The Day of Thunder

[Otomo Akutou]

Having spent time in coordination and ensuring that the arrows he had retrieved were sound, that his bow was in decent enough shape, Akutou is hungry. The food in the village has been good to him so far, so he seeks more of it out in the market. Grilled chicken seems on offer, and it suits him well enough.

A couple things occupy his mind as he sits and waits for his food, watching passers-by. The first is useful positions for ambushing others. The second is whether there's any kind of goings-on that needs to be addressed in the way he knows how.

~~~~~
Lore: Underworld to find something sneaky going on, 19, https://sakkaku.org/r/11400
Better'n yesterday, at least.
Edited for GM input; Stealth to identify useful ambush site, 24, https://sakkaku.org/r/11407

[Canary]

While he's able to find an ambush site easily enough, people are still suspicious and avoiding him.

[Otomo Akutou]

I'll have t' keep that in mind Akutou thinks as he espies a stall that has sturdier construction and what looks like a facade. Might be a good place t' put an archer.

His noodles arrive, and he tucks in.

[Chuchu]

Tiny paws make no sound as a little nezumi scurries from hiding spot to hiding spot... though she stops at catching a familiar hat out of the corner of her eye.

"Akuki?"

The ratling toddles on over, looking even smaller in person, somehow. "Hihi!"

[Otomo Akutou]

"Akuki?"

The ratling toddles on over, looking even smaller in person, somehow. "Hihi!"

Akutou looks up from his noodles, if not very far, and there's a moment before recognition kicks in.

He slurps up the noodles, stands, touches the brim of his hat, and grins--being sure not to show teeth.

"Chuchu Friend-of-Humans," he says. "Pleased t' see you in th' flesh; glad you made it!"

He resumes his seat. "If'n your hungry, I c'n order you some food. Purty good here."

[Chuchu]

"If'n your hungry, I c'n order you some food. Purty good here."

She only catches some of that, but, from the friendliness of his voice, the smell of food, the fact he sat down, and the fact she's a child, she makes the connection he'll feed her. "Yes! Pease!" Chuchu jumps up onto the seat nearest him, nose up to sniff out the future meal. "Place ...good?" She tentatively asks once she's had a good whiff of stall food.

[Otomo Akutou]

She only catches some of that, but, from the friendliness of his voice, the smell of food, the fact he sat down, and the fact she's a child, she makes the connection he'll feed her. "Yes! Pease!" Chuchu jumps up onto the seat nearest him, nose up to sniff out the future meal. "Place ...good?" She tentatively asks once she's had a good whiff of stall food.

"I'm fond o' it," Akutou replies. "Been a while since I worked wi' one o' th' Nezumi, though. Remind me, y'all got anythin' y' oughtn't eat? I mean, y'all do rice an' pickles, don't y'all?"

[Chuchu]

"I'm fond o' it," Akutou replies. "Been a while since I worked wi' one o' th' Nezumi, though. Remind me, y'all got anythin' y' oughtn't eat? I mean, y'all do rice an' pickles, don't y'all?"

Wiggling, she points up, then down. "Place good?" Chuchu asks again, more emphatically. "Akuki good?" She then looks up at him, hopeful.

[Otomo Akutou]

Wiggling, she points up, then down. "Place good?" Chuchu asks again, more emphatically. "Akuki good?" She then looks up at him, hopeful.

Akutou asks for a bowl of rice and pickles from the staff, and he answers Chuchu.

"I'm alright," he says. "No nightmares f'r me, not so's I recollect, anyway. 'Round here, though, it's gettin' tense an' rough. Lotsa folks're havin' trouble."

He looks at her more closely.

"You okay?"

[Chuchu]

"You okay?"

She looks a little different than in his dream -- Chuchu has no whiskers, and one of her palms is wrapped in black ribbons in lieu of bandages, a red scab peeking through. Still, the ratling nods adamantly, as sure of herself as any well-loved child can be. "Chuchu good!" Her little nose turns back towards the food, and she wraps her tail around the seat so she can again lean forward and sniff. After eating mostly what she could gather on the road during her journey, something cooked smells really, really nice.

Still. She has a job to do! "Chief where?" She asks tentatively.

[Otomo Akutou]

Still. She has a job to do! "Chief where?" She asks tentatively.

"Got lots o' chiefs here," Akutou replies. "An' they're all on th' move. I might could take you t' Hantei Genji. Might oughta take you t' Shinsei, instead. Ain't rightly sure.

"But I do know we oughta look a' that paw, there, afore we get too much further."

[Chuchu]

"Got lots o' chiefs here," Akutou replies. "An' they're all on th' move. I might could take you t' Hantei Genji. Might oughta take you t' Shinsei, instead. Ain't rightly sure.

