Description: Elena gives Hotaru a little advice and a little hope.
In all the countries that Elena has visited, there is one thing the world traveller never gets tired of.
The splendor of the Ocean is a wonder to behold, no matter how many times you see it. The Kenyan can remember the first time she saw it up close in Australia. While her native homeland does share a border with the ocean, she could never find time to take the long southward drive. She certainly remembered seeing much of it, flying across the Indian Ocean.. But it wasn't until she reached Sydney when she really took it in.
The smell of the salty, clean breeze. The soft sound of the waves at the shoreline. The glitter of the sun tracing over the facets of an endless jewel.
So unlike the quiet majesty of the Savanna of her home, but filled with a soothing serenity of its own. What is life, if not the ability to enjoy it at its most primal?
Elena strolls the boardwalk, her hands folded behind the small of her back as she walks the periphery of the shops and stores, but pays little attention to the tourist traps in the shadow of the Dream Amusement Park. No, her blue eyes are focused upon the waves alone as she wanders out along a long pier.
It is good to be back in Japan. She did miss this country. Not only for Narumi, but for its uniqueness.
Although, the Kenyan's serenity is disrupted by a nearby cry. The tall woman pauses in mid-step, glancing over to see a seagull waddling around on the edge of the pier. Her wing clearly broken and dangling at her side, doubtlessly a victim of flying carelessly amongst the fishing and power lines haphazardly dangling about the pier roofs.
Clicking her tounge, Elena begins to move in the bird's direction, whispering more soothing words as a look of concern crosses her face. Poor thing..
Hotaru likes visiting the sea when possible, though for different reasons. For her it is a chance to gaze into the distance where China lays and reminisce her childhood years over there. Life was different there. Many of the negative things in her life came about not long after her family moved back to Japan, where she was born. Her mothers illness, her family falling apart, all has its roots here. China's memories are only of happier times though.
It is easy to get lost in such thoughts while reseting against a railing, looking out over the ocean, the wind playing with her pony tails. Itokatsu is occupying himself by climbing around the rail, sometimes dangling from it in vain attempts to cheer the girl up from one of her periodic melancholy moods. She tries to keep them hidden - especially around others. Which is why she can be so elusive at times, not wanting pity for what she has to deal with.
It is as Elena speaks up that Hotaru notices her moving about below. From Hotaru's perspective it is hard to notice the seagull, but once the foreign Princess gets close, it becomes easier to see. "Itokatsu," she comments, getting the attention of the ferret that was hopelessly trying to figure out how to juggle cracker fragments to cheer the girl up. He follows her gaze and chitters, climbing into his beloved coat pocket as Hotaru hops over the railing down to the pier below. She doesn't say anything at first, merely approaching Elena - not wanting to distract the Kenyan from whatever it is she is doing.
The Tribeswoman approaches the fallen bird carefully, slowly lowering herself to one knee as she holds her hands out to the sea avian gingerly. Her eyes wearing that trademarked smile, its hard to imagine she can see much with those eyes mostly closed like that all the time! Her lips crooning what must be her native tongue, repating a phrase over and over.
The birds of the boardwalk arn't precisely wild animals. Humans are a vastly familiar sight, always feeding the flying things even when signs and words continually tell them not to. However, while they won't retreat far from a human, they certainly would never approach one. Backing away as quickly as possible, waiting for the inevitable corn chip or discarded sandwich bread to be thrown in their direction.
Watching a wounded seagull waddle to the tall woman and hop into her waiting hands is certainly not a reaction one would expect. Not by a long, looong shot.
Elena slowly then rises to her feet, continuing to croon to the bird as she carefully tucks her into her arms. A hand gently moving to the slung wing, continuing to whisper as she gingerly tucks the injured limb back against the animal's frame.
Even the other seabirds begin to crowd around, a few landing on nearby rooftops or on the edges of the wooden railings. Cackling or crowing in their own unknowable avian language.
"The real question you should be asking yourself is.." The kenyan suddenly speaks up, only half-turned to the approaching girl without ever looking in her direction, "... What is your excuse for not flying?" A whimsical query, voice never holding anything beyond that soothing cadence.
Witnessing the scene leaves Hotaru slightly wide eyed in awe as the other birds move closer to Elena as well. It's often been said that Hotaru has a way with animals. They would approach her but not others, they would sometimes even do little things for her, seemingly driven to be her friend. But to Hotaru, it was just something innate, as natural as breathing. She didn't think she had any special ties to animals, just that others never exercised the ties they had to begin with. But what she sees with Elena is something beyond that, the Kenyan seems directly tied to the creatures, more like a shrine priestess may be with benign spirits.
She blinks at the question Elena asks, thinking the answer should be obvious enough, "I think it's wing is hurt too bad to fly," she answers without giving the question the further thought that it probably merits. But she's also not entirely sure Elena knew she was there to begin with.
