Seventeen [Private]
Aug 12, 2011 1:58:53 GMT -8
Post by addy-hime ♥ on Aug 12, 2011 1:58:53 GMT -8
It was pure opinion that emotional attachment was silly, as even the strongest willed human being could benefit from a strong bond with an object or another person. It did present a certain weakness to one's enemies, but there was little use for life if one had to live it with the soul locked away in a stone prison. Youka was not new to the concept of erecting barriers against those that attempted to gain access to the inner sanctum of her thoughts, so careful was she about the friends she surrounded herself with. Every now and then she paused to wonder how she could have consented to take on a full-time student as her own, much less a boy her age.
Lashes fluttered closed briefly over cerulean oculi, blocking out the image of Ethereal and her beloved Sunagakure no Sato in the distance. There were very few lights twinkling on in the houses, as most were safe, sleeping soundly in their beds and awaiting another day of hard work. As for the Shodaime, well, she contented herself by leaning against the frame of the door that would inevitably lead down into the Council meeting room, a place with memories best forgotten—about past feelings, her deceased nephew, the blood on her hands. It was much more peaceful to pretend that these things did not exist, that she was merely a teenager come to watch the stars with a comrade.
"What are you doing up here, Ether?" She finally called, voice raised an appropriate level for the amount of silence that pressed in around them. It was broken further still by the soft padding of bare feet across the sand structure—still warm from the sweltering heat of the day—as she approached her pupil. He seemed happy to be alone here, drinking what appeared to be tea from that little cup, but she couldn't help but wonder if he had been waiting for her. After all, not many people were allowed to come up here alone, unguarded; his privileges stemmed from his status as her protege, a formidable title indeed. As much as this building was her office and the place of work for many people, it was also her home. He was intruding here now.
It would have been clear to any onlooker that Youka was in her natural state at the moment, no longer as guarded as she would have been dealing with shinobi or simply walking along the streets of her village. There was no heavy hooded cloak to mask her identity and protect her from the sun, but a simple white sundress instead. It was akin to the one she wore a week or so previous, when Asato and herself had been reunited after a long period of unwilling separation from one another. In all, it bespoke comfort, and mimicked the smile curling at her lips when she eased herself into a sitting position beside him. "I didn't expect anyone to be up here at this time of night. Little weird, don'tcha think?" Her nose wrinkled teasingly; she didn't look at him to focus the expression, but turned her gaze back to the stars. "I wanted to go for a walk, but I thought coming up here would be a better idea. No chance of being hassled by the late-night straggler who wants more water rations to wash their alcohol down with, yeah?"
A hand lifted, fingers running through loose locks of carnation pink: a nervous habit. Small talk was always difficult, especially with Ethereal. Their relationship was tentative at best, considering the amount of power she had without the age difference. If only she were a few years older, then maybe people would start to take her seriously ...