Damiann47

[Closed] The Tale of Yokohama

On this particular morning Akane took the time to meditate, a practice that she had somehow diligently kept up with since way back during her training. Her old master had more than adequately hammered this habit into her, and after all this time she hasn't skipped out on a self mandated session. Its funny that she still thought about that old man, but that part of her life was well in the past even though bits of it continued to surface in the present.

She chose a flat stone not that far from the cave mostly since it was sitting in the direct sunlight which made it pleasantly warm to the touch especially against the cold dawn. Akane's breathing slowed as she opened her mind, there was none of that chanting or gestures as the point to mediation was simply to relax. Soon she gradually became a little more aware of her surroundings even with her eyes closed, it wasn't as if her senses have suddenly become superhuman, rather she was simply devoting more attention to what was around her.

This peaceful state continued for a good while before she detected sounds of movement from the cave, the kid must've just awoken. Akane figured there wouldn't be any point in cutting her session short, he can wait for a little while. The she started to hear the sounds of a stick dragging against the dirt, and honestly had no idea what the servant boy could possibly be up to, maybe drawing pictures?

Akane spent the next twenty or so minutes in her meditative before she finally felt it was time to draw this to a close. "So, had enough time to wake up?" She called from her sitting place upon that rock. She was definitely in the open and close enough to the cave that she wouldn't be surprised if the kid had already noticed her just he decided it was best not to bother her, which was probably the most respectful option. Otherwise he must've been very oblivious if she somehow went undetected by him.

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@Dusksong

[Closed] The Tale of Yokohama

A big, white wolf with eyes that practically glow yellow wouldn't exactly be the easiest thing to miss. Akane imminently laid a hand on her sword, yet opted to keep it sheathed for it'll be best if they could avoid a fight with the beast.

"Stand up. Slowly..." She harshly whispered to Saku, "Then back up to me, but don't turn your back on it. Honestly Akane had no idea if anything she was saying was actually sound advice, but she wasn't about to voice that concern unless she wanted the kid to panic.

Masako froze, eyes meeting those of the wolf's. The beast's golden gaze glazed over her, pegging her as small prey in a heartbeat before sliding its gaze up to Akane's eyes. It was still as it took in the ronin, quietly gauging its opponent.

When the wolf's enrapturing gaze left her, Masako felt her adrenaline spike at the danger she was in. Less than five feet away was the blood-thirsty beast that had killed three people in the village Anka lived in, and here she was just crouching in front of its yellow-eyed gaze. Following Akane's instructions, Masako rose slowly, backing up as she did so.

The wolf's gaze flicked back to the girl in front, weighing her again now that she seemed taller and therefore more of a threat, but it still deemed that the servant-garbed girl was no threat. Silently, it backed up and disappeared into the bushes, its dangerous golden-yellow gaze lingering for a split second after the wolf's glowingly white coat faded from view.

Akane let out a breath and allowed her hand to slide away from her sword. Well it seemed they wouldn't be caught in a desperate battle with a beast of that caliber. Even then she didn't move a muscle until she was sure the wolf wouldn't be returning, it wasn't until after perhaps five minutes of careful listening until she finally lowered her guard.

"We're leaving." Akane flatly stated. This wasn't so much as a suggestion but a command. Rather abruptly she grabbed Saku's wrist to drag the kid away from this dangerous place, the ronin being so focused to leave that she didn't even noitce the feminine shape of the hand in her grasp.

Masako followed--or was dragged by--the ronin further into the forest in the opposite direction the wolf had disappeared to. After a initial hesitance, Masako let herself be led into the woods, relieved that the ronin hadn't noticed how smooth her hands were. When she was younger, she'd learned that the quickest way to tell the difference between a life of luxury and a life with lack of. A servant of hers had taught her this--an innocent girl around her age at the time who had murmured in an off-hand comment: "You have such smooth hands, Masako-san. Not like mine at all."

Saki, her name was, and her hands looked like they'd been to the edges of the world and back, lined with callouses and dry skin. Indeed they were similar to Akane's hands, except the callouses on the ronin's were much more weathered and spoke more of training and hardships than a young servant girl's would.

Soon enough the moon had risen and the sun was completely out of sight. ”We should probably find a place to stop soon,” Masako said to the ronin, looking around at the already dark surroundings. Akane had released her hand a while back, but they'd kept up the frenzied pace without a word. Although Masako wasn't good with direction nor distance, she'd wager that they were a few kilometers away from the stream where she'd had a close brush with death.

