Repose
#1
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Neela is in Optime form.

Word Count → 523


Neela had been doing a lot of thinking over the last few days, since she had arrived at Gampo Abbey. It would have been fairly easy to fall back into her old habits and distract herself with music and dancing, or even conversation; she could tell from small that there were other canines inhabiting the Abbey alongside herself.

But doing that felt wrong somehow. Now that her mind was clearer she had begun to appreciate the risk that Nayru had taken by accepting such an unstable canine into the pack. She didn’t want to let the Jiryu down, didn’t want to hurt anybody again.


So, for the first time since it had happened, Neela had forced herself to sit down and actually think about what had happened, purposely isolating herself from the temples other inhabitants and not even looking at her guitar for three days. Not surprisingly the nightmares she had suffered the first night were some of the most horrific and entailed that she had had in a long time, and were nearly enough to make her give up then and there.


But Neela's conviction to not disappoint her new leader, and herself, was strong. For three days she had poured over her memories, forced herself to figure out what exactly had set her off, and how she could avoid it in the future.


However doing such was leaving her very tired, both physically, from the nightmares, and mentally. So today, on the fourth day of her stay at the abbey, she was giving herself a break. A chance to relax for a short while.


And the Abbey had certainly provided in that respect. A few minutes of wandering from the room where she was situated had led her to a small but well tended garden, filled with colourful flowers and a small pond. The place was filled with wild animals and Neela spent a few minutes just wandering through the gardens. Her experience with listening to Grynn allowed her to occasionally catch a snatch of what the birds around her were saying, but the dialect and species difference meant that she only ever caught a word or so.


Eventually Neela's feet lead her to the pond, or more specifically a small, flat stone just in-front of it. Sitting down cross-legged on the stone Neela shifted her guitar, which she had brought with her from her room, off of her back. After spending a few moments running her hands over the instrument she pulled a small bone pick out of her belt and started to play.


Neela had forgotten just how relaxing she found playing the guitar, how much of an appetence she had for music. She wasn't playing a particular song or style of music, just a slow peaceful tune that came naturally and randomly. As she played Neela slowly closed her eyes, listening intently as the sound of her guitar mingled with the sounds of the wildlife around her.


Sitting there in the gardens, listening to the mixture of her own music and that provided by nature, for the first time in nearly 5 months, Neela felt at peace.


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#2
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ansui's in optime too Smile

The great mountain dog that had sought out company and peace inside the seemingly perfect pack for him had found happiness in the garden that he was now in. The flowers gently swaying in the wind to a dance to music that only they with their gentle petals could hear - the sweet fragrance that the breeze carried to his nose, the caressing whispers that reached inside him and brought out emotions that he'd only felt on the top of his former mountain home. It all made him feel peaceful, happy, joyful - the Reiseki enjoyed it here immensely.

He strode through the garden slowly, his brown cloak drawn over his body and the hood over his head, covering his perked ears. The large man was shaggy and long-haired, and seemed quite hulking and intimidating at first - but the multicolored man wouldn't dream of harming another for no reason, as it wasn't in his nature. He was not violent, and he loved peace.

He also loved music - and alongside the music of the wind and the songs of the birds he heard another song. This one was different from the tunes he'd been listening to a moment ago - while the songs of nature were beautiful, this one was different still - it had a melody, a harmony, a swaying way that drew Ansui toward it. He walked carefully toward the sound until he saw, across a small pond, the source of the noise; it was a Luperci playing her guitar.

She was very beautiful; her coat was a mix of reds and blacks and whites, and her slim snout was pointed upwards. Her fur was long and was gently moving with the wind; her hands were playing the guitar with delicacy and ease. Not wishing to startle her, Ansui decided to speak; "Hello," he said softly, his deep baritone voice rumbling the words out.

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#3
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Neela is in Optime form.

Word Count → 302


A jarring twang cut through the air as Neela gave a small start as a deep voice met her ears, though her hands quickly recovered the rhythm and kept playing. Neela had been so caught up in her music that she hadn’t noticed the strangers approach. At the sound of his voice she turned her head in his direction, amber eyes scanning curiously over him.


