The Day of Thunder

Initial debriefing done, Akutou looks for something he knows will be available somewhere.

A stiff drink.

In a not too far part of the camp a group of warriors wearing green colors and armed with long bronze spears were getting ready to set up for the night. They had clearly seen battle and many were wounded but morals remained high.

Amongst them a much, much older man was overseeing the proceedings and distributing bottles to the people.

The man spotted Akutou easily enough when he came close and gave a grin

''You, young man, you look like someone who deserves to quench his thirst''

Naraku, despite his lithe frame, was far from a light drinker. Growing among the Hiruma has its perks, and moonshine is certainly one of those.

He paced through the camp, having secured a bottle of moonshine from the arriving Hiruma contingent.

He didn't know if Zhe and Kenji liked alcohol, but he would be pouring one for them tonight.

Mirumoto wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 21, 2023 12:33 am

''You, young man, you look like someone who deserves to quench his thirst''

"Don't know 'bout deservin', sir," Akutou says, tipping his hat as he approaches. "But I ain't 'bout t' turn down th' chance f'r it, neither."

He sketches a short bow. "Otomo Akutou."

Hiruma Naraku wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 21, 2023 12:46 am

Naraku, despite his lithe frame, was far from a light drinker. Growing among the Hiruma has its perks, and moonshine is certainly one of those.

He paced through the camp, having secured a bottle of moonshine from the arriving Hiruma contingent.

He didn't know if Zhe and Kenji liked alcohol, but he would be pouring one for them tonight.

Seeing Naraku, Akutou bows more deeply, going so far as to doff his hat.

What words suffice here?

He gave the man a light bow as well

''Stag heh? I don't see a lot of you in the north normally. I am Mirumoto.'' he reached down, a knee aching to get a bottle of white, milky liquor. He handed it to the southern man

''Be careful lad, even the Crab get drunk on this stuff!''

Seeing the other young man coming with his own bottle, he motioned for him to join.

''Come drink with us as well lad. Ain't no night to drink alone''

Mirumoto wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 21, 2023 1:24 am

He gave the man a light bow as well

''Stag heh? I don't see a lot of you in the north normally. I am Mirumoto.'' he reached down, a knee aching to get a bottle of white, milky liquor. He handed it to the southern man

''Be careful lad, even the Crab get drunk on this stuff!''

Seeing the other young man coming with his own bottle, he motioned for him to join.

''Come drink with us as well lad. Ain't no night to drink alone''

"It were a long walk up here," Akutou says to Mirumoto, "an' much obliged, sir."

He takes the bottle and makes room for Naraku.

But the hat gets back onto his head as he does.

Naraku blushes at Akutou's display, gesturing wordlessly that he does not need to. He walks to the two men and sits between them.

"Hiruma Naraku," he smiles at the old man, introducing himself.

He also puts his bottle in the middle. "Hiruma moonshine. No fancy name but at least it won't make you blind."

He looks to Akutou "Well Akutou will be visiting the Hiruma lands soon," he stated in a way he did not expect any negative from the stag

"Most like, yessir," Akutou affirms.

"But a body does hafta get back south f'r a bit first," he adds. "Th' O-Iemoto'll wanna know things, an' ain't a whole lotta folks know how t' find 'im even when he's in his studio."

He produces a cup and fills it, then places the full cup on the ground.

"I's 'bout th' last one back," he says. "Saw who came out. Saw as some didn't."

''Well met, I am Mirumoto'' he replied to the second young man before listening to what the Otomo said

''I am afraid I got here too late for any of that...damned fog...can either of you tell me what happened here?''

"Th' short version's that th' Champion o' Jigoku manifested here, and th' folks gathered here were t' fight it," Akutou says. "Hiruma-sama here's one o' them as was picked f'r the fight, proper. An' it seems he won it--they won it.

"A number o' others fought th' Champion's herald, an' they seem to've won, too.

"Most o' th' rest o' us just did a little bit t' keep things clear of th' big fights. Some did a fair bit more'n others. Th' Princess did a damned lot, herself, put a lotta other folks t' shame."

He nods.

"Gonna be a lotta mess t' clean up."

Naraku placed two extra cups, one for Zhe and another for Kenji. He poured the clear liquid in both of them and raised his own cup.

"May their sacrifices be always present. May we always remember the peace that was obtained with their lives."

The old man raised his own to honor the lost ones

''Speak their names, son, if they died for us then we should have it to remember them by.''