A Winter's Day

[Kalga]

Takes place 20 years before the standard canon starts, which I believe is RY 748? I wrote this awhile back, fleshing out a background character.

It was the middle of the cold season. Ascending Water the thirteenth. And it felt like it. In a short while the sun would set and Tepet Shiraji's daughter would be twenty years old. Nearly twenty one years ago, Tepet Shiraji had gotten pregnant. It was right after her marriage to Ledaal Keiji. And now, twenty years later, she was alone on her birthday. Not Xuyiko of course; Shiraji was. To her surprise and delight, she was spending her birthday with Scarlet Snow. Or, as Xuyiko insisted she be called, Cynis Neqel. Or, as she called her, Qelly. To herself, Shiraji thought it odd. Snow had not taken the name of the daughter of Cynis from who she descended.

Although she loved her daughter and was happy for her, Shiraji hated this particular month. It was just too cold. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but her fire aspected husband was away on deployment. She would invite her sister Ejava over for a nice warm cup of tea, but she too was away on deployment. Without her husband, Shiraji would have tried to get Snow to come over to cuddle with, but that would never work for obvious reasons. A shame, thought Shiraji, for she really wanted to get very much closer to Snow. Even just sitting next to her, she could feel her warmth. And she was quite beautiful. Truth be told, Shiraji felt jealous of her daughter. Not that she thought Xuyiko was doing anything to take advantage of her position. And lastly, her adopted daughter, also a fire aspect, was away socializing with Dynasts her own age, trying to meld into the culture.

So, with a sigh, she changed out of her pajamas into nice white fur-lined robes, a warm blue-gray hat, scarf, and gloves, and warm black boots. Pushing her long wavy white hair out of the way and pulling the hat's ear flaps down, she left the house. The air aspect wrinkled her nose at the sudden burst of cold as she opened the door. Shiraji took a step out into the frozen world. Snow cracked underfoot as she walked, and while it was only a light dusting falling from the sky, the gift of Mela kicked up snow around her. The powder underfoot made her think of Scarlet Snow. What she wouldn't give to be alone with her in a room, right now, in an embrace of passion.

Shiraji was shocked from her dreams of lust by something impacting against her foot. As she looked down at her now snow covered boot she noticed that the children's laughter in the background had stopped. To her left there were two boys; each of about seven years of age. They both stared at Shiraji with faces of terror. The one looking over his shoulder, with his back to her, had an arm raised and a snowball clutched in a small hand. Shiraji looked over the scene and, bending down, began to scoop up some snow.

After molding it in her hands, she threw it at the other boy, the one who had thrown the snowball that hit her. It hit him lightly on the shoulder. The second boy laughed at the first and got a second snowball right between his shoulder blades. The first fell down laughing.

A middle-aged woman who Shiraji (rightly) guessed as the boy's mother came out; having heard the commotion. Seeing the Dynast standing in front of her, she picked the two boys off the ground and yanked them to their feet. “I'm sorry if these two did anything to bother you at all, Lady...”

“Shiraji.” she finished. The woman bowed to the Princess of the Earth. Shiraji chuckled to herself. “And no, they weren't bothering me. I was just hit by a rogue snowball.” After seeing the look of fear in the woman's face, she quickly added “On the foot, by pure accident. So I did the only thing I could do. I threw one back at him!”

The woman looked between the two boys. “Is this true?” A shy not from one of the boys acknowledged it. She looked back up at Shiraji. “Did you get them good?” She nodded. The boy's mother laughed. “Good work, my lady. Do you have any of your own?”

“Two, actually. My first daughter, she's an air aspect, her birthday is today. The second one is a fire aspect outcaste I adopted just recently. She's a bit younger.” A dumbfounded look from both the boys and their mother and she quickly added “We Exalted really do age more gracefully. I look thirty, but I'm really closer to fifty.” She laughed, and the woman hazarded a laugh too. She waved at all of them. “Have a nice day, all of you. I must be off.” The woman bowed and returned the gesture. As she left, the snowfall began to pick up slightly and the temperature dropped. Shiraji wrapped the scarf tighter around her neck.

After what seemed like an hour of walking (conveniently compressed into five actual minutes of walking), Shiraji arrived at her destination, a salon she often frequented. It was mostly empty, but warm, and with a great atmosphere she just loved. The oldest member of the congregation, a fire aspect named Ragara Cainan, old even by Dragon blooded standards. He was sitting next to the fire stroking his coal-gray beard. He was a romantic, a poet, and an author by nature. Today he was putting the finishing touches on his newest romance novel.

Shiraji snuck up behind him, giggling, and hugged him around the shoulders. The old man feigned surprise, dropped his pen, and lurched forward. “Oh, hello there, lass. Isn't it little Xuyiko's birthday today?” She wormed her way around to his front; sitting on his left side so that he could continue writing.

“Mhm, you're warm.” she said to herself. “Xui's off with a girlfriend celebrating or something.” She looked down at the paper. “What are you writing?” she asked.

The fire aspect blew a puff of smoke in her face; drawing a single cough from her. “You know damn well what I'm writing, silly girl. I've only been working on it for two years.” He continued writing. “ And now... I'm done.” Cainan signed it with a flourish.

“Does it have any good sex scenes?” she asked. Cainen's response was a swift bop on the head. “Ow... Oh, you know those are the only scenes anyone reads anyway, don't you?”

“Your daughter seems to like my books. And not just the dirty parts.” He picked up his notebook. “Perhaps I shall let her be the first to read the manuscript. As a birthday gift.”

“Wait, what?” Shiraji pouted. “But I've always read them first! Ever since I was twenty myself!”

