[TREASURE IT WELL SEN..... She's probably the last person who will see it from him, wow.
But the shuffling sound of him pushing himself up and away from the ground follows that, and then a quiet:]
Please wait, then.
[AND OFF HE GOES. After so many years in the clan, he at least knows how to get into the kitchen as secretly as possible. Of course, entrances and exits can only take a person so far if the kitchen is occupied - which it thankfully isn't for now. No surprise, really; Kaoru imagines that most of the clan members are gathered around the room that Sen has been put in either out of curiosity or because they're assigned guards. The clan head is surely off somewhere else, too self-determindly important to waste time on this just yet. Where that is, Kaoru has no idea, but he certainly doesn't plan on finding out.
He moves light and quick like a thief, movements practiced through years of having to steal an extra handful of rice just to get by another day. A scoop of rice from the pot, one of the wrapped mackerel broiling over the fire, some vegetables... It's not much, but it'll have to do. It's wrapped up in some nondescript cloth, which Kaoru carries with him back to the outer wall. He'll tap on it again, a little more hurried this time.]
Princess Sen? The food will be outside your door below the second floorboard. Please move quickly when the time comes. [He doesn't really wait for her to reply before setting off again. He has to move carefully now.
Knowing the best hiding places in the house has been a necessity for quite some time but it's aiding him greatly, since he knows exactly which spot of the porch he needs to scoot under in order to reach that loose floorboard. It's somewhat slow-going since he has to be careful not to get dirt on his kimono, and he pauses in quiet trepidation every time the floor creaks over his head. He can hear the voices more clearly now, speaking in excited and concerned tones about their newest esteemed guest, how dangerous it is to be holding on to her, but how rewarding it may be if they can get away with it. He holds his breath, crouching down and hanging the cloth from the underside of that board by a loose strip. He hopes it's wrapped well enough to keep things from spilling when she moves it.
Then he's carefully moving himself out again, easing backwards from the porch, creeping his way around the perimeter of the in-court garden until he reaches his familiar room. He hoists himself back in, checks himself quickly for dirt, takes a deep breath, and:]
Hyaaaaaa—!!
[The din outside of Sen's room stops immediately, and she'll probably be able to hear muffled voices escalating to shouts - what the hell was that? or do you think he's seen an intruder? or it's way too soon!
Then comes what Kaoru had been banking on - the go look immediately! and the sound of many footsteps thundering away. If Sen peeks out, the few remaining men who have been left behind to guard her are staring down the hall toward the retreating backs of the rest. With luck, she'll have enough time to lift the board and grab the bag beneath it. KAORU'S SURE MAKING A LONG-LASTING RUCKUS, AT LEAST, with some very convincingly distressed-sounding shrieks. His acting career started early...]
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But the shuffling sound of him pushing himself up and away from the ground follows that, and then a quiet:]
Please wait, then.
[AND OFF HE GOES. After so many years in the clan, he at least knows how to get into the kitchen as secretly as possible. Of course, entrances and exits can only take a person so far if the kitchen is occupied - which it thankfully isn't for now. No surprise, really; Kaoru imagines that most of the clan members are gathered around the room that Sen has been put in either out of curiosity or because they're assigned guards. The clan head is surely off somewhere else, too self-determindly important to waste time on this just yet. Where that is, Kaoru has no idea, but he certainly doesn't plan on finding out.
He moves light and quick like a thief, movements practiced through years of having to steal an extra handful of rice just to get by another day. A scoop of rice from the pot, one of the wrapped mackerel broiling over the fire, some vegetables... It's not much, but it'll have to do. It's wrapped up in some nondescript cloth, which Kaoru carries with him back to the outer wall. He'll tap on it again, a little more hurried this time.]
Princess Sen? The food will be outside your door below the second floorboard. Please move quickly when the time comes. [He doesn't really wait for her to reply before setting off again. He has to move carefully now.
Knowing the best hiding places in the house has been a necessity for quite some time but it's aiding him greatly, since he knows exactly which spot of the porch he needs to scoot under in order to reach that loose floorboard. It's somewhat slow-going since he has to be careful not to get dirt on his kimono, and he pauses in quiet trepidation every time the floor creaks over his head. He can hear the voices more clearly now, speaking in excited and concerned tones about their newest esteemed guest, how dangerous it is to be holding on to her, but how rewarding it may be if they can get away with it. He holds his breath, crouching down and hanging the cloth from the underside of that board by a loose strip. He hopes it's wrapped well enough to keep things from spilling when she moves it.
Then he's carefully moving himself out again, easing backwards from the porch, creeping his way around the perimeter of the in-court garden until he reaches his familiar room. He hoists himself back in, checks himself quickly for dirt, takes a deep breath, and:]
Hyaaaaaa—!!
[The din outside of Sen's room stops immediately, and she'll probably be able to hear muffled voices escalating to shouts - what the hell was that? or do you think he's seen an intruder? or it's way too soon!
Then comes what Kaoru had been banking on - the go look immediately! and the sound of many footsteps thundering away. If Sen peeks out, the few remaining men who have been left behind to guard her are staring down the hall toward the retreating backs of the rest. With luck, she'll have enough time to lift the board and grab the bag beneath it. KAORU'S SURE MAKING A LONG-LASTING RUCKUS, AT LEAST, with some very convincingly distressed-sounding shrieks. His acting career started early...]