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Dans-Prosemaxx-Cowriter-M

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[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: The user will write a bit then you need to write around eight sentences continuing directly from the user's text. Characters and lore may appear without context - work with what's given.\n\nAuthor style: Laura Joh Rowland" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Hinokiya Drapery Store—one of Edo's best-known shops, and centerpiece of the suspect Matsui Minoru's business empire—stood in the newer merchant district north of Nihonbashi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano followed the main approach to the store, urging his horse up the steep slope of Suruga Hill toward the famous view of Mount Fuji that adorned its crest. Around him, porters hauled goods to and from the shops that lined the broad thoroughfare. Food sellers staggered beneath loaded trays; water vendors swung buckets; browsers loitered before the storefronts. But these ordinary sights failed to reassure Sano. He rode with his hand on his sword, eyes alert, and with a growing sense of unease. Danger still lay in wait for him. And he could see that news of the priest's murder had spread faster than his calming message.\n\nNewssellers shouted, \"Read the latest! After killing a hatamoto, a rōnin, and an eta, the ghost has now slain a holy man. No one is safe!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And the unrest had worsened: \"Eight samurai killed in drunken duels. Twenty peasants wounded in gang brawl!\"\n\nCustomers snatched the broadsheets; money changed hands. Eager listeners clustered around a storyteller who acted out the killings in melodramatic speech and gestures. Mystics moaned and wailed over lit candles and incense, trying to invoke the spirits of the victims, or the protection of the gods, while onlookers tossed coins in encouragement.\n\n\"O Inari, great goddess, please keep us safe from evil!\" one ragged old woman keened.\n\nWatching her, Sano thought of Aoi, and a spark of anger kindled within him. Not only had her last prophecy proved false, but her description of the killer fit none of the suspects." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'about' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was beginning to harbor suspicions about her, that he must eventually allay, or confirm. With all the spies in Edo, and more than one person who wanted his investigation to fail, had he been wrong to trust a stranger—even one recommended by the shogun? Now Sano remembered Noguchi telling him about an official forced to commit suicide because his mother's spirit had compelled him to attack Chamberlain Yanagisawa. Had Aoi, with her rituals, played a part in the man's demise? But for now, more pressing problems demanded Sano's flagging energy.\n\nHe had his miai to attend this afternoon, and four suspects to investigate in less than as many days. And he saw all too well the difficulties inherent to the last task.\n\nMatsui Minoru's, Chūgo Gichin's, O-tama's, and Chamberlain Yanagisawa's status accorded them considerable protection from the law, and greater credibility than his." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He couldn't jail them and order the truth tortured out of them, as with common criminals. He must back any accusations he made against any of them with hard evidence—gathered without offending the innocent.\n\nWith little time to plan and less expertise to guide him, Sano had left the archives and gone home, where he'd hoped to receive news from Dr. Ito, but the doctor's message said that he'd found no clues on the rōnin's remains. Sano had dispatched his servants and messengers to post notices warning Endō's descendants at the castle's checkpoints, on the city's notice boards, and at the gates of the daimyo and hatamoto estates. Then he'd prayed briefly at his father's altar for inspiration. Receiving none, he'd formulated a strategy based more upon emotion and expedience than logic.\n\nHe'd decided to leave O-tama, the least likely suspect, until last. His samurai spirit rebelled against challenging Chūgo, his superior officer, whose exalted position also posed unique obstacles." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And as for Yanagisawa...\n\nAny pleasure Sano might have taken from imagining his adversary exposed as a murderer fell before his fear of what he would have to do if he found evidence of Yanagisawa's guilt—which the chamberlain's attempts to thwart him already supported. A black abyss of terror yawned inside Sano whenever he thought of it, so he relegated Chamberlain Yanagisawa to the back of his mind. Instead he concentrated on Matsui, who was neither more nor less likely a killer than the other men, but whose situation presented an easy opportunity. He would go to the merchant's businesses, and, via discreet questioning of his staff, determine Matsui's whereabouts during the murders and probe for rumors of madness or violence on his part. He would investigate Chūgo and Yanagisawa only if this effort failed. Now he reviewed what everyone knew about his first suspect.\n\nFor generations, Matsui's clan had lived humbly as low-ranking samurai in the Kantō." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then, some thirty years ago, the young, ambitious Minoru had become head of the family." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He'd relinquished his samurai status to enter trade, establishing a small sake brewery near Ise Shrine." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Modest success had whetted his appetite for more." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He'd moved to Edo and opened a drapery shop in Nihonbashi, where he introduced the revolutionary practices that made him a fortune, as well as many enemies." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He advertised widely, and welcomed small customers as well as the great warrior clans." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His prices were fixed, instead of negotiable, and he demanded cash upon sale, instead of at the end of the year." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In exchange, his customers paid 20 percent less than elsewhere." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This had so enraged his competitors that, to escape their hostility, Matsui had moved his shop to Suruga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "However, the change hadn't hurt the Hinokiya, or stopped Matsui's expansion into other business ventures. Now, at age fifty, he held controlling interest in the national shipping firm run by the great merchants. He operated rice plantations. He was one of the country's thirty principal money changers. He also served as financial agent and banker to the Tokugawa and several major daimyo, who considered the handling of money beneath their samurai dignity. These last ventures had made him another fortune in commissions, interest, and fees. He was the wealthiest and arguably the most famous commoner in Japan. And his achievements had regained him the samurai privilege of wearing swords." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The weapons he'd used to murder four men?\n\nReaching his destination, Sano dismounted and secured his horse outside the Hinokiya. Beneath the deep eaves of its stately tile roof, carved wooden doors stood open, exposing the store to the street. The indigo entrance curtains bore the store's crest in white: a cypress tree, for Hinokiya—Cypress House. From the eaves dangled paper lanterns painted with advertisements: \"Cotton and Silk Cloth,\" \"Readymade Clothing,\" \"No Padded Prices!\"\n\nLifting a curtain, Sano peered inside. The store was divided lengthwise into two sections. On the left, clerks wrote up orders and calculated prices on their abacuses at desks ranged along an aisle that extended to the back of the building." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Separated from this aisle by a wall of cabinets was the showroom, where shelves held rolls of colorful cloth, sample garments hung from the ceiling, and clerks conferred with customers. Sano decided he would pretend to browse until the senior clerk, an elderly white-haired hunchback, became available. Renowned for his gossip and garrulity, he would be the most likely employee to know and report on his master's doings.\n\n\"Sōsakan-sama. Wait!\"\n\nAlready inside the shop, Sano winced at the sound of his title, shouted from down the street. He hoped that his pursuer wouldn't follow, and that his plain garments and lack of response would preserve his anonymity. But to his dismay, the man rushed in after him, demanding loudly, \"Is it true that there were witnesses to the Zōjō Temple murder?\" A young newsseller dressed in cotton kimono and headband, he wore at his waist a pouch that bulged with coins from the sale of the broadsheets he carried." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Has someone actually seen the ghost?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Go away!\" Sano hissed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And stop spreading ghost stories—you're scaring people.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The newsseller stood his ground." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'faces' appears 2 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's my job to bring my customers the news.\"\n\nSano touched his sword, and the newsseller hurried out the door. But the damage was done. Business ceased as clerks and customers stared at him; he saw recognition on their faces, heard his title murmured. And then the street crowd, alerted to his presence, burst into the store. Sano found himself surrounded by frightened faces and grabbing hands. Hysterical voices assailed him.\n\n\"These murders are ruining my business... gangs own the streets... for two zeni, I'll perform an exorcism... stop the ghost before he kills us all!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano realized with chagrin that he'd become a public figure." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No longer able to conduct a covert inquiry at the Hinokiya, he decided to try one of Matsui's other businesses in hopes that he could maintain his cover long enough to get some answers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Get away!\" he ordered.\n\nThe crowd pushed him farther into the store. \"Please, save us!\"\n\nSano saw clerks frantically lugging merchandise to safety, trying in vain to close the doors against the horde. Then an angry male voice bellowed, \"What's going on here? Everyone out. Now!\"\n\nThe mob's cries turned to screams. Bodies hurtled into the street, shoved, kicked, and thrown by two huge, grim samurai who had appeared from the back of the store. In no time at all, the doors slammed shut; the Hinokiya was empty except for its staff, Sano—and the man he'd come to spy on.\n\nMatsui Minoru. The man whose business empire spanned the nation." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 3 instance(s) of the word 'samurai'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Flanked by the two rōnin who served as his bodyguards, accompanied him everywhere, and had cleared the store at his orders, he presented an intriguing and contradictory array of merchant and samurai qualities.\n\nHis round, bald head, full cheeks, and eyes that closed into slits when he smiled at Sano could have belonged to any middle-aged, well-fed commoner. He wore a cotton kimono patterned with brown, black, and cream stripes, probably from the Hinokiya's least expensive inventory. Of medium height, he had a stout but firm body whose thick, muscular neck, shoulders, and arms bespoke a life spent lifting heavy sake vats and bolts of cloth.\n\nMatsui bowed. \"So, sōsakan-sama. Have you taken a break from your work to shop in my humble establishment?\"\n\nHis direct gaze belied his words, betraying a wholly samurai arrogance. A luxuriant silk lining showed at his kimono's cuffs and hem: the wealthy merchant's circumvention of the sumptuary laws that forbade commoners to wear silk. And he'd not erased the samurai swagger from his posture." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This lent his two swords an air of authenticity usually missing in merchants who wore weapons as status symbols." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was common knowledge that he employed a private kenjutsu master to tutor him. Matsui gave the impression of a man straddling two classes. Had spiritual conflict caused this former samurai to yearn for the simpler, nobler days of his ancestors? To continue General Fujiwara's deadly mission? Sano studied the merchant carefully as he framed a reply. Despite Matsui's genial welcome, this man of shrewd intelligence surely knew why Sano had come. With subterfuge impossible, he decided on a direct approach.\n\n\"I'm here to ask your assistance in apprehending the Bundori Killer,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was a collective gasp, then silence from the clerks. Matsui's smile widened; his eyes almost disappeared in creases of flesh. \"I would be honored to assist you,\" he said blandly, \"but I don't see how I can.\"\n\nSano smiled back, feeling like a novice trader entering negotiations with an acknowledged master. Matsui's profession of ignorance forced him to play a card he'd hoped to keep in reserve.\n\n\"You can help by explaining the relationship between Araki Yojiemon and Endō Munetsugu, the men whose names appeared on the trophy heads, and...\"\n\nHe paused; Matsui waited him out. The guards tensed; the clerks stirred uneasily." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano conceded temporary defeat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And a certain General Fujiwara,\" he finished.\n\nTo his delight, Matsui's face stiffened: The tentative probe had found its target. Then Matsui laughed, as if proclaiming his own victory in this first round.\n\n\"Well, that's definitely worth discussing. I invite you to my house. Come, it isn't far.\"\n\nHe clapped Sano's shoulder and nodded to the guards. Was he showing his innocence—or escaping his audience?\n\nOutside the shop, the crowd engulfed them. Waving their swords, Matsui's guards forced it back." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Their threats and glares discouraged followers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano and Matsui continued down Suruga Hill unhindered, Sano on horseback, Matsui and his escorts on foot. Yet the guards' presence didn't relieve Sano's fear of attack. If it was Matsui who wanted him dead, then they were not his protectors.\n\n\"Your guards seem very competent,\" he remarked, wondering if they'd assisted their master with the murders. One had fresh cuts on his face and hands—from Brother Endō's spear? \"What services do they perform for you?\"\n\nMatsui's knowing smile showed that he understood Sano's intent. \"They keep my enemies away. And since I carry lots of money, I'm a target for thieves.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He pointed at his guard's cut face. \"The man who did that looks much worse.\"\n\n\"A thief?\" Sano asked, remembering the priest's wounds.\n\n\"If you wish.\"\n\nSano realized that Matsui wanted to provoke an open accusation that he could deny, forcing Sano to either give up—or arrest the Tokugawa banker and disrupt the bakufu's finances. Sano switched subjects.\n\n\"Do you know a fox-faced mercenary swordsman who eats melon seeds?\"\n\nMatsui shrugged. \"Edo is full of mercenaries.\"\n\nSuppressing his impatience, Sano tried still another tack." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I often see you traveling on foot. Don't you own a palanquin?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "One with a dragon on it, like the one Kenji had seen outside Zōjō Temple?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I have three.\" If this question disturbed Matsui, he didn't let on; he'd probably had plenty of practice hiding his emotions during business negotiations." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But I leave them for my family's use. I myself prefer walking. It's good for the body. Ah, here we are. Welcome to my miserable home, sōsakan-sama.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'three' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Matsui's house was a large, two-story structure with weathered wooden walls, plain brown tile roof, and unadorned entryway, separated from the street and the neighboring merchant dwellings by a small, bare yard and bamboo fence. An open shed held the three palanquins—all black, with no decoration. However, the dragon palanquin hadn't necessarily carried the killer, who could have traveled by other means. Matsui was still a suspect. And even if this interview cleared him, Sano had three others.\n\nThe house's drab exterior didn't prepare Sano for the treasure trove he found inside. Elaborate coffered and gilt ceilings decorated the long corridor they followed past rooms crammed with lacquer chests and cabinets, painted scrolls, embroidered silk cushions, life-size statues, tables and shelves crowded with ceramic vases and ivory and gold carvings. Each room had two maids and an armed guard." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In a parlor, women dressed in gaudy, expensive kimonos played cards, smoked silver pipes, drank tea, and ate cakes made to resemble flowers. Windows overlooked a verdant garden and a miniature temple complete with halls, bell house, and pagoda. The whole place reeked of incense and perfume, and personified the vulgarity of the merchant class that earned them the samurai's disdain and jealousy.\n\n\"I hope my poor little house pleases you, sōsakan-sama.\" Matsui's voice held a hint of mockery. The guards snickered.\n\nSano wondered what Matsui's willingness to display his house meant. Nothing to hide? Aside from this obvious possibility, Sano glimpsed a more sinister one. The sumptuary laws prohibited merchants from flaunting their wealth; hence, the house's simple exterior." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breaking the laws could result in confiscation of all an offender's money and property." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Last year, the bakufu had seized the Yodoya family fortune, including houses, rice fields, gold and silver artifacts, and 300,000 koku in cash." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yet Matsui had allowed him to see his outrageous hoard." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His expert management of the Tokugawa finances must give him understandable faith in their continued protection.\n\nDid he also have the audacity to believe he could get away with murder?\n\n\"Now I'll show you something that should interest you very much,\" Matsui said.\n\nHe slid aside a panel in what had appeared to be solid wall, revealing a short, narrow corridor that led to an iron-clad door. \"Extra security precautions,\" he explained as he opened the door, \"for my most prized possessions.\"\n\nWondering what could be more valuable than the things he'd already seen, Sano followed Matsui into a small, windowless room. The bodyguards stationed themselves outside the door. Matsui summoned a servant, who lit a ceiling lantern, then left." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The lantern's light illuminated the clay walls of what looked to be a fireproof storehouse connected to the main building. The full-length portrait of a seated man covered the back wall. He wore armor, with his head bare and the helmet resting on his knee.\n\n\"My ancestor, General Fujiwara,\" Matsui announced proudly.\n\nShocked, Sano stared at his host, then around the room, which he now realized was a shrine to the general. Beneath the portrait, an altar held incense burners, oil lamps, a cup of sake, oranges, and a bowl of rice. Low pedestals placed against the side walls held artifacts that Sano couldn't identify in the dim light. But he could see the soot that blackened the walls." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The lamp wicks were burnt, the food fresh. Matsui, with all the luxurious rooms at his disposal, spent much time in this small, dark chamber, communing with his ancestor's spirit.\n\nMatsui's hearty voice overlaid Sano's thoughts. \"Just because I'm no longer samurai doesn't mean I've renounced my heritage, sōsakan-sama. What's in the blood can never be lost.\" He gestured to the portrait. \"See the resemblance between us?\"\n\nSano did. General Fujiwara's stylized face bore Matsui's features. Only the expression was different: stern, rigid, befitting a great warrior." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Matsui circled the room, lifting items from the pedestals for Sano's inspection." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"These are the general's relics that I've inherited. And I'll spend whatever's necessary to acquire those which have become lost over the years. This is his helmet.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tenderly he stroked its battered metal surface. \"And this is his war fan.\" It was a gold disk, mounted on an iron shaft, bearing a crescent-moon crest in flaking red paint. \"These scrolls tell of his heroic deeds. And this...\"\n\nAs Matsui extended to Sano a metal handguard with attached chain-mail sleeve, his voice dropped to a reverent whisper. \"This is the armor he wore in the Battle of Anegawa. He was wounded; that dark stain is his blood.\"\n\nA shiver rippled Sano's skin when he saw that Matsui's smile had vanished. His eyes, fixed on his grisly relic, shone with fierce obsession." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In that moment he looked strikingly like General Fujiwara." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Like a warrior capable of killing his enemies.\n\nCautiously Sano said, \"You pay respect to your ancestor. Do you also wish you could live his life?\"\n\n\"Often.\" A sigh gusted from Matsui; his hands caressed the armor. \"After a day spent making deals, counting money, and plotting against my rivals, I long for the simplicity of Bushido. Absolute loyalty and obedience to one's lord. Dying in battle for him. What could be cleaner or more noble?\" Matsui chuckled wryly. \"So unlike the filthy business of making money. Do you know that my own cousins severed ties with me when I became a merchant?\"\n\nEither the shrine induced in Matsui an urge to confide, or he was displaying a show of candor to absolve himself of suspicion. Sano couldn't tell which, but he nevertheless encouraged Matsui's revelations.\n\n\"Your family's rejection must have hurt you,\" he remarked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh, yes,\" Matsui said sadly. He returned the armor to its pedestal and knelt before the altar. \"I like to think that I could have been a great general. But it seems my fate to lead others in the pursuit of making money. Still, my cousins' disapproval hurts less than the thought of his\"—Matsui bowed to the portrait—\"had he known how I would disgrace our family.\"\n\n\"You want to deserve General Fujiwara's respect, then?\"\n\nA sigh; a worshipful glance at the portrait. \"Sometimes I think I would give everything I own for it.\"\n\n\"What do you know of the general's feud with the Araki and Endō clans?\" Sano asked, quietly so as not to jolt Matsui out of his introspective mood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He'd expected the merchant to deny knowledge of the feud, but Matsui answered without hesitation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My grandfather, the family historian, considered the feud a puzzling but trivial epilogue to an exemplary life. General Fujiwara was ill when he began the attacks on Araki and Endō. His grievances against them may have been the product of a failing mind. But I believe he had a good reason for his actions, and I wish I knew what it was.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Although Matsui's tone and manner hadn't changed when he uttered the last sentence, Sano's extra sense told him the merchant was lying." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Still, Matsui had given him an opening.\n\nPhrasing his question carefully, he said, \"Would your reviving the feud against Araki's and Endō's descendants appease the general's spirit?\"\n\nMatsui slowly turned from the portrait. Sano dared not breathe. Every instinct told him Matsui was capable of killing to ensure General Fujiwara a posthumous victory over his enemies. Now he need only elicit a confession.\n\nSoftly he said, \"Where were you last night, Matsui? And on the nights of Kaibara's and the rōnin Tōzawa's deaths? Did you kill them?\"\n\nVisions of the shogun's approval, fulfilling his promise to his father, and the city delivered from evil hovered at the periphery of Sano's consciousness as Matsui lifted haunted eyes to his." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'matsui' must appear 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then Matsui threw back his head and laughed, completely shattering the fragile structure of Sano's interrogation. \"You're very good, sōsakan-sama,\" he said, standing. He waggled a playful finger at Sano. \"But not good enough to trick old Matsui Minoru. Consider me a murderer, if you will. But remember this.\"\n\nHe faced Sano, arms folded, stance firm: once again the hard-driving merchant who refused to yield concessions. \"Would I have shown you this shrine if I were the killer you seek? I certainly wouldn't have let you in my house if I had a blood-spattered trophy workshop to hide. I invite you to search my other houses, my store, my banks and moneylending shops, and my offices at the shipping firm. You'll find nothing there, either. You can question my staff, who will tell you that I'm a good, respectable citizen.\"\n\nHis brazen declaration left Sano speechless. Had Matsui's \"confidences\" been nothing but a joke at his expense?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Or was Matsui bluffing now, to repair the damage they'd done?" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"As for the nights of the murders,\" Matsui continued in the same recalcitrant tone, \"I was here at home, in this very room.\" Pointing at the men outside the door, he added, \"My guards will vouch for me. I never go anywhere without them.\n\n\"And now you must excuse me, sōsakan-sama; I have business to conduct. If you have any more questions, you'll have to arrest me. But think hard before you do. Should the shogun's gold cease to multiply and flow, I doubt if he would thank you.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "expand on the story like Laura Joh Rowland would. btw might have existing characters/lore" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano returned to Edo Castle at noon, feeling rushed and discouraged. Now he rode through the main gate to seek Chūgo Gichin, captain of the guard and second suspect, before attending his miai. Since he couldn't conduct a secret inquiry in the castle, where spies would undoubtedly report his activities to Chūgo, he hoped a surprise confrontation might prove more satisfactory than his clash with Matsui.\n\nHe couldn't eliminate Matsui as a strong suspect, despite the merchant's denials and the common sense that told him such a man wouldn't risk his wealth and position to revive a dead feud. He believed in Matsui's sinister obsession with General Fujiwara, and had sensed his capacity for violence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "During their short encounter, he'd grasped Matsui's essential nature: bold, ruthless, with a grandiose self-importance that could easily inspire a sense of invincibility." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That Matsui's associates would attest to his good character and his bodyguards to his whereabouts didn't convince Sano of the merchant's innocence. All those people were in Matsui's pay. Still Sano appreciated the difficulty of establishing Matsui's guilt.\n\nMatsui was far too clever to leave incriminating evidence in his places of residence or work. Sano thought he could probably persuade Matsui's enemies to contradict the good references from friends and underlings, but he doubted whether he could break Matsui's alibi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If the bodyguards had taken part in the murders, they would lie to protect themselves." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This next interview would either offer a better suspect, or eliminate Chūgo Gichin and give him more time to incriminate Matsui. Of Chamberlain Yanagisawa, he could not bear to think, because Yanagisawa's guilt would mean his own destruction. For once, Sano closed his mind to his father's voice, which would force him to acknowledge the possibility he didn't want to face.\n\nInside the castle, Sano entered the main guard compound, where a thousand samurai occupied the huge, stone-walled courtyard shadowed by the towering keep. Some were mounted, others on foot; all wore swords and armor tunics." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The long wooden sheds that bordered the compound held an arsenal of swords, spears, bows, polearms, arquebuses, cannon, and ammunition." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was the mighty heart of the Tokugawa military regime. Through it, like an emperor surveying his domain, strode Chūgo Gichin.\n\nAccompanied by three lieutenants, he alone wore full battle regalia. A black metal helmet with deep side flaps and a pair of carved golden pine boughs adorning its crown sat proudly on his head. An elaborate armor tunic, its many plates laced with red and gold silk cord, hung from his high, square shoulders." }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'guards' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Chain-mail sleeve guards covered his long arms. His kimono hem was tucked into metal shin guards that covered legs as slender and straight as wooden pillars. His erect, rigid posture emphasized his spare muscularity. As he made his inspection tour, he carried the weight of his armor without visible effort. His voice, barking orders and questions at his ranks, rose above the sounds of footsteps, hoofbeats, and muted conversation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano watched the captain of the guard and tried without success to imagine him a murderer. This man's family had loyally served the Tokugawa for generations. Chūgo had worked his way up through the military ranks, even doing a stint in the navy. Now he was responsible for the castle's security during his duty shift. It was his job to protect the shogun, his family, and their multitude of officials, retainers, and attendants; to maintain order and peace." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How could he also be the person who had killed four men and thrown the city into turmoil?\n\nThen Chūgo headed toward his command post, passing the armory sheds, whose red curtains bore his crest: a white octagon with the Fujiwara crescent moon in the center.\n\nSano dismounted and started after Chūgo. Before he'd moved ten steps, a pair of guards accosted him.\n\n\"May we be of assistance, sōsakan-sama?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "one asked. A touch of insolence tainted his courteous bow and greeting." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Just three days ago, these men would have treated Sano with fawning subservience. He marveled at how quickly news of his downfall had reached even the bakufu's lower echelons.\n\n\"I must speak with Captain Chūgo Gichin,\" he said.\n\nScornfully looking him up and down, they advanced until he was forced to move backward toward the gate.\n\n\"It concerns a matter of vital importance to castle security,\" Sano added." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The two guards stopped, exchanged glances, shrugged. \"Come with me,\" the spokesman said.\n\nSano offered a silent prayer of thanks for underlings who preferred to shift responsibility to their superiors. Shadowed by his escort, he followed Chūgo's steps to a large shed in the compound's corner, built under a tall watchtower. He braced himself, hoping his arrival would startle the captain into betraying guilt." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But as they entered the command post, the guard shot an arm across Sano's chest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Wait,\" he ordered.\n\nThe post's anteroom was unfurnished, earth-floored. An open door at the rear showed the captain's office, which contained a desk, cabinets, chests, pieces of armor and weaponry. The walls were covered with duty rosters and maps of the castle. Sano's attention flew to the room's center, where Chūgo Gichin knelt on a straw mat, profile to the door, fists balled on his thighs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He'd removed his armor and helmet; now, a black hood completely covered his head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An attendant was positioning four man-size straw dummies around Chūgo. Finishing, he came to stand beside Sano at the door. He raised a finger to his lips for silence. Sano nodded agreement, eyes riveted on Chūgo. Anticipation tightened his stomach." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was about to witness a demonstration of the martial arts skill for which Chūgo had achieved nationwide fame: iaijutsu, the art of simultaneously drawing and cutting with the sword." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Chūgo sat perfectly still; he appeared not to breathe. But Sano sensed the mental energy flowing from him as his trained perception divined the positions of the unseen targets. While Sano waited in suspense for Chūgo to draw his sword, he wondered what the captain's proficiency at iaijutsu said about him.\n\nIaijutsu was a discipline particularly suited to peacetime, when samurai kept their weapons sheathed, instead of drawn as in battle. The techniques could be used defensively, or to secure the opening move in a duel." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hence, most reputable kenjutsu masters trained their students in them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But iaijutsu had a treacherous, and therefore dishonorable aspect." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Too often it was used against unwary opponents or unarmed peasants." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Many of the latter had died in \"crossroad cuttings,\" or \"practice murders,\" when a samurai merely wanted to test a new sword.\n\nHad Chūgo used his deadly skill to strike down Kaibara Tōju, the rōnin Tōzawa, and the eta before they'd perceived the danger? Did his choice of discipline imply a willingness to attack helpless or unsuspecting victims? One thing Sano knew: Extreme devotion to the martial arts often indicated an obsessive adherence to Bushido. Had its credo of ancestor worship driven Chūgo to murder?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In a single fluid motion, Chūgo leapt to his feet and whisked his sword free of its scabbard. The blade's blurred white arc whistled sideways through the air, slicing off the first dummy's head. Without a pause, Chūgo whirled. He severed the second, third, and fourth heads before the first hit the ground.\n\nSano's breath caught at the beauty and precision of Chūgo's performance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then a premonition of danger licked at him like an icy flame." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He gave an involuntary shout and sprang backward." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Heedless of the law that prohibited his drawing a weapon upon another man inside the castle, his hand instinctively sought his sword.\n\nBecause instead of sheathing his blade and kneeling again as the exercise dictated, Chūgo came hurtling straight toward Sano, swinging his sword upward in both hands for an overhead killing cut.\n\nSano had his sword free and ready to parry the blow. Then, at the last instant, the guard and Chūgo's attendant realized what was happening.\n\n\"No, Chūgo-san! Stop!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Seizing Chūgo's arms, they arrested his attack." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He froze, sword at the peak of its deadly ascent.\n\nSano froze, too, then slowly sheathed his weapon as he saw Chūgo's body relax and felt the captain's murderous impulse subside. With his heart hammering and combat energy still surging through his body, he watched Chūgo step free of his men. He let out his breath as Chūgo calmly returned his sword to its scabbard, then removed the black hood.\n\n\"Sōsakan-sama.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Chūgo spoke in a gruff monotone that betrayed little interest and no surprise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His long face conformed to his body's linearity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thick, horizontal eyebrows crossed the bridge of his thin nose." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His narrow eyes, dark, unblinking, and so devoid of emotion as to appear lifeless, looked out from deep, rectangular gashes set above knife-edge cheekbones." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Vertical creases etched his skin from the nostrils to a thin, almost lipless mouth. From the jawline, his chin tapered to a sharp point. Only one feature deviated from this geometric theme: the puckered scar that snaked across his shaven crown.\n\nEncompassing both Sano and the other two men in his deathlike gaze, he said, \"We won't speak of this accident.\"\n\nObviously he meant that no one would report the incident, and therefore neither he nor Sano would suffer the suicide penalty dictated by law." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano, badly shaken by the violent encounter, could only nod as he tried to match Chūgo's stoic calm and organize the torrent of thoughts that flooded his mind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Blindfolded, Chūgo had decapitated all four dummies in the time it would take an ordinary swordsman to sight a target and draw his weapon. Aside from Chūgo's obvious skill at swordsmanship, however, Sano had another reason to believe he'd cut down four men in the dark of night.\n\nChūgo had meant to kill him. This Sano knew with every particle of his being, despite the captain's claim of an \"accident.\" Had Chūgo lashed out in reaction to the vague threat of a stranger's arrival?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Or because he'd instinctively recognized the man who might expose him as the Bundori Killer?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Practice is over. Put the targets away,\" Chūgo told his attendant. To Sano: \"What do you want?\"\n\nHe dismissed Sano's escort and moved into his office, where he scrutinized the castle maps whose colored pins represented troop positions. Sano followed. He watched Chūgo shift pins like a general planning a battle. The minimal chance of a siege didn't seem to affect his dedication to his job." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well?\" Chūgo asked." }, { "from": "system", "value": "/set_word_count: chūgo, frequency: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano found himself sorting and grouping questions in his mind, much as Chūgo was doing with the pins. \"You probably know that the shogun has assigned me to catch the Bundori Killer,\" he said, feeling his way.\n\n\"So?\"\n\nApparently uninterested, Chūgo strode out of the command post, where he addressed his lieutenants. \"The coverage of the eastern perimeter is too thin,\" Sano heard him say." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Dispatch another unit there at once.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he returned to the office to peruse the duty rosters. His movements had an impatient jerkiness that contrasted with the fluid grace of his swordplay. Intent on his duties, he seemed not to care if Sano ever stated the purpose of his visit.\n\n\"The labels on the heads of the killer's victims bore the names Araki Yojiemon and Endō Munetsugu,\" Sano said. \"Two men who had a troubled relationship with your ancestor, General Fujiwara.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The captain's hand remained steady as he ran his finger along the columns of names on the roster." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His lips compressed in irritation, but not surprise or dismay. \"What of it?\"\n\nSano tried to see the thoughts behind Chūgo's opaque eyes. If he was the Bundori Killer, he revealed no fear of exposure. But then Chūgo, as a martial arts master, would have trained himself to suppress all signs of emotion.\n\n\"General Fujiwara had a grudge against Araki and Endō,\" Sano said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He risked his life trying to destroy them. Whoever killed Kaibara Tōju, the rōnin Tōzawa, and the priest Endō seems to have revived the feud by attacking Araki's and Endō's descendants. I believe the killer is a descendant of General Fujiwara's, out to complete his blood score.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Pah!\" Chūgo's snort conveyed all the contempt that his face didn't." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Before he could speak, his attendant entered the office, bearing a lacquer box.\n\n\"Your meal, Honorable Captain.\"\n\n\"Set it there.\" Chūgo knelt on the mat and pointed to the space before him. The office was warm, and he opened his kimono and rolled up the sleeves. No wounds marked his limbs or torso; he'd either evaded Brother Endō's spear during combat, worn armor, or never fought at all." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To Sano, he said, \"If you're asking me if I'm a murderer, I'm not. And my ancestors are none of your business. Besides, the past is dead.\"\n\nBut was it, Sano wondered as Chūgo unpacked the lunchbox. \"Dried chestnuts, kelp, and abalone,\" he remarked as each item appeared. \"Do you always choose the foods eaten by soldiers before battle?\" Perhaps Chūgo wasn't so indifferent to the past as he pretended." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was certainly familiar with war rituals." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Chūgo shrugged. He ate like a man fueling his body for combat: grimly, washing down each mouthful with a gulp of sake from a battered metal flask. \"I eat what I please.\"\n\nHaving gotten nowhere by subtly probing this impenetrable man, Sano tried a blunt query. \"If you're not the Bundori Killer, then where were you last night?\"\n\n\"That's none of your business, either. But I'll tell you anyway. I was here. At the castle. Where I've been for the past fifteen days. I never leave during my duty shift. Any of my men will tell you that.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano tilted a pained glance at the ceiling." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Here was another alibi, just as dubious as Matsui's and even harder to break." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Edo Castle guards, including the gate sentries, owed allegiance to their captain. They would corroborate any story he told, take his side in any dispute, especially one with a retainer who'd lost the shogun's favor. Even if Sano managed to find a brave or disgruntled individual willing to say otherwise, thousands more would swear to Chūgo's presence in the castle during all four murders. No magistrate would convict him without more proof. Sano thought of the two kimonos, which he had yet to show the tailors, and of the mysterious missing woman." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required dialogue to include (maintain exact wording): \"Do you own a palanquin with a dragon design on it?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He wondered if Hirata was having any luck finding the dragon palanquin's maker, or learning the assassin's identity.\n\n\"Do you own a palanquin with a dragon design on it?\" he asked.\n\n\"No. I use the castle's.\" These bore no ornamentation except the Tokugawa crest.\n\n\"Have you ever hired a mercenary swordsman?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "This time, one corner of Chūgo's mouth lifted in a sardonic smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If I wanted to kill someone, I'd do it myself.\"\n\n\"What would you say if I told you a witness saw you outside the castle last night?\" Sano bluffed.\n\nChūgo chewed, swallowed, and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. \"That you're lying. Or your witness is.\"\n\nSano's frustration mounted. Chūgo had betrayed neither concern, nor knowledge of the witness's gender." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Finishing his meal, Chūgo said, \"Enough false accusations, sōsakan-sama. Time for you to go.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He rose and strode to the door. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted for his lieutenants in a voice that could have carried across a battlefield. Suddenly the two men were dragging Sano out of the command post while Chūgo returned to his work.\n\n\"Let go!\" Sano shouted. He managed to shake his captors loose, but more men came to their aid." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They hoisted him onto their shoulders, carried him across the compound, and dumped him, stomach down, upon his horse." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Someone slapped its rump." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano barely managed to sit upright in the saddle before his mount bolted. The entire command provided a resounding send-off of cheers, hoots, and laughter.\n\nFuming, Sano rode away, plotting the revenge he would take by seeing Chūgo arrested, convicted, and executed for the Bundori Murders. The captain's character, swordsmanship skill, and knowledge of war rituals all warranted more suspicion than his alibi could dispel. But for now, Sano turned his horse toward the Official Quarter." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'would' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had no time to waste on thoughts of personal retribution. If he didn't hurry, he would be late for his miai.\n\nIn the passageway, he stopped a castle messenger. From his sash he took the letter he'd written in a stationer's shop on Suruga Hill. It detailed his plan for tonight, a course of action he'd hoped would be unnecessary, but now deemed crucial—especially because it could eliminate the need for investigating Chamberlain Yanagisawa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He gave the letter to the messenger, along with a generous tip to ensure quick delivery." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Take this to doshin Hirata at the police compound immediately,\" Sano said.\n\nThen he hurried home to prepare for his miai." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "I'll be your writing partner today. I will set the scene (which might reference existing characters and worldbuilding), and you will continue the story with one sentence, channeling the voice and techniques of Laura Joh Rowland." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kannei Temple, located in the hilly, rural Ueno district north of the castle, was one of Edo's most popular sites for viewing cherry blossoms." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Every spring, citizens flocked there to enjoy the lovely scenery while contemplating the transience of life, so poignantly symbolized by the short-lived flowers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Across the temple's grassy slopes, the luxuriant leafless blossom clusters hovered in masses of pink cloud beneath the pale sky." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Petals fell like snowflakes upon the paths and grass, the heads of the strolling crowds, and wafted toward Shinobazu Pond's pine-fringed silver expanse." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano, having left his horse outside the temple's wall, barely noticed his surroundings as he hurried along the gravel paths, past halls, pagoda, and pavilions, and wove through the crowds." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was very late for his miai." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He ignored the cries of Ueno's famous crows as they circled overhead, and the colorfully dressed picnickers: beautiful women; playing children; drunken men who danced, sang, and cavorted on the lawns." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The pressures of his work and this all-important social rite drained all pleasure from the outing that so many others were enjoying." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At last the Kiyomizu Hall came into view, a stately structure painted bright red, with a blue tile roof and a balcony overlooking Shinobazu Pond." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano followed the wide promenade along the lake." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Muttering apologies, he squeezed past a procession of chattering women carrying identical green and white paper parasols." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He dodged more pleasure seekers and sprinted down the promenade, then came to an abrupt stop at the grassy hill that sloped upward to the hall." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He winced at the social gaffe he'd committed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "According to plan, he should have arrived early, joining his mother and Noguchi for a seemingly casual stroll along the promenade, then meeting Magistrate Ueda and his daughter as if by accident." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The charade would have allowed both parties to pretend that a miai had never taken place, thus saving face, should the marriage negotiations fail." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano's tardiness had made all pretense impossible." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Everyone had already assembled at the designated meeting place on the promenade, beneath the famous Moon Pine, named for the branch that looped in a perfect circle: His mother, leaning on her maid Hana's arm; Noguchi; Magistrate Ueda, a stout, middle-aged samurai dressed in black ceremonial robes decorated with gold family crests." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And a slender young lady with silky black hair that fell to her knees, dressed in a lavish red and white kimono and accompanied by two female attendants: Ueda Reiko, the prospective bride." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All of them, despite their natural poise, must be suffering agonies of embarrassment on Sano's account." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Arriving sweaty and breathless, Sano said, \"Please excuse my late arrival. I meant no offense, and I'm sorry for any inconvenience you've suffered.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He bowed to those he knew. \"Noguchi-san. Mother. Hana.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His mother smiled a gentle rebuke." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She looked thinner and weaker, but more placid than when he'd last seen her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Noguchi's frown-wrinkles slid up his scalp as he said with false joviality, \"Well, you're here now, and that's what counts.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He turned to the other man." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Magistrate Ueda, may I present Sano Ichirō, His Excellency's sōsakan-sama.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Magistrate Ueda's gaze took careful measure of Sano as he bowed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had abundant gray hair, broad features, and a ruddy, youthful complexion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Heavy lids shadowed eyes bright with intelligence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The lines around his mouth suggested that he smiled often, though he didn't now." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The honor is all mine, Sano-san,\" he said in response to Sano's professions of respect and gratitude." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His voice was low but confident, that of a man with no need to flaunt his power." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And this is my daughter, Reiko.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano bowed, courteously not looking too hard or too long." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And she, a proper young lady, kept her head inclined, the lower part of her face covered with her fan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He glimpsed only her long-lashed eyelids and white forehead with its high, thin, painted brows." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well,\" Noguchi said, rubbing his hands together in exaggerated enthusiasm." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Let's walk around Kiyomizu Hall, shall we? The cherry blossoms there are particularly fine.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "They ascended the hill." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano knew he should impress his prospective father-in-law with his intelligence and wit, but couldn't think of anything to say." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Coming in the midst of his troubles, this ritual seemed unreal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Would he survive to marry?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Noguchi initiated the conversation with a poem appropriate for the occasion:" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They bloom only a short time—" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ah, this life of ours...\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thankful for his friend's intervention, Sano recited the rest of the poem." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But when four days have passed, where" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Are the cherry blossoms?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He quoted other similar poems to display his literary education, and inquired about the Ueda family's journey to the temple." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But he couldn't hold up his end of the conversation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The poems reminded him of his deadline." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Was his hope of success as ephemeral as the dying cherry blossoms?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Breaking an uncomfortable silence, Magistrate Ueda spoke." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Might I have a private word with you, Sano-san?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano looked at him in uncomfortable surprise." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Convention called for the two families to converse as a group." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Before he could reply, Noguchi answered for him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why, yes, of course, Honorable Magistrate,\" he said, obviously anxious to make amends for Sano's deplorable rudeness." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Go ahead. I will chaperone the ladies.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Making shooing motions at Sano, he joined Sano's mother, Reiko, and the attendants." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano walked on ahead with Magistrate Ueda." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Fearing that his earlier apologies had been inadequate, he said, \"There was no excuse for my tardiness. I beg your forgiveness, and your daughter's, even though I have no right to expect it.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No need for apologies, Sano-san.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Magistrate Ueda's tone was grave, but not unkind." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The responsibility given you by the shogun must and should consume the major part of your time and attention. No, I have other concerns besides your late arrival. If I may speak frankly?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Warily Sano nodded." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My sources tell me you've somehow offended Chamberlain Yanagisawa, who has turned the shogun against you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As the path wound beneath more cherry trees around a small hollow, Magistrate Ueda contemplated a merry group of men toasting one another with sake." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And that if you don't solve the murder case, you'll be exiled to Sado Island. Is this true?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano, familiar with the upper-class custom of employing investigators to check on prospective in-laws, had feared that Magistrate Ueda would learn he'd lost the shogun's favor before he could reclaim it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now he owed an honest disclosure to this man who had entered negotiations for his daughter's hand in good faith." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes,\" Sano said reluctantly. \"It's true.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ah.\" Magistrate Ueda nodded, seeming disappointed but not surprised." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But my investigation is progressing,\" Sano hastened to add, not wanting to lose this chance at the marriage his father had wanted for him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He summarized his findings, ending with: \"I've identified four suspects, and one of them is the Bundori Killer.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The magistrate didn't reply immediately." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In silence, they skirted a bevy of shrieking children." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I must say I've also heard much good about you, Sano-san,\" he said at last." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You've acquired a reputation for courage, intelligence, and an impressive dedication to truth and justice. What you've just told me confirms it. There are also rumors of a valuable service you performed for His Excellency.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano regretted that his pact with the shogun prevented his answering the magistrate's unspoken question, and perhaps forestalling what he knew would come next." }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'because' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Because of these favorable reports—and Noguchi's recommendation,\" Magistrate Ueda said, \"I agreed to this miai. And, I must admit, because of my daughter.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An affectionate smile touched his lips as he glanced over his shoulder." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano, following his gaze, saw that Reiko had abandoned her prim reserve to laugh at something Noguchi was saying." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her eyes met Sano's for a moment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Before she again hid her face behind her fan, Sano saw that her beauty was different from Aoi's: delicate and classic." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But she was a more suitable match..." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Reiko overheard Noguchi telling me about you,\" Magistrate Ueda continued." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"She's never before expressed interest in any marriage proposal, but she insisted on meeting you, despite my reservations. Sometimes she displays a most unfeminine strength of will.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The pride in his voice softened his critical words." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then the smile left his face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I love my daughter, Sano-san. She's my only child, and the very image of my deceased wife. Her happiness means much to me. For that reason, I consented to the miai and gave you a chance to speak for yourself. But I can't allow the marriage and let Reiko share your uncertain fate. I'm sorry, Sano-san.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "That Sano had anticipated rejection didn't lessen his shame and disappointment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Suddenly he could no longer bear the beauty of the landscape, the laughter of happy revelers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Would the failure of his investigation follow this one?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Woodenly he said, \"I understand, Magistrate Ueda.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He found that he regretted more than the lost hope of an advantageous marriage with an attractive lady." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He knew Magistrate Ueda's reputation for fairness, which his willingness to hear both sides of a story had just proved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He meted out harsh sentences to the criminals he convicted, but showed mercy in extenuating circumstances; his mention of both the good and bad reports, as well as his considerate rejection, demonstrated his compassion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was above bribery, untouched by scandal, and apparently incorruptible." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano would have felt honored to deserve a family connection with a man of such character." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To hide his humiliation, he focused on his surroundings." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They'd made a complete circuit of Kiyomizu Hall and reached the side overlooking the lake." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And they'd gotten far ahead of Noguchi and the women." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Magistrate Ueda put a hand on Sano's arm." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I wish you success in your investigation, and the best of luck in the future.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The words were spoken with genuine sincerity, but Sano barely heard them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "For just then, a familiar figure, standing on the hall's balcony, caught his eye." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dressed in brilliant robes, Chamberlain Yanagisawa contemplated the blossoming cherry trees below him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As Sano watched, he turned and spoke to a group of similarly attired men beside him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Among them Sano recognized several important officials: This was a combination business meeting and pleasure jaunt." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As Sano gazed at Yanagisawa's vivid figure, his muscles tightened and his mouth went dry." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sooner or later he must confront Yanagisawa, if not to establish the chamberlain's guilt or innocence, then to settle their differences." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He tried to rationalize his reluctance by listing the reasons Yanagisawa couldn't be the Bundori Killer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Despite his ancestry, character flaws, and attempts to halt Sano's progress, the chamberlain was Tsunayoshi's second-in-command, a respected bakufu official, and surely too occupied with government affairs to care about an ancient feud." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But thoroughness, as well as Sano's desire for the truth, dictated that he treat Yanagisawa as a suspect until cleared, no matter how much he wished otherwise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And if the chamberlain wasn't the killer, Sano must propitiate him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even if he solved the murder case and avoided exile, his future success depended on Yanagisawa." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll wait for our party here,\" Magistrate Ueda said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Perhaps you'd like to walk awhile?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The magistrate was kindly allowing him time to recover from rejection before joining the others as if nothing had happened." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Seeing Yanagisawa leave the veranda and disappear into the hall, Sano realized that this might be his only chance to speak with the chamberlain, who might refuse him a formal private audience." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank you, Honorable Magistrate,\" Sano said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No longer able to avoid the task that filled him with dread, he wandered down the path and waited." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Soon Yanagisawa came out of the hall and sailed down the steps." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Leisurely he descended the hill and strode along the promenade." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano followed him onto the narrow strip of land that extended into Shinobazu Pond." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yanagisawa walked between the teahouses that bordered it, toward the small island where the shrine to Benten, goddess of water, stood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With sinking heart and dragging footsteps, Sano trailed after him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Chamberlain Yanagisawa reached the island and passed through the shrine's torii gate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Inside, a small pine grove sheltered the outer precinct, which was momentarily deserted." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano caught up and drew a deep breath." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Honorable Chamberlain Yanagisawa,\" he blurted." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"May I speak with you?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yanagisawa turned. His half-smile vanished when he recognized Sano." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His eyes began to smolder; hostility emanated from him in almost visible waves." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I have nothing to say to you, sōsakan.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Venom seeped through his suave tone." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How dare you intrude on my privacy in this brazen manner? Leave me at once!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano's courage waned, but he held his ground." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dropping to his knees, he said in a rush." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Honorable Chamberlain, please tell me what I've done to offend you. Whatever it was, it was unintentional. And I want to make amends.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "If he did, then perhaps the chamberlain would agree to an interview that would undoubtedly clear him of all suspicion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Instead of replying, Yanagisawa shot out his foot in a vicious kick." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His thick-soled wooden sandal struck Sano's shoulder." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano sprawled backward, uttering a cry of pained surprise." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Anger erupted within him; he longed to take his sword to this man whom Bushido dictated that he revere as his lord's representative." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He wished he could prove Yanagisawa the Bundori Killer... almost." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yanagisawa stood over him, fists clenched at his sides." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "White lines of rage tightened the flesh around his mouth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There is nothing you can say or do to compensate for trying to frame me for murder.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm not trying to frame you,\" Sano protested, still shocked by the chamberlain's uncharacteristic display of temper." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Away from the shogun, he apparently felt no need to maintain his suave poise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano stumbled to his feet, realizing that the castle spies must have told Yanagisawa about Noguchi's search for General Fujiwara's descendants." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I was only investigating a lead. I had no way of knowing that your ancestry connected you to the murders. Any inquiries I make about you will be strictly formalities, for the sake of a thorough investigation. I haven't told anyone that you're a suspect, or tried to incriminate you. Because I can't believe you're the Bundori Killer.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even as he spoke, he tasted the doubt underlying his denial." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Was Yanagisawa angry for the stated reason, or out of fear of exposure?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yanagisawa appeared not to hear his words." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He advanced, backing Sano up against the gate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You seek to ruin my reputation and turn the shogun against me by slandering my ancestors and spreading lies about me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His voice issued from his distorted mouth like spurts of corrosive steam." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, I won't tolerate it. Do you hear me?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano could only stare, dumbfounded by Chamberlain Yanagisawa's allegations." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Such a scheme had never entered his mind, although he suspected that other bakufu officials might discredit an adversary this way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now he realized that whatever had initially set Yanagisawa against him was nothing compared to this perceived insult." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With nothing left to lose, Sano decided to pursue his investigation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Honorable Chamberlain, you can prove your innocence by telling me where you were during the murders. If you have a satisfactory alibi, the matter will be dropped, and—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano gasped as the chamberlain seized his collar and yanked him so close that their faces almost touched." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Listen to me, sōsakan, and listen well,\" Yanagisawa hissed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fury drew his face into an ugly scowl." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano tried to pull away, but Yanagisawa gripped him with a strength amazing for a man of such slender physique." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I am His Excellency's highest official. You are merely his lackey for three more days. You have no right to interrogate me, and I am under no obligation to answer.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hot, sour spittle pelted Sano's face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And if you persist in harassing me with impertinent questions and false accusations, I will—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yanagisawa stopped just short of an open threat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Did his refined sensibilities shun such crude behavior?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Or did he fear antagonizing a man who could destroy him?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Whatever the reason, he released Sano, stepped back, inhaled and exhaled deeply." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He smoothed his garments as his elegant features hardened into their customary smooth mask." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But his eyes were dark, bottomless pools of hatred and anger." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When he spoke again, he did so in low, deadly tones." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let us just say that I will not allow you to succeed in your mission. And before I am finished with you, sōsakan, you will beg for the privilege of boarding the exile ship for Sado Island.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He turned and swept out the torii gate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In despair, Sano stood and watched the retreating figure." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The encounter with Yanagisawa hadn't produced any evidence of the chamberlain's guilt, but neither had it cleared him and allayed Sano's dread." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And by forcing Yanagisawa's hostility into the open, Sano knew he'd only worsened their relations." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What would he do now?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano squared his shoulders, forced a pleasant expression, and started toward shore, where he could see Noguchi, Magistrate Ueda, and the women waiting for him beside Kiyomizu Hall." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But when he reached the promenade, he halted in his tracks." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All thought of the failed miai fled his mind." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To his right, Chamberlain Yanagisawa's party was climbing into a line of palanquins attended by bearers ready to carry them back to Edo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yanagisawa bowed to his colleagues, then entered the lead palanquin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The one with a snarling dragon emblazoned in red, green, and gold across the black lacquer doors." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano gaped as the bearers lifted the palanquins and trotted past him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The clatter of their footsteps faded from his consciousness; his vision darkened." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The dragon palanquin's image burned into his mind." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That quickly, Chamberlain Yanagisawa became his prime suspect." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And Sano finally acknowledged his worst fear—the terrifying heroic act by which he might have to secure his family's place in history." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now he could not shut out his father's voice, speaking to him across the years:" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Sometimes an evil spirit, in the form of a corrupt councillor, enters the house of a great lord. Such a councillor leads the lord astray with misinformation, surrounds the lord with his own cronies, and removes any opposition against himself. The councillor procures women or entertainers to seduce the lord away from business and addict him to pleasure. He squanders the lord's money to further his own evil purposes. He causes the ruin of the lord's health and character, and ultimately, the regime.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No,\" Sano whispered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He'd watched Yanagisawa dominate the shogun, usurp his authority, cater to his vices, and steal his wealth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If Yanagisawa had also murdered four men, this would confirm him as the \"evil spirit.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano didn't want to recall Bushido's harshest lesson, but his father's relentless voice continued as he watched Yanagisawa's palanquin disappear around a curve.\n\n\"The evil spirit must be destroyed, but not through open confrontation, which could cause scandal or war. The most admirable deed a samurai can do is to sacrifice himself for his lord's sake. To rid the regime of corrupting influence, he must kill the evil spirit, then commit ritual suicide to escape capture and disgrace, and establish his clan's honor for all eternity.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "im ur writing buddy. i set scene (might have existing chars), u do two sentences like Laura Joh Rowland" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From the promenade outside Edo Castle, Sano watched Chūgo Gichin enter the main gate. Defeat dragged heavily at his spirits as he waited a safe interval, then followed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He and Hirata hadn't found a way to see or hear what was going on in the shop, so they'd waited outside and resumed pursuit when Chūgo and Matsui emerged. But the imminent closing of the gates left the suspects insufficient time to kill." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Chūgo had ridden straight back to the castle, and Sano expected that Matsui, too, had gone home." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now Sano returned to his mansion, but only to leave his horse before setting forth on the night's second mission.\n\nAs he walked through the dim, quiet passageways, physical exhaustion hit full force." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He hadn't slept for two days, or eaten since afternoon; his head ached, and his empty stomach burned; his chin hurt where Hirata had hit him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Therefore he found great relief in being safe inside the castle's walls, where no assassin could reach him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "However, survival seemed his only victory in a day fraught with failure." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He'd seen his hopes for a distinguished marriage destroyed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He hadn't eliminated Chūgo or Matsui as suspects, but had failed to gather evidence against them. Tonight's fiasco had merely tipped the balance more heavily toward Yanagisawa's guilt." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As Sano made his way toward the Tokugawa ancestral shrine, submerged anger burned through his unhappiness." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His upbringing forbade him to rage against the code that formed the parameters of his soul, so he turned his anger on a convenient target: Aoi. Tonight he would find out whether his suspicions about her were valid—and make her pay for misleading him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Unwillingly he remembered their last meeting: her beauty; the yearning he'd experienced and knew she had too." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now fresh desire heated his blood and turned his anger to raw fury at the betrayal of what they'd shared." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Focused inward, Sano belatedly registered the sound of footsteps following him through the passage. They synchronized with his own almost perfectly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he paused, they ceased until he resumed walking. His extra sense flooded him with alarm that he at first dismissed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Inside the castle, he was safe." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was simply reacting to two days and nights on the alert for an assassin by imagining threats where none existed. Still, his skin tightened; his bones vibrated in unmistakable response to approaching danger." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Quickening his pace, Sano glanced over his shoulder." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A curve in the stone wall blocked his view. He couldn't make himself stop and let his follower pass, or turn back and challenge him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He couldn't overcome the defensive instinct instilled in him by a lifetime of training." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano broke into a run. As he tore through around the passage's winding curves, he heard his pursuers panting between his own labored breaths." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Once the hunter himself, he was now the prey. Was this a game of idle castle samurai who sought entertainment by ganging up on a convenient victim whose humiliation—or injury—would bring them no punishment?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Or was it connected with his investigation, and the earlier attack on him?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He could sense the pursuers' malice like a pressure current along his nerves." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A checkpoint loomed ahead of him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "All hope of aid died when he saw the abandoned gate standing open." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Where were the guards?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Once past the gate, with his pursuers hard on his heels, Sano made an even more disturbing discovery." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The guardhouses that ran along the tops of the walls were dark, vacant." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No troops patrolled the passage. He was unprotected, alone with his pursuers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano shot past more deserted checkpoints and open gates, endless lines of empty guardhouses and towers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Soon he began to tire. His heart felt ready to explode; his lungs heaved painfully; his body grew slick with sweat; his legs heavy as stone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "An ache stabbed his side." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And still the footsteps pursued him, forcing him higher into the castle's upper northwest reaches, farther from home, the palace, the guard compound, and other populated areas lower on the hill." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His cramp worsened as he pounded through the gate that led to the martial arts training ground. He heard the men closing on him while he skirted the pond and swerved around archery targets." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He dashed past sheds and stables, then across a road, into the Fukiage, the castle's forest preserve, where he could surely lose his pursuers.\n\nThe towering pines enclosed him in their dark, whispering hush." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Spurning the gravel paths that led to gardens and picnic grounds, Sano wove his way between trees, trying to run softly on ground carpeted with pine needles. He'd reached the limit of his endurance; he must rest, or collapse entirely." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sagging against a tree trunk, he gasped for breath." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Blood roared in his ears." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He looked back toward the forest's edge." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His runaway heartbeat accelerated. Fresh panic seized him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Moving toward him through the trees came two wavery spots of light. As he watched, three more joined them, then fanned out to his right and left." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The men had brought torches to hunt him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He'd lost the protection of darkness.\n\nWith a groan, Sano pushed himself away from the tree." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Urgency won out over his need to keep quiet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Low branches whipped his chest as he ran; gravel crunched loudly underfoot when he crossed paths." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A torch flame appeared to his right, and he darted away, only to spy another coming straight toward him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Soon he lost all sense of direction. He could only hope he was moving toward the gate at the forest's far side, through which he might escape." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, without warning, a small clearing opened before Sano—a woodland retreat furnished with two stone benches. He knew he should stay hidden in the woods, away from exposed spaces, but his lungs could no longer suck in enough air." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The cramp bit him like iron spikes. As he tried to flee the clearing, he stumbled and fell to the ground." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Leaves rustled; branches snapped. Now the torches drew a tightening circle around Sano." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Their fitful light and acrid smoke filled the clearing as the men's shadowy figures emerged from the forest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano realized that they'd deliberately driven him into the Fukiage, to corner him here. With the last of his strength, he managed to stand, but too late." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The pursuers emerged into the clearing, and unknown terror took on solid form at last." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The five tall, strapping men all wore armor tunics, with dark kimonos tucked into leather shin guards: the uniform of low-ranking castle guards. Swords hung at the left of their waists, stout wooden clubs at the right." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Instead of helmets, they wore black hoods that covered the lower halves of their faces.\n\n\"What do you want with me?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Swaying on legs gone weak from exertion, Sano looked from one man to the next. His heart fell when he saw the rapacious gleam in their eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why did you chase me?\"\n\nSilence, except for the crackling torches, the restless wind, and his captors' eager breaths." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then the leader, whose more elaborate armor marked his higher rank, spoke." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You will stop hunting the Bundori Killer,\" he said, his voice muffled by the hood that didn't conceal its deadly seriousness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano felt a trickle of cautious relief." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Had they only run him down in order to deliver a warning?\n\nThen the leader flung down his torch and advanced on Sano, unhooking the club from his sash." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The others followed suit." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was no mistaking their intent: to maim, cripple, or kill him to prevent future inquiries. A rush of fresh energy readied Sano's body for combat; his hand sought his sword." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he remembered the law against drawing a sword within the castle grounds. He hesitated before following his natural impulse to defend himself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That moment's indecision doomed him. Before he could reach his weapon, the man on his right clubbed his forearm." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano gasped as pain sped up the bone clear to his shoulder." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Again he tried to unsheath his sword, but the blow had rendered his right hand numb and clumsy. With his left hand, he grasped the scabbard to separate it from the blade, but another attacker's club whacked his shoulder and sent him staggering across the clearing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Another grab at his sword earned him a crack against the thigh.\n\nNow his attackers closed in and began showering blows upon him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A club to the chin snapped his head back and locked his tongue between his teeth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The earth rocked; he tasted blood." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then a swipe across the backs of his knees knocked his feet out from under him. The moon and trees careened across his vision as he pitched backward, but he didn't fall, because a jarring swat on the back sent him flying forward again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Taking advantage of his momentum, Sano lowered his head and drove it into an attacker's armored stomach. The crash jarred his skull; the man grunted and fell." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano threw himself upon the fallen body. Desperation gave him strength." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "While hands seized his collar and hauled him up, he wrested the club from his opponent. A smear of light on the ground nearby caught his attention." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He snatched up the torch as the men dragged him to his feet.\n\nWith a savage wrench, he freed himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Turning on his foes, he backhanded the club across a hooded face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He heard teeth crack, a howl of pain; the man dropped his club and clutched his mouth with both hands." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano whipped the torch at the others. Three dodged, but it sent the other's sleeve up in a woosh of flame." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Screaming, he collapsed to the ground, rolling to extinguish the fire." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Look out! Get him!\" The others, who had fallen back, now rushed forward." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One smote the torch a mighty blow that splintered it in two, leaving a short, useless stump in Sano's hand.\n\nNever an expert at combat without swords, Sano knew that his only hope of survival lay in speed, unpredictability, and all-out effort." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In a whirlwind of motion, he flailed the club, alternately pivoting, lunging, and striking." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He caught a shoulder here, a cheek there, always aiming for unarmored body parts. His strength burgeoned in the excitement of battle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But his next strikes met solid wood as his opponents parried with their clubs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The gang, having recovered from his assault, landed more blows than he could dodge or deflect." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pain exploded on his shoulders, back, and face.\n\n\"Who ordered you to do this?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "he demanded in a voice garbled by a mouthful of salty blood. \"Was it Chūgo?\"\n\nThe guard captain commanded all the castle's soldiers, including these." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He could have ordered both the attack and the necessary relaxation of security measures. Sano's tormenters answered with only a cruel kick to the knee." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He gasped his next question through a daze of agony:\n\n\"Was it Chamberlain Yanagisawa?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "As the real power behind the shogun, Yanagisawa ultimately controlled the entire castle and everyone in it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He hated Sano, and desired his downfall." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And Yanagisawa was the prime suspect. Sano saw another blow coming, and instinctively flung up his arm to shield his face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He took the impact hard on his elbow, unable to stifle a cry of anguish. Through it, he heard one of the men yell, \"Shut up, or suffer more!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano, determined to learn the truth, persisted despite the pain and terror." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Was it Matsui?\"\n\nThe merchant must have many of the shogun's retainers in his debt, and he could afford to buy whatever services he needed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Had he ordered this attack?\n\nAt a stinging crack on his wrist, the club flew from Sano's hand." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He heard a thunderclap when another blow hit his temple. His surroundings shattered into a crazed jumble of light and motion before his eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Gasping, he fell on his side." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His tormenters' raucous laughter echoed in his ears." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Look at the great sōsakan! Down on the ground where he belongs!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano couldn't move. His muscles felt like pulped meat; blood and sweat soaked his clothes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His vision darkened; sounds faded. Finally he accepted defeat as he began the downward spiral into unconsciousness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They would beat him to death, and he was powerless to stop them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then a loud scream arrested his descent." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A body crashed to the ground beside him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shouted insults turned to yells of surprise.\n\n\"Who—? What—?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano blinked in confusion as another of his tormenters flew backward as if yanked from behind." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then a slender figure, clad in black, appeared, and a puzzling scene unfolded." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Amid the lurching, shouting attackers, the black, silent figure whirled and lunged." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Its arms chopped the clubs from their hands; its kicks to their stomachs and groins doubled them over." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A vicious swipe to the neck downed another man as he reached for his sword." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano closed his eyes to blot out what was surely a bizarre hallucination." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His mind foundered in the black waves that washed over his consciousness. Time passed, but how much he didn't know." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Gradually he became aware that the noise and activity around him had ceased. He forced his heavy eyelids open." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Above him, the moon's image swelled and shrank in rhythm with the pulsing agony in every part of his body. Had his tormenters left him for dead?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then he heard footsteps, almost soundless, but magnified by his painfully acute senses." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were coming back." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Panic restored Sano's fading lucidity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Groaning, he tried to stand, but couldn't move." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A dark figure loomed over him, head turned and lifted, listening and watching in perfect stillness. For a moment, Sano saw moonlight silvering the curving line of a three-quarter profile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then the figure bent. Firm hands grasped Sano's arms." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No,\" he whispered, but lacked the strength to resist.\n\nHe felt himself hoisted across a strong back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The ground tilted sickeningly, then sank as the figure lifted him. With his last conscious thought, Sano wondered if this was his imaginary rescuer turned real, or one of his attackers bearing him off to a worse punishment than he'd already suffered." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "writers block help pls. ill send something, u do 4 sentences. going for Laura Joh Rowland vibe. note: might have existing chars" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My informant claims he knows who the assassin was, sōsakan-sama,\" Hirata said. \"Gomen nasai—I'm sorry to make you walk so far, but he wouldn't come to the police compound. He doesn't want anyone to know he works for me.\"\n\n\"That's all right, Hirata, you've done well,\" Sano said. After the interview with O-tama, he desperately needed any evidence that might identify the Bundori Killer as someone other than Chamberlain Yanagisawa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were walking through Nihonbashi, toward their noon rendezvous with Hirata's cautious informant, in hastily improvised disguise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They both wore wide wicker hats, and had left Sano's expensively equipped horses at the police stables." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano wore an old cloak of Hirata's to hide the Tokugawa crests on his own garments. With his single short sword, shabby kimono, and no jitte, Hirata made a convincing rōnin. Beneath his hat, his eyes glowed; his white smile flashed in boyish delight at Sano's approval. Sano, in his excitement at receiving the news, had forgotten to discourage Hirata's attachment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now, though hating to hurt the young doshin again, he tried to counteract his spontaneous praise." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let's just hope your informant is telling the truth,\" he said coldly.\n\nHirata turned his face away, but not before Sano saw his smile fade. \"This way, sōsakan-sama,\" he said in chastened tones.\n\nThey cut through the woodworkers' district, where carpenters sawed, hammered, and nailed in open storefronts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Along with more wild tales about the murders, newssellers distributed reports on the continuing fire, whose smoke filtered the sunlight.\n\n\"The fire must have spread,\" Sano said, concerned despite his relief at seeing the fearmongers' attention focused on something besides the murders. Edo's fire brigades usually managed to contain and extinguish the frequent blazes with admirable efficiency. \"I wonder why it hasn't been put out yet.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There's trouble in that district,\" Hirata said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"People have been burning candles and incense, to drive away the ghost. Last night, a house caught fire. And some men formed a gang to patrol the streets. They killed what they thought was a ghost carrying a severed head. But it was an old man with a jar of pickles. His sons went looking for revenge. A riot started. The fire spread because the fire brigade can't get in to put it out.\"\n\nHis worst fears realized, Sano looked away, speechless. The simmering tensions caused by the murders had finally erupted. All because he hadn't caught the Bundori Killer soon enough." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano knew that other factors had contributed to the disaster—Chamberlain Yanagisawa's sabotage; the townspeople's superstition and unruliness; the police's failure to maintain order. But Sano couldn't help feeling responsible. Guiltily he wondered whether, fearing what he must do if Yanagisawa was the killer, he was expending his best effort on the investigation.\n\nHe and Hirata followed an eerily quiet street that Sano couldn't remember ever seeing before." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The open storefronts contained unappealing merchandise: cheap, mismatched crockery; trays of stale cakes. The few pedestrians—all disreputable-looking samurai and male commoners—eyed them warily. Outside empty teahouses, the proprietors sat smoking pipes and lazing in the sun. Instead of trying to entice Sano and Hirata inside, they glared." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is it.\" Hirata stopped before a teahouse." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To the proprietor, he said, \"Wild Boar is expecting us.\"\n\nThe proprietor scrutinized them, then waved them inside. Sano and Hirata ducked under the faded blue curtain and entered the empty room. Hirata led the way through a doorway at its rear, from which muffled voices and laughter issued." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then Sano understood the real purpose of the deserted stores and teahouses." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kneeling men jammed the dim back room. Their pipes added more smoke to the already thick air. Spread on the floor before them lay tobacco boxes, metal baskets of burning coals, cups and decanters of sake, playing cards and stacked coins. Intent on their games, the men ignored Sano and Hirata as they muttered their plays and bets, hands moving cards and coins with expert rapidity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This, like its neighboring establishments, was one of Edo's illegal gambling dens: domain of the city's burgeoning underclass of thieves, con men, gangsters, and other outlaws." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The \"proprietors\" outside were lookouts, on the watch for police or rival gangsters.\n\nHirata eased past the gamblers, motioning Sano to follow him through another curtained doorway. This led to a dank, urine-smelling passage. Shouts, laughter, and clanking noises echoed from its other end." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Sōsakan-sama, I want you to know that this isn't my district,\" Hirata whispered, obviously shamed by this lapse in police control. \"I don't like the practice of taking bribes to let these places operate. But they do have their uses!\"\n\nThey entered a hot, stifling room, whose shuttered windows and flaring oil lamps gave it a sinister, nighttime look. The reek of vomit, smoke, sweat, and liquor assailed Sano." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the center of the large, low-ceilinged space, rough wooden railings defined a combat ring where two young men, clad only in loincloths and cotton headbands, circled each other, gazes locked in fierce concentration." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Both held kusari-gama—short, sharp-bladed scythes with weighted chains attached to the ends of wooden handles. This was a weapon normally used by peasants to disarm maurauding swordsmen, but here employed in a perverted and dangerous form of combat. Each fighter gripped his weapon's handle in his left hand; with his right, he spun the deadly chain in accelerating circles. Sweat glistened upon the fighters' tensed muscles; their savage grimaces bared broken teeth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Old scars and fresh wounds crisscrossed their skin.\n\nCheering, hooting samurai and peasants crowded around the ring. Many of the latter had elaborate tattoos on their arms and torsos—a mark of the organized gangster clans. Sano had seen men like these before, but never in such numbers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Here must be where they hid out while honest men were at work." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata was right: What better source of information about illicit activities could there be than this?\n\nHirata led Sano to the ring's far side, where a short, bald, muscular man was taking coins from eager customers—bets on the fight, judging from their shouts:\n\n\"Ten coppers on Yoshi!\"\n\n\"Twenty on Gorō!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "On closer inspection, Sano saw that the banker wasn't much older than himself, and not really bald." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His hair was cut so close to his domed head that in the dim light he'd at first appeared to have none. He had a crooked, flattened nose, puffy eyes and mouth. His kimono hung open to reveal a spectacular tattoo: a beautiful naked woman with winged demons suckling at her breasts.\n\nHirata approached the banker, who was apparently the informant, Wild Boar." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I've come for the goods I ordered,\" he shouted over the audience's cheers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All traces of his usual deference had disappeared; he sounded brusque and rough, befitting his disguise, and confident like a man who expects satisfaction. Sano felt a touch of admiration for his assistant, who'd already demonstrated his talent for detection. Once again, he regretted the probable short tenure of their partnership.\n\nWild Boar jerked his head at Sano." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Who's your friend?\" He spoke out of one corner of his mouth. His half-closed eyes showed no whites; the dark irises watched the fighters.\n\n\"The goods are for him,\" Hirata said. \"Before you get the other half of your money, they have to meet his approval.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the ring, the tall fighter launched an assault on his opponent." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The other man didn't parry soon enough. The chain slammed across his chest. Shouts erupted from the audience. Wild Boar's eyes followed the action as he retorted, \"You said nothing about this when we made our deal. Who is he? Why should I trust him?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata shrugged and started to walk away. Sano, fighting the urge to protest, followed his bluff.\n\n\"Wait.\" The informant's hand shot out and grabbed Hirata's sleeve. \"You win.\" Rancor closed his eyes still more as he positioned himself between Sano and Hirata." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Keeping his gaze on the ring, where the second fighter flailed his chain and thrust his scythe in a series of counterattacks, he began to speak." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The man of the melon seeds and the fox's face was a rōnin named Nango Junnosuke. A stranger to Edo, as snow is to summer.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wild Boar's speech had a poetic quality that contrasted sharply with his gruff voice. \"He came here four nights ago. He said he was just arrived from the Kantō.\"\n\nBecause the overlapping of shogun's and daimyo's authority had undermined police power in the eight agricultural provinces outside Edo, they'd become a center of criminal activity. Sano wasn't surprised to learn that the assassin had come from there." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And \"Junnosuke\" was the name on the torn note in his pouch.\n\n\"Daikoku, great god of fortune, didn't bless Nango,\" Wild Boar went on. \"He lost much money on cards and fights, then begged for credit, saying he would soon have enough money to cover his debts.\"\n\n\"How much money, and how soon?\" Sano interrupted." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ten koban, the next night.\"\n\nThe exact sum found on the assassin's body, at the designated time. Sano's excitement grew with the certainty that Nango was his man. \"Did he say how he planned to get it?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Said he'd been hired by someone important to kill a high-ranking citizen. But the gang didn't trust him. He had eyes that darted like minnows in a stream. So they made him leave. Afterward, they thought he might have been telling the truth. Because he was good with his sword, he was. Took five men to throw the ugly little fox out. And he cut them all.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wild Boar's description of Nango's behavior fit the assassin: a good fighter whose rashness had gotten him in trouble during his life, and, in the end, destroyed him.\n\n\"Did he say who hired him, or who his target was?\" Sano asked.\n\nThe informant laughed in derision: a grunt not unlike his namesake's. \"If it was true, he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. But I'll tell you this. I've seen his kind before. They blow into town like a typhoon, do their evil, and blow out to sea again. And their master is the man up there on the hill.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "A typhoon of foreboding swirled around Sano's heart. \"Which man?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"People come to me for facts, not opinions. But if you want, I'll tell you what I think.\" Wild Boar paused, then leaned closer to Sano. His sour, liquor-scented whisper rasped against Sano's face. \"It's the Second Dog.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The shogun, Chamberlain Yanagisawa, and Senior Elder Makino were nicknamed \"The Three Dogs\"—all born in the year of the dog; all associated with Tsunayoshi's Dog Protection Edicts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The shogun was First Dog by right of rank. Yanagisawa, the Second Dog, led the pack. The typhoon over Sano's heart sent its fierce winds gusting into his throat.\n\n\"The Second Dog hired Nango?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "he asked, resisting belief." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'd lay odds on it, friend.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why?\" Sano pressed.\n\nThe informant's ripe breath blew the answer into Sano's face. \"Miyagi Kojirō. Attacked and killed by an unknown swordsman three years ago while traveling along the Tōkaidō. The killer was never found. But I've got friends at highway post stations who saw a seed-eating, fox-faced man tailing Miyagi. A man not unlike the one we speak of now.\"\n\nSano remembered Noguchi telling him about Miyagi, once the shogun's adviser and Chamberlain Yanagisawa's rival." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Whose secret murder, rumor said, had been ordered by the chamberlain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But couldn't someone else have hired Nango?\" Sano persisted, forgetting caution in his need to dispute Wild Boar's statement. The informant seemed rather too knowledgeable. Was he telling the truth, or inventing stories to give value for his price?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Chūgo Gichin, for instance. Or Matsui Minoru. Men with money and influence.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Wild Boar grunted again." }, { "from": "system", "value": "IMPORTANT: 'chūgo' should appear 2 times in total" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Chūgo keeps to the castle like the emperor to his palace. Thinks he owns it. No connections to men of Nango's sort, or none I know of. Word on him is, if he wanted someone killed, he'd do it himself. And Matsui has other ways of getting his way.\"\n\nThe guard captain's own words agreed with Wild Boar's assessment of Chūgo, and Sano's impressions of the merchant supported the informant's statement about Matsui. Sano had no knowledge with which to contradict any of what he'd just heard. Suddenly he found the room's frenetic atmosphere unbearable." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He watched the tall fighter lash out with the scythe's curved blade." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It sliced his opponent's shoulder." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Blood poured from the gash. Gasping, the man fell against the railing. Four men from the audience leapt into the ring and dragged him out. With the first drawing of blood, the fight was over." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Sano couldn't share the crowd's uproarious glee.\n\nFather, he prayed silently, let the truth be other than it appears now! But reality didn't change. His father's spirit wouldn't come to him, and, to his dismay, he found he could no longer envision his father's face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Thank you, Wild Boar,\" he said abruptly. \"Hirata, let's go.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wild Boar ignored Sano's thanks. Turning to Hirata, he said, \"I've delivered the goods. Now pay up.\"\n\nHirata pulled out his money pouch. Sano realized that his loyal assistant had bought the information with his own funds." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reaching across Wild Boar, he touched Hirata's arm.\n\n\"Let me. How much?\"\n\n\"No,\" Hirata protested. \"I made the deal, I'll pay.\"\n\nSano shot him a stern glance. From his own pouch he counted out the huge sum that Hirata reluctantly named, and paid for the knowledge that endangered his own life." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "writers block help pls. ill send something, u do 4 sentences. going for Laura Joh Rowland vibe. note: might have existing chars" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he got back to town, Sano found Hirata riding back and forth along the promenade outside the castle gate.\n\n\"Sumimasen—I'm sorry to report that I couldn't follow Chamberlain Yanagisawa because he hasn't come out,\" Hirata said gloomily.\n\n\"Never mind. Let's go.\" Sano slapped his horse's reins." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hirata hurried to catch up. \"Where? Why?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We're going to set a trap for the Bundori Killer.\"\n\nThey rode through the daimyo district, into Nihonbashi. Sano told Hirata what he'd learned from Madam Shimizu, and about the sword now hidden in his saddlebag. But he couldn't specify the details of his plan until they'd scouted the location." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Once across the Nihonbashi Bridge, Sano led the way east, then north up the wide firebreak along the Sumida River, past warehouses and through the crowds around the teahouses, food stalls, and entertainment halls at the foot of the Ryōgoku Bridge, to the Kanda River—an aqueduct that emptied into the Sumida.\n\n\"Here,\" Sano said, turning left onto the path bordering the Kanda. Hirata, looking puzzled, followed.\n\nThe path sloped upward to run along the top of the river's vertical, stone-faced bank." }, { "from": "human", "value": "On Sano's left rose affluent merchants' houses with balconies overlooking the river." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To the right, a wooden rail shielded the drop to the water. Docks jutted out from the path. At the end of these floated pleasure boats, all of which faced east toward the Sumida, with sloping gangplanks lowered from their decks. A wooden bridge gave access to the Kanda's opposite side, which offered a similar scene." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't understand,\" Hirata said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "By the fourth dock, Sano dismounted and tied the reins to the rail. \"This is Madam Shimizu's boat,\" he explained. \"We'll set the trap here.\"\n\nAt the villa, Madam Shimizu's mention of the romantic boat trips she'd once enjoyed with her husband had inspired Sano." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The boat's location was near the city center, convenient to all three suspects, and yet relatively isolated, preventing interference from passersby." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The layout, with its enclosed cabin and limited means of access and escape, would allow him to capture Chūgo or Matsui—or kill Yanagisawa and himself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He'd persuaded Madam Shimizu to let him set his trap on the boat, because if the Bundori Killer was indeed looking for her, then he would come here willingly to find her. Now Sano saw how well he'd chosen.\n\nMade of cedarwood, the boat was perhaps fifty paces long. Both ends swooped gracefully up out of the water." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the stern, the deck tapered to a high viewing platform." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The bow bore the boat's figurehead—a likeness of a younger, lovely Madam Shimizu, lips smiling, long hair rippling. The cabin had a red shingled roof with upturned eaves. A single sail, furled around its tall mast, rose from the foredeck. Along the railed gunwales stood poles for hanging lanterns or banners." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With its shallow draft, single pair of oars, and open rudder chamber, the boat was not a seaworthy vessel—the bakufu, to keep citizens from leaving the country, forbade the building of private craft equipped for rough waters." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But the boat would suit Sano's purpose admirably.\n\nSano turned his attention to the surroundings. Like Madam Shimizu's, most of the other vessels were deserted; the boating season wouldn't begin for another month or so. Sano squinted up at the sky, where the strengthening wind had blown more clouds in from the sea to the east." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Not much chance of anyone setting sail tomorrow if this keeps up,\" Sano remarked with satisfaction." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was equally glad to see only a few people about: a maid hanging laundry on a balcony; a street vendor carrying a load of baskets across the bridge, where an old man stood fishing. The Shimizu boat was far enough from the Sumida's heavy water traffic and the crowded firebreak so that any activity here would go unobserved.\n\n\"We'll come early tomorrow and clear the area,\" Sano told Hirata. \"Your assistants can keep everyone away while we wait for the killer.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hirata's face brightened with comprehension. \"Aboard the boat.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Right.\" Sano crossed the dock and ascended the creaking gangplank onto the boat, circling the deck. Not being a sailor, he made only a cursory inspection of the bow, where he found the anchor—a large, multipronged iron hook lying atop a heap of straw cable—near the sail. Then he more thoroughly examined the features of the boat that most concerned him. Beneath the hatch on the aft deck, in front of the tiller, he found coiled ropes, folded sails, a toolbox, lanterns, lamps, candles, water-tight metal containers of matches, and ceramic jars of water, oil, and sake." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He opened the cabin door and entered a spacious, low-ceilinged compartment lined with silk-cushioned benches. Windows, equipped with slatted shutters that could be adjusted to let in light and air, overlooked the port and starboard decks. Sano's search of the cupboards turned up folded bedding and clothes. Drawers under the benches held dishware, napkins, chopsticks, chamberpots, soap, toiletries, and bundles of dried fish, seaweed, and fruits." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madam Shimizu, hoping in vain for her husband's love to return, had kept the boat provisioned for a trip they would probably never take." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Behind Sano, Hirata spoke." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What do we do if—when—the killer comes?\"\n\nSano stalled by going to the window and opening the shutters. He hated to involve Hirata in his dangerous quest for justice and honor, but he needed the doshin's help.\n\n\"If the killer is Matsui or Chūgo, you and your assistants will help me capture him—alive so he can be tried and punished for his crimes,\" he said, pretending an interest in the view." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We'll tie him with ropes from the hold and take him to Edo Jail.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But we believe Chamberlain Yanagisawa is the killer.\" Hirata sounded puzzled. \"What then?\"\n\nTo delay voicing the inevitable, Sano walked out the door and stood on the windy deck, staring upriver. On the bridge, the old fisherman jerked his line out of the water." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On its end, a large, glistening fish writhed.\n\n\"If it is the chamberlain,\" Sano said to Hirata, who had come to stand beside him, \"then you and your men will do nothing. I will kill Yanagisawa, then commit seppuku.\" He forced himself to turn and face his assistant.\n\nEyes round and mouth agape, the young doshin's face presented a perfect picture of shock, horror, and reluctant admiration." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He started to stammer in protest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But an order was an order; finally, his bleak nod and sigh signaled his acceptance. Then he squared his shoulders and said in a thin but brave voice, \"Let me have the honor of acting as your kaishaku.\"\n\n\"No, Hirata. I can't let you be my second. It will be awhile before the shogun realizes he's better off without Chamberlain Yanagisawa. In the meantime, you would be punished for what he'll see as your role in the murder of his companion. If Yanagisawa comes tomorrow, you and your men must leave the scene and report to the authorities news of what I've done. I'll give you additional orders after we leave here.\"\n\nHirata shook his head, politely insistent." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's my duty to help you. I don't care if I'm punished. You'll have your chance to prove your loyalty to your master. Let me have mine. Accept me as your retainer.\"\n\nSano was trapped. He couldn't refuse another samurai the right to serve honor, nor could he deny that he needed Hirata's help. He wasn't at all sure he could make the first cut to his abdomen, let alone the subsequent, fatal ones. He would need a helper to sever his head, ending his agony and his life." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Against his wishes, he would have to pull an innocent young man down with him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"All, right, Hirata-san.\" Sano bowed his appreciation. \"Thank you.\"\n\nThe ardor in Hirata's eyes pierced Sano's heart. He was young, zealous; in his first joy at gaining his chosen master, he didn't yet comprehend the enormity of what he might have to do. Sano gazed with sorrow at his new retainer, whom he felt proud to have." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Were the two of them doomed soldiers, destined to die without ever realizing the potential of their partnership?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata spoke first, in a voice strong with new maturity and confidence. \"Now we must lure the killer into the trap.\"\n\nSano nodded sadly. \"Yes.\"\n\nDuty and honor demanded they set into motion the events that would determine their fate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Traveling through Nihonbashi, they entered the first stationer's shop they found, where the proprietor knelt amid his wares—rice paper, inkstones, brushes, carved seals, spools of cord, scroll cases—writing a letter dictated by an illiterate peasant." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he finished, his wife took the peasant's money while he greeted his two new customers.\n\nSano chose four sheets of paper, three of plain quality and one of the finest, four scroll cases, three of bamboo and one of decorated lacquer, and the appropriate grades of silk cord. \"Can your wife write?\" he asked.\n\nThe proprietor nodded, and Sano dictated his first message to the woman, whose feminine calligraphy he hoped the Bundori Killer would take for Madam Shimizu's." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If you want your sword back, bring five hundred koban to the Kanda River's south docks. Come at noon tomorrow, alone. Board the fourth pleasure boat from the mouth of the river. I will be waiting." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Lady from the Temple" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'woman' (2x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano had the woman prepare three copies on the plain paper. Then, taking the brush from her, he drew the sword's skull-shaped guard at the bottom of each copy. He blotted the ink, rolled and tied the scrolls, and sealed them inside the bamboo cases.\n\n\"Write 'Urgent and Personal,' \" he instructed the woman, after telling her to put Matsui's, Chūgo's, and Yanagisawa's names on the address labels." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then he took her place at the writing desk and held the brush poised over the finest, smoothest paper as he sought the proper phrasing for what could be the last, most important message of his life." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Genroku Year 2, Month 3, Day 25\n\nTo His Excellency the Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi:\n\nTo my great regret, I must inform you that my investigation has revealed that the Bundori Killer is none other than your own Chamberlain Yanagisawa.\n\nYour Excellency, I have seen how Chamberlain Yanagisawa manipulates yourself and your government for his personal gain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now he has revealed the true extent of his evil nature by coming to pay blackmail in exchange for the sword he left at Zōjō Temple when he murdered the priest, his most recent victim." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'clans' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Motivated not by loyalty to Your Excellency, but by his need to satisfy a blood score that his ancestor, General Fujiwara, swore against the Araki and Endō clans more than one hundred years ago, he has slain three descendants of those clans, and would likely have killed more if not stopped.\n\nRather than allow Chamberlain Yanagisawa to escape punishment by subverting the legal system he controls, I have appointed myself the agent of justice. I have executed Chamberlain Yanagisawa, and committed seppuku not only to avoid capture and disgrace, but to pledge my eternal loyalty to your person, and to honor a promise to my father that I make of myself the living embodiment of Bushido.\n\nI hope history will remember me as the member of my clan who freed the Tokugawa regime from Chamberlain Yanagisawa's corrupting influence and restored Your Excellency as rightful ruler of the land." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Your humble servant, Sōsakan Sano Ichirō." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano stamped the letter with his personal seal, then enclosed the scroll inside the fine lacquer case and paid for his purchases. Outside in the street, he gave Matsui's bamboo scroll case to Hirata.\n\n\"Pay a messenger to deliver this immediately,\" he said, handing over the necessary coins. \"I'll see that Chūgo and Yanagisawa get theirs.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then, with a heavy spirit, he gave Hirata the lacquer case." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If all goes... as expected tomorrow, give this to the authorities.\" He mounted his horse. \"I'll meet you at the boat at daybreak.\"\n\n\"Yes, sōsakan-sama.\" Hirata cleared his throat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Sumimasen... after the messages are delivered, would you please be my guest at dinner?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano was touched by the offer. Hirata, kind as well as loyal, didn't want to leave his new master alone to dwell upon death, or let what might be the last night of his life pass without ritual.\n\n\"Thank you, Hirata-san,\" he said with sincere regret, \"but I've urgent personal business to attend to.\"\n\nIn Hirata's eyes he saw understanding and sympathy. The young doshin, his fellow samurai, knew exactly what that business was." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "writers block help pls. ill send something, u do 4 sentences. going for Laura Joh Rowland vibe. note: might have existing chars" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The fateful day had arrived. Only moments remained before the appointed time that would bring life and worldly glory, or death and eternal honor to Sano. Aboard Madam Shimizu's boat, he and Hirata concealed themselves in the cabin. The preparations had been made." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now all they could do was wait for the killer to appear." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From his place on the bench overlooking the starboard deck, Sano looked through the slatted window shutters, then out the open door. He saw two of Hirata's assistants occupying their designated positions. One, posing as a trash collector, loitered on the path. An easily removable bamboo tube had transformed his spear into a stick for skewering debris and placing it in his basket." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The second assistant, equipped with a pole and bucket, fished from the bridge." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His tackle box concealed a club and dagger. Sano had stationed these men in the open so that the area wouldn't seem unnaturally deserted and arouse the killer's suspicion, but he'd hidden a third assistant beneath the dock, as a surprise reserve. They all had their orders. As Sano watched, the man on the bridge chased away a genuine fisherman." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He could almost hear the prearranged command:\n\n\"This area is closed by order of the police.\"\n\nSo far the weather gods had seen fit to cooperate with Sano's plan. The sky was a dark, curdled mass of gray-green rain clouds." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A gusty southwest sea wind rocked the boat, creaked the mast, whistled through the shutters, and slapped waves against the hull." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The warm air was damp, saturated with the odors of fish and brine." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All morning there had been little traffic on land or water; the balconies and other boats remained empty. With luck, no innocent bystanders would inadvertently interfere with the killer's capture—or slaying.\n\nKeeping his gaze riveted to the footpath, Sano stirred restlessly. He'd spent a sleepless night alone, waiting in vain for Aoi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now his eyes burned with fatigue; his bruised body ached." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Inside him, an invisible chain twisted around his stomach, lungs, and heart, its grip growing tighter by the moment. Panic kept rising in his throat as he imagined Chamberlain Yanagisawa walking up the gangplank. At the same time, he began to see in the ordinary, familiar world things he'd never noticed before. To ease the tense atmosphere, he spoke of his discoveries." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hirata, look how every cloud is made up of a thousand shades of gray. And how the wind blows them into everchanging skyscapes.\" Emotion lent his tongue eloquence, and his voice ardor. \"Have you ever noticed how the rain smells so sweet you can taste it? Or how the birds sing a special song when they know it's coming? Or how even sadness and pain can be good, because when you feel them, you know you're alive?\"\n\nSano's heart swelled with sorrowful love for the world." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I never noticed how beautiful life is.\"\n\nHe stopped, stricken with the realization that it had taken the threat of death to make him appreciate that beauty. Shame destroyed his brief exhilaration. He'd communicated his undignified reluctance to die to Hirata, who would only suffer on his account." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Ignore what I just said,\" he ordered hastily." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Too late; the damage was done. Hirata, who'd by now realized how irrevocably tied his fate was to Sano's, looked green and terrified. He clapped a hand over his mouth. \"Excuse me,\" he mumbled." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He dashed out the door." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His footsteps pounded the deck as he stumbled around to the port side." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Through the shutters, Sano could see him hunched over the railing, and hear him vomiting into the river. Sano wished he could vomit up his own fear, but his stomach was empty; he hadn't eaten since yesterday.\n\nAfter a while, Hirata returned, paler but composed, his hair plastered against his sweaty forehead. \"The rocking boat made me seasick,\" he lied valiantly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They resumed their watch." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The cabin's atmosphere grew closer, tenser, and ripe with the smell of the river. Distant thunder rumbled. While the wind sighed and moaned around the boat, the first raindrops pattered onto the cabin roof and stippled the water. Sano began to wonder whether the killer would show up at all.\n\nThen, rolling across the city, came the peals of myriad temple bells, signaling noon." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Suddenly the watcher on the path paused while collecting a bit of trash." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He straightened, peering down the slope toward the firebreak. The fisherman laid aside his pole.\n\nSano's body went still and cold; his blood congealed. His last breath caught in his lungs." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata joined him on the bench, head close to his as they stared out the window together in paralyzed silence.\n\nWith exaggerated casualness, the watcher on the path lifted his hand to his head and scratched.\n\nThe signal for Chūgo.\n\nHirata moaned softly. The chains inside Sano released their grip." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His heart pumped giddy relief through his veins." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He expelled his breath as all of life's boundless possibilities clamored around him: once again, the future existed. Feeling reborn and invincible, Sano wanted to shout and dance and laugh, but even as he and Hirata exchanged gleeful smiles, they were taking their positions. Sano, his sword drawn, stood to the port side of the door. Opposite Hirata waited, jitte in one hand, a coiled rope in the other, ready to help capture their prisoner." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A small eternity passed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then Chūgo's gaunt figure appeared on the path, moving with grim purpose, head down, through the rain that now pelted the city in fitful squalls. He reached the dock, turning to look in all directions before stepping onto it. Briefly he disappeared from view, hidden by the boat's hull. Then came the creak of his footsteps on the gangplank." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The boat dipped slightly under his weight." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His head loomed over the railing. Sano's heart lurched as he glimpsed Chūgo's face through the shutters. Stony and ruthless, it was the face of the Bundori Killer.\n\nSano gripped his sword tighter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then a movement behind Chūgo distracted him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Instead of moving onto the dock as planned, the signaler was still on the path, looking toward the firebreak. The \"fisherman,\" who had left the bridge to join his companion, club and dagger in his hands, had stopped halfway there in obvious confusion. The man under the dock raised his head above it, but emerged no farther.\n\nChūgo's shoulders came into view as he slowly ascended the gangplank." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He paused, trying to peer through the cabin's shutters." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano and Hirata exchanged disturbed glances." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What? Hirata mouthed. Sano could only shake his head before looking back outside. Then, to his sheer amazement, he saw, coming down the path, a familiar trio.\n\nMatsui Minoru carried a brightly colored umbrella." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His two bodyguards, hunched beneath hooded cloaks, trooped along behind him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata turned disbelieving eyes to Sano. \"Chūgo and Matsui?\" he whispered. \"What's going on? What do we do now?\"\n\n\"I don't know! Let me think!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "One look at Chūgo had convinced Sano that the guard captain was the Bundori Killer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But why had Matsui come? Whatever the reason, the situation had altered drastically. Must they take four men instead of just the formidable Chūgo? If so, how would he communicate the change of plan to the outside team?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They had to act, fast. Chūgo was continuing up the gangplank. On the path, Matsui had passed the signaler and stopped just short of the dock.\n\nEither the guard captain heard Matsui's voice or sensed his presence, because he turned, his shock evident in the sudden rigidity of his posture." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Chūgo-san! Cousin!\" As Matsui hurried onto the dock, his voice carried across the water. \"Wait!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano and Hirata abandoned their posts to hurl themselves onto the bench, faces pressed to the shutters. Matsui huffed his way up the gangplank, his guards trailing him.\n\n\"What are you doing here?\" Sano heard Chūgo demand." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Matsui and the guards appeared below Chūgo's figure." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Matsui was struggling to hang on to his umbrella, which the wind had inverted. \"I got a letter from a woman who was at Zōjō Temple when the priest was murdered,\" he panted. \"She said to come here if I wanted General Fujiwara's famed death's-head sword.\" He pulled Sano's scroll from his cloak; the wind blew it open. \"See?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Chūgo snatched the scroll." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You got this letter, too?\" Though his back was turned, Sano read dawning comprehension in his slow headshake.\n\n\"Cousin, I suspected you were the killer all along,\" Matsui said. \"I know how much you revere our ancestor. And I knew you owned the swords.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dropping his useless umbrella, the merchant clutched Chūgo's arm." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But I kept our bargain. I didn't turn you in before, and I won't now. I just want the sword. For my collection; for my shrine to General Fujiwara. I promise I'll never tell anyone how I got it. Please, cousin, let me have it!\"\n\nWith an angry jerk that rocked the boat, Chūgo freed himself from Matsui's grasp, at the same time flinging away the scroll. \"You fool! This is a trap!\" Obviously he'd realized what Matsui, blinded by his desire for the sword, had failed to see." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The shogun's sōsakan has set us up!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He started down the gangplank, but Matsui's guards blocked his way.\n\n\"Please,\" Matsui persisted, seeming not to have heard Chūgo's words. He pulled out a bulging coin pouch and waved it at the boat. \"Madam! I've got five hundred koban here. You can have it all, if you'll just give me the sword!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Coins spilled from the pouch and clattered onto the gangplank along with the raindrops that now fell in torrents." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Get out of my way!\" Chūgo ordered.\n\n\"Please, Madam—\" Matsui grunted in surprise as Chūgo shoved him sideways. There was a loud splash when he hit the water. \"Help!\" he screamed. \"I can't swim!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano made a decision." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We take Chūgo now.\"\n\n\"But—\" Hirata motioned toward the bank, where his assistants stood in a helpless huddle. They'd been told to burst into the cabin after the killer had entered. Now one suspect was in the river and the other hurrying down the gangplank to freedom." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"They don't know what to do!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano was already out the door. The rain hit him like a curtain of water, drenching him to the skin. Over the wind that howled in his ears, he heard Matsui screaming and the bodyguards shouting. Clutching his sword, he lurched around the corner onto the starboard deck just in time to see one guard dive from the gangplank to save Matsui and the other face off against Chūgo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In a blur of speed, Chūgo drew his sword." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It cut the bodyguard's throat before he could even unsheath his weapon." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With a gush of blood, he fell dead. Chūgo kicked the corpse into the river and hurtled down the gangplank.\n\n\"Chūgo!\" Sano shouted. \"Stop!\" Awed and horrified by the swift, efficient murder he'd just witnessed, he pounded after Chūgo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His feet slipped on the wet, slick gangplank." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hirata followed on his heels." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Catch him!\" he shouted to his assistants." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The three men hurried onto the dock, waving spears, clubs, and daggers. Then, as Chūgo rushed them, bloody sword raised, they scattered and fled in panic. Chūgo was on the path now, running for the firebreak. Sano leaped from the gangplank and onto the dock, glad the assistants hadn't challenged Chūgo, who would have cut them down with one stroke." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But how he dreaded chasing their quarry through the streets of Edo, where he might kill bystanders and escape into the crowds." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Half blinded by the rain, Sano sprinted across the dock. His heart raced like runaway hoofbeats; determination powered his sore muscles. Chūgo passed the last dock. He reached the slope leading down to the Sumida River firebreak, but Sano was gaining on him, with Hirata panting at his elbow." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Stop, Chūgo!\" Sano shouted, brandishing his sword." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A huge lightning bolt momentarily turned the dark world a blazing white; a thunderclap drowned out his words.\n\nThe guard captain started skidding sideways down the slope. With a burst of speed that nearly exploded his heart, Sano closed the distance between them to twenty paces. He must forget about taking Chūgo alive." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In a moment, he would pit his fighting skills against those of perhaps the best swordsman in Edo—" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suddenly Chūgo slid to a halt. Sano stopped too, so abruptly that Hirata slammed into him. They stared in disbelief.\n\nRounding the corner from the firebreak and climbing up the slope toward them came a procession of at least fifty people—foot soldiers, mounted samurai, servants holding umbrellas over silkgarbed officials." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At its head, six bearers carried a palanquin emblazoned with snarling dragons.\n\n\"Chamberlain Yanagisawa.\" Sano breathed. An incredulous laugh burst from him as he slicked the rain from his eyes. He'd set a trap for the killer—and caught all three suspects." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What schemes or passions had brought Yanagisawa here?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano crouched, sword ready. For Chūgo was backing away from the procession, obviously deciding that his two pursuers posed a lesser obstacle.\n\n\"Sano Ichirō!\" The shout snatched Sano's attention from Chūgo, who faltered, also arrested by the familiar voice of authority. Chamberlain Yanagisawa's head protruded from the palanquin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Sano Ichirō, listen to me, you miserable fool!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Heedless of the wind that whipped his brilliant silk garments and the slanting rain that drenched them, Chamberlain Yanagisawa jumped out of the palanquin. He ran up the slope, his high wooden sandals sliding in the mud.\n\n\"So you think you're clever, do you?\" he shouted at Sano." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You think that because a witness saw my palanquin near Zōjō Temple—where I went to worship on the night of the priest's death—that you can frame me for murder. You think you can trap me with a fake letter and a nonexistent sword.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His streaming face twisted with anger and hatred. \"I am the man who rules the land. I know everything; I'm all-powerful. You dare deem me a killer? You dare match wits with me?\"\n\nYanagisawa slipped and went down on one knee. He righted himself, his fury undiminished." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, I'm here to ruin your transparent, pathetic little scheme. And to destroy you once and for all!\" He pushed past Chūgo, whom he didn't appear to notice, and stood tall and regal on the path before Sano. \"You won't catch the Bundori Killer. And you will never, ever take my place as the shogun's favorite!\"\n\nThe wind swirled the chamberlain's vivid garments; the rain swept around him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With lightning dazzling his angry face and thunder punctuating his words, he seemed like an avenging god." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Belatedly Sano understood that jealousy, not guilt, had motivated Yanagisawa to sabotage him.\n\n\"I will see you dead before I let you seize my wealth, power, or position,\" Yanagisawa raged.\n\nWith sudden terrifying prescience, Sano knew what would happen the instant before it did. \"Look out, Chamberlain Yanagisawa!\" he shouted." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His warning came too late." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'chūgo' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Before the last syllable left his mouth, Chūgo was standing behind Yanagisawa, with one arm locked around the chamberlain's chest and the blade of his sword in front of Yanagisawa's shocked face.\n\n\"Nobody move!\" Chūgo ordered. \"Come any closer, and I'll kill him.\"\n\nSano froze in midstep, his mind a blank sheet of horror." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Down the slope, the foot soldiers who had drawn their weapons and the horsemen who had leapt from their mounts halted in their rush to save their master." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lightning illuminated their stricken faces; thunder echoed their outraged shouts.\n\n\"What do you think you're doing?\" Yanagisawa demanded. \"Release me this instant!\"\n\nHe twisted around to face his captor, and for the first time really seemed to see Chūgo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The anger on his face gave way to startled recognition, then fearful understanding." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'chūgo' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Chūgo Gichin? The captain of the guard... the Bundori Killer? He caught you in his trap?\"\n\nYanagisawa began to struggle, straining away from the sword by his face, trying to pry Chūgo's arm off his chest. \"I'm your commanding officer, Chūgo. Let me go!\" Panic robbed his order of authority. \"Guards! Help!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His thoughts in a hopeless tangle, Sano cast wildly about for a way to subdue Chūgo without harming Yanagisawa." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He saw the reckless determination in Chūgo's eyes, and Chūgo's unwavering hand forcing the sword ever closer to Yanagisawa's face. He sensed the entourage's growing panic. Infusing his voice with a calm authority he didn't feel, he said, \"Chūgo-san, he's your kin—a fellow descendant of General Fujiwara. He's not your enemy.\" Focusing his entire concentration on the captain, Sano was barely aware of the rain streaming over him, or the sudden hush that fell over his audience." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'nobunaga's' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He's not responsible for Oda Nobunaga's murder—or for the trap you walked into.\"\n\nChūgo neither spoke nor changed expression, but Sano sensed an inner response to General Fujiwara's and Oda Nobunaga's names. Now if only no one would interfere.\n\n\"I'm the one who tried to prevent you from carrying out your ancestor's wishes. It's me you want, Chūgo-san.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano thumped his chest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We can settle this, you and I, alone. Kill me, and you're a free man. The case against you dies with me; the evidence goes with me to my grave.\"\n\nChūgo and everyone else remained silent. Blinding cracks of lightning split the heavens; more thunder rattled the ground. Rain fell in great sheets, blurring the city into the drowning sky." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Choppy waves smacked the riverbank, and the tossing boats strained their moorings." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then Chūgo lowered the sword almost imperceptibly." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'himself' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Encouraged, Sano eased himself into a defensive posture, preparing for Chūgo's assault. Spirit of my father, give me strength!\n\nThen Yanagisawa shouted, \"This is all your fault, Sano Ichirō! Guards! Seize him!\"\n\nHis cry, choked off by Chūgo's encircling grip, thwarted Sano's attempt to transfer the captain's malevolence from the chamberlain to himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Chūgo jerked the sword closer to his captive's face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yanagisawa screamed, and the entourage became a chaotic mob. Cries of \"What shall we do?\" and \"Let's get him!\" rose from its midst." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Look out, sōsakan-sama!\" Hirata stepped between Sano and the advancing horde." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano barely registered the threat to himself, for Chūgo, his intention unmistakable, was propelling the ranting, cursing Yanagisawa down the path." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The bottom dropped out of Sano's stomach." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Try to stop me, and I'll kill him,\" Chūgo spat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You'll die for this, Sano Ichirō!\" Chamberlain Yanagisawa howled, his face wild with anger and terror. \"You impertinent lackey, you despicable fool, you—\"\n\n\"Shut up!\" Sano yelled." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The chamberlain did, his mouth agape as Chūgo continued to shove him along the path toward the boat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano didn't wait for Yanagisawa to recover from the shock of being addressed so rudely. \"Chūgo. You can't escape,\" he said. \"Soon everyone will know you're the Bundori Killer. You won't be safe anywhere.\"\n\nHe darted in front of Chūgo, running backward as the captain bore down at him and Yanagisawa glared in outrage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Beyond them, he could see Hirata trying to hold off Yanagisawa's shouting, sword-waving entourage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If you let the chamberlain go, you'll be allowed to commit seppuku, or even live under house arrest.\" Sano heard himself babbling whatever came into his head. \"Endanger him, and you'll be tortured and executed like a common criminal. Surrender, Chūgo. It's over. Do you hear me? It's over!\"\n\nThey reached the Shimizu dock, where Matsui, whom Sano had almost forgotten, lay while his surviving bodyguard pumped water from his lungs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hastily the guard dragged him out of the way and into the river again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Giving no sign that he'd heard Sano's pleas, Chūgo made for the gangplank. Frantic to avert disaster, Sano blocked the captain's way, but Chūgo only gripped Yanagisawa tighter. The chamberlain gasped, his hands locked on his captor's arm, eyes fixed on the blade in front of his face.\n\n\"Sheath your weapon,\" Chūgo ordered Sano." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He thrust his sword against Yanagisawa's lip." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The chamberlain screamed as blood welled from the cut and washed away in a flood of rain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Now get out of my way, or I'll cut him again.\"\n\n\"Do as he says,\" Yanagisawa pleaded.\n\nSano sheathed his sword. \"Chūgo—\"\n\n\"Move!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The chamberlain's retainers swarmed past Hirata and onto the dock." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Their shouts rang above the thunder, wind, and rain. Chūgo spun around to face them, pulling his prisoner with him.\n\n\"Stand back, or he's a dead man.\"\n\nSano leaped forward, intending to grab Chūgo, wrest the sword away, and free Yanagisawa, but the chamberlain's shriek and the retainers' fresh outcry stopped him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Chūgo turned back to him, he gasped.\n\nThe blade had slashed Yanagisawa's left eyelid. Blood poured over his face, which had gone completely white. He opened and closed his mouth, but no sounds came out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then his eyeballs rolled up into his head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His hands let go of Chūgo's arm and dropped. His legs buckled.\n\n\"You can't hurt him, Chūgo-san. He's your lord's representative.\" In growing desperation, Sano appealed to the guard captain's samurai values. \"You're honor-bound to protect him. Let him go. If you want a hostage, take me instead. Don't—\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'command'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Move. Now.\" Chūgo's gruff command cut him off. The sword now pressed against the limp and unconscious Yanagisawa's throat.\n\n\"Do as he says!\" The command issued from Yanagisawa's entourage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Chūgo, if you take the boat out in this storm, you'll both die. Please—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The words froze on Sano's tongue when he saw from the captain's hard, merciless stare that he'd passed beyond reason." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With defeat crushing his heart, Sano stepped off the gangplank and out of Chūgo's way. Helplessly he stood on the dock with Hirata and the stunned, silent crowd as Chūgo dragged Yanagisawa up the gangplank and aboard the boat. He'd failed in the shogun's mission; he'd failed to fulfill his promise to his father. The Bundori Killer was escaping, and Sano was responsible for Yanagisawa's certain death—a disgrace that would result in severe punishment and everlasting dishonor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With Yanagisawa draped over his arm like a broken puppet, Chūgo slashed the boat's mooring ropes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It drifted free of the dock." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He sheathed his sword, then pulled up the gangplank and unfurled the sail. The wind slapped the tall, rectangular hempcloth sheet open. The boat rocked and pitched, moving down the river.\n\nMerciful gods, if Chūgo managed to get all the way down the Sumida into open sea..." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The flimsy pleasure craft would never survive the strong currents and rough waves." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not even the most expert crew could maneuver it around the treacherous reefs that had sunk many better ships.\n\nThe crowd surged down the path after the boat. Sano groaned as Yanagisawa's archers let fly a spate of arrows at Chūgo, who now stood in the stern, working the ropes stretched from the billowing sail and over the cabin roof. Killing the guard captain now wouldn't solve the problem: Without a sailor, the boat might founder and sink before they saved Yanagisawa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano ran after the entourage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No! Get help! The police, the navy—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No one listened; more arrows flew. Sano saw that he must stop Chūgo and rescue Yanagisawa himself. He squeezed past the crowd. Through windblown sheets of rain, he ran down the farthest dock, which the boat was just passing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He heard Hirata yell, \"Go, sōsakan-sama! I'll get help!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Whispering a prayer for strength and courage, Sano gulped a deep breath, then dived headfirst into the river." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "make story longer like Laura Joh Rowland would. heads up: might have existing chars/lore" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The icy water claimed Sano with a heart-stopping splash." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Gasping, he swam through the choppy waves after the boat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His clothes hindered his movements; his swords weighed him down. The rain still poured from the sky; every time he raised his head for a breath, he inhaled as much water as air. His muscles ached, and the cold quickly penetrated to his bones. The tossing swells nauseated him. How different this was from the stylized exercises he'd practiced in the castle training pond, at which he'd never excelled anyway, even when in the best of health. The water, not his natural element, fought his every effort to conquer it. He forced his legs to keep kicking, his arms to keep stroking. A cramp gnawed his left side. The river burbled in his ears, louder than thunder, while lightning blazed around him.\n\nYet every time his eyes cleared the waves, he was closer to the boat. At last, his hands smacked the hull. But the smooth wood offered no way to climb up." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano groaned. The boat was pulling away from him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Utterly exhausted, he could swim no more. The Bundori Killer would escape; Yanagisawa would die. Having failed in his duty to his father and his lord, Sano knew that Bushido demanded he die, allowing his disgrace to perish with him.\n\nThen something rough slapped his cheek: one of the boat's mooring ropes, which Chūgo had cut before setting sail. Sano grabbed it. Too weak to climb aboard, he simply hung on.\n\nAboard the rocking, listing boat, Chūgo struggled to control the sail, whose lines the wind strained taut against his hands. Rain sluiced the deck and lashed his face. The boat heeled perilously. With all his strength, Chūgo heaved. The sail turned; the boat veered right, leaving the Kanda and sailing into the Sumida River, where the current carried it southwest, seaward.\n\nTriumph roared inside Chūgo as he tacked, guiding the boat on a zigzagging course against the wind. He'd escaped the angry mob, and the foolish sōsakan who'd interfered with his mission for too long." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Looking starboard, he saw only the rainswept warehouses and deserted docks that bordered the Sumida's west bank, and the distant misty marshes opposite. All other boats had taken shelter from the storm. The river was a wide-open channel to freedom. He would live to complete General Fujiwara's blood score. Filling his lungs with air, he shouted into the storm:\n\n\"Honorable ancestor! I will kill every last member of the Endō and Araki clans!\"\n\nFor by a stroke of pure luck, he had a guarantee of continued survival.\n\nChūgo released the lines from his raw, bleeding hands and secured them, leaving the boat to move with the current. He strode into the cabin. The rain battered the roof like rounds of gunfire. Outside, the thunder boomed like mighty cannon. Water streamed off Chūgo and onto the floor around his hostage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The great Chamberlain Yanagisawa lay on his side, eyes closed, arms and legs bent—a wet, pathetic heap of garish garments." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Blood from his cut lip and eyelid still trickled down his white face. His knotted skein of hair had come undone; it dangled onto the floor like a dead black snake. Chūgo eyed the chamberlain with contempt. Such a disgrace to General Fujiwara, this coward who fainted because of two harmless little cuts! Who stole his lord's authority, and indulged his unseemly passions for wealth and sex. The very antithesis of Bushido! To acknowledge him as kin mortified Chūgo. Never had he foreseen the day when he would find value in the foul creature.\n\nYanagisawa groaned. Weakly, he flopped over on his back. His eyelids fluttered open. The dark, dazed eyes grew huge with fear as he stared up at Chūgo.\n\n\"Where—where am I?\" he asked hoarsely." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He tried to rise, but his twisted clothing held him down.\n\nChūgo snatched up a coil of rope that lay conveniently on a bench. In an instant, he had Yanagisawa's hands and ankles tied behind him.\n\nYanagisawa writhed and thrashed. \"Chūgo! Are you mad? Untie me at once!\"\n\nA wave rocked the boat, and he rolled sideways, slamming his head against the bench. \"Oh, no, the river...\" Panic blurred his voice. \"Where are you taking me?\"\n\nChūgo ignored him. Quickly he searched the cupboards, then went outside and examined the hold. A grim smile touched his lips when he found plenty of provisions. He could sail down the coast—a dangerous journey, but he could make it; he was invincible. After dumping Yanagisawa at sea, he would put ashore at some distant province, where he could lie low, disguised as a rōnin, until the manhunt died down and the bakufu realized that the chamberlain was no great loss." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then he would make his way across the country, finishing his work..." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Returning to the cabin, Chūgo closed his eyes, the better to anticipate his imminent victory." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From the floor, Yanagisawa spat a steady stream of threats: \"Every soldier in the country will be looking for you, Chūgo. And when they find you, they'll crucify you, then cut off your head. They'll leave your remains on the execution ground to be gawked at by every lowly peasant who walks by!\"\n\nFor Chūgo, the chamberlain's voice had less meaning than the buzz of an insect. His surroundings blurred as imagination and desire transported him into the past...\n\n... to Oda Nobunaga's encampment, where the great warlord sat in his curtained enclosure. Today he'd won the Battle of Nagashino, his greatest victory. He had finally vanquished the Takeda clan, his most powerful foes, and added their territory to that which he already ruled.\n\nChūgo's spirit inhabited General Fujiwara's body; he wore the general's armor. Fierce pride ignited his blood as he knelt before Oda and spoke the words his ancestor must have spoken that night so long ago.\n\n\"Honorable Lord Oda, please accept these as my tribute to your supremacy, and proof of my loyalty and devotion.\"\n\nAs Lord Oda surveyed the severed heads that Chūgo—General Fujiwara had brought him, his gaze lingered most fondly on those of the hatamoto, Kaibara Tōju; the rōnin, Tōzawa Jigori; and the priest, Endō Azumanaru: trophies from the present that had accompanied Chūgo into the glorious past.\n\n\"You've done well, Fujiwara-san,\" Lord Oda said. \"In recognition of your service, I shall reward you now.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Chūgo's spirit soared with his ancestor's." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now he would experience the culmination of General Fujiwara's career." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Essential phrase to include: \"If you think you can escape disgrace by committing seppuku, you're wrong, Chūgo,\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He reached out to accept from Oda the two magnificent death's-head swords—\n\nSuddenly a stabbing pain gripped Chūgo's ankle. He shouted in angry protest as his fantasy ended. He was back in the boat's cabin with the storm howling outside, and Chamberlain Yanagisawa's teeth sunk into his flesh. With a vicious kick, Chūgo shook Yanagisawa loose. How dare this scum interrupt his vision?\n\n\"If you think you can escape disgrace by committing seppuku, you're wrong, Chūgo,\" Yanagisawa shouted. \"You'll die like a common criminal. You—owww!\"\n\nThe chamberlain's body jerked when Chūgo kicked his ribs. His voice rose in shrill panic. \"How dare you hurt me? You'll die for this, you will!\"\n\nNow Chūgo saw the man he'd always suspected lived behind the chamberlain's suave facade: weak, frightened, and small." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yet the discovery evoked no sympathy in him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He kicked Yanagisawa again and again—in the stomach, thighs, and groin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Stop, I beg you,\" Chamberlain Yanagisawa wailed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Please don't hurt me. I'll do anything, give you anything—money, women, a higher rank—name it. Just let me go!\"\n\nChūgo ignored Yanagisawa's pleas and promises. His foot struck hard bone and soft tissue, eliciting screams from his victim. In the dark pleasure of venting his anger, he almost forgot the necessity of keeping Yanagisawa alive until they were far from Edo.\n\nDesperately, Sano clung to his lifeline. The water swirled around him; the Sumida's current threatened to drag him under. He gulped air between waves that doused his head. The storm continued unabated—if the river didn't drown him, the rain would. With the boat ahead of him, he couldn't see downriver. The landscape streamed past at a frightening speed, and he guessed they must be halfway to the Ryōgoku Bridge. He couldn't see anyone following, either on land or water. Where were Hirata, the police, the navy?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "And what had become of Chamberlain Yanagisawa?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He must get aboard the boat!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Clenching his teeth with the effort, Sano climbed the rope, hand over hand, knees and ankles grasping the rough straw cable. The hull slammed his sore body. Hand over hand. Finally he swung free of the water. Hand over hand he climbed, thumping against the boat, until finally his head cleared the deck and he locked his fingers around the railing.\n\n\"Please don't hurt me anymore!\" Chamberlain Yanagisawa shrieked.\n\nBut Chūgo's anger had tapped the reservoir of deep rage that learning his family secret had instilled in him. That rage drew him into the past, making him a witness to the abominable act that had inspired General Fujiwara's blood score.\n\nA summer night, one hundred and eight years ago, at the Honno Temple. In the guest cottage, Oda Nobunaga awakened, sensing danger. He jumped to his feet, sword in hand.\n\n\"Enemy attack!\" he shouted to his guards.\n\nToo late. The door burst open." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'akechi' 3 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Arrows flew, slaying the guards. Akechi Mitsuhide's army stormed into the cottage.\n\nOda lashed out at his attackers, downing two with one stroke of his sword. Spears slashed his arms and legs. Then, realizing he was doomed, he jumped out the window and fled, bleeding from his wounds. Akechi's troops loosed upon him a round of gunfire. A bullet struck his arm.\n\n\"Now you'll die for insulting me!\" shouted the traitor Akechi. \"Better men will rule in your place. I and Generals Araki and Endō have seen to that!\"\n\nOda ran into the main hall to die by his own hand rather than suffer the disgrace of capture. Akechi and his troops set fire to the hall: a splendid funeral pyre for the greatest warlord who ever lived." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Wild with fury at that ancient catastrophe, Chūgo ground his foot against the screaming, sobbing chamberlain's face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The greatest sorrow of General Fujiwara's life had been his inability to save Lord Oda." }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'mouth' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Akechi, Araki, and Endō, knowing his loyalty, had persuaded Oda to send him to help Hideyoshi fight the Mori. Now Chūgo experienced the full force of his ancestor's grief and rage. He hauled the chamberlain to his feet and punched him square in the face.\n\nThe chamberlain flew backward, slamming up against the cabin door. \"Please, Chūgo,\" he begged. Crumpling to the floor, he twisted in a futile attempt to free his hands and feet. Blood and saliva spattered from his mouth as he pleaded, \"I'll make you a rich man. I'll promote you to chief of defense. Anything. Just have mercy!\"\n\nBut Yanagisawa's status, power, and hostage value no longer mattered to Chūgo. Now he saw Yanagisawa as a symbol of all he hated—of today's weak, corrupt samurai, so inferior to past heros. A kinsman who had failed to venerate their ancestor as he did. A representative of the Tokugawa, who'd reaped the benefits of treachery, and were therefore just as responsible for Oda's murder as Akechi Mitsuhide, Araki Yojiemon, and Endō Munetsugu. Chūgo backhanded a blow across Yanagisawa's mouth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he hit on a truly fitting punishment for the chamberlain, who so deserved a taste of his own evil.\n\nChūgo threw Yanagisawa facedown on the floor. He lifted the chamberlain's outer robes and yanked down his voluminous trousers. He tore away the loincloth whose band cleaved the naked buttocks. Then he hiked up his own kimono, loosened his loincloth, and rubbed his organ until it hardened. He straddled Yanagisawa and entered him with a brutal thrust.\n\n\"No, master!\" screamed Yanagisawa. His body bucked; the fingers of his bound hands clawed the air. \"Please!\"\n\nFive quick strokes, and Chūgo spurted. He felt potent, powerful; but physical satisfaction wasn't enough. He craved the ultimate release that slaying his ancestor's enemies always brought. Deep inside, he knew there was every chance that he would be captured." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Killing the chamberlain might be his last chance for revenge." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Please, have mercy,\" Yanagisawa blubbered. \"Please!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Rising, Chūgo straightened his garments." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He threw the door open. Rain and wind blasted into the cabin. He dragged Yanagisawa onto the deck. He would have to live in the cabin for days or months while he sought a safe harbor, and didn't want to contaminate it with his enemy's death.\n\n\"No!\" screamed Yanagisawa.\n\nDragging the chamberlain with him, Chūgo splashed through the ankle-deep water on the starboard deck. A jagged lightning streak seared his eyes; the simultaneous thunderclap shook the sky. The boat rolled. Spreading his legs to balance himself, Chūgo positioned Yanagisawa against the railing, head and shoulders hanging over the water.\n\n\"No, please, no!\"\n\nThe sweet flame of anticipated victory leapt inside Chūgo. The thunder rumbled like war drums; the lightning blazed like a burning castle. The rain became soldiers' chants; the wind, the blaring of conch trumpets." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Chūgo saw himself riding into battle, and presenting a new trophy to Lord Oda." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Pinning the chamberlain still with his body, he grabbed Yanagisawa's hair and yanked his head back, exposing his throat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He drew his short sword.\n\nStill clinging to the railing, Sano looked into the stern. Dread clutched his heart when he found it empty. Why wasn't Chūgo manning the sail's lines? Had he jumped overboard, leaving Yanagisawa to die? Then Sano heard hysterical screams coming from the starboard deck.\n\n\"No, master, spare me, I beg you!\"\n\nSano hauled himself aboard the boat and collapsed on the waterlogged deck, where he fought to catch his breath and regain his strength. His chilled body shivered violently in the cold wind, and when he tried to rise, he fell twice before he gained his feet. Then, leaning against the cabin wall, he lurched toward the sound of Yanagisawa's voice.\n\nHorror energized him when he saw Chūgo holding the chamberlain over the railing, blade to his throat. Sano drew his own sword." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Though he wanted to take Chūgo alive, he would kill to save Yanagisawa.\n\n\"Chūgo!\" he shouted above the wind and rain and the chamberlain's pleas. He lunged at the guard captain.\n\nThe chamberlain kept screaming. Chūgo's head snapped around. His eyes were fierce slits, his mouth a snarl like that of an armor mask. Sano raised his sword in both hands, but before he could bring it slashing downward across Chūgo's face and shoulder, the boat rocked. Sano lost his footing and stumbled sideways. The movement threw Chūgo and Yanagisawa free of the railing. The guard captain let his prisoner fall to the deck. In a motion so fast that Sano didn't see it, he sheathed his short sword and drew the long one. He rushed at Sano, slashing and thrusting." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano regained his balance, sidestepped and parried, but too late. Chūgo's blade sliced his left upper arm. A gush of blood warmed his cold skin. Darting backward just in time to avoid a cut to his neck, he launched an offensive, but his reflexes were dangerously slow. Spiritual energy couldn't entirely compensate for an exhausted body. Chūgo effortlessly parried every cut, inserting thrusts between each, driving Sano backward into the stern. The boat swayed as it careened downstream, hurling Sano at Chūgo. Ever more unsure that he could defeat the guard captain, Sano tried to reason with him.\n\n\"Give up, Chūgo,\" he urged between gasps. \"Even if you kill me, you won't get away. Especially if you harm the chamberlain. The army will hunt you down. And without a hostage, they'll have no reason to spare your life.\"\n\nChūgo dealt a low cut that sliced Sano's calf. Sano's instinctive jump saved his leg from mortal damage, but his despair increased because he'd easily recognized Chūgo's maneuver as one he'd faced during practice sessions, yet had been too weak to react soon enough." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'sword' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had only his wits to use against the madman's superior strength.\n\nChūgo's assault propelled him around the port deck and into the bow. Still parrying frantically, Sano circled the foredeck, noting how, as the boat tipped, the sail swung back and forth in an arc. With a sideways leap that strained his bursting lungs, Sano forced Chūgo to pivot and fight with his back to the sail. Sano lashed out at Chūgo and took a cut to his shoulder. Dodging, he tripped over the anchor. Then the wind whipped the sail around. The boom whacked Chūgo across the back; he stumbled. Sano sliced at Chūgo's sword hand. The tilting boat knocked him off balance again, and the blade only grazed Chūgo's knuckles, but the captain dropped his sword. Sano lunged at Chūgo. Then the boat lurched, throwing him backward." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano's feet skidded on the flooded deck." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His arms instinctively shot out." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As he hit the cabin, Chūgo was upon him, one hand gripping his throat, the other clamped around his wrist, immobilizing his sword. The boat rocked again. Together he and Chūgo pitched forward. Now Chūgo, in a deft maneuver, reversed their positions. Sano reeled backward, past the swinging sail, and into the bow. His back struck the railing as he grappled with Chūgo. The guard captain increased the pressure on his throat, bending his head back.\n\nSano coughed, struggling with his left hand to break Chūgo's hold, and with his right to free his sword. Back, back, he arched over the railing. Faintly, he heard Yanagisawa's screams. Rain filled his gaping mouth, splattered his eyes. Above him he saw the stormy sky, then a soaring arch of crossed and parallel wooden beams." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were passing beneath the Ryōgoku Bridge." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano couldn't resist Chūgo any longer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His feet left the deck—\n\nWith a sudden, shuddering crash from the port side that Sano initially took for thunder, the boat stopped. He barely had time to register that it had struck one of the bridge's supports. Their forward momentum carried him and Chūgo over the railing. They were falling...\n\nThe resultant splash jarred Sano's bones. He gasped and gurgled when the cold water closed over his head. Kicking and thrashing, he tried to raise himself above the surface, but Chūgo kept hold of his wrist, twisting it. Pain shot through his arm; he let go the sword. Then Chūgo clasped both hands around his throat, throttling him, holding his head underwater.\n\nThe blood thundered in Sano's head while he tried to tear Chūgo's hands away. Seemingly made of steel, they didn't budge. Sano retched and wheezed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Through the water that swirled across his vision, he saw Chūgo's face: fierce, teeth bared, maniacal." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The bridge seemed to sway above him, while the boat tossed beside it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Desperately Sano scissored his legs, pulling Chūgo down with him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the same time, he grabbed for the short sword at his waist.\n\nObviously guessing his intention, the guard captain released Sano's neck and intercepted his hand. Together they shot above the surface. Sano gulped a breath of air before a wave hit his face. He reached the sword, but Chūgo's hand pinned his at his side. The captain's muscular legs locked around Sano's waist; his other hand pressed against Sano's face, gradually pushing him back underwater. Sano's strength was fading and his struggles weakened. Then despair brought inspiration. Behind Chūgo, the boat's rocking, curved bow rose. Sano thought of the obsession that had compelled Chūgo to commit four murders and embark on this perilous journey.\n\n\"Chūgo,\" he choked out, timing his words with the boat's movements, \"General Fujiwara and Lord Oda Nobunaga command you to let me go!\"\n\nThe guard captain's hold on him relaxed—just for an instant, but it was enough." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With all his remaining strength, Sano threw his weight against Chūgo. Chūgo surged backward just as a wave lifted the boat. Then the boat dropped, smashing its hull against Chūgo's crown. The captain's face froze in an expression of puzzled surprise; his legs and hands fell away from Sano. Unconscious, he floated on his back amid rain and waves.\n\nSano wasted no time savoring his triumph. He had to get himself and his prisoner out of the river before they both drowned, free Yanagisawa, and tie the boat to the bridge, so a rescue party could reach them. Crooking his arm around Chūgo's neck, Sano swam around to the stern and found the rope he'd climbed earlier. He tied it around Chūgo's chest, then pulled himself up the rope and aboard the boat. Heaving and straining until his muscles almost tore and tears came to his eyes, he got Chūgo onto the deck...\n\n... only to find that, while he was laboring, the boat had drifted out of reach of the bridge and down the river. Waves washed over the deck and dashed against the cabin." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano used the rope to tie Chūgo's hands and feet and lash him upright to a lantern pole. He slumped against the railing in despair as he scanned the deserted riverscape. Even if he anchored the boat, it might capsize before help arrived. Sano staggered around to the starboard deck, where Yanagisawa lay moaning and sobbing in a pool of water.\n\n\"Chamberlain Yanagisawa. Can you sail a boat?\"\n\nYanagisawa abruptly quieted. Gulping in surprise, he raised his head. Rain, tears, and blood drenched his face. His mouth trembled; his swollen eyes were wells of stark fear.\n\n\"You,\" he croaked. \"Where's Chūgo?\"\n\nSano's animosity toward the chamberlain dissolved into pity, leavened by a slight pang of satisfaction at seeing his enemy thus. \"I've tied him up. He can't hurt you. Chamberlain—\"\n\nYanagisawa's features contorted into the familiar mask of hatred." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I order you to untie me, Sano Ichirō,\" he rasped." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Safe from Chūgo, he'd recovered his authority. He wriggled toward Sano, spitting hoarse curses.\n\nThe boat was speeding down the river, smacking the waves. Lightning forks stabbed the sky. Sano repeated, \"Can you sail this boat?\"\n\n\"Of course not, you imbecile. I'm not a common sailor. Now free me, so I can kill you!\"\n\nSano grabbed Yanagisawa by the armpits and dragged him into the cabin. Then, leaving the chamberlain tied, Sano hurried out to the stern. He'd never sailed a boat before, but he would have to try. Through the rain, he squinted in dismay at the bewildering web of ropes that ran from the sail, over the cabin, and through wooden fittings on the gunwales. What to do?\n\nSano seized the tiller and tried to turn the boat shoreward. Nothing happened. The oars, designed for a team of rowers, were too heavy and too far apart for one man to operate alone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano grabbed the sail's lines and yanked, turning the flapping sheet at a diagonal." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The headwind filled it, pushing the boat right—too hard." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The boat heeled sharply." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano's heart seized as he first let out the sail, then heaved the other way and tried to brace his feet on the slippery, tilting deck." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll kill you!\" Yanagisawa screamed from the cabin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Just when Sano thought the boat would capsize, it bobbed upright." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But his next attempt to change direction met with similar, near-disastrous results." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He realized that he would have to correct the boat's course gradually. He turned the sail again, this time at a slighter angle to the wind. The boat heeled, but held stable. As it raced downstream, it continued to turn. The bow aimed west and shoreward. Soon Sano saw looming toward him Edo's docks and warehouses. Now he heard other shouts besides Yanagisawa's. He saw ahead the tiny figures of people waving from warehouse doors. One man separated himself from a group and ran out on the dock, jumping up and down. Recognizing Hirata, Sano laughed aloud in sheer, joyous relief. Now he was approaching his assistant on a diagonal. He waited until he neared the dock, then let loose the sail." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The boat turned downstream and drew up alongside the dock." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Its bow crashed into small craft moored there; its hull scraped against the pilings. But the boat stopped. The storm still raged around Sano, yet the world stood still.\n\nSuddenly the boat was swarming with men: a doshin and assistants; two boatmen in wide hats and straw rain cloaks; Yanagisawa's retainers. The boatmen secured the vessel to the dock and lowered the gangplank. The police untied Chūgo—conscious now, but dazed—and led him away. Yanagisawa's retainers rushed into the cabin.\n\n\"Sōsakan-sama!\" Hirata ran up to Sano, his face radiant with joy and excitement. \"You've done it, you've caught the Bundori Killer! Come on, let's go.\"\n\nSuddenly too weak to stand, Sano let his assistant help him down the gangplank.\n\n\"Sano Ichirō!\"\n\nTurning, Sano saw Chamberlain Yanagisawa emerge from the cabin, leaning on his retainers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You'll pay for this, Sano Ichirō!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yanagisawa shrilled, shaking his fist. Pale, disheveled, and furious, he looked like a mad demon from one of the shogun's No plays. \"I swear you'll pay for this!\"\n\nSano's mind closed against the chamberlain's threats as a temporarily forgotten longing swelled his heart.\n\n\"Aoi,\" he whispered." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Expand the story by adding two sentences in the nonfiction, Japan, memoir genre. Match existing character context." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I find great irony in my choice of profession.\n\nA first-class geiko is constantly in the glare of spotlights while I spent much of my childhood hiding in a darkened closet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A first-class geiko uses all the skills at her command to please her audience, to make every person she comes in contact with feel wonderful, while I prefer solitary pursuits." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A first-class geiko is an exquisite willow tree who bends to the service of others while I have always been stubborn and contrary by nature, and very, very proud.\n\nWhile a first-class geiko is a master of creating an atmosphere of relaxation and amusement, I don't particularly enjoy being with other people." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A star geiko is never, ever alone and I always wanted to be by myself.\n\nOdd, isn't it? It's almost as if I was deliberately choosing the most difficult path for myself, one that would force me to face and overcome my personal obstacles." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In fact, if I hadn't entered the karyukai, I think I would have become a Buddhist nun. Or a policewoman." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It is difficult to explain why I made the decision to enter the karyukai when I was such a little girl.\n\nWhy would a small child who adores her parents decide by herself to leave them?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yet I was the one who chose to enter this profession and this workplace, thus betraying my parents." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Let me tell you how it happened, and maybe the reasons will become more transparent in the telling.