[D5 LM] - Creepy Places Deserve Haunting Music (Open)

[Nozomi]

"They cook up ok, if you get the glands out of their head and make sure that doesn't get cooked in as well. The frogs? Not so much. Those are just bad all around," she grunted, shrugging. "But the goats roam up in the mountains and we can use them for milk and for meat when it comes down to it. You can ferment the milk pretty easy. Doesn't take as long as that beer stuff, so it's ready more in a pinch if you want it." And goat meat wasn't bad at all.

"Come to think of it, though... there's a lot more game here. A lot more."

[Bayushi Umeno]

Umeno gave a faint smirk. "See, got you thinking a little more positively already about swamps."

"It was almost all fish all the time back in Kuwagaya lands. Bayushi's lands... well, I seem to just eat whatever I can, but they get a lot of trade as well." She shrugged. "I'm just going through my rations for now. Dried fish and fruits, yum yum."

[Nozomi]

Just nobody tell either of them about the animal they found out in the woods later that day. That'd ruin both their moods real fast, probably. She snorted and gave her a playful glare. "Don't go making me pine for this place. That won't end well," she said. "But it could be worse than fish, even if the same thing every day does get... really really boring. A little variety's nice. Little goat to spice it up or something."

[Bayushi Umeno]

"Or snake," Umeno said with an air of not really meaning it. "Maybe we'll be truly lucky and the rat men will eat nothing but delicious foods they're more than happy to share."

[Nozomi]

...

She couldn't help a dark laugh and a shake of the head. "I doubt it, but I'll take whatever they're offering. It'll at least be that change of pace we were waiting for, won't it? Unless it's earth worms. No thank you." Yeah, she found that rather funny, all things considered. "You know... the little ones eat the most rotten crap sometimes."

[Bayushi Umeno]

"I confess, I don't know the first thing about the rat people," Umeno confessed with a shrug. "That means your one fact is more than me."

She paused for a long moment before glancing over. "... Where'd you learn that by the way?"

[Nozomi]

"Well... to be a little clearer? I mean actual rats when I mean little ones," she offered with a little snicker. "What I know of the Nezumi I got from Choo Chit." Damnit! She got his name wrong again. Fuck their language. "Don't call him that. that's not right. I know it's not right. I have trouble with their names."

"Apparently, they've got a big capital that was destroyed when Fu Leng fell. Whole 'empire' with cities out in the wastes. Think they're pretty hot stuff, if you talk with them, but I've yet to see it. They used to keep horned people, big ones, called ogres as slaves. I didn't get a lot of other details. Don't think too highly of the slave thing. Shouldn't need someone to do your dirty work like that."

[Bayushi Umeno]

Most of that just solicited a grunt from Umeno. She did look a tad puzzled for a moment however. "All the rest fell in Seppun lands and they ended up fine. How did just one of them fall some place else and wipe out a whole city?"

She paused. "...Maybe it was a tower? Sounds kinda dumb if it was."

[Nozomi]

"That's actually a good question, and I don't have the answer to it," she said, shaking her head. "Reiko might know more, or she might not. Fu Leng and the other kami might be the only ones with the real answer, and who knows if they'd all tell the story the same way. But it does sort of beg the question of if there's an agenda any of them have in this."

[Bayushi Umeno]

Umeno grunted with a nod before looking determined. "That's it. Next stop we have, I'm cornering that Shinsei guy and grilling him about all this. If he's supposed to be such a wise guy, then he'll damn well share it."

[Nozomi]

"Fair. He'll answer you. I don't think he's held anything back with me so far. I won't promise he has the answers, though. Don't let the rep fool you. He doesn't actually know everything. Just a lot." It was only fair. She'd managed to surprise him at least once in that conversation she'd had last...

[Bayushi Umeno]

"Well he's advising the Kami, right? That more or less makes him in charge of this whole thing." She waved a hand vaguely back at the wagons behind them. "I hope he knows enough to satisfy me at least."

[Nozomi]

"I believe Hantei is... but you're right. He's the advisor. And actually... fuck, it'd be nice to know who our real commander is. Reiko takes the helm so often. Hantei is a god. Shinjo a god. Shinsei is advisor. It'd be nice to know a ... ugh. Chain of command. gods, but there's all sorts of family heads. Who the bleeding hell is actually in charge here, Umeno? Seriously?"

[Bayushi Umeno]

Umeno gave a low chuckle. "See, this is why I just do my own thing. Sure, I'd like to know all the facts, and I'll get 'em I assure you. I can take care of myself most of the time, and I don't like being bossed around, especially by people I don't know or care about. That said, I can agree that a bit of order would help, especially if it gets down to fighting."

[Nozomi]

"I just... I am Not a military girl. I squat in the mountains, raid caravans rarely, hunt game and kill fools that get too close for anyone's comfort. I'm a killer. I don't need this military order, just structure and someone to answer to... but this whole thing's kind of slap dash at points, and I don't know if they realize it." Shinsei might, but she wasn't sure about the kami. "Please tell me Bayushi is better organized than this, so I feel better about planning to visit your lands when this is done."

[Bayushi Umeno]

"He managed to convince ME to join him, and to come down here, didn't he?" It was as if that was answer enough. "I don't know if I'm any more military, but I'm pretty much all about fighting. I suppose I can ask about chain's of command when I talk to others, but barring that, you can always just follow my orders if it'll help."

Umeno gave a playful smirk.

[Nozomi]

Oh, she gave her a playful little smirk. "Oh... I knew there was a reason I liked you. You have just about the right amount of spirit to you." She did snicker a little bit. "I'll remember that if you and I do both end up Scorpion one of these days. Just do try not to get yourself killed before you bark those orders at me, would you?"

[Bayushi Umeno]

"Never planned on it. Not the barking sort either, so don't worry on it." Umeno shook her head, still smirking. The woman suddenly reached out with a hand toward Phi's mask. "I'm gonna peek..."

[Nozomi]

She narrowed her eyes for a second, the hand coming close as she leaned back. There was a momentary pause and then a shrug. It wasn't like this was some formalized thing. She held still and let her, if she wanted, an eyebrow raised. "I'm just a pale-skinned red-eyed girl. It's not that impressive you know when her veil was lifted up. "Not sure what you're looking for."

[Bayushi Umeno]

"Who said I was looking for anything specific?" Umeno mused with a faint smirk. She took a look before nodding and letting the veil back down. "Just curious, that's all. I've seen Bayushi without his, so I thought it'd be only fair. Not surprised on the paleness, with how much you cover yourself Phi."