The Day of Thunder

[Jiyo Sora]

It had taken a great deal of cursing, snarling, and not a little outright menace, but Sora had rounded up enough rice for a modest general feed. He just hoped others would come through, and not just to make his own evening meal a little less dull.

They had set up away from the camp- less to spare Makime's feelings than to spare any villagers additional hostility.

Fortunately, his many years on the road had lent him some experience with the rudiments of feeding people in an outdoor setting, and the rude fare at least didn't suffer too much from his inexpert preparation.

Now to see who turned up...

[Nanzi Ai]

Ai gave her word and she kept to it as a samurai should she arrived and provided mood music.

[Otomo Akutou]

Clearly flagging at this point, Akutou responds to the Librarian and makes his way to the dinner.

This time, he will be pleased to serve, so long as he can remain standing.

How long that will be is anyone's guess.

[Jiyo Sora]

tag

"You all right there, Otomo-san?"

[Otomo Akutou]

"You all right there, Otomo-san?"

"Sir?"

The initial response is immediate, a well-trained reflex. Then Akutou shakes his head, clearing it.

"Had a rough night last night, sir, an' a strange'n th' night b'fore. A Hunter persists, but it's been a spell since th' dreams were s' bad."

He takes a deep breath, holds it, exhales.

"I'll manage, sir. Can't not."

[Jiyo Sora]

"I'll manage, sir. Can't not."

"Well listen, we got half the camp looking like hell today and plenty to worry about, so you need a breather, you wave me down, all right?"

[Otomo Akutou]

"Well listen, we got half the camp looking like hell today and plenty to worry about, so you need a breather, you wave me down, all right?"

"Yessir," Akutou replies, and he manages to straighten up.

"Helluva thing came out yesterday," he adds. "Gonna take a lot t' straighten ev'rythin' out. If'n we c'n do it."

[Jiyo Sora]

"Yessir," Akutou replies, and he manages to straighten up.

"Helluva thing came out yesterday," he adds. "Gonna take a lot t' straighten ev'rythin' out. If'n we c'n do it."

"I'd like to think we're helping here, Otomo-san. No sense making enemies we don't have to, hm?"

[Otomo Akutou]

"I'd like to think we're helping here, Otomo-san. No sense making enemies we don't have to, hm?"

Akutou nods.

"Th' problem's gonna be that some folks're dead set on pickin' fights," he says. "An' some of 'em can pick 'em awful big as wanna do it.

"Can't even say as I don't un'erstan' why. But I'm glad I'll be back south when this's done, if'n I ain't planted."

He shrugs.

"But then, I ain't got s' much t' go back t' as many here."

A voice in his head says You make an adequate meat shield.

[Jiyo Sora]

"But then, I ain't got s' much t' go back t' as many here."

"Bah, you have your future, Otomo-san. Now that you've traveled so far, no sense in your going right back to where you were before. In fact... you probably wouldn't be able to even if you tried."

[Otomo Akutou]

"Bah, you have your future, Otomo-san. Now that you've traveled so far, no sense in your going right back to where you were before. In fact... you probably wouldn't be able to even if you tried."

"You've got th' right o' that, sir," Akutou replies. "Even goin' back down th' same trail, the game'll've moved on an' all that. But you, y've got a wife an' kids t' home. Th' Young Lord, too. An' a lotta th' folks here've got family waitin' for 'em t' come back.

"Me? I've had a patrol route, an' somebody else's been walkin' it while I've been away. Prob'ly Dan, as I think on it; he were 'bout ready t' start work. A little bit, I've been able t' look at th' more normal underbelly here; there's always one. Ain't done much good."

Meat. Shield.

"I do what all I c'n do. Not sure what's waitin'. Might not be anythin'."

He shrugs. "But that's always th' way."

[Jiyo Sora]

He shrugs. "But that's always th' way."

"Didn't go looking for my wife, Otomo-san. Just ended up in the right place at the right time. How the hell old are you, anyway?"

[Hisomu Reo]

"So, is it the old timers cooking?" Reo asks,pulling out some knives and pulling out his own supplies to help in the process.

His search hadn't turned up much, but an old hand like himself had plenty of dried stores and rations and he had plenty of experience attempting to stretch them out and make them to something approaching edible.

"No fresh meat, but plenty of herbs and some dried ginger and garlic. I can mince some dried fish to serve as a condiment."

[Jiyo Sora]

"Hell, Hisomu-san, better'n I'd manage! In my old days if it wasn't moving we considered it cooked, and it was moving we'd take it under advisement..."

[Otomo Akutou]

Akutou grins as Reo arrives, and he tips his hat to the man.

He's right, Akutou thinks. No sense worryin' 'bout all that. Meat shield'r no.

[Hisomu Reo]

"Hell, Hisomu-san, better'n I'd manage! In my old days if it wasn't moving we considered it cooked, and it was moving we'd take it under advisement..."

"I'd not pass that up some days when we were really hungry. But I was never able to walk far in the winter, so I had better have damn well known how to make food stretch."

Reo also lugs over his pot and set out his knives and starts to work.

"Feeding six kids while most of the budget went to the library...well, I didn't grow rusty."

As he works, it becomes apparent that no, he did not get rusty. It's not fancifully presented, but Reo clearly has practice is stretching basic ingredients and getting the most out of them.

D5 Craft cooking fluff | 6k5-5 ⇒ 64

[Otomo Akutou]

Akutou does what he can to help, which is mostly fetching things and carrying them.

Puts me back in mind of th' dojo, he thinks, and something like a smile touches his lips.

Wonder what it says 'bout me that there's comfort in this.

Meat. Shield.

[Nanzi Ai]

The Crane bushi was in a mood, thinking of her cousin and her handsome paramour, her mother… her father, of romance and love and devotion. After warming up with some soft music she launched into something more soulful..

And other things close to her heart she was not ready to give voice to.

Plus, they could all be dead in a few days, for the Realm.

So, she sang and played a what she hoped was a beautiful song:

“It might not be the right time, I might not be the right one; But there's something about us I want to say 'Cause there's something between us anyway!”

She continued, “I might not be the right one, It might not be the right time; But there's something about us I've got to do… Some kind of secret I will share with you!”

She finished the verse with, “I need you more than anything in my life, I want you more than anything in my life, I'll miss you more than anyone in my life… I love you more than anyone in my life.”

The song continued to flow out of her as she got lost in the melodies…

OOC: Singing | 4k3 ⇒ 28 and Shamisen | 6k3 ⇒ 22

[Otomo Akutou]

Akutou finds himself nodding in time with the music, even as his mind wanders a bit.

Be funny if'n it's th' arts as win ev'rythin' here, he muses. An' I never did do well wi' carvin'.

He takes another stack of dishes where they need to go.

[Jiyo Sora]

Sora, whose skills had never leaned toward performance, debated finding a bucket so that Hoi-Hoi could make a sinister return to the serving line, but opted against it.

He needed to see people.