Oriental Adventures, Rokugan

Ryoko wasn't quite sure what had just happened but the people's reactions were quick. Now that the monk was no longer standing on two legs, walking as a human, they were returning to their own business and paid the two of them no mind. She followed after him and couldn't help but scratch the back of her head.

One thing was for sure, nothing was dull in the company of the monk. If this was what it would be like travelling with him, there were sure to be more unusual adventures than just trampling around, beating up bandits. She took the chance to look around but made sure to stay right behind Bei. So many people, so many things going on at once and all under the shadow of the buildings more numerous than trees in an ancient forest.

***
Yue rose from having said her prayers and venerating the spirits, both nature and human. She was used to such long and vigorous walks but she loved to stop and enjoy nature. She felt it helped to keep her humble and respectful. It was very easy to forget one's place in the universe.

She turned and smiled at Endo, bowing with knees bent. "This one thanks you again for taking another break with her," she said, one hand clasped over her chest, despite the fact she'd thanked him everytime they had stopped since they had first began their journey together. Then she turned to the large black wolf with the golden eyes. "Thank you, honored brother, for your companionship."

She and Endo had found the black wolf just a few days ago, farther away form human settlement. This one was a loner, much larger than most wolves, and had been wounded by a bear. He would have died if Endo and Yue hadn't come across him. And now he was accompanying them.
 
Just as Yui finished her preparations for the day, so did Endo, closing his spell book as he finished. He wished he could prepare for more, but as of yet his body couldn't handle casting so many spells just yet. 'With time,' he told himself, 'with time I'll be able to cast a near limitless supply of spells. I went on this quest for that very reason.'

He looked at Yui as she bowed to him like she always did, a small smile coming to his face. "You know, you don't have to do that, I already know you're thankful," he teased, knowing that's just how she is. He was quite lucky to have her stumble upon him, she was quite the exotic beauty, not looking like any human you'd ever find. 'Maybe not the only reason...'

She then turned to the wolf, thanking him as well. He wasn't quite sure why she kept him around, he assumed it had something to do with the spirits. The wolf, near death when they found it, had been healed by them and ever since, it had tagged along with them like a faithful puppy. However, the signs of civilization were beginning to show, and the wolf would eventually have to take his leave, lest he scare the peasants.
 
Kuro patted himself down, checking to make sure he had everything. Finding nothing missing, he headed for the alley-way he had seen the girl run down, speaking as he walked. "Well, my fine friend, everything seems to be in place, nothing missing, and no physical injury, so no harm no foul, quite honestly. However, I would like to know what, or who, she was running from, because whatever it is, it's fearsome enough to make her forget her place. And being what I am, that being myself and a samurai, it wouldn't sit right to just let Fate have its way with her. I say we find out what's the matter and see if we can be of assistance. What say you, good ronin?" Kuro turned to his ronin companion and smiled. Anyone looking on would think it odd. In fact, anyone who didn't know Kuroma would think it odd. Even among most of his Crane brethren he was considered strange. But that is just how Kuroma worked. Why subjugate someone when you can turn them to your side of their own will? A friend is more likely to fight with their full strength besides you on the field of battle than a slave.
 
The tall, calm shugenja looks to Tae, offering a short bow that sweeps his hand up under him. His heavy-lidded eyes looks at her with a kind smile. "Ah, good. I'm happy to see you awaken so quickly. My name is Akodo Hisaki. My friend Mastu Kiyoshi brought you here to be healed... and it's a good thing, too... you'd be out for a while." He nods, turning and pouring her a cup of sake, offering it to her. "Sake?" The robes of a Shugenja flowed around him - the green of earth, and the roaring mon of the Lion clan... he had not given up wearing it despite his ronin status, quite like the samurai, Kiyoshi.

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Bei's mouth opened in the toothy smile of a fox, looking this way and that, running back and forth across the street like a wild animal more than an intelligent humanoid. It was interesting, fun for him to let loose and return to his natural state for now - he hadn't in a long time. He turns around, crouching playfully at Ryoko, letting out a foxes' happy yip before jumping forward at her, breaking off at the last moment to sprint behind her - hop-running around her only to return to the front, sprinting back into the lead.