Neela's first impression of the stranger was that they were rather intimidating. A tall and muscly build, coupled with thick tri-coloured for and a hooded cloak gave the male a large and intimidating presence. Neela also noticed that the stranger seemed to be either a dog, or a dog-hybrid like herself.


Despite the strangers intimidating appearance Neela didn't feel scared, the serenity of her surroundings and the gentle tone to the strangers voice driving away any apprehension that might have been generated by his appearance. Instead she gave the stranger a warm smile before dipping her head downwards in a respectful greeting. "Hello, I'm Neela." She returned his greeting, her soft voice pausing oddly for a second as her mind stayed half focused on the rhythm of her music.


Neela took a moment to wonder who the stranger was, but ultimately decided that it didn’t matter. As peaceful as it was up in the abbey by herself there was little point to join a pack only to shut herself away, in-fact the opportunity for socialisation was one of the reasons why she had wanted to join Ichika, rather than carry on sailing by herself.


Pausing her music for a moment Neela scooted over slightly on her rock, a silent opportunity for the stranger to sit down if he wished to do so, before she continued playing, her eyes now open and gazing curiously at the large dog.

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#4
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He heard the sharp twang of the guitar string as she jerked a bit - no matter how careful he had tried to be, he had still startled her. She recovered quickly, however, still playing the guitar softly with the beautiful melody drifting out of the strings and floating around the garden. She looked at him and he noticed that her eyes were the same tone as parts of her fur - a deep, warm auburn. She gave a smile and dipped her head, and Ansui did the same, clasping his hands together and bowing to her.

She introduced herself as Neela - a pretty name. He smiled as she scooted over to allow him room on her smooth rock; he began to walk slowly towards her, his deep brown eyes looking softly at her. "I am Ansui," he said, finally coming to a rest on he rock beside her. He was quite a bit taller than her, even sitting down, but he sensed that she did not mind.

"Your songs of the guitar are beautiful," he complimented, his deep voice rolling across the garden. "I have not seen you here before - are you new to these lands of Ichika?"

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#5
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Word Count → 307


Neela smiled as the large wolf took her invitation, introducing himself as Ansui as he took his place beside her on the rock. The name sounded familiar to Neela, and after a few seconds of thinking she managed to place where she had heard it before. "Ansui, you're the… Reiseki right?" The odd word had taken a few seconds to come to her lips, but she thought she had gotten it right. "Nayru mentioned you, nice to meet you" she finished weakly, unsure of how much, if anything, Nayru had informed the Reiseki of his new guest.


Neela felt her cheeks heat up as Ansui commented on her music and a small smile came to her face. While Neela was aware she had some skill at playing the guitar it wasn't something that she felt a particular sense of pride about, it was just something hat she could do in her eyes, but receiving a complement about something that she enjoyed doing was always nice. "Thank you. I enjoy playing the guitar, find it calming. Nice to know that someone else enjoys it as well." Her smile grew a bit wider before she cocked an ear slightly as Ansui followed up with a question.

She nodded in response to his question before responding verbally, " Yes I joined the pack a few days ago, by accident actually. I was sailing around the peninsula on my way north and stopped off on a beach for the night. Turned out I landed my boat a few metres away from the boundary by accident. Got talking to one of the wolves on border patrol, Pripyat I think, and I thought that this place sounded nice." Laughter sparked to life in her eyes as she recounted her tale of accidentally finding Ichika no Ho-en and her lips pulled back from her teeth slightly in a grin.


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#6
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"I am," he rumbled in assent to the question. He then smiled as she said that it was nice to meet him; "As it is you," he said. He knew that the way of his positioning words was slightly odd, but he hoped that she didn't notice, or mind - as it was, he didn't think she did. She seemed peaceful and kind, a good fit for the pack.

"Different from the songs of birds and wind it is, but beautiful the same," he agreed. And he did feel that way - he always loved the music of nature, but rarely had he heard rhythmed music from instruments that were created and used by Luperci and other canines like him. It was a unique experience to him, but he felt that he would be experiencing that sort of music more that he was in a pack now with the Ichikans.

