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Post by Shigeo Asuhara on Oct 22, 2024 22:30:23 GMT -6
Bleach Unrated: REBOOTEDCurrent Arc: The ChaosEpisode 558 "Eye of the Beholder”: Shigeo was walking around the markets and vendors and small businesses in the Kuzuhama district. It was in the same area as Hayakawa but much closer to the gate. He liked this area quite a bit. This area was very mountainous and had numerous caves that held deposits of ore, minerals, and gems. Perfect for a jewel fanatic like himself. He had since dyed his hair back to its normal black with white on the right side, a piece of black hair hanging down on the left side with a braid around his ponytail on the back of his skull. This preferred haircut of his showcased his handsome face while also framing it and adding a bit of mystery. The white piece of hair that was pulled back into the ponytail drew attention to his stormcloud grey eyes that had a hint of silver. His kimono today was a black one with an orange Shippo pattern. The circles and diamonds created by the orange lines added a pop of color while maintaining the optical illusion of way more diamonds in the pattern than the eye could keep track of. He paired it with a black hakama and an embroidered drawstring pouch that his mother had made him for his outings. The drawstring was looped around his arm as he kept them threaded through the sleeves of his kimono.
Shigeo smiled as he inspected the wares of a merchant who was selling sea glass and polished common and semi-precious stones. Cheap compared to the materials he usually worked with, but just as beautiful. He pulled his arms apart and plunged his hand into a wooden box filled with polished sea glass of all colors and shapes. The cool, smooth stones gliding over his skin was like diving into a crisp, spring pond on a hot summer. “We got some good pieces in there today!” The woman behind the counter smiled at him. She nodded. “My daughters hand-picked every piece, and I polished them just the other day.” “They’re beautiful,” Shigeo smiled at the woman, opening his pouch. “How much?” “800 Kan for a small bag full,” the woman pointed to a smaller canvas pouch. She pointed to a larger one. “1000 Kan for a large bag.” “A large bag then,” Shigeo fished out ten 100 Kan coins and handed them over, grabbing a large canvas bag and going through the box, expertly picking the best pieces of the bunch. Time stood still and the rest of the busy market fell away as he rifled through the box full of sea glass. |
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Post by Fuu Ayumu on Oct 22, 2024 22:37:51 GMT -6
Fuu had a little time that afternoon, so she decided to take a stroll, hoping that maybe she might run into the man, Gojo, whom she had met a few days before. However, the longer she wandered around, the more she began to think otherwise. That was until a familiar voice caught her ear—a voice standing in front of a box of polished stones.
She stopped in her tracks, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips, but when she turned to look at the man it was not him. It was a young man with black hair and a white streak to one side, and a bunch of bangles of woven wire, metal, and brass on his left arm. A similar style of earrings dangled from his ears, just barely reaching the bottom of his jaw on either side. Fuu approached quietly, her hands casually tucked behind her, watching him rummage through the sea glass like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.
“Hello,” she said to him with a bright smile.
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Post by Shigeo Asuhara on Oct 22, 2024 22:38:54 GMT -6
Shigeo, to his surprise, gave a little jump as he heard a familiar female voice behind him. He spun around and was met with the piercing grey eyes of Fuu Ayumu. She smiled at him like a cat about to eat a canary. He found very quickly that he did not like being the prey in this situation. He much preferred being the cat.
Shit! How the hell did she find me?! Does she know?
“Hello?” He said slowly, dragging the syllables out like he was unsure of how to speak. He said more sure of himself, “Can I help you? I’m a little busy here, as you can see.”
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Post by Fuu Ayumu on Oct 22, 2024 22:39:29 GMT -6
Fuu’s smile widened, but she made sure not to push too hard. His reaction was more than enough entertainment for the moment. She could practically see the gears turning behind his eyes, trying to figure out what she was doing there.
