What. (Day 1 EE)

[Ko]

"I thought that's how everyone washed..." Ko muttered half to herself as she grabbed a rough cloth and a bucket. "Gods... well, gods aren't everyone, then." It was a bit comforting to know this strange cauldron device came from the heavens, and that mere fellow mortals weren't strange-and-different enough to have come up with it on their own.

Scrubbing and rinsing her hair was something to do to put off climbing in the big cooking pot--and it was a familiar routine in the midst of strangeness, although admittedly she wasn't used to doing it with heated water when it was already warm outside.

She kept half an eye on the marvelous rat-creature, partly because she was curious and partly in case Nezumi and Seidou started going at it again.

[Seidou Satone]

"I usually give a scrub before coming in to soak, but I'm not sure what the proper way to use it is, to be honest. I just know the warm water feels good."

[Ninube]

"This is my first time. So, I could be doing it wrong. But it does feel nice." She looks at the Nezumi and realized doesn't know it's name. Nor did she give hers since she was caught making sure her stuff wasn't going to be stolen.

"I'm Ninube." She says to the group. And then to the Nezumi specifically, "Do your people have something like this?"

[Ik’tch'krit]

"It is fine-fine. I am of the tough-tough variety. Hurt feel-feels are not too bad." The Nezumi then had a brilliant idea of dipping his face into the water. It wasn't too comfortable, though, so he came back out and started scrubbing his face. "No-no, this brilliant invention! Must find ways to copy without killing so many tree-trees."

[Ko]

"But it's hot water. You can't make heat without a fire," Ko points out, stubbornly practical. She dunks her washcloth in her bucket and swipes a last streak of dirt off her ankle.

[Seidou Satone]

"Well, if you promise you are here on good behavior, then I suppose I should not be so wary of you. I am Satone, of the tribe Seidou. Or what's left of it at least. Most of my people joined up with the fallen god who wooed Anjing."

Her tone is somewhat contemptuous and snide.

"As far as heating, there are other ways than just using a fire, though they are not practical often. There are some sots in the mountains that can generate quite a great deal of heat."

[Ko]

Since everyone seemed to be making self-introductions, Ko volunteered, "And I name myself Ko."

She padded over to the tub and dipped a now-clean foot in the water, experimentally. "Um. But... I heard the Seidou and the Kami's Crab Clan are the same people. Was that a wrong-telling?"

[Ik’tch'krit]

"I am Ik'tch'krit!" he squeaked. The Nezumi did his best to do a bow inside water. That was the human custom, after all. It was hard to keep his neck back enough, though, to not dunk his nose into the waters.

Afterwards, he laid back once more, relaxed and fully taking in the warmth in his fur. "Perhaps some sort of magic would help."

[Seidou Satone]

“Not wrong, but not exactly true either. The majority of the Seidou followed Anjing when she married Hida, and thus swore to follow Hida, thus becoming Crab.”

Satone grimaces a bit at the explanation.

“I’m still just Seidou. I didn’t marry Hida, and why should I follow him just because he’s a god? Supposedly there’s 9 of them, what makes him best for me?”

[Ko]

"Itch... Ick... Uch.... um..." It took Ko several tries to manage to say "Ik'tch'krit," but she kept going stubbornly for the awkwardly long interval it took, knowing she'd never even remember the strange name if she couldn't say it right. Right-ish. Somewhere in the vicinity of right.

"I don't know. Did you compare him to the other ones? Have you met them too?" She eyed Satone curiously.

[Seidou Satone]

"I have not, hence why I can't know if he's the best or not. "

Satone rubs some warm water over her shoulders and rolls them, a smile crossing her face.

"Though, why do we even need to follow them? We were doing pretty fine on our own"

[Ko]

"Not everyone can say that."

By now Ko was sitting right at the edge of the tub, no more than waist-deep, though her pale skin was already flushing from the heat. It was a weird sensation, warmer even than being immersed in a sun-warmed tide pool at high summer--the only experience to which she could even begin to compare it.

"People say these Kami have helped many who needed it." There was a distinct, curious enthusiasm in her voice now. "Some of the people I met while I was coming here even told me the Seidou lost many warriors to ogres and trolls before they became the Crab Clan. And that their Hida is very brave and cunning in battle." She trailed her fingers in the water. "Did you meet him, at least? What is he like? They said he looks like a man, but... not."

She glanced at Ik'tch'krit. "More like a man than you, that is."

[Ik’tch'krit]

Ik'tch'krit wrinkled his nose. "They seem like man-things to me-me. But I have not met-met any of them yet-yet." He looked to the humans with him and then shrugged. "Seems like man-things from above could help-help with big problem."

[Seidou Satone]

Satone looks at the Nezumi.

"Big problems? Like your people invading and attacking? Or something else?"

She tries to make her tone more of a question than an attack, but the words still have a bite to them. Grudges are hard to overcome, after all.

[Ko]

"What?"

The conversation has gone out of range of Ko's contextual knowledge again.

"It... uh, he isn't attacking anyone. He's taking a bath."

[Seidou Satone]

Satone sighs and sinks down into the water, it coming up to her nose. She blows a few bubbles in frustration before sitting up again.

"You are right. Our two tribes have just been at war for a long time. Bathing with a historic enemy is a unique sensation, and one that I am struggling with overcoming. Forgive my rudeness."

[Ninube]

"I have met Shinjo. She seemed nice. I haven't met my god, Fu Leng yet, but" she shrugs, "eh, what does it matter? I get fed regularly. The way I see it the gods are doing better than we were without them."

[Ko]

You serve somebody you've never met? Ko's expression probably telegraphs some of the confusion in this thought as she slides a bit deeper into the water. In a village this size, I guess it's possible...

"Did he help your people somehow?" She glances from Ninube back to Satone. "What about this Hida?"

[Seidou Satone]

"If you consider wooing the strongest woman leader in our tribe help, then sure."

Satone looks at Ninumbe curiously, eager to hear the answer to Ko's question.

[Ninube]

"I suppose that depends on how lusty she was for the men of your tribe....."