[EE0] - Gathering of Future Heroes - Table 2

[Shiba Haru]

"I think it speaks to Ichiro-san's talent and training that they can speak to the kami without speaking to the kami."

[Shiba Jiro]

"I think it speaks to Ichiro-san's talent and training that they can speak to the kami without speaking to the kami."

Jiro smirked at that, "I agree. They say actions speak louder than words, so he must have said quite a bit to earn the opportunity to participate here."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Or might be the kami are smarter'n we are."

[Shiba Haru]

"Well that is certain, for the moment we remain just children."

[Kaiu Taura]

Taura nods. "Being an adult will be nice in its own way, I suppose."

[Ikoma Aya]

The Ikoma's confidence is by now only preserved in her eyes - and even there, not so clearly. Still silent, she tries to follow the tids and bits of conversation without quite understanding what it's about - talking about the kami... but without talking, apparently?

With three Phoenix involved... that might be one of the things they discuss. She shrugs in her mind, but her body, for now, just moves with slow, somewhat jittery movements as she reaches for some rice and fish.

We will be adults soon.. that part is easier to follow. Not necessarily easier to process, though.

At some point, the thinking and uncertainty finally shows itself more clearly as she eyes some nattou she can't quite reach from where she's sitting.

"Eto..." she looks at the others around. She remembered the Mantis from this afternoon... but she should probably try and properly meet some of the others?

"Ah... I'm sorry to interrupt, Shiba-san", she said. Was that the last one that had spoken? "Could you pass me some of the nattou, please?"

Noticing she hadn't really had a chance to introduce herself, she bows, as properly as her racing mind and sitting position allows her. "Ah, sorry! This one is Ikoma Aya. Pleased to meet you all, I'm looking forward to our time here!"

[Shiba Haru]

Haru was relieved to see that Ikoma was warming to the group.

"If course Ikoma-san." He lifted the platter and moved it closer to her. "I am Shiba Haru, it is an honor to meet you." He said with a slight bow and a wide smile. "How do you find Tsuma?"

[Ikoma Aya]

Haru was relieved to see that Ikoma was warming to the group.

"If course Ikoma-san." He lifted the platter and moved it closer to her. "I am Shiba Haru, it is an honor to meet you." He said with a slight bow and a wide smile. "How do you find Tsuma?"

The Shiba's wide smile is received with a slight relaxing of the are around her eyes, although her movements are still somewhat rigid. "The honour is mine, Shiba-san. And.. thank you very much!", she said, taking the platter with slow-moving hands. "I... can't say I've got to see much of the city yet. The Academy is... imposing, though. Ne, Yukikaze Kasumi-san?", she adds, as if seeking some support from the only one she'd met before - and using the ship name wrongly as one would a family name again - and noticing not long afterwards, which makes her eyes bore into the nattou as if they could make a hole in the platter.

At least this time she didn't call her only by the name of the ship...

"Tsuma..." She pauses a bit, gives a small shrug as her eyes go down to the table. "It's different from what I'm used to, I suppose. But... it's a beautiful city, ne?"

A pause, long enough to be a bit awkward.

"Eh... what do you all think of it?", she adds as she finally gets a serving of the nattou to go with the fish and rice, her movements almost back to normal.

[Shiba Haru]

Snip

"It has certainly met my expectations so far" He said warmly. "Especially the dojo which Kuni-san and I visited earlier today. A grand place full of tradition and legacy to be sure." He glanced over to where the Grey Crane sat. "We walk in the shadow of greats here, one sits just over there. But we are all here because our clans believe we may join those greats."

[Ikoma Aya]

The Lion took the Shiba's words attentively, answering with a slow nod.

"Hai... may we all do our best to meet these expectations, ne?" she said simply - and thoughtfully.

After speaking, her eyes shifted down again, this time boring into her plate.

She talked of meeting expectations, but... how could she?

She quickly wiped her face, as if there were something on her eyes.

Food. Focus on the food.

[Shiba Haru]

The Lion took the Shiba's words attentively, answering with a slow nod.

"Hai... may we all do our best to meet these expectations, ne?" she said simply - and thoughtfully.

"I am certain we all will, our clans believed in us all enough to send us here after all. Though the tests are bound be be difficult we have all been prepared for it and our primary goal is to pass our gempukku not necessarily become the Topaz Champion."

He looked a bit concerned by what her perceived as the Lion's melancholy and glanced at his brother.

[Kaiu Taura]

Noticing she hadn't really had a chance to introduce herself, she bows, as properly as her racing mind and sitting position allows her. "Ah, sorry! This one is Ikoma Aya. Pleased to meet you all, I'm looking forward to our time here!"

"Welcome, Ikoma-san," nodded the young Crab. "This one is Kaiu Taura. She is also looking forward to her time here and meeting people from all across the Empire."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

She quickly wiped her face, as if there were something on her eyes.

Uh-oh...

Aboard ship, Kasumi might have found some small task to either personally suggest to the Ikoma to give her a moment, or at least mention to a superior to assign.

But she wasn't aboard ship.

So she settled for something... else.

"Think Ikoma-san's gonna give us all a run for our money with her weapon skills, anyhow. Hit the dojo hard an' early- some of us're still just getting our land legs! An' she's right 'bout the Academy, it's got a look to it a bit like a storm front movin' in if you're not ready..."

[Ikoma Aya]

The Ikoma, now more or less recomposed (at least apparently), bows to the Kaiu, formally and rigidly.

When she hears the Mantis' words, though, she freezes, somewhat.

Was that... friendliness? Or...

She looked towards the girl. Blinked once. Twice.

Thrice.

"Your..."

A pause.

"Thank you very much, Yukikaze Kasumi-san. Your words are too kind,".

One day she would get used to using just a family name with the Mantis. Maybe.

"We all have our own way of doing so, but we're surely doing our best... ne?"

She couldn't quite keep her eyes on her as she said that. But this time, there was something different on them. Thankfulness? Kinship? The melancholy was almost certainly still there, but...

There was certainly a story there. One that apparently weighed on her even in an occasion such as this.

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Don't think I'd care t'insult any of our sensei by implyin' they'd settle for anything less! If nothin' elkse, Capn' Kaito'd have me cleaning the bilges for a week I did..."

[Kaiu Taura]

"What are bilges?" asked the Crab. "Do you know much about boat-building? This one thinks it would be a useful craft to learn."

[Shiba Ichiro]

Ichiro, their player saddled by life, had smiled and nodded at the appropriate times when the discussion concerned them.

At the mention of the kami they think to possibly interject but it was probably a bit deep of a topic for small... well, not talk... Some other time perhaps.

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Oh, the bilges are the... nasty part of a boat. S'the part that'd be on the ground if you had the boat hauled ashore. S'where any water that the ship takes on collects, an' it gets pretty ripe. Dunno much about building ships, but you gotta know your way around one, y'know?"

[Kaiu Taura]

Taura nods. "This one knows or drains and drainage, important but unpleasant. This one has only seen boats and ships but has never been on one."

[Ikoma Aya]

"Don't think I'd care t'insult any of our sensei by implyin' they'd settle for anything less! If nothin' elkse, Capn' Kaito'd have me cleaning the bilges for a week I did..."

The Ikoma nodded again - even if she had as little clue about what bilges were as the Kaiu. For now she seemed content to hear their exchange.