He listened intently as she recounted her experience of the joining of Ichika. He smiled as she did - it seemed that she truly enjoyed it here in his home, and he was glad; he wanted people to be happy. Another part of her story intrigued him as well. "Sailing in a boat sounds quite nice," he commented. "I hope that you do like it here - I was not part of this pack but for only a few months ago, and have been here since. It truly is a peaceful place." And that it was - although he hadn't made many close friends, to be in the company of others like him was enough to keep him happy and content. Ichika no Ho-en was truly a haven for the large mountain dog whose exterior contrasted his personality.

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#7
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Sorry, not good, but I've been suffering from a hint of writers block the last few days.

Word Count → 205


"It is," Neela enjoyed talking about boats, sailing and the sea in general. "It’s a lot of work to actually do it, especially when I'm travelling by myself on a boat as big as the Meria Lea, but being able to sail anywhere I want provides me with a lot of freedom." Glancing up to the sky momentarily Neela spied Grynn circling nearby, though the falcon seemed to be keeping her distance for now.


Neela paused in her playing, taking a moment to gather her thoughts together. As she did so she began gazing around the garden. After a couple of seconds pause she started playing again, this time choosing a faster rhythm."I've not seen much of Ichika so far, aside from the walk here these gardens are about as far as I've ventured out, but I do enjoy the ideas behind it. A peaceful place to live is just what I need about now." Neela's happiness was replaced with a visible melancholy for a split second, before she wiped it away and replaced the smile on her face.


Trying to recover her good mood Neela turned back to Ansui, "So, what is it that brought you to Ichika?" she asked the male curiously.


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#8
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sorry for the long wait! <3

The great dog was intrigued by her mention of the large boat and the freedom it offered. Often he had looked toward the sea, where he himself had come from, where he had sailed from the lands across the great ocean. He remembered it vividly; it was peaceful and nice, just as it sounded. He nodded as she spoke more, saying that a peaceful place was what she needed. He agreed - he had heard tales of the packs of Anathema and Inferni and Salsola, packs who thrived on secrecy and evils and death and pain and murder and slavery, packs that he had no desire to go to whatsoever.

He caught the look of sadness she revealed, however, and cocked his head only slightly, his ears lopping to the side and his eyes slightly questioning. He would not pry if she did not give answers, as that was not in the large man's nature; he was only slightly curious and could sate that, however.

He smiled as she asked what brought him himself to Ichika. "My family was one of lands far from here, " he said. "Nomads were we - travelling to America from the lands across the blue, we landed South of here, and while they were content to stay, I wished to explore. So I traveled up north." He remembered it fondly as if it were yesterday.

"A pack was what I found, but it was quickly thrown into turmoil and havoc," he rumbled sadly. "I fled towards the mountains and lived in its rocky hands and snowy crown until companionship called to me - and so I joined Ichika, where I belong."

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#9
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OOC here.

Word Count → 642


Neela listened attentively to Ansui's tale, her ears drooping slightly when he mentioned what had happened to his old pack, though his presence in Ichika no Hoen seemed to indicate a happy end to the story.


Once he was done Neela remained silent, shuffling her feet awkwardly before she started talking again, "Well, with that much detail I guess its only fair that I share a bit about myself eh?" She said, her smile only slightly strained. She had noticed Ansui's curious look and had decided to indulge the friendly dog.


Basides, talking about it might help, right?


Taking a deep breath Neela began, "I was born in a small town down south, near what used to be called Mexico. It was a nice place I suppose, a small fishing community, but I hated it growing up," Neela paused briefly to sigh, "My mother was… not a nice person. She was a murder; lured males in and killed them, at least she did until one of them got her pregnant. She never wanted me, and she made that pretty clear." Neela trailed off, one hand leaving her guitar to touch the small scar decorating the side of her face, though she didn't elaborate further.


"Things got better just before my first birthday, around my first shift. I'd made friends with one of the local boys, Julian, who turned out to be the son of one of the guards; Huge man with a huge club, but a really nice guy. Somehow one or both of em found out how I was being treated and decided to do something about it, Neela smiled here, happy to be heading into brighter territory. "I can't remember exactly what happened, I was in a bad way at the time, but at the end of it I was told my mother had been driven out of the town and I had a new home, and after that well…"


Neela paused for a few seconds, trying to figure out how to summarise three years of life before shrugging, "Life happened. I grew up, learned to sail and build while Julian became a guard like his father. Eventually we became mates and had a son, Leon." Neela was smiling brightly here, though it soon died down as she considered the next part of the story.


