Day 0 [EM] Enter the Adult World (Closed/Expecting)

[Suzume Rin]

"Something like that." Hirame said, waving a hand casually. Really, he couldn't explain the particulars, it just seemed right to him.

"Hmmm..." Hirame frowned as he considered that. "I mean, I guess so. Although it'd be nice to have a room by myself." He shook his head. "But it doesn't matter, I heard there's another Mantis, anyway."

He gave her a friendly nod of the head. "Do you know if there are any Sparrow? I guess if they're putting all the minor Clans together, you could have all sorts of company!"

"No other Sparrow but...well, I don't know which of the other minor clans have representatives. I've always wanted to meet a Badger or a Hare. Maybe there's a Cat? They act out stories so that would be interesting. Although I think they're also meant to be unorthodox?"
Then again, so were Mantis. And where was the fun in meeting new orthodox people?

"I wonder what the food will be like? Do you think they have yams?"
Now she was thinking about it, there had been some growing near the road a ways back...hmm, maybe she could go collect a few later.

[Funegao no Hirame]

"I haven't met any of those either." Hirame admitted. "I mean, I've met a lot of people, but not those Clans. That's part of the fun of festivals like this, eh?" Another quick flash of a grin.

"Probably something traditional." Hirame said with a tiny shrug. "Rice, fish..." He frowned, looking at Rin. "What's a yam?"

[Suzume Rin]

"I haven't met any of those either." Hirame admitted. "I mean, I've met a lot of people, but not those Clans. That's part of the fun of festivals like this, eh?" Another quick flash of a grin.

"Probably something traditional." Hirame said with a tiny shrug. "Rice, fish..." He frowned, looking at Rin. "What's a yam?"

Rin blinks, clearly unsure how to process the question.
"Yams are...yams. You know, like tubers. Hold on, I still have a few on me."
She starts digging through her saddle bags before unwrapping some rather battered looking roughly cylindrical objects.
"They can keep you going as long as you need."

[Funegao no Hirame]

Hirame frowned at it. "Oh, okay. Food." He continued to frown at it. "What's it like? Good? Is it a delicacy?" This last was said hesitantly. It certainly didn't look like a delicacy. It looked like something they could use to plug a hole in the ship.

[Suzume Rin]

Hirame frowned at it. "Oh, okay. Food." He continued to frown at it. "What's it like? Good? Is it a delicacy?" This last was said hesitantly. It certainly didn't look like a delicacy. It looked like something they could use to plug a hole in the ship.

"What does ma always say? Yams ain't the fanciest, but they make you the fullest? It's sort of a staple food in places where there isn't a lot of other food. Don't mean they taste bad though! Lotta things you can do with yams."
She waves it around as if to demonstrate
"Baking 'em is the obvious, but you can mash them up, put them in soups, even make yam tea if you're so inclined."

[Funegao no Hirame]

"Oh, okay, I get it." Hirame said, nodding. "How does it do when it gets a bit wet? Anything that gets too soggy or grows mold easily has a real problem on a ship."

Reaching into his own bag, he pulled out a bit of dried fish. "This is what we travel with. And catch along the way." He grinned. "I mean, the ocean's right there! I even brought my rod with me here." He jerked a thumb towards his rather sizeable traveling pack. "Not sure I'll do much fishing while I'm here, but you never know, eh?"

[Suzume Rin]

"Oh, okay, I get it." Hirame said, nodding. "How does it do when it gets a bit wet? Anything that gets too soggy or grows mold easily has a real problem on a ship."

Reaching into his own bag, he pulled out a bit of dried fish. "This is what we travel with. And catch along the way." He grinned. "I mean, the ocean's right there! I even brought my rod with me here." He jerked a thumb towards his rather sizeable traveling pack. "Not sure I'll do much fishing while I'm here, but you never know, eh?"

"Uh...well, no yam is infallible and you definitely don't want'em damp for long. Probably why the Mantis don't use yams."
Rin's eyes light up first at the fish 'food!' but then again at the rod.

"You're a fisher too? Well, I guess that makes sense, if you're on a boat fishing must come up a lot. But I love fishing too, got this nice rod from my cousins once and I fish whenever I can."
After all, fishing was just standing around until food jumped at you.

[Funegao no Hirame]

"Oh yeah? That's great!" Hirame's features were already plenty bright and animated, so mostly they just shifted a little. "Well, hey. This is a port city. There's gotta be some good spots for fishing. Let's give it a try sometime. See what we can catch, eh?"

He rolled his shoulders casually. "Of course, don't be surprised if I can catch a bigger fish. I mean, I do spend most of my time on the ocean, so it'd be only natural..." His hazel eyes glinted playfully as he looked at her, his teasing transparent and good-spirited.

[Suzume Rin]

"Oh yeah? That's great!" Hirame's features were already plenty bright and animated, so mostly they just shifted a little. "Well, hey. This is a port city. There's gotta be some good spots for fishing. Let's give it a try sometime. See what we can catch, eh?"

He rolled his shoulders casually. "Of course, don't be surprised if I can catch a bigger fish. I mean, I do spend most of my time on the ocean, so it'd be only natural..." His hazel eyes glinted playfully as he looked at her, his teasing transparent and good-spirited.

Rin had trained in a hard sibling tease school.
"I'm sure you will, you can add it to the five I catch in that time and we'll eat them together."
Almost on instinct she goes to stick out her tongue but turns it into a somewhat cocky head raise.

"I'll hold you to your offer Mantis-sama."

[Funegao no Hirame]

Hirame laughed. "Alright, Suzume-san. You're on."

He tilted his head, considering. "So, who wins, then? Biggest fish? Most fish? Most fish by weight instead of count? I guess we could do all of them at the same time, even, although it seems like it'd be easy to sweep 'em."

