[OOC: I've probably mentioned this before, but anything within '/' marks should be taken as italics - thoughts, emphasis, or flashbacks, things like that.]

It was a quiet afternoon, just a bit chilly... The shrine she huddled within, protected only by thin paper walls and silk curtains, was too close to the outer walls of the palace to be truly comfortable at this time of year - it might as well have been outside. Her husband's inner chambers would have been far more comfortable if Soune had been inclined to indulge herself, but this place was far preferable - she appreciated his kindnesses, but Hikane Liu was not a man one could relax around. Not without a heavy dose of recklessness, in any case.

This place, still whispering with the ghosts of past worshippers, was a more peaceful way to spend her day. Although she was not a religious person, Soune had grown to like the temples and shrines to Genbu that she had seen on various trips through Hokkan... She believed in the god, though she didn't know yet if she truly had faith in it... but it wasn't that belief that compelled her to return.

Her life was... empty. Her days were full of silky robes, spiced tea, more food than she could possibly eat in a lifetime... the members of her husband's household treated her like royalty, giving her everything she showed even a remote interest in, coddling her like she was a doll, or a tempermental child...

Which Soune guessed she was. Fourteen was hardly an adult-like age, and despite her position as Lord Liu's first wife... there was no hiding that she did not belong here. Too young, too delicate, too /pathetic/...

Soune shifted on the hard wooden floor, tucking her feet within her ruffled skirt to keep her toes warm. Genbu loomed above her on the altar, a golden sculpture that was likely twice as tall as she was when standing, and surrounded by ever-burning incense. Even with current affairs over the clash of new and old religions, the servants would never dare to let this shrine be neglected. The Emperor may have died, and his successor not yet taken the throne, but most lower-class inhabitants of the palace were superstitious to the point of stupidity.

Not that it mattered... No one ever came here for prayer anymore, so it might as well have been another antechamer or waiting room for all the importance it was given. Such a shame. This place reminded her of someone from a long time ago... and he had been quite an avid believer in the old god.

He would have loved this place...

He wouldn't have been cold at all. He was never cold... That was something that had annoyed her to no end - he never needed to wear furs or cloaks like normal people, yet he had anyway, just so she could be a little warmer when he went to see her. It had been no secret that her aunt didn't like her; the very fact that she didn't care if Soune spent days at a time with a /boy/ - and an older boy, too - had proven that.

Whenever she'd gone home with one of those beautifully woven cloaks, her aunt had taken them away, probably sold them for more ryo than they were worth... in that way, she had been very much like the boy's father, Soune supposed.

But he'd never stopped giving her new ones. Maybe he didn't care... maybe he'd just wanted her to have something nice.

Now...

Now, she had plenty of nice things... but no one to keep her warm.

Hikane had payed quite a bit more ryo for her than she thought the richest noble would spend on any slave. In a way, it was almost flattering... and her aunt had certainly been happy to exchange her unwanted charge for solid gold.

But was this what those poor slaves felt like, confined in those iron cages and auctioned off to the highest bidder? Did they feel trapped, unloved... like a parcel, or a doll that would change hands for the right price?

She'd never been a noble - she had been born to poverty. Only the kindness of her friend, and the grudging care of her aunt had kept her from scrounging her way on the streets like the urchins Hikane's soldiers often chased away from the gates. She thought that between her, and the slaves... there was not much of a difference.

Where /was/ he... now that she thought about it? What had ever happened to her dear friend...? Her /only/ real friend?

"Lady Soune, it is time for the midday meal." The maid's voice - Mirage, she thought - was subdued, and the shift of cloth indicated a bow.

"Later," she replied absently, biting her lip as she gazed up into the emerald eyes of the old god. What had made her old friend believe in this thing, anyway? Had any of his wishes ever really come true?

"If I may say so..." Mirage waited, and when Soune didn't say anything, she continued. "My lady has been advised by the healer to eat well and rest. With my lady's condition, it might be wise to follow her orders."

... That was something she didn't want to be reminded of. Gods, why were things happening as they were? She would have given anything to be back in her aunt's kitchen scrubbing the floors until they were bone-white, or grubbing through the garden, or sleeping in that cold room again... Those things were real... This place was like a cage, delicate, beautiful... but confining. She would never be anything but 'Lord Liu's First Wife,' here.

And what about friends? She only had one, and he was far away...

Soune rose quietly, her eyes drinking in the delicate lines carved into the sculpture of Genbu one more time before she turned around and motioned for her maid to lead the way out of the shrine. Mirage drew her out in a flutter of white, and fell in behind her when they reached the hallway.

It was just as well she was leaving. A few more minutes, and she'd be crying like a child over those memories - a weakness she didn't think she could afford right now. Besides, if she refused to go, she wouldn't put it past Mirage to ask Tara to drag her out... Hikane had hired the maids to take care of her, and now that they were also expecting a child, she had the feeling they would not be letting her out of their sight any time soon...

Yes, it was a fine cage she was trapped in. But at least she had company.