"Not from Nakagawa?"
"Nope. Expecting something?"
"He has land documents I need a copy of," Daiichi said irritably. "He promised to have one of his men do it." He had been expecting a messenger with that for two days now.
| Author | Comment | ||
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Takayama Daiichi |
The Art of Communication (Goku) |
Lead | |
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Daiichi was sitting at a table, frowning over his paperwork, when the door opened to admit Kenji. He waved a piece of paper vaguely in Daiichi's direction.
"Message from Akaike, Dai. Think he wants you to come to tea."
"Not from Nakagawa?" "Nope. Expecting something?" "He has land documents I need a copy of," Daiichi said irritably. "He promised to have one of his men do it." He had been expecting a messenger with that for two days now. |
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Goku Iikou |
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Goku was hurrying along through the hallway, as much as he had been in the palace through one reason or another, he still found himeslf wandering down hallways
he had never known existed before, and wandered into gardens that he was sure had appeared there that morning. The whole place was like a maze and Goku just
couldn't find the right place to find Lord Such-and-such to deliver his what-cha-ma-call-it. "Its gotta be one of these places, right?" he said
helplessly to no-one. Already having tried several empty rooms already to no avail.
"I am CUTE!
You Hear me?! Cute! Cute I say! Mwhahaha! Bow down and obey me and my cuteness!!!!" - Goku Iikou - |
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Takayama Daiichi |
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Kenji had no sooner slipped off his shoes and come over to Daiichi's desk to drop the paper when the door opened again, this time rattling in the groove it
slid in and hitting the wall with a loud *bang*. Daiichi winced. The door was delicate. "Who is that?" he said.
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Goku Iikou |
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"I'm supposed to be looking for someone!" Goku announced loudly, "Some Taka----spleh-blah-ngh..." he struggled to read,
"...person..." He shoved the documents out in front of himself - mucky fingers having smudged the ink all over already - towards Daiichi and Kenji,
"For these?"
"I am CUTE!
You Hear me?! Cute! Cute I say! Mwhahaha! Bow down and obey me and my cuteness!!!!" - Goku Iikou - |
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Higashi Kenji |
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Kenji saw Dai look up in blank incomprehension, which slowly became overlaid with incredulity. "Takayama?" Kenji interjected quickly, before Dai
could start getting angry.
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Goku Iikou |
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Goku blinked between the two, before he puffed up his cheeks, a little annoyed. He had been running all over the palace to find this guy and the least he could
do was at least say thank you for his effort. He then inhaled loudly and stepped into the room and hopped up onto the step, still holding out the papers.
"These're for you, right?"
"I am CUTE!
You Hear me?! Cute! Cute I say! Mwhahaha! Bow down and obey me and my cuteness!!!!" - Goku Iikou - |
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Takayama Daiichi |
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Daiichi went from shocked to furious in a blink, with only a slight narrowing of his eyes to give any clue to onlookers. The boy was wearing the uniform of a
page. There was no possible way he could not know Daiichi was a Great Lord. How dare he offer this sort of insult. "Take off your shoes," he
said softly and intensly, laying his writing brush down on the desk with a small but deliberate click.
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Goku Iikou |
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"Hm?" Goku blinked, looking down at his feet and wiggling his toes in his shoes, frowning with confusion. Why? He was going to be running around some
more today - he didn't figure working as Ichigo's page was quite so much work - and there'd be no point taking his shoes off from one room to
another. He shook the papers held out in front of him again, "I'll be gone in a minute"
"I am CUTE!
You Hear me?! Cute! Cute I say! Mwhahaha! Bow down and obey me and my cuteness!!!!" - Goku Iikou - |
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Higashi Kenji |
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Kenji made an oh-great face as the page said this this, knowing what was likely to happen. Sure enough, Dai had gone blank-faced with anger. He leaned forward
slightly, making no move to take the papers. "I will give you one more chance to take off your shoes and request admission properly," he told the
page, his voice quiet, but the threat very clear.
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Goku Iikou |
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By this point Goku was finally annoyed, all he wanted was to hand these papers over and be done with it, and the kid who looked no older than Ichigo - maybe a
bit younger, Goku was never good with guessing ages - couldn't even be bothered to take the papers off him and let him be on his way. There was no point
removing his shoes *just* to take the papers. If he had done it when he had come in he could be long gone by now dealing with another silly matter that needed
to be done but Ichigo couldn't do it because it wasn't his place. Or whatever the deal with that was. Goku was beginning to think he had the raw end of
a very bad deal - that's for sure.
"Look!" he said firmly, shaking the papers, flapping them in front of himself, "I have lots of things still to do! I can't keep taking my shoes on and off just because someone wants to be stupid and annoying. So take your papers so I can go and do what I'm supposed to do!" "I am CUTE!