[Suzume Rin]

Hirame laughed. "Alright, Suzume-san. You're on."

He tilted his head, considering. "So, who wins, then? Biggest fish? Most fish? Most fish by weight instead of count? I guess we could do all of them at the same time, even, although it seems like it'd be easy to sweep 'em."

"Why not two out of three? One point for the biggest fish, the most fish and the heaviest catch all up. That way you can't win by just catching minnows or waiting for the one big fish...This will all be a bit awkward if the fishing isn't good though."

[Funegao no Hirame]

"Why not two out of three? One point for the biggest fish, the most fish and the heaviest catch all up. That way you can't win by just catching minnows or waiting for the one big fish...This will all be a bit awkward if the fishing isn't good though."

"Hey, no problem." Hirame grinned. "If there's only two fish, I'll catch one, and you can catch the other one. Then we just have to see which one's bigger." His tone managed both joking and confident.

Turning, he glanced to the line. It seemed there was some problem with the merchant, and all of the attendants were having to go through again. "That is, if we ever get back into the city." He groaned.

[Suzume Rin]

"Hey, no problem." Hirame grinned. "If there's only two fish, I'll catch one, and you can catch the other one. Then we just have to see which one's bigger." His tone managed both joking and confident.

Turning, he glanced to the line. It seemed there was some problem with the merchant, and all of the attendants were having to go through again. "That is, if we ever get back into the city." He groaned.

"We should definitely do that."
Following his gaze to where a merchant was protesting the feet tax being applied to his bees.
"Are all cities like this? You have to lineup and wait to go inside? What if you're running late or it's raining?"

[Funegao no Hirame]

Hirame chuckled, smiling. "It depends. Big cities have more checkpoints, and more people checking them, so it doesn't take as long. Or, it usually doesn't. I think this place just usually gets one or two people a day."

He shook his head. "Of course, when we're making port, sometimes we have to wait a day or more, or go aboard in shifts. I guess a lot of places take exception to Mantis sailors wandering around their city." His brow furrowed a bit when he said that, as though chewing on something sour.

[Suzume Rin]

Hirame chuckled, smiling. "It depends. Big cities have more checkpoints, and more people checking them, so it doesn't take as long. Or, it usually doesn't. I think this place just usually gets one or two people a day."

He shook his head. "Of course, when we're making port, sometimes we have to wait a day or more, or go aboard in shifts. I guess a lot of places take exception to Mantis sailors wandering around their city." His brow furrowed a bit when he said that, as though chewing on something sour.

"Ummm...."
Rin looks down and then up, then appears to see something extremely interesting in the middle distance which she peers at for a few long moments
"Well, the one I know seems like a good samurai? Sometimes folk are out there judgin' before they're knowin'?"

[Funegao no Hirame]

Smiling, Hirame gave Rin a nod. If he noticed the pause, he didn't remark on it. "Thanks. I certainly do my best." He tilted his chin up proudly, letting his hair catch the breeze. On the prow of a ship, it would have looked very dramatic. Here, it looked alright.

After a moment, he shook his head. "Well, as it happens, you fit my idea of a Sparrow samurai in at least one way. Stories! How many do you think you know?"

[Suzume Rin]

Smiling, Hirame gave Rin a nod. If he noticed the pause, he didn't remark on it. "Thanks. I certainly do my best." He tilted his chin up proudly, letting his hair catch the breeze. On the prow of a ship, it would have looked very dramatic. Here, it looked alright.

After a moment, he shook his head. "Well, as it happens, you fit my idea of a Sparrow samurai in at least one way. Stories! How many do you think you know?"

"Gosh, how many of 'em? Well...huh. I dunno. I got stories for when the going is good and when the going is hard. Stories for kids and stories for older folks. Kids are easier though, you really just gotta get the voices right and keeping things moving. I definitely don't know all the stories, and certainly not as many as any of the sensei. Although sometimes I think they just made 'em up though, on account of them always having a really fitting story for whatever was happening at the time."
She squints at the memory.

"But I'm not that unusual, as you say, pretty much every Sparrow has stories."
Pause
"Hey, what do you mean one way? I'm very Sparrow, one of the Sparrowiest."

[Funegao no Hirame]

"Well..." Hirame winced. "That's one of two things that I know about Sparrow. That they have a lot of stories. The other is that they're poor." He shrugged apologetically. "I mean, you're also not coastal, so between that and the other thing, we just don't deal with Sparrow a lot."

He cleared his throat. "Mantis do enjoy stories, though." He offered.

[Suzume Rin]

"Well..." Hirame winced. "That's one of two things that I know about Sparrow. That they have a lot of stories. The other is that they're poor." He shrugged apologetically. "I mean, you're also not coastal, so between that and the other thing, we just don't deal with Sparrow a lot."

He cleared his throat. "Mantis do enjoy stories, though." He offered.

"Poor...uh...yeah...yeah people do say that."
Rin fusses with her sleeves, now rather conscious of the quality of her clothes.

"Guess it ain't really wrong, so you know, that's fair. And really, the whole point is honourable poverty so it's kind of a good thing? At least from a certain point of view."
Yeah, go poverty!

Still, there's a slight pause before she ventures:
"I bet Mantis have all kinds of tales about strange places they've been and people they've met?"

[Funegao no Hirame]

"Yeah. Sure." Hirame nodded agreeably. "I mean, as long as you have what you need, right? It's deeds that are important!" Although he did appreciate that his sharkskin jacket made him look good while he accomplished deeds...

Tilting his head, he regarded her with a crooked smile. "We sure do. I've been to every city up and down the coast. And all sorts visit Gotei city. And we do sometimes go even beyond that." There was a bit of an eyebrow waggle at that.