[Day 5, Late Morning] Writing Home (Expecting)

[Jiyo Sora]

Sora sat in the lee of his tent, scribbling away.

As he'd discussed with Shinsei, he was going to send missives back, cutting people loose before things got, well... out of hand.

So he sat, and wrote an account of what had been learned thus far. It just had to make it back to Great Mountain City- after that, it would be reasonably secure on its way to Shiba.

But until then, it was dicier, and thus, Sora wrote multiple copies.

[Anjing Xia]

Sora sat in the lee of his tent, scribbling away.

As he'd discussed with Shinsei, he was going to send missives back, cutting people loose before things got, well... out of hand.

So he sat, and wrote an account of what had been learned thus far. It just had to make it back to Great Mountain City- after that, it would be reasonably secure on its way to Shiba.

But until then, it was dicier, and thus, Sora wrote multiple copies.

A dirty looking woman squelches past the lee of the tent, offering Sora a polite nod before visibly doing a double take as she pauses.

[Jiyo Sora]

He glanced up. Fixed her with his discolored eye.

"Not the best weather for a swim, ah... Anjing-san."

[Anjing Xia]

He glanced up. Fixed her with his discolored eye.

"Not the best weather for a swim, ah... Anjing-san."

Guiltily glancing away
"I was just assisting with gathering some um, materials."
Nervously
"Jiyo Sora-sama. I didn't mean to intrude."

[Jiyo Sora]

Guiltily glancing away
"I was just assisting with gathering some um, materials."
Nervously
"Jiyo Sora-sama. I didn't mean to intrude."

"It's no intrusion. Bunched as we are on dry land, it's not as if there are many other ways to go- as you appear to have discovered the hard way."

He cocked his head to the side.

"And Jiyo-sama is all that's required. Or Sora-sama. Or you can leave the honorifics off. I've only been a member of Jiyo's family for a relatively short time, and I'm pretty bad at formalities myself."

[Anjing Xia]

"It's no intrusion. Bunched as we are on dry land, it's not as if there are many other ways to go- as you appear to have discovered the hard way."

He cocked his head to the side.

"And Jiyo-sama is all that's required. Or Sora-sama. Or you can leave the honorifics off. I've only been a member of Jiyo's family for a relatively short time, and I'm pretty bad at formalities myself."

He was just like in the story!

"Thank you Ji...Sora-sama. Um, I am Xia of the Anjing of the Crab. You errh, you might, I mean, you did know my aunt. You met at the Kami's tournament and-"
Searching for polite phrasing
"-Things happened"

[Jiyo Sora]

He was just like in the story!

"Thank you Ji...Sora-sama. Um, I am Xia of the Anjing of the Crab. You errh, you might, I mean, you did know my aunt. You met at the Kami's tournament and-"
Searching for polite phrasing
"-Things happened"

He arched an eyebrow.

"You're the niece of that woman I had a screaming match with on top of Hida's wall after I pissed on it, then?"

Polite phrasing had never been his strong suit.

[Anjing Xia]

He arched an eyebrow.

"You're the niece of that woman I had a screaming match with on top of Hida's wall after I pissed on it, then?"

Polite phrasing had never been his strong suit.

"In as many words, um, yes. Anjing always speaks very strongly of you."

[Jiyo Sora]

"In as many words, um, yes. Anjing always speaks very strongly of you."

"Well, she's hardly the only person I pissed off during that tournament, but it's nice to be remembered. She still defend the policy of keeping slaves, or has that one rattled out of her head?"

[Anjing Xia]

"In as many words, um, yes. Anjing always speaks very strongly of you."

"Well, she's hardly the only person I pissed off during that tournament, but it's nice to be remembered. She still defend the policy of keeping slaves, or has that one rattled out of her head?"

Visibly flustered
"Well I've actually written quite a long treatise on forced labour and the difficulties of its implementation."
Which no-one had read
"So I'm sure she and the Clan will come around soon, any day now, eventually."

[Jiyo Sora]

Visibly flustered
"Well I've actually written quite a long treatise on forced labour and the difficulties of its implementation."
Which no-one had read
"So I'm sure she and the Clan will come around soon, any day now, eventually."

