Read Online Dreamlands by Felicitas Ivey - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Felicitas Ivey
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what else I did or FELICITAS IVEY
52
wore. I could hold my own against them in a fight now, and to them, that was all that mattered. Not what I did outside the practice field.
I was pleased that I could slip into my “public” face so easily, talking in the women’s dialect, walking in those high sandals, and handling a fan easily. I had also been trained to use the fan as a weapon to defend myself if I had to. I didn’t know if I could, though; I also didn’t know if I could hurt someone with a katana, no matter how good I was at practice with a bokken ―a bamboo sword.
“There is a kabuki performance tonight in Edo that Samojirou-sama wants you to attend with him,” Yoshinoko said.
I didn’t say anything since Yukiko was doing my makeup. It was the traditional white face of the geisha and the tayuu with the back of my neck unpainted, because a naked nape was sexy. Yukiko helped me into the three under-kimonos and three over-kimonos, all different shades of red, with a bright yellow obi, its patterns woven in gold and silver, tied in an elaborate bow in the front. My hair was piled on top of my head in elaborate loops, held in place by an assortment of combs and pins. It was all heavy, and I fought not to tilt my head forward because of the weight. My bare feet peeked out from the layers of clothing, and I couldn’t understand why someone would find them sexy and attractive.
I still wasn’t comfortable with Samojirou’s interest in me. Why did he have to be interested in that with me? Besides that, I was happy here. Stupid, but after the last few years of my life, I could live like this. I knew I couldn’t come and go freely, but I had made friends among Tamazusa’s samurai, I saw the sky, and I wasn’t getting hurt or feeling worried about being raped. Samojirou stopped before things got too far, because he knew I was scared. I was getting less and less scared about it since he was being so nice, but I still didn’t know if I could do that at all.
I was nervous because I hadn’t left Tamazusa’s estate since I was brought here. From my reading, I was aware of the fact that the Dreamlands would be about the size of North America, if I had converted the ancient measurements to more modern ones correctly.
Part of my studies here had included geography as well as literature and 53
DREAMLANDS
texts on philosophy. While there was a portion of the Dreamlands almost as big as Japan in the real world, there were other sections from other nations, like the Incans and the Egyptians. There were monsters that lived in their own areas too; things that even the Reavers were wary of attacking.
Yukiko chatted about anything she could think of to relax me. It should have been annoying, but it was soothing, and I felt a little less nervous. When they were done with me, I was arranged like a statue in the middle of Samojirou’s public room for his pleasure. I calmed down when I was finally left alone, but I started to get nervous again when he entered, dressed in an elegant light blue silk kimono and hakama decorated with several mon ―heraldry symbols and coats of arms. A samurai had several, depending on his rank and clan.
“You look perfect, Keno,” Samojirou said.
He reached down to help me up, and I rose gracefully. “I am glad that I please you, Samojirou-sama,” I murmured, falling easily into the woman’s manner of speaking. He had never heard me like this before.
“Keno, I just want you to enjoy yourself tonight,” he said.
“I’ve never been to a kabuki performance before,” I said, “I’m thrilled to go.”
Samojirou smiled, and my stomach did a funny flip. I was sure that might happen tonight. I was scared, but I trusted him. He hadn’t hurt me or called me names. I just wasn’t ready to forget what had happened. It was stupid and petty, but all I remembered was the hurt and that Heiseg enjoyed hurting me, taking something else away from me, calling me awful names and just acting
52
wore. I could hold my own against them in a fight now, and to them, that was all that mattered. Not what I did outside the practice field.
I was pleased that I could slip into my “public” face so easily, talking in the women’s dialect, walking in those high sandals, and handling a fan easily. I had also been trained to use the fan as a weapon to defend myself if I had to. I didn’t know if I could, though; I also didn’t know if I could hurt someone with a katana, no matter how good I was at practice with a bokken ―a bamboo sword.
“There is a kabuki performance tonight in Edo that Samojirou-sama wants you to attend with him,” Yoshinoko said.
I didn’t say anything since Yukiko was doing my makeup. It was the traditional white face of the geisha and the tayuu with the back of my neck unpainted, because a naked nape was sexy. Yukiko helped me into the three under-kimonos and three over-kimonos, all different shades of red, with a bright yellow obi, its patterns woven in gold and silver, tied in an elaborate bow in the front. My hair was piled on top of my head in elaborate loops, held in place by an assortment of combs and pins. It was all heavy, and I fought not to tilt my head forward because of the weight. My bare feet peeked out from the layers of clothing, and I couldn’t understand why someone would find them sexy and attractive.
I still wasn’t comfortable with Samojirou’s interest in me. Why did he have to be interested in that with me? Besides that, I was happy here. Stupid, but after the last few years of my life, I could live like this. I knew I couldn’t come and go freely, but I had made friends among Tamazusa’s samurai, I saw the sky, and I wasn’t getting hurt or feeling worried about being raped. Samojirou stopped before things got too far, because he knew I was scared. I was getting less and less scared about it since he was being so nice, but I still didn’t know if I could do that at all.
I was nervous because I hadn’t left Tamazusa’s estate since I was brought here. From my reading, I was aware of the fact that the Dreamlands would be about the size of North America, if I had converted the ancient measurements to more modern ones correctly.
Part of my studies here had included geography as well as literature and 53
DREAMLANDS
texts on philosophy. While there was a portion of the Dreamlands almost as big as Japan in the real world, there were other sections from other nations, like the Incans and the Egyptians. There were monsters that lived in their own areas too; things that even the Reavers were wary of attacking.
Yukiko chatted about anything she could think of to relax me. It should have been annoying, but it was soothing, and I felt a little less nervous. When they were done with me, I was arranged like a statue in the middle of Samojirou’s public room for his pleasure. I calmed down when I was finally left alone, but I started to get nervous again when he entered, dressed in an elegant light blue silk kimono and hakama decorated with several mon ―heraldry symbols and coats of arms. A samurai had several, depending on his rank and clan.
“You look perfect, Keno,” Samojirou said.
He reached down to help me up, and I rose gracefully. “I am glad that I please you, Samojirou-sama,” I murmured, falling easily into the woman’s manner of speaking. He had never heard me like this before.
“Keno, I just want you to enjoy yourself tonight,” he said.
“I’ve never been to a kabuki performance before,” I said, “I’m thrilled to go.”
Samojirou smiled, and my stomach did a funny flip. I was sure that might happen tonight. I was scared, but I trusted him. He hadn’t hurt me or called me names. I just wasn’t ready to forget what had happened. It was stupid and petty, but all I remembered was the hurt and that Heiseg enjoyed hurting me, taking something else away from me, calling me awful names and just acting
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