The New Winds

As soon as Lady Sun bathes the golden waters at the North Dock District, the large Kobune carrying the project-of-a-sailor called Kokyou is moored where the Mantis green flag hoists high at the winds.

In a dashing summersault, the young boy finally puts both feet at Otosan Uchi. After taking a deep breath to fill his free lungs with the air of land of his previous ancestors, the boy turns to his future-to-be crew, and bows to his Captain.

Keeping the song they sang along the way –– to cherish Kokyou's new endeavor –– in mind, the young boy secures the traveling pack over his shoulders and starts to walk towards the city with is papers in hand. This time, he's glad they weren't fake ones.

"Hey, wait for me." Mai runs to catch up to him.

"Sure, me most esteemed we... girl friend, Mai-chan." He opens a bright smile, waiving his hand a couple of extra times more than necessary in mockery of the way the gaijin did to their most esteemed companions –– or at least how he has been told they did.

"Come wit' me. I'll be lettin' no danger threaten ye. If I be around, o' course."

From one of the gravel roads leading to the shoreline, a youngster in purple and gray robes shows up and stops for some moments looking at the sea and the ships as if in a bit of a trance. It is obvious he is not used to the sight of the sea, and he seems as surprised as amazed by the view.

After his reverie, he takes a look at his surroundings and, on seeing the two happy youngsters near one of the docked ships, he walks a bit closer and gives them a (rather stiff and unpracticed) bow from a distance. If he did notice the boy's handwaving or their accents, he gives no sign of it at all. He seems slightly shy and his eyes glimmer with curiosity, but he keeps a gentle smile on his face and makes a sincere effort at being respectful.

"Ohayou minna-san! Are you... Er, Pardon me for the curiosity I mean. Are you sailors?!"

Mai does catch up to him. "I don't need protection. Just for you to wait up." She gives a laugh. "Just wait a few years. I'll be protecting you and your ship from the storms." She gives another laugh and teases, "Well, if you're lucky I'll be on your ship."

An the Unicorn approaches, Mai gives a practiced if somewhat casual bow. "Well, we are Mantis. I am Mai of the Mantis Clan." She gives the Iuchi a warm smile.

Kokyou opens a wide grin, so happy that she came together. He would definitely be lonely and lost without his childhood friend. Even if he would never confess that.

He replies with closed eyes, not fully noticing someone approches them yet, “Ye be the best skipper in the 'ole seven seas. I be the proudest Cap'n e'er to conquer them with ye at me side, me most skillful an' beautiful an’ magical Mai-chan!”

Still with his eyes closed and rubbing his chin while thinking about his ship, Kokyou asks her, “But I beg yer pardon. Why be ye soundin' so... formal?”

As he hears the Iuchi greeting them, the Mantis boy provides a flourished bow with a waving hand, seizing the opportunity to introduce themselves. “I be the breathin' ambition o' discovery, wealth, glory an' conquest. The seed o' the storm, soon the become the mightiest gentleman o' fortune this world an' that 'as e'er known! Kokyou is the name.”

Kokyou waves his hands flashing out Mai, and narrows one of his eyes to add drama, “This 'ere by me side be Mai. She be the finest specimen o' a young lass o' the Mantis Thunderers. She will become me best companion, carin' fer me with 'er 'eart an' potentially, in the future, wantin' some dozen o' kids with me. But that’s fer the Fortunes to decide.”

Prashant seems visibly scanning his mind for information when Mai mentions the Mantis - Ah... Wait, sailors, but a Clan... A Minor Clan, probably! I should have paid more attention to Ide Miyuki-san's lesson... wow, I never thought I'd meet someone from a Minor Clan so earl...

When the Mantis boy starts talking, his attention suddenly shifts back to the present, and his smile, while still there, is now clearly coloured with some confusion.

Wait, is that a gaijin language? But I do understand what he's saying.... sort of understand at least!

He bows to them both after Kokyou's introductions, a bit less stiffly now, but his confusion shows in his first few words when he starts speaking.

"Kwaussa wertsi...er... I mean, it is a pleasure to meet you both, Mantis Kokyou-san, Mantis Mai-san!"

He stops for a moment before continuing, as if slowly interpreting Kokyou"s words. He looks at them both, wondering if he's disturbing something and maybe should leave them alone, but then speaks again.

"So you ARE sailors! I've heard stories about the sea and it's dangers, but I'd never had the chance to actually see it before today. So... Mantis Kokyou-san wishes to be a captain one day?" he turns to Mai, seeming curious "and Mantis Mai-san .. a Thunderer? What is..."

He then suddenly bows again, with a friendly smile "Ah! Forgive my manners! This one is Iuchi Prashant, apprentice Shugenja and amulet crafter from the southern parts of the Unicorn plains."

"Well, someone needs to play the landlubbers word games."

Then Mai noticed the rest of what he said. "A dozen?!?! You can get another girl for that. Or a few." Mai didn't doubt he would.

"Sorry. Iuchi-san." A small bow. "So, yeah. Thunderer." Mai tried to cover-up her embrasement. It's one thing to let Kokyou needle her in front of people. It's another to drop her face in front of strangers. "We Mantis are descendants of Osana-Wo. Some of us born with the gift to speak to the kami. We specialize in weather and serve aboard ships to remove much of the dangers of the seas.

He bows, noticing Mai got rather embarrassed, and explains, to clear things out –– yet potentially not helping, "'Tis jus' a common way o' speech from were we come from. I... apologize."

With a cough to adjust his coarseness a bit, Kakyou confirms to Prashant. "It is an honor to meet you." But his accent returns immediately after, "We be th' sons o' sailors. Daughters, too. In case o' Mai-chan."