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Roppu turns her head over her shoulder, looking 'past' the buildings. She seems to get the idea, looking at him with an interesting state of wonder... and... possibly hope? "Japik... Greyhawk... Gaijin Samurai." She smiles happily at that, eyes wide, bouncing slightly on her heels.

When she had stopped bouncing, she puts her hands behind her back, walking around him in a full circle, poking his armor at several points, before returning to where she was originally standing. She nods, seeming to approve of something. "Japik," she states, before motioning a phrase, 'Just here to check things out? Or something more?'
 
[BG=#000099]Japik rolled his eyes at Roppu's pronouncement that he was the "Gaijin Samurai," but nodded anyways. That did seem to be the title they'd hung on him. He tolerated the young woman's examination with an amused air. It didn't really surprise him, frankly.

Here he signed, indicating Renga Murai by tapping the wall next to him with a knuckle. Yes. Reconnaisance. Here. A wide gesture indicated Rokugan in general. No. Stranded.

I'm in Renga Murai to look around. I'm stranded in Rokugan. [/bg]
 
She nods with a grin, hopping forward and taking his hand, pulling him forward - she was rather intent on showing him around. What better way to scope a place out than with a native? She wasn't strong enough to pull him forward on her on, only to make him 'lean' a little, but the thought was there.

She nods, miming with one hand, or with both if he was following. I grew up in Renga Murai, on my own. It's not that bad. The entire town is made out of rock. The Lion make sure all the trees from here - " She points out the logging forest, unaware that the samurai she bumped into earlier could see her now.

All the wood from the trees are used for military purposes. She motions with a smile. So the peasants can't use any for houses. So they build with rocks and bricks. The Lion send food here in exchange for the lumber, and the farms outside help. It is very nice.
 
[BG=#000099]He followed with an amused grin, and he was reminded of an old adventurer's advice. "It's always good to have friends in low places," the man had told him. Good advice, that.

Eagle's Reach, he mimed somehwat haltingly, is in the mountains. It is nice to be surrounded by stone again. Is logging the only industry here?

As they exited the alley, he caught sight of the Crane Samurai and his grin dissappeared and his eyes narrowed. He didn't reach for his sword, but there was a distinct - if subtle - shift in his bearing.
[/bg]
 
The young female nods. The Lion need the lumber to fuel their war machine. She noticed the shift in stance, but not for what... she assumed it to be a 'warrior thing', continuing on. The town produces what else it can for itself. The Lion believe that to do as much as you can under your own power is a strength. To accept assistance you don't need is to show weakness. I'm not so sure on that. She mimes with a shrug at the end.

She points up to a massive stone building on a hill. That's the military fort, there. She states the name of the place, "Shiro no Shinjin." Miming after, No one goes there but the Lion Deathseekers now. It is a scary place. She gives the dark stone of the fortress a nervous look, continuing on down the road with the foreign samurai, getting a few waves and odd looks from the villagers.

Waves from people she's met in this guise. Odd looks from those who have not seen her before, or looking at Japik...
 
Rhyodotsu was the first to spot the girl from before, making odd gestures to another person. He followed her gaze and gasped as he saw a mountain of a man following her. The emblem, an eagle, was unfamiliar with him, as was his girth, which was massive compared to the average citizen.

"Um, Kuroma, looks like you were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Said Rhyo, under the impression that she was leading the large eagle samurai back to Kuroma so that he could beat him up. His suspicions were given more fuel upon seeing the samurai change his stance upon seeing his crane friend. "Looks like he's ready for a fight, tread carefully."
 
Kiyoshi bowed to Tae as Hisaki mentioned his name. "I hope you are feeling calmer than you where at the roadside. You have obviously been through an ordeal but yo are now safely in the city of stone." his face was passive and calm and his voice was the same. He tough about the dagger tucked into his armour but said nothing.
 
Kuroma also noticed the large warrior, who was obviously a gaijin. Seeing the gaijin get into some sort of fighting stance, Kuroma prepared himself mentally for a fight. However, on the outside, his appearance did not change in the slightest, from the way he walk, to the relaxed grin that he often wore. As he approached the girl and her large companion, who in truth was about the same height as Kuroma, if a bit thicker of muscle, he decided that he would initiate the dialogue between the two parties. Without missing a step or batting an eye, Kuroma began by addressing the gir first. "Ah, there you are, dearie. When you ran off as fast as you did, I thought someone might be after you. I am glad to see that I was wrong. My name is Doji Kuroma, though my friends simply call me Kuro. A bit ironic, I know. Now, seeing as you are not in any immediate danger, now would be an opportune time to apologize for bumping into me." As he said this, still smiling and seemingly relaxed, Kuroma was ever at the ready in case the warrior were to attack.


