"Unfortuantly, no. I think it's best to go about this our own way. Seeing as she means something different to you than me. Do you have any ideas? If not, then maybe we can just... talk?" She looked up at him with hopeful eyes. Apolla was really unsure about how to get past Shang-hui's mental block. By the look on his face, it seemed like an almost impossible task. That greatly discouraged her. She wants more than anything for him to always remember her. Apolla doesn't plan on giving up either if the going gets tough. It's a flaw of hers really; never giving up. She has been repeatedly told that she needs to learn when to quit. Apolla knows there has to be a way. Nothing's impossible. At least, she hopes so.
Right away Shang-hui felt a small knot of panic begin to form inside of him. They had absolutely no idea how to make this work. He gave her a tentative smile and put a hand on her back, leading her inside. "Perhaps...we should speak privately about this matter." He suggested. They certainly didn't need Zuko listening in on every single little thing they said. "We can go to my chamber, or the Princess', which ever you would prefer."
Apolla's ears perked up when he mentioned 'his chamber'. She would like to see where the great Shang-hui resided. "Let's go to your chambers. I've never been there before," she answered. Apolla was just a little worried. They had no idea on how to go about this. She would just have to make the best out of this she supposed. When they had went inside, Apolla couldn't help but gaze at the beautiful architecture of the palace. She has only been there for a day, one cannot possibly expect her to be accustomed to such extravagant decorations and designs. Apolla couldn't imagine what it must be like to live here. It was too amazing for her. She waited for him to lead the way.
Shang-hui smiled at her and lead her upstairs to his room, unlocking it with the flick of his wrist. "Well, here we are..." He said, standing aside to let her through. His room was situated right next door to Sarya's, though it was no where hear as grand. Where hers was rich and extravagant, his was open and simplistic. Sarya had insisted on the highest quality of furniture, though past that his room was relatively plain. He had book shelves packed full, a wall of his personal weapons and tools, his personal affects, and the center of his room left completely open for his yoga and meditation practices. His desk was slightly askew with different botany books he's sifted through in preparation for attending to Sarya's plants, and his chairs and couch had a stray gi top or belt tossed over them from martial arts classes, though other than that his room was surprisingly clean.
He looked cautiously at Apolla, realizing that things could become tense very quickly, and tried his best to remain casual. "Can I...get anything for you? Tea? Snacks?" He said, motioning to the kitchenette. "I can have some of the cooks bring food up here, if you'd like." He added, realizing the only thing he ever kept stocked in his kitchenette were herbs and teas.
"Oh wow! I expected your room to be much more different. I see Princess Sarya had a hand in decorating your room." Apolla's eyes roamed around the room. It truly had Shang-hui written all over it. All the rooms seem to be personalized. She was a bit hesistant about entering though. So, she stayed right in the doorway. "Hmm... some Jasmine tea would be nice, please." She leaned against the doorframe and surveyed the room some more. Apolla thought maybe she was being childish by just staying in the entrance so she took a few steps in before closing the door. Apolla made herself comfortable by crossing the room and sitting on his bed. "I like your room."
Shang-hui smiled nervously as Apolla moved to his bed. He walked over to the kitchenette and lit the stove with flint, putting a kettle on top of it. "So...Did Sarya give you any clues as to how to go about this?" He asked, rummaging through cabinets packed full of herbs and finding his stash of jasmine grown from Sarya's garden. "I honestly don't know how she did it short of magic. Though obviously it's possible, I just am at a loss as to how." He turned back to face her while the kettle boiled, leaning against the counter. He had to remind himself that she was quite a bit younger than himself, and he needed to be careful not to act to forwardly towards her for fear of stepping out of bounds. He may have been closer to her yesterday, though he had no way of knowing. He didn't want to risk pushing her away.
"Sarya didn't really give me any helpful advice," Apolla admitted apologetically. It would've been nice if she did though. Any advice on this would help out tremendously. She laid back on his bed. "What's wrong, Shang-hui? Don't think I haven't noticed how nervous you've been acting." Apolla looked up at the intricate designs of the cieling. She folded her arms and blew away a strand of hair that was obstructing her vision. "Just because we don't know how to go about this, doesn't mean you have to act differently around me." He certainly had changed a bit since last night. Apolla wondered why.
"How am I supposed to know if I'm acting differently when I don't remember how I acted last night? Or even what happened last night?" Shang-hui said, slightly frustrated with himself. He let out a tense breath and turned as the tea kettle whistled, extinguishing the stove. He poured two cups of tea and set the kettle down again, crossing the room and handing one cup to Apolla. "And really, you can't blame me, either. You're seventeen. I am twenty-one. This isn't even really legal in most aspects. You're still just a child in more ways than one, and I am not willing to take that away from you, Apolla." He sipped his tea and leaned against the back of a plush chair, watching her carefully. "I know you trust me, Apolla. If you didn't, you wouldn't be here. But that trust...I don't want you to so willingly oblige to anything with me. I need you to tell me what you want."