You Hear me?! Cute! Cute I say! Mwhahaha! Bow down and obey me and my cuteness!!!!" - Goku Iikou - |
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Higashi Kenji |
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Kenji winced at this, knowing what was coming. Dai, face pale with anger, gave him a tilt of his head that was a coded order, and Kenji sighed inwardly and
gave a nod in return. He had been standing beside the desk Dai was kneeling on a cushion behind, and in a couple of swift steps he had reached the boy and
grabbed his shoulder. His leg scythed round to the back of his knees and he forced him down to the floor, his other hand drawing his dagger and holding it at
the guy's throat. Not a pleasant thing to have to do - the guy looked two or three years younger than Kenji, maybe around 14 - but a necessary one. How was
he gonna learn he couldn't go around saying that to Great Lords?
"Do you really wish to be arrested?" Dai asked the boy casually. |
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Goku Iikou |
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The actions were so fast that Goku didn't even realise quite the predicament he was in until he felt an uncomfortable feeling of steel against his throat
and his chin aching from hitting the floor quite so hard. He made a small whimper in shock and surprise, turning a rather unhealthy pale shade. What had he
said to suddenly end up like this?! Was he going to get killed or something? He wasn't right? He hadn't done anything *wrong*. He was just delivering
papers like Ichigo said he needed to do. That was all! Why was he shoved to the ground with a dagger to his throat threatening to be arrested. "I-...I
didn't do anything!" Goku whimpered helplessly, looking between Daiichi and Kenji (as best he could) with nearing-teary eyes.
"I am CUTE!
You Hear me?! Cute! Cute I say! Mwhahaha! Bow down and obey me and my cuteness!!!!" - Goku Iikou - |
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Takayama Daiichi |
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"Silence," Daiichi said flatly. "I cannot believe a page in this palace would be so ignorant of simple manners." The boy gave up attempting
to look at Kenji - a difficult matter anyway, since Kenji was on one knee beside him, on hand pinning one of the boy's hands behind his back, and the other
keeping a light pressure on the blade at his neck. It wouldn't hurt the boy, but if it gave him a fright then so much the better. "You track the
pollution from outdoors into my rooms - a mistake any five year old would know not to make. You fail to announce yourself. You try to pass me papers like I am
some sort of messenger. And finally you insult me."
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Goku Iikou |
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The matter of 'pollution from indoors' was not something Goku was ever aware of. Back in his little shop it didn't matter what manner of things he
came trapsing in across the floor. At Fei's house she asked him to take off his shoes, but he guessed that was because the place was always so clean and
tidy. He didn't ever realise it was something that really *mattered*. As for failing to announce himself? He was only delivering papers, why would he need
to announce himself for that. As for insulting... well... Goku felt he sort of deserved it. Not that he would be saying any of those things while he had a
knife against his throat and the threat of arrest. He raised his shoulders slightly, shrinking a little uncomfortably and silently hoping he was in a bad dream
and would wake up at any moment not in a position like this. It was all one big mistake. He hoped.
"I am CUTE!
You Hear me?! Cute! Cute I say! Mwhahaha! Bow down and obey me and my cuteness!!!!" - Goku Iikou - |
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Takayama Daiichi |
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Daiichi was slightly mollified by the fact the boy was obeying his command to keep quiet. Slightly, but not much. He stood up, walked around his his desk, and
stood in front of it with his arms half-folded, looking down at the boy at his feet. He let the silence stretch out until he was certain the boy wasn't
going to say anything, and the last lingering thoughts that he might have had to have him arrested disappeared. It could just have been ignorance. "What
is your name?" he said coolly, giving Kenji no sign to let him up.
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Goku Iikou |
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He bit his lip hesitantly, unsure if it was supposed to be a trick to get him to speak and then tell him he wasn't suppoed to, or if the guy was actually
entirely sinere. "...Iikou Goku..." he mumbled almost inaudiably.
"I am CUTE!
You Hear me?! Cute! Cute I say! Mwhahaha! Bow down and obey me and my cuteness!!!!" - Goku Iikou - |
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Takayama Daiichi |
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"Iikou," Daiichi repeated. It was not a name he had heard, but then why should he bother learning servants' names? "And how long have you
been a page?"
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Goku Iikou |
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Goku wriggled a little, in an attempt to free an arm, but with no avail he weakly looked over his shoulder, closing one eye as he tried to spy his hands Kenji
had held behind his back, while he counted off his fingers. "Mnn... almost a week..."
"I am CUTE!
You Hear me?! Cute! Cute I say! Mwhahaha! Bow down and obey me and my cuteness!!!!" - Goku Iikou - |
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Takayama Daiichi |
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Daiichi looked down at him incredulously. The boy could barely count. "Do you know anything of what is due to the lords in this place?"
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Goku Iikou |
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"Uhh..." Goku looked aside sheepishly.
"I am CUTE!
You Hear me?! Cute! Cute I say! Mwhahaha! Bow down and obey me and my cuteness!!!!" - Goku Iikou - |
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Takayama Daiichi |
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"Here is what you are going to do, Iikou, if you do not wish to be in jail for the next week," Daiichi said coldly. "My retainer is going to let
you up. You are going to get on to your knees and apologise to me for what you have just done. And then we will try again."
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