Gameplay Note
Since Kuroma has the Quick Draw feat, he can draw a weapon as a free action (whenever he feels like it). As such, should Japik, or anyone else for that matter, initiate combat against Kuroma or Rhyomaru, Kuroma will draw his katana.
 
The young female whipped around, gasping at seeing the man - rather than apologize, however, she seemed to quiver, taking a few steps backward, looking in a panicked way at the samurai and the ronin. Biting her lower lip, her knees bent as if ready to sprint away, she scoots behind Japik, quietly staring at the Crane samurai.

She motions with her hands to Japik after pulling his arm for attention. Crane samurai I bumped into. He says wants me to apologize for accidentally bumping into him... samurai never just want 'apology'... samurai kill peasants who disturb them. I am not ready to die...

She gives a frightened look to Kuro, bowing her head and shoulders in an apology, all without taking her eyes from the man... not feeling secure to show her exposed neck or back to the man - she knew what the Crane were known for - speed. She was confident she could run faster than the man, though her knees quaked at the thought of the man drawing sword on her.
 
Ryoko smiled a bit as she watched Bei running around. He seemed to be really enjoying himself and, she had to admit, she was enjoying the sight of him enjoying himself. She scratched her head at the thought of her, a Unicorn, travelling with a Fox Hengeyokai. Fox Hengeyokai loved to play tricks and had a tendency to be cruel and selfish. But her clan suffered more trouble at the hands of the Raccoon Dog Hengeyokai than the Foxes.

Eh, perhaps she truly had lost her mind. Ryoko found her attention wandering when she caught the scent of something ... sugary and buttery on the wind. She looked over at a baker bringing his goods out for potential customers to inspect and to cool them off. Fresh from the oven! She hadn't a sugar treat in such a long time!

Ryoko waited until she had caught Bei's eyes to tilt her head over at the baker. "Want one?" she was asking. Whether she had lost her mind or not, it was rude not to share food with one's companion.

***
Yue lowered her head and smiled a bit sheepishly. It was true, she did thank him a lot but she was grateful for his company and his tolerance of her way of doing things. As a shaman, she was accustomed to doing things on her own and being bereft of human companionship for long periods of time. But surely the road not travelled alone was filled with fonder memories than the road one took by herself.

Yue saw Endo looking at the wolf and she sighed softly. "This one is saddened that she must say farewell so soon. Farewells are never easy, no matter the circumstance. But he will be well on his own, yes? Back to live the life the Kami have granted him?"
 
Kuroma noticed how scared the girl seemed to be of him, shaking all the time and hiding behind the man. After she bowed in apology, Kuroma simply smiled and said, "There now, that wasn't so hard, was it? You see, I'm not scary at all. Not all samurai are grumpy old men. Some of us are really quite nice. As I said before, my name is Doji Kuroma, and I am from the House of Crane. May I ask your name?" As friendly as he was being, he still made sure to keep one eye on the gaijin, ready to defend himself should the situation turn ugly.


Gameplay Notes
Using a Diplomacy Check to make Roppu less afraid of Kuroma.
 
The young female nervously walks out from behind the large gaijin, still noticeably nervous and shaking. Looking to each face quickly, looking around with quick movements of her head in paranoia, she states: "Roppu." No family name... not even a 'real' name, either. Just 'Roppu'.

She reaches her hand up, grabbing onto a necklace she wore around her neck, hiding what it was from view... remembering the time limit she had... nervously, she looks around for possible escape routes... finding none at the moment, she decided to wait it out. "N-no house-house. Live here." She states, stuttering a bit with that odd, squeaky voice.

Gameplay Note:
Hide check to hide the fact she's wearing a necklace of bones.
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Bei trots over next to Ryoko, nodding with a smile. It smelled good - the fox hops forward, curling around her legs with his coarse fur like a cat would, looking up at her with that wry fox smile. He had seemed trusting enough, and in fact, hadn't been lying about his past or how he felt about things. An honest fox. The thought was strange in itself... but again, for the strange Unicorn to hold a strange companion such as he - wasn't that strange at all.