Akane was too focused on making some distance that she notice how far they've walked that night had already set. Luckily Saku spoke up and that was enough to stop the woman from continuing forward.

"Uh... yeah... yeah, you're right." Akane sighed in response, "Right here should be fine... let's get a fire going." With that she went off to find some decent tender while she assumed Saku would retrieve some proper wood for fuel much like how they arranged their last fire on the previous night.

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@Dusksong

Let's Tell a Story (Got cookies... maybe.)

Bump I guess.

[Closed] The Tale of Yokohama

Akane yet again couldn't quite figure out the kid, one moment it seemed he really wanted to help the villagers, but the next he's perfectly fine to move on. As the pair continued to walk along the road, the ronin didn't pay much attention to her surroundings, for one there was no point in depressing herself, but also a dirt poor village like this was the norm. If anything it was much worse nowadays, as the threat of invasion from the north grew the various lords that rule these villages have pulled their men and resources. No help from the state for growth, and no protection from bandits is a lethal combination, hell Akane wouldn't be surprised in this village doesn't last into the next year. Grim stuff, however it wasn't like a single sword could turn it all around.

"We continue walking, probably will make camp before it gets dark. If there's one thing thugs like its vulnerable travelers on a dark road." Akane responded to answer the kid's question.

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@Dusksong

Lost Cards of Broken Paradise

Son of a bitch we really do only have drugs. I'm still really suspicious of that pink pill...

[Closed] The Tale of Yokohama

Akane very well couldn't miss that frown from her companion, it seemed her assumptions were spot on... unfortunately. After the villages left them alone, Saku didn't waste a moment in questioning the ronin and of course his concerns were on potential deaths that might come from leaving a wolf wandering the wilderness. It was funny though Anka had a point wolves had long been hunted to nothingness so for one to appear now was... interesting.

The ronin sighed. "What happens to these people doesn't really concern us, they have plenty of hunters so I'm sure they'll be able to put it down." Akane shifted her gaze to the kid, looking right into his widened eyes. "Besides, fighting a beast like this is very different from fighting another man, and even more dangerous I'd wager."

Saku mumbled something to himself, which Akane didn't quite catch, but still understood the gist. In response she rubbed her temples and once again sighed. "Do you really want to stay behind?"

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@Dusksong

[Closed] The Tale of Yokohama

"Hmm?" Akane looked back at Saku, and then the woman who was apparently named Anka. Were they asking her if she would take part in their hunt? That seemed worrying, mostly that they were willing to take in a stranger, much less a ronin of all people. "I have to say no, we're simply passing through and I would rather not get involved."

Still as Akane examined it the scene around it, she had to admit they were really mobilizing for something big, a lot more than just an everyday hunt for a silver colored wolf. "Although you are putting some real effort into this hunt, is the beast that dangerous?" She question, yet still preferring to keep out of this business. Fighting men was simple, it didn't take much to get in someone's head to predict what they'll do, but a beast was a different story.

Akane also had to wonder what Saku would want to do, even though their partnership was anything but permanent they should still agree on what to do as a pair. Honestly she had a feeling that they boy would want to help the village out, not without uncertainty just it felt like something the kid would do. Haven't voiced your thoughts yet." She looked down at her companion.

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@Dusksong

Let's Tell a Story (Got cookies... maybe.)

@arockysmith@SinfulSkills

Well I would've really preferred if you both sent me PMs as I've mentioned in my thread, that part was big, bold and underlined by the way. So let's take this into PMs.

Let's Tell a Story (Got cookies... maybe.)

Another bump.

[Closed] The Tale of Yokohama

True enough, over the night Akane thought about what she should do about Saku, and honestly she couldn't just leave the kid alone with a clear conscious. He was just... odd, so naive yet completely indifferent to death itself, not exactly what you expect some an everyday servant boy. This wasn't part of her plans, and she seriously didn't want to take on an extra body... at the very least Akane had to hope she didn't just make a very, very stupid decision.

"Your coin belongs to you, I'm not someone who takes jobs like this, and I don't live off of handouts." Akane refused the money, "Nor do I consider us to be permanent partners either, so it would not make sense to combine our money." The ronin explained in a matter of fact way, when material wealth is added into any situation it always complicates matters, and besides she still didn't want to deal with potentially dirty money; the boy standing before her was still a mostly unknown stranger, she couldn't forget that.

Akane pushed past Saku to retrieve her kimono and to start redressing. "Well north is a good enough direction as any I suppose."

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@Dusksong