A Planned Encounter [Prp Korea~]

[Vietnam]

Silently the woman moved across the forest, moving across a faint path, covered over in leaves and brush since she was last there. It had been a few months now since she had walked the path, once which used to have been worn down in her childhood and well-marked from the village children that would move through it. They once played around where she was headed, although the older people of the village warned them not too. It was a good distance from the village, and everyone was afraid the younger children would fall in the pond and drown. She could remember never being afraid of the pond, she was a strong swimmer, and she wouldn't let any of the young ones drown. Not that anyone really came to the pond after awhile, many children were forbidden.

Eventually it was only Yong Soo and herself that went to the pond most days. They would spend those days roughhousing, talking and just being children. Those days had been the best, the days before the attack. Phuong shuddered as she thought of that day, cringing as her scars seemed to burn like the day she got them. Quickly she pushed the thoughts from her head, continuing along her way. It took another few minutes to reach the location, but the walk was worth it. It had been months since she last saw Yong Soo, and this time she was ready to honor her promise to help him when she was better. She was fully healed now, and had been for some time, but she had been finishing up her studies and was unable to leave until she was done. Finally she was ready to leave with her Brother and be of help to him.

She stopped in the middle of the clearing, sitting on the top of the small hill that led down to the pond. The whole setting was relaxing, being surrounded by the cool shade of the trees, feeling the soft earth below her. This was truely what peace must have felt like if it had ever really existed. Slowly she lay back, putting her arms behind her head and laying there in the shade. There was no sense in tiring herself by standing and walking around if she was going to wait anyways. She had taken extra care to cover her scars, wearing sleeves that fell down to the middle of her upper arms. Just incase, however, she had also bandaged the area of her arms that her scars covered, just so that no one would see them if her sleeves slipped up. Normally she wouldn't go through that much trouble, but she was about to set off into the unknown.

While she was aware that the man she called her Big Brother wouldn't judge her because of her imperfection, other people might. Aside from the practicality of it, her outfit was rather plain. A long dark green shirt, and faded golden-yellow pants. Not exactly the norm for a woman, but she was never one for sticking to the status quo, she chose comfort over looking good. Her black hair was tyed back into a long ponytail, and at her side she wore a bag which held a few books, some supplies including food and water and a hunting knife. She anticipated a journey was ahead of her, and it always paid to be prepared.

A sigh escaped her lips as she found herself wondering when he would arrive. What stories of his adventures would he have for her now?

[Wonsanji]

The sun was high and hazy, shimmering through the moist air and giving everything a promising glow. Yong Soo’s arms swung freely at his sides, a cheery whistle bouncing out his upturned head, a small skip in his sandaled feet. Sang Ki bobbed and beamed at the corner of the Korean’s vision.

To Yong Soo, there was a certain nostalgia to the path in front of him; every step forward took him back in time, closer and closer to his past, and for a while, he could almost imagine he could backtrack just far enough—back before that terrible night; back before the shame and suffering—and change it to something better. A brighter and longer childhood, a softer and sweeter one for them all.

He left Yao in charge of the ship, promising to be back by the afternoon. The sun had just risen over the lagoon, and Yong Soo had to try extra hard to wring an affirmative comment from the Chinese man, abstracted as he was by the familiarity of the location. Looking into the ancient sadness in his elder’s brown eyes, the Korean captain had almost reconsidered, had almost stayed. But, he had made a promise.

So here he was, following the winding dirt road over a rising hillock, closer to the village but far enough he couldn’t see it through the trees. He was glad for the small mercy, his eyes catching the light glinting over the tea-green waters of the pond. He lifted his head, searching, and outright grinned when he spotted the reclining figure beneath the willow tree.

“Phuong!” He called, breaking into a run with his sleeves fluttering behind him, a lanky child in place of a pirate captain. He drew up close, collapsing to the ground and scooting to her side, panting with joy and exertion. “I’m here, da ze,” he announced brightly, face warm with tender affection.