Apolla didn't really like how things were going. She sat up and gratefully took the tea. She sipped it slowly before saying, "I'm turning eighteen soon. So, it won't be illegal. And so what if I'm young? My age doesn't define anything about me. So, stop worrying about it. I certainly don't think I act like a child. I'm closer to adulthood than childhood. But, since you're so worried about it, then what am I even doing here? Does it really bother you that much?" She was growing irritated and how he kept picking at her age. Apolla was had had to grow up a lot more quickly than anyone else her age. She has had to live on her own for a few years already. "As for trust, do you not want me to trust you? Do you trust me? It seems like you're not telling me everything if you don't want me trusting you so quickly. And I already told you what I want. I want us to work. I want you." Apolla sipped her tea again. The heat from the cup warmed her hands. She was growing uneasy. Apolla looked down at the tea and stared back at her distorted reflection. She looked back up to Shang-hui. "What do you want?"
Shang-hui sat beside Apolla and set his cup down on a bedside table. "What I want is to make you happy, Apolla." He said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Your age doesn't bother me much, other than making me feel like I'm taking advantage of you. Though it will bother the Kingdom. You have to remember - until Sarya returns, I am King here. What would the people think if they saw us together? I know, I shouldn't care about what people think, but I have to. I am leading them, keeping their spirits alive. If I do something to displease them in a time like this...I just can't afford to do anything that could jeopardize the fragile balance that Sarya has worked so hard to build. Do you understand?"
Apolla Air Bender / Moderator The Breath Of The Wind member is offline
"I always tell the truth, even when I lie."
Joined: Sept 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 126 Location: In the dark Karma: 0
Re: Shopping « Reply #175 on Aug 31, 2009, 9:52pm »
"What does that mean then? That we can't be together?" Apolla felt hopeless. Everything Shang-hui had said was true. He really can't afford to jeopordize everything Sarya had done for the Earth Kingdom. "Or that I'm to be kept a secret?" Apolla personally didn't like lies. But, she would be willing to do that. Temporarily of course. She sipped at her tea some more and stared down at her reflection in its watery depths. "Could we perhaps portray the image of friends to do the public eye?" Another thought that was troubling her was Shang-hui feeling like taking advantage of her because of her young age. "You know, I wouldn't ever let anyone take advantage of me. That includes you," she said softly followed by another sip of tea.
"I know you wouldn't, Apolla. I just don't ever want to hurt you unintentionally. You really aren't that much younger than me, I understand that. I really do. But I have no idea what you've already gone through in relationships, or what you expect of me." He moved smoothly in front of her, gently lowering her down so that her back rested on the bed while her feet still touched the floor. Shang-hui put a hand on either side of her shoulders, leaning down over her though careful not to make contact. "And of course we could pretend to be only friends to the public. The kingdom got very used to the idea of Sarya and I being best friends and my always hanging around her, despite what romantic interest between us rumors said there were. I am not above pretending if it benefits everyone, but will it really benefit you in the end? Do you really want to go through with this if I wake up tomorrow and can't even remember your name?"
"I'd like to think that eventually you'd remember me. I know it seems almost impossible but, you know, it's kind of fun doing the impossible." Apolla felt a little uncomfortable with Shang-hui hovering over her like that but, she got over it. It was true, Apolla never really had any real relationships but, she's got to start somewhere. What about Shang-hui? Is his past filled with ex girlfriends? A part of Apolla hoped not but, that not really something that can be changed. She was going to ask about it either for fear of the answer she might receive. Apolla really wanted this to work and if it was destined to, it'd happen, right? She was sure that if they persevered and had faith, it would all turn out good in the end. Good things happen to good people and Apolla was a great person. As was Shang-hui. It still seemed that Shang-hui was unsure of all of this and it put a damper on Apolla's spirits. "I don't care if we pretend. As long as we're together, I don't care. Just please promise me that you'll try as hard as you can to remember me." That's all Apolla truly wanted and hoped would happen.
![[Search This Thread]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/search2.gif)
![[Reply]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/buttons/reply.gif)
![[Send Topic To Friend]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/buttons/sendtopic.gif)
![[Print]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/buttons/print.gif)
Author
![[avatar]](http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f57/lip_stick_nsiderjk/Kazimo.jpg)
![[aim]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/aim.gif)
![[Quote]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/buttons/quote.gif)
Logged![[image]](http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f57/lip_stick_nsiderjk/Proboards/katisiggy0xp.gif)
![[avatar]](http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq36/Wiccan1591HPS/cap036_edited.jpg)
![[image]](http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq36/Wiccan1591HPS/f02e1e8778a9f0_full.jpg)