"I suppose so," Kyang said, a little less brash about her approach. That name was even more familiar. [i]Who was this woman?[/i] "Waitress?" Kyang clicked her fingers in the air, "A bowl of what she's had, please!"

"So, Torako...dono?" Kyang began, not certain if she should be using that Rikoku honorific, "You're a traveller as well, huh? I was intending to stay here and look for a job. I can read and write in just about all the alphabets, you wouldn't happen to know anyone...?" Kyang trailed off, but before an answer could be provided, a boy sat down across from them both. He looked closer to Kyang's age than Torako's.

"Oh, no problem," Kyang responded, feeling a little chirpier. A local guy was much more likely to know where to go than a tourist. "Do the people around here not see many strangers? I've not felt this watched since the last time I was examined in a tea ceremony." Kyang finally put her helmet on the table and leaned on her elbows. "You a celebrity or something, Torako? Er, dono?" Hopefully this would provide the missing piece in Kyang's mind.

It was then that Kyang heard some excited shouting outside. She twisted to the door to listen. Something about a challenge against the school. Even Kyang knew enough about Mingdu to know what that meant. "Someone's asking for a hiding," she commented.