\n\nLooking back on my life, I can see now that the only time I was ever truly happy was when I lived with my parents." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was secure and free, and even though I was very young, I was left alone and allowed to do exactly as I pleased." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After I left home when I was five, I was never really alone again and spent all my time trying to please other people. All my subsequent joys and triumphs were marred by ambivalence and a dark, even tragic, counterpoint that became part of me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My parents were very much in love." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They were an interesting match. My father came from a family of ancient aristocrats and feudal lords who had fallen on hard times." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My mother came from a family of pirates turned physicians who were very rich." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My father was tall and lean. He was sharp-witted, active and outgoing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was also very strict." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My mother was the opposite. She was short and plump, with a lovely round face and an ample bosom." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Where my father was hard my mother was soft." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'tanakaminamoto' into your response exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "However, they were both explainers, comforters, peacemakers. His name was Shigezo Tanakaminamoto (Tanakaminamoto no Shigezo in classical Japanese format) and hers was Chie Akamatsu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Our lineage was founded by Fujiwara no Kamatari, a man who became a nobleman during his lifetime." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Tanakaminamoto line has been in existence for fifty-two generations." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory: Your text must contain 'fujiwara' 2 times exactly" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Fujiwara family of aristocrats historically held the position of regent to the emperor. During the reign of Emperor Saga, Fujiwara no Motomi was awarded the rank of daitoku (the highest rank of court minister as established by Shotoku Taishi)." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He died in 782. His daughter, Princess Tanaka, married Emperor Saga and gave birth to a prince named Sumeru, who was eighth in the line of imperial succession." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As a retainer of the emperor, he was given the name Tanakaminamoto and became an independent aristocrat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Minamoto is a name that, to this day, only aristocrats are entitled to use. The family went on to hold various high positions, including court geomancer and official in charge of shrines and temples." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Tanakaminamotos served the imperial order for over a thousand years." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Great changes took place in Japan in the middle of the nineteenth century. The military dictatorship that had ruled the country for 650 years was overthrown and Emperor Meiji was installed as the head of the government." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The feudal system was dismantled and Japan began to develop into a modern nation-state. Led by the emperor, the aristocrats and intellectuals began a lively debate about the future of the country." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At that time, my great-grandfather, Tanakaminamoto no Sukeyoshi, was also ready for a change." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was tired of the endless factional infighting of the aristocracy and wanted to rid himself of the onerous duties his position demanded. The emperor decided to move the imperial capital from Kyoto, where it had been for over a millennium, to Tokyo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My family's roots ran deep in their home soil." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My great-grandfather didn't want to leave. As head of the family, he made the momentous decision to give back his title and join the ranks of the commoners." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The emperor pressed him to remain in the peerage but he proudly declared that he was a man of the people." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The emperor insisted that he at least retain his name, which he agreed to do. In daily life the family now uses the shortened form of Tanaka." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Though noble in sentiment, my great-grandfather's decision was disastrous for the family's finances." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Giving up his title, of course, meant forfeiting the property that went along with it. The family's estates had covered a vast area of northeastern Kyoto, from Tanaka shrine in the south to Ichijoji Temple in the north, an area thousands of acres in size." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My great-grandfather and his descendants never recovered from the loss." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They were never able to gain a foothold in the modern economy that was propelling the country, and languished in genteel poverty, living off their savings and thriving on their outmoded sense of inherent superiority. Some of them became quite expert in the ceramic arts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My mother is a member of the Akamatsu family. In olden times, they were legendary pirates who buccaneered the trade routes around the Inland Sea and out toward Korea and China." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They amassed quite an ill-gotten fortune that they managed to parlay into legitimate wealth by the time my mother came along." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Akamatsu family never served any Daimyo, but themselves had the power and property to govern Western Japan. The family was awarded the name Akamatsu by Emperor Gotoba (1180--1239)." }, { "from": "human", "value": "While adventuring about in foreign commodities the family gained much knowledge about medicinal herbs and their preparation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They became healers, and eventually rose to become house physicians to the Ikeda clan, the feudal barons of Okayama. My mother inherited the ability to heal from her ancestors and passed her knowledge and skill on to my father." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My mother and father were both artists." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My father graduated from art school and became a professional painter of textiles for high-end kimono and an appraiser of fine porcelain.\n\nMy mother loved kimono." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One day, while visiting a kimono shop, she happened to run into my father, who fell in love with her on the spot." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He pursued her quite relentlessly. Their class differences were such that my mother felt a relationship was impossible." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He asked her to marry him three times and she refused." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the end my father got her pregnant with my eldest sister. This forced her hand and they had to get married." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the time my father was very successful and making a lot of money." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His creations brought the highest prices and he was bringing home a good income every month. But he was giving most of this to his parents, who had little other source of funds." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My grandparents lived with their extended family in an enormous home in the Tanaka section of town that was manned by a large staff of servants." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The family had gone through most of its savings. Some of the men had tried their hand at constable and civil servant work, but nobody was able to hold on to a job for very long." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They simply had no tradition of working for a living. My father was supporting the entire household." }, { "from": "human", "value": "So, even though my father wasn't the oldest son, my grandparents insisted that he and my mother live with them when they got married." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Basically, they needed the money." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was not a happy situation. My grandmother, whose name was Tamiko, was an overbearingly flamboyant character who was autocratic and short-tempered, the exact opposite of my gentle, docile mother." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My mother was the one who had been raised like a princess. But my grandmother treated her like she was one of the help." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She was abusive to her from the start and berated her constantly for her common background." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There were some notorious criminals within the Akamatsu lineage and my grandmother acted like my mother's line was polluted. She didn't think my mother was good enough for her son." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Grandmother Tamiko's hobby was fencing, and she was a master at wielding the naginata, or Japanese halberd." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My mother's quietness drove my grandmother crazy and she started to taunt her by threatening her openly with the curved lance of her weapon. She'd chase her around the house." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was bizarre and very scary." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One time my grandmother went too far. She repeatedly slashed through my mother's obi (kimono sash), severing it from her body." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That was the final straw." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My parents already had three children at the time, two girls and a boy. The girls' names were Yaeko and Kikuko." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yaeko was ten and Kikuko was eight. My father was in a quandary because he didn't have enough money to support his parents as well as an independent household." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was discussing his troubles with one of his business associates, a kimono fabric dealer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He talked to my father about the karyukai and suggested that he might try, at least once, to speak to an owner of one of the establishments.\n\nMy father met with the owner of the geiko okiya, Iwasaki, of Gion Kobu, one of the best geiko houses in Japan, and one from Pontocho, another of the geiko districts in Kyoto." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My father found positions for both Yaeko and Kikuko and was given contract money for their apprenticeships. They would be trained in the traditional arts, etiquette, and decorum and fully supported in their careers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After they became full-fledged geiko they would become independent, all debts would be cancelled, and all the money they earned would be their own. As agent and manager of their careers, the okiya would continue to receive a percentage of their income." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My father's decision drew the family into a compact with the karyukai that was to affect all of our lives for many years to come." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My sisters were devastated at having to leave the safe haven of my grandparents' house. Yaeko never got over her feelings of being abandoned." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She remains angry and bitter to this day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My parents moved with my eldest brother to a house in Yamashina, a suburb of Kyoto. In the ensuing years my mother bore eight more children." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Financially strapped as always, they sent another one of their daughters, my sister Kuniko, to the Iwasaki okiya as an assistant to the owner." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was born, when my father was fifty-three and my mother was forty-four. I was the last of my parents' children, born on November 2, a Scorpio in the Year of the Ox." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My parents named me Masako." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As far as I knew, there were only ten of us in the immediate family." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I had four older brothers (Seiichiro, Ryozo, Kozo, and Fumio) and three older sisters (Yoshiko, Tomiko, and Yukiko). I wasn't aware of the other three girls." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Our house was spacious and rambling. It was located on the far side of a canal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The house was situated on a large piece of land and there were no others next to ours. It was surrounded by woods and bamboo groves and backed up onto a mountain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One approached the house on a concrete footbridge over the canal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was a pond in front of the house bordered by a stand of cosmos. Beyond that was a front yard with fig and pepper trees." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Behind the house was a big backyard that had a coop full of chickens, a fish pond stocked with carp, a pen for our dog Koro, and my mother's vegetable garden." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The downstairs of the house had a parlor, an altar room, a living room, a room with a hearth for dining, a kitchen, two backrooms, and my father's studio and the bath. There were two more rooms upstairs over the kitchen." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'slept' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The other kids all slept upstairs. I slept with my parents downstairs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I remember one incident with glee." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was during the rainy season. There was a large round pond in front of our house." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The hydrangea bush next to the pond was in bloom, the bright blue in harmony with the green of the trees." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was a perfectly still day. Suddenly, big drops of rain began to plop down." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I quickly gathered up my toys from under the pepper tree and ran inside the house. I put my things down on a shelf next to the mahogany chest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Right after everyone got home it started to pour." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The rain was coming down in buckets. In what seemed like minutes, the pond began to overflow its banks and the water started flooding into the house." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We all rushed around in a frenzy taking up the tatami (straw matting)." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'strawberry' into your response exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I found the whole thing very amusing.\n\nAfter we rescued all of the tatami that we could, we each got two pieces of strawberry candy that had a picture of a strawberry on the wrapper." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We were all running around the house and eating the candy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A few of the tatami mats were floating on the water." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My parents got on them and started using them like rafts, propelling themselves from room to room. They were having more fun than anybody else." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The next day my father gathered us together and said, \"Alright everyone. We've got to clean up the house, inside and out. Seiichiro, you take a crew and work on the back bluff, Ryozo, you take a crew out to the bamboo grove, Kozo, you take a crew to clean the tatami, and Fumio, take your baby sister Masako and get instructions from your mother. Understand? Go out there and do a good job!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And you, Dad, what are you going to do?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We all wanted to know.\n\n\"Someone has to stay here and man the castle,\" he said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His battle cry energized us but there was one problem." }, { "from": "human", "value": "All we had to eat the night before was that strawberry candy and we had been too hungry to sleep." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We were famished. All of our food had been lost in the flood.\n\nWhen we complained to my father he said: \"An army can't fight on an empty stomach. So you'd better go out and scour for provisions. Bring them back to the castle and prepare for a siege.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "After receiving their orders, my older brothers and sisters went out and came back with rice and firewood." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At that moment, I was very glad to have brothers and sisters, and grateful for the riceball I was given to eat.\n\nEverybody stayed home from school that day and slept like there was no tomorrow." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Another day, I went to feed the chickens and retrieve the eggs as usual. The mother hen was named Nikki." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She became angry and chased me back into the house, where she caught up with me and bit my leg." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My father got furious and caught the hen.\n\nHe picked her up and said, \"I'm going to kill you for this.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He wrung her neck right then and there and hung her dead body under the eaves of the house by her neck. (Usually he hung them by their feet.)" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He left her there until everyone got home from school." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they saw her they all thought \"Yummy! We're having chicken-in-the-pot tonight.\" But my father said to them sternly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Take a good look at this and learn something from it. This dumb beast took a bite out of our precious Masako. It ended up dead as a result. Remember. It is never okay to hurt other people or cause them pain. I will not permit it. Understand?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We all pretended that we did.\n\nThat night we had chicken-in-the-pot made from the unfortunate Nikki." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I couldn't eat it.\n\nMy father said, \"Masako, you have to forgive Nikki. Most of the time she was a good chicken. You should eat so that Nikki can attain Buddhahood.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But my tummy hurts. Why don't you and Mommy help Nikki become Buddha, instead.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then I said a little prayer.\n\n\"That's a good idea. Let's do what Masako says and all eat the chicken so that it can attain Buddhahood.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Everyone said a prayer for the bird, dug in and thoroughly enjoyed helping Nikki become a Buddha.\n\nAnother time, in a rare show of conviviality, I was playing together with everyone else." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We went up onto the mountain on the right side of our house." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We dug a big hole and took everything out of the kitchen, all the pots and pans and dishes, and dumped them into the hole." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We were playing near my brother's secret fort. We were having a great time when my older brother dared me to climb a pine tree that was right there." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The branch broke and I fell into the pond in front of our house." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My father's studio faced the pond. He heard the big splash when I fell." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He must have been surprised but he didn't overreact." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He looked at me and asked calmly, \"What are you doing?\"\n\n\"I'm in the pond,\" I said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's too cold to be in the pond. What if you catch a cold? I think you'd better get out of there.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll get out in a couple of minutes.\"\n\nAt that point my mother showed up and took charge." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Stop teasing her,\" she said. \"Get out of there this instant!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "My father reluctantly picked me up out of the pond and summarily deposited me in the bathtub." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This should have been the end of it, but then my mother went into the kitchen to make dinner. Everything was gone. She called out to my father, who was taking a bath with me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Dear, I'm afraid there's a problem. I won't be able to make dinner. What should I do?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What in the world are you talking about? Why can't you make dinner?\"\n\n\"Because there's nothing's here. All our things are missing!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I overheard this conversation and figured I'd better alert everybody to her discovery so I started to head out the door." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My father grabbed me by the collar and held me fast.\n\nPretty soon everybody came home." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(It would have been better if they hadn't.)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My father prepared to mete out his customary punishment in which he lined them up and hit each one over the head with a bamboo sword. I usually stood by his side while he did it (thinking, \"I bet that hurts\")." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But not this time." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That day he yelled at me: \"You too, Masako. You're part of this.\" I started whimpering as he lined me up with the others." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I remember saying \"Daddy\" but he ignored me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is also your doing.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He didn't hit me as hard as he hit the others but it was still a great shock." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had never hit me before.\n\nWe didn't get any dinner." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My brothers and sisters cried while they took their baths." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then we were sent to sleep." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My brother complained he was so hungry that he floated in the bathtub like a balloon.\n\nMy parents' involvement in aesthetic pursuits meant that our house was full of beautiful objects: quartz crystals that glittered in the sunshine, fragrant pine and bamboo decorations that we hung up for the New Year, exotic-looking tools and implements my mother used for preparing herbal medicines, shiny musical instruments like my father's bamboo shakuhachi flute and my mother's one-stringed koto, and a collection of fine handcrafted ceramicware." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The house also boasted it's own bathtub, the old-fashioned kind that looked like an enormous iron soup kettle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My father was the ruler of this little kingdom. He had his studio at home, and he worked there with a few of his many apprentices." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My mother learned the traditional kind of Japanese tie-dyeing known as roketsuzome from my father and became a professional in the field." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My parents were known for their herbal remedies. People were constantly coming over to ask them to concoct something for them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My mother did not have a strong constitution." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She suffered from malaria and it had weakened her heart." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yet she still had the fortitude and perseverance to give birth to eleven children.\n\nWhen I couldn't be with one of my parents I preferred my own company to anyone else's." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't even like to play with my sisters." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I loved silence and couldn't stand all the noise that the other kids made. When they came home from school I would go hide or find some other way to ignore them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I spent a lot of time hiding. Japanese houses are small and sparsely furnished by Western standards, but they have enormous closets." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That is because we store many household items in them when not in use, such as our bedding." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Whenever I was upset or uncomfortable about something, or I wanted to concentrate or just relax, I would head into the closet.\n\nMy parents understood my need to be alone and never forced me to play with the older kids." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Of course they kept an eye on me, but they always let me have my own space." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yet I do remember wonderful times when the family was all together. My favorite of these were the beautiful moonlit nights when my parents would perform duets, he on the shakuhachi and she on the koto." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We would gather round to listen to them play." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I had no idea how soon these idyllic interludes were going to end.\n\nBut soon they did." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Expand on this story segment like Mineko Iwasaki would, staying true to the nonfiction, Japan, memoir genre. Characters may have existing backgrounds." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I can identify the exact moment when things began to change.\n\nI had just turned three. It was a cold winter afternoon. My parents had a visitor. A woman. A very old woman. I was shy in front of outsiders and hid in the closet as soon as she stepped into the entranceway. I sat in the dark listening to their conversation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was something oddly compelling about this woman. I was fascinated by the way she talked.\n\nThe visitor's name was Madame Oima. She was the proprietress of the Iwasaki okiya in Gion Kobu and had come to ask if my sister Tomiko might be interested in becoming a geiko. Tomiko had visited the Iwasaki okiya a number of times, and Madame Oima could see her potential.\n\nTomiko was the most delicate and refined of my sisters. She loved kimono, and traditional music, and fine ceramics, and was always asking my parents questions about these things." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She was fourteen. I didn't understand everything they were talking about but I understood that this lady was offering Tomiko a job." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't understand that the Iwasaki okiya was in severe financial straits." }, { "from": "human", "value": "All I knew was that my parents were treating her with a marked degree of respect and that she projected the greatest air of authority of anyone I had ever met." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I could feel the regard in which my parents held her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Drawn by her voice, I slid open the door of the closet about 3 centimeters and peeked out to see who the voice was coming from." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The lady noticed that I had opened the door and said, \"Chiesan, who is in the closet?\"\n\nMy mother laughed and said, \"That's my youngest, Masako.\"\n\nWhen I heard my name I came out into the room.\n\nThe lady looked at me for a second. Her body was very still but I saw her eyes widen. \"Oh, my goodness,\" she said. \"What black hair and black eyes! And such tiny red lips! What an exquisite child!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "My father introduced us." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She kept looking at me but addressed my father." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You know, Mr. Tanaka, I have been looking for an atotori (\"one who comes after\" or successor) for a very long time and I have the oddest sensation that I may have just found her.\"\n\nI had no idea what she was talking about. I didn't know what an atotori was or why she needed one. But I felt the energy in her body change.\n\nIt is said that a person who has the eyes to see can penetrate to the core of a person's character, no matter how old that person might be.\n\n\"I'm serious,\" she said. \"Masako is a magnificent little girl. I've been in this business a long time and I can tell she is a treasure. Please consider the possibility of enrolling her in the Iwasaki okiya as well. Really. I think she could have a wonderful future there. I know she's still a baby, but please, won't you think about allowing her to train for a career?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Training to become a geiko in Gion Kobu is a closed system. It is organized in a way that only girls living in an okiya in Gion Kobu are able to study all the requisite disciplines with the accredited schools and teachers and are able to meet the demands of the grueling schedule. There is no way to become a geiko while living on the outside.\n\nMy father was clearly nonplussed by this unexpected turn of events and didn't answer her right away. Finally he said, \"We will discuss your offer to Tomiko with her in depth and we will encourage her to accept your proposal, although the ultimate decision is up to her. We will get back to you as soon as she has made up her mind. But about Masako. I'm terribly sorry, but I can't even consider it. I simply won't give up another one of my daughters.\" If Tomiko agreed to join the Iwasaki okiya he would have already given up four of his seven girls.\n\nLet me explain what I mean by give up." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When a young girl leaves to join an okiya it is like she is going to full-time boarding school." }, { "from": "system", "value": "CONSTRAINT: Include 'successor' 2 time(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In most cases she will still go home to visit her parents when she has time off from school, and they are free to visit her whenever they like. That is the usual scenario. However, when a girl is chosen to be the successor to a house and its name, she is adopted by the proprietress as legal heir. In that case she takes the name of the okiya family and effectively leaves her birth family for good.\n\nMadame Oima was eighty years old and deeply concerned about the fact that she had not yet secured a proper successor. None of the women presently under her management were qualified, and she couldn't die without finding someone. The Iwasaki okiya owned millions of dollars worth of property (real estate, kimono, priceless art and ornaments) and supported a staff of over twenty people." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She was responsible for insuring that the business continued." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She needed an heir to guarantee its future." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madame Oima visited us many times that year to discuss Tomiko's enrollment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But she was campaigning to win me over as well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My parents never discussed any of this in front of me, but I imagine they explained it all to Tomiko." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madame Oima was the woman to whom they had entrusted my oldest sister Yaeko all those years ago." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madame Oima appointed Yaeko her atotori and raised her to be a geiko. But Yaeko deserted Gion Kobu without fulfilling her obligations to Madame Oima. This was a great embarrassment to my parents. They hoped Tomiko's tenure would help make up for Yaeko's defection.\n\nThere was no way for Tomiko to become the next atotori, however. At fourteen, she was considered too old. Ideally, atotori are groomed from the time they are little girls." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobody told me she was leaving. I guess my parents thought I was too young to understand what was going on so they didn't try to explain it to me. All I knew was that Tomiko graduated from junior high school one day, went away for spring vacation the next, and never came home. (Under modern law, a girl must graduate from junior high school before she is allowed to enter geiko training school.)\n\nI was sorry that she wasn't there. She was my favorite sister. She was smarter and seemed more competent than the others." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tomiko's move didn't curtail Madame Oima's visits, however. She still wanted me too. Despite my father's protests, she continued to pursue the matter. She kept coming back to visit and each time she did she asked for me again, month after month. And, month after month, my father continued, albeit politely, to refuse her.\n\nMadame Oima used every argument she could to convince him that I would have a brilliant career with her and that they shouldn't stand in my way. She begged my father to reconsider." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I specifically remember her telling him, \"The Iwasaki is by far the best okiya in the Gion, and we can provide Masako with greater opportunities than she will find anywhere else.\"\n\nEventually Madame Oima's persistence began to wear down my father's resolve. I sensed the shift in his position.\n\nOne day I was cuddled up in my father's lap while the two of them were talking. She brought the subject up yet again. My father laughed. \"Okay, okay, Madame Iwasaki, it's still too soon but someday, I promise, I will bring her along to visit you. You never know, it's up to her, maybe she'll like it.\" I think he said that just to put an end to her pestering." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I decided it was time for Madame Oima to go home. I knew people usually went to the bathroom before they left the house so I turned to her and said, \"Pee.\" She thought I was asking, rather than commanding, and inquired graciously if I wanted her to take me to the bathroom. I nodded, got off my father's lap, and took her hand. When we got there I said, \"There,\" and marched back into the parlor.\n\nMadame Oima came back a few moments later.\n\n\"Thank you for taking such good care of me,\" she said to me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Go home,\" I replied." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, I should be going. Mr. Tanaka, I'll take my leave. I think we made some real progress here today.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And with that, she left.\n\nI didn't spend many years under my parents' roof, but during the short time I was with them they taught me lessons that were to serve me in good stead for the rest of my life. Especially my father. He did everything he could to teach me the value of independence and responsibility. Above all, he instilled within me a deep sense of pride.\n\nMy father had two favorite sayings. One is a saying about samurai. It is a kind of proverb that says a samurai must keep to a higher standard than the common man." }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'never' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even if he has nothing to eat, he pretends that he has plenty, meaning that a samurai never lets go of his pride. But he also used it to mean that a warrior never betrays weakness in the face of adversity. His other expression was \"hokori o motsu.\" \"Hold on to your pride.\" Live with dignity, no matter what the circumstance.\n\nHe repeated these aphorisms so often and with such conviction that we accepted them as gospel.\n\nEveryone says I was a strange little girl." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My parents told me that I almost never cried, even as an infant. They were worried that maybe I was hard of hearing or had something wrong with my voice or was even somewhat retarded. My father would sometimes put his mouth up to my ear and speak loudly or wake me up on purpose when I was deep asleep. I'd look startled but I didn't cry.\n\nAs I got older they realized that I was fine, just inordinately quiet. I loved to daydream. I remember wanting to know the names of all the flowers and birds and mountains and rivers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I believed that if I asked them they would tell me what they were called. I didn't want other people to spoil it by giving me the information. I believed that if I looked at something long enough it would talk to me. I still do.\n\nOne time my mother and I were looking at a lot of white and peach--colored cosmos that were blooming on the other side of the pond outside our house. I asked her, \"What's the name of this flower?\"\n\n\"Cosmos,\" she answered.\n\n\"Hmm, cosmos. And what is this little one called?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's a cosmos too,\" she answered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What do you mean? How can two different flowers have the same name?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'mother' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My mother looked perplexed. \"Well, the name of the family of flowers is cosmos. It is the kind of flower it is.\"\n\n\"But we have a family of people living in our house and they each have their own name. That means each of these flowers should have it's own name too. So I want you to give each of them a name, just like you gave names to us. That way none of them will feel bad.\"\n\nMy mother went over to where my father was working. \"Masako just said the oddest thing. She wants me to give a name to each one of the cosmos flowers.\"\n\nMy father said to me, \"We don't need any more children, so we don't have to give them names.\"\n\nThe thought that we didn't need any more children made me feel lonely." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I especially remember one beautiful May afternoon." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was a soft green breeze blowing down from the mountains to the east." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The irises were in full bloom and it was perfectly quiet." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My mother and I were relaxing on the front verandah. I was sitting on her lap and we were basking in the sunshine. She said to me, \"What a lovely day it is today!\" I distinctly remember saying to her, \"I am so happy.\"\n\nThis is the last truly blissful memory I have of my childhood.\n\nI looked up. There was a woman crossing over the footbridge, approaching the house. She was somehow indistinct, like a mirage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Every muscle in my mother's body tensed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her heart began to race and she broke out in a sweat." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your response should contain the word 'toward' precisely 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her smell changed. She shrunk perceptively back into herself, as though she were recoiling in terror. Her arms hugged me tighter in an instinctive gesture of protection. I sensed the danger she felt.\n\nI watched the woman walk toward us. Suddenly I felt time stop. It was like she was walking toward us in slow motion. I remember exactly what she was wearing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was a dark kimono belted with an obi that had a beige, brown, and black geometric pattern on it.\n\nA sudden chill went through me and I ran inside the house to hide in the closet.\n\nI couldn't believe what followed next. My father came into the room and this woman began to speak to my parents with pure hatred in her voice. They tried to answer her but she kept interrupting them, becoming increasingly strident and aggressive. Her voice got louder and louder. I didn't understand most of what she was saying but I knew that she was using a lot of bad words and very rude language." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I had never heard anyone use that tone of voice before." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was like some kind of demon. Her harangue seemed to go on for hours. I didn't know who she was and couldn't imagine what my parents could have done to make her act like that. At last she left.\n\nAfterwards, a dark cloud descended on the house. I had never seen my parents so upset. Dinner that night was strained." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We couldn't taste our food. I was very, very scared. I crept over into my mother's lap and buried my face in her side.\n\nMy brothers and sisters went to bed right after dinner. As always, I stayed nestled with my mother while my parents relaxed around the table, waiting for my father to announce that it was time for us to go to bed. They hardly spoke. It got later and later and my father didn't move. Finally, I fell asleep in my mother's arms." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I awoke with them and Koro the dog in their futon the next morning.\n\nThe horrible woman showed up again a little while later. This time she brought two boys with her. She left them with us and went away. All I knew about them was that they were her sons.\n\nThe older one was named Mamoru. He was a brat and I didn't like him very much." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was three years older than I was, the same age as one of my brothers, and the two of them got along together well. The younger one was named Masayuki. He was only ten months older than I was. He was nice and we became friends.\n\nThe boys' mother came to visit them about once a month. She brought toys and candy for her boys but never anything for us, even though we were children too. It made me remember my father's saying about the samurai." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I couldn't stand the sight of her." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was something rapacious and cold about her eyes. When she came I would hide in the closet and put my hands over my ears. I wouldn't come out until she left." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "12 sentences sentences. same character feel. nonfiction, Japan, memoir stuff." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was early afternoon when we got there. My father left soon after and I sat there in the parlor, not saying anything but only watching and observing. I felt riveted by the details. I did look around until I saw where the closet was so I had a place to escape to if necessary. But other than that I just sat there quietly staring at everything around me. I answered people politely when they asked me something, but I kept saying I was fine just where I was.\n\nIn the late afternoon Madame Oima took my hand and we went to another house. We opened the door to the entranceway and went inside. Madame Oima bowed low to a lady I had never met before. Madame Oima introduced her as Madame Sakaguchi and told me I was to call her Mother. Madame Oima laughed and said Mother Sakaguchi was her boss.\n\nThe woman was very friendly and we took to each other immediately." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After we returned from our visit to the Sakaguchi okiya, it was time for dinner." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was served differently than at my house. Instead of sitting around a table, everyone ate from individual trays that were arranged in a U-shape around the oblong brazier.\n\nAs a guest, I assumed that I would sit next to Madame Oima. I went to sit down next to her just as Old Meanie came into the room and was about to sit in the same place.\n\nI said, \"That is my seat.\"\n\nOld Meanie had almost begun to protest when Madame Oima said, with a big smile, \"Yes, child, that's right. Take your seat.\"\n\nI sat down next to the brazier.\n\nOld Meanie sat down in a huff next to me and picked up her chopsticks and began to eat without saying the customary grace, \"itadakimasu.\" Itadakimasu means \"I receive this food with humble gratitude.\" It acknowledges the efforts of the farmers and other providers in bringing the food to table. Madame Oima was the head of the household so no one was supposed to eat anything before she said these words and picked up her chopsticks. I reprimanded Old Meanie for her unthinkable breach of etiquette." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's rude to eat before Madame Oima has said 'itadakimasu' and taken the first bite of food. You have terrible manners.\"\n\nMadame Oima interjected, addressing Old Meanie, \"Listen to what she says. She has a lot to teach you.\" Then she turned to the rest of the women sitting around the long brazier and said, \"Please don't any of you speak to Miss Masako unless she speaks to you first.\" I couldn't believe Madame Oima was putting me ahead of all these fancy grown-ups.\n\nBut Old Meanie couldn't leave it alone, and, in a stage whisper I was sure to hear, grumbled, \"Well, aren't we the little princess?\"\n\nIt made me feel bad so I said, \"I can't eat this.\"\n\nMadame Oima said, \"Why? What's wrong with it?\"\n\n\"I can't eat if I'm sitting next to this mean old lady.\"\n\nI stood up quietly, found Big John, and took him for a walk.\n\nWhen I got back my older sister Kuniko asked me if I wanted to eat a nice rice ball or take a bath.\n\n\"I won't eat anyone's rice balls except Mommy's and I won't take a bath with anyone but Daddy,\" I answered. Then I lapsed into silence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't speak again for the rest of the night." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My sister Kuniko got me ready for bed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She wrapped me up in my favorite blanket, which was turquoise and had white tulips on it. She lay me down beside her on the futon. I still couldn't sleep without nursing, so she let me suckle her breast until I drifted off to sleep.\n\nMy father came to get me the next morning. There is an unwritten rule in the okiya that visitors are not allowed in before 10 in the morning. But my father showed up very early, at 6:30.\n\nI was thrilled to see him. I said, \"Bye, so long,\" and was out the door. Madame Oima called after me, \"Please come again, very soon.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" I called back.\n\nI was annoyed at myself for answering like that because it is not what I meant to say, in fact, it was the exact opposite of what I felt. I meant to say I was never coming back, but I couldn't get the words out of my mouth." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'mother' must be used 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My mother was so happy to see me when I got home that I thought she was going to cry. But I didn't even wait around long enough for her to hug me. I dove straight for the safety of the closet.\n\nMy mother tempted me out of the darkness with my favorite food, onigiri, a sort of rice sandwich with seaweed on the outside and a savory treat on the inside. Pickled plums and bits of salmon are popular fillings, but my favorite was dried bonito flakes. That's the kind my mother made for me that day.\n\n(Dried bonito fish is a staple of Japanese cuisine. The flakes are widely used as the basis for soup stock and to flavor other dishes.)\n\nThey were delicious.\n\nThis was the beginning of my move to the Iwasaki okiya. It began with that one night. A while later I went for two nights." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And then I started to visit for days at a time." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The days stretched into a month. And finally, a few months after I turned five, I moved in for good." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Cooperative chapter writing\nMy role: Provide a story segment\nYour role: Expand with 6 sentences, emulating Mineko Iwasaki in the nonfiction, Japan, memoir genre\nNote: This is part of a larger work" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Iwasaki Okiya was one block south of Shinmonzen on Shinbashi Street, three houses east of Hanamikoji. Mother Sakaguchi lived on the other side of Hanamikoji, six houses to the west of us. The iemoto's dance studio was one block west and one block north on Shinmonzen. The Kaburenjo Theater was six blocks to the south. When I was a child I walked everywhere.\n\nElegant storefronts line the streets of the Gion, providing the services that the industry requires." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Besides the hundreds of okiya and ochaya, there are florists and gourmet shops, art galleries and fabric stores, hair ornament and fan emporiums." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The neighborhood is dense and compact.\n\nMy life became much busier after 6-6-6. I began to take calligraphy lessons from a wonderful man name Uncle Hori who lived two houses down and koto, singing, and shamisen lessons from his daughter, who was a master of a form of jiuta (a style of singing and playing the shamisen particular to the Kyoto area) important to the Inoue School. The koto and shamisen are both stringed instruments that came to Japan from China. The koto is a large thirteen-stringed lute that rests on the floor when played. The shamisen is a smaller three-stringed instrument that is played like a viola." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It is used to accompany most of our dances." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Besides taking daily lessons, I also cleaned the toilets every morning. And I went to dance class every afternoon.\n\nNow that I was a big girl, I had to act like the atotori. I wasn't allowed to shout or use rude language or do anything that was unbefitting to a successor. Auntie Oima started to make me use the dialect of Gion Kobu, which I had been fervently resisting. Now she corrected me all the time." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I wasn't allowed to roughhouse or run around. People cautioned me constantly against hurting myself or breaking something, especially a leg or a hand, because it would impair my beauty and my dancing.\n\nAuntie Oima became serious about teaching me how to be her successor. Until then I had played beside her as she went about her tasks. Now she started explaining to me what she was doing. I started to understand what was going on and began to participate in the daily routine of the Iwasaki okiya in a more conscious way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My days began early. I still woke up before the rest of the household, and now I had a job to do. While I was working on the toilets, Kuniko got up to start breakfast and the maids got up to begin their morning chores.\n\nThe maids cleaned the Iwasaki okiya from the outside inwards. First, they swept the street in front of the Iwasaki okiya and then the path from the gate to the entranceway. They sprinkled water on the path and placed a fresh cone of salt next to the entrance of the house to purify it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Next they cleaned the genkan(entranceway) and turned everyone's sandals around so that the shoes were facing the door, ready to be worn into the outside world. Inside the house, the maids tidied up the rooms and put away the items all of us had used the night before. Everything was back in place before Auntie Oima arose.\n\nFinally they prepared the Buddhist altar for Auntie Oima's morning prayers. They dusted the statues, cleaned out the incense burner, disposed of the previous day's offerings, and put new candles in the holders. They did the same for the Shinto shrine that sat on a raised shelf in the corner of the room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "People who live in Gion Kobu tend to be very devout." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Our livelihood is fully vested in the religious and spiritual values on which traditional Japanese culture rests." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Practically speaking, our daily lives are closely interwoven with the ceremonies and festivals that punctuate the Japanese year and we reproduce them as faithfully as possible." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Every morning, upon arising and washing her face, Auntie Oima went into the altar room and said her morning prayers. I tried to finish cleaning in time to say them with her. This is still the first thing I do in the morning.\n\nThen, in the short time remaining before breakfast, Auntie Oima and I gave Big John a thorough petting. By this time the apprentices were up and they would help the maids finish their morning chores. Cleaning is considered a vital part of the training process in all traditional Japanese disciplines and is a required practice for any novice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It is accorded spiritual significance. Purifying an unclean place is believed to purify the mind.\n\nAfter the house was in order, the maiko and geiko began to wake up. They worked late every night and were always the last ones to arise. Their income was supporting the rest of us, so they no longer had to do any housework.\n\nAba arrived and we had breakfast." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then everyone went her separate way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The maiko and the geiko went to the Nyokoba for lessons or to the rehearsal hall if they were training for a performance. The maids got busy with their remaining duties: airing the bedding, washing the laundry, cooking, shopping. Until I began school the following year, I \"helped\" Auntie Oima with the morning's business.\n\nAuntie Oima and Aba spent the morning sorting out the schedules for all the maiko and geiko under their management. They reviewed the tallies of the previous night's appointments, made notes of income due and income received, organized requests for appearances, and accepted as many engagements as the geiko's schedules would allow. Auntie Oima decided which costumes each maiko and geiko would wear that evening and Aba had to see to the coordination and disposition of the ensembles." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Auntie Oima's desk was in the dining room on the other side of her seat at the brazier." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was a separate ledger for each geiko in which she kept a running account of each woman's activities, including which outfits were worn to entertain which clients." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Auntie Oima also noted any specific expenditure made on a woman's behalf, such as the purchase of a new kimono or obi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fees for food and lessons were fixed and deducted on a monthly basis.\n\nMost tradesmen came in the morning. Men were allowed in the Iwasaki okiya after 10 A.M., when most of the inhabitants had left. The iceman brought in the ice for the icebox. Kimono salesmen, caterers, bill collectors, and others were greeted in the genkan. There was a bench they could sit on while conducting business." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Male relatives, like my father, were allowed to come in as far as the dining room. Only priests and children were allowed deeper entry. Not even Aba's husband, Auntie Oima's younger brother, was free to come and go at his own will.\n\nThis is why the whole notion of \"geisha houses\" being dens of ill repute is so ridiculous. Men are barely allowed inside these bastions of feminine society, let alone permitted to frolic with the inhabitants after they arrive.\n\nWhen the evening's schedule was set, Auntie Oima got dressed to go out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Every day she visited people to whom the Iwasaki okiya owed a debt of gratitude: the owners of the ochaya and restaurants where her geiko had performed the night before, the dance and music teachers who taught them, the mothers of allied okiya, the local artisans and craftsmen who dressed us." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It took the efforts of many people to present one maiko or geiko." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This informal visiting back and forth is pivotal to the social structure of Gion Kobu. It is how the interpersonal relationships upon which the system depends are cultivated and maintained. Auntie Oima began to take me with her on her daily round of calls as soon as I moved in. She knew that the connections she was seeding in those meetings would serve me for the rest of my professional career, or my life, if I chose to spend the rest of it in the Gion as she had.\n\nMost of the household gathered back at the Iwasaki okiya for lunch. We ate traditional Japanese fare (rice and fish and vegetables) and only ate Western food like steak and ice cream when we were taken out to a trendy restaurant for a treat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lunch was the main meal of the day, since geiko can't eat a heavy meal before performing in the evening.\n\nMaiko and geiko are not allowed to eat at a private banquet, no matter how sumptuous the delicacies displayed before them. They are there to entertain the guests, to give not to take. An exception to this rule is when a geiko is invited to join a customer for a meal in a restaurant.\n\nAfter lunch Auntie Oima or Kuniko handed out the assignments for that evening to the assembled geiko. Then the women \"got to work\" researching the people they would be entertaining that evening." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If one of her customers was a politician she studied the legislation he was sponsoring, if one was an actress she read an article about her in a magazine, if one was a singer she listened to his records. Or read his or her novel. Or studied the country the guest came from. We used all the resources at our disposal to do this. I spent many an afternoon, especially when I was a maiko, in bookstores, libraries, and museums. Younger girls turned to their \"older sisters\" for advice and information." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Besides doing research, the geiko had to pay their courtesy calls in the afternoon, in order to remain on good terms with the owners of the ochaya and the senior maiko and geiko. If any member of the community was sick or injured, protocol demanded that they call on her promptly to voice their concern.\n\nKuniko took me to my dance lesson midafternoon.\n\nIn late afternoon the maiko and geiko returned to the Iwasaki okiya to dress, and the doors of the Iwasaki okiya were closed to outsiders for the rest of the day. The maiko and geiko took baths, fixed their hair, and put on their highly stylized makeup. Then the dressers would arrive to get them into their costumes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "All of our dressers came from the Suehiroya." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Most dressers are men, and they are the one exception to the no-men-in-the-inner-apartments-of-the-okiya rule. They were allowed up to the main dressing room on the second floor. Being a dresser is a highly skilled profession, one that takes years to master. A good dresser is critical to a geiko's success. Balance is essential. When I debuted as a maiko, for example, I weighed 79 pounds. My kimono weighed 44." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I had to balance the whole getup on 6-inch-high wooden sandals." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If one thing was out of place it could have spelled disaster." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kimono are always worn with either wooden or leather sandals." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Okobo, 6-inch-high clog-like wooden sandals, are a distinctive part of a maiko's outfit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The height of the sandal is a counterbalance to the dangling ends of the maiko's long obi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Okobo are difficult to walk in, but the mincing gait they ensure is thought to add to the maiko's allure.\n\nMaiko and geiko always wear white tabi socks. The big toe of the tabi is separated, like a mitten, so that the toes can grip the sandal easily. We wear socks one size smaller than our shoe size, which lends a neat and dainty appearance to the foot.\n\nThe otokoshi (dresser) I was given when I was fifteen was the male heir to the house of Suehiroya, an establishment that had been taking care of the Iwasaki okiya for many years. He dressed me every day for the fifteen years of my career, except for the two or three times that he was too sick to serve." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He knew all of my physical idiosyncrasies, like a displaced vertebra I acquired in a fall that made it painful for me to walk when my kimono and numerous accoutrements were not fitted correctly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The whole point of the geiko enterprise is perfection, and the dresser's job is to ensure that perfection." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If anything is missing, slightly out of place, or seasonally inappropriate, the dresser is the person who ultimately bears the blame." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The relationship goes far beyond the external." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Because of their intimate access to the internal workings of the system, the dressers have become the standard brokers of various relationships within the karyukai, such as the elder/younger sister pairings." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'their' (3x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They serve as escorts in appropriate situations. And lastly, they are our friends. One's dresser often becomes one's confidant, a person one turns to for brotherly advice and counsel.\n\nAs the women completed their preparations and runners arrived with last-minute requests for appearances, the maids prepared the entranceway for the maiko and geiko's departure. They swept it thoroughly again, sprinkled it with water, and replaced the pile of salt next to the entry hall with a fresh one. In the early evening the maiko and geiko, resplendent in their magnificent attire, left for their appointments." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The house quieted down after they left." }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'practiced' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The trainees and staff ate dinner. I practiced the dance I had learned that day, the koto piece I was working on, and my calligraphy. After I started school I also had to do my homework. Tomiko practiced the shamisen and singing. She still had to squeeze in courtesy calls to the ochaya, to pay respects to the older maiko and geiko who would be guiding her later on and to curry favor with the managers of the teahouses where she would be working.\n\nThere were over 150 ochaya in Gion Kobu when I lived there." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Cooperative storytelling\nContext: Match existing character backgrounds if present\nMy role: Provide opening\nYour role: five sentences in the nonfiction, Japan, memoir genre." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dance class was the high point of my day. I couldn't wait to get there and always dragged on Kuniko's sleeve to make her hurry.\n\nWalking into the studio was walking into another world. I was in love with the whispering of kimono sleeves, the lilting melodies of the strings, the formality, the grace, and the precision.\n\nThe genkan was flanked by a wall of wooden cubbies." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I liked one box in particular and hoped it was empty so that I could put my geta (traditional wooden sandals) there. It was on the second to the top row, a little to the left. I decided that was my place and was out of sorts when it wasn't available.\n\nI walked upstairs to the rehearsal rooms and got ready for my lesson. I first took my maiohgi out of its case with my right hand and tucked it into the left side of my obi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With my hands positioned flat on my thighs, fingers pointed inwards, I glided soundlessly over to the fusuma (sliding door). The tube-like fit of the kimono dictates a distinctive way of walking, cultivated in all well-bred women, exaggerated in the dancer. Knees slightly bent, toes come off the ground in a silent pigeon-toed shuffle that prevents the front fold of the kimono from opening and indecorously revealing a glimpse of ankle or leg. The upper half of the body is held still.\n\nThis is how we are taught to open a fusuma and enter the room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sit down in front of the door resting buttocks on heels, bring the right hand up chest high, and place the fingertips of your open palm on the edge of the doorframe or in the hollow, if there is one." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Push the door open a few inches, being careful not to let the hand cross the midline of the body. Bring the left hand up from the thigh and place it in front of the right. Continuing to rest the right hand lightly on the back of the left wrist, slide the door across the body, creating an opening just wide enough to pass through. Stand up and enter room. Pivot, and sit down facing the open door." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Use the right fingertips to close the door to just left of midline, then, using the left hand supported by the right, close all the way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Stand up, pivot, and go to sit before the teacher." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Take maiohgi out of obi with right hand and place it horizontally on the floor and bow.\n\nPlacing the maiohgi between oneself and the teacher is a highly ritualistic act, indicating that one is leaving the ordinary world behind and is ready to enter the realm of the teacher's expertise. By bowing, we declare that we are prepared to receive what the teacher is about to impart.\n\nKnowledge passes from dance teacher into the student through the process of mane, which is often translated as imitation, but learning to dance is more a process of total identification than one of simple copying. We repeat the movements of our teachers until we can duplicate them exactly, until, in a sense, we have absorbed the teacher's mastery into ourselves." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Artistic technique must be fully integrated into the cells of our bodies if we are to use it to express what is in our hearts, and this takes many years of practice.\n\nThe Inoue School has hundreds of dances in its repertoire, from simple to more complex, but they are all composed of a fixed set of kata, or patterns of movements. We learn the dances before the patterns, as opposed to, say, ballet. And we learn the dances by watching. Once we have learned the patterns, however, the teacher will introduce a new dance as a series of kata." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kabuki, with which you may be familiar, uses an enormous repertoire of movements, postures, mannerisms, gestures, and facial expressions to portray the kaleidoscopic range of human emotion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Inoue style, in contrast, condenses complex emotions into simple, delicate movements, punctuated with dramatic pauses." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I had the great privilege of studying with the iemoto every day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After giving me verbal instructions, she played the shamisen and I performed the piece. She corrected me. I went off to practice on my own. When I could dance a piece to her satisfaction she gave me another. Thus we all learned at our own pace.\n\nThere were three other instructors who taught in the iemoto's studio, all of whom were accomplished students of hers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Their names were teacher Kazuko, teacher Masae, and teacher Kazue. We referred to the iemoto as \"Big Mistress\" and the others as \"Little Mistress.\" Mistress Kazuko was the granddaughter of Inoue Yachiyo III, the previous iemoto.\n\nSometimes we had group lessons and sometimes I took a class with another teacher. I sat in the studios for hours at a time and watched intently as other dancers had their lessons." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kuniko had to tear me out of there when it was time to go home." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And then I practiced for hours in the living room.\n\nThe Inoue School is, without question, the most important institution in Gion Kobu and the iemoto, therefore, the most powerful person. Yet Inoue Yachiyo IV wielded her authority gently, and, although she was strict, I was never scared of her. The only time I ever felt intimidated was when I actually had to perform with her on stage.\n\nThe iemoto was remarkably unattractive." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She was very short, quite plump, and had a face like an orangutan." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yet she became exquisitely lovely when she danced. I remember thinking that this transformation, which I witnessed thousands of times, was an eloquent statement of the style's ability to evoke and express beauty.\n\nThe iemoto's given name was Aiko Okamoto. She was born in Gion Kobu and began studying dance when she was four years old. Her first teacher soon recognized the child's ability and brought her to Inoue headquarters." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The previous iemoto, Inoue Yachiyo III, was suitably impressed with Aiko's talent and invited her to join the main studio." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There are two separate curricula in the school. One trains professional dancers (maiko and geiko) and the other trains professional dance teachers. There is another set of classes for women who want to study on an amateur basis. Aiko was recruited for the teacher division.\n\nShe fulfilled her early promise and grew into a masterful dancer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At twenty-five, she married Kuroemon Katayama, Inoue Yachiyo III's grandson." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kuroemon is the iemoto of the Kansai branch of the Kanze School of Noh theater. The couple had three sons and lived in the house on Shinmonzen Street where I had my lessons.\n\nIn the mid-1940s Aiko was chosen to succeed Inoue Yachiyo III and given the name Inoue Yachiyo IV. (Mother Sakaguchi was on the board of regents that confirmed her selection.) She led the school until May of 2000, when she retired in favor of the current iemoto, her granddaughter, Inoue Yachiyo V." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Inoue School of Dance was founded by a woman named Sato Inoue around 1800." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your task: Include 'imperial' 2 time(s) in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was a lady-in-waiting in the inner apartments of the imperial palace, an instructor to the noble house of Konoe, who taught the various forms of dance practiced in court ritual.\n\nIn 1869, when the imperial capital was moved to Tokyo, Kyoto was no longer the political center of Japan. However, it has continued to be the heart of the cultural and religious life of the country.\n\nThe governor of the time, Nobuatsu Hase, and the counselor Masanao Makimura enlisted Jiroemon Sugiura, the ninth generation proprietor of Ichirikitei, the most famous ochaya in Gion Kobu, in his campaign to promote the city. Together they decided to make the dances of the Gion the centerpiece of the festivities and they approached the head of the Inoue School for advice and direction." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Haruko Katayama, the third iemoto of the school, put together a dance program that featured the talented maiko and geiko who were her students." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The performances were so successful that the governor, Sugiura, and Inoue decided to make them an annual event called the Miyako Odori." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In Japanese this term means \"dances of the capital\" but outside Japan it is commonly referred to as the Cherry Dance, taking place as it does in the spring." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'school' 5 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Other karyukai have more than one school of dance, but Gion Kobu only has the Inoue School. The grand master of the Inoue School is the ultimate arbiter of taste within the community, as well as the dance itself. The maiko may be our most potent symbol, but it is the iemoto who decides what that symbol will be. Many of the other occupations in the Gion Kobu, from musical accompanist to fan maker to stage hand at the Kaburenjo theater, take their cues from the artistic direction of the head of the Inoue School. The iemoto is the only person who is allowed to make any changes to the standard repertoire of the school or choreograph new dances." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It quickly became known throughout the area that I was taking lessons from the iemoto." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A buzz of expectation began to form around me that kept growing until it peaked at the time of my debut ten years later.\n\nPeople talk to each other all the time in Gion Kobu. It is a bit like a small village where everyone knows everyone else's business. I am by nature very discreet, and this is one of the things I found distasteful about living there. But the fact is, people were talking about me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I may have been only five years old but I was already establishing quite a reputation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was making rapid progress in my dance lessons." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It ordinarily takes a student a week to ten days to memorize a new dance, but it took me, on average, three." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was galloping through the repertoire. It's true that I was very driven and practiced more than the other girls, but it did seem as if I was blessed with a good deal of natural ability. In any event, dancing was an apt vehicle for my determination and my pride. I still missed my parents terribly and the dance became an outlet for my pent-up emotional energy.\n\nI performed in public for the first time later that summer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The iemoto's nonprofessional students put on an annual recital called the Bentenkai." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A child is not considered a professional until she enters the Nyokoba, the special school where we train to be geiko, after she graduates from junior high school.\n\nThe name of the piece was Shinobu Uri (\"selling ferns\"). There were six of us dancing and I was in the middle. At one point in the performance, all the other girls held their arms in a parallel position and I had mine pointed over my head in a triangle. From the wings, Big Mistress stage-whispered, \"Keep it up, Mineko.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I thought she meant, \"keep going,\" so I continued, moving my arms into the next position. Meanwhile, all the other girls brought their arms up into triangles above their heads.\n\nWhen we left the stage, I immediately turned on the other girls. \"Don't you know that we are students of the iemoto! We are not supposed to make mistakes!\"\n\n\"What are you talking about, Mineko? You are the one who was wrong!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't try to blame me for your mistakes!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I shot back. It never crossed my mind that I was the one who had messed up.\n\nWhen we got backstage I overheard Big Mistress talking to Mother Sakaguchi in measured tones. \"Please don't be upset. There's no need to punish anyone.\" I assumed she was talking about the other girls.\n\nI looked around. Everyone had left." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Where did everybody go?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Remember to mention: \"I didn't make a mistake. They did.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They went home.\"\n\n\"Why?\"\n\n\"Because you made a mistake and then yelled at them.\"\n\n\"I didn't make a mistake. They did.\"\n\n\"No, Mineko, you're wrong. Now listen to me. Didn't you hear Big Mistress talking to Mother Sakaguchi? Didn't you hear her tell her not to scold you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, YOU'RE WRONG. She was talking about the other girls. Not me. She wasn't talking about me.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'voice' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Mineko! Stop being a stubborn little girl.\" Kuniko never raised her voice. When she did I paid attention. \"You did a very bad thing and you have to go apologize to Big Mistress. This is very important.\"\n\nI was still sure I hadn't done anything wrong, but I heeded the warning in Kuniko's voice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I went to Big Mistress's room simply to pay my respects and thank her for the performance.\n\nBefore I could say anything, she said \"Mineko, I don't want you to worry about what happened. It's really alright.\"\n\n\"You mean, umm...\"\n\n\"That thing. It's not so important. Please just forget about it.\"\n\nThat's when I got it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I had made a mistake." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her kindness only intensified my shame. I bowed and left the room.\n\nKuniko came up behind me. \"It's okay, Mine-chan, as long as you understand and do better next time. Let's put it behind us and go out to eat that custard.\"\n\nKuniko had promised to take us all out to Pruniet's for custard pudding after the recital." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No. I don't want it anymore.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Big Mistress, came up to us.\n\n\"Mine-chan, haven't you gone home yet?\"\n\n\"Big Mistress. I can't go home.\"\n\n\"Don't worry about it. Now, go on home.\"\n\n\"I can't.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, yes. Didn't you hear me? There's nothing to worry about.\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\nBig Mistress's word was absolute.\n\n\"Then let's go home,\" Kuniko said.\n\n\"Well, we have to go somewhere. Maybe we should go and visit Mother Sakaguchi for a while.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mother Sakaguchi already knew I made a mistake. So that might be okay.\n\nI nodded.\n\nWe slid open the door and called out \"good afternoon.\" Mother Sakaguchi came out to greet us." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How nice to see you. What a good job you did today, Mineko!\"\n\n\"No,\" I mumbled. \"I didn't. I was terrible.\"\n\n\"You were? Why?\"\n\n\"I made a mistake.\"\n\n\"A mistake? Where? I didn't see any mistakes. I thought you danced beautifully.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Mother, can I stay here with you?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Of course. But first you have to go home and tell Auntie Oima where you are so she doesn't worry.\"\n\nI dragged my feet the whole way.\n\nAuntie Oima was waiting for me in front of the brazier.\n\nAuntie Oima's face lit up when she saw me. \"You've been gone such a long time! Did you stop at Pruniet's for a treat? Was it yummy?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kuniko answered for me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We stopped in at Mother Sakaguchi's for a visit.\"\n\n\"How nice of you! I'm sure that made her very happy.\"\n\nThe kinder everyone was to me, the worse I felt inside. I was furious at myself and filled with self-loathing.\n\nI headed into the closet." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The next day Kuniko took me to the little shrine at the foot of Tatsumi Bridge where I always met up with the girls on the way to the studio. They were all there. I went up to each one and bowed. \"I am sorry that I made a mistake yesterday. Please forgive me.\"\n\nThey were pretty nice about it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The day after any public performance we are required to pay a formal visit to our teacher to say thank you." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Accordingly, we went straight to Big Mistress's room when we got to the studio." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I hid behind the other girls.\n\nAfter we bowed in unison and said our thanks, the iemoto complimented us on our performance the day before. \"You did a lovely job. Please keep up the good work in the future. Practice hard!\"\n\n\"Thank you, Teacher,\" everyone said. \"We will.\"\n\nEveryone except me, that is." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was pretending to be invisible." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Big Mistress dismissed us and, just as I was about to heave a sigh of relief, she looked directly at me and said, \"Mineko, now I don't want you to worry about what happened yesterday.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was flooded with shame again and ran out into the waiting arms of Kuniko.\n\nIt may seem that Big Mistress was trying to comfort me. But she wasn't. She wasn't that kind of teacher. She was sending me a message, loud and clear. She was telling me that it was not permissible to make mistakes. Not if I wanted to become a great dancer." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Cooperative storytelling\nContext: Match existing character backgrounds if present\nMy role: Provide opening\nYour role: five sentences in the nonfiction, Japan, memoir genre." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The only pleasant thing about Yaeko being in the Iwasaki okiya was that her son Masayuki sometimes came to visit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Old Meanie asked Masayuki what he wanted for his thirteenth birthday." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was a very good student and confessed that what he wanted more than anything was a world encyclopedia." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He came to the Iwasaki okiya on his birthday, January 9, so Old Meanie could give him the present. Masayuki was delighted. We sat in the guesthouse for hours, paging through the fact-filled pages together.\n\nFormal Japanese reception rooms feature an alcove called a tokonoma, which is used to display treasured curios. Usually these include a hanging scroll depicting a seasonal motif and flowers artfully arranged in a suitable vase. I still remember the scroll that was hanging in the tokonoma that day." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was a New Year's image, a painting of the sun rising over the mountains." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A crane flew across the sun." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The cushions we were sitting on were covered in warm brown silk." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Had it been summer they would have been covered in cool blue linen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Six days later, around eleven in the morning, the telephone rang. As soon as I heard it ring I had a horrible premonition. I knew something bad had happened. The phone call was from my father. He told us that Masayuki was missing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That morning he had gone to the store to buy tofu for breakfast and never come home. They couldn't find him anywhere.\n\nYaeko was attending a luncheon for some foreign ambassadors at Hyotei, an exclusive restaurant that has a four hundred-year-old history, near Nanzenji. After telling my father where she was, Kuniko, Tomiko, and I raced home.\n\nWhen we got to our neighborhood we were greeted by a large crowd of policemen and firemen, hovering around the edge of the canal." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The officers had found fingernail scratches on the steep embankment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The pebbles on the bank were disturbed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The officials concluded that Masayuki had tripped and fallen, and, even though they couldn't find a body, they assumed that he had drowned." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was no way anyone could last more than a few minutes in that freezing cold water.\n\nMy brain and heart stopped cold. I couldn't believe it. The canal. The one that gave us tiny clams for miso soup. The one with the beautiful cherry blossoms." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The one that protected our house from the rest of the world. That canal had swallowed my friend. More than my friend. My nephew. I went numb with shock.\n\nMy parents were clearly devastated." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My father adored his grandson and I couldn't bear to look at the pain in his face. I wanted to comfort him but I was no longer his daughter. I hadn't seen my parents in the two years since that day in court when I declared that I was an Iwasaki, not a Tanaka. I felt awkward. I didn't know how I was supposed to act. I wished that I had died instead of Masayuki." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yaeko waited until the luncheon was over before coming out to the house. To this day I still can't understand why she continued to sit in that restaurant, eating food and making clever conversation, when she knew that her son was missing. I know the room where she was sitting. It overlooks a garden. The garden has a pond." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The pond is fed by a small stream. The stream's water comes from the same canal that took her son's life.\n\nYaeko arrived around three o'clock. She pointed her finger at me and started screaming like a she-devil. \"It should have been you! You are the one who should have died, you worthless piece of nothing! Not my Masayuki.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "At that moment, I couldn't have agreed with her more." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I would have given anything to exchange my life for his." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She blamed my parents. They blamed themselves. It was a horrid mess.\n\nI tried to be stoical. I thought that was what my father expected. He wouldn't want me to disgrace myself with tears." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And Auntie Oima. She would want me to maintain my composure as well. So I decided that hiding my feelings was a way to honor both families simultaneously.\n\nI would have to be strong.\n\nWhen I returned to the okiya I refused to allow myself the sanctuary of the closet. Masayuki's body was recovered a week later." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It had washed down the canal into the river network of the Kyoto basin and floated south all the way to Fushimi. We held the traditional all-night vigil over the corpse. And then we had his funeral. The town put up a green wire fence on the embankment of the canal.\n\nIt was my first experience of death." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And one of the last times I ever visited my parents' house.\n\nYaeko's hatred of me intensified. Now whenever she walked past me she hissed \"I wish you were dead\" under her breath. I kept the encyclopedia. Masayuki's fingerprints were on every page." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I became obsessed with death. What happens when you die? Where was Masayuki? Was there some way I could go there too? I thought about it all the time. I was so preoccupied that, for once, I neglected my studies and my lessons." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'asked' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Finally, I decided to question all the old men in the neighborhood. They were closer to death than I was. Maybe one of them knew something.\n\nI asked Mr. Vegetable Man, and Uncle Hori my calligraphy teacher, and Mr. Nomura the gilder, and Mr. Sugane the laundry man, and the coppersmith. I asked everyone I could think of, but nobody had a definitive answer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't know where else to turn." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Meanwhile, spring was approaching and, with it, the entrance exams for junior high school. Old Meanie wanted me to apply to the prestigious junior high school connected to Kyoto Women's College. But I wasn't able to focus. In the end, I enrolled in the local public junior high school close to home.\n\nYaeko was so furious with my parents that she didn't want her older son Mamoru to live with them any longer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yet she was too selfish and irresponsible to find a proper home, like an apartment, where they could live together." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She insisted on bringing him to live in the okiya.\n\nThis was not the first time that Yaeko had flaunted the rules. She was always bending them. Her very presence was an aberration. The only geiko allowed to reside in the okiya are the atotori and the young geiko who are still under contract." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yaeko was neither. She may have liked to think she was still an Iwasaki, but her divorce wasn't final and her last name was Uehara." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She had broken her contract with the okiya when she left to be married." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She didn't have the right to live there on either account. As if this was not enough, it is not permitted to reenter an okiya once you leave it.\n\nYaeko overrode Auntie Oima and Old Meanie's objections. She moved Mamoru in and kept breaking the rules. She even sneaked her boyfriends up into her room at night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One morning I staggered into the bathroom half-asleep and bumped into some guy she had brought home the night before. I screamed. The whole household was thrown into turmoil.\n\nTypical Yaeko.\n\nIt was bad form for a man, any man, to spend the night in an okiya because it cast suspicion on the chastity of its inhabitants. Nothing is left unnoticed, or unremarked, in Gion Kobu." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Auntie Oima was never happy when there was a man in the house. When a man had to stay overnight for some reason, even if he were a close male relative, she made him wait until after lunch before leaving, lest anyone see him depart in the morning and get the wrong idea.\n\nI was twelve. Mamoru was fifteen. He may not have been a full-grown man but his energy changed the atmosphere of the okiya. It didn't feel as safe to me any longer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He teased me in a way that made me distinctly uncomfortable.\n\nOne time he and two of his friends were up in his room. I went in to bring them tea and they grabbed me and pushed me around. I got scared and ran downstairs. They were laughing. Another time I was in the bath by myself and I heard someone in the changing room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I called out, \"Who's there?\" Suzu-chan was doing a chore in the garden and her voice came through the window. \"Miss Mineko, are you alright?\"\n\n\"I'm fine,\" I answered.\n\nI heard the door slam and someone run up the outside stairs to the second story." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'mamoru'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It had to be Mamoru.\n\nI knew next to nothing about sex. It was never discussed and I wasn't particularly curious. The only man I had ever seen naked was my father and that was so many years ago I barely remembered what he looked like.\n\nSo it came as a complete shock when, one evening when I was undressing in the changing room, Mamoru sneaked up silently from behind, grabbed me, threw me brutally to the floor, and tried to rape me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was a hot summer evening but I froze. My mind went blank and my total being went cold with fear. I was too terrified to scream and barely able to put up a struggle. Just then, earning my eternal gratitude, Kun-chan walked in to bring me a fresh towel and a change of clothes.\n\nShe ripped Mamoru off me and violently threw him aside." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I thought she was going to murder him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You filthy bastard!\" she yelled." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She morphed from her normally placid self into some kind of fierce guardian deity." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You dirty, rotten pig! How dare you put your hands on Mineko? Get the hell out of here. This instant! I'll kill you if you ever think about touching her again. DO YOU HEAR ME?\"\n\nHe tore out of there, like a thief in the night. Kuniko tried to lift me up. I was shaking so hard I couldn't even stand. My body was covered with bruises." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She put me to bed. Auntie Oima and Old Meanie were very kind. But I was completely traumatized, caught in a wrenching vise of panic and fear.\n\nAuntie Oima called Yaeko and Mamoru and, without preamble, commanded them to leave: \"I want you out of here this instant. Now. No excuses. Don't say a word.\" Auntie Oima later told me she had never been angrier in her life." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yaeko refused to leave." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She insisted that she had nowhere to go, which, looking back on it, was probably true." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No one could stand her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Old Meanie intervened and said she would help find someplace for Yaeko to go.\n\nAuntie Oima didn't want Mamoru in the same house with me for one minute longer than necessary. She called Mother Sakaguchi for help. Mother Sakaguchi didn't want us under the same roof either. So they came up with a plan." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The next day Auntie Oima called me to her. \"Mine-chan, I have a great favor to ask. Mother Sakaguchi needs some assistance at home right now and she'd like you to stay with her for a while to help out. Would you mind? We'd really appreciate it.\"\n\nIt took me no time to answer. \"I'd be happy to do what I can.\"\n\n\"Thank you, dear. I'll pack up your clothes but you had better get your school things together yourself.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To tell the truth, I was secretly relieved.\n\nI moved into Mother Sakaguchi's house that afternoon.\n\nIt took two weeks for Old Meanie to find Yaeko a house. It was south of Shijo on Nishihanamikoji Street. She loaned her $35,000 to buy it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yaeko moved there with Mamoru." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I tried to avoid him as much as possible, but he always had something nasty to say when we passed each other on the street." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Auntie Oima agreed to continue managing Yaeko's career." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The benefit of this strategy was that the Iwasaki okiya would not lose face in the community as a result of the incident. Yaeko was being punished, but no one would have to know.\n\nI was having a terrible time. I suffered from horrible nightmares and felt constantly on the verge of hysteria. I couldn't stop throwing up." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I knew that everyone was really worried about me but I was incapable of pretending that I was all right." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mother Sakaguchi had one of her maids watch over me twenty-four hours a day. This went on for months." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Continue with Mineko Iwasaki's style in the nonfiction, Japan, memoir genre. This is part of a longer work." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The aesthetics of the Ochaya derive from the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, a demanding artistic discipline that is more correctly translated as \"the way of tea.\"\n\nTea ceremonies are intricately scripted rituals that celebrate the simple act of enjoying a cup of tea with a small group of friends, a pleasant respite from the cares of the everyday world. It takes an extraordinary amount of artifice to create the ideal simplicity of the tea ceremony. The teahouse itself and every handcrafted object used in it are artworks that have been created with the utmost care. The host prepares bowls of tea for his guests in a series of minutely choreographed and endlessly practiced movements. Nothing is left to chance.\n\nSo too at the ochaya. Everything possible is done to ensure that the guests have an exquisite experience. No detail is overlooked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "An event at an ochaya is called an ozashiki." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This loosely translates as \"banquet,\" or \"dinner party,\" and is also the name of the private room in which the event is held." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An ozashiki is an occasion for a host and his or her guests to enjoy the very best in cuisine, relaxation, stimulating conversation, and refined entertainment that the ochaya can provide. An ozashiki lasts for a few hours, takes place in a totally private and pristine space, and, like the tea ceremony, ideally provides a break from daily affairs. The ochaya provides the setting, the maiko and geiko act as catalysts, but it is the sophistication of the guests that determines the tone of the evening.\n\nA person can only become a customer of an ochaya through personal referral. One can't walk in off the street. New customers are introduced to the system by clients who already have a good standing in the karyukai. This leads to an inherent process of self-selection whereby any guest who has the wherewithal to host a banquet in an ochaya in Gion Kobu is, almost by definition, someone who is trustworthy, learned, and well-cultured. It is not uncommon for parents to bring their young adult children to banquets as part of their education. So a family may have a relationship with a certain ochaya that stretches back generations." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A regular habitué of the Gion Kobu enters into a steady relationship with one ochaya." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In certain cases a customer may patronize two establishments, one for business entertaining and the other for informal socializing, but most often utilizes one ochaya for both purposes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A strong bond of loyalty develops between an ochaya and its regular customers, many of whom host ozashiki at least once a week, if not more often." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Similarly, customers develop real relationships with the geiko of whom they are most fond. We get to know our regular customers very well. Some of the dearest relationships of my life began in the ozashiki. My favorite customers were professionals who were expert in some field of knowledge. The most enjoyable ozashiki for me personally were those in which I learned something.\n\nThere were some customers I liked so much that I always found time to attend their ozashiki, no matter how tightly my schedule was booked. And others I tried my best to avoid. The bottom line, though, is that the geiko has been hired to amuse the host of the ozashiki and his or her guests. She is there to make people feel good." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When a geiko enters an ozashiki she is required to go over to whoever is seated in the place of honor and engage that person in conversation. No matter what she is feeling, her expression must declare: \"I couldn't wait to come right over and speak to you.\" If her face says, \"I can't stand you,\" she doesn't deserve to be a geiko. It is her job to find something likable about everyone.\n\nSometimes I had to be nice to people whom I found physically repulsive. This was the hardest because repulsion is a difficult reaction to conceal. But the customers had paid for my company. The least I could do was treat every one of them graciously. Sublimating one's personal likes and dislikes under a veneer of gentility is one of the fundamental challenges of the profession." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the old days, customers tended to be aficionados of the arts and students of the shamisen or traditional art or Japanese dance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They had thus been trained to understand what they were seeing and were eager to engage in the sort of lively artistic dialogue at which maiko and geiko excel. These days, unfortunately, people of means may no longer have the time and interest to pursue such hobbies. However, the beauty and mastery of the maiko and geiko stand on their own and can be appreciated by anyone.\n\nConversation at a banquet is wide-ranging, and geiko are presumed to be knowledgeable about current events and contemporary literature as well as thoroughly grounded in traditional art forms such as the tea ceremony, flower arranging, poetry, calligraphy, and painting. The first forty or fifty minutes of a banquet are normally devoted to a pleasant discussion of these topics.\n\nServing women (naikai) serve the banquet, assisted by maids, though the geiko will pour sake. Needless to say, the cuisine must be excellent. Ochaya do not prepare their own food but rely on the many gourmet restaurants and catering services (shidashi) in the area to provide feasts commensurate with the host's tastes and pocketbook.\n\nThe fee for a banquet at an ochaya is not inexpensive." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An ozashiki costs about $500 an hour. This includes the use of the room and the services of the ochaya staff. It does not include the food and drink that is ordered, nor the fees for the services of the geiko. A two-hour party with a full dinner for a few guests and three or four geiko in attendance can easily cost $2,000.\n\nThe ochaya must meet the discriminating standards of customers from the top ranks of Japanese and international society. Historically based on the refined aesthetic of the tea ceremony, the ochaya embodies the best of traditional Japanese architecture and interior design. Each room must have a tatami floor and a tokonoma (alcove) replete with the appropriate monthly hanging scroll and a suitable arrangement of flowers in a suitable vase. These amenities are completely changed for each guest.\n\nAt some point the geiko perform." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There are basically two kinds of geiko, a tachikata and a jikata. A tachikata is a main performer. She is trained to dance and play an instrument other than the shamisen, such as the flute or hand drum. A jikata is an accompanist who is trained to play the shamisen and sing. Tachikata begin their training early and debut as maiko when they are in their early teens whereas jikata, who come out as ordinary geiko, tend to study for a shorter period of time and debut when they are older (such as my sister Tomiko).\n\nPhysical beauty is a requirement to become a tachikata but not a jikata. Tachikata who do not develop into skillful dancers focus on becoming expert in the playing of their instrument.\n\nThe Iwasaki okiya was known for its drumming, and I studied the tsutsumi hand drum from the time I was a child. Because of my fame as a dancer I was rarely asked to play the tsutsumi at ozashiki, but I played it in on stage every year during the Miyako Odori." }, { "from": "human", "value": "During a banquet, a tachikata will dance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A jikata geiko will play the shamisen and sing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After the performance, conversation often turns to artistic matters." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The geiko may tell an amusing story or lead the group in a drinking game.\n\nA geiko's fee is calculated in units of time known as hanadai, or \"flower charges,\" usually calculated in fifteen-minute lengths, which are then billed to the client. In addition to the hanadai, customers also give the geiko cash tips (goshugi), which they place in small white envelopes and may tuck into her obi or sleeve. She is free to keep these for herself.\n\nAt the end of the night, the ochaya calculates the hanadai for all the maiko and geiko who have attended banquets there that evening. They write the tallies down on slips of paper that they place in a box in the entryway of the ochaya. The next morning a representative of the kenban, or financial affairs office, makes the rounds of the ochaya to collect all the slips from the night before. These are tallied and reported to the Kabukai. The kenban is an independent organization that performs this service on behalf of the geiko association." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The kenban checks with the okiya to make sure that the accounts agree, and, if no mistake has been made, calculates the distribution of income. It tells the ochaya how much is due it to pay taxes and monthly fees. It then specifies the amount that the ochaya is to pay the okiya.\n\nThe ochaya, in turn, keeps its own accounts and bills its customers on a regular basis. This used to be done on a yearly basis but is now done once a month. After being paid, the ochaya then settles with the okiya.\n\nThe okasan of the okiya notes the amount received in the geiko's ledger, deducts fees and expenditures, and transfers the remainder to the geiko's account.\n\nThis transparent system of accounting means that we know which geiko did the most business on any given day. It is always clear who is Number One." }, { "from": "human", "value": "February 15 was a big day." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I began rehearsals for the Miyako Odori, started full-time classes at the Nyokoba (I took the last month of junior high school off) and began my apprenticeship as a minarai at the Fusanoya ochaya, which lasted for about a month." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mother Sakaguchi came to the okiya to oversee the process of getting me dressed and to do my makeup herself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was quite a production.\n\nA maiko in full costume closely approximates the Japanese ideal of feminine beauty.\n\nShe has the classic looks of a Heian princess, as though she might have stepped out of an eleventh-century scroll painting. Her face is a perfect oval. Her skin is white and flawless, her hair black as a raven's wing. Her brows are half moons, her mouth a delicate rosebud. Her neck is long and sensuous, her figure gently rounded.\n\nI went to the hairdresser and had my hair done up in the wareshinobu style, the first hairstyle a maiko wears. The hair is swept up and sculpted into a mass on the top of the head that is secured by red silk bands (kanoko) front and back and decorated with kanzashi, the stick pin ornaments so distinctive of the karyukai look." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It is said that this simple, elegant style showcases the curve of the young girl's neck and the freshness of her features to their best advantage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After finishing at the hairdressers, I went to the barbershop to have my face shaved, a common practice among Japanese women. My face was shaved for the first time by my father after he gave me my first haircut, on the day I turned one year old. I have had it done once a month since then.\n\nAfter becoming a maiko, I went to the hairdressers once every five days. To preserve the shape of the hairstyle, I slept on a rectangular lacquered wooden pillow topped with a narrow cushion. At first the pillow kept me awake but I soon got used to it. Other girls found it more difficult. The okiya had a trick to keep us from removing the pillow during the night. The maids would sprinkle rice bran around the pillow." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If a girl removed the pillow, bits of bran stuck like glue to the pomade in her hair and the next morning she had to make an unhappy trip back to the hairdressers.\n\nI wore two hairpins tipped with silk plum blossoms (because it was February) on the sides of the back of the bun, a pair of silver flutters (bira) on the sides in front, an orange blossom pin (tachibana) on top, and a long pin tipped with balls of red coral (akadama) and jade, inserted horizontally through the base.\n\nMother Sakaguchi applied the maiko's distinctive white makeup to my face and neck. This makeup has an interesting history. Originally it was worn by male aristocrats when they had an audience with the emperor. In premodern times the emperor, considered a sacred presence, received his subjects while hidden from their sight by a thin scrim. The audience chamber was lit by candlelight. The white makeup reflected whatever light there was, making it easier for the emperor to distinguish who was who.\n\nDancers and actors later took up the practice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Not only does the white makeup look well on stage, but it also echoes the value placed on light skin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In olden days the makeup contained zinc, which was very bad for the skin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But this is no longer the case." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mother Sakaguchi next brushed pink powder on my cheeks and eyebrows." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'kimono' 4 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She put a spot of red lipstick on my lower lip. (A year later I began to wear lipstick on my upper lip as well.) Then it was time to get dressed.\n\nThe kimono that a maiko wears is called a hikizuri. It differs from an ordinary kimono in that it has long sleeves and a wide train, and is worn slung low on the back of the neck. The hem of the train is weighted and fans out behind in a lovely arc. The hikizuri is secured with a particularly long obi (over 20 feet long) that is tied in back with both ends dangling down. A minarai's kimono is similar to that of a maiko, but neither the train nor the obi is as long; the dangling portion of the obi is half the length of the maiko's.\n\nMy kimono was made out of figured satin in variegated turquoise." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The heavy hem of the train was dyed in shades of burnt orange, against which floated a drift of pine needles, maple leaves, cherry blossoms and chrysanthemum petals. My obi was made of black damask decorated with swallowtail butterflies. I wore a matching obi clasp of a swallowtail butterfly fashioned out of silver.\n\nI carried the traditional handbag called a kago, which has a basketweave base topped by a drawstring pouch of colorful tie dyed silk, shibori, which is made by tying silk into a myriad of minute knots with thread before it is dyed. The result is a stunning dappled effect. Kyoto is famous for this technique. It is the one that was practiced by my mother.\n\nThe shibori of my handbag was pale peach and sported a design of cabbage butterflies. It held my dancing fan (decorated with the three red diamonds of the Konoe family [close advisers to the emperor] painted on a gold background), a red-and-white hand towel decorated in a matching pattern, a boxwood comb, and various other accessories." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All of these were encased in covers made from the same silk as the bag, and all of them were monogrammed.\n\nAt last I was dressed and ready to go. I stepped down into my okobo and the maid slid open the front door. I was about to step over the lintel when I stopped in surprise. The street was mobbed with people, packed shoulder to shoulder. There was no way I was going out into that.\n\nI turned around in confusion.\n\n\"Kun-chan, I don't know what's going on but there are a million people in the street. Can I wait until they've gone?\"\n\n\"Don't be silly, Mineko. They are here to see you.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include this dialogue snippet naturally: \"Come out, Mineko! Let us see how beautiful you are!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I knew that people were looking forward to my debut as a maiko but had no idea of the degree. Many people had been anticipating this moment for years.\n\nVoices called from the outside:\n\n\"Come out, Mineko! Let us see how beautiful you are!\"\n\n\"I can't face all those people. I'll just wait until the crowd thins.\"\n\n\"Mineko, these people are not going anywhere. Ignore them if you must, but it is high time to get going. You can't be late on your first day.\"\n\nI still refused. I didn't want all those people looking at me. Kuniko was getting frustrated. The walker from the Fusanoya was waiting outside to escort me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She was getting annoyed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kuniko was trying to placate her and get me moving at the same time.\n\nFinally, she read me the riot act. \"You have to do it for Auntie Oima. This is what she always wanted. Don't you dare disappoint her.\"\n\nI knew she was right. I had no choice.\n\nI turned again toward the door. I took a deep breath and thought, Okay Dad. Mom. Okay Auntie Oima. Here I go! I let out a soft determined grunt and lifted my foot over the threshold." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Another bridge. Another passage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The crowd burst out into a deafening round of applause." }, { "from": "human", "value": "People called out words of congratulations and praise but I was too mortified to hear them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I kept my face down, eyes hidden, all the way to the Fusanoya. The whole route was clogged with well-wishers and it was quite late by the time we wended our way through them. I didn't see them, but I am sure my parents were there.\n\nThe master (otosan, or father) of the ochaya immediately scolded me for being late. \"There is no excuse for such tardiness, young lady, especially on your first day. It shows a lack of dedication and focus. You are a minarai now. Act like one.\"\n\nIt was clear that he was taking his responsibilities toward me seriously.\n\n\"Yes, sir,\" I answered crisply.\n\n\"And stop using standard Japanese. Speak our language. Say hei instead of hae.\"\n\n\"Hae, please forgive me.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Cooperative storytelling\nContext: Match existing character backgrounds if present\nMy role: Provide opening\nYour role: five sentences in the nonfiction, Japan, memoir genre." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mama Masako really came into her own when she started managing the okiya. Handling the everyday details of the business gave her great satisfaction: keeping the ledgers, arranging the schedules, counting the money. She was amazingly well organized and ran the okiya like an efficient machine.\n\nMama Masako was also a frugal banker who oversaw how every yen of income was spent. Her one indulgence was home appliances." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We always had the newest vacuum cleaner, the roomiest refrigerator, the biggest color TV." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We were the first people in Gion Kobu to install an air conditioner." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Unfortunately, her clearheaded common sense evaporated around men. Not only did she pick ugly ones, she was always falling in love with inappropriate men who didn't love her back.\n\nMama Masako wore her heart on her sleeve. When she was in love she glowed. When the relationship went sour she didn't bother to fix her hair and cried a lot." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I'd pat her shoulder: \"I'm sure you are going to meet Mr. Right any day now.\" She never stopped hoping. She never found him.\n\nOne of Mama Masako's first tasks as proprietress of the okiya was to prepare for my coming out.\n\nMisedashi, the term used for a maiko's debut, means \"open for business\" and indicates that the maiko is prepared to begin working as a professional." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I had my misedashi on March 26,1965. There were sixty-three other maiko working at the time. I was number sixty-four.\n\nI woke up at six o'clock in the morning, took a bath, and went to the hairdressers to have my hair done in the wareshinobu style. When I returned we had a special breakfast of red bean rice and sea bream." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I drank as little tea and water as possible, because it is very difficult to go to the toilet once one is dressed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mother Sakaguchi arrived at nine o'clock to put on my makeup. Custom dictates that one's Onesan performs this task but, true to her word, Mother Sakaguchi refused to allow Yaeko near me. She did it herself. First, she prepared my throat, neck, upper back, and face by painting them with binsuke oil paste, a kind of pomade that acts as a foundation. Then she covered the area with white makeup, leaving three vertical strips on the back of my neck unpainted to accentuate its length and fragility." }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'wearing' | Required occurrences: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Maiko and geiko are given two lines on the neck when wearing \"ordinary\" costumes and three lines when wearing formal kimono.\n\nMother Sakaguchi continued by painting my chin, the bridge of my nose, and my upper chest. She took peachy pink polishing powder and applied it to my cheeks and around my eyes, then reapplied the white powder over everything. She redid my eyebrows in red, then penciled them in with black. She put a spot of pink lipstick on my lower lip." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then she put in my hair ornaments." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word count directive: Use 'silver' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I had a red silk band called an arimachikanoko in my chignon, and at the crown, a kanokodome band and pins made from coral, jade, and silver, two silver flutters in front that had the family crest of the okiya worked into the design, and the tortoiseshell ornaments called chirikan. The chirikan are very special. They are only worn once in a maiko's lifetime, during the first three days of her debut.\n\nNext I was dressed in the standard undergarments. The first two are rectangles of bleached white cotton, one worn tight around the hips and the other around the chest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This latter flattens and smoothes the line of the kimono." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Next comes a long cotton hip wrap, like a half-slip, then a pair of long bloomers to preserve modesty should the front fold of the kimono open." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Next comes the hadajuban, a loose blouselike garment that follows the lines of the kimono. A maiko's hadajuban has a red collar. Over this I wore the full-length under-robe, the nagajuban. Mine was made from tie-died silk figured with a fan-shaped pattern and embroidered with an assortment of flowers.\n\nA maiko's ensemble features a distinctive collar (eri) that is hand-sewn onto the nagajuban for each wearing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "These red collars tell a story in and of themselves. They are made from silk that has been finely embroidered with white, silver, and gold thread. The younger one is the less dense the embroidery and the more visible red of the silk. As one matures, the appliqué becomes heavier until little red (a symbol of childhood) can be seen. The progression continues until the day one \"turns one's collar\" from maiko to geiko and begins to wear a white collar instead of a red one." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I had five collars made every year, two for summer out of silk gauze and three for winter out of crepe. Each one cost upwards of $2,000. I kept them and maintain the collection in my home. That first collar, the one I wore on my misedashi, was decorated with a \"Prince Genji's Carriage\" motif done in silver and gold thread.\n\nAfter the nagajuban the dresser placed the formal crested hikizuri kimono over my shoulders." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The robe itself was made of black figured silk covered in a floral Imperial Palace pattern. It was decorated with five crests: one on the back, two on the lapel panels, and two on the outer portion of the sleeves. Each family in Japan has a mon, or crest, which it uses on formal occasions. The Iwasaki crest is a stylized five-petalled bellflower.\n\nMy obi was a work of art that had taken three years to create." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was made from handwoven damask embroidered with muted and bright golden maple leaves and was over 20 feet long. It cost tens of thousands of dollars. The obi was tied so that both ends dangled down almost to the ground. It was held secure with an obiage, a band of silk crepe that is worn on the outside. As customary, mine was made of red silk and embroidered with the crest of the okiya." }, { "from": "human", "value": "(An obi clasp is not worn with a formal crested kimono.)" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I carried a handbag similar to the one I carried as a minarai." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It held my fan, a hand towel, lipstick, comb, and small cushion. Every item had its own carrying case made from Eriman red silk and monogrammed in white with the characters for Mineko.\n\nA few of the items I wore that day had been in the Iwasaki okiya for generations, but many of them, twenty at least, were commissioned for the occasion. I don't have the exact figures, but I'm sure one could have built a house for what it cost to put it all together. I imagine the sum was well over $100,000." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When I was ready, a delegation from the okiya accompanied me on my round of formal visits." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The dresser, as so often on ritual occasions, came with us to act as a kind of master of ceremonies." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My first obligation was to pay my respects to the iemoto." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When we arrived at Shinmonzen the dresser announced in a deep voice:" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"May I present Miss Mineko, younger sister to Miss Yaechiyo, on the occasion of her misedashi. We ask you for your recognition and best wishes.\"\n\n\"I offer her my heartiest congratulations,\" Big Mistress announced from the foyer, followed by the felicitations of the rest of the staff. \"We entreat you to work hard and do your best,\" they chorused.\n\n\"Yes, thank you, I will,\" I said in my family's Japanese.\n\n\"There you go again,\" Big Mistress caught it instantly." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'geiko' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"A geiko says hei and ookini.\"\n\nThus chastised, I continued on my rounds. We went to pay our respects to the owners of ochaya, to senior geiko, and to important customers. I bowed and asked for everyone's support. On that first day alone we called in at thirty-seven separate places." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At one point we stopped at a hall to perform the osakazuki ritual by which Yaeko and I would formalize our bond. The Suehiroya had arranged the ceremony. When we entered the room, the dresser Suehiroya asked Mother Sakaguchi to take the place of honor in front of the tokonoma. He sat me next to her, mother Masako next to me, and then the heads of other branch houses. Yaeko, who normally would have been seated next to me, was assigned an inferior position." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We carried on with the trading of cups. I'm sure the attendants were baffled by the seating arrangements. They didn't understand that it was a privilege for Yaeko to be there at all.\n\nI wore the formal misedashi ensemble for three days, and then exchanged it for a new outfit marking the second phase of my debut. This outfit was not black and was not emblazoned with crests." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The body of the outer kimono was made from periwinkle blue silk and was named Pine Wind. The hem of the train was the beige of a sandy beach, with tie-dyed pine trees and embroidered seashells scattered across it. The obi was deep orange satin damask patterned with golden cranes.\n\nMy memory is usually acute, but the first six days of my misedashi are one long dizzying blur. I must have made hundreds of visits and appearances." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Miyako Odori opened seven days after I came out." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I had to appear on stage in my first truly professional role. I felt overwhelmed, and remember complaining to Kuniko. \"Kun-chan, when am I going to have some time off?\"\n\n\"I have no idea,\" she answered.\n\n\"But when am I going to learn all I have to learn? I'm still not good enough. I don't even know Gionkouta['the ballad of the Gion']. Will I have to follow everybody else forever? How am I going to work up into a solo? It's all going too fast.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But there was no way to halt the moving tide. It just kept pushing me forward. Now that I was an official maiko I no longer went to the Fusanoya to receive my assignments. Requests for engagements came in directly to the okiya and Mama Masako handled my appointments.\n\nThe first request I received as a maiko to attend an ozashiki came from Ichirikitei, the most famous ochaya in Gion Kobu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A number of important historical meetings and incidents have taken place in the private rooms of the Ichirikitei, so much so that it has taken on a legendary quality." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Ichirikitei often appears as the setting for the action in novels and plays.\n\nThis has not always benefited Gion Kobu. Some of the fiction has served to propagate the notion that courtesans ply their trade in the area and that geiko spend the night with their customers. Once an idea like this is planted in the general culture it takes on a life of its own. I understand that there are some scholars of Japan in foreign countries who also believe these misconceptions to be true." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But I was innocent of all this as I made my entrance into the banquet room that night." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The host of the ozashiki was the business magnate Sazo Idemistsu." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'yaeko' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was entertaining the film director Zenzo Matsuyama and his wife, the actress Hideko Takamine. Yaeko was already there when I arrived.\n\n\"This is your younger sister?\" Ms. Takamine asked. \"Isn't she just adorable?\"\n\nYaeko drew her lips into that thin smile of hers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Really? You think she's adorable? Which part of her do you think is cute?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What do you mean? Everything about her is precious.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh, I don't know. I think it's just because she's so young. And, to tell you the truth, she's not a very nice person. Don't let her fool you.\"\n\nI couldn't believe what I was hearing. I'd never heard of an \"older sister\" disparaging her \"younger sister\" in front of clients. I experienced a sharp stab of regret that Satoharu wasn't my Onesan. She would never do something like this." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your response should contain the word 'myself' precisely 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My old flight mechanism took over and I excused myself. I was too old to hide in a closet so I went to the ladies room. I couldn't stand being embarrassed this way in front of strangers. As soon I was alone I started to cry, but immediately forced myself to stop. That would never do." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I got myself together, went back to the banquet room, and acted like nothing had happened.\n\nIn a few minutes Yaeko attacked again.\n\n\"Mineko is only here,\" she said, \"because she has some very powerful people behind her. She hasn't done anything to deserve her good fortune, so I don't expect she'll last very long. I wouldn't be surprised if she dies on the vine.\"\n\n\"Then you need to protect her,\" Ms. Takamine said kindly.\n\n\"Fat chance,\" said Yaeko." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At that point the head naikai of the ochaya, a good-natured woman named Bu-chan, called into the room. \"Excuse me, Mineko-san, its time for your next appointment.\"\n\nAs soon as I got outside she looked at me quizzically and asked, \"What in the world is wrong with Yaeko? She is your Onesan, right? Why is she being so mean to you?\"\n\n\"I wish I knew,\" I answered. I had no way to begin to explain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Anyway, the next guest is a regular patron here so you should be able to take it a little easier...\"\n\n\"Thank you. I mean, ookini,\" I corrected myself.\n\nBu-chan ushered me into another room.\n\n\"May I introduce Mineko-chan. She has recently become a maiko.\"\n\n\"Well then, Mineko-chan, welcome. Let us have a good look at you. Aren't you pretty? Would you like to have some sake?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No thank you. It's against the law to drink before you're twenty.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Not even a tiny bit?\"\n\n\"No I can't. But I'm happy to pretend. May I have a cup please?\"\n\nI was like a little kid at a tea party.\n\n\"Here you go.\"\n\n\"Thank yo...oops, ookini.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I felt myself relax. And with the release came a renewed threat of tears.\n\n\"Now, now, dear, what's wrong? Did I do something to upset you?\"\n\n\"No, I'm terribly sorry. It's nothing, really.\"\n\nI couldn't tell him it was own my sister who had made me feel this way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He tried to cheer me up by changing the subject." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What it is your favorite thing to do, Mine-chan?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I love to dance.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How nice. And where did you come from?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"From over there.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Over where?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"From the other room.\"\n\nHe found this very amusing.\n\n\"No I mean where were you born?\"\n\n\"Kyoto.\"\n\n\"But you speak such standard Japanese.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I haven't been able to lose my accent.\"\n\nHe smiled at my topsy-turviness. \"I know, the Kyoto dialect is difficult to master. Feel free to speak to me any way you wish.\"\n\nI got confused between the two and answered him in a mixed-up combination of both. He kept smiling.\n\n\"Mine-chan, I think you've made a new conquest today. I hope you'll consider me a friend, and a fan!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What a sweet man. I later learned that he was Jiro Ushio, the CEO of Ushio Electric. Ushio-san restored my mood and confidence for that evening, but I couldn't escape the pall cast by Yaeko's negative shadow. Our bond as maiko and Onesan was looser than most, but I still had to comply with the basic proprieties.\n\nFor example, one of a maiko's duties is to regularly tidy up her Onesan's vanity table." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your task: Include 'house' 2 time(s) in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Accordingly, soon after my misedashi, I stopped by her house on Nishihanamikoji Street one day on the way home from school. I had never been there before.\n\nI went in the house and saw a maid bent over cleaning something. She looked vaguely familiar. It was my mother!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She cried out, \"Ma-chan!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "just as Yaeko walked into the room and screamed, \"This is the bitch who sold us and killed Masayuki!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I was about to hurl back, \"I'm going to kill you!\" when my mother caught my eye and I knew to stop before I made it worse. I started to cry and then simply ran out of the house.\n\nI never went back. Some proprieties were just not worth it." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Continue with Mineko Iwasaki's style in the nonfiction, Japan, memoir genre. This is part of a longer work." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I have always regretted the fact that I had to stop my academic schooling when I was fifteen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't understand why the Nyokoba taught no academic subjects." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was most disturbed that the school didn't teach us English or French." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We were being prepared to entertain world leaders but not being given the tools to communicate with them. It seemed completely irrational.\n\nSoon after becoming a maiko I went to the Kabukai and lodged a complaint about the lack of foreign language education. I was told to get a tutor, which I did, but they clearly weren't getting the point. However, being a novice member of the karyukai did provide me with an unusual education, one that I can't imagine having had anywhere else. I met all kinds of brilliant and accomplished people, some of whom became my trusted friends.\n\nMeanwhile, my geographical boundaries did not expand as quickly as my intellectual horizons. I rarely ventured out of the neighborhood. Mama Masako was as protective of me as Auntie Oima had been." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Gion Kobu lies east of the Kamo River, Kyoto's central artery. Downtown Kyoto, the commercial hub of the city, lies on the other side. I was not allowed to cross the river by myself until I was eighteen or to venture outside the district without a chaperone.\n\nMy customers were my tickets to the outside world. They were my real teachers. One night, I was summoned to an ozashiki at the ochaya Tomiyo that was being hosted by one of its regular patrons, the Noh drama costume designer Kayoh Wakamatsu. Mr. Wakamatsu was known as an aficionado of geiko and our world.\n\nI readied myself for my entrance. I placed the flask of sake on its tray, slid open the door, and said, \"Ookini,\" which actually means \"thank you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We use it like \"excuse me.\" There was quite a party going on. Seven or eight of my onesan were already in the room with him.\n\nOne of them said, \"You slid open the door incorrectly.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry,\" I replied.\n\nI slid the door closed and tried again.\n\nNo one complained.\n\nI said \"ookini\" again and entered the room.\n\n\"You entered the room incorrectly.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And then, \"The way you're holding the tray is all wrong.\"\n\nAnd then, \"That's not the right way to hold the sake flask.\"\n\nI was getting frustrated but tried to keep my composure. I went back out into the hall to try again.\n\nThe okasan of the Tomiyo pulled me aside:\n\n\"Mine-chan, what's going on?\"\n\n\"My onesan are kindly offering me instructions on how to do everything correctly,\" I answered.\n\nI knew they were really being cruel. I just wanted to see how far things would go before the guest or okasan intervened." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh please,\" she said. \"They're just teasing you. Go on in there and don't pay them any mind.\"\n\nThis time no one said a word.\n\nMr. Wakamatsu asked me, nicely, to bring him a large writing brush, an ink stick, and an ink stone. I went to do as he asked. He asked me to prepare the ink. I ground the stick against the stone and carefully added the right amount of water. When the ink was the right consistency, I dipped the brush and handed it to him.\n\nHe asked the ringleader of the bunch, Miss S., to stand up in front of him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Miss S. was wearing a white kimono decorated in a pine motif." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mr. Wakamatsu lifted the brush and looked her in the face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You have all treated Mineko disgracefully but I'm holding you personally responsible.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He proceeded to slash the brush across the front of her kimono, leaving thick black strokes in its wake." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'again' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Go away, all of you. I never want to see any of you again. Please leave!\"\n\nThe geiko shuffled out of the room en masse.\n\nThe okasan heard the commotion and came running.\n\n\"Wa-san [his nickname], what in the world happened?\"\n\n\"I will not put up with this kind of nastiness. Please don't book any of that bunch for me again.\"\n\n\"Of course, Wa-san. Whatever you wish.\"\n\nThis experience left a strong impression on me. It made me both sad and happy. I was sad that my onesan would treat me like that." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was worried that I had more of this kind of thing ahead of me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But I was encouraged by Wa-san's kindness. It made me feel like I was not alone. And he had not only noticed my discomfort, but had gone out of his way to act on my behalf. Wa-san was an incredibly nice man. The next day he sent Miss S. three kimono and brocade obi in care of the ochaya. These actions endeared me to him forever. He became one of my favorite customers (gohiiki) and I became one of his favorite maiko.\n\nA while later I was talking to two of the other girls who were also frequent companions of his.\n\n\"Wa-san is so good to the three of us, why don't we do something for him? Maybe we should get him a present.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's a nice idea. But what should we get him?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hmmm,\" We all thought hard. And then I smiled. \"I've got it!\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"Let's do the Beatles.\"\n\nThey stared at me blankly.\n\n\"What's a beatle?\"\n\n\"You'll see. Just trust me on this one, okay?\"\n\nThe next day, after class, the three of us got in a taxi and I directed the driver to a store on the corner of Higashioji Nijo. My friends started giggling as soon as we pulled up to the shop." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was a wig store." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wa-san was completely bald, so I thought a wig would make a great present. We chose a blonde one, laughing the whole time we picked it out. We couldn't figure out where he'd stick the pin.\n\nHe soon called us to an ozashiki. We bore the present excitedly into the room and placed it in front of him. We bowed formally, and I had one of my friends make a little speech.\n\n\"Wa-san, thank you so much for all your kindness. We have brought you something to express our gratitude. Please accept it as a token of our affection and esteem.\"\n\n\"Oh my! You shouldn't have!\"\n\nHe unwrapped the big hairy mass." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Somewhere in your response, you need to say: \"It's awfully lively in here this evening.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At first he had no idea what it was but it fell into shape when he held it up in the air. He put the wig on his head and, grinning, asked, \"Well, what do you think?\"\n\n\"It looks great!\" we all chorused back. \"Really great!\"\n\nWe handed him a mirror.\n\nOne of Wa-san's guests arrived in the midst of the hubbub.\n\n\"What's going on?\" he asked. \"It's awfully lively in here this evening.\"\n\n\"Welcome, Mr. O.,\" said Wa-san. \"Come in and join the party.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'toupée' appears 2 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How do I look?\" Wa-san asked. We looked over at Mr. O. His toupée was missing! None of us could resist staring at his head. Mr. O. put his hand to his scalp, instinctively covered his head with the newspaper he was carrying, and ran hurriedly down the stairs. He came back twenty minutes later. \"That was a surprise,\" he said. \"I dropped it in the entrance of the Miyako Hotel.\" His toupée was back, but it was on crooked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The following evening Wa-san booked me again. His wife and children were with him. His wife was effusive. \"Thank you so much for the splendid present you gave my husband. He hasn't been in such a good mood in years,\" Mrs. Wakamatsu told me cheerfully. \"I'd love to have you over to the house sometime in return. Why don't you come by some evening to catch fireflies?\"\n\nI was embarrassed that our little gift caused such a big reaction.\n\nOne of the misconceptions about the karyukai is that it caters solely to men. This simply isn't true. Women host ozashiki too, and often attend them as guests." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It is true that the majority of our customers are men, but we often get to know their families. My clients often brought their wives and children to visit me in the ochaya and to watch me perform on stage. Wives seemed to like the Miyako Odori, in particular, and often invited me to their homes on special occasions like New Year's Day. A husband might be presiding over a stuffy ozashiki of business executives in one room while his wife and her girlfriends were laughing it up in another. I would finish up with the gentlemen as soon as decorum allowed and happily glide down the hall to join the ladies.\n\nIt wasn't uncommon for me to know someone's entire family. Sometimes customers booked ozashiki for family reunions, especially around the New Year. Or a grandfather might host an ozashiki for his newborn grandchild and, while the proud parents were enjoying themselves, we geiko would vie to hold the baby. At times we joked that the ochaya were like high-class \"family restaurants.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "As I have noted before, the culture of the karyukai fosters long-term relationships that are based on confidence and trust." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The bond that is forged over time between an ochaya, a regular customer, and his or her favorite geiko can be very strong.\n\nWhat is said and done in the privacy of an ozashiki may be divorced from the reality of the outside world, but the relationships that develop within it are very real. I was so young when I started that, over the years, I developed very close relationships with many of my regular customers and their families.\n\nI have a good memory for dates, and became famous for remembering my clients' birthdays, their wives' birthdays, and their wedding anniversaries. At one point I retained this information for over one hundred of my best customers. I always had a stash of little presents handy so I could give my male customers something to bring home to their wives if perchance they had forgotten an important date." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write 10 sentences sentences in the style of Mineko Iwasaki spawning from what the user wrote. Note: Characters and worldbuilding may appear mid-story." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Unfortunately, not all my early encounters in the ochaya were pleasant or instructive. One night I was summoned to a certain ozashiki. I was told that the host was very anxious I attend, but for some reason I had a bad feeling about the engagement. Sure enough, trouble was waiting for me. A geiko named Miss K. was there. She was already drunk as usual.\n\nIn Gion Kobu, upon entering an ozashiki, a geiko first bows to her elder sisters before she bows to the customers. Accordingly, I bowed to Miss K. and greeted her politely. \"Good evening, onesan.\" Then I turned and bowed to the host.\n\nHe greeted me in return." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's so nice to see you again.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I looked up and recognized him as one of the men who had been at the infamous banquet when I ran over to look at the dolls before greeting the guests." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It had only been a matter of weeks, but so much had happened in that short time that it felt like ages." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My, it seems like a long time since we last met. Thank you so much for inviting me to be with you this evening.\"\n\nMiss K. cut in. Her words were slurred. \"What are you talking about, a long time? A long time since what?\"\n\n\"Excuse me?\" I had no idea what she was talking about.\n\n\"Speaking of which, what is it with that Onesan of yours? What's her problem? She's not even a good dancer. Why is she always acting like she's better than everybody else?\"\n\n\"I'm terribly sorry if she's done something to offend you.\"\n\nMiss K. was puffing away on a cigarette, surrounded by a cloud of smoke.\n\n\"You're sorry? What does that mean? Your being sorry doesn't change a thing.\"\n\n\"Why don't I come by to discuss this with you tomorrow?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was uncomfortable and noticed that the customer was looking increasingly displeased." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This is not what he was paying for.\n\nHe tried to take control of the situation. \"Now now, Miss K., I came here to enjoy myself. Let's change the subject, shall we?\"\n\nBut she refused to let it go.\n\n\"No, let's not. I'm trying to help out Mineko here. I don't want her to turn out like her terrible Onesan.\"\n\nHe tried again.\n\n\"I'm sure that will never happen.\"\n\n\"What do you know about it? Why don't you just shut up!\"\n\nThe customer was justifiably upset. He raised his voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Miss K., how dare you talk to me that way?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The only way I could think to get out of this mess was to keep apologizing for Yaeko.\n\n\"Nesan, I promise I'll speak to Yaeko about this immediately. I'll tell her how angry you are. We are so sorry that we have upset you.\"\n\nShe answered with a non sequitur.\n\n\"What's the matter with you? Can't you see that I'm smoking?\"\n\n\"Oh, of course. Excuse me. I'll bring you an ashtray right away.\" When I went to stand up, Miss K. put her hand on my arm.\n\n\"No, it's okay. There's one right here. Give me your hand for a moment.\"\n\nI thought she was going to hand me an ashtray that needed emptying.\n\nInstead she took hold of my left hand and flicked her ashes into my open palm. She kept my hand in a tight grasp so that I couldn't pull away." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The customer was horrified and called out for the okasan." }, { "from": "system", "value": "IMPORTANT: 'nothing' should appear 2 times in total" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Miss K. refused to let go of my hand.\n\nI remembered Auntie Oima telling me over and over that a proper geiko always remains calm, no matter what happens. I thought to myself, This is like a spiritual exercise. If I think the ashes are hot they will be hot, if I think they are nothing, they will be nothing. Focus. As the okasan came bustling through the door, Miss K. proceeded to grind out the stub of her cigarette in my palm and let go of my hand. I know this sounds like an exaggeration but it really happened.\n\n\"Thank you,\" I said, not knowing how else to respond. \"I'll come see you tomorrow.\"\n\n\"Good. I think I'll be going now.\"\n\nShe was too drunk to stand up." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The okasan half carried/half dragged her out of the room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I excused myself and went to the kitchen for a chunk of ice. Gripping it tightly in my burnt hand, I reentered the room and greeted the customer again as though nothing was amiss.\n\nI bowed. \"I am so sorry about the time with the dolls. Please forgive me.\"\n\nHe was very gracious but the atmosphere was a little somber. Luckily, the okasan soon escorted some veteran geiko into the room and they skillfully livened up the party.\n\nAnd I had followed two important rules:\n\nAlways show respect to one's older sisters.\n\nNever display conflict or rude behavior in front of customers.\n\nBut I needed to show her that I was not intimidated by her appalling actions. So the next day I took the initiative and paid her a visit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My hand was bandaged and I was in a lot of pain, but I pretended it wasn't her fault." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Onesan, I'm so sorry for the trouble last night.\"\n\n\"Yeah, fine. What did you do to your hand?\"\n\n\"Oh, I'm so clumsy. I wasn't looking where I was going and I tripped. It's nothing. But I wanted to thank you for all the advice you gave me last night. I will take your words to heart and try to follow them in the future.\"\n\n\"Sure, whatever.\" She was clearly mortified and amazed that I had the gumption to act as if nothing had happened. \"Would you care for a cup of tea.\"\n\n\"That's very kind of you, but I really must be going. I haven't finished my lessons for today. Goodbye for now.\"\n\nI had taken the upper hand. She never bothered me again.\n\nWhen I began my career, besides dealing with difficult characters, I had to adjust to the rigors of an extremely demanding schedule that included daily classes, nightly ozashiki and regular public performances.\n\nConsider at my first six months." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On February 15 I went into rehearsals for my first Miyako Odori. I became a maiko on March 26. The Miyako Odori opened on April 1, seven days later, and ran for a solid month. Then I danced in a series of special performances at the New Kabukiza Theater in Osaka for the month of May. As soon as that was finished, I went straight into rehearsal for the Rokkagai performances in June.\n\nI couldn't wait to participate in that. Rokkagai refers to \"the five karyukai\" and is the one time a year when all the karyukai of Kyoto get together and put on a group performance that showcases our different styles of dance. (There used to be six karyukai in Kyoto. Now there are only five because the Shimabara area is no longer active.)\n\nI was looking forward to getting to know the other girls and feeling a sense of community spirit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But I was soon disappointed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The whole operation simmered with competitiveness and barely disguised rivalry. The order in which the karyukai appear on the program is considered its de facto ranking for that year. Gion Kobu retains the annual privilege of appearing first so is spared the infighting, but it was disturbing to see the level of conflict. It forever dashed my fantasy of \"one happy family.\"\n\nI was quickly becoming the most popular maiko in Kyoto, which meant I received numerous requests to appear at ozashiki at ochaya in other karyukai besides Gion Kobu. People who had the means to do so wanted to get a look at me, and if the invitation were important enough, Mama Masako would accept. This traipsing about didn't seem odd to me. I naively believed that anything that was good for the business of the karyukai was good for everyone involved.\n\nBut not everyone in Gion Kobu shared this belief. Other maiko and geiko felt I was intruding into other karyukai and would insinuatingly ask: \"Which karyukai did you say you were from again?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Again, I have always liked things clear and simple, and found all the jockeying for rank and position silly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In hindsight it is easy to say that I was able to take the high road because I was in such a powerful position, but at the time I honestly didn't understand the reason for all the drama. And I didn't like it at all. I kept trying to use my position to get the officials of the Kabukai to listen to me.\n\nSnapping photos of maiko is a favorite tourist and paparazzi pastime in Kyoto. I was often surrounded by shutterbugs as I made my way from one event to the other. One day I went to Kyoto Station to take a train to Tokyo. My face was everywhere. The kiosks were selling shopping bags advertising Kyoto with my picture on them. I had never seen the photo before and had certainly never given my permission for it to be used commercially. I was furious. The next day, I stormed into the Kabukai." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How dare someone use my picture without my authorization?\" I demanded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was fifteen but the man behind the desk spoke to me like I was about four.\n\n\"Now now, Mine-chan, don't worry your pretty little head about such grown-up matters. Think of it as the price of fame.\"\n\nNeedless to say, I wasn't satisfied by his response. I went back after class the next day and badgered the official until he let me speak with the director. But he wasn't much better. He told me repeatedly that he would look into it but nothing ever happened.\n\nThis kind of thing went on for years.\n\nI never let my growing dissatisfaction interfere with my dedication. By the time the Rokkagai performances were over in mid-June I was completely exhausted. I was supposed to go right into rehearsals for the Yukatakai, a summer series of dance put on by the Inoue School." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But my body couldn't take it and I finally broke down." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I came down with an acute case of appendicitis and had to have an appendectomy. I was supposed to stay in the hospital for ten days. Kuniko never left my side, though I slept for the first four days and don't remember them at all.\n\nKuniko later told me that I kept going over my schedule in my sleep. \"I have to be at the Ichirikitei at six sharp and then go to the Tomiyo by seven.\"\n\nI finally woke up.\n\nThe head doctor came to examine me and asked if I had passed gas. \"Gas?\" I asked.\n\n\"Yes, gas. Has any come out yet?\"\n\n\"Come out? From where?\"\n\n\"What I mean is, have you broken wind? Have you farted?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Excuse me,\" I replied indignantly, \"I don't do things like that.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But I did ask Kuniko if she noticed anything gassy about me and she said she hadn't heard or smelled a thing. The doctor decided to mark it down anyway.\n\nMama Masako came to visit.\n\n\"How are you feeling, my child?\" she asked kindly. Then, with a wicked grin, she said, \"You know, you shouldn't laugh when you have stitches because it really hurts.\" She put her hands up to her head and twisted her face into a completely loopy expression. \"What do you think of this one?\" she said. \"And this?\"\n\nThe whole performance was so uncharacteristic that I found it hysterically funny and couldn't stop laughing. It hurt so much that I had tears rolling down my face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Please, stop,\" I begged." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Usually when I come to visit you are sleeping and I am bored. But this is fun. I must come back again.\"\n\n\"You don't have to,\" I said. \"And tell everybody to please stop sending me all these flowers.\"\n\nThere were so many bouquets in the room that the scent was no longer pleasant. It was downright cloying. She convinced my friends to bring me manga instead, the thick comic books that Japanese teenagers devour like candy. This was absolutely the best thing about being in the hospital. I got to spend hours reading manga, something I never had the free time to do at home. I just lay there relaxing, reading, laughing, hurting.\n\nDuring the ten days I was in the hospital I was hoping that I could get out one day early." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I had wanted to experience ochaohiku for many years and decided to try it. The okiya had already distributed fliers all over Gion Kobu announcing that I was unavailable for those ten days so no requests would come in for appearances. This gave me the chance to finally do ochaohiku.\n\nAs part of her job a geiko dresses every evening even if she has no scheduled appointments, so that she can respond immediately to any request that might come into the okiya. The term \"ochaohiku\" is used for those times when a geiko has to dress up with nowhere to go. In other words, the store is open but there are no customers.\n\nI had been booked solid ever since I started to work so had never had the opportunity to do ochaohiku. I thought I should experience it at least once. I first took a luxurious bath.\n\nIt felt good to be in our spacious bathhouse after the confines of the hospital." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I taped over my scar so it wouldn't get wet and gratefully doused myself with hot water from the large cedar tub." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I lowered myself gingerly into the steaming water and soaked until my skin was supple." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then I got out of the tub and, with a bucket and hot water from a spigot in the wall, washed thoroughly with soap and water. Next I rubbed myself all over with a net pouch filled with rice bran. Rice bran contains a significant amount of Vitamin B and is great for the skin. Then I got back in the tub for a final soak.\n\nThe family members and Kuniko were the only okiya residents allowed to use the bathhouse. Everyone else went to the local public bath, which was the norm at the time. Few Japanese could afford to maintain a bathhouse at home. Relaxed from my bath, I went to have my hair done.\n\n\"I thought you weren't supposed to go back to work until tomorrow,\" my hairdresser said when she saw me.\n\n\"I know,\" I said." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Expand the story by adding two sentences in the nonfiction, Japan, memoir genre. Match existing character context." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't need the numbers to tell me that I had become the most popular maiko in Gion Kobu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I only had to look at my schedule." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was booked for a year and a half." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My schedule was so tight that a prospective client had to confirm any tentative booking a month before the engagement, and, although I always left a couple of slots open for emergencies, these were invariably taken a week in advance. If I did happen to have a few minutes open in my evening's schedule I would book them on my way home from the Nyokoba, promising five minutes here or ten minutes there." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I had Kuniko write down these extra jobs in my appointment ledger while I was eating lunch.\n\nBasically, I was booked solid for the entire five years that I was a maiko." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I worked 7 days a week, 365 days a year, from the time I was fifteen until I was twenty-one. I never took a day off." }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'year's' | Required occurrences: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I worked every Saturday and Sunday. I worked New Year's Eve and New Year's Day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was the only person in the Iwasaki okiya who didn't take any days off during this time, and, for all I know, I may have been the only one in Gion Kobu as well. At least it was better than not working." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't really know how to have fun." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sometimes I went out with friends when I had a bit of free time, but I found being in public exhausting.\n\nThe moment I stepped outside the door I became \"Mineko of Gion Kobu.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Admirers surrounded me wherever I went and I felt compelled to act the part. I was always on." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If someone wanted to take a picture with me I let him. If someone wanted an autograph I gave it to her. It never stopped." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was afraid that if I didn't maintain the professional demeanor of a maiko at all times I would simply fall apart. In truth, I was much happier at home by myself, thinking my own thoughts, reading a book, or listening to music." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That is the only way I could truly relax.\n\nIt's hard to imagine living in a world where everyone—your friends, your sisters, even your mother—is your rival." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I found it very disorienting." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I wasn't able to distinguish friend from foe; I never knew who or what to believe." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Inevitably, all of this took a psychological toll and I began to experience emotional problems. I suffered periodic anxiety, insomnia, and difficulty speaking." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was afraid that if I didn't lighten up I was going to get sick." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "So I decided to become funnier. I bought a bunch of records of comic stories and listened to them every day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I made up my own little routines and tried them out at ozashiki. I pretended that the banquet room was a playground, and that I was there to have a good time." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It actually helped. I began to feel better and was able to pay more attention to what was going on in the room. Dance and the other art forms can be taught, but how to make an ozashiki sparkle can not." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This is something that takes a certain aptitude and years of experience.\n\nEach ozashiki is different, even within the same ochaya." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One can tell much about the status of the guests from how the room has been arranged." }, { "from": "human", "value": "How valuable is the scroll hanging in the tokonoma?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What dishes are on the table? Where is the food from?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A trained geiko grasps these nuances the moment she walks into an ozashiki and modulates her behavior accordingly. The aesthetic training I received from my parents gave me a head start in this direction." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Next we must know how to steer the entertainment. Does the host enjoy watching dance, engaging in witty conversation, or playing amusing games?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "When we get to know a customer we commit his or her personal likes and dislikes to memory so that we can better serve him in the future." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ochaya are not only used for entertaining. They are also used as venues for sensitive business and political discussions." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An ozashiki provides a secluded environment where the participants know they will be comfortable and their privacy will be protected.\n\nAuntie Oima told me that the reason our hair ornaments have pointed ends is so that we can use them to defend our customers from attack." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And that the coral ones worn in the colder months can be used to test the safety of the sake: coral breaks apart in the presence of poison." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'become' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sometimes the most valuable service a geiko can perform is to become part of the wall, to become invisible. If appropriate, she will position herself near the entrance to the room and let the host know when someone is approaching by making a small signal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Or, if asked to do so, she will inform anyone who is approaching that the guests do not wish to be disturbed.\n\nOne of the specialized jobs in the teahouse is that of the sake heater, or okanban." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The okanban fills a flask with sake and places the flask into a pan of simmering water to warm it. It sounds simple, but each guest likes his or her sake served at a certain temperature." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The okanban's skill is to calculate how many degrees of heat will be lost as the sake travels from kitchen to banquet room, so it is the correct temperature when it arrives. This is no small feat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I liked the job of fetching sake because I enjoyed talking to the okanban. They were always full of interesting, behind-the-scenes information." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As I mentioned before, teahouses tend to have multigenerational relationships with their best clients." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One of the ways the ochaya engenders this loyalty is by hiring their client's progeny as temporary employees. Assistant okanban is a popular position." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For example, a young man starting college in Kyoto might apply for this job, on his father's recommendation, in order to help him meet expenses. Everyone benefits from this arrangement." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The young man learns how the culture of the ochaya functions from the inside out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He sees how much effort is involved in even the simplest ozashiki and gets to know the local maiko and geiko." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The father is helping to educate his son in the sophisticated ways of the adult world. And the ochaya is investing in a future client." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I continued to devote as much energy as possible to my dance classes. Now that I was a professional dancer I felt like I was finally making real progress." }, { "from": "human", "value": "So it came as a shock when I received my second otome." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was during rehearsal for the Yukatakai, the summer dances in which all the Gion Kobu geiko participate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was seventeen. We were rehearsing a group number." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suddenly Big Mistress stopped the action, called my name and told me to leave the stage. I couldn't believe it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I hadn't made a mistake. The girl next to me had." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I found Mama Masako and stormed, \"That's it. I'm quitting! I got another otome and this one wasn't my fault either!\"\n\nWithout missing a beat, Mama Masako said, evenly, \"Fine. Go ahead. I mean, you didn't even make a mistake. How dare she embarrass you in front of everybody? You poor thing!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was spurring me on. Boy, could she see right through me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She knew that I always did the opposite of what she told me to do." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, I mean it Mom, I'm really going to quit.\"\n\n\"That makes sense. It's exactly what I'd do if I were in your position.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But if I do quit, then I lose face. Maybe I should fool everybody and keep on going. I don't know...\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, that is another option...\"\n\nJust then Yaeko walked into the room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She had been eavesdropping on our conversation.\n\n\"You've really done it this time, Mineko. You have shamed us all.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She meant that my disgrace would cause a loss of face for every geiko associated with our lineage.\n\nBut Mama Masako brushed her off." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is none of your business, Yaeko. Would you mind going into the other room for a minute?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yaeko's lips curled into a thin smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Of course it's my business. Her bad behavior is an embarrassment to me as well.\"\n\nMama said flatly, \"Yae, don't be ridiculous. Would you please get out of here?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Since when do you boss me around?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This is between Mineko and me. I want you to stay out of it.\"\n\n\"Well, if that's how you feel, I'm terribly sorry to have bothered you. Far be it from me to intrude on you and your 'precious' Mineko. Like she's worth it.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yaeko huffed out of the room but her words lingered in my mind." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Maybe I was so bad that I really should quit." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Forgive me, Mama, I'm really sorry. Perhaps it is better if I give up.\"\n\n\"Whatever you decide to do is okay with me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But, what if it's like Yaeko says? What if I've brought disgrace upon the house?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's not a good enough reason. You said it yourself a few minutes ago. You might completely lose face if you quit. If I were you, I would talk to Big Mistress. See what she has to say. I bet she wants you to continue.\"\n\n\"You think so? Thank you, Mama. That's what I'll do.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mama Masako called Mother Sakaguchi who came rushing over in a car." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As usual, our contingent sat facing their contingent. Everyone bowed.\n\nI was waiting for Mother Sakaguchi to defend my innocence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Mistress Aiko, I must tell you how grateful I am that you scolded Mineko like that. This is the kind of censure she needs to become a true dancer. On her behalf, may I ask most humbly for your continued consideration and guidance.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As if on cue, the Iwasaki contingent bowed down again. I was a heartbeat behind, just time enough to think Whaaaats going on here?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then I got it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In a flash. Big Mistress was testing me again. Using the otome to push me forward." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She wanted me to understand that the most important thing was to keep on dancing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An occasional reprimand was nothing in light of what I might be able to achieve, or what I stood to lose. My arrogance and schoolgirl superiority had no place in all this." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And in that instant something changed. I started to see the bigger picture." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I felt a new level of commitment to what I was doing. I became a dancer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I have no idea what Mama Masako told Mother Sakaguchi when she called her, or how Mother Sakaguchi reacted, or what Mother Sakaguchi said to Mistress Aiko before we all met together." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But, through her eloquent display of humility, Mother Sakaguchi was also sending me a crucial message. She was showing me how professionals dealt with their differences in a way that was nonreactive and beneficial for all concerned." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I had seen countless examples of this before, but, until that moment, had never really understood it. I was so proud of the skillful way Mother Sakaguchi handled the situation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Big Mistress may have given me the initial scolding, but the real lesson came from Mother Sakaguchi.\n\nI still had a long way to go before I was an adult, but I knew then that I wanted to be as good a person as the women who were in that room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Big Mistress thanked Madame Sakaguchi for coming and, with her staff in tow, accompanied Mother Sakaguchi to the entryway to bid her good-bye.\n\nRight before she got into the car, Mother Sakaguchi bent down and whispered quietly into my ear:" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Mine-chan, work hard.\"\n\n\"Yes, I promise.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "When we got home I went around the okiya and brought all the mirrors I could find into my room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I arranged them along the walls so that I could view myself from every angle and started to dance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From that moment on I practiced like a madwoman." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I changed into dance clothes as soon as I walked in the house at night and rehearsed until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Some nights I only got one hour of sleep.\n\nI looked at myself as critically as I could." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I tried to analyze every aspect of my movements, tried to perfect every gesture." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But something was missing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Some element of expressiveness. I thought about it long and hard." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What could it be? Finally, it dawned on me that the problem was emotional not physical." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The problem was that I had never been in love." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My dancing lacked a depth of feeling that would only come after I had experienced romantic passion. How could I portray authentic love or loss when I didn't know them?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This realization was very scary, because whenever I thought about physical love I thought about the time my nephew tried to rape me and my mind stopped cold. I was still stuck in the terror of that moment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was afraid that something was seriously wrong with me. Had I been so damaged that I would never be able to have a normal relationship?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And this wasn't the only obstacle standing between me and intimacy. There was something deeper, potentially more insidious." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The fact is, I didn't like people. I hadn't when I was a little girl and I still didn't." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My distaste for other people hindered me professionally as well as personally." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was my biggest shortcoming as a maiko. But I had no choice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I had to force myself to pretend that I liked everyone.\n\nI feel such poignancy when I look back and see this image of myself, this unworldly young woman, trying so hard to please, yet not wanting anyone to come near." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The relationship between the sexes, always a mystery, is confusing to most adolescents, but I was truly at sea. I had so little experience with men or boys that I had no intuitive feel for how to project warmth without inviting intimacy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was imperative that I be friendly to everyone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But if I was too nice, the customer got the wrong idea, and that was the last thing I wanted to happen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was years before I learned how to tread a middle path between making men happy and keeping them away." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the beginning, before I knew how to send the right signals, I made a lot of mistakes.\n\nOne time a customer, a very wealthy young man, said to me, \"I'm going abroad to study. I'd like you to come with me. Any objections?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was flabbergasted. He announced his plans for me as though they had already been decided. I didn't know what to say." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Men who are familiar with the ways of Gion Kobu understand the unspoken rules and rarely break them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But sometimes, especially if the man is as naïve as this fellow was, one would misinterpret my kindness and take it too personally." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was left with no choice but to deal with him head on." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I explained to him that I was just doing my job, and that, although I thought he was a nice man, I hadn't meant to give him the impression that I was interested in him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Another time a young customer brought me an expensive doll from his hometown. He was so excited about giving me the present that he couldn't wait until his next ozashiki." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He brought it to the okiya and knocked on the door.\n\nThis was a total breach of etiquette but I felt sorry for him, even though it was kind of creepy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I couldn't believe he was naïve enough to think he had the right to come to my home." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Still, I tried to be polite.\n\n\"Thank you anyway, but I don't care much for dolls. Please give it to someone else who will appreciate it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A rumor soon spread among my regular customers that I hated dolls.\n\nOnce I was on assignment in Tokyo when my client took me to a shop that specialized in name-brand luxury items." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Pick out anything you want,\" he said.\n\nI rarely accepted gifts from clients so I declined and said I was happy just to look around." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I saw a watch that I liked and mumbled unconsciously to myself, \"Nice watch.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The next day the customer had the watch delivered to my hotel. I returned it immediately." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was a good reminder that I could never let down my guard." }, { "from": "human", "value": "These incidents all happened when I was sixteen or seventeen and are testaments to my immaturity and inexperience." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They show how much I still had to learn." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sometimes my innocence led to real embarrassment.\n\nThe first New Year after becoming a maiko I was invited to attend the Hatsugama (first tea ceremony of the year) at the Urasenke Tea School, the premier bastion of aesthetic correctness in Japan." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your task: Include 'ceremony' 2 time(s) in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was an honor to be invited, and I was on my best behavior in front of the distinguished group of attendees.\n\nGeiko study the tea ceremony in order to absorb the graciousness that it imparts, but we also must be prepared to perform the ceremony publicly at the annual Miyako Odori." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There is an enormous tearoom in the Kaburenjo that holds three hundred guests. On her appointed day, a geiko enacts the ceremony five times before each performance, at fifteen-minute intervals, to accommodate the 1,450 audience members." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She herself only prepares tea for the two people who have been invited to participate as guests of honor. The other 298 people are served by serving women who have prepared the tea in an anteroom." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Every geiko must study tea, and there is thus a close relationship between the Urasenke Tea School and the Gion Kobu." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'guest' appears 2 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the Hatsugama, we were seated in a long row around a large room, and an attendant began passing an interesting looking cup from guest to guest. The cup had a pointed stem and no base, like a golf tee or a mushroom." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was no way to put the cup down." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "You had to drink whatever was in it. \"What fun,\" I thought, and when it came to me I drank the contents in one gulp." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was disgusting. I had never tasted anything so awful. I thought I was going to throw up." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My face must have shown what I was feeling because Mrs. Kayoko Sen, the wife of the previous director of the Urasenke Tea School, who was always very nice to me, laughed and said, \"What's the matter Mine-chan? Don't you like the sake?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "SAKE? At first I grimaced. And then I panicked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I had just broken the law!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Oh my god, what if I was arrested? My father had put such fear of the law in me that I was terrified of committing crimes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What am I going to do now?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But then the cup came around my way again and nobody seemed to think anything was wrong." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't want to make a scene in front of all these important people so I held my breath and gulped it down again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "By the time the party was over I had had a lot of sake.\n\nI started to feel strange, but managed to perform my dance without incident." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I attended my usual number of banquets in the evening and got through those as well. But the moment I returned home and walked into the vestibule of the okiya I fell flat on my face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Everyone in the okiya made a big fuss as they helped me take off my costume and put me into my futon." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The next day I woke up at 6 A.M. as usual but was immediately overcome by an intense feeling of shame and self-loathing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What had I done last night?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I couldn't remember anything that happened after I left the tea school." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I couldn't remember anything about any of the ozashiki I had attended.\n\nI wanted to crawl into a hole and die but had to get up and go to class." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not only had I broken the law but maybe I had behaved disgracefully as well. It was almost too much to bear." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I didn't want to face anyone.\n\nI forced myself to get up to go to class." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I took my lesson with Big Mistress, but was convinced that everybody was looking at me funny." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was unbearably uncomfortable." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I asked to be excused from the rest of my classes and fled back to the okiya." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As soon as I walked through the door I went straight into the closet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I rocked myself and chanted, \"I'm sorry. Forgive me. I'll never do it again,\" over and over again in my head, like a mantra." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I hadn't taken sanctuary in the closet for quite a while and stayed there for the entire afternoon. I finally came out when it was time to get dressed for work." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was the last time I allowed myself the comfort of my childhood refuge. I never went back inside the closet again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I wonder why I was so hard on myself." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was something about my father, something about feeling so alone. I completely believed that the answer to everything was self-discipline.\n\nI believed that self-discipline was the key to beauty." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "12 sentences sentences. same character feel. nonfiction, Japan, memoir stuff." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His stage name was Shintaro Katsu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I met him when I was fifteen at one of the first ozashiki I attended after becoming a maiko." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had asked one of the older maiko to ask me to stop by so he could meet me." }, { "from": "system", "value": "/set_word_count: ozashiki, frequency: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She introduced him by his regular name, Toshio. Toshio was the biggest movie star in Japan. I knew his name but hardly ever went to the movies and didn't recognize his face. Anyway, I wasn't impressed. He was dressed like a slob. He was wearing a yukata (cotton kimono), which is too informal for an ozashiki, and it was kind of rumpled. He still had pancake makeup on his neck.\n\nI was only in the ozashiki for about five minutes and didn't speak to him directly. I remember thinking, \"What an unsavory person.\" I hoped he wouldn't ask for me again.\n\nA few days later I stopped by the ochaya on my way home from school. I bumped into Toshio, who was there with his wife, and he introduced me to her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She is a famous actress and I was pleased to meet her.\n\nToshio was in the habit of coming to Gion Kobu almost every night. In fact, he asked for me frequently. I refused as often as I could, but karyukai decorum demanded that I appear once in a while. I specifically asked the okasan of the ochaya to keep me away from him but there was only so much she could do. It was business, after all, and the okasan had to cater to the reasonable requests of her customers.\n\nOne time Toshio asked the accompanist if he could borrow her shamisen for a minute. She handed it to him and he started to play a ballad called Nagare (\"flowing\"). I couldn't believe it! He was incredibly talented. I got goose bumps all over.\n\n\"Where did you ever learn to play like that?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I asked him. It was the first authentic thing I ever said to him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Actually, my father is the iemoto of the Kineya School of shamisen balladry and I have been playing since I was a little boy.\"\n\n\"I'm very impressed. What other secrets are you hiding?\"\n\nThe scales fell from my eyes and I saw him in a whole new light. There was more here than met the eye.\n\nFor fun, I announced that I would only attend his ozashiki if he would play the shamisen for me when I was there. It was an impertinent request on my part, but, from then on, whenever I entered an ozashiki he was hosting there was a shamisen sitting there ready to be played. Things continued like this for three years. He asked for me continually, I went occasionally, and when I did, it was mostly to hear him play.\n\nOne night, when I was eighteen, I was carrying sake from the kitchen to an ozashiki. I was about to walk up the staircase to the second floor when I noticed him coming down it. I was embarrassed to be caught so obviously in the open, because I had refused to attend his ozashiki that evening. He bounded down the stairs and took the tray from my hands." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'don't'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Mineko, come here a minute,\" he said and pressed me into one of the maid's rooms.\n\nBefore I saw it coming he put his arms around me and kissed me full on the lips.\n\n\"Yeech, stop.\" I struggled free. \"The only person allowed to do that is Big John, my dog.\"\n\nIt was my first kiss. And I didn't find it appealing at all. I thought I was having an allergic reaction. I got goose bumps, my hair stood on end, and I broke out in a cold sweat. After moving through shock and fear, I quickly arrived at a state of burning anger.\n\n\"How dare you!\" I hissed. \"Don't you ever touch me again. Ever!\"\n\n\"Oh, Mine-chan, don't you like me even a little bit?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Like? What do you mean like? Like has nothing to do with it!\"\n\nI am ashamed to admit it now, but at eighteen I still believed that kissing could make you pregnant. I was scared to death.\n\nI ran into the office and, in vehement tones, told the okasan everything. \"I never want to see him again. No matter how many times he asks for me. He's disgusting and his manners are despicable.\"\n\nShe told me I was overreacting.\n\n\"Mine-chan, you have to grow up a little bit here. It was an innocent kiss. It's nothing to get so riled up over. He's an important customer, and I want you to give him a little slack.\"\n\nShe explained away my fears and over the next few weeks convinced me that it was safe to accept one of his repeated requests for an appearance.\n\nI entered the ozashiki with reservations, but Toshio was clearly repentant. He promised not to lay a finger on me. I resumed my routine of honoring, on average, one out of his five requests.\n\nOne evening he playfully asked, \"I know I'm not allowed to touch you, but would you put one, just one, of your fingers on my knee? In return for all my hard work on the shamisen?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I acted like I was touching something contaminated and gingerly rested the tip of my index finger on the top of his knee." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was like a game.\n\nAfter three months with the index finger he said, \"What about three fingers?\"\n\nThen, \"What about five fingers?\"\n\nAnd later, \"What about your whole palm?\"\n\nThen one night he got serious. \"Mineko, I think I'm falling in love with you.\"\n\nI was too inexperienced to know the difference between flirting and the real thing. I thought he was just joking around.\n\n\"Oh please, Toshio-san, how can that be? Aren't you married? I'm not interested in married men. Besides, if you're married you are already in love!\"\n\n\"That's not necessarily true, Mineko. Love and marriage don't always go together.\"\n\n\"Well, I wouldn't know. But you shouldn't fool around like this, even joking. Your wife would feel terrible if she heard and I'm sure you would never want to hurt her. Or your children. Your first responsibility is to make them happy.\"\n\nThe only adult male I had ever known was my father." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'grand' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All my ideas about love and responsibility came from him.\n\n\"Mineko, I didn't want this to happen. It just did.\"\n\n\"Well, there is nothing we can do about it so you better forget about the whole thing right now.\"\n\n\"And how do you propose I do that?\"\n\n\"I have no idea. It's not my problem. But I'm sure you'll do just fine. Anyway, you aren't what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a grand passion, someone who will sweep me off my feet and teach me all about love. And then I'm going to become a really great dancer.\"\n\n\"So what is he like, this grand passion of yours?\"\n\n\"I'm not sure because I haven't found him yet. But I know a few things about him. He is not married. He knows a lot about art so that I can talk to him about what I'm doing. He will never try to make me stop dancing. And he is very smart, because I have so many questions. I think he is a professional of some sort.\"\n\nI blurted out my whole laundry list of requirements. I clearly had in mind someone as sophisticated as my father or Dr. Tanigawa.\n\nToshio-san looked crestfallen.\n\n\"But what about me?\"\n\n\"What about you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Do I have a chance?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It doesn't sound like it, does it?\"\n\n\"So, you're saying you don't like me very much. Is that it?\"\n\n\"Sure I like you. But I'm talking about something else. I'm talking about the love of my life.\"\n\n\"What if I got divorced?\"\n\n\"That's no answer. I don't want to hurt anybody.\"\n\n\"But my wife and I are not in love with each other.\"\n\n\"Then why did you get married?\"\n\n\"She was in love with somebody else. I saw it as a challenge and decided to steal her away from him.\"\n\nNow I was getting annoyed.\n\n\"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.\"\n\n\"I know. You see why I want a divorce.\"\n\n\"What about your children? I could never love anyone who treated his children like that.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Toshio was twice as old as I was." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the more we talked the more I felt like I was the adult." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't think we should talk about this any more. We're just going around in circles. This discussion is over.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm sorry, Mineko, but I'm not willing to give up. I am going to keep trying.\"\n\nI decided to throw down a challenge of my own. I figured if I played completely hard to get he would tire of the game and forget about me.\n\n\"If you really love me then I want you to prove it. Remember the poet Onono Komachi? How she made Officer Fukakusa visit her for one hundred nights before she would give him her hand? Well, I want you to visit Gion Kobu every night for the next three years. Every night. Without exception. Most of the time I won't attend your ozashiki but I will always check on whether or not you came. If you complete this task we can talk again.\"\n\nI never thought in a million years that he was actually going to do it.\n\nBut he did. He came to Gion Kobu every single night for the next three years, even on major holidays like New Year's Day. And he always requested that I make an appearance at his ozashiki. This I did once or twice a week. During these years we developed a very civilized friendship. I danced. He played the shamisen. We talked mostly about art.\n\nToshio was a very talented man." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His upbringing gave him a firm grounding in the aesthetic principles that I was trying to master. It turned out he was a kind and lively teacher, and, once he started to take me seriously, a perfect gentleman. He never again went beyond the boundaries of propriety and I no longer felt any sexual threat in his presence. In fact, he became one of my favorite customers.\n\nMeanwhile, I was slowly and surely falling under his spell. Eventually I recognized that I was feeling something for him I had never felt for anyone else. I wasn't sure what it was, but I had the sneaking suspicion that it was sexual attraction. It was attraction. I felt attracted to him. This is what people were talking about.\n\nThis is where we were when he asked my friend to deliver the bouquet of cosmos to my bedside. It was his sweet way of continuing to honor his promise to visit me every day.\n\nWhen I realized the flowers were from Toshio I was filled with emotion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I didn't know if this was love. But it was definitely something. I got a tight feeling in my chest whenever I thought about him, and I thought about him all the time. It made me feel shy and awkward. I wanted to talk to him about what was going on but I had no idea what to say. I think that the little door in my heart was beginning to crack open. And I was fighting it every step of the way.\n\nAfter ten days I felt well enough to dance again. I still couldn't speak, but Mama announced that I was available to entertain and called the dresser.\n\nI made up a bunch of note cards on which I wrote short phrases such as \"How nice to see you,\" \"It's been a long time,\" \"Thank you, I'm fine,\" \"I'd love to dance,\" \"Everything is working except my voice.\" I got through ten days of ozashiki using the cards. It was fun, actually." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 13 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The cards and my pantomime added an extra element of whimsy to the ozashiki that the guests seemed to enjoy.\n\nIt took those ten days for the pain in my throat to go away. At last I was able to swallow without discomfort. My kidney came back from its vacation and began to function properly again. I was better.\n\nThe most disturbing aftereffect of the ordeal was how much weight I had lost. I was down to 86 pounds. As noted, the full maiko ensemble weighs 30 to 40 pounds, so you can imagine how difficult it was for me to move around and dance when I was in costume. But I was so happy to be up and around that I persevered, and ate as much as I could. If I couldn't carry the weight of the kimono I couldn't work.\n\nEven though I was weak, I managed to accomplish quite a bit during this period because there was so much going on. I appeared a number of times on the stage at Exposition Plaza. I was in a movie, one that was directed by Kon Ichikawa (and written by Zenzo Matsuyama, one of my very first customers). The movie played in Kyoto at the government Monopoly Theater but I was so busy that I never got to see it." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "12 sentences sentences. same character feel. nonfiction, Japan, memoir stuff." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was invited to an ozashiki at the restaurant Kyoyamato. The hosts were the Japanese ambassador to Saudi Arabia and his wife and the guests of honor were the Arabian minister of oil, Mr. Yamani, and his number four wife. Mrs. Yamani was wearing the largest diamond I had ever seen. It was huge. She told me it was 30 carats. No one in the room could keep their eyes off it. Our hostess was wearing a small diamond on her finger, and I noticed her turn the ring around so that the stone was hidden in her palm, as though she was ashamed by its size. This bothered me. In Japanese, I spoke right up.\n\n\"Madam, your hospitality today, lavish as it may be, is still characterized by the humble aesthetic ideals of the tea ceremony. Please don't hide the beauty of your diamond. There is no reason to hide its brilliance from our guests, whose greatest asset is their oil. And, for all we know, Mrs. Yamani's stone might be a hunk of crystal. In either event, it isn't as radiant as yours.\"\n\nWithout missing a beat, Mr. Yamani laughed and said, \"How clever of you to recognize crystal when you see it.\"\n\nHe spoke Japanese! I was impressed. His riposte showed not only that he grasped the deeper meaning of what I was saying (in a language that most Japanese believed was practically impossible for foreigners to understand) but that he was savvy enough to respond with quick wit and good humor. What a sharp mind!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I felt like I had crossed swords with a master." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I never did find out whether or not that diamond was real.\n\nI was now free to celebrate the next rite of passage and turn my collar from maiko to geiko. It was time to become an adult.\n\nI asked Mama Masako: \"I hear it takes a lot of money to prepare for an erikae. All the new kimono and things. What can I do to help?\"\n\n\"You? Why, nothing. The business has it covered, so just leave it up to me.\"\n\n\"But all my customers have been asking me how much I want them to give me for my erikae and I've been telling them at least $3,000. Was that wrong of me? I'm sorry.\"\n\n\"No, Mineko, it's okay. Your regular clients will expect to contribute something. That's part of the tradition and it makes them feel good. Plus, they can brag about it to their friends. So don't worry. As Auntie Oima used to say, 'You can't have too much money.' Though, I must say, you are not letting them off cheap.\"\n\nI have no idea how I came up with that figure. These things just popped out of my mouth. \"Then I guess I'll leave it alone and see what happens.\"\n\nAccording to Mama, my customers contributed a small fortune to my erikae. I never heard the details." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On October 1, I had my hairstyle changed into the sakko, which a maiko wears for the final month of her career. Then, at midnight on November 1, Mama Masako and Kuniko cut off the tie binding my topknot. My days as a maiko were over.\n\nMost girls experience this cutting with much nostalgia and emotion, but I went through it coolly. I ended my career as a maiko with as much ambivalence as I had begun it, but for different reasons. I still loved being a dancer. But I was discontented with the old-fashioned and conservative ways in which the whole geiko system was organized. I had been outspoken in my views since I was a teenager, and had gone repeatedly to the Kabukai to complain. So far no one was taking my concerns seriously. Maybe now that I was becoming an adult they would listen.\n\nI took the day off to prepare for my erikae. It was a cold day." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mama Masako and I were sitting around the brazier putting the finishing touches on my new ensemble." }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'don't' | Required occurrences: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Mama?\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"Umm, never mind.\"\n\n\"Never mind what? What were you going to say?\"\n\n\"No, forget about it. I was just thinking.\"\n\n\"About what? Don't leave me hanging. It's annoying.\"\n\nI wasn't trying to irritate her. I just couldn't get the words out.\n\n\"I'm not sure if you are the right person to talk to.\"\n\n\"But I'm your mother.\"\n\n\"I know, and I really respect you when it comes to anything about work, but this is different. I don't know if I should talk about it.\"\n\n\"Mineko, I am Fumichiyo Iwasaki. You can ask me anything.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But all of the men you get involved with look like dried up old squid. And then they break up with you and you hang on to the lamppost in front of the grocery store and cry. It's so embarrassing. And everybody in the neighborhood sees you and says, 'Poor Fumichiyo has been dumped again.'\"\n\nThis was all true. Mama Masako was forty-seven and still hadn't settled into a steady relationship. Nothing had changed. She was still constantly falling in love, and still alienating her lovers with her acerbic tongue. And she did cling to the lamppost and cry. I've got lots of witnesses.\n\n\"That's not a very nice thing to say. I guess I'm not the only one around here who has a nasty streak. But enough about me. What's going on with you?\"\n\n\"I was just wondering what it feels like when you fall in love.\"\n\nHer hands stopped working and her body came to attention.\n\n\"Why, Mineko? Have you found somebody?\"\n\n\"Maybe.\"\n\n\"Really? Who is he?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your task: Include 'about' 2 time(s) in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It hurts too much to talk about it.\"\n\n\"It will stop hurting if you talk about it.\"\n\n\"It hurts just to think of his face.\"\n\n\"This sounds serious.\"\n\n\"Do you think so?\"\n\n\"I'd like to meet him. Why don't you introduce us?\"\n\n\"No way. First of all, you are a terrible judge of men. And, secondly, you might try to steal him from me.\"\n\n\"Mineko, I'm not Yaeko. I promise you, I would never get involved with one of your boyfriends.\"\n\n\"But you always make yourself look so beautiful whenever you are going to meet some man. If I do introduce you, would you agree to meet him looking like yourself?\"\n\n\"Yes, my dear, of course. If it makes you happy, I'll go in everyday clothes.\"\n\n\"In that case, I'll see what I can do.\"\n\nWe finished making the preparations for my transition from maiko to geiko." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'black' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I had my erikae on my twenty-first birthday.\n\nThe first kimono I wore as a geiko was a formal crested one made of black silk, embellished with a pattern of tie-dyed and embroidered seashells. My obi was white silk damask with a geometric pattern figured in red, blue, and gold.\n\nWe commissioned two more kimono for me to wear during the initial period. One was made of yellow silk embellished with phoenixes embroidered in gold leaf thread. The obi was rusty vermilion brocade patterned with peonies. The other was made of muted green silk, with an embroidered pattern of pine and imperial carts worked in gold. The obi was black brocade with a chrysanthemum pattern.\n\nThe collars sewn onto my nagajuban were now white, signifying that I had left behind the childlike qualities of a maiko. I was grown-up. It was time to take responsibility for my life.\n\nAround the time of my erikae Dr. Tanigawa approached me with a very exciting proposition. Kunihito Shimonaka, the president of Heibon Publishing, wanted to devote an entire edition of his magazine The Sun to the history and traditions of Gion Kobu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dr. Tanigawa recommended to Mr. Shimonaka that I work on the project." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I readily agreed to participate, as did a number of my friends." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The project gave me an enormous sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. I began to see that there might be a life for me outside the silken confines of Gion Kobu. But I was working as hard as a geiko as I had as a maiko, maintaining a full schedule of nightly ozashiki and regular public performances on top of the other work.\n\nOne evening I was called to the Tomiyo ochaya. Mr. Motoyama, president of the fashion concern Sun Motoyama, was hosting an ozashiki for Aldo Gucci, the Italian fashion designer.\n\nI dressed with particular care that evening. The body of my kimono was black silk crepe. The hem bore an exquisite scene of cranes huddling in their nest. My obi was the dusk red of salt shallows, dyed with a pattern of maple trees.\n\nWhile I was sitting next to Mr. Gucci he accidentally spilled soy sauce on my kimono. I knew he felt terrible, so I tried to think of a quick way to make him feel better. I turned to him and, as though it were not an odd request, asked, \"Mr. Gucci, it is such an honor for me to meet you. May I be so bold as to ask for your autograph?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He agreed and reached for a pen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Could you sign my kimono? Here, on the lining of my sleeve?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mr. Gucci signed the red silk with a flourish of black ink." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Since the kimono was effectively ruined it made no difference to me if he defaced it further." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The important thing was that he felt good about our interaction." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I still have that kimono. I had always hoped to give it to him one day but, unfortunately, never had the opportunity to meet him again.\n\nA geiko's kimono is a work of art and I would never wear a kimono that wasn't absolutely perfect. All the kimono worn by maiko and geiko are one of a kind. Many of them are given names, like paintings, and are treasured as such. This is why I have such a vivid memory of everything I ever wore.\n\nWhen I was in active service I commissioned a new kimono every week and would rarely wear any kimono more than four or five times. I have no idea how many kimono I actually owned during my career, but I imagine it was over three hundred. And each one, not including the enormously expensive robes commissioned for special occasions, cost between $5,000 and $7,000.\n\nKimono were my passion and I took an active role in their design and conception. My greatest pleasure was to meet with the venerable Mr. Iida at Takashimaya, or Mr. Saito at Gofukya, or the skilled staff of Eriman and Ichizo, to talk about my ideas for new patterns and color combinations.\n\nOnce I appeared in a new outfit, it was invariably copied by other geiko, and I gave my worn kimono away freely to older and younger sisters whenever they asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We are trained from childhood to remember kimono the way one might remember any work of art." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "So we always knew when someone was wearing a kimono that had previously been owned by someone else. This was an important signifier of one's position within the hierarchy.\n\nAll of this may seem extravagant, but, in fact, is the linchpin of a much larger enterprise.\n\nThe kimono business is one of the most important industries in Kyoto. I may have been in a position to order more kimono than other geiko, but all of us needed a constant supply. Imagine how many kimono the maiko and geiko of Gion Kobu and the other four karyukai collectively order every year? The livelihoods of thousands of artisans, from the dyers of Yuzen silk to the designers of hair ornaments, depend on these orders. The customers who frequent Gion Kobu may not buy kimono themselves, but a large percentage of the money they leave behind goes to the direct support of these craftspeople. In this way, I always felt we were a vital force in keeping these traditional industries alive.\n\nI didn't think of kimono in terms of money. They were an essential component of my craft, and the finer the kimono I was wearing the better I was fulfilling the obligations of my job. Customers come to Gion Kobu to enjoy the appearance of the maiko and geiko as well as their artistic accomplishments." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And no matter how accomplished one may be, the hard work is to no avail if one doesn't have the proper clothes in which to appear in public." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 13 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In any event, I was still foggy about the whole notion of money. I rarely saw it, seldom touched it, and never paid for anything myself. I did get all those envelopes, the ones with the cash tips in them. I realize now that I was getting thousands of dollars every night, but, frankly, I wasn't paying attention. I often pulled an envelope out of my sleeve and gave it away as a tip myself, to the kanban in the kitchen or to the shoe man in the entranceway of the ochaya.\n\nBut there were always more. When I got home at night and took off my kimono, little white envelopes would come tumbling out all over the floor. I never opened these to see how much was inside, just handed over the evening's take to the staff of the okiya as my way of saying thanks, because I couldn't make the nightly transformation into \"Mineko of the Iwasaki\" without all of them.\n\nI knew that the term \"100,000\" yen ($1,000) was used often when people were discussing financial matters. I was becoming curious about these things and one day I asked Mama Masako \"What does 100,000 yen look like?\" She pulled a billfold out of her obi and showed me ten 10,000-yen notes (about the same as ten $100 bills).\n\n\"It sure doesn't look like much,\" I said. \"I guess I should be working harder.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Cooperative storytelling\nContext: Match existing character backgrounds if present\nMy role: Provide opening\nYour role: five sentences in the nonfiction, Japan, memoir genre." }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'black' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "So I wore a simple kimono of black Oshima pongee patterned with red roses and a red and white obi patterned with embroidered maple leaves done in black.\n\nWhen I arrived at the inn Toshio was playing mahjong with a group of his friends. The game soon finished and the other people left.\n\nExcept for that one stolen kiss, it was the first time I had ever been alone in a room with him.\n\nHe came right to the point." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I have come to see you every night for the last three years, just as you asked. Now I want to talk about us. Do I stand a chance? What are you thinking?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I wasn't thinking. I was feeling. I knew he had a wife and children, but right then it didn't seem to make a difference. I couldn't help myself. I answered honestly.\n\n\"I'm not sure. I mean, this has never happened to me before. But I think I'm in love with you.\"\n\n\"In that case,\" he said, \"I think we should make the proper arrangements so that we can be together.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I demurely cast my eyes downward and silently nodded yes. We got up and went directly to see the okasan of the ochaya. She listened while he explained the situation. I can't imagine that she was surprised by what he had to say.\n\n\"Toshio-san, you are one of my most valued customers,\" she responded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And the two of you truly seem to care about each other. For these reasons, I will agree to become party to this discussion. However, things must go through the proper channels. If you want to be with Mineko, you must first receive permission from her family.\"\n\nI knew the rules. I was in such a tizzy that I had forgotten them.\n\nThe \"flower and willow world\" is a society apart, complete with its own rules and regulations, its own rites and rituals. It allows for sexual relationships outside of marriage, but only if those relationships adhere to certain guidelines." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'go-between' into your response exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Most long-term relationships in Japan, such as those between man and wife and teacher and disciple, are arranged by a third party who continues to act as a go-between even after the two have been joined. Thus, Mother Sakaguchi arranged my apprenticeship to the iemoto and remained ready to intervene whenever there was a problem. The okasan of the ochaya was making a serious commitment when she agreed to be a \"party to the discussion.\" It effectively meant that she was accepting the role as our go-between. On her advice, we immediately went to the okiya to confer with Mama." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I believe that people who love each other should be together,\" she said, ever the romantic." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Toshio promised Mama Masako that he was going to divorce his wife." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mama Masako gave us her blessing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Begging illness, I cancelled all my appointments for the rest of the day and returned with Toshio to the inn. We went to his room. Neither of us said much at first. We just sat there, resting in each other's presence. Finally we began to speak, bits and pieces of conversation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Out of habit, our talk turned to aesthetics. The afternoon gradually faded into evening.\n\nA maid served us dinner in the room. I could hardly swallow a thing. The maid returned to tell us that the bath was ready." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I had already bathed twice that day, once when I got up in the morning and once before I got dressed to come see Toshio, so I declined." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I wasn't planning on spending the night and was surprised when the maid laid out two sets of futon, side by side." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I wasn't sure what to do so I kept talking. Knowing his unending interest in the arts, I brought up one topic after another: music, dance, the theater. Before I knew it midnight had come and gone.\n\nToshio said, \"Mineko, don't you want to get some sleep?\"\n\n\"Thanks,\" I said, with as much vigor as I could manage, \"but I don't sleep much. I'm still wide awake. Please, why don't you lie down and rest?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was struggling to keep my eyes open and hoping that Toshio would simply fall asleep so I wouldn't have to make any kind of decision." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He stretched out on top of one of the futon, without getting under the covers, and kept right on talking. I stayed where I was, sitting at the low table. Neither of us changed position until the sky began to brighten.\n\nI couldn't hold my head up any longer. I decided to stretch out for a little while but promised myself I wouldn't fall asleep." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I lay down gingerly on the second futon." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I thought it was rude to turn my back on Toshio so I lay facing him, curled up like a shrimp." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He asked me to come closer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm terribly sorry,\" I answered, \"but I don't think I can do that.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "So he made the first move." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He edged closer. Then he put his arms around me and pulled me to him in a snug embrace. I lay there stiff as a board, though inside I was trembling and trying not to cry. We barely moved from that position until the sun was up.\n\n\"I have to get to class,\" I said, and got up to leave, thus ending our first night together.\n\nNow that I was a full-fledged geiko, I began to take some time off, a week in February after the Setsubun holiday and another one in the summer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That year I planned on taking a short vacation when the Gion Matsuri was over. Toshio had to go to Brazil on business. We decided to take advantage of this unexpected opportunity and rendezvous in New York City when he was finished.\n\nToshio flew into Kennedy on his way home to Japan, and I took a Pan Am flight to meet him at the airport. He had to wait for me for six hours." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Toshio wasn't used to waiting for anything, though he was definitely in the habit of making other people wait for him. I half-expected him not to be there when I arrived. But he was. I was overjoyed to see him standing there when I walked off the plane.\n\nWe went to the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. We ran into Elizabeth Taylor in the lobby while we were checking in and chatted for a few moments." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But we couldn't wait to get up to the room, and rushed off as soon as it was polite to do so.\n\nI couldn't wait to be alone with him. The bellboy shut the door and I turned towards Toshio. He promptly burst out crying. I had never seen a grown man weep like that before." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oh, my darling, what ever happened? What's wrong?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I've tried everything I can think of, but my wife absolutely refuses to give me a divorce. I don't know what else to do. It doesn't seem to matter what I do. Or what I say.\"\n\nToshio sounded on the edge of despair. He talked to me for hours. About his wife. About his children. About his anguish over the whole situation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was too concerned about him to think about myself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I couldn't stand seeing his pain, and, at last, I reached out to him. For the first time. I put my arms around him and felt him sink fully into my embrace. This intense closeness, I thought, this is love. This is it.\n\nI put two final conditions on our relationship." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I will stay with you as long as it takes to convince her. But you have to promise me two things. You will never keep secrets from me and you will never tell me a lie. If you do, it's over. No questions asked. You'll go your way and I'll go mine.\"\n\nHe promised, and I was his.\n\nI was amazed at the power of the animal lust that we unleashed in each other. I opened myself to him hungrily, feeling no shyness or shame. The specter of my nephew's assault was laid to rest on that bed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When I looked down and saw the blood on the sheets my heart leapt with joy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I had given Toshio my most precious possession, and had done so in love. In one way it was the first time for both of us. He told me that he had never deflowered a virgin before. I was filled with indescribable happiness.\n\nThat night some of Toshio's fans were throwing a reception for him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was ready to leave before I was and I told him to go ahead while I took my bath." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'wouldn't' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I still had to put on my makeup and kimono, and said I would follow in half an hour.\n\nAfter my little bath, I got out of the tub and went to open the bathroom door. The knob wouldn't turn. It was broken. I pulled and pushed but it wouldn't budge. I started banging on the door." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Toshio had already left and there was no one else to hear me. I looked around and, lo and behold, there was a telephone next to the mirror. I picked it up. There was no dial tone. I clicked the hook a few times. Still nothing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I couldn't believe that both the doorknob and the phone were broken, and in the Waldorf-Astoria no less." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I sat inside that bathroom for three hours. I was cold and miserable. Finally I heard a noise inside the room. Toshio knocked on the door.\n\n\"Mineko, what are you doing in there?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "At least one of us was calm!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He responded quickly to the hysteria in my voice and found someone to open the door. I was thrilled to seem him. But I was too exhausted by the events of the day to go out. Poor Toshio! He had been so distracted at the party that he completely lost track of time. He felt terrible. It was very cute." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was actually a very considerate man. Apart from this little incident, we spent a glorious four days together in New York City.\n\nI had found what I was looking for. I was madly in love, and the intensity of our passion made a profound difference in my life. More than anything else, it affected my dancing, which attained the expressiveness I had been seeking for so long." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Emotion seemed to flow from my heart into every movement, every gesture, making them deeper and more powerful." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Toshio took a conscious, active role in this process." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was a serious critic. Our passion was rooted in our devotion to artistic excellence and that remained its source until the very end. We didn't have the sort of relationship in which we sat around cuddling and whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears.\n\nAs an actor, Toshio had been exploring the boundaries of self-expression for more years than I had been a dancer. In this he was very much my senior." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even though our disciplines were different, he was able and willing to offer me specific, pointed advice.\n\nThe Inoue style is noted for its ability to express great emotion in spare, delicate gestures. This is the most challenging thing about the form, and Toshio understood how one met that challenge. Whereas Big Mistress was mentoring me from within the paradigm, Toshio was able to guide me from outside of it.\n\nSometimes, passing a mirror, I would unconsciously do some little movement." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Toshio would catch me and say, \"Why don't you do it this way?\" His suggestions were often well considered. I'd stop whatever I was doing and, incorporating his idea, rehearse the movement then and there, over and over again.\n\nWe were living like a couple but had to keep our affair secret from all but our closest associates. He was still a married man." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We never betrayed any intimacy when we were out together in public." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was difficult, so we took trips abroad whenever possible. We never had our photo taken together, even when we were being tourists in some exotic resort. (Except for the rare one in the photo insert.)\n\nHe made himself right at home. I soon discovered a side of Toshio's character that I never would have expected." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was uncommonly, meticulously neat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Given my housekeeping skills, this was fortunate for both of us." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'okiya' must appear 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he had some time off and was home alone he would actually clean the apartment, from top to bottom. He wiped down all the surfaces, including the kitchen and the bathroom, with a damp cloth and then a dry one, just like my mother taught me to do, though my housekeeping efforts were usually limited to running the vacuum cleaner around the living room floor and swishing at the coffee table with a dishrag.\n\nIn my defense, I was very busy. My schedule was as full as it had been when I was living at the okiya, but now I had to take care of my living space as well. I went to the okiya every afternoon to get ready for work, but no longer had a contingent of maids picking up after me at home." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Most of the time I managed to keep it together. But then Toshio would do something that tested my competence, like the time he was shooting a movie at a studio in Kyoto. He started coming home late at night with ten or so of his cronies in tow. I would get in from a full day of work and Toshio would say, \"What have we got for these folks to eat?\"\n\nI'd throw whatever ingredients we had in the house into a big pot and cook them up together." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My first attempts weren't so great but they got better over time." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Toshio made sure that everyone's glass was filled. No one ever went home hungry or thirsty. I came to love our impromptu parties.\n\nToshio was endearingly warm and gregarious. He was great around the house, and spoke lovingly of his children. I couldn't understand why things hadn't gone better for him at home." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Writer's block help needed. This is from a bigger story - gonna send you something then keep it going one sentence at a time. Going for Mineko Iwasaki vibes in the nonfiction, Japan, memoir genre." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For five years I believed that Toshio was going to divorce his wife and marry me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "During this period he lied to me twice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Both lies involved his family." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The first time he told me he had to go out of town on business when he was actually spending the night in Kyoto with his wife, who had come down from Tokyo to see him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The second was when we were returning to Tokyo from San Francisco." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He said we had to exit the plane separately because he had heard a report that there were reporters at the gate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Always looking to avoid scandal, I dutifully complied." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There weren't any reporters." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When I exited customs I saw in the distance that his wife and children had come to the airport to welcome him home." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I know I said in the beginning of our relationship that lying was unacceptable but life is not so simple." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Once we became involved, I saw that I needed to give Toshio time to figure it all out, to take that final step." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But after five years I realized that he wasn't taking it and I had to face facts." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We weren't any closer to being a real couple now than we were that night at the Waldorf." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I decided to end the relationship and began looking for the right opportunity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was kind enough to hand it to me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In March, Toshio lied to me for the third and final time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I used to travel frequently to Tokyo on business." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When I was by myself I stayed on the ladies floor of the New Otani Hotel but when I was with Toshio we always stayed in the same suite on the fifth floor of the Tokyo Prince hotel." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I still remember the number of our room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We had plans to meet in Tokyo one evening so I checked into our suite when I got to town." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was arranging my cosmetics and toiletries on the vanity in the bathroom when the phone rang. It was Toshio." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm in the middle of a production meeting. It looks like its going to go on for hours. Would you mind making other plans for dinner? I'll catch you later.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I called a good friend who lived nearby." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was free for dinner." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We ate and then decided to go out and have some fun." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We hit all the in-spots and discos in Roppongi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It had been a while since I'd cut loose and I had a great time." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I got back to the hotel around three o'clock in the morning." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One of Toshio's attendants was sitting in the lobby when I walked in and he rushed forward to greet me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Are you waiting for me?\" I asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, Miss, I...\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is Toshio all right?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "'Yes, yes, he's fine. But he's still in a meeting. He gave me the key and asked me to escort you safely to your room.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "This didn't make a whole lot of sense to me but I was too tired to care." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We got in the elevator and he pushed the button for the eighth floor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm sorry, but that's the wrong floor. I'm staying on five.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, I don't believe so. I was told you are staying on eight.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This is very odd, I thought as Toshio's assistant unlocked the door to a room I had never seen before." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It wasn't a suite." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I turned to say something to the assistant but he was hurriedly bowing his way out of the room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He said goodnight and shut the door behind him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I looked around. There were my bags, exactly where I had left them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And there were my toiletries, lined up in the same order on the vanity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I felt like I had fallen into the grip of a genie." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Too tired to worry about what was going on, I took a bath and went to bed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Toshio called at 4 A.M. \"The meeting should be over in a while, but I'm still here.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "In other words, I wouldn't be seeing him any time soon." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why the room change?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh that, well, you know, about that, I'll tell you later. There are people here now...\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He made it sound like he couldn't talk in front of other people." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But it didn't ring true." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It sounded like he was hiding something." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The next morning I decided to find out what was going on." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I told the man at the front desk, who knew me, that I had forgotten my key." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had a bellboy accompany me to the suite and open the door." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No one was in the room but clearly someone had been." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The bed was disheveled." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There were used towels on the floor of the bathroom." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I opened the closet." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was a fur coat hanging in it and a woman's bag on the floor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Needless to say, they weren't mine." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Since this was supposed to be my room, I had no compunction about opening the bag." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I looked inside, and there among the clothes was a stack of head shots of Toshio's wife." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The pictures were the kind one autographs for fans." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Obviously, sometime after I went out last night, Toshio had my things moved so his wife could move in." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I exploded. How could he!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't care if she was his wife." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was our room!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "And I had been there first." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I heard later that Toshio and his wife had to make a last-minute appearance on a TV show together." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But still, when he found out that she was coming he should have booked another room, not have my things moved from one room to another." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I shuddered with the realization of what this meant." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Here was the truth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His wife came first." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was more important to him than I was." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why else had he gone to such lengths?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If he had simply told me that his wife was coming, I would have checked out and gone to the New Otani hotel." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I wouldn't have checked into a room on the eighth floor of the Prince, where I stood a good chance of running into her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was all too much." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I called housekeeping and asked for a large pair of shears." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I tore the fur coat off its hanger." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I took the scissors and shredded it into little bits and pieces." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then I turned her bag upside down and dumped it on the bed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I scattered her photographs all over the pile and plunged the scissors into the center of the heap." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Alright, Toshio. You've made your choice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now live with it. Sayonara." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I went up to the room on the eighth floor, packed my bags, and sauntered out the lobby door." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I vowed never to return to that suite, or to that hotel, again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Toshio showed no reaction to what I had done." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He continued to treat me as if nothing had happened, never mentioning the incident." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I expected him to confront me about my wanton spree." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In my fantasies, I made restitution for the coat and declared my independence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His refusal to bring it up meant we were locked in a weird holding pattern." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I began steeling myself to end it outright." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In May, Toshio invited me on a family trip to the Yugawara hot springs resort." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We went with his parents, his brother (also a famous actor), and his brother's girlfriend, an actress." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was not considered strange that I was traveling with this artistically accomplished group." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His parents valued the cachet that I brought, as a geiko, to the party and were happy to include me in their circle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They approved of my relationship with their son and we were quite fond of each other." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The resort had readied a seasonal \"iris bath,\" a traditional spring tonic to revitalize body and mind." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Seeking solitude, I went into the bath alone and thought about what to do." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What to say. How to get out of the situation gracefully." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I finally reached a decision." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I would say nothing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I would break it off simply by no longer being available." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Toshio loved to drive." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had a gold Lincoln Continental and a hunter green Jaguar and he drove very fast." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The next morning he drove me back to Tokyo and dropped me off at the inn where I was scheduled to stay." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As soon as he was out of sight, I hailed a taxi and went instead to the New Otani." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Toshio suspected something was off." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He circled the block and came back to find me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But I was gone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I checked into the hotel and threw myself down on the bed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I lay there alone for hours, crying my eyes out." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was still trying to rationalize the relationship: Why can't I let things just stay as they are?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "What difference does it make if he's married?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the fact is it did matter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I refused to be second best any longer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When I had no more tears to shed I called a close friend." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was so well-known at that time that I could walk into sumo matches for free." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As they say, \"my face was my ticket.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I invited my friend to join me that evening." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She wasn't busy and agreed to go." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We were seated in the \"sand spray\" seats in the first row, so called because they catch the sand the wrestlers fling off the stage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We had just gotten settled when who should come prancing in but the man himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I got flustered and made a quick exit." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I couldn't bear to be around him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I returned home to Kyoto and, observing proper protocol, paid a call on the okasan of the ochaya who was acting as our go-between to inform her of our separation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Toshio refused to let the matter drop." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He tried to see me but I declined." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even his mother got into the act." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She came to the okiya a number of times to speak to Mama Masako and me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She beseeched me to reconsider." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He is brokenhearted about this, Mineko. Won't you please change your mind?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The more she pleaded, the surer I was that I had done the right thing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At last they gave up and it was over." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And so this is how it ended." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This is how I killed the love of my life." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In my heart \"Toshio\" was dead." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He became, simply, Shintaro Katsu, the actor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now that I was on my own I began to think about achieving real independence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was thoroughly fed up with the system." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I had followed the rules for all these years, but there was no way I could stay in the system and do what I wanted to do." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The whole reason why the organization of Gion Kobu had been systematized in the first place was to ensure the dignity and financial independence of the women who worked there." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yet the strictures of the Inoue School kept us subservient to its authority." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was no room for any sort of autonomy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not only are we not allowed to teach, we can't even perform what and where we like." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We have to get permission for everything, from our choice of repertoire to which accessories and props we are allowed to use." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This arcane system has been in place, unchanged, for over a hundred years." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It contains no procedure for modification, no avenue for improvement or reform." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Complaining or resisting is taboo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As noted, I had been trying to initiate changes in the system since I was fifteen. To no avail." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Another major problem is that we performers are paid almost nothing for our public performances, even for the Miyako Odori, for all its popularity and capacity crowds." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A select few (the teachers) are reported to make fortunes from the operation but those of us who actually appear on stage receive very little." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This is after we have rehearsed for a solid month and worked selling tickets." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "(Selling tickets is part of our job." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I often asked my best customers to buy blocks of them as giveaways to employees and clients." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I used to sell 2,500 a season.)" }, { "from": "human", "value": "So we support the dance but it does not support us." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And we are not mountaintop sages who can live by consuming mist." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was now twenty-six and facing responsibility for the continuation of the okiya." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I began to understand the pressure that Auntie Oima had been under when she found me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't want to do it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because of my status, I was besieged with younger maiko asking me to become their official Onesan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I gave them all the same answer:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The Nyokoba may be recognized by the Ministry of Education as a specialized school, but it will not give you a high school diploma. No matter how hard you apply yourself, you will end up where you started: with a junior high school education. You won't have the academic credentials or qualifications to function in the outside world. Even if you do very well and receive a master certificate from the Inoue School you will not be able to support yourself. I've tried to change things for years but no one has listened. So, I'm sorry, but as long as things remain as they are I don't feel comfortable taking on any younger sisters. However, if you'd like, I'd be happy to introduce you to another geiko who might be willing to act as your sponsor.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Without younger sisters there was no way for the business of the okiya to grow." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The geiko with us were aging." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Revenues were down. I didn't want to ask any of my customers for additional patronage, though many offered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I had no desire to incur that level of debt or obligation because of the conflict it posed to the ideal of the independent businesswoman that had been instilled in me by all of my mentors." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My options were limited." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I had to find another way to make money." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Around that time a friend of mine, who was working full-time as a geiko, opened her own nightclub on the side." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was little precedence for this sort of dual role in the Gion, and her innovative behavior was severely frowned upon, but I thought it was brilliant." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I decided to try the same thing myself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I would renovate the okiya and turn part of it into a nightclub!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Once the club was established I could use the income to support my family and I would be free to do what I wanted." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mama Masako could help out in the club when I needed her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But I was in for a big surprise." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It turns out that we didn't own the okiya!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Unbeknownst to me, we had been renting it for all these years." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And we couldn't renovate something we didn't own." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I tried to talk to Mama Masako into buying the house, but my reasoning fell on deaf ears." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her solution to our problems was to hoard money, not to spend it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She had no concept of investing in the future." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She thought renting was fine." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't. So I went behind her back." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I called the bank and, based on my earnings, was able to secure a mortgage and buy the property with my own money." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But then I ran into another roadblock." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The house was over a hundred years old so legally ineligible for renovation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ordinance dictated that we would have to demolish it and start over." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was ready to go ahead but Mama Masako was completely opposed to the idea." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was determined not to give in." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My load was too heavy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was appearing in eleven different performance programs every year." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I loved the dancing but it didn't pay enough to support the okiya." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The only way I could augment the family income was to increase the number of ozashiki I worked but I was already overwhelmed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And had been for years." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I still wanted to construct a new building on the site of the okiya but realized that it was going to take some time to convince Mama Masako to go along with my plans." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But, as always, I couldn't wait. So I went out, located a space to rent, and found backers willing to invest in a club." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Expand the story by adding 11 sentences. Context: May include pre-existing characters and lore." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I woke up on the morning of July 25 feeling free as a bird." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I stretched out luxuriously in my bed and picked up a book." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't have to go to class." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The other women in the house were all taken care of." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I just had to worry about my \"real\" dependents, Kuniko and Mama.\n\nKuniko's dream was to open a restaurant. I promised to carry her for three years and she was busy planning the new enterprise. If the business were a success she could continue; if it were a failure we would close it down. She decided to name the restaurant Ofukuro no Aji, or Mother's Home Cooking.\n\nThe only person who wasn't getting ready to go out on her own was Mama Masako. I had patiently explained my plans to her over and over again, but she just didn't get it. She was used to being dependent on other people and had no desire to make a life for herself. She basically liked things the way they were. What was I to do? I couldn't kick her out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When I stood with her in court and proclaimed \"I want to be adopted by the Iwasaki family\" I took on a serious responsibility." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was honor bound to take care of her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mama Masako and I had slightly different opinions about what it meant to be the atotori. I understood my commitment to Auntie Oima to mean that I was obliged to carry on the name Iwasaki and maintain its artistic integrity. I didn't equate this with a promise to manage the okiya indefinitely. Mama Masako wanted the okiya to continue.\n\n\"Mine-chan, you aren't getting any younger. Have you begun to think about who is going to be your atotori?\"\n\nIt was time to level with her. I spoke in no uncertain terms:\n\n\"Mama, please understand. I do not want to manage the okiya. I am tired of this business and want to quit. If it were just up to me I would close down the okiya tomorrow. However, there is another option. If you want to keep it going, I'll give up my position and you can find someone else to be the atotori. I'll give you whatever is in my savings account. You and your next heir can run the okiya and I'll go back to being a Tanaka.\"\n\n\"What are you talking about? You are my daughter. How could I ever replace you? If you want to close the okiya, then we will close the okiya.\"\n\nIt wasn't exactly what I was hoping she would say. I was half hoping she would accept my offer and I would be released from my responsibility to her and for the disposition of the okiya." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But life is never that easy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Okay, Mama. I understand. Then let's make a deal. You are welcome to stay with me, but on one condition. I want you to promise that you won't interfere with my plans. Even if you think I'm making a mistake I need you to let me do things my own way. If you promise, then I will take care of you for the rest of your life.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She agreed, and finally gave me permission to raze the okiya and build my dream for the future. I didn't feel any guilt over my decision to close the okiya. I had given the Gion Kobu everything I had and it was no longer giving me what I needed. I had no regrets.\n\nI bought a large apartment and we lived there while the new building was under construction. I wrapped up all the precious costumes and objects that the okiya owned and stored them safely in my new home. The building was completed. Due to Mama Masako's suggestions (read interference), I had to change my plans and the building ended up having three stories instead of five. But it was certainly better than nothing.\n\nI opened a new Club Hollyhock on the ground floor. Kuniko opened up Mother's Home Cooking." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We moved into an apartment on the second floor. I still hoped to open a beauty treatment clinic on the third, but in the meantime we used the space as guest quarters and for storage.\n\nI was enjoying the relative ease of my new life. On a dare from some of my customers I took up the game of golf. I took private lessons for a few weeks and was soon scoring in the 80s and 90s. No one could believe it, but I think, like with basketball, golf came easy to me because dancing had heightened my sense of balance and given me an unusual degree of fine motor control.\n\nI began to seriously research the business of beauty and to make plans for a beauty treatment clinic. I tested numerous products and met with a variety of experts in the field. One of my customers offered to introduce me to a master hairdresser in Tokyo who might be of help. My customer's wife set up the meeting and agreed to make the introduction. I called Mrs. S. when I arrived in town to finalize the plans." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She asked me to come by for a chat if I wasn't busy, and, having time to kill, I decided to take advantage of her hospitality." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. S. welcomed me warmly and ushered me into the living room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There on the wall was the most amazing painting I had ever seen. It was an exquisite image of a nine-tailed fox.\n\n\"Who painted that picture?\" I asked, humming with the intuition that something important was going on.\n\n\"Isn't it a wonderful painting? We are keeping it here for the artist. His name is Jinichiro Sato. I'm studying with him. His career is just getting started, but I think he's very talented.\"\n\nI was rocked by a sudden realization. I'm destined to introduce this artist to the world. I knew without a doubt that this was what I was meant to do. It was as if someone had given me a mission.\n\nI asked my Mrs. S. all kinds of questions about the painter and soon it was time for me to meet Toshio for dinner. Over the past few years we had salvaged a friendship from the debris of our relationship." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. S. and I weren't meeting the hairdresser until later that evening." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll see you at the Pub Cardinal in Roppongi at ten-thirty,\" I said as I thanked her for her hospitality and left.\n\nToshio and I had a nice dinner and then he brought me back to his office. He wanted my opinion on something he was working on. We watched a video of the footage and discussed it. Then he insisted on driving me over to Roppongi himself. I was a few minutes late. I saw someone who I thought might be Mrs. S. (like Kuniko, I am nearsighted), but the woman was sitting with two people, not one, so I thought I was mistaken. Then they all started waving me over so I smiled my way across the room to them. One of the men was very young and handsome.\n\nMrs. S. introduced me to the hairdresser. He wasn't the one." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And then she turned to the other man. \"And this is Jinichiro Sato, the artist whose painting you admired earlier.\"\n\n\"But you're so young!\" I blurted.\n\n\"I most certainly am not!\" he countered forcefully. (He was twenty-nine.)\n\n\"I love that painting,\" I said without hesitation. \"Is there any way I could buy it from you?\"\n\n\"Oh, you can have it,\" he said. \"Take it. It's yours.\"\n\nI was dumbfounded.\n\n\"No, no, I couldn't do that,\" I said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's much too valuable. Besides, if I don't pay for it I won't feel like its mine.\"\n\nBut he wouldn't hear of it. \"If you like the painting that much I would really like you to have it.\" He sounded completely sincere.\n\nMrs. S. agreed with him.\n\n\"Be gracious, my dear, and take advantage of his kind offer.\"\n\n\"Well, in that case, I accept the painting gratefully and will return the favor to you somehow in the future.\"\n\nI had no idea how prophetic those words would turn out to be. Meanwhile, I spent so little time talking to the hairdresser that we had to reschedule our appointment for the following evening.\n\nI met Jin a few more times in the next few weeks. He seemed to show up whenever I was meeting Mrs. S. Then I was invited to a house party at their home in early November and he was there." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He spent a lot of time staring at me but I didn't think anything of it. He was very sharp. Very funny.\n\nOn November 6 I got a call from Mrs. S. \"Mineko-san, I have something important to talk to you about. Mr. Sato has asked me to speak on his behalf. He wants to marry you.\"\n\nI thought she was joking, and made some sarcastic reply. But she insisted that he was serious. \"In that case,\" I told her, \"please tell him no. I won't even consider it.\"\n\nShe started calling me every morning at exactly ten o'clock to repeat his proposal. It was getting annoying. And apparently, she was doing the same thing to him! She was a clever woman. Jin finally called and yelled at me to leave him alone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I yelled back at him that this was none of my doing, and we ended up figuring out what Mrs. S. was up to." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'again' 3 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We were both embarrassed. Jin asked if he could come see me to apologize.\n\nInstead of apologizing, he proposed. I refused. He wouldn't take no for an answer. He came back a few days later. He brought Mrs. S. with him. He proposed again. I refused. I must admit I was becoming intrigued by his cocky confidence. My refusals didn't seem to phase him. He came again. He proposed again.\n\nIn spite of myself, I started to think about it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I hardly knew the man, yet he had the qualities I was looking for. I was searching for some way to keep the polished aesthetic luster of the Iwasaki name going. Bringing a great artist into the family was one way to accomplish that. And Jin was an extraordinary painter. Of that I had no doubt. I believed then, as I do today, that Jin will someday be designated a National Living Treasure. And it wasn't just that he was talented. He had earned a masters degree in art history from the best art school in Japan, Tokyo's Geidai, and had a profound knowledge of the field.\n\nI wasn't getting any younger. I wanted to have children. I wanted to see what it was like to be married." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And Jin was so likable." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There wasn't anything objectionable about him.\n\nI decided, once again, to make an entirely fresh start.\n\nThe fourth time he proposed I accepted, on one condition. I made him promise that he would divorce me in three months if I wasn't happy.\n\nWe got married on December 2, twenty-three days after we met." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Today you will be acting as a writing assistant for a segment of a larger mystery, historical fiction, Japan, historical mystery, 1500s story. Your partner will send something and you will write the next two sentences. Characters may already be established." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A trio of samurai stood on the riverbank south of the bridge at Shijō Road." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The larger two wore wide-shouldered tunics with pleated hakama." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Plenty of samurai wore pleated trousers, but these men also carried hooked metal nightsticks, which identified them as dōshin—low-ranked members of the Kyoto police.\n\nThe third samurai wore a tunic sewn from alternating stripes of brilliant green and orange silk." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A pair of swords hung from his patterned obi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The gaudy clothing and lack of a nightstick marked him as a yoriki, or assistant magistrate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All three samurai had their backs to the path. They stared at a rumpled lump on the ground, about the size and shape of a human body." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The yoriki turned as Hiro and the others approached. His expression changed from surprise to recognition, and then annoyance. \"Not you again.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro had much the same reaction, though he kept his face a neutral mask." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In an unfortunate stroke of luck, the girl had died within the jurisdiction of the yoriki who handled the brewery killing the month before. He hadn't approved of Hiro and Father Mateo's involvement then, and he clearly wasn't pleased to see them now." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo bowed to the yoriki. Hiro followed suit.\n\nJiro bent forward and held his bow, awaiting permission to rise." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good morning,\" Father Mateo said. \"We understand a girl was murdered here.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You understand incorrectly,\" the yoriki said. \"There was no murder.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What?\" Jiro spoke—and straightened—in surprise. A moment later he fell to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"A thousand apologies for my rudeness.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The yoriki ignored him.\n\nFather Mateo leaned sideways in an attempt to see around the samurai." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That certainly looks like a corpse to me.\"\n\nThe yoriki stepped aside and motioned for the dōshin to clear the way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A girl of no more than sixteen years lay on her back with her arms at her sides." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Faint green grass stains streaked her gold kimono." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A pale blue obi trailed at her side, and bits of hair strayed loose from her long black braid.\n\nAngry rope burns crossed her neck, with darker bruising spreading out around them." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'around' (2x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Moon-shaped cuts and vertical scratches around the bruises revealed the girl had struggled with her killer.\n\nHiro noticed a leather thong around the victim's neck." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It disappeared into her robe, suggesting a pendant tucked within her clothes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Based on the size and shape of the burns and bruises, the thong appeared to be the murder weapon.\n\nAbove the victim's mangled neck, a set of delicate features balanced in her oval face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The girl had a loveliness, and an innocence, even death could not erase.\n\nThen Hiro saw her eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hemorrhages bloomed within the whites, the color startlingly vibrant even hours after death." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo gasped and backed away. He made the sign of the cross and clasped his hands together as if in prayer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro watched the Jesuit with surprise." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo had never reacted dramatically to a murder victim, even though most of the bodies they had seen looked worse than this one.\n\nHe wondered if the Jesuit had seen this girl before." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Do you know her?\" the yoriki demanded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo shook his head. \"No, I... simply wasn't prepared to see a girl so young. How can you say this wasn't murder? Clearly, she did not die of natural causes.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The girl is an actor's child,\" the yoriki said, as though this answered the Jesuit's question." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jiro's head rose up in surprise, but he pressed it to the ground again at once.\n\n\"An actor's daughter?\" Father Mateo looked confused." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Actors stand outside the social order,\" Hiro said in Portuguese." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What does her status have to do with the nature of her death?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo spoke in Japanese and to the yoriki.\n\n\"Actors' daughters do not matter to the law.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The yoriki spoke slowly, as if addressing an unusually stupid child." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo's look of confusion changed to one of anger.\n\nBefore the priest could argue, Hiro said, \"Then you consider the matter closed.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The yoriki nodded. \"My office has more important business than finding out who dumped this pile of filth on the riverbank.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And yet, you spared three men to come and stare,\" Father Mateo said. \"How do you know the girl is an actor's daughter? She didn't tell you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The yoriki gestured toward the bridge that crossed the river at Shijō Road." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"After she didn't come home last night, her parents sent her siblings out to find her. The sister arrived just after we did. We are only here to ensure the family removes the corpse before it stinks.\"\n\n\"How thoughtful.\" Father Mateo's frozen tone revealed unusual self-restraint." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro glanced at Jiro, wondering whether the boy had lied to them about the girl's profession. Entertainers lived at a teahouse, never in their parents' homes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The youth's reaction indicated surprise, but ignorance was easily faked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He also wondered what Father Mateo intended to do when the family arrived—assuming the yoriki let them stay, which, under the circumstances, seemed unlikely.\n\nFather Mateo hadn't finished." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Your words imply you don't intend to investigate this murder.\"\n\n\"Her life meant nothing,\" the yoriki said. \"No investigation is required.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Cooperative storytelling\nContext: May include established characters/lore without introduction\nMy role: Provide a brief opening\nYour role: Expand upon my opening with 10 sentences, emulating the writing style of Susan Spann." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She wouldn't—\" Satsu began, but stopped as Chou began to speak.\n\n\"Sometimes Emi had trouble sleeping. She walked by the river to clear her head.\" Chou turned to her father and bowed her face to the tatami. \"I am so sorry. I should have told you.\"\n\nRapid footsteps thumped in the outer room.\n\nHiro drew his sword and leaped to the doorway. He pressed the katana's blade to the neck of the man who appeared in the entrance.\n\nThe newcomer froze, terrified by the unexpected steel against his skin. His eyes went wide, but he did not move or speak.\n\n\"Who are you?\" Hiro demanded." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The man had a delicate build, effeminate features, and a mane of shimmering hair that nearly reached his waist." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'shite' (2x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His narrow chin could not yet grow a beard.\n\nHe straightened. \"I am Yuji, shite of the Yutoku-za.\" His red-rimmed eyes had the look of recent tears.\n\nHiro did not like the arrogant tone in the young man's voice. \"You lie. The shite of this troupe is named Botan.\"\n\n\"I am his eldest apprentice, betrothed to his granddaughter,\" Yuji said.\n\nSatsu bowed. \"It is the truth.\"\n\nFather Mateo extended his hands to Yuji. \"I am so sorry for your loss.\"\n\nHiro narrowed his eyes but sheathed his sword." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My loss?\" Yuji looked confused and frightened in equal measure." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You haven't heard? Oh...\" Father Mateo ran a hand through his hair. \"I am so sorry.\"\n\nUnderstanding transformed Yuji's face. \"I am betrothed to Botan's eldest granddaughter—Chou.\" After a pause, he added, \"Not that Emi's death does not upset me.\"\n\n\"Why were you running?\" Hiro asked.\n\nYuji's eyes filled with tears as he saw the corpse. \"I learned of the tragedy only now, after I finished my lesson with Master Botan. I had to see...\" He raised a hand to his mouth and shook his head.\n\n\"I told Haru—my son—to wait outside the practice room and deliver the message after the lesson finished,\" Satsu said.\n\nFather Mateo looked horrified at the thought of delaying such important news." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro accepted that actors didn't behave like normal people." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 8 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How old is your son?\"\n\n\"Haru?\" Satsu asked. \"He is eight, sir.\"\n\nThe answer eliminated the boy as a suspect. A child that age could not subdue and strangle a woman of Emi's size.\n\n\"Very well. We have what we came for.\" Hiro glared at Yuji. \"Clear the way!\"\n\nThe young man scuttled sideways, like a crab, and Hiro left the house with Father Mateo following in his wake." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Let's engage in a collaborative writing exercise. I'll provide a starting point (which may include pre-existing characters and lore), and You'll continue with 11 sentences in the style of Susan Spann." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Weave this into your narrative: \"I just noticed the dagger missing, so we returned. It's a family heirloom.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they reached the bridge at Shijō Road, Hiro started across the river.\n\n\"Where are we going?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\nHiro didn't answer. The samurai guarding the bridge had already started in their direction.\n\n\"Good morning,\" the samurai said.\n\nHiro bowed. \"Good morning. I believe I dropped my dagger on the other side of the river.\"\n\n\"You were the ones who spoke with the yoriki earlier,\" the samurai said.\n\nHiro nodded. \"I just noticed the dagger missing, so we returned. It's a family heirloom.\"\n\nThe samurai looked over his shoulder. \"The priests haven't come to cleanse the ground. You might still find your dagger there, assuming a beggar hasn't found it first.\" He stepped away. \"I hope you find it.\"\n\n\"Thank you.\" Hiro continued across the bridge with Father Mateo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When they reached the western bank of the river, Hiro walked off the path and past the place where they had first seen Emi's body." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What are you doing?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\nHiro frowned at the grass. \"Trying to see where the murder happened, and failing.\" He shook his head. \"It's useless. There's broken grass near where she lay, but the trail fades away too quickly. I cannot tell how far the killer dragged her.\"\n\nFather Mateo looked at the river. \"Why would the killer risk moving her back to Jiro?\"\n\n\"Your question assumes Jiro isn't the killer,\" Hiro replied without looking up.\n\n\"Why do you doubt his story?\" Father Mateo asked. \"I think Satsu lied to us. He may be your uncle, but I don't trust him.\"\n\n\"I already told you, I don't trust him either,\" Hiro said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why help him, then?\" the Jesuit asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Three reasons.\" Hiro held up a matching number of fingers. \"First, because the code of the ryu requires it. Second, because he is my uncle, which also makes his daughter my cousin. And, finally, because someone may have identified Satsu as a shinobi from the Iga ryu. If one of us is compromised, the rest could be in danger.\"\n\n\"That's an assumption,\" Father Mateo said.\n\n\"Perhaps you cannot understand, but I have an obligation,\" Hiro said. \"Why do you object to helping Satsu?\"\n\n\"Because I think he killed the girl himself.\" Father Mateo crossed his arms. \"I think he learned about Jiro, and he couldn't allow his daughter to love a merchant.\"\n\n\"If that's the case, he wouldn't ask for help.\" Hiro palmed his dagger and pretended to pick it up from the ground, in case the guard was watching. \"What's truly the problem? You've never reacted this way to a murder before.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Father Mateo shook his head and ran a hand through his hair again." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Normally, Hiro disapproved of the Jesuit's nervous gesture, which samurai would consider a sign of weakness. Now, however, it revealed that something about the crime was unusually troubling to the priest. Hiro didn't press the issue. He could bring it up again when time had given the Jesuit some distance.\n\n\"I can hunt for Emi's killer alone,\" Hiro said, \"if you would rather not participate.\"\n\nFather Mateo turned away from the river, but didn't answer." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: 12 sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: mystery, historical fiction, Japan, historical mystery, 1500s" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "I'll be your writing partner today. I will set the scene and character context, and you will continue with 7 sentences, keeping within the mystery, historical fiction, Japan, historical mystery, 1500s genre." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Luis looked up from his seat near the hearth as Hiro and Father Mateo entered the house. The merchant wore a purple tunic cut in the foreign style he favored. Its bulbous, puffy sleeves reminded Hiro of overripe plums. Beneath the tunic, form-fitting hose directed unfortunate attention to the merchant's bulging thighs.\n\n\"Didn't expect you back so soon,\" Luis said through a mouthful of rice. \"Did the magistrate hang the boy without a trial?\"\n\n\"The yoriki released him,\" Father Mateo said. \"Unharmed.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What? He confessed to murder,\" Luis protested." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to seamlessly include 'The yoriki elected not to investigate,' in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Never seen a samurai pass up the chance to cut off someone's head.\"\n\n\"A beheading could be arranged,\" Hiro said. He often wished the Jesuit didn't like the obnoxious merchant quite so much.\n\n\"See?\" Luis raised a hand toward Hiro. \"He makes my point exactly.\"\n\n\"The yoriki elected not to investigate,\" Father Mateo said. \"It appears the girl was an actor's daughter, not a teahouse entertainer.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"An outcaste?\" Luis said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You know, they have a word for that. It translates, 'pile of—'\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank you, I've heard it.\" Father Mateo cut Luis off before he could speak the offensive word.\n\n\"That's not the proper term anyway,\" Hiro said. \"For actors, we use—\"\n\n\"Don't encourage him,\" Father Mateo said.\n\nHiro shrugged. He intended correction, not encouragement.\n\n\"Well, at least you won't end up involved in another investigation,\" Luis said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Far too much of that nonsense going on lately.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo glanced at Hiro, who reminded himself to teach the priest that ill-timed glances often suggested guilt.\n\n\"Excuse me,\" Father Mateo said. \"I need to eat, and then attend to my morning prayers.\"\n\n\"Offer one up for me,\" Luis said. \"I'm spending the day at the city gates, waiting on a shipment from Yokoseura. Have to meet it personally—new orders from the shogun.\"\n\nHiro had heard enough, so he went into the kitchen, where Ana prepared him a bowl of rice. As he ate, she prepared a tray for Father Mateo and carried it into the common room, walking with a stiffness that betrayed her loathing for the merchant's constant griping." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She returned and scrubbed a teapot with frustrated vigor." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 8 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Luis's voice carried over the rafters. He grumbled to Father Mateo about the \"obnoxious regulations\" Matsunaga Hisahide placed on weapons shipments to Kyoto.\n\nIf someone gave that man a kingdom, he would complain about the distance he rode to claim it, Hiro thought.\n\nAfter finishing his rice, Hiro went to his room and put on a tunic and practice trousers. He stepped out through the veranda door, trading the merchant's whine for the burble of Father Mateo's koi pond and the whisper of breezes through the cherry trees that lined the garden.\n\nHe wondered, yet again, at Father Mateo's exceptional patience. Luis's sales financed the Jesuit's work in Japan, and from that perspective Father Mateo needed the merchant, but their relationship went beyond financial dependence. Hiro didn't understand how, or why, but he did recognize that only a rare and unusual man could consider Luis Álvares a friend." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Let's work on this story segment. I'll provide a part, and you'll continue with six sentences in the style of Susan Spann. This is mystery, historical fiction, Japan, historical mystery, 1500s genre and characters might appear without introduction." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jiro slurped down the last of his noodles and returned the bowl to the vendor.\n\n\"I'm only going to ask this once,\" Hiro said as they started down the street. \"Did you give the coin to Emi?\"\n\n\"No, sir,\" Jiro said. \"Not that it matters.\"\n\nHiro stopped walking and turned on the youth with a glare." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I apologize.\" Jiro ducked his head and raised his hands in self-defense. \"I did not intend—\"\n\n\"Your intentions are irrelevant,\" Hiro snapped. \"Do not forget your place again. Does Basho know you had an affair with a riverbank girl?\"\n\nJiro straightened, but kept his face turned downward. \"There was no affair—nothing for him to know—I swear. We spoke at the shrine a couple of times, and once by the river, but nothing more. I never even told her how I felt—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't believe you,\" Hiro interrupted." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to seamlessly include 'I promise, sir, I'm telling the truth. Emi told me she worked in a teahouse. We only talked a few times, by the shrine and the river. We walked together... and talked... but nothing more...' in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I promise, sir, I'm telling the truth. Emi told me she worked in a teahouse. We only talked a few times, by the shrine and the river. We walked together... and talked... but nothing more...\" Jiro started breathing hard. His hands were shaking. \"Please, you must believe me. This apprenticeship is all I have. I had to come to Kyoto because my parents can't afford to feed me. If you talk to Basho... if he fires me... I have nowhere else to go.\"\n\n\"A persuasive story,\" Hiro said, \"except that I don't believe it. You will have to do better than merely repeating the lies you've told before.\"\n\nJiro struggled to control his breathing. \"I admit, I did love Emi. I wouldn't have cared that she was an actor's daughter. But she really did say she lived in a teahouse. I learned the truth from the yoriki this morning—just like you did.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He wiped a tear from his eye." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'basho' into your response exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro examined the coin for a moment and then returned it to his sleeve. \"If I discover you've lied to me, I will tell Basho that you had an affair with an actor's daughter and killed her so he wouldn't learn the truth.\"\n\nJiro shook his head, too stunned to speak.\n\n\"I do not care if the story is false,\" Hiro added. \"Basho will believe it, and you will have to deal with the consequences.\"\n\n\"Please, sir, no.\" Jiro fell to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I beg you. You must believe me. I told the truth.\"\n\n\"Then you have nothing to worry about.\" Hiro made a dismissive gesture. \"Go.\"\n\nJiro climbed to his feet and scurried away.\n\nHiro knew the youth had not revealed everything he knew, but he did believe that Jiro loved the girl. Unfortunately, that didn't eliminate the possibility that he killed her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Jiro had barely disappeared when a voice across the street said, \"Matsui-san!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro spun, expecting another dōshin." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Instead, he saw a familiar, middle-aged man in a carpenter's tunic and baggy trousers.\n\nThe carpenter's gnarled hands revealed years of manual labor, but his eyes had an intelligent gleam that spoke of knowledge beyond his planes and chisels.\n\nEtiquette didn't permit a bow, but Hiro nodded as the man approached. \"Good evening, Ozuru. I didn't expect to see you here.\"\n\nOzuru bowed from the waist. \"I'm glad I found you, Matsui-san.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Truly?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I seem to remember, the last time we met, you said we would not meet again.\"\n\n\"I have not come of my own accord.\" Ozuru was no more a carpenter than Hiro was a translator, although the two men came from different clans.\n\nHiro felt his pleasant evening slip away, and cast a longing look at the glow of Ginjiro's brewery down the street. \"What message does Matsunaga-san have for me this time?\"\n\n\"Hisahide did not send me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ozuru began to walk away." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And what I have to say, I can't say here.\"\n\nAfter a moment's hesitation, Hiro fell in step with the older man.\n\nAt Sanjō Road, Ozuru turned right, toward the river. Hiro followed, hoping the \"message\" didn't involve an ambush. The fight itself didn't worry him. He could probably kill Ozuru." }, { "from": "human", "value": "However, he would rather not be responsible for starting a war between the shinobi clans." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'samurai' must be used 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they reached the Kamo River, they stopped in front of the bored-looking samurai guarding Sanjō Bridge.\n\n\"What is your business this evening?\" the samurai asked.\n\nHiro bowed. \"I am Matsui Hiro, translator for the foreign priest who lives on Marutamachi Road. The priest has need of a carpenter, and summoned this man for an estimate.\"\n\n\"At night?\" the samurai asked.\n\nOzuru bowed and kept his face bent down in deference. \"Please forgive me, sir. I work all day and can only discuss new jobs at night.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The samurai looked at Hiro." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Wise to escort him. I wouldn't have let him pass the bridge alone.\"\n\n\"Has the shogun instituted a curfew?\" Hiro loathed referring to Hisahide as the shogun, but anything less would raise unwanted questions about his loyalty.\n\n\"Not officially,\" the samurai said, \"but there have been... incidents... on the bridges after dark.\"\n\nHiro nodded. \"Shall I escort the carpenter home as well?\"\n\n\"As long as he returns by this road, I'll remember him, but I go off duty when the bells ring midnight.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro nodded again. \"Our meeting will not take that long.\"\n\nOzuru turned north, to follow the path on the western side of the river. Hiro started across the bridge. He doubted Ozuru intended an ambush, but had no intention of letting a possible adversary choose the path. Ozuru had no choice but to follow.\n\nThe path beside the river was dark and empty." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Cherry trees stretched their limbs overhead like grasping witches from a children's tale." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A gentle breeze blew off the river, making the branches waver as if preparing to seize their prey.\n\n\"You know I won't allow you to follow me all the way to the Jesuit's home,\" Hiro said as they walked beneath the trees.\n\nOzuru nodded. \"No more than I would permit you into the shogun's compound after dark.\"\n\n\"Then Koga is loyal to Hisahide,\" Hiro said.\n\n\"My clan is loyal to itself alone,\" Ozuru answered. \"Were it otherwise, I would not be here now. I bear a message from the Koga ryu.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You expect me to believe that Koga's leader has something to say to me?\" Hiro barely managed to stop himself from calling Ozuru a liar.\n\nThe older man paused beneath a tree whose spreading branches cast the road in darkness. \"No, but Koga's leader recently sent a message to Hattori Hanzo. Since that message affects your interests, I thought you would want to hear it as soon as possible.\"\n\nHiro reached up his kimono sleeve and touched the shuriken hidden there. At this range, and in the dark, he wasn't taking any chances." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hattori Hanzo was the head of the Iga ryu, as well as Hiro's cousin, but even if the Koga leader had sent Hanzo a message, that fact didn't make this meeting any safer." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I heard you reach for a weapon,\" Ozuru said. \"I assure you, I do not want a fight. However, if it comes to that, you will not take my life.\"\n\n\"You are not the first man to wrongfully think he can beat me,\" Hiro said, \"and, I promise, you won't be the last.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: The user will write a bit then you need to write around eight sentences continuing directly from the user's text. Characters and lore may appear without context - work with what's given.\n\nAuthor style: Susan Spann" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro returned to the Jesuit's home to find Father Mateo sitting alone in the common room. A kettle hanging over the fire sent a curl of steam into the air.\n\nThe shinobi approached the hearth as Ana emerged from the kitchen bearing a tray with a teapot, a cup, and a plate of rice balls.\n\nThe housekeeper looked at Hiro. \"Hm. I suppose you're hungry too.\"\n\n\"He can share my plate,\" Father Mateo said. \"Please bring a second cup. That's all we need.\"\n\nAna set the tray in front of the priest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The way he eats? You won't get a bite. I will make another plate.\"\n\nGato trotted in from the kitchen as Ana left the room. The tortoiseshell cat gave a trilling mew and bounded toward Hiro, tail high with excitement.\n\nHiro knelt and extended a fist. Gato butted his hand with her head, then whipped her face upward and bit the shinobi's knuckles.\n\n\"Hey!\" Hiro pulled his hand away as Gato swatted it with her paw. She fell on her side and waved her legs in the air.\n\nHiro reached for the cat's white belly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Gato grasped his wrist with her paws, sank her teeth in his sleeve, and kicked at his arm." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'father' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her purr rose up through a mouthful of silk.\n\n\"Don't let Ana catch you,\" Father Mateo warned. \"You'll never hear the end of it if Gato rips your robes.\"\n\nHiro scooped the cat into his arms. She tightened her grip on his sleeve and bit down harder.\n\n\"That's enough.\" He laughed and stroked the cat.\n\nGato kicked at his sleeve once more, released her grip, and sniffed in the direction of the food.\n\n\"Don't let her near the rice balls either,\" Father Mateo said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"She licked the last ones.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro laughed again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hm. That isn't funny.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ana returned with a second tray of rice balls and a cup for Hiro's tea." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'gato's'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She set the tray down and took the cat from his arms.\n\nGato's purr increased in volume.\n\n\"I have something for you in the kitchen,\" Ana told the cat as she turned to leave. \"A nice little fish. I'd rather you had it than Luis.\"\n\nFather Mateo sneezed. As usual, Gato's presence made his nose turn red and his eyes water. Even so, the priest allowed the cat to stay. He seemed to like her, despite the discomfort she caused him.\n\n\"Did Jiro meet you as he promised?\" Father Mateo asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro nodded. His mouth was full of rice.\n\n\"I'm surprised,\" the Jesuit said, \"but at least we know he's innocent.\"\n\nHiro swallowed. \"Not at all. Running would prove he had something to hide. Talking gives him a chance to lie.\"\n\n\"Or tell the truth.\" Father Mateo lifted the steaming kettle off its chain and poured hot water into the teapot. \"What did he tell you about the coin?\"\n\n\"Nothing new.\" Hiro watched a tendril of scented steam rise up from the pot. \"He claimed he hadn't seen it before and said he wouldn't have given it to a girl.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Seems reasonable,\" the Jesuit said." }, { "from": "system", "value": "/insert_quote: \"If true, it suggests the girl had another patron,\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"A golden coin is a rich man's bauble. To a poor man, it's a meal.\"\n\n\"If true, it suggests the girl had another patron,\" Hiro said, \"or perhaps a client.\"\n\nFather Mateo frowned at the implication—that Emi worked as a prostitute. \"Or else that Satsu is correct, and the killer left the coin as a warning.\"\n\n\"Possibly,\" Hiro said, \"though I find the other options more compelling. Still, I believe she knew her killer. She wouldn't let a stranger close enough to put a rope around her neck.\"\n\n\"That much matches Jiro's story.\" Father Mateo poured Hiro's tea and then his own. \"He claimed he fell asleep on the bank and woke up to find Emi dead beside him. She wouldn't go willingly with a stranger, and even a man in a drunken slumber would have heard her scream.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why would the killer drag her back to Jiro?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro asked. \"No killer strangles a girl in the open, where passersby could see. Few enough would risk returning her to a spot so near the path.\"\n\n\"It seems to me the killer wanted Jiro to take the blame,\" the Jesuit said.\n\n\"Or Jiro is the killer,\" Hiro countered. \"He might have dragged the body up the bank to throw suspicion off himself.\"\n\n\"Why would Jiro kill a girl and then lie down to sleep beside her body?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\n\"We don't know that he did,\" Hiro said. \"We have only his word that he fell asleep at all.\"\n\n\"This is impossible,\" Father Mateo said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We don't even know where to start with a list of suspects.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We have Jiro,\" Hiro said, \"and Emi's sister, Chou, can tell us more about the people Emi knew.\"\n\nFather Mateo sipped his tea. \"She didn't say much this afternoon.\"\n\n\"She wouldn't, in front of her parents.\" Hiro raised his teacup and inhaled the fragrant steam. He sipped and paused to enjoy the delicate flavor of the tea.\n\nMuffled barking outside the house announced the approach of someone in the street. Hiro loathed the neighbor's Akita, but, at least in this, the dog was useful." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The front door creaked, and heavy footsteps thumped across the entry." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Good evening, Luis,\" Hiro said without turning." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How do you always know it's me?\" The merchant entered the common room.\n\n\"The rest of us are home already,\" Father Mateo said.\n\nHiro would have answered the question differently, but let it pass. Father Mateo wouldn't approve of him saying Luis had the grace of a drunken ox.\n\nLuis leaned over Father Mateo's shoulder to inspect the tray of snacks. He straightened with an indignant sniff. \"Rice balls again. I should have known. This country needs some decent food, like bread, and meat, and Portuguese wine.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro considered the merchant's rounded belly and puffy face. For all Luis's complaining, the Japanese diet hadn't harmed his girth.\n\n\"I ate near the warehouse anyway.\" The merchant started toward his room. \"Big day tomorrow. I have a shipment coming from Yokoseura.\"\n\n\"Yokoseura?\" Hiro remembered Ozuru's warning. \"You say it arrives tomorrow?\"\n\nLuis turned back. \"Why do you care?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't,\" Hiro lied." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I was being polite.\"\n\n\"Oh.\" Luis scratched his stomach. \"Well, since we're being polite, I'll answer. The shipment won't arrive for a couple of days, but I need to make room in the warehouse, which means a very long day tomorrow, supervising lazy peasants who'd rather nap in the corner than do the job I've paid them for.\n\n\"And now, I need my rest. Good night, Mateo.\"\n\nLuis went into his room and closed the door." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: 12 sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: mystery, historical fiction, Japan, historical mystery, 1500s" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A thin boy crouched on the ground outside the building that housed the Yutoku-za. He looked no more than eight years old, with skinny limbs and a freshly shaven scalp. The razor had nicked the back of his head, but a crusty scab already covered the spot.\n\nThe boy squatted close to the ground and poked at something with a stick.\n\nAs Hiro drew closer, he realized the boy was steering a beetle away from the street. A horn projected several inches out from the beetle's face. The insect moved with caution, like an elderly samurai in spiky armor.\n\nEvery time the beetle tried to turn back toward the road, the child nudged it in the opposite direction. Slowly but surely, the beetle moved away from the crushing feet of passersby.\n\nHiro wondered if Father Mateo had saved such helpless creatures as a child. He decided the Jesuit probably had. In many ways, the priest resembled the squatting boy, determined to help the innocent things that could not help themselves." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The boy looked up as Hiro's shadow fell across the beetle's path." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His curiosity faded to dismay at the sight of the samurai and the priest. He laid his palms in the dirt and bowed his forehead to the ground, taking care to shield the beetle in the space between his hands and knees.\n\n\"Good morning,\" Father Mateo said. \"What is your name, young man?\"\n\nThe child raised his face to the priest. \"Please do not kill me, noble sir.\"\n\n\"Nobody's going to kill you,\" Father Mateo said. \"I merely asked your name.\"\n\n\"Please, sir, I am Haru, son of Satsu.\" The child returned his face to the ground. \"Forgive my impertinence for speaking in the presence of a samurai.\"\n\nHe spoke with unusual precision, rare in a child so young." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Stand up, Haru, son of Satsu,\" Father Mateo said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't like talking to the backs of people's heads.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The boy stood up, but continued to face the ground.\n\n\"That's a fine-looking beetle,\" Father Mateo said. \"Is it yours?\"\n\nThe beetle butted at the stick, which Haru had positioned to stop the insect from returning to the street.\n\n\"The kabutomushi?\" Haru looked up. \"No, sir. He belongs to himself. I'm only helping. I didn't want someone to step on him before he finds a mate. Of course, this late in the year, he might not find a lady beetle, but I think that he should have the chance to try.\"\n\n\"A noble sentiment,\" Father Mateo said. \"Are you a Buddhist?\"\n\n\"A Buddhist, sir?\" Haru ran a hand across his scalp. \"I'm not a monk, if that's what you mean. My mother shaved my hair for my sister. She died, and we're in mourning. That is, my sister died. My mother is alive.\"\n\n\"I am sorry to hear about your sister,\" Father Mateo said.\n\n\"I wanted to save the beetle because I couldn't save my sister.\" Haru's voice cracked, and he looked down at the kabutomushi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It isn't your fault she died.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory inclusion (with quotes): Perhaps your sister, Chou, is home to answer it for us?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo started to reach for the boy, but stopped before Haru noticed. Hiro approved. Men of samurai status did not touch commoners voluntarily.\n\n\"Thank you, sir,\" Haru said, with a pause that suggested he might have said more, had etiquette allowed it.\n\nHiro took over the conversation. \"Is your father home this morning?\"\n\nHaru bowed. \"I apologize, sir, but my father has gone to the temple, with my mother, to speak to the priests about Emi's funeral. I can fetch him for you, if you wish.\"\n\n\"We have only a minor question,\" Hiro said. \"Perhaps your sister, Chou, is home to answer it for us?\"\n\n\"Chou?\" Haru sounded doubtful. \"She doesn't know much of anything, except about Yuji.\" He said the last word in a dreamy tone, as if mimicking someone—it wasn't difficult to guess who.\n\nHiro squared his shoulders and glared at the boy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You will tell your sister we've come.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One advantage to samurai status was never having to ask, or explain himself, when speaking to commoners.\n\n\"Of course, sir.\" Haru bowed and used the gesture to scoop the beetle into his hand. \"I will fetch her at once.\" He backed to the door of the house and slipped inside.\n\n\"You didn't have to frighten the child,\" Father Mateo said, \"and we could have gone with him. He didn't have to call his sister to the street.\"\n\n\"Frightened children don't remember to take the beetle,\" Hiro said, \"and we do need Chou to come to the street. She will not reveal Emi's secrets where others might overhear.\"\n\n\"Maybe they didn't have any secrets,\" Father Mateo said.\n\nHiro stared at the priest. \"You don't know much about women, do you?\"\n\nFather Mateo frowned.\n\nBefore he could answer, Haru returned with Chou.\n\nThe girl stood shorter than average, with a sturdy build and a mottled complexion completely unlike her sister's silken skin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her dark hair lacked the gleam so common in girls from wealthier families, and her features seemed to disagree about the proper proportions for her face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You lead the questioning,\" Hiro murmured to Father Mateo in Portuguese. \"The girl won't fear a priest—not even a foreign one—as much as a samurai.\"\n\nFather Mateo nodded, acknowledging Hiro's words and Chou's arrival simultaneously. As the young woman bowed, he said, \"Good morning. Do you remember us from yesterday?\"\n\nChou began to nod, then hastily added, \"Yes, sir.\"\n\nHiro suspected Chou had little experience talking with men of higher rank.\n\n\"I am a priest of God,\" the Jesuit said. \"This man is my interpreter, Matsui Hiro.\"\n\n\"But you don't need a translator,\" Haru objected. \"You speak Japanese quite well.\"\n\nHiro stifled a smile. Most adults considered the Japanese language too nuanced for a foreigner to master." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Children lacked that prejudice, which made them difficult to fool." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I help him with our customs as well as the language,\" Hiro said.\n\nHaru opened his mouth to speak, but Chou nudged him. \"Enough.\" She bowed again. \"I apologize for my brother. He is young and forgets his manners. How may I help you?\"\n\nFather Mateo reached into his purse. \"Your father asked me to find the owner of the coin your sister wore the night she died.\"\n\nHe displayed the golden coin in his palm. The leather dangled toward the street.\n\nChou clutched the sides of her faded kimono. \"I'm sorry, sir, I don't know where that came from. I saw it only yesterday morning, after we brought her home.\"\n\n\"Might a friend have given it to her?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\nChou shook her head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Emi didn't have any friends who could give a gift like that.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your task: Include \"Some plays have special roles that are played by children.\" somewhere in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo glanced at Hiro. The Jesuit seemed to have run out of questions.\n\n\"Your brother speaks well for his age,\" Hiro said. \"Does he act on the stage?\"\n\nHaru straightened with obvious pride.\n\n\"He will make his debut as a kokata soon,\" Chou said.\n\n\"A child actor,\" Hiro translated for Father Mateo's benefit. \"Some plays have special roles that are played by children.\"\n\n\"I will take the stage next month,\" Haru said.\n\n\"Will Yuji act in that performance also?\" Hiro asked.\n\n\"Perhaps.\" Chou blushed and cast her eyes downward at the mention of Yuji's name.\n\n\"But not as shite,\" Haru added, \"only in the lesser roles. When I am older, I will play the shite's roles, but Yuji never will.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He spoke without arrogance, as if simply stating a fact that everyone took for truth." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 13 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do not say such things,\" Chou cried, with a hint of anger.\n\n\"I'm only repeating what Grandfather said.\" Haru raised his chin. \"Yuji's flower does not advance as it should. He cannot handle the larger roles.\"\n\n\"Haru,\" Chou began as if to scold the boy, but her demeanor suddenly changed. \"Did you notice the drummers warming up as we left the house?\"\n\n\"No!\" Haru said. \"You promised to tell me when they started. I want to see the practice!\"\n\nChou gestured toward the house. \"You haven't missed it...\"\n\n\"Please excuse me.\" Haru bowed and hurried back inside.\n\nHiro admired the ease with which Chou diverted her brother's attention. He also hoped she had something useful to tell them, now that they were alone." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "writing buddy needed! 9 sentences more in Susan Spann's voice. mystery, historical fiction, Japan, historical mystery, 1500s genre. this is from a bigger story btw" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I apologize for Haru,\" Chou said as the door swung shut behind the boy. \"Talented children in our art do not receive much discipline before the age of eight. Grandfather says that too much restriction distorts their natural talent.\"\n\n\"Is your father waiting for Yuji's skills to improve before you wed?\" Hiro spoke too bluntly for a conversation between men, but samurai owed no subtlety to a woman.\n\nChou bowed her head. \"Our parents wanted us to wed last New Year, after the festival, but Yuji's father died two days before the festival began. Now, we will marry as soon as our year of mourning is complete.\"\n\n\"Do you participate in the mourning also?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\nChou nodded. \"I will soon be Yuji's wife. It is proper that I share this duty.\"\n\n\"Had your parents found a husband for Emi also?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, sir.\" Chou paused as if deciding how much to say." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At last she settled on, \"My father couldn't find an appropriate match.\"\n\n\"Did Emi cause problems within the Yutoku-za?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\n\"No, sir, quite the opposite. Father couldn't find a man he thought was good enough for Emi. Not with Yuji already betrothed to me. And despite what Haru said, my Yuji is a rising star. Grandfather simply thinks he needs more time for his talent to mature. No one is as handsome, or as skilled on the stage, as Yuji.\"\n\n\"You seem to know him well,\" Father Mateo said.\n\nThe comment made Hiro wonder whether the Jesuit had noticed Chou's unusual use of the words, \"my Yuji.\" Few unmarried women, and not even many wives, would speak of a man with such familiarity.\n\n\"We grew up together, in the za,\" Chou said. \"Our parents always planned for us to marry. They arranged it before Emi was even born.\"\n\nHiro caught a hint of defensiveness in her tone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He wondered whether there was more to her possessiveness—and Emi's lack of a husband—than Chou revealed." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'father' 2 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He decided not to press the issue further. Not for the moment, anyway.\n\n\"Did Emi have a suitor your parents didn't know about?\" Father Mateo asked. \"Perhaps a man who gave her the coin as a pledge?\"\n\n\"Impossible.\" Chou shook her head. \"We shared a room, and shared our secrets. If she had a man... or a golden coin... I would have known.\"\n\n\"Then you believe, as your father does, that Emi acquired the coin the night she died?\" the Jesuit asked.\n\nHiro gave the priest a disapproving look.\n\nChou didn't seem to notice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That must be what happened. A thing like that, she certainly would have shown me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do you know where your sister went that evening?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\n\"Yes, sir.\" Chou gestured to the shrine across the road. \"To Chugenji. She went there every evening, sometimes even when it rained.\"\n\n\"She prayed there?\" Father Mateo sounded surprised as he turned to look at the little shrine. \"Not at one of the larger temples?\"\n\nChou shrugged. \"She thought, because the shrine is small, the god would hear her prayers more clearly than the kami at the bigger temples.\"\n\n\"She went only to that shrine?\" Hiro asked.\n\n\"As far as I know, sir. She would have mentioned another.\" After a pause, Chou added, \"Emi often walked by the river after praying. She said it gave her space to think—'to think,' she would say... as if she was a man. I told her, girls like us don't need to think. We marry and our husbands do the thinking.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Did Emi tell you what she thought about?\" Father Mateo asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, sir.\" Chou looked at the ground. \"She said I would not understand.\"\n\n\"Then how do you know she had no need to think?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\nChou seemed to struggle between an honest answer and the prohibition on contradicting a man of samurai rank. At last she said, \"Nice girls don't walk alone by the river at night, for any reason.\"\n\nHiro noted the nonresponsive answer. \"Did your parents know that Emi walked by the river?\"\n\nChou looked up with fear in her eyes. \"Please, sir, do not speak to them of this. They would be angry... Emi swore she never stopped or talked to anyone by the river. She told me she only went there alone—to think—and I believed her...\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Do you believe something different now?\" Father Mateo asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Chou's nose turned red." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tears filled her eyes. \"I do not know what I believe. Someone gave that coin to my sister. I don't know who, or why. Please... I don't want my parents to blame me for her death, because I didn't tell...\"\n\n\"I see no reason to mention it, as long as you've told the truth,\" Hiro said.\n\n\"I've told you everything.\" Chou sounded desperate. \"I promise.\"\n\n\"We appreciate your assistance,\" Father Mateo said.\n\n\"Perhaps you can help with another issue also,\" Hiro added. \"Father Mateo wishes to learn as much as he can about Japan, but has yet to speak with an actor about his craft. Perhaps you would ask Yuji to share his knowledge of nō with the priest?\"\n\nChou's face burst into a brilliant smile." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Of course!\" She bowed to Hiro and then to Father Mateo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My Yuji would be honored to help the foreigner. When would you like to speak with him?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'house' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Now, if possible,\" Hiro said. \"We can wait for him here and go to a teahouse. We do not wish to disrupt your home.\"\n\nHopefully, the choice to conduct the conversation away from the house would keep Chou from returning along with Yuji. Even if she did, a woman was easily sent away when a group of men decided to visit a teahouse.\n\nAfter Chou disappeared into the house, Father Mateo asked, \"Do you think she will tell her parents that she spoke with us?\"\n\n\"No chance of that.\" Hiro shook his head. \"Especially since she lied.\"\n\n\"She did? Which part was a lie?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There's more to her relationship with Yuji than she shared, and I suspect she knows more about Emi's walks than she let on. I'm curious to see what Yuji tells us.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'father' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do you think he's involved in the murder?\" For once, the Jesuit didn't sound surprised.\n\nBut Hiro was. \"What makes you think he might be?\"\n\n\"I'd like to believe that Chou's betrothed would not have made advances toward her sister. However, Emi was beautiful, Chou is not, and I doubt that fact escaped young Yuji's notice.\"\n\nHiro wondered how the priest understood the Japanese concept of beauty so well, when his own appearance diverged so widely from it. He tried to imagine a female version of Father Mateo's pale skin, enormous nose, and unusual height. He decided that Portuguese women must look like trolls.\n\n\"You don't agree?\" Father Mateo asked. \"You've got an odd look on your face.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Do women in your country have noses like yours?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What's wrong with my nose?\" Father Mateo touched it gingerly. \"In Portugal, this is considered a nice-looking nose.\"\n\n\"I'm sure it is,\" Hiro said. \"I was trying to picture it on a woman's face.\"\n\n\"We don't all have the same noses,\" Father Mateo said. \"If anything, we look even more different from one another than Japanese people do.\"\n\nHiro opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again as a middle-aged woman emerged from the Yutoku-za.\n\nShe wore a dark kimono and the purposeful look of someone on an errand." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her gaze settled on Hiro and Father Mateo, and she approached as if she knew them." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The lines on her face suggested age, though her ebony hair revealed no trace of gray. Her clothing was cut in the latest style and embroidered with colorful leaves and flowers, but Hiro noted the silk itself was not of the finest quality.\n\nThe woman stopped in front of them and bowed. Although she waited for them to address her, as custom required, she carried herself with unusual boldness, and Hiro doubted she would permit rebuff." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write three sentences sentences in the style of Susan Spann spawning from what the user wrote. Note: Characters and worldbuilding may appear mid-story." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The door swung open the moment Hiro knocked.\n\nAn elderly woman stood in the doorway. Her unadorned kimono and simple braid suggested a servant." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She bowed. \"Good morning, gentlemen. Welcome to the Yutoku-za. How may I help you?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We have come to speak with Botan,\" Hiro said.\n\nShe bowed her head. \"I apologize, sir, but the master has gone to the tailor this morning. He is not at home.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Which tailor does he use?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory inclusion (with quotes): The master has gone to obtain kimono for use in female roles." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Today he has gone to Shigeru's shop on Sanjō Road, just north of Pontochō.\"\n\nHiro frowned. \"Shigeru sews kimono for entertainers.\"\n\nThe woman nodded. \"The master has gone to obtain kimono for use in female roles.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro turned to leave." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank you for your assistance,\" Father Mateo said.\n\nThe woman blinked, surprised by the unexpected courtesy. She bowed. \"Of course. I am sorry the master could not see you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Father Mateo followed Hiro away from the house as the woman closed the door." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What now?\" the Jesuit asked.\n\n\"We pay a visit to Shigeru,\" Hiro said.\n\n\"Now?\"\n\nHiro shrugged. \"If we wait until later, Botan will have left.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode: Collab writing\nContext: May reference existing characters/world\nAmount: 1 sentence\nVoice: Susan Spann" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro ignored Botan's question." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do you recognize this coin?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He gestured to Father Mateo, who held up the golden coin on its leather thong." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Botan drew back as if the gold was poisoned." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, I know it.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Because you used it to bribe a samurai?\" Hiro demanded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No.\" The actor's voice grew cold." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Because it hung around my dead granddaughter's neck. Satsu told me about the coin and that he asked some men to help him. I assume you are the ones of whom he spoke.\" Botan paused." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And, to answer your question, I did not bribe a samurai.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Paying for silence sounds like a bribe to me,\" Hiro said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"With respect, sir, he accused me of harboring spies within the Yutoku-za. He demanded that I pay him or face the magistrate.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Botan raised his hands, palms up." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I have no spies within my troupe, but how could I persuade a magistrate? I paid the samurai only to make the problem go away.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Can you prove this isn't a coin you gave him?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You already know that I cannot. I wish I could.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Botan kept his gaze on Hiro and didn't look at the coin again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The golden ones look pretty much the same.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Perhaps the actors in your troupe could help identify it,\" Hiro said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Unfortunately, they cannot,\" Botan replied." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I spoke with the samurai alone. I told only Satsu and my brother, Tani, about the threat. However, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that coin is one I gave him.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro hadn't expected that. \"Why not?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I didn't have the entire amount he wanted,\" Botan said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I gave him only half the demanded sum. He said I'd regret my stinginess, but I explained I had no more—he could take what I offered or nothing. I believed he would accept the lesser sum and find someone else to harass for the rest...\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But instead he killed Emi and left the coin as a message,\" Father Mateo finished." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't give him ideas,\" Hiro hissed in Portuguese." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Please put the coin away.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The actor closed his eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I cannot bear to see it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo tucked the coin into his purse." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Botan opened his eyes, they were filled with tears." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It is my fault my granddaughter died. If only I had been able to pay the full amount...\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do you know the man who bribed you?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He wore a mask across his nose and mouth. I didn't recognize his voice.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Can you remember anything else about him?\" Father Mateo asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Botan looked upward and thought for a moment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He stood about the average height, and his body was neither fat nor thin. He wore a pair of swords and fixed his hair in a samurai knot.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The actor shrugged. \"I'm sorry. He looked like any one of a thousand samurai in Kyoto.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Except for the mask,\" Hiro said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Botan nodded. \"I admit, that was unusual.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Did you pay this samurai immediately?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro asked. \"Or did you make him wait to receive his money?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I had to retrieve the gold from the storehouse,\" Botan said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I do not keep it at the Yutoku-za. The samurai said he would return the following morning, at dawn. That is when I paid him.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No one saw you do it?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Botan shook his head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No one knew I went to the storehouse, and the actors usually sleep late. I did tell Satsu and Tani, but only because they handle the accounting and would have noticed the money missing.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro considered it interesting that Botan trusted Satsu enough to let him handle the finances of the troupe." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How would the samurai have known that Emi was your relative?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Everyone in the theater district knows the Yutoku-za. Anyone could have pointed out my family.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Botan wiped a tear from his eye." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I never thought he would hurt them. I truly believed he was bluffing.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Would you recognize this samurai if you saw him?\" Father Mateo asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I do not know.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Botan paused. \"I doubt it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why don't you want this samurai brought to justice?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Forgive me,\" Botan said, \"but only samurai have the luxury of justice. Even if you find the man, the magistrate will let him go and punish me for paying a bribe. That's how it works, when men of my station accuse a samurai.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We can help you,\" Father Mateo offered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Please...\" Botan sighed. \"I mean no disrespect, and I know my son-in-law requested your assistance, but you will help my family best by leaving us alone.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo opened his mouth to speak, but Hiro caught the Jesuit's eye and shook his head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We have no further questions,\" Hiro said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You may return to your business.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We appreciate your cooperation,\" Father Mateo added.\n\nBotan bowed and returned to the tailor's shop, pausing in the doorway long enough to add, \"Good day, gentlemen, and thank you.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write three sentences sentences in the style of Susan Spann spawning from what the user wrote. Note: Characters and worldbuilding may appear mid-story." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Did he really just ask us to let his granddaughter's killer get away?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo shook his head in disbelief as he followed Hiro away from the tailor's shop.\n\nHiro shrugged. \"At times, a man must accept the unacceptable in order to avoid a greater harm. If a samurai murdered Emi, and learned about our investigation, he might return to kill Chou and Haru too." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Or\"—Hiro glanced at the priest—\"Botan might want us to drop the matter because he killed his granddaughter himself.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Botan?\" Father Mateo sounded shocked. \"Why would he kill Emi?\"\n\n\"A man's first duty is keeping his family safe,\" Hiro said, \"and Botan's family is the Yutoku-za. By meeting men at the river, Emi risked not only her own reputation, but that of the theater troupe as well.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Father Mateo seemed confused." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How could she have hurt the troupe if women can't act on the stage?\"\n\n\"Groups like the Yutoku-za earn money by performing at the request of wealthy samurai,\" Hiro said. \"Noblemen only want to hire the troupes with the best reputations, and 'reputation' includes professionalism as well as skill. That's probably why Botan disapproves of the 'private performances' Aki thought we wanted.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Father Mateo blushed. \"You didn't have to bring that up again.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro gave him a sideways look." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It appears your taste in kimono doesn't run to chrysanthemums after all.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they reached the Kamo River, Father Mateo paused to ask, \"Do we have to stop the investigation, since Botan asked us to leave his family alone?\"\n\n\"Not for a moment.\" Hiro started across the bridge." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Let's work on this story segment. I'll provide a part, and you'll continue with six sentences in the style of Susan Spann. This is mystery, historical fiction, Japan, historical mystery, 1500s genre and characters might appear without introduction." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How could Satsu help us find the man who threatened Botan?\" Father Mateo asked. \"He wasn't there. The samurai could be anyone in Kyoto.\"\n\n\"It isn't me,\" Hiro said, \"or you, or Luis. That's three men off the suspect list already.\"\n\n\"That hardly leaves a manageable number,\" Father Mateo replied. \"You can't throw a stone in Kyoto without hitting a samurai.\"\n\nHiro glanced at the priest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Then may I suggest not throwing stones.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Chou emerged from the Yutoku-za as Hiro and Father Mateo approached. She closed the door behind her, turned, and startled.\n\n\"Good morning,\" she said as she bowed to Hiro and the priest. \"I didn't expect to see you back so soon.\"\n\n\"Has your father returned?\" Hiro asked.\n\n\"I am sorry, he has not.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Chou glanced at the house." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My mother returned a few minutes ago and sent Haru back to the temple. Father teaches some of my brother's lessons there.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Where, precisely?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required dialogue to include (maintain exact wording): \"Sometimes, Emi and I would walk in the gardens while Father taught Haru. That is, before...\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They use an open patch of lawn, just inside the entrance to Kenninji.\" Chou's eyes grew red. \"Sometimes, Emi and I would walk in the gardens while Father taught Haru. That is, before...\"\n\n\"I am sorry about your sister,\" Father Mateo said.\n\n\"No,\" Chou replied with another bow. \"I am sorry. Earlier... I did not tell the entire truth.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Before the men could react, she continued, \"Please forgive me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The truth is, Father hadn't found a husband for Emi because she refused to marry." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She didn't want to be a wife or a mother. She planned to become an entertainer in one of the high-class houses. Not the ones in Pontochō—the expensive ones on this side of the river.\n\n\"Father refused to allow it. I don't know why. Actors are entertainers, too, even if girls can't act on the stage, and a talented girl can make a lot of money in a teahouse.\"\n\n\"Was Emi talented?\" Hiro asked.\n\nChou nodded. \"She sang beautifully. Everyone said so. When Father refused to help her find a place, Emi visited some of the houses on her own. She told the owners she was an orphan and asked to become an apprentice, but no one would take her. They told her she was too old for training. One of them suggested she check with the brothels in Pontochō.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But she didn't,\" Father Mateo said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Of course not.\" Chou sounded offended on Emi's behalf." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"She was furious with the teahouse women for even suggesting such a thing. She said she would find another way—even buy her own house, if she had to.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'that's' must appear 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Buy her own teahouse?\" Hiro asked.\n\n\"That's what she said.\" Chou nodded. \"Impossible, I know, but that's what she said.\"\n\n\"Impossible?\" Father Mateo repeated. \"Why?\"\n\n\"The cost is unthinkable,\" Hiro said. \"Kimono for the entertainers cost even more than the house itself, and when you add all the other expenses of running a high-end house... most women 'purchase' their teahouses from retiring mentors, paying only a fraction of their value. A girl like Emi wouldn't stand a chance of raising the funds required, even if she found a house for sale.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I told her that too,\" Chou said, \"but she wouldn't listen. Girls like us... the best we can do is marry well and raise successful sons. Dreams of anything more lead only to sorrow.\"\n\nA woman walked past with a toddler in tow. The child stopped to stare at Father Mateo's foreign face. His mother took his wrist and pulled him away, while keeping her own face toward the ground, as if doing so made her invisible.\n\nChou watched the woman and her child continue up the street.\n\n\"How did your sister intend to raise the money for her teahouse?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Chou shifted her weight from one foot to the other. \"I'm sorry, sir, I do not know.\"\n\n\"I think you do,\" Hiro said, \"and you can either tell us now, or explain in front of your parents. I suspect they would want to hear how much you knew about your sister's plans.\"\n\nChou clasped her hands together and straightened her back as if steeling herself to tell the truth. To her credit, she did not flinch or beg. \"Emi said she had found a man to help her. She wouldn't tell me who he was, or where they met, or why he offered to do it—though anyone can guess that part. Men only spend money on girls like us for one reason.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Did she tell you his name?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, sir.\" Chou shook her head. \"She refused to tell me. I tried to persuade her not to sell herself for a man's assistance, but she wouldn't listen. She told me it was her life, not mine and not Father's, and that if I tried to stop her she would tell them I was lying.\"\n\nChou sniffled as her eyes turned red. \"I didn't tell my parents. They would not have believed me anyway.\"\n\n\"Why do you think your parents wouldn't believe you?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\n\"Emi never did anything wrong.\" Chou started to cry. \"She was always the perfect daughter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Father never knew she talked with teahouse owners behind his back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She told him she had changed her mind, decided to become a nun. That's why she spent her evenings at the shrine.\n\n\"Besides\"—Chou sniffed again, more loudly—\"Emi was my closest friend. I didn't want to get her in trouble. I know it was wrong, but if she really had found a man with the money to buy her a teahouse, or even a place in one... I'm getting my dream, with Yuji. He's everything I ever wanted. Why shouldn't my sister have the chance to see her dream come true?\"\n\n\"Can you remember anything more about this man?\" Father Mateo asked. \"Anything at all might help us find him.\"\n\nChou wiped her eyes as she shook her head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm sorry, Emi wouldn't tell me anything. At the time, I was glad she refused. I didn't want to know enough to get in trouble too, if she got caught.\"\n\nFather Mateo retrieved the golden coin from his purse. \"Did he give her this?\"\n\n\"I do not know,\" Chou said. \"I told you the truth about that. I never saw it before she died.\"\n\n\"Is it possible she had it and concealed it from you?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No.\" Chou sounded adamant." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If Emi had a golden coin, she would have shown me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"One last question,\" Hiro said. \"If you didn't want to cause trouble for Emi, why did you tell Yuji about the man—or was it men —she met by the river?\"\n\nThe bluff worked. Chou's eyes grew wide.\n\n\"Answer me!\" Hiro demanded. \"And tell the truth. I have no patience for your lies.\"\n\n\"I-it was only one man, that I knew of, and I-I had to tell Yuji,\" Chou stammered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He saw them—Emi and the man—by the river, about a week ago. He asked me why my parents let her meet him all alone. I had to tell. I begged him to keep it a secret, but he threatened to get my father involved. He didn't want Emi hurting his reputation—the troupe's reputation—with bad behavior.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The story didn't match Rika's." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One—or both—of the women was telling lies.\n\n\"You lied to us earlier.\" Hiro glared. \"Why should we believe you now?\"\n\nChou looked at her hands, which started trembling. \"I'm sorry, sir, I was afraid. I thought you would think that Yuji killed Emi, to stop her from shaming the Yutoku-za. But he didn't. Yuji would never hurt my sister.\"\n\n\"Do not lie to us again.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 7 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro laid a hand on the hilt of his sword, though he had no intention of harming the girl. \"No father should lose a second daughter before he finishes mourning for the first.\"\n\nChou bowed. \"I beg you, please forgive me.\"\n\n\"Of course we forgive you,\" Father Mateo said quickly with a warning look at Hiro. \"You showed great courage, telling the truth. Now, if you will excuse us, we have business to attend to.\"\n\nShe bowed again, and Father Mateo started up the road toward Kenninji.\n\nA frustrated Hiro followed in his wake." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "I'll start writing, then you take over for five sentences, matching any established character familiarity in the mystery, historical fiction, Japan, historical mystery, 1500s genre." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"In Japan, a man does not excuse himself to a woman of common birth,\" Hiro said when they had left the house behind them.\n\n\"A man of honor never demeans one, either,\" Father Mateo said. \"Interrogating a samurai woman is one thing. Chou is only a common girl, who recently suffered a tragedy. You have no cause to treat her like a criminal.\"\n\n\"She is a liar,\" Hiro said.\n\n\"She is a child—and your cousin, even though she does not know it.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Father Mateo's tone conveyed his disapproval." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Of course she lied—she's terrified of you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And of you also,\" Hiro said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"However, I will minimize my threats in the future, if you will remember to treat her as a commoner, not an equal.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"All people are equal in the eyes of God,\" the Jesuit said, \"but I will try to respect the Japanese way.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro nodded. He could ask no more.\n\n\"Do you intend to tell Satsu what Chou revealed to us just now?\" Father Mateo asked. \"I worry that he might hurt her if we do.\"\n\n\"I'm not the one who usually reveals the damaging facts to suspects.\"\n\n\"Then we agree,\" the Jesuit said, completely missing Hiro's point." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the entrance to Kenninji, the samurai on guard returned Hiro's nod, but didn't speak.\n\n\"How do you plan to find Satsu?\" Father Mateo asked as they passed through the massive gate and onto the temple grounds.\n\nHiro nodded toward a pair of teenage monks who stood a little way down the path. They had their backs to the entrance, watching something on the grassy lawn beyond." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If you want to find an actor, follow the crowd.\"\n\nSatsu stood on the grass just past the monks. Nearby, Haru walked around on the lawn with his feet in the air and his hands where his feet should be. The boy seemed thoroughly comfortable upside down.\n\n\"Over and up, like a monkey,\" Satsu said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Haru flipped himself upright with a single fluid motion and instantly squatted on his haunches, hands drawn close to his chest like a resting monkey." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He glanced at his father, ignoring the monks' appreciative noises." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Satsu nodded approval. \"That was better.\" He noticed Hiro." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"All right, enough for today.\"\n\nThe monks followed Satsu's gaze. At the sight of Father Mateo, they scurried away with guilty expressions on their blushing faces.\n\nFather Mateo watched them go. \"Did they leave because of me?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Indirectly,\" Hiro said. \"They must have mistaken you for a senior monk, at least at first, and suddenly remembered they have duties—which do not include an hour wasted watching actors' lessons.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"May I go home?\" Haru asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Only if you promise not to interrupt the actors,\" Satsu said.\n\nHaru frowned. \"But they make mistakes—\"\n\n\"—and correcting them is Botan's job, not yours.\" Satsu's voice held a warning edge.\n\n\"It will be mine,\" Haru said, \"when I'm the master.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Until which time, you learn by silent observation.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Satsu nodded. \"Very well, you may watch the lessons if Botan permits, but do not interrupt.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Haru bowed. \"Yes, Father.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Satsu made a gesture of dismissal, and Haru ran off toward the temple gate.\n\nThe actor turned and bowed to the other men. \"Haru mentioned you wanted to see me. I planned to look for you when his lesson finished.\"\n\n\"Your son is a talented acrobat,\" Father Mateo said. \"I didn't realize nō performances featured acrobatics.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'roles' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They don't,\" Satsu replied, \"but some of the kyogen interludes, between the plays, have roles for acrobats. I started training Haru for kyogen several years ago, in case he lacked the skills to act in nō. I needn't have worried. Botan has decided that Haru has the skills to be shite.\"\n\n\"We heard about his upcoming debut,\" Father Mateo said.\n\n\"The role is small and played by a child to keep the focus on the adult actors,\" Satsu said. \"But even simple roles help children learn the rules of nō.\"\n\n\"Why continue to train him in acrobatics?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word count directive: Use 'satsu' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You are thinking that handsprings and balancing skills would serve a shinobi's needs as well as an actor's.\" Satsu didn't wait for affirmation. \"These lessons provide a diversion for Haru, something else to absorb his time. Otherwise, he spends every waking moment watching actors and correcting their mistakes. He has memorized all the plays in our current repertoire, and has a flawless memory. Unfortunately, he is not good at holding his tongue when others err.\"\n\n\"Do actors' children have more freedom to speak than samurai boys?\" the Jesuit asked.\n\n\"Noble children learn etiquette before they learn to walk, but actors avoid restricting children before they reach the age for formal training,\" Satsu said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"However, I do expect my son to demonstrate self-control.\"\n\n\"Do you expect the same from your daughters?\" Hiro asked.\n\nSatsu frowned. \"What makes you ask?\"\n\nHiro saw no point in subtlety. Satsu was trained to recognize subterfuge." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Did you know your daughter was meeting a man by the river before she died?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 3 instance(s) of the word 'could'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Emi?\" Satsu shook his head. \"No, though when you mentioned a 'friend' had told you about her death, I suspected something of the kind. The river is the only place she could have met him without being noticed.\"\n\n\"We have reason to believe she met him regularly,\" Hiro said, \"including the night she died. We also suspect there may have been more than one man.\"\n\nEmotion flickered through Satsu's features, but disappeared before Hiro could identify it.\n\n\"I did not know this,\" the actor said, \"but I will not deny it could have happened.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro waited for him to continue.\n\n\"I'm not a fool,\" Satsu said. \"My daughter wanted independence. Specifically, she dreamed of entertaining in a teahouse. She was too old to enter a high-end establishment, and I wouldn't allow her to go to a house where patrons expect a girl to do more than sing. She didn't understand why I refused, and disagreed with me, but children often fail to appreciate the reasons why their parents make decisions." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"She and I had reached an impasse." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Emi refused to bend her will to conform to mine, or anyone else's." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She threatened to run away, and I believed her.\n\n\"Then, about a week ago, she told me she had changed her mind and wanted to become a nun instead. I found that surprising, and also strange. I wondered what caused the decision, but in my relief I didn't demand a reason. I realize, now, I did not know my daughter nearly as well as I believed.\"\n\n\"You don't seem very surprised to learn that Emi met with a man without you knowing,\" Father Mateo said.\n\n\"My daughter is dead,\" Satsu replied. \"Not much can surprise me about her anymore. Emi often went to the temple at night, to Chugenji or, sometimes, Kenninji. She told us she prayed and came directly home. I wish I had not trusted her at her word.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"When did you learn she wanted to become an entertainer?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Emi sang before she spoke and danced as soon as she learned to walk.\" Satsu's eyes took on the glaze of memory. \"She had a difficult time accepting that she could not act in nō." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She would have made a fine shite, if she hadn't been born a female." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I never realized how strongly she felt about it until we announced Chou's betrothal to Yuji. That's when Emi told me she did not ever intend to marry. At first, I thought she was jealous of Chou, but Emi explained that she had no desire to become a wife or a mother. She said no man would own her, that her life belonged to her alone.\"\n\n\"Perhaps she had a preference for women.\" Had Satsu not been an Iga shinobi, Hiro would not have made the comment. Polite conversation precluded direct discussion of such private topics.\n\n\"Not that I knew or suspected,\" Satsu said, \"and if she did meet men by the river, it suggests she enjoyed their attention. I think she simply wanted to control her life in ways no woman has a right to claim.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Shinobi women can claim it,\" Hiro said." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I am forbidden to speak that truth to my family.\" Satsu's voice took on a bitter edge. \"Even had I realized her inclination soon enough, that way was barred to her.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "writing buddy needed! 9 sentences more in Susan Spann's voice. mystery, historical fiction, Japan, historical mystery, 1500s genre. this is from a bigger story btw" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You learned of Emi's refusal to marry the day that Chou was betrothed to Yuji?\" Hiro asked.\n\n\"The day we announced it,\" Satsu said. \"Yuji's father and I arranged the betrothal shortly after Chou was born. I was looking for an arrangement for Emi, too, but she threatened to hang herself on her wedding night if we forced the issue. I believed that she would do it. As I mentioned, she also threatened to run away.\"\n\n\"You let your daughter refuse a marriage?\" Hiro asked.\n\nSatsu shrugged. \"I hoped she would change her mind, in time, when she realized no high-class house would have her. She was young. I thought, when she saw her sister happily married to Yuji... I was wrong.\"\n\n\"When did she mention becoming a nun?\" Hiro asked.\n\n\"A week ago,\" Satsu said. \"One evening, she didn't come home before dark. I found her at the Shijō Bridge, tossing pebbles into the river.\"\n\n\"The samurai on guard didn't stop her?\" Father Mateo asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He normally stands on the opposite side of the river—closer to Pontochō—in hopes of spotting a teahouse flower out for an evening stroll. He doesn't care about this side, unless someone crosses the bridge after dark.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What about Emi's decision to join a monastery?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The night I saw her at the bridge, she confessed to visiting teahouses, hoping to become an entertainer over my objections,\" Satsu said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She told me they all refused her, and some of the owners recommended she become a prostitute. She asked me not to speak of it to anyone. I haven't, until now. Not even to Nori. Emi said, if she couldn't become an entertainer, she would become a nun.\"\n\n\"Wouldn't a nun have less independence than a married woman?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\n\"That depends on how you define independence,\" Satsu said.\n\n\"Dedicating your life to a kami is not the same as answering to a man,\" Hiro added.\n\nFather Mateo nodded. \"But if she wished to become a nun, why would she meet a man by the river?\"\n\n\"She wouldn't,\" Satsu said, \"which means she lied—to the man by the river, or to me.\"\n\n\"Or both,\" Hiro said.\n\nSatsu's face flushed red. \"You've had two days to investigate. Is this all you've learned about the coin and Emi's killer?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Public anger does not suit an actor speaking with samurai.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro spoke politely, in recognition of Satsu's status as his uncle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If you had known about Emi meeting men by the river, would you have stopped her?\"\n\nAfter a pause, Satsu recovered his composure. \"I wouldn't have killed her, and don't pretend that isn't what you're thinking.\"\n\nA cold voice behind them said, \"Matsui Hiro—you will come with me.\"\n\nHiro turned to see Yoriki Hosokawa, flanked by the usual pair of scruffy dōshin.\n\nHiro pulled a silver coin from his purse and handed it to Satsu. \"Thank you for taking the time to teach the foreigner about your art.\"\n\nThe actor accepted the coin with a bow and knelt before the yoriki.\n\n\"What are you doing here?\" Yoriki Hosokawa demanded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This man is an actor,\" Father Mateo said.\n\nThe yoriki's scowl deepened. \"Yes, and I ordered you to leave him alone! This is the man whose daughter we found on the riverbank two days ago.\"\n\n\"The same man?\" Father Mateo squinted at Satsu. \"Are you certain?\"\n\n\"Do not play the ignorant foreigner with me!\" the yoriki thundered. \"You are under arrest, and so is your translator!\"\n\nThe dōshin brandished their hooked jitte as if eager to use them on the foreign priest.\n\nHiro stepped between Father Mateo and the dōshin. \"This priest has committed no crime, and neither have I.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must include the following in quotes somewhere in your response: The last time I checked, your words do not carry the weight of law." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You disobeyed an order from an assistant magistrate,\" the yoriki snarled.\n\n\"Your order?\" Hiro asked. \"The last time I checked, your words do not carry the weight of law.\"\n\nHe fought the urge to lay a hand on the hilt of his katana. Aggressive action would lead to a fight, and though he longed to shame the assistant magistrate in combat, Hiro knew better than to pick a fight with the Kyoto police.\n\nIn public, anyway.\n\n\"I don't think I've seen this man before.\" Father Mateo bent down and looked at Satsu from the side.\n\n\"Lies will not help you,\" the yoriki said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You can tell one Japanese face from another, and even if you failed to recognize this man at once, your ronin interpreter would have known him.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Drop the falsehood,\" Hiro muttered in Portuguese." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You're making it worse. I'll handle this.\"\n\nHiro turned to the yoriki, bowed, and switched to Japanese. \"Forgive me. Though we have met several times, we have not formally exchanged our names. I am Matsui Hiro, son of—\"\n\nThe yoriki raised a dismissive hand. \"You may call me Yoriki Hosokawa. I will not have my given name soiled by your filthy ronin tongue.\"\n\n\"Very well, Hosokawa- san.\" Hiro deliberately dropped the title. \"I repeat, this man has committed no offense. You ordered us not to investigate the death of the actor's daughter. However, you never prohibited the foreigner learning about the art of nō. Has the shogun instituted a law against curiosity?\"\n\nYoriki Hosokawa scowled. \"Curious men have a way of finding trouble.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro shrugged just rudely enough to cause offense.\n\nYoriki Hosokawa turned on Satsu. \"You! Get out of here—and understand, I'll have you whipped if you ever speak to this foreigner again!\"\n\nSatsu nodded, jumped to his feet, and scurried away.\n\n\"And you\"—the yoriki turned to Hiro and Father Mateo—\"will come with me.\"\n\n\"What charge do you bring against us?\" Hiro kept himself between the priest and the other men.\n\n\"That is for the magistrate to tell you.\" The yoriki smiled. \"Unless you resist, in which case I will gladly arrest you for refusing to obey the magistrate's summons.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The magistrate wants to see us now?\" Father Mateo glanced at the sun. \"He won't be hearing cases at this hour.\"\n\n\"He said to bring you immediately, before the afternoon audience.\"\n\n\"How did you find us?\" the Jesuit asked.\n\n\"Quit stalling! And never question my competence!\" Yoriki Hosokawa's hand started toward the hilt of his sword.\n\n\"Why does he want to see us?\" Father Mateo asked with a vacant tone that Hiro recognized as intentional foolishness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The dōshin stepped forward." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I am finished explaining,\" Yoriki Hosokawa said. \"You can follow me now, of your own accord, or we can drag you in by force. I assure you, either choice is fine with me.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Let's engage in a collaborative writing exercise. I'll provide a starting point (which may include pre-existing characters and lore), and You'll continue with 11 sentences in the style of Susan Spann." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How can a magistrate turn his back on justice?\" Father Mateo demanded as he turned onto Marutamachi Road.\n\nHiro eyed the priest. \"Impressive. You held that back for ten whole minutes.\"\n\nThe Jesuit opened his mouth to argue, but Hiro continued, \"He had no choice. If Matsunaga Hisahide ordered the merchants coddled, it must be done. Even so, the magistrate showed us favor. He could have arrested us instead of issuing a warning.\"\n\n\"Finding Emi's murderer outweighs Basho's embarrassment.\" Father Mateo's voice grew calm, a sign of building fury. \"A woman's life is worth far more than a merchant's reputation.\"\n\n\"Why do you care so much about this murder?\" Hiro asked.\n\n\"You know I care about every life and every person's soul.\"\n\n\"Not enough to lose your self-control.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro gauged the priest's expression." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is it because this victim was a girl?\"\n\nFather Mateo clenched his jaw and drew a deep breath. \"I do not care what the magistrate says or whether or not you agree with him. I will find Emi's killer, with you or without you.\"\n\n\"I never said you would have to do it without me,\" Hiro countered, \"but we must beware the magistrate, and also Yoriki Hosokawa. He has already set his dōshin on our trail.\"\n\nFather Mateo stopped walking and turned around. Half a block behind them, a scruffy samurai ducked into an open storefront.\n\n\"Did he follow us from the magistrate's compound?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\nHiro nodded. \"He accosted me near Ginjiro's last night also. I believe that meeting was accidental, but today he's trailing us intentionally.\"\n\n\"Why does the yoriki care so much about our investigation?\" Father Mateo paused. \"Perhaps he's involved in the crime.\"\n\n\"More likely, he simply holds a grudge. He looked foolish when we solved the brewery murder without his help.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro turned back toward the river and started walking." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'about' 3 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"However, we cannot eliminate any possibility at this point. I wonder how much he had to do with Jiro telling Basho about the girl.\"\n\n\"I wondered about that also.\" Father Mateo matched Hiro's pace. \"Do you think he intends to follow us all the way home?\"\n\n\"The dōshin?\" Hiro asked. \"He's no trouble, as long as he keeps his distance.\"\n\n\"And if he follows us later?\"\n\nHiro shrugged. \"A problem we can handle if it arises.\"\n\n\"How can we solve the murder with him watching?\"\n\n\"I thought you didn't worry about the magistrate.\" Hiro suppressed a smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I don't,\" the Jesuit said, \"but we weren't being followed when I said it.\"\n\n\"Actually, we were.\" Hiro smiled. \"I don't consider that dōshin much of a threat. We'll simply have to be careful and watch our backs.\"\n\nFather Mateo lowered his voice. \"We need a list of suspects to investigate.\"\n\n\"We have suspects\"—Hiro counted them off on his fingers—\"Botan, Satsu, Yuji, and Jiro, as well as the unknown samurai who threatened the Yutoku-za.\"\n\n\"Could that be the reason Yoriki Hosokawa wants to block the investigation? Maybe he's the mysterious samurai.\"\n\n\"Possible, but doubtful,\" Hiro said. \"Surely Botan would have recognized his voice.\"\n\nFather Mateo looked disappointed. \"True. I hadn't thought of that. We have to find that samurai. I don't think Jiro is guilty, or Botan, and why would Satsu ask us to investigate if he's the one who killed her?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "💬 Please integrate this quote: \"Satsu needs to persuade his family as well.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro adjusted his sword, using the gesture to cover a backward glance. The dōshin was over half a block behind them, out of earshot.\n\n\"Shinobi specialize in diversions,\" Hiro said. \"Satsu might be using us to blame the crime on someone else.\"\n\n\"Why would he need to?\" the Jesuit asked. \"The yoriki didn't investigate. The magistrate doesn't care.\"\n\n\"The magistrate's opinion is not the only one that matters,\" Hiro said. \"Satsu needs to persuade his family as well.\"\n\nThe conversation stalled until they reached the Kamo River. At the western end of the bridge, Hiro paused. \"Wait here.\"\n\nBefore the priest could answer, Hiro marched back up the street toward the dōshin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Near the river, private houses lined the road, leaving the startled samurai nowhere to hide." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He scowled as Hiro approached.\n\n\"Thank you for the escort,\" Hiro said without a bow. \"We appreciate your master's concern for our safety.\"\n\nThe dōshin's lip curled into a sneer. \"Your safety is not his concern—but it should be yours.\"\n\nHiro raised his chin. \"You have no authority to threaten the emperor's honored foreign guest. Magistrate Ishimaki set us free without restriction.\"\n\n\"He ordered you to cease your investigation,\" the dōshin growled. \"Yoriki Hosokawa will ensure that you obey.\"\n\n\"We have obeyed.\" Hiro gestured toward the bridge. \"Even a child could see we are walking home.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The dōshin took a hostile step forward. \"Do not tell me what I see.\"\n\n\"Very well, I'll tell you what I see.\" Hiro did not back away. \"A common bully, who threatens men without legitimate cause.\"\n\n\"I could kill you for that!\" the dōshin snarled.\n\n\"If you intended to act on those words, you would have drawn your sword already.\"\n\n\"I wouldn't soil my blade with your ronin blood,\" the dōshin said. \"Go follow your master home, like the dog you are.\"\n\n\"Tread carefully near dogs,\" Hiro warned. \"They bite when provoked. And, lest you lack the intelligence to understand a subtle word—stop following us, or I will report this harassment to the magistrate.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He turned and walked away before the dōshin could reply, but listened carefully in case the dōshin struck him from behind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The attack never came.\n\nThe samurai guarding Marutamachi Bridge stepped forward as Hiro and Father Mateo approached. \"Is there a problem?\"\n\nHiro glanced over his shoulder.\n\nThe dōshin stood where Hiro had left him, watching.\n\nHiro bowed to the samurai guard. \"Merely a misunderstanding, nothing more.\"\n\nAfter a moment that lasted too long for comfort, the samurai stepped away.\n\nHiro did not speak again until they passed the torii gate at the entrance to Okazaki Shrine. \"As soon as we identify Emi's killer, we're leaving Kyoto.\"\n\n\"I will not run away from my work and home,\" Father Mateo said, \"and I'm surprised that you even think I might. I'm not a child and not afraid of danger.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Even a child knows not to tempt a tiger,\" Hiro said." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I refuse to leave the city. I will not argue this point again.\"\n\nHiro saw no point in arguing, either. When the time came, the priest would leave, even if Hiro had to drag him out of Kyoto against his will." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "I'll be your writing partner today. I will set the scene and character context, and you will continue with 7 sentences, keeping within the mystery, historical fiction, Japan, historical mystery, 1500s genre." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As they left the Yutoku-za, Hiro glanced across the street and through the gate of Chugenji. An elderly woman bowed before the shrine, in fervent prayer. Hanging lanterns illuminated her face and shoulders, rendering her features clearly visible.\n\nHiro spoke in Portuguese. \"See the woman standing by the shrine?\"\n\nFather Mateo turned. \"I do not know her.\"\n\n\"Neither do I,\" Hiro said in the Jesuit's language." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Let's engage in a collaborative writing exercise. I'll provide a starting point (which may include pre-existing characters and lore), and You'll continue with 11 sentences in the style of Susan Spann." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He killed Emi,\" Father Mateo whispered as they put on their sandals and returned to the street." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yuji?\" Hiro glanced back at the noren hanging in the teahouse entrance. \"I don't think so.\"\n\n\"He did,\" the priest insisted. \"He wanted her dead, and he had a motive to kill her. Weren't you listening?\"\n\nHiro started toward the Yutoku-za. \"Yuji is a pathetic, self-centered fool, but not a killer.\"\n\n\"He said we were all better off with Emi dead,\" the priest objected.\n\n\"I do not argue that he had a motive.\" Hiro paused, remembering Yuji's interest in the unnamed object found with Emi's body. \"But he doesn't seem the type to soil his hands. Especially since the coin and the killing might not be related after all.\"\n\nFather Mateo looked confused." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Not related? Why do you say so?\"\n\n\"What if Emi saw the samurai who extorted money from Botan?\"\n\n\"He concealed his face,\" the priest protested.\n\n\"Yes,\" Hiro said, \"but he would have removed the mask when leaving the Yutoku-za, to avoid attracting attention in the street. Emi might have seen him from the shrine, and we now know it's possible that he could have recognized her as well.\"\n\n\"The murder didn't happen the night the samurai demanded money, or even the morning that Botan gave it to him.\" Father Mateo paused and raised his head as if remembering something. \"But the mask disappeared the night before she died.\"\n\n\"Precisely,\" Hiro said. \"Do you know how much that mask would sell for?\"\n\n\"Enough to prevent a samurai from killing Botan's family, I presume. Also, Botan didn't mention giving the mask away.\"\n\n\"He wouldn't,\" Hiro said. \"The shame would be too great to bear.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But was it stolen, or sold, or paid to the samurai with the gold?\" the Jesuit asked." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I think I know who can tell us.\" Hiro paused outside the Yutoku-za. \"The question is whether or not he will.\"\n\nAs Hiro knocked on the door, the priest said, \"Satsu may not know the mask is missing.\"\n\n\"He knows,\" Hiro said, \"and I also think he's the reason Botan had the mask in the first place.\"\n\nFather Mateo looked confused, but the door swung open before he could ask a question." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Cooperative storytelling\nContext: May include established characters/lore without introduction\nMy role: Provide a brief opening\nYour role: Expand upon my opening with 10 sentences, emulating the writing style of Susan Spann." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The bathhouse sat just east of the river, on a street whose businesses were closed and shuttered at this time of night. Despite the lack of passersby, Hiro and Satsu remained in the shadows as they carried the dōshin's body between them. Father Mateo followed with the head, holding it as far away from his body as he could manage.\n\n\"This way.\" Satsu turned into a narrow passage between the bathhouse and the business next door.\n\nA double line of trees separated the back of the building from the open common space at the center of the block. In daylight the trees offered privacy and enhanced the lovely setting for bathhouse patrons. In the darkness, they provided perfect cover for three men and a samurai's headless corpse.\n\nSatsu paused in front of the undersized door that led to the bathhouse boiler room. \"Set him down for a minute.\"\n\nHiro helped the actor lower the body to the ground." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What's going on?\" Father Mateo whispered as Satsu opened the little door and ducked inside." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Isn't that where they...\"\n\nA rustling came from the boiler room, followed by a metallic creak. Sparks flared to life in the house's wood-burning oven as Satsu stirred the coals with a poker. The actor's silhouette blocked the glow as he tossed a handful of kindling into the oven. The sparks grew into flames.\n\nFather Mateo's mouth fell open in horror. He shook his head, the motion barely visible in the shadows.\n\nSatsu returned to the yard. The orange glow of tiny flames emerged from the darkened room beyond.\n\n\"As I hoped, the fire was banked but came to life at once with a little kindling.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Satsu extended his hands to the priest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We'll start with the head.\"\n\nFather Mateo backed away.\n\n\"This isn't the time for argument,\" Hiro whispered. \"We have no choice.\"\n\n\"The bathhouse owners will find him in the morning!\" Father Mateo sounded close to panic. \"The flames may burn his flesh, but not the bones.\"\n\n\"The owners will bury the bones and ask no questions,\" Satsu said. \"Now hand it over.\"\n\nFather Mateo turned his face away and handed the dōshin's head to Satsu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the burden left his hands, he made the sign of the cross and bowed his head to pray." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Satsu ducked into the boiler room and tossed the head into the fire. He added another handful of kindling; moments later the air was filled with the odors of scorching hair and burning flesh.\n\nFather Mateo coughed and retched.\n\n\"The smell will attract attention,\" Hiro said.\n\n\"Fortunately, this bath is known for its scented waters.\" Satsu grabbed a fresh pine bough from a pile beside the boiler room. He tossed it onto the fire, and though the smoke that rose from the oven didn't completely hide the acrid, fatty smells of burning samurai, it did reduce the stench to a level that wouldn't raise alarm.\n\n\"One more problem,\" Hiro said. \"The body won't fit in the oven in this condition.\"\n\nSatsu reached inside his tunic and withdrew a wicked-looking dagger." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's a problem I can solve. It's time for you to take the foreigner home.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 7 sentences." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your task: Include 'better' 2 time(s) in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo raised his head. \"We cannot leave you here alone.\"\n\n\"With respect, you also cannot stay.\" Satsu turned to the priest. \"One of my duties in Kyoto is handling inconvenient corpses. This is not my first dead samurai. I am better trained, and better able, to address this problem. I appreciate your sense of honor, but I promise your concern is quite misplaced.\n\n\"Please bring my daughter's coin to Fushimi Inari tomorrow morning. After that, we must not ever speak again.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode: Collab writing\nContext: May reference existing characters/world\nAmount: 1 sentence\nVoice: Susan Spann" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro and Father Mateo returned to the river and walked along the bank in silence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Discomfort dripped from the priest like heavy rain from a temple's eaves." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even so, Hiro did not speak." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No words can change the things a man has seen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Just before they reached the bridge at Marutamachi Road, Father Mateo said, \"I do not blame you for killing him.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Blame me?\" Hiro asked, surprised." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He would have killed us all.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I know that.\" Father Mateo nodded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I cannot thank you for taking a life, but I deeply appreciate you saving Satsu.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And you also.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I do not want you to kill on my behalf,\" Father Mateo said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You know that's why I came to Kyoto: to guard your life at any cost.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Now that I have seen you kill, the cost is far too high.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It will happen again,\" Hiro said, \"and more than once, unless you leave the city.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo struggled for words." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Perhaps it is you who should leave. Alone.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That, I cannot and will not do. The oath I took can be broken only by death—either yours or mine.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"An oath you made to a man we do not know, whose motives I cannot understand.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Jesuit shook his head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I release you from that oath.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Only death can release me,\" Hiro said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Once given, this oath cannot be retracted.