Heavenfall

Sora returned to the riverside. It had been pretty crowded that morning, all things being equal, but hopefully, enough people were eating the evening meal right now to get a little elbow room.

He supposed he could have gone for a drink at the brewery, but given how things had gone the last time Hikaru had gone for a drink in a building anywhere near Hida, that was probably best avoided.

Let's see if these southlanders can make beer and not just monkey's piss.

He carried a skin of the local brew, and took in the scenery.

No Hikaru ever really though of nature as an ally- the Spine of the World was too cruel for that- but that didn't mean it wasn't beautiful, and a source of life.

It just meant that the awareness of potential death was always present.

He took a pull and thought of one of the old songs. Then he started in on it.

His singing voice was awful, but that wasn't what mattered.

Besides, any Seidou hearing a Hikaru song in their lands and complaining could get fucked.

Atrocious singing was a trademark Kozan could easily recognise. Venturing away from the Seidou sprawling squats and farmlands, which appealed to him much less than the nature's severity, not unlike to Sora, he was carrying a beer skin that was from way up north. Xiao Bao trotted in some distance behind him as he approached his long-time-no-see-kinsman.

"Lang time na see, kinsman!" He bellowed.

Sora's song trailed off as he felt the smile overtaking his face.

"Now I KNOW that's not Shinjo Koyama, because Shinjo Koyama is married to a fine woman with way better places to be than within a mile of MY stinking carcass! I must be hallucinating from some Seidou brewing mistake!"

"That's maybee aye,the Seidou dram some herbal jobby, bit amurnay opposed tae some journey doon th' memory lane fur auld lang syne." He smirked as he approached. ""If ye wouldnae dram wi' Koyama, dram wi' Kozan."

"Now, Kozan.... there's an absolute jerk, worthy of my presence!"

He unstoppered the skin and took another long pull, then held it out.

"It's a pale shadow of what we can get up north, but any creek in a drought, eh?"

"Better taste something guid afore hings git gloomy. Sae hae this." He handed to Sora his own half-full beer skin.

Sora took a long pull.

"Mother of twelve BASTARDS, that hits the spot."

He passed the skin back to his friend.

"Been a busy day, kinsman. Been a busy day. How're you and yours looking at what lies ahead?"

"My guidwife is itching tae git her brother back fae thare. A'm 'ere tae support her in it even though th' roar o' inlaws fae her side is awready a bawherr overwhelming." Kozan smirked, taking the skin over. "Hings we dae fur love."

He drank, then produced a bowl and poured some into it to put it under a tree for the raccoon.

"I hae na idea whit lies ahead. Bit ah think it kin be mauled thro' lik' anythin' else."

"Well... pretty sure we're in for a hell of a fight if it comes to that, but we might want to listen to the shugenja on this too. You met any Nezumi yet?"

""Ye say it lik' a hell o' a rammy is a ill thing." He scoffed. "You mean muckle rats? Ainlie heard o' thaim. Ye?"

"Met one. Seems a good sort, for a bipedal rat carrying an axe about as big as I am. Bet he's quite an item in a fight."

"Then it doesnae hurt tae let thaim rammy alongside us if thay see reason in it." He shrugged. ""if thay dinnae, let me ken it."

"Of course."

He sighed, looking to the south.


"This is going to be messy, Kozan."

"Guid or ill kind o' messy?" He snarled. "Why am ah even asking. Ye hae seen omens or something?"

"Not as such- but all these people, heading into danger without even understanding each other, let alone what we face? No way it's gonna go smoothly."

He took another pull of beer.

"Then tis aff tae gang gritty. 'n' that is braw. Smooth doesn't cop guid."

Koyama drank as well.

"Dinnae fash that muckle. Thare ur guid hings in it."

"If nothing else, we'll get to tangle with enemies that need killing again."

"Aye. Fur that we dram."

/fade to alcohol?

[/Boooooooooooze!]