The Day of Thunder

Yoshitsune Ayako wrinkled her nose and set down her lute. "Please excuse me," she said to the other musicians as she rose to her feet. "I ... I just need some air."

Standing up, the Crab looked around to see if she could discern the origin of the sharp smell.

After one of the villagers had mentioned there was a local shrine, Ayako resolved to go find it. It had to be somewhere in the village, right? But the young Crab had searched up one street and down another without finding it so far, and one street looked much like the next in the dense fog. Ayako wa...

"Something wants it, at least," Otaku half-agrees, tucking her foot back into the stirrup and nudging Tsubame to begin walking in that direction. "The Fortunes would be better than... other things." Ayako's forehead wrinkled as she thought about this. "Other things?" she asked. "Um... like what? Ha...

The young woman lowered her sword and returned Sugri's bow, then observed his exercises for a while.

"Please excuse me," she said at last. "I'm called Yoshitsune Ayako. Are you from the village? I .. I don't think I've seen anyone do that particular technique before."

"Praying can be very powerful in times like these. Never doubt the power of faith, Ayako." The Amazonian woman turned to more fully face the Crab, sizing her up, and the way that her armor fit her. Matsu, for her part, was dressed simply in her turquoise and black kimono. The gold inlay of the spid...

The fire blossoms were beautiful in the night sky, especially after there had been so much fog the night before. But something seemed ... not quite right to Ayako ....

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D1 ME Festival Begins, Perception/Investigation (Notice) | 3k2 ⇒ 38 (TN: 35)

The fire blossoms were beautiful in the night sky, especially after there had been so much fog the night before. But something seemed ... not quite right to Ayako ....

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D1 ME Festival Begins, Perception/Investigation (Notice) | 3k2 ⇒ 38 (TN: 35)

And it's no coincidence I've come And I can die when I'm done... But maybe I'm crazy Maybe you're crazy Maybe we're crazy Probably..." Among the musicians, Ayako gaped and momentarily forgot to keep playing her lute, awestruck by Soju's singing. Then she remembered herself and forced herself to cou...

"I don't know about great teacher, and don't you -sama me." There was a jovial edge to the words, as if spitting in the face of the polite decorum that the damned Doji espouse. "Alright, as you wish... Matsu," the younger Crab said with a friendly smile at the Spider's insistence at dropping honori...

"Certainly we have armor. I do in my pack here," Ranmaru said. "As for your sensei, I do not think there are many things we would have agreed on." "Mmm, I expect you're right," Ayako said with a wry smile. "Well, it looks like we've just about arrived; I think Lady Anjing wants us to camp for the n...

"I would be honored to play alongside such esteemed company," she offered as well to the players and the Crab and other musicians. "Welcome!" the Crab musician said, as she moved to enlarge the circle to include Ai. "That's wonderful! I'm so happy you want to participate. It's an honor," the girl s...

The musicians cheer as another joins the group, and they help any way they can to get her into harmony with them. The young woman with the shamisen smiled. "We're going to perform a set song for the festival later. Do you want to join in? We could do with practicing it a bit anyway." Ayako beamed a...

Joining the musicians was a young Crab woman with a biwa. Yoshitsune Ayako had unbent enough to arrive in "casual" clothing - that is, in a simple kimono without armor. She plucked at her biwa experimentally, looking at the other musicians as she tried to tune her lute strings to be harmonious the o...

The thick fog obscured the rising sun, making daybreak more of a lightening of the sky than a proper sunrise. The weak morning light made Yoshitsune Ayako feel rather groggy and thick-headed. Nevertheless, she put on her full kit and emerged from her tent to greet the day. Making her way slightly ou...

We're here for serious business! It's NOT a miai!

*protests feebly as aunties busily marry her off*

"Exactly. Which is why you need to relax. You won't be able to react in time, or act in general, if you're so tense. Breath slowly, and deeply. The time to be the most calm and relaxed is right when bad things are going to happen, Ayako." The smile didn't disappear, turning more fully to face the C...

"Good morning," the Amazon stood, arms crossed over her chest, tilting her head to look down at the fully armored woman, an eyebrow raised. The Matsu offered a small smile, before regarding the Monk and his rock again. "Relax the shoulders. You look like you're waiting for something bad to happen. ...

Ranmaru's eyes lit up. "Seiyūdō* is not so simple as a state of undress. It is a matter of principle for a man to display his strength." To accentuate his point, he bared his chest again for a moment before righting his clothing again. "But let's not get distracted. A man's purpose in this world is...

Accepting Otaku's hand, Ayako climbed onto the back of the tall horse. The young Crab ended up dropping some of her firewood as she clambered up, but managed to save face by holding onto several sticks of it. Her quest for firewood would not be completely abandoned! "It's the way out of the village ...

A young Crab woman lingered at the edge of the periphery of the gathering. She was short and stocky, in full armor save for her helmet, which was held under one arm, and she looked ill-at-ease at the crowd that had gathered. Everyone knows everyone else already, Ayako realized as she heard them chat...