"Busy? Oh, I see," she replied casually, glancing down at the sea glass scattered in front of him. "It does look like important work," she added with a playful lilt, though her tone was warm and friendly. She didn’t want to spook him too much.
"I didn’t mean to interrupt," Fuu said, waving her hand as if brushing the thought away. "I was just out for a stroll and happened to recognize a familiar voice. Thought I’d say hello, but alas you’re not who I thought you were. I don’t suppose you’re a fan of polished rocks, are you?" She arched a brow, her gaze soft but curious, giving him the space to relax.
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Post by Shigeo Asuhara on Oct 22, 2024 22:39:56 GMT -6
Shigeo cautiously looked between her and the box of stones he had been rummaging through. He had already filled the first bag with sea glass. Now he was picking the best polished stones out of the second colorful box.
“Uh… yes.” He picked up a stone that was red with flecks of black. When it didn’t meet his expectations, he dropped it back into the box. “I… make things with them.” He grinded his teeth together, frustrated at how difficult he found it to talk to her normally. He could be as charming as his older brothers when he wanted to be–had learned how to speak to women from his sisters–so why were words failing him now? He looked back at her to see her still staring at him. Her gaze made his face warm. “Is… is there a problem with that?”
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Post by Fuu Ayumu on Oct 22, 2024 22:40:17 GMT -6
Fuu’s expression softened when she saw his discomfort, but she didn’t pull back. If anything, his awkwardness made him more approachable, and she had no intention of making him feel self-conscious about something he clearly enjoyed.
"Problem? Not at all," she said, her voice easy and sincere. "I think it's cool, actually. Everyone needs a hobby, and it's nice to find someone who has an eye for beautiful things." She glanced at the polished stones he was sorting through, genuinely curious.
She stepped a little closer, peeking into the box beside him. "So, what’s your favorite? I’m sure you’ve come across a lot of interesting ones, but there’s gotta be one stone you like the most." Her storm-gray eyes flicked up to meet his, warm and unpressuring, as if she was just making conversation with an old friend.
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Post by Shigeo Asuhara on Oct 22, 2024 22:40:39 GMT -6
He wasn’t sure what changed, but the moment she relaxed–stopped trying to goad him into revealing something telling about himself–he immediately felt his muscles unlock. That invisible wall he had unconsciously thrown up came sliding down. Was she genuinely curious about his hobby? It seemed like it. He wasn’t sure what it had to do with investigating his family, but her question seemed harmless enough this time.
Shigeo’s shoulders and back relaxed and he allowed her to step closer, putting his hand back into the box of stones. “I like anything that’s vibrant and colorful, but I can appreciate the muted ones too. Each stone has its purpose.” He dug through the box until a flash of yellow and white. He grinned and pulled the stone out. It was an almost perfectly oval yellow gem with a white band of light down the center-length ways. “But my favorite is catseye.”
He held the gem up between the two of them. “This isn’t my favorite color, but it’s still a good one. Catseye refers to both the cut and a type of gem called chrysoberyl. Chrysoberyls are rare and precious, but you can get the catseye cut on different, cheaper stones like these.” He rubbed his thumb over the gem. “This particular one is a quartz. When you cut it and polish it with the grains of the gem parallel as opposed to faceted, you get this white band of light that’s called a chatoyancy, or a cat’s eye.”
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Post by Fuu Ayumu on Oct 22, 2024 22:41:05 GMT -6
Fuu’s eyes lit up with genuine interest as he explained, her usual playful edge giving way to real curiosity. She leaned in slightly, her gaze fixed on the gem in his hand as if she were studying it for herself.
“Catseye... I’ve heard of them before,” she said, sounding impressed. “But I did not know that bite of information. That’s actually really fascinating.” Her voice was softer now, and the intensity in her gray eyes shifted from playful to focused, as though she were fully engrossed in what he was saying.
She reached out, hovering her hand near the stone but not touching it, respecting his space. "So the way it’s cut creates that band of light? That’s incredible," she mused, clearly captivated. "I didn’t know so much thought went into something like this."
