15 years before Red set out on his adventure, the Pokemon World fought the bloodiest war in its history.
Powerful noble houses with warrior-trainers took their entire regions to war.
This is the Romance of the Six Regions. Join the fight; tell your story.
ic news
House Blackthorn has announced a tournament to celebrate its new Head of House.
Every noble house is expeceted to attend. Every aspiring trainer has a chance for fame and glory.
As the tournament draws closer, more and more people are traveling to Blackthorn City.
ooc news
Welcome to the grand opening of Romance of the Six Regions!
Our first-week giveaway is up and running for characters accepted in our first 7 days.
No need to rush your apps though, there will be a second week giveaway too!
Post by hitoshi blackthorn on Sept 22, 2013 5:19:18 GMT
hitoshi endures the burning pain silently as a drug is applied evenly against his back by a young nurse.
"please endure it for a little bit longer, young master"
blackthorn medicine is really something else, but what else could possibly be better for curing injuries? nothing, as far as hitoshi was concerned. that doesn't mean that he has to enjoy it, though. for now, he puts up a brave face for the nurse. he's kind of used to looking like a loser in front of the family, but hitoshi has been treated enough times in the infirmatry to know when inexperienced hands are going over his bloody back. she's new, isn't she? wow, he really has been away from home for a long time.
"ha..aaah...no, it's fine...keep going" he smiles wryly with one corner of his mouth -- a trademark that the girls from the other cities seemed to be fond of. "it's not so bad if you're the one doing it"
she flushes, but her hands move with greater friction this time. which is great for his skin, really, not so great for his pain receptors. hitoshi grits his teeth and waits for relief to come. his face probably doesn't look so hot right now. maybe he should close the door after she finishes.
Post by renka blackthorn on Sept 22, 2013 6:30:14 GMT
she doesn't like the blackthorns; the house is overflowing with schemers and puppetmasters, lies and petty politics -- and well, if there's one thing they're right about, it's that she doesn't belong. (she is the hare amongst snakes and foxes, as it were.)
unlike the rest of her 'family,' renka is not one to get her hands dirty working in the rumor mill.
it's with some deliberation that she decides to visit him -- she knows what he's been through (what he continues to go through), and half of her says he wants to see her as much as he wants to step in a pile of druddigon dung. the other half, however, tells her that she owes him at least this much. thus, she's currently walking down the hall with a bouquet of (slightly stunted) flowers en route to his room.
her eyebrow raises slightly when she hears his voice, and renka appears in his doorway with an amused grin. "should i return later?" she asks.
Post by hitoshi blackthorn on Sept 22, 2013 7:36:40 GMT
hitoshi always knew that he was different from the other blackthorns. it's only the first thing that anybody in the family comments on, trying to make it sound like a bad thing. at first they didn't. he commanded a serene respect in the dragons with effort and time, and it was a talent that seemed to come to him naturally. they bit and scratched less often, and it seemed as if hitoshi would get more bruises from his father than the beasts of the dragon's den.
the politicians always manage to find a way to spin something like that into a bad thing. hitoshi's always welcomed that sort of rumor. especially if it meant that he could dodge the war drafts for as long as he could. too weak for blood and iron, but not too weak for the claws of his father's garchomp.
he's been in regional skirmishes before. hitoshi can say that these new wounds hurt more than any burn wound on his leg.
hitoshi makes sure to wipe his face of sweat with his forearm before looking up at the voice from the doorway. he's seen so many new faces during his travels, but he's sure that he's never going to forget this one. not just because of her lineage. really, what the family should be gossiping about are her pretty eyes, or her impeccable poise.
"only if you want to" he waggles his eyebrows, and the nurse pauses in administering the drug, eyes full of suspicion. "you're a sight for sore eyes, though"
Post by renka blackthorn on Sept 22, 2013 19:19:22 GMT
renka laughs, rolling her eyes. "i'll stay, i guess." she sounds reluctant, but her smile gives her away. the woman winks at him as she passes, moving to place the flowers on the table beside him. "why, thank you," she says, acknowledging his compliment with a gracious nod.
the woman walks to the side of the room, taking a seat on a chair as she sees the nurse eye her. renka waves a hand dismissively through the air. "i won't bother you two," she adds with a small laugh. "i'm fine with waiting."
it's painful to see him like this, with injuries marring his back (and the knowledge of where, exactly, those injuries had come from). renka continues to smile, however, and refuses to pity him.
she is not there to comfort him; and, honestly, she doesn't believe he wants her to.
renka leans back in her chair. she briefly wonders what the nurse thinks of her -- a woman so obviously foreign, with blue eyes and light hair, walking through the halls of blackthorn. (but then she remembers that she should no longer care.) the woman falls silent, simply watching the two before her.
Post by hitoshi blackthorn on Sept 23, 2013 7:49:18 GMT
he senses tension in the room, and hitoshi is quick to reconcile the atmosphere. he doesn't have nearly enough information about the nurse to settle things diplomatically, but he can always count on her resolve as a medical practitioner. he has faith that his family would never accept any other kind of nurse here.
"that solution dries out pretty quickly, doesn't it?" that's all it takes for the nurse to remeber her job again. she goes back to scrubbing his back, leaving the conversation free to the two of them.
hitoshi could never bring himself to send renka away. she's not something that he has to force himself to block out, filter like the digestive system of a sponge. hitoshi supposes that he is a bit of a spoiled brat, wanting to take in life without the rough grits that come with the current. he doesn't want to hear the jarring voices of the family, but he does want to hear the songs of the dragons. he wants to be able to pick the dried dates out of his rice balls.
hitoshi wants to heal without the stinging that penetrates his skin. in many ways, he is very much like a child. the only difference is, he's not expecting to get anything like leniency. it is only a gentle wish.
"it's good to see you again." he assures her before pausing with intention. "it's good to see the family again. i was almost afraid that i would come back to see that everyone became a clan of sheep herders. jun might become more of a bore than he already is" he winks. hitoshi had enough respect for his younger cousin, even if the elders had a hard time believing it.
Post by renka blackthorn on Sept 23, 2013 8:02:35 GMT
she raises a single appreciative eyebrow when hitoshi sends the nurse back to work. she's seen the blackthorn house members navigate those particular minefields enough to recognize it as yet another flaw in her character (and in her lineage). renka doesn't comment on it, however, and grins once more when her cousin resumes the conversation.
the woman doesn't show the slight skepticism she feels hearing his words. (good to see the family? their family on the whole is many things, but enjoyable company isn't one of them.)
renka laughs at his final comment. "yeah, he's definitely a buzzkill." she knows he's joking -- one of the many things she and her cousin have in common is their mutual respect for the young head -- but it doesn't make their statements any less true. "it's great to have you back." even if it means seeing him like this.
she returns his wink with a chuckle. "with you by my side, getting jun to wind down should be easier. maybe even ..." she pauses for emphasis. "... make him smile." the woman gasps quietly in mock shock, ignoring the strange look from the nurse. jun may be head of house blackthorn, but he's still their cousin.
