The Day of Thunder

[Anjing]

From a small alleyway in the village Anjing waits and watches. The evening is drawing to a close and as the village begins to quiet and honest fortunes fearing people go to sleep, she figures there's a chance any ner'do'wells might start to slink around.

Or at least, that's the theory. In between the fog and the sometimes annoying peppiness of the inhabitants she half thought they'd break into a spontaneous gift giving ceremony all night.

With a sigh she rolls her shoulders and stretches herself, working out a kink in her back. All this standing around in the fog was not doing wonders for her mood.

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

Nearby, Ayako guarded Anjing's back as they watched for trouble. They had both heard about the fighting in the farmlands and they made sure to be ready in case it spread into the village itself.

[Anjing]

Nearby, Ayako guarded Anjing's back as they watched for trouble. They had both heard about the fighting in the farmlands and they made sure to be ready in case it spread into the village itself.

After a few more minutes pass in silence broken only by the sound of distant footfalls, Anjing shifts again.

Keeping her voice low, "See anything, Ayako?"

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"Nothing so far," Ayako replied in a low voice. The younger Crab's posture was tense, but she kept eyes up and her voice even.

[Anjing]

"Good....good."

She nods, and a few more minutes pass. The streets continue to be silent and empty.

"Any minute now, if there is evil afoot it will reveal itself."
Scanning the streets again.
"Any minute now."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

Ayako waited and watched for the evil to appear. She scanned to her left, then to her right. Constant vigilance!

LATER:
After a few more minutes of constant vigilance, Ayako ventured, "Well, maybe they drove the bad guys back before they reached town."

[Anjing]

"Mmmmhm. Looks like. I was really hoping something would go past us, even a little monster."
She takes a deep sigh and rolls her neck.

"Right, you don't send good supplies after bad. I'm declaring operation Lotus Listen suspended for now. No sense us standing here the whole night staring at some empty streets. Figure we'd just been patrolling around until morning."

She moves to strap her weapon over her shoulder.
"We should start heading back. You did well though, appreciated having someone I can trust watching my back."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

Ayako's heart swelled at the praise, and she stood a little straighter.

"Of course, Lady Anjing," she said, bowing in acknowledgement. "You know we'd all die for you, if need be."

[Anjing]

"You're much too young to be dying for someone as old as I am. I'll focus on staying alive if you will, okay?"
She smiles tiredly at Ayako as they start to quietly make their way out of the now mostly sleeping village.

"I suppose I should ask if you have anything to report over the last few days? Did you meet anyone who might be a worthy ally in the fights to come?"

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"Quite a few, actually," Ayako said. "It seems like every clan has sent warriors to Blue Lotus Village to hear the revered teacher speak. Let's see: I met a Ki-Rin lady patrolling outside the village, and one of the Spider daimyo in town; she was huge, I'm sure she'll be one of the Champions!"

"There was a kind-of priest philosopher from the Kingdom of Ivory," she recalled. "And a monk and an Imperial librarian, and a Lion warrior. And a healers' apprentice from this village."

"I'd guess that some of these would be good in a fight. Certainly the samurai, anyway," Ayako said. "But from what Shinsei said, I'm not sure a straight-up fight is what we're going to end up facing. What do you think?"

[Anjing]

Anjing listens to the list, asking the odd clarifying question there as they turn down another darkened alleyway.
"You've been busy. Good. You may need those connections now or later in life. Never underestimate what you can learn from outsiders, or the harm they can do."

Her expression becomes slightly pensive at Ayako's question.
"Either we can defeat the enemy with the power of compassion and friendship, or we cannot. And if we cannot you will want to be armed, armoured and standing besides someone similarly garbed."

Shrugging slightly. "Perhaps it will be a matter of purity as the 9 recite prayer. Or maybe they will be expected to see who is the best at underwater basket weaving. But I know that the enemy also sends monsters, and that they are not stopped by love or appeals to reason." Anjing taps her tetsubo. "They are stopped with blood and iron."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"Either we can defeat the enemy with the power of compassion and friendship, or we cannot. And if we cannot you will want to be armed, armoured and standing besides someone similarly garbed."

Shrugging slightly. "Perhaps it will be a matter of purity as the 9 recite prayer. Or maybe they will be expected to see who is the best at underwater basket weaving. But I know that the enemy also sends monsters, and that they are not stopped by love or appeals to reason." Anjing taps her tetsubo. "They are stopped with blood and iron."

