[Day 2, Early Morning] Hunter and Hunter

[Hiruma Sen]

Apparently a ronin hunter had taken to the area just yesterday, according to the Yoritomo she spoke with. And hunters always wake up bright and early.

So, Sen took to the farms to hunt for the greatest hunt: another hunter.

That sounded a lot better in Sen’s head when she first woke up, but the more she thought about it the dumber it sounded.

[Yue]

Even as a samurai without a full-fledged business, time was money to a ronin. Yue set her own hours but she couldn't afford to sleep in when there was potentially money to be made. She didn't exactly get a job yet but she did like to sharpen her skills. Just as Sen had guessed, she would find the ronin meandering outside the fields with her yumi at the ready to snipe a rodent or small game.

[Hiruma Sen]

Well, sneaking up on an armed ronin didn’t sound like a very smart plan to Sen, but neither did making a lot of noise. So, the Hiruma opted waving her arms about in a very stupid looking manner to try and flag Yue down.

Sen had no idea what she was even doing.

[Yue]

Yue slouched slightly keep her form small as she roamed around. She wasn't exactly sneaking around but was ready to get the jump on some hare if she needed to. However, she stopped when she spotted the Crab waving her arms around. She stopped what she was doing and blinked. Thinking that she might have been doing that she shouldn't have been, she greeted Sen back with an apologetic bow.

Looks like she'll just have to find her breakfast elsewhere.

[Hiruma Sen]

Sen looked very confused at the apologetic bow. Did she give off the wrong signal? The Hiruma cautiously approached the ronin, a bit apologetic herself. “Ah, sorry to disturb you. Are you the ronin called Yue?”

[Yue]

Yue rose from her bow and found herself blinking when she was addressed by name directly. She looked a bit tense and uncertain at the Hiruma, narrowing her eyes on her. "My apologies, Crab-sama...I don't mean to cause any trouble around here but I thought my reasons for being here were in order already. I can move on if you wish."

[Hiruma Sen]

“Eh? No, you ain’t botherin’ me. I just wanted to talk, y’know?” Sen rubbed her forearm nervously, not quite liking the tension. “And offer some breakfast. I still got leftover rice and some dried pheasant back at the house if you want some.”

[Yue]

"Oh..." she visibly relaxed when it turned out that Sen didn't represent the local authorities, directly at least.

"My apologies, Crab-sama. It's not everyday I get addressed before giving my name out. It's my first time here and I thought I did something wrong, even if I did nothing wrong. I can talk and join you for breakfast if you wish. As you know...I'm Yue."

[Hiruma Sen]

“Hiruma Sen. I’m a scout and hunter here.” Sen offered a surprisingly respectful bow to the ronin. Then the Crab rose and motioned back behind her, looking to Yue expectantly, “I gotta home on the edge of the farmlands. Not big or anythin’ fancy. Let’s get you that breakfast.”

[Yue]

Yue merely gave a nod at Sen's introduction. "I don't have anything fancy myself, Hiruma-sama but thank you for sharing what you have with me. If you lead, I will follow."

[Hiruma Sen]

Sen turned on her heel and started walking back from where she came, looking back to see if Yue was following her every now and then. “Not long of a walk.”

And it really wasn’t, it took maybe about 5 minutes from the fields to get to the edge, with a small home for a small samurai family. There was firewood neatly stacked off to the side and a small outbuilding that was likely a shed.

[Yue]

As skittish and defensive as Yue was earlier, she didn't look like she was going to run off Sen when they started walking to her abode. Whenever Sen turned around, Yue would be behind her as they walked. She would give Sen a simple nod whenever she looked back at her. While she wasn't expecting a free breakfast in the morning, wasn't going to turn it down either.

She gave a few nods at the home she was taken too, it didn't look too suspicious to her. "Needless to say, I'm guessing Hiruma-sama knows the area the best?"

[Hiruma Sen]

Sen stepped up and reached for the door before turning back to Yue with a gleam in her eyes that just screamed confidence. “Know the area best? Well, other than my dad I would say so. I know every place you can find edible berries and mushrooms and what time each year they grow. I know all the nesting grounds for pheasants, quail, and grouse. Which areas that have seen boar activity. You name it, I can find it.”

