Arhi FF: Labyrinth - Thread 2 Link posted - Page 6

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ThanuAditya thumbnail
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Posted: 11 years ago
#51
Wowww Cool concept and brilliant start dear :)
-Mitra thumbnail
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Posted: 11 years ago
#52
I'm going out for ice cream now, but will come back and update!
What's the occasion I'm celebrating? Well, you people have been kind to me and have made my week. ;) Thank you folks!
Kalyaani thumbnail
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Posted: 11 years ago
#53
We will be waiting...
-Mitra thumbnail
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Posted: 11 years ago
#54
Chapter 3: Syamvar

"Ah! Kushi," Papa announced like I was the prize steed they had all been waiting for when I pushed open the glass door. Though I was oddly self-conscious, my gaze didn't sweep across the room to deem if there was any truth in Dhri's taunts, or threats for that matter. After all these years, my parents' creative stratagems to have me run into prospective grooms no longer surprised me; I was merely glad that they still hadn't given up on me altogether.

I saw Vishwa sitting on the ledge of the window that circled half the board room, an all knowing smile lighting up his face. Waving to him, I handed the file to papa and placed the fresh coffee pot in the middle of the table, when papa began his formal introductions.

And that was the extent of awareness I could spare my surroundings, for I was spiraling in a tornado of details of him; details that wouldn't leave me, more so vehement in their onslaught when I willed them away.

It would be hours before I would apprehend the insult I had spewed over the room's eminences: my father's clients, but until then I floated in a haze recreating his face from those unrelenting details.

His long hair curled at the ends, tousled, and given his angled sideburns, I didn't doubt for a moment that he'd worked on them that morning, for their contrived unkemptness seemed as if he'd been born with it.

"Kushi, meet Suyodh. Suyodh Kuru, the CEO of H360 - the biggest players of the media world. He wants us to work on their Londs Dream Petals ad upon the client's recommendation. Londs wants something similar to the ad I had done for them when I was your age." Papa smiled with his bloated pride on display, directing me to the person sitting closet to him and I navigated around his chair to shake hands with Suyodh.

Again, I was pulled back to his eyes - light, translucent and yet, I didn't see everything behind it, a green deception.

Suyodh was impressionable, but his hand was eager, his eyes rounded with a reaching desire that made me pull my hand out before he could clasp them fully.

He worked hard on his body, it was obvious I thought, however, I knew it was only to keep appearances, when in truth, I could tell, he was wrought from an old pain; his body ever alert as if in anticipation of an impending war.

"And this is Mr. Aditya Karan Singh," papa said, "Suyodh's partner and friend, the brains behind H360's success."

He'd dressed in a soft white shirt, dark chinos, and attempted to look commonplace, but the easy manner in which he presented himself distinguished him from others.

Aditya looked removed, distant from the praises bestowed on him by papa. A cold preoccupation in his eyes, calculating and his smile betrayed his surprise at my being the daughter of the balding, paunchy man behind me.

And when he smiled he created illusions in my mind, striking as young and desirous and forbidden.

Being at the far end of the board room table, Aditya made his way to me with an outstretched arm, when I heard the door burst open and the mewing pleas of my father's secretary.

I flipped around with my breath stuck in my chest, a brilliant tingle of anticipation coursing over me, utterly forgetting that Aditya had reached my side to shake my hand.

"Excuse, me, can I borrow Dhr..." His words trailed sighting me, as he stood perched between the doors and a moment later, his brows tightened with contempt when his gaze found my company in the room.

"Sorry sir," Danny, the secretary, spoke from behind him in the verge of crying, "he wouldn't listen when I said Mr. Draupad is in a meeting, but in his defense, he has been waiting for over an hour, sir." Danny was excessively worried for losing her job and I was amazed that she'd still spoken in his favor, submitting to his charm.

The fact that this could have been the coming together of the grooms, for which I had been summoned to bring the file had entirely slipped my mind by then.

"Now Mr. Draupad, you can't hide my cousin in your office and not tell me." I caught Suyodh rise from the other side of table, button up his jacket and walk towards him; he sounded threatened than being pleased at the sight of his cousin.

"Arnav! It's so good to see you. It has been years since we met. Now, remind me when did you come back from the US? 3 months? Or is it 4?" Suyodh placed one hand over his shoulder and shook his hand.