The Unicorn boy seems mostly unaffected by their bickering - or is that maybe a slight grin on the corner of his smile?

At any rate, he seems genuinely interested in their answers.

"Oh, so Kokyou and Mai-san are samurai-sailors in training! That sounds exciting!" His eyes shift to the side again as if he is trying to remember something, but he clearly can't. "Might this one ask which are these lands from where Mantis-san-tachi come from?"

He then turns to Mai. "Ah, so Mantis Mai-san is also training to become a shugenja? And a weather-changing one at that! I guess the ways to study, talk to and channel the elements are really endless!" His way of saying "Mantis Mai-san is a bit awkward, and they may have noticed by now Prash is not entirely sure whether he's right in using "Mantis" as if it were their family name.

He then seems to realise something. "Wait... So are Mantis-san-tachi in training here in Otosan Uchi?"

Nearby on the docks, a young Kuni sits with his feet dangling in the water and his sandals sitting next to him. He watched the ship come in and dock, and the Mantis' antics as they got off their boat, but still he just sat. He wondered if Chikushudo had oceans. He imagined it did. So he tried to picture them, but it was hard. He smiled to himself at the mental image all the same. He would find out one day what they were like if they existed there.

"Well, our lands are called the Isles of Spice and Silk and they are beautiful. But most Mantis use their ship name for identification. But we have no ship. Yet. So, you can just call me Mai-san. Or the beautiful, incredible, and powerful Mai-san will also do." She gives a devilish smile.

"And yeah. Kokyou's dad sent us here to learn as part of this special school." She made a note to talk to him later. She was interested in his gaijin magic.

She saw the Kuni, but left him alone since he seemed happy by himself.

Prash let's out a quick, silent laugh at Mai's words before switching back to a warm smile.

"Special school? Oh, so you and Kokyou-san are also going to the Ruby Dojo! What a coincidence! I'm looking forward to seeing the ways of the Mantis and the incredible Mai-san's abilities in our training!", he says, one side of his smile lifting a bit higher. "Maybe Kokyou-san and Mai-san can tell me a bit about your islands and your training at sea while we're there, too. I'd love to hear some stories!"

He stops for a moment, seemingly thinking about something. It's only then that he notices the other boy sitting nearby, but leaves him to his musings as he seemed focused on something.

"And... Kokyou-san's father decided to send you two?"

Noticing how Mai addressed herself to proudly, Kokyou could not help but to allow a bit smirk to creep up his lips.

"Aye. He's an ole scallywag. We be much more interestin'. Let's leave that boomer t' his business. Much more t' do around 'ere in this big patch o' land." He says while rolling his eyes in a tedious expression as his father is mentioned.

"We 'ave th' best tales t' tell. Great tales. Wha' ye fancy t' hear: romance, adventure, mischief, plunder?" The boy recounts while walking nonchalantly forward, taking the lead off the pier.

He does stop when he sees Yotsuo with her feet inside the water. "Avast ye! 'Tis be a good lad here. Looks like he would fancy the briny deep. Wha' be yer name?"

Prash is clearly somewhat surprised by Kokyou's reaction when talking about his father, but he lets it be and focuses on the Mantis' other words.

Mischief? Plunder? Maybe he means battles? That's a really odd dialect indeed!, he wonders as he thinks about what to say.

"Ah... Adventure maybe?" He says, still smiling and standing behind as he waits for Mai's reaction before deciding whether to follow them.

"I guess you must have visited a variety of different places before in your training?" He says to both Mantis. "Has any place you visited particularly surprised you, for good or bad?", he asks, raising his eyebrows.

Looking over to the Mantis boy, he smiles. "I'm Kuni Yotsuo. I was just wondering what the ocean looked like in Chikushudo. I'll probably try to see it next time I go there."

"Well, not much. I have had spend much of the time training to talk to the kami. I did go to the Sparrow lands to visit my mother's family once."

She stops with Kokyou and smiles at the Kuni. "I am Mai of the Mantis Clan. You go to Chikushido?"

"I can, and other Spirit Realms. I've been able to visit them with my spirit as long as I can remember. Though I don't go to the most dangerous ones yet," he confirms. "Yume-do and Chikushudo and Sakkaku are fun. The spirits in those ones like to play sometimes."

"Chikusuwhat?"

Kokyou scratches his head, looking to the other kids around him having no issue with the name of this new place. Shaking his head to dismiss ignorance he nods, assuming, "Aye. I be sure th' Mantis 'ave already sailed that galleon, too. If it has a sea, we've been thar. We 'ave got plenty o' spirits, too. But those are drinks fer th' faint o' heart. I rather be avin' stronger grogs aft we graduate."

"Oh, so I guess our training had a good deal in common then, Mai-san! Although we probably learned fairly different ways to talk to the kami..", Prash answers to Mai, but then drops the subject and directs his attention to the Kuni. He tilts his head to one side at the mention of Chikushudo and other Spirit Reals, his eyes shining with interest.

He gets a bit confused at Kokyou's comment about [s]spirits[/s], but when the realization of what he was talking about finally dawns on Prash, he narrowly avoids another silent laugh and mentions in a lower voice to the Mantis boy: I don' think that's what he means by spirits, Kokyou-san!

He then turns to the Kuni, bowing as he speaks.

"Ah! So Kuni-san is a... Spirit Caller or something like that? Or maybe a.. yaakshe...... a Spirit Traveler?"

"This one is Iuchi Prashant. Pleasure to meet you, Kuni-san."