Hayazo

From Barren Shores: A Fantasy Survival RP

Yukine looked down and frowned when Irial snapped at her about not being a towel. The kitsune hadn't expected her crew mates to be in the best mood, but this was the second time in a matter of minutes that someone was being rude to her. Hopefully this was just a product of everybody being in a bad mood and not a sign of things to come. However, Yukine's eyes lit up when the elf actually decided to be a pal and dry her off. "Yay!" She exclaimed once the water was removed and tossed away. She giggled and did a little twirl. "Thank you! It feels so much better now." She gave Irial a solemn nod when the elf warned her that this was basically a one-time deal, and then she said, "Okay, I'll be careful. I won't waste your generosity." She gave the elf a small bow and then grinned. "And I promise I'll return the favor as soon as I get the chance. We'll probably be spending a lot of time together so I hope we can become good friends."

Yukine was about to offer the elf her hand, but then Irial reminded her what she had wanted to do in the first place. "Oh right! The boat!" With that, she happily skipped through the sand, joining the salvage party and ignoring the soreness in her limbs. Things looked pretty bad, but the one thing she couldn't complain about was the fact that this was already shaping up to be an exciting adventure. Masaru was the first person to enter the wreckage, and then gave the okay to follow him into the ship.

Yukine placed her feet carefully. She had lost her sandals on the boat, and was now walking around barefoot; while her training had given her somewhat calloused feet, a shard of glass was the last thing she wanted to step on. She cautiously sifted through the wreckage, her frown growing ever deeper as she saw all the soaked and ruined supplies. The gravity of the situation suddenly began to sink in on the kitsune. They had no tools, no materials, no food... Screw building anything, they would be lucky if they found what they needed to survive. Just as she was about to abandon hope on finding anything useful, though, she saw a glint of metal.

Yukine pushed several boxes out of the way and started shoving some rubble aside. Then, she let out a sudden shriek. "Ewwww!" She looked around at the rest of the salvaging crew, and gave a nervous laugh, realizing she might have alarmed them. "Hehe... no worries. Just touched a slime ball." She used a broken board to scrape away the sea slime, and then huffed as she moved a heavy beam out of the way. There was her prize. Miraculously in tact, a small scythe that she brought along as part of the farming equipment. "Hmm, it would have been better if it was a hoe, but it'll be useful... if we can grow anything. Hey guys, I think some farming stuff might have been around here. Did any of the seeds make it?" She pulled her scythe out of the rubble and hopped down off of the pile of garbage to see if anyone needed help moving anything.

From Barren Shores: A Fantasy Survival RP

@Hayazo: I mentioned this kinda offhandedly earlier, but autumn. Mid autumn.

@PKMNB0Y

Ahh... so then...

From Barren Shores: A Fantasy Survival RP

@PKMNB0Y So, very relevant question for survival: what season is it? Or at the very least, what season would our characters think it is?

From Barren Shores: A Fantasy Survival RP

Normally, Yukine didn't like it when people were rude to her for no reason, but given the current situation, she could understand why the alchemist girl would be a little grumpy. So, she responded to the girl's quip with a giggle. "Ayato-sama always said you're not really in pain if you have the strength to complain." She flashed Charlotte a friendly smile, and then looked around, happy to see that several others were slowly getting up. She probably should have felt sad for all the people that had undoubtedly died in the wreck, but for now she be happy for whatever companionship she could get. Yukine had a feeling she was going to need it if she wanted to last very long.

The lizard man seemed to be the most ambitious among them. A bit too ambitious for the kitsune's tastes actually. "A port? But we don't even have any food. I agree with Masaru. Let's see if there's anything left in the..." She became immediately distracted seeing the elf woman cast her spell. In an instant, the elf's clothes, hair, and body were all dry. Yukine looked down at her own soggy, dripping kimono, and swished her limp and dripping tail. It was clear that the elf was in a sour mood when she shouted her frustrations out at the ocean. She probably wasn't in a very charitable mood. Still, Yukine sheepishly approached the elf and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Umm, excuse me. I noticed that you know a neat magic spell to get rid of all the water, and as you can see..." She held out her arms, and water seemed to be pouring out of her sleeves in a steady trickle. "I'm all drippy. This is all I have to wear for now, so would you mind?" Yukine pressed her hands together and put on her cutest pouty face, hoping that if the elf had any heart at all, that she would cure her sogginess.

