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Idehr Raokas (introvertedorc) wrote in nosuchplace,
@ 2008-10-09 23:44:00

Entry tags:

idehr raokas, midori kamiyama

Friday, October 5, 2007
Who: Idehr and Midori
When: noon
Where: Midori's cottage
What: Ide offers his carpentry services.

Idehr gathered his carpentry tools into his box before leaving the forest cottage, towards the one a few houses down the road. If Malcolm was correct, which he was sure he was, a woman was working on her cottage. He hoped that it was improvements with which he could actually help, but maybe he needed to give himself enough credit. Then there was the question of whether or not the woman wanted his help. She could be doubtful of his skills because he was an orc or something. Shifting the toolbox to his other hand to scratch his nose, Ide neared the cottage and hoped that it was the right one.

He gathered his courage and knocked on the door, smoothening his hair so that he'd look presentable enough for whoever it was that opened the door. As always, he was on his best behavior when meeting a new customer. Maybe fixing things with Malcolm would be just as interesting as carpentry and he'd be able to make something good enough to impress certain people. A grin spread on his face as he imagined the appreciative look on her face and he lost himself in a train of thought. He stopped himself after a moment - it was not a good idea to have those kinds of thoughts right now. Deciding what he should say seemed like the best course of action, as he'd rather not sound like a creep.

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lightofhokkaido
2008-10-14 05:53 pm UTC (link)

Midori had been slaving away on her cottage home, trying to transform it into a shrine for Inari for weeks now. She had kept the upstairs and a domicile for habitat, but the downstairs had been nearly completely gutted and in the process of being rebuilt. She had done most of the work herself. The Genko had been helping her, but he had retreated when he demands became to great. Thus, Midori was forced to continue on her own.

She was in the process of trying to create a purification fountain for the entrance, which was giving her a bit of trouble. While normally, Midori was coiffed perfectly in a kimono, for the last few weeks, she had been wearing hakama and gi. While part of her knew Western clothes would be better suited for such grunt work, she could not bring herself to dress in such low clothing.

She heard the knock at the door and stopped what she was doing. She went very still for a long moment before moving slowly towards the door. She did not have many visitors. She did not know many people in Elysium, save for her daughter, Theora and the Genko. But perhaps her absence of late had drawn their attention.

Midori opened the door and glanced out. She eyed the green man warily. An Orc, if she was correct-- and she almost always was. She pursed her lips and regarded him coldly. "May I help you?" She asked, her voice heavily accented.

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introvertedorc
2008-10-16 01:34 pm UTC (link)

He smiled briefly, not showing his teeth, and became all professional. Carpentry was important and serious and should be regarded as such, and he had a hard time believing that she was remodeling in that. It didn't look comfortable at all! "Hi, I'm Ide Raokas and my friend told me he saw you needed some help with your cottage. I do some carpentry work here and there, and if you like, I can see what I can do to help." First things first: he needed to be let into the house in order to see what the matter was. "If I'm not able to help, hopefully I can point you in the direction of someone who is."

There, he laid out his case for her and she could take it or not. If she refused, then he could go back and find something to keep busy. She had no reason to trust him, what with him suddenly appearing at her doorstep. If he was in her position, Ide would have simply said no thank you and then remained on edge for the rest of the day.. more so in Scotland than in Elysium. People seemed to be nicer and more genuine, though he hadn't met everyone here and it was possible there were a few jerks. He certainly hoped that wasn't the case.

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lightofhokkaido
2008-10-17 11:43 pm UTC (link)

Midori remained wary of the Orc at her door. She did not open the door any further to allow him entrance into her home. She cocked her head slightly to the side. His intentions seemed to be honest. It had also been her experience in Elysium that most were genuine. "I am Midori Kamiyama," she replied slowly. "I am renovating my cottage."

Finally, she opened the door to reveal interior of the cottage, which had been stripped down to the skeleton. "I have found the accommodations for those of the Shinto religion in Elysium to be quite lacking. With no haven within Japan, many nationals have ended up here. I have taken it upon myself to convert this home into a shrine for Inari." She knew well this young Orc would have no clue as to the Shinto religion or Inari. She paid it no mind and continued on. She turned and walked into the house.

"I am not well-suited for manual labour," Midori admitted. "I had a young man assisting me, but he has not been by as of late. If you wish to assist me, it would be...." She paused for a long time, nearly choking on the words. "...Greatly appreciated."

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introvertedorc
2008-10-18 09:25 am UTC (link)

So, it was renovation. "It's a pleasure, Mrs. Kamiyama," Idehr said. It was quite an assumption to jump to the conclusion that she was married and he hoped he wasn't wrong. From the look of her, he probably had to prevent himself from seeming like a fool in order to keep her trust. He peered inside when she opened the door more and saw that hardly anything was left. Maybe this was way over his head and he was completely unable to rebuild the cottage. He'd practiced, though, and he could have sworn that his work was improving.