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Doesn't it bother you? Pledging your life at the request of a man you do not know?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"On behalf of a man I have come to know quite well.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro paused. \"But, to answer your question, no. Hattori Hanzo trusted your benefactor enough to accept the contract and to honor his request for anonymity. I accepted Hanzo's judgment on the matter—this is not the first such contract I've fulfilled.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The question that followed was not what Hiro expected." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why did you lie to Satsu about the coin? You know I have it with me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro found the Jesuit's change of subject interesting." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Samurai used the tactic to avoid a fight with important family members or lifelong friends." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He honored the priest's decision to leave the previous topic at an impasse." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I found it strange, and also suspicious, that Satsu asked us to stop the investigation. I wanted time to think before I had to return the coin.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The samurai on guard at the bridge stood halfway across the span, in order to watch both sides of the river effectively." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He nodded, but did not approach, as Hiro and Father Mateo turned onto Marutamachi Road." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The wind sent a cluster of fallen leaves swirling across the road like tiny specters." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the distance, a dog began to bark." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro and Father Mateo walked in silence until they reached Okazaki Shrine." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There, a priestess stood beside the torii." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She held a basket of amulets, and nearby braziers cast their flickering light across her face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The priestess bowed. \"Good evening.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And to you.\" Father Mateo nodded as he passed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro wondered if the Jesuit knew the woman's name." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They passed her at the gate quite often, but the priest had never stopped to talk." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After they left the shrine behind them, Father Mateo said, \"Yuji must have killed her.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Emi?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, it must be him. He worried that Emi would damage his reputation and career, but he also couldn't break his betrothal to Chou. I think he went to the river and took care of the problem... personally.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How do the coin and the missing mask fit into that scenario?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Unrelated,\" Father Mateo said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I think Botan sold the mask to pay the samurai's demand, or gave it to him as a partial payment. I don't know how the coin fits in—or doesn't, as the case may be—but Yuji had the motive, and the chance, to kill the girl.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That doesn't make him a murderer,\" Hiro said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He's an actor—and a selfish fool—but a crime like this is probably beyond him.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You don't know much about actors, do you?\" Father Mateo asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro wasn't used to hearing his own expressions turned against him. \"And you do?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"As it happens, yes.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How does a priest know anything about actors?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo glanced at Hiro. \"Because I almost became one.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: 12 sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: mystery, historical fiction, Japan, historical mystery, 1500s" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro inwardly cringed that Father Mateo had revealed the missing mask.\n\n\"Yuji would never steal from us.\" A flush of anger colored Chou's cheeks, though she struggled to keep her tone respectful. \"All of the masks will belong to him when he becomes the leader. Only a fool would steal what he already owns—or will inherit. Besides, the masks are sacred. Yuji would never diminish the guild by taking them away.\"\n\nThe reaction suggested Chou was unaware of the missing mask. Had she known, she would have accused someone else, or at least acknowledged its disappearance.\n\nHiro had no intention of allowing the priest to reveal any more. \"Tell us what you know about the other men your sister met by the river.\"\n\n\"I promise I know nothing more.\" Chou clasped her hands together. \"Emi said that one of the men was going to get her a place in a teahouse. Maybe that man gave her the coin.\"\n\n\"He said he would get her a place... or buy her one?\" Hiro asked." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'remember' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is there a difference?\" Chou replied. \"It seems the same to me.\"\n\n\"Not necessarily. Which word did your sister use?\"\n\nChou shook her head. \"She might have used them both—or something else. I don't remember.\"\n\n\"You remember nothing more?\" Hiro asked.\n\n\"Nothing,\" Chou repeated. \"I have told the entire truth.\"\n\n\"Make sure you have,\" Hiro threatened. \"Next time, you will not escape the magistrate.\"\n\n\"I understand—and thank you.\" Chou bowed deeply.\n\nHiro continued toward the river. After a moment's hesitation, Father Mateo followed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When he drew alongside Hiro, the Jesuit said, \"I suppose we need to talk with Yuji.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I doubt it will help. He won't admit to anything, and we should not approach the actors again if we can avoid it. Yoriki Hosokawa will be watching.\"\n\nAt the bridge, they started north along the river road.\n\n\"Why do you suddenly care what the yoriki thinks?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\n\"The magistrate spoke to Father Vilela,\" Hiro said. \"In Japan, the message that sends is very clear. I cannot protect you if you are in prison. Especially if I am imprisoned also.\"\n\nA voice behind them shouted, \"Halt!\"\n\nHiro knew the voice before he turned. \"Good morning again, Yoriki Hosokawa.\"\n\nThe yoriki stood directly behind them, flanked by a single, scruffy dōshin. He didn't return the greeting.\n\n\"What were you doing in the theater ward?\" he demanded. \"Don't deny it. We saw you make the turn from Shijō Road.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro heard footsteps approaching from behind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A thin young man stepped off the path and hurried around them, keeping well away from the confrontation. He gave the yoriki a nervous glance as he scurried past.\n\nThe young man's face seemed vaguely familiar, but Hiro didn't have time to search his memory. The youth had already disappeared behind the Shijō Bridge.\n\nHiro wished that he and Father Mateo could do the same.\n\n\"My business takes me to every ward in Kyoto,\" Father Mateo said. \"Just now, I spoke with a girl who needs my help.\"\n\nThe yoriki narrowed his eyes at the priest. \"You'd better be referring to your religion, not investigating crimes.\"\n\n\"Do not worry,\" Father Mateo said. \"If I was any less involved in solving crimes, I would qualify to join the Kyoto police.\"\n\nHiro stared at Father Mateo, unable to believe the priest had just insulted the yoriki again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How dare you!\" The yoriki's cheeks flushed red." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Add this exact quote somewhere appropriate: \"and perhaps I will forget I saw you here.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He reached for his sword.\n\nHiro stepped forward and laid a hand on the hilt of his own katana. \"Think before you draw that blade. The emperor considers the foreign priests his personal guests. This one has committed no crime. He is unarmed, and he is my employer. If you draw that sword, you fight with me.\"\n\nYoriki Hosokawa gave Father Mateo a calculating look. \"What is it worth to you to stay out of trouble?\"\n\n\"Pardon me?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\nHiro could hardly believe what he was hearing.\n\n\"Give me the coin you received from the dead girl's family,\" the yoriki said, \"and perhaps I will forget I saw you here.\"\n\n\"What are you talking about? What coin?\" Hiro spoke quickly to keep the priest from answering.\n\n\"The one you showed to the magistrate yesterday. I want it now.\"\n\n\"I don't know what you're talking about,\" Hiro said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Liar. I heard you showing a coin to the magistrate.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yoriki Hosokawa's hand tightened on the hilt of his sword.\n\n\"Then you also know he told us to return it.\" Hiro remembered the rustling noise outside the magistrate's office as they left.\n\nYoriki Hosokawa nodded at Father Mateo. \"For his sake, I hope you didn't.\"\n\n\"We have not returned the coin,\" the priest confirmed.\n\n\"But we don't have it,\" Hiro added quickly.\n\nYoriki Hosokawa turned on Hiro. \"Where is the coin?\"\n\n\"I dropped it in the river.\" Hiro gestured toward the bridge. \"A most regrettable accident.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Then give me something else,\" the yoriki said, \"or I will arrest the priest.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You have no grounds to arrest me,\" Father Mateo protested.\n\n\"I saw you investigating a crime, against the magistrate's orders.\" Yoriki Hosokawa turned to the dōshin. \"You saw him, didn't you?\"\n\nThe dōshin nodded.\n\nFather Mateo opened his mouth to object—as an explosion rocked the bridge at Shijō Road." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Cooperative storytelling\nContext: May include established characters/lore without introduction\nMy role: Provide a brief opening\nYour role: Expand upon my opening with 10 sentences, emulating the writing style of Susan Spann." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After leaving Father Mateo to sort through his few belongings, Hiro went to the Jesuit's garden and meditated." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The yoriki's threats had left him unsettled and angry." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Worse, Hiro detested failure, and leaving the mystery unresolved felt like letting Emi's killer win.\n\nHe pushed his frustrations away and closed his eyes. His breathing stilled, and his heartbeat slowed. He listened to the breeze in the branches, the water in Father Mateo's pond, and the myriad other sounds that floated through the Jesuit's garden.\n\nSomething rustled the trees by the garden wall.\n\nHiro opened his eyes as a large black crow peered down from its perch in a cherry tree. The glossy corvid cocked its head and looked at Hiro without a trace of fear.\n\n\"If you've come from the kami,\" Hiro said, \"go back and tell them I didn't need an omen.\"\n\nThe crow tipped its head in the other direction, as if listening to the words.\n\n\"Go on.\" Hiro waved his hand. \"I'm not superstitious.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The bird just stared." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A black-and-orange shadow wiggled through the grass at the base of the tree." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'leaped' 2 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Gato's tail flicked with anticipation as she stalked the crow. She made a chittering noise, and the bird looked down.\n\nGato leaped for the trunk and climbed the tree in a series of scrabbling jumps. Before she reached the lowest branch, the crow extended its wings and flew away. Gato looked at Hiro and mewed.\n\n\"You couldn't have fought him anyway,\" Hiro said.\n\nGato leaped to the ground and walked away, tail lashing in frustration.\n\nHiro looked at the leaves on the tree the cat and crow had vacated. Some were green, but many had taken on the gold-and-orange hues of autumn.\n\nSummer had passed, and the weather was turning." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Time to leave Kyoto.\n\nHiro had known this day would come from the night Hisahide claimed control of Kyoto. A hundred years of Ashikaga rule had come to an end, and the Japanese soil would drink of samurai blood before the land saw peace again.\n\nThey needed to find a way to leave the city without attracting attention. Since Father Mateo shared a travel pass with Luis Álvares, they had to leave together or one's departure would trap the other within the capital. Hiro didn't like Luis, but he had no intention of leaving the Portuguese merchant at Hisahide's mercy.\n\nThe door to the Jesuit's room rattled open. Father Mateo stepped outside and knelt beside Hiro on the porch. He smiled, but his eyes held only sorrow.\n\n\"I will miss this house,\" the Jesuit said, \"especially the koi. I still wish we could find some way to stay.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Only a fool attempts to fight a battle he cannot win.\"\n\n\"Only a coward flees from those who need him,\" the Jesuit countered.\n\nHiro watched as another breeze fluttered the trees by the garden wall. \"A man cannot help anyone from a grave.\"\n\n\"We have to take Ana with us. And Luis.\" The Jesuit spoke with quiet determination.\n\n\"A group attracts more attention than a pair of pilgrims on the road.\"\n\n\"I will not leave without them,\" Father Mateo said.\n\nHiro nodded. \"Then we will find a way.\"\n\n\"And I want to solve Emi's murder before we go,\" the Jesuit added." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Knocking echoed through the house." }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'entry' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo looked over his shoulder. \"Again? Could Yoriki Hosokawa have returned?\"\n\nHiro was already on his feet. \"Stay here,\" he said, though he knew the Jesuit wouldn't.\n\nThe two men entered the house as Ana's voice carried through from the entry.\n\n\"May I help you?\" she asked.\n\n\"I have come to see the foreign priest.\"\n\nTo Hiro's surprise, the voice belonged to Yuji.\n\nFather Mateo gave Hiro a look of surprise. They entered the common room together, as Ana showed the actor through from the entry." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Good afternoon,\" the Jesuit said to Yuji." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ana, brew some tea.\"\n\nThe housekeeper bowed and left for the kitchen.\n\nFather Mateo knelt by the hearth and motioned for Yuji to join him there.\n\nHiro crossed to the hearth and knelt, reinforcing the visitor's lack of status.\n\nYuji didn't seem to notice. He did appear to have trouble settling and fidgeted nervously with his robe.\n\n\"Welcome to my home.\" Father Mateo opened with the pleasantries he offered every guest.\n\nYuji took a shallow breath, as if trying to force himself to respond in kind. At last he blurted, \"I came to confess. The coin is mine—but I did not kill Emi.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Pardon me?\" Father Mateo asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The golden coin,\" the actor repeated." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The one you found on Emi's body. It belongs to me. I'd like it back.\"\n\nFather Mateo reached for his purse, but returned his hand to his lap at a glance from Hiro.\n\n\"Why would you give a golden coin to the sister of a girl you planned to marry?\" Hiro asked.\n\n\"Would you admit to having an affair with your future sister-in-law?\"\n\n\"I would not have an affair with her in the first place,\" Hiro answered.\n\n\"You see?\" Yuji said. \"I didn't think you would understand. I knew, if I told you the truth, you'd think I killed her.\"\n\n\"Indeed.\" Hiro paused. \"A lie works so much better to prove your innocence.\"\n\n\"What made you decide to confess this now?\" Father Mateo asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Chou came to the rehearsal. She told me she revealed the affair to you.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 7 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yuji hung his head in shame. \"Since you already know the truth, I saw no harm in claiming my golden coin.\"\n\n\"When did you give the coin to Emi?\" Hiro asked.\n\nYuji raised his head. \"The coin is mine, and Emi is dead. With respect, sir, the details no longer matter.\"\n\n\"If you want the gold, you will answer my questions,\" Hiro said. \"Otherwise, you are free to leave. I will not entertain a commoner's arrogance.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "I'll start writing, then you take over for five sentences, matching any established character familiarity in the mystery, historical fiction, Japan, historical mystery, 1500s genre." }, { "from": "human", "value": "By the time they reached Shijō Market, the shops had opened." }, { "from": "human", "value": "People thronged the narrow street." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Noren fluttered in the breeze as merchants stood before their shops, arranging the displays to best advantage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro and Father Mateo stopped in front of the expansive store whose noren read \"BASHO—BEST RICE IN KYOTO.\"\n\n\"Is that a new noren?\" Father Mateo nodded at the indigo banner.\n\nHiro took a closer look. \"It does seem new.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Somewhere in your response, you need to say: \"What happened to the old one?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What happened to the old one?\"\n\nHiro gestured to a line of birds that roosted on the building's eaves. Their tails hung over the entrance to the shop. \"Most likely, unwanted embellishments from above.\"\n\nFather Mateo laughed. \"Can't you wash a noren?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro considered the delicate calligraphy on Basho's sign. \"Yes, but extra spots and streaks can change the meaning of the words. Also, merchants consider the noren a symbol of their business. No one wants a stained or faded sign.\"\n\nBasho's wife, a heavyset woman in dust-covered robes, emerged from the shop. She recognized Hiro and Father Mateo, but didn't look pleased to see them. \"Good morning. With apologies, the shop is not yet open. Please return later.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We don't want rice today,\" Hiro said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We have come on other business.\"\n\nShe frowned. \"We've barely repaired the damage from the last time 'other business' brought you here.\"\n\nThe floorboards creaked behind her.\n\n\"These men had nothing to do with that, Hama.\" Basho laid a hand on her shoulder." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I will handle the matter from here.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hama gave her husband a doubtful glance, but bowed and walked away." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Basho stepped forward. The merchant was tall and burly, and his robe had a coating of fine, pale dust. His graying hair was in need of a trim.\n\nHe bowed. \"May I help you this morning?\"\n\n\"We have come to speak with Jiro,\" Hiro said.\n\n\"I'm afraid I cannot permit that,\" Basho replied." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Hiro didn't respond, the merchant added, \"Yoriki Hosokawa said I didn't have to speak with you, and Jiro doesn't either.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory inclusion (with quotes): How did you know the yoriki asked for money?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How much did you pay him for that protection?\" Hiro asked. \"And what are you trying to hide?\"\n\nBasho glanced over his shoulder and lowered his voice. \"How did you know the yoriki asked for money?\"\n\nHiro didn't answer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After a moment, Basho continued, \"He said he knew about the girl, and if I paid, he'd make the trouble go away—as long as I didn't tell anyone, including you and the priest, what really happened. If I talked, or didn't pay... I know it was wrong to pay him, but we would lose everything if the magistrate told the guild about Jiro's loan.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"His loan?\" Father Mateo asked. \"What loan?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'basho' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The loan he made to the girl.\" Basho looked confused. \"That isn't why you're here?\"\n\n\"Let me talk with them, Uncle.\" Jiro appeared behind Basho. \"I can set this right.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The yoriki ordered us not to speak with them,\" Basho said.\n\n\"Hama told me I had to, so they wouldn't cause more trouble.\" Jiro glanced toward the back of the shop.\n\nHama stood by the warehouse door, arms crossed and glaring at the men like a witch about to cast a curse.\n\n\"The yoriki doesn't want Magistrate Ishimaki learning that he steals from the people he's supposed to protect,\" Hiro said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But we know what he's doing.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That doesn't excuse the loan,\" Basho replied. \"If the guild discovers we made a loan to a woman...\"\n\n\"What loan?\" Father Mateo repeated.\n\n\"Please?\" Jiro asked Basho.\n\nThe merchant looked nervous, but nodded." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"All right, you can tell them what you know.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I arranged for Basho to make a loan to Emi, before she died.\" Jiro looked at the ground as if ashamed.\n\n\"He told me the client was a man,\" Basho added. \"I would not have made the loan if I knew the truth before I gave my word.\"\n\n\"Why won't you make a loan to a woman?\" Father Mateo asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I cannot,\" Basho replied. \"The guild has rules. A different moneylender has the rights to lend to women in the entertainment wards. By the time I learned the truth, we had the collateral and the payment had been made.\"\n\n\"Collateral?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\nHiro nodded. \"A mask, for nō, unless I miss my guess. Do you still have it?\"\n\n\"Emi stole the mask?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Mateo sounded shocked.\n\n\"The mask was stolen?\" Basho turned on Jiro. \"This gets worse and worse! You said she owned it.\"\n\nJiro refused to meet his uncle's gaze." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's what she told me—she said it was an inheritance, the only thing she had left from her father. She wanted to sell it in order to buy her freedom from the teahouse.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And you believed that story?\" Hiro asked. \"You told us she had 'finally' found a way to buy her freedom—why not sell the mask before, if she had owned it all along?\"\n\nJiro's shoulders sagged. \"She said she didn't want to sell it because it was the only thing she had from her parents, but she had no other choice. The teahouse owner wouldn't let her go unless she paid in gold.\n\n\"I didn't think she would lie to me. We loved each other—at least, I thought she loved me too. We planned to use the rest of the money to run away to Edo\"—he glanced at Basho—\"I'm sorry. I never meant for anyone to get hurt.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Basho nodded. \"It doesn't matter now.\"\n\nHiro wondered whether Emi truly cared for Jiro or if she had used him. The facts suggested the latter, but in the end Basho was right. It made no difference anymore.\n\nFather Mateo looked at Hiro." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"When did you figure out what really happened to the mask?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Last night, after Yuji left. He wanted the coin so badly, but I didn't believe his story about giving it to Emi. Also, he had to know that we'd tell Satsu about his claim. Yuji is selfish, and arrogant, but not even he would take a risk like that for the sake of greed alone. There had to be something more he didn't tell us.\"\n\n\"But how did you connect the coin to the mask instead of the murder?\" Father Mateo asked. \"We had no evidence of that.\"\n\n\"The evidence told us nothing about the coin,\" Hiro said, \"and the killer should have taken it off the body. Everyone with a motive to kill her also wanted, or needed, money. In addition, Satsu kept talking about the coin, and Yuji wanted it badly enough to risk his reputation to obtain it. Again, that suggested the coin had value beyond the price of gold.\"\n\n\"But how did you make the connection between the golden coin and the missing mask?\" Father Mateo asked.\n\nHiro smiled. \"Once I realized who killed Emi, I knew the killer was not the source of the coin. The only answer that fit the facts was that Emi stole the mask herself, and the coin was the only way to get it back.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Cooperative storytelling\nContext: May include established characters/lore without introduction\nMy role: Provide a brief opening\nYour role: Expand upon my opening with 10 sentences, emulating the writing style of Susan Spann." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How could the coin return the mask?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Father Mateo asked. \"That makes no sense.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It does to a samurai,\" Hiro said. \"We often take out loans and use our heirlooms as collateral. Emi couldn't hide the mask at home. She needed somewhere safe to put it while she found a buyer. No place in Kyoto is safer than a moneylender's storehouse.\"\n\n\"But how did Yuji figure it out?\" Father Mateo asked. \"He didn't even know the mask was missing. And what about Satsu? How much do you think he knew?\"\n\n\"Satsu lied to us from the beginning,\" Hiro said. \"He already knows who killed his daughter. He may or may not have realized that Yoriki Hosokawa is the one who bribed the Yutoku-za, but he knew the coin—and Emi—were connected to the missing mask. He never wanted us to find the killer. He asked us to investigate because he hoped that we would find the mask.\"\n\n\"Why not tell us that's what he wanted?\" Father Mateo asked. \"Unless... he is involved?\"\n\n\"That is for Satsu to explain.\" Hiro turned to Basho." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Do you still have the mask?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's in the warehouse,\" Jiro said. \"I'll get it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Just a minute.\" Basho raised a hand. \"The loan was not repaid. The mask is mine.\"\n\nHiro withdrew the coin from his sleeve. \"I suspect this pays the debt in full.\"\n\nBasho drew back in surprise, but accepted the coin. He examined it. \"This is the same golden coin I gave the girl. I recognize this mark in the side.\" He looked at Hiro. \"But it does not pay the debt in full. I also gave her a handful of silver.\"\n\n\"For that, you must look to Jiro,\" Hiro said. \"I suspect he spent it in Pontochō.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Basho looked appalled. \"You kept the silver?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"She gave it to me,\" Jiro said." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'basho' (2x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"For helping arrange the loan to buy her freedom.\"\n\nHiro decided not to tell Basho the rest of the truth—that Emi had not been an entertainer after all. He saw no point in causing Jiro any further trouble.\n\nBasho's expression wavered between anger and confusion. \"Why would you do this? The guild will expel us—both of us—for knowingly making a loan on a stolen item.\"\n\n\"I didn't know it was stolen.\" Jiro's eyes filled with tears. \"She said it belonged to her. We planned to sell it and use the money to repay the loan and go to Edo. I'm sorry, Uncle. I never meant for any of this to happen.\"\n\n\"Did you kill her?\" Basho asked.\n\n\"No!\" A tear spilled over Jiro's eyelid and traced a damp line down his cheek." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I loved her. When someone killed her, I panicked. I didn't know what to do.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 7 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's why you came to see us the morning she died,\" Father Mateo said.\n\nJiro nodded and wiped his eyes. \"Nobody knew about our plan to run away together. When she died, I panicked. At first, I thought I might have killed her while I was drunk, and just forgotten, but later—after I talked to you—I realized I would not forget a thing like that. Then I was afraid the killer would come for me as well.\"\n\n\"Give us the mask,\" Hiro said. \"We will return it to its owners. After that, I promise you will be safe.\"\n\nJiro looked at Basho for permission.\n\nThe merchant nodded. \"Fine. But you're working off the silver you spent, and quite a bit more besides.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "writing buddy needed! 9 sentences more in Susan Spann's voice. mystery, historical fiction, Japan, historical mystery, 1500s genre. this is from a bigger story btw" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Only Satsu did not react to Hiro's words." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Find a natural way to mention that Please proceed with the explanation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Satsu,\" Nori pleaded, \"tell him this cannot be so.\"\n\nThe actor shook his head. \"I'm sorry. That, I cannot say.\"\n\n\"But... she's your daughter also. Please...\" Nori reached for her husband, but her hands fell short.\n\nSatsu sighed heavily. \"Please proceed with the explanation.\"\n\nNori shook her head in protest. She turned pleading eyes on Chou, but her daughter simply looked away.\n\n\"Satsu knows Chou killed her sister,\" Hiro said.\n\n\"How?\" Rika asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The others seemed too shocked to say a word.\n\nSatsu nodded. \"She is the only killer who would leave the coin behind.\"\n\n\"I came to the same conclusion,\" Hiro said. \"She could not bear to see Emi with a prize that Yuji gave her, but she could not take it off the body, either. Yuji might see it and know what she had done.\"\n\nYuji gave Chou a horrified look and scooted away from her on the floor.\n\nHiro turned his attention to Chou. \"The problem is that Emi lied to you. She did not get the coin from Yuji. She received it from a moneylender, as a loan on the stolen mask.\"\n\nChou's eyes widened in disbelief. She turned to Yuji. \"Is this true?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yuji leaned away from her and nodded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No,\" Nori said. \"I don't believe you. Chou would never do this thing.\"\n\n\"I trust you can explain how you reached these conclusions?\" Rika asked. \"With apologies if it seems I doubt your word—I simply wish to know.\"\n\n\"I can explain it, and I will.\" Hiro continued, \"The first clue was the coin. Most people assume a girl like Emi could only receive a coin from a man—specifically, a man with whom she had an illicit relationship. I initially made that same mistake myself. Also, most killers would not leave such a valuable coin on the body. That bothered me from the outset, but I hoped the killer's identity would offer an explanation for that problem.\n\n\"I began my investigation with the suspects. Yuji revealed himself at once as a rogue and a liar, but also selfish. He wouldn't have left the coin behind, any more than he would give a woman such an expensive gift. He believes that women owe him favors, not the other way around.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hiro turned to Satsu. \"I suspected you, as well.\"\n\n\"Only a fool would seek investigation of a murder he committed,\" Satsu said.\n\n\"I never eliminate suspects on that basis,\" Hiro replied. \"I have known too many fools. Moreover, your behavior hinted you already knew who murdered Emi. However, I soon realized you did not kill your daughter.\"\n\n\"How?\" Satsu asked.\n\n\"Again, the coin was the answer,\" Hiro said. \"You initially told us you wanted to find the link between the killer and the coin, but all of our later conversations focused on the coin alone. You refused to accept that Botan might have sold the missing mask. You seemed absolutely certain it was stolen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "You also wanted the coin returned, and though you claimed you wanted it for the value of the gold, your focus on it seemed too strong—there had to be something more. Like me, I think you suspected Emi stole the mask and that the gold related to the theft.\n\n\"You would not have killed your daughter, even to preserve the family honor, if she held the key to finding the mask.\"\n\n\"But how did you know I suspected her involvement in the theft?\" Satsu asked.\n\n\"You told us you expected her to run away or leave Kyoto,\" Hiro said, \"and yet, you did not know she met men by the river. She couldn't have run without money, and since you knew she had no job, it stands to reason you assumed she got the coin in return for the mask.\"\n\n\"Please,\" Nori begged, \"this cannot be true. Neither of my daughters would do the terrible things you claim.\"\n\nShe looked around the room for support, but no one met her eyes.\n\n\"A samurai threatened to harm the Yutoku-za unless we paid him,\" Nori said. \"He demanded gold, but my father did not have the sum he wanted. He made threats—he must have killed Emi and stolen the mask.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I know about the samurai.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hiro spoke gently, out of respect for the woman's pain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The man who threatened your father is a yoriki. He wanted gold to buy a place in the shogun's army. We know, because he threatened others also. He did not know about the coin until after the murder happened, when he overheard us showing it to the magistrate. The man is a thief, but he did not kill your daughter.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Maybe he didn't see the coin when he killed her.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nori clasped her hands together." }, { "from": "system", "value": "CONSTRAINT: Include 'satsu' 2 time(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I beg you, do not blame this crime on Chou.\"\n\n\"The coin was part of the murder weapon,\" Hiro said. \"The killer saw it.\"\n\n\"You showed the coin to the magistrate?\" Satsu asked. \"Did he take it from you?\"\n\n\"We no longer have it,\" Hiro affirmed.\n\nSatsu sighed. \"Then hope is lost. I never even figured out how Emi stole the mask.\"\n\n\"Yuji can answer that, I believe,\" Hiro said.\n\nThe young man's face turned as red as the coals in the hearth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He claimed that Emi seduced him,\" Hiro continued, \"but Emi told Chou a different story—one which Haru heard, and confirmed, so I think it more reliable. Emi wanted to reveal Yuji's lack of character. She did invite his affections, but also claimed there was no affair, despite Yuji's words to the contrary.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Emi could have lied,\" Rika said. \"Women of poor virtue often do.\"\n\n\"As do actors,\" Nori added as tears flowed down her face again, \"and your son has already confessed to lies.\"\n\n\"Enough,\" Satsu whispered. \"Let the samurai finish.\"\n\n\"I believe that Emi told Chou the truth,\" Hiro said. \"She tricked Yuji into giving her the mask. He could never admit to that, so he allowed you all to believe he had an affair with Emi instead. You could forgive a moral slip, but not complicity in the theft of your greatest treasure.\"\n\n\"Emi was my greatest treasure,\" Nori said.\n\nChou gave her mother a wounded look. Everyone else's attention shifted to Yuji." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Satsu scowled. \"Is this what happened?\"\n\nYuji folded his arms across his chest. \"No—that is, not exactly.\"\n\n\"Feel free to correct my errors,\" Hiro said.\n\nYuji glanced at the others as if hoping someone would speak on his behalf.\n\nNo one did.\n\n\"Chou told me Emi was meeting a man by the river. I didn't believe her, because\"—he paused, as if weighing how much of the truth to tell—\"Emi always refused my advances and said she didn't want a man at all. But Chou insisted it was true, so one evening, about a week ago, I followed Emi to the river." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She met and talked with a man—he looked like a merchant, of all things." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Afterward I confronted her. She told me her life was not my concern. But when I threatened to tell Satsu what I'd seen, she changed completely. She suggested... well, she asked if I still wanted her.\"\n\nHe glanced at Chou. \"I told her I did. She said we had to be careful, so no one would see us. She said we should meet at an inn by the river, one of the places that rents its rooms for coppers and asks no questions. She asked me to bring a mask so I could give her a private performance...\"\n\nYuji trailed off as if hoping he wouldn't have to complete the story.\n\nEveryone else in the room looked horrified. Rika shook her head, expression wavering between disgust and fury. Chou's eyes filled with tears that did not fall.\n\n\"You agreed to this?\" Satsu demanded.\n\n\"You were betrothed to Chou!\" Rika added." }, { "from": "system", "value": "DIRECTIVE: Incorporate \"How did you manage it?\" in response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let him finish,\" Hiro said. \"What happened then?\"\n\n\"The night before she died, I took the mask and met her at the inn,\" Yuji continued. \"I sneaked the special one from Botan's office because no one would notice it missing overnight. Botan only opens the box when he needs the mask for performances, and Aoi no Ue doesn't use it.\"\n\n\"How did you manage it?\" Satsu asked. \"The trunk where he stores that mask is always locked.\"\n\n\"I know where Botan keeps the key.\" Yuji looked at the hearth and fell silent.\n\n\"Keep going.\" Hiro felt no sympathy for the actor. A man could attempt to conceal his crimes, but if they came to light he had to own them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"When I reached the inn, Emi had ordered a flask of sake,\" Yuji said. \"The innkeeper kept refilling it, and Emi kept drinking, so I did too." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Eventually, I needed to use the latrine...\n\n\"When I returned, she was gone, along with the mask. The innkeeper said she had left me a message—a piece of paper that called me a worthless fool. That's when I realized she tricked me. She was only pretending to drink. She wanted to get me drunk so she could steal the mask.\"\n\n\"Why didn't you come straight home and explain what happened?\" Satsu asked.\n\n\"It would have ruined me! Botan would dismiss me from the troupe, and you would cancel my betrothal.\"\n\n\"Your betrothal to Chou is canceled,\" Satsu said, \"and, I assure you, when he hears this tale, Botan will ensure you never set foot on a stage in Kyoto again.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: The user will write a bit then you need to write around eight sentences continuing directly from the user's text. Characters and lore may appear without context - work with what's given.\n\nAuthor style: Susan Spann" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Had you told the truth, we might have avoided this tragedy,\" Satsu said to Yuji. \"Now my daughter is dead and the mask is gone, and though you committed neither crime, morally you are responsible for both.\"\n\nFather Mateo started to speak, but Hiro shook his head. An important part of the story remained to be told.\n\nChou bowed her face to the ground. \"I'm sorry, Father. Emi told me she met Yuji at the inn, and he confirmed it, but I did not know about the mask. They never mentioned it. I did not even know that it was missing.\"\n\n\"Tell us what happened the night Emi died,\" Hiro said. \"And this time, tell the truth.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'didn't' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Chou pushed herself to a sitting position. The tears had left her eyes. \"I loved my sister. I did not want to kill her.\"\n\nHiro nodded. \"I believe you.\"\n\n\"I never cared that Emi was pretty and I am not, or that everyone liked her better than they like me.\" Chou's determined expression looked out of place on her mild face. \"Emi wanted to sing and dance. I wanted a home and a husband. We didn't fight, because we didn't need to. I never wanted Emi's life." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She never wanted mine.\n\n\"But after Father formally announced my betrothal to Yuji, everything changed. Emi said I was foolish to love him. She said I would be miserable as his wife. I thought she said it because she wanted Yuji for herself. I saw them talking, many times. They stood too close together. Emi denied that she wanted him, but he was always there, beside her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I told her to leave him alone. She called me stupid.\n\n\"She said Yuji wasn't worth fighting over.\" Tears welled up in Chou's eyes. \"He was worth it to me.\"\n\nShe sniffled, wiped her eyes, and continued, \"Two days before Emi died, she told me she had found a man to help her buy a teahouse. She was meeting him that very night. She stayed out late—much later than normal—and when she returned, she wouldn't tell me where she'd been. A little while later, I saw Yuji sneaking back into the house. I stopped him and asked where he had been, but he wouldn't tell me either. I knew he was the man that Emi meant.\"\n\n\"I never promised to help her buy a teahouse,\" Yuji protested.\n\nChou continued as if he hadn't spoken." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The next day Yuji came to me, looking for Emi. I asked if he was with her the night before, and he said yes, but he promised it would never happen again.\" She turned to Yuji. \"You should have told the truth. I would have understood. I would have helped you.\"\n\n\"If I told you about the mask, it would have ruined everything,\" Yuji said.\n\nChou wiped the last of her tears away. \"Emi was right. You only care about yourself.\"\n\n\"Then what happened?\" Hiro asked.\n\n\"That afternoon, Emi showed me a golden coin. She said it was proof I couldn't trust Yuji and that he was the reason she had it. I thought she meant he gave it to her. Now, I realize... I told her to give it to me, but she refused. Then Mother came in and I had to pretend that nothing was going on.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Chou looked at her parents." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I am sorry. I thought, if you knew, you'd make Yuji marry Emi instead of me.\"\n\n\"How could you still want him? He betrayed you,\" Satsu said.\n\n\"Because I love him,\" Chou insisted. \"I thought... with her out of the way, he would realize he loved me too.\n\n\"That night I followed Emi to the river. I stayed in the shadows. I wanted to see it when Yuji told her it was over. First she met a merchant, and they talked. The man lay down—I think he fell asleep." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Emi just sat there, and I got bored, but just as I decided to leave, Yuji came out from under the bridge." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Emi left the other man and went to Yuji. He took her in his arms, like a lover—\"\n\n\"That was not an embrace,\" Yuji interrupted. \"I grabbed her in anger. I wanted her to tell me what she did with the sacred mask. She showed me the coin and taunted me. She said the gold was the key, but I would never find the lock it opened.\"\n\n\"So you grabbed her,\" Hiro said.\n\n\"But I did not kill her,\" Yuji insisted. \"I knew, if I did, I would never find the mask.\"\n\n\"What did she do when you grabbed her?\" Hiro asked.\n\n\"She threatened to scream. She told me there was a yoriki patrolling along the riverbank, as well as the samurai guarding Shijō Bridge. She said if I didn't let her go, she would claim that I attacked her, so I left.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You left?\" Father Mateo echoed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yuji looked at the priest. \"What else could I do? No one can leave the city at night. I needed a plan to recover the mask. I went home, and Mother can attest I was there the rest of the night.\"\n\n\"My wretched child deserves no favors,\" Rika said, \"but he was here.\"\n\nHiro turned to Chou. \"What happened after Yuji left?\"\n\n\"I confronted Emi by the bridge,\" Chou said. \"I asked her why she wanted to steal my husband. Emi claimed I had it wrong, but I knew what I saw! She was lying.\n\n\"I looked at the coin around her neck. I'd never felt so angry and betrayed. I grabbed the coin\"—Chou pantomimed the action—\"I wanted to tear it off and throw it in the river. But Emi grasped my hands, and we struggled. I wrapped the leather thong around my wrist.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Again, she mimed the action.\n\n\"Emi put her hands to her throat. I realized I was choking her, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. I felt so angry. I wanted her to hurt, the way that I did when I saw her close to Yuji.\n\n\"Emi fell down. My hands were twisted up in the leather, so I fell too, but I didn't let go...\"\n\nChou's words trailed off as the memory flooded through her. She looked at her hands, as if reliving what they had done. \"Emi stopped struggling. Her body went limp." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't realize... And then it was over." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'didn't' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her eyes went empty. She didn't breathe. That's when I realized she was dead. I didn't know what to do. If I took the coin, Yuji would see it and know...\n\n\"I dragged her body up the bank and left her with the sleeping man. I hoped the police would blame him for her death. It was wrong, but I was scared.\" She looked at Yuji. \"I thought, with Emi dead, you'd want to marry me again.\"\n\nYuji's eyes were wide with horror." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required text (preserve exact wording): \"There is always a choice,\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Rika and Nori seemed equally stunned.\n\nSatsu stared at his daughter with an expression that slowly hardened into regret.\n\nHiro did not envy the difficult choice that Satsu had to make.\n\nNori's whisper broke the silence. \"Why?\"\n\n\"I never meant to hurt her.\" Chou turned to her mother. \"You have to believe me. I had no choice.\"\n\n\"There is always a choice,\" Satsu said, \"until the deed is done. Now, however, the lot is cast and you must answer for your crime.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My crime?\" The glaze in Chou's eyes suggested her mind refused to process the situation fully." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nori shook her head and whispered, \"No. I cannot lose them both.\"\n\n\"You killed your sister,\" Satsu said.\n\n\"But it's over.\" Chou seemed puzzled. \"Emi is gone and the mask is also.\"\n\n\"Emi is gone,\" Hiro said, \"but the mask is not.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "expand on the story like Laura Joh Rowland would. btw might have existing characters/lore" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "[ Genroku Period, Year 3, Month ]\n\n[ Tokyo, October 1690 AD ]\n\n\"It is my privilege to open this ceremony in which Sōsakan Sano Ichiro and Lady Ueda Reiko shall be united in marriage before the gods.\" Pudgy, nearsighted Noguchi Motoori—Sano's former superior and the go-between who had arranged the match—solemnly addressed the assembly gathered in Edo Castle's private reception hall.\n\nOn this warm autumn morning, sliding doors stood open to a garden resplendent with scarlet maple leaves and brilliant blue sky." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Two priests, clad in white robes and tall black caps, knelt at the front of the hall before the alcove, in which hung a scroll bearing the names of the kami—Shinto deities." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Below this, a dais held the traditional offerings of round rice cakes and a ceramic jar of consecrated sake. Two maidens, wearing the hooded cloaks of Shinto shrine attendants, stood near the priests. On the tatami to the left of the alcove knelt the bride's father and closest associates: stout, dignified Magistrate Ueda and a few relatives and friends. To the right, the groom's party consisted of Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japan's supreme military dictator, dressed in brocade robes and the cylindrical black cap of his rank, attended by several high officials; Sano's frail, elderly mother; and Hirata, Sano's chief retainer. All eyes turned to the center of the hall, the focus of the ceremony." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano and Reiko knelt side by side before two small tables—he in black ceremonial robes stamped with his family's gold flying-crane crest, his two swords at his waist; she in a white silk kimono and a long, white silk drape that completely covered her face and hair." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They faced a flat porcelain dish containing a miniature pine and plum tree, a bamboo grove, the statues of a hare and a crane: symbols of longevity, pliancy, and fidelity. Behind them, Noguchi and his wife knelt at a table reserved for the go-between. As the priests stood and bowed to the altar, Sano's heart pounded. His stoic dignity hid a turmoil of emotion.\n\nThe last two years had brought him continuous upheaval: the death of his beloved father; the move from his modest family home in the Nihonbashi merchant district to Edo Castle, Japan's seat of power; a dizzyingly rapid rise in status and all the associated challenges." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At times he feared his mind and body couldn't withstand the relentless onslaught of change. Now he was marrying a twenty-year-old girl he'd met exactly once before, more than a year ago, at the formal meeting between their two families. Her lineage was impeccable, her father one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Edo. But they'd never spoken; he knew nothing of her character. He barely remembered what she looked like, and wouldn't see her face again until the end of the ceremony." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To Sano, the tradition of arranged marriage now seemed like sheer madness—a potentially disastrous pairing of strangers. What perilous turn had his fate taken? Was it too late to escape?\n\nFrom her tiny bedchamber in the Edo Castle women's quarters, the shogun's newest concubine heard hurrying footsteps, slamming doors, and shrill feminine voices. The dressing rooms would be littered with opulent silk kimonos and spilt face powder, the servants rushing to finish dressing the two hundred concubines and their attendants for the Sōsakan-sama's wedding feast." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Harume, weary of the suffocating presence of so many other women after only eight months at the castle, had decided to skip the celebration." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Privacy was almost nonexistent in the crowded women's quarters, but now her chambermates were gone, the palace officials busy. The shogun's mother, whom Harume attended, hadn't required her services today. No one would miss her, she hoped—because Harume meant to take full advantage of her rare solitude.\n\nShe latched the door, then closed the shutters. On a low table she lit oil lamps and incense burners." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The flickering flames cast her shadow against the mullioned paper walls; the incense smoked, sweetly pungent A hushed, secretive atmosphere permeated the room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Harume's pulse quickened with a dark excitement. She set a rectangular black lacquer box, its lid inlaid with gold irises, and a porcelain sake decanter and two cups on the table. Her movements were slow and graceful, befitting a sacred ritual. Then she tiptoed to the door and listened.\n\nThe noise had diminished; the other women must have finished dressing and started toward the banquet hall." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Harume returned to the altar she'd created." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With eagerness rising in her breast, she pushed back her glossy, waist-length black hair. She loosened her sash and parted the skirts of her red silk dressing gown. She knelt, naked from the waist down.\n\nShe contemplated herself with pride. At age eighteen, she was as ripe of flesh as a mature woman, yet with youth's fresh radiance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Flawless ivory skin covered her firm thighs, her rounded hips and stomach." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With her fingertips Harume stroked the silky triangle of pubic hair. She smiled, remembering his hand there, his mouth against her throat, their shared rapture. She reveled in her eternal love for him, which she would now prove beyond any possible doubt.\n\nOne of the priests swished a long wand tasseled with white paper strips, crying, \"Evil out, fortune in! Whoosh! Whoosh!\" to purify the room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then he chanted an invocation to the Shinto gods Izanagi and Izanami, revered procreators of the universe." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hearing the familiar words, Sano relaxed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The timeless ceremony lifted him above doubt and fear; anticipation soared in him. No matter the risks, he wanted this marriage. At the advanced age of thirty-one, he was at last ready to make the decisive step into official adulthood, to take his place in society as the head of his own family. And he was ready for a change in his life.\n\nHis twenty months as the shogun's Sōsakan-sama—most honorable investigator of events, situations, and people—had been a nonstop cycle of criminal cases, treasure hunts, and spying assignments, culminating in a near-catastrophic trip to Nagasaki." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There he had investigated the murder of a Dutch trader—and been shot, almost burned to death, charged with treason, and nearly executed before clearing himself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He'd returned to Edo seven days ago, and while he hadn't lost his desire to pursue truth and deliver criminals to justice, he was tired. Tired of violence, death, and corruption. The aftermath of a tragic love affair the previous year had left him lonely and emotionally drained.\n\nNow, however, Sano looked forward to a respite from the rigors of his work. The shogun had granted him a month's holiday." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After a year-long betrothal, Sano welcomed the prospect of a private life with a sweet, compliant wife who would provide a haven from the outside world." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He yearned for children, especially a son who would carry on his name and inherit his position. This ceremony was not just a social rite of passage, but a gateway to everything Sano wanted.\n\nThe second priest played a series of high-pitched, wailing notes on a flute, while the first beat a sonorous accompaniment on a wooden drum. Now came the most solemn, sacred part of the wedding ritual. The music ceased. One attendant poured the consecrated sake into a long-handled brass ewer and brought it to Sano and Reiko." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The other attendant set before them a tray containing three flat wooden cups, graduated in size, nested together. From the ewer, the attendants filled the first, smallest cup, bowed, and handed it to the bride. The assembly waited in hushed expectation.\n\nHarume opened the lacquer box and took out a long, straight razor with a gleaming steel blade, a pearl-handled knife, and a small, square black lacquer jar with her name painted in gold on the stopper. As she arranged these objects before her, a tremor of fear fluttered in Harume's throat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She dreaded pain, hated blood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Would someone interrupt this ceremony—or worse, discover her secret, forbidden liaison?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dangerous intrigues shadowed her life, and there were people who might wish to see her disgraced and banished from the castle. But love demanded sacrifice and necessitated risk. With unsteady hands she poured sake into the two cups: one for herself; a ritual one for her absent lover. She lifted her cup and swallowed the drink. Her eyes watered; her throat burned." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the potent liquor enflamed her courage and determination." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'razor' 2 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She picked up the razor.\n\nWith careful strokes Harume shaved bare her pubic area, brushing the cut black strands onto the floor. Then she set aside the razor and lifted the knife.\n\nReiko, her face still concealed beneath the white headdress, lifted the sake cup to her lips and drank. The process was repeated three times." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then the attendants refilled the cup and passed it to Sano." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He drank his three drafts, imagining that he felt the transient warmth of his bride's dainty fingers on the polished wood and tasted the sweetness of her lip rouge on the rim: their first, albeit indirect, touch.\n\nWould their marriage be, as he hoped, a union of kindred souls as well as sensual satisfaction?\n\nA collective sigh passed through the assembly. The san-san-ku-do—the \"three-times-three-sips\" pledge that sealed the marriage bond—never failed to arouse poignant emotion. Sano's own eyes burned with unshed tears; he wondered if Reiko shared his hopes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The attendant set aside the cup and filled the second one." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This time Sano drank first, three times, then Reiko did. After the third, largest cup was passed and the liquor sipped, the flute and drum music resumed. Joy nearly overwhelmed Sano. He and Reiko were now joined in wedlock. Soon he would see her face again..." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Touching the knife's sharp blade to her tender, shaved skin, Harume flinched at the coldness of the steel." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her heart thudded; her hand trembled. She put the knife down and took another drink. Then, closing her eyes, Harume summoned the image of her lover, the memory of his caresses. The incense smoke steeped her lungs in the scent of jasmine. Ardor flooded her with daring." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'blood' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When she opened her eyes, her body was still, her mind calm. She took up the knife again. On her pubis she slowly cut the first stroke, just above the cleft of her womanhood.\n\nCrimson blood welled. Harume let out a sharp hiss of pain; tears stung her eyes. But she wiped away the blood with the end of her sash, took another drink, and cut the next stroke." }, { "from": "human", "value": "More pain; more blood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Eleven more strokes, and Harume sighed in relief." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The worst part was done." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now for the step that would bind her irrevocably to her lover.\n\nHarume opened the lacquer jar. The stopper was fitted with a bamboo-handled brush, its soft bristles saturated with gleaming black ink. Carefully she brushed the ink onto the cuts, enjoying its cool wetness, balm to her pain. With her bloody sash she blotted up the excess ink and stoppered the bottle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then, sipping more sake, she admired her work." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The complete tattoo, the size of her thumbnail, etched in black lines, now adorned her private place: an indelible expression of fidelity and devotion. Until the hair grew back, she hoped she could keep herself covered, hiding her secret from the other concubines, the palace officials, the shogun. But even after the tattoo was safely obscured, she would know it was there. As would he. They would treasure this symbol of the only marriage they would ever celebrate. Harume poured herself another cup of sake, a private toast to eternal love." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But when she drank, she couldn't swallow; the sake leaked from her mouth, running down her chin." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A strange tingling began in Harume's lips and tongue; her throat felt strangely thick and numb, as if packed with cotton. An eerie, cold sensation crept across her skin. Dizziness washed over her. The room spun; the lamp flames, unnaturally bright, whirled before her eyes. Frightened, she dropped the cup." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What was happening to her?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sudden nausea gripped Harume." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Doubling over, hands pressed against her stomach, she retched. Hot, sour vomit clogged her throat, shot up her nose, and spewed onto the floor. She wheezed and coughed, unable to get enough air. In a panic, Harume rose and started for the door. But the muscles of her legs had gone weak; she stumbled, scattering incense burners, razor, knife, and ink bottle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lurching and limping, all the while struggling to breathe, Harume managed to reach the door and open it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A hoarse cry burst from her numb lips.\n\n\"Help!\"\n\nThe corridor was empty. Clutching her throat, Harume staggered in the direction of voices that sounded distorted and far away. Ceiling lanterns burned as bright as suns, blinding her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She grabbed the walls for support. Through a haze of dizzy nausea, Harume saw winged black shapes pursuing her. Claws snatched at her hair. High-pitched shrieks echoed in her ears.\n\nDemons!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now the attendants served sake to Sano's mother and Magistrate Ueda, honoring the new allegiance between the two families, then passed cups of liquor to the assembly, which proclaimed in unison, \"Omedeto gozaimasu—congratulations!\"\n\nSano saw happy faces turned toward him and Reiko. His mother's loving gaze warmed him. Hirata passed a self-conscious hand over the black stubble on his head—shaved during their Nagasaki investigation—and beamed. Magistrate Ueda nodded in dignified approval; the shogun grinned." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From the table before him, Sano picked up the ceremonial document and read in an unsteady voice, \"We have now become united as husband and wife for all eternity. We vow to execute our marital duties faithfully and spend all the days of our lives together in never-ending trust and affection. Sano Ichiro, the twentieth day of the ninth month, Genroku year three.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then Reiko read from her identical document. Her voice was high, clear, and melodic. This was the first time Sano had ever heard it. What would they talk about, alone together, tonight?\n\nThe attendants handed Sano and Reiko branches of saka tree with white paper strips attached, leading the couple to the alcove to make a traditional wedding offering to the gods." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Small and slender, Reiko barely came up to Sano's shoulder." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'bowed' must appear 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her long sleeves and hem trailed on the floor. Together they bowed and laid the branches on the altar. The attendants bowed twice to the altar, then clapped their hands twice. The assembly followed suit.\n\n\"The ceremony is successfully completed,\" announced the priest who had performed the invocation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Now the bride and groom can begin to build a harmonious home.\"\n\nPursued by the demons, Harume somehow found her way through the winding passages of the women's quarters, to the door leading to the main palace. There stood the castle ladies, dressed in bright, colorful kimonos, attended by servants and a few male guards. Harume's strength was fading. Wheezing and choking, she crashed to the floor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In a loud rustle of silk garments, the crowd turned." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A flurry of exclamations arose: \"It's Lady Harume!\" \"What's wrong with her?\" \"There's blood all over her mouth!\"\n\nNow a shifting collage of shocked, frightened faces hovered over Harume. Ugly purple blotches obscured the familiar features of these women she knew." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Noses elongated; eyes burned; fanged mouths leered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Black wings sprouted from shoulders, fanning the air. Silk garments became the lurid plumage of monster birds. Claws reached out to grab.\n\n\"Demons,\" Harume gasped. \"Don't come any closer. No!\"\n\nStrong hands seized her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Authoritative male voices gave orders. \"She's ill. Get a doctor.\" \"Don't let her disrupt the Sōsakan-sama's wedding.\" \"Take her to her room...\"\n\nPanic infused strength into Harume's muscles." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As she kicked and thrashed and gasped for breath, her voice burst from her in a scream of terror: \"Help! Demons! Don't let them kill me!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She's mad. Stay back—out of the way! She's violent.\"\n\nDown the corridor they carried her, trailed by the screeching, flapping horde. Harume struggled to free herself. Her captors finally set her down, pinning her arms and legs. She was trapped. The demons would rip her to shreds, then devour her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yet even as these fearsome thoughts flashed through Harume's mind, a more terrifying power gathered within her body." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A gigantic convulsion surged through bone, muscle, and nerve; stretched sinews; drew invisible chains tight around internal organs. Harume screamed in agony as her back arched and her stiff limbs shot out. In a cacophony of shrieks, the demons let go, thrown off by the force of her involuntary movements. A second, stronger convulsion, and darkness seeped across her vision. External sensations receded; she couldn't see the demons or hear their voices." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The wild, erratic pounding of her own heart filled her ears. Another convulsion. Mouth open wide, Harume couldn't draw another breath. Her final thought was of her lover: With a grief as agonizing as the pain, she knew she would never see him again in this life. Then one last gasp. One more unspoken plea:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Help..." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then nothingness." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano barely heard the assembly's murmured blessings, because the attendants were lifting the white drape away from his new wife's head. She was turning toward him...\n\nLooking even younger than her twenty years, Reiko had a perfect oval face with a delicate chin and nose. Her eyes, like bright, black flower petals, shone with somber innocence. On her high, shaved brow arched the fine lines of painted eyebrows." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "White rice powder covered smooth, perfect skin, contrasting with the satiny black hair that fell from a center part all the way to her knees. Her beauty took Sano's breath away. Then Reiko smiled at him—the merest shy curving of dainty red lips before she demurely lowered her gaze. Sano's heart clenched with a fierce, possessive tenderness as he smiled back. She was everything he wanted." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Their life together would be sheer conjugal bliss, which would begin as soon as the public formalities ended." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The assembly stood as the attendants escorted Sano and Reiko from the altar to their families." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano bowed to Magistrate Ueda and thanked him for the honor of joining the clan, while Reiko did the same to Sano's mother. Together they thanked the shogun for his patronage, and the guests for coming. Then, after many more congratulations, thanks, and blessings, the party, led by the shogun, moved through the carved doors and down the wide corridor toward the hall where the wedding banquet would take place and more guests waited.\n\nSuddenly, from deep within the castle's interior, came loud, high-pitched screams, then the sound of running footsteps. The shogun paused, halting the procession." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What is that noise?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "he asked, his aristocratic features darkening in annoyance. To his officials, he said, \"Go and, ahh, determine the cause, and put a stop to—\"\n\nDown the corridor toward the wedding party stampeded hundreds of shrieking women, some dressed in brilliant silk robes, others wearing the plain cotton kimonos of servants, all holding their sleeves over their noses and mouths, eyes wide with terror. Palace officials stormed after them, shouting commands and trying to restore order, but the women paid no heed.\n\n\"Let us out!\" they cried, shoving the bridal procession up against the wall as they rushed past." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How dare these females treat me in this disrespectful manner?\" Tokugawa Tsunayoshi wailed. \"Has everyone gone mad? Guards—stop them!\"\n\nMagistrate Ueda and the attendants shielded Reiko from the mob, which quickly expanded to include panicky guests pouring out of the banquet hall. They crashed into Sano's mother, he caught her before she fell.\n\n\"We're all doomed if we don't run!\" shrilled the women." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now an army of guards appeared." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They herded the hysterical women back to the castle interior. The wedding party and guests clustered in the banquet hall, where tables and cushions had been arranged on the floor, a troupe of frightened musicians clutched their instruments, and maids waited to serve the feast.\n\n\"What is the meaning of this?\" The shogun straightened his tall black cap, knocked atilt in the scuffle. \"I, ahh, demand an explanation!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The guard commander bowed to Tokugawa Tsunayoshi." }, { "from": "system", "value": "CONSTRAINT: Include 'contagion' 2 time(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My apologies, Your Excellency, but there's been a disturbance in the women's quarters. Your concubine Lady Harume just died.\"\n\nThe chief castle physician, dressed in the dark blue coat of his profession, added, \"Her death was caused by a sudden violent illness. The other ladies fled in panic, fearing contagion.\"\n\nMurmurs of dismay rose from the assembly. Tokugawa Tsunayoshi gasped. \"Contagion?\" His face paled, and he covered his nose and mouth with both hands to keep the spirit of disease from entering." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Do you mean to say there is an, ahh, epidemic in the castle?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A dictator of delicate health and with little talent for leadership, he turned to Sano and Magistrate Ueda, the men present who ranked next below him in status. \"What is to be done?\"\n\n\"The nuptial festivities must be canceled,\" Magistrate Ueda said with regret, \"and the guests sent home. I will see to the arrangements.\"\n\nSano, though shocked by this calamitous end to his wedding, hastened to his lord's aid. Contagious disease was a serious concern in Edo Castle, which housed hundreds of Japan's highest-ranking officials and their families." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"In case there really is an epidemic, the ladies must be quarantined to prevent its spread.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano instructed the guard commander to manage this, and told the castle physician to examine the women for symptoms. \"And you, Your Excellency, should stay in your chambers to avoid illness.\"\n\n\"Ahh, yes, of course,\" said Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, obviously relieved to have someone else take charge. Hurrying in the direction of his private suite, the shogun summoned the officials to follow, while shouting orders to Sano: \"You must personally investigate Lady Harume's death at once!\" In his fear for himself, he seemed indifferent to the loss of his concubine and the fate of his other women." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And he'd apparently forgotten all about Sano's promised holiday. \"You must prevent the evil spirit of disease from reaching me. Now go!\"\n\n\"Yes, Your Excellency,\" Sano called after the retreating despot and his entourage.\n\nHirata hurried to join him. As they started down the corridor toward the women's quarters, Sano looked over his shoulder and saw Reiko, white bridal gown trailing behind her, being escorted out by her father and attendants." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He felt extreme annoyance at the shogun for reneging on his promise, and regret for the delayed wedding celebrations, both public and private. Had he not earned a little peace and happiness? Then Sano suppressed a sigh. Obedience to his lord was a samurai's highest virtue. Duty prevailed; once again, death commanded Sano's attentions. Marital bliss would have to wait." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "CONTINUE STORY. PARAMETERS: one sentence sentences, character continuity, Sano Ichiro 4 genre." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the slums of Kodemmacho, near the river in the northeast sector of the Nihonbashi merchant district, Edo Jail's complex of high stone walls, watchtowers, and gabled roofs hulked over its surrounding canals like a malignant growth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano rode his horse across the bridge toward the iron-banded gate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sentries manned the guardhouse; doshin herded miserable, shackled criminals into the jail to await trial, or out of it toward the execution ground." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As always when approaching the prison, Sano imagined that he felt the air grow colder, as if Edo Jail repelled sunlight and exuded a miasma of death and decay." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yet Sano willingly braved the danger of spiritual pollution that other high-ranking samurai avoided." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the city morgue, housed inside the peeling plaster walls, he hoped to learn the truth about the death of Lady Harume." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The sentries opened the gate for Sano." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He dismounted and led his horse through the compound of guards' barracks, courtyards, and administrative offices, past the jail proper, where the howls of prisoners drifted from barred windows." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In a courtyard near the rear of the jail, Sano secured his horse outside the morgue, a low building with scabrous plaster walls and a shaggy thatched roof." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He took the bundled evidence from Lady Harume's room out of his saddlebag." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Crossing the threshold, he braced himself for the sight and smell of Dr. Ito's gruesome work." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The room held stone troughs used to wash the dead; cabinets containing the doctor's tools; a podium in the corner, piled with books and notes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At one of the three waist-high tables, Dr. Ito assembled a collection of human bones in their relative positions." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His assistant, Mura, cleaned a pan of vertebrae." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Both men looked up from their work and bowed when Sano entered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ah, Sano-san. Welcome!\" Dr. Ito's narrow, ascetic face brightened with glad surprise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I did not expect to see you. Is this not the day of your wedding?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dr. Ito Genboku, Edo Morgue custodian, whose scientific expertise had aided Sano in many investigations, was also a true friend—rare in the politically treacherous To-kugawa regime." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shrewd of gaze and keen of mind at age seventy, Dr. Ito had short, abundant white hair that receded at the temples." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His long, dark blue coat covered a tall, spare frame." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Once esteemed physician to the imperial family, Dr. Ito had been caught practicing forbidden foreign science, which he'd learned through illicit channels from Dutch traders in Nagasaki." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Unlike other rangakusha—scholars of Dutch learning—he'd been punished not by exile, but by being sentenced to permanent custodianship of Edo Morgue." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Here, though the living conditions were squalid, he could experiment in peace, ignored by the authorities." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I was married this morning, but the wedding banquet and my holiday were canceled,\" Sano said, laying his bundle on an empty table." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And once again, I need your help.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He explained about Lady Harume's mysterious death, the shogun's orders for him to investigate, and his suspicion of murder." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Most intriguing,\" Dr. Ito said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Of course I shall assist in any way I can. But first, my congratulations on your marriage. Allow me to present you with a small gift. Mura, will you please fetch it?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mura, a short man with gray hair and a square, intelligent face, set aside his pan of bones." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was an eta, one of society's outcast class who staffed the jail, acting as corpse handlers, jailers, torturers, and executioners." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Eta also performed such dirty work as emptying cesspools, collecting garbage, and clearing away dead bodies after floods, fires, and earthquakes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Their hereditary link with such death-related occupations as butchering and leather tanning rendered them spiritually contaminated, unfit for contact with other citizens." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But shared adversity forged strange bonds; Mura was Dr. Ito's servant and companion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now the eta bowed to his master and Sano and left the room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He returned with a small package wrapped in a scrap of blue cotton, which Dr. Ito handed to Sano." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My gift in honor of your marriage.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Arigato, Ito-san\" Bowing, Sano accepted the package and unfolded the wrapping." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Inside the cloth lay a flat, palm-size circle of black wrought iron: a guard meant to fit between the blade and hilt of a samurai's sword." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The filigree design was a variation on Sano's family crest, with a crane's elegant, long-beaked head in profile, a slit for the blade cut through its body, and elaborately feathered, upswept wings." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Caressing the smooth metal, Sano admired the gift." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's just a poor, humble thing,\" Dr. Ito said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Mura gathered scrap iron in the city. One of the janitors was a metalsmith before being convicted of thievery and sentenced to work here. He helped me make the sword guard at night. It's not really good enough for—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's beautiful,\" Sano said, \"and I'll treasure it always.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Carefully he rewrapped the sword guard and tucked the package in his drawstring pouch, more moved by Ito's thoughtful gesture than by any of the lavish presents he'd received from strangers currying favor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then, to fill the awkward silence that ensued, he opened his bundle and explained the circumstances of Lady Harume's death." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Her corpse won't arrive for examination until later. But there's a strong possibility that she was poisoned.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano set out the lamps, incense burners, sake decanter, razor, knife, and ink jar." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I want to know whether one of these things is the source of the poison.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the doctor's orders, Mura fetched six small, empty wooden cages, and a larger one containing six live mice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dr. Ito lined the cages up on the table." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the first two small ones, he lit a lamp and incense burner from Lady Harume's room, placed a wriggling gray mouse into each cage, and covered them with cloths." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This method should expose the mice to any poison in the oil or incense,\" Dr. Ito said, \"while protecting us from dangerous fumes.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the third cage he set a dish of the sake that Harume had apparently imbibed shortly before her death, and a third mouse." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To test the razor, Dr. Ito shaved a patch of hair off a fourth mouse's back; with the pearl-handled knife he made a shallow cut on the fifth mouse's belly, then dropped the animals into separate cages." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And now the ink.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From a cabinet Dr. Ito took one of his own knives." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll use a clean blade to avoid introducing extraneous contamination.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He made a scratch on the sixth mouse's belly, unstoppered the lacquer jar, and brushed black ink onto the wound." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he dropped the mouse into its cage and said, \"Now we wait.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano and Dr. Ito watched the cages." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Faint scratchings came from within the two cloth-covered ones." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The third mouse sniffed the liquor, then began to drink." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The razor-shaved mouse roamed his cage while the others licked their wounds." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suddenly a high shriek rang out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Look!\" Sano pointed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The mouse with ink on its cut belly writhed, back arching, tiny claws grasping the air, tail whipping back and forth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Its chest heaved as if trying desperately to suck air into the lungs; its eyes rolled." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The little pink mouth opened and closed, emitting cries of agony, then a gush of blood." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano indicated the symptoms which matched the castle physician's description of those suffered by Lady Harume: \"Convulsions. Vomiting. Shortness of breath.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "A few more squeals and gasps, a final paroxysm, then the mouse lay dead." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano and Dr. Ito bowed their heads in respect for the animal that had given its life to the pursuit of scientific knowledge." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then they checked the other cages." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This mouse is intoxicated,\" Dr. Ito said, observing the creature that staggered around the now-empty sake dish, \"but otherwise healthy.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The shaved animal and the knife-cut one scampered about their cages." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No apparent ill effects here, either.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dr. Ito lifted the cloths off the last two cages, releasing clouds of pungent smoke and revealing two groggy but living mice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Or here. The ink alone contained poison.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Could this have been suicide?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano asked, still hoping for an easy resolution to Lady Harume's death." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Possibly, but I think not. Even if she had wanted to die, why choose such a painful method, instead of hanging or drowning herself? Those are the more common means of female suicide. And why bother putting the poison in the ink, instead of simply swallowing it?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"So Lady Harume was murdered.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dismay tempered Sano's gratification at having his suspicions confirmed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He must report the news to the shogun, the chief castle physician, and palace officials; it would then spread throughout Edo." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To prevent destructive consequences, Sano must identify the poisoner, fast." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What substance kills so quickly and horribly?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"When I was physician to the Imperial Court in Kyoto, I made a study of poisons,\" Dr. Ito said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The symptoms caused by this one match those of bish, an extract of a plant native to the Himalayan region. Bish has been used in India and China for almost two thousand years as an arrow toxin, both for hunting and in warfare. As you can see, a small amount introduced into the blood is fatal. People have also died after mistaking the plant's roots for horseradish. But the plant is extremely rare in Japan. I've never heard of any such poisoning cases here.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Where could the poison that killed Lady Harume have come from?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano asked. \"Am I looking for a murderer with special knowledge of herbs? Such as a sorcerer, priest, or doctor?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Perhaps. But there are druggists who illegally sell poisons to any customer able to pay.\" Dr. Ito told Mura to remove the mice. Then his expression turned thoughtful. \"These merchants usually offer common poisons such as arsenic, which can be mixed with sugar and dusted onto cakes, or antimony, which is administered in tea or wine." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Or fugu, the poisonous blowfish." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But there was one man who became a legend among physicians and scientists: an itinerant peddler who traveled around Japan, collecting remedies from remote areas and in port cities where the locals possess medical knowledge gleaned from foreigners before Japan was closed to free international trade. His name was Choyei, and I used to buy medicine from him when he passed through Kyoto. He knew more about drugs than anyone I've ever met. Mostly he dealt in beneficial substances, though he also sold poisons to scientists who, like myself, desired to study them. And there were rumors that his merchandise had caused the deaths of several high bakufu officials.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Could he be in Edo now?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano asked. If the poison dealer named a recent purchaser of bish, Lady Harume's murder could be solved." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I haven't seen Choyei—or heard anything of him—in years. He must be about my age now, if he's still alive. An odd, reclusive individual who wandered wherever fancy took him, according to no particular schedule, disguised as a tramp. I heard he was a fugitive from the law.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Though discouraged by this story, Sano didn't lose hope." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If Choyei is here, I'll find him. And there's another possible route to the killer.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano held up the ink jar." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll try to discover where Lady Harume got this, and who could have put poison into it.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Perhaps the lover for whom she tattooed herself?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dr. Ito suggested. \"Unfortunately, Lady Harume didn't cut his name on her flesh, as courtesans often do, but she would have wished to obscure his identity, if he was someone other than the shogun.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Because a concubine could be dismissed, or even executed for infidelity to her lord,\" Sano agreed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And the place she chose for the tattoo suggests that she wanted secrecy.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He rewrapped the evidence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I plan to interview the shogun's mother and her chief lady palace official. Maybe they can provide information about people who might have wanted Lady Harume dead.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dr. Ito accompanied Sano outside to the courtyard, now shaded by the coming twilight." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank you for your help, Ito-san, and for the gift,\" Sano said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"When Lady Harume's corpse arrives, I'll return for the examination.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After loading the evidence into his saddlebag, Sano mounted his horse, eager to continue the investigation, yet reluctant to return to Edo Castle." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Would he find the killer before fear heightened the dangerous personal and political tensions there? Could he avoid becoming a casually of the inevitable plots and schemes?" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "CONTINUE STORY. PARAMETERS: one sentence sentences, character continuity, Sano Ichiro 4 genre." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano rode his horse through the narrow streets of the Nihonbashi merchant district, past commoners' houses and open storefronts that sold sake, oil, pottery, soy sauce, and other products." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Merchants haggled with customers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Laborers, craftsmen, and housewives thronged lanes patrolled by troops." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano crossed a bridge that led over a willow-edged canal to a greengrocer's shop, a stationer's store, and several food stalls." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Pedestrians called friendly greetings to him: by a not entirely surprising happenstance, his quest for Lieutenant Kushida had led him to his own home territory." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he'd questioned the palace guard commander regarding Kushida's whereabouts, the man had said, \"Lieutenant Kushida has been reinstated to his post, but he doesn't go back on duty until tomorrow. However, I've heard that since he was suspended, he's been hanging around the Sano Martial Arts Academy.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was the school founded by Sano's deceased father." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano had once taught there and had planned to run it after his father's retirement, but when he'd joined the police force, his father had turned the academy over to an apprentice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yet Sano had never lost his love for the place where he'd learned the art of swordsmanship." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His mother, who didn't want to move to Edo Castle, still lived in quarters behind the school." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Upon Sano's promotion to the post of Sōsakan-sama, he'd spent some of his large stipend on improving the academy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now, as he dismounted outside the long, low building, he proudly surveyed the results." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The leaky, sagging tile roof had been replaced, and the façade given a coat of fresh white plaster." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A new, larger sign announced the academy's name." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The space had also expanded to fill two adjacent houses." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano entered. Inside, rows of samurai dressed in white cotton uniforms wielded wooden practice swords, staffs, and spears in simulated combat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shouts and stamps echoed in a thunderous cacophony, the background noise of Sano's childhood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The familiar reek of sweat and hair oil permeated the air." }, { "from": "human", "value": "However, the enrollment had increased from a handful of students to over three hundred, and the teaching staff from one to twenty." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Sano-saw! Welcome!\" Toward Sano walked Aoki Koemon, once his childhood playmate and his father's apprentice, now proprietor and chief sensei." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He bowed, then shouted to the class: \"Attention! Our patron is here!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Combat ceased. In perfect silence, everyone bowed to Sano, who was embarrassed yet gratified." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His own reputation had enhanced the academy's status." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Once only ronin and low-class retainers of minor clans had studied here." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now Tokugawa vassals and samurai from the great daimyo families came, hoping to curry favor with Sano and acquire his famous fighting skills in the classes he sometimes taught." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Continue as you were,\" Sano ordered, sad that his rank set him above the place of his childhood, yet pleased to honor his father's spirit by sharing his success with the academy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Activity and noise resumed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What brings you here today?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "said Koemon, a stocky, pleasant-faced man." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm looking for Kushida Matsutatsu.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Koemon pointed toward the back of the room, where a group of students was taking a lesson in naginatajutsu—the art of the spear—from a short, thin samurai." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His bamboo practice weapon had a narrow, curved wooden blade padded with cotton." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's Kushida,\" Koemon said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He's one of our best students, and often acts as instructor.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "As Sano moved closer to watch, Lieutenant Kushida demonstrated strokes to the class." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He appeared about thirty-five years of age, and wore ordinary white practice clothes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His face was creased like a monkey's, with glowering eyes beneath a low forehead." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A jutting jaw, long arms and torso, and short legs increased his simian appearance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He seemed an incongruous suitor for a beautiful young woman like Lady Harume." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kushida arranged his twelve students in two parallel lines." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he crouched, spear held in both hands. \"Attack!\" he shouted." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With blood-curdling yells, the students rushed him, spears outthrust." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Originally used by warrior monks, the naginata had been adopted some five hundred years ago by military clans such as the Minamoto." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Spearmen had scattered armies during Japan's civil wars; until Tokugawa law restricted dueling, bands of enthusiasts had roamed the land, training with different masters and challenging rivals." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now, as Lieutenant Kushida sprang into action, Sano gained a new appreciation for the power of the naginata and a respect for this man who wielded it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In a dizzyingly fast circular dance, Kushida whirled amid his attackers, his spear carving the air." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He used every part of his weapon, parrying blows with the haft, slicing opponents with the padded blade, jabbing the blunt end into chests and stomachs." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As bodies thudded to the floor around him, Kushida seemed to gain stature; his monkey face acquired a blazing ferocity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The students cried out in pain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Kushida continued fighting, as if for his life." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano glimpsed in Kushida the type of samurai who kept his emotions under tight control and found release at times like this." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "By now he must know about Lady Harume's death." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Was this brutality his way of showing grief?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Or the expression of murderous tendencies that had led him to kill her?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Within moments, every student lay defeated, groaning and rubbing their bruises." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Weaklings! Lazy oafs!\" Kushida berated them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was breathing hard; sweat dripped off his shaved crown." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If this had been a real battle, you would all be dead now. You must practice harder.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he caught sight of Sano." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His body tensed and he raised his spear, as though preparing for another battle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Glowering, he said, \"Sōsakan-sama. It didn't take you long to find me, did it?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His normal speaking voice was quiet and tight." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Who told you about me? That cow, Madam Chizuru?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If you know why I'm here, then wouldn't you rather go outside where we can talk in privacy?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano said with a pointed glance at the curious students." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shrugging, Kushida stalked to the door." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He moved with a taut, wiry grace; the muscles in his thin arms and legs were like steel cords." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From a wooden bucket he dipped a cup of water." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano followed him onto the veranda, where they sat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A continuous parade of peasants and mounted samurai filled the street." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Tell me what happened between you and Lady Harume,\" Sano said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why do we have to talk about it, when you must already know?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kushida threw down his spear, drank deeply from his cup, then glared at Sano." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why don't you just arrest me? I've been suspended from duty; I've disgraced myself and my family name. How could things possibly get worse?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The penalty for murder is execution,\" Sano reminded him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm giving you a chance to tell your side of the story—and perhaps escape further disgrace.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sighing in resignation, Kushida put down his cup and leaned back on his elbows." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh, well,\" he said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"When Lady Harume came to the castle, I was... attracted to her. Yes, I know the rules against improper behavior with the shogun's concubines, and I've always obeyed them before.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'about' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano recalled what Kushida's commander had told him when asked about the lieutenant's character: \"He's a quiet, serious one—he doesn't seem to have any friends or much of a life beyond work and martial arts. The other guards don't like his air of superiority. Until now, Kushida has controlled himself around the concubines so well that everyone thought that he didn't care for women. He assumed his post at age twenty-five, when his father retired from it. We were a little uneasy about letting such a young fellow loose in the Large Interior; usually we choose men who are past their prime. But Kushida has lasted ten years—longer than many other men, who've been transferred because they got too friendly with some lady.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Never before had I ever allowed myself to be tempted by any of the women." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Harume was so beautiful, with such a lively, charming manner.\" Kushida's gaze softened in reminiscence. More to himself than to Sano, he said, \"At first, I was content just to look at her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I listened to her talk to the other women and take her music lessons." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Whenever she left the castle, I volunteered to be part of the military escort." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Anything just to be near her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But soon I wanted more.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His voice gained intensity; he seemed eager for confession." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I found excuses to start conversations with Harume. She was pleasant to me. Yet I still wasn't satisfied. I wanted to see her naked body.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lust burned behind the gaze Kushida turned on Sano." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"So I started spying on her. I'd stand outside her room while she undressed, and watch her shadow move against the paper walls. Then one day she accidentally left the bathchamber door open a crack. And I saw her shoulders and legs and breasts.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lieutenant Kushida's voice grew hushed with awe, his expression bemused." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The sight drove all caution from me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Had Harume really left the door open by mistake, or had she been playing the same game with Kushida as described in her diary?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As yet, Sano had an incomplete sense of her character; he must learn more about her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But now, seeing on Kushida's ugly face the haunted look of obsessive love, Sano felt his heartbeat quicken in excitement." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Such obsession could lead to murder." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"So you made advances toward Lady Harume?\" he prompted." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The lieutenant frowned, as though angry at himself for speaking too freely. Hunching over, arms folded upon his knees, he stared at the ground and said, \"I sent Harume a letter, saying how much I admired her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But she never answered, and she began avoiding me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was afraid I'd made her angry, so I wrote another letter, apologizing for the first one and begging to be her friend.\" Kushida's voice tightened; his fingers dug into his arms. \"Well, she didn't answer that one, either." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I hardly ever saw her anymore; she stopped speaking to me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I was so desperate, I cast aside discipline and wisdom. I wrote her another letter, saying I loved her. I begged her to run away with me so we could be with each other as man and wife for a night, then die together and spend eternity in paradise. Then I waited for her reply—for five whole, miserable days! I thought I would go mad.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "A high, shaky laugh burst from Kushida." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Then, while I was patrolling the corridor, I happened to run into Harume. I grabbed her shoulders and demanded to know why she hadn't answered my letters. She yelled at me to let go. I was past caring who saw or heard. I said I loved her and wanted her and couldn't live without her. Then—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kushida rested his forehead upon his arms. Palpable waves of unhappiness emanated from him. \"She said I should have guessed from her behavior that she didn't share my feelings." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She ordered me to leave her alone.\" The lieutenant raised his face, a mask of bleak misery. \"After all my dreams, she rejected me!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I became so angry my vision turned black." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For that ungrateful whore I'd sacrificed discipline, risked my position and my honor!" }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'harume' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I started shaking her. I heard my own voice saying, 'I'll kill you, I'll kill you.' Then she broke free and ran away. Somehow I managed to pull myself together and resume my duties. Eventually my commander told me Harume had reported everything that had happened. The guards threw me out. I never saw Lady Harume again.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kushida exhaled forcefully and looked out on the busy street. \"End of story.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But was it? Sano wondered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A forbidden love, nurtured over a period of eight months, didn't just suddenly die, even after official censure." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Deprived of all hope, it could fester into an equally obsessive hatred." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How much time passed between that encounter with Lady Harume and your expulsion from Edo Castle?\" Sano asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Two days. Long enough for Madam Chizuru to hear Lady Harume's complaint and notify my superiors so they could punish me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "And long enough for Lieutenant Kushida to exact revenge on the woman who had rejected him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Have you ever seen this before?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From his pouch Sano removed the ink jar—now empty and rinsed—and gave it to Kushida." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I heard that it was a poisoned bottle of ink that killed her. So this is it?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lieutenant Kushida cradled the jar in his palm, bending his head so that Sano couldn't see his expression." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His fingertip traced the gilt characters of Harume's name." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then he handed the jar back to Sano, grimacing with impatience." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'never' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I know what you're thinking: that I killed Harume. Weren't you paying attention when I told you what happened between us? She despised me. She would never have tattooed herself for me. And no, I've never seen that jar before.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He added bitterly, \"Harume didn't make a habit of showing me gifts from lovers.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano wondered if Kushida had lied about his relations with Harume." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What if she had really welcomed his advances, and they'd become lovers?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In spite of the disparaging reference to him in her diary, it wasn't impossible that the lonely, bored concubine would have accepted an unattractive suitor if he was the only diversion available." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Maybe she'd agreed to tattoo herself as proof of her love for Kushida, and he'd brought the ink." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then, afraid they would be discovered and punished, had she tried to break with him?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Lieutenant Kushida objected, Harume might have reported him in hopes of saving herself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Sano still planned to question the lord of Tosa Province, of whom he believed Harume had written in her diary." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And the lieutenant's last remark offered another possible motive." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You knew Harume had a lover, then?\" Sano said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm only assuming now that she must have, because of the way she died.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Rising, Kushida leaned on the veranda railing, his face averted from Sano." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How could I have known before? She didn't confide in me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But you watched her, followed her, eavesdropped on her conversations,\" Sano said, standing beside Kushida." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You might have guessed what was going on. Were you jealous because she not only rejected you, but had another man? Did you see them together when you escorted her away from the castle? Did you poison the ink he gave her?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I didn't kill her!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kushida snatched up his spear and brandished it menacingly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I didn't know about the ink. The rules forbid palace guards to go into the concubines' rooms except during emergencies, and never alone.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Emphasizing his words by jabbing his spear in the direction of Sano's face, Kushida said, \"I did not kill Harume. I loved her. I would never have really hurt her. And I still love her now. If she had lived, she might have come to love me. I had no reason to wish her dead.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Except that her death resulted in the charges against you being dropped, and your reinstatement to your post,\" Sano reminded him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Do you think I care about that?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kushida shouted, his face livid with rage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Curious pedestrians stared. \"What do position, money, or even honor mean to me now that Harume is gone?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano backed away, hands raised palms outward." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Calm down,\" he said, realizing how dangerously love, grief, and anger had unbalanced the lieutenant's mind." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Without her, my life is over!\" Kushida yelled. \"Arrest me, convict me, execute me if you will—it doesn't matter to me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But for the last time: I did not kill Hammer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kushida forced the last words through bared teeth, spacing them with hissing breaths as if pumping himself up with ire." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His face took on the ferocious expression he'd worn during the practice match." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He lunged at Sano, spear thrusting." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano grabbed the spear's haft." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As they grappled for control of the weapon, Kushida spat curses." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, Kushida-san. Stop!\" Koemon and the other teachers rushed out the door." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They grabbed the lieutenant, pulled him away from Sano, and seized his weapon." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Kushida howled and thrashed, they wrestled him to the veranda floor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It took five men to pin him down." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Students watched in dismay." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bystanders hooted and cheered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kushida burst into loud, hysterical laughter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Harume, Harume,\" he wailed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sobs wracked his body." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A castle messenger hurried up to the academy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A flag bearing the Tokugawa crest waved from a pole attached to his back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bowing to Sano, he said, \"A message for you, Sōsakan-sama\" and proffered a lacquer scroll case." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano opened the case and read the enclosed letter, which had been sent to his house earlier that morning and forwarded to him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was from Dr. Ito." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lady Harume's corpse had arrived at Edo Morgue." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ito would perform the examination at Sano's convenience." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"See that Kushida gets home safely,\" Sano told Koemon." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Later he would order the Edo Castle guard commander to delay Kushida's reinstatement: Innocent or guilty, the lieutenant was in no shape for active duty." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After stopping to see his mother, Sano rode toward Edo Morgue while mulling over his interview with Kushida." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How easily hurt and jealousy could have turned the disturbed lieutenant's love for Harume to hatred." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yet there was one critical factor that argued against Kushida's guilt." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From what Sano had observed, his temper manifested itself in sudden, violent outbursts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The spear was Kushida's favored weapon—if he wanted to kill, wouldn't he use it?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lady Harume's murder had required cold, devious forethought." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To Sano, poisoning seemed more like a woman's crime. He wondered how Hirata was doing on his interview with Harume's rival concubine, Lady Ichiteru." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Story continues from larger narrative, characters/lore may lack introduction\nLength:\n8 sentences\nStyle:\nLaura Joh Rowland" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Eta corpse handlers placed the shrouded body on the table in Dr. Ito's workroom at Edo Morgue. Sano and Dr. Ito watched as Mura unwrapped the white folds of cloth from Lady Harume. Her eyes had dulled, and encroaching decay had blanched her skin. The foul, sweet odor of rot tainted the air. She still wore the soiled red silk dressing gown; blood and vomit still smeared her face and tangled hair. Hirata had indeed made sure that no one tampered with the evidence. Having known what to expect, Sano experienced only a momentary pang of revulsion, but Dr. Ito seemed shaken.\n\n\"So young,\" he murmured." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As morgue custodian, he had examined countless bodies in worse condition; yet lines of pain deepened in his face, aging him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He said in a bleak voice, \"I had a daughter. Once.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'about' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano recalled that Ito's youngest child had died of a fever at about the same age as Harume. He'd also lost contact with his other children upon his arrest. Sano and Mura stood silent, heads bowed in respect for their friend's grief, so seldom expressed. Then Dr. Ito cleared his throat and spoke in his normal brisk, professional manner. \"Well. Let us see what the victim can tell us about her murder.\"\n\nHe walked around the table, studying Harume's corpse. \"Dilated pupils; muscular spasm; vomiting of blood—symptoms that confirm my original diagnosis of poison by Indian arrow toxin. But perhaps there is more to learn. Mura, would you please remove her garment?\"\n\nDespite his unconventional nature, Dr. Ito followed the custom of letting the eta handle the dead." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hence, Mura performed most of the physical work of examinations, under his master's supervision." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now he took a knife and cut the robe away from Harume's rigid form. The dark nipples and tattoo contrasted harshly with her waxen pallor. Her limbs were smooth and shaved hairless, her skin without blemish. Sano felt rude to violate the privacy of this woman who had obviously taken care over her personal grooming.\n\nDr. Ito bent over the corpse's midsection, frowning. \"There's something here.\" He spread a white cotton cloth over Lady Harume's abdomen, then pressed his hands against her, the cloth shielding him from the polluting contact with death. His fingers palpated and squeezed.\n\n\"What is it?\" Sano asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"A swelling. It may be an artifact of the poison, or some other unrelated abnormality.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dr. Ito straightened, his expression grave as he met Sano's eyes. \"But I've treated many female patients in my medical career. Unless I'm mistaken, Lady Harume was in the early stages of pregnancy.\"\n\nA heavy weight of dismay thudded inside Sano's chest like an iron clapper in a temple bell. Pregnancy would have serious ramifications for the murder case, and for Sano as well.\n\nDr. Ito's gaze conveyed unspoken concern and understanding, but he was not a man to shy away from the truth. \"A dissection is the only way to tell for sure.\"\n\nSano drew a deep breath and held it, containing the fear that burgeoned within him. Dissection, a procedure associated with foreign science, was just as illegal as when Dr. Ito had been arrested." }, { "from": "human", "value": "During other investigations, Sano had risked banishment and disgrace for the sake of knowledge." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "So far the bakufu hadn't discovered his involvement in taboo practices—even the most avid spies avoided Edo Morgue—but Sano feared that his luck would run out. He dreaded verification of Harume's condition, and the consequential danger. However, a pregnancy offered myriad possible motives for Harume's murder. Without exploring these, Sano might never identify her killer. And he never evaded the truth, either. Now he exhaled in resignation.\n\n\"All right,\" he said to Dr. Ito. \"Go ahead.\"\n\nAt a nod from his master, Mura fetched a long, thin knife from a cabinet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dr. Ito removed the cloth from Lady Harume's abdomen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the air over it, he sketched lines with his forefinger: \"Cut here, and here, like so.\" Carefully, Mura inserted the sharp blade into the dead flesh, making a long horizontal slash below the navel, then two shorter, perpendicular cuts at each end of the first. He drew back the flaps of skin and tissue, exposing coiled pink bowels.\n\n\"Remove those,\" Dr. Ito instructed.\n\nA strong fecal odor arose as Mura cut away the bowels and placed them in a tray. Nausea clutched Sano's stomach; the unclean aura of ritual contamination enveloped him. No matter how many times he observed dissections, they still sickened his body and spirit. He saw, within the cavity of Lady Harume's corpse, a fleshy, pear-shaped structure about the size of a man's fist." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From this extended two thin, curved tubes, the ends fanning out in fibrous growths resembling sea anemones, meeting two grapelike sacs." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The organs of life,\" Dr. Ito explained.\n\nShame exacerbated Sano's discomfort. What right had he, a man and stranger, to look upon the most private parts of a dead woman's body? Yet growing curiosity compelled his attention while Mura sliced into the womb, then laid it open. Inside nestled a frothy inner capsule of tissue. And curled within this, a tiny unborn child, like a naked pink salamander, no longer than Sano's finger.\n\n\"So you were right,\" Sano said. \"She was pregnant.\"\n\nThe child's bulbous head dwarfed its body." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The eyes were black spots in a barely formed face; the hands and feet mere paws attached to frail limbs. Threadlike red veins chased the skin, which stretched across ridges of delicate bone. A twisted cord connected the navel to the womb's lining. The vestige of a tail elongated the diminutive rump. As Sano stared at this new wonder, awe overcame him. How miraculous was the creation of life! He thought of Reiko. Would their troubled marriage succeed and produce children who would survive, as this one had not?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His hopes seemed as fragile as the dead infant. Then professional and political concerns eclipsed Sano's domestic problems.\n\nHad Lady Harume died because the killer had wanted to destroy the child? Jealousy might have compelled Lady Ichiteru or Lieutenant Kushida, rival and rejected suitor. However, a more ominous motive came to Sano's mind.\n\n\"Can you determine the sex of the child?\" he asked.\n\nWith the tip of a metal probe, Dr. Ito uncurled the infant and surveyed the genitals, a tiny bud between the legs. \"It is only about three months old. Too early to tell whether it would have become a boy or a girl.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The uncertainty didn't alleviate Sano's worries." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Remember to mention: \"Her lover could be the father of the child—if they didn't limit their activities to the kind Harume wrote about. Maybe I can prove it when I visit Lord Miyagi Shigeru today.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The dead child could have been the shogun's long-desired male heir. Someone might have murdered Lady Harume to weaken the chances of continued Tokugawa reign. This scenario posed a serious threat to Sano. Unless...\n\n\"Could the shogun have sired a child?\" Dr. Ito voiced Sano's unspoken thought. \"After all, His Excellency's sexual preference is well known.\"\n\n\"Lady Harume's pillow book mentioned a secret affair,\" Sano said, then described the passage. \"Her lover could be the father of the child—if they didn't limit their activities to the kind Harume wrote about. Maybe I can prove it when I visit Lord Miyagi Shigeru today.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I wish you good luck, Sano-san.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dr. Ito's face reflected Sano's hope. The stakes had risen; mortal danger now overshadowed the investigation. If the child belonged to another man, then Sano was safe. But if it was the shogun's, then Lady Harume's murder was treason: not just the killing of a concubine, but of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi's flesh and blood, a crime that merited execution. And if Sano failed to deliver the traitor to justice, he himself could be punished by death." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "hey can u write 4 sentences more sentences? keep same character vibes in Sano Ichiro 4 style" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The baying of dogs echoed across Edo, as if a thousand beasts heralded the hour that bore their name." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Night submerged the city in wintry darkness, extinguishing lights, vacating streets. Moonlight turned the Sumida River into a ribbon of liquid silver. At the end of a pier far upstream from the city rose a pavilion. Lanterns suspended from the upturned eaves of its tile roof illuminated banners bearing the Tokugawa crest and walls decorated with carved gilt-and-lacquer dragons." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The water reflected its glittering, inverted image. Soldiers stood watch on the pier and in small craft anchored off the forested shoreline, guarding the safety and privacy of the pavilion's lone occupant.\n\nInside, Chamberlain Yanagisawa sat on the tatami-covered floor, studying official documents in the flickering light of oil lamps. The remains of his evening meal littered a tray by his side; from a charcoal brazier, smoke drifted out the slatted windows." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was Yanagisawa's favorite site for secret meetings, away from Edo Castle and any eavesdroppers. Tonight he'd heard reports from metsuke spies who'd just returned from assignments in the provinces. Now he awaited his final rendezvous, which concerned the most important matter of all: the status of his plot against Sōsakan Sanó.\n\nVoices and footsteps sounded on the pier." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yanagisawa tossed his papers on a cushioned bench and stood. Peering out the window, he saw a guard escorting a small figure along the pier toward the pavilion. Yanagisawa smiled when he recognized Shichisaburo, dressed in multicolored brocade theatrical robes. Anticipation quickened his heartbeat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He threw open the door, admitting a rush of cold air.\n\nUp the pier came Shichisaburo, moving with ritual grace as if entering a No stage. Seeing his master, his eyes lit in convincing delight. He bowed, chanting:\n\n\"Now I will dance the moon's dance," }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My sleeves are trailing clouds,\n\nDancing, I will sing my joy,\n\nAgain and again while the night endures.\"\n\nThis was a quote from the play Kantan, written by the great Zeami Motokiyo, about a Chinese peasant who has a vivid dream of ascending the throne of the emperor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yanagisawa and Shichisaburo often enjoyed performing scenes from a favorite drama, and Yanagisawa responded with the next lines:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And yet while the night endures," }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The sun rises bright,\n\nWhile we think it is still night,\n\nDay has already come.\"\n\nDesire spread warmth through Yanagisawa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The boy was a masterful actor—and so arrestingly beautiful." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But for now, business took precedence over pleasure." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Drawing Shichisaburo into the pavilion and closing the door, Yanagisawa asked, \"Have you carried out the orders I gave you last night?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh, yes, my lord.\"\n\nIn the lamplight, the young actor's face radiated happiness. His presence infused the room with the fresh, sweet fragrance of youth. Intoxicated, Chamberlain Yanagisawa inhaled hungrily." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Did you have any trouble getting inside?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "/insert_quote: \"I followed your instructions. No one stopped me. It was perfect.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"None at all, my lord,\" Shichisaburo said. \"I followed your instructions. No one stopped me. It was perfect.\"\n\n\"Were you able to find what we needed?\" Despite the fact that they were alone, Yanagisawa followed his usual practice of speaking in a circumspect manner." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh, yes. It was right where you said it would be.\"\n\n\"Did anyone see you?\"\n\nThe young actor shook his head. \"No, my lord, I was careful.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His mouth quirked in a mischievous smile. \"And even if someone had seen me, they wouldn't have guessed who I was, or what I was doing.\"\n\n\"No. They wouldn't.\" Remembering their ploy, Yanagisawa smiled, too. \"Where did you put it?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The actor stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear, and he chuckled." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Superb. You've done very well.\"\n\nShichisaburo clapped his hands with glee. \"Honorable Chamberlain, you're so brilliant! The Sōsakan-sama is sure to fall into the trap.\" Then doubt furrowed his childish brow." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But what if he happens to miss it somehow?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He won't,\" Yanagisawa said confidently." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I know how Sano thinks and acts. He'll do just as I've predicted. But if for some reason he doesn't, I'll help him.\" Yanagisawa chuckled. \"How appropriate that my other rival should provide the tool for the destruction of them both. All we have to do is wait and be patient. Right now, I can think of a pleasant way to pass the time. Come here.\"\n\nYanagisawa grasped Shichisaburo's hand, pulling him close. But the boy playfully resisted." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Wait, my lord. I have a surprise for you. If you will please permit me?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "With a tantalizing smile, he unknotted his sash and let it drop to the floor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ceremoniously he shrugged off his outer kimono, one sleeve at a time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He stepped out of his flowing trousers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Desire welled in Chamberlain Yanagisawa's throat and groin. No one else undressed with such graceful flair. He couldn't wait to see what new erotic delight the actor had in store for him.\n\nShichisaburo's eyes glowed, reflecting his master's excitement." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Prolonging their pleasure, he paused for a dramatic moment in his white under-robe." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he peeled the robe away from his shoulders and let it fall. Triumphantly he flung out his arms, displaying himself for Yanagisawa's inspection. Yanagisawa gasped; his heart lurched.\n\nRaw gashes marked Shichisaburo's chest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Recent and unhealed, the cuts were red, caked with darkening blood, lurid against the fair, smooth skin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The crudest one bisected his left nipple." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Another ran down through his navel, into his loincloth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He looked like the victim of a savage attack." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I did it for you, my lord!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shichisaburo exclaimed. \"To show that I'm willing to endure pain and suffering for your sake.\"\n\nRitual self-mutilation, performed with swords or daggers, was an age-old practice by which samurai lovers demonstrated their loyalty and devotion to each other. Therefore, Shichisaburo's action didn't really surprise Yanagisawa, now that the initial shock had passed. Amused by the boy's eagerness to please, he laughed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You've done well,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shichisaburo knelt. Taking Chamberlain Yanagisawa's hand, he pressed it against the wound on his breast. His skin felt feverish. \"With my blood, I pledge my eternal love for you, my lord,\" he whispered.\n\nHis eyes blazed with passion—genuine, unfeigned passion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The laughter died in Yanagisawa's throat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Stunned, he said, \"You really mean it, don't you?\" Deep within him, something trembled, like the ground during an earthquake. \"Everything you say about your feelings for me, it's all true. You're not just acting. You mean every word!\"\n\nThe boy nodded. \"At first I was acting,\" he admitted." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Then I grew to love you.\" His smile was full of yearning affection. \"You're so beautiful and strong, so intelligent and powerful. You're everything I want, everything I could wish to be. I would do anything for you!\" He raised Yanagisawa's hand to his face, pressing his mouth to its palm." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A torrent of emotion flooded Yanagisawa. First came disbelief that anyone would make such a gesture of self-sacrifice for him. Into his mind flashed a vivid memory. On the day he'd achieved the post of chamberlain, he had hosted a lavish gala at Edo Castle, with music, dancers, Kabuki skits, the best food and sake." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All the male guests were subordinates who wanted favors from him. All the women were courtesans bought with his new wealth. No family—he remained estranged from them; no friends—he had none. The guests with whom he'd celebrated cared nothing about him, except for the power he wielded." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the midst of insincere smiles and congratulations, Yanagisawa had experienced a feeling of complete emptiness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now that same emptiness opened into a vast, yawning cavern inside him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From it howled the voice of his soul, demanding the love he craved but had never known." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tears rushed to Yanagisawa's eyes—tears he thought had been spent at his brother's funeral, but had instead accumulated into a huge reservoir of loneliness. Shichisaburo's tribute moved him to the core. He wanted to embrace the boy and sob out his gratitude, to feel tender arms around him while the armor shielding his heart crumbled.\n\nThen, across the distance of time, he heard his father's voice: \"... lazy, unfit to be my son... pathetic, dishonorable...\" Yanagisawa recalled the blows with the wooden pole." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Again he experienced the feeling of sheer worthless-ness, the feeling that he didn't deserve love. Hating the awful sensation, wanting to make it go away, he forced himself to remember who he was: the shogun's second-in-command. And who Shichisaburo was: just a little peasant, foolish enough to injure his own body for another person. How could he have the temerity to love the ruler of Japan?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yanagisawa's yearning and gratitude turned to rage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jerking his hand away from Shichisaburo, he demanded, \"How dare you treat me in this impertinent manner?\" He slapped Shichisaburo's face. The young actor gasped; hurt filled his eyes. \"I never ordered you to love me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Anyone capable of loving him was beneath contempt \"How dare you?\"\n\nThe lessons of a lifetime filled him with a fear that increased his anger. Love made a person vulnerable, dependent; love could only lead to misery. Hadn't his parents spurned his childhood efforts to please them and win affection?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The rejection had hurt even worse than the blows. In Shichisaburo's love, Yanagisawa glimpsed the terrible promise of future rejection, more pain—unless he did something to avert the threat.\n\n\"I'm your lord, not your paramour,\" Yanagisawa shouted, his voice ragged as he fought to control his warring emotions. \"Show some respect! Bow down!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With a swipe of his arm, he knocked the actor off his knees. Shichisaburo sprawled on the floor. Horrified by his own cruelty, Chamberlain Yanagisawa stifled the urge to apologize, to give in to his craving for love. But the need for self-preservation outweighed all other needs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm sorry, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shiehisaburo was sobbing. \"I didn't mean to offend you. I thought you'd be pleased by what I did. A thousand apologies!\"\n\nHe raised himself on his elbows. Chamberlain Yanagisawa struck his jaw, and he fell again. By bringing Yanagisawa's loneliness to the surface, by making him vulnerable, the actor had demeaned him, reversed their positions." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yanagisawa couldn't tolerate the shift in the balance of power. It presaged suffering and ruin that he didn't want to imagine.\n\nRoughly he tore away the white cotton band that bound Shiehisaburo's loins and cleaved his buttocks. Then he stripped off his own robes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shoving the young actor facedown on the tatami, he straddled Shiehisaburo.\n\n\"I'll show you who is master and who is the slave!\" Yanagisawa shouted.\n\nTrembling with fear, Shiehisaburo wept. They'd often indulged in rough sexual play—but this was not play, and he knew it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If it please my lord, I'll never speak of my love again,\" he cried." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let's forget what happened and go back to the way we were before!\"\n\nThey could never go back; everything had changed between them. Chamberlain Yanagisawa pummeled Shiehisaburo's back with his fists. Shiehisaburo moaned, but didn't struggle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The lack of resistance further incensed Yanagisawa." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He grabbed the boy's hair and slammed his face repeatedly against the floor, while fumbling to liberate his erection from his loincloth.\n\n\"You can do—whatever you wish—to me,\" Shiehisaburo whimpered between anguished gasps. Sweat glistened on his skin; the reek of his terror filled the room, but he spoke up bravely. \"I accept—the pain. Even if you—don't want my love—I'm yours forever. I'll—do anything for you!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Before the violent fusion of pleasure and anger and need could overwhelm him, Chamberlain Yanagisawa realized what he had to do. He must end his liaison with Shiehisaburo—or face the ruin of his power, of his entire self. Yet for now, the young actor was too useful to drop. He'd successfully carried out orders." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The stage was set for the destruction of Sano, and Chamberlain Yanagisawa's other rival." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But if the plot somehow failed, Yanagisawa might require Shichisaburo's services again before the end of the murder investigation." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "10 sentences sentences in Laura Joh Rowland style, continuing user's bit. Note: May include established elements" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano's last task of the day was hearing reports from his detective corps. In his office, the men related the progress of their hunt for the poison dealer and investigation of the Large Interior. Doctors and pharmacists had been canvassed, without results so far; interviews with the residents of the women's quarters and a search of the rooms had failed to uncover useful information or evidence either. Sano instructed the men to resume work the next day. He assigned a team to track the passage of the ink bottle and letter from the Miyagi estate to Lady Harume. Then the detectives filed out of the room, leaving Sano and Hirata to review their inquiries.\n\n\"Police headquarters gave me a possible lead on the drug peddler,\" Hirata said, \"an old man selling aphrodisiacs around town. And I'm using one of my informants—the Rat.\"\n\nSano nodded his approval. The police's drug dealer might have supplied the Indian arrow toxin that had killed Harume, and he was familiar with the Rat's abilities. \"Now, what about Lady Ichiteru?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata's gaze slid away. \"I spoke with her. But... I don't have anything definite to report yet.\"\n\nHe seemed uncharacteristically distracted, and his eyes shone with a peculiar intensity. Sano was troubled by Hirata's evasiveness, as well as his failure to obtain information on an important suspect. Nonetheless, he hated to reprimand Hirata.\n\n\"I suppose tomorrow is soon enough to finish investigating Lady Ichiteru,\" he said.\n\nHis voice must have conveyed doubt, because Hirata said defensively, \"You know it's not always possible to get the whole story from someone on the first try.\" Squirming, he clasped and unclasped his hands. \"Would you rather interrogate Lady Ichiteru yourself? Don't you trust me? After Nagasaki?\"\n\nSano recalled how his inclination to meet all challenges alone there had almost destroyed him, and how Hirata's competence and loyalty had saved his life." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'pregnancy' 2 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Of course I trust you,\" Sano said. Changing the subject, he described the examination of Lady Harume's corpse and his interviews with Lieutenant Kushida and the Miyagi. \"We'll keep the pregnancy a secret until I inform the shogun. Meanwhile, try to discreetly find out who knew or guessed that Harume was with child.\"\n\n\"Do you think she knew herself?\" Hirata asked.\n\nSano pondered. \"It seems as though she must have at least suspected. My theory is that she didn't report the pregnancy because she wasn't sure who the father was, or whether the shogun would claim the child as his.\" Sano noticed Hirata staring off into space instead of listening. \"Hirata?\"\n\nStarting nervously, Hirata reddened. \"Yes, Sōsakan-sama! Is there something else?\"\n\nIf Hirata's behavior didn't return to normal soon, Sano thought, they must have a serious talk. But right now, Sano was eager to see Reiko." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No. There's nothing else. I'll see you tomorrow.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What do you mean, she's not here?\" Sano asked the manservant who'd greeted him in the mansion's private living quarters with the news that Reiko had left the house that morning and not yet returned. \"Where did she go?\"\n\n\"She wouldn't say, master. Her escorts sent word that they were taking her to various places in Nihonbashi and Ginza. But it's not clear what she was doing there.\"\n\nAn unpleasant suspicion formed in Sano's mind. \"When will she be back?\"\n\n\"No one knows. I'm sorry, master.\"\n\nAnnoyed by the postponement of a romantic evening, Sano realized that he was hungry—he hadn't eaten since noon, a bowl of noodles at his mother's house after the interview with Lieutenant Kushida. And he needed to wash away the taint of the illegal dissection. \"Have my bath prepared and my evening meal brought,\" he told the servant." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Once bathed, dressed in clean robes, and settled in the warm, lamp-lit sitting room, Sano tried to eat his dinner of rice, steamed fish, vegetables, and tea." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But his irritation with Reiko soon turned to concern. Had something bad happened to her?\n\nHad she left him?\n\nHis appetite lost, Sano paced the sitting room. It occurred to him that this was what marriage must be like for women: waiting at home for their spouses to return, wondering and fretting. Suddenly he understood Reiko's rebellion against her lot in life. But anger precluded sympathy. He didn't like this one bit. How dare she treat him so? For the next hour, his rage alternated with growing worry." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He imagined Reiko caught in a burning building, or assaulted by outlaws." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In his mind he rehearsed the scolding he would give her when she got home.\n\nThen he heard hoofbeats outside. His heart jumped with simultaneous relief and fury. At last! Sano rushed to the front door. In walked Reiko, followed by her entourage. The cold wind had put a vivid sparkle in her eyes and loosened strands of long hair from her coiffure. She looked utterly lovely—and satisfied with herself.\n\n\"Where have you been?\" Sano demanded. \"You shouldn't have gone without my permission, and without leaving word of your whereabouts. Explain what you were doing out so late!\"\n\nThe servants, foreseeing a marital dispute, faded away." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Reiko squared her shoulders, delicate chin jutting forward." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I was investigating Lady Harume's murder.\"\n\n\"After I ordered you not to?\"\n\n\"Yes!\"\n\nDespite his anger, Sano admired Reiko's nerve. A weaker woman might have lied to avoid censure instead of standing up to him. His attraction to her charged the air of the dim corridor with invisible sparks. And he could tell that she felt it, too. Self-consciousness broke her gaze; her hand went up to straighten her disheveled hair; her tongue touched the chipped tooth. He felt himself becoming aroused against his will. He forced a sarcastic laugh." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Investigating how? What could you possibly do?\"\n\nHands clasped, jaws set in rigid self-control, Reiko said, \"Don't be so quick to mock me, Honorable Husband.\" Icy scorn frosted her voice. \"I went to Nihonbashi to see my cousin Eri. She's a palace official in the Large Interior. She told me that Lieutenant Kushida was caught in Lady Harume's room two days before the murder. Lady Ichiteru threatened to kill Harume during a fight they had at Kannei Temple.\"\n\nShe laughed at Sano's surprised look. \"You didn't know, did you? Without me, you never would have, because both incidents were hushed up. And Eri thinks someone threw a dagger at Harume and tried to poison her last summer.\" Reiko described the events, then said, \"How long might it have taken you to find out? You need my help. Admit it!\"\n\nThis evidence placed Lieutenant Kushida in Lady Harume's room on the day Lord and Lady Miyagi had sent the ink bottle. Kushida might have read the letter and seen the perfect opportunity to administer the poison with which he'd already planned to kill her. Reiko had also confirmed Lady Ichiteru's hatred for Harume." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano was impressed by Reiko's ability, then furious at her lack of remorse.\n\n\"A few stray facts don't solve a case,\" he blustered, although he knew they sometimes did. \"And how can I be sure your cousin is a reliable witness, or that her theories are correct? You defied me and risked danger for nothing.\"\n\n\"Danger?\" Reiko frowned in confusion. \"What harm could come from just talking and listening?\"\n\nFurther incensed by his wife's challenge, Sano spared no mercy for her feminine sensibilities. \"When I was a police commander, I had a secretary, a man even younger than you.\" Sano's voice hoarsened at the memory of Tsu-nehiko's childlike innocence. \"He died at a highway inn, his throat cut, in a pool of his own blood. He did nothing to deserve death. His only mistake was accompanying me on a murder investigation.\"\n\nReiko's eyes widened in shock." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But... you're still all right.\" Her bold voice became a tentative murmur.\n\n\"Only by the grace of the gods,\" Sano retorted. \"I've been attacked—cut, shot at, ambushed, beaten—more times than I care to think about. So believe me when I say that detective work is dangerous. It could get you killed!\"\n\nReiko stared. \"All those things happened while you were investigating crimes and catching murderers?\" she said slowly. The scorn had left her voice. \"You risked death to do what was right, even when you knew people would kill to stop you?\"\n\nThe new admiration in her eyes left Sano more shaken than her defiance had. Speechless, he nodded.\n\n\"I didn't know.\" Reiko took a hesitant step toward him. \"I'm sorry.\"\n\nSano stood paralyzed, unable even to breathe." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He sensed in this young woman a dedication to truth and justice that matched his own, a willingness to sacrifice herself for abstract principles, for honor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This similarity of spirit was an undeniable basis for love." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The knowledge thrilled, and horrified, Sano." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Reiko's face shone with joyful recognition of the same fact." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Eagerly she reached out a slim hand to him. \"You understand how I feel,\" she said, responding to their unspoken exchange. Passion heightened her beauty. \"Let's work and serve honor together. Together we can solve the mystery of Lady Harume's murder!\"\n\nWhat would it be like, Sano wondered, to have that passion directed at me in the bedchamber? The thought dizzied him. The prospect of having a partner to share his mission was almost irresistible. He longed to take the hand she offered.\n\nBut he could not draw his wife into the perilous web of his profession. And he knew his own faults, which he didn't want to encourage in her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "How could he live with someone as stubborn, reckless, and single-minded as himself?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He still cherished the dream of a submissive wife, a peaceful home.\n\nSano said, \"You've heard my reasons for wanting you to stay out of business that doesn't concern you. I've made my decision, and it's final.\"\n\nReiko's hand dropped. Hurt extinguished her radiance like a shroud thrown over a lamp, but her resolve didn't waver. \"Why should my life not be mine to risk if I choose, or my honor mean less than yours because I'm a woman?\" she demanded. \"I, too, have samurai blood. In centuries past, I would have ridden into battle at your side. Why not now?\"\n\n\"Because that's just the way things are. Your duty is to me, and I expect you to serve it here at home.\" Sano knew he sounded pompous, but he believed every word. \"For you to do otherwise would be pure selfish, willful disregard of your family responsibilities.\"\n\nThe irony of the situation struck him. That he, who had often jeopardized family duty for the sake of personal causes, should criticize Reiko for doing the same!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Faltering, he grasped for the thread of the argument. \"Now tell me why you went to Ginza. For more women's gossip?\"\n\n\"If you're going to belittle my work, you don't deserve to know.\" Reiko's melodic voice coated a core of steel; her expression was no less cold or hard. \"And if you don't want my help with the investigation, then it can hardly matter. Now please excuse me.\"\n\nAs she swept past him, Sano felt an immediate sense of loss. And he couldn't let her have the last word. \"Reiko. Wait.\" He grabbed her arm.\n\nGlaring, she pulled away. Her sleeve tore with a loud, ripping sound." }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'might' | Required occurrences: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then she was gone, leaving Sano holding a long piece of silk in his hand.\n\nSano stared after her for a moment. Then he hurled the fragment of sleeve to the floor. His marriage Was going from bad to worse. Stalking to his own chamber, he dressed in outdoor wear, hung his swords at his waist, and summoned a servant. \"Have my horse saddled,\" he said.\n\nHe couldn't solve his problems alone. Therefore, he would consult the one person who might be able to help him with Reiko—and who might also have vital information relating to the murder investigation.\n\n\"Good evening, Sano-san. Please come in.\" Magistrate Ueda, seated in his office, did not seem surprised by Sano's unannounced arrival." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lamps burned on his desk amid writing supplies, official documents, and scattered papers: evidently he was catching up on work. To the servant who had escorted Sano into the mansion, he said, \"Bring tea for my honorable son-in-law.\" Then he gestured for Sano to kneel opposite him.\n\nAs Sano complied, nervousness and shame tightened his stomach. He was unaccustomed to asking for help with personal problems. His trouble with Reiko signified a most embarrassing incompetence; a high-ranking samurai should be able to handle a mere woman. Seeking advice reflected a weakness that he didn't want to reveal to his father-in-law, whom he respected but hardly knew at all. Now Sano sought the words to obtain assistance while saving face.\n\nMagistrate Ueda spared him the effort. \"It's my daughter, isn't it?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "At Sano's nod, an expression of grim sympathy came over his features." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I thought so. What's she done now?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Encouraged by the magistrate's frankness, Sano poured out the entire story. \"You've known Reiko all her life. Please tell me what to do.\"\n\nThe servant brought tea. Magistrate Ueda frowned and said in the authoritative tone he used in the Court of Justice, \"My daughter is too intelligent and strong-willed for everyone's good. You must control her with a firm hand and show her who's in charge, hmm?\"\n\nThen he sighed and lapsed back into his ordinary voice. \"Who am I to talk? I, who have always given in to Reiko's wishes. Sano-san, I fear you've come to the wrong person for advice.\"\n\nThey gazed at each other in rueful understanding: magistrate of Edo and most honorable investigator, confounded by the woman who united them. Suddenly they were friends.\n\n\"By putting our heads together, we should be able to find an answer to the problem,\" Magistrate Ueda said, sipping tea. \"I've always compromised with Reiko because I didn't want to break her spirit, which I admire in spite of myself.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to seamlessly include 'Ah, I see that you do, too. Perhaps it's your turn to bend. Why not assign her an easy, safe part of your work, like keeping records?' in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A humorous twinkle lit his eyes when he saw Sano's wry grin. \"Ah, I see that you do, too. Perhaps it's your turn to bend. Why not assign her an easy, safe part of your work, like keeping records?\"\n\n\"That won't satisfy her,\" Sano said with conviction. \"She wants to be a detective.\" Grudgingly, he admitted, \"And she's not bad at it.\"\n\nAs he related Reiko's discoveries, Magistrate Ueda beamed with paternal pride. \"Then there must be something else she can do. More covert inquiries, such as she carried out today, might prove very helpful, hmm?\"\n\nEvery instinct in Sano clamored in rebellion against this alternative. \"What if the killer thinks she's a threat and attacks her when I'm not around to protect her?\" Despite his anger at his wife, the thought of losing Reiko shot terror through him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was falling in love with her, he realized unhappily, with little chance of reciprocation." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your response should naturally weave in this dialogue: \"All right. I'll try to think of something for Reiko to do.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yet he refused to relinquish control over his household.\n\n\"Your stubborn nature is a barrier in the path to a happy marriage,\" Magistrate Ueda said. \"Reiko will have to submit if you force her obedience, but she would never love or respect you. Therefore I fear that a compromise on your part is necessary.\"\n\nSano sighed. \"All right. I'll try to think of something for Reiko to do.\"\n\nNow he recalled the other reason he'd come to see his father-in-law. \"I was hoping you might be able to give me some background information on the murder suspects.\" Any crimes in their pasts or complaints against them would be recorded in the official court documents. Despite the problems in Sano's marriage, it had brought him one clear benefit: a connection with Magistrate Ueda. \"Have Lieutenant Kushida, Lady Ichiteru, or Lord and Lady Miyagi been in trouble before?\"\n\n\"I checked the records on Kushida and Ichiteru this morning, when I heard they were suspects,\" Magistrate Ueda replied." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There was nothing on them. The Miyagi, however, are a different matter. I recall an incident that occurred four years ago. The daughter of a guard disappeared from the estate next door to the Miyagi's. The girl's parents claimed that Lord Miyagi was responsible. He enticed her into his house and tried to seduce her, they said, then killed her when she resisted.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "A tingle of excitement began in Sano's chest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Perhaps the daimyo did follow the ways of his cruel ancestors." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Perhaps he'd poisoned the girl—and later Lady Harume, for refusing to perform acts he requested. \"What happened?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'couldn't' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The girl's body was recovered from a canal a few days later. The police couldn't tell how she died. No charge was brought against Lord Miyagi. The case remains unsolved.\" Magistrate Ueda's shrug conveyed a deep cynicism. \"That is the way of the law.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" Sano said. \"The word of a mere soldier wouldn't stand a chance against Lord Miyagi's influence.\"\n\n\"Influence is a formidable threat, Sano-san.\" The magistrate bent a penetrating gaze upon him. \"Shortly after the daughter's death, that guard was run out of town by Lord Miyagi's retainers. He couldn't get another post. He and his wife died paupers. The bakufu neither protected them nor punished Lord Miyagi.\"\n\nSano made a decision. \"There's something I want to tell you about the murder—something very sensitive. Will you promise to keep it in the strictest confidence?\" At Magistrate Ueda's assent, Sano told him about the pregnancy." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word count directive: Use 'murder' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Frowning in contemplation, Magistrate Ueda hesitated, then said, \"Because of Lady Harume's pregnancy, the murder case now potentially involves the succession of power. Your investigation could implicate powerful citizens who wish to weaken Tokugawa rule by breaking the hereditary line. The outside lords, for example. Or the man responsible for many of your past troubles, hmm?\"\n\nChamberlain Yanagisawa. Recalling his odd behavior at their last meeting, Sano wondered uneasily whether it signified the chamberlain's involvement in the murder. At first this case had seemed straightforward. Now the prospect of unraveling a high-reaching conspiracy daunted Sano.\n\n\"I respect your ability and your principles,\" Magistrate Ueda said. \"But beware of making serious accusations against influential suspects. If you anger the wrong people, even your rank may not protect you.\" Another weighty pause, then: \"I'm concerned for my daughter's sake as well as yours. You will promise not to endanger her recklessly, hmm?\"\n\nIn warfare and politics, enemies often attacked one another's kin. \"I promise,\" Sano said, feeling the contrary pull of honor and professional integrity, prudence and family considerations. Bowing, he said, \"Thank you for your advice, Honorable Father-in-law. My apologies for disturbing you so late. I'd better go home and let you get back to work.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good night, Sano-san.\" Magistrate Ueda bowed. \"I shall do everything in my power to help you resolve the murder case with minimum damage to our families.\" Then he smiled wryly. \"And good luck with Reiko. If you can tame her, you're a better man than I.\"\n\nIt was a scant two hours until midnight by the time Sano returned to Edo Castle. From across the hills blew a frost-edged autumn wind. Acrid charcoal smoke rose from thousands of braziers. The sky's starry black canopy arched above the sleeping city. Sano, huddled in his heavy cloak as he rode through the castle's maze of walled passages, felt more than ready for sleep himself. This had been a long, tiring day, with the promise of another one tomorrow." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Craving a warm bed, Sano entered his street in Edo Castle's Official Quarter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He experienced a premonition of danger the moment before his vision registered its cause." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The area was completely dark, though there should have been lights above the gates of every estate. The district seemed unnaturally quiet and deserted. Where were the sentries and patrol guards?\n\nHand on his sword hilt, Sano rode slowly toward his own house, keeping close to the rows of barracks that surrounded the mansions of his neighbors. By the light of the moon he saw two lanterns hanging from the roof of a gate, their flames extinguished. And below, a dark heap lying in the street. Sano dismounted, the sense of danger flowing over him like a malignant wind current. Crouching, he examined the heap. His heart thumped when he discerned the still bodies of two armored sentries, breathing but unconscious. Leaving his horse behind, Sano ran to the next gate, where he discovered more unconscious guards." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Bloody wounds, made by a blunt weapon, marked their heads." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Alarm surged in Sano as he recalled past attempts on his life." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Was this an ambush, set by Chamberlain Yanagisawa, who had tried to assassinate him many times before? Or by someone else who knew he'd left the district alone tonight? The great fortress of Edo Castle was, he knew from personal experience, no safe haven for a man with powerful enemies. Had an assassin disabled everyone who might have interfered with an attack? The guards, not expecting invasion during peacetime, had been easy targets. Was someone lying in wait for Sano now?\n\nAt his home, where Reiko, Hirata, the detective corps, and the servants slept, unaware of the danger?\n\nBreathless with anxiety, Sano ran to his own estate. The wounded sentries lay unconscious across the threshold.\n\n\"Tokubei! Goro!\" Kneeling, Sano shook them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Are you all right? What happened?\"\n\nThe men stirred, groaning. \"... got past us,\" Goro muttered. \"Sorry...\" Dragging himself to his feet, he swayed dizzily, clutching his head.\n\n\"Who was it?\" Sano asked.\n\n\"Didn't see. Happened too fast.\"\n\nThe ironclad gate was open. Sword drawn, Sano leaned into the courtyard. Nothing moved in the darkness. Beckoning for Goro to follow, he entered cautiously—and stumbled over the inert bodies of his patrol guards." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The door to the fenced inner enclosure stood ajar." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'house' appears 2 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Go in the barracks and wake the detectives,\" Sano told Goro. \"Tell them there's an intruder in the house.\"\n\nThe guard hurried off to obey. Sano approached the enclosure. Though aware that he could be walking into a trap, he must protect his household. He couldn't wait for help. Before him loomed the dark mansion. Sano crept up the wooden steps. He paused in the shadows beneath the deep eaves above the veranda, listening. Somewhere on the hill, a horse neighed but no sound came from inside the house." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano tiptoed through the open front door and crossed the entry porch." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Weapon raised, he moved stealthily down the corridor. Reaching his office, he halted. His whole body went still and tense.\n\nDim lamplight spread a yellow glow across the mullioned paper wall. The door was closed. Now Sano heard footsteps creaking the floor inside, a drawer sliding open, the rustle of paper. The intruder was apparently going through his possessions. Sano placed two fingers in the recessed door handle and pushed. The wooden panel slid quietly aside in its oiled frame. In the alcove that housed Sano's desk stood a figure dressed in a black cloak with a close-fitting hood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was rummaging through a cabinet, facing away from the door." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bursting into the room, Sano shouted, \"Stop! Turn around!\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Story continues from larger narrative, characters/lore may lack introduction\nLength:\n8 sentences\nStyle:\nLaura Joh Rowland" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A squadron of mounted samurai rode sedately along the highway on Edo's western outskirts. The Tokugawa triple-hollyhock crest decorated the horses' equipage, banners mounted on poles attached to the riders' backs, and the huge black palanquin that followed. The open windows of the palanquin framed two faces.\n\nLady Keisho-in, her double chin bobbing in time with the bearers' steps, gazed out at the landscape. \"Beautiful!\" she exclaimed, admiring the scarlet-and-gold foliage of the woods and the misty hills beyond. Her powdered and rouged face wore a gap-toothed smile. \"I can't wait to see the site of the future Tokugawa Dog Kennels. Are we almost there?\"\n\nThe man seated opposite in the sedan chair watched Lady Keisho-in." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had a handsome profile, with a high brow, long nose, heavy-lidded eyes, and the full, curved lips of a Buddha statue." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'ryuko' × 3" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His shaven scalp accentuated the sculpted bones of his head. At age forty-two, Priest Ryuko had been Lady Keisho-in's companion and spiritual leader for ten years. His association with her made him the highest-ranking cleric in Japan, as well as indirect adviser to Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. Ryuko had suggested this outing, as he had many other past schemes. Despite the cold, damp weather, Keisho-in had acquiesced, as she usually did. He'd convinced her that it was necessary for her to inspect the building of the kennels, a special project of theirs.\n\nYet Ryuko harbored another, more personal motive. The kennels wouldn't be completed for several years, and in any case, their construction didn't require Lady Keisho-in's help." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ryuko had important business to discuss with her, away from Edo Castle and its many spies." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her future—and, therefore, his—might depend on the outcome of the investigation into Lady Harume's murder." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They must protect their mutual interests." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We shall arrive soon,\" Ryuko said, tucking the quilts more comfortably around Lady Keisho-in. He warmed her gnarled old hands in his strong ones, murmuring, \"Patience,\" as much to himself as to her.\n\nKeisho-in preened under Ryuko's attentions. Presently the palanquin rounded a curve in the road, and Ryuko ordered the bearers to stop. He helped Lady Keisho-in out, throwing a padded cloak over her shoulders. To the east, fields led to a village of thatched huts; beyond, the city, invisible beneath a heavy pall of fog, extended to the Sumida River. On the west side of the road, a huge expanse of forest had been reduced to a wasteland of jagged stumps. Woodcutters hacked down more trees, the ring of their axes echoing over the hills." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Peasants sawed logs and hauled away branches, while samurai foremen directed the work." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A team of architects consulted plans drawn on huge sheets of paper. The sweet, pungent smell of wet sawdust filled the air. Lady Keisho-in gasped with awe.\n\n\"Wonderful!\" Leaning on Ryuko's arm, she stepped off the road and minced toward the construction site.\n\nAs laborers knelt and bowed at her approach and the architects came to pay their respects, Ryuko signaled everyone to return to work. He wanted noise to mask his conversation with Lady Keisho-in. But first the guided tour, to fulfill the ostensible purpose of the expedition.\n\n\"Here will be the main entrance, with statues of dogs at the door,\" Ryuko said, leading Lady Keisho-in to the eastern edge of the clearing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Slowly he walked her around the site." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Here will be rooms to house cages for twenty thousand dogs. The walls will be decorated with paintings of woods and fields, so that the animals can feel that they are outdoors.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Perfect!\" exclaimed Lady Keisho-in, her eyes goggling." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I can see it all now.\"\n\nAs the tour proceeded, Ryuko divided his concentration in two parts, according to long-standing habit. With the larger part he focused on Lady Keisho-in, watching for signs that she might be getting cold or tired, anticipating her need for flattery. Since his fortune depended on their relationship, he couldn't afford to displease her. With the remainder of his mind he watched himself, monitoring his performance. He saw a slender holy man shod in modest wooden sandals, wearing a padded brown silk cloak over his saffron robe. His gaze had a wise, penetrating intensity that he'd practiced in the mirror until it became natural. His manner was dignified, his voice suavely cultivated." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No trace remained of his humble origin.\n\nOrphaned at age eight, Ryuko had come to Edo to seek his fortune. He'd found refuge at Zojo Temple, where the priests had fed, sheltered, clothed, and educated him. At fifteen, he'd taken religious vows. However, his tragic youthful experiences had endowed him with two contradictory traits, which prevented him from finding fulfillment in his vocation.\n\nRyuko hated poverty with a soul-searing passion. He would never forget the hardship of peasant life, slaving in the fields, with never enough to eat and no hope of a better existence. As a young priest, Ryuko had worked tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of Edo's poor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He solicited donations and distributed them to needy citizens." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His work financed the care of orphans at Zojo Temple." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Soon he gained a reputation as a man of selfless, merciful character. The poor worshipped him; his superiors praised him for enhancing the image of their sect. Yet another urge compelled Ryuko.\n\nHe also remembered prostrating himself on the ground as the local daimyo passed by. Lord Kuroda and his retainers rode splendidly caparisoned horses. Their faces were plump from the food produced by the peasants' labor. They beat anyone who failed to meet the crop quota. How Ryuko had hated them!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And how he'd envied their wealth and power. He wanted to be like them, instead of a poor peasant boy.\n\nThe desire grew stronger during Ryuko's early years as a priest. At Zojo—home temple of the Tokugawa clan—he had plenty of opportunity to observe the splendor that money could buy. A devout Buddhist, Ryuko desired the spiritual enlightenment that would release him from such worldly concerns. He prayed ever longer; he toiled even harder at charitable work. Using his natural flair for politics, he rose in the temple hierarchy. Yet still he craved wealth and power." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he'd met Lady Keisho-in.\n\nNow Ryuko told his patroness, \"And this will be a reception room for His Excellency when he visits the kennels.\"\n\n\"Marvelous!\" Lady Keisho-in let out a cackle of glee, whirling in girlish excitement. \"Surely my son's benevolence will convince fortune to bring him an heir. My dearest Ryuko, you were so wise to recommend building the kennels!\"\n\nWhen, after too many years, Tsunayoshi was still without a son, he'd grown concerned for the Tokugawa succession. Neither he nor his advisers welcomed the idea of designating a relative as the next dictator and ceding power to a different branch of the clan. Hence, Lady Keisho-in had turned to Ryuko for help. Through prayer and meditation, he'd found a mystical solution to the problem." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tokugawa Tsunayoshi must earn the right to an heir by atoning for the sins of his ancestors via some act of generosity. Since he'd been born in the year of the dog, what better gesture than to bestow his patronage upon dogs?\n\nOn Ryuko's advice, Lady Keisho-in had persuaded Tokugawa Tsunayoshi to issue the Dog Protection Edicts, which furthered Ryuko's goal of promoting animal welfare according to Buddhist tradition. When this didn't produce the shogun's desired results, Ryuko had proposed a more drastic action: the establishment of the kennels. Funds were levied from various daimyo; Edo's best carpenters would build the structure. Ryuko was certain that the successful birth of a Tokugawa heir would follow, strengthening Keisho-in's influence with Tsunayoshi—and thus his own. But that time lay in the future. Now Ryuko wanted to make sure they lived to see it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Come and rest, my lady.\" He seated his patroness on a tree stump, far from their waiting escorts. \"We can watch the work on the site and enjoy a bit of conversation before we return to Edo Castle.\"\n\nWith a puff of relief, Lady Keisho-in settled herself. \"Ah, that feels good. You are so thoughtful, my dearest. Now, what shall we talk about?\"\n\nRyuko studied her familiar features, breathed her familiar smell of perfume, tobacco smoke, and old age. They'd been together so long. He'd memorized her needs, her habits, her preferences—all the information essential to keeping her favor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yet how well did he really know the most powerful woman in Japan? With a nostalgia sharpened by the present danger, he recalled the day they'd met.\n\nTokugawa Tsuñayoshi had just succeeded to the rank of shogun, and Lady Keisho-in had come to Zojo Temple to pray for a long, prosperous reign for her son. She'd caught sight of Ryuko among the priests gathered to pay homage to their lord's mother. Her ugly old face acquired an expression of bemused delight, a reaction that Ryuko often elicited from female worshippers who admired handsome priests. Halting her procession to the temple hall, she'd made his acquaintance. She'd taken a strong fancy to him, as she did to other young men who satisfied her need for companionship and sex. He had become her private spiritual leader, moving from Zojo Temple to chambers in Edo Castle so that she could have his counsel whenever required." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lady Keisho-in lavished gifts upon him and his religious order." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The temple complex grew in magnificence; its residents prospered. Keisho-in slavishly followed Ryuko's advice, often influencing the shogun to do the same. Money poured out of the Tokugawa treasury, funding subsidiary temples and charitable work. To Ryuko, a relationship with an unattractive woman twenty years his senior seemed a small price to pay.\n\nHe neither loved nor desired his patroness, but encouraged her infatuation with him. Forsaking his monastic life, he became her lover. He tolerated her moods and demands; he flattered her vanity. Under his contempt for her silliness, he felt a poignant sense of comradeship with Lady Keisho-in." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They were both commoners who had risen to unexpected heights. And he was truly grateful to her for giving him everything he needed: wealth and power; spiritual fulfillment and the chance to do good.\n\nIn this mutually satisfactory manner they'd spent a decade together. Ryuko had expected the arrangement to last indefinitely. Keisho-in, healthy for an old woman, seemed in no danger of dying anytime soon. Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was young enough to serve many more years as shogun—and probably would, if an heir didn't appear. But after the murder of Lady Harume, the future seemed uncertain. Ryuko knew how fast fortunes could rise or fall in the bakufu; sometimes, a mere rumor could destroy a life." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sōsakan Sano's inquiry posed a dire threat to Lady Keisho-in. And the threat had tentacles, like an octopus, which could reach out and strangle everyone within her close circle-including Ryuko.\n\n\"My sources tell me that Sōsakan Sano is doing an extremely thorough job investigating Lady Harume's murder,\" Ryuko said, easing into his subject of concern. He must be very careful about handling Lady Keisho-in. \"Detectives are all over the Large Interior. Hirata has leads on the source of the poison. Lieutenant Kushida is under arrest, but not yet charged with murder. It appears that Sano isn't seeking an easy way out. Instead he's living up to his reputation for pursuing the truth, regardless of the consequences.\"\n\nRyuko paused. Then, because Keisho-in rarely responded to subtle hints, he added a clearer warning: \"One might wish to exercise caution under these circumstances.\"\n\n\"Oh, yes, Sano is a fine detective,\" Lady Keisho-in said, missing the point. \"And I like young Hirata.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She giggled. \"I think he likes me, too.\"\n\nShe could be so frivolous, even at a time like this! Hiding his impatience, Ryuko said, \"My lady, Sano's investigation may turn up information that is detrimental to... any number of persons. No one is safe from scrutiny.\"\n\n\"You say things in a way that I can't understand,\" Keisho-in complained. \"Whatever are you talking about? Who's in danger?\"\n\nHer denseness forced blunt speech. \"You, my lady,\" Ryuko said reluctantly.\n\n\"Me?\" Keisho-in's rheumy eyes widened in surprise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Evidently she'd given no thought to how the murder investigation might affect her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then she smiled, reaching up to pat Ryuko's arm." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'harume' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I appreciate your concern, dearest, but I have nothing to fear from Sano or anyone else.\"\n\nRyuko studied her guileless face with confusion. He'd thought himself adept at reading her after all these years, but now he couldn't tell whether she spoke the truth. \"Your relationship with Lady Harume was... shall we say... less than innocent,\" Ryuko reminded Keisho-in.\n\nShe let out a merry guffaw that turned into a fit of coughing, and Ryuko had to pound her back before she could continue. \"Oh, my dearest, you are such a prude! What can it matter that Harume and I sometimes enjoyed a little bed sport? Surely no one could think it has anything to do with her murder!\"\n\nSōsakan Sano might consider it relevant, if he found out about them. Gossip spread like fire in the Large Interior, and Ryuko feared that someone might let slip a careless word to Sano's detectives." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There's nothing to worry about, dearest,\" Keisho-in said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Did she mean she'd fixed things so well that Sano would never learn anything that could hurt her?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ryuko didn't trust his patroness to have managed this: Usually she depended on him to handle sensitive business for her. He longed to ask Lady Keisho-in a few straight questions about Harume, yet the cautious politician in him didn't really want to hear the answers. If Sōsakan Sano accused Lady Keisho-in of murder, then Ryuko's only defense against a conspiracy charge was a lack of compromising knowledge. So he confined himself to addressing the issue of mutual self-preservation.\n\n\"You allowed Sōsakan Sano access to the Large Interior without consulting me,\" Ryuko said. \"A bit unwise, perhaps. I recommend taking steps to block his inquiries.\"\n\nWith a grimace of annoyance, Keisho-in waved away the suggestion. She had occasional contrary moods; unfortunately, this was one of them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Stop talking in riddles, my dearest. Let Sano inquire all he likes. What difference does it make to me?\" She puffed out her chest in self-righteous dignity. \"I'm no murderer. I'm innocent.\"\n\nReally? thought Ryuko. Keisho-in had a history of falling madly in love with younger men and women—like Harume. Inevitably they failed to satisfy her vast need for adoration. When the affairs ended, Lady Keisho-in would fly into a hysterical fury. Usually Ryuko could cajole her out of it, or a new romantic interest would distract her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But sometimes Keisho-in turned vindictive." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Two particular incidents haunted Ryuko." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One had involved a concubine named Peach; the other, a palace guard." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Both had suddenly vanished from Edo Castle after disappointing Lady Keisho-in." }, { "from": "system", "value": "can you add this somewhere in your response:\n\"What if she had become pregnant?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ryuko's informants had told him that Keisho-in had complained about her lovers to the Tokugawa high military command. However, no one seemed to know where Peach and the guard had gone, or whether they were still alive. Ryuko guessed that Lady Keisho-in had ordered the pair's murders. If Sano ever learned of this, he would think she'd arranged a similar revenge against Lady Harume. Ryuko had to make her see the danger she courted by abetting Sano's investigation.\n\n\"Harume spent considerable time in His Excellency's bedchamber,\" Ryuko said. \"What if she had become pregnant?\"\n\nLooking puzzled, Lady Keisho-in said, \"That's what my son wanted, and what I wanted, too. Why else would I have urged him to do all this?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She looked around the clearing, where the architects busily conferred and the woodsmen sawed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ryuko could think of another reason why she'd championed the kennels." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Showing mercy toward dogs would bring Tokugawa Tsunayoshi good luck, but the shogun must do his part to beget a son." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Was Lady Keisho-in encouraging spiritual actions in the hope that he would neglect the physical ones?" }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<EMBED THIS>>: \"If Lady Harume had borne His Excellency an heir, she would have become his official consort. She would have supplanted you as the highest-ranking woman in Japan.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let me put it another way.\" Pacing the ground, Ryuko mustered his fading patience. \"What do you think will happen to you if an heir is born?\"\n\nLady Keisho-in laughed. \"I'll be the happiest grandmother in the world.\" Cradling her arms around an imaginary infant, she made cooing noises.\n\nWas she as naïve as she seemed? All marriages harbored secrets, and their union, Ryuko realized, was no exception. Forced to speak crudely, he said, \"If Lady Harume had borne His Excellency an heir, she would have become his official consort. She would have supplanted you as the highest-ranking woman in Japan.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That would be just a formality.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lady Keisho-in folded her arms, haughty with annoyance now. \"I am Tsunayoshi's mother. No other woman could ever replace me in his affections. He depends on my counsel. Why, he couldn't lead the country without me!\"\n\n\"Your son does not enjoy the responsibilities of being shogun,\" Ryuko said, avoiding the issue of whether or not Tokugawa Tsunayoshi led the country at all. \"He would rather occupy himself with religion or the theater.\" Or boys, Ryuko thought, but did not add. Lady Keisho-in refused to admit her son's preference for manly love. \"With the arrival of an heir, the succession would have been secure. His Excellency might have used this as an excuse to abdicate his position and appoint a council of regents to head the government until the boy came of age.\"\n\nThis prediction of the shogun's behavior was shared by many astute bakufu members, but Lady Keisho-in's features bunched in a stubborn pout." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Ridiculous! My son is a dedicated leader. He won't retire until death takes him from this world. And he doesn't need a council to run the government while he has his mother to advise him. He loves and trusts me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "However, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi also trusted Sano; Ryuko had watched the Sōsakan's influence grow daily. Even a hint of suspicion might jeopardize Keisho-in's relationship with the shogun, who feared and abhorred violence. If he thought she might be a murderer, he might turn away from her and seek another woman to act as mother-confidant—probably Lady Ichiteru. The devious concubine had regained his favor since Harume's death, had already borne him two sons, albeit stillborn, and would seize the chance to improve her position.\n\nAnd then what would happen to Ryuko?\n\n\"Please, my lady,\" he said. \"Just suppose there was an heir, and your son did retire. Who would have more influence over the regent council? You, the mother of a past, retired shogun? Or the mother of the future one?\"\n\nRyuko's suave voice harshened with agitation, and he bent over Keisho-in, grasping her hands." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If Harume had lived, you might have lost your position as ruler of the Large Interior, your privileges, your power. Sōsakan Sano will realize this eventually, if he hasn't already. You stand to become his prime murder suspect!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Across the clearing, a huge oak crashed to the ground." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Its branches swayed and rustled: the death throes of a giant." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Peasants began sawing up and hauling away the tree's corpse." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Lady Keisho-in watched, her face took on a crafty, calculating expression that Ryuko had never seen before. She looked positively intelligent. A chill finger of dismay touched Ryuko. Was she finally becoming aware of her precarious position?\n\nOr had she known all along?\n\nSlowly Lady Keisho-in turned to Ryuko. She pulled him to his knees so that their faces were almost touching. All traces of good-natured silliness had disappeared from hers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Tell me, my dearest,\" she said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her gaze bored into Ryuko. \"Are you so concerned about the murder investigation for my sake, or your own? Have you been up to something?\"\n\nThe words, spoken on a vapor of breath that stank of tobacco and rotten teeth, wafted over Ryuko. Shock disoriented him. He envisioned battlefields after a war, with the wind carrying the odor of carnage. Despite all his efforts in the cause of charity and spiritual enlightenment, there had been incidents in his life that illustrated his greed, ambition, and ruthlessness. What if Sano found out? Surely he would suspect Ryuko of murdering Harume on Keisho-in's behalf in order to protect her and, simultaneously, his own position. Yet even as he imagined himself at the execution ground, the wily politician in Ryuko saw a way to use the situation to his advantage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, my lady,\" he said, bowing his head as if in shameful confession. It wasn't a lie. He'd devised and carried out plots designed to further his interests and Keisho-in's, with and without her approval. He wondered how much she knew or guessed about him—and how much her poor memory had allowed her to forget about things they'd done together. If he was charged with Lady Harume's murder, would Keisho-in sacrifice him to save herself? \"I'm afraid Sōsakan Sano will discover what I've done.\"\n\nTo his joy, Keisho-in responded just as Ryuko had hoped. She enfolded him in a suffocating embrace and declared, \"I don't care if you've done anything wrong, especially if you did it for me. I love you, and I'll stand by you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ryuko hid a smile against Keisho-in's breast." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Let her believe—or pretend to believe—he'd killed Harume, if that was what it took to secure her complicity. Now they both would be safe from accusations of murder and treason. \"As long as I live, no one shall harm a hair on your head!\"\n\nPatting Ryuko's shaven scalp, Lady Keisho-in giggled at her own joke, then said, \"I'm cold, and this tree stump is hurting my bottom. Let's go back to Edo Castle. When we get there, I'll fix Sōsakan Sano. Just tell me what to do. You needn't worry about anything, my dearest.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Story continues from larger narrative, characters/lore may lack introduction\nLength:\n8 sentences\nStyle:\nLaura Joh Rowland" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Hirata rode across the Ryogoku Bridge, he divided his attention between steering his horse past a band of porters hauling wood from the Honjo lumber yards and studying the plan for his second interview with Lady Ichiteru. He mumbled the directions scribbled in the margins. \"Interview suspect at Edo Castle, not at the theater.\" \"Do not let suspect evade questions.\" \"If suspect makes lewd remarks, order her to stop.\" \"Do not think about sex while interviewing suspect.\" \"Above all, do not let suspect touch you!\"\n\nTo fill a big hole in the fabric of the murder investigation, he must extract the relevant information from Lady Ichiteru." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had to correct his slip-up before Sano found out and lost trust in him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He wanted to rebuild his former image of himself as a good detective." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And he desperately needed something to make up for the disappointing results of his other inquiries.\n\nYesterday the detective corps had failed to locate either the Indian arrow toxin or the elusive drug peddler, Choyei. This morning Hirata had sent them out to interrogate contacts within Edo's criminal underworld. He'd just revisited police headquarters, to no avail. There seemed little hope of solving the case by tracing the poison. Sano didn't believe Lieutenant Kushida was guilty. Failure would bring severe punishment. Everything might depend on Hirata's handling of the interview with Lady Ichiteru." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He'd spent a restless night, alternating between vivid, erotic dreams of her and wakeful bouts of self-recrimination." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What a fool he was to let her trick him! After the capture of Lieutenant Kushida, he'd given up on sleep and formulated his plan for the interview. Now he would continue the search for Choyei while memorizing the plan and strengthening his resolve to withstand Lady Ichiteru's charms.\n\nYet even as Hirata tucked the paper under his sash for later reference, he yearned for Lady Ichiteru. In his memory, he heard her soft, husky voice, felt the warmth of her seductive gaze and the thrilling touch of her hand. Immediately a wave of heat swept his body. And beneath the excitement, he experienced the humiliating knowledge of his social inferiority, the helplessness of his desire.\n\n\"Watch out, master!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The warning, called out by a passing stranger, snapped Hirata out of his thoughts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He looked up and saw that he'd passed the end of the bridge. His horse was meandering down the street, trampling wares set out for sale by itinerant vendors. Quickly Hirata reined in his mount. \"My apologies,\" he said, increasingly worried about the upcoming interview. How would he get the truth from Lady Ichiteru if even the mere thought of her ruined his concentration?\n\nReaching the Honjo Muko Ryogoku entertainment district, he found the revelry undiminished by the dreary weather. A theater troupe improvised comedies in the street, before a large, noisy audience; business flourished in the teahouses and restaurants. But the freak show was closed, its platform empty and sliding doors pulled over the entrance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A sign outside read, NO PERFORMANCE TODAY." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata's spirits fell. If the Rat was out roaming the town, he could be gone for hours, even days. So much for leads on the poison dealer.\n\nThen, as Hirata turned his horse back toward the bridge, he spotted a familiar figure amid the pleasure seekers. It was the bald giant who served as the Rat's bodyguard and collected admission fees at the shows. He headed down the firebreak, past the gambling dens and curiosity shows. Hirata followed. Maybe the giant could tell him where the Rat was.\n\nThe giant vanished into a gap between the wild animal menagerie and a noodle stall. A mob of drunks reeled in front of Hirata, blocking his way, and by the time he reached the gap, the giant was nowhere in sight." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata dismounted and secured his horse to a post. He walked down the narrow passage, which smelled of urine and led to an alley that ran behind the buildings. Roars emanated from the menagerie; steam wafted from restaurant kitchens; stray dogs foraged in malodorous garbage bins. Otherwise, the alley was deserted.\n\nHirata hurried past the closed rear doors of businesses. Then he heard voices: the Rat's rustic accent, and someone else's muffled tones. They came from the back room of a teahouse. Hirata peered through the barred window." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your response should contain the word 'hirata' precisely 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ceramic sake urns lined the room. The Rat knelt on the floor, his back to Hirata, his shaggy head nodding as he listened to the woman seated opposite him. A cloak veiled her hair and body. In the faint daylight from the window, Hirata could just make out her face: plain and not young, with blackened teeth.\n\n\"The deal will benefit both of us,\" she said in a low, pleading voice. \"My family will have peace, and your business will prosper.\"\n\n\"All right. Five hundred koban, and that's my final price,\" answered the Rat.\n\nThe woman bowed her head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Very well. If you'll come with me, we'll get it now.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'hirata' - 3 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Having seen the Rat conduct this type of negotiation before, Hirata guessed what was going on. He raised a hand to knock on the door. Then a change in the atmosphere warned him of another human presence in the alley. He whirled. Strong hands grabbed his shoulders, lifting him off the ground. He found himself face to face with the Rat's giant.\n\n\"I'm here to see your master,\" Hirata explained, struggling in the man's iron grip. \"Put me down!\"\n\nAn evil grin split the giant's face. With dismay Hirata remembered that he was a deaf mute." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He threw Hirata against the wall with a jarring crash. Hirata drew his sword. Then the door screeched open.\n\n\"What's going on?\" demanded the Rat. Seeing Hirata facing off against his servant, he rushed outside, ordering, \"Stop, Kyojin!\"\n\nThe giant made gurgling sounds while pointing at the window, trying to say he'd caught Hirata spying.\n\n\"This man is police.\" Speaking with exaggerated lip movements, the Rat gestured in what seemed a private form of sign language." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lay off before he kills you and arrests me!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Include the following text] → \"Have you found Choyei, the drug peddler?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Glowering, the giant retreated. Hirata relaxed and sheathed his sword. \"How nice to see you again so soon,\" said the Rat, with an insincere grin. \"What can I do for you today?\"\n\n\"Have you found Choyei, the drug peddler?\"\n\nGlancing nervously toward the open door, the Rat pawed at his whiskers. \"I don't have time to talk now; I'm right in the middle of some business.\" He did a double take and rushed into the teahouse's back room, then came out muttering curses." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"She's gone—must have slipped out the other way.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then he shrugged. \"Oh, well. She'll be back. She's selling her deformed child to my freak show,\" he explained, confirming Hirata's guess." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Poor thing was born with no feet. Who else would want it except me? Now what were you saying?\"\n\n\"The drug peddler,\" Hirata prompted.\n\n\"Ah.\" The Rat's sly little eyes gleamed through strands of long, untidy hair. \"I'm afraid I couldn't find him. Sorry.\"\n\n\"But it's only been one day,\" Hirata said. \"How far could you have looked in that time?\"\n\n\"The Rat has eyes and ears all over Edo. If they haven't picked up on Choyei by now, then either he's left town or was never here in the first place.\"\n\nIf his best informant couldn't find the possible source of the poison, then this lead was a dead end, Hirata thought." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Disappointment turned to anger. \"I paid you good money,\" he said, grabbing the Rat's collar. The giant moved toward him. \"Are you reneging on our deal?\"\n\n\"Stay, Kyojin! Oh, no. Not at all!\" The Rat quickly reached into the pouch at his waist and extracted a handful of coins, which he gave Hirata. \"Here you go. A full refund, with my apologies.\"\n\nSuspicion deepened Hirata's anger as he stuffed the coins in his own pouch." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Since when had the Rat ever voluntarily relinquished money? \"Are you trying to trick me?\" He shook the freak-show proprietor until his head bobbled. \"Did Choyei pay you off?\"\n\n\"No, no! Honest!\"\n\nThe Rat struggled. The giant grabbed Hirata. A three-way tussle ensued. Finally Hirata gave up and let go." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If I find out you lied to me, you'll be arrested. And jailed. And beaten!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He underscored each threat by jabbing the Rat's chest with his fist. Then he stalked down the alley to retrieve his horse.\n\nIt was time to confront Lady Ichiteru.\n\nBy the time Hirata arrived back at Edo Castle, he was almost ill with eagerness to see Lady Ichiteru again. His skin felt feverish; his hands trembled as he rode through the main gate; anticipation evoked arousal. Realizing that he shouldn't face Lady Ichiteru alone in his condition, he stopped at Sano's mansion and fetched two detectives to accompany him. Their presence would ensure that he stuck to his plan and Lady Ichiteru behaved properly. But just as Hirata and the detectives were leaving the barracks, a servant hurried up." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This came while you were gone, master,\" he said, proffering a small lacquer scroll case." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata took it and withdrew a letter. As he read, his heart began to pound.\n\n'I have vitally important information relating to Lady Harume's murder. It is imperative that I speak to you—but not today, and not here at Edo Castle. For the wrong people to overhear what I must impart would endanger my life. Please meet me tomorrow at the hour of the sheep, at the location described below.\n\nAnd please come alone.\n\nIt is with more than ordinary pleasure that I look forward to seeing you again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "-Lady Ichiteru'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A map followed, with directions written in the same elegant, feminine hand as the message. The creamy white rice paper had the softness of living flesh. Moistened by Hirata's suddenly sweaty hands, it gave off the scent of Lady Ichiteru's perfume. Impulsively he pressed it against his face. As the smell evoked erotic memories, he forgot the day's disappointments. Lady Ichiteru wanted to see him again! Did not her closing words imply that she shared his feelings? His spirits soared. He laughed aloud." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hirata-san? What are you doing?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata looked up to see the detectives watching him with concern. \"Nothing,\" he said, hastily cramming the letter into the scroll case.\n\n\"Are we going to visit Lady Ichiteru now?\" asked one of the men.\n\nAll Hirata's police instincts told him to stick to the plan he'd devised and avoid letting a murder suspect manipulate him. She's up to no good, said his inner voice. Yet Hirata couldn't endanger Lady Ichiteru by forcing her to give evidence within hearing of spies. And he yearned to explore the full potential of an acquaintance with her—outside Edo Castle's confines, free from the constraints of duty and prudence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No,\" he said at last." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm postponing the interview until tomorrow.\" Then he would decide whether to accept Lady Ichiteru's invitation. Deep inside Hirata, seven years of detective experience clamored in warning. \"Dismissed.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "CONTINUE STORY. PARAMETERS: one sentence sentences, character continuity, Sano Ichiro 4 genre." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Out of the Large Interior filed the nine men Sano had assigned to the investigation there, ejected by the shogun's order." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano and Hirata, waiting beside the palace door, fell into step with the detective in charge as the group trudged homeward through the night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Did you find anything?\" Sano asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Detective Ozawa, a man with flat features and a past career as a metsuke spy, shook his head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No poison or any other clues anywhere.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Along the castle's walled passages, burning torches smoked in the misty air." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Owls hooted in the forest preserve; across the city, dogs bayed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Autumn's melancholy charm had always appealed to the poet in Sano, but now its connotations of death worsened his spirits." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What about the interviews?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'they're' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Nobody knows anything,\" Ozawa said, \"which could mean they're telling the truth, they're afraid to talk, or someone ordered them not to. I'd bet on the last.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Did you search Lady Keisho-in's chambers?\" Sano asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ozawa looked at him in surprise." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No. I didn't know you wanted us to, and we would have needed special permission from her. Why?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Never mind,\" said Sano, \"that's all right.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's probably just as well that we quit,\" Ozawa said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We could have spent the rest of the year in the Large Interior without learning anything.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "That was little consolation to Sano, because the shogun's edict had deprived him of access to not only Lady Keisho-in's quarters and five hundred potential witnesses, but also another important suspect: Lady Ichiteru." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now the thought of her reminded Sano of an unpleasant task he must perform tonight." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they reached Sano's mansion, the detectives headed for the barracks." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano said to Hirata, \"Let's go to my office.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There, warmed by charcoal braziers and cups of hot sake, they knelt facing each other." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hirata looked miserable, his head bowed in anticipation of punishment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano hardened his heart against pity." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He'd let Hirata's dubious behavior slide for too long." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now it had compromised their work, perhaps irretrievably." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano hated to risk damaging the friendship he valued above any other, but this time he meant to get some answers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What happened during your interview with Lady Ichiteru, and why did you let our superiors think we believe she's innocent?\" Sano said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm sorry, Sōsakan-sama\" Hirata's voice quavered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There's no excuse for what I did. I—Lady Ichiteru—\" He gulped, then said, \"I couldn't get her to answer my questions, so I don't really know if she killed Lady Harume. She—she got me all mixed up...\" His gaze turned luminescent with memory." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he looked down, as if caught in a shameful act." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I shouldn't have spoken at the meeting. I made a bad mistake. You should dismiss me. I deserve it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The news shook Sano." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Accustomed to relying on his chief retainer, he felt as though an essential support beam had been yanked from the structure of his detective corps." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Sano's anger dissolved at the sight of Hirata's humility." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"After all we've been through together, I won't dismiss you for one mistake,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Overcome with relief, Hirata blinked moist eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Tactfully Sano busied himself with pouring them each another drink." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Now let's concentrate on the case. We've lost our chance for an official interview with Lady Ichiteru, but there must be other methods of getting information on her.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "They drank, then Hirata said hesitantly, \"We might still be able to talk to Ichiteru.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From under his kimono he removed a letter and handed it over." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As Sano read, excitement eclipsed his depression." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She has information about the murder? Maybe this is the break we need.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You mean you think I should go?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A wild joy flared in Hirata's eyes before consternation clouded them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"To see Lady Ichiteru, alone, at this place she describes?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's you she's asking for,\" Sano answered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"She might not be willing to speak to anyone else. And we can't endanger her—or defy the shogun's orders—by meeting in the castle.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You trust me with such a critical interview? After what I've done?\" Hirata sounded incredulous." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes,\" Sano said, \"I do.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His purpose for sending Hirata to the rendezvous was twofold: he wanted Lady Ichiteru's information, but he also wanted Hirata to regain his self-confidence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank you, Sōsakan-sama. Thank you!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Fervent with gratitude, Hirata bowed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I promise I won't let you down. We'll solve this case.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "After Hirata had gone, Sano went to his desk." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reading reports from his detectives, he wished he could share Hirata's faith." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His men had questioned every member of the Miyagi household; no one admitted to tampering with the ink, or seeing anyone do so." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They'd traced the bottle's path to Lady Harume." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The messenger who had delivered it claimed he'd neither opened the sealed package nor made any stops along the way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Interviews with the castle guard who'd taken in the package, the servant who'd carried it to the Large Interior, and numerous individuals with possible access to the bottle while in transit had proved inconclusive." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano rubbed his temples, where a dull headache throbbed—he shouldn't have imbibed liquor on an empty stomach." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His journey into Lady Harume's past had made the case more perplexing instead of less; he still believed that the facts of her life related to the murder, but couldn't make the connection." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano felt drained of energy, in need of solace." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Where was the comfort he'd expected to find in marriage?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then Sano felt Reiko's presence: a mental sensation vaguely akin to the ripple of a distant stream." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He realized he'd been feeling it ever since arriving home, like an undercurrent beneath his thoughts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the space of a mere three days, he had become attuned to his bride." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He would always know when she was near." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Marriage had worked this strange magic despite the conflicts that divided them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Did Reiko feel it, too?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The thought gave Sano hope for a chance of mutual understanding and harmony." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now, as the sensation grew stronger and he heard the creak of the floorboards under her soft footsteps, he forgot the cares of the day." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She was coming to him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His heart pounded; his mouth went dry in anticipation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A knock at the door: three quiet, firm raps." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Come in.\" Sano's voice hoarsened with nervousness, and he had to clear his throat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The door slid open." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Reiko entered the room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She wore a red dressing gown printed with gold medallions, its lush folds emphasizing the delicate yet seductive curves of her figure." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her knee-length hair swathed her like a shimmering black cape." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She looked utterly beautiful and unapproachable." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In her proud posture, Sano could see generations of samurai ancestors." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reiko's gaze was cool as she knelt a good distance away from Sano and bowed, her voice level when she said, \"Good evening, Honorable Husband.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Good evening,\" Sano said, chilled by her formality." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Did you have a good day?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, thank you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Where did you go?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano wanted to ask." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What did you do?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But those questions would sound like an interrogation, and probably cause another quarrel." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano controlled his tendency to batter against any obstacle that stood between him and the truth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Marriage was teaching him patience." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He felt as though he'd aged years since his wedding, slowly, painfully maturing into the role of husband." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Instead he waited for Reiko to speak." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Didn't her visit indicate a desire for his company?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My father paid a call while you were out,\" Reiko said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He wishes to see you tomorrow morning at the hour of the dragon, in the Court of Justice.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Realizing that she'd come only to deliver this message, Sano experienced the heavy letdown of disappointment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Did he say why?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Only that there's a trial that he believes will interest you. I asked if it had anything to do with your investigation, but he refused to say.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A bitter smile twisted Reiko's mouth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Like you, he thinks it's none of my business.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With difficulty, Sano resisted the bait." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Thank you for bringing me the message.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How he ached to touch her!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He could imagine the silken sheen of her hair on his fingers, the soft pliancy of her body against his." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The tantalizing scent of jasmine wafted across the distance between them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Oddly, her strength of will only increased the attraction she held for him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To win the love of this proud wife would be a greater conquest than domination of a weaker woman." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The battle would require less brute muscle than intelligent strategy—the skill on which he prided himself in his detective work." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His warrior spirit rose to the challenge." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reiko bowed, signaling her intention to leave." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Seeking a way to keep her with him, Sano said the first thing that came into his head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"About last night—I'm sorry if I hurt you when I pushed you out of Lieutenant Kushida's way.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You didn't hurt me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reiko's voice remained cool, her expression implacable." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And you needed my help more than I needed your protection. Why don't you just admit it?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was getting them nowhere, except further apart." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In desperation, Sano blurted, \"I admired that stroke you used against Kushida.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now Reiko's eyes rounded in surprise at the compliment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Thank you, but it was nothing, really.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "A becoming flush of pleasure bloomed in her cheeks." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's just something I learned from a martial arts treatise by Kumashiro.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You've read Kumashiro's works?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now it was Sano's turn to be surprised." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The great swordsman, who had lived two hundred years ago, was a hero of his own." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now his love of the history of martial arts prevailed over his belief that a wife shouldn't practice them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He found himself and Reiko discussing kenjutsu." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because she'd read as widely as he, this was one of the most satisfying conversations he'd ever had on the subject." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reiko's intelligence impressed him, and he enjoyed watching her glow with enthusiasm." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She moved closer; her posture relaxed; her smile mirrored his pleasure in their mutual interest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano believed that she'd come here because she'd wanted to see him: after all, she could have sent a maid to deliver her father's message." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She, too, felt the attraction that sparked between them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then, in the middle of a passionate argument about the merits of a particular style of swordsmanship, Sano realized he was making the same mistake that Magistrate Ueda rued: encouraging Reiko's interest in unfeminine pursuits." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His expression must have shown his dismay, because Reiko stopped talking in the middle of a sentence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sadness quenched the sparkle in her eyes; she'd read his thoughts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's late,\" she said regretfully." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I shan't interrupt your work any longer.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As their camaraderie died, the room seemed to grow suddenly colder." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Good night, Honorable Husband.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reiko bowed and rose." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Wait,\" Sano said. When she paused at the door, a question in her eyes, he wanted to say: Investigating Lady Harume's life has opened my eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I understand what it's like to be female in a world ruled by men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I realize the cruelty of a society that limits a woman's existence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I know how you feel!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yet how could he claim to understand Reiko's position, while still maintaining his own?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He didn't want her involved in a murder investigation that had grown even more perilous with Lady Keisho-in's emergence as a suspect." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He still doubted her ability to accomplish anything worth the risk of her life." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Knowing this, Reiko would surely repudiate his sympathy as a mere ploy to win her affection against her will." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano cast about for a neutral topic of conversation, but anything he might say could lead to the central issue of her independence—his authority—and another quarrel." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Good night,\" Sano said at last." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With a swish of silk garments and a whiff of jasmine, Reiko slipped out the door, closing it softly behind her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "More despondent than ever, Sano sat alone at his desk." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her presence still lingered: a clear, rippling stream slowly carving its path through the bedrock of his soul." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yet unless they could somehow get beyond this terrible impasse, they were doomed to live like strangers, together yet apart." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Love seemed a hopeless dream." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Against his better judgment, Sano poured himself another cup of sake." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, sipping the lukewarm liquor, he turned his thoughts to another unhappy lover, Lieutenant Kushida." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The palace guard represented Sano's best chance to conclude the murder investigation quickly, and with his life intact." }, { "from": "human", "value": "However, as he scanned the detectives' report on Kushida, his spirits waned further." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No incriminating evidence had been found in his background or his quarters." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That left Sano right where he'd started: with Kushida's statement, and the attempted burglary." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano reached over to the built-in shelves of his study niche and removed Lady Harume's diary." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Riffling through the pages, he again wondered why Lieutenant Kushida had wanted to steal them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then Sano noticed something he'd missed before." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He held the open diary near the lamp for closer scrutiny." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tiny ink marks filled the inner margins of the pages, where the silk cord joined them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano untied the cord and separated the sheets." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The marks were the fine outer brushstrokes of characters that Lady Harume had written along the edge of the middle pages, then hidden beneath the binding." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Arranged sequentially, they read:" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lying together in the shadows between two existences," }, { "from": "human", "value": "Skin touching bare skin," }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Your breath joins mine; your sighs fill my depths" }, { "from": "human", "value": "And our blood sings to the rhythm of a single heartbeat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As you explore the secret places of my body" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I open myself to your touch—" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ah, if only I could take all of you inside me" }, { "from": "human", "value": "So that we might never part." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But alas! Your rank and fame endanger us." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We can never walk together in daylight." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yet love is eternal; you are mine forever, as I am yours," }, { "from": "human", "value": "In spirit, though not in marriage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano reread the lines with repressed jubilation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Harume's expression of eternal love didn't reflect Lady Keisho-in's complaints of betrayal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She must have been involved with someone else, whom she'd loved so much that she couldn't resist committing her emotions to paper despite the fear of discovery." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But who was this lover of public reputation and unspecified name?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Any man would be condemned to death for bedding the shogun's favorite concubine; even a woman could earn the same fate by usurping Lady Harume's affection." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How had this particular individual's position worsened the danger?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Had the affair occasioned the earlier attempts on her life?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano cautioned himself against hoping too much for a lead that pointed away from Lady Keisho-in." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Perhaps Harume had been writing about the shogun's mother during a happier phase of their relationship." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Though Sano knew that love often surmounts the barriers of age, he wanted to believe that Harume had accepted old, homely Keisho-in's advances only to gain privileges." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He wanted to believe that the hidden verse implicated someone else." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lieutenant Kushida had denied sexual contact with Harume, but what if he'd lied?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Maybe he'd tried to steal the diary because he feared Harume had named him as her lover." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The impassioned tone of the verse and the sexual acts suggested didn't fit Harume's arrangement with Lord Miyagi, but their liaison could have later evolved beyond his spying at her through windows, despite his denials." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It wasn't uncommon for a worldly older man to win a young girl's affection." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Either the daimyo or Lieutenant Kushida might have killed Harume to prevent the affair from being exposed, or the shogun from finding out that the suspect had impregnated her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Or perhaps there was another, yet unknown lover in Harume's past." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano must investigate the possibility. But for now he invested his hopes in Lieutenant Kushida and Lord Miyagi as the prime suspects." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Today you will be acting as a writing assistant for a segment of a larger Sano Ichiro 4 story. Your partner will send something and you will write the next 12 sentences. Characters may already be established." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We observed all the correct procedures for house arrest, but the old man let him out,\" said the commander who had summoned Sano to the Kushida estate. \"None of this is our fault\"\n\nHe gestured angrily around the torch-lit courtyard. There lay four men wounded by Lieutenant Kushida during his escape. Kushida's parents and a few retainers huddled on the veranda of the house, a modest one-story building with half-timbered walls and barred windows. From outside in the street, curious spectators peered through the bamboo thicket.\n\nSano had been awakened by the arrival of the messenger who had delivered the bad news. Now he stood in the chilly courtyard with Hirata as troops milled around, spectators chattered, and the first azure luminescence of dawn paled the sky. Inwardly he berated himself for losing a suspect. He should have recognized Lieutenant Kushida as an escape risk and denied him the privileges of rank, placing him in Edo Jail instead of under house arrest. Though Sano considered Lady Keisho-in the more likely murderer of Harume, he still didn't believe that the lieutenant had told the complete truth about either his relationship with Harume or his reasons for breaking into Sano's estate. With difficulty, Sano resisted the temptation to vent his anger at himself on the troops for letting a single man overcome them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let's forget about blame for the moment and concentrate on capturing Lieutenant Kushida,\" Sano said. \"What's been done so far?\"\n\n\"Men are out searching the bancho, but they've sent back no word on Kushida yet. Unfortunately, he's a fast runner.\"\n\nKushida could be clear out of Edo by sunrise, Sano thought with a heavy heart. Yet he doubted that leaving town was the lieutenant's whole motive for escaping. Why had he broken house arrest? The answer could be crucial to locating Kushida. Sano told the commander to continue the search. Then, motioning for Hirata to follow, he walked over to the Kushida family and introduced himself.\n\n\"Did your son say anything that might tell us why he escaped, or where he was going?\" he asked the lieutenant's father.\n\n\"I have not spoken to my son since he was suspended from his post.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The elder Kushida glared, his simian features set in hard lines." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'young'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And his most recent bad behavior did nothing to reconcile us.\"\n\nNow Sano could better understand Lieutenant Kushida's obsessive passion for Harume: with such an unloving, unforgiving parent, he must have been starved for affection.\n\nKushida's mother cast a frightened glance at her husband, then nodded toward an old samurai weeping by the door. \"Yohei saw him last.\"\n\nThis, then, was the faithful retainer whom Kushida had tricked into opening the cell door.\n\n\"Nothing that my young master said or did warned me that he meant to escape,\" Yohei mourned. \"I don't know why he did it.\"\n\nStaggering forward, Yohei prostrated himself at Sano's feet. \"Oh, Sōsakan-sama, when you catch my young master, please don't kill him! I'm the one who's responsible for what happened tonight. Let me die in his place!\"\n\n\"I won't kill him,\" Sano promised. He needed Kushida alive for further questioning. \"And I won't punish you if you'll help me find him. Does he have any friends he might run to for help?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"There's his old sensei—Master Saigo. He's retired now, and lives in Kanagawa.\"\n\nThis village was the fourth station along the Tokaido highway, about half a day's journey away. Sano bade farewell to the Kushida family. Then he and Hirata mounted their horses outside the gate.\n\n\"Dispatch messengers down the highway to warn the post station guards to be on the alert for Kushida,\" Sano told Hirata. \"But I'm not convinced he'll leave town.\"\n\n\"Nor am I,\" Hirata said. \"I'll have the police circulate Kushida's description around town and tell the neighborhood gate sentries to watch for him. Then...\" Hirata sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. \"Then I'll meet Lady Ichiteru.\"\n\nThey parted, and Sano headed back toward Edo Castle to launch troops on a citywide manhunt before attending the trial that Magistrate Ueda wanted him to see. Whether or not Kushida had killed Lady Harume, he was a danger to the citizens. Sano felt responsible for his capture, and any crimes the lieutenant might commit before then." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The trial was already in progress by the time Sano arrived at the Court of Justice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He slipped quietly into the long, dim hall. Magistrate Ueda occupied the dais, his somber face illuminated by lamps on the desk before him, with a secretary on either side. He caught Sano's eye and nodded a greeting. The female defendant wore a muslin shift. Wrists and ankles bound, she knelt before the dais on a straw mat on the shirasu. A small audience knelt in rows in the center of the room.\n\nWhile a secretary read the date, time, and the names of the presiding officials into the court record, Sano recalled how Reiko had told him about observing proceedings in this court during her youth. He wondered if she was here now, watching from some hidden vantage point, still defying him. Would they ever come together as true husband and wife? Why had her father wanted him to witness this trial?\n\nThen the secretary announced, \"The defendant, Mariko of Kyobashi, is charged with the murder of her husband, Nakano the sandal maker. This court shall now hear the evidence. I call the first witness: her mother-in-law.\"\n\nAs the defendant wept, an old woman rose from the audience." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hobbling up to the dais, she knelt, bowed to Magistrate Ueda, then said, \"Two days ago, my son suddenly became ill after our evening meal. He gasped and coughed and said he couldn't breathe. He went to the window for some air, but he was so dizzy that he fell on the floor. Then he began vomiting—at first the food he'd eaten, then blood. I tried to help, but he thought I was a witch who wanted to kill him. I, his own mother!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The old woman's voice cracked in anguish. \"He began thrashing and screaming. I hurried out and fetched a doctor. When we got back to the house just a few moments later, my poor son was lying dead. He was as stiff as that pillar.\"\n\nExcitement eased the weight of Sano's worry and fatigue. The sandal maker had died of the same symptoms as Lady Harume! Now Sano understood why Magistrate Ueda had summoned him.\n\n\"Mariko cooks and serves all our meals,\" the witness said, glaring at the defendant. \"She was the only person to handle my son's bowl before he ate. She must have poisoned him. They never got along. At night she refused to do her wifely duty by him. She hates housekeeping and shopping and sewing, and helping in the store to earn her keep, and taking care of me. We starved and beat her, but even that wouldn't make her behave properly. She killed my son so she could go home to her parents. Honorable Magistrate, I beg you to grant my son justice and sentence that wicked girl to death!\"\n\nThen followed the testimony of more witnesses: the doctor; neighbors who confirmed the unhappy state of the defendant's marriage; the police who had found a bottle hidden under the defendant's kimono, tested the contents on a rat, observed its quick demise, and made the arrest. A solid case, Sano thought.\n\n\"What have you to say in your own defense, Mariko?\" asked Magistrate Ueda.\n\nStill weeping, the woman raised her head. \"I didn't kill my husband!\" she wailed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The magistrate said, \"There is much evidence of your guilt. You must either refute it, or confess.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My mother-in-law hates me. She blames me for everything. When my husband died, she wanted to punish me, so she told everyone I poisoned him. But I didn't. Please, you must believe me!\"\n\nStepping forward, Sano said, \"Honorable Magistrate, I beg your permission to question the defendant.\"\n\nHeads turned; a buzz of surprise swept the audience. It was rare for anyone except the presiding official to conduct interrogations during trials. \"Permission granted,\" Magistrate Ueda said.\n\nSano knelt beside the shirasu. From behind a tangled mop of hair, the defendant eyed him fearfully, like a captive wild animal. She was emaciated, her face covered with bruises, both eyes blackened.\n\n\"Did your family do this to you?\" Sano asked.\n\nTrembling, she nodded. Her mother-in-law said righteously, \"She was lazy and disobedient. She deserved every beating my son and I gave her.\"\n\nAnger blazed in Sano. The fact that this situation occurred often made it no less reprehensible to him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Honorable Magistrate,\" he said, \"I need information from the defendant. If she provides it, I shall recommend that the charge against her be modified to murder in self-defense, and that she be returned to her parents' home.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate this exact phrase, preserving the quotation marks: \"She murdered my son! She deserves to die!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Protests rose from the audience. A doshin said, \"With all due respect, Sōsakan-sama, but this sets a bad example for the citizens. They'll think they can kill, claim self-defense, and get away with it!\"\n\n\"She murdered my son! She deserves to die!\" shouted the mother-in-law.\n\n\"You and your son mistreated that girl,\" Sano retorted, though he wondered why he was interfering in business that had nothing to do with his own investigation. Dimly he realized that his rage stemmed from his new awareness of the plight of women, a need to somehow make amends to Reiko for society's cruel treatment of her sex. \"Now you're paying the price.\"\n\n\"Silence,\" Magistrate Ueda thundered over the audience's clamor, which subsided after the guards dragged the cursing, shrieking mother-in-law out of the room. To Sano, he said, \"Your recommendation shall be accepted if the defendant cooperates. Proceed.\"\n\nSano turned to the girl. \"Where did you get the poison that killed your husband?\"\n\n\"I—I didn't mean to kill him,\" she sobbed. \"I only wanted to make him weak, so he couldn't hurt me anymore.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're safe now,\" Sano said, but he could only hope her parents wouldn't punish her for the failed marriage—or wed her to another cruel man." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How little he could do to correct centuries of tradition! Especially when he wasn't willing to begin at home. \"Now tell me where you got the poison.\"\n\nThe defendant sniffed mucus up her nose. \"I bought it from an old traveling peddler.\"\n\nChoyei! Sano's heart leapt. \"Where did you meet him?\"\n\n\"At Daikon Quay.\"\n\nCanals gridded the district northwest of Nihonbashi. Flagstone quays fronted warehouses; along these, dockworkers carried firewood, bamboo poles, vegetables, coal, and grain to and from moored boats. Sano knew the area from his police days, because the yoriki barracks were located in adjacent Hatchobori, on the edge of the official district. He rode down Daikon Quay, past porters laden with bundles of the long white radish." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Everyone's breath formed clouds of vapor in the bright, chill air; a stiff breeze rippled the waters of the canals, which reflected the sky's wintry blue." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'smoke' must appear 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shouts, crashes, and the clatter of wooden soles rang out with sharp clarity. Sano could smell the distinctive blend of charcoal smoke and distant mountain snows that for him poignantly heralded the year's final season.\n\nThe defendant had given him directions to the place where she'd met Choyei: \"He has a room in a house in the third street off the quay.\"\n\nSano steered his mount into the street. Rows of two-story slum dwellings lined a space barely wide enough to accommodate Sano's horse. Overhanging balconies blocked the sunlight; from clotheslines stretched across the narrow gap, laundry flapped. Night-soil bins, overflowing trash containers, and a privy shed befouled the air. Oily smoke rose from chimneys. Closed doors hid whatever activities the one-room apartments sheltered. The street was empty, permeated with a dreary quiet.\n\nDismounting outside the fifth door, Sano knocked. When he received no answer, he tried the door, but it wouldn't budge." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He peered through the cracks in the window shutters. \"Choyei?\" he called." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The door of the next apartment creaked open. A thin, unshaven man came out. \"Who are you?\" he demanded. When Sano identified himself and stated the purpose of his visit, the man bowed hastily. \"Greetings, Sōsakan-sama. I'm the landlord, and it just so happens that I need to see the peddler, too. He owes me rent. I know he's in there, with some man who came to see him. I heard them talking just a moment ago. The old rascal is just pretending he's not home.\" Pounding on the door, the landlord yelled, \"Open up!\"\n\nSudden intuition compelled Sano to action. He rammed his shoulder once, twice, three times against the door. The wooden panel gave way. From inside the room came wheezing, sucking noises, punctuated by groans. Alarm struck Sano's heart. \"No,\" he said as comprehension spurted through him like ice water. \"Please, no.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What's wrong, Sōsakan-sama?\" the landlord cried. \"What's that sound?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'figure' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano burst into the room. At first it was too dark for him to see more than shadowy silhouettes. Then, as his eyes grew accustomed to the dimness, the shadows became a chest, a cupboard, and a table. Bowls and jars covered every surface, including the floor. Pots steamed on a clay stove. The air was redolent with the medicinal odors of a pharmacist's shop. In a far corner lay a human figure, the source of the terrible noise.\n\nSano tripped over a mortar and pestle. He pushed aside a frame of the sort worn by traveling peddlers, a wooden contraption with baskets suspended from crosspieces. He knelt by the prone figure.\n\n\"Give me some light!\" he ordered.\n\nThe landlord opened the shutters and lit a lamp." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Choyei flashed into vivid focus." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was ancient, but vigorous of physique. Dirty white hair straggled around his bald crown. Eyes bulging with terror stared up at Sano from a face as gray and creviced as sun-baked mud. Blood flowed out of his gaping mouth and poured from a wound in his chest, staining his ragged kimono. Wheeze, suck, groan. The noise continued as he arched in pain, fighting for breath.\n\n\"Oh, no, oh, no,\" moaned the landlord, wringing his hands. \"Why did this have to happen on my property?\"\n\n\"Get a doctor,\" Sano commanded. Then he examined the deep gash between Choyei's ribs, made with a sharp blade, that alternately sucked and burbled blood. \"Never mind, it's no use.\" Sano had seen this type of injury before, and recognized it as fatal. \"Call the police instead.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Choyei's visitor must have stabbed him and fled just moments ago. \"Hurry!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The landlord rushed out. Sano pressed his hand over Choyei's wound, temporarily sealing the hole. The wheezing abated. Choyei inhaled and exhaled hungrily. Feeling the warm, wet suction of bloody flesh against his palm, Sano said, \"Who did this to you?\"\n\nThe peddler's mouth opened and closed several times before his voice emerged. \"Customer... bought... bish,\" he gasped out. Red froth bubbled from his nose. \"Came back today... stab...\"\n\nBish: the arrow toxin that had killed Lady Harume. Elation rushed through Sano. The customer must have been her murderer, who had returned to prevent Choyei from ever reporting the purchase to the authorities. Sano cast an impatient glance toward the door, wishing the police would hurry." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The killer was still in the area." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He longed to give chase, but he needed the testimony of his only witness.\n\n\"Who was it, Choyei?\" Urgently Sano gripped the dying peddler's hand. \"Tell me!\"\n\nChoyei emitted sickening gurgles. Blood continued to leak from the wound. His lips and tongue struggled around the syllables of a name that seemed caught in his throat.\n\n\"What did he look like, then?\" Sano said.\n\n\"No... No!\" Choyei's hand clutched Sano's. His mouth formed words, but no sound came.\n\n\"Easy. Relax,\" Sano soothed him.\n\nWhile the peddler struggled to speak, Sano's mind raced through possibilities. The brutal stabbing argued in favor of Lieutenant Kushida." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Had he escaped house arrest to assault Choyei?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Did he use a spear?\" Sano said, hiding his impatience.\n\nChoyei's body thrashed and his head rolled from side to side in a violent protest against impending death.\n\n\"What did he look like? Tell me so I can find him!\"\n\nNow the drug peddler seemed to accept his fate. His hold on Sano's hand weakened while involuntary tremors shook him. With a great effort, he gathered a deep, rattling breath and whispered: \"... thin... wore dark cloak... hood...\"\n\nThat description could fit Lord Miyagi as well as Kushida. Or what about Harume's secret lover? How Sano welcomed this evidence that pointed away from Lady Keisho-in!\n\nRunning footsteps clattered down the street. A doshin and two civilian assistants arrived at the door." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Quickly Sano repeated Choyei's description of the killer, then added his own of Lieutenant Kushida and Lord Miyagi." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It might be either of them, or someone else, but he can't be far away. Go!\" The police rushed off, and Sano turned back to the drug peddler. \"Choyei. What else can you tell me? Choyei!\"\n\nDesperation tinged his voice as he felt the drug peddler go limp under his touch. The animation faded from Choyei's eyes. One more faint moan, a last drool of blood, then the source of the poison—and Sano's only witness to murder—was dead." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Today you will be acting as a writing assistant for a segment of a larger Sano Ichiro 4 story. Your partner will send something and you will write the next 12 sentences. Characters may already be established." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The house to which Lady Ichiteru's letter had directed Hirata was built on a willow-shaded canal near the river, in a wealthy merchant district." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Usually Hirata took pride in his knowledge of Nihonbashi, gained from years of police work." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "However, as he walked over an arched bridge and through the gate leading into the street, he found himself in unfamiliar territory. Age and affluence lay like a rich patina upon the district. Moss furred high stone walls; a green film lustered the copper-tiled roofs. Because of their fortunate proximity to water, the mansions had survived many fires, making them some of the oldest buildings in town. But Hirata felt his own luck—and confidence—draining away with every step toward his rendezvous with Lady Ichiteru.\n\nIn his fist he clutched like a talisman the list of questions he must make Ichiteru answer. Folded inside was her letter. He'd spent hours guessing at possible meanings of the last line: \"It is with more than ordinary pleasure that I look forward to seeing you.\" Now, as he unfolded his list to study it one final time, he saw with dismay that the sweat from his palm had run the ink of the two documents together. This interview might determine his fate and Sano's; yet Hirata felt terribly unprepared, despite all his planning. He hungered for Ichiteru, but wished he'd brought another detective along, or sent one in his place.\n\nNow he had reached the designated house, a miniature estate set off from the others by a large garden." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The mansion seemed to lurk beneath spreading pine boughs that almost hid its low roof." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It hadn't escaped fire unscathed; smoke had darkened the walls. With his heart drumming the opposing rhythms of desire and doom, Hirata knocked on the gate.\n\nIt opened, and a young girl's pretty face appeared. Hirata recognized Midori, whom he'd all but forgotten. \"Detective Hirata-san!\" she exclaimed in delight \"I was so hoping to see you again.\" Eagerly she drew him into an overgrown jungle of weeds and unpruned shrubs, brown and lifeless with the waning season. An arbor draped with withered vines overhung the flagstone path to the veranda. Dressed in a kimono printed with red poppies, Midori was like a flower in a dead wilderness. She giggled in excitement. \"What brings you here? How did you know where to find me?\"\n\nHer enthusiastic welcome flattered Hirata, easing his nervousness. At once he felt more like the competent professional he really was." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Wishing to prolong the sensation, and reluctant to hurt Midori by correcting her assumption that she was the object of his visit, he said, \"Oh, we detectives have ways of finding out things.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Really?\" Midori's eyes widened in awe." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Sure,\" Hirata said. \"Just try me. Come on. Give me a mystery to solve.\"\n\nWith her head tilted in thought, a finger to her cheek, Midori made a charming picture. Then she grinned mischievously. \"I've lost my favorite comb. Where is it?\"\n\nShe laughed at Hirata's disconcerted expression, and after a moment, he joined her. \"I confess; I don't know,\" he said. \"But I'll come over and help look for it if you want.\"\n\n\"Oh, would you?\" Dimples sparkled in Midori's face.\n\nCheered by her frank admiration, Hirata chatted about inconsequential things with Midori. They didn't hear the door open, or notice Lady Ichiteru until she spoke.\n\n\"I am honored by your acceptance of my invitation, Hirata-san.\" Down the length of the arbored passage, her low voice issued like a warm draft from a furnace." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"A thousand thanks for being so... prompt.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Cut off in midsentence, Hirata turned and saw Ichiteru standing on the shadowy veranda." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her pale skin, mauve silk kimono, and the ornaments in her upswept hair gleamed as if she somehow concentrated the meager light upon herself. Her enigmatic gaze transfixed Hirata. At once his dread returned.\n\n\"Midori, why do you detain my guest outside instead of bringing him to me?\" Lady Ichiteru rebuked the girl.\n\nHurt filled the eyes Midori turned on Hirata. Crestfallen, she said, \"Oh. You've come to see her. I guess I should have known. I'm sorry for keeping you.\" Bowing awkwardly, she added, \"I'm sorry, my lady.\"\n\nHirata pitied her embarrassment. Vaguely he remembered that his plan called for questioning Midori.\n\n\"Detective Hirata-Mw, there's something I should probably tell you,\" Midori whispered, averting her face so Ichiteru wouldn't notice.\n\n\"Yes, sure,\" Hirata said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Ichiteru's seductive beauty lured him like a physical force. \"Later.\" Leaving Midori, he moved through the dark tunnel of vines. The crumpled list of questions fell from his hand. He climbed the steps of the veranda and accompanied Lady Ichiteru into the house.\n\nThe corridor was dim, and smelled of mildew and the dank canal. Drifting a few steps ahead, Lady Ichiteru shimmered like a ghostly vision. Panic and anticipation weakened Hirata's legs. Every sane, prudent instinct told him to conduct their conversation outside, in the safety of the public thoroughfare. But the powerful, bittersweet scent of her perfume tantalized him. He would have followed Ichiteru anywhere.\n\nShe ushered Hirata into a room at the end of the corridor, where a single lamp burned upon a low table which also held a sake decanter and two cups. Age and dampness had discolored the painted landscape murals on the walls, so that they looked like cliffs and clouds under water." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Carved sea demons snarled upon ancient cabinets. Through the shuttered windows Hirata could hear the waters of the canal lapping at the stone embankment. A futon lay upon the tatami. At the sight of it, Hirata felt heat gather in his loins. Tearing his thoughts away from the bed's implicit invitation, he blurted the first thing that came into his mind: \"Whose house is this?\"\n\nA fleeting smile crossed Ichiteru's face. \"Does it matter?\" Kneeling beside the table, she motioned for him to join her. She murmured, \"The important thing is that you are here... and so am I.\"\n\n\"Uh, yes,\" Hirata said. Clumsily he trod on the hem of his trousers and almost fell as he knelt opposite Ichiteru. Shame flushed him. The room seemed too warm and too cold at the same time; his hands felt like ice, while sweat saturated his clothes. \"So, uh, what did you want to tell me?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Come now, Hirata-san.\" Ichiteru shot him a coquettish glance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There's no need to be... in such a hurry. Are you that eager to get away?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "DIRECTIVE: Incorporate \"Oh, no. That is, I like you just fine.\" in response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her full lips pouted. \"Do you dislike me so much?\"\n\n\"Oh, no. That is, I like you just fine.\" A hot blush crept over Hirata's neck and ears.\n\n\"Then let us first... enjoy this time we have together.\" Ichiteru's kimono, worn fashionably off the shoulders, slipped lower, revealing the top of the aréole around one nipple. \"May I offer you refreshment?\" She lifted the sake decanter, arching her painted brows in suggestive invitation.\n\nHirata usually preferred not to drink while on duty, but now he needed to calm his nerves and still his trembling hands. \"Yes, please;\" he said.\n\nLady Ichiteru poured a cup of sake. When she passed it to Hirata, her smooth, warm fingers caressed his." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her eyes drew him into their fathomless depths. With difficulty, Hirata looked away and drained the cup in one swallow. The liquor had an odd, musty taste, but he was too grateful for its immediate calming effect to care. Ichiteru watched him, her hands clasped in her lap, a smile playing around her mouth.\n\n\"Now I believe we're ready,\" she said.\n\nLeaning forward, she drew her fingertips down Hirata's cheek. Her touch left a trail of heat. Aroused but aghast, he shrank away.\n\n\"What—what are you doing?\" he demanded. The rational part of his mind guessed that she was trying to distract him through seduction. For the sake of the investigation, he must not let it happen, no matter how much he wanted her. \"Your letter said that you had important information about Lady Harume's murder. And I need answers to the questions you avoided at the puppet theater.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Wishing he hadn't lost his plan, he tried to recall its instructions." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Where were you when Harume was almost killed by a flying dagger? How did you really feel about her?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Shhhh...\" Tenderly Ichiteru's finger traced his lips." }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'every' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Stop that,\" Hirata said. He tried to stand, but a peculiar sensation came over him. His limbs were as heavy as bags of sand; his head felt disconnected from the rest of his body. His senses grew extraordinarily acute. Every pore seemed to open, every nerve to vibrate. The murky colors of the room glowed; the lapping of the canal sounded as loud as ocean waves; Lady Ichiteru's perfume filled his lungs like the fragrance from a million flowers. Hirata heard the rapid drumming of his heart, the rush of his blood. His manhood swelled into an erection bigger than any he'd ever known.\n\nIchiteru was helping him to his feet, half carrying him to the futon. \"No,\" Hirata protested weakly. Through a dreamy haze that filmed his mind, he recalled the police clerk mentioning a drug that induced trances and heightened sexual pleasure. Hirata also recalled that Ichiteru hadn't imbibed any of the sake." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She must have put the drug there." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Had she bought it from Choyei, along with the poison that had killed Lady Harume?\n\n\"Let me go. Please!\" Hirata feared for his own life, but Lady Ichiteru's nearness sent shivers of delight through him; her touch burned all vestiges of reason from his mind. Surrendering, he collapsed on the futon. The coffered ceiling was decorated with painted waves that undulated before Hirata's dazed vision. Ichiteru hovered over him as if airborne, the folds of her mauve kimono swirling. Then she raised her arms and the garment fell away, leaving her naked. Hirata gasped. Ichiteru's breasts were full and lush, the nipples large as coins. Her hips curved voluptuously from a tiny waist; a tuft of silky black pubic hair nestled in her crotch. Sleek, creamy skin enhanced the elegant bone structure of her neck, shoulders, and long, graceful limbs. Beneath her perfume, Hirata smelled her natural odor: pungent and salty as the sea. A tide of desire rose in him, but mortal fear rode its crest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No. Please. We can't do this. If the shogun finds out, he'll have us both killed!\"\n\nLady Ichiteru only smiled, untied his sash, and removed his garments. She unwound the bands of his loincloth, and his erection sprang free. As he exclaimed in horrified excitement, she said, \"It is for the sake of His Excellency that I summoned you here. He is in great danger.\" Ichiteru's voice surrounded Hirata like a cloud of disembodied sound; her scent engulfed him. \"The murder of Lady Harume was part of a plot against our lord.\"\n\n\"What plot? I—I don't understand.\" The drug was rapidly diminishing Hirata's mental capacity; his brain floated in a sea of intoxication. Lady Ichiteru leaned close. Gently her breasts brushed his chest. The exquisite sensation drew a moan from Hirata. He heard the waters of the canal crashing against its banks." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He must escape. He must have Ichiteru. But he could manage neither; the drug immobilized his limbs.\n\nThen Ichiteru cupped her breasts in both hands and pressed his manhood into the warm, smooth cleft between them. Up and down she moved, smiling. The friction was unbearably arousing. Hirata cried out as his pleasure mounted too fast, too high.\n\n\"Stop. Don't!\" Enough of his self-consciousness remained that he didn't want to spurt all over Lady Ichiteru, but his protest went unheeded. She continued her movements. Hirata felt the rapid approach of inevitable release. Deftly Ichiteru applied pressure to several points at the base of his erection. Hirata's climax erupted in spasms of ecstasy. Even as he moaned and gasped, he made a feeble attempt to shield Ichiteru, but his hand refused to move." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ichiteru and the place where their bodies touched seemed impossibly far away, and he strained to focus his vision there." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then surprise silenced him." }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'don't' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No seed had spilled from his manhood, which was still rock hard. And the climax hadn't diminished his arousal in the least.\n\n\"What did you do to me? What kind of magic is this?\" he demanded.\n\nLooming over him, Ichiteru put a finger to his lips. \"Shhh...\" Her musical laughter mocked his panic. As the drug's effects intensified, Hirata grew dizzier. The bed beneath him rocked, and the water sounds grew louder. Waves of heat licked him. He and Ichiteru were spinning, the patterns of the ceiling a blur of color above them. Only her beautiful face remained in clear focus. \"Don't be afraid... it won't hurt you. Just enjoy yourself...\" Each word resonated through Hirata's head. \"And don't you want to know who killed Lady Harume?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No. I mean, yes!\" Hirata fought the resurgence of desire rising in him.\n\n\"It was someone who was jealous of Harume... A man who feared that the birth of the shogun's heir would thwart his ambitions...\" Lady Ichiteru held a red lacquer cylinder as thick as her arm. \"He seeks to rule Japan, and cannot afford to lose his one avenue to power.\"\n\nThe spinning accelerated; Hirata's mind reeled. Frantically he tried to remember the facts of the case, and the male suspects. \"Who are you talking about? Lieutenant Kushida? Lord Miyagi? Lady Harume's secret lover?\"\n\n\"None of them... of them... of them...\" Lady Ichiteru's soft voice echoed over the sounds of water, the pulse of Hirata's own blood. She slipped the hollow cylinder over his organ. The oiled silk lining sheathed him in pure pleasure. As Ichiteru moved the cylinder, ridges under the lining alternately gripped and released him. Panting, Hirata began the ascent toward another orgasm." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Priest Ryuko has spies everywhere... knew about Lord Miyagi's letter... He comes and goes freely within the Large Interior... One day I heard him tell Lady Keisho-in that Harume was with child and must die... Together they decided that Ryuko would buy poison and put it in the ink.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even while the new evidence against Keisho-in filled Hirata with horror, the spasms of climax convulsed him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Again Ichiteru prevented the full release he craved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She removed the cylinder and tossed it away.\n\n\"Please. Please!\" Sobbing with need, Hirata strained to reach her, but he couldn't move a muscle. Now Lady Ichiteru knelt above him, thighs straddling his torso. The magnificence of her body, the serene loveliness of her face, and her feral, bittersweet smell maddened him.\n\n\"I beg you to warn His Excellency that the Tokugawa succession is in grave danger,\" Ichiteru said. \"There will never be a direct heir as long as Ryuko and Keisho-in remain at Edo Castle. They will murder any other woman who conceives the shogun's child... They fancy themselves emperor and empress of Japan... They will manipulate the shogun... and squander his money on their own whims... The bakufu will weaken and insurrection arise... You must expose these murderers and save the Tokugawa clan and the entire country from ruin.\"\n\nDespite his agitation, Hirata could see the danger of doing so. \"I can't. At least not without corroboration. If my master and I should falsely accuse the shogun's mother, that would be treason!\"\n\n\"You must promise to take the chance.\" Ichiteru's hand, coated with gardenia-scented oil, caressed his organ until his moans turned to hoarse cries and he felt ready to burst—then she stopped. \"Otherwise... I will leave now... and you shall never see me again.\"\n\nHorror flooded Hirata at the thought of losing Lady Ichiteru, of never satisfying the urgent need that consumed him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From passion grew love, like a malignant flower blooming in his spirit. Ichiteru was wonderful; she would never speak anything but the truth. \"All right,\" Hirata cried. \"I'll do it. Just please, please—\"\n\nLady Ichiteru's approving smile filled him with guilty delight. \"You have made the right decision. Now you shall have your reward.\"\n\nShe lowered herself onto his erection. Hirata almost swooned as he slid into her moist, hot womanhood. Faster and faster the room spun; sound, sight, and smell merged into a single, overpowering sensation. Up and down moved Ichiteru, with accelerating speed. Her inner muscles held him in a fierce suction. Hirata's excitement climbed toward a peak higher than ever before." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His heart thundered; his straining lungs couldn't get enough air; sweat bathed him." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 10 sentences." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'would' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He would die of pleasure. Panic seized Hirata.\n\n\"No. Stop. I can't take any more!\"\n\nThen he exploded in a cataclysm of rapture. He felt the seed pumping from his body, heard his own shouts. Above him Ichiteru reigned in triumph. As he succumbed to her power, Hirata knew that the path he'd chosen was fraught with peril. Yet both duty and desire compelled him to travel it. He couldn't ignore a possible threat against the shogun, and he must have Lady Ichiteru. Hirata had no choice but to report her statement to Sano, who would proceed with the investigation from there.\n\nEven at the risk of their own lives." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "hey can u write 4 sentences more sentences? keep same character vibes in Sano Ichiro 4 style" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Morning brought milder weather, with a south wind blowing in from the sea." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Puffy white clouds, like the stylized designs painted on Chinese porcelain, floated in the cerulean blue sky as Sano and Hirata rode along the Great North-South Road, Edo's main thoroughfare." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Merchants slid open the wooden shutters of their shops, revealing fine furniture, paintings, lacquerware, and fabrics; servants mopped doorsteps. The street began to fill with peddlers and tea vendors, peasants calling cheerful greetings to one another, orange-robed priests with begging bowls, ladies riding in palanquins, mounted samurai.\n\nSano said, \"We need to talk, Hirata-san.\"\n\nHirata felt a constriction of his veins, heart, and windpipe." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, Sōsakan-sama,\" he said heavily.\n\n\"The false case against Lady Keisho-in and Priest Ryuko was primarily Chamberlain Yanagisawa's doing,\" Sano said, \"with coincidental supporting evidence from the diary, Harume's father, and Choyei's murder. But another person contributed to the fiasco that could have cost us our lives, if not for my wife's independent investigation: Lady Ichiteru.\"\n\nHis expression grave, Sano spoke with reluctance, obviously no more eager for this conversation than Hirata. \"You were responsible for questioning Ichiteru, but somehow you managed to learn nothing at all during your first interview with her. When I asked you what the problem was, you avoided answering. It isn't like you to be evasive—or incompetent—but I let the matter go because I trusted you to work things out yourself. I trusted your detective instincts and accepted Ichiteru's statement without corroborating testimony, as you did. Now I see that I made a mistake.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shame assailed Hirata. He'd betrayed his master's trust, an unforgivable sin. A long night spent in self-recrimination had increased his guilt. Now Sano's words tore his spirit. The beauty of the day, the sunlight that sparkled on the canals, seemed to mock his woe." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He longed to die on the spot.\n\n\"Something's wrong,\" Sano said, \"and I can't ignore it any longer. When Ichiteru told you about overhearing Keisho-in and Ryuko plotting to kill Harume, what made you so ready to believe her? You know that criminals often lie to incriminate other people and divert suspicion from themselves. What happened between you and Ichiteru?\"\n\nHirata saw that Sano was less angry than concerned, more intent on understanding than chastising. Sano's sympathy made him feel even worse, because it required an explanation when he would have preferred a sound beating." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reluctantly he poured out the whole miserable tale of Ichiteru's seduction, his own gullibility. He forced himself to watch the dismay on Sano's face. When he finished, he said, \"There's no excuse for what happened. I should have known better. Now I've disgraced myself and let you down.\"\n\nBlinking away tears, Hirata drew a deep, tremulous breath." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'leave' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll leave today.\" He would find a private place to commit seppuku, thereby redeeming his honor.\n\n\"Don't be ridiculous!\" Alarm blared in Sano's voice and eyes: He knew what Hirata was thinking. \"You've made a bad mistake, but it's the first since you entered my service. I'm not going to dismiss you, and I forbid you to leave!\"\n\nThen he said more calmly, \"You're punishing yourself harder than I ever could. I forgive you; now, you do the same. We've no time to waste dwelling on what's past. I need you to go to Daikon Quay and see if you can pick up any leads on Choyei's murder. Then visit the scene of the dagger attack on Lady Harume—maybe something there will point us to her killer.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, Sōsakan-sama.\" Relief eased the constriction inside Hirata; he could breathe again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano was giving him another chance! \"Thank you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yet his guilt remained. Opposing purposes warred in him. He must make up for the trouble he'd caused. Lady Ichiteru had nearly ruined the most important thing in his life—his relationship with his master." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was furious at her for manipulating him, and craved revenge, but he still wanted her. And though her lies made her a stronger suspect than ever, he wanted to believe in her innocence, because if she turned out to be the killer he would doubt his own judgment forever. He would never again trust himself to decide whether someone was guilty; he would dread missing clues. He would anticipate failure, making it inevitable." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Forcing a semblance of rationality, Hirata said, \"We know that it was a man who stabbed Choyei, so Lady Ichiteru is innocent of that crime.\" Hirata suppressed the thought that she could have hired someone to buy the poison, then assassinate the drug peddler. \"Still, she probably knows something about Harume's murder. I request permission to confront Lady Ichiteru and get the truth out of her.\"\n\nInstead of answering at once, Sano gazed into the distance, watching an oxcart toil up the road." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he said, \"I'm ordering you to stay away from Lady Ichiteru. You've already lost your objectivity toward her, and the penalty for consorting with the shogun's concubine is death; you can't let it happen again. Reiko will question Ichiteru. While you're investigating Choyei's murder and the attack on Harume, you can look for connections to Ichiteru, but leave her alone.\" He added, \"I'm sorry.\"\n\nA fresh wave of misery and shame overwhelmed Hirata. Sano didn't trust him anymore." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Would that he'd never met Ichiteru!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The need for revenge consumed him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They'd reached the junction with the highway leading north out of Edo, and Sano said, \"I'm off to Asakusa. I'll see you back at the house later.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He peered at Hirata with concern. \"Are you all right?\"\n\n\"Yes, Sōsakan-sama,\" Hirata said, then watched Sano ride away. But he wasn't all right, and he wouldn't be until he regained Sano's trust." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As he headed toward Daikon Quay, he decided that the only way to do that was to uncover the evidence that would ultimately identify Lady Harume's killer.\n\nSeveral hours of canvassing the area around the scene of Choyei's murder eroded Hirata's hopes for salvation. The rooms in the adjacent lodging houses belonged to single males—dockworkers and laborers—who were away at their jobs when Hirata called, and had probably been absent during the murder, too. Thus Choyei's killer had slipped through the alleys unobserved." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the nearby commercial district, Hirata had no better luck." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He questioned people who recalled seeing many men dressed in cloaks and hoods for yesterday's cold weather. The killer had easily blended with the crowd. By noon, Hirata was tired, discouraged, and hungry. Above a row of storefronts off the quay, he noticed a sign advertising fresh eel." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He went inside to fortify body and spirit.\n\nThe small dining room at the front was jammed with customers who sat on the floor, scooping food into their mouths with chopsticks. In the rear kitchen, huge rice pots simmered. Cooks flung wriggling eels on chopping blocks, split them from gill to tail, cut off the heads, and extracted the bones." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The long strips of meat, skewered on bamboo sticks and basted with soy sauce and sweet sake, roasted over an open fire. Clouds of pungent smoke whetted Hirata's appetite and evoked a sharp pang of nostalgia. The restaurant reminded him of establishments he'd frequented during happier days as a doshin. He'd been so confident then; how could he have known his career would founder upon a woman's treachery?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata sat, then ordered a meal from the proprietor, a stout man with missing finger joints on both hands. Customers and staff exchanged gossip. The place was clearly a popular local meeting place. Maybe this trip didn't have to be a waste of time after all." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The proprietor brought Hirata's food: chunks of grilled eel and pickled eggplant on rice, with a pot of tea." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata introduced himself, then said, \"I'm investigating the murder of a peddler not far from here. Have you heard about it?\"\n\nWiping his sweaty brow with a rag, the man nodded. \"Lots of bad things happen nowadays, but it's still a shock when it's someone you know.\"\n\nHirata's interest stirred. \"You knew him?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "This was the first person to admit an acquaintance with Choyei, who seemed a recluse without friends or family." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Not very well,\" the proprietor confessed. \"He never talked much; kept to himself. But he ate here often. We had a deal: he let me buy things cheap, and I took messages from his customers. He roamed all over town, but word got around that he could be reached here.\" The proprietor glanced at the Tokugawa crests on Hirata's garments, then said, \"Mind if I ask why a high-ranking official like you is interested in an old peddler?\"\n\n\"He supplied the poison that killed the shogun's concubine,\" Hirata said." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'don't' (3x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hey. Wait. I don't know anything about poison.\" The proprietor raised his hands defensively. \"As far as I knew, the old man sold only healing potions. Please, I don't want any trouble!\"\n\n\"Don't worry,\" Hirata said, \"I'm not after you. I just need your help. Did a man wearing a dark cloak and hood come looking for the peddler yesterday?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No. I can't recall that anyone asked for him then.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Disappointment descended upon Hirata: Perhaps this lead was a dead end after all." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reluctantly he said, \"Were any of his customers women?\"\n\n\"Oh, yes. Many, including fine, rich ladies. They bought medicine for female troubles.\"\n\nThe proprietor relaxed, glad to turn the conversation away from murder, but Hirata's heart sank. \"Was one of the ladies tall, very beautiful and elegant, about twenty-nine, with a large bosom and lots of hair ornaments?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Could be, but not recently.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Eager to dissociate himself from the crime, the proprietor added, \"Come to think of it, there haven't been any messages or visitors for the old man in ages.\"\n\nA young, pimple-faced waiter, passing by with a tray of food, interjected, \"Except for that samurai who came here just after we finished serving the morning meal yesterday.\"\n\n\"What samurai?\" Hirata and the proprietor said in unison.\n\nThe waiter distributed bowls of rice and eel." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The one I saw in the alley when I took out the garbage. He threatened to spear me if I didn't help him find the peddler. So I told him where the old man lived. He left in a hurry.\" The waiter looked stricken. \"Was that who killed him? I guess I did the wrong thing.\"\n\n\"What did he look like?\" Hirata asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Older than you. An ugly fellow.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The waiter thrust out his jaw, scowling in imitation. \"He hadn't shaved, and even though his clothes were the kind gentlemen wear, they were dirty, like he'd been sleeping outside.\"\n\nElation buoyed Hirata. The description of the man and his weapon matched Lieutenant Kushida, placing him in the area at the time of Choyei's death; he could have donned the hood and cloak later, as a disguise. His potential as a suspect outweighed that of Lady Ichiteru." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hirata ate his food and thanked the proprietor and waiter with large tips." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Leaving the restaurant, he sent a messenger to Edo Castle with orders to search for Kushida around Daikon Quay. Then he rode toward the marketplace where an assassin had almost felled Lady Harume with a dagger.\n\n\"I'll show you where it happened,\" said the priest in charge of security at Asakusa Kannon Temple. A former Edo Castle guard, he had the powerful features of an iron war mask and a vigor undiminished by the amputation of an injured left arm, which had ended his past career." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata had called on him to review the official account of the attack on Lady Harume. Now he and the priest left the temple and walked along Naka-mise-dori, the broad avenue that led from the main worship hall to the great vermilion Thunder Gate.\n\nAsakusa, a suburb on the bank of the Sumida River, straddled the highway that led to all points north. Travelers often stopped to have refreshments and make offerings at the temple." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This convenient location made Asakusa one of Edo's most popular entertainment districts. Noisy crowds thronged the precinct, gathering around stalls that sold plants, medicines, umbrellas, sweets, dolls, and ivory figurines. The scent of incense mingled with the toasty smell of Asakusa's famous \"thunder crackers,\" made of millet, rice, and beans. Consulting a clothbound ledger, the priest halted outside a teahouse." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nearby, audiences cheered three acrobats who spun iron tops on the rims of their fans while balanced on a plank perched atop tall bamboo poles supported by a fourth man.\n\n\"According to Lady Harume's statement, she was standing here, like this.\" The priest positioned himself at the corner of the teahouse, just inside the adjacent alley and half-turned away from the street. \"The dagger came from that direction\"—he pointed diagonally across Naka-mise-dori—\"and struck here.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He touched a narrow slit in the plank wall of the teahouse. \"The blade pierced Lady Harume's sleeve. Any closer, and she would have been seriously injured—or killed.\"\n\n\"What happened to the weapon?\" Hirata asked.\n\n\"I have it here.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "From the ledger, the priest took a paper-wrapped package." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hirata opened this and found a short dagger with a tapering, sharply pointed steel blade, the haft wrapped in black cotton cord. It was the sort of cheap weapon used by commoners, easily hidden beneath clothing or under the bed... and sold everywhere.\n\n\"I'll keep this,\" Hirata said, rewrapping the dagger and tucking it under his sash, though he had minimal hope of tracing the owner. \"Were there any witnesses?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The people nearby were all looking in the other direction, at the acrobats. Lady Harume had become separated from her companions and was very upset. Either she saw nothing, or fright made her forget. Vendors down the street noticed a man in a dark cloak and hood running away.\"\n\nHirata's heart gave a thump of excitement. The attacker had worn the same disguise as Choyei's killer!\n\n\"Unfortunately, no one got a good look at the culprit, and he escaped,\" the priest said." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'hirata' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How?\" This surprised Hirata. The Asakusa security force usually maintained order and subdued troublemakers with admirable efficiency. \"Didn't anyone chase after him?\"\n\n\"Yes, but the incident occurred on Forty-six Thousand Day,\" the priest reminded Hirata." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hirata nodded in glum comprehension." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A visit to the temple on this summer holiday equalled forty-six thousand visits on ordinary days, incurring the equivalent in blessings." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The precinct would have been jammed with pilgrims." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Additional stalls selling Chinese lantern plants, whose fruit warded off the plague, would have hindered the pursuit, while the confusion allowed the would-be assassin to flee." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sighing, Hirata gazed up at the overshadowing bulk of the temple's main hall, the tiered roofs of the two pagodas." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He envisioned the shrines, gardens, cemeteries, other temples, and secondary marketplace within Asakusa Kannon's precinct; the roads leading through the surrounding rice fields; the ferry landing and the river." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There were countless places for a criminal to hide, and just as many avenues for escape. Lady Harume's attacker had chosen both time and place well.\n\n\"Do you have any other information?\" Hirata asked without much hope." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Just the names of everyone in the Edo Castle party. I gathered the women and their escorts at the temple and took statements from them, according to routine procedure.\"\n\nHe held out the ledger, and from the list of Harume's fifty-three companions, one entry leapt out at Hirata: Lady Ichiteru. A sick feeling engulfed his stomach. Pointing to his erstwhile lover's name, he said, \"What did she tell you?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'harume' (2x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The priest turned pages and found the statement. \"Ichiteru said she was having tea alone down the street when she heard Lady Harume scream. She claimed not to know anything about the attack, or who might have been responsible.\"\n\nBut Ichiteru was a liar with no alibi. When Harume survived, had Ichiteru resorted to poison?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "However, Hirata didn't want to prove her guilt, not even for the sake of closing the case, or the satisfaction of seeing Ichiteru punished. The prospect of success and revenge lost appeal when he imagined living the rest of his life knowing he'd been tricked by a murderer.\n\n\"Let me see that list again.\" Finding Lieutenant Kushida noted there, Hirata experienced great relief." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kushida fit the assassin's general description." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The dagger wasn't his preferred weapon, but he might have chosen it because it was more easily concealed than a spear." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What was Kushida's story?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He was so distraught over his failure to protect Lady Harume that I couldn't determine his whereabouts during the attack,\" said the priest.\n\n\"Had anyone else seen him?\"\n\n\"No. They'd split up to escort various ladies around the precinct. Everyone assumed Kushida was with a different group.\" The priest frowned. \"I know the lieutenant from my days at Edo Castle. I had no reason to believe he was a suspect in the attack, or that he would become a fugitive from the law. Otherwise I would have tried to trace his movements. I'm sorry to be of so little help.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Not at all,\" Hirata said." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You've told me what I wanted to know.\"\n\nHe was convinced that the same man had flung the dagger at Lady Harume, poisoned her, and silenced Choyei. Lieutenant Kushida had had plenty of opportunity to commit the crimes, and no alibis. Hirata foresaw his triumphant return into Sano's good graces and his own self-respect.\n\nAll he had to do was find Lieutenant Kushida." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Job: User writes start, you add ~2 sentences sentences. Style: Laura Joh Rowland. Note: May include established characters" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I should never have let Reiko go anywhere near the Miyagi!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano shouted over the pounding of his horse's hooves.\n\n\"But there was no way you could have foreseen this happening,\" Hirata shouted back." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were galloping up a winding road into the hills." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Burning lanterns swayed on poles attached to their horses' saddles." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Their shadows flew over the packed earth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Stone embankments and dark forest blurred past on their left; to the right, lower hills cascaded down to the city, now invisible except for specks of brightness at Edo Castle, neighborhood gates, and along the river." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His voice jarred by the gait of his horse, Sano called to Hirata, \"I should have gone home to see Reiko after leaving Asakusa, instead of heading straight for the eta settlement. Then I could have prevented her from going on the moon-viewing trip.\"\n\n\"But if you hadn't seen Danzaemon, you wouldn't have known that it was a woman who threw the dagger at Harume.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hirata's words echoed across the night." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And I wouldn't have made the connection between the Rat and Lady Miyagi. We wouldn't have found the dead concubines. We would have thought it was safe for Reiko to go to the villa.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Cold wind tore at Sano's cloak; oily smoke from the lanterns filled his lungs. The full moon followed them like a malevolent, gloating eye." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I wouldn't have let her go alone,\" said Sano, refusing comfort as if it would only make him feel better at Reiko's expense. \"I'd be with her now.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They don't know she's working for you,\" Hirata said. \"She'll be all right.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If we don't get there in time, I'll kill myself.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano couldn't bear the thought of life without Reiko." }, { "from": "human", "value": "How he wished he'd stuck to his original position, even if it meant imprisoning her at home and alienating her forever." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At least she would have been safe." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I never should have agreed to let her help with the investigation!\"\n\nHis rash decision, made at a moment when love had impaired his judgment, could destroy Reiko." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She was brave and smart, but also inexperienced and impulsive; it was his responsibility to protect her, and he'd failed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Forging ahead, Sano steered his horse into a narrow cut that angled off the main road. Before leaving town, he'd forced the Miyagi guards to give him directions to the summer villa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hirata had sent a message summoning detectives to help, but they couldn't afford to wait for reinforcements." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The trail grew steeper and narrower until they had to dismount, leading their horses between endless borders of tall trees." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The scent of pine and dead leaves saturated the air. Traveling within the pool of light from the lanterns, Sano had a nightmarish sense of climbing and climbing just to remain in the same place." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His muscles strained; his chest tightened with his labored breathing. Was Reiko all right?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How much farther to the villa?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "A crunching noise moved through the forest nearby." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From behind Sano, Hirata called, \"What was that?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We must have frightened some animal,\" Sano said, intent on reaching his destination. \"Never mind. Hurry.\"\n\nFinally they reached a level clearing, where the villa loomed dark and silent." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In front of the stable stood two empty palanquins, one of which Sano identified as his own. \"Hello!\" he called. \"Anyone here?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Taking the lanterns and leaving their horses, Sano and Hirata entered the villa through the unlocked door." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Weapons hung in racks on the wall of the entry way. Recognizing two sets of swords, Sano rushed into the drafty corridor, shouting, \"Ota! Fujisawa! Where are you? Reiko!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "No answer came, though Sano felt her presence, not far away." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the right yawned a cavernous kitchen. \"There's smoke coming from the stove,\" Hirata said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They must be around somewhere.\"\n\nThen Sano heard a low, raspy hum that rose in pitch and ended in a sigh." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The sound repeated, emanating from a room beyond the kitchen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano burst through the door.\n\nTwelve men lay sprawled on the floor amid trays of half-eaten food." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano recognized Reiko's escorts, and his two detectives. Ota snored—the noise Sano had heard." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"They're asleep,\" Hirata said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano shook Detective Ota. \"Wake up! Where's Reiko?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ota groaned and slept on." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"They're all drunk,\" Hirata said in disgust." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then Sano caught a whiff of Detective Ota's breath. Instead of liquor he smelled a peculiar sweetness, like spoiled apricots." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He grabbed Ota's cup and sniffed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A trace of the odor lingered there. \"It must be sleeping potion.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His fears for Reiko coalesced into the awful certainty that Lady Miyagi planned to kill her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Why else disable the men? \"Come on, we'll search the house.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "They did, and found no one." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lord and Lady Miyagi must have taken Reiko outside to view the moon,\" Sano said, running out the back door." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The garden was deserted, but on top of the forested slope, the moonlight silhouetted a small building against the night sky. A light glowed within this." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They're up there,\" Sano said.\n\nCarrying the lanterns, he and Hirata plunged into the woods, toiling up an elusive, overgrown path." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They thrashed through low boughs, slid on pine needles and fallen leaves, clambered over rocks and fallen branches." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I think someone's following us,\" Hirata said.\n\nSano ignored the warning." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Breathless, he emerged from the forest and saw, above him on the grassy hilltop, a pavilion with a thatched roof." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A lantern glowed behind lattice walls." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Voices came from beyond the pavilion, where land met a great expanse of star-studded sky." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Please, Cousin. Killing her will only make things worse.\" It was Lord Miyagi, his voice ragged with despair." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We have no choice,\" Lady Miyagi said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Sano and Hirata staggered the remaining short distance up the incline, Lord Miyagi began to sob. \"You can't get away with this. And it won't do for you to be executed for murder. How would I get along without you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You couldn't.\" Bitter triumph rang in Lady Miyagi's voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"For thirty-three years I've served you, always fulfilling your wishes, protecting you from the consequences. I killed that girl from next door because she caught you spying on her in the privy when we invited her over. I was afraid she would make trouble, so I poisoned her tea. This is just one more thing I must do, so that no one ever separates us.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then Lady Miyagi had committed the unsolved murder that Magistrate Ueda had mentioned. Even as fear licked at Sano's heart, wild hope surged within him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It sounded as if Reiko was still alive. Panting, he rounded the pavilion and skidded to a stop." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His lantern shone upon three figures, defining them in flickering highlights and deep shadow." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lord Miyagi knelt on the path, which bordered a precipice and ended at a sheer drop into a dark abyss. From far below this came the rush of water." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Some ten paces away, Lady Miyagi stood near the edge, holding Reiko by the hair." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Wind swirled their brilliant robes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Reiko!\" cried Sano." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The daimyo turned a tear-stained face to Sano. Lady Miyagi spun around." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She held a dagger to Reiko's throat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reiko's face was a mask of terror. When she saw Sano, gladness filled her eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She started to speak, but Lady Miyagi jabbed her with the tip of the blade, rasping, \"Quiet!\"\n\n\"Drop the dagger,\" Sano ordered Lady Miyagi, trying to keep the panic out of his voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dread assailed him. \"You're under arrest for the murders of Lady Harume and Choyei.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He guessed that Reiko must have somehow discovered the truth, provoking Lady Miyagi's attack. \"Killing my wife won't help you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Setting down his lantern, Sano beckoned." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let her come to me.\"\n\n\"Do as he says, Cousin,\" begged Lord Miyagi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The weapon wavered in Lady Miyagi's unsteady hand, but she still gripped Reiko tightly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Desperation glazed her eyes. Her long hair whipped in the wind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano barely recognized the prim matron he'd met two days ago. Cheeks flushed, chin bloodstained, and teeth bared in a grotesque rictus, she looked like a madwoman." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And Reiko's life depended on his ability to reason with her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Sōsakan-sama, my wife is not really a bad person,\" said Lord Miyagi. \"It's Lady Harume who was evil. She was blackmailing me. My wife only wants to protect me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano said to Lady Miyagi, \"If you let Reiko go, I'll advise the shogun to take the special circumstances into account. I'll recommend a lighter sentence.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His spirit recoiled from the thought of letting a murderer escape justice, but he would say anything, do anything, to save Reiko. \"Just come away from the precipice, and let's talk.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lady Miyagi didn't move. Sano saw Reiko's throat contract, heard her breathing accelerate, and saw the glassiness of her eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Relax, Reiko,\" he called, fearing she would die of terror. \"You're going to be fine.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Listen to the Sōsakan-sama,\" Lord Miyagi beseeched his wife. \"He can help us.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Lady Miyagi's red-eyed gaze bypassed Sano as if he didn't exist, fixing on her husband. \"Yes, Harume was evil.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Replete with sincerity, the words issued from some dark, secret place inside her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She had the audacity to conceive your child.\"\n\n\"My child?\" Confusion lifted Lord Miyagi's voice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Whatever are you talking about?\"\n\n\"The child Harume was carrying when she died,\" Lady Miyagi said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I saw her at the shrine of Awashima Myojin.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This Shinto goddess was the patron deity of women. \"She hung a prayer tablet beside the altar, asking for a safe delivery of the child. I poisoned the ink—to kill them both.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But I never even touched Harume!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The daimyo crawled past Sano to kneel near his wife. \"Cousin, you know what I am. How can you think I fathered a child on her?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If it wasn't you, then who else?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lady Miyagi demanded. \"Not the shogun, that impotent weakling.\" Glaring down at her husband, she lowered the dagger." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"All these years, I've tolerated your affairs with other women and never complained, because I didn't think you would touch them; didn't think you could. I believed that in your heart you were true to me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dividing his attention among Lady Miyagi, the dagger, and Reiko, Sano eased closer, sending his wife a silent message: Just a moment more, and I'll save you!\n\n\"I thought we were spiritual lovers. Mated forever, like the swans on our family crest. Sharing everything.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lady Miyagi's mouth turned down; tears spilled over her face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But now I know better. You sneaked away and bedded Lady Harume without telling me. You betrayed me!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Cousin, I never—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I know how much you want a son. I couldn't let Harume's child be born. That would have encouraged you to beget another, from one of your ladies. She would become your new wife, and the child your heir. You would have cast me aside. How could I survive without your protection?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "At last Sano understood the true reason for Lady Harume's murder." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A misunderstanding had fostered jealousy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The unborn child, not the mother, had been the intended victim of the poison. Quietly Sano crept up on Lady Miyagi and Reiko." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You killed Wren and Snowflake so they couldn't have sons by me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dumbfounded, Lord Miyagi shook his head. \"But why kill a drug peddler?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Conviction hardened Lady Miyagi's teary gaze. \"I did it so he couldn't identify me as the person who bought the poison. I was going to kill that odious freak-show proprietor who found out and tried to blackmail me, but I lost the chance. Don't you understand that I did it all so everything would stay the same between us?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Cousin, I would never cast you off,\" Lord Miyagi wailed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I need you. Maybe I've never said so before, but I love you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He extended his clasped hands." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Please, give the sōsakan-sama his wife, and come to me!\"\n\n\"I can't.\" Lady Miyagi took a step closer to the edge of the precipice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano's heart banged against his rib cage; he halted in his tracks, throwing out an arm to keep Hirata back." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Any movement might goad Lady Miyagi into hurting Reiko." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I've watched you look at her. I know you want her. The only way I can make sure she never bears you a son is by killing her.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She yanked the dagger up, poking the tip into the soft flesh under Reiko's jaw." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Terror shot through Sano." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Listen. Your husband wasn't the father of Harume's child,\" he said, fighting to keep calm. \"He didn't betray you. Harume had another lover. And Reiko is mine. She's not available for Lord Miyagi's use. So give her to me, now.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lady Miyagi met his plea with a blank stare." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Deep in her own world of skewed perception, she seemed impervious to logic." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Slowly she turned away, dragging Reiko to the brink of the precipice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano rushed toward the women, but Hirata leapt in front of him. The young retainer grabbed Lord Miyagi in a double armlock." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lady Miyagi, if you hurt the Sōsakan-sama's wife, I'll throw your husband over the edge,\" Hirata yelled.\n\nIt was a strategy that hadn't occurred to Sano; his mind had been focused on Reiko." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now he held his breath as he watched Lady Miyagi's head jerk around. When she saw the daimyo, she froze, drawing a sharp hiss of breath." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Cousin, help, I don't want to die!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sobbing, Lord Miyagi kicked and struggled in Hirata's grip." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You can save him,\" Sano said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A pool of hope spread in his heart. \"Just drop the dagger. Then walk this way.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Moving down the hillside, he gestured for Lady Miyagi to follow. \"Bring Reiko to me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lady Miyagi's gaze flashed from her husband to Sano, then Reiko. An anguished moan escaped her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano felt indecision weakening her resolve, like cold water cracking hot porcelain, yet she didn't move." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hirata?\" Sano said.\n\nThe young retainer hauled Lord Miyagi to the edge." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Help, Cousin,\" the daimyo mewled.\n\nNo one else spoke." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No one moved. Only the sounds of wind and rushing water broke the silence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The great wheel of the heavens seemed to stall, halting moon and stars on their celestial paths." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Deranged by jealousy, Lady Miyagi apparently wanted to save her husband, but not without securing her position in his life." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Perhaps she also needed to punish him for his imagined betrayal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano felt the night expand, vast and dark and terrible as the impasse that the negotiations had reached. Despair overwhelmed him.\n\nThen a series of crashing noises came from the forest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Running footsteps pounded up the slope. Beyond Lady Miyagi and Reiko, a man burst into view." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He wore a soiled kimono and carried a spear." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lieutenant Kushida.\" Wonder hushed Sano's exclamation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He saw Hirata stiffen with surprise, and heard the daimyo utter a startled grunt." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lady Miyagi turned slightly, eyes darting, trying to watch everyone at once.\n\n\"It must have been him following us in the woods,\" Hirata said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What's he doing here?\"\n\nThe lieutenant ignored Sano, Hirata, Reiko, and Lord Miyagi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pointing his spear at Lady Miyagi, he shouted, \"Murderer!\" His monkey face was streaked with dirt; his matted hair hung loose around his shoulders." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Day and night I've hunted the killer of my beloved Harume. At last I've found you. Now I shall avenge her death, appease her spirit, and reclaim my honor!\"\n\nNow Sano understood why Kushida had gone to Daikon Quay." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He'd tracked down Choyei and forced the dying peddler to reveal the identity of the customer who had bought the arrow toxin. He was the man whom the landlord had heard in Choyei's room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he'd stalked Lady Miyagi. Before Sano could react, the lieutenant lunged at Lady Miyagi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She shrieked and lurched sideways across the path toward the pavilion. The spear blade ripped through the sleeve of her robe." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Cursing, Kushida attacked again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Lady Miyagi lashed out with her dagger in an attempt to defend herself, Reiko broke free. She stumbled along the path, trying to avoid Kushida's vicious thrusts." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Sano rushed to help her, the shaft of the spear banged him on the shoulder." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hirata flung Lord Miyagi aside." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Drawing his sword, he charged at Lieutenant Kushida." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll take care of him, sōsakan-sama. You save Reiko.\"\n\nThrusting and dodging, he drove Kushida down the hill." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano reached for Reiko, but Lady Miyagi slashed his arm with the dagger, shrieking, \"Get away!\"\n\nSano drew his sword and chopped at Lady Miyagi's blade." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Reiko drew a dagger from her sleeve and joined the battle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then Sano felt someone come up behind him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He whirled and saw Lord Miyagi waving a sword." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I won't let you hurt my wife.\" His droopy features tightened by fear, the daimyo took an awkward swipe at Sano." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano dodged the strike. He battered at the daimyo's sword, intending to subdue rather than kill." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You can't win, Lord Miyagi. Surrender.\"\n\nReiko slashed at Lady Miyagi, who parried." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Their slender blades clashed with a sweet, steely ring. Whirling and feinting at the edge of the drop, amid billowing robes and hair, they engaged in a dance of violent grace." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Reiko fought with practiced skill, Lady Miyagi with reckless ferocity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From down the hill, Sano heard Lieutenant Kushida shouting at Hirata, \"Leave me alone. I must avenge Lady Harume's death. It's the only way I'll ever know peace.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lord Miyagi struggled against Sano's superior skill. Sweat glistened on his woeful face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A lifetime of self-indulgence had left him ill suited for combat Quickly Sano knocked the sword out of his hand." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Helpless, he cowered on the ground." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He looked at his wife, whose robes hung in bloodstained tatters where Reiko had cut her. A groan of misery issued from him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano could see his vision of life without a devoted slave; jail, exile, or confiscation of the family estate as punishment for his wife's crimes. Then Lord Miyagi raised his hands in a gesture of surrender." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I accept defeat,\" he said with quiet dignity. \"Please allow me the privilege of committing seppuku.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The daimyo drew his short sword, gripping it in trembling hands, the blade pointed at his abdomen. Closing his eyes, he murmured a prayer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Either he was taking the coward's way out of a difficult situation, or some vestige of samurai honor lived within him. Then he gulped a deep breath." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With a piercing scream, he drove the sword into himself.\n\n\"Cousin!\" Lady Miyagi rushed over and knelt beside her husband, who writhed and moaned in the agonies of death." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dropping the dagger, she caressed the daimyo's face with her bloody hands." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A great convulsion spasmed his body." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He looked up at his wife, and his lips mouthed unintelligible words. Then he went limp in her arms." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh, no. My darling. No!\" Ugly, choking sobs wracked Lady Miyagi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Panting from exertion, Reiko joined Sano." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Gingerly he crouched, reaching for Lady Miyagi's dagger, though he didn't think she would resist arrest now." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then her hand shot out and grabbed the weapon, pointing it at him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Grief twisted her mouth; her face was livid with anger, smeared with blood and tears. \"You destroyed my husband,\" she whispered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You'll pay for this.\"\n\nSano raised his sword." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But instead of attacking him, Lady Miyagi assaulted Reiko, crying, \"You took away my beloved. Now I'm going to take yours!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Caught off guard, Reiko dodged too late; the blade missed her heart, but cut her shoulder." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then they were fighting again, with Reiko's back to the precipice and Lady Miyagi between her and Sano. Sano sheathed his sword and seized Lady Miyagi from behind, locking his hands around hers on the hilt of the dagger." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As they grappled for control of the weapon, she fell forward on top of Reiko." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano fell with her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They landed at the very edge, heads extended into empty space." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reiko screamed, slashing Lady Miyagi's face with her dagger. Lady Miyagi howled. Sano wrenched the weapon away from her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the same moment, she bucked, throwing him free. Then Reiko gave an enormous heave." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Like an acrobat in a street show, Lady Miyagi flipped heels over head. Hands clawing wildly at Reiko, she soared into the air over the precipice and seemed to hang there for an instant." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sano threw himself on top of Reiko, anchoring her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then Lady Miyagi plummeted out of sight." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A high, thin scream followed her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was a series of diminishing thuds as her body struck the rocks. Then silence.\n\nSano helped Reiko to her feet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Arms tight around each other, they peered down into the darkness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The moonlight gleamed faintly on Lady Miyagi's robes. She didn't move." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hirata ran up to them, carrying Lieutenant Kushida's spear and his own sword." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He bled from cuts on his hands, arms, and face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Kushida is wounded, but he'll live. What happened here? Are you all right?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sano explained. Then he, Reiko, and Hirata were suddenly locked in a fierce embrace, faces pressed together. A catharsis of weeping shook them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As their blood and tears mingled, Sano experienced a deeper satisfaction than ever before at the end of a case." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His wife was safe, his dearest comrade restored to honor. Each of them had played a crucial role in the investigation." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Their shared victory was infinitely sweeter than the lone heroics of Sano's past.\n\n\"Let's wake up our troops and go home,\" he said, wiping tears from his cheeks.\n\nStill embracing, with Sano in the middle, they started down the hill." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Keep going w/ three sentences more. Note: Might reference existing chars" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "[ Outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ]\n\nScrubbing sheets on an iron washboard, Teresa thought about her capture. Although it had taken place three years ago, the memory felt like both yesterday and a lifetime." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She wondered how Cloud was faring up in Kansas with her brother Neil and her sister-in-law Olivia." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'sheets' must appear 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Did the stallion miss her as much as she missed him? Because musing on the past brought on a sadness she refused to acknowledge, she turned her attention back to the sheets she was supposed to be washing and stuck her red raw hands down into the hot lye-laced water.\n\nThe sheets piled on the ground beside her were waiting their turn on the washboard, and it would be dark before they were all done." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But being a Black Seminole, she didn't mind the work; the necessity of living a hard life was in her blood." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What she did mind was that she was in prison in Pennsylvania. Because she'd chosen to stay on the wrong side of the law instead of turning herself in, as her brother had, Hanging Judge Parker wanted to teach her a lesson. He'd sentenced her not to a prison in her beloved West, but here, up North, where she'd had to suffer through cold, mean winters, was too far away for family to visit her, and where she knew no one." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa wiped the sweat from her brow and looked out at the other women in the yard. There were about fifty of them, and they too were hanging laundry and standing over wooden barrels. They'd been sent here for everything from stabbing their husbands to picking pockets." }, { "from": "human", "value": "All were dressed in the same faded and worn blue sacks that passed for gowns, and prisoners wearing shoes outnumbered those without." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa transferred the wet clean sheets to the female prisoner operating one of the many ringers, then returned to her own vat to start on the next sheet. Today's batch of linens had come from one of the area's hospitals. Tomorrow's would be from the fancy Philadelphia hotels." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Washing and hanging sheet after sheet, day after day, was mindless, back-breaking work, but at least they were outside." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the winter the prisoners were forced to stay indoors, which bred fights, petty thievery, and sometimes madness." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "By late afternoon she was tired, as they all were, and there was nothing to look forward to when the day ended but a plate of beans and salt pork that would be, and had always been, dinner. As a result, most of the women were thin and listless. Teresa doubted she'd ever again fit the leathers she'd worn here." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her once vibrant midnight skin was gray, her chopped-off hair matted and as full of lice as everyone else's." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"July!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa turned. It was Mrs. Cassidy, a burly brown-skinned matron whose sour expression had never changed in the three years Teresa had been in residence.\n\n\"Warden wants to see you.\"\n\nBeing summoned could be related to anything from a death in the family to punishments for infractions, real and imagined." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa wordlessly dried her hands and followed the matron across the field to the buildings a few feet away." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The warden was a White man named Burns." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He rarely ventured out of his office. Teresa had only seen him twice before.\n\nHe looked up at her, but his face gave nothing away as to what this grand summoning might be about." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're probably wondering why you're here.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, sir.\"\n\n\"It's about that fight last month.\"\n\nThe fight had been between a surly prisoner named Ethel and the only matron in the place who seemed to care at all about the inmates, a woman named Doreen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Ethel had jumped Doreen, Teresa jumped Ethel." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I submitted a request to the prison board,\" Burns said.\n\nEthel had been sent to another facility, and Teresa was certain they were about to do the same to her. She waited, steeling herself for the blow to come." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The board has decided to give you credit for your time served as a way of rewarding you for coming to the aid of the matron.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa blinked and her legs wobbled for an instant." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She took a deep breath to steady herself, then met the man's emotionless blue eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This means that in two hours you will be free to leave here in the company of a charity representative who helps women like you readjust to the outside. You will be her ward for the next year. Any infractions and you will be returned here to serve out the rest of your five-year time. Is that understood?\"\n\nTeresa was so moved she couldn't speak, so she nodded.\n\n\"Is that a yes, July?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, sir.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Mrs. Cassidy will help you get prepared. Good luck, July.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank you, sir, and thank you to the board.\"\n\n\"Don't make me regret this decision.\"\n\n\"I won't. I promise.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Two hours later she walked out of prison and over to a wagon waiting by the side of the road. An elderly Black man held the reins. \"You Miss July?\"\n\nShe nodded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm Mr. Boswell, I'm here to take you to Mrs. Nance. Crawl in the back.\"\n\nTeresa complied and made herself as comfortable as she could amidst the straw and farming implements in the wagon bed.\n\n\"We got about an hour worth of traveling.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She didn't care if the journey took six hours. She was free! \"Mind if I sleep?\"\n\n\"Not a bit.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "A weary but happy Teresa closed her eyes, and before he even pulled away from the prison walls, she was asleep." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa didn't realize she'd slept through the entire ride until she was jostled awake. Her slumber had been so sound that it took her a few moments to shake off the bleariness and focus on the stern brown face of the woman who was gently shaking her shoulder.\n\n\"Come,\" the woman said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Mr. Boswell needs to get back to town.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa grabbed the small bag holding her personal belongings and pushed herself up off the straw strewn wagon bed. Ignoring the stiffness in her legs, she slowly made her way to the ground, then dusted herself off. \"Much obliged, Mr. Boswell.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He nodded, repeated the same gesture to the woman at Teresa's side, then he and his horse-led wagon rambled off down the cobbled street.\n\n\"This way,\" the woman directed.\n\nTeresa wasn't offended that the well-dressed lady hadn't introduced herself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If the woman turned out to be the wife of Satan himself, she wouldn't have cared; all that mattered to her now was being out of jail and never going back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The house was a fine two-story brick with pointed green roofs and gables up top. The short metal fence around the perimeter was also dark green, and the shrubs and trees inside the fence shaded the house from the sun and the street. A neat cobbled walkway led up the steps to a wide sitting porch and the front door." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Inside, Teresa looked around the fancy front parlor furnished with a blue brocaded sofa and matching chairs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A large mirror hung over the big stone fireplace, and an ornate chandelier, complete with fat white candles, hung from the ceiling above her head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Whoever owned the place lived well. Paintings of landscapes hung on the elegantly papered walls, and plush carpets covered the floors. Real well.\n\n\"Miss July?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa turned and saw that the woman's sternness remained. \"Yes, ma'am.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm Molly Nance. You'll be staying here in my home.\"\n\n\"I appreciate you taking me in.\" She had been expecting a small room in a crowded boardinghouse somewhere, not this small, elegant place." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Just so you'll know, the last prisoner I took in ran off with everything of value she could carry.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa refocused her attention." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Sorry to hear that. Was she caught?\"\n\n\"Yes, and taken back to prison, but my things were never found.\"\n\nTeresa didn't like hearing that." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, ma'am, I only stole from railroads and banks. Since you're neither, you're pretty much safe.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The quip melted Molly Nance's sternness a bit. \"Then you and I should get along well.\"\n\n\"I'm hoping so.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Come. I'll show you your room, and where you may bathe. I should have some clean clothing that you may wear until we can get you properly outfitted.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa dearly wanted to scratch. The prison lice that had tagged along were plaguing her something fierce. Not wanting to embarrass herself by scratching like a dog with fleas, she bit down the urge and followed Mrs. Nance through the house." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They passed a formal dining room with a polished, dark wood table surrounded by carved backed chairs." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There were carpets on the floor, there, too and more framed landscapes hung from the green papered walls. She caught a glimpse of a room filled with books that also housed a large black piano. Reading had always been one of her favorite pastimes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She wanted to go inside and explore the book titles, but thought it best she keep up with Mrs. Nance for now." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They entered the kitchen. Teresa marveled at the large cooking stove and other modern appliances. She wondered if all back East houses were this well equipped." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It certainly wasn't the norm where she hailed from, or at least it hadn't been when she was sent to jail.\n\nA tall, middle-aged woman wearing a black dress and white apron entered through the kitchen's back door. She was carrying a wooden crate filled with groceries and other items." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. Nance did the introductions." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Emma Bailey, this is Teresa July. Emma's the cook here.\"\n\n\"Pleased to meet you, Miss Emma.\"\n\nEmma set the crate on the counter by the sink, then nodded a short reply." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're the outlaw woman.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, ma'am.\"\n\nEmma didn't look real friendly. Teresa wondered if she was comparing her to the last prisoner." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The cook told Teresa plainly, \"Make sure you treat Mrs. Nance with respect. Not everybody will take in a jailbird like you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was a challenge in her voice and eyes, but Teresa bit back the urge to verbally retaliate. \"I know that, so I'm real beholden to her.\"\n\nEmma studied her for a moment longer, then asked, \"You hungry?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Considering the woman's no nonsense manner, the question was unexpected." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I am, but I'm more interested in a bath right now.\" Lord, she wanted to scratch.\n\n\"Come back after you're done,\" Emma said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"For the next couple days we'll feed you something light. Takes time for your stomach to get back on real food.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She asked then, \"Is there anything you don't like to eat or can't eat because it makes you sick?\"\n\n\"Not that I know of.\"\n\n\"All right.\" And she began unloading the crate on the counter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Thank you,\" Teresa said in parting." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And Teresa?\" Emma called out.\n\n\"Yes, ma'am?\"\n\n\"Welcome.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Touched by the unexpected kindness in Emma's tone, Teresa nodded, then followed Mrs. Nance down the hallway." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As they climbed the stairs to the upper floors, she wondered if she could be dreaming. First, her sentence had been commuted, and now she seemed to be in a household with fairly decent folks. If this was indeed a dream, she prayed she wouldn't wake up until after she had her bath." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This will be your room.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was small and plainly furnished, but there was a grate in the wall to keep her warm during the fierce winters, and a glass-paned door that led outdoors. Simple white eyelet curtains adorned the windows. The yellow quilt on the big four poster bed looked soft to the touch." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All in all, it was the finest room Teresa had ever had the privilege of calling her own. \"This is real nice, ma'am.\"\n\n\"I'm glad you approve. The bathing room is down the hall. Come. I'll show you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Having washed up with either a basin or under a pump all of her life, Teresa found the newfangled indoor plumbing impressive. \"So I just turn this handle if I want hot water, and this one for cold?\"\n\n\"Yes. The boiler only holds so much hot water, but there's usually enough to take care of your needs.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa wondered if this indoor plumbing was common here too." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thinking about the folks out West and their lack of amenities brought to mind her family and how they might be faring. It made her heart ache, so she stopped and paid attention to what Mrs. Nance was explaining. \"There are soaps and salts in that basket over there. I'll bring you some orange oil for your hair and a comb and brush.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa touched her short hair." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She'd kept it cut during her incarceration, hoping to head off the lice, but it hadn't mattered. The only way to escape the little beasties would have been to shave her head completely bald, something the matrons refused to allow.\n\nWhen Mrs. Nance left, Teresa stood in the quiet room, looking around at the white cabinets and the large claw-foot tub." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She couldn't remember the last time she'd taken an actual bath." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the prison, they'd made do with hip baths and the long-handled pump in the yard behind their barracks. Walking over to the ivory colored tub, she placed the wooden stopper into the drain hole and turned the handle for the water. The sight of the clear stream spewing out filled her with delight." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Holding her hand beneath the flow, she felt the temperature grow warmer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Grinning like a child at the fair, she stripped off her faded prison gown and watched the water rise with sparkling black eyes.\n\nAcross town, Mrs. Nance's only child, Madison, stood before the mirror in his bedroom and adjusted his tie. The former gambler, now a banker, was dressing for Paula Wade's twentieth birthday party." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He knew Paula was a vain, social climbing nitwit, but had promised to attend, and he always kept his word." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The party wouldn't begin for another few hours, but he was attending to his attire now because he wanted to stop by and check on his mother first. She had taken in yet another prisoner, and he wasn't pleased. In light of the theft by the last convict she'd opened her door to, he thought he had good reason to be distrustful." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His mother had a crusading heart of gold, and he would not stand for it to be broken again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the hardscrabble world where Teresa grew up, fancy soaps and bath salts were usually reserved for sporting women and elegant ladies like her beautiful sister-in-law, Olivia. Women like herself, who robbed trains, slept in bedrolls on the ground, and ate beans out of a tin plate while hunkering next to a fire, rarely had the time or the inclination to soak in claw-footed tubs. But as she playfully raised her leg and watched the water slide down her foot and off her ankle, she decided she could grow to enjoy this." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The warm water surrounding her, coupled with the sweet smells of the salts and her extreme relief at being free of the penitentiary was so relaxing, she wanted to lie there forever." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A soft knock on the door broke her reverie." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Teresa? Are you all right?\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am. Doing just fine.\"\n\n\"I placed some clothing in your room along with the orange oil.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Appreciate that. Thanks.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're welcome. Emma has some soup waiting for you when you're done.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Tell her I'll be there directly.\"\n\n\"All right.\" And she was gone.\n\nEventually, Teresa left the tub and dried herself on a soft bath sheet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Wrapping herself in it, she padded barefoot back to her room and dressed in the muslin undergarments and plain white blouse and brown skirt lying on the bed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After putting the orange oil on her now clean hair, she picked up the hairbrush and walked over to the small mirror hanging above the fireplace mantel. As she raised the brush and looked at her reflection, she stopped. The painfully thin face of the woman staring back at her belonged to someone she didn't recognize." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'there' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was age in her features that hadn't been there before. Her dark skin was dull, lifeless, and the cocky eyes of her youth were now somber, older.\n\nIt had been three long years since she'd had access to a mirror, and seeing herself for the first time made her want to cry, but she didn't because she knew it wouldn't change things." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "By not taking Hanging Judge Isaac Parker's offer back in '88 to turn herself in and do her penance working for the railroads, she'd brought the resulting consequences down on her own head. Now, here she stood, three years older and a lifetime smarter. She began to ply the brush, and swore on the memories of her Black Seminole ancestors that she would never run afoul of the law again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The price had been too dear.\n\nAfter going downstairs and consuming a steaming bowl of Emma's vegetable soup, Teresa excused herself from the kitchen table and headed back up, so exhausted that each step she took was a chore. It was almost as if her mind had finally allowed itself to acknowledge the physical toll the years of imprisonment had extracted, which up till then she had refused to do." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To have surrendered to the fatigue of working sixteen-hour days scrubbing floors and doing laundry in vats filled with lye would have been to show defeat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was Black Seminole, descendant of a people who'd fought the United States government for thirty years. A people who on the Great Trek had walked from Indian Territory to the Texas-Mexico border. Surely she could survive being in jail." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And she had. But now, as she neared the top of the stairs, it seemed she had nothing left." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A newborn prairie dog pup had more strength.\n\nDeciding to take a seat on the stairs and close her eyes for just a minute, then get up and finish the walk to the bedroom, Teresa sank down onto the step. Laying her head against the carpeted edge, she closed her eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Madison entered his mother's house, he found her seated on the chaise in the parlor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She had her nose in a book, her favorite pastime." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Upon seeing him, she set it aside and greeted him smiling. \"My, don't you look grand.\"\n\nHe walked over and planted an affectionate kiss on her soft cheek." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm on my way to Paula's birthday dinner.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His black and white evening wear had been tailored by one of the city's finest, and the lines showed off his tall, lean form. The elegant silk topper in his hand added a crowning touch.\n\n\"How is dear Princess Paula?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The sarcasm made him smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Paula Wade's desire to be his wife was no secret. \"Doing well, I suppose. I haven't seen her in a few weeks.\"\n\n\"Tell her I send my regards.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Stop lying, Mother, before lightning strikes the house.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Am I that obvious?\"\n\n\"Transparent as a plate of glass, I'm afraid.\"\n\n\"Then I shall try and do better next time.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison loved his mother's wit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Did your charge arrive?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She did.\"\n\n\"May I meet her?\"\n\n\"As long as you don't lecture her on her conduct, yes you may.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I just want to introduce myself.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was skeptical and didn't bother to mask it.\n\nHis mustache twitched with humor. \"I know we disagree on her being here, but I'll be polite. I promise.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She didn't look convinced." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll go up and see if she's awake. She was rather tired when she arrived.\" His mother got up then, and exited, leaving him alone.\n\nMadison's promise to her notwithstanding, he was still opposed to her having a prisoner in her home." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The fact that this newest project wasn't the average everyday female felon, but the infamous, train-robbing hellion Teresa July only added to his concern." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Newspapers all over the nation had chronicled her exploits, then her capture, trial, and imprisonment. Being informed by his mother a few days ago that the outlaw woman would be her ward for the next twelve months made him want to throw up his hands.\n\nEmma's entrance into the room brought him back to the present." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The worry on her face was plain. \"What's the matter?\"\n\n\"Your mother needs you upstairs.\"\n\nHoping the July woman wasn't already causing trouble, Madison hurried to the stairway." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was no trouble, just his mother standing at the top of the stairs." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lying at her feet was a sleeping dark-skinned woman wearing a simple skirt and blouse.\n\n\"Poor thing,\" his mother said. \"She was even more weary than Emma and I imagined. Will you pick her up, dear, and carry her to the room?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison was taken aback by the request, but upon realizing her suggestion was the only solution, he gently scooped the outlaw up and held her against his chest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Following his mother, he entered the room and softly deposited the sleeping woman on the bed.\n\nHis mother covered her with a lightweight quilt. \"Sleeping, she looks very innocent, doesn't she?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison had to admit that she did. Looking at her now, a person might find it hard to believe her capable of all the bedlam she'd been convicted for. But he knew looks could be deceiving; she'd been sentenced for a reason." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I was expecting a much larger woman,\" his mother said, keeping her voice low so as not to wake her charge." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison agreed. If the press were to be believed, Teresa July should have been Amazonian in size." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Instead, she was of average stature and painfully thin." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Faint traces of the scented soap and salts she must have used in her bath drifted up to his nose from the fabric of his coat. \"Is the parole board going to let anyone know she's here?\"\n\n\"Other than the chief of police and the mayor, no. And they prefer the papers not find out either, at least not right away. They feel she'll adjust better if she isn't badgered by busybody reporters.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison could hear July's soft snores." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If the press found out she was here, there'd be no peace." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I still don't think this is a good idea.\"\n\n\"I know you don't, dear, but I can make a difference in her life.\"\n\nMadison's sole concern lay with his mother's safety." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Changing the July woman's life didn't matter to him one whit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Let's let her sleep,\" his mother said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Molly slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and he escorted her out.\n\n\"I appreciate your concern,\" she told him. \"Miss July and I will do well, I can feel it, so you go celebrate with Paula and I'll return to my book.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Which is?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"A fascinating tale called The Time Machine, by Mr. H. G. Wells. I purchased it at a bookshop in London last year. It's all the rage. It's about a man who builds a machine that takes him back in time.\"\n\n\"Interesting.\"\n\nThey were now downstairs and standing by the open front door." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was time for him to depart, so he placed a quick peck on her cheek." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll stop in and meet your ward tomorrow. Let's hope she and the silver are still here.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Molly playfully pushed him toward the door. \"Out. Let's hope Paula Wade doesn't have you fit for a nose ring by tomorrow.\"\n\n\"Touché, Mama.\" And with a grin he departed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Outside, Madison climbed into his carriage and headed the horses up the residential street." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His mother's parting quip had been rooted in truth. Were it up to Paula Wade, he'd have a ring in his nose large enough for a circus bear to perform in. But he'd told her on several occasions that he had no intentions of marrying, and so far he didn't see himself changing his mind." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The only woman with the beauty and wit to propel him to the altar had been the lady gambler Loreli Winters." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To his disappointment, she'd fallen in love with a Kansas pig farmer named Jake Reed and was now happily living with him, their son, Jacob, and Jake's twin nieces, Bebe and Dede. Granted, Loreli was almost a decade older than he was, but he hadn't minded the difference in their ages. To him, the irrepressible gambler represented the kind of spirited, independent woman he'd envisioned spending his life with." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He didn't resent the happiness she had found with Reed, but he had yet to meet another woman with the same joie de vivre." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Paula Wade was a beauty too, but she had no interests outside of shopping and gossip. Nothing on earth would have compelled her to read Mr. Wells's Time Machine, unless there was a new hat in the balance. She could tell you all about the newest fashions, but nothing about the myriad issues facing the race or the nation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The birthday party was being held at the home of Paula's aunt and uncle, Harold and Daphne Carter." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The street outside the place was filled with carriages and fancy buggies of all kinds. It seemed everyone in town was in attendance. Harold Carter had been a business associate of Madison's late father, Reynolds, and ran a very successful teamsters service." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Based on the many luxurious coaches lining the curbs, many of Carter's well-heeled customers must have been invited to the celebration, along with Paula's own set of friends." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison planned to stay only long enough to be polite, then excuse himself for the drive over to the club owned by his childhood friend Ben Norton." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Once there, he intended to while away the remainder of the evening playing cards and enjoying himself.\n\nFirst, however, he had to survive the crush of the people inside. In his attempt to work his way through the throng, he nodded a greeting to those he knew." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Everyone had on their best dress." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The women were in expensive gowns, and their husbands were nattily attired in formal evening wear. Uniformed waiters holding trays aloft moved expertly through the crowd, offering drinks and small pastries. Rebecca Constantine, a friend of his mother, greeted him with the sly smile usually reserved for a woman twenty years her junior. \"Good evening, handsome.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He shook his head at her antics." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Evening, Mrs. Constantine. You look very lovely.\"\n\n\"Lovely enough for you to ravish in a dark secluded corner somewhere?\"\n\nShe was one of the most audacious women he knew." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, ma'am,\" he laughed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Besides, what would your husband Miller say if he heard you propositioning me this way?\"\n\n\"Since he's deaf as a mailbox, probably not a word.\"\n\n\"You are incorrigible.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"As long as I live.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She smiled at him from beneath enough rouge and paint to outfit a convention of circus performers, but because he'd known her most of his life, he didn't find it strange." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Instead, he placed an affectionate kiss on her cheek and promised to visit with her again later.\n\nAfter some searching and a few more stops for conversations with people he knew, he finally located Princess Paula and her aunt and uncle, holding court in the solarium. The room had been outfitted with enough flowers to fill Mother Bethel AME, but because of all the people, the fragrance of the blooms had to compete with the scent of heat and bodies." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Paula's brown eyes lit up with delight when she spotted him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Rising from her chair and showing off the beautiful lemon yellow gown seamstresses must have been working on for months, she walked over to greet him. \"You finally made it. I was worried.\"\n\n\"I promised I'd attend, didn't I?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, but you can be so unpredictable sometimes.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She grabbed his hand and led him over to her aunt and uncle. Madison had known Harold Carter and his wife Daphne almost as long as he'd known Rebecca Constantine. Although Harold Carter and Reynolds Nance had been business associates and friends, their wives had never gotten along." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your response should contain the word 'daphne' precisely 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Daphne considered Molly a snob, and Molly thought Daphne a social climber with too much money and too little sense. Paula was Daphne's niece, and although she hailed from Memphis, she'd been living in Philadelphia for almost three years.\n\nMadison shook Harold's hand and greeted Daphne with a polite smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"So glad to see you,\" Daphne gushed. She was brown-skinned and had a freckled face. The gown she was wearing, while fashionable and expensive, would have fit her very well ten years ago, but because she was as vain as the day was long and apparently refused to consider the reality of how much she actually weighed now, she looked like a sausage in a casing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He withdrew the small jeweler's box from the inner pocket of his suit coat and handed it to Paula. \"Happy Birthday.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her eyes went wide. \"Is it what I've been hoping for?\" she asked in her pronounced southern accent." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With Daphne gazing on eagerly, Paula opened the lid." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When she saw the locket nestled inside, she didn't bother hiding her anger. \"This was supposed to be a ring, Madison Nance.\"\n\n\"Oh, really?\" he drawled, wondering just how ugly a scene this would turn out to be." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The guests within earshot were staring and whispering." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This is my birthday celebration, and I hoped you'd come to your senses so we could announce our engagement this evening too.\"\n\nMadison hated being the subject of gossip and knew this incident would be talked about for weeks to come. \"I've told you my feelings on the matter many times. Why would you believe I'd changed my mind?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "You could hear a pin drop in the crowded solarium." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Paula had never been one for logic, and true to that spirit, said, \"Because I'm twenty years old. How much longer do you think I'm going to wait for you to ask me?\"\n\nHe shook his head at the ridiculousness of this encounter. Rather than give the gossips more fuel, he said, \"Happy Birthday, Paula,\" then turned to walk out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Madison Nance! If you leave, I'll never speak to you again!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sarcastically hoping she'd keep her word, Madison kept going until he was outside in the fresh night air." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "I'll be your writing partner today. I will set the scene and character context, and you will continue with 10 sentences, keeping within the romance, historical fiction, 1890s, US, African American genre." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Teresa woke up in bed that next morning, the room was unfamiliar, but after looking around at the starched white curtains and the sunbeams dappling the floor and the walls, everything came back to her and she relaxed and she laid back with a smile. The fact that she couldn't remember coming to bed didn't worry her, because she was not in prison anymore. Her release hadn't been a dream. In spite of being thousands of miles away from home, and mandated to be under Mrs. Nance's guidance for the next year, her life and prospects were infinitely brighter than they'd been at this same time yesterday. Speaking of which…\n\nShe turned her attention to the small clock on the fireplace mantel and bolted upright when she saw the time. Was it really one in the afternoon! Mrs. Nance probably thought her to be the laziest of lazybones after sleeping away the day. Alarmed, Teresa threw aside the quilt, then realized she was still wearing the blouse and skirt she'd donned after last night's wonderful bath. Puzzled, and deciding maybe she did need to find out how she came to be in the bed after all, she walked down to the bathing room to take care of her needs. She didn't have any other clothes to change into, but even though wrinkled, what she was wearing beat her old prison gowns, hands down." }, { "from": "system", "value": "💬 Please integrate this quote: \"Mrs. Nance is in the library.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Emma was in the kitchen when she walked in, and all the cook said by way of greeting was, \"Mrs. Nance is in the library.\"\n\nTeresa was as hungry as a barn full of cowboys, and the aroma of whatever was cooking on the stove made her mouth water, but when Emma didn't offer up any samples, Teresa and her grumbling stomach left the kitchen to seek out Mrs. Nance.\n\nThe library room was filled with more books than Teresa had ever seen. She stopped at the sight of them all, and didn't realize she was staring around in wonder until she heard Mrs. Nance say brightly, \"Good afternoon, dear.\"\n\nTeresa tore her attention away from the hundreds of volumes neatly arranged in elegant wooden bookcases and immediately apologized for her tardiness. \"I'm sorry for sleeping so late, Mrs. Nance. I really am. No idea what came over me.\"\n\n\"It's called fatigue,\" Mrs. Nance quipped sagely. \"Frankly, I'm amazed you're awake now. Did you sleep well?\"\n\n\"Like a dead man, and I don't remember climbing in bed or why I slept in my clothes. Sorry about that too,\" she said, looking down at her wrinkled skirt and blouse.\n\n\"No apologies needed, and we'll see to fresh clothing momentarily, but you don't remember going to bed because you fell asleep on the stairs.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The memories drifted back. \"Oh, yeah,\" Teresa said, though still confused. \"But how'd I get to the room? Did you sleepwalk me there?\"\n\n\"No. My son Madison carried you.\"\n\n\"Oh really?\" Teresa wasn't sure she liked the idea of some stranger carrying her around while she was out cold like a drunk in an alley. \"I didn't know you had children.\"\n\n\"He's my only. He's thirty-seven now. Used to be a gambler, of all things, but now he's a banker.\"\n\nA gambling banker. Teresa found that interesting because Mrs. Nance seemed far too proper to have raised a gambling man. \"Does he live here?\"\n\n\"No. He has his own place. He stopped in last evening to meet you, but as I said, we found you asleep.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "/insert_quote: \"Yes, ma'am. Used to be one of my favorite things to do. My mama Tamar insisted my brothers and I learn. She said it would help our futures.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa wondered if the gambling banker approved of his mother taking a former bank robber into her home, but then the sight of all the books recaptured her attention. \"Have you read all of these?\"\n\n\"Proud to say I have. Do you read?\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am. Used to be one of my favorite things to do. My mama Tamar insisted my brothers and I learn. She said it would help our futures.\"\n\n\"She sounds very wise. Is she still with us?\"\n\n\"Far as I know. She lives in south Texas near the border with Mexico.\"\n\n\"Would you like to send her a telegram to let her know where you are?\"\n\n\"Tamar can't read, but I'd like to send one to my brother out in Kansas.\"\n\n\"Your brother Neil?\"\n\nTeresa was surprised Mrs. Nance knew his name, then decided she shouldn't be." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Newspapers all over the country had printed many stories on the adventures of the train robbing, bank robbing Julys over the years." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'teresa' 4 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We can send word to him if you'd like.\"\n\nTeresa nodded. Neil would be glad to hear from her, and doubly glad to learn she'd been given an early release.\n\nMrs. Nance fetched some paper, and Teresa wrote her brother a hasty note.\n\n\"Emma will take it to the telegraph office later on,\" Mrs. Nance said. \"A messenger will deliver the reply soon as it's received.\"\n\nPleased to have that taken care of, Teresa returned her attention to the books. She couldn't believe Mrs. Nance had read them all.\n\n\"Feel free to read whatever interests you, Teresa.\"\n\nEmbarrassed to have been caught staring again, she nodded. \"That's real kind of you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then her voice took on a more serious tone as she asked, \"What kind of work do you want me to do so I can help out around here? I'm good at cleaning. I could do your rugs and your windows. I'm a pretty good cook. Emma will have to show me how to work the stove, of course, and where she keeps everything, but on her days off, I could do the cooking.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We'll talk about that tomorrow. Right now, let's work on getting you fattened up and rested up.\"\n\n\"But Mrs. Nance—\"\n\n\"Are you hungry?\"\n\n\"As a bear after winter.\"\n\n\"Emma was making corn chowder earlier. Smells like it might be done.\"\n\nTeresa was hungry but wanted to continue the discussion about her role in the household. Apparently, Mrs. Nance planned to stick to her guns because she was already leaving the room. Teresa gave the books one last fond look, then hastened to catch up.\n\nWhen Mrs. Nance entered the big dining room, she took a seat at the polished table, but Teresa hesitated. She didn't think it her place to sit and eat in this fancy room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll go eat in the kitchen with Miss Emma,\" she said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Sit down, Teresa.\"\n\n\"But—\"\n\n\"Sit, dear.\"\n\nThe firm patience on Mrs. Nance's face made her reluctantly comply, but once seated, Teresa tried to press her case, \"Mrs. Nance, I—\"\n\n\"This is where you will be taking most of your meals from now on, at the table, like a lady.\"\n\nTeresa blinked. \"Excuse me?\"\n\nFor a moment Mrs. Nance studied Teresa intently. \"When you were young, what did you most want to be when you grew up?\"\n\n\"Part of my brothers' gang.\"\n\nMrs. Nance dropped her head and chuckled." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Composing herself again, she asked, \"Wasn't there anything else? Something a bit more lawful?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa thought. \"Wanted to be a schoolteacher at one time. When the government closed down the school, our teacher left too, and for a while I taught the young ones. I enjoyed it, and Tamar said she was real proud of me, but riding with my brothers was all I ever wanted to do.\"\n\n\"Understandable. It must have been very exciting.\"\n\n\"Oh yes indeed.\"\n\n\"But you can't rob trains or banks anymore, dear, so, what do you wish to do with your life?\"\n\nTeresa went silent while mulling that over, then shrugged. \"I don't know.\"\n\n\"Well, that's why you're here, so you can figure it out.\"\n\n\"But I don't know if I have anything else in me to be.\" It was an honest answer, but she knew Mrs. Nance was on the mark. She had already sworn off outlawing, so she needed a legal way to make a living. \"What do you think I can be?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Anything you put your mind to. Any woman with the gumption to be an outlaw already has a leg up on ninety-nine percent of the female population. We're raised to be scared of our own shadows. There should be more like you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa found that declaration surprising. For all of Mrs. Nance's proper ways, she liked her thinking.\n\nEmma entered the room then, pushing a short wheeled tray. On top was a covered, green soup tureen and bowls that matched. Beside them were spoons, fine linen napkins, and short lead crystal glasses monogrammed with an elaborate N. Teresa stood, thinking to help Emma set the table, but the cook's sharp look sat her back down. Frustrated, Teresa let herself be served as if she were the Queen of the May and not a poor Seminole from southern Texas. She'd never been waited on this way before, and the experience made her downright uncomfortable. \"I'll help wash the dishes, Miss Emma.\"\n\n\"Not in my kitchen you won't. That's my job. You keep Mrs. Nance company. I'll keep you both fed.\"\n\nOn that note, Emma and the cart exited the room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa looked to Mrs. Nance, who smiled sympathetically and said, \"Pass me your bowl.\"\n\nThe corn chowder was good. Emma had thinned her portion with a little watered down cream to make it easier for her stomach to digest, but Teresa didn't mind. After eating tasteless prison rations for the past three years, Emma's cooking was heavenly. \"She's a real good cook.\"\n\n\"The best I've ever had.\"\n\n\"How long has she been with you?\"\n\n\"Over twenty years. She was in her early thirties when she came to work for my mother.\"\n\n\"Does she have family?\"\n\n\"Not blood, no. Madison and I consider her a member of our family, though. She held me up when my Reynolds died a decade ago.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Sorry for your loss.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank you.\"\n\nTeresa wanted to ask how long the two had been married, but thinking that more questions might remind Mrs. Nance of her sorrow, she focused on finishing her chowder instead.\n\nAfter eating, she and Mrs. Nance went upstairs to ferret out a wardrobe for Teresa from amidst the donated clothing and goods Molly kept stored in various trunks and crates in a hall closet. Teresa didn't mind the prospect of wearing castoffs because anything was better than the sacks she'd worn in prison. Besides, until joining up with her brothers' gang, she'd worn nothing but charity clothes anyway. Growing up poor and Seminole, the only thing she and her family had in abundance was courage.\n\n\"I've a few more things in my bedroom,\" Mrs. Nance said.\n\nAnd what a beautiful room it turned out to be. Teresa looked around at the lovely pale blue wallpaper and saw that the bedding, draperies, and upholstered furniture were of similar tones. She was certain that Olivia would fall in love with a room like this one, but the space was a tad too ladyish for her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The nice plain room she'd been given suited her just fine." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa took her new wardrobe to her room and placed the items in the armoire. Mrs. Nance came in with a couple more pieces, and Teresa put them away too.\n\n\"Once you start putting your weight back on,\" Mrs. Nance said, \"we'll get you in some new clothing.\"\n\n\"That isn't necessary. The things you've already given me are fine.\"\n\n\"But I'm a seamstress by trade and haven't sewn in years. Outfitting you will give me a chance to re-sharpen my needles. Do you sew?\"\n\nTeresa snorted. \"Me? I can tighten a button or stitch a tear in my leathers but that's all. My sister-in-law is the seamstress.\"\n\n\"Sewing is a very good skill to have, so we'll add it to our list.\"\n\n\"What list?\"\n\n\"The one I'm making of all the things you need to learn in order to be able to provide for yourself, and to make yourself more rounded.\"\n\nTeresa's skepticism was plain. \"Really?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'music' 2 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The parole board will be sending a representative over to check on you periodically, and we need to be able to show them you're making progress in your rehabilitation.\"\n\nTeresa supposed that made sense, but she didn't have to like it. Keeping her voice even so as not to hurt Mrs. Nance's feelings, she asked, \"What else is on this list?\"\n\n\"Let's see. Deportment. Table etiquette and table settings. Music appreciation. Flower arranging. Cooking. Cleaning. We'll add more as we go along.\"\n\nOther than the cooking and the cleaning, Teresa didn't see much value in the list. What good would deportment or music appreciation do her out West, but she didn't argue, because no matter the task, she'd learn it, even flower arranging, if it meant having the parole board's blessing to head home.\n\nA sudden yawn claimed her, and Mrs. Nance nodded sympathetically. \"I want you to rest. Go down and get something to read if you'd like. I have to go over to the church to help with the preparations for tomorrow's service. I'll be back in a few hours.\"\n\n\"I can't just sit around reading all day. You must have something I can do.\"\n\n\"Not that I can think of at the moment, so rest. You may think you've regained your strength but I'm pretty sure your body knows otherwise.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa sighed with frustration." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I promise to take you up on your offer to help out.\"\n\n\"I'm holding you to that.\"\n\n\"I'm sure you will. We'll talk when I return.\"\n\nAfter Molly's departure, an irked Teresa flopped down on the bed. Looking up at the ceiling, she wondered how to get Mrs. Nance to stop treating her like a hot house plant, but before she could concoct a plan, her eyes drifted closed and she was asleep.\n\nMadison was grim when he left the meeting at Bethel AME. He and twenty other prominent men had come together to form an organization that would speak to the problems and issues faced by Philadelphia's citizens of color, but for four hours they'd done nothing but argue. The heated debate stemmed over which tact to take: Conservative or Radical. All over the country the same battle was being waged. Men like Madison and Dr. N. F. Mossel, founder of Douglass Memorial, the city's only Negro hospital, were considered Radicals because they favored continued political agitation, even though the Jim Crow laws made their efforts seem futile." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Conservatives, led nationally by Tuskegee Institute founder Booker T. Washington, favored what the Black press had dubbed \"accommodation.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Conservatives preached that since segregation and Jim Crow were the law of the land, the race should forget about calling for justice and equality, and concentrate instead on self-sufficiency, farming, and learning a trade. The Conservatives touted their approach as being the only way the Negro would earn the right to the protections offered by the Constitution. The Radicals thought that hogwash.\n\nMadison hoped he and the others could iron out their differences soon because there was much to address. The schools were underfunded, the owners of public facilities continued to draw the color line, and in the South lynchings were becoming a macabre national pastime.