He held his sleeves open, eager for an embrace, and smiled like the sun.

[Vietnam]

Before the Korean even spoke up, the woman had seen him coming out of the corner of her eyes. She turned to watch him run towards her when he called her name, a warm smile lighting up her face. She chuckled as he dropped himself down on the grass, coming down to her level. He seemed so energetic, so youthful. Just like old times really, when they would rebell against their elders and come here anyways, giggling the whole time. She was happy to see him again, knowing that she wouldn't ever have to wait so long again, she was going to go with him.

The minute he opened his arms she quickly moved forewards to throw her arms around him, and pull him into a bearhug. "I missed you so much Big Brother." Although she was older than he was, he was still her big brother. Yong Soo had cared for her like a brother would for his sister, although they weren't really bound by blood. Ever since he saved her, the child she had once called simply 'brother' was now 'big brother'. It made sense enough to her.

Reluctantly she finally let go of him, drawing back a little. "So tell me brother, what has my dragon been up to?" She paused a moment before going on, not really letting him respond. "Tell me of your adventures, and your crew, what are they like? You never really talk about them when you come visit. I'm dying to hear what you've been up to in these past few months." She smiled at him like a child waiting for a grand story. She wanted to hear everything, partly because she loved to hear him chatter on about his adventures, but also because she wanted to learn of the crew. She was going to be working with them soon, she ought to know a bit about them, right?

She shifted a little to get herself in a comfortable position, ready to listen to his tales.

[Wonsanji]

Yong Soo gripped tight, returning the hug with as much eager energy as he could muster (which, considering energy originated in Korea, was really a lot!) before leaning back, beaming and holding her elbows in his sleeves. “You look great, da ze~” he manages, tilting his head with a smile as she calls him “Big Brother.”

That always felt good, for some reason—even if he wasn’t oldest, the unquestionable respect in the title warmed his heart. And, in a strange way, the title made sense to him: he was the tallest, and therefore, the biggest, right?

He brings himself back on track by listening to her rapid-fire questions, grin getting broader and broader as her enthusiasm showed. “Soooo much has happened in the past few months, Pinigseu! You would barely believe!” He snickered, throwing his sleeves wide and bringing his story to life through broad, sweeping gestures. “I’ve been all around the world, da ze—two pirate towns already, and all over Europe! Adventure every step, intrigue around every corner, it’s been great~!”

He laughed out loud, and brought his sleeves in front of himself to dig through, pulling out of a special pocket a substantial looking scrapbook and offering it with both hands, holding it forth like a treasure. “I’ve been taking lots of pictures, da ze, just so you could see for yourself! Since tourism originated in Korea, I figured it was the best thing a Big Brother could do.” He watched her filter through for a second, nibbling his lip in excitement, before going on with his rambling.

“As for crew, they’re mostly really nice guys I met while I was traveling before, da ze—people looking for jobs after all the raiding.” His expression darkened for a half-second, his smile straining, before it brightened up again. “There’s also some new foreign friends I made, like Miss Mattie. She’s really nice, but very quiet. Sometimes it’s hard to remember she’s there, da ze, but I think you’ll like her.” He gasped then, and started bouncing with excitement, “Butbutbut! More than that, da ze, I’ve begun to find them!”

He took the scrapbook from her hands again, avidly flipping the pages until he found the place he put down the candid pictures of his crew, leaning in and smiling as he pointed at a pic. “See! There’s Yao-Hyungnim! He’s my first mate, da ze, and still as old-man-ish as ever!” He laughed over the shot of the red-faced half-dressed Chinese man shaking a slipper as though about to throw it at the camera, before pointing at one with a boy playing cards.

“This is a little boy he picked up, da ze, from Macau—he’s looking for family, too, but we’ve kinda unofficially adopted him, so make sure and be reeeeally cool to him and sneak treats behind Yao-Hyung’s back.” Yong Soo grinned up, chuckling and raising his sleeve as though about to reveal a gossipy secret. “He’s got a wicked poker face, though, da ze—he’s managed to wipe the floor with me several times already, and games originated in Korea!”