He had no idea what the Shinto religion was, but he could understand that faith in her god Inari was important to her. Following her into the house, he tried to picture what it was she wanted. His mother had had a small shrine in her room to the goddess of motherhood, Móðirdróttning. Nona Raokas believed that she possessed the greatest wisdom of all the gods and always relied on a silent prayer to her when she had difficulty with people. "What do you need in order to properly worship Inari?" he wondered. He wanted to know what materials she already had and what he needed to find for her.

"I'm happy to help you," Idehr said, setting his tool box on the floor. "Please tell me when are the best days for me to stop by so I'm not disturbing you or anything." Building was a noisy business and he preferred not to irritate the clients. Since he had no other jobs at the moment, he was content to work on her house as much as he could and was able to - part of him feared that his work would not be sufficient and it'd all come crashing down on him. He was going to try his hardest not to let that happen.

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lightofhokkaido
2008-10-20 06:21 pm UTC (link)

Midori arched a well-manicured eyebrow as she glared at Idehr. "It is Miss Kamiyama, if you insist on referring to me in such a manner. I do, however, prefer Kamiyama-sama." She did not see him as foolish in his assumption. She saw him as Western. Few Westerners referred to her with the proper honorific. As for believing she was married... That was just presumptive. Outside of her circle of fellow Kitsune, most believed her to be married, seeing as she appeared to be in her forties and had a grown-up daughter.

Midori smiled cooly at Idehr. Her expression was not particularly friendly. "I can show you, if you wish." She brought her hand up. Normally, she did not need to gesture to perform illusion. However, to affect the atmosphere of the room, she needed to concentrate. She closed her eyes. "You may be a bit disoriented for a moment."

The Kitsune concentrated, letting out a shaky breath. Such large illusion was strenuous. But soon, the stripped walls seemed to take on a new appearance. It now appeared to be a finished shrine interior. It was simple, all wood and a few simple hangings. Midori knew true opulence was impossible. Just having a place for Inari would be enough. The strain of maintaining the illusion was beginning to affect her. Her hand was shaking lightly. "Is this within the realm of your talents, Raokas-san?"

She let out a breath as she released the illusion finally. "No day is a disturbance to me. Any time you are able to work is fine. All that matters is achieving the goal of a place for Inari."

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introvertedorc
2008-10-21 02:40 pm UTC (link)

He was mistaken and almost cringed underneath her gaze. Calling her by her last name with a little tassle at the end might appease her and he nodded at her comment. "Sorry, Kamiyama-sama, I didn't know." Idehr blinked as she told him that she was going to show him, of all things and wondered what she could do with a raised hand like that. His curiosity was soon sated as the walls behind her began to shift to show something completely different. Knowing that she was able to perform larger illusions on a larger scale impressed him, mostly because he wished he was able to appear human.

The room she wanted proved to be a problem and looked complicated, no doubt far beyond his abilities. He wondered if he should tell her the truth and confess his doubts, or try his best. It didn't seem fair to her if he tried and failed in creating a perfect and beautiful shrine for her god. "I've never done something like this before," he said. "I'll give it my best shot." Maybe he could show her examples of his work, or practice more so that he'd be able to hew the planks of wood to perfection.

"If you still want me to help, I can stop by every other day." That seemed like a good schedule and meant he wouldn't bother her too much. "I promise I will help you create a place for Inari."

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lightofhokkaido
2008-10-23 03:37 am UTC (link)

Midori remained neutral to Idehr's apologies. "It is a cultural and language difference. You had no way of knowing." She had very few expectations for respect in Elysium. But she would not stop correcting those who spoke to her incorrectly. Everyone seemed to be accommodating enough. Eventually, word would spread about how she wished to be addressed.

Midori didn't feel like her wishes were too complicated. In fact, she had greatly diminished her expectations for opulence. Her original plans had been fair more ornate. She was not at all interested in hearing Idehr's doubts. He had offered his help and she would push him to the limits of his abilities. She did not settle for anything less than people's best. She had a reputation as strict and unyielding, but she always brought out the talent in those around her.

"That would be most satisfactory," Midori said, managing a small, cool smile. "Thank you kindly for your offer of help, Raokas-san."

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End.

introvertedorc
2008-10-28 03:25 pm UTC (link)

At least she didn't take offense, he thought. Now that things seemed to be in order, he nodded at her and returned to his toolbox to get to work. He'd seen what she wanted and in order to make her happy, Idehr would try his best. As he formulated a plan, he told her that he needed to start making wooden planks to add to what was already there. He hoped that this would be a good start.

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