Ayako nodded agreement. "I'm no good at underwater basket weaving, but standing in a formation hacking apart monsters is something I can do," she said. "To be honest, I'd welcome a straight up fight. Hacking up the villagers' straw mannequins was all very well, but it'd be nice to be able to do something real against the enemy."

[Anjing]

Snip

"There is still time to learn, not that you should go anywhere near the river."
She steps over some trash, making sure to keep scanning their surroundings as they near the edge of town.

"Fortunes know I'd welcome a fight too. The waiting is always the hardest part. Never understood folks who could just sit there nice and calm throughout it. I can always feel my skin itching and my blood pumping."
Still she needed to set a good example.

"Not that you shouldn't be calm, Ayako. We're both finding ways to use that time to prepare us. After all, any of the Crab could be expected to represent the Clan as a champion. When the time comes the empire will find us ready."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"Not that you shouldn't be calm, Ayako. We're both finding ways to use that time to prepare us. After all, any of the Crab could be expected to represent the Clan as a champion. When the time comes the empire will find us ready."

"It seems certain that you should be our champion, Lady Anjing," Ayako said loyally. "Of course the rest of us should be prepared, just in case. But since you are the highest ranked and most experienced warrior, you seem the most sensible choice."

[Anjing]

"It seems certain that you should be our champion, Lady Anjing," Ayako said loyally. "Of course the rest of us should be prepared, just in case. But since you are the highest ranked and most experienced warrior, you seem the most sensible choice."

Firmly "Any of us, Ayako. Destiny will make its own choice for its own reasons. Just because you are young does not mean it won't choose you."
She gives the other Crab a long look.

"Destiny isn't sensible. People are sensible. Destiny does what it wants how it wants and we just have to try and survive. And I have no doubts that if chose you will prove worthy of your ancestors and your people."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

Firmly "Any of us, Ayako. Destiny will make its own choice for its own reasons. Just because you are young does not mean it won't choose you."
She gives the other Crab a long look.

Ayako looked taken aback. "I... uhh..." She shuffled her feet, unable to contradict a Crab daimyo, especially one who was staring her down.

"Destiny isn't sensible. People are sensible. Destiny does what it wants how it wants and we just have to try and survive. And I have no doubts that if chose you will prove worthy of your ancestors and your people."

"I... I want to prove worthy," the younger Crab managed. "I'll serve if called on... of course I will."

"I only hope that I can be equal to the task."

[Anjing]

Ayako looked taken aback. "I... uhh..." She shuffled her feet, unable to contradict a Crab daimyo, especially one who was staring her down

"I only hope that I can be equal to the task."

"Don't hope. Be equal to it."
After a moment she grins at Ayako shuffles her feet.

"My mother used to give me speeches like that all the time. And now I get to give them to everyone, one of the perks of the position I suppose. But I still remember having her tell me this and that and I just had to take it."
A chuckle as she shakes her head.

"If you ever have kids you can do the same to them, pass on what you've learnt, make it a bit better, a little smarter. That's wisdom right there."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"If you ever have kids you can do the same to them, pass on what you've learnt, make it a bit better, a little smarter. That's wisdom right there."

This got a small smile out of Ayako. "Well, I'm in no great rush to have kids," she said. "I need to do something, make a name for myself or something, before I can settle down. Maybe after that I'll be ready to raise a bunch of short people and tell them what to do."

[Anjing]

This got a small smile out of Ayako. "Well, I'm in no great rush to have kids," she said. "I need to do something, make a name for myself or something, before I can settle down. Maybe after that I'll be ready to raise a bunch of short people and tell them what to do."

"Tssk, you're not much older than my grandchildren. Plenty of time for all the name making."

With a grin.
"Sadly, reckon any kids of yours are definitely gonna be short people unless you find someone proper large. Always seems to work out that way. But being small has plenty of advantages if you know how to use it."

They finally reach the edge of the quiet dark village, the fog billowing in more thickly now from the surrounding farmland.

"Hmmm, everything seems clear. At least what I can see, this cursed fog is as stubborn as a Crab."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"Hmmm, everything seems clear. At least what I can see, this cursed fog is as stubborn as a Crab."

"Clear enough for now," Ayako agreed. "Though with as bold as the attackers were earlier, I don't think we've seen the last of them. We might want to keep doing these patrols, for future nights."