Tea House [Rave and Hahvy]

RE: Tea House

A Geisha is not free to love.
At least, that’s what had always been said. The life of forbidden artisans had turned Japan into a world of even more mystery and wonder than could have ever been foreseen. To be a part of such a world was to fall into a river of mist and magic. It was not easy to see a Geisha but now it was like a game to find one. Few were able to stop a man in his tracks, but when they could, they were real Geisha. That was something Nozomi had been taught by her big sister Sayori. It was part of the Geisha way of life. Sayori had been one of the most legendary Geisha before eventually marrying her danna and taking over her family’s Okiya. She was still Nozomi’s big sister and tended to her whenever she needed her. Today, however, Nozomi was visiting a tea house filled with soldiers to offer them comfort and the pleasure of her company since most of them probably would not survive the coming war. Geisha weren’t supposed to know these things, but they had eyes and ears in every tea house, in every house of entertainment. Nozomi was no different.

Stepping from the carriage, Nozomi kept her back straight and head held high to show her beauty and poise. She would never falter. She was living art like she had been crafted to become. She would not fail. As she walked up to the teahouse, she knew her danna was not in attendance tonight and would entertain as she was wont to do. He was off on a trip with his wife and daughters. Most men of tradition were in arranged marriages and did not love their wives and sought out the company of prostitutes and Geisha, but never did they confuse the two. She did not love her danna just as he did not love her. It was a business-related partnership in which they both could escape from the world for a little while and in which she could have more freedom. He did not try to control her just as she did not try to control him. If he sought her company, she would give it, but he never forced it upon her. He was a kind man, someone who helped provide for her, but that was all that could be between them.

As she stepped in and bowed to the hostess, she was led to a room with a few other Geisha who were serving the soldiers. It was not vanity that made her believe she was more beautiful than them all. It was mere fact. She did not let herself have doubts or worries about her beauty or attire. Instead, she cast a small smile at the soldiers and helped serve a young man tea. She sat beside a maiko and her older sister and acknowledged them both as she had grown up with the older sister through their training school. Nozomi had never taken on a younger sister and felt no need to do so just yet. She was still a blooming Geisha herself and was comfortable in her space and place in life. She made plenty of money, had beautiful silk kimonos, and apartment all to herself, an okiya she would eventually settle into as her permanent home, and a danna. What more could she ask for? Love, a little voice murmured in a whisper. Yet she ignored it, especially when her eyes fell on a handsome soldier and felt her heart stutter for a brief second in her chest. Her smile never faltered and neither did her hands as she poured sake for a young man who smiled at her with a blush. He asked her name.

“I am Nozomi. Are you all fresh soldiers? Will you protect me?” She asked, smiling at her small joke. Some of the soldiers laughed and nodded, reassuring her that of course they would protect her. Some were awed at her beauty but she didn’t allow herself to blush. She didn’t allow herself anything except for smiles and pleasantries. Inside, she was dying to be witty and free like a man. But it never showed on her face.

RE: Tea House

The contrast between the brash and loud soldiers, and the beautifully elegant geisha made the Tea House a rather loud and exciting place. There was no shame in laughin aloud, taking a Geisha on your lap and hollering with your soldiers, your war brothers. Yet for Sanada, the world had frozen and chilled. Time had stopped, no, slowed enough that he could not see or hear anyone around him. His eyes fixated, his skin flushed in goosebumps and his heart sank to his stomach. They were not being attacked, nor did any catastrophy happen. No, on the other hand, it was just when she walked in. His eyes caught sight of her and everything went into overdrive from then on out. Make up or no make up, she stood out like a diamond between polished rocks. The way she moved and the way their eyes hooked for a few brief seconds, he tumbeled down into the neverending hole of infatuation. She seemed to float across the floor, perhaps her skin was too divine to touch common ground, or perhaps she was an angel and this was all happening in his head. That was a thought that was quickly interrupted, as one of his friends suddenly snapped him out of his trance with a nudge to the shoulder.

"Sanada! We've been talking to you for a minute now man, pay attention!"

