The New Winds

Kazuko walks into the cafeteria in her spare kimono. She's glad she didn't have to be walking around in a drenched outfit any longer, although she's still peckish, as indicated by the rumbling in her tummy. Spotting a servant in the kitchen, she wonders if she could convince them to give her some extra food... Well, it couldn't hurt to try, right?

D3 Serpent Courtier/Aware, TN 6: 3d10k3 18

"Ah, excuse me, I was wondering if I could get some extra food... You see, training in the rain is very taxing and I am still growing so it would help me keep my energy up throughout the day if you could spare a little something for me..."

The servant bows low to the child and nods.

"Certainly, Samurai-sama. Another bowl of rice?"

"Yes please," she nods. Hopefully the eagerness isn't too obvious on her face.

The servant bows again and departs, returning quickly with a bowl of rice and chopsticks.

"Please, eat up, Samurai-sama."

She smiles at the servant, grateful for the extra sustenance.

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

Even though they're just a servant, they help make people's lives a little bit easier every day and she should show recognition for it. Or at least that's what she was taught...

Turning her attention back to the rice, she savors each and every mouthful, being sure to pick up every remaining grain. Who knew plain rice could be so tasty?

As she starts on her second bowl of rice, Haruki steps into the room. He seems to be looking for a servant, a bucket in one hand and a large rag in the other.

One of the servants notices Haruki and bows low.

"Hello, Samurai-sama. Do you need something?"

"Yes, I was wondering if I were to catch some frogs, would you be able to prepare them so I can make a dish with them for lunch?"

The heimen nods.

"Certainly, that would be something we could do for you."

Kazuko is a bit too engrossed in her rice to notice the newcomer at first, but notice him she does. He could almost be mistaken for a servant who just got done polishing a window if it wasn't for the mon on his outfit, undeniable even from a distance.

...He's looking to catch frogs? She's heard the rumors about frogs near the bathing areas but she's pretty sure she heard that they were poisonous. She's never eaten frogs before either... How would they even be eaten? The thought of more food makes her salivate, but she shakes herself out of it. No! She shouldn't eat poisonous, slimy frogs!

"What do frogs even taste like..." she wonders aloud to herself.

Hearing the voice from behind, Haruki turns around and finds a girl wearing a kakita mon. "Ah, good morning Kakita-San. To answer your question, frog tastes like fish but has the texture of chicken, putting it simply."

"Oh, I see. Thank you, Kaito-san. I must say, it does sound quite tasty although the rumors say that the frogs are poisonous. Will they be safe to eat?"

"Rumors are nothing more than that, rumors. I doubt there would actually be poisonous creatures living near where we bathe, our senseis are responsible with our lives. That means it is probably a fib to make something seem scarier than it actually is. Besides, we can probably tell the difference rather quickly."

"You have a point, some rumors do sound a bit far fetched. In that case, could I join you in catching frogs? I am quite curious as to see how they taste."

She doesn't really want to eat slimy frogs, but she wants to make sure they are not poisonous, and if she lets you go alone and you get poisoned... Well, she might be willing to try one if they are cooked correctly and if they looking appealing enough... Most likely only if she gets hungry enough though.

"Great, I could always use an extra set of hands. They tend to slip away if you're by yourself and get a chance to escape." Haruki leads them over to the bath area where the frogs were rumored to have "attacked" the students.

Aiichiro got used to sleeping earlier, so he had to find other time for studying. Breakfast was the most sparse meal, so he could do it. A book under the arm, he scans the place for someone he knew, and was glad to found Haruki and Kazuko together.

Just about to get up to leave with Haruki, Kazuko spots Aiichiro enter and waves him over.

"Hey, Aiichiro-san. Kaito-san and I are going to go try and catch some frogs for dinner, would you like to join us? If we catch enough we might be able to share some with others."

"We would really appreciate it if you joined us; it would be of great help to the other students. Even if these frogs aren't poisonous, too many of them would make bathing stressful on its own." Haruki stopped moving the second he noticed Aiichiro-san, making sure to at the very least, ask him to join the endeavor.

"I checked in the frogs earlier. None of them are poisonous. There are too many and it is raining too much for them to bitter. Just wait until the rain pass, and they will vanish some days after that." He said, sitting near the table. "But... Frogs for dinner? Catching frogs at dinner, you mean? You can't eat frogs!"

"You can if you know what you're doing; I bet you were looking at all the small ones. If you get the big ones, they have enough meat on them. Since it's raining, it should be easier to catch them, and since you said there aren't any poisonous ones, we can set up traps to catch them in bulk."