She nods, not entirely sure of EVERYTHING he said, but trusting Akutou to help her get where she needs to go. "Chief help. Chuchu see Chief, help." The nezumi stretches before reaching out her little paws for the bowl of hot food that's being handed to her by the less than enthusiastic cook. She greedily starts gobbling down the pickles. They're the perfect amount of crunchy!

[Otomo Akutou]

She nods, not entirely sure of EVERYTHING he said, but trusting Akutou to help her get where she needs to go. "Chief help. Chuchu see Chief, help." The nezumi stretches before reaching out her little paws for the bowl of hot food that's being handed to her by the less than enthusiastic cook. She greedily starts gobbling down the pickles. They're the perfect amount of crunchy!

Akutou takes a bit of his own food before he puts in a question, letting the little one eat.

"What kinda help d' you need? Or what're you offerin'?"

[Chuchu]

"What kinda help d' you need? Or what're you offerin'?"

Looking up from the handful of rice she was about to devour, she squeaks, "Chuchu help. See!" Holding up her wounded hand, the shaman closes her eyes and gives it a kiss. When her palm pulls away, the wound is gone, and she proudly displays her work to the Stag. "Help help," She chitters.

[D3EA] Filling the Belly, Name Spell: Mend Name, TN 10, every point above TN is a wound healed | 7k4 ⇒ 27 (TN: 10)
Wounds fully healed (scurries off to edit later post)

[Otomo Akutou]

Looking up from the handful of rice she was about to devour, she squeaks, "Chuchu help. See!" Holding up her wounded hand, the shaman closes her eyes and gives it a kiss. When her palm pulls away, the wound is gone, and she proudly displays her work to the Stag. "Help help," She chitters.

Healin' an' such, Akutou thinks. It'd be useful.

"Ain't that somethin'?" he says. "Prob'ly gonna be a lot o' call f'r that kinda thing in th' comin' days.

"Still, while it'd be 'preciated, seems a long way t' come t' do some healin'. I did tell folks you was comin' t' help, an' I know your folk know 'bout dreamin'. What all c'n you tell me 'bout what's happenin'? It'll help me make sure I send you th' right way."

[Chuchu]

Her ears lower, flattening against her skull. All these words are hard to parse, harder still past his accent. She'd wanted to at least TRY speaking with the few words she'd picked up along the way but this is too hard. Chuchu pouts a moment, eating the last of the rice from her hand before licking it clean, and then resigns herself to taking the easy way for these conversations.

Both hands raise and she whispers into them; they briefly glow before she looks back up to Akutou. Her heavy accent is gone -- there's still some whistling, some hint of inhumanity within her voice, but now the nezumi speaks with the fluency of a Rokugani.

"I'm sorry sorry -- could you please repeat that for me?"

[D3EA] Filling the Belly - Name Spell: Name Talent | 7k4 ⇒ 41 (TN: 20) for Rokugani Language Rank 4 for 2 hours (forgot to name raise but it is there in the TN, lol... now to edit spell notes again XP)

[Otomo Akutou]

Both hands raise and she whispers into them; they briefly glow before she looks back up to Akutou. Her heavy accent is gone -- there's still some whistling, some hint of inhumanity within her voice, but now the nezumi speaks with the fluency of a Rokugani.

"I'm sorry sorry -- could you please repeat that for me?"

'Nother neat trick, Akutou thinks.

He nods, though, and says "Not a prob'em. Healin's a useful thing an' welcome, but I'd guess you came t' do more'n that f'r folks. I tol' folks you was comin' here t' help, an' weren't ev'rybody happy 'bout it, but I delivered th' message. 'Course, all I got from y' was that you're gonna help. Might could help me help you t' know how you mean t' help here."

He lifts his chopsticks again.

"I like th' pickles here, too."

[Chuchu]

"I like th' pickles here, too."

"Thank you, for the help and the food. They're yummy!" She chirps before nibbling on another one. "I can do lots of things! I can heal heal wounds and corruption, help destroy that which has been corrupted beyond saving, take people into the Dreaming, sniff out the Rot, call upon the Transcendent, channel and share everything my people have ever known... I hope I can be helpful in any way your chieftains ask of me."

[Otomo Akutou]

"Thank you, for the help and the food. They're yummy!" She chirps before nibbling on another one. "I can do lots of things! I can heal heal wounds and corruption, help destroy that which has been corrupted beyond saving, take people into the Dreaming, sniff out the Rot, call upon the Transcendent, channel and share everything my people have ever known... I hope I can be helpful in any way your chieftains ask of me."

"What's th Drmng?" Akutou asks, mangling the Nezumi term. "I mean the Dremmin. The Dreamy.

"Dammit."

[Chuchu]

"Dammit."

Her giggling's sweet, not judgmental, as she listens to his first few tries. "The Dreaming," Chuchu corrects him gently, pronouncing the word slowly so he hears every syllable. "In your people's tongue, you call it Yume-do."