Karin breathed in the forest air and seemed to brighten. Her hair blew back with a gust of wind and became shinier. Her eyes glimmered in the fading light. Where she stood plants bloomed. Kazune was intrigued by the effect the forest was having on her. He walked over to her as she grinned and began to skip over the rocks and small seedlings.
"This place is so full of life!" She exclaimed.
"Well certainly, the forest between the kingdom and the west country was over taken with military and death. This place, as far as I know, has been removed from wars for at least 100 years."
"Really?" Karin's eyes glowed.
"Yeah, that is why I wanted to move here. The armies can't bother me if I live on this side of the kingdom."
Karin twirled around, her dress billowing in the wind. "That is lovely. I had no idea a place like this existed."
"Really? Your father never spoke of it?"
"My father? Why would he have known about this place?
"This is the home of wood sprites. Well, their place of origin anyway. Many still live here and it is supposedly paradise for them." As Kazune spoke he realized that he had inadvertently chosen the perfect place for her without even knowing he'd meet her or travel with her. He was even happier that they'd met and become partners.
"I am very happy to be here then." Karin beamed "Kazune..." She began. "Since this is the place of half of my heritage, may I pick where we live? I feel like I'll know when I find the place that will be best for us."
Kazune thought for a moment and decided that there was no harm in it.
"Okay." He said as he shifted the books around again. "Just don't take us too far into the forest. I want to be able to travel to the wall with relative ease."
"Thank you!" she called as she ran ahead, stroking the trunks of trees she passed. They seemed to smile back although Kazune could not see it.
In the distance, Kazune thought he could hear water running in a stream. He wandered over towards the sound. He passed many ferns and shrubs as he walked. He also noticed an abundance of medicinal herbs and flowers that were frequently used in potions. As he neared the water he saw Karin excitedly bouncing over to him. She was gleeful and waving him over.
Kazune picked up his pace before entering a small clearing in the trees. There was a cliff side next to a stream. Over the rocks a small waterfall bubbled. The water was clear and small fish fought the currents as snails lazily clung to the rocks. There was lush grass underfoot and tall trees bearing fruits of all kinds. None of which, Kazune had ever tried. The forest was getting dark but here, there was a break in the mountains and trees allowing there to be light longer.
"Kazune, I want to live here." Karin pleaded. "Look at this scene, it's beautiful."
"We can try here. We'll sleep here tonight to see how the nights are, if it goes well, we can start building the house tomorrow. Just keep in mind it will have to be a little further from the stream than this clearing since there may be floods."
"That is alright with me. Let me just ask if it is okay."
Kazune looked puzzled. "Ask who?"
Karin was already walking back into the forest a little ways. He placed her hands on a large, very old tree and began to whisper. Leaves swirled around her and the wood creaked. The symphony of the trees grew louder as more of them joined in. Eventually the groaning stopped and Karin pulled away from the trees.
"They say that they would be happy to have us live here. They will provide us with enough dead branches for fire, shade, fruit and protection as long as we respect them. If we need to clear the area, the trees will allow it as long as we clear only the old and sick trees. They will work towards giving us what we need if we keep them safe from wood cutters." Karin seemed happy. Kazune was glad he had her here. He wouldn't have been able to ask the trees all that. He could have upset the balance here. And with wood sprites living here, he could have had major issues.
Kazune rolled out the mats and set up the camp for the night while Karin seemed to be overwhelmed by her new surroundings. He figured she would calm down once they'd been here for a while but right now she wasn't being very helpful. Kazune gathered up wood and old bark from the forest floor and brought it back to the camp. Karin was walking around in a precise manor, as if she were outlining something. Kazune thought nothing of it. He warmed his fingers, igniting a flame on his palms as he touched the wood. The flames jumped on to the dry wood almost instantly, warming the air around him. Kazune stood and looked over at Karin again. This time she was kneeling down, focusing on the ground. Curious, Kazune wandered over and looked down over her shoulder. There were little sprouts coming up from the ground in an outline of walls and a frame for the house she wanted. There looked to be the beginnings of a large living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom near the stream, some smaller edges that were probably closets and pantries. Everything is as they'd talked about but Kazune wondered what some of the plants that were shrouded by shadows created. He reached down and touched Karin's shoulder.