Arnav! And I said his name disturbing the silence inside me. Arnav! Somehow, it didn't feel right.

"It's been 9 months," he was consumed by unease from Suyodh's presence, I could observe that much.

"And you haven't visited us yet? Dadaji worries for you too much. You should come home and have dinner with us."

"Dinner?" he scoffed, "Sure, why not? But, I doubt that will help with Dadaji's worries though."

"So what's new at Harvard? Is the Bus stop Pub still around? They served a mean draft back in the days." Suyodh asked, a pretense of nostalgia in his voice.

If my curiosity had just began to surface from the mention of the Ivy league school, I didn't show and walked where the duo were poised, by my father's seat at the head of the table to pick up the satchel I had dropped there.

"I don't doubt it, but new ones have cropped up around the same corner and they are even better. I hope Bus stop Pub soon realizes that its glory days are coming to an end."

Well, there was no question that they weren't speaking about the Bus stop Pub at all.

"You do know Aditya, don't you?" Suyodh pointed to his friend and I bent down to pick up my bag.

"Of course. For all the interesting moments of my life to be, I'm sure I will owe it to him." He said and I wondered why he was working twice to contain the bitter sarcasm in his words.

While I straightened to my full height, I heard a click from the top of my head and something loosen down the short strands that made quick to fall over my face and the rest of the coiled mass of my hair came cascading down my shoulder.

"On that note, I hope you two have met." Suyodh mentioned and I saw him reach for the small clip that had lost its hold over the contained spiral of my hair and catch it before the clip could hit the ground.

"Now I wouldn't assume that." He said taking a step towards me, his face straining to hold back a deepening ardor. "Arjun," he said while handing the clip to me.

My eyes downcast, I reached for the betraying clip. The tips of our fingers touched in that brief exchange and I looked back to him, while all my focus latched on to the warmth that swarmed the ends of my fingers - an eddy of sensation threatening to drown me.

"Shyama." I said, convinced that Arjun sounded right on my lips.

"Shyama?" he whispered more unto himself, like a person's name could ever be cause for surprise and as if he was testing the roll of my name on his tongue. I smiled that he wasn't far from the sentiment that had struck me minutes ago, when I had heard his name for the first time and he gave away the shock of satisfaction at his familiarity with my name.

"So what brings you here Arnav?" Suyodh interrupted, pulling Arjun, - or Arnav - back into their conversation.

"Arnav is helping Dhruv practice shooting a flaming arrow for an event at our family temple." Papa chimed

"Well, you should know that Aditya is an accomplished archer himself." Suyodh said dismissing Arnav.

"No offense, Suyodh," Papa said mildly irritated, "but you must surely remember that Aranv won the gold at the national contest three years ago."

"It was a pity that they wouldn't let Aditya participate owing to his foreign nationality," Suyodh explained settling back in the nearest chair, "but we all know that it would have been a tough match had Aditya been allowed to compete. He has won quite a few European contests and Dhruv," he swiveled to face my brother, "I'm certain Aditya can work wonders with whatever you have been taught so far."

"With all due respect, Suyodh, I have no complaints with Arnav and so, I see no reason why I should have two instructors. You can be assured that I'm well taken care of." With his hands stuck in his pockets, Dhri walked to where Arnav stood, as though the proximity between the two friends also mattered to make his argument to Suyodh.

"But, Aditya is much senior and his own lessons were from James Scottwell." Suyodh was insistent on persuading our family that Aditya would be a better instructor by many levels, "I don't have to tell you that our own Indian chronicle called him the Parasuram of this day and age, do I?"

A slow grating set-in my nerves, hearing Suyodh's ardent efforts to remove his cousin from being involved with our family. I took in the faces of my father and brother and realized that they would never voice out their true opinions when it came to their clients.

"Mr. Suyodh, if I may?" I caught myself saying before I could discern what I had begun to do, "Arjun's merits have been credited by the highest board of our country, like Papa mentioned and not a faraway land whose standards we may not recognize or understand. Moreover, with only two weeks left for the event, I'm afraid my brother will be unable to keep up with two different styles, if you insist on Mr. Aditya's helping out. We can all guess what would follow, if two masters are stirring my brother's instruction - too many cooks and all." My voice flooded with a laugh and found my brother's lips twitch with an assenting smile.