[Yue]

Yue would step in after Sen entered and gave a casual look over the place. It would be hard to really have an opinion over anyone's place when they were offering food and hospitality.

She nodded at her, "I should probably talk to you about a few things about the wilderness then. I was thinking of going out there and scouting the area to get a sense of what's around and what there is to work with. If bears were more common than pheasants then it might be a tough area to work in."

[Hiruma Sen]

The door led directly into a family space with a table and two cushions for sitting. There were a couple shelves, which were cluttered with various objects like bamboo stakes, rope, and sacks. While probably alarming at first glance, it was pretty obvious they were trapping supplies used by the hunters living here.

Sen slipped off her sandals and placed them by the door, before motioning towards the table at the center of the room. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll go get you somethin’ to eat.”

[Yue]

Yua took off her sandals as well, putting her bow and quiver at the steps of the home so that she wasn't lugging so many things at once. She nodded at where she was directly and made her way over to the cushions to take a seat.

Looking around casually, she brushed some hair behind her ear and decided to make some small talk, "...I take it that Hiruma-sama is very excited about the arrangements with...Hida-san?"

[Hiruma Sen]

The kitchen area wasn’t too far from the social space, so she peaked around the corner, “Hida-san? Oh! You mean the weddin’. I mean, good for him, I guess? And it’s good for the Clan. Personally, though, I got no stakes in this. Just gotta be nice to the guests and have things go smoothly.”

She slipped back into the kitchen fully, some jangling noises coming from the room as she prepared the food. “Oh! Should I start some tea?”

[Yue]

"Have you ever met Hida-sama, personally? I randomly stumbled onto his party yesterday but didn't really get a chance to speak to him. It was pretty rowdy and there was a lot of drinking but I was told that's pretty common among the Crab. He must be pretty popular or important to get a party all to himself. Who is he marrying?"

She nodded, "Tea or water, either or is fine. I fully understand this was kind of unplanned..."

[Hiruma Sen]

“Ahhh, I kind of know him in passin’. His sister and mom I know more from joinin’ them on hunts with my dad.” Sen took a couple more minutes in the kitchen, but when she came out she had a bowl of rice and a small plate with a few pieces of dried pheasant.

“Put on some tea. Will be a few, though.”

[Yue]

"That sort of connection would earn you a seat front and centre in the ceremony, I'd imagine. Why aren't they also finding someone for you then?" she gave a nod at the offering before her, not intending to dig in into the host would do so first.

[Hiruma Sen]

“Me? Nah, I’m not important enough for that. Plus, I don’t get on well with crowds of people and fancy gatherins.” Just thinking about it made the Hiruma pale in the face. “Also, go ahead and eat. I ate my fill before leavin’ the house.”

[Yue]

"Oh..." Yue murmured, realizing this was actually for just her and not both the both of them. She gave her a seated bow in thanks, "thank you very much for your generosity, Hiruma-sama."

She murmured a thanks to the Fortunes and began to partake in the mean with the bamboo chopsticks she kept on her. It was probably after a few mouthfuls before she took a break before speaking again. "I don't get along well with crowds and gatherings either...but that's where I pick up my employers and jobs, so I don't really get much of a say of what I want to avoid around here."

[Hiruma Sen]

“Sounds rough. But I guess that makes sense, can’t really get a good job if you can’t talk to someone first,” Sen said as sat herself down across from the ronin.

“So, what are your primary means of huntin’? I use the yumi primarily, but also make lots o’ snares and traps.”

[Yue]

"It's no mystery that some sociable or pretty ronin get by easily," she gave a shrug of her shoulders before she took a few more bites, "but I've managed to get back so far with a bit of luck."

She nodded, "I mostly use a yumi as well with my hunts. I've tried using trap but it takes a bit to much patience on my part, which is fine if I'm hunting on my own but as an occupation, that requires me to be more pro-active. My clients don't have all day to stand around. I'd rather go to where the prey is found and shoot them down."