"You are excited about this place. You really want to live here?" Kazune smiled at the snow woman he loved.
Karin turned to look at him. Her eyes were glowing an iridescent green in the dark. Her hair took on an almost reddish tint. Kazune thought she was stunning in a new way. Kazune had seen Karin in her snow woman form but he wondered if he would get to see a new side of her.
He reached down and stroked her hair from the top of her head down to the small of her back as he crouched down.
"I really do love it here." She said to him. Karin leaned forward and kissed him lightly at first but she deepened it as Kazune pulled on her back. They stood and Kazune guided her to the camp. Kazune sat and Karin stood there looking at him. He was about to say something but she walked towards him, turned around and sat in the space his legs made when his feet were together. Kazune was pleased with this and embraced her small frame from behind, leaning backwards and startling her. Karin fell on top of him, facing the sky. Kazune started to laugh and squeeze tighter. Karin started to giggle as well and before long they were gasping for breath. Kazune had rolled onto his side while Karin was facing him.
He reached out and cupped her face, kissing away the tears she'd shed from laughter. She smiled a wide smile as her eyes sparkled by the fire's light.
"I love you very much" she said in a barely audible voice. She closed her eyes.
Kazune lied there with his eyes a little wider than usual and his mouth open ever so slightly. He pulled her head into his chest, holding her tightly and closing his eyes tightly.
"Me too... I love you very much as well."
Karin didn't stir. He wondered if she'd heard him. He let himself drift to sleep until the brightness of the sunlight woke him up. During the night Karin had hugged him. He glanced over to the place where she had started the house and was shocked by the sight.
He shook Karin awake. She roused groggily.
"Your house is nearly built!" Kazune said with enthusiasm.
Karin looked over at the housing plan she'd laid down. There were tall trees where the sprouts had been. Ivy and vines kept the trees close together and sealed the walls. The tops of the trees were covering the top like a roof.
Karin stood and walked to the structure after Kazune. Inside the walls were formed as well. There was at least one window in each room except the bathroom had a skylight. The ground was still dirt and the windows needed glass but the house was more or less finished.
"You really are something else to have built this so quickly." Kazune said with amazement.
Karin was silently happy with the complement.
"I'll have to tell the plants to stop growing but stay alive. I will also have to disconnect my emotions from the plants here or every time I get angry or sad they will die." Karin said as she touched the walls with her fingertips. "Kazune, do you think you can make our windows?"
Kazune had not thought about making them but thought it could be fun. He had played with sand when he was younger but was never able to burn hot enough to make glass.
"It will be a challenge but I will try." He said as he eyed the sand near the stream's shore.
"I will make a path to the house while you try to figure that out." Karin wandered over to the trees and began talking to them.
With Karin gone, Kazune went to gather sand. Before he got to the bank of the stream though, he realized that there was no work space for him. He glanced around and figured that there wasn't really any space nearby that he could use since the surrounding cleared land would most likely be used for gardens. Before glass making, Kazune decided that he was going to explore the rocky mountainside. Writing a note in the dirt, he set off on his stroll.
The air in the forest was cool and a little damp. He certainly couldn't build something here, nothing would catch fire. He kept his hand on the wall of the cliff as he walked deeper into the forest. While he walked Kazune began to think about other things weighing on his mind. He realized that he would not only need to have a work space that could withstand large amounts of heat but have good oxygen flow too. He was going to need it if he was going to make glass and do some form of blacksmithing... well the magic version of that which required much less strain on the body. Melting metals was essential to some of the projects he had in mind. Kazune looked ahead and saw that the facing on the cliff changed a few yards away. As he got closer, he realized he'd found a cave entrance. Grinning wide he thought he'd just found the jackpot.
He wandered in cautiously since there may have been wild animals already using it as a home but to Kazune's delight it looked unused. The mouth to the cave was wide and open but the inside went in fairly far back. He began to envision his work space here. His desk would go against the North wall, along with his library of magic texts. There would be a study area near the back and a small bed for nights he needed to stay. Towards the front and on the Southern wall, he could set up his work station. There would be enough airflow here. He'd have to do something to divide the cave up into these sections so smoke wouldn't drift into the library.
