Day 3 LM - Take Me To Your Leader

[Anjing Xia]

"Nothing wrong with being the one who remembers history, if that is what brings you joy in life, Xia," the Dragon said in an almost motherly tone.

"But don't think you aren't worthy of taking your own place in history. Fortunes favor the mortal man, and you can shape your own destiny."

With just a hint of bitterness
"Well, someone has to write the histories."

But trying to be more lighthearted
"Perhaps we'll see about that destiny. This expedition is probably going to change everything, even if it changes nothing."
Xia shoots a glance out the tent opening and towards the south
"Togashi-sama, your clan, they are meant to be very wise. Do you know what we're going to find? What is going to happen?"

[Togashi Saruko]

She noticed the young woman's bitterness, but didn't remark further on it. Xia would have to choose her own path - Saruko could only offer her advice.

"I know what we hope to find, but what we actually will find is another matter. There's a difference to being wise and to see the future. I'm afraid I don't have my husband's gift of foresight, and even he seemed... uncertain of what could happen."

[Anjing Xia]

She noticed the young woman's bitterness, but didn't remark further on it. Xia would have to choose her own path - Saruko could only offer her advice.

"I know what we hope to find, but what we actually will find is another matter. There's a difference to being wise and to see the future. I'm afraid I don't have my husband's gift of foresight, and even he seemed... uncertain of what could happen."

"So we really might all die? Killed by rats or ogres or worse? The expedition would just disappear and nobody would ever know what happened."

[Togashi Saruko]

"Eh... well, I'm not saying that's impossible, but I have faith in the people here, and in Hantei-Kami and Shinjo-Kami with us. Having faith in eachother can go along way, and might be the key to our success."

Swirling her brush around in the ink, it was now ready to write.

[Anjing Xia]

"Eh... well, I'm not saying that's impossible, but I have faith in the people here, and in Hantei-Kami and Shinjo-Kami with us. Having faith in eachother can go along way, and might be the key to our success."

Swirling her brush around in the ink, it was now ready to write.

"I will trust in the empire then. It's hard to imagine anything stopping the Kami" even if they weren't as big as Hida
"Maybe one day I will be able to beg for their sign too?"

[Togashi Saruko]

"That is quite possible. Two of them are here, after all. And who knows, maybe you'll travel the land to meet each Kami in person," she smiled warmly and rolled out the paper that Xia wanted her to sign her name on.

"You might find such encounters enlightening to where you wish to continue your life forward. Or how."

[Anjing Xia]

"That is quite possible. Two of them are here, after all. And who knows, maybe you'll travel the land to meet each Kami in person," she smiled warmly and rolled out the paper that Xia wanted her to sign her name on.

"You might find such encounters enlightening to where you wish to continue your life forward. Or how."

It clearly interested the younger Anjing as she nods excitedly.
"And I could finally visit all my quill pals! What's um, what is Togashi-Kami like? Anjing-sama always said he was quiet and uh...bald? But I know quiet bald people and they're probably not like Togashi-Kami."

[Togashi Saruko]

Saruko laughed. "Yes, he is bald."

Slowly she started to write her name. Having only learned to read and write in the past five years, she wasn't fully steady with her hand yet.

"He is... a very calm, and patient person. Very wise, and insightful, and he has many answers. One might think that could make someone be very... I don't know, arrogant is perhaps the word? Act like you're better and know better." She shrugged. "But he's not like that. I'd say he's very humble, and he'd rather help you find the answer yourself, rather than just outright tell you his answer. So in a way, you can learn a lot by spending time with him."

[Anjing Xia]

Saruko laughed. "Yes, he is bald."

Slowly she started to write her name. Having only learned to read and write in the past five years, she wasn't fully steady with her hand yet.

"He is... a very calm, and patient person. Very wise, and insightful, and he has many answers. One might think that could make someone be very... I don't know, arrogant is perhaps the word? Act like you're better and know better." She shrugged. "But he's not like that. I'd say he's very humble, and he'd rather help you find the answer yourself, rather than just outright tell you his answer. So in a way, you can learn a lot by spending time with him."

Xia just thinks the Dragon clearly have an ornate writing style.
"So he's an elder? A teacher? Does he hit you with a stick if you're not paying attention?" she rubs her right hand

[Togashi Saruko]

She chuckled. "Hitting someone with a stick is more what I do. It's not really his style to do that, but yes, he is something of a teacher. Elder...? I don't know... the Kami seem to be much about the same age, in many ways. Do they look old to you?"