\n\nAs he drove away from the church, he put the meeting out of his mind and headed to his mother's house with the hope of meeting an awake Teresa July. From reading newspaper stories about her, one would think that she was as wild as a mountain lion and twice as cunning. In her heyday, she'd ridden with the remnants of the notorious Dick Glass gang, and supposedly robbed her first bank at the tender age of fifteen, an age when most of the well-raised young women in his mother's circle were contemplating more law abiding endeavors like marriage or furthering their education. Admittedly, she hadn't appeared very ferocious when he carried her to the room last evening; in fact, sleeping, she'd seemed downright tame. He could still feel the weight of her in his arms and recall the scents she'd been wearing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He shook off the memory because in reality she was a very dangerous woman, and if she harmed his mother, he'd personally see to it that she returned to prison for a very long time.\n\nHe also wanted to stop in and tell his mother about Paula's party. More than likely the gossip about it was making the rounds, and he preferred that she hear the facts from him than from someone relating what they'd heard thirdhand. Lord willing, Paula would now set her sights elsewhere and leave him the hell alone.\n\nWhen Teresa awakened for the second time that day, she shook her head in wonderment; she'd never slept so much. After throwing some water on her face and taking a brush to her short hair, she went downstairs to see if Mrs. Nance had returned. Not seeing her in the parlor or the library, Teresa entered the kitchen. Emma was there peeling potatoes.\n\n\"Is Mrs. Nance back?\" she asked.\n\nEmma shook her head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Should be soon, though.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oh.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa watched Emma and the potatoes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'd ask if I could help with dinner, but you'll probably chew my head off, so I'm going to the library and get a book.\"\n\nEmma glanced up from her peeling and studied Teresa for a long moment. \"Did Mrs. Nance say you could touch her books?\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am, and that I could read one if I found anything to my liking.\"\n\n\"Go on, then,\" Emma replied, waving the knife in her hand. \"Just make sure you don't bother anything else.\"\n\n\"I won't.\"\n\nTeresa entered the library with a reverence worthy of a cathedral. As much as she enjoyed reading, she'd never owned a book in her life, but here she was surrounded by hundreds of them. Some were thin, others fat; some had red bindings, while others had titles printed in gold." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She doubted the gold was real, but the realization that there were people in the world who cached books the way she and her brothers had cached loot was new for her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Out West, libraries were common in some of the larger towns, but she didn't know anyone who had a library in their home." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She toured the room, stopping to open a book here and there. One that piqued her interest right away was Journey to the Center of the Earth by someone named Jules Verne. She wasn't certain if Jules was the name of a man or a woman, but the title intrigued her so she held onto it. Then she saw Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell. Thinking it might be a story about a woman of color, she took it down and leafed through it for a moment. Realizing that the book was in fact about a horse, she didn't know whether to be disappointed or not because she did love horses. Replacing it, she moved on to The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, and Clotel: Or the President's Daughter by William Welles Brown. Next to Clotel stood another book by Mr. Brown, and it had the longest title she'd ever seen: The Black Man, His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements. She vowed to come back to that one later, but for now she just enjoyed being in the room.\n\n\"What are you doing in here?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The voice was male, harsh and accusatory." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa turned around slowly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Standing on the threshold was a very handsome man." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A mustache accented his full mouth and he was tall, lean, and wearing a nice suit. Because the brown eyes viewing her with such suspicion and hostility were twins of Mrs. Nance's, Teresa guessed this was the son, Madison.\n\nIn that same hard voice, he snapped, \"I asked, what are you doing in here?\"\n\n\"Picking out a book.\" She sized him up. About six feet, three inches tall, and rude.\n\n\"Why?\" He came into the room, and while waiting for her to answer, made a point of taking a long, silent look around the interior.\n\nTeresa had always been careful not to assign reasons to people's actions without knowing their real intent, but she got the distinct impression that he was trying to determine if there was anything missing. When he seemed satisfied that nothing was amiss, he turned his attention back to her. \"Can you speak?\"\n\n\"Sure.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why do you have that book?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She thought he had the right to be suspicious, after all, she was the dreaded Teresa July, but she didn't have to like his attitude. Looking down at the book in her hand, she shrugged, then drawled, \"Oh, I don't know. Guess I'm just trying to decide how big a book I'll need to overpower Emma and run off with the silver. Think this one will do?\" She held it up for him to see.\n\nHis eyes blazed a silent response.\n\nSmiling coolly, Teresa turned back to the bookcase. \"Name's Teresa July. You must be Mrs. Nance's son.\"\n\n\"Where is she?\"\n\nSo much for polite introductions, Teresa thought, then took down a copy of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson and leafed through it for a few seconds before replacing it. \"She's helping out at the church,\" she finally replied. \"Emma says she should be back any time now.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"She left you here unsupervised?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Imagine that. Guess she's not worried about me stealing anything. Boy, will she be surprised.\" She looked his way and took in his tightly set jaw. Even mad, he had the good looks and manner of both a gambler and a banker. The women probably fluttered like moths to a flame when he came around.\n\n\"I was against my mother taking you in.\"\n\n\"Really? Why?\" Teresa already knew the answer, but she was still simmering from his rudeness and wanted to get his goat.\n\n\"Because I don't want her taken advantage of.\"\n\n\"And what if I said I agree?\"\n\n\"You're pretty combative, aren't you?\"\n\n\"And you probably prefer your women a lot more docile. Docile women don't make the newspapers.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "With her book in hand, Teresa walked to the door." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His tall frame blocked her exit, but he stepped aside. Looking up into his cool eyes, she stopped. \"Thanks for carrying me to bed last night. Nice meeting you.\" And she left the room.\n\nMadison watched her go, not pleased with this first encounter with the lady outlaw Teresa July. Contrary to Miss Wild West's statement, he didn't prefer his women docile, but he didn't like smart-mouthed ones either, especially living with his mother.\n\nBack upstairs in her room, Teresa put the book on the nightstand and wondered how much influence Madison Nance had over his mother. Was it enough to influence her continued stay in the Nance home? In her youth, she had never worried about the consequences of being flippant or crude or smart-mouthed. Anyone taking offense could always challenge her to step outside." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Prison changed that—somewhat. She'd learned early on that talking back to the matrons or complaining about the conditions got you nothing but a hard way to go." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She'd been denied food, beaten, and forced to sleep outside in the cold for so many nights that first year she'd almost died of pneumonia. Now, wiser but no less spirited, she wondered if the pretty boy downstairs would go tattling to his mama about her less than deferential responses. Although Madison Nance looked to be more of a man than that, one could never tell.\n\nIn the end, she decided that if Mrs. Nance decided she had to go, she'd leave this nice room and the lady's nice house without a fuss. Being here had been like stepping into a fairy tale, but because she knew women like herself weren't allowed in fairy tales, she'd take this one day, store it away in her heart, and move on.\n\nDownstairs, Madison was indeed tattling, but on himself. He'd told his mother about his run-in with her charge and how it ended. \"I suppose I jumped to conclusions.\"\n\n\"Sounds like she put you in your place, though.\"\n\n\"She did indeed, and I must tell you, I wasn't pleased.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's because every female you've ever known has licked your boots instead of boxing your ears.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 8 sentences." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'better' 2 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A smile crossed his handsome face. \"Quite true, but you understand why I was suspicious of her actions?\"\n\nHis mother nodded, \"I do. She did steal the railroads blind, but she has promised me those days are over, and I intend to take her at her word.\"\n\nMadison didn't hide his skepticism. \"You're going to take the word of a train robber?\"\n\n\"It's better than taking the word of a tinhorn,\" Teresa drawled as she entered the book-lined room. She didn't see Mrs. Nance's surprised smile, she was too busy glaring at her son. She reckoned that if she were going to be asked to leave, she'd better get her licks in now." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write 2 sentences sentences in the style of Beverly Jenkins spawning from what the user wrote, within the romance, historical fiction, 1890s, US, African American genre. This is part of a longer narrative where characters and events may have prior context." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Following Monday morning's breakfast, Mrs. Nance said to Teresa, \"I promised I'd find you something to do, and I have. Come with me.\"\n\nA grateful Teresa followed her into the room next door to Mrs. Nance's bedroom." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa stared around the interior, slack-jawed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The place was a mess. There were fabrics, threads, ribbons, dress forms, and every other kind of item connected to sewing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The room was a riot of color, and so crammed full of stuff, it took her a moment or two to see the twin sewing machines hidden beneath all the clutter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is—or was—my shop,\" Mrs. Nance said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'd like to be able to sew in here again, but as you can see, I can barely turn around without tripping over something.\"\n\nBolts of colored fabric were stacked against the walls, and the floor was littered with pins, paper patterns, and ribbon snips." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa had been expecting physical work like washing windows or scrubbing floors, not this." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Mrs. Nance, I don't know the first thing about cleaning up a sewing room.\"\n\n\"But I do, and between the two of us, it shouldn't take long.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa was skeptical, but she and Mrs. Nance dove in." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Items that were damaged or no longer usable were piled outside in the hallway. The stack grew so high that Teresa went to retrieve the empty rubbish barrels from the back porch." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After the first barrel was filled to the top, Mrs. Nance instructed her to take it outside and set it by the road so it could be emptied by the rubbish man, who was scheduled to come by the next day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Carrying the heavy barrel down the stairs, Teresa got her foot wedged in the hem of her skirt and almost fell downstairs. After cursing the skirt and righting herself, she moved on." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Back upstairs, Mrs. Nance had unearthed a trunk filled with a beautiful array of silk fabric." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Seated on a short stool, she was going through the trunk with such melancholy eyes that Teresa asked, \"What's wrong?\"\n\n\"Oh nothing,\" she sighed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I've just been saving this silk for years.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa walked over and squatted next to her. \"Why?\"\n\n\"For Madison's wife.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa was shocked. \"You didn't say he had an intended.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's because he doesn't.\"\n\nTeresa didn't understand. \"I'm confused.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't be, dear. The contents of this trunk represent the dream of a silly old woman who wants a daughter-in-law. I had hoped to one day be able to sew for her, but it doesn't look like my son will ever marry.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why not?\" Teresa already had an answer. His tendency to be overbearing and arrogant didn't make him an ideal catch at least in her mind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Can't find the right woman, I suppose.\"\n\n\"Has he been looking?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She thought about Millie Cummings and wondered why he hadn't married her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He's had various lady friends over the years, and many—like Millie—set their caps for him, but none of the relationships led anywhere. Lately, there's been a very disagreeable young woman named Paula Wade running after him. I'm glad he's not giving her the time of day, but I think my son is more interested in accumulating greenbacks than a wife.\"\n\n\"If this Paula isn't real likable, maybe going after greenbacks is better.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I agree. I'd hate to have her in the family, but there doesn't seem to be anyone else on the horizon. If I don't get some grandchildren soon, I'll be too old to spoil them.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa was amused. \"I'm sure it'll all work out, ma'am.\"\n\n\"I do hope so.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Does he know about this trunk?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, and I don't want him to. He'll think it's silly.\"\n\nTeresa thought the sentiment behind the silk quite sweet and that Mrs. Nance would make a wonderful mother-in-law." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She couldn't imagine any woman crazy enough to marry Madison Nance, though, but kept that opinion to herself.\n\nThey went back to work." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was soon enough discarded items to fill the second rubbish barrel." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This time, Teresa managed to get the barrel outside without the hem of her skirt flinging her down the stairs.\n\nShe'd just put the barrel down next to the other one when a fancy black carriage drove up." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The gray horse appeared old and tired, but the young Black man driving looked real proper in his blue livery with big gold buttons." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the seat behind him were two women; one young, one not. They were fashionably dressed in the fancy gowns and veil-draped, wide-brimmed hats city women sported." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Aided by the driver's hand, the women stepped down." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The older woman's blue gown fit like someone had forced twenty pounds of potatoes into a ten pound sack. \"Are you with Mrs. Nance's household?\" she asked Teresa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Please run and tell her that Miss Paula Wade and Mrs. Daphne Carter are here to visit. Thank you.\"\n\nThe tone was the dismissive one used for servants, and Teresa wasn't pleased at all." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She assumed the young woman was the same Paula Wade trying to rope Madison, but she had no clue as to who Mrs. Carter might be." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because the older woman could be a close friend of Mrs. Nance, and Teresa didn't want to offend her benefactor, she turned and walked back to the house without being rude. Dressed in her too large skirt, second-hand blouse, and well-worn brogans, she supposed she did look like the help." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Just then Mrs. Nance appeared on the porch." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was carrying a broken dress form.\n\n\"Guests,\" Teresa told her, taking the form from her mentor's hands." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Upon recognizing the two women coming up the walk, Mrs. Nance sighed unhappily, \"More like, pests.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa grinned. She was liking Molly Nance a lot.\n\nCarrying the form out to the street, she heard Mrs. Nance say behind her, \"Daphne and Paula. To what do I owe this pleasure?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We were in the area,\" Mrs. Carter trilled, \"and thought we'd stop and visit.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I really hadn't planned on entertaining callers today, but please, come in.\"\n\nTeresa decided to reenter the house through the back door in order not to disturb the women's visit, but when she entered the kitchen, Mrs. Nance was there, putting small cakes on a platter and grumbling beneath her breath, \"Apparently, proper etiquette has gone out of the window. You do not show up at someone's door just out of the blue.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is this the same Paula Wade you told me about earlier?\" Teresa asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes. The other woman is her aunt Daphne.\" Mrs. Nance opened the icebox and took out the pitcher of lemonade Emma prepared each morning." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If they want fancier refreshments, they are free to seek it elsewhere.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa picked up the tray of cakes from the counter. \"You go on ahead. I'll bring this and come back and get the lemonade.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank you, dear. Now give me a moment to plaster on my smile and we'll go.\"\n\nHiding her amusement, Teresa followed Mrs. Nance to the parlor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Mrs. Nance took a seat on the settee and began to make small talk, Teresa set the tray of cakes down on a small table, then went back to the kitchen to retrieve the lemonade.\n\nTeresa returned and had no sooner placed the pitcher down when Paula Wade said in the same cool tone her aunt had used earlier, \"Just a small portion, please. Sweet drinks don't go well with my skin.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa looked her up and down. The girl was beautiful, but Teresa didn't like her attitude or her smugness, so she poured just enough lemonade in the glass to wet the bottom. \"Here you go.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa turned to Mrs. Nance, \"Would you like some too?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Molly's amusement was plain. \"Yes, dear.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Paula was staring at the minuscule portion in her glass as if she were frozen in place. She swung her attention to Teresa, now pouring for Mrs. Carter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa met Paula's icy stare. \"Problem?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well yes. I'd like a bit more, please.\"\n\n\"You and your skin sure?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Paula's eyes narrowed. \"Yes, we are.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa poured until the glass was half full, then set the pitcher down. The aunt was shooting daggers her way, but Teresa ignored her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do you need me for anything else, Mrs. Nance? If not, I'll head back up to work.\"\n\n\"Have a seat please, dear. We can finish later.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mrs. Nance responded with that look, so Teresa sat.\n\nDaphne Carter said haughtily, \"I know you consider yourself very progressive, Molly, but our visit is with you, not with your servant.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She's a cousin, Daphne. Her name is Tamar. Apologize.\"\n\nDaphne startled. \"I'm sorry. She doesn't look—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Molly's brittle gaze stopped Daphne in mid-speech." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My apologies,\" she offered Teresa hastily.\n\n\"Thanks.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mrs. Nance's voice was wintry as December. \"You and I never pay social calls on each other, Daphne, so there must be a reason for this interruption of my day. My son, perhaps?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa had no idea Mrs. Nance could be so lethal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She wanted to cheer.\n\n\"This was all my idea, Mrs. Nance,\" Paula confessed in her Memphis-accented voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We stopped by the bank so that I could tell him how sorry I am for embarrassing him at my party, but his secretary refused to announce us. I was hoping you'd intervene on my behalf.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hasn't Madison told you that he doesn't wish to be pestered while working?\"\n\n\"Well, yes, but—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Did he say this to you in a foreign tongue?\"\n\n\"No ma'am, it was in English.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa hid her laugh with a faked coughing fit." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Sorry,\" she offered, napkin covering her mouth.\n\nMrs. Nance's interrogation continued." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Then why do you persist, Paula?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I just want to say I'm sorry.\"\n\n\"Ah,\" Mrs. Nance replied knowingly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Then I shall let him know you stopped by and apologized. I'm sure that will be sufficient.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The girl whined, \"But I want to speak with him personally.\"\n\nMrs. Nance didn't bother hiding her irritation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Daphne quickly placed a quelling hand on Paula's arm." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm sure you'll see him soon, niece. Now, let's leave Mrs. Nance and her cousin to enjoy the rest of their day.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She stood, and the surly-faced Paula grudgingly followed suit.\n\nDaphne said to Teresa, \"It was a pleasure meeting you, Tamar.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Same here.\"\n\nHer niece said nothing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. Nance walked them to the door, and after their exit, closed it firmly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa drawled, \"Interesting pair.\"\n\n\"Not half as interesting as they think,\" she replied, then did a mincing imitation of Paula." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"'No, ma'am. It was in English.'\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa's laughter erupted.\n\n\"Simpering little nitwit. No man in his right mind will marry that girl. Come on, let's see how much more we can get done upstairs before luncheon.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "They accomplished quite a bit." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "By the time Emma came up to announce that lunch was ready, the room was in much better order. It was not finished by a long shot, but at least the floor could now be seen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At about three that afternoon, a messenger from the telegraph office arrived." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. Nance gave the young man a few pennies for a tip, then handed the envelope to Teresa, who tore it open and read:" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "WE ARE SO PLEASED WITH YOUR NEWS. WILL WRITE TO YOU SOON." }, { "from": "human", "value": "WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH. NEIL AND OLIVIA." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tears stung her eyes. Dashing them away with the back of her hand, she wished she didn't have to wait another year to see them again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. Nance appeared to have read her mind, and said in a soft voice, \"You'll see them soon. The year will pass quickly.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "While incarcerated, Teresa hadn't allowed herself to even think about being reunited with her family because it was too painful, but now, as three years of pent-up emotions rose up and grabbed her, she thought her heart might burst. \"Do you mind if I go sit in my room for a spell?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Go right ahead. I'll let you know when supper's ready.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thanks,\" she whispered.\n\nUpstairs in her room, Teresa sat down on the bed, clutched the telegram close to her heart and let the tears run unhindered down her cheeks." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The First Community Bank was founded by Madison and a small group of investors three years ago because the White-owned banks downtown eschewed the savings of the poor people in the city." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The banks' reasons were both racial and economic; they saw little value in maintaining accounts that held the five dollar savings of a domestic worker or the twenty dollars belonging to a hotel doorman.\n\nTraditionally the race avoided banks anyway." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Many folks preferred to secret their savings in mattresses, pillowcases, or in the city's well-run benevolent societies." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The failure of the Freedman's Bank during Reconstruction had wiped out the hard-earned savings and pensions of its Black investors, leaving them with nothing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now they were wary of financial institutions of any kind.\n\nThat wariness had even applied to Madison's establishment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Trying to convince people that their money would be safe had been difficult at first, but he'd found salvation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The fifty-five Negro churches in and around the city had over twelve thousand members and took in roughly $94,000 a year in income. Madison and his staff had spent months, and in a few cases years, wooing the various reverends and pastors in an effort to convince them to commit their funds to the bank for safekeeping." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the end, some had, but others had not.\n\nHe was grateful for those who had because their funds allowed him to make loans in the community to small businesses and entrepreneurs who were given short shrift by the downtown banks." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Across the nation, the number of banks owned by men of color could be counted on one hand." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Most were modest operations like First Community, but all served a noble purpose.\n\n\"Thank you, Mr. Nance,\" the heavyset woman seated on the other side of his desk said with heart-felt emotion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He'd just approved the loan she'd applied for to buy the house next door to her home." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She planned to lease out the space to supplement the income she brought in as a hairdresser." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had loaned money to her before, and she'd always repaid her notes in a timely manner, so Madison considered her a good risk.\n\n\"Glad I could help you, Mrs. Randana. Now you can begin advertising for tenants.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I already have a couple in mind. He's a waiter, and she takes in wash. I met them through my church. You've given me a blessing that I can now pass on to them. Thank you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He nodded and stood to escort her out of his office." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They walked to the front door, and after thanking him again, she left smiling.\n\nMartin Tate, Madison's secretary, was seated at his desk set up outside of Madison's office door." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After her departure, he said with a grin, \"Mrs. Randana is going to wind up owning half the Seventh Ward if the city isn't careful. Isn't this her fifth house?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, it is. She's a good landlord. We could use more like her in the Seventh Ward.\"\n\nTate, a recent Howard College graduate, was efficient, hardworking, and smart." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison, who prided himself on the ability to quickly compute numbers in his head, was often left in the dust by the speed of the younger man's mind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison looked at the watch attached to his vest. \"We may as well close up for the day. It's past four. I'll see you in the morning.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Have a good evening, sir.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After Tate's departure Madison straightened his desk then grabbed his hat and headed for the door. Two new accounts had been added today." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The downtown banks would sniff at such small pickings, but he did not." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Each new account helped keep his doors open." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Outside, the hustle and bustle of the Seventh Ward surrounded him. The Seventh was the traditional home of Philadelphia's Negro population." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It held their homes, businesses, triumphs, and tragedies, but the ward was changing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Folks with the economic means were slowly moving away and into wards of the city that had been closed to the race when Madison was growing up. Left behind were the poor and those who had no plans to move, like Madison, his mother, and other descendants of the Seventh's original settlers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Crime was rising, and young men unable to find employment because of Jim Crow and a lack of education and training were loitering in doorways, drinking and shooting dice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Portions of the neighborhoods were now slums, but the Seventh continued to be vibrant and alive. There were still more Negro business owners there than anywhere else in the city, and most residents were employed and owned their own property." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison's years as a gambler had been lucrative ones; he could afford to live anywhere, but he chose the Seventh because it was his home." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was just stepping into his buggy when someone called his name. He turned and saw Dawson Richards, a ward boss for the Republican Party, walking toward him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Always impeccably dressed, the handsome mulatto had come to Philadelphia from New Orleans a few years ago, but in that short time had risen to the top of the party's ladder by ruthless intimidation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now however there was a broad smile on his face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How's business, Nance?\" he asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No complaints,\" Madison replied.\n\nRichards's ties to corruption and illegalities made him a pariah among the honest Negro men of the city, but invaluable to the political machine that employed him because of the impressive numbers of voters he and his henchmen were known to command." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I hear your bank's doing rather well.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is there something in particular you wanted to discuss, Richards? If not, I need to get home.\"\n\n\"Just wanted to let you know that the party could use an influential and respected man like yourself.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Neither of which I would be once my name became linked to the party's, so thank you, but no thanks.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Who watches your bank at night when it's closed? Crime being what it is in the area, I'd hate to have something happen to your building.\"\n\nMadison met the man's hazel eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The unveiled threat didn't sit well." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That would be a pity, wouldn't it? But I don't worry about it, and neither should you. Should something damaging happen, I've associates in the wards who'd make it their life's work to find the perpetrators and teach them the error of their ways.\"\n\nRichards stilled." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison got into his buggy and took up the reins." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Satisfied that his point had been made, he said, \"Good evening, Richards.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And without waiting for a reply, he drove off.\n\nMadison made his way through the thick traffic and tried to curtail his anger." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Before leaving for Boston tomorrow, he'd make arrangements to have the building watched after hours." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If someone so much as dropped a piece of paper in front of the door, he wanted to know about it. Whether Richards had been bluffing or not, he didn't have the luxury of ignoring him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Too much was at stake. His customers were counting on him to safeguard their savings, and he took that trust seriously." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With his plan formed, Madison put aside Richards's threat and set out for his mother's house." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He wanted to say good-bye before his trip tomorrow, and hoped to finagle dinner out of her too." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yesterday's meal with Millie Cummings had been disastrous. Millie had many skills, but none related to the kitchen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He hadn't eaten anything of substance today, and as a result he was starving." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Paying his mother a visit meant having to see Teresa July too, and he wondered which Teresa she'd be today. Whichever personality she presented, he hoped she remembered they were still under truce, because he was in no mood for her sass." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa finished writing her letter to Olivia and Neil and placed it in the envelope. Both the writing paper and envelope were scented, but she was sure Olivia wouldn't mind." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Emma had offered to take the envelope to the post office when she did her errands tomorrow, so Teresa left her room to take it downstairs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Not finding Emma in the kitchen, she went in search of Mrs. Nance, who was in the parlor talking with her son." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Teresa entered, he stood up. No man had ever done that before and it threw her, but she managed to keep her voice even." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Evening, Madison. How are you?\"\n\n\"Well, and you?\" His brown eyes held her black ones." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Can't complain.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had on yet another brown suit, this one as impeccably tailored as the others. She looked at his generous mouth with its tempting mustache and wondered if it was possible for him to be better looking than he'd been yesterday." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She decided to chalk it up to her imagination, but the palm of her right hand began to tingle, bringing back their encounter outside the church.\n\nRattled even more, she turned away from his amused but steady gaze and gave her attention to Mrs. Nance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Um, here's my letter. I didn't see Emma in the kitchen, but she said she'd post it for me tomorrow.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She has the evening off. Just set it there on the mantel and I'll make sure she takes care of it.\"\n\nTeresa placed the envelope on the mantel and turned to leave the room and escape the disquieting power of Madison Nance, only to have his mother say, \"Please stay and join us, Teresa.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She didn't want to, but having no legitimate reason to turn down the request, she sat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I was just telling Madison about the progress we're making upstairs on the sewing room.\"\n\nMadison got the distinct impression that Miss Wild West was as aware of him as he was of her and that she had no idea what to do about it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Surely she couldn't be an innocent? \"Do you sew, Miss July?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa snorted. \"Not a stitch.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Might be a good time to learn,\" he pointed out, wondering why he felt drawn to her when he didn't even like the woman.\n\nNot sure what was happening either, Teresa pulled away from his assessing eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Your mother thinks so too. Maybe if I do learn, I can make me a pair of leathers. I'm not real comfortable in these skirts.\"\n\n\"Why not?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I keep getting my foot caught in the hem. Skirts may be okay for other women, but this getup's not real practical for someone like me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You didn't wear skirts out West.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Of course not. You can't walk the top of a moving train wearing one of these. All this fabric blowing around get you killed.\"\n\nMrs. Nance looked confused." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Walk the top of a train?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes. Sometimes, to sneak up on the conductor, we'd run along the top of the train so he wouldn't know we were coming.\"\n\n\"While it's moving?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes ma'am. It's pretty hard to do that these days, though. Trains move so fast now, it's hard to catch up to one and board it like we used to.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Isn't that dangerous?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Can be. I fell off one a few years back, busted my arm. First time I walked a train I was scared to death, but by the third or fourth time, it was fun. Got to be good at it too.\"\n\nThe sincerity of her boast made Madison shake his head and contemplate what he might do with the one hundred dollars he was surely going to win from his mother." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No way was she going to turn this train walking cowgirl into a lady." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What's wrong?\" Teresa asked him.\n\n\"Nothing. Just astounded.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You must lead a pretty bland life if you find me astounding.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison saw the challenge twinkling in her eyes. \"You don't have a shy bone in your body, do you?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Last time I checked, no.\"\n\nTeresa's heart was beating too fast again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hastily turning away, she found Mrs. Nance viewing her with a secretive smile.\n\n\"Something wrong?\" Teresa asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Just pleased you two appear to have gotten past your differences.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We haven't, but we declared a truce so you wouldn't be upset by us going at each other.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Thank you for taking my feelings into consideration.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're welcome.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison was still trying to analyze why she was beginning to intrigue him so. As he'd noted yesterday, he certainly didn't find her physically attractive, but he enjoyed spirited women and maybe that was the reason." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa knew he was watching her, and she was as uncomfortable as a spinster in a whorehouse." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Why a suit-wearing, back East banker she didn't even like would be making her go all strange inside was not a question she had an answer for.\n\n\"So, Teresa,\" Mrs. Nance said, \"if I may be so rude to ask, did you really rob your first bank at fifteen?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa was glad to move her mind away from Madison. \"Yes, ma'am, and I was more scared than I was the first time I walked a train.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Really?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She nodded. \"I did it so my brothers would let me join the gang. They told me the only way they'd let me join was if I robbed a train or a bank. They were hoping the condition would scare me off. They didn't want me doing what they were doing, said it was no life for a girl, but I wanted to ride with them so bad my teeth ached.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In his head, Madison heard his mother's question echo: What would you have wanted to be? \"So what happened?\" he asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Found a little town outside of Denver, went in and announced I was robbing the place. I was shaking so bad my gun went off and I plugged the wall behind the teller. The poor man thought I was shooting at him so he gave me every coin they had.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How much did you get?\"\n\n\"Four dollars and thirty-six cents.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The memory was an amusing one." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Me and Cloud hid out for a few days, then went looking for my brothers.\"\n\n\"And Cloud is?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My stallion. He'd ride me into hell if I asked him. Had him since he was a foal…\" Her voice trailed off and she stared out, silent and unseeing for a few long moments. \"Miss him.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison and his mother shared a look.\n\nPulling herself away from the past, Teresa asked Madison with a false brightness, \"Are you still heading out to Boston?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, tomorrow.\" The remnants of pain lingering in her eyes touched him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I stopped by to tell Mother good-bye and to see if she'd feed me dinner tonight. I'm starving.\"\n\nHis mother drawled, \"After you tossed me over yesterday for a younger woman? I'm not sure I will.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I accepted Millie's invitation strictly as courtesy, Mother. To say that Millie can cook is like saying frogs can play poker. I had overdone corn bread and underdone roasted chicken. I could only guess at the origins of the rest of the burnt offerings on my plate. Any man marrying her will need to hire a cook.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And here I thought she was such a lovely girl,\" his mother replied.\n\n\"She is, if you're not hungry.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa had no idea why she was pleased to hear that the soft-handed Millie Cummings had flaws, but she was." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"So, now you're here begging me to feed you?\"\n\n\"On my knees if you'd like, Mother.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was a side of him Teresa hadn't seen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Who knew he had any humor in him at all, let alone this dry wit?\n\nBut in the end, Molly acquiesced, as everyone knew she would, and they all sat down at the dining room table to enjoy the leftover ham, vegetables, and yeast rolls from Sunday's dinner." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Afterward, Mrs. Nance announced, \"I have some letters to write, so Teresa, you can wash up the dishes, and Madison, you may dry. He can show you where the soap and the dish tub is kept.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa would have preferred to handle the task alone, but having no choice, she cleared the table and headed to the kitchen.\n\nFor the first few minutes they worked silently." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To Teresa, the kitchen felt small and the air in the room warmer than it should have been even on a summer evening." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She wanted to attribute it to the hot dishwater she had her hands in but knew it was a lie.\n\n\"Cat got your tongue?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison asked as he dried a plate and placed it atop the others that would be going back into the china cabinet in the parlor.\n\n\"No. Just got nothing to say.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ah.\"\n\nTeresa washed and then rinsed a glass." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is Millie your mistress?\"\n\nMadison stopped. \"I thought you had nothing to say?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She shrugged. \"Now I do.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And the reason for asking such a personal question?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Because I'm nosy. You can answer or not.\"\n\nShe had a swagger in her Madison had never seen in a woman before." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ever. \"She was at one time but isn't anymore. Anything else?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Nope.\" Teresa went back to her washing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "For unknown reasons, his answer pleased her as well." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Once the work was done and everything was put away, they left the kitchen to see if his mother was done with her letters. She was seated at the writing desk in her bedroom." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We're done, Mrs. Nance. I'm going to finish straightening out those ribbons now.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank you, Teresa. I'll be in to help in a moment.\"\n\nTeresa turned to Madison." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Have a good time in Boston.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll see you when I return.\"\n\nShe gave him a tight nod and left them alone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison was still pondering the conundrum of Teresa July when his mother asked, \"You two didn't fight, did you?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison answered truthfully, \"No.\"\n\n\"Good, go easy on her. I believe she's carrying a lot of hurt inside. Did you see the way she looked when she talked about her horse?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had, and the memory of her sadness rose unbidden." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I did.\" She appeared fragile one minute then rock hard the next.\n\n\"How awful it must be to be in a strange land so far away from everyone and everything you love.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"True, but the courts don't give out bags of peppermints for crimes like hers.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Must you always be so cynical?\"\n\n\"It's not cynicism. It's truth. You and I both had stock in some of the railroads she robbed.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Outside the door, Teresa was eavesdropping." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She'd wanted to hear what, if anything, they had to say about her after her departure. Mrs. Nance's support touched her heart." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison's words evoked different emotions." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was right, she had deserved her sentence, she just wished he'd stop enjoying it so much. Damn tinhorn!\n\nAfter Madison's departure, Mrs. Nance joined Teresa in the sewing room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What kind of child was Madison growing up?\" Teresa asked.\n\n\"Stubborn and incorrigible,\" Mrs. Nance said with a laugh." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If there was a line to cross, Madison would find it, just to see what was on the other side. When he was fourteen, he spent the entire summer confined to his room. The only place his father and I allowed him to go was to church.\"\n\n\"Why?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He and his best friend Benjamin Norton were picked up by the police during the raid of a gambling hall. They were supposed to be attending a night watch at Bethel.\"\n\n\"Really?\" So the tinhorn wasn't as holy as he appeared." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Most of the gray hair on my head was put there by my son. Between the gambling, the carousing, and the women, my husband and I didn't think he'd live to be twenty-five. I'm glad he's turned his life around, but he was a handful.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Later, ready for bed, Teresa doused the lamp and snuggled beneath the bedding." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lying there in the dark, the memory of Mrs. Nance's earlier words rose: I believe she's carrying a lot of hurt inside.\n\nYes, she was hurting, something powerful." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After reading Neil and Olivia's telegram, she wondered how they were doing, what they were doing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Had they talked to her half brother Two Shafts, and was he enjoying the home he'd built in the mountains? Did her mother Tamar still walk the earth or had she crossed over to the realm of the Ancestors?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa was indeed in a strange land, and her loved ones seemed a lifetime away." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For a few moments the pain of the separation began to rise but she beat it back. Pining wouldn't solve anything, she still had a year to go; so she turned over in the bed and made herself more comfortable under the fresh smelling sheets." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Closing her eyes, she slept." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Elsewhere, in another room, Madison doused his light. He was packed and ready for tomorrow's trip." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lying in bed in the dark, he thought about Teresa July." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His mother was right." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had spoken cynically. In the gambling days of his youth, he'd walked on the edge of the law more times than he cared to admit, so it was hypocritical to be so judgmental now. Making a mental note to get to know Teresa better when he returned from Boston, he turned over and closed his eyes." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Keep going w/ three sentences more. Note: Might reference existing chars" }, { "from": "human", "value": "For the rest of the week, Teresa and Mrs. Nance worked on the sewing room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they were finally done and had every pin, bobbin, and ribbon in place, they both stood back and admired the now clean and organized space.\n\n\"We make a very good team,\" Molly declared.\n\n\"Yes we do. Are you going to go back into business?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, and you're going to be my first customer.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't need any clothes.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Teresa, you're wearing hand-me-downs. Every woman needs new clothes. Skirts, blouses, gowns.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Gowns?\" Teresa frowned." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why on earth would I need a gown?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"For social outings.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa had no intention of attending any social outings, but Mrs. Nance seemed so entranced by her plan that she didn't have the heart to argue." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then again, Mrs. Nance had been so wonderful and caring, Teresa knew she would probably don a potato sack and dance a jig in the center of town if the lady asked her to." }, { "from": "human", "value": "So for the next two weeks, Teresa stood for fittings and Mrs. Nance sewed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Using her Singer sewing machine, she ran up enough blouses and skirts to keep Teresa well dressed for the time being. She decided to wait until Teresa's weight evened out before taking measurements for gowns. She wanted them to fit perfectly when the fall social season began." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They'd not heard from Madison. His mother wasn't worried about that, but every now and then she'd muse aloud about missing him. Teresa held no such feelings, or at least told herself that she didn't." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In addition to getting Teresa outfitted, they also began tackling the list of things Mrs. Nance thought she needed to master in order to have a successful rehabilitation and to make her more of a lady. Every morning, Teresa was required to scan the newspaper and read to Mrs. Nance the most interesting item she came across. Before going to jail, the only time Teresa picked up a newspaper was to see if any new bounties had been placed on her head and how much reward money was being offered for her capture." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reading to Mrs. Nance showed her that there was a lot more going on in the country and around the world than she thought. A man named Eugene Dubois was in Europe showing off an old skull he'd dug up. He'd named the thing Homo erectus but the papers were calling it \"the ape man of Java.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Another man, James Edward Keeler, had somehow figured out that the rings around Saturn didn't rotate together, and a Russian scientist named Konstantin Tsiolkovsky believed that in the future, liquid fuel would be used to send vehicles up to the stars." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa shook her head at that.\n\nShe was also required to read the slew of Negro newspapers that Mrs. Nance subscribed to in order to keep up with the state of the race and the ongoing national battle between the Radicals and the Conservatives led by the powerful Booker T. Washington. As far as Teresa could tell, Washington was winning hands down." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From the Cleveland Gazette to the Washington Bee, he was criticized for his opinions and leadership, but when President Grover Cleveland needed the names of men of color to appoint to jobs, he consulted Washington." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "White charities that wanted to give to Negro causes funneled their funds into the programs and schools he designated. For now, the nation considered him the chief spokesman for the race, and all the Radicals could do in response was fume.\n\nLearning to sew was harder than learning to walk a train, however." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa didn't have the necessary patience." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For the past few days, she'd been practicing sewing seams with little success. Instead of the small, tight, uniform stitches Mrs. Nance had started the seam off with, Teresa's finishing stitches were oversized, out of line, and loose.\n\nMrs. Nance was now studying her work silently." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa knew it wasn't very good, but felt the need to defend herself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What difference does it make if they're not tiny like yours? The two pieces of fabric stay together.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. Nance peered down at her through the sewing spectacles perched low on the bridge of her nose, silently letting Teresa know she wasn't buying the excuse." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Suppose going back to prison hinged on you being able to sew a decent seam?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa's lips thinned." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mrs. Nance waited.\n\nGrumbling, Teresa took the fabric from her mentor's hand and ripped out the stitches. Cursing silently, she picked up the threaded needle and started over. Again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thanks to Emma's cooking, Teresa was starting to flesh her out, and the more she ate, the more Emma prepared. Teresa knew she wouldn't be restored to her former self overnight, but by the end of those first two weeks, when she looked at herself in the mirror, her reflection was no longer frightening. She'd stopped resembling a fledgling now that her thick black hair was growing out, and her ebony skin was beginning to reclaim its luster." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At breakfast that morning, Mrs. Nance said to her, \"My friend Rebecca has a horse farm. Would you like to go riding? I know you must miss it.\"\n\nTeresa's smile lit up the room. \"How soon can we leave?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Whenever you're ready.\"\n\nAn hour later they were on their way. Mrs. Nance was behind the reins of the buggy, and they were soon traveling down a quiet country road." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa relished being out of doors. \"I'm still getting used to how green everything here in the East is. Back home it's all browns and reds.\"\n\n\"Is it beautiful?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "CONSTRAINT: Include 'beauty' 3 time(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh yes, ma'am, but it's a different beauty than here.\"\n\n\"How so?\"\n\n\"The beauty here is lush. Back home it's stark, almost harsh, but it's beauty just the same.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'd like to visit the West someday.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'd get a kick out of showing you around. Ever seen a desert?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"In the spring when the cactus blooms, it's enough to take your breath away.\"\n\n\"Then I shall be sure to see the desert when I come.\"\n\nThe horse farm of Miller and Rebecca Constantine had been in their family for over a hundred years, and was situated on five hundred acres about an hour's drive outside of the city." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Rebecca and I have been friends since childhood,\" Mrs. Nance told her. \"She's smart, opinionated, and very eccentric, and I love her like a sister.\"\n\n\"Never had a friend like that.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Good friends can help you through the rough patches of life, and Rebecca has always been there to offer a hand when I needed one.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They were entering the fenced-in property and when Teresa caught her first glimpse of some of the Constantines' fine-looking stock, she found it hard to contain her excitement. There were comely mares, proud stallions, and knobby kneed foals. The sight was so moving, tears stung her eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She discreetly dashed them away.\n\n\"She and Miller breed racehorses for the wealthy planters in Kentucky,\" Mrs. Nance was saying. \"Some of the richest men in the country buy from the Constantine farms.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Off to her right, Teresa saw a young man on a long striding stallion that reminded her of Cloud. Watching the horse and rider eat up the ground before disappearing from sight made her hands itch to hold a pair of reins. She prayed the Constantines had a suitable mount." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The woman who stepped off the wide porch of the large white house to greet their arrival had enough paint on her face to be a circus clown." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Unlike Mrs. Nance, who wore her graying hair pulled back into a fashionable knot that rested demurely on her neck, the woman now waiting for them to get out of the buggy had on a red wig that matched the rouge on her cheeks." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mrs. Nance made the introductions. \"Rebecca Constantine…Teresa July.\"\n\nRebecca threw open her arms and gave Teresa a big hug. \"Welcome, my dear. You've no idea how long I've wanted to meet you. I've followed your adventures in the paper religiously. Here in the East we can't get enough of the Wild West.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa had been so busy taking in the woman's makeup, she'd failed to see the leather trousers Rebecca was wearing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Unlike the black pairs Teresa had worn back home, Mrs. Constantine's were brown." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa liked her immediately.\n\nNoting Teresa's scrutiny, Rebecca asked, \"Do they look authentic?\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am, they sure do.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She clapped her hands with glee. \"Oh, wonderful. I was hoping they were at least close to the genuine article.\"\n\n\"Right on the money.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Rebecca grinned. \"Come inside, you two. Molly, thanks for bringing her out. What a great way to start my day.\"\n\nSharing a smiling, they followed Rebecca inside.\n\nOnce they were settled into the parlor, Rebecca brought in some refreshments, and while they drank punch and ate little cakes, Rebecca asked Teresa, \"Is Molly treating you well?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes ma'am. Just like kin.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Good. Molly is known for her generous hospitality.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why thank you, Becky,\" Molly said, then asked, \"Where's Miller?\"\n\n\"He went up to the convention in Boston.\"\n\n\"So did Madison. Ida Wells Barnett is supposed to be speaking. She's doing us ladies proud with her fiery attacks on the lynchings.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That she is. I was so impressed when she spoke here last year. What a crowd she drew.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa asked, \"Who is she?\"\n\n\"One of the most progressive women journalists in the country,\" Molly informed her, \"and she's a woman of color.\"\n\nRebecca added, \"So progressive the bigots in her home town of Memphis burned her out and she was forced to flee. A few years before that she sued one of the transportation companies there for their Jim Crow practices, and won.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Then lost after the company appealed, of course, but she's a true crusader.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Sounds like my kind of woman,\" Teresa said approvingly.\n\n\"Ours as well.\"\n\nAs the women continued to talk about Ida Wells, Teresa discreetly scanned the windows for a glimpse of more horses." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Noticing, Mrs. Nance apologized, \"Teresa dear, I'm sorry. You didn't come with me to listen to two old hens talk politics. Rebecca, she needs a horse so she can go riding.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Rebecca brightened. \"Well, Molly, why didn't you say so? Come, Miss July, I have the perfect mount.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "And the stallion Hannibal was perfect, Teresa thought as the two of them thundered across the countryside." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "According to Mrs. Constantine, Hannibal had won many races down in Kentucky, but now that those years were behind him, he was back with the Constantines as a stud. Teresa was in heaven atop the powerful animal. Rebecca had sent one of the young grooms along to make sure she didn't get thrown or lost, but Teresa didn't need a duenna." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was certain the stallion would know his way back to the barn when it came time to return home, so she urged to Hannibal to show her his stuff and they soon left the groom behind.\n\nShe rode and rode and rode. Tired of cursing her skirt, she rolled up the hem until the yards of fabric were around her waist and tucked it into the waistband." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her legs encased in black cotton stockings were now free and she was able to ride the way she preferred." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The horse seemed to be enjoying the adventure as much as Teresa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She knew horses well enough to sense how much Hannibal loved to run, so she let him have his head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Since he knew the terrain better than she, all she had to do was lean low and let him carry her where he wanted, and when she saw where they were headed, she yelled with joy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The land ahead was flat as the Kansas plains for as far as she could see. The evenness of the terrain meant Hannibal could go all out, and when she felt his powerful muscles bulge against her knees, she knew that's what he was about to do.\n\nTeresa was ecstatic. This was the closest she'd come to riding since she and Cloud were brought down by the posse back in Arizona." }, { "from": "human", "value": "All she could hear was Hannibal's thundering hooves and her own breathing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It crossed her mind that while she was out here riding, she could turn the animal west and head home." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It would be hours before anyone guessed what had happened." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The old Teresa wouldn't have thought twice about it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She'd have stolen this fine animal from Mrs. Constantine and thumbed her nose at Mrs. Nance's many kindnesses because the ends would have justified the means; home was the only place she wanted to be, and she knew instinctively that this beautiful horse could get her there." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But she was a different Teresa now, and the idea of sneaking off and breaking Mrs. Nance's heart in the process didn't sit well. Not to mention the crow Molly would have to eat when her son found out. Teresa refused to give him the satisfaction of telling his mother, \"I told you so!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Vestiges of the nineteen-year-old hothead she used to be were alive and well, but they'd been tempered by the maturity forced upon her by incarceration, so she shook off thoughts of escaping home and enjoyed the ground-shaking ride." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We'll I'll be. Would you look at that!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Driving the buggy, Madison turned his head in the direction Miller Constantine was pointing and saw a rider bent low over a fast moving horse." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why, that's Hannibal,\" Miller exclaimed. \"Who's that riding him? Doesn't look like one of my grooms.\"\n\nMadison could see the horse and rider heading toward the road the buggy was on and traveling at a tremendous pace." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What's he wearing on his legs?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A confused Miller turned to Madison as if seeking an answer.\n\n\"I've no idea.\"\n\nAs the horse and rider approached, the men were unable to take their eyes off the pair." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Whoever he is, he's riding like a bat out of hell,\" Miller added in a voice laced with admiration and excitement. \"Look at that form.\"\n\nBy now the horse was on the road, only a few yards behind the buggy and closing fast." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison had to admit the rider and horse did appear to be fused. As the rider's features became clearer, his jaw dropped. Teresa July!\n\n\"Why, it's a girl!\" Miller gasped." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sure enough, as the horse drew closer, Madison got a good look at the rider's face and it was all the verification he needed. Why in the hell is she riding around with her legs bared that way?\n\nAs she and the horse hurdled by, her face was such a study of gleeful concentration, Madison couldn't tell for certain if she even saw him or not." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He, however, had no difficulty spying the shapely legs encased in the dark stockings, and the startling sight of her comely behind moving up and down as the horse headed away from the buggy and up the road.\n\n\"Let's go, Madison! I want to find out who she is!\" Miller urged.\n\nThe tight-jawed Madison already knew her identity, so he slapped down the reins and got the buggy moving again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa righted her clothing when she got within sight of the house, and after dismounting and giving the spirited stallion a grateful hug, she turned the reins over to the waiting groom, then joined the smiling Rebecca and Molly on the porch.\n\n\"How was it?\" Molly asked.\n\nAn ecstatic Teresa sat down on the lip of the porch and stretched out flat on her back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Wonderful. Miss Rebecca, I believe I'm in love with Hannibal.\"\n\n\"You'll have to fight the mares for him, dear.\"\n\nTeresa chuckled. \"What a prized animal. I see why he won all those races. He can fly like the wind.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<EMBED THIS>>: \"He was slowing us down. Hannibal and I didn't need hand holding.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Molly said, \"We were concerned when the groom returned alone.\"\n\n\"He was slowing us down. Hannibal and I didn't need hand holding.\"\n\nThen Teresa met Molly's eyes and confessed, \"I have to admit that once we took off, I did play with the idea of stealing Hannibal and heading home, but I didn't want to disappoint you. Not after all you've done for me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Molly and Rebecca shared a look.\n\nTeresa added, \"Thought about you having to eat crow for your son too. Didn't want that to happen either.\"\n\nMolly's feelings were in her eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I appreciate that, Teresa. He'd never let me live that down.\"\n\n\"I know.\"\n\nWhen a buggy pulled up in front of the house, Teresa sat up, and Rebecca said, \"Speak of the devil. Here comes Madison and Miller now.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She hurried off the porch to greet her husband, while Madison pulled Miller's luggage out of the back of the buggy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa suddenly remembered the buggy she and Hannibal passed back on the road. She'd been too busy enjoying herself to pay any attention to the occupants. Had it been them?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Had Madison seen how unladylike she'd been riding? It was a pretty safe bet he had if he'd been in that particular buggy. It was also a safe bet that he hadn't approved." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Miller stepped up on the porch and greeted Molly with a smile before asking his wife, \"Who was the girl riding Hannibal?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Rebecca gestured to the now standing Teresa. \"Miller meet Teresa.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That was you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, sir.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The silent Madison was taken aback by the startling change in her physical appearance. She was downright beautiful.\n\nMiller went on, \"You were riding so well, thought you were a man with some kind of black stuff on your legs.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Molly's forehead creased with confusion. \"Black stuff?\"\n\nMadison, studying Teresa with his arms folded, drawled, \"Yes, Mother. Your charge was riding across the countryside with her skirt hiked up and her legs out.\"\n\nMolly swung surprised eyes Teresa's way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Tattletale,\" Teresa groused. \"You ever tried riding a horse in a skirt?\"\n\n\"No, but well brought up ladies do it all the time.\"\n\n\"Since I am neither, why should I care?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Next time you're riding like a hellion,\" Madison countered, \"try thinking about Mother's reputation, since you obviously don't care about your own.\"\n\n\"And you might think about minding your own damn business.\"\n\nMrs. Nance tried to nip the escalating battle in the bud." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Children. We're guests. You can fight when we get home. What happened to the truce?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa grumbled under her breath, \"Tinhorn.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I heard that.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good. Tinhorn!\"\n\n\"Call me that again and I'll paddle your behind.\"\n\n\"Touch me and you'll wake up in the middle of next week. Tinhorn!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He advanced, and before Teresa could react, he snatched her up against his chest, looked down into her furious eyes, and kissed her. Really kissed her. And he did it so well and so deliciously she forgot to sock him and melted right there on the spot.\n\nWhen he turned her loose, her insides felt like butter." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Now, I'm going home,\" he stated firmly. Nodding terse good-byes to his startled mother and her friend, Madison strode to his buggy, set the horse in motion and drove away. Only when he'd driven off did he smile." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That ought to give her something to think about." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The still stunned Teresa watched him depart. Her lips were still stinging from his forceful kiss, but not in a bad way. She turned startled eyes to Mrs. Nance. \"He kissed me!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, he did, dear.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The irrepressible Rebecca asked, \"Was it a good one?\"\n\n\"Yeah!\" But upon hearing herself, Teresa declared, \"No!\"\n\nMrs. Nance's soft chuckling didn't help matters." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa seethed. \"Next time I see him I'm going to kick his tail from here to Tucson!\"\n\nMiller was staring. \"Do you have a last name, young woman?\"\n\n\"Yes, sir. July. Name's Teresa July.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His eyes went even wider." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Teresa July! The outlaw?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa tore her eyes away from Madison's disappearing buggy. \"Yes, sir.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My lord. Molly, did you know that?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, Miller. She's staying with me for the next year.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He looked as stunned as Teresa had after Madison's bold kiss." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No wonder you were riding Hannibal that way. Well, welcome to my farm!\" And he stuck out his hand.\n\nTeresa shook it. \"Thanks, sir. Do you mind if I come out and ride once in a while?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Of course not. Come every day, if you care to. Do you know how famous you are?\"\n\nRebecca took her husband by the arm. \"Come on inside, Miller, before you forget you're married to me and propose to the girl.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "CONSTRAINT: Include 'teresa' 2 time(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Molly laughed. \"We should get going. Are you ready, Teresa?\"\n\nShe nodded.\n\n\"Becky, Teresa and I will be back in a few days.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'thanks' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We'll be here. And Hannibal will be too, Teresa.\"\n\n\"Thanks, ma'am. Nice meeting you and your husband. Thanks for letting me ride.\"\n\n\"You're most welcome.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa didn't have much to say on the ride back to Molly's, she was too busy fuming." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Although she was doing her best to fight it, she kept recalling the heat and vividness of his kiss." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She didn't even like Madison Nance, yet the power of his embrace had shaken her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She'd be the first to admit that she hadn't done a lot of kissing in her life, but none had ever seared her like his." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The memory of its sweetness started her heart pounding all over again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She was counting on her bad mood to shoot it down, but it wasn't working." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Are you all right, dear?\" Molly asked.\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Still mad at Madison?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes.\"\n\n\"If it's any consolation, he looked as surprised as you.\"\n\n\"Tinhorn.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Considering the results, you might want to refrain from calling him that.\"\n\nTeresa muttered unladylike beneath her breath.\n\n\"I don't understand it. Madison has always prided himself on his mental control.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, I don't, and I never have.\"\n\n\"That's evident,\" Molly pointed out with mild reproach.\n\nTeresa sighed. She supposed she had let the hothead parts of herself take over." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of the Constantines. I'll apologize next time I see them.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's acceptable. I'm sure Becky didn't care. She was probably as stunned as I by Madison's actions. It was interesting, I must admit.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa began grumbling again, but had nothing more to say." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison let himself into his home and dropped his luggage at the door. First things first, he walked over to his finely made liquor cabinet, withdrew a bottle of aged scotch, and splashed some into a glass. Draining it, he poured another, then sat down and slowly swirled the contents of the glass in his hand." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kissing Teresa July had not been planned, but at the time it was either throttle her or kiss her, so he chose the latter, because he'd never laid on a woman fueled by violence. Admittedly, he'd been in a bad mood when he arrived at the Constantines'.\n\nThe convention had been a disaster." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The arguing and heckling that preceded and followed each of the speakers became maddening, and then to be told by the train conductor that the only car available for the trip back to Philadelphia for men and women of color was the cattle car had left him infuriated. He and Miller Constantine had opted to rent a buggy and split the cost. The trip took much longer than it would have by train, but they'd arrived home with their dignity intact, and just in time to see Teresa ride by dressed in her stockings." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He took a sip of the scotch." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She needed to be fenced in. The kiss had stopped her in her tracks, though; something that probably didn't happen often, he thought with a glint of humor in his eyes. He was willing to bet she was still fuming." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The feel of her in his arms, the sweet taste of her mouth, were as memorable as the image of her leaning low over Hannibal's back with her lovely bottom moving rhythmically with the animal's gait. Had he found the answer to taming Miss Wild West? Maybe. He had to admit it was a novel approach, one he might want to try again should the situation warrant it, because truthfully, he'd enjoyed kissing her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He couldn't place the blame for his bad mood on that." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "More likely, the combination of her sassy mouth and surprising beauty were what sent him over the edge.\n\nMadison drained the scotch, grabbed up his luggage and went upstairs to get some sleep. Guaranteed, there were bound to be fireworks when he saw Little Miss Outlaw again, but he was certain she wouldn't call him a tinhorn again unless she wanted to be kissed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The next morning, Teresa came down to breakfast in a sour mood. She'd dreamt about Madison that night, and he'd been kissing her, again.\n\nMolly glanced up from her newspaper." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You don't look like you slept well.\"\n\n\"I didn't, but I'll be fine.\" She helped herself to the bacon, oatmeal, toast, and eggs." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An amazed Molly asked, \"Where do you put it all?\"\n\nTeresa shrugged. \"I've been around men most of my life. Guess I eat like them too.\"\n\nAmusement on her face, Molly set the paper aside and picked up her coffee cup." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll be doing charity visits most of the day. Do you want to come along?\"\n\n\"I suppose I could.\" She would have preferred another visit to the Constantines' and a ride on Hannibal, though." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Apparently, the desire showed on her face, because Molly said, \"First thing tomorrow, we'll ride out to Becky's so you can take Hannibal out again. Would that be all right?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa's smile told all.\n\nIn the dream, she had been wearing a fancy black gown. Madison had on an equally fancy evening suit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were standing in what appeared to be Mrs. Nance's gazebo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was dark, and they were kissing each other like there'd be no tomorrow." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Teresa? Did you hear me?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She shook herself back into the present. \"I'm sorry. Daydreaming. What did you say?\"\n\nBut before Mrs. Nance could reply, Emma walked in." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Mr. Weathers sent a note around saying he can't cut the wood today either.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mrs. Nance sighed with frustration. \"That man. Why do I put up with him?\"\n\n\"Who's Mr. Weathers?\" Teresa asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The man I hired six weeks ago to chop some wood.\"\n\n\"Where is it?\"\n\n\"Behind the shed in the back.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll chop it. How much is there?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She stood. The idea of being able to do something physical to work off her irritation with Madison made Teresa eager to volunteer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Quite a bit, actually. Which is probably why Mr. Weathers keeps sending notes of apology.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Can I see it?\"\n\n\"Certainly.\"\n\nBehind the shed there was enough wood to keep Teresa busy for days to come." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Where do you want me to put it when it's chopped?\" she asked.\n\nMrs. Nance gave her instructions, then told her where to find the axe. \"Are you sure you want to do this?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Mrs. Nance, if I don't do something to work off all this energy, I'm going to burst. So please, you and Emma go on about your day, and this will be my chore until it's finished.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The women nodded, and Teresa went to change her clothes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison could hear the axe ringing as soon as he stopped his buggy in front of his mother's house." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Glad that Weathers had finally shown up to do what he'd been hired to do, he went around the back to speak to the man, and to see how the work was progressing. Seeing Teresa swinging the axe instead slowed his steps. She brought the blade down precisely and expertly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her familiarity with the chore was apparent, and when she looked up and saw him, she paused.\n\n\"'Morning,\" he said, continuing toward her.\n\n\"You're pretty brave walking over here while I have this in my hand.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She raised the axe again and brought it down with a powerful swing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Then I'll stand out of range.\"\n\n\"Smart man.\" And she split another log.\n\n\"Where's Mr. Weathers?\" Her beauty had not been a figment of his imagination yesterday." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her hair was growing out thick and black, and there were no mistaking the lush curves beneath the old clothes she was wearing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He sent his apologies.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She freed the blade from the wood. \"I volunteered to take his place.\"\n\nTeresa wiped the sweat off of her brow with the rolled-up sleeve of her blouse and studied Nance." }, { "from": "system", "value": "CONSTRAINT: Include 'always' 2 time(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She'd always been a vivid dreamer, and the one last night had left her not only with the memory of the kiss, but with the spicy scent of his cologne. This morning, he looked fine as always. She wondered why he hadn't married." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She raised the axe." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why haven't you married?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "she asked, and lowered the axe. It rang out against the silence.\n\nAccustomed to her blunt and sometimes nosy questions he replied easily, \"Haven't found a lady to my liking.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Then there's your problem—you're looking for a lady.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her axe sank into another large log, then she worked the blade free. \"Back home, men don't go for ladies like the ones I've seen here. They want women who can ride and rope and shoot.\"\n\n\"Women like you?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh, hell no. I'm never getting married.\"\n\n\"Why not?\"\n\n\"Getting married means falling in love, and falling in love makes you loco.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He chuckled. \"What?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My brother Neil fell in love, then turned himself into the law. Nothing I could say would change his mind. Shafts and I even offered to help him escape before his trial, but he wouldn't hear it. Damnedest thing I ever saw.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"So, no falling in love for you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Nope. Never.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She began chopping again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Watching, Madison found her so fascinating, he couldn't have moved if he'd wanted to." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"So you think I should look for a wife on the other side of the Mississippi.\"\n\nShe shrugged, then brought the axe down. \"Depends. If you want a woman who can't drink lemonade because it rubs her skin the wrong way, then look around here.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Rubs their skin the wrong way?\"\n\n\"Paula Wade said she didn't want a lot of lemonade because sweet drinks disagreed with her skin.\"\n\n\"You met Paula? When was this?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Few weeks back. She and her aunt came around to visit your mother.\"\n\nHis mother hadn't said anything about a visit. \"What did they want?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Paula wanted to apologize to you for something that happened at a party?\"\n\nHe nodded. \"Her birthday party.\"\n\n\"Your mother said she'd pass the apology on, but Paula said she wanted to do it face-to-face. She left mad.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He shook his head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Glad I missed her.\"\n\n\"She didn't make a real good first impression. Talked to me like Emancipation had never happened and her daddy was the master.\"\n\nMadison knew that both of Paula's parents were former slaves, but in spite of that, she persisted in looking down her nose at those she considered herself better than." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was yet another reason he didn't care for the Carters' niece." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"So, should I apologize for my actions of yesterday now, or would you rather just take the axe to me?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Earlier, Teresa had wanted his head on a platter, but sharing this easy conversation had done much to cool her temper. That and the fact that she could still feel his mouth on hers. \"An apology will do.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My deepest apologies, then. No idea what came over me. Tired from all the traveling, I suppose.\"\n\n\"Probably,\" Teresa said, again feeling the dream rise but quickly shaking it off. \"Just don't let it happen again.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't worry.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She wasn't sure she liked his tone. \"You hated kissing me that much?\"\n\nHe studied her for a long moment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Truthfully, no. Found it rather nice.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She wasn't sure how to take his response or the amused glint in his brown eyes, so she looked away." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison had decided to answer her question truthfully. The memory of the brief kiss was a pleasing one. Even now he found himself staring at her full, ripe mouth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Recalling her seconds-long surrender was stirring. \"Why'd you ask?\"\n\n\"Just curious.\"\n\nIn the silence that crept up between them, Teresa's dream rose again, and in her mind's eye his lips were slowly burning kisses over the curve of her shoulder." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her head was thrown back, her eyes closed. Moving back into reality, she found him watching her, and her heart began beating like a war drum. Speaking more calmly than she felt, she told him, \"I should get back to work.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Of course.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But he didn't move, and neither did she." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For a moment they took each other in, and the air between them crackled like the onset of a summer storm. Finally, she resumed her chopping. When she next looked up, Madison was gone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had gone into the house to talk to his mother." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Shouldn't you be at the bank?\" she asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thought I'd stop by and see you on my way.\"\n\nShe didn't look as if she believed a word. \"Have you seen Teresa?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, saw her chopping wood out back.\"\n\n\"She's not real happy about that kiss.\"\n\n\"I apologized.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good. Madison, you are my son and I love you, but I also know how you are with the ladies. Teresa is not here to become another notch on your bedpost. If your intentions are honorable, that's another thing.\"\n\n\"Understood,\" he replied, not sure how he felt about his mother's warning. After all, he was a grown man, and Teresa a grown woman." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Narrative Extension Protocol:\nQuantity: 11 sentences\nContext: Match character familiarity\nGenre: romance, historical fiction, 1890s, US, African American" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After leaving his mother at the church, Madison headed to the bank. Thoughts of Teresa continued to dog him. Common sense said no man with the sense God gave a goat would be attracted to such an outlandish woman. He understood being attracted to her spirit, but she lacked the ladylike qualities he'd always been partial to in the women he'd pursued in the past. Teresa had no polish at all, yet he couldn't get the feel of her or the kiss out of his mind, and as insane as he knew it might make him sound, he wanted to do it again; this time leisurely, so he could take the time to explore her and taste her in depth. Would she bring that fire to a man's bed? That question grabbed him, and he forced his mind to a halt before he could contemplate an answer. The jury was in. He'd lost his mind. He'd gone from kissing her to fantasies of bedding her. Again he asked himself why, and the answer was: She intrigued him way more than he cared to admit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison spent the first part of his morning talking to his secretary, Tate, and getting caught up on what had transpired during his absence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "According to Tate, a dozen new people had opened accounts, and all expected loan payments had arrived on time.\n\nTate added, \"And the night watchman you hired has had nothing to report so far.\"\n\nThe man's name was Solomon. He'd been a pugilist at one time in his life, and had come highly recommended by his friend Ben Norton. No news was good news, Madison liked to think. Maybe Richards had been bluffing all along, but he planned to keep Solomon around just in case.\n\n\"There were a few fires while you were away. A small hat shop over on Pine and a grocery a few doors down.\"\n\nMadison didn't like hearing that. As the president of the Seventh Ward Negro Business Association, he knew that all businesses, large and small, were vital to the ongoing economic health of the ward. \"Was anyone injured?\"\n\n\"No, but the fire department is investigating. They think the fires were deliberately set.\"\n\n\"Arson?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Apparently. The hat shop was torched first and the grocery two nights later.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Sounds like a topic for the association meeting tomorrow evening. Maybe someone has more information. When were the fires?\"\n\n\"Last week.\"\n\nMadison mused over what he'd heard. \"Okay. Anything else I need to know?\"\n\n\"No, sir. That's all.\n\nWhen Mrs. Nance returned from church later that afternoon, a very tired Teresa was seated in the gazebo. The wood she'd cut earlier was neatly stacked inside the barn.\n\nMolly joined her on the bench. \"How'd the chopping go?\"\n\n\"Just fine. I probably won't be able to lift my arms in the morning, but the activity felt good.\" She figured it would take another couple of days to get it all done, but she enjoyed the way the work made her muscles sing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Over the past few weeks, in addition to all her lady lessons, she'd been doing yard work, beating rugs, and mopping floors, but none of those chores made her feel this good." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Tired you out, did it?\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am. Legs are as sore as my arms.\"\n\n\"You did too much.\"\n\n\"Probably, but I'll live. How were things at the church?\"\n\n\"Good. We ladies are trying to start a social hour for the city's unmarried domestics. Many are young and with no family in town. We hope bringing them together on their days off will foster some friendships and offer them an opportunity to let their hair down.\"\n\n\"Sounds like a good idea.\"\n\n\"I think so too. If it's successful, we may do it on a regular basis.\" Mrs. Nance then changed the subject. \"Madison said you two spoke?\"\n\n\"We did.\"\n\n\"Did you settle your differences?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I suppose. We didn't fight, if that's what you're asking, so I guess it went all right.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Somewhere in your response, you need to say: \"It's the middle of the afternoon.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa tried not to think about what he'd said about kissing her; she still had a hard enough time keeping last night's dream out of her head.\n\n\"Glad to hear it. As you've probably guessed, my son is very successful with women, but I reminded him that you are not here to become one of his conquests.\"\n\nTeresa was embarrassed. \"I appreciate that.\"\n\nMolly patted her affectionately on the arm. \"Good. Now go up and soak yourself in the tub so you won't be stiff later. No more wood chopping today.\"\n\n\"It's the middle of the afternoon.\"\n\n\"And so?\"\n\n\"Never took a bath in the middle of the day.\"\n\n\"Today you will. We are fortune enough to have hot water whenever we like. Take advantage of it.\"\n\nTeresa smiled. \"If you insist.\"\n\nMolly's eyes were bright. \"I do.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "After her bath, Teresa went downstairs." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As she cut through the kitchen where Emma was preparing dinner, the cook said, \"A crate came for you. It's by the front door.\"\n\nPuzzled, Teresa thanked her then went to investigate.\n\nSure enough, a large crate sat by the door. The post label on the top showed it had been sent by her sister-in-law, Olivia. Mrs. Nance fetched a crowbar, and Teresa pried off the top. The first thing she saw was folded black leather. Excited, she snatched it up, shook out the folds, and the sight of the leather trousers made her crow, \"Hallelujah!\" She did a little jig and held the leathers against her heart. \"Olivia, I love you!\"\n\nA further search turned up two pairs of boots, both new; some men-cut flannel shirts that she could have used that morning while chopping wood; a small velvet box that held all the ear bobs she'd had to leave behind when she left for prison; three pairs of Levi's denims; and other articles of clothing like socks, bandannas, and nightgowns. At the bottom of the crate, wrapped in one of Olivia's monogrammed tea towels, was Teresa's Colt." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Beneath it lay her gun belt and a box of cartridges." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She picked up the gun. The familiar sight and weight of it in her hand brought on bittersweet memories. Moved, she placed a soft kiss against the shiny barrel, then looked over at Mrs. Nance, who was now very quiet and still. Teresa wrapped the gun up again and handed it and its ancillary items to her. \"You should put these away somewhere. I'll get them back when the time comes for me to head home. And if it's all right with you, I'd like to get some target practice in every now and again. Never know when I may need to protect myself or you, and right now, my gun hand's pretty rusty.\"\n\n\"I'll place them in the safe.\"\n\nTeresa nodded. \"That's fine.\"\n\n\"Why would she send a gun?\"\n\n\"Because it belongs to me and she knows that eventually I'll be coming home. A woman traveling alone is not always respected.\"\n\n\"I see.\"\n\nTeresa looked into Molly's eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Please don't think I'd ever turn it on you, because I never would. Ever.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thanks for the reassurance.\"\n\n\"You were worrying, I could tell.\"\n\n\"I was.\"\n\n\"Well, don't. You've treated me like kin. Julys don't shoot their kin.\"\n\nMrs. Nance smiled. \"Come, I'll show you the safe.\"\n\n\"I don't need to know where it is. Probably make you more comfortable if I don't. I know it'll make your son feel better.\"\n\nMolly studied her for a long moment. \"You're a rare individual, Teresa.\"\n\n\"No ma'am. I'm just a July.\"\n\nMadison was reviewing a loan application from one of the churches when Tate stuck his head in the door. \"Mr. Watson is here. He's anxious to speak with you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Send him in.\" Charles Watson had been a good friend of Madison's father, Reynolds." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'because' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the seventies and eighties Watson had owned one of the city's finest catering businesses. Now, because of Jim Crow and America's fascination with French cuisine, his business and the businesses of other prominent Negro caterers handled mostly segregated affairs.\n\n\"I'm being threatened,\" Watson said as he entered the office, the look on his burly gray-bearded face conveying his anger.\n\n\"By whom?\"\n\n\"Bunch of young hooligans from a ward club down the street.\"\n\nMadison gestured him to a seat. \"Did they threaten you personally, your property, your family?\"\n\n\"All of those unless I sign up with the protection service they say they're offering because of last week's fires.\"\n\n\"When was this?\"\n\n\"Last night just before I closed up.\"\n\n\"Did you report it to the police?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, and was told they can't do anything until a crime is committed.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Remember to mention: \"Has anyone else been offered this so-called protection?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Had you seen these men before?\"\n\nHe nodded. \"Yes. They're usually hanging around the doors of the club when I open in the morning and when I close up at night. Most of them are Richards's toughs.\"\n\n\"Have you spoken to him?\"\n\n\"Yes, but of course he claims to have no knowledge of the men or the scheme, but everyone knows that those yahoos don't spit on the street without his approval.\"\n\nMadison recalled his own conversation with Richards. Ruffians of all races were in the employ of the city's political bosses. With monies provided by the party, the gangs bought votes and ferried in ringers to the voting polls. The men were usually the shiftless and dishonest from the underbelly of society. \"Has anyone else been offered this so-called protection?\"\n\n\"Most of the owners near my restaurant have all been approached. Many are afraid. Me, I'm just angry.\"\n\n\"Let's talk about this at the meeting tomorrow night, and in the meantime I'll do some asking around.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I know Dawson Richards is involved. I can smell it.\"\n\n\"I agree. Nothing happens here without his knowledge. Nothing.\"\n\n\"I let him know that I'll not be run out or burned out, not without a fight.\"\n\nMadison nodded grimly. Men like Watson were having a hard enough time trying to make ends meet without their livelihoods threatened by members of their own race.\n\nAfter Watson's departure, Madison put Tate in charge of the office and left to make some inquiries on Mr. Watson's behalf.\n\nThe Fifth Ward, known for its pimps, hustlers, gamblers, and prostitutes, had been a home away from home during Madison's youth. He'd spent many a night at the clubs and pool halls there, as had many wealthy White men drawn by the edginess of the atmosphere and the prostitutes they could easily dally with on the side. Many of those same gentlemen won and lost fortunes in the cribs and back rooms of the Fifth Ward, and even now, ten years later, the steady stream of Whites seeking adventure continued to flow.\n\nAs in most of the city's slums, be they the neighborhoods of the Negro, Irish, or Italian, the streets were lined with houses in disrepair, laundry was strung between light poles, and in the evenings the doorways and stoops were filled with crowds of loitering men playing dice and drinking, while rouged women offered tumbles for whatever you could pay. In early afternoon, like now, the night crowd wasn't on the streets yet, so the children were free to play, the elderly could visit the nearby grocers, and women could sweep debris from the walks in front of their homes.\n\nMadison parked his horse and buggy in front of the house he was seeking and gave a few coins to a young man nearby to keep an eye on it until he returned." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A knock on the door was soon answered by an obviously sleepy Irene Garner." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Madison,\" she said with a welcoming smile. \"Come in.\"\n\nEven though the drapes were drawn on all the windows, there was enough light filtering inside to show that the place was well furnished. Quality furniture, landscapes on the walls, carpets on the floors. By day it could have been any tastefully decorated row house in the city, but at night it was one of the most well-known gambling clubs in the ward.\n\nIrene had obviously just gotten out of bed. The thin wrapper she held closed made it easy to see she was nude underneath. \"Can I get you a drink?\"\n\nHe shook his head. \"No, just need to see Ben.\"\n\n\"Must be important to get you down here during the day. Or at least it better be. He just went to bed a couple hours ago.\"\n\n\"It is. Can you get him for me?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She nodded. Irene was Ben Norton's woman and had been for ten years. She was the madam for the prostitutes Ben supplied for the high rollers who filled his club each night from the moment the doors opened until whenever closing rolled around.\n\nBen came out a few minutes later. At six feet four inches tall and almost three hundred pounds, he filled the room. They shared an embrace.\n\nBen took a seat on one of the embroidered back chairs. \"What brings you to my little corner of paradise at this ungodly hour?\"\n\n\"To see if you've heard anything about the fires set in the Seventh last week. Authorities think it might be arson.\"\n\n\"I heard about the fires but nothing else.\"\n\n\"There seems to be a protection scam spinning off the fires too. Charlie Watson was threatened last night.\"\n\n\"The caterer? What is he, almost seventy years old now?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison nodded.\n\n\"He catered my sister's sixteenth birthday ball. Remember?\"\n\n\"I do.\" Ben and Madison had grown up together, and in their youth were best friends. Ben's father was a prominent minister in those days. When he died of a heart attack five years ago, Ben's mother had forbidden Ben's presence at the funeral, holding him and his lifestyle partly responsible for his father's demise.\n\n\"Does Mr. Watson know anything about the men?\" Ben asked.\n\n\"He says they hang out at the local ward club.\"\n\n\"Richards's thugs?\"\n\n\"I'm pretty sure they are.\"\n\n\"Do you want him killed tonight or tomorrow?\"\n\nMadison chuckled. \"Let's wait until the facts are in.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I say we do it tonight, then if we find out he's not, he can be held up as an example to wayward youth anyway.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Like the ones we used to be?\"\n\n\"Exactly.\" Ben grinned. \"I'll put some feelers out on this arsonist business and get back to you. Can't have that bank of yours burning down. Some of my money's in it. Obviously, Richards doesn't know that you know the people you do, or that at one time you were one of those people.\"\n\n\"Obviously.\"\n\n\"But now you're all cleaned up and respectable. Well, somewhat. Still giving the society ladies hell. Any of them serious candidates for the title of Mrs. Mad?\"\n\nTeresa July's face floated into his mind. He quickly shooed it away. \"No.\"\n\n\"You need a woman, Mad. Can't go through life doing nothing but counting your dividends—you're as old as I am. Irene was and is the best thing that ever happened to me. Something to be said for having someone in your life you can be honest with and will overlook your faults.\"\n\n\"And we know that you have many,\" Madison tossed back.\n\nTheir bond to each other was strong.\n\nBen countered, \"Almost as many as you. So find you a woman.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, Pa. Can we get back to Richards?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory inclusion (with quotes): Well, you know me, in for a penny, in for a pound. I'd never be able to make it on the other side, not after all this time." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ben's face soured at the name. \"Disliked him since the very first time he came down here. Walked in, throwing his weight around—demanding this and that—then had the audacity to think he could leave without paying his bill. Told me, as the new ward boss he expected everything to be gratis. You can imagine my reply.\"\n\nMadison could.\n\n\"I'd just as soon send somebody over to pour kerosene on that big fancy house the party purchased for him.\"\n\n\"Let's see if we can nail him first, then you can burn his house.\"\n\n\"All right. I'll play fair for now, but you're taking all the fun out of this.\"\n\n\"I know. One of us has to function as the conscience.\"\n\n\"I miss raising hell with you.\"\n\n\"I miss those days too, but not enough to go back.\"\n\n\"Well, you know me, in for a penny, in for a pound. I'd never be able to make it on the other side, not after all this time.\" Ben's voice dropped to a serious tone." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'mother' × 4" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Have you seen my mother?\"\n\n\"Saw her at the post office about a month ago. She's aging but doing well. I've been keeping an eye on her for you. Mother goes over and visits with her regularly.\"\n\n\"Good.\" Ben quieted then, and Madison knew his friend was thinking back. He hoped that Ben and his mother would one day reconcile. Ben had taken the death of his father pretty hard, and Madison knew how much he loved his mother.\n\n\"I'll let you get back to sleep. There's going to be an association meeting tomorrow. If I hear anything else, I'll let you know.\"\n\n\"Okay. How's Solomon working out as the night man?\"\n\n\"The bank's still standing, so thanks for the recommendation.\"\n\n\"Any time.\"\n\nMadison stood and Ben stood as well. They embraced each other with the mutual affection of old friends, then stepped apart." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ben said, \"If there's any dirty work to be done on this, let me do it. My reputation can stand it, yours can't, at least not anymore.\"\n\n\"We'll see. I haven't been in a knock-down, drag-out in a long time. Might be fun.\"\n\nBen shook his head and laughed. \"Go back to the bank. See you soon.\"\n\n\"I'll be in touch.\"\n\nAs he drove away, Madison was glad to have Ben as a friend and on his side.\n\nIt was now the middle of July. Teresa was all but settled into her new life. She and Molly were getting along well. Madison, the Kissing Bandit, hadn't stopped in for a few days and that suited her just fine. She was nearly back to her old weight, her hair was growing in, and she wore her denims, boots, and work shirts more often than not." }, { "from": "human", "value": "All in all, life was good." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For it to be perfect, she'd have to be back home, but knowing that would come around soon enough, she had no complaints.\n\nAt least not until Mrs. Nance decided the time had come for them to make her a few gowns. By the second day of the project, Teresa was tired of all the fittings and fussing. She prayed the half-done gown she was wearing now would be the last of them. She couldn't deny the beauty of the midnight blue silk, but the sharp pins holding it together were like bees stinging her arms, waist, and chest. No matter how she maneuvered herself in an effort to avoid them, the pricks continued to bedevil her mercilessly.\n\n\"You have to stand still, Teresa,\" Mrs. Nance gently cautioned while placing more pins to create seams for the gown's flowing skirt.\n\n\"Sorry, but the pins are like hell fire.\"\n\n\"A lady doesn't say 'hell,'\" she admonished while folding the length of silk across the bottom of Teresa's ankle to estimate where the hem should be.\n\n\"Then I'm glad I'm not a lady.\"\n\n\"You could be if you tried.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Only if I can still belt on my Colt.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. Nance's amusement was obvious." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You are truly an original, Miss Teresa July.\" Still adjusting the fabric, she looked up. \"Can you lower your arms for just a moment. I want to get the true drape of this hem.\"\n\nWhen Teresa complied, the partially finished bodice she'd been holding together slipped to her waist, showing off the thin white silk camisole she was wearing beneath. She'd made the simple undergarment herself.\n\n\"Turn slowly.\"\n\nThe pins were placed one by one, and when Mrs. Nance was finally satisfied, she said, \"Good. Now, let's—\"\n\nThe sudden opening of the sewing room door followed by the unannounced entrance of Madison caught both women by surprise.\n\n\"Mother, I—\" Then he stopped. The sight of Teresa standing in the center of the room wearing nothing above the waist but an arousing silk confection rendered him momentarily speechless. Her well-formed bare arms and shoulders were unlike the soft-skinned beauties he was accustomed to stroking." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The female outlaw appeared to have been delicately sculpted from a living piece of ebony stone so vibrant his hands tingled with the need to caress her skin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He ran his eyes over the tantalizing hollow of her throat, and unable to stop himself, the rounded tops of her veiled breasts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Only then did he meet her eyes and see the fiery displeasure blazing there.\n\nHand on her hip, she drawled, \"You should pick up your eyeballs before they get stepped on.\"\n\nMadison's jaw tightened and he turned his back. \"My apologies,\" he ground out, mad at himself for the social blunder, and mad at her for being the cause. Behind him, he could hear the rustle of silk, and he wondered if she was removing the gown. The thought made him mentally speculate what the rest of her might look like were he the one easing it off of her. His manhood stretched in response and he cursed silently.\n\nHis mother said in a voice tinged with censure, \"You may turn back, Madison. She's decent.\"\n\nMadison had a feeling Teresa July would never be decent in his eyes again, and that only added to his mood. When he turned back, he saw that her sculpted beauty was now safely hidden beneath a tightly belted green satin robe, but the fire in her dark eyes continued to smolder.\n\nHis mother asked, \"What can I do for you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Trying his best to keep his vision focused on his mother and off of Teresa July, he spun his mind to remember why he'd come to see her." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required text (preserve exact wording): \"Rebecca and Miller are having the August first picnic a few weeks early this year. Her birthday is August third and he's taking her to Chicago to see her sister as her gift.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Just stopped in to say hello. And to let you know that I saw Ben Norton a few days ago. He sends best wishes.\"\n\n\"That's nice of him. How is he?\"\n\n\"Fine. Just fine.\" He swung his eyes in Teresa's direction and saw that although some of the heat had left her gaze, a simmer remained.\n\nHis mother said, \"Rebecca and Miller are having the August first picnic a few weeks early this year. Her birthday is August third and he's taking her to Chicago to see her sister as her gift.\"\n\n\"So when's the picnic?\"\n\n\"Saturday. Can you come?\"\n\n\"I've an early meeting with someone that morning, but I should be able to make it out there around noon.\"\n\n\"Good. Teresa and I will see you there.\"\n\nHe looked Teresa's way. \"Again, my apologies.\"\n\n\"Thanks.\"\n\nAnd Madison departed with the image of Teresa burned permanently into his memory." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the British Parliament abolished slavery in the West Indies on August 1, 1834, U.S." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Blacks in the North embraced the day for the hope it gave to the three million captives enslaved in the South." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was now a traditional day of celebration for America's Negroes.\n\nThe festivities usually consisted of rallies, parades, speeches, and, in churches like Philadelphia's Mother Bethel AME, commemorative services and night watches were held. Over the years, other dates were added to honor the race's milestones. In Washington, D.C., Black folks honored April 16, the date Congress abolished slavery in the District in 1862. It was usually marked by a large parade complete with military bands, fraternal societies, and mounted marshals. In its heyday during the 1880s, the processions were a mile long and included five thousand people of all colors, classes, and distinctions. The August 16 parade was so highly regarded that in 1884, when the route took it by the White House, then President Chester A. Arthur stood in review.\n\nMolly was explaining all this to Teresa on the ride to Miller and Rebecca Constantine's annual August first picnic.\n\n\"Never knew about any of that,\" Teresa said in response to the short history lesson. \"In Texas they celebrate Juneteenth.\"\n\nMolly nodded while she drove." }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<EMBED THIS>>: \"Two, the cost of the parade permits were skyrocketing, and three—hooligans.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I've heard of it. Supposedly the news of the Emancipation didn't reach Texas until June nineteenth, 1865.\"\n\n\"Do they still have the big parades here in the East?\"\n\n\"No, for three main reasons. One, people began questioning why the race should celebrate anything associated with the dark days of slavery, a debate still going on today, as you well know by reading the newspapers.\"\n\nTeresa did.\n\n\"Two, the cost of the parade permits were skyrocketing, and three—hooligans.\"\n\n\"Hooligans?\"\n\n\"Yes. Instead of the tasteful, proud parades we had in the past, where people knew how to conduct themselves and wanted nothing to mar the race's image, the events began to attract a less genteel crowd, shall we say. Drunks on rickety wagons, people in garish cheap clothing. Bands of rummed-up youth from the countryside wandering the parade route assaulting people, and murdering the English language, as one editor so baldly put it. It was appalling. One year, the parade in Washington even had a group of young men dressed up as minstrels. In blackface!\"\n\nTeresa could hear the disgust in Mrs. Nance's voice.\n\n\"Our young people born after slavery have no attachment to the past. For them our holidays were nothing more than an opportunity to leave work, carouse and drink. It's sad for the race and for our future.\" She looked Teresa's way. \"As you can probably guess, I'm very passionate about the subject.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Nothing wrong with that. By the time Jim Crow gets done pecking us to death, passion may be all we have left.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A whole slew of buggies and wagons were parked along the white fences that lined the road to the Constantines' place. After she and Molly found a place in the line to park, Teresa could smell meat roasting and hear fiddlers as they walked onto the grounds. Happy voices floated on the air, and Teresa admitted to being more than a little excited. She hadn't been to a party in a long while and was looking forward to some fun.\n\nRebecca Constantine, wearing more face paint than usual and a simple but elegant blue skirt and matching shirtwaist, met them at the gate with a smile. \"Welcome, you two. Teresa, you are getting more beautiful every day. Living with Molly is agreeing with you.\"\n\nAmused, Teresa nodded. \"That, and Emma's cooking.\"\n\nThe grinning Rebecca turned to Molly. \"Shall I introduce her as your niece, Tamar?\"\n\n\"Yes. Let's keep the ruse going.\"\n\n\"All right.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The women walked out to join the rest of the invited guests." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'women' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa had no idea the gathering would be so large. People were spread out over the grounds talking and visiting, while others sat on blankets under the trees. Children were chasing a rooster that suddenly turned and charged, sending them running and squealing with laughter. A group of men gathered at a horseshoe pit were pitching shoes and having a good time. Domino players were slapping bones, while spectators stood around smiling and waiting for a turn to play. Molly and Teresa each picked up a tumbler of the ice cold lemonade waiting on one of the food tables that was fairly groaning from all the covered dishes placed on them.\n\nAs they walked, Teresa met more of Molly's friends—a Mrs. Mitchell, who, Molly informed her later, was one of the two female undertakers in town. She was then introduced to a Mrs. Fletcher, one of the teachers at the famous Philadelphia Institute for Colored Youth. Teresa met a host of other women and their husbands, who all smiled kindly at her and welcomed her to the city.\n\nLeaving Molly to visit with her friends, Teresa wandered over the grounds, enjoying the sights and soaking up the atmosphere. She paused at the horseshoe pit and joined the small group of men and women watching the tosses." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, hello,\" said a frosty female voice. It was Paula Wade, decked out in a fancy green walking suit complete with bustle.\n\nTeresa nodded.\n\nPaula said, \"Everyone, this is Mrs. Nance's niece. What's your name again?\"\n\n\"Tamar. Tamar August.\" She received a few skeptical looks from some of the younger women, but there was a decided interest in the eyes of their young men. Teresa didn't pay any of it any mind. \"Can I toss?\" she asked at the end of the game.\n\nThe winner, a portly brown-skinned young man in a striped blue shirt and white trousers, looked her up and down. \"Shouldn't you be cutting the pies or something? Girls don't throw shoes.\"\n\n\"They do where I come from.\"\n\nHe paused. Smiling, he looked to his friends for a moment, then said, \"Oh really, and where in the South might that be?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The girls, including Paula, giggled at the veiled insult." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Texas.\"\n\nHe studied her.\n\n\"So, can I toss or not?\"\n\nHe shrugged. \"Sure. Shouldn't take but a minute to put you down.\"\n\nTeresa gave him a cold smile. \"Since you're so sure of yourself, let's make it more interesting. How about one of you boys over there walk off another ten paces in the pit and replace the spike there.\"\n\nHer opponent stared. Teresa picked up a pair of the shoes from the dirt and tested the weight. \"What's your name?\" she asked him.\n\nHe stuttered, \"Alvin. Alvin Porter.\"\n\n\"Okay, Alvin. Alvin Porter.\"\n\nOne of the young men walked off the ten paces, moved the spike, and pounded it into the dirt with a mallet lying in the grass next to the pit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Alvin gestured and said coolly, \"Ladies first.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thanks.\"\n\nTeresa wished she had on her denims instead of a skirt, but it couldn't be helped. She did have on a pair of her new boots, however, and they helped her set her feet in the soft earth of the pit. Bending at the waist, she sighted the spike with the open ends of the horseshoe, then pitched it. It sailed the distance, hit the spike and rattled around it until it hit the ground.\n\nAlvin and his friends were wide-eyed.\n\n\"Your turn.\"\n\nHe stared as if she'd just sprouted wings. Paula and her lady friends appeared stunned, but everyone else was watching with eager interest.\n\nSomeone called out, \"Hope you didn't bet the farm, Porter.\"\n\nLaughter followed the remark, and Porter looked none too pleased." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He threw the shoe, and it landed just south of the spike's original location. Teresa had been chopping wood, she was fit and strong. The doughy Porter didn't look as if he'd had any exercise outside of raising a fork to his lips.\n\nEvidently word had spread about a girl tossing horseshoes because as Teresa lined up her second try, there were many more people looking on, including Molly and her lady friends. Her second throw was a duplicate of the first. The sound of metal striking metal rang out as it hit the spike, rattled around it, and landed on top of its twin. Loud cries of amazement and encouragement came from the spectators. Pleased, she stepped aside.\n\nTeresa didn't know if the game was scored the same way it was back home. She figured it wouldn't matter if her tosses bested his. And they did, again and again." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 12 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Finally, someone hollered, \"Game to the lady!\"\n\nCheers went up from Molly, her friends, and many of the older men and women crowded around the grassy edges of the freshly dug pit. Paula Wade looked put out, as did the girls with her. Loser Alvin Porter's jaws were as tight as the lid on a jar of homemade preserves.\n\nTeresa asked, \"How about another?\"\n\n\"No. I have an appointment to meet someone at home. I'm already late.\"\n\n\"Ah.\"\n\nThen, from behind her, she heard, \"Never send a boy to do a man's job.\"\n\nThe familiar voice was as much a caress at it was a challenge. Turning, she stared up into the handsome face of Madison Nance. In his hands were horseshoes. In his eyes, mischief." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Hey can you write in the romance, historical fiction, 1890s, US, African American genre and use whatever I write as a jumping off point? Follow my lead on how characters are introduced." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'teresa' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa stepped out onto the back porch. The eager face of the young man from Kansas looked very familiar, but placing him was a different matter.\n\n\"Hello, Miss July,\" he gushed, eyes bright, sounding as if he were having difficulty containing his excitement.\n\n\"Hello,\" she replied kindly. \"I know we've met somewhere before. I just don't remember where.\"\n\n\"Henry Adams, Kansas. Name's Tom Kelly. I interviewed you for the Nicodemus Cyclone after that big shootout with the bounty hunters at the Liberian Lady saloon in Henry Adams, a few years back.\"\n\n\"I remember now. How are you?\"\n\n\"Much better now that I've found you. I came all the way to Philadelphia just to see you.\"\n\nTeresa could see Molly, Madison, and Emma crowded in the doorway, listening." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How'd you know I was here?\" she asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Once you sent that wire to your sister-in-law saying you'd been released, the news spread through the Great Solomon Valley like wildfire. Letter to the parole board took care of the rest. Told them I wanted to use you as an example for a story I was writing on how crime doesn't pay.\"\n\n\"Excuse me?\"\n\n\"No, no,\" he said hastily, seeing the challenge in her eyes. \"That's not what I'm really going to write about. I lied to them because I didn't think they'd give me your whereabouts if I said folks back home just wanted to hear how you were doing.\"\n\nTeresa was touched. \"Folks have been asking after me?\"\n\n\"They have. You cast a mighty long shadow for a lot of years. You and your brothers kept folks entertained with your exploits. Would you mind if I asked you some questions? I promise not to take up a lot of your time.\"\n\n\"Not at all.\" She turned to Mrs. Nance. \"Can we use the parlor?\"\n\n\"Of course.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa knew the press would find her sooner or later, so a newspaper from back home might as well get in the first shot." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For the next hour, she and Tom Kelly sat in the parlor talking, laughing, and talking some more. He brought her up to date on some of her old companions and acquaintances.\n\n\"Cherokee Bill's in jail at Fort Smith,\" he said. \"He tried to break out a few weeks back and a guard was killed. Word is he's going to hang.\"\n\nTeresa shook her head. \"What about Tom Root and Buss Luckey?\" Years ago she had ridden with the two Black outlaws in a gang headed by a White man named Nathaniel \"Texas Jack\" Reed.\n\n\"Far as I know, they're in jail at Fort Smith, Arkansas, too. They robbed a train down in Indian Territory last November and a deputy was killed when the law tried to apprehend them.\"\n\n\"Judge Parker still around?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He nodded. \"Heard he's not well, but his court is about to be dissolved. Rumor has it he's pardoning most of the people he locked up. Cherokee Bill's trial may be one of his last.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa didn't see herself being pardoned. Parker had sent her to prison to teach her a lesson. She wondered how many outlaws, criminals, and bank robbers Hanging Judge Isaac Parker had seen in his life on the bench. Too many probably. Members of her family were included in those numbers. \"Have you seen my brother Neil or my sister-in-law Olivia?\"\n\n\"Your brother's been working for the trains out in California. Came home about a month ago. Saw your sister-in-law just before I left.\" He reached into the inside pocket of his suit coat. \"She asked me to deliver this letter.\"\n\nTears stung her eyes as she took the envelope from his hand." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Thanks. Is she well?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He nodded. \"And still mayor. Got herself reelected a few weeks back.\"\n\nTeresa thought that good news. She'd been real skeptical about Olivia when they first met. Teresa didn't like her because she'd held Olivia responsible for Neil wanting to turn himself into the law. Over time, however, they'd become the sisters both women had wanted growing up. She put the precious letter into the pocket of her skirt, and the interview continued.\n\nMeanwhile, outside the parlor door, Madison was pacing. When his mother passed him on her way to the kitchen, he said, \"They've been in there for over an hour.\"\n\n\"He's from her home, Madison. They probably have a lot to talk about.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But why is it taking so long?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She gave him an affectionate pat on the shoulder. \"You sound like an impatient child. Emma's making lunch. Go get some. Teresa will be done when she's done.\" She moved on.\n\nIt was good advice, he realized. He also realized he had no idea why Teresa being in the room with the reporter was causing him to react this way. When had he become so possessive? Not sure he wanted to go down that slippery slope, he headed for the kitchen.\n\nAfter the interview, Teresa stood on the front steps and watched Tom Kelly drive away. Talking with him had been fun, but the knowledge that he'd be heading west in a few days left her melancholy. She wanted to go home so badly she could taste it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The desire to feel the hot wind on her face, to sleep under the stars and see the mountains against the horizon all rose up at once, and she had to fight hard to keep from succumbing to the ache in her soul." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Are you okay?\" she heard Madison ask quietly behind her.\n\nShe shook her head. \"Nope. So can you go back inside and leave me to myself for a few minutes?\"\n\n\"Sure,\" he said softly.\n\nShe heard the door close and sighed. When she was younger, her brothers would always tease her if she cried, so she'd learned to do it only when alone. She needed that privacy now, and as she wiped away the tears gathering on her cheeks, she'd never felt so alone.\n\nTeresa was quiet for the rest of the day. Madison could have chosen to do any number of things since he wasn't going to the bank, but he hung around because he was concerned about her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His mother and Emma were concerned as well, but nobody tried to get Teresa to talk about what she was feeling or took offense at her mood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Instead they left her alone and hoped she'd work through her sadness." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Weave this into your narrative: \"The front yard is full of newspaper reporters,\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After dinner, Madison was about to suggest a ride in the park when Emma came into the parlor with a stunned look on her face. \"The front yard is full of newspaper reporters,\" she said. \"I mean, they are shoulder-to-shoulder.\"\n\nMadison and Teresa moved quickly to the window, and sure enough out front saw enough reporters and men carrying cameras to cover a presidential election.\n\nMadison said, \"What the hell—\"\n\nHis mother asked, \"Teresa, do you think Mr. Kelly told the Philadelphia papers where to find you?\"\n\n\"He said he was going to try and sell the story, but I thought he meant out West.\"\n\nMadison was fairly certain this was Richards's doing and he was not pleased. \"I'll go out and see what they want.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "When he stepped outside, he was peppered with angry questions." }, { "from": "system", "value": "💬 Please integrate this quote: \"Mr. Nance, is it true that Teresa July is living here?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Mr. Nance, is it true that Teresa July is living here?\"\n\n\"Mr. Nance, who gave the okay for such a dangerous woman to be released here?\"\n\n\"Mr. Nance, as a banker and a son, aren't you concerned that this outlaw may turn on your mother and rob your bank?\"\n\n\"Isn't your mother concerned having such a desperado on the premises? What's her church think about this heathen outlaw in our midst?\"\n\n\"Mr. Nance!\"\n\n\"Mr. Nance!\"\n\nMadison had never dealt with such chaos in his life. The angry questions continued to be shouted at him and the camera flashes were blinding. And watching them trample his mother's flower beds and lawn infuriated him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Inside, Teresa felt bad for him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was she they wanted. The angry questions matched their angry faces. They were riled up and probably wouldn't leave until she made an appearance. \"I need my Colt and my gun belt,\" she said to Mrs. Nance.\n\n\"What on earth for?\"\n\n\"So they'll take their cameras away and leave you and Madison in peace. It's me they want to see, Teresa July the outlaw, so I'm going to give her to them.\"\n\nMrs. Nance stared.\n\n\"Please, Mrs. Nance. You aren't going to have any flowers left, and Madison looks ready to throw some punches. I'm going to go change. I'll meet you back here.\"\n\n\"Teresa?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'reporters' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Get my stuff.\" She took off running.\n\nTeresa dragged on her leathers. She knew how to handle the press, she'd done it her entire outlaw life. Reporters had loved her and her brothers out West. If she didn't go out there and charm them there was no telling what they'd print and she didn't want them dragging the Nance name through the mud. After all they'd done for her, it wouldn't be fair.\n\nMadison had just opened his mouth to tell a reporter to get the hell out of his mother's flower beds when the screen door behind him opened and Teresa drawled, \"Hello, boys!\"\n\nThe reporters all but fell over each other to get a closer look. Flashes went off like July Fourth fireworks, and the din of male voices shouting to be heard filled the air." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison turned to her and his jaw dropped." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was wearing a tight-fitting suit of black leather. Around her waist was a gun belt studded with cartridges. The Colt stuck in the belt was big and sported a white mother-of-pearl handle. On her feet were black-heeled boots. A black flat-crowned hat hung down her back from a string around her neck. When she walked by him and stood on the step below him all he could see was the way the snug leather clung to her legs and accentuated the curves of her hips. He had never been rendered speechless by a woman before, but couldn't have made a sound if his life had depended upon it.\n\nThe press made up for his silence. Teresa took questions, posed for pictures, and showed them her Colt, adding with the patented July grin, \"Make sure you tell your readers the Colt is only for your pictures. Parole board doesn't want me carrying, and I'm trying to play by the rules.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The men laughed and more questions were shouted her way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They wanted to know the name of her horse. Had she seen her brothers? Did she like Philadelphia? By the time she called out, \"Last question, boys,\" she had them eating out of her hand. Some of the reporters wanted to arrange one-on-one interviews to be conducted in the weeks ahead, and Teresa agreed.\n\nThe reporters hung around for a little while longer, writing down her colorful quotes and taking more pictures. When they'd finally gotten their fill, they put away their pens, packed up their cameras, and left en masse.\n\nA tired but happy Teresa entered the house, went into the parlor, and collapsed in a chair. Mrs. Nance was smiling with surprise. \"They loved you!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory: Your text must contain 'behind' 2 times exactly" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa's eyes were sparkling. \"Yes, they did, and I had fun.\"\n\nMadison could not get over her attire. When she walked by him and into the parlor, the snug black leather fit her so alluringly he had to fight himself to keep from easing up behind her and filling his palms with her luscious looking behind. He had never seen anything like them. \"Is that how you usually dress out West?\"\n\n\"All the time. This pair's new,\" she explained and running her hand over her leather-sheathed thigh. \"They're still a little stiff, but the more I wear them, the more they get broken in.\"\n\nMolly stated confidently, \"I'm going to make me a pair.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison stared at her, shocked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His mother countered, \"Rebecca has some.\"\n\nHe started to chuckle. \"You're pulling my leg, right?\"\n\n\"No. They're brown. Aren't they, Teresa?\"\n\n\"Seen them with my own eyes.\"\n\nMadison looked to the heavens, but not for long because Teresa's outfit kept grabbing his attention. All he could think about was pulling those leathers down and showing her how much they aroused him.\n\nTeresa wondered if Molly could see the heat in her son's eyes. Teresa certainly could. Each time he glanced her way, the intensity grew, making Teresa remember the slide of his hands on her skin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Beneath her short-waisted leather coat, her nipples were ripening to his silent call." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Farther south, her core was blossoming as well.\n\nMadison managed to look away from Teresa long enough to ask his mother, \"What time do you want me to fetch you in the morning?\"\n\n\"A bit before seven.\"\n\nHe nodded. \"That should get us there in plenty of time.\"\n\nBeing around Teresa was making his manhood harder and harder. To avoid embarrassing his mother and himself, he thought it best that he leave. The anticipation of having the lady outlaw all to himself for the next few days only added to his arousal, as did anticipating removing her leather trousers, so he said, \"I'm going to head home. I'll see you both in the morning.\"\n\nMolly nodded. \"Okay.\"\n\n\"See you, Madison.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lying in her bed later that night surrounded by the darkness, Teresa reviewed her day. And what a day it had been. Tom Kelly. Madison. The newspaper reporters. Madison. A buoying letter from her sister-in-law, Olivia. Madison. Madison, Madison, Madison. He filled her thoughts. Having never been taken with a man before, the feelings he evoked were overwhelming. She knew that some of what she felt was fueled by plain old-fashioned lust, and she would make no apologies for being woman enough to acknowledge that." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But why did her life seem brighter when he was around?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Why did his smile make her heart swell, and why, when he wasn't around, was he becoming all she could think about? It was curious. Something was going on between them, and she liked it, but she wasn't sure she was supposed to.\n\nThe next morning, she rode with Madison, Molly, and Emma to the train station. In spite of the early hour, the huge edifice was filled with noise and people hurrying to catch their trains. She was fascinated by all the different races, languages, and manner of dress, but to someone accustomed to wide-open spaces, the press of the crowd was stifling and the din of hundreds of conversations in tandem with the shrill whistles of the departing and arriving trains deafening.\n\nWhen the time came for Molly and Emma to depart, Teresa gave them both strong hugs. \"Have a safe trip and a good time, she said genuinely.\n\nAfter receiving parting hugs from Madison, they boarded. Madison and Teresa waited on the platform while the train's whistle sounded. When the locomotive slowly began to make its way down the tracks, they waved at Molly in the window, then walked back out into the sunshine to where he'd parked his buggy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As he merged into the heavy morning traffic of buggies, streetcars, and delivery wagons, he asked, \"Would you like to get some breakfast? Mr. Watson's place is open.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa liked the old gentleman and his food. \"That sounds good.\"\n\nBecause they had to drive back to the Seventh Ward, it took some time, but they kept glancing at each other and smiling. Content on the seat beside him, she asked, \"So what do I have to do to get my drawers back?\"\n\nHe grinned, shrugging. \"Oh, I don't know. Been thinking on it, though.\"\n\n\"Well, you can't keep them. I don't have that many pairs.\"\n\n\"Understood.\" The idea of hanging on to them like an erotic trophy had crossed his mind, but he didn't tell her that. \"I'll come up with something.\"\n\nThere were quite a few vehicles parked near Mr. Watson's place, and it took Madison a few moments to find a place to put his. The only spot available was in front of one of the political clubs, and he pulled in there." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because of the early hour, the political club was still closed, so he felt fairly safe in believing the horse and buggy would be still there when they returned.\n\nThe inside of the storefront restaurant was much more crowded and lively when they entered, but when the diners noticed Madison and Teresa waiting to be seated silence fell over the place and everyone stared at them. A confused Teresa turned to Madison, who appeared just as puzzled. Out of the back came Mr. Watson. Walking toward them, he grinned and began to applaud. Soon, others joined in, and the sound rose. By the time he reached them, folks were cheering and tapping silverware against their water glasses. The noise seemed to shake the windows, but neither Teresa nor Madison had any idea what it meant.\n\nThen Watson called out in a loud voice, \"Ladies and gentlemen! Mr. Madison Nance and the very lovely Teresa July!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The crowd roared so loud, Teresa felt like the President." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison grinned. \"You're famous.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I know, but this is embarrassing.\"\n\n\"May I show you to a table,\" Watson said, gesturing elaborately.\n\n\"Please,\" Teresa said, hoping the din would die down. Folks were smiling and clapping and standing up. She half expected this kind of reaction from a room full of men, but there were women on their feet applauding and smiling as well. She was amazed.\n\nMr. Watson led them to the same table they'd had on their last visit, but this time the other tables were all occupied, so there'd be no intimate privacy. In fact, all of the people nearby looked on with bright smiles.\n\nOnce Teresa and Madison were seated, Mr. Watson said to her, \"I knew there was something special about you the moment I laid eyes on you.\"\n\n\"Mr. Watson, please—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, let me finish.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa nodded.\n\n\"Folks here in the East have been real taken with all the outlaws and gunfighters out West. Things in the newspaper about this one and that one. The stories are exciting and make everything about the West seem bigger than life. Then you and your brothers come along. Robbing banks is wrong. I know it and you know it, right?\"\n\nTeresa nodded, reluctantly.\n\n\"But you were Black. Now, we had outlaw stories in our own papers that were just as hair-raising as the White ones. We'd shake our heads with disapproval every time you all robbed something, but that didn't mean we couldn't be as excited as the Whites were about reading about their kind.\" He asked her, \"Does that make sense to you?\"\n\n\"Sure.\"\n\n\"Especially now that you've paid your debt to society and did your time. The community is real tickled to have you here, Miss July, so welcome to Philadelphia.\"\n\n\"Thanks.\"\n\n\"Did you see yourself in the papers this morning?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Watson sent a waiter to his office, and the young man returned with a stack that he placed on their table." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sure enough, there she was, posed in her leathers and smiling. Madison leafed through a few of the others until he saw pictures of her, and true to Watson's claim, all the editions, both Black and White, seemed elated by her presence in the city. One White paper promised its readers more pictures, another promised future detailed interviews, while still another promised to find out if it was true that she ate raw skinned squirrels for breakfast and slept outside in a tepee. Madison shook his head. Teresa notwithstanding, he wondered if the city newspapers would offer this much coverage to the upcoming antilynching march his business association and some of the other Black organizations planned to have.\n\nTeresa and Madison gave the waiter their orders, and when their food arrived a short time later, they ate their meals while the other diners scrutinized their every move, especially Teresa's. She became self-conscious about how she was handling her cutlery, how she reached for her water glass, and if she was chewing like a horse. The last thing she wanted was folks gossiping about her manners, because that would undoubtedly reflect back on Molly Nance, so she tried to comport herself in a way that would make her mentor proud.\n\n\"How're you doing?\" Madison asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I feel like a two-headed calf at the fair.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He chuckled. \"They're just interested, that's all.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I know, and I guess I should have expected it, but I didn't. Not all this—newspapers, folks clapping and whistling, Mr. Watson bowing and scraping.\"\n\n\"It's probably going to be this way until the papers find something new to embrace, so for the moment, you're it.\"\n\n\"I guess.\" Teresa never sat anywhere where she couldn't see the exits, but Madison was seated with his back to the room. When she looked up and frowned, he asked, \"What's wrong?\"\n\n\"That Richards fella is coming up behind you. Looks mad too.\"\n\nMadison didn't turn around. He knew that by now Dawson Richards had probably heard from Paula that he knew he was married and probably wasn't pleased. Not that Madison cared. He tended to think they were just about even, but the other shoe still had to drop on Richards." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He'd stopped by to see Ben yesterday, and Charlotte had already engaged a lawyer who planned to take his payment from the settlement she was sure to receive.\n\nSure enough, when Richards reached their table, he snapped, \"I ought to take a buggy whip to you.\"\n\nMadison put down his coffee cup and looked up. He said drolly, \"And good morning to you too, Richards. You seem upset.\"\n\n\"How dare you tell Paula and the Carters I'm married. My personal affairs are none of your concern.\"\n\n\"You aren't married?\"\n\n\"Of course not!\"\n\n\"That isn't what Charlotte claims.\"\n\nHe looked startled." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You know Charlotte, don't you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison asked. \"Lives in New Orleans. Mother of your three children.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Richards's eyes blazed with fury.\n\nMadison kept up his cool recitation. \"I talked to her a few weeks back. She's having trouble keeping food on the table. She's here in town, I hear, and talking with a lawyer.\"\n\nBecause Richards had grabbed everyone's attention with his holier than thou entrance, he now had a diner full of Black folks taking in every word of the conversation.\n\nMadison continued, \"Thanks for sending the press to my mother's house. Hope you're ready for your interviews. Someone, and I'm not sure who, plans to send a copy of your marriage certificate to the city papers. I didn't see anything in today's edition, but there's always tomorrow, or the day after.\"\n\nIn response to that shocking news, the diners began to whisper. Madison and Teresa noticed it, and so did the livid Richards.\n\n\"I'll get you for this,\" he promised.\n\n\"You're threatening me in a room filled with people. Surely you're smarter than that.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Somewhere in your response, you need to say: \"Is there a problem, Mr. Richards?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was obvious the ward boss didn't know what to do. Had he been a child, he would have been sputtering, he was so angry. \"I'm a dangerous enemy, Nance.\"\n\nMadison shrugged. \"I'm sure you believe that.\"\n\nTeresa had never seen this cold, confident side of Madison before, and she was impressed. She hoped Richards wouldn't be harebrained enough to start a fight in the middle of the restaurant, but she waited to see how the confrontation would play out.\n\nMr. Watson walked up and asked Richards, \"Is there a problem, Mr. Richards?\"\n\nRichards, his eyes never leaving Madison, said, \"No. I was just leaving.\"\n\n\"Good,\" Watson said. \"I'll walk you out.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He growled, \"I know where the exit is.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Giving Madison and Teresa one last angry glare, he turned and strode away.\n\n\"Well now,\" Teresa said, \"nothing like a little anger to spice up your breakfast.\"\n\nMadison smiled. Charles Watson did too, then returned to his kitchen. As Teresa and Madison went back to their meals, the restaurant was abuzz.\n\n\"I didn't know there was steel beneath that city boy suit,\" Teresa said.\n\nAmusement was in his eyes. \"There are lots of things you don't know about me.\"\n\n\"So I see. I like it, though.\"\n\n\"Do you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yeah. Thought you were soft when I first met you.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'think' 2 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I noticed that.\"\n\n\"No offense, but the way you dressed and talked—where I come from that spells S-O-F-T.\"\n\nHe chuckled. \"And now?\"\n\n\"Now? I think Richards might want to think twice about crossing you.\"\n\n\"You are as smart as you are beautiful.\"\n\nShe laughed. \"So where are we going after we leave here?\"\n\n\"You mentioned wanting to go riding, am I right?\"\n\nShe grinned. \"Can we stop by your mother's so I can put on my leathers?\"\n\nMadison silently cheered, but kept that to himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Sure. That's no problem at all.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Will you ride with me?\"\n\nWill you ride me? was his mental response, but he buried that, too. Instead, he nodded. \"I have some old clothes I keep at Mother's house somewhere. That'll save us having to make a stop by my place as well.\" He looked her way and saw she was smiling. \"Why the smile?\"\n\n\"Just thinking about your mother wanting her own leathers.\"\n\nHe shook his head. \"She is something.\" His tone turned serious \"And your coming to stay has been good for her. She's always done the charity work and been active in the church, but she hasn't had the spark she used to have before my father passed.\"\n\nTeresa saw the feeling in his eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Now, she's sewing again and talking about balls and wearing leathers. I'm very grateful.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 10 sentences." }, { "from": "system", "value": "At some point in your response, insert this verbatim: \"She's a real special lady. And I like a man who cares about his mother.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa was touched by his words. \"She's a real special lady. And I like a man who cares about his mother.\"\n\n\"Most of us only get one, so I have to take care of her, especially with my father gone.\"\n\nHis unabashed devotion made her think of her brothers and her mother Tamar. They'd fetch her from the grave if she asked them to.\n\n\"Are you ready to leave?\" he asked.\n\nShe nodded.\n\nMadison paid the bill, then escorted her to the door. Calls of good wishes and \"Welcome to Philadelphia\" heralded their departure. A smiling Teresa gave the diners a wave good-bye, and with Madison by her side, stepped out into the sunshine." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Produce 8 sentences using the user's text as a seed. Follow the established character context if any exists. Stick to the romance, historical fiction, 1890s, US, African American genre." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The theater's interior took Teresa's breath away. The places out West calling themselves opera houses may as well have been privies when compared to the Academy of Music's grand hall. The ornate balconies and velvet seats were eye popping and the chandelier jaw dropping.\n\nIt's made of crystal,\" Madison told her. \"Fifty feet in circumference and sixteen feet in diameter, according to this program.\"\n\nShe and Madison were in what he called a proscenium box, which she found out was the fancy name for the box seats between the curtain and the orchestra pit, and in her opinion the best seats in the place. She could see everything from their pricey perch.\n\n\"How much does it weigh?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "she asked, staring in awe at the massive chandelier." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If our seats were down there, I'd spend all night looking just up to make sure it wasn't falling down. Something that big could kill a person.\"\n\nHe chuckled. \"Says here it weighs five thousand pounds, and there are 240 gas burners inside.\"\n\nTeresa shook her head in amazement, then turned her attention to the people filling up the seats on the floor below. Once again she had never seen so many well-dressed folks. They were streaming in all gussied up, and the hall was buzzing with the muted sounds of hundreds of different conversations. She was seated right up against the ornate wall that made up the front of the box, and she supposed that to all of the sophisticated city people in the boxes nearby, she looked like a country rube, but she didn't care. She didn't want to miss a thing.\n\nMadison watched her with affection." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She was definitely enjoying herself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He could see some of the people seated in the other boxes observing her with smiles. They apparently recognized her and seemed to be enjoying her excitement just as much as he. And she looked beautiful in her fancy midnight blue gown. He recognized it as the one she'd been wearing the day he came into the sewing room and was told to pick up his eyeballs from the floor, but tonight he could look at her to his heart's content. His mother's favorite designer was the English-born Charles Frederick Worth, and she fashioned her patterns to mimic his. The gown Teresa was wearing, with its deep alluring neckline and feather-capped sleeves, had skirt panels shot through with metallic threads and a long flat trail. The dress was designed to hug the wearer's waist and emphasize the bust, which it did very well. She was the most distinctively dressed woman in the place, and he was proud to say she was with him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well! I'd no idea we'd be sitting with a known criminal.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa and Madison turned to see Paula Wade and her escort, Dawson Richards, taking the seats behind them in the box." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The snippy comment had been Paula's.\n\n\"You could always sit someplace else,\" Teresa told her.\n\n\"Dawson paid eight dollars for these seats. I'll just pray we're downwind.\"\n\nTeresa shook her head at the woman's audacity but didn't take the bait. Instead she glanced at Madison, who said to her, \"You can shoot her next time.\"\n\n\"I'll hold you to that.\"\n\nStrangely, the tight-lipped Richards had nothing to say. Madison wondered if his silence stemmed from the rumors flying around about his wife's lawsuit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In truth, the reason didn't matter, because he didn't care." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'teresa' - 3 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Putting Paula out of her mind, Teresa sat mesmerized through the show. It opened with W. I. Powell, billed as the \"Celebrated Baritone and King of Fun,\" then out came R. Henri Strange. He recited scenes from Othello and Richard the Third. Teresa hadn't a clue as to what he was talking about, but he sounded very eloquent, so when he left the stage to thunderous applause, she too clapped vigorously and made a mental note to ask Mrs. Nance if she had any Shakespeare plays in her library.\n\nNext came jugglers, a buck and wing contest that had the audience clapping with the music, and two little children outfitted as bride and groom in a Tom Thumb wedding.\n\nHowever, it was Madame Sissieretta Jones, who brought down the house. From the first note, Teresa understood why she was called the \"Greatest Singer of Her Race.\" Displaying the seventeen medals she always wore on her gown whenever she performed, she held the audience in the palm of her hand." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Singing everything from spirituals to the operatic arias she'd performed all over the world, her voice filled the concert hall like an angel's." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The dark-skinned beauty, born in Portsmouth, Virginia, could have been a July, Teresa thought with a smile, taking in the woman's coloring. According to the program, she'd sung for three different Presidents and was managed by Major J. B. Pond, who also managed Mark Twain and the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher. Teresa was so impressed by Madame Jones's voice, she could have listened to her sing until Christmas, but the hour long performance had to end at some point, and when it did, the appreciative crowd jumped to their feet, shaking the building with their deafening applause.\n\nThe evening over, Teresa took a last look around the hall so she could commit it to memory. She never wanted to forget the night. Gathering up her wrap and the empty handbag that matched her dress, she and Madison waited in the crush of people leaving. Paula and Richards were standing directly in front of them, close enough for Teresa to see that the texture of Paula's kitchen did not match the nearly straight hair on the rest of her head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa's long black hair had come from her mixed heritage of African, Spanish, and Seminole ancestors; Paula's had come from a wig store." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Paula looked back at her, and wrinkling her nose, began to fan the air elaborately with a gloved hand. \"Dawson, if we don't start moving soon, I'm going to swoon from prison stench.\"\n\nBefore she could put Paula in her place, a beautifully attired older woman standing near her said pointedly, \"Miss July, please don't judge we Philadelphians by this graceless visitor from Memphis.\"\n\nThe offended Paula flashed around as if to offer a stinging retort, but the woman wasn't cowed. She looked Paula dead in the eyes and said haughtily, \"The only stench I smell is the one emanating from someone being squired around by a married man.\"\n\nTittering greeted that blast from the woman's guns. Teresa wanted to cheer as a stony Paula turned back around. Everyone could see the rigid set of Richards's back, his fury over the public put-down obvious, but he didn't utter a word." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Seemingly satisfied that the issue of who was who and what was what had been handled, the woman then asked Madison, \"How's your mother, Madison?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Barely containing his smile, he replied, \"She's fine, Mrs. Fitz, just fine. She's in Cleveland visiting family.\"\n\n\"Tell her I asked after her, would you please.\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am.\"\n\nMrs. Fitz turned to Teresa. \"Have Molly bring you around for tea when she returns, Miss July. I'd enjoy having you visit my home.\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am. I will. Thank you.\"\n\nShe nodded like the grande dame that she was, then tossed Teresa a tiny wink.\n\nOn the ride through the night, Teresa sat with Madison's arm around her in the back seat of the cab." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She couldn't believe the wonderful evening." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Once again she felt like a woman in a dream, and she definitely didn't want to be awakened.\n\n\"Did you have a good time?\" he asked.\n\n\"Oh yes.\" She looked up at him in the shadows of the cab's hood. \"Thank you very much.\"\n\n\"You're welcome.\"\n\nTeresa smiled and cuddled closer.\n\nMadison tightened his hold, enjoying her nearness. \"I had a good time watching Mrs. Fitz fillet Paula too.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa chuckled. \"So did I. Did you see the look on Miss Paula's face? She wears a wig, you know.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'place' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do tell?\"\n\n\"Yep. Fake as my uncle Graham's wooden teeth.\"\n\nMadison laughed. \"You do have a way with words.\"\n\n\"Thanks.\" Teresa was content, more than she'd ever been in her life. \"So, where are we going now?\"\n\n\"Thought I'd steal you away for a while and take you to my place.\"\n\n\"Hmm,\" she replied with smiling interest. \"Your place?\"\n\n\"Yep.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I think I like that idea.\"\n\n\"Do you?\"\n\nTheir eyes met in the dark. She whispered, \"I do.\"\n\nHe traced a possessive finger along the curve of her breasts above her gown, then said slowly, \"If I kiss you and touch you the way I've been wanting to all night, the cabbie's going to get an eyeful, so hold onto that look in your eyes until I get you home.\"\n\nTeresa resonated from the touch and the power in his tone. Personally, she didn't care about the cabbie, but she knew that in Madison's world propriety was taken seriously. Being the gentleman that he was, he was likely concerned about damage to her reputation and didn't want the cabbie boasting to his cronies about what he'd seen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Filled with anticipation over what the rest of their evening would hold, she added yet another positive attribute to the growing list of things that made Mrs. Nance's handsome, seductive son one of a kind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The cab pulled up in front of a row house in one of the better sections of the Seventh Ward. Madison paid the cabbie, then escorted her inside.\n\nHe had a nice place, Teresa noted, looking around. It lacked the grandeur of his mother's home, but the carpets, upholstered furniture, and framed paintings on the wall reflected a man who had taste and made a good living. \"I like this,\" she said as they entered his small parlor. The dark wood and heavy furniture exuded a distinct masculine air, and so did he, she noted, placing her wrap and handbag on a chair. Her nipples were already up and ready, her skin craving that first vivid touch.\n\n\"Would you like something to drink?\" he asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What do you have?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'coffee' × 4" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lemonade. I can make us coffee? Boil water for tea?\"\n\n\"Coffee, if it's not too much bother.\"\n\n\"It isn't.\" Madison wanted her so badly, he had to force himself to stand where he was. He was certain that if he moved any closer, the coffee would be forgotten.\n\nTeresa didn't need Second Sight to glean his thinking. The heat in his eyes was as plain as the heat reflected in her own. \"We could always have the coffee later,\" she suggested softly.\n\n\"I suppose we could,\" he said, crossing the room to where she stood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He gently pulled her against him and their gazes locked in the silence of the dimly lit parlor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He lowered his mouth to hers, and the sweet intensity sent Teresa's world spinning." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She put her arms around him, wanting to bring their bodies even closer. Hands began roaming in a quest to explore, and hers were as active as his. She loved placing her lips against his jaw, loved running her palms along the strength in his upper arms, loved the hard warmth of his desire pressed ardently between their flush forms. This man and this man alone had taught her more about passion than she ever thought possible. His lips on her neck were like flames, his hands moving over her breasts stirring. When he kissed his way across the skin above her gown, she crooned for him. With her breath coming in short, soft gasps, there was nothing she wanted more than for him to love her like she knew he could, so when he swept her up in his arms, she didn't protest. Instead, she fed herself on his kiss and let him carry her, fancy gown and all, up the dark staircase." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa had no idea what his room looked like." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All she knew was that the bed he'd sat her on felt large and soft and that he was standing above her. Reaching out, she moved her hand purposefully up and down the hard velvet part of him that had given her so much pleasure earlier in the day, then squeezed him until he pulsed, before skimming a savoring hand over its length again. She stood slowly, her touch never leaving him, and said in a low voice, \"I think I should take off this dress.\"\n\nA spiraling Madison agreed. His eyes were closed, a testament to the searing level of lust her touch had caused. When she removed her hand to see to the task, he was bereft.\n\nAs she removed the dress, the silk rustled in the quiet.\n\n\"Hand it here,\" he invited." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll place it over the chair.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After doing that, he took a moment to light a lamp, the low wick giving off just enough light for them to see each other.\n\nAnd what Madison saw when he looked her way stole his breath. The black corset, with its tiny flowers and accenting lace trim, barely covered her nipples. Her drawers had also been removed in the dark, and she was standing before him wearing nothing but the corset, her stockings, garters, and black velvet high button shoes. Just like this morning, he could have come right there and then, but he held on. He planned to enjoy her like a boy with new toys on Christmas morning, and he was sure it would take a long time.\n\nTo that end, he rejoined her by the bed, then bent his head to brush his lips over the arousing hills of her breasts. \"I like this,\" he whispered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You should wear these more often.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Draping an arm low on her back, he brought her forward so he could kiss her in earnest while he circled a worshipping hand over the flare of her soft, warm behind. A fleeting touch between her thighs affirmed that she was as ready for him as he was for her, and he felt his manhood swell in response. While he undid the hooks of her corset, he fed himself on the passion blazing in her eyes.\n\nOnce the loosened corset panels hung free, her creased and wrinkled camisole was the only barrier between his lips and her skin, one he conquered easily when he took a shrouded nipple into the heat of his mouth.\n\nTeresa groaned with the pleasure. He languidly played and dallied until she was ripe as summer blackberries, then he bit them gently before repeating the glorious process again. The hand between her legs had to be the most magical touch east or west of the Mississippi, and she was soon crooning in response to his delicious wizardry.\n\nMadison could have touched and teased her until eternity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Every taste, feel, and scent of her fired his need." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was responsive, uninhibited, and so brimming with passion, he kissed her down onto the bed so he could show her just how much she moved him.\n\nAnd he took an inordinate amount of time doing so. His kisses worshipped her from the hammered gold hoops in her ears, down her throat, then paused to sample her lush breasts. His fingers found her vent damp and wet. When he slid a bold finger inside, her hips rose erotically and she purred. She'd wanted him to show her passion, and he was doing his best to make sure she received as much as she could stand.\n\nBy the time he slid his sheathed man root into the place she most wanted it to be, Teresa was so scandalously hot, he could have been stroking her in the center of the stage at the Academy of Music and she wouldn't have cared. Lord have mercy! Feeling him filling her, riding her, and making sure her nipples stayed wet and taut, sent her soaring toward orgasm, and when it burst, she screamed long and loud." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As she twisted and shuddered, she sensed him raise her hips and begin to pump in and out with such lust-fed fury that her body arched her like a bow." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For the next few minutes cries and growls and the sound of the bed squeaking resonated in the room. A thunderous release claimed him. He tightened his hold and kept thrusting as his head fell back and he yelled out his joy.\n\nMoments later he pulled her in against him. With their shattering completions still echoing inside, they breathlessly wondered if they'd ever be whole again.\n\nBut they didn't lie quiet for long. They were too tempted by each other, too eager to retrace their climb to passion's peak. She rode him this time, just like she'd done this morning on the bench." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After that second orgasm tore through her, he had her turn over and kneel against the large wooden headboard, and he took her from behind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa found the positioning splendidly intoxicating. He could kiss her throat, tease her breasts, and ply that little citadel of flesh at the gate of her thighs, all while stroking her deliciously. The rhythm quickened, the plying increased, and soon she was crooning and coming and fairly swooning in response to the force of his hard thrusts as his orgasm sent him flying over the edge too.\n\nThis time when they were done, neither could move. Their eyes met across the bed and they shared a mutual smile of satisfaction and affection. He reached out and languidly entwined his fingers with hers. Teresa tightened the hold, relishing his nearness, and wondered how in the world she was going to be able to leave this man when the time came for her to return to her life out West.\n\nRather than worry about it, she decided to just enjoy the moment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her lips were kiss swollen, her thighs stroke swollen, and she was filled with the remnants of his spectacular loving." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Who knew that the rude and distrustful city boy she'd first met in his mother's library would make love like he'd been given a Gift, and that she would be thanking her lucky stars for being the beneficiary. Dios, he was good!\n\n\"Penny for your thoughts,\" he said softly, turning his gaze her way.\n\n\"Just thinking how very good you are at this passion thing.\"\n\nTickled, he replied, \"I've never had any complaints.\"\n\n\"I'll bet you haven't.\"\n\n\"You're a fast learner, though.\"\n\n\"It's easy when you have a good teacher.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Later, after they showered and dressed, Madison drove her home." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The sun was just coming up and the streets were all but empty. They'd had such a good time they wanted to do it again.\n\nHe walked her into the house and gave her a parting kiss. \"There's a ferry that offers moonlight cruises on the river. Would you like to go tonight?\"\n\n\"Can I wear my leathers?\"\n\nHe smiled and shrugged. \"Why not? Who knows, your celebrity may earn us free passage.\"\n\n\"That would be fine because you've been spending an awful lot of money on me. I've been keeping a tab because I want to pay you back eventually. Were those seats at the Academy really eight dollars?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes. And you may as well forget about the price. I won't be taking any money from you, now or in the future. Are you trying to insult me on purpose?\" he asked, holding her close and looking down at her.\n\n\"No, but you shouldn't be footing my bills.\"\n\n\"Teresa, paying for your meals and taking you to the theater won't put me in the poorhouse. I might not be as rich as Andrew Carnegie, but I can afford Saratoga chips.\"\n\n\"Just accustomed to paying my own way. That's all.\"\n\n\"When you go home, you can go back to doing that, but while you're here, you're my guest.\"\n\nShe gave him a reluctant, \"Okay.\"\n\nHe placed a kiss on her forehead." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll see you this afternoon. Go on to bed. I'll lock the door behind me.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'might' into your response exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She nodded tiredly and left him standing in the foyer.\n\nMadison waited until he heard her walking on the floor above, then, with a smile on his face, he took his leave.\n\nTeresa awakened and peered bleary eyed at the small white porcelain clock on the bedside table: twelve-fifteen. For a moment her sleepy brain had difficulty determining if the time applied to afternoon or midnight, but the light in the room supplied the answer. Her first instinct was to burrow back into the bedding for a few more hours of sleep, but instead she sat up. The soft life she'd been leading since her release was not something she wanted to become accustomed to. By this time next year, Ancestors willing, she'd be home and life would be a struggle again, especially now that she had to find legal means to support herself. The last thing she needed was to believe that she was actually this woman she was pretending to be, because in truth she was a poor Black Seminole with a ramshackle three room cabin in Indian Territory that might or might not be still standing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In her world, there were no silk camisoles, no maids to make her meals, and no special men who made love to her until dawn. It was best she remember that.\n\nThe first thing Madison wanted to do when he awakened was see Teresa. After last night's memorable bout of lovemaking, he was as eager as an infatuated youth to share her company again, hold her again, kiss her again. His sleep had been so sound he didn't remember dreaming, but he was certain she'd been in his nocturnal world, tempting him with her smile and her sleek onyx body. Just thinking about her made his nature rise, so he put aside his desires for now and got up to start his day.\n\nBecause he didn't cook, he ate out most of the time, usually at Mr. Watson's place. When he entered that afternoon, Watson was on the register." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Afternoon, Madison,\" Watson said.\n\nMadison nodded. \"How are you, sir?\"\n\n\"Can't complain. Where's the lovely Miss July?\"\n\n\"At Mother's.\"\n\n\"Pity. She lights up the day when she's around.\"\n\n\"That she does.\"\n\n\"Give her my regards when you see her again.\"\n\n\"I will.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He took Madison to a table. The lunch crowd had all but emptied out, leaving the restaurant quiet and slow. The workers were taking advantage of the lull, changing table linens, mopping floors, and eating at a few of the tables in a back corner.\n\nAfter taking Madison's order, Watson asked, \"Have you seen the Tribune?\"\n\nMadison hadn't. The eight page Tribune was Philadelphia's longest established Black newspaper, one of five published in the city.\n\nA paper was retrieved and handed to him. On the front was a picture of a smiling Teresa in her stunning gown. The caption under the picture read:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "LADY OUTLAW TERESA JULY VISITING" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC\n\nAll Madison could do was smile.\n\nWatson said, \"Now, turn to the second page.\"\n\nBeneath a badly done pen and ink drawing of Dawson Richards was the caption:\n\nPARTY BOSS DAWSON RICHARDS\n\nEMBROILED IN CONTROVERSY\n\nMadison read further:\n\nAccording to the State of Louisiana, party boss Dawson Richards is married to a Charlotte Baines Richards of Baton Rouge." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If that is true (and we be lieve it is via an official document received by this editor), why is he squiring around the young women of this city?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Has he forgotten his wife or simply misplaced her? Many of us have chosen to overlook the questionable and allegedly corrupt tactics of Richards and his associates on election day because he does deliver the votes needed by the former party of Lincoln. However, the lack of morals shown by a man who has seemingly abandoned his wife and three small children can not be overlooked nor ignored. This editor asks, is there no one else in the city of Philadelphia with the abilities and unstained morals to be party boss for the Seventh Ward? Surely one exists, and we demand that the party begin the search immediately.\n\nMadison looked up into Charles Watson's pleased face. \"Well,\" he said with satisfaction. \"That ought to put Richards on notice.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Let's hope so.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Although Madison had declared this week a holiday, he nonetheless swung by the bank on his way home just to make sure the ship was still afloat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Inside, there were no customers, which was not uncommon for an operation as small as his, but he nodded to the clerk behind the desk, then stuck his head into his office.\n\n\"Hello, Tate. How are things?\" he asked his second in command.\n\n\"Hello, sir. We had an interesting morning. A couple of customers came in and closed their accounts.\"\n\nMadison was confused. \"Why?\"\n\nTate shrugged. \"They said there were better investment opportunities elsewhere.\"\n\n\"Who were they?\"\n\nTate gave him the names of two very prominent citizens." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison was at a loss." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Were we able to cover their withdrawals?\"\n\n\"Yes, but if this is a trend, we may be in deep water.\"\n\nMadison didn't begrudge people moving their money, but he wanted to know why, if he could. \"I'll go around and speak to both of them before I return on Monday and see if I can win them back. In the meantime, any other dealings I should know about?\"\n\n\"Nope. Everything's smooth.\"\n\nMadison smiled. \"Good. Well, tomorrow's Friday. Close up at three. I know you're anxious to get to Baltimore and see your intended.\"\n\n\"I am, sir, so thanks.\"\n\nMadison departed. The withdrawals were baffling." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Both customers were civil servants and had invested large sums with his First Community Bank." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There had been enough funds to cover the losses, so staying solvent wasn't an immediate concern, but as Tate stated, if this was somehow the beginning of a trend, they could have trouble meeting their future fiduciary responsibilities, and that the bank couldn't afford.\n\nEager to get to the bottom of it, Madison hopped on the streetcar and rode downtown. One of the people who'd pulled out his money was civil service employee Wallace Bush. Few men of color worked for the civil service. Most of the jobs were party patronage jobs, and that thought brought Madison up short. Was Richards behind the withdrawals? Thinking it over, he was willing to bet he was. By being the chief supplier of names to the party for such jobs, he wielded a lot of power over the people who eventually took those positions." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Was he exercising that power over Bush, one of the mayor's chief messengers?" }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'madison' exactly 4 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wallace Bush was a short little man with ears that should have been given to someone much taller. When he saw Madison approach his desk, he looked around frantically as if seeking a place to hide. They'd gone to school together at the Philadelphia Institute of Colored Youth, and he was one of the smartest individuals Madison knew, but he had met rabbits with more spine.\n\nBush immediately stood up. \"Hey, Madison. The mayor needs me. Nice seeing you.\"\n\nMadison gently grabbed hold of Bush's arm to keep him from fleeing. \"This won't take but a moment. Why'd you take your money out this morning?\"\n\nThat frantic look flashed in Bush's eyes again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No real reason. My brother over in Jersey gets a better rate at his bank.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He tried to pull his arm away, still seeking to escape, but Madison held on. \"Wally, we've known each other since we were eight. You don't have a brother in Jersey or anyplace else. You're an only child.\"\n\n\"Did I say brother?\" He laughed nervously. \"I meant cousin. My cousin.\"\n\nMadison waited.\n\nWally sighed. \"Okay. Truth is, party boss Richards told me if I didn't pull my money out, I'd lose my job. You know I can't afford to be out of work.\"\n\n\"I know.\"\n\n\"He's got it in for you, Mad. Wants to send you to the poorhouse.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Narrative Extension Protocol:\nQuantity: one sentence\nContext: Match character familiarity\nGenre: romance, historical fiction, 1890s, US, African American" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The valet took their ticket then left to retrieve the buggy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As the slightly swaying Teresa and the outdone Madison stood by the curb, she said, \"Haven't been drunk in a long time. Feels kinda good.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oh really.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yep. I'll probably be sick as a dog in the morning, but right now, I don't care.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "While they waited, she started softly singing a song in what he assumed to be drunken Spanish." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He didn't ask her to explain the song because he doubted she'd be able to tell him anything coherently." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Once the buggy arrived, he tipped the young man, poured her in, and drove toward his mother's house." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There'd be no lovemaking tonight." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was taking her home." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were just about there when she looked his way and said, \"If you mother finds out about this, she's probably going to be very disappointed with me, isn't she?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"More than likely. She's trying to turn you into a lady, and ladies don't have drinking contests.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I keep telling you all, I don't want to be a lady. I just want to be me. Teresa.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He shook his head, \"I tried tell her it would never work.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa spun, eyes flashing, and Madison knew instantly that he should have kept the comment to himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You don't think I can be a lady?\" she asked sharply." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're the one drinking men under the table, what do you think?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I think you stink.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And you're drunk as a skunk.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I could be a lady if I wanted to be. How much do you want to bet?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He chuckled at yet another bet on this subject." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't make bets with drunken women.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Bet me, tinhorn!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He looked her way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No. If you want to fight, let's do it tomorrow when you're in your right mind.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Just because I'm drunk doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He rolled his eyes heavenward." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You're afraid you'll lose.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"From what I saw back there, my money's real safe.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "By then they were in front of his mother's house." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He didn't see any lights on." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You think so?\" she asked pointedly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm pretty confident. Yes.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, you're wrong!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison couldn't believe her stubbornness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Leaving his seat, he went around to her side and put out his hand to assist her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She ignored it. \"Since you don't think I can be a lady, why are you trying to act like I am one. Get out of the way!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Snatching up her wrap and bag, she stepped down and sailed past him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Jaw set angrily, he followed her to the door." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her inebriation fouled her efforts to fit the key in the door, so he took out his." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She told him, \"I don't need your help.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No. You need a keeper.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Just go home.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He forced his key into the lock and pushed the door open." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She entered and promptly tripped over the threshold rug." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She would have fallen had he not caught her arm." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She shook herself free." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Go to bed,\" he told her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't tell me what to do!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Somebody needs to!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, it won't be you—tinhorn!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're about two seconds from me paddling your drunken behind!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Touch me, and I will sock you so hard you'll think you're Paula!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. Nance's voice rang out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Stop it this minute! People can hear you in Pittsburgh!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "They stared over at her and Emma in shock." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Molly snapped, \"Yes, I'm home. Emma and I came back early.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She turned up the lamp, and the soft glow illuminated Teresa and Madison glaring at each other angrily." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Now, what is this about?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Simmering, Madison crossed his arms." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll let her tell you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. Nance turned. \"Teresa?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He thinks I can't be a lady because I drank one of Paula's friends under the table.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You did what?\" Wide-eyed, she asked her son, \"Where were you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"In the other room playing cards and minding my own business. The woman's a menace.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I am not!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. Nance studied Teresa for a moment. \"Are you drunk?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"As a skunk as your smug son so eloquently put it.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Teresa?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm sorry, Mrs. Nance, but I couldn't let that little bug Porter sass me like that. He was the one who threw down the glove, I just picked it up. Had to defend my honor.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mrs. Nance was staring at Teresa as if she'd never seen her before." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then she turned amazed eyes to her son." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm going home,\" he said firmly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If you want to fuss, I'll come by tomorrow. Right now, I'm in need of a drink.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He looked over at Teresa." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good night, Miss July.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good night,\" she threw back crossly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shaking his head, Madison left." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mrs. Nance turned to Teresa and said frostily, \"We'll speak in the morning. To bed, young lady.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, ma'am.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the dream, Teresa was in her cabin cooking beans on her small iron stove." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When she turned away, she saw her mother seated at the table. \"Tamar?\" she said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What are you doing here?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Tamar was dressed in the old way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bright colors and feathers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Your brothers are gathering. Time has come.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa searched her mother's face and saw that she looked older than she'd been the last time they'd seen each other." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Time has come for what?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He will give me strong grandsons. Treasure him.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Tamar?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My soul is almost gone but I had to see the daughter of my heart one last time. Stay with him, Teri. He has the silence inside that you need.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tamar rose from her seat and began walking away." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As Teresa stared, her mother looked back one more time, then disappeared into a sparkling mist." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa bolted awake. She was shaking, and covered with ice cold sweat. Is Tamar dying?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "A sense of foreboding filled every inch of her body." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She had to find out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She needed to send a telegram to Neil and Olivia right away." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She glanced at the clock." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Seven A.M. Mrs. Nance and Emma were probably up by now." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa moved to stand, but the searing ache in her head was like a kick from a mule and it forced her to sit back down." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Gasping, she placed her pounding head in her hands. \"Dios!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Too much tequila. Way too much tequila!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She had to get up, though." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even though her head was screaming, she had to move." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She had to find out what was happening with Tamar." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Grabbing hold of the bedpost, she pulled herself to her feet and immediately felt her stomach churn ominously." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Groaning with distress and alarm, she plastered her hand over her mouth and only sheer will propelled her to race from her room to the washroom so she wouldn't foul Emma's carefully waxed floors." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa had no idea how much time had passed as she lay stretched out on the washroom floor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her stomach seemed to be empty, but the misery had her by the throat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her head was still pounding." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Last night's drinking had been a mistake." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She shouldn't have let herself be goaded into showing off." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now she was paying the price." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her mother may or may not have passed on to the Ancestors, and she was too hung over to see about it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Some daughter I am." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She heard footsteps, then Mrs. Nance's surprised and concerned voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Teresa! What's the matter?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I have a Goliath-size hangover and I need to wire my family in Kansas.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mrs. Nance knelt at her side." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Come, let's get you to bed. This is what you get, you know.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I know.\" Teresa struggled to her feet with Mrs. Nance's help." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She was unsteady at best and her head still felt like someone was inside knocking down walls with a sledgehammer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Dios, my head hurts.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Then I shan't fuss. This is a far better punishment.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were slowly moving down the hall back to Teresa's room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Will you send a telegram to Olivia for me?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "she asked. \"I think Tamar is dying.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mrs. Nance stopped. \"Why do you think that?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"She was in my dreams last night. Said she wanted to see me one last time.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Are you sure this wasn't the liquor?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Positive.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were by the bed now, and Teresa crawled in." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Please, send a wire to Olivia and ask her. Please.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"All right, dear. I'll send Emma first thing. Let's get you comfortable first.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No! I'm fine. Just send the wire.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. Nance nodded worriedly and hurried from the room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa didn't realize she'd fallen asleep until she was gently shaken back to consciousness." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Seeing Mrs. Nance sitting on the edge of the bed, she asked over her still pounding head, \"Did you send the wire?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She nodded. Her face was grim." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The response just arrived.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa tore open the seal, and read:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Tamar died last night." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Come to Henry Adams if you can." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Will wait to hear your plans before burial." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Neil" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa let the paper slip from her fingers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Turning her head away so Mrs. Nance couldn't see, Tamar's only girl child let the tears run freely down her cheeks, but she didn't make a sound." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even though it was Saturday and the bank was closed, Madison was seated inside his office going over the ledgers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He knew that Tate had been anxious to get to Boston for the weekend, but he wished they'd spoken before his assistant departed because it looked as if fourteen more people had withdrawn their money and closed their accounts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But he didn't blame Tate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He blamed himself. Had he not been so intent on spending time with Teresa, he would have been here, at the bank, and might have convinced those investors to keep their funds in place." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He hadn't been, and the ledgers reflected the results." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The future didn't look good." }, { "from": "human", "value": "An infusion of cash from his own personal funds would make up the deficit, but he'd be left much poorer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Frustrated, he shoved the ledger in front of him aside and silently cursed Dawson Richards for bringing this about." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the morning's paper had been a story detailing Richards's own woes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It seemed now two other women had stepped forward with their own certificates of marriage to him, bringing the number of total wives to three and the clamoring for his resignation seemed to be rising." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A growing number of Republican Party politicians were trying to distance themselves from the scandal by calling for a full-fledged investigation, but under the best of circumstances, such things took time, and Madison knew he didn't have time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even if Richards was forced to resign, there was no guarantee the defecting investors would return." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison hated to think what this meant." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was going to have to cease operations, and when that happened, the remaining fifty or so investors were only going to get a portion of their money back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The loans he had given out to businesses, homeowners, and entrepreneurs were still out there, and most weren't scheduled to come due for months." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ben Norton had stored some of his funds with his bank too, but most of his friend's fortune was downtown in the White banks, so Ben would undoubtedly shrug off the closure and tell him not to worry about it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But he knew that people like Charles Watson couldn't afford to lose even a dollar." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And having to face the old chef wasn't something he was looking forward to." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Of course, he could go to Ben for a loan to make up the difference and then owe Ben his firstborn, but he had never failed at anything in his life, and this was sticking in his craw." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At a knock on the door, Madison looked curiously out of the window." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His curiosity turned to anger at the sight of Dawson Richards's smug face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What the hell does he want?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison asked the silence around him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was sure that Richards had come to gloat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Going to the door, he undid the lock and opened it. \"We're closed.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Richards smiled, showing off his perfect teeth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Closing permanently, from what I'm hearing. Too bad. You're such an influence in the community.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What the hell do you want?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Came to watch you weep.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison waited." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Richards grinned. \"Now that you're headed to the poorhouse, maybe that little outlaw of yours will want to change horses. I'd love to watch her swallowing my dick.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The first punch knocked out two of Richards's perfect teeth, and before he could react, Madison was on him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When it was over, Madison was staggering and breathing hard." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had a black eye that was already beginning to swell and blood was pouring from his nose, but he was still on his feet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Looking worse, Richards was lying at Madison's feet and out cold in the middle of the street." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For the first time, Madison noticed the raucous crowd ringing them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Like a man waking from a dream, he stared around at all the eager faces." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Seemingly out of nowhere, Charles Watson appeared." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was grinning, and when he reached Madison, he quickly raised his arm to signal the winner, and the crowd roared." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The weary Madison grinned too." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Later, when Madison entered his mother's parlor, Molly's and Teresa's eyes went wide, and his mother's hands went to her mouth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My lord, son! What happened!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Out of his one good eye, he viewed the concern on their faces then said to his mother, \"I took exception to something Dawson Richards said, and so…His voice trailed off as if no further explanation were needed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Molly went to his side." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are you all right? That's a senseless question, I know, but—oh my goodness, Madison. Sit down, please. Emma! Bring some ice!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I've already done that, Mother. I'm fine.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Emma came in the room with ice in a bowl, but upon seeing Madison, she said, \"I thought you wanted ice for a drink. Goodness. Look at you. What happened?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Fight.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I hope the other person looks worse.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He nodded. \"He does.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Satisfied, Emma went back to the kitchen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa was glad to hear he'd whipped Richards, but her heart had jumped into her throat when he first appeared." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She'd been so mad at him last night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now she felt only concern." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Are you sure you're okay? Did you break your hand?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He looked at his heavily bandaged right hand and said, \"I don't think so.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What did Richards say?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I won't repeat it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa studied him. She had to be content with that for now." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His entrance had momentarily distracted her from her grief, but now it was back and she needed to let him know that she'd be leaving on Monday's train." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Mrs. Nance, may I speak to Madison alone for a few minutes?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The concern for her son was still on Molly's face, but she nodded." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Take all the time you need.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She departed and closed the door softly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For a moment silence reigned, then Teresa said, \"I'm sorry about last night. I was drunk.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, you were.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She swallowed her retort and said instead, \"Tamar died last night. I have to go home.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison felt that blow much harder than any of the punches thrown by Richards." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"When are you leaving?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Soon as your mother hears back from the parole board agent, Singleton, I'll see about getting a train ticket. I don't think I can leave without him knowing. I'm hoping he'll say it's okay, but even if he doesn't, I'm going anyway.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He understood. \"I'm very sorry for your loss, Teresa.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thanks.\" She took in his bruised face again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Glad you got to whip Richards.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Me too. He's been threatening some of the people with money in my bank and they've all closed their accounts. I'll have to shut down.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oh no.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He nodded." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm sorry.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No sorrier than I. I talked to my friend Ben after the fight. He's going to loan me the money I need to cover the rest of my clients' losses, but after that?\" He shrugged." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa shook her head sadly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It had been a bad day for them both." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Two days ago their world had been filled with passion and light." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now? \"I'm going to miss you, Madison.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll miss you too.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was a knock on the door." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Come on in,\" Teresa called." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was Mrs. Nance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I finally got a reply from Mr. Singleton. You may go to Kansas, but you are still under court supervision, so I have to accompany you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Will you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Of course, but I'd feel safer if Madison went with us.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa didn't care who tagged along just so she could go." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When she turned his way, he was watching her out of his battered face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She asked him, \"Well?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why not? It's not like I have a business to run.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His mother's face reflected her curiosity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He told her the story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She appeared both angry and heartbroken." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh, Madison. I'm so sorry. That Richards is a snake. What are you going to do?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"For now, escort you to Kansas. After that? We'll see.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You'll land on your feet,\" his mother said. \"You always do.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He gave her a small smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"In the meantime, I'll go to the station and get tickets. I assume you want to go as soon as possible,\" he said to Teresa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She nodded. \"Yes, and after you get the tickets, I'll need to wire Neil so he'll know we're coming.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll take care of that too. Just tell me where to send it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa was grateful for his assistance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She had no idea where they stood on a personal level, but was glad to have him at her back." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The future would be what it would be." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They boarded the train on Monday morning." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ben had graciously donated his private car so Madison and the ladies wouldn't have their journey impacted by Jim Crow." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He'd also driven them to the station to make sure there were no problems accessing it, and now that they were inside the sumptuously appointed car, Teresa gave him a big hug. \"Thank you, Ben.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You're welcome, Miss July. Sorry for your loss.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Thanks.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He shook hands with Madison." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"See what it looks like out there. Land. Business. I trust your instincts. If you see anything interesting, wire me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Will do.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "They embraced, and after a good-bye to Mrs. Nance, the big man left." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As the train chugged west, Teresa was sure Tamar was with them on the journey because none of the problems that could have delayed the trip—like cars coming off the tracks, accidents with other trains, or blown boilers—occurred." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The ride from Philadelphia to Chicago went well, as did the transfer of their private car to the Kansas Pacific Railroad at the station near Kansas City, Kansas." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Molly spent the journey reading and watching the landscape change, Madison spent most of his time in the smoking car playing cards, and Teresa silently mourned her mother." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now, standing outside on the small observation deck on the back of the train, she looked up at the night sky." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She'd never envisioned a life devoid of the magical Tamar." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa had always believed Tamar would live forever." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The magic in her crackled like lightning sometimes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Supposedly, Tamar was the last in a line of shamanlike women that stretched back to Africa, and whether she was frying tortillas or walking in her children's dreams, life seemed brighter with her around." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now she was gone, along with her lore and wisdom." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the July family, she was one of the last remaining Old Ones who had been born in the lush tropics of Florida, only to be forced to survive on the dusty and unforgiving soil of Indian Territory by the President of a country that never kept its word." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Tamar, I will miss you." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa would miss her singing, her wisdom, and the arms that always held her when her brothers became too much, like the time they tied her to a post and used her for bow and arrow practice, or when they cut off her long hair to make false whiskers." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'would' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She'd hated them all, all the time, it seemed, but Tamar would always punish them, and afterward would let her stay up late and tell her stories of the old times, and they'd look up at the night sky and count the stars." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It occurred to her that had she not been in prison, she might have been there when she died." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But as it stood, Teresa didn't know if Tamar had been ill for some time or if she'd died suddenly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Some daughter I am, she said to herself again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The guilt was bad, real bad, but she knew Tamar wouldn't want her to feel that way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tamar rarely looked back because it wouldn't change the present." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "So Teresa resolved to look forward, and to do that she would have to break things off with Madison." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She was pretty sure she was in love with him and had been for a while, but the two of them would never be one." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Continuing to enjoy his company was going to leave her with a broken heart when he moved on, and she knew he would because they came from different worlds, so it was best to end things now, cleanly and finally, and with her dignity and her heart intact." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Over the past four days, the bruising and swelling on Madison's face had diminished considerably, but traces of his altercation with Dawson Richards remained." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Also remaining was his desire for Teresa, not just physically, but for her companionship as well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She'd been polite to him on the trip, but he sensed her distancing herself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Most of it had to do with her grief, but there was something else in her sad eyes, something deeper." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He knew he hadn't been cheery himself, if the truth be told." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It could be she was simply reacting to his own distancing, which was rooted in the mess Richards had made of his life." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That evening when he joined her outside on the observation deck, he asked, \"Want some company?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Sure.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He came and stood next to her and, like her, leaned over the rail." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The train chugged beneath their feet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa told him, \"Your mother's gone to bed, she said to tell you good night.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I think she's enjoying seeing the country.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I think so too. How was the game tonight?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Small pickings, but I enjoyed myself.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had won quite a bit of money playing poker while crossing the country." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How big is the town we're heading to?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"By back East standards, not very, but for out here, it's big enough.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison knew the town was named Henry Adams because he'd sent the wire to alert her brother and sister-in-law of the time and date of their arrival, but he didn't know what to expect." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The newspapers back East gave the impression that in western towns cowboys and outlaws rode up and down the streets shooting and raising Cain, and that there were saloons and loose women on every corner." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And your sister is the mayor?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How's that possible, when women don't have the vote yet.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"In some of our communities women can vote in local elections. In fact, women do have the vote in Wyoming, and have had it for a while, from what Olivia says.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison was surprised by that." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is your sister-in-law White?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa stared. \"Why would you think that? No. We're heading to a town full of people who look just like you and me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now he stared." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Didn't I mention that?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He smiled and shook his head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm sorry. Henry Adams is an all colored town. Folks from back East founded it back in the seventies.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I've heard of the towns, just never thought I'd get to see one.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, you will. Folks are real nice. It's where my brothers' trial was held.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa looked his way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her desire for the two of them to go back to the way they were before was so strong she ached, but the fairy tale was over." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Abruptly, she said, \"I don't think you and I should be doing any more passion things together.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The night hid Madison's bittersweet smile." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His head agreed with her words, but his heart was another matter." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I think you're right.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa did her best to ignore the sadness creeping over her, but it was difficult." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We had fun, and I want to thank you for all you did, like taking me to the theater and on the boat ride, I'll never forget them. But when we get back to Philadelphia, you should get on with your life and I'll get on with mine. That way you can find that lady that you want so much.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He will give me strong grandsons." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Tamar's words from the dream echoed inside, but Teresa knew there weren't going to be grandchildren of any kind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Besides, we went into this with our eyes open. No commitments or attachments. Correct?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Correct.\" But Madison didn't want the mythical lady she was referring to." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In spite of their pledge of no commitments, he was as attached to her as he knew her to be attached to him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Being from different worlds was making this complicated." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Add to the fact that he now had no visible means of income outside of what remained in his bank account and his poker winnings." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even if they were able to return to the couple they once were, he had no way to support her or take care of her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not that she needed that." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She was, after all, the indomitable Teresa July." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But he was a man, and any man worth his salt wanted to be able to provide for the woman in his life." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"When do you think we'll arrive?\" he asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa was glad for the change in subject. \"Noon tomorrow. Hopefully.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good.\" He looked at her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We did have fun.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, we did.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm going on to bed.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Okay.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They stared at each other in the dark." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Good night, Teresa.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"See you in the morning.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Alone now, Teresa knew she'd made the right decision. So why did she feel like she'd been shot in the heart?" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Narrative Extension Protocol:\nQuantity: 11 sentences\nContext: Match character familiarity\nGenre: romance, historical fiction, 1890s, US, African American" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison was interested in investment opportunities. Mindful of Ben's last words, he'd made arrangements to rent a buggy from Handy's livery. Armed with the newspaper listings and a few leads from Olivia and Sophie, he planned to spend the day traveling the valley to evaluate land, farms, and businesses for sale, while trying to imagine what the Solomon Valley might look like in the decades to come and what kinds of new enterprises might prove profitable.\n\nAt the moment, however, he was in Sophie's dining room enjoying an early breakfast. Over the past few days, Molly and Teresa's sister-in-law, Olivia, had become fast friends. Drawn to each other by a mutual love of sewing, the two were spending every free moment discussing patterns, fabrics, and notions. With that in mind, he felt free to do his exploring, knowing that his mother would be safe and enjoying herself.\n\nHe had no idea what Teresa's plans were for the day. He assumed she'd be spending time with her family, and he didn't begrudge her that. Neil July was still watching him as if sizing him up for a coffin, but so far the former outlaw hadn't revealed whatever was on his mind.\n\nPutting Neil aside, Madison stood and was paying his bill when Teresa sashayed into the dining room in a pair of brown leathers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her flat crowned hat was hanging by a string around her neck, and her gun belt, complete with her big pearl-handled Colt, hung from her trim waist." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"'Morning,\" she said, approaching him, her ebony features sparkling with her smile. \"What's got you up so early?\"\n\n\"Going out to look at a couple of farms and a closed-up mercantile over in Nicodemus. They're supposed to be for sale.\" The sight of her brightened his day. \"Where are you heading?\"\n\n\"To get Cloud and go riding. You want some company, at least part of the way?\"\n\n\"Sure. I have a map but you might be the difference between me getting there and me getting lost.\"\n\nThe town was quiet as they walked toward Handy's livery. Most of the businesses wouldn't open for another hour or two, depending on the owner. There were a few wagons moving up and down the street, bringing in vegetables and meats for the grocers and making deliveries to the mercantile, but for the most part, they had Main Street to themselves.\n\nMadison said, \"This quiet takes some getting used to.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I think it's much better than all that noise back East. Out here you can hear yourself think.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He looked over at her. She was in her element here. In Philadelphia when she was first released she'd seemed a bit unsure of herself and how to fit in, but here she walked like the goddess that she was, gun belt and all.\n\nThe stop at Handy's took only a few moments. Now, out on the plains, he drove the buggy while she rode beside him mounted on Cloud. This was his first look at her fabled stallion, and the animal was magnificent. \"Why'd you name him Cloud?\"\n\nTeresa shook her head with amusement. \"You are such a city boy. Look at the horse, Madison, and you tell me.\"\n\nThe grayish white blaze that ran up from the horse's nose to between his eyes was so obvious the answer that even a city boy could see it. Madison had to chuckle at himself. \"Forget I asked.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's okay.\" She stopped and raised herself in the stirrups." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Looking west, she said, \"Riders coming.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reaching into the worn brown leather saddle bag draped over Cloud's neck, she pulled out a spy glass and raised it to her eye. As she focused and the men's faces came into view, she cursed softly.\n\n\"What's wrong?\" Madison asked.\n\nShe snapped the glass closed and put it away. \"It's Sumner Booth. I used to ride with him. He's a real varmint. Got a glass eye.\"\n\nMadison stood and turned his attention west. The men were now visible. They were riding fast. He turned to Teresa and saw that she was calmly putting bullets into her Colt. \"Are you expecting trouble?\"\n\n\"Maybe,\" she said easily." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Booth said he'd kill me if we ever crossed paths again.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison stared. \"What!\"\n\nTeresa took a moment to check her aim. \"He thinks I shorted him on a cut of a robbery five years ago. I told him I didn't, but he's chosen not to believe me.\"\n\nMadison was speechless for a moment. He wasn't armed so he was of no value if something did occur. \"Teresa?\"\n\nShe gave him a cool smile, \"Welcome to the Wild West, city boy.\"\n\nThat said, she placed the Colt across her thighs and waited for Booth to arrive.\n\nBooth and the thin, dirty young man with him pulled their mounts to a walk as they approached. A tall Black man dressed in denims, old boots, and a worn plaid green shirt, Booth didn't appear to have shaved in days, if ever. The glass eye was fixed like a Cyclops, while the other eye evaluated Teresa and Madison. \"Well, if it ain't Teresa July,\" he finally said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Thought that was you in my glass but I had to come see to make sure.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His chilly smile showed the gap of missing teeth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"When'd you get out?\"\n\n\"Few months back. How you doing, Sumner?\"\n\n\"Fine. Who's the pigeon?\"\n\n\"Friend of mine.\"\n\nBooth looked him up and down, \"Nice meeting ya.\"\n\n\"Same here,\" Madison lied. He'd taken immediate offense at being called a pigeon, but kept his mouth shut because he knew to let Teresa lead on this.\n\n\"Where you from?\" Booth asked.\n\n\"Philadelphia.\"\n\nBooth looked impressed. \"City pigeon. He as rich as he looks?\"\n\n\"Why'd you ride me down, Sumner?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa asked coldly, putting an end to that conversation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Came to see if you had my money.\"\n\nTeresa's jaw tightened. \"There is no money. I gave Mooney your share. If it was short, take it up with him. How many times do we have to do this?\"\n\n\"I talked to Mooney. He says the cut was short when you gave it to him.\"\n\n\"Mooney would lie about the color of grass, and we both know it.\"\n\nThat one eye impaled her. \"I want my money or I'll take it out of your hide.\"\n\n\"Go back to Texas where that threat might work. It doesn't play here in the valley. And did I mention my brothers are in town? All of them?\"\n\nHe stiffened.\n\n\"Thought that would get your attention. If something happens, you'd better hope I kill you, because if I don't, you'll go to your grave wishing I had. Now, good seeing you. Let's go, Madison.\"\n\nAs she and Madison moved away, Booth yelled, \"This ain't over, bitch!\"\n\nTeresa ignored him." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'about' 3 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After putting some distance between themselves and the glass-eyed Booth, Madison looked into her tightly set face and said, \"You know some interesting people.\"\n\n\"Like I said, he's a varmint. Sorry about the name calling.\"\n\n\"I wasn't happy about it, believe me. Do you think he'll keep after you?\"\n\n\"Oh, of course. He's been in my face for something or other ever since we met. He hates knowing there's a woman alive who can outshoot him, outride him, and outthink him. Sticks in his craw like a fish-bone.\"\n\n\"What are you going to do?\"\n\n\"Probably wind up shooting him.\"\n\nMadison studied her.\n\nShe shrugged. \"It's the truth.\"\n\n\"You'd risk going back to prison.\"\n\n\"If I shoot Sumner Booth, the jury will give me a medal. I'm not worried about that. Besides, you heard him threatening me. It'll be self-defense.\"\n\nMadison couldn't believe how calm she appeared." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She told him, \"Don't worry.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The concern in his eyes touched her heart, but she could take care of herself. \"So, where do you want to go first?\"\n\nHis mustache lifted. \"Back to Philadelphia. I feel a little out of place here.\"\n\nShe laughed. \"Now you know how I felt being in Philadelphia.\"\n\n\"You are going to tell your brothers about Booth?\"\n\nShe shrugged. \"Probably.\"\n\n\"Probably?\"\n\n\"I'm used to handling my own affairs.\"\n\n\"He threatened to hurt you, Teresa.\"\n\n\"He's not the first person to do that, Madison. I'll be fine.\"\n\nMadison felt like a fish with a bicycle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had no idea how to handle this but he knew that if Booth harmed her, Madison would be the one on trial because he'd hunt the man down." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And if she didn't want to talk to her brothers, he would.\n\nThey spent the remainder of the morning looking at farms and studying the acres of land for sale. One of the lots had a small stream cutting through it and held one of the area's few stands of trees. It was about ten miles outside of Henry Adams. While walking across the open grassland, he noted the peaceful feel of the surroundings and could imagine someone building a house here. \"Be a nice place for a house,\" he said to her.\n\nWalking beside him, she looked around. \"Land's not too low. Water's available. Trees. I'd say it was not only nice, but perfect.\"\n\n\"You know, the way the country's expanding, there probably won't be very many open spaces left like this, say in a hundred years.\"\n\n\"Don't say that. But then I'll be dead by then and won't care.\" The flippant remark brought up images of Tamar, and she went silent for a few moments as her grief rose then slowly subsided." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are you all right?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Talking about dying made me think about Tamar.\" She stopped, then looked out over the land again. \"Maybe when I get my parole done, I'll buy this piece of land. Be nice for Cloud and me.\"\n\nWhen she turned to gauge his reaction, he was already watching her. The memories of the good times they'd had together and the love that they'd made rose just like the images of Tamar had. Each had its own sadness. Not wanting him to read her eyes, she looked away.\n\n\"Teresa,\" he called softly.\n\nShe kept her back to him. \"Yeah?\"\n\nNext she knew, he was behind her and gently wrapping his arms around her waist. \"I wanted to give you time to handle your grief, but this not holding you or being near you isn't working for me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She whispered, \"Me either.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He gave a soft chuckle and kissed the top of her hair. \"So, what do you want to do?\"\n\nShe turned in his arms and looked up. \"No idea.\"\n\nFor a moment he fed himself on her eyes, then he reached up and tenderly stroked her cheek. \"May I kiss you?\"\n\n\"Please.\"\n\nHe smiled fondly, then lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss was made of longing, sweetness, and so much emotion they immediately pulled each other closer. It had been so long, and they'd wanted each other so much, that hungry kisses were soon roving over jaws and throats. His hands were exploring her leather-covered back, and hers his vest-covered chest. He undid the closures on her jacket, and hardened immediately at the sight of her having nothing on underneath it but the purple silk binding her breasts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He ran a hand over the yielding globes, then dragged the silk down and licked at one dark tipped delight. She groaned and arched. He lowered the other side, repeated the salute, and the sensations flared over her like flames.\n\nThey were out in the open, visible for miles, so they moved the buggy, Cloud, and themselves to the shelter of the trees. Once they were out of the sun and shielded from prying eyes, he pushed open the halves of her jacket to continue his masterful conquering. It didn't take long for desire to claim them both. His mouth on her set off a need in her core that only he could fill.\n\nThey wound up in the buggy with Madison on the seat and Teresa astride him. The penetrating rhythm of his hot hard strokes made her rise and fall in shameless response. He was unprotected, but she didn't care. The heat of him moving in and out coupled with his strong hands guiding her waist became her world, and she never wanted it to end." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the orgasm shattered over her and then him, their vocal responses were loud in the silence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The cadences of the union increased, and, growling and gasping, they rode their wild sweet love to completion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It took them two more soul shaking bouts of uninhibited dallying to finally get enough, and when they were done, Teresa fell back against the seat sated, pulsating, and satisfied. Beside her, Madison was in the same state. The last orgasm had started somewhere down around his toes and kept rising until it blew off the top of his head. He didn't think his breathing would ever return to normal.\n\nHe turned his head on the seat and met her eyes. Lord she was beautiful. Beautiful, feisty, fearless, and because of their unprotected and overpowering lust, possibly impregnated with their child. He'd marry her, of course, but it was yet another potential wrinkle in their complicated relationship.\n\n\"That was nice,\" she said softly, and as if reading his mind, added, \"And you don't have to worry about being roped into marriage. Out here there are herbs and seeds to take care of things like that.\"\n\nHe stilled. \"What are you saying?\"\n\n\"I'm saying,\" she echoed softly, \"that you don't have to worry about being saddled with someone like me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Teresa?\"\n\nShe placed a soft hand against his lips. \"Let's not talk about this now, okay? I'm a big girl.\"\n\nMadison's jaw was set angrily. \"And if I want the child?\"\n\n\"No child of mine is going to be raised back East.\"\n\n\"Why not?\"\n\n\"Look around. Out here, or back there? No contest.\" She began righting her clothing.\n\nMadison wanted to argue but knew it would only cause another rift, and they'd just found each other again. He knew that this was a discussion they were going to have, though, even if he had to tie her to a chair to do it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Herbs and seeds? Tight-lipped, he shook his head and started to do up his own clothes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For two people who had only moments ago been each other's whole world, they rode back to town in silence.\n\nAfter dropping off Cloud and paying Handy for the buggy's rental, they walked back to the hotel. When they reached their rooms, they stopped outside their respective doors and studied each other in the quiet for a long moment. Teresa tried to ignore the love in her heart, and said, \"I'll see you later.\"\n\nMadison had so much he wanted to say to her, but like most men, he didn't want his words to be slapped down, so he nodded tightly. She went inside and closed the door softly behind her.\n\nAlone, he stood in the silent hallway a few moments longer, then he too went inside.\n\nTeresa walked across the carpeted suite and saw a note lying on one of the tables. It was from Molly Nance, telling her that she was at Olivia's shop and would meet her in the hotel for dinner later. Teresa replaced the note, pleased to be alone. Stripping off her clothes, she padded naked into the washroom and started running water in the bathtub." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The fading sensations of her spirited lovemaking with Madison continued to resonate, and she smiled bittersweetly. The conversation they'd had about a potential child resulting from their coupling continued to echo as well.\n\nBeing the youngest child, she knew next to nothing about raising babies; the only thing she knew for sure was that any baby would be better off being born to someone else. Hell, Neil knew more about babies than she did. Deep down inside, the idea of motherhood scared her to death. Babies couldn't talk, and as a result, couldn't tell you what they needed or what might be wrong. What if she gave it the wrong food, or carried it the wrong way? What if it caught something and got sick? Infants also appeared to need constant attention, and what if she wanted to go riding in the mornings, as she'd done every day before going to jail—who'd take care of it?\n\nMaybe if she had a husband the possibility wouldn't be so daunting. But the last thing she wanted was for Madison to have to marry her because she was having their child." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It would be a difficult way to start a life together, him being forced to make her his wife." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was a good man and deserved to be in love with the person wearing his name. There was also the issue of where they'd live. No way would she raise a child of hers around all that soot, grime, and noise of a big back east city like Philadelphia. Her childhood might not have been as privileged as his, but at least she could get up every morning and watch a true sunrise instead of the Philadelphia version that was hidden or bisected by roofs and tall buildings. The only way she'd live there was if someone put a gun to her head.\n\nThe bathwater was ready. She stepped in, sat and savored the warm liquid sliding over her love-worked limbs. Content, she leaned back and rested her head on the tub's high rim. The memories of the heated play of his kisses and hands on her body rekindled, and she smiled in response. In spite of the problems presently plaguing them, Madison Nance could make love like nobody's business, but if she had any sense, she told herself, today's lusty interlude would be the last.\n\nAfter the reviving bath, Teresa dressed herself in a pair of snug denims, bound her breasts with a length of smooth black cotton, then shrugged into a worn flannel shirt." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She was going to go over to Olivia and Neil's and hang around until dinner." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The parole board had only granted her ten days leave in Kansas, but travel days weren't included, so she had plenty of time to stay and spend time with her brothers. There was no telling when she might see them again.\n\nShe left her room and knocked softly on Madison's door, to see if he wanted to walk over to Neil's with her. He didn't answer, so she went on her way.\n\nMadison walked into the sheriff's office and found Chase Jefferson sitting behind his desk talking with Neil July. Once again Neil's eyes held his. Madison nodded. \"Can I interrupt you both for a moment? Something I need to discuss with the two of you.\"\n\nJefferson waved him to a chair. \"Sure. Come on in. Have a seat.\"\n\nMadison sat in a chair next to Neil, aware of his scrutiny. \"Sumner Booth,\" Madison said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Varmint,\" Neil spat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I agree,\" the sheriff said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What makes you bring up his name?\" he asked Madison.\n\n\"Teresa and I happened upon him on our way to Nicodemus this morning.\"\n\n\"I was wondering where you two had gone off to,\" Neil said.\n\n\"There was some land over that way I wanted to take a look at. She was kind enough to go along to make sure I wound up in the right place.\"\n\nMadison couldn't read anything into Neil's closed expression, so he continued, \"Booth threatened her.\"\n\nNeil asked, \"Is he still whining about that money?\"\n\nMadison nodded.\n\nWhat money?\" Jefferson asked.\n\nNeil told him the story, and when he was done, Jefferson asked, \"How much does Sumner think he's owed?\"\n\n\"Four hundred dollars.\"\n\n\"That's a lot of money.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, it is,\" Neil concurred. \"My baby sister may be a lot of things but she's no cheat. If she said she sent Booth his cut with Mooney, she did.\" Neil looked to Madison, \"What did Booth say?\"\n\n\"If she didn't pay up, he'd take it out of her hide.\"\n\n\"And he'll go to hell wearing the same clothes he was wearing if he puts a hand on her.\"\n\n\"We think alike,\" Madison stated.\n\nHe could see Neil assessing him. \"You have feelings for her, don't you?\"\n\n\"I do.\"\n\n\"She'd be lucky to get somebody as polished as you. Is she giving you a hard time?\"\n\nAlthough Madison was glad to hear the endorsement, he responded with a bitter chuckle, \"Of course.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Neil smiled and shook his head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She's a lot like that ornery stallion of hers. Independent. She's not going to come to the well willingly.\"\n\n\"Ain't that the truth,\" Madison said, remembering that afternoon's conversation.\n\nNeil added, \"Just hold onto your cards. Things will turn out. You'll see.\"\n\nMadison wanted to believe him, but nothing was concrete where Teresa was concerned.\n\nTeresa was striding down the plank walk on Main Street, on her way to Neil and Olivia's place, when she heard, \"Hey, bitch!\"\n\nShe stopped, turned, and saw Sumner Booth's dirty little sidekick sitting on his horse in the middle of the street. He had a superior-looking smile on his face. \"You'd better get Sumner his money.\"\n\n\"Are you talking to me?\"\n\n\"Yeah, bitch. I am. If it was me you owed money to, I'd already be making you work it off on your back.\"\n\nTeresa stepped off the curb and walked over to him. \"Where's your keeper?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Unless you have his money, why the hell do you care?\"\n\nNow standing beside him, without a word she reached up, angrily grabbed the front of his shirt, and snatched him out of the saddle. His surprised face exploded with pain as her punch broke his nose and sent him sprawling. Howling and rolling on the ground, he reached for his gun, only to have her powerful leg propel a kick into his sternum, cracking three ribs. He forgot about the gun, he was too busy screaming. She pulled him to his feet and snarled into his bloody face, \"The next time you use that word, make sure you think about this!\" The solid knee she sent into his groin made him sing like a soprano, then she dropped him back into the dust.\n\nA small crowd was watching from the walk, including the sheriff, a smiling Neil, and Madison, who was staring at Teresa like he'd never seen her before. Seeing them, she called out, \"He needed to be taught some manners.\"\n\nThe student in question was at her feet moaning and groaning, obviously in great pain. \"Sheriff, you should probably get the doc,\" Teresa said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I think this desperdicio's hurt.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'house' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The beaten man whimpered, \"I'm going to kill you.\"\n\nTeresa's reply was cold. \"Only if you ever walk again. Until then, adios.\" She left him lying there and continued the walk to her sister-in-law's house.\n\nNeil, Chase, and Madison watched her stride away. They'd heard the kid's loud slur in the office and had come outside to investigate just in time to get a ringside view of the main event.\n\nJefferson asked, \"Think he'll watch his mouth next time?\"\n\nNeil cracked, \"I think he'll run in the opposite direction next time.\"\n\nA still amazed Madison chuckled. \"I know I would.\"\n\nHe and Neil shared a look, then headed off to his house, leaving the sheriff to pick up the desperdicio still moaning in agony in the street." }, { "from": "system", "value": "/set_word_count: madison, frequency: 3" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What's desperdicio mean in English?\" Madison asked.\n\n\"Garbage.\"\n\n\"Ah.\"\n\nWhen Olivia poured the iodine onto Teresa's busted knuckles, her curses turned the air blue.\n\nMolly gasped, \"Teresa!\"\n\n\"Hell, it hurts. Sorry. Heck, it hurts!\"\n\nThe three July brothers laughed.\n\nOlivia simply smiled and mopped at the small bits of blood with a clean rag. \"At least you taught that cretin a lesson.\"\n\n\"Yes, she did,\" Neil announced as he entered the yard with Madison. \"She did herself proud, boys. Didn't she, Madison?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He met Teresa's gaze." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She definitely didn't need any help.\"\n\nTwo Shafts asked, \"This was a kid riding with Sumner Booth?\"\n\nTeresa tore her attention away from Madison's concerned eyes. \"Yeah. Sumner's still griping about the money I supposedly owe him.\"\n\nShe related that morning's meeting with Booth to Harper and Diego, because they didn't know the story.\n\nDiego's face was hard. \"He'll go to his grave still crying about that money if he isn't careful. We may be reformed but we're not that reformed.\"\n\nChuckles followed that.\n\nTeresa's hand was bandaged, and Olivia put away her doctoring supplies.\n\nThey were just sitting down to dinner when Chase Jefferson came around to the back of the house. Olivia stood. \"Is something the matter, Sheriff?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Telegram just came in for Teresa from Judge Parker. Thought she'd want to see it right away.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa was scared of what it might say. Was Judge Parker mad that she'd been allowed to attend Tamar's service? Did he think ten days too long a stay and wanted her back in Philadelphia on tomorrow's first eastbound train? All manner of questions filled her mind. Confident in the knowledge that she'd face whatever this might turn out to be, she took the envelope holding the message and ripped it open while everyone looked on tensely.\n\nHer scream of joy startled them. She jumped up and down and flung the message into the air. \"I'm free! I'm free!\"\n\nNeil hurried to pick up the paper so he could see what had set her off. Teresa was in another world, bent over, dancing and singing joyfully in the old tongue. Her brothers looked on in happy confusion. Against the sound of Teresa's voice now warbling the Seminole victory chants, Neil read aloud: \"'Dear Miss July. On this day the second of September in the eighteenth hundredth and ninety-fifth year of Our Lord, I, Judge Isaac Parker, do hereby grant you pardon of all charges…' A wide-eyed Neil stared around.\n\nThe brothers took up her celebratory cry, then guns started firing, much to the sheriff's amusement and Olivia's dismay, but the Julys didn't care." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Their baby sister was free." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No more parole, no more living back East.\n\nIn the midst of the celebration, Neil's eyes met Madison.\n\nMadison was pleased for Teresa, very pleased, and his look imparted that to Neil. Inside, however, all he could think was, Now what?" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write 2 sentences sentences in the style of Beverly Jenkins spawning from what the user wrote, within the romance, historical fiction, 1890s, US, African American genre. This is part of a longer narrative where characters and events may have prior context." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Later, after everyone had calmed down, Teresa and Madison stood alone in Olivia's backyard, enjoying the night, the decision they'd made, and each other's company. As he held her close against his heart, she still found it hard to believe he loved her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She looked up. \"Do you really love me?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"More than I do dividends.\"\n\n\"That much? Well, I love you more than Cloud.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm honored.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With her cheek against his heart once more, and relishing the feel of being close to him, she couldn't imagine not having him in her life even if he was a city man. \"So when do you want to have the ceremony?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Today, tomorrow. Yesterday.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His words filled her heart." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How about tomorrow? I'm sure Sheriff Jefferson can marry us in his office.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He shrugged. \"The sooner I can have you with me all day and all night, the better.\"\n\n\"Then tomorrow it'll be. Let's go in and tell everyone.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison thought that an excellent idea." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They still had issues to discuss, primarily where they were to live, but he was certain they'd figure it out.\n\nWhen Teresa and Madison came back inside the brothers clapped." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Smiling, Teresa announced, \"We're getting married tomorrow. I'll ask Sheriff Jefferson if he can marry us at his office. You're all invited to join us.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No,\" Molly said.\n\nTeresa turned. \"What do you mean, no?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No. This is a life-changing event. My son, and the daughter of my heart will only do this once, so I want it done with pomp and circumstance.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison sensed the nice quiet ceremony he and Teresa had planned was about to unravel. \"Mother…" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The groom shouldn't see the bride until the wedding day, so Teresa, you and I should head back to the hotel so we can get you ready.\"\n\nMadison tried again. \"Mother, Teresa and I—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Son, I know you and Teresa have things to discuss, but as the mother of the groom and quite possibly the grandmother of your child, you will simply have to put up with me. We will have this wedding tomorrow afternoon and it will be done correctly. You'll both thank me later.\"\n\nMadison didn't think so, and Teresa didn't appear to be buying it either, but they loved her too much to put up a fight." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Neil asked Teresa, \"You will be here tomorrow for the wedding, right? You're not going to bolt and ride off in the middle of the night?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, Neil.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good. Then I won't have to have Shafts and Harp camp outside your hotel to make sure.\"\n\nTeresa looked up at her groom-to-be with love in her eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Not necessary. I'm really going to marry him.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison grinned.\n\nShe looked over at her sister-in-law." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Livy, will you stand up with me at the ceremony?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'd be honored.\"\n\n\"Thanks.\" Teresa held Madison's eyes for a moment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She didn't want to leave him tonight, but she didn't want Molly to toss her in a bag and drag her away, so she leaned up, gave him a soft kiss, then said to Molly, \"Okay, Mrs. Nance. I'm ready.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Molly smiled. \"We'll see you all tomorrow. Olivia, will you make arrangements with the reverend?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She nodded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Molly's next words were for the brothers: \"Be well dressed, gentlemen, and don't be late.\"\n\nAfter their departure, Neil looked over at Madison and said to him, \"You'll be good for her.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His brothers voiced their agreement." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison appreciated their endorsements. He thought he would be too." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A few minutes later he headed back to the hotel too.\n\nTeresa and Molly entered their hotel suite and Teresa dropped down into a chair." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What a day! By this time tomorrow she was going to be married—she, who once held the title of the Most Wanted Woman in the West, and to a city boy from Philadelphia, of all places. Dios!\n\nMolly came over to her and said, \"Do you have any idea how happy you've made me today?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa saw the tears in her mentor's eyes. \"You've been so good to me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "They embraced, and both were teary." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I plan to make you the best daughter-in-law ever.\"\n\n\"And I'll be a stellar mother-in-law.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa had no doubts about that." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The quiet was suddenly broken by the sounds of pounding on the door across the hall and the deep rumble of male voices. Mrs. Nance looked toward the door." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa said, \"It's probably just my brothers arriving to initiate Madison into the July brotherhood.\"\n\nMrs. Nance looked concerned." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't worry. No matter how drunk they may get him, they'll have him at the ceremony on time, even if they have to put him on Shafts's back to do it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mrs. Nance looked even more concerned after hearing that, but Teresa simply smiled and turned back to the window.\n\nAcross the hall, Madison heard the loud knocks, and when he opened the door there stood his grinning brothers-in-law." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In their hands were bottles of whiskey and glasses. He said, \"Since you'd probably just kick the door in if I refused you entrance, please come on in, gentlemen,\" he said, gesturing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shafts grinned. \"I'm liking him more and more.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Me too,\" Harper concurred.\n\nOnce they were all inside, Madison asked, \"What can I do for you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Neil replied, \"Thought we'd spend your last night of male freedom with you. It'll help us get to know you better, and you can do the same.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Fine.\"\n\n\"You play poker?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"A bit.\" He saw the brothers turn knowing eyes to each other, but Madison kept his features placid." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Did you bring a deck?\"\n\nDiego smiled, \"Oh, yeah.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Then shall we?\" Madison said, gesturing to the chairs and sofa." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your response should contain the word 'around' precisely 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Harper pulled a long end table close, and as they circled around it, Madison knew they thought they were about to pluck a pigeon.\n\nIt took the July brothers a few hands before they realized Madison knew his way around cards the way they knew their way around train robbing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He'd played cautiously at first, lulling them to sleep while he assessed their individual games." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "However, once he realized they were good but not as good as the professional card sharp he once held title to, the Julys were in trouble.\n\nAs he won the fourth, fifth, and sixth hands, Neil threw in his cards." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Eyeing Madison, he announced, \"Boys, I think we got us a wolf in sheep's clothing here.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shafts wasn't happy either." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Harper asked suspiciously, \"How do you make your living?\"\n\n\"Banking.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Diego, who had bet and lost the most money so far, asked, \"And before that?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison picked up the deck of cards and proceeded to give them the fanciest thirty-second card shuffling show they'd ever seen. When he set the deck down, he said with a smile, \"Gambler.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A few good-natured curses followed this confession, and Neil flat out laughed.\n\nShafts shook his head, then leaned over and held out his hand to Madison so they could shake." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He said with amusement, \"Welcome to the family, Madison.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison shook the big Comanche's hand. \"Thanks.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll be damned,\" Harper said, studying Madison's face and clothing. \"And here we thought Teri was marrying a goody goody. You had us fooled, I have to admit.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He offered Madison his hand too." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "So now the brothers started over with their soon-to-be brother-in-law. They spent the rest of the night playing cards, laughing, and telling stories." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Neil asked his siblings, \"Remember the time we used Teri as target practice?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison choked on his drink, and the grinning Harper slapped him hard on the back.\n\nHarper added, \"And the switching Tamar gave us when she found out.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They all laughed.\n\n\"Then the next day, we cut off her plaits because we needed the hair to make whiskers.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison couldn't help it—he roared." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Diego, chuckling, said, \"Teri hated us twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.\"\n\nOver the course of the evening, Madison learned all about his new brothers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shafts lived in the mountains of New Mexico, and Harper owned a saloon in Montana." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The most surprising piece of information was Diego's Yukon gold mine." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Diego explained, \"After me and Pa had that fight, I didn't stop riding until I reached the Canadian border up near Washington. Ran up on some no goods beating this poor old man to death, so I intervened. Found out later he was a prospector, and when he asked me if I wanted to help him mine gold in the Yukon, I said sure, why not?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And you got rich,\" Neil stated.\n\n\"As Midas. Of course I'm a lot poorer now thanks to our new card sharp brother over there, but if anybody needs some gold, just let me know.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Four sets of hands shot up, and they all laughed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was dawn when the brothers finally left the suite. Lying in bed as daylight chased the shadows out of the bedroom, the slightly drunk Madison felt good." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He'd never had siblings before, and now he had four." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Four of the wildest and craziest men anybody would ever want to meet, but they'd made him feel like family, and that made him smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He turned over to get more comfortable, and his thoughts settled on his soon-to-be bride. By nightfall he would be married to the most sensual, fiercest woman in the country." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He just hoped she didn't shoot any of her brothers during the ceremony." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Laughing softly, he drifted off to sleep.\n\nWhen it came time for Teresa to get dressed for her wedding, her first thought was to put on her leathers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The second thought was that both Olivia and Molly would probably keel over if she did, so she took down the midnight blue gown she'd worn to the Academy of Music." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because of the deep-cut bodice, binding her breasts wouldn't work, so she struggled into the corset. Just like the day she went to jail, she refused to speculate on what the day and the future would hold." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Instead, she decided to take each moment as it came." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My goodness, Teresa!\" Olivia gushed when she stepped out of the bedroom. \"Look at you. You're beautiful!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You think so?\" she asked, smiling." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh, yes, ma'am. Your brothers are going to faint.\"\n\nMolly added, \"Yes they are.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Because Teresa knew nothing about styling her hair, she'd pulled it back, twisted it into a chignon, and pinned it down, unaware that the simplicity added to her elegance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She had to admit she did feel pretty good all spiffed up. The dress had a lot of nice memories tied to it from the night at the Academy and she guessed that was why she felt more comfortable in it than she'd anticipated." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"So, where's the wedding going to be?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Downstairs in one of Sophie's salons,\" Olivia responded. \"She's providing food and drinks.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa would have to remember to thank the hotelier for her many kindnesses." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"So, are we ready?\"\n\n\"Almost. Neil's going to give you away, and as soon as he arrives, we'll head down.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Neil showed up fifteen minutes later decked out in a new blue suit." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He gave Olivia a kiss at the door, and then, upon seeing his sister, stopped in mid-step and said, \"Dios! Who are you and what did you do with little Teri?\"\n\nHand on her hip, she shot him a smiling look, then turned around slowly so he could get the full effect." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You look like gold, Teri.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thanks, Neil. You clean up pretty well yourself.\"\n\nHis voice turned serious." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Learned a lot about Madison last night. He's a good man, Terecita. We are proud to add his line to ours.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She nodded. \"He is a good man.\" She looked over at Mrs. Nance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"His mama's pretty special too.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Molly smiled around the tears standing in her eyes.\n\nOlivia handed her a handkerchief." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Stop that, Molly, before you have us both bawling,\" she fussed with amusement." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Save it for the ceremony.\"\n\nThe laughing Molly wiped her eyes, then Neil escorted the ladies out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "An uncharacteristically nervous Madison consulted his watch for seemingly the fiftieth time while waiting in Sophie's salon." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The ceremony was supposed to start at two, and it was now five minutes till. Would his lovely bride show up, or were she and Cloud on their way to the border?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Two Shafts kept reassuring him that everything was on schedule and that Neil was even now bringing Molly and Teresa downstairs, but Madison knew he wouldn't relax until he saw Teresa with his own eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Reverend Whitfield had arrived a few short while ago and was standing off to the side, talking quietly with Sophie and his wife Sybil. Unlike Madison, they didn't seem worried, nor did any of the others in attendance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It appeared as if half the residents in the Valley had shown up." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How they'd gotten wind of the nuptials was a mystery, but Madison didn't have time to delve into the answer, he was much more concerned with the arrival of his bride.\n\nWhen Neil walked over to ask Madison and then Reverend Whitfield if they were ready, they all answered, and Neil went out again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sophie cued the piano player, who was also the church's organist, and as the woman began to play a soft hymn, Neil entered solemnly, with Molly on one arm and his wife Olivia on the other." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison could see the tears in his mother's eyes, and her happiness moved him. Neil escorted them to their seats then went back out of the room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He came back with Teresa, and Madison's emotions stuck in his throat seeing how beautiful she looked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He remembered the gown, the one she wore to the Academy of Music, and how lovely she'd looked when she slipped out of it so he could make love to her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She met his eyes, and her soft confident smile made him beam inside.\n\nNeil was walking her slowly to the front of the room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Madison was standing up with the remaining Julys who were all spiffed up for the occasion. Madison heard Diego gush quietly, \"Dios! She looks like a woman.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Harper drawled, \"She is a woman, nitwit. Now hush up before you embarrass her.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Neil and Teresa halted just a few steps away from the kindly face of the reverend, who raised his voice and asked, \"Who gives this woman?\"\n\nThe July men and Olivia shouted, \"We do!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The thundering voices set off titters in the crowd of uninvited guests." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Neil walked Teresa to Madison's side, and while the two locked gazes on each other, he quietly withdrew and took a seat next to Olivia and Molly in the front row of chairs.\n\nTeresa and Madison turned to the reverend as he began the words, and when Madison gently took her hand, Teresa threaded her fingers with his." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When he awakened that morning, Madison had a sore head because of last night's drinking, but one look at Teresa cleared his mind, and the world was now crystal clear." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Whitfield went on with the reading, then raised his voice again and asked, \"Is there any reason why these two should not be united in holy matrimony? Speak now or forever hold your peace!\"\n\nDiego whispered out of the side of his mouth, \"I'm shooting anybody that stands up.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The reverend coughed to hide his laughter." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When no one responded to the question, he cleared his throat again and carried on.\n\nThe ceremony took less than ten minutes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Getting dressed had taken longer, Teresa noted to herself.\n\nThe reverend closed his Bible, smiled at the couple and said, \"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride, Mr. Nance.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison looked down into Teresa's smiling face, slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her while her brothers cheered loud enough to be heard in Philadelphia." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he turned her loose, Teresa was so dizzy she had to blink a few times to restore her equilibrium and to remember where she was. She said beneath the cheering and applause, \"Now that was a good one.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And there'll be more where that came from, soon as I get you back upstairs and out of that dress.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do you think Sophie has any marmalade?\" she asked him provocatively." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We can always ask.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "As they turned to greet the well wishers now lined up to shake their hands, they shared one last look and knew that no matter what lay ahead, they would work it out. Together." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But before Madison could get Teresa alone and out of her dress, they had the rest of the day to get through." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sophie set out a fabulous meal for the family. Molly, who'd cried through the entire wedding, had finally recovered, and to Madison's amusement offered up the first toast." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"To Madison and Teresa. May their union be happy and may I have many grandchildren!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'teresa' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The brothers cheered.\n\nTeresa grinned, but when she saw a distressed-looking Olivia get up from the table and hastily leave the room, a heartbroken Teresa met her brother's eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Neil hurried out after his wife. Luckily Molly and everyone else were too involved with the ongoing toasts to witness the incident, because Teresa knew how mortified the kindhearted Molly would be to learn that her toast for grandchildren had inadvertently triggered Olivia's despair over not being able to bear a child." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa made a silent promise to speak to Livy later.\n\nThe night's benefit dance at the town hall also became the wedding reception." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They danced, played parlor games, and, thanks to Diego, raised quite a good sum of money for the Henry Adams school." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Olivia and Neil came in about an hour after the dancing began. Olivia looked to have recovered, but Teresa could still see the remnants of sadness in her eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After waltzing with Handy from the livery, Teresa told Madison, who was taking his mother out onto the dance floor, that she was going to talk with Olivia for a moment, then went looking for her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Of course, the mayor was busy. She was cutting cake and giving directions to the ladies restocking the punch table." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa wondered if the woman ever slept." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let's go get some fresh air,\" she said to her. \"I'm roasting.\"\n\nOlivia shook her head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Not right now. I need to—\"\n\n\"You need to take a break. Now. Come on.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Olivia sighed but put down the cake knife, wiped her hands on her apron, and followed Teresa outside." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'night' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The chirp of the crickets were like background music against the quiet night, and the soft breeze felt good after the heat inside the hall. \"Lovely night,\" Teresa said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes it is.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm sorry Molly's toast hurt your feelings. She doesn't know.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I know she doesn't. I'm not holding anything against her. I'm just so frayed and frazzled.\" She went silent for a moment, then confessed, \"I'm carrying again, Teresa, and I'm scared to death I'm going to lose this baby too.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa turned to her in the dark and saw her hands nervously worrying the front of her apron." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I want this baby so much.\"\n\nTeresa pulled her into her arms and held her while she cried." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As if suddenly realizing what she was doing, Olivia backed away and said, \"Lord, I'm a mess. Crying all over your gown.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I don't care about the gown, but I do you. Have you told Neily yet?\"\n\n\"No. I don't want to get his hopes up.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She added, \"He's been so kind through all of this. Falling in love with him was the best thing that ever happened to me.\"\n\nTeresa's memories of her talk with Neil rose." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He says the same thing about you.\"\n\nTeresa sensed Olivia's smile." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Your brother, for all his outlaw past and ways, is a good man. I'm proud to be his wife.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Does the doc have some kind of special medicine you can take to hold onto the baby this time?\"\n\n\"Delbert said resting up more might make a difference, but I have a town to run. There are meetings in Topeka I have to attend, landowner disputes to settle, town council members to wrangle with. Who'll take care of all of that?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa turned and stared." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Are you telling me that all you have to do to maybe keep this baby is to rest?\"\n\n\"Well, yes, but—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But, my butt. Olivia July, you are the only sister I have in this world—well, Harper is supposed to be married, but nobody's ever seen her so we're not sure she really exists—but what I'm saying is this: If the doc tells you to lie down, that's what I expect you to do. You're supposed to be the smart one in the family. Appoint a deputy mayor or something. There's got to be somebody in town who can run the place without anything blowing up.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Olivia didn't respond, Teresa said, \"And I'll bet the real reason you haven't told Neil is because you don't want him to know what the doc wants you to do.\"\n\nMore silence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa smiled. \"If you weren't carrying my niece, I'd box your ears.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Niece?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, niece. If those dumb brothers of mine think they're going to have nephews first, they are wrong.\"\n\n\"Do tell.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Tell. If I'm carrying, I'm having your niece and you're having mine.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Olivia began to laugh. \"Teresa, to achieve that, I will lie down until Christmas.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Good, then let's make a deal.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa stuck out her hand. \"Girls.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Olivia grasped it and they shook. \"Girls.\"\n\nOlivia embraced Teresa and they held each other for a long moment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they separated, Olivia said, \"I'm so glad you're my sister. You always give me good advice.\"\n\n\"Good. Now it's your turn to give me some.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My advice is to love him as much as he loves you. I know how independent you've always been, but you and Madison are as evenly yoked as Neil and I. Stop trying to pull ahead all the time.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Teresa sighed. \"I am trying.\"\n\n\"I know you are, and the bumps in the road will smooth out, they truly will.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm holding you to that, and to the promise that you're going to follow the doc's advice. I won't say anything to Neil because it's not my place.\"\n\n\"I promise.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "They both held their own thoughts as the breeze came up and the night songs of the insects echoed over the plains." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teresa finally asked, \"Are you ready to go back inside?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, and then I'm going to take off this apron and dance with my Neil.\" Her voice turned serious and sincere. \"Thank you, Teresa.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No problem.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When she returned to the hall, Teresa found Madison dancing with Sophie. He winked at her when they waltzed by, and she grinned." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After the dance, he came over and said, \"How about we head back to the hotel.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thought you'd never ask.\"\n\nThey spent a few moments making the rounds to say their good-byes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Molly gave them both a hug." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She planned to stay and help with the clean up, and the July brothers promised to make sure she got back to the hotel safely. With that taken care of, the newly wedded Mr. and Mrs. Madison Nance made their exit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Once they were in the buggy, they sat in the silence for a few moments, then he turned to her and said, \"I love you very much, Teresa. Thank you for marrying me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Do you, really?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yeah. For some time now.\"\n\nShe sat back against the seat and felt her world go bright again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Looking his way, she said, \"I love you too. For some time now.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I asked the chef about the marmalade.\"\n\nShe laughed. \"And what did he say?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's in my room even as we speak.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Then we need to get moving.\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am, but first, this…" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He leaned over, kissed her soundly and thoroughly, then set the buggy in motion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the door to his room, they shared another long kiss, then Madison hoisted her into his arms and carried her inside. There was just enough light in the suite to allow them to follow the shadows to the bedroom." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He set her down gently on her feet in the front room, and their wedding night, complete with marmalade, commenced." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Madison gazed down at the beautiful woman in his arms." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She'd been his bane but was now his love. \"I want to look at you for a moment, just to make sure I'm not dreaming.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She smiled up. \"This may turn out to be a nightmare, you know.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He slowly traced her lips. \"Never.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Placing her head against his heart, she savored the feel of his arms wrapping her tight.\n\n\"Teresa, I promise to love you, to be faithful, to provide for you. I'd promise to protect you, too, but you already have that in hand.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His humor-filled eyes met hers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yeah, I do, don't I?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She then turned serious. \"I'd never harm our baby. All that talk about herbs and such was just that—talk and me being scared.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Of what?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Babies.\"\n\n\"Why?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Can you imagine me as a mother?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He nodded. \"I can. You'd do a good job, too, but then again, if we do have children, Mother's never going to let us see them anyway so…his voice trailed off." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She grinned. \"You do have a point.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He eased her against him again. \"Thanks for straightening that out for me, though.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Glad to have that off her chest, because she knew her boast of harming their child had worried him as much as it had her, she replied, \"You're welcome.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Savoring the feel of her silk-gowned warmth and again glad she was his, Madison kissed the top of her head. \"You have on entirely too many clothes, Mrs. Nance.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I think so, too. Would you do the honors?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His brown eyes were now lit with desire. Leaning down, he kissed her. \"Eventually….\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the aftermath of the humid kisses and the languid disrobing that followed, she was left pulsating and crooning while standing in the center of the silent, low-lit room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Aroused by the passion playing over her face, he teased marmalade over the straining dark points of her breasts, then brazenly licked and sucked her clean." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He anointed the caps of her bare shoulders, the hollow of her throat, and the nook of her navel, working his way down her shuddering ebony body while enjoying her like a sweet sticky treat. When it became time for her to widen her stance so he could feast there, too, her legs shook, her body on the edge of shattering. \"Madison,\" she breathed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are you close?\" he asked, already knowing the answer and loving the rictus of passion showing on her face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oh my, yes.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Smiling, he parted her gently, then leaned in." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She growled her delight. He was magical, wicked, and so overwhelming, it didn't take long for his erotic ministrations to send her over the edge. Shuddering and convulsing, she was still in the eddy of the orgasm when he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "StoryBot: Add 3 sentences to this segment. Style: Tiffany Patterson. Genre: romance, firefighter. Note: Part of larger work." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There is a rhythm to fire." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A heartbeat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A pace.\n\nI match my breathing to the cadence of the fire. One deep pull through my nose from the flowing air of my mask." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hold it for five seconds. Then slowly let it out. Repeat. All the while forcing my eyes to remain open, circling the darkened room, pushing my ears to listen for the most minute sounds." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Feeling the wooden floors underneath my boots for any slight tremors. A tremble could be an indication of a trapped person banging on a door or floor calling for help, or worse, a signal that the fire has finally burned through the floor's foundation and collapse is inevitable.\n\nI push the latter thought aside and continue my rhythmic breathing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In through my nose, hold for a count of five, and out slowly.\n\n\"Allende, get the hell out of there!\" booms through the radio that's clipped to my jacket." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It would've been jarring if I hadn't expected the command from my captain. Yet again, I ignore it.\n\nThere's a fucking kid in here!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "My mind reels, reminding me why I opted to run back into this apartment fire after pulling out a mother with her newborn baby." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her five-year-old son was in bed with her according to the mother." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But I didn't see any indication of him in the master bedroom the first time around." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He's still in here.\n\nBreathe, I tell myself. I can't save anyone if I allow the panic from being surrounded by the nearly nine-foot high flames as they roll across the ceiling, and the dark black smoke billowing ahead of the flames, to take over." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I don't think about the chances of my air tank running low or empty before I can make it out of here." }, { "from": "human", "value": "All that matters is that a five-year-old boy is stuck in the center of hell." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A helpless child. I can't leave him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Allende, that's an order from your captain!\" Captain Rogers continues as if I didn't fucking hear him the last dozen times.\n\nReaching my gloved hand for my radio, I turn the volume down." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Fire department!\" I yell out, hoping to get a response. The second floor of the apartment is dark and hot.\n\nSo fucking hot." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Bullets of sweat are running down my face, neck, and back, soaking the cotton Williamsport Fire Department polo shirt all firefighters are assigned." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But none of that matters. These are the moments I train for. The layers of protective gear I have on will protect me from the flames—for a while—and my tank allows me to breathe unpolluted air." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But not five-year-old Jackson.\n\n\"Jackson!\" I shout, using the name his mother screamed as she frantically searched for her boy once she was safely deposited on the street outside of her burning home.\n\n\"Jackson! Are you in here?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Opting to get down on my hands and knees, I decide to re-enter the boy's bedroom, which is all of the way down the hall." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I already checked his room and was certain no one had been in here. But I searched everywhere else in the home. Everywhere. This is the last place he could be." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Jackson!\" I crawl on all fours into the room, barely able to see more than a few inches in front of me, due to the thick smoke blanketing everything.\n\n\"Shit!\" I yell when my hand lands on something wooden to my right side. A door. I hadn't registered it earlier." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I feel up the length of the door and it's hot. No!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "No!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "No!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "my mind starts calling out.\n\nI find the small finger circle used to pull what I assume is the closet door open. Immediately, I reach inside and feel something hot." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I can't quite make out what it is due to the thick gloves covering my hands." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But running my hands along the side and inching my body closer I make out strands of dark brown hair." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My heart sinks at the sight of the charred skin.\n\n\"Jackson!\"\n\nA moan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It's faint but I hear it. He's still alive." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Without much thought, I scoop the limp, nearly lifeless body of the boy into my arms and stand, crouching low to barrel my way through the flames." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I push through the door I just entered and am met by a wall of flames." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Through the fire is my only way out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There is no escape route behind me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The windows in Jackson's bedroom have been barricaded with steel bars to prevent him from falling out." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Okay, Jackson,\" I begin talking to him, not knowing if he can hear me or not, \"we have to go through the fire.\" I start unbuttoning my flame-retardant jacket to wrap around his fragile body. The jacket stretches just enough to enfold most of his body." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I look up at the flames and take a deep breath, deeper than any breath I'd taken in the last two hours." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When my lungs feel as if they are about to explode from holding on too long, I exhale and without thinking, run and jump through the flame." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'other' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ugh!\" I grunt as I come crashing down onto my backside but having successfully made it to the other side of the wall of fire. However, I don't have time to rest. Flames are everywhere. My captain is still yelling into my radio along with my other teammates." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I can hear the panic in their voices." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They're fearing the worst. And they should be. I've been incommunicado for some time now." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Fuck!\" I curse as something explodes behind the wall I'm running past, causing a huge hole to open up and flames to come shooting out. It's really time to go. Just as I prepare to pick up my pace, there's another explosion from the far end of the second floor hallway." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This explosion is so loud and rumbling it sends me to my knees, but I don't stop. I pick myself and Jackson up and stumble to the staircase only to find that it's gone. Completely engulfed in flames and collapsed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I look around before making an instant decision. I have to jump. I don't have a choice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We don't have a choice, I think as I glance down at the young, moaning boy in my grasp. Another deep inhale and a leap of faith later, I am landing ass first on the first floor. Thank god it hadn't collapsed yet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the fact that the stairs are gone tells me, the first floor is likely to go out soon." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I reorient myself to figure out where the closest exit is to where I am." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The front door is just around the wall behind me, but the back door is directly ahead, if I remember correctly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My team had set up a perimeter in the backyard of the apartment building.\n\nStumbling to my feet, ignoring the pain shooting down my hips and legs, I make my way to the back door, stepping on or over large beams of charred wood and debris. I encounter more flames in the kitchen, which is where the backdoor is located, but I don't stop to think." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The door is our only way out, and it's aflame." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The explosions I heard earlier were the glass from the windows breaking around the apartment; the inflow of oxygen has spurred the fire even more. The flames are getting hotter by the moment as they reach outside of the backdoor's now busted out window.\n\nBut stopping would mean sure death for the both of us." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "So, with every ounce of strength I can muster in my body, I heave myself into the flames once again, pushing against the door. Thankfully, the flames have weakened the wood enough that it easily gives way to the force of my bodyweight.\n\nAnother leap over the concrete stairs of the back porch, and I quickly distance myself and Jackson from the sudden onslaught of more flames that will be caused by completely opening the door." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I land hard somewhere on the backyard grassy area, directly on my iron oxygen tank. Pain shoots through my entire body. I'm heaving heavily, gasping for my next breath." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The edges of my vision begin to blur and I'm certain passing out is inevitable. But just before I do, I feel hands reaching for me. One pair removes Jackson from under my jacket." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He's breathing but barely!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "a deep voice calls out." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Arnold. One of the best in our squad.\n\n\"Allende!\" a different voice calls. Larry. Another good firefighter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You stupid son of a bitch! We thought we lost you!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He's angry, pissed off.\n\nIf I could, I would laugh and tell him that nothing can get to me. But I don't have the energy. And just before I pass out I feel my brothers lifting me up to carry me to what I presume is the paramedic on the other side of the building." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write 5 sentences like Tiffany Patterson would, using user's text as beginning. Story may drop in mid-narrative" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You could've gotten yourself killed!\" Captain Rogers seethes a couple of hours later, in my hospital room. \"Keep that fucking mask on!\" he hollers just as I begin to pull the oxygen mask from my face.\n\nIt's a different mask from the type we wear." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This mask could never hold up in a fire, I think as I let my gaze peruse the plastic, rubbery material of this hospital mask." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I hope you're fucking happy, Allende. Real fucking happy! The head of the department is likely to be up my ass about this shit! Demanding to know why one of my men can't take orders.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I don't even hide the roll of my eyes. Captain Rogers has always been more concerned with what the higher-ups think than actually doing his fucking job. At least, that's been my experience.\n\n\"There was a boy inside,\" I weakly retort, in spite of the burning in my lungs.\n\n\"And I told you to stand down. We had no confirmation of the boy inside. We got the mother and baby out, but you just had to go back in and save the day.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's what you—\" I can't even finish my comeback before I start violently coughing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Don't talk. You've got smoke inhalation, second degree burns, and a bruised fucking pelvis. You're in fucked up shape.\"\n\nIt was all worth it if Jackson lives.\n\nI can't say that out loud because I'm in too much pain. It hurts to talk.\n\nCaptain Rogers merely looks at me, shaking his head, before he turns to exit the room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A second later, Rich, Larry, and Arnold walk in." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The concern in their eyes is evident but they won't say as much." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"For fuck's sake, Allende, we thought you were toasted and roasted in there.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Arnold is the first to speak, causing the other guys and even me to chuckle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We never claimed to be a classy bunch.\n\n\"N-not th-this time,\" I manage to stammer out.\n\n\"Yeah, Arnie was just hoping because he wants your locker space,\" Larry adds.\n\nAnother round of laughs.\n\nIt's partly true. Arnold has been angling for my locker for months now." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It's in the corner and has the most room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Cap says you're not hurt too badly. A few days of rest and you'll be back at the station being the pain in the ass to him you always are,\" Rich states.\n\nI grunt, slightly disheartened to go back to Squad Two. I love my job and my teammates, but I feel stifled under Captain Rogers.\n\n\"Bullshit,\" Arnold says. \"We know what a save like this means.\" He turns to me, tilting his head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You'll probably get the pick of the transfer you've been wanting for over a year now.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I raise my brows.\n\n\"We all know you'd rather be where the action is.\" Larry's voice is heavy, as if it's a foregone conclusion that I'd be leaving. After five years of working together, I understand.\n\nBut they're right. Squad Two is great but we rarely get calls like the one we were on tonight." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ever since the district did some realigning, our calls have become the more docile, run of the mill, saving people from downed power lines and retrieving frightened kittens from trees types of calls." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not a bad gig for family men like Larry and Rich, who want to make it home to their wives and kids at the end of the day, but boring as shit for a guy like me.\n\n\"Not only will you likely get the Tom Webster for this, but I'm betting as soon as there's an open spot over at Rescue Four it'll have your name written all over it.\"\n\nMy heartbeat quickens at the thought of getting transferred to Rescue Four. Known around the department unofficially as the elite squad. That's exactly where I want to be." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I couldn't give a shit about the Tom Webster or any other medals." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No one runs into fires, risking life and limb for a fucking medal.\n\n\"We'll let you get some rest,\" Arnold says after a few moments of silence.\n\nI nod in their direction. However, right before they get to the door, I pull the mask from my face and call out, \"The kid?\" My voice is weak, but they hear me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It's evident by the way all three of their backs stiffen.\n\nThere's a pause.\n\nThe quiet speaks for itself.\n\nLarry slowly pivots to face me again, his head hanging low, and there's a glossy sheen in his dark brown eyes. He'd be the most emotional seeing as how his son is the same age as Jackson." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He didn't make it, man.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His words become the heavy, solid weight that settles onto my chest, stealing my next breath." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even with the oxygen mask it becomes difficult to breathe, and it's not due to the smoke inhalation.\n\n\"Emanuel,\" Arnold begins, moving closer to my hospital bed, \"you busted your ass out there. You saved that woman and her newborn baby. And …\" He hesitates, looking back. \"That woman got to hold her boy's hand as he took his last breath because of you. You did your job better than anyone out there tonight, man. Don't forget that.\"\n\nI can't process Arnold's words at the moment. All I know is that a five-year-old little boy is dead." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A boy that I missed on my first sweep through of the apartment." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If that shit isn't my fault, whose is it?" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "hey can u write 7 sentences more sentences? like Tiffany Patterson but romance, firefighter style. btw this is from middle of a story" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Meanwhile, on the other side of town ...\n\nJealousy is such an ugly emotion, I remind myself yet again as my hands tighten around the stem of the rose and hydrangea bouquet I hold in my hand. I lift my head to glance up to the center of the pulpit where my close friend, Angela Moore, is pledging to love, honor, and obey, her husband, Eric Kim. Angela looks beautiful in the creme, satin gown she's wearing. The color stands out against her pecan-brown skin. I smile at the curly ringlets in her hair and the purple streak that remains evident. I've always admired Angela's ability to be whoever she wants to be." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In spite of my own childish jealousy, I am happy for my friend." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I remember just a few years ago how devastated she was when both of her parents were killed in a plane crash. They truly were her best friends. Yet another thing I admire about her. The bond she has with her family, who now includes not only her brother and nephew, but Eric. She'll surely make a great wife and mother someday.\n\nSighing, I shove my own thoughts aside to focus on the nuptials taking place right in front of me. I will be happy for Angela—she deserves the wedding and the man of her dreams, and she's getting both." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I smile wide and clap along with the rest of the bridal party and guests when Angela and Eric seal their vows with a kiss." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I proceed toward the center aisle of the church, and wrap my hand around the arm of one of the groomsmen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I look up to see his dark eyes sparkling down at me as he grins followed by a wink right before we start to follow the rest of the wedding party.\n\n\"Weddings make you emotional?\" he questions.\n\nI scrunch my eyebrows in confusion, and he tilts his head toward my face. Touching my cheek with my free hand, I realize a lone tear has escaped.\n\n\"Don't worry, beautiful. I have just the cure for whatever ails you,\" he states smoothly.\n\nI roll my eyes, but a smirk plays at my full lips. \"No thanks, Don.\" He's one of Eric's teammates at the fire station." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Angela warned me that he was a serious flirt." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "However, she failed to mention how damn fine he is. Hell, from what I've seen, all of the men at Rescue Four are drop dead gorgeous. Almost as if it's a prerequisite to work at the fire station. Number one, be able to put out fires. Number two, can pull people from a burning building. And last but certainly not least, be over six-feet tall, muscular, jaw chiseled to perfection, and look good enough to set women's hearts on fire wherever you go. Or perhaps, that's just how the requirements go in my head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the exit, all of the guests throw rice at the bride and groom, who then leave to take pictures at a local park. Don moves to step in front of me.\n\n\"So what do you say we ditch this reception and go make some memories of our own?\" His dark eyes narrow mischievously.\n\nI lift my hand to smooth back the chignon I'd put my permed hair into for the wedding. \"I don't think that'd be such a good idea.\"\n\nDon's lips form into a pout, and for a split second he actually achieves the innocent look he's going for." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But too soon, his eyes fill with that mirth I'd begun to realize was natural for him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh yeah? Why not?\" He lifts a dark eyebrow.\n\nI raise mine as well. \"I don't think my boyfriend would appreciate that very much,\" I retort, saucily, placing a hand on my hip.\n\n\"Boyfriend?\" he quips and looks around as if searching for someone. \"Where is he? I'll have a talk with him.\"\n\nI burst out laughing, before throwing my hand over my mouth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I shake my head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You probably would try, too.\"\n\n\"For you?\" He eyes me up and down, his gaze growing heated. \"Absolutely.\"\n\nI don't even try to come back with a response. To be honest, it feels good to have a man openly express his attraction to me. I can't say even if Matt weren't in the picture I'd take Don up on his offer, but it is a confidence booster to have this handsome man flirt with me.\n\n\"Donnie, leave the woman alone. Can't you see she's not interested? Besides, we all know Janine's been waiting on me.\"\n\nI turn to see yet another drop dead gorgeous Rescue Four member approach us." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It really must be something in the water over there, I muse." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Where Don's skin is an olive complexion, Corey's is only a few shades lighter than my own dark brown coloring. He appears to be about an inch or so taller than Don's just over six-foot height. Both men wear identical tuxedos that hang in a way that you know they were specifically tailored for their individual bodies.\n\n\"What's going on here?\"\n\nOh Lord. Yet another one. His name is Carter. Blond hair, blue-eyes, and damned perfect." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Just like the rest of them." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 8 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "However, despite Carter's appeal, he reminds me too much of my own boyfriend, which oddly makes him less appealing.\n\n\"Janine, are these two fools bothering you?\" Carter's crystal blue gaze turns to me.\n\nI don't even have time to respond before Corey answers.\n\n\"For your information, I was rescuing Ms. Janine, here, from Donnie. Now if you'll excuse us, we have some pictures to take and a reception to get to,\" Corey states, smoothly, wrapping his hand around my waist.\n\nI don't argue as I go along with Corey's hold. Don and Carter follow us, continuing to bicker. I'd bet money these guys are a riot down at the station." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Let's engage in collaborative writing in the romance, firefighter genre. I'll provide a starting point, and you'll continue with 12 sentences, maintaining any established context." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm stuffed,\" I hum as we arrive at the door of my hotel room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Emanuel looks down at me, those sizzling eyes of his dissecting my every move." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Somewhere in your response, you need to say: \"It's how I see you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At least, that's how it feels.\n\n\"Thank you for planning such a great day.\" He'd had the day all planned out since we left for breakfast in the morning. A glass bottom boat and snorkeling excursion followed by a light lunch on the beach, a walking tour of the city and an opportunity to pick up some souvenirs before heading back to our rooms to shower and change before our three-hour long cooking class. It was a great class; the food was delicious as well as the drinks.\n\n\"We've still got two more days, butterfly.\"\n\nI wrinkle my forehead. \"What's with the butterfly thing?\"\n\nA slow smile materializes on that handsome face of his, and it's far from innocent. \"It's how I see you.\"\n\nI don't get the chance to inquire what he means by that because he dips his head and captures my lips with his own. I don't know if it's the three mojitos I had with dinner, but this time, I'm much less caught off guard by the kiss." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I don't hesitate in parting my lips for him and giving in to the moment. I've wanted him to kiss me all day since that first time.\n\nWhen his hands encircle my waist, pulling me into his hard body, I allow myself to be pulled. I gasp into his mouth at the feeling of his erection as it pokes my belly. He chuckles against my mouth before biting my lower lip, eliciting a moan from me. I should be embarrassed at how turned on I am. But I'm not. I want more.\n\nLifting my arms, I wrap them around his broad shoulders, pulling his body to mine as much as he's pulling me into his. Our tongues, explore, taste, and retreat, repeating over and over again the deep inspection of one another's bodies. Emanuel lets out a tight groan and my nipples instantly pebble.\n\nI feel one of his large hands moving down the side of my body, reaching my thigh and moving around to the front, reaching upwards to my inner thigh. I gasp when his strong hand reaches the sensitive skin in between my legs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A place only one man ever had the privilege of touching." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shame isn't what I feel, however. It's excitement. And anticipation.\n\nEmanuel knows this because he draws out every second as he trails his hand up, closer and closer to my hidden treasure. When he reaches the apex of my thighs, bumping against the cotton thong I wear, his thumb begins searching for my clit. He makes tiny circles, rubbing against my sensitive flesh.\n\nI moan into his mouth.\n\nHis other hand wraps around the back of my head, taking the ends of my braids and pulling my head back, giving him a better angle to continue stealing the air from my lungs with his kiss, while his lower hand sends my entire body spinning.\n\nI cling onto his shoulders when his prodding below intensifies. His thumb flicks my clit once, twice, three times, and before I know what is happening, my eyes squeeze shut, and I pull back from his mouth, burying my head into his chest, instinctively clamping my mouth shut as an orgasm takes hold.\n\nI continue to pant against his body for a long while.\n\nI don't even know how long it is until he leans down and whispers in my ear, \"We still have two more days, butterfly. Go inside and get some rest. I'll pick you up for breakfast in the morning.\"\n\nHe takes a step backwards, releasing me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I'm too hungover from the orgasm to be embarrassed." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 10 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Emanuel watches me carefully as I dig into my clutch and pull out my hotel room key. On shaky legs I turn and step inside, pausing to give him one last look. He's watching me with a hooded gaze and dark look in his eyes. I shake my head, thinking I'm just imagining things before turning and shutting the door behind me.\n\nLeaning back against the door, I listen to his footsteps as they retreat down the hall to his own room.\n\nI sigh in relief. Had he asked me to come inside, I probably would've let him, given the state I was in. And I know I'd wake up tomorrow regretting it. Somehow, I sensed he knew that. Closing my eyes, I let out a breath, before smiling at the anticipation of seeing him the following morning." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write 5 sentences like Tiffany Patterson would, using user's text as beginning. Story may drop in mid-narrative" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Where are we going tonight?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I question as Emanuel leads me off the elevators and into the lobby of our hotel. Once again, he refuses to tell me what his plans are until the last minute. The only thing he told me was to wear something sexy with high heels.\n\nKnowing him in the span of the few days that I have, sexy could mean a lot of different things. The man could be unpredictable at times." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Jumping off boats, going parasailing and hang gliding in the same day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yes, that was the second part of our adventure yesterday after we got off the boat. There was another guide just waiting to drive us about thirty minutes away where we could hang glide. I put up more of a fight about that than I had over parasailing, but in the end, Emanuel won, assuring me that it was safe and he wouldn't let anything happen to me. Earlier today we hiked the canyon I'd had on my list, and of course once we reached the waterfall, Emanuel was one of the first to take the leap over. After something like a hundred assurances from him and the tour guide that it was safe, I jumped as well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Most exhilarating thing I'd ever done." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And worth it when Emanuel wrapped his arms around me, once I broke the surface of the water, telling me he was proud of me.\n\nIn spite of his seemingly unpredictable nature, I trusted him when he promised to keep me safe. So far, I haven't been let down.\n\n\"First, we need to get some food in you so you can keep up the rest of the night,\" he replies, as we pass through the double doors of the front lobby, stepping out into the warm night air. \"Your dress is perfect by the way,\" he says in a low voice behind me, his warm breath caressing the back of my neck." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Swallowing, I turn my head to look up at him over my shoulder. My knees weaken a little when I find his eyes searching the length of my body.\n\nThe sleeveless, long, red dress is classy enough to make me feel comfortable in it, but with the high split that shows off a huge portion of my thigh, along with the deep, plunging neckline and backless nature, it's my definition of sexy. Particularly when paired with the same gold, strappy heels I donned that first night I went out with the women and danced with Emanuel.\n\n\"Thank you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He moves to my side and pulls open the door of the awaiting taxi, allowing me to get in first. Once he's inside, he gives the driver the name of the restaurant we're headed to, in perfect Spanish … or at least it sounds perfect to my untrained ears.\n\nThe driver, noting Emanuel's Spanish, kicks up a conversation with him. I pick up some of the words in the exchange thanks to the few classes I took back in college.\n\nEmanuel suddenly turns to me, asking, \"Did you have fun today?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to seamlessly include 'I can't believe you took me hang gliding. I would've never thought to do something like that here.' in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I don't know. It depends on how hard it's going to be getting the sand and dirt out of my hair,\" I tease.\n\nHe grins. \"Won't be too bad.\"\n\nI shake my head. \"I can't believe you took me hang gliding. I would've never thought to do something like that here.\"\n\n\"It's a good thing I was here to save you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I cover my mouth, giggling only because I don't want to admit out loud that I'm glad he's here as well. I'm certain my vacation would've turned out much differently if he hadn't. I likely would've had fun but not nearly as much fun without him. It's been a long time since I let my hair down, so to speak.\n\n\"What are you thinking?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Though his voice is low, the deep richness of his tone pulls me back to the present.\n\nBiting the inside of my cheek, I hesitate. \"Tomorrow,\" I eventually respond. I hate to even bring it up, but my flight back home is scheduled for the next morning. We haven't even mentioned seeing one another beyond this night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hell, I hadn't even given him my real name, a decision I regretted more and more as the hours passed. The first day it would've been fine to clear it up, telling him I had given him a fake name because I didn't trust him. But as the day wore on, I felt more and more silly about it, and then the next day, and then the next. Now, we are three days in, I'm leaving in the morning and he doesn't even know my real name.\n\n\"Don't think about tomorrow. We still have a full night ahead of us.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I find his words comforting. The questions of tomorrow remain but fall to the background as I realize what is in front of me right now. A smile grows across my face.\n\n\"And you better feed me something delicious on my final night,\" I tease.\n\n\"I've definitely got that covered,\" he says smoothly, and I get the distinct impression he's not just talking about food." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thankfully, I'd opted to wear the new adhesive bra I purchased on a whim prior to my trip." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Otherwise, I'm certain my nipples would be poking through the thin material of this dress.\n\nMinutes later, we pull up to a seafood restaurant. As soon as I exit the car, with Emanuel's assistance I am hit by the smells of the food cooking inside. My stomach begins doing tumbles of excitement. When Emanuel slides his hand down the bare skin of my back to reach my covered lower back, my belly begins vibrating with a very different type of excitement." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Both hungers, but for disparate things." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We are immediately shown to a table by the window, thanks to Emanuel making a reservation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Throughout the night I can't help but feel cared for by the big and little things. The fact that he showed so much care by planning ahead, requesting a window table because he knows I like looking outside as I eat, the fact that he remembered how much I enjoy seafood. To someone else those things may not matter much, but getting this kind of attention from a man that I've only known a few days feels almost like a dream. I'd been with someone for years who never put this much thought behind taking me out. Not often, anyway.\n\n\"Caught you thinking again,\" he says as he escorts us out of the restaurant and into the night air." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I sigh. \"You did.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I pause, waiting for him to respond or ask what I was thinking about as he'd done earlier, but he remains silently watching me, as we continue down the street." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His silence strangely makes me want to tell him exactly what's on my mind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You can be with someone for years and never really know them. Or they, you.\" I sigh.\n\nEmanuel stops and comes to stand directly in front of me, not seeming to care that we are in the middle of a busy sidewalk. Passersby are forced to walk around us but his sole focus remains on me. His hands raise to cup my face.\n\n\"If someone had you and never got to know the real you, then they didn't deserve you to begin with.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I try to ingest his words, to decipher their meaning. However, when his head dips, allowing his lips to clash with mine, my brain short circuits. There is no room left for thinking, just feeling. And what a great feeling it is. His lips are soft yet demanding." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the tip of his tongue scrapes along the roof of my mouth, it feels as if he's trying to pull my very soul from out of my body." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I moan into his mouth before pulling back.\n\nIn my peripheral, I see people walking past us, and even notice a few stares. \"Emanuel?\" I whisper.\n\n\"Yes, butterfly?\"\n\nMy eyelids suddenly feel heavy and I close my eyes for a second, gathering my next words. \"Take me back to your hotel room.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He'd made plans for us to go out dancing after dinner—that's where we are headed, right down the street from the restaurant we'd just left—but I was in the mood for a different kind of dancing. And by the look in those honey eyes that had darkened with lust, I could tell that he was ready for another kind of dancing as well.\n\nBefore I can speak my next words, his hand goes up, flagging down a passing cab. As soon as it pulls over, Emanuel opens the door open and helps me inside. He quickly tells the driver the name and address of our hotel, and we are off in a matter of minutes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A silence grows between the two of us. The comfort of my hand in his as he firmly holds onto it is almost enough to keep the doubts from creeping in. Unfortunately, years of overthinking and analyzing begin to resurface. Am I making too rash a decision? Will he look at me differently if I go through with this?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Does it even matter? Will it be worth it? Will I satisfy him?\n\nThat final question is the one that has me holding my breath and biting my lower lip.\n\n\"Look at me,\" he commands firmly, pulling me out of the musings of my imagination and back to those sexy as sin eyes of his." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I stare up at him as he cups my face.\n\n\"Stop thinking so damn much. Just feel.\"\n\nI swallow and nod.\n\nBut my thinking is really put to a halt when he kisses me again.\n\nI don't know how long we remain in that particular lip lock, and any thoughts I might have about what the driver must think of us full-on making out in the backseat of his cab don't even come to mind. All that matters is that Emanuel doesn't stop kissing me." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write 5 sentences like Tiffany Patterson would, using user's text as beginning. Story may drop in mid-narrative" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A better man than I would probably ask if she is certain she wants to do this. A more admirable man would see the nervousness in her eyes and opt to take her back to her hotel room. Hell, an exceptional man would even choose to stay with her in her hotel room, talking all night until she or they both fall asleep, to ease her worry.\n\nBut I am not that man.\n\nAs I stand in front of Nadine in my hotel room, with all of the lights turned on so I can see the entirety of her body, I know I am weaker than the man I just described." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Because as I allow my eyes to rove over the dark brown hue of her skin as it shines against the red fabric of her dress, and the way her legs look extra sleek and toned due to the high heels and revealing split, I know there is no way this woman is leaving this hotel room without my having tasted, touched, and viewed every inch of her frame." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But she is nervous." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I can see that in the way she keeps shifting from one foot to the other." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And by the way she keeps chewing on her lower lip." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'hands' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I glance toward the hotel's bar. There's an array of drinks I could offer her but I won't. We're going to do this sober, in our right minds, so that when we both leave this country, the memory of this night will remain forever with the both of us.\n\nStepping closer, I take her face into my hands. Her hands immediately go up, encircling my wrists." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I pull her face to me and she acquiesces in a way that has me wondering what it would be like if I made her mine. Permanently." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I push that thought right out the window. She's leaving tomorrow. I'm leaving a few days later. No need to complicate this thing.\n\n\"I'm going to strip you naked … except for the heels. Those are staying on for a little while longer,\" I say.\n\nHer breath hitches in surprise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She wasn't expecting those words." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Turn around,\" I order, releasing her face." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'dress' 2 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why?\"\n\n\"Turn around,\" I repeat more sternly, moving her body with my hands.\n\n\"Oh,\" she says as she takes in the vision in front of her in the full-length mirror.\n\nI place a kiss to her shoulder, and she shivers. I begin to lower the straps of her dress, letting the tips of my fingers trail down her arms as the top of her dress lowers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I swallow and more and more of her smooth skin is revealed." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to use 'waist' 2 time(s) throughout your message" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When the dress reaches her hips, I don't stop there. I push the dress over her hips and let it flow freely to the floor.\n\n\"You're fucking gorgeous,\" I growl just before wrapping my arm around her waist and burying my face into the crook of her neck.\n\n\"That feels nice,\" she whispers, leaning her body and head against my chest.\n\nLetting my free hand snake around her waist, I run my fingers along the top edge of the cotton bikini cut panties she's wearing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her breath increases and she raises her hand to run her fingers through my hair." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Growling, I nip the soft skin of her shoulder with my teeth, and my cock jumps in my pants." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I should've warned her that a woman running their fingers through my hair is one of my main turn ons." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I allow my hand to move farther down inside of her panties to graze the neatly trimmed pubic hair that's there. I reach lower until I can feel the hot, sticky wetness that has already begun to pool.\n\nAnother short moan is pulled from her lips when my first finger enters the source of her wetness.\n\n\"Shit,\" I groan from how tight she is. I add a second finger while adjusting my hand to use my thumb to massage her already swollen button." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The feeling of my working both her pussy and her clit excites her because her hips begin moving at an awkward pace, trying to keep up with my ministrations." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She continues to nibble at her lower lip, eyes tightly closed. Her orgasm is building. I pull my eyes from her to the mirror in front of us, granting me a better view of the entire scene before us. My eyes dip to her covered breasts and I frown. I want to see all of her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With my free hand I maneuver the adhesive bra away from her body, allowing the fullness of both her breasts to be seen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I take one into my hand." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They are smaller than a handful considering my large hands, but they're fucking perfect.\n\nI tease and prod a hardened nipple while my other hand continues to work her core. Eventually, I pull my two fingers free from her body and concentrate on working her clitoris. Within minutes her body begins tightening and shivering as I wring the orgasm out of her body.\n\nI don't give her time to recuperate before spinning her around and fusing our mouths together." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I can still feel the shivers as they course through her body." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Stooping low, I pick her up by both legs to wrap around my waist and walk us to the huge bed at the center of the room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As I place Nadine down on the bed her eyes pop open." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her eyes dart around the room a little as she attempts to reorient herself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It's a look I've seen plenty of times from women. When her eyes land on me, satisfied expression appears. It also seems like she wants to say something but holds back.\n\nMy eyes narrow. I don't like that. I don't want her to hold anything back from me, not tonight." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Now, it's my turn to taste you,\" I assert while pushing her back against the bed by her shoulders." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Taste?\" I hear her say as I begin pulling her panties free from her body.\n\n\"Spread your legs, butterfly.\" I don't wait for her to begin moving, instead helping her to separate her legs with my own hands. I place her legs over my shoulders, and glance up to see the view of her heels resting on my shoulders in the mirror. The sight alone has my cock bumping against the zipper of my pants, demanding to be set free." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In due time, I silently tell my body." }, { "from": "human", "value": "For now, we have work to do." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I plan on wringing out at least one more orgasm from her body before I get my dick wet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That is my final thought before I lower my face and use my thumb and forefinger to spread her pussy lips, granting me a beautiful view of her pink, wet core." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I move my tongue to first lick and taste the lips surrounding her core. Another hitch of her breath followed by her back bowing slightly. But that response isn't nearly enough for me. I fully encircle her distended button with my mouth and start suckling at it.\n\nThe heels of her shoes begin digging into my shoulders and upper back." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If I were naked they would likely cause scratches but that certainly wouldn't deter me from pulling this next orgasm from her body with my mouth alone." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I continue tasting and priming her body, cupping and squeezing the skin surrounding her hips with my large hands. I pull her closer to my mouth as she attempts to wiggle away. She's not going anywhere.\n\nI hear a deep sigh, followed by an arching of her back and her hands tightly gripping the bed sheets. I can feel the tension from her body releasing as the orgasm rolls throughout her body." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her breathing is harsh but other than that, very few sounds emanate from her mouth.\n\nMoving back, I sit up on my knees to give myself a clear view of her face.\n\nHer eyes are shut, and her lips are twisted in ecstasy, savoring the last vestiges of her climax. Slowly, her eyes peel open, pinning me. They are now filled with a light I haven't seen in them before." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I begin undressing, unbuttoning the shirt I wore and undoing the buckle of my belt and jeans." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then I push myself off the bed so I can strip out of my clothing completely." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Opening the top drawer of the nightstand, I pull out a box of condoms.\n\n\"Have you ever put one of these on a man before?\" I question, knowing the answer before I even ask it.\n\nShe shakes her head.\n\n\"Good,\" I climb back onto the bed, \"I'll pop that cherry, too.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "After helping her to sit up, I hand her the condom." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She tears it open and pulls out the lubricated, latex protection. Taking the wrapper from her, I toss it over onto the floor somewhere.\n\n\"Pinch the tip,\" I instruct.\n\nShe does so.\n\n\"Now …\" I guide her free hand to my erect cock." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her fingers curl around me and she looks up at me in shock." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I'm sure it's due to her realizing she can't actually fit her fingers all of the way around it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That nervousness enters those golden pupils but I don't allow her to go down that road of thinking. Pulling the hand with the condom to my erection, I show her how to cover the tip. Slowly, she guides the condom down my shaft. It may have only been a handful of seconds, but the ache that develops in my body tells me that it's a few seconds too long.\n\nI reach around the back of her head, pulling her to me, kissing her with a deepness that both of our bodies demand." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She keeps up with the kiss, giving as well as she is getting." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pressing her backwards onto the bed, I cover her with my body. Her arms move around to my back, pulling me even more into her body. There is not enough space between our bodies for even air to get through. I don't want there to be any separation between us. Neither one of us does." }, { "from": "human", "value": "While remaining with my lips on hers, I adjust my hands so they are reaching underneath her thighs, bringing her legs to once again wrap around my waist." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Positioning myself at her apex, I begin to guide my cock inside of her body. Her breathing increases as I fuse our bodies together.\n\nI grunt. \"You're so fucking tight.\"\n\nAdjusting, I hike her right leg even higher up my body, giving myself just a quarter inch more room. A little farther and I am fully seated inside of her body." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She wraps her arms tighter around me, silently begging me to give her more." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her words aren't there but her body tells me what she needs.\n\nI pull out and push fully back into her, again and again, starting a rhythm that comes naturally. Her breathing moves in spurts, but her kiss-swollen lips remain quiet. Needing more from her, I lower my head, kissing her and using one of my hands to again play with her nipples. This causes her back to arch farther off the bed and a small moan to escape, before she cuts it off." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Wondering what that was about, I pull back to look down at her, but her head lifts and she captures my lips with her own." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The kiss increases the urgency of the moment. I have to pull another orgasm from her. That need drives me to increase the speed of my hips and angle my body so that I penetrate every inch of her insides. Shortly, I feel her inner thighs begin to tremble. A suffocated moan breaks through the kiss as she comes for the third time." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "I'll be your writing partner today. I will set the scene and character context, and you will continue with 2 sentences, keeping within the romance, firefighter genre." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Today is a good fucking day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I'm excited and ready to get out of my place and head to work. However, when I lower the navy blue shirt that reads 'Williamsport Fire Department' on the top left, over my head and stare into the mirror in front of me, the ache of emptiness that's been with me for the past week doesn't subside." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Before this day, nothing felt better than putting on my uniform. Nothing. Couple this with the fact that it is my first day starting with my new squad, a squad I'd been angling to be on for over a year and I am fucking confused." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No, that's a lie." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I'm not confused at all. I know exactly why I'm feeling the way I am." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It began the morning I woke up with Nadine still in my arms. The feeling expanded and grew tenfold once I dropped her off at the airport and we said our final good-byes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As I watched her walk farther and farther away from me, I couldn't help but notice the feeling of loneliness grow. It's an emotion I hadn't felt in a very long time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Not since I was a young boy wishing for a family of my own." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But I gave that shit up a long time ago." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now here I am, on one of the greatest days of my career, pining after a woman that I'd only known a few days.\n\n\"Let it go,\" I chide myself as I tuck my shirt into my black, department-issued pants, before buttoning them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Giving myself one last look over to make sure my uniform is impeccable, I head out of my bedroom, cross my spacious living room, and pluck my keys off the wall mount where they hang. After I grab my bomber jacket, I head out the door, locking it behind me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hey, Emanuel.\"\n\nTurning, I see the real estate agent that I'd worked with to find my condo greeting me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Jack, how's it going?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He steps over the threshold, closing the door of the condo directly across from me.\n\n\"Same ol' same. Got a new tenant for this place.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I lift my brows." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's good news.\" The condo had been empty for about a month after the owner's previous tenants abruptly picked up and moved out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yeah, she'll be moving in this weekend.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I nod. \"It'll be nice to have a new face around here,\" I say absentmindedly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll see you later, Jack.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I don't wait for his good-bye as I turn on my heels and head toward the staircase. I rarely take the elevator at home since I only live on the third floor and waiting takes longer than taking the stairs." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I reach the enclosed garage where I pay extra to park my maroon 2018 Ford Mustang. Hopping in my car, I rev up the engine because it's been a few days since I've had the pleasure of doing so." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Backing out of my parking space, I turn to pull out of the parking garage and make the twenty minute drive to my new station. My commute to work is longer at Rescue Four but it's worth it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A short while later, I am pulling into the fire station with the words Station Rescue Four emblazoned at the top of the brick building." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The welling of pride that I was searching for earlier begins to emerge and I breathe a little easier." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thoughts of my time in Mexico still dance around in the background of my mind, but for right now I'm ready to take on a new adventure.\n\nParking alongside the other vehicles, which presumably belong to my new squad members, I turn my car off and exit, taking a moment to look around at my new home." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Rescue Four is larger than my previous assignment, Station Two." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To my left there are two fire trucks parked halfway out of the garage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The trail of soap and water from the garage tells me the trucks are being washed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I walk toward the garage and enter that way instead of the front door." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I've already memorized the layout of the station. And having been a firefighter for over seven years now, I know that the kitchen is the most likely place to find the guys hanging out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're shitting me?\" are the first words I hear as I enter the kitchen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I turn to see Don who is talking to Carter about something." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Carter looks over and catches sight of me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A lift of his eyebrows is partnered with a sideways grin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You finally made it, huh?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "he greets, walking over to me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He raises his hand.\n\nI slap fives with him and pull him into an embrace." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Carter and I go back to our time spent in the military. We weren't in the same squad but there was some overlap from time to time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We got along well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Captain put you on for the evening on your first shift?\" he asks." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I nod. \"Seems to be the case.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He whistles low. \"He's throwing you into the lion's den head first … literally.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I chuckle. He's right. Everyone knows that evenings shifts at the fire station are busier with often larger and more chaotic fires." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And since more people tend to be home during the evening hours, it also means more lives need to be saved in those fires.\n\n\"Just how I like it.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Damn straight,\" Carter agrees, his blue eyes glinting at me. \"You've met everyone?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I open my mouth to respond but am interrupted.\n\n\"Allende!\" a deep, gruff voice calls." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I look toward the swinging door of the kitchen to find my new captain standing at it. I'm not surprised to see the deep frown and wrinkle in his forehead that he's known for." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Captain Waverly has a reputation around the department for being one of the toughest but most efficient captains in the city.\n\n\"Captain.\" I nod." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This way.\" That's all he says before he turns and exits, leaving the kitchen door swinging and me to follow along.\n\nWhen I pass through the door to the living room space of the station, a couple guys are on the couch watching an early season football scrimmage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I nod at a few who look up at me and keep walking." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Though I haven't spotted him since he left the kitchen, I assume the captain went upstairs to his office, which is the direction I head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After taking the steps two at a time, I hook a right at the top, and go down the hall a few feet where I am met with a closed door. I knock.\n\n\"Open.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I turn the knob and enter Captain Waverly's office to find him parked at the edge of his desk reading over some forms in his hands.\n\n\"Close the door,\" he instructs, not even lifting his eyes from the papers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Once I do is when he finally lowers the papers and looks up at me. His gaze could be intimidating to someone else." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the man does have my respect." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do you know why you're here?\"\n\nI lift an eyebrow." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"To be a firefighter.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The tone in my voice comes out snarkier than I'd intended but the answer should be obvious.\n\nCaptain Waverly must not think so because his frown deepens." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You want to be a firefighter, sign up with a department in some podunk town in the backwoods of no-fucking-where. You don't show up in Williamsport, and not in my goddamned squad, just to be a firefighter. You're here to be a damned soldier,\" he states adamantly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I like this guy already.\n\n\"Now, do you know why you're here?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm here because one of your soldiers lost their leg on a rescue.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His lips pinch. The distress on his face becomes apparent." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Corey.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I nod. \"Corey.\"\n\n\"Some of my guys aren't going to like you right off the back. You're here to replace one of their brothers. A guy they pulled out of the fire. They saved his life but he hasn't been to this station in over two months. His presence is missed every day.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "There's a long pause." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I don't have anything to say to that, nor does the captain actually want me to respond." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The purpose of this conversation isn't to feel me out. It's to inform me of what I'm walking into." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm not here to replace anyone,\" I finally reply. \"I'm here to do my job. To be a soldier as a member of the best squad in the Williamsport Fire Department.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His lower jaw works as he stares at me, digesting what I'd just said. \"Words are meaningless.\"\n\n\"Don't I fucking know it.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He pauses again. \"Captain Rogers warned me about you. He didn't like you very much.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I clamp down on the urge to tell him Captain Rogers was a fucking joke for a captain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He said you were loose cannon.\"\n\n\"I'll take that as a compliment,\" I casually remark." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't.\" He eyes me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He didn't mean it as one,\" he adds.\n\nI nod. \"All due respect, Captain Waverly, but my former captain and I didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I can tell.\"\n\n\"And that may have had an impact on how he and I viewed my performance, but I'm a damned good—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Firefighter,\" he finishes for me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm well aware of that. I've checked your file.\" He holds up the papers in his hands." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I know what you're about. Congratulations on earning the Thomas Webster.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "My chest tightens. I hate being reminded of that damn award." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That was a hell of a save.\"\n\nI shake my head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I didn't save him.\" My voice is heavy, filled with the guilt and remorse of that fucking night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Bullshit.\"\n\nI look at my new captain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You pulled a mother and her two children out of a fire that night at great risk to yourself. As far as I'm concerned, that partially qualifies you to be assigned to my station.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Partially?\"\n\n\"You still have to prove yourself. To me and to your new squad. Take these.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He tosses me a set of locker keys.\n\n\"Your new uniform is waiting for you inside.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "With that, he turns and walks around his desk, sitting in his chair and looking down at a new stack of papers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Apparently, I've been dismissed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Taking the keys, I head back down the hall, past the stairs, and around the corner to the row of lined metal lockers with made up cots in front of them. I match the number on the set of keys with one of the lockers, and use them to open it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hanging inside is a brand new navy polo but this one has the name Rescue Four emblazoned across the back. I remove the shirt from the hanger and hold it up, looking it over." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's our new shirt.\"\n\nI turn to find Carter leaning against the wall behind me, eating an apple." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Nice, right?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Not a bad look but fuck off.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I ball the shirt up and toss it at him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He begins chuckling." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You guys are going to have to try harder to get over on me,\" I insist, laughing at the goofy prank they tried to pull." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Rescue Four is supposed to be the best of the best, and that's all you can do?\" I shake my head, disappointed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oh, trust me, we're just getting started.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Carter wiggles his blond eyebrows and saunters off, chuckling to himself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After putting my bag inside of my locker with my car keys and wallet, I close my locker, locking it with the keys before placing them in my pocket.\n\nI take on final look around before heading down to the main floor of the station." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Roll call!\" I hear as soon as my foot hits the first floor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Townsend?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yup!\" Carter replies as he moves past me, retrieving a form from the guy doing the roll call.\n\n\"Donnie?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Fuck off,\" Don yells, moving closer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A few laughs are heard around the room.\n\n\"Tighten up, Donnie. You're on inspection duty.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Don grumbles and heads in the direction of the garage where the fire trucks are parked.\n\n\"McClellan?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Present!\"\n\nA louder round of laughter ensues." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Who the fuck says present? This ain't the third fucking grade, McClellan!\" Don tosses over his shoulder as he walks toward the garage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Leave 'em alone, Don, he's still wet behind the ears,\" Carter responds." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm pretty sure his mama even made him lunch today. Did she cut the crust off your PB&J, too?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "he inquires in a mocking voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Enough, enough!\" the guy taking roll call says while still chuckling." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I think that's it. Car—\"\n\n\"You missed one.\" I finally emerge from behind the man." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He turns to me, eyes widening in surprise. \"Shit! Allende, forgot you were starting tonight.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That doesn't bode well for me, does it, Sean?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sean is one of the lieutenants at Rescue Four.\n\n\"Nah, you're fine. Why don't you help Don with inspection?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I nod and head in the same direction as I saw Don walking earlier. I'd already been introduced to most of the Rescue Four squad a few days earlier while at the fire department's annual firefighter competition." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was fresh off the plane from Mexico and wanted to swing by the Williamsport Park to meet my new squad." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It might've also had something to do with the fact that I didn't want to face going directly home to an empty place." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hey,\" I say to Don as I enter, \"Sean sent me out to help with inspection.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Don's dark eyes narrow. \"I don't need help.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I frown at his tone. \"I'm here whether you need it or not.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Grunting, he turns back to rifling through one of the compartments of the truck with the clipboard and pen in his hand." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I know what the cold shoulder feels like, and something tells me this isn't a part of one of the squad's practical jokes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Did you get this side?\" I question.\n\n\"I just came out here a minute ago. It look like I did a full side already?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What the fuck is your problem?\" I retort, my temper getting the better of me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Again, he's unresponsive, grunting and going back to counting." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I give him a dismissive glare and head to the side table, picking up another clipboard and pencil. Rounding to the opposite side of the truck, I press open the side compartment door that holds a lot of the equipment that's taken out on runs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Shit!\" I yelp when I'm sprayed by freezing cold water, soaking my face and entire front side." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All I hear in the background is bellows of laughter.\n\nI step from around the truck to find nearly all of the squad at the door, bent over in hysterics." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hey, Allende, you're supposed to point the water at the fire. Not yourself!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sean yells, causing more goofy ass laughing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I toss them all a middle finger but that only results in more laughter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Holy shit!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Welcome to Rescue Four,\" three of them say in tandem.\n\n\"You can believe there's more where that came from.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Carter winks at me and they all enter back into the station, still falling all over themselves.\n\nI roll my eyes but laugh to myself." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I might like it here, I think as I turn and catch Don's eye.\n\nHe's frowning as he goes back to counting and checking the equipment on his side of the truck. He doesn't say a word." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "I'll start writing, then you take over for 11 sentences, matching any established character familiarity in the romance, firefighter genre." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I wake up with a nervous pit in my stomach. It's Monday morning and I haven't heard or seen Emanuel since late Saturday night. Aside from that, it's my first day at my new job. A whole new career change.\n\nI should be used to so much change happening in my life at once. I lost count of the number of different cities and towns I lived in growing up. A change in location meant a change in schools, teachers, and friends. We never settled in any place for too long, so I learned to adapt quickly. But after the relative peace of living in one city for the last ten years, being with the same man, and holding the same job for seven of those previous ten, this sort of upheaval is challenging.\n\nI push myself out of my low sitting, queen-sized bed, over the wooden frame, and onto the carpet. I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Staring into the mirror, I frown at the reflection looking back at me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It might do me some good to do an eye mask before getting my day started, since the bags under my eyes from lack of sleep the last two nights are so evident.\n\nAs I go about my morning routine, I keep looking toward my front door, possibly hoping that he'll come knocking. Shaking those thoughts loose, I finish making my coffee and pouring it into my insulated cup to carry with me to the office. An hour later, I'm looking into my full-length mirror, examining the black trousers and white, button-up blouse I chose to wear for my first day. I paired the outfit with a pair of flat black loafers. Smoothing my shirt out one final time, I feel ready. I head to the kitchen, grab my purse, lunch bag, and coffee, and head out.\n\nI retrieve my silver Kia from the parking garage and turn my GPS on to connect to the bluetooth in my car. Keying in the address of my office, I note it will take approximately twenty-five minutes to get to work, leaving me with fifteen minutes to spare before nine a.m.\n\n\"Let's hope it's right,\" I mumble.\n\nExactly twenty-four minutes later, I arrive at the office." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Taking my work badge out of my pocket, I place it over the machine, and within a half a second the glass panes part, allowing me to pass through from the lobby to the elevator banks of the office building." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I nod at the front desk security attendant. He tilts his head acknowledging me.\n\nLuckily, I make it onto the elevator just before it closes. Hearing a sigh behind me, I look over my shoulder to see a tall, slender man who appears to be in his late twenties staring down his nose at me.\n\n\"Sorry,\" I apologize, thinking I must've cut him off or something. I reach out to hit the tenth floor. Once we arrive, I step off the elevator and square my shoulders to ready myself for my new career, but I am almost knocked over by the guy behind me as he rushes past, and of course, into the double doors of the same office I'm preparing to enter. However, I don't let his rudeness deter me. After opening one of the doors that reads Lux Advertising, I head to the receptionist's desk on the left hand side.\n\n\"Hi, I'm Janine Thompson, it's my first day,\" I say to the smiling receptionist. I briefly admire the high afro puff she's put her hair into, and the purple, gold, and white silk scarf that adorns the sides of her head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hi! Danny told me you were coming in today. Said you'd probably be early. He's not in yet but he did give me some of the HR paperwork you need to fill out.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She places a clipboard onto her desk, and I immediately recognize the usual W-4 form, and the form for my banking information for direct deposits. \"You can have a seat over there while you fill those out. Here's a pen.\" She places the pen on top of the forms. \"Can I get you some water, coffee, or tea while you wait?\"\n\nHolding up my cup of coffee, still warm despite my commute, I shake my head. \"Got that covered. Thanks.\"\n\nI move to the other side of the room, placing my belongings in an empty chair. Sitting in the one next to it, I begin filling out my paperwork. I get to the last page when I hear a deep voice speaking. Lifting my gaze, I smile as my new boss enters the office.\n\n\"Janine,\" he greets, warmly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I stand. \"Mr. Wilson.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I extend my hand to shake his.\n\n\"Please, Danny. You're an employee now.\"\n\nI release a breath. One of the reasons I was so happy to get this job was because of Danny's enthusiastic and professional nature. He has a reputation in the advertising world for being one of the best, and hiring only the best. Which is why I was almost certain I wasn't going to get this job when I applied for it. I was floored when I did.\n\n\"You finished your paperwork?\"\n\n\"I did.\"\n\n\"Good. I'll take you around to HR in a little bit to show you who those forms go to. Follow me.\"\n\nI quicken my pace to keep up with his long strides as we turn down a short hallway to an open floor plan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There are desks on either side, along the wall, separated into cubicles." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The desks are separated into pairs where two employees sit on either side facing one another.\n\n\"As I explained in your initial interview, each associate is partnered with another associate. You'll work as a team on your projects and present your ideas to a higher ranking partner or to myself. If we deem your idea quality, you'll have an opportunity to present it to the client. If the client likes it, you'll have the opportunity to take lead on the project. If not …\" Pausing, he gives me a so much for you look and pushes the door to his office open.\n\nThe lights immediately turn on as we enter. \"I've decided to partner you with Zeke. He's been with the company since he graduated from Williamsport University. Very sharp, knows what he's doing, and a hard worker. I think you two will get along well.\" He lifts his phone, pressing a button.\n\n\"Yeah, Danny?\" a voice says from the speaker of the phone.\n\n\"Can you come in here? I want to introduce you to Janine.\"\n\n\"Sure thing.\"\n\nDanny hangs up. \"Do you have any questions for me?\"\n\nI circle the room with my eyes. \"No, not at the moment.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He nodes. \"I run an open door policy. I try to make myself as available as possible, but I'm often in client meetings, on the phone, or out of the office for travel. When I'm occupied, anyone else in the office would be more than happy to answer anything for you. You've already met Shelah, our receptionist. She's great and can answer any questions you have about where to locate files, forms, office supplies, and things like that.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Danny looks to his door at the same time I do when there's a knock.\n\n\"Zeke, come in.\" He waves the man in.\n\nMy stomach tightens to see the tall, slender man who sighed in the elevator.\n\n\"Zeke, this is Janine, she's the new associate I was telling you about.\"\n\nI extend my hand. \"Hi, nice to meet you.\"\n\nA brief look of hesitation passes over his face before a fake smile is plastered on and he gives my hand a limp handshake. \"Pleasure.\"\n\nI've taken pizza out of the freezer that was warmer than that handshake.\n\n\"Zeke, I just remembered I have a call with our West Coast clients for their new soda line. This is going to be a long call. Can you take Janine over to HR and show her who to give her paperwork to? Oh, and have Rob create her a new login and password so she can log into our servers. Once that's handled, you can start showing her how to access our servers and files, then show her what you're working on.\"\n\nDanny immediately gives his attention to another task in front of him. From the interviews I had with him, I could tell he was the type to talk fast, give instructions once, and move on to the next thing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Not rudely, but he just expected his employees to be as efficient as he was." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Include the following text] → \"Thank you for taking me over to HR,\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let's go.\"\n\nI look to the man who is now halfway out the door. My eyes narrow at the rudeness of his tone but I don't say anything. Following behind him, I doing my best to keep up with his long strides. Unlike Danny who was walking fast just because he's always on the go, I get the feeling that Zeke is walking fast to lose me, actually wanting me to fall behind. Or maybe I'm making that up in my head.\n\n\"Thank you for taking me over to HR,\" I say when we reach the doors to try and break the ice. \"Danny said he would but it seems he has a busy day.\"\n\n\"Danny's schedule is always packed, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know what he's doing.\" His dull hazel eyes narrow down at me.\n\nMy eyebrows lift in surprise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oh no, that's not what I was implying at all. Of course he knows what he's doing. He's one of the best in the business, and Lux Advertising is very successful because of him, I'm sure. I was just saying—\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'through' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This is HR,\" Zeke interrupts in a bored tone, as he pushes through another set of glass doors on the other side of the elevator bank.\n\nI follow him through the doors.\n\n\"This is Connie. She can take your paperwork. Once you're done with her, go on over to Rob in the back. He'll get you your login information. Come find me when you're done.\" Zeke doesn't wait for any questions I might have as he skirts around me and exits the door we just entered.\n\n\"Don't be perturbed, hun. He's like that with almost everyone.\"\n\nI smile at the woman at the desk in front of me. \"Hi, I'm Janine, the new associate at Lux.\"\n\nShe nods, and I notice the black string that attaches to her red-framed glasses. I can't tell which is brighter, the red of her glasses or her red hair, and from the looks of it, it's natural, or just a really good dye job.\n\n\"I know, hun. I've got your file right here in front of me. Just give me a sec to finish settling in for the morning and I'll be right with you. Have a seat.\" She extends her hand to the empty chair in the corner of her enclosed desk space." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I move passed her and take a seat, glancing around the walls that she has lined with pictures of herself in different locations and with family." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I smile to myself, my heart squeezing in my chest as the thought of a family comes to mind.\n\n\"Are those your children?\" I question, pointing at one of the pictures of her posing with Mickey Mouse ears in front of a Disney castle, with two teenage children.\n\n\"You're sweet, hun.\" Smiling, she pats my knee. \"Those are my grandkids. We all took a family vacation in Disney World last summer.\"\n\n\"That must've been fun.\"\n\n\"It was, but I had more fun when my husband and I went by ourselves,\" she chuckles. \"We didn't have to worry about not being able to get on the rides for being too short.\" We both laugh. Connie goes on to explain that she has three adult children and five grandchildren with another one on the way.