As Kazune wandered through the cave he planned for his ideal layout. The sun shone into the cave and Kazune noticed a glitter in the back of the cave near the top of the cave wall. He walked closer and saw that the glimmer was blue in tint. Kazune wanted to see it more clearly but there was nothing in the cave to stand on. He stood and thought for a bit before deciding he could try to use the air to hover long enough to see it. He pointed both of his fingers and drew in the cave air around his form. He lifted off the ground but holding himself steady was difficult as he rose higher. Kazune reached the ceiling and put a hand up to keep still. Squinting at the shiny object, he still couldn't see it well. Using his other hand, he pulled out a knife and started trying to dig out the little star like object. It was harder than he'd thought and was using both hands to pry it out. Kazune felt it give and it shot out from the wall. Unfortunately, Kazune's concentration broke and the wind spiral keeping him up dissipated. He fell with a thud on the cave floor. Lying there in a daze for a moment, he started to look around for the thing he dislodged. It had landed near the cave entrance. Kazune stood and walked over to it, picking it up between his fingers. His eyes soon went wide as he turned it over in his hand. He had found a sapphire. It was decently sized, cut and polished already. Someone must have lost it long ago and it became trapped in the stone over time. It was about the size of the inside of a sunflower seed and had a marquise cut. The deep blue matched his eye color to a tee.
"I could sell this for a lot of money." Kazune thought to himself. But then he thought otherwise. He could use it.
He placed it into a handkerchief and wrapped it up. Kazune would save it for the next time he went into town. He could take it to one of the jewelers there and ask about the stone, estimate how much it is worth and look into a more permanent setting. Until then, it would have to live in a box at the camp. Kazune decided he would head back to the camp and start bringing sand to the cave. He also figured he should write Michiru that they'd found where they wanted to live and that they were in need of supplies to build furniture. They would also need a few other things like a stove, bedding and facilities. For those, Kazune figured Michiru would just give the money for it. Giving them the necessities for living was part of their deal after all. Once they were started, Kazune and Karin's pay for being consultants would cover most other expenses.
He arrived at the camp to see that Karin had not gotten back yet, but there was a new path in the forest leading towards the wall. She had made a lot of progress. Some of the trees were gone, but their trunks were by the house for future use. Karin must have struck a deal with the trees and promised to use their fallen friends as furniture rather than just tossing the wood after it was cut.
Kazune could start making things even before Michiru would send supplies. He would need nails and a hammer though. A trip into town would be in order for tomorrow.
Rummaging around in his bag, Kazune found paper and a pencil. He wrote to Michiru and sealed the paper with melted wax. The stamp in the wax was Kazune's personal mark of the phoenix. He also put the sapphire into a box before heading down the path Karin was making.
He found that she was already close enough to the wall that it was within sight.
"Karin! I'm going to ask Saul's wife if she can put this letter in the mail, do you want to come along?" Kazune called out to her.
"I am alright. I'll finish this and then start making stuff for the house. I want the bed frame to be done tonight." Karin didn't look up from her work.
"Won't that take longer than a day?" Kazune laughed a bit.
"Not when you have nature's help and ice powers." She said matter-of-factly. "Say 'hi' for me though."
"Will do." Kazune sauntered past her, spanking her lightly as he went.
Karin let out a sharp squeal as her hands flew to her backside. She glared in Kazune's direction but he had already walked too far ahead to see the daggers she was sending him with her eyes.
Kazune chuckled to himself as he reached the gates. They swung open slowly and he could see Saul's house at the top of the small hill. As he neared the top, he saw Saul's wife in the field picking some sort of vegetable.
"Good afternoon!" Kazune called.
She looked up and around for a moment before she saw him coming up the road.
"Hello, Kazune. What a nice surprise." She dusted her hands off on her apron as she went to greet him.
"Have you and Karin found where you want to live?" she inquired.
"Yes, it is right by the stream and the first of the mountains." he said as he gestured in the direction of the house.
"Wonderful! I'll let Saul know when he gets home."
