Heavenfall

"There we get into the consent issue, again." He smiled sadly. "As much as Lady Doji appreciates many forms of art, there are some non-negotiable cultural elements. The bitter-enders will, I think, find something to balk at anywhere." Kaze shook his head. "Hopefully, most will see the value in the E...

Kaze's eyes widened as he blushed crimson. "Oh?! Well, I'm glad. Really...really quite pleased that you like it."

He found himself chuckling. "I had a suspicion that you did." His voice dropped just a little. "I know that I do."

Kaze smiled. "And I, you. But I am sure that if my choice had not suited Lady Doji's will so, that we would find our plans in some trouble. Lord Hantei would still need to agree, as well." He looked up. "Just two more hurdles, Dawei-kun."

"He was very pleased, both for me and for us. I think that he and Lady Doji have been eager for our clans to remain close as the Empire develops, and our marriage would help that." He smiled. "He said that my family and I would always be welcome to visit, so...so I take that as a very positive sign."

"I worry for them." Kaze looked to one side. "In my experience, the unwanted are not treated well. But perhaps that will be different with Lady Shinjo's Compassion to guide us."

Kaze preened at the pet name.

"And I am glad that you are here, too. I...spoke to Nanzi-sama about us. Or rather, he got it out of me. The poetry might have been a give-away." He blushed.

"Hai, that seems true." He nodded slowly. "You know that there are some here who are very afraid of that change. If only they could see it from our side of the divide."

Kaze frowns in sympathy. "We have, I suspect, both done things of which we are not proud. It is difficult to build the skills we have without having done so. And it is difficult, at times, to see one's self as another may see one. For instance, I...often feel like an animal, a dumb beast, but even w...

"I think I understand. It is...or rather, the experiences of others as they make the transition are often difficult for me to predict, because my transition has been so radical. It is comforting, I think, to see that others are seeing the difference. Not everyone I have spoken to is willing to ackno...

"So you have not found your life changing very much from before you joined your clan?"

Kaze turned his head, still resting on his knees, so that he could get a better look at Dawei's face. "You bear it better than I do, it seems, but...the weight feels less with one to share it with." He gently stroked Dawei's knuckle with his index finger. "I want to listen, to help you."

Kaze nodded, his hand reaching up to cover the one on his shoulder. "Hai, I know. But it feels good to be reassured. Thank you, my love."

He looked up at Dawei. "You have not had trouble with sleep, I hope?"

Kaze looks up, alarmed, but quiets down after seeing that it is Dawei. There are dark circles around his eyes, and there are some signs of tears on his cheekbones. "Oh! Ah...I..." He shakes his head. "I...did not see you, Dawei-kun." He took a breath. "Dreams...yes, I dreamt that you...your clan did...

As it happened, Kaze was getting no rest. His sleepless wanderings around the camp had brought him, at last, to the Supply Wagon, where he drifted to sit by one of the wheels. Spot the Dawei=26 He draws his knees up to his chest and rests his head on his forearms. He had lost the battle against the ...

Kaze smiles. "That is very true. So you are...a bandit-hunter for the Scorpion clan?"

"Hai, though the jungle had its faults. Some of us were attacked by a tentacle-beast that emerged from a slime pit in a cave. It struck quite heavily, I must say."

"I have had longer with the spear," Kaze said, nodding. "That is so. I find that I...appreciate the words more, though, even if I am less practiced with them." He turns up his hands and gives a little shrug. "A spear only knows how to say a few things, after all."

"Well, I don't know, Bayushi-san. You speak well enough for this student, at least. And you have been perfectly courteous, so far as I can tell. No need to put yourself down."

"I am...unsure how old I am, but I do not think I am all that old, nor am I young any longer. I was...raised differently."

He frowned. "Pardon me, it is difficult to explain. I was...tribeless. No one to speak to, or to learn language from, so...no speaking."

Kaze shook his head emphatically.

"No! No, Bayushi-san. Not literal, but metaphorical. I followed her about and kept her safe while I learned to speak. I never saw her shadow come to life. Nor any of the other kami's shadows, come to think of it."