He points at another picture, leaning close to the Vietnamese woman. “Over here’s Mei-Mei, da ze~ We found her at a circus in Italy, da ze—she was a performer, with tigers and weapon-tossing. That little tiger-cub she’s carrying there is Jun-Mei—he’s kinda our unofficial mascot, da ze, even though we’re the Lucky Dragons.”

The Korean smiled fondly, resting his head on Phuong’s shoulder, the happiness and contentment palpable in his slouch. “They’re still out there, da ze. And we’re finding them. Like I always promised.” He looks up, and the need for confirming approval was almost painfully naked in his eyes. “We’re going to have the family back~”

Pinigseu = Phoenix

[Vietnam]

She blushed a little when he complimented her. He was the only one who knew full well what she'd been through, the only one who recognized that she was imperfect. Yet he still held the capacity for kindness to be able to say such nice things about her. She said a soft 'thank you' to him, although it was quiet due to her embarrassment. She let him start to answer her questions, wondering where on earth he'd gotten all this energy. It was obvious he was excited to be telling her all this, and she felt almost a little envious. He had been off seeing the world, while she kept herself couped up in a small room studying.

It wasn't that bad. No. She had done all that to ensure she could be of use to her precious dragon. She smiled as he offered her the scrapbook, and she set to work looking through it, managing to look at the pictures and listen to his words at the same time. The images were of many places and people. Some of the places she had vaguely heard of growing up, but had never seen, others were total mysteries to her. She paused at the mention of the crew. So there was at least one other woman on the ship apparently but-

Wait. Did he say he was finding them? Their family and friends from so long ago? So already he was making progress towards his goal of finding them all again, and she hadn't even had the chance to help. She watched him take the scrapbook back and go looking. She chuckled at the picture of Yao. He was always so uptight and serious about things, she always thought he'd needed to loosen up a little. "Some thing never change, huh?" It was more a passing thought that escaped her lips than anything. Even though she understood why Yao was so serious, he was older, and besides. Someone had to be the mature one. Sometimes she thought the same way as Yao, she had grown up after all. She wasn't as young and carefree as she'd been, especially since her eyes had been opened to the cruelty of the world.

She listened to him explain the rest of the crew. He seemed so happy to be able to show off how proud he was of these people to someone. She was happy that he was happy, of course, but now he'd gotten her excited to meet them. She wondered if he already knew she was coming with him this time. It was the one thing she hadn't told him she planned to do. Sure, she'd brought a bag of things with her, but it wasn't very large, and it could have been for any reason. Phuong smiled at him when he leaned his head against her shoulder.

His words warmed her smile considerably, and her approval was obvious in her eyes. He was achieving their goal, to reunite the family once more. It was only then that they could rest, and things might be able to return to normal. She let out a soft laugh saying "If anyone is going to be able to bring the family back together it's definitely you Big Brother." He was the most determined after all. One day they would find everyone, and they could all be happy again.

A thought hit her as she looked away from him for a moment to gaze at the pond. "You remember this place, don't you Yong Soo?" She let out a sigh, caught up in the nostalgia. "We used to come here when we were little, even though all the adults told us not to. They said it was dangerous, because we could drown in the pond...but we never did worry. We were such good swimmers, the water didn't scare us." Phuong hesitated only for a moment, a warm laugh escaping her lips. She laughed for a short while before she continued. "I remember...there was the one time when you wouldn't let me play one of your weird games because I was a girl, and you said girls weren't as tough as guys...so I threw you into the pond." She giggled a little, the good times in her past lighting up her face.

It was rare to see her so cheerful, she usually controlled herself around others. But Yong Soo was Yong Soo after all, he just had a way of bringing out the best in her.