Elena issues a singular, pleased laugh at the reply! Her smile adopting its usual brightness as she turns to face Hotaru fully now. Her thumb casually stroking the wounded bird's cheek as she adds, "They like you too, Hotaru. They would not have approached if they did not know you were a kind person."
The sea breeze tousles the Kenyan's bangs a moment as she adds, "We seem to keep meeting eachother! It must be destiny, my friend. Every time I see you, you seem more sad than the first." Tilting her head to the side a bit, fingertips moving along the off-white feathers of the seagull's back, "A girl with as many good friends as you should not feel so lost, yes?"
Weither or not Elena knew the young martial artist was there, or is merely unsurprised at Hotaru actually being there when she spoke, will simply have to be a mystery for the ages.
Her own smile is far more subtle than Elena's, but still faintly visible as the tall woman looks at her finally. She glances at the birds thoughtfully, then looks back toward Elena. Maybe, but /you/ can talk to them, she thinks to herself, believing there to be magic in the strange dialect Elena uses with the animals. At her observations though, Hotaru looks a little surprised, "I do?" She hadn't thought herself any more sad than any other time, but the memories she had been reflecting on were still fresh on her mind. Itokatsu hops out of his pocket, now that the rail-leaping and pier-walking are done with. She isn't sure what to say to having so many good friends. Many aquaintances... friends in the past... but that was so long ago, and even now that she is back home in Southtown, she has been slow in seeking out those she knew before. Now all she has is some psychotic kick boxer she keeps getting pitted against, a strange foreign cheerful woman who may be moving along on her world tour any day now for all Hotaru knows, and an odd homeless boy that lives in the park. Weird company indeed, though she does find being around each of them helps in different ways. Yes, even Joe manages to provide a chance to test not just her patience but talents too - as well as show her the dark side of pride and ego.
"Ah, it's nothing," she says, eyes shifting from Elena's bright expression to the bird in her hands, "I was just thinking about things, is all." She forces a slight increase in her smile, hoping to put the intuitive Elena off the trail.
The Kenyan nods once to affirm her statement as Hotaru questions it. Certainly, the first time she met the girl she was mostly bored. None of the local men were giving her what she was looking for. The next time she seemed a bit dejected. Likely borne of having her employer yelling at her for making a mess of things, so that has an excellent excuse!
But this time? With only herself as her own judge? What would be her excuse now?
"'Things' are important to think about, yes." Elena offers in amused reply, tittering under her breath as she again runs her fingers through the avian's somewhat dirty feathers, "'Things' rarely deserve such melancholy." The African is certainly far more intelligent than her cheerful demeanor would imply. Her deduction is excellent, and her judge of character is pretty good as well. The girl is suffering, that much the dark princess knows. She can fool many people, but its obvious to those who look. Of course, so many people in this busy town are only looking forward to the next fight. So few see what's really important.
Or they're desperate to forget what is important.
"Why did your family move to America?" Elena calmly segues into another topic, allowing the girl refuge from questions she must fear being asked. "I had meant to ask you earlier.."
How does she see so well through those smiling eyes of hers, Hotaru finds herself wondering. As Elena talks about 'things', the girl's smile becomes a little sheepish for a moment, then fades all together. Keeping up a charade with Elena is just not very effective it would seem. And when the Kenyan presents another question, she segues right into the very topic Hotaru had been dancing around the whole time. The fact that the girl doesn't answer quickly suggests that the question is a loaded one for her, even if it isn't intentionally so.
"My family didn't move to America, just me." she answers abruptly at first and pauses for a long moment, eyes searching Elena's face as if trying to measure whether she should hear the rest of the answer or not. In the end though, she continues. She hasn't talked to anyone about her situation in a long, long time, and she can't help but provide some of the story now, "I have had no family for a little over three years now. It started with my mother's death... then my older brother left the home to find his own way... within a week, my father walked out as well. I think he went to go find my brother himself." Itokatsu, all too familiar with the story, begins leaning against Hotaru's leg. Bending down to scoop him up, she craddles the ferret who seems content to be cuddled now.
"I have been looking for my big brother ever since... A year ago, I felt like I wasn't getting any closer. Nothing was going right. Things were complicated... there was this crazy girl... and this boy... and, and." She shakes her head, looking to Elena to see what her expression is like so far. "Anyway, I set off to explore the world. I told myself it was searching for Gato, my brother. But in the end, I stayed in America. It wasn't bad there and I had sort of lost my way."
For the first time since the little girl met her, Elena's eyes stop smiling. Openning slowly as the girl begins to reveal more and more details of her past. The smile of her lips never fades, but it is clear she's being much more attentive now.
Ironically, for as deductive as Elena tries to be, she stumbles upon the painful truth she was looking for by accident.
The princess continues to listen now, her expression becoming progressively sympathetic but makes no immediate comments. Simply allowing the girl to speak about these great things that trouble her so. Things certainly begin to fall into place now.. her searching eyes and lost demeanor.
