No Running {Aiko}

[Aiko]

Obediently, Koga imagined himself giving Merodi her gift back. The part about him singing was still a fuzzy concept in his mind, but he could just see the glow of excitement and gratitude on the deer demon’s face. He could also imagine how else she would look at him. She would see him as a hero. Well, the wolf demon hoped that she already saw him like that. He was a great fighter whose prowess kept the other demons who would invade his lands at bay. Still, a glow of excitement was kindled in his eyes. With a blink, he brought himself back to the present, where Soothsayer was stepping closer to him.

Subconsciously, Koga stiffened at the deer god’s approach, pulling himself as tall as he could, and he had to remind himself to not act threatened by Soothsayer’s presence. He listened carefully, intensely thoughtful, to the words the other male was saying, listened to him as he turned and hummed some melodious tune to himself. As soon as Soothsayer’s gaze was turned away, the wolf demon visibly relaxed. He mulled over the proposition, folding his brawny arms over his armored chest and dipping his chin down as he thought.

He was still leery of this whole singing idea. Beating up a bigger demon? That would have been no problem. Racing across the plains? He wouldn’t break a sweat. Singing some pretty little song? That’s where things got iffy. Koga didn’t sing. He just didn’t. He didn’t know how to, and he didn’t have any real desire to learn. While he didn’t begrudge those who were talented (well, obviously he didn’t), he did not envy them, either. Besides, it was something he just couldn’t do. It was a physical impossibility. And what was with Soothsayer looking all cheerful about it? Was the deer god plotting some sort of a joke? Koga couldn’t help but be suspicious. Soothsayer probably wanted the wolf demon to play the fool. Undoubtedly, the deer would enjoy it.

Still, that tantalizing vision of Merodi’s gratitude remained.

Groaning to himself, Koga lifted his gaze.[brown] “Alright,”[/brown] he said, wondering if he was making a mistake. He could have been making a fool out of himself all along. It wasn’t too late to back out, except that if he did, he’d be ashamed for having admitted his weaknesses for nothing. [brown]It’s for Merodi,[/brown] he told himself with an internal grimace. [brown]“Show me how to do this… singing.”[/brown]

[Lord Sesshomaru]

"Excellent!!" Soothsayer declared with a clap of his hands. He grinned a wide wide grin, and once again turned away from Koga, walking aimlessly in the open area. "Of course, you might want to do this with you and Merodi alone, only she could find it so great. All those other smelly wolf males won't understand." he showed a face of disgust then grinned again. Another moment to insult Koga indirectly. Since he was, indeed, one of those smelly wolf males. He paused then, a sudden frown on his face.

"The problem...how to make you memorize the song," he mulled over this. "Something tells me your memorization skills are not...up to date--at least with songs!" he said quickly. He did not wish to further insult the wolf then he already had. The deer gave Koga a nervous smile before finding he was wasting time being wary of what he said to the wolf. He hummed again, tapping his fingers together when imagining himself playing the tune with Namanie. "Isn't this great, we get to work together to make my blessed Beloved happy!"

[Aiko]

Koga scowled. Was Soothsayer completely stupid, or was he really trying to provoke the wolf demon? If he wasn’t here for the sake of his mate, if he didn’t have to keep his temper because her talent was at stake, Koga would’ve attacked the deer demon for insulting his tribe. He said it as if smelly was a bad thing! There was absolutely nothing wrong with the way the wolf demons smelled. Their scent was of sweat and blood and wolf, the best smells in the world.

And then there was what the deer god said about Koga’s memorization skills… The wolf demon gritted his teeth, clenching his hands to steady himself. It felt good, pressing his sharp nails against his rough palm. It reassured him. He could feel his own strength in his tightening muscles, bulging on his arms. He knew he was better than Soothsayer at pretty much everything that mattered, right?

The scowl deepened.

Koga stared at Soothsayer for his last comment. The deer god definitely doubled as the fool god. The stupid prey-animal was humming merrily to himself, and the wolf demon could just imagine Soothsayer prancing and skipping around through the field like the silly, simple deer he knew he was. How degrading.