[Wonsanji]

Yong Soo beamed softly, resting his cheek on her shoulder and nuzzling, more grateful for her spoken confirmation on the validity of what he was doing than he’d ever be able to express. Yao-Hyung would always be Yong Soo’s idol, but in many ways, Phong was his true anchor, especially since the raid. She genuinely looked at him with respect, with faith, with quiet expectation, and failing her would have been an unforgivable crime in the Korean’s eyes.

It would be losing the family all over again.

None of these thoughts showed on the young Captain’s face, as he tilted his head up to look at the pond in front of them. He smiled, fondly, blowing Sang Ki out of his face and nodding. “Mmhm, I remember, da ze. The one time I even came close to drowning, you saved me.”

He looked up as she laughed, brown eyes bright and curious. When she went on to describe the old memory, the joyful expression on her face made Yong Soo’s constant guilt ease, even as he lifted his head in sharp-mock-affront. “Hey, da ze! I had to walk all the way home soaked because of that!”

The Korean snorted, nudging her lightly, but was unable to keep the grin off his face for long. “Guess you proved your point, though—I never doubted that girls could be tough again, da ze.” He blinked, swallowing, fluttering his sleeves in front of him before crossing them, inclining his head in a light bow. “In fact, that’s one thing I wanted to talk about, da ze: do you think you’re ready to join my crew?”

Yong Soo glanced up, smiling, the only thing betraying his nerves a slight tremor between his shoulders. “I mean, if you still need time to recover, that’s fine, da ze, but I know that everyone will be happy to see you again. A-And Yao-Hyung is always saying that we could use another steady head on board. I don’t know exactly what he means, da ze, since steadiness originated in Korea, but. . .”

He paused, his usually clever mind completely dry of a witty way to complete that sentence, and settled instead for deepening his bow, touching his forehead to her feet, the picture of humility. “I would be grateful for your help, Noona.” He left it simply at that, laying prone and waiting on her answer with bated breath. The wind blew gently across the pond and leaves.

Noona = Older Sister

[Vietnam]

She listened to him as he remembered, and her smile only grew. That had been a wonderful day indeed, and she HAD appologized for it later. It was odd to see them in such high spirits, knowing full well what had happened to keep them apart, what had changed them forever. Phuong chose not to dwell on it, and instead carry with her the memories of a time before strangers had laid seige to her home, and had torn her family apart. She lost herself in reflection on the days when it would sometimes be just herself and Yong Soo. When they were alone, laying on their backs watching the sky from under the trees.

Those days had been the best of all, when the Dragon and the Phoenix enjoyed their peace. It was like a fable out of some old forgotten storybook. And like a storybook, they would get their happy ending. She would make sure they did, and nothing could stop her.

His question took her completely by surprise, and ity must have shown in her face. He seemed nervous and quickly went on with what he was saying. Of course, even if she knew full well he was being respectful, the bow seemed to take it a bit too far. Her hand slid carefully to touch her bag gently, before she spoke up with a soft smile. "Anh trai lớn..." (Big Brother).

She paused for a moment before continuing quietly "I know I've taken a great deal of time trying to recover...but it hasn't just been that. I'm ready to help you at last Big Brother.." Another pause as she wondered if it was a good idea to explain this to him. "You see, I've actually been much better since the last time we saw eachother a few months ago, but I had things I still needed to do. I wasn't ready to leave yet, my studies weren't finished, and I was still unwilling to leave home. Now I'm ready though, the doctor that took care of me when I was hurt, he taught me a lot. I know what I'm doing now, so I can help people when they get hurt. He even gave me books on medicine so if I ever get stuck I can look things up!" She sounded as excited as he had been moments before.

"I want to help you Yong Soo, and I'm finally ready to leave." Her smile was a wide grin now. "Oh! I also packed some oranges, you know...citrus, it's good to have around." She wanted to prove that she was already thinking ahead.

Things could never go back to how they'd been, she knew that for a fact. That didn't matter now though, not when she was begining to take steps in the right direction.