"But then, something happened. If you don’t mind I’d rather not talk about it but by the end of it Julian was dead and my own son hated me enough to try and kill me," once more Neela's fingers reached towards her scar, this time parting her thick chest hair to make visible the jagged scar that ran down from just below her left shoulder to underneath her right breast. Touching her scars when talking about them was something of a nervous habit Neela had developed. I was devastated, too upset to think straight. Rather than stay in the town, with my friends, I fled, sailing aimlessly north.


"Looking back I think I was trying to kill myself, but was too cowardly to make a decent attempt at it."Neela didn't bother pointing out the scars on her wrists; the way she held her hands made them obvious. "So I decided to let the sea do the job for me, and well, you know the rest. I made my way north and found Ichika."


"There ya go, my life in a nutshell." Neela spat before pausing a second, the venom in her own voice surprising her. Anger at herself and sadness were emotions that she was used to, but she had never felt bitter like this before, though this was also the first time she had actually sat down and talked about her life. Perhaps it would help, perhaps it wouldn’t. For now she just leaned back, arms stretched out behind her and muzzle turned towards the sky, watching the clouds as the waited for Ansui's response.


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#10
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The man said nothing as the woman next to him began to indulge her own life story - he hadn't expected that, but welcomed it nonetheless; he listened closely as she told her story. She seemed to have come from somewhere hot he had heard about the place once called Mexico, with its burning deserts and hot climates. The shaggy, heavy-coated mountain dog could never live in such a climate; he was content in Canada, where the snow fell and the winds were cool.

He listened on and his heart grew heavy as she revealed more about her mother - about her life. He hoped that things would get better, and it seemed that it did for a while while the girl told about her mate, her son. He felt happiness for the girl - but it did not last, for her story was not yet over. He lowered his ears and eyes sympathetically for her as she told of the tragedy - she would not tell what it was and he understood. He did not show curiousity and instead respected her decision to shield such things from her life. But he did feel sadness for her, and as she drew her tale to a close, he looked at her. The last lines she spoke seemed to bring bitterness and venom with her.

She was looking to the sky, seeming to be lost in her own thoughts. He looked at her for a few moments before speaking "I am sorry for your losses," he rumbled, a deep baritone washing over the scene. His voice was calm and relaxing to most he met - he only hoped that it would have the same effect on her. "Sometimes it is better - to not forget the past, but release it while starting anew. Ichika is a beautiful place of peace and prosperity. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do, and begin to see the ones who live here - as family," he said, speaking the last two words carefully.

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#11
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Shall we wrap this up? You can either end this with this as my last post or continue, up to you.p>

Word Count → 305


Neela kept her head facing skywards as Ansui began to talk, letting the dogs smooth baritone wash over her, both his voice and his words helping to calm the distressed collie from her bitterness, though there was little of that; thoughts of the past had been associated with guilt and sadness for far too long to generate much anger in the red-furred woman


Neela didn’t visibly react to Ansui's words, instead remaining still as she mulled over what the large dog had said. The last part of his sentence struck a chord with Neela; Family.


Neela had given up on the concept of family on the night when Julian had died, when Leon had tried to kill her, convinced that someone such as her self did not deserve the comfort of a family, those who loved and cared for you unconditionally. The Reiseki's words lit a small spark of hope within her, that maybe one days she would once again have those that she could call family.


Slowly Neela lowered her head and opened her eyes, a small, slightly melancholy, smile creeping onto her muzzle as she looked towards Ansui "Thank you, for listening and… well…" Neela gestured widely with her arms, unsure of how to end her sentence and lapsed off into silence, unsure of what further words there were left to say, saying anything further seemed oddly redundant to her.


Slowly Neela reached down for her guitar, which had been abandoned in her lap as she had began relaying her story to Ansui, and began to play the instrument once more, letting the calming sound swim in her ears once more, further reducing the stress brought on by the conversation, humming a tune as she sat back and closed her eyes, letting the peace of the garden once more flow through her mind.


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