Trying to contain his still-burning anger, the wolf demon crossed his arms again. He’d be playing the fool a lot today, it looked like. He stood there, feeling rumpled and undignified and not really knowing how to react to Soothsayer’s… bubbliness. [brown]“Alright, okay,”[/brown] Koga muttered, though it really ticked him off the way the deer god called Merodi his beloved. [brown] “Just tell me how to sing and I’ll sing it.” [/brown] [brown]Get it over with![/brown] was what he really wanted to say.

[ooc: Bah… crap-post.]

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Soothsayer nodded, reaching for Namanie on his back. "Hold still." he said, bringing the large instrument in front of him. He closed her eyes, placing the flute to his lips as he played the song, the lyrics in his head. The deer played the flute, but the sound that came out didn't seem like the right instrument He was sure the instrument played would not be known to Koga. A simple piano melody. His fingers moved instinctively to a sound that wouldn't be possible for a flute. But that was the wonderful power of Namanie.

Through the song, Namanie began to glow, and Soothsayer kept his eyes closed the white lights emerged at the tips of his antlers before forming into a ball between them. It grew as the melody continued on, another sound came out of the flute, and he could play any instrument, all at the same time, with Namanie. The song began to secede as light moved from Soothsayer to Koga and took only a second to dissapear once touching the the wolf's forehead. The song itself nestled into the back of his mind, a place where it couldn't be forgotten and it made itself known, playing itself in his head and with lyrics intact.

The deer moved Namanie from his lips, opening his eyes and grinning as he placed the flute behind him once again, keeping the strap on his shoulder. "And now you know Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel). I'm sure she'll love it!"

[Aiko]

Apprehension wormed its way through Koga’s gut, sharpening to a pointed blade as Soothsayer withdrew his giant instrument. He swallowed, then bit the insides of his cheeks as a physical manifestation of how he bit back alarm.

Then the music began flowing from the instrument, and as much as Koga tried to remain alertly and healthily nervous, the melody whispered soothingly in his ears, and he felt his hard muscles beginning to slacken, losing their tension. His arms uncrossed, falling to his sides as the wolf demon unwittingly relaxed, lulled into calm by the gentleness of the song. The flute began to glow, a suspicious thing, but the wolf demon just narrowed his softening eyes against the gleam. He watched as an orb of light swirled into being between Soothsayer’s antlers, but as it began to move towards him, he jerked into alertness again. He watched it suspiciously, wanting to step back, but his feet were cemented into place, his pale eyes transfixed on the ball of light. He squeezed his eyes shut when the glowing orb was almost touching him. There was a brief feeling of oddness against his forehead (there was no other way to describe it, for it was the most curious sensation that he could not place), and then the song buried itself somewhere at the base of Koga’s skull, humming its soothing notes from the place it nested inside of him.

The wolf demon’s eyes flicked open about the same time that the deer god’s did. Koga stared at Soothsayer, unsure of what to make of what had transpired, but then the deer god spoke, and Koga shook his head. The song would not be dislodged, but the filmy cobwebs that clouded his mind were. A tentative, uncertain smile twitched at one corner of the wolf demon’s mouth. His countenance was dazed, and he had to blink a few times still.

[brown]“Okay,”[/brown] he said. [brown] “Yeah, I’m sure she will.” [/brown] He turned and began to pad away, instinctively heading for home. He’d taken several steps away, looking steadier than he felt, when he half-turned back to Soothsayer.

[brown]“Thank you,”[/brown] he said, and, state of confusion or not, he meant those words. Now Merodi could be happy again. As he turned back again and continued to walk away, that dazed smile returned to his face. He didn’t feel particularly angry at this moment, not any more. He was a little befuddled, but it was not an unpleasant feeling, all things considered. He’d work out what had happened later. He took off at a trot, humming to the tune that was stuck in his head, before he began to run full-tilt.

He couldn’t wait to be home.

[ooc: End after your post? Also, I’ll wait until the Insanity thread is over or almost over to start Koga’s back-at-home thread, I think.]

[Lord Sesshomaru]

((lol okay ^^))

Soothsayer continued to grin, waving his goodbye as Koga went on his way. He was humming the song as well, before turning to face his own path. He walked away, starting to sing the song. He could imagine Merodi's face, and the reaction she would have. And maybe, just maybe, Koga wasn't so bad after all. As long as he didn't ruin the song.

OOC: End and shortXD