D3, LE Food for Thought (Expecting)

[Utaku Nesrin]

She laughs, "far from the ocean we might be, but these are the only fresh bream we really get on the plains." She happily breaks off a piece to enjoy, confident that nobody in Crane lands would make taiyaki with a foul filling. "So many treats," she says around mouthfuls. "All from the inn? Or did you hit every shop in the market?"

[Kokyou]

"Bream." He laughs at the word, "We don't see many usin' that name in th' seas fer fish." After a couple of bites, he shrugs, and complements, "I believe th' Crane wants t' give a good impression o' havin' plenty t' offer. We do 'ave Imperials at th' Inn. I guess 'tis only fair, if nah fer th' fact that we 'ave starvin' peasants around."

[Utaku Nesrin]

"Well, that type of fish? I was told that the sweets were shaped like it. Never seen a real one though." She continues talking while cutting up the apples. "It's not like we don't have fish at all on the plains, there's plenty that like freshwater instead of salt."

"I wondered about the peasants. Some of 'em looked a bit thin." She frowns a bit, looking at the wrinkly apple in her hands. "Honestly, I feel guilty being fed so well here when I know there's hunger at home too. We have all this trade with the Sands, but food doesn't travel well across the dessert, and it sounds like the Winter didn't bring us much rice in trade either. I kind of want to carry all of this home, for all the good it does."

[Kokyou]

"A breamer be a fresh water fish. Well, thar might be sea ones that look similar, aye, but... I guess they be named differently in th' coast 'n th' islands." Kokyou nods, "Then let's loot wha' ye know will be lastin', 'n eat out th' thin's that won't."

[Utaku Nesrin]

She shakes her head. "I won't cart these home. They're snacks and few would keep. But I'll be using a bit of my stipend for bags of rice if anyone's selling it somewhere on the way home. It'd feel...wrong somehow to bring sweets to help feed folks."

"I imagine that's not really a problem on the islands, neh? Surrounded by all the fish you can catch, even if nothing grew well at all."

[Kokyou]

He nods a couple of times, "As unimaginable as ye can reckon, we do 'ave a one or two big islands wit' bountiful plains were we 'ave rice paddies. Harvests ne'er fail thar. 'tis surely a galleon blessed by th' Fortunes. As fer fish, we got plenty indeed. Ne'er a shy day eatin' sashimi."

He takes another good bite of the sweat, munching on it with gusto. He adds, tilting his head, "Now, we do 'ave Osano-wo 'n Suitengu clashin' on not nah so friendly spars. When they be restin' we 'ave Raijin 'n Fuujin on thar matches. Th' occasional grumpiness o' th' mighty volcanos, too, can happen."

[Utaku Nesrin]

She grins, peering into the basket for the wasabi peas and plucking out a handfull. "Seems a bit of a trade off. All the food you can use, but a lot of trouble with the weather and land. And, well, I imagine those things affect the crops a lot." She was guessing, since she'd never grown a thing in her life. "Not familiar with Raijin and Fuujin though, sorry? Other Fortunes? I admit I'm...not the best student in that area."

[Kokyou]

"Aye, they be brothers t' one another. They serve mighty Osano-wo. Lightning n' wind. I be nah th' best student wither, but those are difficult t' wench fer a sailor." He laughs a bit.

He looks at her for a while longer, munching on the snacks. With a smile, he asks, "Which kami would ye be, lass?"

[Utaku Nesrin]

"We know the Kaze-no-kami on the plains, but there are a lot of winds." She laughs, then stops and shakes her head. "Oh...no, no, no. I'm not declaring myself any such thing. I'm blessed to be born samurai and placed so as to train with the Shiotome. I don't compare myself to kami."

[Kokyou]

He closes his eyes with a him and a scratch of his head, confirming, "Aye. Kaze-no-kami, Fuujin-kami. I guess they be th' same. Like Kakita Toshimoko-sama 'n th' Gray Crane, or the Mighty Kokyou o' th' Mantis, 'n th' Yer Most Honorable Admirer."

[Utaku Nesrin]

She nods along at the list of nicknames, "Hai, the winds have names in other lands too, and the Lords of Death have a few I know, and likely more in the Sands." Then there's the last and she laughs. "Most Honorable? Well, I won't argue it, I'm not the judge of everyone's honor."

She sobers a bit thinking of how best to say this as she rolls an apple across the grass, where Tabudai eagerly finds it, "And that's flattering, but...well I don't want to have a misunderstanding. That's just...umm.. like 'wow you shoot a bow well!' kind of admiration?"

[Kokyou]

Kokyou blinks and tilts his head, "Wha' misunderstandin'?"

Running his eyes up and down to read through her, he starts to laugh, and says, "Ye're nah that good wit' a bow from wha' I reckon. Ye're good at runnin'. I got much better at that, though."

Raising his eyebrow, he shakes his head, and then lies on the ground to look at the stars while popping some crackers.

[Utaku Nesrin]

"Well no, there's far better than me with a bow, though I'm not bad, and I've spent more time riding than running this past year." She shrugs and looks up as he does.

"Are the stars any different out on the islands? The traders we get say they're pretty much the same out across the sand road, but change if you go all the way to the Ivory Kingdoms. Which seems odd. The heavens should be constant."

[Kokyou]

"Aye. They do change at th' Ivory Kingdoms. Some though be th' same. Just at a different... err... qua...quadrant. But at th' islands we 'ave th' same blessin's o' th' kami that protect th' Crab lands." He reminds of the navigation lessons which he didn't actually excel at. "

[Utaku Nesrin]

Leaning back, she braces her palms in the cool grass as she looks at the stars. "I should learn more of the stars if I hope to travel the Sand Road. I think there's a fair bit of using them to find your way. I just know the ones that point north. I'd guess they're more important on the sea, with no road to follow."

A flash of light catches her eye, but it's no shooting star, just the pale underside of owl wings catching some light reflected from the river. But it does make her think. "Are there stories among the Mantis about shooting stars? I'm told there are never fewer stars after one is seen, so it's something flashing between them. My aunt told me stories when young how they're duels in Tengoku. The kami keeping their blades sharp. So it's lucky to spot them at it, their draw being so fast and all."