"I wasn't aware she could read, so you might be waiting a while."

He fixed the young Anjing with a slightly more intense stare.

"You're the odd one out, aren't you?"

[Anjing Xia]

"I wasn't aware she could read, so you might be waiting a while."

He fixed the young Anjing with a slightly more intense stare.

"You're the odd one out, aren't you?"

Gulp, almost taking a full step back
"No...yes...maybe? I don't think I'm universally known as the odd one, there's probably someone odder when you look at the empire as a whole."

[Jiyo Sora]

"Among the Anjing. Your family is named for someone who regarded the knob of bone between her ears as just another bludgeon, who didn't have the intelligence to doubt herself. Or to ask any questions at all."

He cocked his head to the side.

"Among the Crab, followers of Hida, a Kami so big he almost outmasses his opinion of himself. A direct bunch. Sometimes tiresomely so. Among the Seidou, who gravited toward the Crab and Hida in large numbers."

He looked her over again.

"You, on the other hand... why did you stay with them? I was treated as a useful freak among the Hikaru, but I left, because their way of life was not for me."

[Anjing Xia]

Snip

Xia blinks
"Well, I mean, they're family. Sure they're not....quite there on some matters, or lots of matters. But they're my kin. I have to get them to respect me."

[Jiyo Sora]

Xia blinks
"Well, I mean, they're family. Sure they're not....quite there on some matters, or lots of matters. But they're my kin. I have to get them to respect me."

He sighed.

"Anyone who doesn't respect you for what you're doing isn't going to respect you for doing it with greater vigor. Anyone who doesn't respect you for who you are isn't worth trying to persuade. But tell me, Xia of the Anjing... what is it you do, and who are you?"

[Anjing Xia]

He sighed.

"Anyone who doesn't respect you for what you're doing isn't going to respect you for doing it with greater vigor. Anyone who doesn't respect you for who you are isn't worth trying to persuade. But tell me, Xia of the Anjing... what is it you do, and who are you?"

"Oh? What I do? I....I write sometimes, since not a lot of us write. And sometimes I try to tell people things. And as for who I am....that's, well, I guess I'm still working on that. This expedition might help?"
Gosh he asks some pretty big questions. It was easy to picture Sora and her aunt on that famous wall:
'Anjing! Who are you?'
'I'm a mighty warrior!'
'That's stupid!'
'No, you're stupid!'

[Jiyo Sora]

"Oh? What I do? I....I write sometimes, since not a lot of us write. And sometimes I try to tell people things. And as for who I am....that's, well, I guess I'm still working on that. This expedition might help?"

"What do you write?"

[Anjing Xia]

"What do you write?"

Getting a little more animated
"I'm writing a history of the expedition for posterity. And I wrote a whole plan for supply conservation before we left, which I'm sure someone read. And I've written some poetry and stories but you know, why would anyone want to read that? So it's mostly been lists of things for Kaiu-sama or helping important people in the Clan send messages."

[Jiyo Sora]

Getting a little more animated
"I'm writing a history of the expedition for posterity. And I wrote a whole plan for supply conservation before we left, which I'm sure someone read. And I've written some poetry and stories but you know, why would anyone want to read that? So it's mostly been lists of things for Kaiu-sama or helping important people in the Clan send messages."

"Never undersell your poetry of stories- that sort of personal expression takes courage. I've certainly never had the guts to try my hand at either. I doubt most of your Clanmates are brave enough to do it either. And the history..."

He nodded to his own missives.

"If you'd like, I could send sections of it back with my communications. Just in case something goes wrong."

[Anjing Xia]

"Never undersell your poetry of stories- that sort of perosnal expression takes courage. I've certainly never had the guts to try my hand at either. I doubt most of your Clanmates are brave enough to do it either. And the history..."

He nodded to his own missives.

"If you'd like, I could send sections of it back with my communications. Just in case something goes wrong."

She looks at him, then the missive, then back to him, then to the missive.
Licking her suddenly dry lips.
"Wh-who is your missive going to? If you don't mind me asking."