"I am sorry to ask this of you so quickly but, can you mail this out for us? I have a letter to the governor telling him where we live and that we are in need of supplies. I am not on the mail route yet." Kazune spoke softly to try not to sound too presumptuous.
"That is no bother at all." Saul's wife chimed as she took the letter to her mail box. "The mail carrier will pick it up in the morning."
"Thank you. May I ask one more thing of you?"
"Anything, dear."
"What time does Saul leave to town in the morning? I would like to go tomorrow to get a few tools and some other shopping done."
"Oh, I am sure he'd like that. He leaves around 6 in the morning. If I let him know you are coming, he can wait a few extra minutes. But keep in mind that he cannot leave any later than 7 or he won't have enough time to set up our shop by 9. If you make him wait till then, you'll have to help him set up." She winked and playfully jabbed at him with her elbow.
"Thank you for everything. I won't be late." Kazune bowed.
"Would you like to stay for some tea? Or perhaps you'd like to come for dinner again while you and your sambo wait for kitchen wear?"
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline. There is a lot of work we have to do. Tonight we will probably cook over a fire." Kazune felt bad for not taking the offer.
"Ohh, a BBQ, huh? What fun that is! Well I hope you have a good rest of the day. Come back anytime you need to mail something or hitch a ride." She laughed.
Kazune started back down the road again and soon arrived home.
He arrived home... The thought was weird to him.
The path made it easier to travel quickly. He saw Karin by the house and she was coated in wood shavings. The bed frame was built roughly and she was getting ready to do finer detail work to make it look nicer. Everything locked together with no use of nails or screws. The bed frame was very sturdy and the canopy pillars looked elegant and strong. She hadn't finished the headboard yet since that was easily the most ornate part of the bed. The filigree pattern resembled vines with morning glories.
"I'll be done with the most important stuff tonight." she said as she continued to carve away at the pieces of wood. "We can lay our sleeping mats out on the bed frame and be off the ground tonight." She looked very happy about that.
"You've made a lot of progress." Kazune said as he eyed her craftsmanship. "Do you want fish for dinner?"
"I will eat anything, I am so hungry!" she exclaimed. "I forgot to eat breakfast and I couldn't reach the fruit on the trees."
"Couldn't you have just told the tree to bend down for you or drop the fruit?" Kazune asked.
"The trees can't move like that! And they can't drop the fruit at will, it has to be ripe and fall off on its own, like loose teeth." Karin seemed a little flustered that Kazune didn't know how trees worked.
Kazune looked over at the trees before walking over to one that grew apples. He reached up with ease and pulled off a very red fruit on one of the lower branches. He tossed it to Karin as she silently thanked him with a look of joy. Kazune watched her intently as she took the first bite of the apple. Her lips ran over the smooth skin as she bit down, breaking the perfect smoothness of the apple. Her tongue pressed into the bite marks to catch any of the juice that might have escaped. Kazune crouched down next to her, leaned over and bit the apple as well. Karin looked defensive over her food and moved away from him a bit.
"You can get your own." She said a little harshly.
"Why would I do that when I can eat the one you've bitten?" Kazune wiped the juice off his chin.
"If the fruit can enjoy you having put your lips to it and eating it in a sinful manor, I too wish to take from the apple you have graced with your mouth." Kazune spoke poetically before lightly grasping the wrist of the hand Karin held the apple in. He moved it closer to his moth, taking a bite again but not chewing the piece up this time. Instead he held it between his teeth, offering it up for Karin to enjoy.
Karin tentatively leaned forward and placed her mouth around the sliver of apple. Kazune bit down, cutting it in two before taking his half into his mouth and pressing Karin's into her mouth with his lips. They pulled apart to finish chewing the fruit but Karin kissed Kazune again once they were done. It was sweet from the apple.
"I have to finish my work, Kazune. But after dinner, maybe we can play." She smiled at her own imagination of what she'd want to do."
"Maybe." Kazune said. "I still chose when you get fully pleasured."
Karin Looked at him briefly before fixing her gaze on the wood.
"Maybe I'll just take what I want from you." She said with a sinister undertone.
"Remember, I'll play along, but I like control as well."