The writing was hardly a masterpiece, but it was eligibe.



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D3 LM Untrainted calligraphy to make a nice "autograph" for Xia. +1k1 Void. TN 15: 3d10 18

[Anjing Xia]

She chuckled. "Hitting someone with a stick is more what I do. It's not really his style to do that, but yes, he is something of a teacher. Elder...? I don't know... the Kami seem to be much about the same age, in many ways. Do they look old to you?"

The writing was hardly a masterpiece, but it was eligibe.



-------------

D3 LM Untrainted calligraphy to make a nice "autograph" for Xia. +1k1 Void. TN 15: 3d10 18

She blows on the writing carefully to help it dry
"Oh, you're the one with the stick....I suppose that makes sense, it seems the Kami's spouses are the people who end up pounding."
She'd have to let Anjing know.

"I'm...not sure how old Hida-kami looks, he's so big but there are no wrinkles or grey hairs. He still knows everything though, so many lifetimes worth. Gods uh, probably have different aging rules I guess."

[Togashi Saruko]

What Saruko didn't wasn't exactly the same as what Anjing did, but... it was too amusing, she couldn't correct Xia's belief in this.

"It does seem that way. My husband might be bald, but his face is that of a young man with no wrinkles or the lines often seen on an old face. And like his brother Hida, he is physically very impressive, but it would seem all the Kami are rather exemplary in most ways. Imagine the best traits a human could possibly have or achieve, and that is very often an accurate way to describe the Kami."

[Anjing Xia]

What Saruko didn't wasn't exactly the same as what Anjing did, but... it was too amusing, she couldn't correct Xia's belief in this.

"It does seem that way. My husband might be bald, but his face is that of a young man with no wrinkles or the lines often seen on an old face. And like his brother Hida, he is physically very impressive, but it would seem all the Kami are rather exemplary in most ways. Imagine the best traits a human could possibly have or achieve, and that is very often an accurate way to describe the Kami."

solemn nod
"If all people are wise then Togashi is the wisest. If all people are hairy then Hida is the hairiest. And if all people...like horses, then Shinjo likes horses the most?...I don't actually know much about her, so that might need revisiting."
Wrinkling her forehead
"Does that mean that their children will also be the same? My cousins aren't hairy yet, but they are very strong and by Crab standards, very smart."

[Togashi Saruko]

Hairiest wasn't... inaccurate for Hida, and Saruko chuckled.

"Maybe they will be? The Crab clan is only a few years old, so what truly is Crab standards anyway?"

[Anjing Xia]

Hairiest wasn't... inaccurate for Hida, and Saruko chuckled.

"Maybe they will be? The Crab clan is only a few years old, so what truly is Crab standards anyway?"

As if by rote
"Crab are the biggest, the strongest, the bravest and the toughest. Kaiu-sama is also pushing for 'buildingest' but it hasn't caught on yet."

[Togashi Saruko]

"Buildingest?" she asked, puzzled by the phrase. "I'm not quite sure what you mean...?"

[Anjing Xia]

"Buildingest?" she asked, puzzled by the phrase. "I'm not quite sure what you mean...?"

"We build the most, so we'd be the buildingest, Kaiu would therefore be the buildingest of the buildingest since...well he builds everything."

[Togashi Saruko]

"It would take a long time to build everything in the land," she said with a smirk. "Is his path something that interests you, or... isn't being the buildingest of interest to you? It sounds like building things takes a lot of smartness."

[Anjing Xia]

"It would take a long time to build everything in the land," she said with a smirk. "Is his path something that interests you, or... isn't being the buildingest of interest to you? It sounds like building things takes a lot of smartness."

"Oh I think building is wonderful! And it does take smarts. And Kaiu-sama has asked me to scribe for him a few times. People listen to Kaiu-sama."
Maybe...I mean, it would be better than just being a writer.

"I....maybe when we return I might ask about building. It's not my first choice, but it's not a bad choice. If that makes sense?"

[Togashi Saruko]

"It sounds like you're very smart. Much smarter than me." Saruko grinned as she complimented Xia.

"What is your first choice? The choice that truly brings joy to you?"