From Barren Shores: A Fantasy Survival RP

When the boat began to rock, Yukine remained on deck. Back in the fields of Ayabukuro, it was rare to get a balance training exercise as challenging as rough seas. People staggered back to their into their cabins while the kitsune giggled, dancing around them and maintaining her footing. Then the water began splashing over the sides of the boat. Her kimono became soggy and heavy, her mouth filled with salt, and her hair became dripping wet. The boat tilted, and Yukine shifted her weight to maintain her balance, but her foot slipped on the wet floor. She stumbled but caught herself by grabbing onto a rope. However, the sea proved to be quite a match for her footwork. The ocean swelled, the boat lurched, and Yukine was nearly thrown overboard. "Oh man, this is getting a little dangerous," Yukine muttered as she hung over the side of the ship, staring at the ever growing waves.

Yukine decided to yield to nature and seek some safety indoors, but the next rock sent her flying back into a wall. Her ears rang from the impact, but her eyes widened when she saw the wall of water towering over the boat. She put up her guard as if a tough opponent was charging at her, but it was an exercise in futility. The water came crashing down on her, pinning her to the wall and knocking the wind out of her. When she opened her eyes, she was on the floor, getting washed to the back of the boat. If she had the energy to, she would have cried out in fear when she saw an even bigger wave looming over her...

* * *

"HEY! WAKE UP! IT'S MORNING!"

Yukine's soggy ears twitched at the oni's call. His voice distant, like an echo, but the sense of urgency in it sparked Yukine's consciousness. Slowly, her senses returned. She was laying down on a rough, but soft, surface. Sand? She curled one of her hands and felt the coarse grains running through it. Definitely sand. She could hear waves crashing nearby, and cold water occasionally rushed past her feet. Was she on a beach? She opened her eyes and tried to push herself off the ground, but that's when the pain kicked in. Her entire body ached as if she had just lost and intense duel. She wanted to just lay there, face first in the sand, until it passed, but then she began to remember what happened.

Yukine rolled onto her back, spat out some sand, took a few deep breaths, and forced herself to sit up. It took a minute for her vision to clear, but when it did she looked over to the source of the voice that had called to her. "Masaru?" Her voice was weak and hoarse, and she would be surprised if the oni could hear her. Then she looked across the beach, and saw several other people lying on the beach. She pursed her lips, fearing the worst, but if she had survived...

Yukine rubbed her head and tried to shake away the grogginess. Now wasn't the time to be weak. Although her body ached, she forced herself to stand and walked over to her ship mates. She cleared her throat so that her voice would at least be audible once she got closer. "Hey, is everyone alright?"

From Barren Shores: A Fantasy Survival RP

So, I think it's safe to assume that all the characters know each other at least a little bit since they were on a ship together.

@PKMNB0YOut of curiosity, how long was the voyage to the continent?

From Barren Shores: A Fantasy Survival RP

Well... We're probably starting tonight

@PKMNB0Y

WOOOO!

From Barren Shores: A Fantasy Survival RP

Name: Yukine Aroi

Age: 22

Race: Kitsune

Appearance: Yukine

Personality: Yukine is a kind-hearted young woman who would rather make friends than enemies. She often acts childish, as she is curious and rather playful to the point where she can come across as a bit annoying. She is quick to be insulted, but just as quick to forgive. However, she has no tolerance for unwarranted cruelty and will stand up for herself or her friends if she has to. She can be a bit air-headed at times, especially when it comes to complicated information, but she is by no means stupid. Rather, she is much better at handling abstract philosophies and seeing things from other people's point of view. Despite her cheerful and aloof demeanor, she is no stranger to hard work, and often surprises people with how much she can get done once she stops goofing off.