\n\nOnce she has retrieved a fresh cup of coffee from the staff kitchen, she takes my W-4 from me and begins entering my information into the system. When that's complete, she walks me over to the guy who will give me a new login and password so I can get onto Lux's network as an employee." }, { "from": "human", "value": "About twenty minutes later, I'm walking back across the hall into the main offices of Lux Advertising, searching for Zeke." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When I spot him, I notice he's on the phone. I head to the kitchen to stowaway my lunch in the refrigerator, and then to my new desk that is facing Zeke. I hold up the folded sheet with my login information on it to let him know that I can log in. Rolling his eyes, he continues on with his call. Taken aback but still ready to work, I sit and turn my computer on, waiting for it to boot up so I can log in. When it does, I take the time to look through the Lux database which was front and center on the desktop.\n\nReviewing the database, I discover I am privy to the different clients Lux is currently working with, or have worked with in the past. The information is good to know to determine how the company operates. I'm unaware of how long I spend perusing some of the files, but when I look up I see Zeke is off the phone and working on something on his own desk.\n\n\"Good, you're off the phone. I was just taking the last few minutes while you were on your call to look through the database, and I see—\"\n\n\"Who gave you permission to do that?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His tone is sharp." }, { "from": "system", "value": "/insert_quote: \"Oookaay, no need to get so defensive…\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My head juts backwards. \"Well, I assumed since I now have my own login and—\"\n\n\"Don't assume.\" Another roll of the eyes.\n\n\"Oookaay, no need to get so defensive…\" I pause, waiting for him to say something more about what it is we'll be working on today but he doesn't. So I do. \"Would you be able to explain to me the current project you're working on so I can get caught up?\"\n\n\"You won't be able to get caught up.\" He shakes his head as if he's already deemed me incompetent.\n\n\"Then maybe—\"\n\n\"Look,\" he sighs, standing up. He pulls a thick binder off the windowsill and brings it around to my side of the desk, nearly slamming it down in front of me. \"This is a comprehensive cataloguing of all of the business systems we use here at Lux. It includes how to use the phone system and all other modes of communication, procedures for developing product and service brands, how to pitch a client, and what to do once a pitch is accepted. That should be more than enough to keep you occupied for the rest of the day.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "And without another word he circles back around his desk, sits, and begins typing on his computer." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 8 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This is a lot of material to absorb. Will there be a quiz at the end of the day?\" I quip. The joke, of course, is lost on Zeke who sighs heavily again and picks up his phone to place another call. All without granting me even a passing glance.\n\nRealizing Zeke is obviously not the friendly type, I opt to make the best out of an awkward situation. I try to remind myself that I have no idea what is going on in Zeke's world. He could be going through a rough time personally, and is one of those people who brings his problems from home into the office with him. With that thought, I open the binder, pull out the brand new hardcover notepad that's in the top drawer of my desk, and begin jotting down notes I believe will be helpful to know from the binder.\n\nAs much as I wish I could say things got better throughout the day, I can't." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write 5 sentences like Tiffany Patterson would, using user's text as beginning. Story may drop in mid-narrative" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'which' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My day goes from bad to worse once I step off the elevator on the ground level of my office building and begin rifling through my purse to find my cellphone which is ringing. Just as I exit the main door, I pull my phone out, and my heart sinks as the name of the caller which appears.\n\n\"Watch it,\" a male voice behind me grunts as its owner nearly knocks me over to get out the door.\n\nI look up and of course it's Zeke. He glares at me before turning and moving past me, as he continues down the sidewalk." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'phone' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I don't have time to give his attitude with me too much thought because the sound of my still ringing phone continues. Without thinking, I answer.\n\n\"What took you so long to answer?\" his voice demands through the line.\n\nI pull the phone from my ear to look at it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hello!\" I hear as I stare." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I consider hanging up. It's been months since Matt and I talked. I can't imagine what he's calling me for. And this isn't the type of greeting that makes me want to continue the conversation. But, being the pushover that I am, I don't hang up." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hi, Matt,\" I respond." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How are you doing?\"\n\n\"I'm fine. When are you coming back to Boston?\"\n\nTaken completely off guard by his question, I ask \"What?\" as I climb behind the wheel of my Kia Sorento.\n\n\"Is the connection bad where you are? I asked when are you coming back?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Going back to Boston for what?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I tied up all of my loose ends before I left. My employer was notified, of course, and my landlord was given a forwarding PO Box for any mail or packages that may be delivered. My savings account with my local bank closed. Medical and dental offices notified of my moving.\n\n\"For what? For me!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "he says in a raised tone." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why on Earth would I—\"\n\n\"Look, I get it. You're having one of your bratty tantrums. I may have misled you here and there about a wedding date. But if it's something you really want we'll talk about it. Now, when are you coming back? I'll even buy your ticket back. Who knows how much money you've wasted with this fake move.\"\n\n\"Matthew, are you delirious right now?\"\n\nI turn my key in the ignition of my car, and a second later, I see on the screen that the bluetooth has kicked on, connecting the call so that it comes through the car's speakers.\n\n\"I'm not going back to Boston. There is nothing left for me there. I have a new apartment, a new job, and a new m—\" I stop myself when I almost say a new man but Emanuel isn't my man." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I made that clear the past Saturday night." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'thing' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"A new life. Here. In Williamsport.\"\n\n\"You're being ridiculous.\"\n\n\"And you are sounding like you should be on meds, or get some sleep, or something because you're not making any sense whatsoever. We broke up, remember?\"\n\n\"We always break up. And get back together. That's our thing.\"\n\n\"That was our thing. It's not anymore.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Janine, you're really starting to piss me off.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I begin shaking my head. This was the last thing I needed at the end of a trying first day of work. And as much as Matthew was starting to sound like the child he was accusing me of being, something in me felt tempted to acquiesce. A small part of me wanted that safety of my past relationship and living situation. No matter how dysfunctional it was, or how unhappy I'd grown living in my tiny apartment, at a job I'd come to loathe going into each morning." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yeah, I became miserable but it was familiar.\n\nI really was starting to recognize what my college counselor meant when he said many people will remain in a bad situation for the comfort. The discomfort of change is often scarier than continuing to live a life you don't really want.\n\n\"Matt, I've got to go.\" I don't wait for his reply as I press the end call button." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because even while his words were harsh and chastising, simply hearing his voice was easily tricking my mind into believing something that just wasn't real.\n\nWhen my phone begins ringing again, I'm ready to press the dismiss button, thinking it's Matt. Luckily, I look before I do, and a small smile touches my lips.\n\n\"You must know I needed to hear your voice.\"\n\n\"Rough first day?\" Angela questions in a soothing voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You could say that.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I won't bother to tell her about the call with Matt." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's okay because I'm calling to invite you to the bar. Food and drinks are on me, and since I'm the owner that means they're free.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her giggle is infectious, causing me to join in.\n\n\"I'm never one to turn down free food. I just need to go home and change—\"\n\n\"No!\" she insists, taking me aback.\n\n\"Whoa.\"\n\n\"I just know that if you go home, the chances of you coming back out are slim to none. You were like that in college, too.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "ur a writing helper. partner writes, u do next ten sentences. might have existing chars/stuff - roll with it" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I watch Angela expectantly once she hangs up the phone, but lift my eyebrows when she doesn't say anything at first, just a tiny smirk playing at her lips. I narrow my gaze on her, growing more pissed off by the second. She obviously has intentions of drawing this shit out.\n\n\"Well?\" I demand.\n\n\"You boys are so impatient,\" she giggles.\n\nMy annoyance grows.\n\n\"She's on her way.\"\n\nI push out a relieved breath. \"That's all you had to say.\"\n\n\"I know, but I wanted you to sweat it out just a little.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't sweat.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She rolls her eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I know, I know. You're a firefighter, used to the heat.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'after' must be used 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Damn straight.\"\n\n\"Leave my wife the hell alone,\" Eric interrupts, coming up behind Angela and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.\n\n\"Lieutenant.\" I nod mockingly. \"Don't worry, it's not your wife I'm after.\" I toss him a wink as he growls angrily.\n\nChuckling, I walk off in the direction of the wooden booth toward the back of the bar where a number of other Rescue Four guys have gathered after our latest twenty-four hour shift.\n\n\"That school fire was brutal the other day. Lucky everyone got out all right.\" Sean glances my way. \"Fucking dumbass teens,\" he grunts, shaking his head.\n\nAfter an investigation, the police discovered some neighborhood teens had wanted to play a trick on the elementary school with smoke bombs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They waited until the weekend custodial staff was doing a deep clean to place chains around the doors to keep them from getting out." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What the teens didn't know was that there was a play rehearsal going on that day. And that their smoke bombs would misfire, the sparks causing actual fires, and the chains trapping children inside. The police were looking to charge the teens with some serious crimes.\n\n\"You might be a real firefighter yet, Allende,\" Sean says, clapping me on the back.\n\nThe table laughs boisterously when I toss Sean a middle finger.\n\n\"Play nice you two.\" Carter takes a sip of his beer. \"Shit,\" he says, hopping up and heading off somewhere without another word.\n\nI follow his long strides, and am unsurprised to see him pull open the door, allowing his fiancée, Michelle, to enter. I watch for a second longer than I should, noting the look they share." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Blinking, I let my gaze travel past the couple at the door, to see if another woman is on her way in, only to be disappointed when I don't see Janine." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I glance down at my watch and realize it's only been five minutes since Angela hung up the phone.\n\n\"Waiting on someone?\"\n\nShifting my attention to Sean, I see his gaze intently fixed on me. Any other time, I would've tossed him a yeah, your mother's running late joke, but knowing his parents died tragically a few years prior, I forego the dark humor. Instead, I tell him, \"Mind your damn business.\"\n\nThere truly was no one nosier than a firefighter. You think your workplace is a destination for the rumor mill? It's got nothing on a firehouse.\n\nA couple of the other guys get up to head to the bar for another round of beers, leaving Sean and I the only two at the table. He slides closer.\n\n\"You're waiting on Janine.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My brows pinching in confusion. \"How the fuck—\"\n\nHe begins chuckling. \"Angela is my sister.\"\n\n\"She told you—\"\n\nHe shakes his head before I can even finish the question. \"Nah, Janine was over Angela and Eric's yesterday when I stopped by to drop off Jeremiah. I overheard them talking about a guy. Then I watched you over there pressing my sister to make a call.\" He shrugs. \"I put two and two together.\"\n\n\"I don't need your advice.\"\n\n\"Good. I'm not about to give you any. I'm the last fucking person to give another man advice on relationships. Not when the one with my son's mother is all fucked up.\" He shakes his head in disgust. \"I will say I think Janine is good people, and if it works out between you two, I'm happy for you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This conversation is way too fucking emotional,\" I grunt, picking up my half finished beer and chugging the rest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He chuckles. \"Who says firefighters don't have feelings?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'michelle' appears 2 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Not anyone I know,\" Carter remarks as he interrupts the conversation.\n\n\"Emanuel, you've met my fiancée, Michelle,\" he introduces.\n\n\"Please don't stand for me,\" Michelle insists, waving me off as I began to rise.\n\n\"Good to see you again, Chaos.\"\n\nWe all laugh at my old nickname.\n\n\"How's Rescue Four treating you so far?\" she inquires as she shifts down the inside of the booth, Carter taking his position on the outside and wrapping an arm around her.\n\n\"I haven't had to kick anyone's ass so far.\"\n\n\"Watch your mouth. You're in the presence of a woman,\" Carter growls.\n\nSean and I glance at each other and bust out laughing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I'd been told on more than one occasion how overprotective he was of his woman." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'angela' must appear 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Speaking of which …\n\nMy gaze goes to the door again, and I sit up straighter when I see Janine coming through the door. Not even bothering to end the conversation, or explain my necessary absence to the rest of the table, I stand and make a beeline for the door.\n\nI head toward her slowly, letting Janine greet Angela who's behind the bar serving drinks.\n\n\"Thanks for the invite. I'm feeling a little less stressed already.\" I hear her sigh as she removes the bomber jacket.\n\n\"Good. Let's see if we can move that process along. What're you drinking?\" Angela questions.\n\n\"How about a mojito?\" I intercept. I'm pleased when Janine gasps as she turns to me. I grin before glancing at Angela." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why don't you make it two mojitos?\" I look back to Janine. \"For old times' sake.\"\n\n\"I didn't know you were going to be here,\" she says.\n\n\"I knew you would be.\"\n\nHer perfectly arched eyebrows dip as she gives me a curious look. \"How'd you know?\"\n\nI glance at Angela, who is at the farther end of the bar retrieving the mixes for our drinks. \"Who do you think requested Angela to call you?\"\n\nA surprised then angry expression covers her face. \"She didn't …\"\n\n\"You're sexy as hell when you're pissed.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "That seems to take some of the wind out of her angered sails." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At that same moment Angela returns with our drinks.\n\n\"A fucking mojito,\" grunts someone behind me. It's another Rescue Four guy.\n\n\"Fuck off,\" I growl back.\n\nHe chuckles and saunters off. I shake my head just knowing I'm going to get shit for this drink of choice at work in the coming week. It's well worth it as I face Janine.\n\n\"I can't believe you set me up,\" she's saying to Angela.\n\n\"I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the music.\" Angela cups her ear as if straining to hear." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She begins dancing to some Beyonce song, I think, as she moves down the bar, taking other drink orders.\n\n\"I should go home.\"\n\n\"You can't. You've been drinking. Might as well enjoy the evening with me.\" I take her by the hand, pulling her away from the bar. I move closer to her until there is very little space between our two bodies. \"You know you don't want to leave anymore than I want you to.\"\n\n\"How do you know what I want?\"\n\n\"It's in your eyes, butterfly. They always tell on you.\" Wrapping my arm around her lower back, I escort her to an empty table, farther away from the bar, by the window. I pull out a chair, and she hesitates only for a moment before taking a seat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sitting across from her, I watch her intently as she sips at the mojito. \"How was your first day of work?\"\n\nHer eyelids cover her pupils for a half a second and her lips form into a tight line. Her facial expression says more about her day than her any words she could speak.\n\n\"It sucked to be honest.\"\n\n\"What was so bad about it?\" I lean in, resting both elbows on the table.\n\n\"I just hate being the new person. You know what I mean? Everyone around you knows what's going on except you. And there's this guy who's supposed to be training me or whatever …\" She pushes out a frustrated breath.\n\n\"It's only day one. Being the new kid on the block is supposed to be tough.\"\n\nHer eyes bulge. \"That's right. I'm complaining about my new job and you've just started a new job, too. How's it going?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I shrug. \"I'm not new to the job.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She swallows the sip of her drink she's just pulled through her straw and nods." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A few strands of her straightened hair fall from behind her ear to the side of her face. I get the strangest urge to push it back, wanting to see the entirety of her face. So I do.\n\nAt my gesture, her eyelids flutter and a small smile creases her lips.\n\n\"You're not new to firefighting but it's a new station, right? That means new coworkers, new boss, new location, all of that. How's it going?\"\n\nHer genuine interest warms my chest. \"It's going.\"\n\nShe shakes her head. \"No, no. You made Angela call me to get me down here, so you've got to give me more information than that. It's only fair.\"\n\nI chuckle. \"It's going well. Most of the guys I've known for a while from being called on the same scenes from time to time. There wasn't much overlap between Station Two and Rescue Four, but it happens sometimes. And Carter and I go way back.\"\n\n\"I remember you saying that. The Army, right?\"\n\nI nod." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Suddenly, I get the urge to be closer to her." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To not have this wooden table, albeit small, separating our bodies." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Being a man led by my instincts, I stand and move to her side of the table, holding out my hand.\n\n\"Dance with me.\" Grasping her hand, I pull her to stand.\n\n\"We can't dance here.\"\n\n\"Why not?\" I've already begun moving my hips in time to the Celia Cruz song that's playing. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I bring our bodies together.\n\n\"Because there's no dance floor,\" she offers lamely.\n\nI glance around. \"That's not stopping anyone else.\" There's a small crowd developing around the empty spots in the bar, dancing. Angela's place, Charlie's, is well known among firefighters, and often a place first responders and young professionals go to let off some steam at the end of the day.\n\n\"That's it, butterfly. Just follow and let me lead,\" I say in a low tone, next to her ear." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That little vein begins pulsing rapidly at the side of her neck." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I told you this couldn't work between us.\" Her tone is soft as she says the words but she doesn't break away from my embrace.\n\n\"That's your fear talking, butterfly. And you should know something about me.\" I pull back to stare into her eyes.\n\n\"What's that?\"\n\n\"I don't listen to fear. Especially when it's contradicting what you really want.\"\n\n\"How do you know what I really want? Whoop!\" she yells when I suddenly spin her around before pulling her body back to mine.\n\n\"Because I want the same thing.\" I spin her again before she can respond." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We continue to dance in silence for the rest of the song, Janine taking my lead." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I can tell she's not totally comfortable with dancing but she's doing it for me. She wants to be more fluid and relaxed, but that overthinking mind of hers gets in the way.\n\nOnce the song is over, I wrap my arm around her waist from behind and tug her down onto my lap, taking a seat at the table we'd vacated to dance. \"Go out with me this Friday.\"\n\n\"Emanuel—\"\n\n\"That's a yes, right?\"\n\nShe sighs. \"What if—\"\n\n\"No, butterfly, no what ifs. No overthinking. Just go with your gut.\"\n\nShe looks back at me, square in the eye, and says, \"My gut says no.\"\n\nI begin chuckling. \"You're full of shit.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She giggles." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"See how much better your day just got with me?\"\n\nSobering up, she pushes her hair behind her ear. For the life of me, I work to contain myself from licking it and sucking her earlobe into my mouth. Tension coils in my body remembering the way she shivered as she came when I did that in bed on our last night in Mexico.\n\n\"Why do you want this so badly?\"\n\nI frown, not at the question but at the suspicion in her voice that she tries to hide. It's almost as if she needs to convince herself that a man would be truly interested in her. Yet that just can't be the case. Janine might be a little stiff and overthinks everything but she has to know how goddamn sexy she is.\n\nTo give her that reminder, I lean over and whisper into her ear, \"Because I'm pretty sure you broke my cock.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I can't help the grin that crosses my lips at her surprised reaction." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 11 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She begins choke coughing, even though she hadn't been drinking anything.\n\n\"What?\" she blurts out.\n\n\"Do you need me to say it again? You broke m—\"\n\n\"No, I heard it the first time.\"\n\n\"Good, because I'm dead serious when I say it. You broke me for any other woman. It won't work for anyone else. I'm a firefighter, which means on any given night there are plenty of women throwing themselves at me. Before you I had no problem with it. Now, the only woman I want anywhere near my cock is you. You broke me after one fucking night. So all that bullshit about us not working goes in one ear and out the other.\"\n\nJanine is speechless. Those golden eyes of hers halfway close as she sucks her bottom lip into her mouth. I know what she looks like when she's turned on, and this is it.\n\nAnd just to add more fuel to the fire, I lean in and say into her ear, \"And don't think I forgot about you lying to me about your name. You'll make it up to me eventually, on your knees in front of me, my cock sliding in and out of your mouth, tears of pleasure streaming down your face, your pussy soaking wet, and your belly filling from my come as you swallow it.\"\n\nShe is stunned into silence. That's fine. I didn't need words right then. Having her in my lap, my arm around her waist, and those lips only a few inches from mine, is enough for the time being." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "CREATIVE WRITING:\n8 sentences sentences\nMaintain character context\nGenre: romance, firefighter" }, { "from": "system", "value": "/insert_quote: \"Learn some fucking manners. You don't stick your dirty ass hands into my food!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Allende, you're driving tonight,\" Sean states, pointing at me from across the kitchen.\n\nI glance up from the pasta primavera with shrimp that I'm cooking. \"Not a problem.\"\n\n\"That smells good. What's in it?\" Sean reaches in to swipe a shrimp. \"Shit! What the fuck?\" he growls as I slap his hand with the wooden spoon.\n\n\"Learn some fucking manners. You don't stick your dirty ass hands into my food!\"\n\n\"That's what I've been trying to tell him since we were kids.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We both turn at the sound of the feminine voice to see Angela standing there grinning as she gives her older brother a that's what you get expression.\n\n\"What are you doing here?\"\n\nI look at Sean, lifting my eyebrow. He's not simply asking out of curiosity. His tone is clipped, angered almost.\n\n\"Well, hello, too, big brother. I'm here to see my husband, of course,\" Angela replies with her hand on her hip.\n\n\"Eric's upstairs,\" I say.\n\n\"Thanks, Emanuel.\" Angela nods and moves in, giving Sean a quick hug before exiting the kitchen to head up the stairs, I assume." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I turn to my lieutenant. \"What was that about?\" I get the feeling it isn't strictly family business that has him so anxious. I've been feeling it for weeks, here at the station. As if there's some hidden danger that everyone knows about but no one is actually saying. Not the typical danger, either. We're firefighters, our job puts us in some very precarious situations routinely. It's a part of the job and we all know it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And more than that, we all embrace it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the type of unspoken danger I'm talking about seems like something else." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory: Your text must contain 'turns' 2 times exactly" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Nothing.\" Sean shakes his head. He turns, but is stopped when I grab him by the arm. His expression turns serious when he glances from my hand to my face.\n\nHe can be pissed all he wants. \"What the hell is going on?\"\n\nHe snatches his arm from me. \"Don't put—\"\n\n\"Yeah, whatever.\" I wave off the threat I assumed was about to spill from his lips. \"You've all been skirting around something for weeks now and I want to know what the fuck is up.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I work to control my anger." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I—\" He stops when footsteps can be heard coming down the stairs." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We'll talk about it later.\"\n\nI'm ready to tell him later isn't good enough when the alarm sounds for an incoming call.\n\n\"Rescue Four, two young men trapped on the scaffolding of a building. Address …\" the operator's voice sounds throughout the entire station on the speakers.\n\nWhatever I was about to say to Sean is forgotten in an instant as I turn off the stove and race behind him toward the garage. I easily step into my turnout gear, pulling the suspenders over my shoulders, and grab my jacket but opt not to throw it on at this time.\n\nI head straight for the driver's seat since I'm driving that shift. Sean hops into the passenger seat since he's the highest ranking member on the squad for the night. Don and Carter get in the back of the rig." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'we're' 2 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Once I do a quick head count to make sure we're all in, I look over at Sean who gives me a quick nod, granting me the okay to pull out. I raise my hand and pull on the wire that is attached to the horn, alerting all surrounding vehicles and personnel that we're on the move.\n\nI make a right out of the station, checking the GPS locations at the front of the steering wheel that shows me we are about eight minutes out from the location.\n\n\"Dispatch says two young men, early twenties, were hanging out on a scaffold and now it's hanging from one side.\"\n\n\"What the fuck were they doing out there in the first place?\" Don growls, angrily.\n\n\"You can ask them when we get there,\" Sean retorts.\n\n\"Emanuel, you're going to be strapped into a harness just in case we need it, and Carter is going to be the point man on the ladder …\" Sean continues to call out directions.\n\nI take it all in, while still navigating the rig around some tight corners, finally bringing us to our final destination." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Shit!\" everyone in the truck says simultaneously when we look up and see two pairs of arms flailing for help about fifteen stories off the ground." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Help! Help!\" Their yells get louder once they notice the fire truck pull up. The only problem with that, is with their increased volumes comes more exaggerated flailing and body movement, causing the scaffolding to sway even more.\n\n\"Let's get this done!\" Sean yells.\n\nEveryone begins moving in their respective positions. Stepping into my harness, I silently say a prayer that I won't have to be delivering any bad news tonight.\n\nThe initial plan was to try to get inside the building to head up to the fifteenth floor, open a window, and pull the boys inside, but by looking up at the building, I know that plan is a wash. There's no way we'll have time to wait for a building manager to make it down here to unlock it and let us in. We have to get them from the outside." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Emanuel, you're gonna have to go up on the ladder,\" Sean instructs.\n\nI was already climbing to the top of the rig to turn the ladder on.\n\n\"Your harness on correctly?\" Don questions.\n\n\"Yeah.\"\n\n\"You sure?\"\n\nI give him a look. \"I've been tying harnesses for a decade. I know what the fuck I'm doing.\"\n\nHe frowns but doesn't say anything." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'right' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Right now isn't the time to question him on it either. I start to hear the sound of the ladder being raised but that's followed by another loud, crashing sound.\n\nAll of us look up to find that another piece of the scaffolding has fallen off, crashing to the sidewalk only a few feet from the rig.\n\n\"Shit! Carter, get that ladder up there faster!\" Sean orders.\n\nWe all know Carter is moving as quickly as he can, but right now yelling is about the only thing we can do.\n\nI move to the bottom of the ladder and start to climb even though it hasn't reached its full height yet. I hear footsteps behind me and I can tell by the sound that it's Don bringing up the rear.\n\nWhen the ladder finally reaches its full length and is safely resting against the side of the building, I run up the steps as quickly as possible to reach the two young men." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh god, you gotta help us!\" one of the terrified young men shouts.\n\n\"It's okay. You're going to be fine, but you have to stop moving so much. Every time you move, this scaffolding gets more and more unstable. All right?\" I say in my calmest but most stern voice.\n\n\"My friend. He's stuck!\"\n\nI glance past the man to see the second guy not moving nearly as much. Briefly, I see a thick rope entangled around his waist and leg.\n\nTurning back to the first man." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're going to have to jump, okay? I can't bring the ladder any closer.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I-I can't!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes you can. Take my hand.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I stretch my hand out to meet his." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"On the count of three. One … two … three!\" I pull him by the arm as he leaps from the scaffolding onto the ladder.\n\nThe ladder shakes and shifts a little, startling the young man.\n\n\"It's okay, I got you.\"\n\nHe's fine. I look down to see Don.\n\n\"You got him?\" I yell.\n\n\"Yeah.\" Don grabs the kid and begins helping him down the ladder.\n\nI look back to the second guy who I know isn't going to be as easy as his friend to rescue." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Again, the second guy isn't yelling for help or moving much at all, which in this case isn't a good sign." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I can see blood marks on his ripped blue jeans.\n\n\"Fuck!\" I curse when I trace the cause of the blood to a cut on his leg. \"What happened?\" I question.\n\n\"C-Cut myself trying t-to get out of the r-rope,\" he stammers while holding up a pocket knife.\n\nDoing a quick assessment, I realize that he probably got his leg entangled in the ropes of the scaffolding and tried to free himself using the knife in his hand but only made matters worse by cutting himself. Shit, I swear to myself when I see the amount of blood he's losing. He could've cut his femoral artery. That rope around his leg might be the only thing keeping him from bleeding out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Shit!\" I grunt." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Don has just passed off the first guy to Carter who helps to lower him to the awaiting paramedics." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'ladder' 2 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Don peers up at me, expecting the second young man to be coming down. He doesn't know the situation up here it dire.\n\n\"I have to go get him,\" I yell down.\n\n\"What? No!\" Don retorts as he begins running up the ladder.\n\nI don't have time to wait or to waste. I can't reach all of the way over from the ladder to pull the kid off, and he can't jump in his condition. I have to go get him. I don't think about how secure the scaffolding might be." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I ensure that my harness is firmly secured to the ladder, but just as I'm about to leap, Don grabs onto my turnout gear.\n\n\"What the hell are you doing?\" he growls.\n\n\"He's stuck on there.\" I point to the kid's leg. \"He's bleeding out and can't move.\"\n\nDon does a quick assessment of the situation, seeing what I've already seen.\n\n\"Fine, I'm right here,\" he says.\n\nI nod, actually feeling safer knowing that he's not moving but also not standing in the way of my doing what I need to do." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I move quickly, reaching for the scaffolding and trying to assess how secure this thing is. Unfortunately, I find that it's not secure at all.\n\nI turn to Don. \"This isn't gonna work. You'll need to hang onto me while I cut him out.\"\n\nHe nods.\n\nI stretch as far as I can get my body to reach to grab the rope around the young man's leg. Using my own knife, I begin cutting at the rope, hoping that the scaffolding doesn't give way before I can free him. There's also the matter of ensuring that I don't remove the rope that is serving as a tourniquet for the boy's leg." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One false move and this young man's life is over before it truly ever began.\n\n\"Got it!\" I say as I free the rope from the scaffolding … right before more of it gives way, falling lower. \"Shit!\"\n\n\"I got you,\" Don assures.\n\nWithout thinking, I wrap my arms around the struggling guy and pull him with me back to the ladder. Don is there to help relieve the pressure of the boy's limp body. We awkwardly maneuver carrying his body down the ladder until we reach the bottom. He is gingerly brought down the rig to the paramedics, who quickly assess the delicate situation he's in, and whisk him off to the ambulance and then to the hospital.\n\nPushing out a breath, I silently hope the boy makes it to the hospital alive and the doctors are able to save him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A dark cloud begins to fall over me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My fingers tense as I ball them into fists. It's the same feeling that's come over me for months now. Blinking, I try to shake the mood off but it's no use. Especially when I look up and catch sight of Don grilling me with his glare.\n\nI narrow my eyes on him, already feeling primed for a fight due to the excessive energy coursing through me.\n\n\"You're dangerous,\" he growls, moving closer. \"You don't wait for direction, you don't wait for your team, and you don't give a fuck about anyone but yourself.\"\n\n\"And you're a fucking empty shirt who needs to stay the fuck out of my way.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Fu—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hey, hey!\" Sean breaks us apart." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Let's pack up this equipment and go,\" he orders." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I give Don one last glare and turn, only to come face-to-face with Carter." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 9 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His eyes move from me to Don, over my shoulder, and then back to me. \"He's not an empty shirt.\"\n\n\"Then what the hell is he?\" I question, feeling pissed off all over again.\n\nCarter looks away, shaking his head. \"There's a lot you don't know.\"\n\n\"Then why don't you fill me in?\"\n\n\"Eventually,\" is all he says before he turns and heads back inside of the truck.\n\nGlowering at my entire team, I begrudgingly gather my belongings and put everything in the truck away before getting behind the wheel again." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "hey can u write 7 sentences more sentences? like Tiffany Patterson but romance, firefighter style. btw this is from middle of a story" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What?\" I growl into the phone without looking to see who's calling." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hey,\" Janine's soft voice moves across the line. Somehow, that short, one syllable word has a calming effect on me. The strain that moves through my body isn't completely pushed out but the ragged edges are just a little smoother.\n\n\"Are you all right?\"\n\n\"I'm fine, why?\" My tone continues to be clipped.\n\n\"I, uh, your voice just sounded off.\"\n\nI clear my throat as I turn to face the entrance doors of Williamsport Hospital's emergency room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm fine.\"\n\nThere's a long pause on the other end. I want to reach through the phone, cup her face, and bring her lips to mine. Both for her comfort and for my own. I want to reassure her that my mood doesn't have anything to do with her or my desire to talk to her. However, I don't allow those words to spill from my lips.\n\nMaybe she's better off without you, that sudden voice of doubt shouts in my head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I know it's late but you said to call you after your shift. It's after eleven. Did you still want to talk?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Pausing at the side of my car in the parking lot, I squeeze my eyes shut before blinking them back open." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her voice does things to me that I still can't explain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But I still don't want her to be affected by my mood at the moment. I don't want this ugliness to settle over any part of her.\n\n\"No … yes. I did want to talk but I got caught up at the station. I got called into an extra shift, so I'm still not off. I'll call you tomorrow.\" Hanging up without another word, I climb into my car, slam the door shut, and pound on the steering wheel.\n\nI'm so pissed I don't know what to do with myself. I just left the hospital after finding out that the second young man I pulled off the scaffold didn't make it. He'd lost too much blood by the time the paramedics got him to the hospital." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was only twenty years old.\n\nIt took a few minutes after hearing that for the flashbacks to start coming. Memories of me checking and rechecking a little boy's bedroom, only to find him hidden in his closet, burned and barely breathing.\n\nPushing the palms of my hands into my eyes, I try to make the memories stop but it's to no avail. When I open my eyes, I blink and recognize where I am again. I start the ignition to my car, and a minute later am driving out of the hospital's parking lot.\n\nIt takes me fifteen minutes to make it across town to the Williamsport Fire Department's headquarters." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I hang a left into the parking lot. Even though it is close to eleven thirty at night, there are about eight cars parked by the back entrance of the building. I park next to a familiar vehicle and hop out without thinking. Taking long strides, I reach the side door and punch in a code that very few people in the department know about. The lock unhinges and I pull the door open.\n\nAt the end of the long hallway on the right is a classroom that's used during the day for new recruits in the training academy. However, at night, seven days a week, it's used for other purposes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Man, a part of me still wishes I'd never been there,\" a red-haired guy says." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I know him as Jason." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'jason'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He's a ten year veteran of the department and works at station house eight, I believe.\n\n\"But, on the other hand, I'm glad it was me and not one of my other guys there to see it, ya' know?\" Jason looks around the circle of men with his dark brown, watery gaze. With slumped posture, elbows on his knees, he shakes his head pushing out a heavy breath, looking as if the weight of the world rests on his shoulders.\n\nThe other seven heads in the room nod in unison. I do, too, knowing what it's like to both hate and appreciate that you were the one to witness what you'd seen.\n\n\"Thanks for sharing, Jason,\" the leader, Terry, says." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He glances around, his eyes widening when he sees me. \"Emanuel,\" he calls. \"It's been a while since we've seen you here. Would you like to share?\"\n\nI want to tell him to go fuck himself, to demand to know why he decided to single me out. But the answer to that question is obvious. I haven't been here in months. I glare at the other men in the room, looking at my fellow firefighters. Their faces are sympathetic as they stare." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I hate that fucking expression." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your task: Include 'called' 2 time(s) in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We aren't a sympathetic group as a whole, but in this room the mask is removed. In this room, many of us, who ordinarily wouldn't, reveal our souls.\n\n\"It happened again.\" I run my hand through my hair, trying to find the right words. \"My woman just called me.\" I pause, realizing what I just called Janine without even thinking about it. I inhale a deep breath. \"She doesn't know this side of the job. And I haven't revealed it to her on purpose.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I sigh heavily.\n\n\"I was coming out of the hospital when she called. A young guy I pulled from a scaffold earlier today died from bleeding out. That's bad enough, but it's the memories that come back. I can't shake those fucking memories when shit like this happens.\"\n\nI shake my head.\n\n\"Keep talking,\" Jason urges. \"It's good to talk.\"\n\n\"Jackson,\" I say on a sigh. It's the first time I've said his name since that night. \"He's my one.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We all have a one,\" another guy across from him interjects." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I nod, thankful I don't have to explain what I mean in this room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Every one of us has an incident, a rescue, a death that brought us to this room. To this group." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He was five fucking years old,\" I grit out." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"A kid. And I missed him on the first sweep of his bedroom. If I would've caught him the first time—\"\n\n\"You would've missed his mother and his baby sister,\" Larry, another Station Two guy says. \"I was there that night, remember, Emanuel? I was outside but I was there. You pulled that mother and her sleeping newborn out before going back in for the kid.\"\n\n\"I know but—\"\n\n\"But nothing. That's what this shit does to us. This guilt. It eats us alive. But it's a fucking liar. The truth is that that fire was too hot for anyone to go into. All three of those people in there should've been dead. But two are still alive because of you. That little boy got to say good-bye to his mother before he died because of you. I know what those memories are making you believe. I've got my one, too. But the only way to survive it is to tell the truth. The truth is, someone was gonna die that night. You're not stronger than death, no matter how badass you are. None of us are. You did what you needed to that night.\"\n\nI don't say anything. I stare down into my hands as I sit forward in the folding chair, my elbows digging into my thighs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We all get it, Emanuel,\" another guy says." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My one doesn't involve a kid. It was an elderly couple …\" he starts." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I'm glad he begins talking." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It takes me out of my own head and allows me to focus on his words. The specifics of our stories are different. Disparate times, locations, dates, and events, but the feelings underneath are all the same. The feelings of failure that come with knowing at that particular time you weren't strong enough, fast enough, big enough. Just plain not enough for the situation you were in.\n\nIt's a tough fucking pill for a firefighter—a person tasked with walking into hell and making it out alive time and time again—to swallow.\n\nBy the time thirty minutes has gone by the group is over and we all begin heading out." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'that's' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That's when I realize there is someone sitting by the door. I was so focused on the guys in the circle I hadn't heard him come in.\n\nSquinting, I watch him as he struggles to stand. Someone rushes toward him to help him up.\n\n\"I got it,\" he says impatiently, pushing Larry away.\n\nHearing his voice is when it clicks into place.\n\nBut he moves too quickly, using a crutch as he pushes through the door that's being held open for him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I hurry out of the room as well to catch up with him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Corey!\" I call out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His back stiffens and he stills." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The guys from the group move past us in the hallway, nodding their heads in acknowledgement." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Corey doesn't turn to face me.\n\n\"Corey,\" I say again, lower this time since I'm much closer.\n\n\"What the fuck do you want?\" he growls, only looking at me over his shoulder.\n\nI get that he's not going to turn around so I move around to his front.\n\nHe's damn near snarling at me. Can't say that I wouldn't be as pissed if I were in his position." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Essential phrase to include: \"This your first time here?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This your first time here?\"\n\n\"What the hell is it to you?\"\n\nI'm not taken aback by his tone.\n\n\"It's a lot to me.\"\n\n\"Why, so you can run back to the Rescue and tell everyone how fucked up I still am?\" He tries to move around me but I step in his way.\n\n\"I just might do that.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Get the hell out of my way.\"\n\n\"I will … when I'm good and goddamn ready.\"\n\nHe tries to step to his right and nearly crumbles to the ground.\n\nI help stop his fall, but once he's uprighted again he pushes away from me.\n\n\"Don't touch me. I got it!\" he yells.\n\nI hold my hands up, taking a half a step backwards, giving him some space. \"You know you're not the only one fucked up over what happened to you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How the hell would you know? Oh yeah, you are my replacement.\"\n\n\"I am.\" I nod.\n\nHis face grows angrier as his dark eyebrows narrow.\n\nI move closer. \"It's not me you're pissed at.\"\n\n\"You sure about that?\"\n\n\"I am. I get it. You—\"\n\n\"You get what? You get what it's like to walk around without a fucking leg?\" he demands." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I tilt my head in concession. \"No, I don't get that, and it wasn't my intent to imply that I did. You're a firefighter, and from what I've heard you're a damned good one.\"\n\n\"Was,\" he scoffs.\n\nI shrug. \"You still might be one. But it's up to you.\"\n\n\"Whatever, man. I didn't come here for a fucking lecture.\" He huffs and moves past me.\n\nThis time I let him, stepping out of his way and pivoting to watch as he limps, leaning on the crutch toward the door at the end of the hallway." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "hey can u write 7 sentences more sentences? like Tiffany Patterson but romance, firefighter style. btw this is from middle of a story" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Getting the urge to call Janine, I pull out my cell phone and stare down at it. It's after six so she should be home from work by now. Calling her in the evenings when I'm at the station has become a routine over the last few days. We just got back from a call and I was feeling anxious. Nothing had gone wrong on the call, but it often took me a little while to calm down after getting back to the station. I figured I'd give it some time before I called her.\n\n\"The hell?\" I growl when I feel a force hit my shoulder, pushing me backwards a little." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lifting my gaze, I lock eyes with Don." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You got something to fucking say?\"\n\n\"What the fuck is wrong with you? Captain told you to wait on that last call.\"\n\nI glower at him. \"And I fucking waited just as I was told.\"\n\n\"The problem is you had to be told to wait. You run ahead of everyone else, thinking you're some fucking hotshot. You're going to get yourself killed.\"\n\n\"Look, if you want to sit around on your ass and watch shit burn, that's up to you. But I took on this job to actually save lives.\"\n\n\"Fuck off!\" He pushes me backwards by the chest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I shove him as well and ball up my fist, taking a swing at him but only catching air when he ducks." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hey! What that hell?\"\n\nI hear a number of our teammates running over to get in between us. I'm pissed when Carter's face gets in my line of sight. At that point, I don't give a shit who's in my way. I want a piece of Don.\n\n\"Chaos, calm down,\" Carter implores, but keeping his distance, holding up his hands in between Don and I. Sean is standing next to him, to help put space between our two bodies.\n\n\"What the hell is this shit?\" Sean demands." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why don't you ask him?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'fucking' appears 3 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I point at Don. \"He's been on my fucking case since I got here and I'm just doing my damn job!\"\n\n\"He's a fucking hothead who doesn't listen!\" Don snarls.\n\n\"I do my goddamn job!\"\n\n\"Yeah, and the next time you run ahead of us and a beam fucking falls on you, who the fuck do you think is going to be pulling your sorry ass out?\" he yells.\n\nThe room goes silent as everyone pivots to Don.\n\n\"That's what this is about,\" Carter finally says, breaking the silence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What?\"\n\n\"Corey.\"\n\n\"Fuck this.\" Don angrily stomps off in the direction of the garage where the fire truck is parked.\n\nSean and Carter turn to me, sympathy in both of their expressions. They exchange a look between the two of them and then back to me.\n\n\"Listen,\" Sean starts, \"Don is a hell of a firefighter, and Corey is his best friend.\"\n\n\"I get that. It's tough his friend not being here and I'm his replacement, but—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Carter shakes his head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's not it. Not entirely.\" He looks to Sean.\n\nSean shrugs. \"I'm going to go talk to Don. You fill him in,\" he tells Carter.\n\nI watch as Sean heads off in the same direction as Don had.\n\n\"Do you know how Corey was injured?\" Carter questions, turning to me.\n\n\"A collapse, right?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He nods. \"Yeah, Don, Corey, and I entered a two-story home. There was a mother and her children inside. We search, and I tell Corey to check the end of the hallway where one of the bedrooms is located. Don and I head in the opposite direction. Minutes later there's a loud crash from down the hall. We run and find Corey trapped under a beam. It pinned his leg and hit is head pretty good. He had a concussion and had been knocked out. It took a while to pull him out but we did. Unfortunately, the hospital couldn't save his leg.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Inhaling, I take the story in as I rub my hand down the side of my face. I get it. Don seeing his best friend in that predicament, knowing you couldn't get to them.\n\n\"But that's not it,\" Carter says. \"Don should be the one to tell you the next part.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "CREATIVE WRITING:\n8 sentences sentences\nMaintain character context\nGenre: romance, firefighter" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're not actually wearing that to work, are you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Janet didn't bother hiding the disgust in her tone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I glance down at the black three-quarter length blouse and black slacks I'm wearing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I paired them with cream suede loafers.\n\n\"What's wrong with this?\" I question. Every day since she's here for the past two weeks my mother made some comment or quip about my boring work attire. I hated to admit that maybe she had a point.\n\n\"It's all black.\"\n\n\"All black is classic,\" I defend.\n\n\"Yeah, if you're going to a funeral.\" She pushes off the couch and swings her long tresses over her shoulder, sauntering toward me in the silk negligee she opted to sleep in the night before." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Where's the color? Where's the pomp? The feeling of the outfit?\"\n\n\"Work attire doesn't need pomp.\" I frown at the silliness of her suggestion and turn toward the coffee tin to prepare myself a cup of coffee to take with me to work. When I open the lid to find my coffee tin completely empty, I hold it up for her to see.\n\n\"Sorry about that.\" She shrugs. \"I guess I used the rest of it last night.\"\n\n\"When did you make coffee last night?\"\n\n\"When you were on the phone with your boy toy in your bedroom before going to bed.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He's not my boy toy,\" I mumble." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And who drinks coffee before going to bed?\"\n\n\"Some people do, I suppose,\" my mother answers. \"But I made a cup and then went out last night.\"\n\nI frown, not knowing any of this. \"When did you get back in? How did you get back in?\"\n\n\"A few hours ago with the spare key that I made?\" Moving to the gold and glass coffee table, she picks up the key to show me.\n\nI had no idea she even made a spare key." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her when she was leaving but she beat me to the punch." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 9 sentences." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'clothes' appears 2 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"So, I'm thinking we should do a shopping spree. You know, get you some nice clothes that actually look good on you.\"\n\n\"My clothes look fine on me,\" I insist.\n\n\"Janine, don't be so touchy. You were always like this as a little girl. I'm not saying this to be mean, I'm just telling you the truth. Maybe it's the reason you aren't married by now. No man wants to look at a woman in drab clothing all day.\"\n\nShe eyes my outfit up and down.\n\n\"And everybody knows how desperate you were to have that Matthew marry you. I probably should've told you much sooner. But I see you've moved on. Good for you, but you don't want to repeat the same mistakes as before do you?\"\n\nI blink away the tears that try to form in my eyes. \"I'm going to work.\" I snatch my over the shoulder bag off the counter, grab my empty coffee tumbler, keys off the wall, and slam the door behind me.\n\nNothing like being embarrassed, chastised, and called dull and boring by your mother before you've even started the work day." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "CREATIVE WRITING:\n8 sentences sentences\nMaintain character context\nGenre: romance, firefighter" }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'kitchen' | Required occurrences: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What time is it?\" I question Carter sometime later, as he passes me on his way to the kitchen. I smirk at his wet hair. He's showered and tried to get the glitter off of him.\n\nHe peers at the watch on his wrist. \"Uh, quarter after nine.\"\n\n\"Thanks … Oh, and you still have some glitter in your hair.\" I laugh as I exit the kitchen while he's tossing me the middle finger." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I head to my locker and pull out my cell phone. I frown when I don't see any missed calls. Usually, Janine and I talk on the phone during the evenings when I'm on shift. If I don't answer, she knows it's because I'm on a call and I always call back as soon as I can.\n\nSince I'd forgotten my phone in my locker while we were out, I figured I missed her call but there are no missed calls, voicemails, or texts. A fact which has me immediately pulling up her name in my contacts and calling.\n\n\"Hey.\"\n\nHer voice instantly alerts me that something isn't right." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What happened?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There's a pause at the other end of the phone. \"Nothing happened, just not a good day.\"\n\n\"Come see me.\" It's the first thought I have and I go with it. I want to see her face, to kiss her lips, and wipe away whatever it is that's bothering her.\n\n\"Emanuel, it's late. And you're working. I—\"\n\n\"Either you come see me now or I'll pull this big ass fire truck to the front of our building, blocking everyone in, and pissing them off when they find out there's no fire.\"\n\n\"You wouldn't do that.\" I hear the small grin in her voice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Try me.\" I mean it with every fiber of my being.\n\n\"Don't they need the fire truck for actual fires?\"\n\n\"We have a second one here. So what's it going to be?\"\n\nShe pushes out a heavy breath. \"I'm on my way.\"\n\n\"It should take you fifteen minutes to get down to the station. I'll be generous since you drive slow, and give you twenty.\"\n\n\"I don't drive slow. I just don't drive like a bat out of hell like you do. Plus, I need to put on my shoes.\"\n\n\"Fine, twenty-one minutes. A minute over and I'm coming looking for you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "As I hang up the phone, I hear her mumbling something." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I head down the stairs and wait outside, despite the fact that it's early December and the weather has dipped into the high forties." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Watching as a few guys from the station head out, I wave, partially wishing that I was heading out for the night also. I'm working an overnight which is the only reason I was waiting on Janine to come to me instead of going to her.\n\nIt still amazes me that she has me wishing to be somewhere other than the firehouse. I've never had that feeling before. The fire station has become my home over the past seven years. Even when I couldn't stand the captain I worked for, or I wasn't getting along with a member of my squad, there was no place I'd rather be. Until Janine.\n\nAfter idling around for a while, I pull my phone from my pocket and frown when I realize it's been twenty-two minutes since we hung up the phone. Just when I turn to head to the garage to climb in the fire truck, her grey Kia pulls into the driveway." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I barely give her enough time to put the car in park, before I'm pulling the driver's side door open, and pulling her into my body." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her arms tighten around my neck.\n\n\"You took too long,\" I growl into her neck and then nip her earlobe.\n\nShe sighs. \"Sorry. I can't seem to do anything right today.\"\n\nThe dejected tone in her voice tugs at my very soul. I don't like that voice coming from my woman.\n\nI pull back and stare down at her, lifting her face by the chin so she has to look up at me. \"Why didn't you call me tonight?\"\n\n\"I figured you were busy.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The frown I'm wearing deepens." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lie to me again and I'll show you why that's not a good idea, butterfly.\"\n\nHer lips pull into a thin line. \"My day sucked and I didn't want to bring you down.\"\n\n\"That's closer to the truth. Tell me what happened.\"\n\n\"My mother was on my case first thing this morning.\" She looks at me and her mouth opens but shuts before whatever she was going to say has a chance to come out. \"And then I got to work and it went downhill from there.\"\n\n\"Work still giving you trouble?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shaking her head, she gazes out into the distance. \"Have you ever felt like you got something that you didn't really earn? Like, it should be a celebration that you got this reward or thing you wanted, but then you find out it's a lie. That you obtained it under false pretenses.\" She looks back to me.\n\nThe overhead lighting from the station behind us illuminates her face, and I'm able to see the uncertainty in her eyes. It pulls at my chest because I know exactly the feeling she's describing. It's like you're walking around living a lie.\n\n\"Is that how you feel at work? You earned that job.\"\n\n\"But what if I didn't? What if I'm just a lie?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required dialogue to include (maintain exact wording): \"Yeah, him. He told me the reason I was hired was basically because I'm black and Danny thought he needed some diversity in the office.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why the hell would you even think that?\"\n\n\"Because I was told. Zeke—\"\n\n\"The asshole?\" I grunt, angrily. She's mentioned his name once or twice before, and I could tell from those few times that he was the one giving her a hard time.\n\nShe gives me a small smile. \"Yeah, him. He told me the reason I was hired was basically because I'm black and Danny thought he needed some diversity in the office.\"\n\n\"That doesn't even make sense. You have a degree—\"\n\n\"Yeah, but no experience. I worked as an elementary school teacher for seven years. Not in the field of my degree.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"So what?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She looks at me in confusion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What do you mean so what?\"\n\n\"I mean exactly that. What if you were just hired because of your race … which is a load of bullshit, by the way. But let's say that's the case. Big fucking deal.\"\n\n\"It is a big deal.\"\n\n\"Not if you don't make it one. You have the job now. Look at me,\" I say, turning her head to face me again. \"You know why I'm standing here right now, at this station house as a member of Rescue Four?\"\n\n\"Because you're a firefighter. You earned your way through the academy.\"\n\n\"Right, but I wasn't assigned at this station until recently. And that was only because a former squad member was injured. So severely he lost his career. There was an opening and I finally got the transfer I'd been aiming for over a year.\"\n\n\"Yeah, but—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But nothing. Corey got injured and it fucking sucks for him. And as a result, I got the position I've wanted for a long time. Do you think that makes me any less capable of doing my job? You think the guy I pulled out of a fire earlier today gives a shit how I got this job? He cares that he's still alive because I was there. Plain and simple. He's not looking up my record and asking how many years of experience I do or don't have. None of that shit matters when you're in the middle of a fire.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But I don't save lives for a living. In my job, people care about my experience—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No.\" I shake my head. \"They care about what you bring to the table. They give a shit about what you have of value to offer. You didn't get this job solely because of your race. And Zack is a fucking jackass for even opening his mouth and saying that garbage. But so what if he and everyone else in the office believes it? It's not your job to defend the hiring practices of your boss. It's your job to do what the fuck you were hired to do. Stop letting all of the bullshit get into your head. I see how much you enjoy advertising and learning about it. Show them.\"\n\nShe blinks and lowers her forehead to my chest, wrapping her arms around my waist.\n\n\"You know that's not his name, right?\"\n\n\"I don't give a fuck.\"\n\nShe giggles.\n\n\"He stole my campaign idea.\"\n\nHer words are muffled." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I pull back. \"What was that?\"\n\n\"Zeke. That's what had me so pissed off today. He stole my campaign idea. Presented it as if it was his own.\"\n\nAnger courses through my veins. My hand cups her chin, raising her face to meet mine. \"And that's the son of a bitch you're believing when he says you were just hired to fill some fucking quota?\" My voice booms louder than I expected but I can't help the ire I feel for a person I've never even met. \"He's trying to get into your head. He wants you to doubt yourself because it makes him feel better about himself. Don't let him, butterfly.\"\n\nShe pushes out a big breath." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But what am I supposed to do? I can't exactly go to Danny and say Zeke stole my idea. That would look totally childish.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I nod. \"So do what you can do. You've already proven yourself to be smarter and more creative than that piece of shit. You came up with one idea that was obviously great, which leads me to believe there are just tons more waiting for you to express them.\"\n\nShe looks up at me again. \"You're right. First, he says I was hired for false reasons, then goes and steals my idea—an idea the company loved by the way. It's time I play the game the way he's playing it.\"\n\n\"Fuck him,\" I growl.\n\nShe giggles and lays her head against my chest.\n\nI tuck her body against mine, wrapping her with my arms. \"You know why I call you butterfly?\" I ask as I stare into the distance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You won't tell me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I chuckle. She's right." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Every time she asks about the term of endearment, I refuse to give a straight answer. Until now.\n\n\"Butterflies start off as caterpillars, a completely different looking entity. They're slow, not always so pretty to look at. But through a whole series of transformations they emerge from their cocoons as some of the most breathtaking creatures to fly. That's how I see you.\"\n\nJanine pulls back, peering up into my eyes. The wetness that covers her pupils is evident. She doesn't say anything. Instead, she takes my face into her hands and pulls me down so that our lips meet somewhere in the middle. She pours everything into the kiss.\n\nMy cock begins stirring in my pants at the small moans she's making in between kisses." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She breaks the kiss, her hands still holding my face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her eyes penetrate mine as she appears to be searching for something." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm probably going to regret this because it might scare you off but I love you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her voice is nothing more than a whisper." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I lower my face until we're only about an inch apart. \"Only a pussy ass motherfucker would be scared off to hear the woman he loves tell him she loves him.\"\n\nJanine's eyes double in size but I don't have time to take it because I cover her lips with mine again, needing to touch her. The kiss, albeit excellent, isn't enough. I need more.\n\n\"Where are we going?\" Janine gasps, looking around.\n\nI'm practically dragging her by the arm around the back of the building. \"You ever fucked in a fire station?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She gasps. \"What? Of course not.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I chuckle loudly. I knew she hadn't. I knew that before I even asked the question. \"I'm popping that cherry tonight.\" I lead us behind the station where there is a back entrance that extends down a hallway that's rarely used.\n\n\"No, we're not!\" she insists.\n\n\"Too late.\"\n\n\"Em—\" Her protests are cut off when I pull her face to mine, capturing those juicy lips of hers.\n\nAnd just as I knew would happen, her resistance soon melts to surrender." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I let my lips move from hers and create a trail from her jawline down the soft skin of her long neck." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Essential phrase to include: \"Wh-What if someone comes in?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Wh-What if someone comes in?\" she murmurs.\n\n\"No one uses this room.\" My hands move to the skin underneath her shirt. I squeeze her waist, pulling her body into mine and thrusting my hips forward so she can feel how much I want her.\n\nShe moans against my lips again.\n\n\"Butterfly, I know it's my fault you're so open now with the sounds you make when we're together, but to keep us from getting caught, you're going to have to keep this one quiet.\"\n\n\"It's your fault if we get caught,\" she whispers, angrily. But I can hear the lust in her voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After removing a condom from my wallet, which was in my back pocket, I toss the wallet aside and move to unbutton the black pants Janine is wearing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You better not get fired because of this,\" she says as her hands go to the button of my work pants, beginning to pull them down.\n\n\"I won't.\" I cover her mouth with mine.\n\nOur hands and arms busy themselves, undressing one another, until I have her right where I want her. I lift her legs to wrap my waist, and begin to enter her with my sheathed cock. When she starts to moan in pleasure, I crush our lips together, forcing her to moan into my mouth. My hips move angrily, pounding into her as I press her back against the wall.\n\nJanine secures her legs around my waist even tighter and lowers her face into the crook of my neck, biting down on my shoulder, presumably to keep herself from yelling out loud. Her hands claw at my back in an attempt to relieve the pressure from being unable to yell." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her release is quick and frenzied just like this fuck, but it leaves her legs trembling and her breathing altered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Once her walls tighten around my cock, my orgasm rushes me, nearly sending me to my knees. I press her deeply against the wall as ripple after ripple of pleasure invades my body.\n\nWhen I'm able to catch my breath, I pull back from Janine, giving her one last deep kiss before I separate our bodies. The feeling of missing being wrapped up in her warmth is immediate. I want desperately to pound into her again and make her know she's mine but I can't. I'm still at work, and I can tell by her facial expression she's not letting me get in a second round.\n\n\"I can't believe we just did that,\" she whispers while fumbling back into her clothing.\n\n\"Believe it, babe.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Stop that!\" she whispers angrily, swatting my hand, which is squeezing her ass, away." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I chuckle. \"If it's any consolation you popped my cherry, too.\"\n\nShe finishes buttoning her pants and looks up at me with a curious expression. \"This was your first time screwing at the station?\"\n\nI plant a kiss on her lips. \"Of course. I wouldn't risk losing my job for just any woman.\"\n\nShe gives me the cutest fucking smile imaginable. \"Somehow that does make me feel better. I should go.\"\n\nI push out a breath, knowing she's right." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It's late and she has to work the next morning." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And I still have almost twelve more hours of my shift.\n\nI stick my head out of the door of the closet we were in just to make sure no one is out in the hallway. When the coast is clear, I pull Janine's hand in mine and retrace the steps we took in, going out the back entrance of the station house and around the side to the front parking lot where her car is.\n\nI place my forehead against hers, cupping her face as a wave of guilt takes hold in my gut. \"Next time you come, I'll pretend I have actual manners and introduce you to the rest of the squad.\"\n\nShe gives me a brilliant smile. \"I'd like that … but this was fun, too. Thank you.\" Lifting up on to her tiptoes, she presses a kiss to my lips." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Let's engage in collaborative writing in the romance, firefighter genre. I'll provide a starting point, and you'll continue with 12 sentences, maintaining any established context." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I step off the elevator with my head held high and the high heels I wear creating a rhythm against the floor as I stroll toward the door of Lux Advertising." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As soon as the door swings open, Shelah's eyes widen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Good morning. Loving the pink on you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I smile. \"Thank you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The outfits your friend helped you pick out are really working for you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I give her a little spin and dip to show off the entirety of my outfit. It's simple, yet the soft pink, high-rise pants paired with the tucked in cream-colored turtleneck really does look great on me. I found myself staring in my full length mirror for some time this morning, marveling at it.\n\n\"The things a personal stylist can do for you.\" The day Angela and I went shopping, we stopped at one of Angela's favorite thrift stores. The stylist who works there part-time gave me some great tips on how to dress right for my body type. She also convinced me that color could be professional, and that the no white after Labor Day thing is outdated.\n\n\"I loved those leopard print heels you wore last week,\" Shelah adds.\n\n\"Those are one of my faves.\" It took me four full days to muster up the courage to wear those shoes and when I did, I never wanted to take them off.\n\nI spend a few more minutes talking with Shelah before I hear the door open behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I see Zeke walk in—he looks just as displeased to see me as I am to see him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I don't hide the eyeroll I toss him.\n\nI turn back to Shelah. \"Time to get the day started. Let's have lunch together.\"\n\n\"Sure thing. That little shop across the street has some good sandwiches.\"\n\n\"Sounds good.\"\n\nI head back to my desk feeling more confident than I ever remember feeling. The new clothes are part of it, along with the fact that Danny has given me a couple of compliments over the last couple of weeks on some small projects he has me working on by myself. Zeke and I still aren't getting on great, but to hell with him. After my talk with Emanuel, that night at his station, I feel like I can walk on water. He reminded me that I did have the talent and intelligence to make it in this career. Obviously, my idea had been a good one, otherwise Zeke wouldn't have felt the need to steal it, and Danny wouldn't have loved it. I can come up with more ideas." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That wasn't a one off." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Zeke could steal one and claim it as his, but he didn't have my intellect, creativity, or savvy. Those, he could never take from me.\n\n\"Good morning, Zeke,\" I greet him as I arrive at my desk and place my purse inside of the bottom drawer. I ignore the fact that he doesn't respond. \"I hear we're meeting with Digita again today. That's great news because there are some issues that we need to go over.\"\n\n\"The campaign's fine.\"\n\nI lift an eyebrow. \"Are you sure about that?\" I feel a sense of superiority when that haughty know-it-all look of his falters for one second. I know that look well. I remember seeing it on the faces of my ex and his family, and high-society friends often while we were dating.\n\n\"I know what I'm doing.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I give him a smile. \"You and I both know if you were that confident in knowing what you were doing, you wouldn't need to steal, would you?\"\n\n\"Will you come off it?\" he whispers across the desk so our other colleagues don't overhear.\n\n\"I sure will.\" I sit down to finally turn on my computer, without another word. I can feel his eyes on me as I check my emails. He's definitely grown more and more uneasy around me over the past couple of weeks.\n\nGood.\n\nAn hour and a half later, Zeke and I are entering Danny's office behind the two men from Digita who were here for the last meeting with the company.\n\n\"Gentlemen, it's come to my attention that you've taken issue with an aspect of our campaign,\" Danny says, a chagrined expression covering his face.\n\n\"We thought there'd be much more social media adverts than there currently are,\" one of the men, Anthony Lomax, explains.\n\nI want to roll my eyes so bad." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Include the following text] → \"But are they in our market? Because the data says if we want deeper market penetration, social media is the way to go,\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I made it a point to tell Zeke that this campaign needed a bigger push on social media. That's where our target market for this campaign is. But he insisted that the bigger push needed to be on traditional media outlets. Again, his cocky attitude that he knew better won out.\n\n\"I'm certain Zeke has a reason as to why he chose to stick more closely to the traditional media route.\"\n\nZeke stands in front of everyone in the room. \"Gentlemen, yes, it's true that social media adverts are not as prominent in this campaign. I believe that traditional is more the way to go with this campaign simply because of the reach we can have. Millions of people—\"\n\n\"But are they in our market? Because the data says if we want deeper market penetration, social media is the way to go,\" Benjamin Walker, the other Digita employee, states.\n\n\"Yes, well, with the pushback many social media outlets are receiving—\"\n\n\"What pushback?\"\n\nI lift an eyebrow, wanting to understand what Zeke is saying as well.\n\n\"There's been a lot of backlash on social media, and from a business perspective … we just think it's better to stick with what we know.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "CONSTRAINT: Include 'between' 2 time(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I look to the two Digita men and they are not buying what Zeke is trying to sell.\n\n\"If I may,\" I finally interject. I shift my gaze between Danny, Benjamin, Anthony, and lastly, Zeke. \"What I believe Zeke is trying to get at is the fact that advertising on social media can be a tricky business.\" Standing, I move over to the easel that Danny had set up with an image of Digita's logo. \"We have to be cautious about our approach to social media advertising because users are finicky. I'm sure you gentlemen, at some point, have found yourselves scrolling through your social media timeline only to be turned off by the number of advertisements and sponsored posts that keep popping up.\"\n\n\"Yes, and—\"\n\n\"However,\" I say, cutting Zeke off, \"that doesn't mean we ignore social media. Of course not. All indicators point to the fact that social media is where your target is for this product. Therefore, I would propose a sixty-forty split when it comes to social media and traditional advertising. The great thing about posting on social media is that it is financially beneficial. The benefits greatly outweigh the costs. And once your current product gains some steam online, which it will because it's a great product, by the way, then we can shift into giving more attention to traditional media outlets.\"\n\nPausing, take in the room. Danny is cautiously watching the men from Digita, who are looking between one another, silently communicating. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Zeke giving me the stink eye. Of course, I ignore him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That sounds like a great approach. What was your name again?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 8 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My smile grows. \"Janine.\"\n\n\"Janine, can you give us some specifics of what you were thinking?\" Anthony asks.\n\n\"I'd like to hear as well,\" Danny adds.\n\n\"Yes, well, I've already done some mockups on my tablet. Let me pull them up.\" For the next twenty minutes we go over the social media campaign that I've designed for Digita. The two men point out some things for consideration but overall they are very happy with what I've come up with. By the time we are exiting Danny's office, the two men's demeanors have totally changed, Danny appears to be content, Zeke seems pissed, and I am on top of the world.\n\nToday is one of the best days I've had at work in … ever." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "ur a writing helper. partner writes, u do next ten sentences. might have existing chars/stuff - roll with it" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I really cannot believe you'd just show up out of the blue like this. How did you even know where I'd be tonight?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Your mother.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I blink, shaking my head in confusion. \"My who?\"\n\n\"Your mother.\" He rolls his eyes as if that makes total sense. \"Look. I came here to discuss your moving back to Boston and us finally getting married. Isn't that what this whole charade of yours is about? Then I come and find you dancing all over some guy, like a—\"\n\n\"Like a what?\" I angrily question with my hands on my hips.\n\nMatthew blinks, obviously shocked by my attitude. I can't remember a time in our relationship when I actually stood up to him.\n\nHe shakes his head. \"We'll discuss this later. Back in Boston. Right now it's time for you to pack up your stuff and—\"\n\n\"You're obviously not getting this. I'm. Not. Going. Back. To. Boston. Ever. You and I … There is no you and I. We're over. Done. Past. Expired. Finito. Got it? I have no idea why you even bothered to come down here to Williamsport, but you can catch whatever airline you took back to the northeast.\"\n\nI shake my head, still unable to believe that Matthew is actually standing in front of me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Most of the time we were together he hadn't put in this much effort. It took me way too long to figure out that he just wasn't the one for me. But being separated from him for months, and more importantly, falling in love with a man who showed me in word and in deed how much he cared for me and wanted to be with me, made it all crystal clear.\n\n\"What the hell are you saying?\" Matthew spat as he moves closer, invading my personal space.\n\nWhen I try to take a step back, his hand curls around my arm, tightly. \"Let go of me.\"\n\n\"I took time off of work to show up here, and you continue to behave like a petulant child who can't get her way. You ungrateful—\"\n\n\"Matthew, get off—\"\n\n\"I treated you well. I gave you what you wanted, didn't I? In spite of what my parents told me about you …\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And what did your lovely parents have to say about me?\" I question angrily, while still trying to yank my arm from his hold.\n\n\"Doesn't matter. I should've listened and treated you like the whore you are instead of a—\"\n\nGasping, I cover my mouth in shock when Matthew's hostile tirade is brutally cut off by a blow to the side of his face. Something or someone pulls me from behind, moving me out of the way. I have to blink a few times before I realize that I'm seeing Emanuel pummel Matthew right in front of me.\n\n\"Say some more disrespectful shit to her again!\" Emanuel charges once more, sending a punch to Matthew's ribs.\n\n\"Emanuel, stop!\" I yell, trying to get to him, but whoever is holding me back has a tight grip. I'm not yelling out of fear that he might do serious damage to Matthew." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My panic is for Emanuel." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'matthew' exactly 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Okay, okay, that's enough,\" someone says.\n\nI look around and realize it's Sean, Angela's brother, who, along with Don, moves to get in between Emanuel and Matthew who is now stumbling to get up off of the sidewalk as he holds his ribs. I inhale sharply when I notice blood spilling out of the hand covering his nose.\n\n\"I'm calling the fucking cops!\" Matthew's yells are muffled due to his hand over his bloody face.\n\n\"That's not necessary,\" Sean states, trying to calm the situation down.\n\nEmanuel isn't saying anything as he drills into Matthew with a dark gaze, and looking like he could break the hold Don has on him at any moment to pick up where he left off.\n\n\"This is who you're with now?\" Matthew turns to me, yelling. \"I always knew you weren't worth the fucking trouble. I should've listened to—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oops!\" Don declares as he lifts his arms, releasing Emanuel, who does exactly what I knew he was going to." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Emanuel, stop! Please.\" I get free of whoever is holding me and run to Emanuel, pulling him by the arm. Eventually, I get his attention just before he lands another blow to Matthew's ribcage.\n\n\"Please, he's not worth it,\" I plead.\n\nThe far off look in his eyes tells me he's not truly comprehending my words. When he takes another angry glare over my shoulder, I begin pulling him back toward Charlie's. Thankfully, he doesn't resist too much. At least three of his squad members have put themselves in between his body and Matthew's.\n\n\"Angela, can we have some ice?\" I question my stunned friend who is still behind the bar.\n\n\"The fuck are you getting him ice for?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I blink. \"It's for you, moron!\" I tell Emanuel. \"Sit your butt on that stool and don't move!\" I glare at him so he knows I'm not kidding around. When he sits, I move around the bar and grab one of the clean towels the bartenders use to wipe down the tables.\n\nAngela hands me a cup of ice.\n\nI pour the ice into the towel and ball it up, taking it over to Emanuel.\n\n\"Give me your hand.\"\n\nReluctantly, he holds out his hand and I slap the ice pack on top to prevent the inevitable swelling of his knuckles.\n\n\"I can't believe you did that.\" I shake my head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I can't believe you actually thought I'd stand there and let that motherfucker speak to you like that.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I didn't say anything. I'd gotten so used to the way my ex used to speak to me, I didn't even think twice of it. Hell, it was similar to how my own mother talked to me as a child and as an adult.\n\n\"You shouldn't have done that,\" I say, staring into Emanuel's eyes.\n\n\"Why the hell not?\"\n\nSighing, I glance out the window, seeing a few of Emanuel's squad members getting a dazed and confused Matthew into a taxi.\n\n\"He can be cruel when he wants to be. He has a vindictive streak.\" I remember many conversations Matthew and I had when he would discuss a business deal or someone he thought had crossed him and the ways in which he talked about getting revenge. I know of more than one person whose reputations he completely destroyed because he believed they betrayed or disrespected him. His family had the means and power to ruin people." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I did not want to see that happen to Emanuel.\n\n\"Don't worry about it.\"\n\n\"I am worried,\" I protest. \"Because—\"\n\n\"That was funny as hell to watch!\"\n\nI roll my eyes heavenward at the sound of my mother's voice. I forgot she was still here.\n\n\"Your hand hurt already, Emanuel? I would think so with—\"\n\n\"He's fine.\" I glare at my mother. \"We're leaving,\" I tell Emanuel.\n\nHe shrugs. \"Fine with me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Standing, he wraps his arm around my shoulders possessively as we stride toward the door.\n\n\"Hey, don't kill anyone on your way out, all right?\" Don chuckles as he passes us. Sean chuckles, too, shaking his head and patting Emanuel on the back as we walk by.\n\n\"You pissed at me?\" he questions, grasping my chin as we wait for the Uber we ordered.\n\n\"Yes.\" I swat his hand away.\n\n\"Good.\" He lowers his face to the crook of my neck, burying it there. \"You can show me how pissed you are once I get you behind closed doors.\"\n\nI shiver from the feel of his warm breath as it moves over my sensitized skin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I have to say, I was never a woman to go after the bad boy types." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I always wanted the clean cut, stick to the rules guys. I'm pretty sure it was a side-effect of the way I grew up. But as Emanuel wraps his arms around me and begins whispering in my ear all of the things he plans on doing to my body, once we get home, coupled with the memory of him beating the hell out of Matthew … Let's just say I might be a convert.\n\nBut only for him." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write 5 sentences like Tiffany Patterson would, using user's text as beginning. Story may drop in mid-narrative" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, well, well, if it isn't the dancing king himself.\"\n\n\"Fuck off, Don,\" I respond as he and two other squad members laugh as they sit around the table in the kitchen.\n\n\"What?\" Don questions in a way that lets me know he knows exactly what he did. \"I could've called you the dancing queen. That would've been a real insult, would it not?\" He laughs as if his jokes are the funniest fucking thing in the world." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Asshole,\" I grunt." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yeah, he can't help himself,\" Eric adds as he enters the kitchen from the side hallway entrance.\n\n\"No, I really could've called him hitter or killer or some other shit for beating the hell out of that guy two nights ago.\"\n\nI roll my eyes.\n\n\"Your knuckles still swollen?\"\n\nI hold my fist up." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Bring your ass over here and find out,\" I threaten.\n\nAnother round of laughs.\n\n\"Anyway, who was that asshole?\" Don questions.\n\n\"A piece of shit not worth mentioning.\"\n\nEric grunts in agreeance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"So, Janine's ex, huh?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You really talk too fucking much. Go back to not speaking to me,\" I growl at Don, who of course, just laughs it off. I know he's only joking but the idea of that shitbag, or anyone for that matter, being with Janine, pisses me off.\n\n\"This is how it starts.\" Don shakes his head.\n\n\"What starts?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His eyebrows go up." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Here we fucking go,\" Eric mumbles, looking exasperated.\n\n\"You, this, them.\" Don gestures his hand in the direction of Eric. \"Where's Carter?\" Don asks.\n\n\"Garage,\" I respond.\n\n\"Follow me.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "CONSTRAINT: Include 'nearly' 2 time(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Eric and I follow Don out to the garage where Carter is there finishing up the count on equipment after the last run we just got back from.\n\n\"These two guys …\" Don starts as he pats both Carter and Eric's backs, \"are two of the finest individuals in this station. Everyone fucking new when they were falling. This guy,\" he points to Eric, who's now giving him a sideways glare, \"had me accompany him in the fucking truck to a community center to threaten Angela's ex.\"\n\n\"That was supposed to be between the two of us,\" Eric's voice is low but cautioning.\n\nDon ignores him and proceeds, \"And this fucker here …\" he taps Carter on the shoulder, \"nearly decapitated anyone who got in the way of pulling Michelle out of that car. The crazy bastard nearly fell for her right there on the spot at that accident. We still don't even know what really happened to her son's father.\"\n\n\"I'm Diego's father,\" Carter growls, startling even Don." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Don gives a half grin." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory inclusion (with quotes): See what I mean? Touchy as hell over their women. Anyway, you, my friend …" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"See what I mean? Touchy as hell over their women. Anyway, you, my friend …\" He points at me, moving closer. \"Are lost just like those two. I wouldn't be surprised if wedding bells are in your future. Another fucker lost.\"\n\n\"Lost?\" I question with a lifted eyebrow.\n\n\"To the bullshit. Family. Love. Whatever. Janine has your head completely up her ass. And hell, I can't blame you too much, I guess. I saw those leopard print—\"\n\n\"Shit!\" Carter curses just as I take a swing at Don." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He's quick enough to duck in time, my fist missing his face by mere inches.\n\n\"Don't talk about her,\" I warn.\n\nDon laughs it off. \"What the hell did I tell you?\"\n\nMy jaw tightens at the knowledge that he might be right." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No. What the hell am I saying?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He is one hundred percent correct." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The mention of wedding bells a minute ago didn't frighten me but it intrigued me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I've already admitted out loud that I am in love with Janine. And in the many nights that we've spent together, I'd stayed up during the night with her in my arms, picturing doing this every night for the rest of my life, and instead of running from that thought, I embrace it. I want it. With her I've finally found my home. The same home I would do anything to protect.\n\nI glance up into the dark of eyes of Eric's and see he knows exactly what I was feeling at that moment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Eric doesn't talk much, at least not as much as the other guys at the station, but he has an uncanny way of making his feelings very clear. He gives me a small nod.\n\n\"On a more serious note,\" Don says, pulling my attention from Janine and our life together, back to him, \"I talked to more guys at your old station.\"\n\nThat piques my curiosity. It must gain the interest of the other guys as well because Eric and Carter move in closer to hear what Don has to say." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Turns out, after we left, your old captain made it clear to his squad that no one is to talk to me about that night. They said Captain Rogers directed them not to speak with you about that night either.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Really?\" I question, folding my arms across my chest. That didn't settle well with me. \"Why the hell would a captain direct the guys not to speak of a fire that happened nearly a year go?\"\n\n\"Good fucking question. One that has me definitely planning to ask more questions.\"\n\n\"Did you find out anything else?\" Carter asks." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Don shakes his head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"They clammed up. All except for Larry … He told me he has more to say but asked that I give him a month. He's retiring from the department soon. Going to go work for the family business. Says he'll be comfortable opening up then.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I nod, remembering that Larry's brother owned a very successful home renovation company. He was always trying to get Larry to work full-time for the business their father had started when they were young.\n\n\"Larry's a hell of a firefighter,\" I comment.\n\n\"Do you trust him?\" Eric asks, looking me squarely in the eye." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I return the stare." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"With my life.\" I never doubted Larry or any of my other squad members. Captain Rogers, on the other hand …\n\n\"Whoever's been behind this has been quiet for some time,\" Carter says.\n\n\"Or, his fires are just going unreported. Marked down as accidents like the one over at station two.\"\n\n\"Yeah, but we thought he was targeting us, too. We haven't had any incidents. Not since …\" An eerie silence falls over us after Carter's last word." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Everyone is thinking back to the night Corey was injured." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'three' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The three of them are, at least. Looking at Don, Eric, and Carter's solemn faces it's still obvious how much they care for their missing teammate.\n\n\"I saw him,\" I say.\n\nThree pairs of eyes pin me with their gazes.\n\n\"Where?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"When?\"\n\n\"How'd he look?\"\n\nAll three ask.\n\n\"At headquarters while I was there to complete some paperwork,\" I lie. I probably shouldn't have opened up this can of worms." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the very minimum, I wouldn't violate Corey's privacy by telling them where I saw him last." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And that it wasn't the only time I've seen him.\n\n\"How'd he look?\" Don asks again, the anxiousness in his voice is evident.\n\n\"Pissed off. Angry as hell.\" No need to lie about that. Corey still had the chip on his shoulder over his injury." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He still won't fucking take physical therapy seriously,\" Don blurts out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Eric's forehead wrinkles. \"You've seen him? I thought he was still refusing visitors.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Don glances up, looking around as if he divulged something he shouldn't have. \"I keep in contact with his … mother. She lets me know how he's doing.\"\n\nCarter and Eric both eye Don, knowing he's not telling the whole truth. I suspect they're about to prod him for more information when we're interrupted.\n\n\"Excuse us, gentlemen?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "All four of us turn toward the opened garage door to see two police officers entering." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Officers, how can we help you?\" Don questions." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We're looking for an Emanuel Allende.\"\n\nI narrow my eyes on the officers. I can tell by their demeanors this isn't a friendly call.\n\n\"He's not here,\" Carter interjects, obviously picking up on what I had as well.\n\n\"Are you sure about that?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "the second officer questions." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm right here.\" I nod at Carter as I move past, letting him know it's okay. \"What is this about?\"\n\n\"Emanuel Allende, you are under arrest for the assault and battery of Matthew Adams …\"\n\nMy first urge is to punch the officer, who aggressively captures my wrist and spins me around to cuff both of my hands behind my back, in the face. However, I resist that urge and allow myself to be read my Miranda rights, quietly, without letting my anger take over." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What the hell? That douchebag was assaulting his lady,\" Don protests." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Don, it's okay,\" I say.\n\n\"No, this is bullshit. How the hell can you come into a fire station and make an arrest?\" Carter challenges.\n\n\"Calm down,\" I tell him. \"It's fine.\" I'd already had this conversation with Janine when we got home two nights prior. She was certain that something would happen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Any noise she heard of someone passing my door that night, she believed it was the police." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I assured her I would be fine. I intend to hold that promise now.\n\n\"We'll get you a lawyer,\" Carter says.\n\nI shake my head. \"That won't be necessary.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "I'll start writing, then you take over for 11 sentences, matching any established character familiarity in the romance, firefighter genre." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I still can't believe that son of a bitch,\" I grumble as I pace back and forth in Emanuel's living room. I'm so livid that even thirty minutes after falling into Emanuel's arms at the police station, I can't manage to calm down. Instead of taking his cousin's chauffeured car, Emanuel had to drive my car home from the station because my hands were shaking with anger so much.\n\n\"Calm down, butterfly.\"\n\n\"Calm down? How the hell am I supposed to be calm when my ex had you arrested?\" I squeal, raising my hands in the air.\n\n\"I forgot saying calm down to an upset woman is the last thing any man should do.\"\n\n\"Please remember it from now on,\" I retort.\n\n\"Come here.\" Emanuel doesn't wait for me to move in his direction, instead coming off the stool he was sitting on and pulling me by the waist to sit down on his lap, on the couch.\n\n\"I don't understand how you can be so nonchalant about all of this. This could hurt your reputation. Oh my god! You could get fired from the department over this,\" I gasp, covering my mouth. \"We can't let that happen.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's not going to happen.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How do you know?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Because all of the charges were dropped. The arrest will be expunged. It'll be like it never happened.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Feeling totally confused, I study him." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Find a natural way to mention that The commissioner? Isn't that someone really high up in the police department?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How is that possible? I didn't see your lawyer down there. How did they work so quickly?\"\n\nEmanuel briefly averts his gaze away from me to something over my shoulder. \"Christian's lawyer was there. He left just before you came. Had a meeting with the commissioner.\"\n\n\"The commissioner? Isn't that someone really high up in the police department?\"\n\nHe nods. \"The highest.\"\n\n\"Oh, so the lawyer knows the head of the department? Now I'm totally confused.\"\n\nEmanuel inhales deeply, his eyes narrowing a bit as if preparing to tell me something important. \"When I got arrested, I used my call to phone Christian. Thankfully, he was in Williamsport at the time. However, even if he wasn't he would've sent his attorney to get it straightened out.\"\n\n\"And Christian is your cousin?\" I ask with furrowed brows, feeling even more confused.\n\nHe nods." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Like, your play cousin or a real cousin?\"\n\n\"If a play cousin is what I think it means, he's my real cousin. As in we share some of the same genetic line.\"\n\n\"How is that possible? I thought you were raised in foster care your entire life. That you don't have a family.\"\n\n\"I was and I do.\"\n\nI wrinkle my forehead, obviously looking perplexed.\n\n\"What I told you about being brought up in foster care is true. I was. Ever since I was about one, I was a ward of the state. At seventeen I went off to the military without a second thought. But at about year seven of my eight years of service, I began wondering for the first time where I'd come from. Who made me? So, I hired a PI. The guy was good." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was able to find out information that was supposed to have been sealed up and locked away forever." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It turns out, my mother was a Spanish immigrant. She was pregnant when she arrived in the U.S., by most accounts. Her name was Lucia Allende. She struggled after she had me, but after a year she thought the best thing to do was to give me up for a while, until she got on her feet. That never happened. She fell into a world of drugs and prostitution, and eventually she was killed by the time I was ten.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oh no,\" I whisper, covering my hand with my mouth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Emanuel presses a kiss to my temple, as if he's trying to comfort me. As if this isn't the story of his own mother.\n\n\"Anyway, Lucia had been born in Spain, and at age sixteen, she'd met and fallen in love with an Italian man who was ten years older than her. His name was Riccardo Genovese.\"\n\n\"Same last name as Christian,\" I say, starting to put it together.\n\nHe nods. \"The Allendes and Genoveses were something like sworn enemies. Neither family would've approved of my mother and father being together.\"\n\n\"Like the Montagues and the Capulets.\"\n\n\"The who?\"\n\nI blink and stare at his handsome face. He is completely confused. \"You really have never read Romeo and Juliet?\"\n\n\"Not on fucking purpose.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I smirk. \"Their families were the Montagues and Capulets. They were sworn enemies and the couple fell in love.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "/insert_quote: \"The Genoveses are widely known throughout Italy, though they're from Sicily, Palermo to be exact. They're … important people, I guess you could say.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I hope it ended better for them than it did for my mother.\"\n\nI shake my head. \"It didn't.\"\n\n\"Yeah, well, supposedly my maternal grandfather found out about the relationship once she got pregnant, and demanded she put an end to it. She somehow ran away, hoping that my father would join her in the States and they'd be together. That didn't exactly pan out. He later died from a drug overdose or something. The details of his death are still sketchy.\"\n\n\"So how did you meet Christian?\"\n\n\"He knocked on my door one day. The P.I. I hired had gotten close to the truth, and the Genoveses found out about me. Christian showed up and introduced himself, filling me in on the rest of the story.\"\n\n\"Which is?\"\n\nHe shrugged. \"The Genoveses are widely known throughout Italy, though they're from Sicily, Palermo to be exact. They're … important people, I guess you could say.\"\n\nI watch as his lips form a thin line. Something's not adding up.\n\nRising, I begin pacing back and forth in front of the couch this time. \"So your father's side of the family is from Sicily?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes.\"\n\n\"And your cousin, Christian, just happens to know an attorney powerful enough to get all of the charges against you dropped in a few hours, and then go have a meeting with the commissioner of the police?\"\n\n\"Apparently.\"\n\n\"Apparently? The charges were dropped,\" I say with my hands high. \"And the arrest wiped clean. That means there will never be a record that this ever happened. You assaulted Matthew. In broad daylight, with numerous eyewitnesses around. I mean, yes, you had good reason and I enjoyed seeing every second of it, but Matthew's family has connections. Even here in Williamsport.\"\n\nEmanuel looks me right in the eye. \"Mine has more.\"\n\nI stop moving in my tracks, my back going straight as I take in his words along with his demeanor. I run everything through my head again. From the time we first met in Mexico. I remember him telling me that he was there for his cousin's wedding.\n\n\"Who was your cousin that got married in Mexico?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'thoughts' (2x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Emilio Genovese. Christian's older brother.\"\n\nI shake my head because the thoughts running through my mind aren't making much sense but I have to ask the question that keeps coming up.\n\n\"Are you in the mafia?\"\n\n\"No.\" He adamantly shakes his head.\n\nI push out a relieved breath until he says …\n\n\"But my family is.\"\n\nMy eyes bulge and mouth falls open.\n\nHe stands, apparently seeing me freak out, and grabs my face. \"Listen. This isn't something to get worked up over. I'm still the same guy you've always known. My family, not even the family I grew up with, but was born into, apparently, is in a line of work some would classify as the mafia, or whatever the fuck. But that's not—\"\n\n\"Not what? Not a big deal? I beg to differ.\" Needing some space to gather my thoughts, I pull out of his embrace and move away from him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's not a big deal. I'm not in the family business. I just—\"\n\n\"Can call on them whenever you need them, however, right?\"\n\n\"Would you rather I be sitting in a jail cell right now?\"\n\n\"Of course not. But this isn't—\" I shake my head. \"What if they, like, call in a favor? Say they come back and say remember that little assault and battery charge we dropped for you, now we want you to off somebody for us.\"\n\n\"Off somebody? Babe, you've been watching too many films from the 70s.\"\n\n\"This isn't funny, Emanuel.\"\n\nHis chuckling ceases, and he pushes out a heavy breath. \"I see that. Look, this doesn't have to be an issue between us. I'm not who my cousins are. I'm not in the family business.\"\n\n\"Now. Not right now you're not. But what about tomorrow, or next year, or five years from now? What if you get tired of firefighting and decide the family business is a good option to try? You've got military skills. I'm sure they'd love to hire an already trained assassin.\"\n\n\"I'm not a trained ass—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You've been to war! Went on missions with the Army that I couldn't even dream of. I know you've done things I don't even want to think about.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My breathing begins to increase. His Army background never had occurred to me before, but now thinking of it in combination with knowing the new information about his family, a heavy dread begins to settle on my chest.\n\n\"So don't.\" Moving closer to me, he cups my face again.\n\n\"I didn't. I let those thoughts go because I believed I knew who you are now. My guy that protects people and serves his community by working as a firefighter. The one who loves a good time but is still settled enough to be a one woman man, fall in love, and possibly get married and have a family one day.\"\n\n\"I am. That's exactly who I am.\"\n\nI shake my head. \"No. Maybe … that's who you want to be or maybe it is who you are. But what about when you get bored? When you want some adventure in your life? Will you pick up and leave the department for a life with your real family? Where does that leave me?\"\n\n\"With me. That's where you belong.\"\n\nI shake my head. \"No. I need more stability than that. I spent too much of my life being dragged around from one place to another by a parent who couldn't make up her damn mind about where she wanted to live because she was busy chasing the next man or party. And I spent the next ten years of my adult life chasing after a guy who strung me along because he refused to just admit that I wasn't good enough for his family. I'm not going through all of that upheaval again. I need stability. You can't provide that!\"\n\nTaking a step back, I blink because I refuse to let the tears welling up in my eyes fall." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Janine, don't do this. What are you saying?\"\n\n\"I'm saying—\"\n\n\"You're not saying we're done. I won't let you.\"\n\nMy mouth clamps shut and I shake my head. I couldn't get the words out even if I tried. \"I need some time.\"\n\nI spin on my heels, grab my large over-the-shoulder bag I'd taken to work with me that morning, and reach Emanuel's door in three steps, pulling it open and quickly slamming it shut behind me.\n\nI root around in my bag for my keys, but just as I find them my door is pulled open by my mother.\n\n\"Oh, hey,\" she says with a bewildered expression.\n\n\"Excuse me.\" I barrel through the door, pushing her aside, not wanting to see or deal with her at the moment.\n\n\"Well, hello to you, too,\" she mutters, closing the door behind me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I head toward my bedroom, ready to shut the door behind me, but she is hot on my heels." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What's wrong with you?\"\n\n\"Nothing. It's been a long day.\" After tossing my stuff onto my bed, I kick off the heels I'm wearing. \"Did you need something?\" She's still standing in the doorway looking me over.\n\n\"I was gonna invite you to go out with me, but I don't need your attitude getting in the way of me trying to find my next meal ticket.\"\n\nI roll my eyes. \"No thanks.\"\n\n\"I would've thought Matthew coming all of the way down here to try and win you back would've put some pep in your step.\"\n\nMy head pops up at the mentioning of my ex. It reminds me of something he said. \"You spoke with him? Gave him my address and told him I was at Charlie's.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her eyes enlarge but she quickly shrugs it off. \"He called your cell phone one day while you were in the shower. I thought it was mine so I answered.\"\n\n\"And you figured it'd be a good idea to tell him where I live and where I'd be?\"\n\n\"The boy practically begged me for your information. I thought you loved him. Shit, I don't know. You were with him for what, eight, nine years? Had your head all up his ass. Got a new wardrobe for him.\"\n\n\"My new clothes weren't for him.\"\n\n\"Oh, they must've been for Emanuel. I don't know.\"\n\n\"They weren't for him either.\" Not completely, anyway.\n\n\"Then who were they for?\"\n\n\"For me.\" My answer comes out angrier than I'd intended. \"I dress for me now.\"\n\nMy mother looks totally confused and perplexed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Whatever. I see you're dealing with some shit. I'll let you handle that. I'm going out. Don't expect me back home tonight.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 9 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She waves a hand in the air and disappears from my doorway.\n\nSeconds later, I hear the front door open and close.\n\nSighing, I fall to my bed. I'm used to my mother's instability by now. Her nonchalant attitude toward my feelings bothers me less and less as time goes by. But the ache in my chest has nothing to do with my mother. It has everything to do with the man across the hall.\n\nThe man that I love.\n\nThe man I think I just broke up with." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "writers block help pls. ill send something, u do 6 sentences. going for Tiffany Patterson vibe. note: might have existing chars" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What the hell crawled up your ass and died?!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Don growls as I toss the truck's hose down the length of the garage.\n\n\"Nothing!\" I retort, kicking the kinks out of the hose so I can finish rolling it back up and sticking it into the truck where it belongs.\n\n\"Oh shit,\" Sean sighs. \"I know this fucking look. Seen this shit with Carter when Michelle dropped his ass like a bad habit.\"\n\n\"I remember that shit,\" Don cosigns. \"What the hell did you do?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My gaze bounces between Don and Sean, and I give them both them middle finger. \"I said, fuck off.\"\n\n\"Every relationship in this damn station house has to come with some form of drama,\" Sean sighs. \"That's why you fucks will never know whether I'm in a relationship or not. I'll pop up with a whole wife on your asses and you'd never be the wiser. Keeping my business to myself.\"\n\nDon whistles. \"The single life is all I need. No woman can keep up with me anyway,\" he argues.\n\n\"You mean no woman can stand being around you for too long,\" Eric interjects as he enters the garage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Everyone in the garage gets a good laugh out of that, except for me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There's a heaviness I've never known that's settled around me ever since Janine walked out of my door almost a week ago. Since then, she's refused to take my calls or answer her door. I only found out once when Janet answered the door that Janine had actually gone over to Angela and Eric's place to stay for a couple of days.\n\nMy eyes narrow at the invite Janet gave me right after telling me her daughter wasn't home.\n\n\"Whatever spat you and Janine had, I'm sure it'll work itself out.\" Don wraps his arms around my shoulders." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Either that or you'll find someone else, right? There's plenty of fish in the sea.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Get the hell off of me,\" I growl, throwing his arm off me. \"There are no other fucking fish. And don't call her a goddamned fish. The hell is wrong with you?\" I glare at Don.\n\nHis eyebrows slowly raise and he looks over my shoulder, his dark eye glinting with mischievousness. \"I fucking told you. He's gone.\"\n\n\"We already knew that,\" Eric asserts." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well you better win her back somehow,\" Don says." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Just when I'm about to tell him to mind his damn business, Captain Waverly enters the garage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Allende! Upstairs. I need to speak with you.\" And as is his habit, the captain doesn't wait for a response before turning and disappearing back into the station house, presumably heading up the stairs, assuming I'll be in right behind him.\n\n\"What'd you do this time?\" Carter questions.\n\nI shrug. \"Not a damn thing.\" Turning, I head in the direction of the captain, making my way through the station's entryway and up the stairs to the captain's office.\n\n\"Close the door,\" he says without peering up from his desk." }, { "from": "human", "value": "How the man managed to get up the stairs to his office so quickly and sit down to read over whatever papers are in front of him, looking like he's been in that position all morning, remains baffling to me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Captain Waverly is one of the sharpest and quickest captains I've seen in all of my years with the Williamsport Fire Department.\n\n\"You wanted to see me, sir?\"\n\nSlowly, he lifts his head and pulls off his eye glasses. \"I don't like cops showing up at my station house.\"\n\nI move closer to his desk but don't sit down. My shoulders pull downward." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I apologize for that happening. It was an honest mix up.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"A mix up?\" His thick, bushy eyebrows lift." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I nod. \"Yes, sir. They had the wrong guy. Happens a lot apparently. You'd think in this day and age, cops would be more responsib—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Cut the shit, Allende.\"\n\nI close my mouth trying to hide the grin that wants to escape.\n\n\"You're so full of shit. Like the rest of these clowns,\" he grumbles, shaking his head. He's trying hard to come off as pissed but I can hear the levity in his voice. \"Anyway, make sure the mix up doesn't happen again.\"\n\n\"Will do, Captain.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'd hate to lose a great firefighter over some bullshit.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It wasn't bullshit.\"\n\n\"What was that?\"\n\n\"Nothing, sir.\"\n\n\"Good. Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about you and Don going to visit your old station.\"\n\n\"I don't kn—\" I stop talking when he holds up his hand.\n\n\"Sit down.\" He waves to the chair in front of his desk." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I move around the chair to sit.\n\n\"I know you two went to Station Two, and I know why. Your former captain came to visit me, very pissed off that my guys would come questioning him.\"\n\nFirst of all, for my former captain to be thinking that I need to be handled like some kind of child having a temper tantrum annoys the hell out of me. Secondly, it leads me to believe even more that he's hiding something.\n\n\"My thoughts exactly.\"\n\nLifting my gaze, I see Captain Waverly sitting back in his chair, hands clasped over his abdomen as he watches me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I asked myself, why the hell would the captain of Station Two make it a point to come to me personally and order that I keep my guys in line? And then to discover that their grievous offense was to ask a couple of the squad members there about the circumstances of a fire that killed a little boy and nearly took the life of a firefighter … well,\" he sits back farther in his seat, \"that not only angered me, it made me curious as well.\"\n\n\"So you're saying?\"\n\n\"I'm saying I've given Don permission to keep asking questions, investigating, and looking into what happened the night you pulled that family out of that fire.\"\n\n\"You think the fire could be connected to what happened before?\"\n\nHe shakes his head. \"I don't know what the hell is going on.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He pitches forward, placing his clasped hands on his desk and looking deep into my eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What I do know is that I lost a hell of a firefighter when that beam fell on Corey. I know that I lie awake at night wondering if with every call I make, I'm sending my guys to their deaths. And I know I could never live with myself if that were the case. So …\" he pauses to stand, as do I, \"I gave Don the space he needs to work this privately with the full resources I can provide, until we have enough evidence to take this up with the brass. But for now, he's to do so quietly. That goes for you as well. You are to stay away from Station Two and Captain Rogers. And we never had the second half of this conversation. Understood?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Loud and clear.\" I give him an affirmative nod." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He waves his hand toward the door, dismissing me.\n\nI exit, leaving the door open behind me, and head down to the main floor. I find Don by himself in the kitchen.\n\n\"Everything good?\" he asks while looking over his shoulder from the refrigerator that he was peering into.\n\n\"Yeah. Let me ask you something,\" I begin.\n\nHe stands, closing the door of the fridge and turning to me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How do we know this guy, or whoever's behind those fires is still out there? There haven't been any similar instances in months. Since Corey, no one in Rescue Four has been hurt or even targeted, as far as we know. Do you think this person is still active? Maybe they've moved to a different city or stopped altogether … or hell, maybe they're dead.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Folding his arms over his chest, Don begins shaking his head. \"No, the fucker is still alive and active. I can feel it.\"\n\n\"Feel it?\"\n\n\"Yes. So much so. I know he's planning something big. What? I can't put my finger on but I know he's out there.\"\n\nI don't want to ask my next question but I need to. \"Do you think my former captain is behind this?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Don's face forms into an angry scowl. \"I've definitely considered the possibility.\"\n\n\"Me too.\" Ever since the day we visited my old squad and I caught Captain Rogers peering down at us from his window, after refusing to talk to us about that night, an eerie feeling crawls down my spine every time I think of him. And to know that he came and visited Captain Waverly to warn us to stay off this investigation, well, that spoke volumes.\n\n\"What'd you do in the Army?\"\n\nI had an inkling of where this line of questioning was headed." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Produce one sentence as a continuation. Note: Story may reference established characters/events." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Always trust your instincts, they won't ever steer you wrong." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Emanuel's words echo in my head as I push my key into my lock, opening the door to my apartment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He told me those words on our first date back here in the States, as we salsa danced." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They're giving me the same confidence now as they did months ago." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Janet!\" I call out as I place my keys on the kitchen counter and look around the space that is supposed to be mine." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My mother's belongings are tossed haphazardly by my couch that doubles as her bed, and underneath the windowsill that was supposed to be my reading nook when I first moved in." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I love how the windowsill extends enough that allows space for my body to fit, and how I can look down onto the street below to see the passersby and cars as they drive pass." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But I haven't been able to do any of that since Janet's been here. That ends today." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Janet!\" I call again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I know she's here; I can hear her footsteps in the bathroom." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What, girl? I was trying to take me a nice little bubble bath,\" she angrily answers coming up the hall wearing a long, pink, fuzzy bathrobe." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is that my robe?\" I question." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What? This?\" Running her hand down the robe, as she stares at it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yeah, I couldn't find mine. Hope you don't mind.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She giggles as if she knows I do mind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I do mind.\" I press my hands against my hips, my anger growing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You need to change and get out.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She frowns. \"Get out? Oh, what, you and that boy across the hall made up? You need me to leave so you can have the place to yourself? I don't see why you can't just get it on at his place, but if that's what you want.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She waves her hand in the air and turns to head down the hall, as if going to finish her bath." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No. You need to leave. As in permanently, get out of my home.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She freezes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I watch her back as I pull out the cell phone from my work bag." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I place the phone on the counter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She slowly turns her head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What is this little tantrum about?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"A tantrum was when I was five and I cried and fell out on the floor because my mother was once again leaving me with a babysitter I didn't know. A tantrum is when I was seven and I cried to my teacher all throughout recess so she wouldn't send me outside because the kids liked making fun of my dirty clothes and unkempt hair because my mother never had time to take care of either of those things. I was eight when I stopped having tantrums and learned to do my own laundry, braid my own hair, and babysit myself. This, right now, is not a tantrum. This is me kicking you out.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "My mother's eyes close to slits as the anger rises on her face." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'mother' appears 2 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"So, I wasn't the best mother in the world. I'm sorry. But I never kicked you out of my home. That's what you're doing now, Janine? Kicking your own mother out?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I nod. \"Hell yes. You never kicked me out because you never had the chance to. If it wasn't for me, after I turned thirteen, if I hadn't of worked and saved and begged our landlords, we wouldn't have had places to live. I left at eighteen and never looked back. Now, you show up on my doorstep and overstay your welcome and I'm supposed to feel guilty? I don't think so.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I told you I'm just working some things out. Trying to get some things situated with a job I have waiting on me. I'll be gone then. Where am I supposed to live in the meantime?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Have you thought of giving Matthew a call?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her mouth flops open and shuts a few times before actual words come out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why would I call that boy?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't know. It's almost the same question I asked this afternoon when I saw his name appear on what I thought was my phone.\" I hold up the phone that I'd placed on the counter. \"Turns out, you were right before." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We do have the same cell phone. Case and everything." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On my way to work this morning, I accidentally picked up your phone instead of mine." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I discovered it as soon as I got to work but couldn't turn around so I figured I'd give it to you once I got home." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Then this afternoon I see a missed call from a Matthew. Could've been a coincidence and not the same person I dated for years. But then I got to thinking about what he said when he confronted me last week in front of Angela's bar. That it was you who told him where I was going to be. Being the inquisitive person I am, I go to your text messages … and low and behold, turns out it is the same Matthew. And I'm not the only woman in this family who knows about that funny shaped birthmark on the inside of this thigh.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I lift an eyebrow, folding my arms over my chest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "My stomach begins to feel queasy just thinking of the woman who gave birth to me and my ex." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Janine, listen, it was only one time, and—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I don't give a shit,\" I snap, holding my hand in the air." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"As far as I'm concerned, Matthew is old news … and so are you. You need to pack up and get out. Now.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I-I can't. Wha—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Did you not hear me the first three times? Either you make the choice to pack up your belongings neatly and leave, or I'm tossing them out of the window and calling the police to have you escorted out.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You wouldn't—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I would, and don't think I don't know about the warrant for your arrest you've been hiding from. Which is the real reason you came to Williamsport, isn't it? You were in Boston but so is the warrant.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I'd read that information in the text exchanges between her and Matthew as well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was supposed to help her get the warrant erased or whatever." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Get out.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Janine—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm not saying it again.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "At this point, I wasn't even angry." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was just done." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I'd always suspected Matthew had cheated on me throughout our relationship, but to know that it had been with my own mother?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "That was something she and I could never come back from." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My feelings for Matthew had died a long time ago." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was completely and utterly in love with another man now … and that was another story in and of itself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But I needed to tie up the loose ends with my mother." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If she was willing to cross this line, who knew what other lines she would cross." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I didn't need that in my life." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was no longer a child dependent upon her for survival or emotional stability." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I remain standing by the kitchen counter as she packs up her belongings, eyeing me every now and again, seemingly hoping that I will change my mind." }, { "from": "human", "value": "By the time she changes into a pair of jeans, sweater, and her coat, I move to the door to hold it open for her as she carries her bags out." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Here's your phone.\" I hand it to her. \"Where's mine?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"On the top of the refrigerator.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I don't even ask what the hell it was doing up there." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Retrieving my phone, I enter the passcode to open it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That likely is the reason she placed it on the top of the fridge, once she realized she couldn't get into it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Next time you should try putting a passcode on your own phone when you have such private messages saved.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Jani—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I close the door in her face, not waiting for whatever she's about to say." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You'll regret this!\" she yells through the door. \"I'm your mother.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I give the door one last glance before turning to head to my bedroom to pack a bag of my own." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hey,\" Angela's voice answers on the other end of the phone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hey, can I still crash at your place tonight?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Janine, are you sure you want to stay at the top of the bar again? I mean, I'm sure your place would be more comfortable, and you and Em—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If it's not available I can stay at a hotel.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She sighs into the phone, obviously understanding that I'm not about to get into a back and forth discussion with her over this." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Of course it is. I'll bring you the key to the back entrance once you arrive.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Thanks.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "After hanging up the phone, I pack a few of my things for the weekend." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It's Friday and I've been staying off an on at Angela's bar in the apartment upstairs." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I wanted to avoid Emanuel." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I knew he'd stopped by my place more than once but I couldn't look at him just yet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The night before, I stayed at my own apartment since he worked an overnight shift." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Luckily for me, I just so happened to have picked up my mother's phone on the way to work, otherwise I wouldn't have known the level of her deceit.\n\nNow, since I know Emanuel is off this weekend, I need more time on my own to sort things out in my head about our relationship." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Write 5 sentences like Tiffany Patterson would, using user's text as beginning. Story may drop in mid-narrative" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I can feel the warmth of his hand in mine before I open my eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I have no idea where I am, but knowing Emanuel is here fills me with all of the comfort I need. Blinking my eyes open, I try to search for him but the bright overhead lighting is so glaring that I squeeze my eyes tightly again.\n\n\"Hey,\" he coos.\n\nShifting my head to the right, I again attempt to open my eyes. When I do I'm met with the most tender, loving expression." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I try to smile but that's when I realize something is covering my mouth and nose. Reaching up with my free hand, I move it aside, realizing that it's an oxygen mask.\n\n\"You might still need that,\" he insists, trying to work the mask back over my face. \"It's pure oxygen and your body was deprived of it for god knows how long.\"\n\nEven though he's persistent I nudge it away, shaking my head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank you,\" I strain to say. I let out a few coughs that hurt my chest but feel some relief once they've been released. \"Thank you.\"\n\n\"Don't thank me. You scared the hell out of me.\" He clasps my hand into both of his and brings it to his lips.\n\n\"Am I okay?\" I ask, realizing that I'm in the emergency room of Williamsport Central Hospital." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He nods. \"Some smoke inhalation. No burns. Docs want to monitor you overnight.\"\n\n\"Angela!\" I say, suddenly remembering what happened before everything went black. \"Is she okay?\"\n\n\"She's doing well. Eric is with her right next door.\" His head juts toward the wall indicating my best friend and her husband are just beyond it.\n\nFeeling slightly relieved, I relax against the pillow behind me." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I want to ask what type of harm smoke inhalation can do to the baby but am not sure if Emanuel knows she's pregnant." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"They'll keep her overnight to make sure she and the baby are all right,\" he says as if reading my mind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I smile up at him through blurred vision. \"I love you.\"\n\nLeaning down, he presses a kiss to my forehead.\n\n\"Hey, is this going to win you another one of those Thomas Webster Awards?\"\n\nHe pulls back and gives me a funny look. \"You're worried about a damn medal right now?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'trusting' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yeah. I was thinking, if you get another one, we can hang it on our wall.\"\n\nHis eyebrows spike. \"Our wall?\"\n\nI nod. \"That's why I was calling you. I wanted to meet for dinner to apologize in person for not trusting in you … for not trusting in us. If it's okay with you, I don't want space anymore. I just want you and me ... together.\"\n\nAt first, he doesn't respond, just staring at me as his nostrils flare. Then he says, \"I wasn't letting you go in the first place, butterfly.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He pushes the oxygen mask fully over my head and leans down, fusing our lips together. At first, the kiss is soft, as if he's feeling me out, but soon enough, he's deepening the kiss and I lean into it, having missed this feeling over the past seven days.\n\n\"I love you, too,\" he says once he breaks the kiss.\n\nI gasp as the memory of what actually happened before I woke up in the hospital fully comes back to me. \"Did they find who did this?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Emanuel's jaw tightens and his eyes darken." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Not yet. The police have been waiting outside to speak with you and Angela about what you saw.\"\n\n\"I need to tell them.\"\n\nHe nods. \"I'll bring them in.\"\n\nI watch as he walks to the curtain, stepping beyond it to call over the officers.\n\nOnce they enter, I relay the entire incident from my memory, up until the moment I came to in the ambulance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I save the memory of seeing Emanuel's face as soon as the ambulance doors opened, and the feel of his strong hand wrapped around mine as I was wheeled into the ER. I recall the worry in his voice as he questioned the doctors on whether or not I was okay.\n\nWhen the officers leave, I squeeze his hand, which is already covering mine.\n\nHe turns to look at me with a wrinkle in his forehead. \"Are you okay? Feeling pain? Need me to—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I want to spend the rest of my life with you,\" I say as a tear streams down my cheek." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Weave this into your narrative: \"Sorry, I'm a slow learner sometimes.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Emanuel moves closer, wiping the tear away with his thumb. \"That's already a foregone conclusion, babe.\" He presses a kiss to my lips. \"We're in this for the long haul. I was just waiting on you to figure it out.\"\n\n\"Sorry, I'm a slow learner sometimes.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He captures my lips again." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"As long as you always comes back to me, you can take as long as you need to.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Produce one sentence as a continuation. Note: Story may reference established characters/events." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pushing out a full breath when I hear her key in the lock, I give one final look around at the candles surrounding the living room and the soft music playing in the background." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It's salsa music, because I want to recreate our first days together, as much as possible for this particular moment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hi,\" Janine says as she enters the door, seeing me standing there." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A smile grows on my face and I move toward her, cupping her face in my hands and kissing her lips. \"Hi.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I take her shoulder bag from her and place it on one of the stools by the kitchen bar." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Welcome home.\" Taking her by the hand, I pull her fully into the condo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ever since the day of the fire, Janine has been staying with me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Two weeks ago, I finally convinced her to give up her lease and make it official, moving all of her belongings into my place." }, { "from": "human", "value": "We've spent the last few weeks redecorating to fit both of our styles together." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I thought you were working late tonight?\" she questions." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You were supposed to think that.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I stop at the center of our living room where I've turned the coffee table long ways and placed large pillows side by side to sit on as we eat, a dinner of homemade guacamole and chips, chile rellenos in a mole sauce, followed by flan for dessert." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Do you remember this?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She smiles. \"You recreated our first dinner together in Mexico.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I nod. \"I hope you're hungry.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"For you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Leaning over, I nip her earlobe." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That comes later. Sit.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What's all of this for?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's nearly our six month anniversary.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She lifts her eyebrows." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I never would've suspected you were the type to count or celebrate six month anniversaries.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm not.\" I shake my head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"At least not before you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She swoons, and I use the opportunity to kiss her lips again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I help her sit and serve up plates of delicious, homemade Mexican food." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is better than the first time around,\" she gushes after finishing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Except for the fact that it's even better now because I get to do this freely.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She moves in and licks my earlobe." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A shiver slithers down my spine and a groan moves up my throat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You could've done that the first night, butterfly. I promise we'd still end up right where we are.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oh yeah, and where's that?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I don't hesitate to pull the ring box out of my pocket, opening it up before setting it on the table." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her jaw drops." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"With me asking you to be my wife.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "My voice is husky to my own ears." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Emanuel,\" she whispers, eyes watering." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I never pictured myself as the type who would voluntarily settle down … or maybe I did but knew it just couldn't be with any woman." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I needed someone who grounded me but wasn't afraid to take this crazy ride of life with me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I found that in you." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And together, the both of us can build our own family." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One where you get to raise our kids with the loving, kind spirit that you are, and I get to show them everything about being daring and fearless." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Janine … will you marry me?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She looks to me, bottom lip quivering." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It takes her a few seconds to vocalize but finally she says, \"Yes, of course!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "before tossing her arms around my shoulders." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nothing in the world has ever made me feel this complete." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Not serving in combat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not becoming pinned out of the fire academy." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hell, not even pulling someone out of a burning building. But the moment she says yes with those tears streaming down her face, everything falls into place and I know I've found my permanent home." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "writing exercise: 10 sentences sentences, keep character vibes, historical romance, mystery, female protagonist genre!" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "ill start (might include ongoing story elements), then u do 11 sentences in Emma Linfield's voice ok?" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Miss Lucretia! Miss Lucretia!\"\n\nShe glanced up from her task of assisting the three and four-year-old foundlings into their day clothes. Willie, a ten-year-old orphan wearing dark grey woolens and a shirt that used to be white, waited at the door for Lucretia's permission to enter. He bounced from foot to foot, his round face eager. Picking up a brush, she stroked it through the tiny girl's thin, scraggly hair, gently tugging out the knots acquired during her restless sleep the night before. The child stuck her thumb in her mouth to suck.\n\n\"Now, you are too old for that, Rose,\" Lucretia admonished quietly. \"You are no longer a baby, am I right?\"\n\nRose pulled her digit from between her lips, her pinched face puckering as though she were about to cry.\n\n\"You are a big girl now, sweetling,\" Lucretia told her, reaching around Rose's neck to gently stroke her cheek. \"And big girls do not suck their thumbs.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I sorry, Miss Luce.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Rose scrubbed her eyes with her small fists." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lucretia waved for Willie to enter the chamber filled with small, narrow beds. Toys were scattered on the stone floor and thin, colorful rugs. Two children quarreled over a wooden horse, and Lucretia decided it was not yet fierce enough to warrant her interference. \"You look as if you need to use the privy, boy,\" she said, as Willie stood beside her, still shifting from foot to foot with impatience.\n\n\"Mrs. Marsh sent me to fetch you,\" Willie said, his missing front teeth clear as he grinned. \"I think it is important.\"\n\nLucretia reached out and straightened his collar, tucking his shirt into his breeches tidily. \"Have you finished your breakfast, Willie?\"\n\n\"Yes, Miss. It was stewed apples with cinnamon. I loves cinnamon.\"\n\n\"Good. Now run back to Mrs. Marsh and tell her I must see these children to breakfast, then I will come to her office.\"\n\n\"Yes, Miss.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And then you practice your sums. I will look at your work shortly.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, Miss.\"\n\nWillie ran through the toddlers' room and out the door as Lucretia rose from the three-legged stool she sat upon. Breaking up the quarrel over the toy horse, she clapped her hands. \"Come now, children. Time to break your fast. Line up at the door.\"\n\nAt her words, the nine small orphans lined up obediently, waiting for her to lead them to the dining hall. As she was more frail than the others, Lucretia picked Rose up and carried her, then walked briskly down the corridor with her charges giggling and chattering behind her. The small dining room at the Foundling Hospital was on the same floor as the ward for small children, thus she did not have to take them far. Handing them over to the kitchen matron, Lucretia then walked up the many flights of stairs to the upper chambers.\n\nPausing at a window to observe her reflection, Lucretia tidied her red-gold tresses, coiled into a neat bun at her neck. Wiping a smudge of dirt from her cheek, she inspected her light complexion and wished, not for the first time, she could wipe away her scattering of freckles from her nose. Of all her features, she liked her eyes the best – light brown, like new honey fresh from the comb." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Most people who met her complimented her on her unusual eye color." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'hospital' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Straightening her pale blue gown trimmed with white lace, Lucretia retied her apron, and decided she appeared presentable before knocking on the Hospital Matron's door.\n\n\"Come in,\" came the call from within.\n\nLucretia opened the door and entered, closing it softly behind her. She curtsied to Mrs. Marsh, seated behind her desk, and waited for her invitation to approach. As one of the administrators of the Foundling Hospital, Mrs. Marsh could often be quite harsh in her discipline. Yet, once Lucretia grew old enough to help with the care and education with the other orphans, she and Mrs. Marsh got along quite well.\n\n\"Come here, child,\" Mrs. Marsh said, at last looking up from her papers.\n\nAs she often did when inside Mrs. Marsh's private domain, Lucretia gazed longingly as the shelves and rows of books. The matron kept an extensive collection, and willingly loaned them to Lucretia, always with the admonition to return it quickly and without damage. If any of her precious books came back not in the same condition, the lending of books ceased immediately.\n\n\"Sit down.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lucretia smiled before taking one of the chairs in front of the desk." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You wished to see me, Mrs.Marsh?\"\n\n\"Yes, I did, dear.\" Mrs. Marsh gazed at her with sorrow in her pale blue eyes. She folded her hands atop her desk, her full lips thinned, tense.\n\nLucretia felt a chill creep down her spine. Something was wrong. While a summons to visit the matron in her office was quite ordinary, Mrs. Marsh nearly always greeted Lucretia with a warm smile, and sometimes with a cup of tea. She ran her recent actions and behavior through her mind, thinking she had done something to attract the matron's ire. If she had erred in some way, she had no idea what that could be.\n\n\"I am in receipt of a letter, Lucretia,\" Mrs. Marsh said, picking up a piece of parchment. \"It appears His Grace, the Duke of Breckenridge, is in need of a governess.\"\n\nLucretia felt her heart stop." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Resting in her lap, her fingers twisted together in anxiety." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No, she cannot possibly mean me. I cannot leave here.\n\nSwallowing hard, she stared, unseeing, downward. The Foundling Hospital was the only home she'd ever known. While most young men and women her age left the Hospital with the education necessary to begin a trade outside, she expected to spend her life here, caring for the children. She wanted nothing else – not even marriage and her own offspring.\n\n\"Lucretia?\"\n\nGlancing up, she forced herself to meet Mrs. Marsh's eyes. \"Perhaps Helen Murphy will make a good governess,\" she ventured, hoping Mrs. Marsh had asked her here for her opinion only. Yet, deep down, she knew better. The matron's tension would not manifest itself if she merely wanted Lucretia's judgement." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Helen is seventeen,\" Mrs. Marsh said, her tone quiet, kind." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'child'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You are twenty, three years past the time you should be out of our care and custody. No, child, you must go to the Duke's estates in Gloucestershire, and become His Grace's new governess.\"\n\nA sudden flare of anger overrode her fear. She straightened her back. \"No.\"\n\nMrs. Marsh gazed at her, her brows lowering. \"Do not defy me in this, Lucretia. Your time with us has ended. You must venture out into the world.\"\n\n\"You cannot make me. I refuse to go.\"\n\n\"I will not get angry with you at this moment,\" the matron went on, her tone hardening. \"I know of your fears. However, I will not tolerate this insubordination from you. You will leave this house and go to into the Duke's service.\"\n\nLucretia merely sat and waited. I will not go. I will not.\n\n\"It breaks my heart to see you leave here, child,\" Mrs. Marsh went on." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But your only choice is Breckenridge or the workhouse.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You need me here,\" Lucretia said, her tone as level as she could make it. \"I look after the children, I keep them clean, teach them manners, and their letters and arithmetic.\"\n\n\"And that is what makes you an excellent governess, Lucretia,\" Mrs. Marsh replied. \"Please do not fret. You will have your room and board, clothing, plus a nice salary. In time, perhaps the Duke will arrange a suitable marriage for you. The workhouse is a harsh place, and I would not see you go there unless you leave me no other option. Child, this Hospital is a temporary home only.\"\n\n\"But you need me.\" Lucretia gripped her skirts until her knuckles turned white. Workhouses are terrible places, but how can I leave everything I have ever known behind?Surely Mrs. Marsh will have pity on me.\n\nMrs. Marsh nodded. \"You have done quite well here, too, I will admit. The other orphans are respectful and well-mannered, and during your tenure here many have gone to have good lives because of you. Believe me, you will be missed.\"\n\nDrawing a deep breath, Lucretia forced calm into her frazzled nerves, released her anger. \"Then there is no chance of my remaining here?\"\n\n\"None.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"When must I leave?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mrs. Marsh glanced at the letter." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"His Grace expects you in six days.\"\n\n\"Am I dismissed, Mrs.Marsh?\"\n\n\"Not yet.\"\n\nFolding her hands once more, the matron gazed at her earnestly, a faint smile crossing her stern features. \"I do understand your trepidation, Lucretia. You have been here since you were an infant, after your parents died in that dreadful accident. You have been training for this moment all your life. I know you will make me proud.\"\n\nStudying her hands, Lucretia stifled her sudden urge to plead, to beg to be allowed to remain, even without pay. Such would not help her. Orphans at the Foundling Hospital all grew up to find trades, marry, have children of their own. She knew this moment would arrive one day, despite hoping and praying she could be the one exception – the one foundling who remained to live out her life there, assisting other orphaned children into the world outside.\n\nMrs. Marsh's voice turned cool. \"You are dismissed, Lucretia.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Standing, she curtsied, then walked with her spine stiff and her head high to the door." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 7 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Determined to not weep, Lucretia shut the office door behind her. Though she scarcely felt her legs under her, she maintained her youthful dignity as she traversed the corridor and down the stairs.\n\nHowever much she recognized it as unreasonable and unworthy, hatred for the Duke of Breckenridge filled her heart. Fiercely resenting his need for a governess, Lucretia fervently wished he'd gone elsewhere to search for one.\n\nAs she walked, her knees shaking, Lucretia knew she would not long survive the Duke's service.\n\nHow can I leave this place, my home? Workhouse or servitude to a Duke, how can I survive?" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Narrative Extension Protocol:\nQuantity: 5 sentences\nContext: Match character familiarity\nGenre: historical romance, mystery, female protagonist" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Trotting his bay stallion down the road, Sampson Claridge, the Duke of Breckenridge, did not look forward to returning home. He had ridden out shortly after dawn with his two closest companions to inspect his lavish stud farm a few miles south of his home.Though he never said so aloud, his stud was one of the finest in the realm. Even the Prince Regent bought his horses, and asked his advice.\n\nNow, late in the afternoon, Sampson wished he had other work that might keep him away. The huge manor house seemed to echo with loneliness ever since the death of his mother, and Henrietta's anguish only made the place more difficult to bear." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is something the matter, Sampson?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He glanced to his right to find Oliver eyeing him closely.\n\n\"You are quiet,\" Oliver continued, \"even for you.\"\n\nSampson offered a half-nod, half-shrug. \"It is Henrietta,\" he answered.\n\n\"She is not ill?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "asked George from his other side." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, not ill.\" Sampson shook his head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, I fear I have enraged her when I informed her I sent for a governess.\"\n\nOliver Fortescue, the sixth Earl of Egerton, clicked his tongue in sympathy. \"With the Duchess gone, she should be under the care of a governess rather than the household servants.\"\n\n\"I agree. I told her that. But she insists she has no need for a governess. She claimed she will make any governess's life miserable should I send for one.\"\n\n\"You coddle her too much, my dear Sampson,\" George said, smiling." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Show her a firm hand and she will learn obedience.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Though he knew that would only make the situation with Henrietta worse, Sampson admitted he was right. He did tend to permit his ten-year-old sister to have her way more often than not, and now he paid the price. Yet, his intense love for her – the only family he had left–would not allow him to be strict with her. One glance into those hazel-green eyes and he eagerly granted Henrietta her every wish.\n\n\"If I know the girl at all,\" Oliver said, \"that will not be easy. She is as stubborn as you are.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sampson permitted himself a small smile." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We are siblings, after all.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"When will your new governess arrive?\" George asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "George Carter, the third Baron of Gillinghamshire, was his friend since childhood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As their estates bordered one another, he and George often spent time at one another's properties." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Rather than breed fine bloodstock as Sampson, he preferred to raise cattle and sell them over the border in Wales." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yet, he spent more time at either Sampson's home or Oliver's than his own. Sampson never quite understood this, as he governed his own small realm with his own hands. As he enjoyed the Baron's company, he never spoke of it.\n\n\"I have only just sent the letter,\" he replied, gazing around at the beautiful rolling hills of Gloucestershire. \"I do not expect her until next week.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Remember to mention: \"His Royal Highness has not called me to court, thus I am out of touch with London.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Plenty of time to get Henrietta used to the notion,\" Oliver said.\n\n\"What is the latest news from the Prince Regent?\" George asked.\n\n\"Very little, I am afraid,\" Sampson answered. \"His Royal Highness has not called me to court, thus I am out of touch with London.\"\n\n\"I heard rumors His Majesty the King has taken a turn for the worse,\" Oliver put in." }, { "from": "human", "value": "George scoffed. \"There are always rumors abounding over the King's health. Every month we have a new influx of them – the King is dead; no, he's quite well and might return to the throne; no, last week he lay abed, dying and receiving last rites. The week before, he slobbered all over the carpets in his madness.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I agree,\" Oliver chuckled, shaking his blond head. \"The rumors fly across all of England and which are to be believed?\"\n\n\"We should not partake of rumor mongering until we have facts,\" Sampson told them.\n\nDespite his words, the two continued their friendly wrangling over what rumors might be close to the truth, leaving him to ponder his own inner troubles. Up ahead, his manor house appeared around a bend in the road, its spreading green lawns and hedges a welcome sight despite his sister's anger." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He planned a private word with her before supper, as he wanted no tantrums in front of his friends and guests." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the stable yard, dogs leaped round their horses, barking, as grooms emerged to take their mounts. One held his stallion's bridle as Sampson dismounted, others holding George's and Oliver's. Walking across the stone cobbles toward the house with his companions in tow, Sampson pondered his words to Henrietta. The wide oak doors opened as he approached, and his butler, Thomas, bowed low.\n\n\"Welcome home, Your Grace.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"After I have changed,\" Sampson said, \"I wish to see my sister in my study.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory: Your text must contain 'course' 2 times exactly" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Of course, Your Grace.\"\n\n\"Tea in an hour, gentlemen?\" Sampson asked, turning to his friends.\n\n\"Of course,\" the both murmured, offering him short bows as he walked with quick strides up the huge, winding staircase to his private apartments. Martin, his valet, bowed low as he entered his rooms, ready to assist him in washing and dressing in clothes that did not smell of horses and the road." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shortly after, now dressed in a white muslin shirt, pale blue waistcoat, and a white cravat, Sampson permitted Martin to help him with his Hessian boots, onto his feet and over his dark grey trousers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thus dressed, he found Henrietta already in his study, examining the books on his shelves.\n\n\"Dear Sister,\" he said, warming at the sight of her.\n\nHenrietta offered him a curtsey before wrapping her arms around his waist. \"I missed you, Sampson.\"\n\n\"And I, you. Come, sit and talk with me before we must go downstairs for tea.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Taking an armchair for himself, Sampson watched his young sibling seat herself in a less comfortable, hard chair opposite him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He suspected she knew what he'd planned to say." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Henrietta wore a gown of soft mauve with ruffled sleeves, lace hinting at her throat and wrists. He thought the color looked good on her, with her pale blonde hair and hazel-green eyes. Small for her age, his little sister gazed at him with a cool aloofness that had not been there a few months ago.\n\n\"You are going to lecture me, aren't you?\"\n\nSampson lit his pipe, puffing and squinting slightly through the smoke." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I prefer to call it a talk.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It is still a lecture.\"\n\n\"But as I desire your input and opinions, it is not a lecture.\"\n\n\"Very well.\"\n\nThe words he planned to say vanished from his head. She looked so alone, forlorn, sitting there as though awaiting her execution." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Henrietta had been only five years old when their father died, and endured their mother's, the late Duchess, slow slide into depression and death. Affected by it more than Sampson, who worked hard maintaining his ducal estates, his stud farm, and his role at court, Henrietta withdrew into herself, speaking little and smiling seldom. Sampson tried to remember the last time he had seen her laugh.\n\n\"I love you very much, you know,\" he said.\n\nHis words apparently caught her off guard, for Henrietta glanced away, nibbling her lower lip." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I know,\" she said, her tone soft." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'governess' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I would do nothing to ever hurt you.\"\n\n\"Then tell the governess not to come.\" Henrietta's tears gleamed in her eyes, and Sampson's heart wrenched in his chest.\n\n\"I cannot,\" he said gently. \"Whether you agree or not, you must have a governess.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, I do not. She will try to take Mother's place.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At her fierce and desperate words, Sampson started up from his chair, his pipe forgotten. \"Is that what you fear? That she will take Mother's place?\"\n\nTurning her head so he would not see her tears, Henrietta nodded. \"I will not have it. I will not.\"\n\nSampson leaned forward. \"Please listen to me, sweet sister. This governess will not take our sainted mother's place in this house nor in our affections. She is to look after you, be your tutor, and I hope, your friend. I would ask this favor of you, Henrietta.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What favor?\"\n\n\"Give her a chance. It is all I am asking. If you give her time and patience, I am sure you will find it is not hard to have her here.\"\n\n\"And if I hate her?\"\n\nHe leaned back in his armchair, puffing on his pipe. \"I hope it will not come to that,\" he said slowly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But if it does, we will reconsider the matter then. Are we agreed?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Henrietta nodded, not smiling but meeting his gaze with a calm levelness that he thought only to see on faces much older than hers.\n\n\"But I know I will hate her,\" Henrietta declared. \"I know I will.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Narrative Extension Protocol:\nQuantity: 5 sentences\nContext: Match character familiarity\nGenre: historical romance, mystery, female protagonist" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Please, Your Grace,\" Lucretia said, turning to the tall Duke. \"Permit me to help you search for her.\"\n\nHis emerald eyes stared at his sister's abigail. \"Are you certain she is not somewhere else in the house?\"\n\n\"Yes, Your Grace. I have been searching everywhere.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "🔍 Find a place to insert: \"Round up the rest of the staff,\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Round up the rest of the staff,\" he ordered, his voice tense. \"Set them all to looking for her.\"\n\nThe woman nodded, and hurried back the way she came. He glanced down at Lucretia. \"Yes, Miss Brent. Your assistance would be most appreciated.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Following him back down the corridor past the doors to his study, Lucretia wondered where to start searching for a little girl." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thinking back to when she was much younger and needed to be alone, she would go to the barn behind the Hospital. She liked the smell of the straw and fresh hay, listening to the horses in their stalls, often stroking their soft noses. Since only the stable lad went there, she could be assured of no one finding her to drag her back into the Hospital.\n\nWhen the Duke paused to give orders to the butler, Lucretia left him. As the house was huge, and she had no idea how to find her way around, she made several wrong turns." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The household staff hurried by her with few acknowledgments, thus she failed to ask anyone for directions. After many twists and turns, walking about for almost thirty minutes, at last, she found doors that led to the rear of the house.\n\nDarkness had fallen. Stopping to permit her eyes to adjust to the night, she eventually saw the large bulk that blotted out the stars.\n\nThe stable.\n\nEnough light spilled from the house to permit her to see her path." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lifting her skirts, she hurried down the gravel path, observing a faint light around the stable doors." }, { "from": "human", "value": "An owl hooted from the rooftop, sending a shiver down her spine." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was so very dark in this open country, unlike London, where lamps lit the streets and offered some light through the night. Here, the only lights came from the house, and the shadows multiplied tenfold.\n\nEasing the wide door open, Lucretia paused to listen. The light came from a lit lantern in its sconce against the stone wall, but all else lay in complete shadow. Horses munched hay, occasionally offering peaceful snorts, their legs stirring their straw bedding." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If Lady Henrietta were in there, Lucretia wondered how to find her in the dark." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Plucking the small lantern from its sconce, she walked down the huge aisle, the faint light gleaming off the sleek horses inside the stalls." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A few poked curious heads over the doors as she passed, but she did not pause to caress them. The floor, impeccably clean, was made of cobbles, with harnesses and bridles hanging from hooks along the walls. Casting the light ahead of her, Lucretia turned the corner and stopped.\n\nLady Henrietta gazed up at her from a folded blanket, her face red and streaked with tears. \"Go away,\" she said, her voice hoarse from crying." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Searching for a safe place to put the lantern, Lucretia found a nearby sconce and set it inside." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It threw dancing shadows over the little girl, but offered enough light that she could find a spot to sit beside Lady Henrietta.\n\n\"Go away,\" the girl repeated. \"I do not want you here. I do not like you.\"\n\n\"I am sorry,\" Lucretia said. \"I cannot do that, My Lady.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Drawing her knees to her small chest, Lady Henrietta tried to hide her face in her skirts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Extending a tentative hand, Lucretia stroked her soft blonde hair. The girl jerked away, sobbing.\n\n\"Please go away.\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\nDeciding boldness might serve her better, Lucretia gathered the small child into her arms, holding Lady Henrietta's face against her breasts." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The girl tensed as though to shove her away, but collapsed into fresh sobs, her arms creeping around Lucretia's waist." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Rocking back and forth, Lucretia did not speak, only held her tightly, letting the child's grief and pain run its course." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How well she knew what it was like to have someone hold her, to need someone to hold her, without offering unwanted advice or encouragement. To simply crave a shoulder to cry on, a warm body who understood what it was like to feel lost, alone, and afraid.\n\nShe did not know how long she rocked Lady Henrietta, but at last the girl's weeping tapered off. Raising her head from Lucretia's bosom, she sniffled in an unladylike fashion, bringing a smile to Lucretia's face.\n\n\"I am sorry,\" Lady Henrietta said, sitting up, wiping her wet cheeks on the sleeve of her gown." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Do not be. Sometimes we need to just be alone to cry.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But I got you all wet.\"\n\nLucretia glanced down at her damp bodice. \"Quite all right, sweetling. His Grace has turned the house upside down searching for you.\"\n\nLady Henrietta turned her face away. \"I needed to be alone for a while.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I understand.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do you?\" The girl peeped up at her, the faint light tossing shadows across her face.\n\n\"Indeed. That is how I found you. When I needed to be alone, I always went to the barn.\"\n\nLady Henrietta once again clasped her arms around her knees, but did not hide her face away. \"My mother died not long ago.\"\n\n\"I know.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "This time, when Lucretia stroked her hair, the child did not pull from her hand." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I miss her so much,\" Lady Henrietta said. \"Sampson is always away, is hardly ever home. The servants do not care about me.\"\n\n\"This one does.\"\n\nLady Henrietta glanced over at her. \"Why?\"\n\nLucretia stared at the flickering light." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Perhaps because I know what it is like to not have anyone. At the orphanage, I found so many children who had nothing, no parents, no home, no one to turn to except strangers. So I cared for them as though they were of my own blood.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your response should contain the word 'though' precisely 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And you will care for me as though I were your blood?\"\n\nLucretia smiled. \"If you will permit me.\"\n\nTentative, Lady Henrietta reached for her hand, and clasped it. \"I am afraid.\"\n\n\"And there is nothing wrong with that. Soon, your fears will dissipate, and though your grief for your lost loved ones will never truly go away, you will learn how to carry the burden.\"\n\n\"Do you believe that? Truly?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I do.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'lucretia' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How old were you when you lost your loved ones?\"\n\n\"They were my parents,\" Lucretia answered, her voice soft. \"I never knew them. I was only a few months old when they died.\"\n\n\"What happened?\"\n\n\"It was an accident,My Lady\" Lucretia answered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"They burned to death. A lamp spilled in the night, igniting their cottage. I am told my father carried me out, even as he burned. He threw me out into the snow, thus saving me, while he died.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Oh, how dreadful.\" Lady Henrietta pressed her knuckles against her mouth, her small face a mask of horror. \"I cannot imagine.\"\n\n\"I was taken to the Foundling Hospital,\" Lucretia continued, still stroking the girl's hair. \"There I was raised, and educated. They are good people, if stern, and I learned what it means to care for others.\"\n\n\"Like me.\"\n\n\"Like you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Do you want to be my friend?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Smiling, Lucretia took Lady Henrietta into her arms again. \"I hope I already am.\"\n\n\"I would like you to be my friend.\"\n\n\"Then I shall be. But, come, My Lady, your brother worries. We must return to the house.\"\n\nRising, she took the little girl by the hand, and picked up the lantern." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hesitating, she glanced down." }, { "from": "system", "value": "🔍 Find a place to insert: \"I certainly hope you do not avoid me, My Lady.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"By the way, My Lady, how did you get out here to the stable without anyone seeing you?\"\n\nLady Henrietta shrugged. \"I do it all the time. I sneak out, avoid the staff, and Rosemary, my abigail.\"\n\n\"I certainly hope you do not avoid me, My Lady.\"\n\n\"If we are going to be friends,\" Lady Henrietta said, walking beside her as Lucretia picked up the light, \"you should call me Henrietta.\"\n\n\"And you call me Lucretia. Or even Luce.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Luce. I like that.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the stable's doors, Lucretia turned the lantern wick down, then placed it back in its hook. In companionable silence, the two walked back to the house, hand in hand, just as the doors opened.\n\nThe Duke, several footmen behind him, watched them approach. With his face in shadow, Lucretia had no idea what his expression was.\n\n\"She was in the stable, Your Grace,\" Lucretia said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We had a nice talk.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Do not blame her, Brother,\" Henrietta said, her tone firm." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I went there to be alone and cry.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Duke said nothing, but gestured to the men behind him. They bowed and retreated, and he stepped to the side to permit them entry. Henrietta passed him by without another word as Lucretia offered him a curtsey as she followed.\n\nHer hand once more in the girl's, she let Henrietta lead the way up the stairs and around several corridors before arriving at her private quarters. Henrietta's personal maid, Rosemary, curtsied as they entered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Henrietta turned to Lucretia." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I am sorry, Luce,\" she said, \"I am very tired. I wish to go to bed now.\"\n\n\"I understand,\" Lucretia replied, stifling a yawn. \"I am also very weary. But I have no idea how to return to my rooms.\"\n\n\"Rosemary will show you.\"\n\n\"Sleep well, then.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "As the abigail showed her to her private rooms, Lucretia thanked her, then closed the door quietly behind her." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With the lamps lit, her chambers appeared warm and inviting, her bed tempting.\n\nRemoving her now soiled gown, Lucretia sat in a comfortable armchair in her linen shift, leaning her head back against the chair's rest.\n\nAh, look at me, in such wonderful luxury.\n\nClosing her eyes, she contemplated how much her life had changed in such a short period of time. From a small cell with a narrow cot in the Hospital to luxurious quarters in the vast home of a wealthy, influential Duke." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And what a handsome Duke he is!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lucretia smiled to herself, and sighed dreamily.\n\nAs she relaxed, a vision of the Duke's hard yet virile face entered her thoughts.\n\nThose jade eyes…she pictured them smiling, warm and kind, and wondered what it might be like to kiss his lips. Knowing she should not have such thoughts about her employer, she daydreamed anyway. Lucretia had not known many men in her young, sheltered life, but even to her it seemed as though His Grace was extraordinarily attractive and masculine." }, { "from": "system", "value": "/set_word_count: almost, frequency: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His body, so strong, powerful, wrapped around her…she giggled to herself.\n\nAt last exhaustion took a firm hold of her. When she almost drifted to sleep sitting up, Lucretia rose from the chair, yawning. After washing her face and scrubbing her teeth, she blew out all but one small lamp, and climbed into bed. Enclosed in its soft comfort, she fell asleep almost immediately." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A lone rider cantered to the top of a hill overlooking the Breckenridge manor." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reining in, he stared down at the house, watching as the lights winked out one by one. Inside, the Duke and his staff retired for the night, not knowing he watched. He bore a secret, a secret that his dying mother told him of years ago, and one he had never shared. A grim smile crossed his features.\n\n\"Someday, Breckenridge,\" he said aloud to the darkness. \"Someday, you will give me what I am owed. Of your own free will, or by your death, you will give it to me.\"" } ]