The soldier laughed it off and continued talking, yet Echizen just nodded and kept staring at the Geisha that caught his eye. He fought fiercly to rip his eyes away, not wanting to seem rather forward or abrupt, yet there he was unable to move his head. Luckily, he didn't have to suffer for long as she made her way to their table and began talking to the soldiers. Still in awe, Sanada could not yet speak. That was a blessing in disguise, because who knew what he would say if his voice was working. She told them her name, and smiled so beautifully. He was hooked, and she must have been abnormal. There was no way he could feel so strongly about someone so quickly, not without some sort of magic or alchemy. His body was shocked with electricity when all the infatuation subsided, jolting him into finally speaking and making his presence more prominent. She would be the first to be...taken away, if he'd let that happen. If he stayed quiet, another would take her, and that was not an option.

"I'll protect you."

He finally spoke, looking straight at her. His tone was not a joking one nor did he laugh it off afterwards like his friends, no. There was a soothing genuineness in his words, so much so that the table stopped laughing and went quiet at his words. A few guys smirked, and another whistled, yet his expression did not change. It was not a flirt, nor a joke, but rather an instant expression of the urges he felt so suddenly. He needed to know who she is, he needed to touch her, have her, own her.

RE: Tea House

"Oh? You would protect me? You must be strong and righteous," Nozomi murmured, staring with eyes that glittered in the lights. Some of the soldiers knew not to touch Geisha without their express permission as they were not common girls, but some of the men had to be scolded. They were artisans, entertainers - not whores. However, she knew that none of them would try to cross a line with her, but she did cast a glance at a young Maiko who was being bothered and the soldier pulled his hand away instantly from the girl's outstretched arm as she tried to pour tea without spilling it. She understood the need for drink and company, but the latter would not be given in the way that their purses wanted. She didn't have a problem saying so.

"You soldiers are brave for your services, but know that our services are of the arts, not of the flesh and I hope you are gentlemen enough to know the difference as we try to give you comfort in the ways we have been taught," She emphasized her point with a small smile and raised brows. One of the Geisha to her left gave a small gasp but Nozomi would not have it. They were not playthings and any man who forgot that would quickly be disgraced from all the teahouses in the district. She would personally see to it. Pouring another soldier some tea, who's hands shook while holding his cup, she cast him a small smile.

"I would love to hear of some of your stories. Men of experience such as yourselves usually have the best ones, even when you are so young."

RE: Tea House

Sanada sat quietly in a way that made him stand out in-between all the soldiers surrounding him. Setting aside the three words he'd spoken to her, he had said little else. His friends would yell and burst in laughter, from cheering each other and commenting on the Geishas. Yet here he was, still looking at her. His heart sank for a few moments as an ill feeling gripped his chest. He took a moment to diagnose himself as he was trained to do, yet this was no physical illness. He took his eyes away from her, and the feeling was gone, her put them back and the feeling returned. He did not know how to react to this, and eventually his thought process was broken when Nozomi begam to speak about Geisha ettiquette. His friends, all around him began nodding and laughing along with her little smile, assuring her with words such as "Don't worry about it." and "Just trust us.". Yet he knew what the guys were here for. To them, this was simply a classier place to get your needs fulfilled. A place where they have an ego-driven competition, who can woo the Geisha and take her to bed first. Yet it was not so for him, not when it came to her.

He noticed his friends all had their attention on the person next to them, or a geisha serving them tea. His eyes crawled back up to set their gaze back on Nozomi and his chest had to suffer through the feeling again. Yet he was a soldier, luckily for him composure was the main and upmost trait emphasized in the Japanese army, so he wouldn't seem a complete ditz. He raised his empty tea cup in the air lightly, making sure it was in her direction so she would approach him. He looked around one more time to look at what his friends were doing, all of them too caught up to even pay attention if he'd slapped them across the head right now. He turned his head back, and watched Nozomi as she made her movements.

"And what is your story?...what are these ways of giving comfort that you were taught, Geisha."

RE: Tea House

This one...this one gripped her like no other had in her life. This soldier...they had called him Sanada? She mused that name over in her head before she watched his motion for tea and heard his words. She moved over by his side, smiling at a soldier who moved out of the way for her. Settling next to him, she poured him tea before looking up at him from under her lashes.

