(D3, LM) Early patrol

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Jiyo Ayumu
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(D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Jiyo Ayumu » Sun May 24, 2020 12:34 am

Ayumu was in full combat gear, his armor tightly fitted on his unusual body type, his yari, bow and quiver strapped on his back, his sword at his belt. He was feeling silly.

It was not an unusual sensation. The dress of a warrior had an inherent silliness to it, like a mix between a turtle and a hedgehog, a carapace with pointy bits sticking out.

But the whole getup felt especially out of place in this peaceful forest, under the gentle sun, when there was no hint at all they could be attacked.

Still, the possibility did exist, it was his guard shift, and he was a diligent boy. So he was patrolling professionally, taking great care of keeping all of his senses open to the unusual.
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Ongaku no Ryoko
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Ongaku no Ryoko » Sun May 24, 2020 12:40 am

After a while, two strange figures appeared among the trees.

The first, pale and ghostly, with clothes of white and red and orange, was perhaps an angry spirit, curved horns sprouting from her forehead.

Or possibly it was just Ryoko.

Behind her shambled a hunched shape, as if a very tall person was attempting to make themselves seem small, and they walked with a painful limp. Obscured under a large traveling cloak and wide brimmed hat, the details of the figure were hard to make out, along with the strange parcel they carried on their back.

As they approached Ayumu, Ryoko paused, taking in the sight of the boy, and then waved.

"Hello! I see you're defending the camp. Very good! I'm Ongaku no Ryoko, yoroshiku!"
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Jiyo Ayumu
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Jiyo Ayumu » Sun May 24, 2020 1:00 am

Ayumu hadn't met all members of the expedition yet. But a few were simply unmissable even without a proper presentation.

One was an eight-foot tall humanoid rat.

The other was the hunched giant.

Unless there was somehow another hunched giant in these woods, he was definitely facing the second.

"Hi Ongaku no Ryoko. I'm Ayumu. Nice to meet you. Are you also patrolling that zone?"
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Ongaku no Ryoko
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Ongaku no Ryoko » Sun May 24, 2020 1:49 am

"No, I was just going for a walk, to ease sore muscles after the march... Tago doesn't like to go alone."

She gestured to the hunched figure, who still loomed over her. He was likely eight or nine feet tall, but his posture took at least two feet from that total, and he was a gaunt giant, without the muscle one might expect.

"I hope we didn't alarm you, Ayumu. I know people are starting to get... touchy."
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Jiyo Ayumu
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Jiyo Ayumu » Sun May 24, 2020 2:06 am

"Nice to meet you too Tago.

And, no worry. I'm honestly dealing quite well with the stress for the moment. But it's easier for me as I have no personal stake in this expedition.

How are you feeling yourself?"
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Ongaku no Ryoko » Sun May 24, 2020 2:39 am

"I'm fine, I admit I don't see the point of the worry just yet - supposedly the Nezumi won't threaten us, but you can't trust them... so I can understand being on guard, I suppose."

She looked thoughtful, while Tago just loomed silently behind her, expression masked by the wide brim of his straw hat.

"Where do you call home, normally? You don't seem like one of those Saydoe we met earlier."
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Jiyo Ayumu » Sun May 24, 2020 2:54 am

"That's an interesting question. I was born Isawa, and still have most of my family there. I now serve Shiba, and have a bed to my name in his castle. I would be hard-pressed to decide which one is my actual home right now.

As for yourself? And for Tago?"
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Ongaku no Ryoko » Sun May 24, 2020 9:19 am

"We are Takemori tribe... we have a home in the caravans, though we are out to see what is happening... to make sure there is a future for our caravans."

She sighed. "I don't want my tribe to vanish as some seem content to do - so we will find out what place we can have in this future."
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Jiyo Ayumu » Sun May 24, 2020 4:15 pm

"Nomads? Do you have some kind of yearly course, with specific places you must reach before a specific time, or is it more free-flowing?"

"From your last remark, you seem to have quite the weight on your shoulders. If I may ask, did you come here with the blessings of your tribe or against their judgment?"
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Ongaku no Ryoko » Sun May 24, 2020 11:06 pm

"We follow a similar course every year, in order to avoid overgrazing the pastures."

She smiled faintly. "They let me go seek more knowledge of this changing world. They didn't know I was headed south, but... they didn't tell me where to go. So why not?"
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Jiyo Ayumu » Sun May 24, 2020 11:28 pm

"Do you know about the land south of here? So far, I haven't heard the tale of any human who went that far toward the zenith. At least physically. Shamans are apparently able to visit these strange lands in their visions."
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Ongaku no Ryoko » Mon May 25, 2020 1:03 am

"I've heard some rumors of the Nezumi kingdom, but otherwise... no. I assume it is dangerous, but other than that... I am here to see what sorts of people these kami are - that people should pledge them loyalty so fervently."

A sigh.

"I'll find out, I guess, and bring the tales back to my tribe to sing."
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Jiyo Ayumu » Mon May 25, 2020 1:46 am

"I feel like each person you will ask will tell you a different story. Some joined the Kamis because they offered some incontestable improvement over their previous way of life made of hunger and danger. Some saw qualities in the Kamis missing from their human leaders or from withing themselves, and bowed to that. Some are afraid of a day they won't simply ask for followers and want to be on the winning side of this yet imaginary conflict. Some are fleeing from something else. Some are simply following their already convinced family.

That makes for a lot of tales."
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Ongaku no Ryoko » Mon May 25, 2020 4:31 am

"This... is true."

Ryoko sighed.

"Still. If I can get the... gist of it. I can at least bring back as much knowledge as I can. I want my tribe to have a good future."
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Jiyo Ayumu » Mon May 25, 2020 5:39 am

"Sorry. I didn't want to discourage you. The goal you set for yourself is quite noble, and I pray for your success.

I can give you my own story if you want, but it's probably one of the least useful. I simply felt I had to go to Shiba. The Kamis were changing the world, and I couldn't simply pretend that nothing was happening. I had to see what was happening, from the best possible observation point I could reach."
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Ongaku no Ryoko » Mon May 25, 2020 8:18 am

"That's reasonable."

She quirked her head, and added, curiously, "Do you miss your tribe though?"
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Jiyo Ayumu » Mon May 25, 2020 4:58 pm

"Joining a clan is not exile. It's more akin to be wedded to someone far away. You join a new family, but your original family remains. I still have regular contacts with my birth tribe actually."
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Ongaku no Ryoko » Tue May 26, 2020 9:08 am

"I guess... we don't usually depart."

She seemed thoughtful. "I don't know how I would take having family in two places - it would be very difficult, I think, to want to live in two homes."
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Jiyo Ayumu » Tue May 26, 2020 2:47 pm

"The Isawa usually don't too... But it is a big tribe. A few oddities like that were bound to happen, even if they made some raise one eyebrow. There are proper inter-clan weddings now I think, with less stigma upon them, but I'm not the most informed person on that subject.

It's a different feeling for sure. But in a sense, it's not that different from what you're experiencing right now, living, eating, working, sleeping with people who are not your blood family. Just more intense."
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Ongaku no Ryoko
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Re: (D3, LM) Early patrol

Post by Ongaku no Ryoko » Wed May 27, 2020 12:53 am

"Yes... I could see that. I guess you'd get used to it eventually."

A pause. "So... what do you do in the clan? What makes it more than the tribe?"
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