Fuu looked up at him, her expression warm but intrigued. "Do you usually work with stones like these? Or do you mix it up with the more rare ones like chrysoberyl?" She paused, then added with a small smile, "I can see why you’d like this one—it does kind of resemble a cat’s eye. It’s got that same focused, almost mysterious look to it."
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Post by Shigeo Asuhara on Oct 22, 2024 22:41:29 GMT -6
Shigeo resisted the urge to spiral into an hour-long monologue about everything he knew about working with gems and precious stones and even not-so-precious stones. Her genuine curiosity made him want to tell her about each and every single piece he had ever made. Carved sculptures, elaborate pieces of jewelry, intricate carvings. He wanted to explain to her how each and every gem he had ever worked with felt in his hands. How they each shined in the sunlight. How diamond trumped all because of its ability to cut every other gem and even glass.
That wasn’t what he did, however. He knew the moment he told her about all of that she would immediately start to wonder how he had gotten his hands on gems like diamonds and sapphires and rubies and emeralds. And that would go over like a ton of bricks.
“I uh… I work with what I can get my hands on.” It wasn’t a lie. Not really. He pushed around the stones in the box. “Not all cheap gems are ugly. Some are very beautiful.” He spotted one in particular he liked and reached for it. “Like this one.”
He reached into the box, aiming to pluck out a fair-sized stone of zebra agate with bands and splotches of black and white. As he went to touch it, his hand bumped into Fuu’s. His head whipped up in surprise, staring into her eyes that were so close in color to his that it was almost like looking into a mirror.
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Post by Fuu Ayumu on Oct 22, 2024 22:41:45 GMT -6
Fuu felt the light brush of his hand against hers, and it was as if the moment froze. Her heart gave a startled thump, and her hand immediately recoiled, cheeks flushing as a warmth spread over her face. She hadn’t expected the contact, much less the way it made her feel flustered. For a second, all her usual composure slipped away.
"S-Sorry," she stammered, quickly tucking her hand into her pocket, trying to regain her usual ease. She laughed, though it was softer than her usual teasing tone. "Guess I got a little too curious there."
Her eyes flicked from his face to the stone he was reaching for, as if to shift the focus back to something safe. "Zebra agate, huh?" she said, her voice steadying. "It’s beautiful." She glanced back up at him, her flush lingering but her smile genuine. "You’ve really got an eye for this… Eh, sorry I don’t know your name.”
Trying to mask the awkwardness that still lingered in the air, Fuu nodded toward the stone. "So, what would you do with a piece like that? Jewelry? Something else?" she asked, genuinely interested but hoping to get them back into a comfortable rhythm.
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Post by Shigeo Asuhara on Oct 22, 2024 22:42:11 GMT -6
Shigeo watched the expression on her face carefully. The blush on her cheeks reminded him of rose quartz. And then, just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. He cleared his throat. “Call me Kohaku.” Though it wasn’t his real name, it was a name he might have chosen for himself if he could. He liked his name, though there wasn’t much meaning behind it. “Heavy” was what it meant. “Kohaku” on the other hand meant “amber.”
He held up the zebra agate. “This one is too big for a ring or a bangle… so maybe a pendant?” He turned and held it up to just in front of Fuu’s sternum, but without touching her. “Maybe a heart or a teardrop?” He dropped the agate into his bag and fished out the catseye. “The catseye quartz though… this one will work well as either a ring or a bangle. Some sort of statement piece. Or I can save it and find others like it and then make a bracelet out of them.”
He spotted another of his favorite gems in the box. He pulled out a brown banded stone. A tiger's eye. Shigeo grinned and held it up in front of them. “Tiger’s eye. I love these. Every time I see one I wanna eat it.” He laughed at the expression on her face. “What? They look like caramel candies.”
