Day 0 - EN - Finding a Spot (open)

[Kitsuki Naida]

Mirumoto Naida didn't mind tents, but there was something about having a roof over one's head that only someone who came from the mountains could truly appreciate. Or at least that's the way she thought about it. Asking around, it seemed the town didn't have an inn, which meant bunking up; As long as whoever they were weren't too noisy, Naida could have cared less.

[Dapper Dog]

There were few lanterns lit, but an old man sat on his porch, an old dog laying at his feet. Otherwise all was quiet besides the crickets and other night creatures.

[Kitsuki Naida]

Naida wasn't menacing or such... well, as non-menacing as someone could be with horns decorating their hat and three swords at their waist.

She greeted the old man, "Hey, ojii-san. Where can a wandering samurai go to lay her head around here?"

Naida spoke casually; This person certainly was no samurai, and she was too tired to be very formal.

[Dapper Dog]

The old man rubbed his balding head and rose slowly to greet the woman. “Eeyy? Is that you Tomoe? You’re late you know, the millet porridge is gone cold you know? Well might as well come in, been sitting out here all night waiting.”

“Come on now, lots of outsider samurai about, best be in before they starts any trouble.”

[Kitsuki Naida]

Naida blinked before her eyes slipped into a squint.

"Ummm... No, I'm not Tomoe."

For a brief moment, she'd been unsure. Maybe she WAS Tomoe after all.

"I am Kitsuki Naida, and this is my first time in this village."

She followed the man heading inside though, taking off her hat; It seemed like he might have something he needed.

[Dapper Dog]

"Don't you sass me, we have not had a samurai from them Dragons pass through since Big Toe got married. Now tend the fire, and we can get that porridge heated up," he replied as he went towards the opposite side of the room.

"Back has been acting up again, so you gonna have to get the wood yourself."

[Kitsuki Naida]

"Wood, right. I can do that. Still not Tomoe though!"

She called out as she went out the see if she could find the wood pile; Just because she wasn't Tomoe didn't mean she'd leave an elder with a bad back to fend for himself. Hopefully it was already chopped though; Chopping wood in the dark was the LAST thing she needed right now.

[Dapper Dog]

She found the wood pile, and thankfully they were chopped.

[Kitsuki Naida]

Hefting some wood in her arms, she carried it inside and closed the door with her foot. She looked around for what the old man had gotten up to and the state of the firepit.

[Dapper Dog]

The fire was dim and the old man was seated by the family shrine muttering prayers. He said with his back turned, "Just get the fire hot, just giving my thoughts to your mum, she gets ornery otherwise."

"I'll be done right quick."

[Kitsuki Naida]

A shrug and Naida went to get the fire hot; It was night and dim and cool, and that was no good for an elderly person. Kneeling, her katana brushed the ground lightly as she got things ready; Soon the fire was flickering brightly and Naida found the cold porridge over it. She sniffed it to make sure it was still good before looking for something to stir it with. Truthfully, she was quite hungry herself.

[Dapper Dog]

The porridge seemed to be okay just cool in a covered pot. With the fire started it did not take long for the porridge to heat up and the old man said, "You can eat when it is warm."

[Kitsuki Naida]

Naida looked up as the man talked; Was he done with his prayers? She squinted a little, "...say Ojii-san, who is this Tomoe to you anyways? A daughter? A granddaughter?"

She wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery of this man. At least the mystery as she saw it; Who was he? Did he live alone with the dog? Had he been expecting someone?

Naida kept stirring the porridge with one hand, petting the old dog that had lain down by the fire with the other.

Niten at work.

[Dapper Dog]

"Your my daughter, don't tell me you gone slow too?" he replied sharply.

He groaned and rose to his feet and shuffled over to a seat by the fire and said, "Your mother says that you need to find a husband, a good one. Next month I will go to the market and find you a good husband."

"I have saved some coin, and get you a nice kimono, you'll see."

[Kitsuki Naida]

Okay, now Naida was more worried about what happened to this Tomoe girl than her own rumbling belly. Perhaps it was something as innocent as the old man expecting her when she wasn't expecting to see him. But if she really was expected here...

Giving one last pat on the dog's head, she stood up, adjusting her daisho. "Perhaps I have. Or maybe I am not feeling well. I think I should head home and have a lie down."

[Dapper Dog]

“Well before you go, just…” he sighed heavily trying to find the words. “I know things have been hard with your mother away, the drinking has to stop, it's killing me and definitely killing you. I know I wasn;t always the best at telling you these things but it needs saying. You need to make sure you have your porridge, it’s just the way we say we love you, Tomoe.”

“I am sorry, child, you deserve better but this is all you got. But we are praying for you.”

Then there is silence.

The door opens and a bedraggled woman slinks in and groans, “What in the hell… damn it who keeps making the bloody porridge? And who the hell are… samurai-sama, what are you doing in here?”

[Kitsuki Naida]

A squint crossed the Dragon's eyes. To a samurai, Naida might have had the courtesy to bow, but this was obviously no samurai. So she deserved nothing in her current state.

"Haven't you heard? There are strange samurai about, Tomoe. I would be more careful if I were you wandering about in the dark in such a state. As for me..."

She glanced back at the old man, "He looked cold, so I started a fire to warm him and the dog up."

[Dapper Dog]

"Who looked cold?" Tomoe responded sharply.

When she looked back there was no one there, they were alone in the building with warm porridge. She added, "Are you the one that keeps making me porridge?"

[Kitsuki Naida]

A small doubletake, but then Naida turned back, "Why would a Dragon samurai be hanging around a Sparrow village making you porridge, girl? Think for a moment, if you're not too addled to."

[Dapper Dog]

"Well shit," she said bowing to the samurai and then said, "I don't understand."

[Kitsuki Naida]

Naida looked back again before looking to Tomoe, "Did an old man used to live here? Balding, somewhat senile, like to rub his head?"

[Dapper Dog]

Naida looked back again before looking to Tomoe, "Did an old man used to live here? Balding, somewhat senile, like to rub his head?"

"This was my father's home till he died a few months ago, now it's just a place to sleep samurai-sama," she said bitterly.

[Kitsuki Naida]

"I see."

So it was all coming together; A spirit, looking after her, in its own way.

"And is your mother still looking for a husband for you?"

[Dapper Dog]

"If she is, it would be from the other side," the peasant woman responded.

"Mother been dead for years."

[Kitsuki Naida]

Her hand went to her chin.

"I see. This is all starting to make some sort of sense for me. Regardless, I think I shall help myself to some of this porridge, even if I didn't make it. I've been on the road all day, and traveling rations are not the most interesting of food."

Naida turned to go sit on the floor again.