[D8 LE, Expecting] The Wind and Shore

[Shiba Jiro]

"Yeah. Most things worth having take work, pain, sacrifice or all three. And sometimes it just doesn't line up."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"An'besides."

She crooked another smile.

"Nothin' lasts."

[Shiba Jiro]

"True. We're all going the same place eventually. Only have this life," he says. "Have to appreciate the things we experience in it."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"So."

She sighed.

"With the maudlin stuff outta th'way... reckon I'll need t'find someone else t'write that pillowbook, yeah?"

[Shiba Jiro]

"I... don't know. Maybe? Probably. Not necessarily. I mean, it wouldn't be fair to do any self insertion, but I would still love to hear about your adventures and write them out. Right?" He seems to legitimately consider the idea of recording her adventure a good one.

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"I'll be sure t'fill my letters with th'good stuff. All th'fightin' an' storms an' th'like."

She paused.

"Well. Not all th' storms. We kinda ignore th'little ones."

[Shiba Jiro]

"That is the exciting stuff. The good stuff is yor thoughts and feelings. I want your story, not just a story, you know? That is what I have always wanted from you, because it's what makes you who you are and I like who you are."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Be prepared for a lotta 'so that was normal,' then."

She grinned, almost but not quite hitting the flirtatious edge they'd both agreed was over with.

"I tend t'leave philosophy t'others."

[Shiba Jiro]

"We haven't known each other long, but you know I want the truth according to you. Whatever your honest feelings are, share them in your stories and letters. Color in your language is certainly not looked down on by me... I love it, because it's your expression." He smiled widely.

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Be prepared for a lotta complaints about food, then."

[Shiba Jiro]

"Go for it. Our hero refuses to suffer in silence through the chefs terrible torture of the crew."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Even if th'chef's just payin' back th'crew's abuse?"

[Shiba Jiro]

"But who began the ancient feud between sailor and chef?"

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Oh, th'sailors. One day, they set one'a their own aside and said, 'you do th'cookin', y'sad bastard."

[Shiba Jiro]

"So it was betrayal and condemnation to the fires of the kitchen," he says with a nod. "But it does sound like they have embraced the role in order to get their revenge."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"What choice were they given?"

[Shiba Jiro]

"None. They had to put a shell around their heart like a pot around their stew. The only way they could make it through..."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"F'rever alone, forced t'walk the forlorn confines'a th'galley..."

[Shiba Jiro]

"Searching for the ingredients for the perfect dish that would finally end the incessant complaining from those they serve."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Knowing they'll never find it..."