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Post by Fuu Ayumu on Oct 22, 2024 22:42:27 GMT -6
Fuu's eyes widened slightly, and then she broke into a soft laugh, the sound light and genuine. "Eat it?" she repeated, clearly amused by the idea. "I guess I can see that—tiger’s eye does kind of look like caramel, but I never would’ve thought of it like that."
She smiled up at him, her cheeks still faintly flushed from before, but now it was more out of amusement than embarrassment. His comment was unexpectedly cute, and she found herself warming up to his easygoing enthusiasm for the stones. "You might be onto something there, Kohaku," she added, teasing him lightly as she rolled the name around as if testing how it felt to say.
Glancing at the tiger’s eye again, she nodded. "But you’re right—there’s something kind of sweet about the way it looks. Now I’ll never unsee the candy comparison whenever I come across one." Her gaze flicked back to his face, her smile softening. "And a pendant or bracelet? I think you'd be able to make something really beautiful with these."
She paused, her curiosity getting the better of her again. "Do you make all of your pieces by hand? I imagine it takes a lot of patience to work with stones like this."
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Post by Shigeo Asuhara on Oct 22, 2024 22:43:14 GMT -6
Shigeo nodded with a warm smile. “I do. I’ve been practicing a long time. I have about as much patience as there are stones in this box,” he nodded at the box with a chuckle. “What I really need most days is peace and quiet.”
I can show you, he almost said. It was so close to coming out of his mouth he could taste it on his tongue. He bit his lip to keep the words in until they dissolved into something else.
“A signet ring… tiger’s eye make really nice rings. Or prayer beads if you have a bunch of them, which I do.” Eventually, his bags were filled and he pulled the drawstrings on the bags of stones and sea glass. He hesitated as he grasped the bags of stones and glass. How long had it been since he had someone to talk to about his hobby other than his siblings? “You know… I don’t get the chance to nerd out about silly stones and gems and glass too often. So… thanks for indulging me.”
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Post by Fuu Ayumu on Oct 22, 2024 22:43:26 GMT -6
Fuu’s smile softened at his words, a warmth spreading through her at the thought of —Kohaku—pouring so much passion into something as simple yet intricate as stones and gems. His enthusiasm was endearing, and she found herself genuinely appreciating the conversation.
“Anytime,” she replied, her tone sincere. “Honestly, I’ve really enjoyed hearing about it. You’ve got such a unique eye for this stuff, and I can tell how much it means to you. So, if you ever feel like nerding out about stones or gems again, I’d love to chat." She chuckled, the playful edge to her voice returning. "I’ve already learned more about stones in one afternoon than I have my whole life, so I’m definitely up for round two."
She glanced down at the bags of stones he had gathered, feeling a strange sense of contentment. "And hey, peace and quiet might be hard to come by, but if you need someone to appreciate your work, I’m around." Her smile brightened a little more. "Maybe next time, you can show me one of those signet rings or prayer beads you’ve been working on."
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Post by Shigeo Asuhara on Oct 22, 2024 22:44:05 GMT -6
Shigeo found himself surprised by her sincerity. He wasn’t sure if it was part of a greater ploy to get him to admit to who he was, but if she honestly was interested in his hobby, then… maybe they could indulge each other. She still wouldn’t get anything out of him. Not anything damning. But she was a great listener–unsurprisingly–and good listeners were hard to come by.
He gave a soft chuckle and grinned at her. “Sure. See you around.” He turned and headed off in a random direction. “If I ever see you again, I’ll show you one of my pieces. Maybe I’ll even sell it to you for a discount.” He waved over his shoulder at her.
Don’t show your hand all at once. Save something for later. Words that his eldest brother had imparted to him. Make them want to come back for more.
He wasn’t sure why he thought of those words now and in this context, but he supposed it wouldn’t hurt to test and see if those words worked in different applications other than flirting.
For now, Shigeo made his way back home, cutting his shopping trip short, although it didn’t feel like he had.-END- "Obscured in Plain View"
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