The New Winds

Now he had his tools, some free time, and wood, he could begin working on what had to be fixed about the toy. The ear would be the easiest part if the line was not compromised by the glue, but the base would take some work. Needing to know first the damage made upon the ear, he takes a small chisel to unglue it first from the head of the toy.

He positioned himself at the side of a window and at a somewhat public area, looking forward for someone to talk to whilst work needed to be done.

(D4, EM) Taking Kaiu Literally - Original toy was a TN 20 craft iirc and two timeslots, let this be one timeslot at the same TN - Craft: Carpentry/Intelligence: 6d10o10k5 32

Mai approached him and bowed. "Kaiu-san. How are you doing today?"

He nodded back to her. "Oh, great! What about you?"

"Could be better. Could be worse. Mind if I join you?"

"No, I am working here because I was seeking someone to talk to."

"Good. What 'cha been up to?" She eyes the toy curiously.

"I'm fixing this broken gift I once gave someone. Currently I'm removing the glue they used to mend it."

"Ah. I see. You Kaiu do a little bit everything. Strategy. Making traps. Fixing gifts. I gotta say, the more I learn about the Crab, the more I'm glad the Mantis descend from them."

He smiles, remembers on are a thing and gets back to his usual trying-to-deadface. "Do you know what I like the most about this? The popular legends. Because they are all like on how Kuni Osuki saved the Empire, or how the Hida are brave and valiant, or how the Hiruma are sleight and sneaky. We and the Yasuki are cool, but necessary. The poor Yasuki don't have even the cool part recognized by the remaining of the Empire."
He finishes scrapping off the glue and plucks the ear off, just to see it pending by a glued line.
"So when I was young I thought a lot on what do we do of the stuff off legends. You know, that's how kids are. We didn't seem to do the big save the empire moments. Just to build things others used to gain glory."
He takes a scissor and cuts the line, and a small saw to cut a really small part off his plank.
"But as I advanced on my dojo, I learnt things. How everything worked. And... You see. Our legends of big stuff being done are usually Kuni shugenja being sacrificial and really powerful. But human ingenuity is just as effective. It's just less epic sounding to say how the traps bellow the Wall broke half the enemy line before conflict than a shugenja summoning a fire storm to the same effect. Who even wants to hear a history about trebuchets flying?
And he takes a chisel to start molding that very small piece of wood.
"And I believe the Yasuki should feel like the same way, but each to their own. That's just my experience."

"As a shugenja, I find that stuff fascinating. My sensei believed in a well-rounded education. He wanted me to know the mundane as much as the mystical. In some sense, the first trebuchet is more amazing than learning how to ask the kami to do something different. How did someone come up with the idea of how to do that?"

"It's why the Kaiu do toys, actually. We believe that drawing from different areas and tinkering help with our creations. Maybe it all comes from the first child who discovered that you could spin your arm to throw rocks harder."

"Hm. Efficient. I guess that is an advantage for the Kaiu. There is no toy equivalent for Kaiu. So, what kind of toys do make?"

"Sometimes you just want to do something classical with a twist, others you see something that inspires you to do a toy."

Mai nods. "Interesting. What's your favorite kind of toy to make?"

"I'm not very much into toymaking for fun."

(OOC: Rewritten.)

"Do you dislike it?" Was it considered some sort of low art? Had she given an accidental insult?

"Oh no. It is just that I do it because it needs to be done. Also because I like the final result."

"Ah, I meant is there a certain design flair you prefer? Do like simplistic ones? Or complex ones? Or do you like to come up with unique designs?"

"Ah, I see. I like the ones that look like sorcery but the mechanism behind them being dead simple. Quick way to impress your friends."

Mai unconsciously files that away in her "if we battle against each other" files. She didn't realize it, but she was starting to grow a quite a few of those.

"Ah. I heard there were things that could make fire at the Wall. Do you want to make things like that once we get out of here?"