Heavenfall

"I am certain that the finished version will be even better," she chuckles. "This one looks forward to hearing what ghastly and fearful song is devised."

"I hope it will not be needed, but if necessary, to frighten away nezumi slavers... I will do my utmost to seem as fearsome as I can."

A pause.

"So... you said your tribe had some... customs about ghosts... do you have other traditions? Interesting festivals or traditional arts?"

"Yes, but this one does not remember most of them.
She spent the past decade living on the outskirts of her village, lest her companion endanger the others."

There's a slight shrug and a sigh. "They made music sometimes, so that was enjoyable. This one does not know if they had other arts."

"A whole decade... you must surely have had something to pass the time?"

She pondered that. "It seems... lonely. Did anyone come to visit you?"

"This one would walk in the forest, or sometimes sing a bit. It was lonely." There's another shrug. "The villagers would often need help with ghosts or speaking with elemental spirits, or they would ask this one to divine their futures. Some would stop by and visit for a time, but they did not make a habit of it."

"I'm sorry to hear that... I can't imagine being alone so long."

She quirked her head. "You said you plan to go back, do you think you will be allowed to rejoin the tribe, or do you plan to be... alone again?"

"So long as this one's companion remains with her, she will most likely be forced to live apart. But the tribe still takes care of her and brings her food, so it is not the worst fate."

"Do you want to settle for... not the worst?"

Ryoko meddled, unreservedly.

"You seem like you have rare talents, after all."

"Haka is amazing," she laughs. "But she tries not to be too hopeful about the future. She has seen glimpses of it from time to time, and none of them are very happy for very long."

"Well, glimpses are not a good look."

Ryoko gave an affirming nod. "If fate is bad, then we'll just have to change it."

"Or will trying to change it merely being about such fates?" She lowers herself more fully into the water. "Fate can be slippery. The more some people chase something, the more it eludes them."

"If you decide you have no choice, I suppose you don't have to risk failing..."

Ryoko pondered that in silence.

"It just seems, to me, it is better to try - after all, the worst that can happen is the bad thing you were worried about... but you might get something better!"

"Or worse could happen!" Haka smirks, then turns and starts floating toward the bath's edge. "It is time for this one to leave this comfortable bath. It was a very entertaining conversation, so many thanks are given."

"Ah, of course..."

Ryoko couldn't help but wonder if this Haka was always so gloomy - perhaps it came with being a ghost talker?

"I hope I didn't trouble you. Perhaps we will speak again on our journey south."

"No, wlit was much enjoyable! This one is looking forward to speaking with Bath Woman again in the future."

Haka reaches the edge of the bath and lifts herself up out of the water and into a sitting position. "Which way is this one's clothing? She got a bit distracted by the talking and lost track."

Ryoko glanced about, and then offered, "To your right, a few paces. Would you like me to fetch it?"

She was happy to stew a while longer, but not willing to sit by if she could be useful.

"No, that should be enough, many thanks." Haka crawls over to her clothes, retrieves her clothes, and gets dressed.

"This one looks forward to meeting with the bath woman again."

"Of course, perhaps we will find more interesting new things, as we head south."

Ryoko waved, and then realized it was... not super useful.

"Till then, I guess!"

"Farewell!" Haka slowly makes her way out of the bath...and into destiny! Or at least the sunlight.

/scene?

Ryoko settled back into the water, stewing happily.

/scene