I exhaled low when I conceived the slip that was soon to follow - I had intended to say "I". My hand rounded around my waist to brace myself and I smoothly transitioned to my closing without any embarrassment showing over my features, "We picked Arjun first and it's only fair that he gets to finish Dhri's instruction."

I could see that Suyodh was far being assuaged over that response, and yet he remained silent, his eyes in a keen study of me as I moved back to where papa was seated. "Well, I should be going," I said without giving scope for much discussion and refused to look-up and catch the expression on Suyodh or Aditya's face; or his for that matter.

Tucking a wayward strand behind my ear, I placed a hand over papa's shoulder who looked remotely distressed. "Papa, remember? No coffee for you," I said and left the room, well assured that despite my own caution, I had picked him among others and rejected some others without a care to consider, if I would lose the account for our company.

"Shit!"In the hallway, I asked myself if I had picked more than an instructor for my brother in that schemed convene.

"Oh! Lord" My hand flew to the hair sliding over my forehead, as I began to worry if others too had seen through that charade.


Note: Awh! its been a great to hear from you all - thank you ladies! Earlier, I had seen a few protest posts that a syamvar in the modern times would seem out of place. So, what do you think now? ;) Given that most of you are not on my buddy list, please send me a buddy request, only if you don't mind receiving a PM for any of my FFs.

Edited by Lahari. - 11 years ago
-Mitra thumbnail
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Posted: 11 years ago
#55
@ Kalyaani: I loved that movie too. Thank you for the banner :)
Kalyaani thumbnail
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Posted: 11 years ago
#56
I read the update and will read again to post my comment...it was so well written it is worth multiple reads...
Edit

You promised a swayamvar and I cringed, thinking of the crappy things the audience were subject to on Indian television. Not your fault but I was so eager to read how you would pull it off and you did so with panache.

The heart of a woman or should I saw a taken' woman was so eloquently written, it was like seeing the beautiful face of Shyama, glowing with her thoughts of the man who in a brief meeting had a lasting impression on her.

I would never be able to introduce the characters as succinctly as you have done; Suyodh with his handshake, Aditya with his aloofness and Arnav's relationship with his cousin and his partner.

I was not surprised Shyama advocated in Arjun's favour, her arguments all logic yet were more heart felt. It was obvious for all to see and she has chosen her man in the swayamvar. Does her father approve? Her brother sure does and I have a feeling so does Vishwa.

Edited by Kalyaani - 11 years ago
hamini_yash thumbnail
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Posted: 11 years ago
#57
it was wow , even without a fish and its eye to hit upon. What charade was she thinking about? I din't get it!!!😕
Kishmish thumbnail
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Posted: 11 years ago
#58
Wow ... that was some syamvar ...
will be back ...
dieforasr thumbnail
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Posted: 11 years ago
#59
Ahh..just completed it..I mean read each & every line atleast twice.When I read the title..I wasn't sure about the content.You just surprised me..How did you think about it?
PS: Thanx for giving us a newest form of ARSHI meet..😊👏👏👏👏👏
Edited by dieforasr - 11 years ago
RTlicious thumbnail
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Posted: 11 years ago
#60
Brilliant and captivating...I am so hooked already!

I am an avid fan of Mahabharata and have read every material on it that I could get my hands on...and I must say, you are doing a brilliant job with it...I read both the updates together and was simply awed with the subtle way in which you have added an essence of mahabharata and its characters in your story..

For example, Kampilya...never would have thought of it...it actually sounds good for an Ad Agency...also in the next chapter, both cousins had come to Kampliya for the supposed 'swamwar' ties in with the fact that Draupadi's Swamwar takes place in Kampilya when the kauravas with Karan and the exiled Pandavas are both present.

I was one of the people who questioned you about the Swamwar and how Draupadi's polygamous state will be written here...but i completely loved the way you showed that situation where Khushi un-intentionally chooses Arnav over his cousins and the way she re-buffs Suyodh [love the name] and also subtly insults Karan's credentials which once again ties perfectly!

I suppose, thanks to this, they will loose this account and have H360 on an opposing stance...by the way, does the 'H' in H360 stand for Hastinapur? and Dadaji is Bhisma? I can't wait for your story to unfold!!

Oh and sorry for the delayed response, was travelling for work and just got some time to read it :) I will most definitely recommend this to my readers in my next update!

Arati
:)


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