Post by Fulfillment on Dec 27, 2015 23:57:14 GMT -5
The days had passed in what she had come to term idyllic. It was not a phrase familiar to Kiriko's mind, but Fulfillment found it rather catchy. She had taken to writing out the new kanji on long rice paper scrolls, practicing the flick of the tail that flowed neatly into the third and final character. There was enough peace here to practice shodo to her hearts content, though the quality of silence was something she had to learn to appreciate. Such a noisy life had never occurred to her, the shriek of children walking to school, the puttering of cars in the streets and bicycle bells, even the creak of the apartment floor above her.
Her training served her well in this at least, for Fulfillment had found an old abandoned apartment space signed into ownership by some entrepreneurial aide in the Second some twenty years ago and then promptly forgotten in a spate of papers and dusty folders. It was clean, if a little run down, but Fulfillment had never liked modern appliances anyway and preferred to wash her dishes by hand.
She spent many hours curled up in the wide-backed chair by the window, staring down at the street full of slowly moving people. The stream of humanity was still too much to face head on, though she had taken to wandering in the early mornings and evenings and had learned the quiet pleasure that came with well-meaning neighbors and smiling at strangers.
A nearby park had seen most of her attention, the overgrown vegetation soothing the ragged edges of her soul when this little hideyhole felt too close too fast. Fulfillment was surprised that she didn't miss the Soul Society, or even her work, though she had learned quickly to keep to a schedule or else risk melancholic boredom.
Slowly, piece by piece, the clenched up parts of her soul loosened and fell into place with each new sunrise. Fulfillment was learning about the beauty of the world. But the deeper lesson came in silence. Her first childlike awe at a homemade meal. The sudden clutch of warmth when a baby smiled at her on the street. What it felt like to eat onigiri her next-door neighbor had cooked for her. The sight of the stars scattered across the treeline. Grass between her bare feet and the scent of freshly blooming flowers. She had never even let herself feel the wind before, and each new sensation was slowly breaking down years of heavy walls.
Fulfillment might have been a slow learner, but now she had all the time in the world. She felt it, intuitively, each time a piece settled into place and a new passion or little happiness awoke itself in her heart.
Life did not have to be big, or dramatic, to be lovely. A life without war was truly something to cherish.
WC: 479 | GP: 9 | Total GP: 9
Her training served her well in this at least, for Fulfillment had found an old abandoned apartment space signed into ownership by some entrepreneurial aide in the Second some twenty years ago and then promptly forgotten in a spate of papers and dusty folders. It was clean, if a little run down, but Fulfillment had never liked modern appliances anyway and preferred to wash her dishes by hand.
She spent many hours curled up in the wide-backed chair by the window, staring down at the street full of slowly moving people. The stream of humanity was still too much to face head on, though she had taken to wandering in the early mornings and evenings and had learned the quiet pleasure that came with well-meaning neighbors and smiling at strangers.
A nearby park had seen most of her attention, the overgrown vegetation soothing the ragged edges of her soul when this little hideyhole felt too close too fast. Fulfillment was surprised that she didn't miss the Soul Society, or even her work, though she had learned quickly to keep to a schedule or else risk melancholic boredom.
Slowly, piece by piece, the clenched up parts of her soul loosened and fell into place with each new sunrise. Fulfillment was learning about the beauty of the world. But the deeper lesson came in silence. Her first childlike awe at a homemade meal. The sudden clutch of warmth when a baby smiled at her on the street. What it felt like to eat onigiri her next-door neighbor had cooked for her. The sight of the stars scattered across the treeline. Grass between her bare feet and the scent of freshly blooming flowers. She had never even let herself feel the wind before, and each new sensation was slowly breaking down years of heavy walls.
Fulfillment might have been a slow learner, but now she had all the time in the world. She felt it, intuitively, each time a piece settled into place and a new passion or little happiness awoke itself in her heart.
Life did not have to be big, or dramatic, to be lovely. A life without war was truly something to cherish.
WC: 479 | GP: 9 | Total GP: 9