"Your family is always with you." Elena gently corrects, "No matter where you go."
She then takes a step closer, and considering her longer strides that puts her close indeed. Her free hand reaches forth to gently touch the girl's brow. Fingers warm even while kissed by the ocean's wind, "Do not carry your brother's burden as well as your own. He would not want you to suffer so."
The princess then leans down to reach eye level with the girl, her eyes smiling once more, "You do not travel to be lost. You travel to be found. You should believe in yourself, just as your family does."
As Elena's fingers touch her brow, Hotaru's eyes close in thought, shifting only just enough to adjust how her ferret is being held. "What you say makes sense," she says after opening her eyes again to look into Elena's, "But... I do not know what my family believes about me anymore. They feel so very far away from here, from me. That is why I got far away too... but it wasn't any better. And now I am here again. If I can find my brother and convince him to come home, then my father won't have to be looking for him anymore and can come home too. Then everything will be like it was before," she speaks a little quicker now, whispering forth the wishes that drive her so. "I found him once... My brother that is. But he acted like we were strangers, not family... Martial arts competition has been very important in my family for generations, sometimes I wonder if..." She frowns. She hasn't really told anyone the reason she came back to pursue her fighting career. "...I wonder if I let them down. Maybe if I can prove that I can uphold my family's honor like my brother can, he will talk to me next time I find him." she finishes, her voice a murmur, her eyes now on Itokatsu. The ferret looks up at her, a worried-ferret glint in his eyes, but makes no other sound. Hotaru needs human-talk right now, not ferret-talk.
The tall woman offers a soft, comforting sound as her fingers gently run down along the girl's cheek. She listens to the rush of thoughts, desperate notions pouring from the girl now. Venting the very demons that drive her to do what she does, to push her to a life of fighting and searching.
If Elena has answers for the little one, she does not give them. Many things she could say, many alternatives she could offer her. Highlighting where she may be mistaken, and gently offering what she missed.
But those are useless. Life is not a lecture, it is a path. And it must be walked.
Elena simply brightens her smile once again, turning away from the girl just a bit as she carefully settles her hands beneath the Seagull she still carries, "You have a hard path in front of you, Hotaru. If you ever question what turn you should take.. always remember.."
The Princess gently lifts her hands to the air and releases. The seagull flies away with several strong strokes of her wings, twirling Hotaru's bangs yet more.
"If you listen quietly and carefully for long enough.. You can hear your Mother speaking to you. She will know what you must do."
Her path has been hard so far, and she felt it would never get eaiser until she had reached her goal. A goal. Something. She still needed to figure it out. Was it to bring together a fractured family? She lied to herself at times, believing things would be like they would be, not yet digested the reality that that never happens. Not in anyone's life. 'Things' never get back to what they were, because life is always moving forward. She needed to think about that more.
Watching the bird fly free from Elena's hands elicits a gasp of surprise from Hotaru, her eyes widening, her heart pounding a little. How did... how could... what happened? Her surprise gives way to her often present faint smile as she looks at Elena appreciatively for the councel. There was a shrine she frequented before she left - she would oft go there to pray. But since coming back, she hasn't been there. Elena's advice reminds her of it. "Thank you..." She replies thoughtfully. The bird is watched, the marvel that it is. "How did..." she starts to ask, her voice fading. It's obvious what she's asking about.
Elena simply laughs! A merry sound that isn't about reveling in her own seeming miracles, a laugh that appreciates life. Her hands clasp together as she also watches the seagull fly higher and higher to join a passing flock.
"She decided that her pain would not keep her from her friends anymore." Elena states with sincere approval at the choice. Weither or not the Kenyan had anything to do with it.. well, that's beside the point, isn't it?
Elena then regards the wonderful girl at her side, favoring her with another one of her whimsically amused grins before simply moving on. No more need be said or asked, as Elena can already tell the girl has made her choice as well.
"See you again, Hotaru!" Waving a hand over her shoulder as she meanders back down the pier, towards Southtown proper-Savoring the sea breeze for just a few moments longer before finding a friend to share dinner with.
Watching a miracle like that can inspire hope in even the most hopeless of cases. Her awe struck expression fades after a while as she just accepts it for what it looked like to her. A miracle, wrought by whatever faith it is that carries Elena so merrily through her life. "Yes, yes you will, I hope," she replies to the Kenyan's fairwell. She wonders what her mother would have made of Elena. She's sure that she would have definitely approved of any friendship with her.
The girl waits on the pier for a moment, looking off toward China, her thoughts from earlier returning, though colored differently now, her perspective shifted ever so slightly. "Let's go, Itokatsu," she comments, shifting her arms to allow the ferret to run down into his travel-pocket. Hotaru looks off in the direction Elena left, eyes narrowed a bit in focused consideration, then turns north, in the direction of the shrine she feels driven to visit now.
Log created on 02:53:03 04/02/2007 by Hotaru, and last modified on 03:50:20 04/02/2007.