"I am the younger sister of one of the most famed Geisha in the district, but my story is typical, at least the one I tell..." She gave him a smile, almost secretive before she adjusted her position and watched as one of the young Maikos rose with her two fans to start a dance. A hush fell over the soldiers as her big sister took up her instrument to strum out the beat for her. It was a shamisen, which had three strings on it. The tea house lights changed to accommodate the mood for the dance. She only slightly leaned towards the soldier to offer her words on their customs.

"We are taught to dance and play the shamisen. Some of us sing, some of us tell poetry, and some of us paint. We are entertainers and artists. Our bodies are a canvas while our art is the brush in which we paint our stories. And what of you, soldier? What is your story?"

RE: Tea House

He watched her come to him like an angel descending from the Heavens to land at his feet. He stopped a moment to go over how cliche the thought was, yet there was no other way explanation that came to mind. It might have been overused yet it was rarely true. In this case, it was more than that. Her beauty was beyond him, and beyond all others around her. Her voice alone was soft and genuine, yet mysterious all together. He pushed his chair back when she sat next to him, making sure it tilted towards her so she would be facing him rather than the side of the chair. He pulled next to her as close as their bodies would allow, tilting his body against her so that their whispers would not disrupt the dance that erupted in the Tea House.

He paused everything around him so he could listen to her, his mind blocking out all other sounds and thoughts so he could focus on her and her alone. He smiled lightly at what she asked him, but more-so at what she said. His head leaned to the side so his lips trailed up her cheek and against her ear, making sure his words are both hushed and enticing. "I see...but as famous as she is, your sister is not the one I'm interested in..." He paused for a moment, letting his words flow and his breath touch her skin, before leaning his head back just lightly to continue, his eyes locked onto her own.

"I...I have a duty to die in this war. If it is in service to my country than I have no regrets...no one to leave behind. They may all laugh...my brothers here...but they all have things to lose. I am yet to find something so...gorgeous, to hold on to.

"A soldier's duty isn't to die in battle but to fight for victory in war...It is honorable to die on the battlefield for your country, but duty is a different story..." She replied softly, her cheeks lightly pinked under her make up. He had leaned so close to speak, his lips whisper soft against her skin but she had held her composure steady even as his breath had touched her sensitive skin and ears. She had to fight not to reach up and touch the places he had with his mouth...to wipe the feeling away or trace it, she did not know. Her eyes took in his serious features, his kind but almost cold eyes. It was almost like he was searching for salvation in her gaze but she didn't have any of that. She had none for even herself. She was a Geisha. She didn't live for her own desires even with her independence. That was the only salvation she had and yet it still came at a price that someone else paid for. She wasn't truly free. Much like a soldier of war.

"Soldiers have special skills, yes? Much like artisans, they have their own specialties to help with war. What might yours be? I doubt you are but a humble soldier." She smiled at him gently, casting her eyes away with a soft blink of her lashes as she poured tea for him. He had barely drank his, but she needed the distraction and hoped the holding the tea pot would steady her mind even as it steadied her hands.

"Victory always comes at whatever cost the person trying to obtain it will charge, which could mean hundreds or thousands of lives all for the sake of winning," she replied, looking pensive as she spoke. This man was getting under her skin even more so than her danna did, and that was saying something. Her danna didn't demand monogamy from her, just as she knew better than to ask for such a thing from him, but they knew the consequences of not being safe and she had already had to go the doctor twice within the past year to take care of...something. She did not want to have to suffer another one of those "episodes" again. Yet her body craved what this other man could provide: a moment of escape from all responsibilities and lack of freedoms. However, could she really drop her guards and her way of life for a moment with this man who could so easily cast her aside as nothing more than a memory knowing that she would have to do the same? Was it worth it? Again, she fought with herself while nothing showed on her painted face. Looking at him now, she felt his sadness, his loneliness and the mirror that showed he was much like her: they had duties and responsibilities they did not want in order to survive.

"That is very impressive yet sad. I am kept safe here and know not the horrors of battle but I will offer prayers for you and your company." She said, ignoring the warmth in her stomach from his coyness. He was sly, this one, speaking signals that if she so chose to be with him later this night, he would not disappoint. But she couldn't...she knew in her heart that she couldn't entangle them both in a web of lies just for a night of pleasure. It was not the Geisha way.