In fact, it reminded him of tales of hengeyokai-hero/heroine pairings in the past.
 
Tokito was gleaning the marketplace, picking up rumors, hearing boastful stories. The marketplace was the best place to get information, most of it was false or useless, but occasionally, and sometimes for a price, a real gem could be found. Information was the currency of the land, far more than gold.

There was a murmur through the crowd, fear and whispers flowed like water, and it didn't take long for Tokito to see why.... A hengeyokai was in the city! under the unicorn clan outfit he wore his hand brushed the hilt of his ninja-to. Beside the spirit creature a unicorn samurai walked calmly, and even appeared to be talking to it.... the hand slid out from under the loose shirt as he watched, the creature was walking closer to the traveler, even hiding behind her. Most...... intriguing....

He began to follow, at a distance, using the thinning crowd as cover, then in a instant the spirit beast changed to animal form, walking with the human like a faithful dog... The only answer was that the warrior was no samurai, and had reason for for hiding her magic. But why would a Wu Jen do that? or was she even one of those strange weavers of the arts? he needed to know more, this was... perfect.

The odd pair walked towards a bakers shop, and Tokito saw his chance, he approached from behind on the side opposite the spirit beast and cut in front of the "samurai"

"Greetings noble and honored samurai." he said with a low bow, " I am Ide Tokishati, I would like to humbly request your company in this strange and dangerous city. It is not safe for those of our clan to wonder alone" he spead his arms to indicate he had no weapons.
 
Ryoko looked over at the stranger. "Name is Moto Ryoko." She turned to the baker and pointed to the buns. "Three." As the baker went to fetch the buns, she was studying the stranger. "No weapons but far from our land," she said, just curious.

The baker returned and she thanked him before walking away from the stall so they wouldn't be in the way of customers. She bent to offer Bei a bun of his own and stuck her own bun in her mouth. In her other hand, she was offering the bun to Tokishati.
 
"Kuroma! You're scaring the poor child! Even a lion with no teeth is still scary up close" Rhyodotsu joked, pulling his friend back slightly. He could see the look of fear on the poor girl's face, obviously intimidated by the crane samurai.

Stepping in front of Kuroma and kneeling before Roppu, making himself shorter than she was and therefore lessening the intimidation had he been standing over her. Reaching out his hand, he smiled and said, "Hi, nice to meet you Roppu, my name is Rhyodotsu, or Rhyo for short. Who's your friend here? He doesn't look like he's from around here."

Diplomacy check to calm down Roppu

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Endo was always amazed at Yui's ability to communicate with nature, something that he would never be able to achieve. While he relied on the nature spirits to grant him power and communicated with them, it was never this deep of a personal level. "I'm sure the wolf will be fine, I mean it took a bear to injure it, I feel sorry for any creature this one decides to go after."

Endo looked over to where smoke hung thinly in the air, remnants floating from the many fires that burned in the household in the city of stone. It would take them maybe 10 minutes before they entered the outskirts of the city, their first contact with any real civilization since they joined up, Endo's first in over 10 years. "Are you ready to head out Yui?" Endo asked, turning to face her.
 
Tikoto bowed again and took the bun, his other hand held palm up near the elbow of the arm taking the bun. "I am just a simple traveler, I never imagined I would need a weapon. I was foolish. And thank you for your kindness" he took a bite of the bun and looked at the fox. "I mean no disrespect Samurai Ryoko-sama but that is a strange pet for a samurai, Normally a dog is used for hunting." he said finishing the bun.
 
Bei listens to the conversation, putting one of his forepaws on the bun before him and tearing bits off with his powerful teeth before eating it, muscle rippling across his back, barely contained by flesh and fur. It didn't bother him to be called a pet, after all - this was his intention for turning into his fox form to begin with.

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Still visibly nervous, Roppu flinches backward at the bowing man. She nervously looks over the man, stating, "Ronin." She shivers a bit, scooting a bit closer to Japik. "Th-this... Japik. Eagle Samurai from-from f-far away." She nods. "He's a friend."

She points to Japik's 'mon', the symbol on his shield, with a nod as if that confirmed her statement. "H-he not s-speak Rokugani... I was sh-showing-ing him around Renga Murai..."
 
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