Abilities: Yukine was raised from a young girl to be a farmer. She has a green thumb and has worked on large harvests before. Also, as with most kitsune, plants just seem to grow better in her presence. In addition to farming, she was taught a style of martial arts similar to Wing Chun. Despite her diminutive physique, she is a tough girl, and is no stranger to pain or fighting. Likewise, her innate magic as a kitsune grants her strength and agility beyond what a normal human would be capable of as well as impeccable balance. Finally, she has her foxfire, a blue flame that she can summon at will. She is still considered a novice in her magical abilities, though, and the flame is bound to her body; it is primarily used to augment her martial arts.

Salvaged Item: A small scythe, functional as a farming tool or, in desperate situations, a weapon.

History: Yukine is the daughter of a farmer, and was raised from childhood to continue that work. However, even as a child, she expressed interest in the outside world. She would gravitate towards travelers and listen to their stories, and wanted to see the world for herself when she got older. She received martial arts training directly from the elder Ayato, and showed quite a bit of talent for it. She fought in quite a few friendly duels with both girls and boys, and she won more than she lost. However, she soon learned that fighting was not all about fun. Yukine was 14 when she took her first life. A human was upset that her father was asking for a ridiculous trade deal, so he set fire to their farm. Yukine saw this and challenged the man to a duel, but it soon became clear that the human didn't intend to let her live. So, at the first opening, Yukine snapped the man's neck. She was pretty upset about having killed another person, but Ayato consoled her, and it wasn't the last time she killed to defend her home. She was eventually chosen to go on the voyage to the new land for her desire to see the world, her talents in both farming and fighting, and her close relationship with Ayato.

Nation of Origin: Ayabukuro

Nation Lore: Calling Ayabukuro a "nation" is a bit of an overstatement. It is merely a fertile land where the kitsune happen to live. The kitsune have no formal laws or government, but rather defer to their elders for advice and wisdom. The rest of the world has acknowledged it as a nation since the kitsune can become territorial after working hard to till a field, and they will fight off any that try to encroach on their territory. Infighting is common in Ayabukuro, though conflicts between are usually resolved with a one-on-one duel. Deaths in such duels are very rare, and the kitsune have a very strong sense of honor, so the terms of the duels are usually upheld. The kitsune are not seen highly by other nations. Their lack of formal laws and communal lifestyle have made them rather obnoxious tourists. They have been known to trespass and have a very loose sense of personal property, thinking that disagreements should be settled with duels rather than laws. The kitsune have never united as a race in any of the past wars, but individual kitsune have chosen various sides in various wars, giving them a reputation for fickleness. Likewise, the way to do business is seemingly random. The kitsune of Ayabukuro are willing to trade their crops with outsiders, but their deals are either fair or absurd depending on their mood. Ayabukuro is a self-sustaining community, so they see trade as merely "neat" rather than as a tool to obtain necessary goods, or to bolster a non-existent economy. Most other nations see the elder Ayato as the leader of the kitsune, as he is the one who deals with the other nations, and it was his idea to send one of their own on a voyage to the new world.

From Barren Shores: A Fantasy Survival RP

@PKMNB0Y Okay. Did away with water walking and altered the foxfire description.

From Barren Shores: A Fantasy Survival RP

@PKMNB0Y Let me address the cultural thing first. Duels among the kitsune rarely end in death. However, outsiders don't have the same dueling culture and will often try to turn it into a death match, which is what happened. I mentioned that when she was 14, she was upset with this, but the fact that it happened when she was so young is partly why, 8 years later, she is over it. She's not jaded by it, but she has accepted the fact that it is sometimes necessary to kill in self-defense. Also, I meant to imply that she had to kill to defend her home from outsiders, not other kitsune. I just opted not to write a novella describing her emotional journey.

As for the abilities, the ones you have problems with are based on folklore. I'm not sure why you find water-walking problematic. All it does is grant a mode of transportation in a specific situation. But, if it really bothers you I can do away with it. The foxfire, though, is integral to kitsune lore. I made it weaker because yukine is already a hand-to-hand fighter and I didn't want to imbalance the character. The practical function of it would be to augment her martial arts. If you think that the foxfire makes the character imbalanced, I'd be willing to alter it's function, but doing away with it is kind of a deal-breaker for a kitsune character.