Cainan nodded. “And now maybe it's time for your daughter to take that place. I hear she's quite the bibliophile.” Of course, having known Xuyiko since her birth, he knew perfectly well how correct he was. Shiraji continued her pouting. She hopped off the aged fire aspect; half from indignation and half from overheating. Between Cainan, the fire, and her winter clothes, she was exceptionally warm. “Leaving so soon?” he asked, chucking in a way that only an old man could.

She flopped onto her usual couch; a mass of white among the deep reds and oak colours that decorated the rest of the salon. Her head hit something and she looked up. She had landed straight in the lap of Ledaal Rowena. “What are you doing on my couch?” Shiraji asked her old friend.

“Waiting for you, of course.” she calmly replied as she turned the page of her book. Or, rather, Cainen's. It was a work of his from about a decade ago. “For one of Mela's children, you're as easily predicted as one of Pasiap's.” She noted her page and set the book down. Looking down at the other air aspect's face, she brushed a lock of her out of the way of her brilliant blue eyes and said “There's is something troubling you, isn't there.” It was a question, but didn't sound like one; at least not one Rowena didn't already know the answer to. Yes.

“It's my daughter. I'm happy for her, she's finally gotten a girlfriend.” she started. Her voice trailed off, apparently content with what she had said.

“But?”

“Oh, fine. If you insist. “But I really want to sleep with her. A fire aspect named... Cynis Neqel. She goes by the name Scarlet Snow in her like of work.” she continued. Rowena arched an eyebrow; she was familiar with the name. She stroked Shiraji's hair, beckoning her to continue. “She's really hot, and almost as warm as Keiji.” She shuffled in Rowena's lap, her hair brushing against the skin exposed by the Ledaal's skirt, and sat up next to her. “What should I do?”

“Your daughter's lover?” Rowena asked herself. “Hesiesh tells us to let our passion free on that which would not burn by it.” she began in a voice that made it sound almost as if she was reciting scripture. Shiraji sighed, bracing herself for a religious lesson. “However, it seems that this woman has already pledged her heart to your daughter. I do not advise sleeping with her.”

A catlike grin crossed Shiraji's face. Rowena sighed; she knew that smirk. Shiraji was going to take the wrong moral from her stories. If only she could get her to agree to go to church with her one day... “So... What you're saying is... I have to steal Snow away from her?”

Rowena tugged on a lock, or several, of Shiraji's hair.; getting a yell from the other air aspect. “No, that is the exact opposite of what you should do. Allow her and your daughter to continue their romance. Perhaps it will die. Perhaps it will become open enough to allow you to claim what you so desire. And no, I don't mean you should conspire to break them up. This is Xuyiko's first real relationship, do not mess it up.” Shiraji felt as if she was being scolded at by her own mother. She let go of Shiraji's hair, wrapped it around her back, and placed her hand on her thigh. “Besides, I doubt your daughter has even kissed her yet.” The two smiled at each other. Shiraji remembered why she had been best friends with Rowena since they were both eight. Under her calm and religious exterior, she was still the same girl Shiraji played tag with as a kid. Their relationship had grown closer, much closer, since then; but she was still the same Rowena.

The large oak door to the salon opened as a figure waled in, a gust of cold hair and snow following. In the low light of the salon, Shiraji made out the face of Peleps Koji, Rowena's husband of six years. A water aspect and the exact opposite of his wife, Shiraji (more or less) liked Koji. Rowena took her arm from around Shiraji and walked over to Koji. She shut the door behind him and kissed him deeply. “Oh, hey. Shiraji. Good morning.” he said when the kiss broke. She frowned, for she had been hoping for a little fun with Rowena before she left. Seeing her kiss Koji only reminded her of her own husband's absence.

She stood up and got her coat and hat from where she had left it. Putting on and firmly securing both, she walked to the door as she fished the gloves out of her pocket. “Hello, Koji.” Shiraji said; putting on her best mock friendly voice. “Sorry I can't stay and chat. I have something to do now.” Koji, reminding Shiraji of Keiji in this regard, believed it without hesitating. She normally would have felt sorry for lying to him, but not today. “Bye.” she added in a sing-song voice as she headed out the door. Cainan stifled a laugh. She might have fooled the water aspect, but the air aspect couldn't possibly hope to deceive the elder fire aspect like that.

[BrilliantRain]

...Oh, now isn't this interesting........ There's enough story hooks here that this might be worth 10xp........

[Kalga]

Do I get that now or when the mission's over?

[Epiphany]

Repost or else.

[lumber_of_the_beast]

Repost or else.

Don't make me get the krazy glue.

[Kalga]

Repost or else.

Don't make me get the krazy glue.

For some reason, giving you a white adhesive substance seems like a bad idea.

[BrilliantRain]

Xuyiko's mother will be so proud of her when she gets back. And jealous of course.

Hmmmm.... I suppose having a threesome with your own mother is something that happens rather often in the Realm.

[Kalga]

Snow is way too possessive to let anyone touch her Xuyiko. Not even her own mother.

[Epiphany]

Snow is way too possessive to let anyone touch her Xuyiko. Not even her own mother.

True story.

Also, what a fun piece you wrote here. It feels a little disjointed but Shiraji's thought process is a bit disjointed so I think it works nicely to illustrate that. I found the snowball fight hilarious, just because you almost never see someone thinking lustful thoughts suddenly get pulled into something so childish. Also, kids should know better than to mess with an Air-Aspect in a snowball fight. Thrown's Aspect!

Awwwwkward conversation with the mother and boys. Good take on what it must be like for those poor Realm mortals. Shiraji is nicely graceful about it.

Cainan is great. I'm amused that Shiraji still acts like a teenager despite being 50ish. Very appropriate to be honest.

Rowena is also great for entirely different reasons. Bravo on having distinctive voices for each character in this story. Shiraji taking the wrong moral from the story is both perfectly in character and feels very natural. Well done.

So where's Shiraji going to now?