepare for those days.
 But once the sun lowered into the far off horizon and the clouds rolled
 in, it changed those thoughts, perhaps winter was not so eager to let
 go as of yet. The night had it's fair share of snowfall, but it begins
 to clear up, the clouds thinning to reveal a clear sky sparkling with
 millions of stars. The bright moon overhead shining down and causing
 the newly fallen snow to glimmer. Though it is a visual wonder, it is
 still rather cold, the chill something that would have many stay in
 doors with their warm cozy fires or wrapped in a thick blanket. But
 there is one who steps out into this weather, the soft crunching of
 footsteps heard on the newly fallen snow as sandled feet step out from
 inside the warm safety of the house. The soft creak of the hinges of
 the old wooden door heard as it opens, followed by a light thump as it
 is closed. Kenshin was inside, ready to enjoy a warm meal, having just
 awoken from a nap when something called to him, something awakening the
 curious elements of his senses and drawing him to check up on
 something. His features are hidden in the low lighting, his eyes
 flickering as they catch pale blue moonlight and thinning, to adjust
 from the brightness from within the home. A few steps are taken as he
 rounds the corner to the house, then he glances over his shoulder to
 look out to the lake, the moonlight reflecting from it's mirror surface
 and onto his face, a light sigh released into the cold air resulting in
 a faint mist to rise up. He felt so strange inside, feeling he needed
 to be outside, but he thinks to himself that perhaps he was being
 foolish. A hand moves to grip the sakabatou's saya at his side as he
 decides to take one final look around before heading in for a meal,
 deciding to walk out towards the edge of the lake.

The swordswoman doesn't mind the cold. Her cloak manages to shield her
 bare arms from the brunt of it, and the folds of her kimono are still
 tight enough around her legs to shield the rest. Only her face remains
 exposed completely, her hands reaching up beneath her cloak to grasp
 her glaive by its handles, holding the blades steady with their edges
 out, preventing the danger of being accidentally cut. The breeze
 whispers through the garden, stirring up snow. Some of it clings to her
 hair, the thick obsidian mane cut to a humiliatingly short length,
 dotting the blackness with white crystal specks. Makie's deep brown
 eyes continue to study the flower that has so caught her attention, her
 expression impassive while her eyes are clouded and dark. The flower is
 a lily, since closed up, its petals curled inward, now that night has 
 fallen, but a lily nonetheless. Like the one embroidered on the folds
 of her kimono. Her eyes close for a moment, her head bowing until her
 chin tucks to her collarbone, then she too sighs, a mist of her own
 rising from her lips and disippating into the air. There's a jingle of
 chains as she turns from the flowers, only her slender hands keeping
 the weapon steady. No use in skulking about the girl's garden. She
 might as well get things over with. Snow crunching beneath her sandals,
 Makie starts towards the flower shop, only to draw up short as 
 ...something catches her notice. Her own awareness prickle, a fighter's
 sixth sense perhaps. Her eyes narrow to thin slits, flickering around
 the garden, towards the lake... "Hm," is murmured softly to the wind,
 her chin lifting slightly. Her course changes; the woman heads towards
 the lake, albeit slowly, a white chalk sketch against the dark
 background of the nighttime garden.

Kenshin walks over to the waters edge slowly, to come to a stop, lifting
 his face and gaze to stare out over the glassy surface. Looking at the
 image of the moon as it reflects, wavering as a gust of breeze whispers
 through and delicately rippling the surface. His gaze lifts to look up
 towards the lunar lady, his deep violet hued eyes shimmering, his face
 made a mask of pale blue, clouded at times by mist when he breaths out,
 his warm breath mixing with the chilling air. The rurounin is sure that
 there is nothing out here, nothing to have worried about, turning his
 head from side to side to scan into the dark shadows that boarder the
 lake and yard. However.. A chill brushes up the rurounin's back, like
 the tip of cold fingers felt on bare skin, a cold that is very
 different than what the winter air could produce. Instantly his left
 hand slides up to find the saya at his side, a soft jingle sounding
 out, followed by the crunch of snow as a sandled foot steps out to turn
 his body toward the direction the feeling eminates from. He is not
 alone, another is out here but who? As his eyes adjust to scan into the
 dark again, they thin, a light frown crossing his face when he feels
 something familiar out there in the dark. A familar feeling that has
 changed..

At first, the darkness offers nothing, only that. Blackness broken by
 the moonlight dancing off of the crystalline specks of snow that are
 occasionally tossed up into the air by the breeze, descending back
 again in mistlike spirals. Then the sound of snow breaking beneath
 someone's feet is heard, coming near, drawing closer to the lone
 rurounin. Something faint can be seen through the darkness, a chalky
 sketch of white, almost pale grey except the darkness of night makes it
 seem that much whiter. The figure keeps walking towards the rurounin
 until she's come fully into view, her sandaled feet pausing a few
 strides away from the scarred young man. Familiar, yes, and yet, the
 woman that stands before him seems so alien as well. The shamisen that
 she once held so reverently in her hands has been replaced by a
 gruesome looking weapon, its two blades curving upwards at dangerous
 slants towards the starry heavens, the metal sections resting lightly
 over her shoulders and behind her neck. The glossy black hair that
 would make any woman proud, Chaijungian or otherwise, has been cut
 short-- no, hacked short. Whatever beauty her hair once possessed is
 gone, replaced with a ragged mop of windblown threads, the bangs
 falling over her eyes, enshadowing them, making the depthless brown
 seem even deeper. There's still a quietness to her expression, the
 resignation that followed her like a shadow. Except now it's been
 tinged with something darker, something that might be evil save for the
 sadness in the woman's eyes. Makie's lips curve into the faintest of
 smiles, the bitter irony not escaping her in the slightest as she gazes
 at the first person she was able to call friend in this strange,
 strange land. "Well, Himura Kenshin-san," she murmurs softly, her
 gentle voice carrying easily in the chill air. "We meet again." 

[to be continued.]