The Day of Thunder

Xiaochen nodded eagerly. "Of course, Chouri-san! I come from the west, beyond the mountains for many days, where the forests end and grass stretches from horizon to horizon. We herd, mostly, and gather in what growing things we find, and live the lives of horses as well as samurai. All of this close...

Xiaochen beamed as she stooped to remove her boots. "How kind, Chouri-san. I expect that the stones get quite warm, indeed." Resting her feet near the fire had long been one of life's chief pleasures on the wind-swept fields that defined her life, and she was looking forward to seeing if these perma...

"Yes, I imagine we must have done. Zhanshi has a warrior's heart to match any in my clan." Xiaochen grinned, then noticed Ohta's hand. She required no further prompting. She stepped into the headwoman's house with grace.

Ohta figured Chouri couldn't be any younger than herself... or maybe much younger than the monk himself, really. She briefly wondered to herself if Kinboshi here wasn't the oldest amongst the group of them; Her Ki-Rin mother had used the old horse when Riding to the tournament, after she was born. ...

"Thank you, Chouri-san!" Xiaochen gives Zhanshi a pat and takes him into the stable--a task requiring some serious maneuvering for a horse that large and unused to enclosed spaces. She flashed an apologetic smile at Ohta. "I'm sorry, I ought to have let you in first. Won't be a moment." She gave the...

Xiaochen followed suit in extending a greeting to the monk and acquiescing to what seemed to be substandard tea. Not that she had had much in the way of the real stuff. Barley tea had to beat boiled mare's milk, at least. Probably.

Xiaochen's ears pricked up a bit at 'oralu-sama,' but she let it sail on by. After all, no use souring what might be a profitable relationship over a mispronunciation. "Thank you for your hospitality, Chouri-san," she said as she turned to follow along. "I am sure Zhanshi will appreciate being out o...

"Otaku Xiaochen, and this is Chouri, she's the headwoman of the village. It is nice to make your acquaintance." She paused to allow Chouri to decide whether to offer Ohta to come along, because it seemed inordinately rude just to pre-empt an invitation.

"A little while... We rebuilt on the site of one of the villages that went to join the Kami," she explained as they walked. "Originally it was just me, but... I think people looking for relief from the nightmares were drawn here." She shifted the weight of the basket on her shoulders and smiled as ...

Xiaochen smiled in relief. "Thank you, Chouri-san, that would be nice." She swung down easily from the saddle and placed her hand of-so-gently on Zhanshi's wither to guide him where Chouri might lead. "You have had the village in this place for a while, then?"

Xiaochen hesitates as her mind rifles through the well-thumbed pages of Lady Doji's Precepts of Etiquette. She settles on a quarter turn in the saddle to address herself to the headwoman and a bow from the shoulders to indicate respect and, perhaps, openness to camaraderie. "Thank you for your greet...

*squelch* *squelch* Far from the low rumble of hooves on the steppe, the sucking mud of the last few miles of road had put Otaku Xiaochen in rather a dour frame of mind. As the fog of the village wound its shroud around her and Zhanshi, she could not help the development of a frown. Her first foray ...

Name: Otaku Xiaochen Clan: Ki-rin Age: 27 Occupation: Warrior and Huntsperson Marital Status: Married with 2 children Gender: Female Height: 5'7 Build: Wiry Hair: Dark Brown Eyes: Brown Otaku Xiaochen was born on the day of the Heavenly Tournament to a hunting and gathering tribe whose territory str...

*Can't lie* *Must be a bad parent*