Pick Up Sticks (Chisei's tent)(D9EM)

[Seppun Chisei]

Chisei sat in his tent, a frown of deep concentration on his features. He leaned forward, eyes narrowing as he studied his subject.

A stick. "Hmmm, he said."

Turning his head, he looked at another subject. Or, as someone not quite so educated in the natural sciences might say, another stick. Actually a small collection of them.

He chewed his lip thoughtfully as he considered...

[Anjing Xia]

Chisei sat in his tent, a frown of deep concentration on his features. He leaned forward, eyes narrowing as he studied his subject.

A stick. "Hmmm, he said."

Turning his head, he looked at another subject. Or, as someone not quite so educated in the natural sciences might say, another stick. Actually a small collection of them.

He chewed his lip thoughtfully as he considered...

Outside the tent Xia raises her hand and then realises there's nowhere to knock. Awkwardly dropping her hand she looks around before clapping once. Then again....it's a loud camp, he might not notice. So she claps a few more times, looking as though she's applauding the tent for a solo performance.

[Seppun Chisei]

The first clap made Chisei frown gently. He almost glanced up. But sticks... he started to reach out to pick one up, when there were a few more claps. Grunting, and with a last suspicious glance at the sticks, he rose to his feet.

Tossing open the tent-flap, Chisei blinked into the sunlight, then gave Xia a smile. "Ah! Good morning." He said. "Perfect timing. I was just getting started. So to speak. Please, won't you come in?" He held the flap open.

[Anjing Xia]

The first clap made Chisei frown gently. He almost glanced up. But sticks... he started to reach out to pick one up, when there were a few more claps. Grunting, and with a last suspicious glance at the sticks, he rose to his feet.

Tossing open the tent-flap, Chisei blinked into the sunlight, then gave Xia a smile. "Ah! Good morning." He said. "Perfect timing. I was just getting started. So to speak. Please, won't you come in?" He held the flap open.

"Thank you Seppun-san! I'm sure you've already made great progress, but when I received your message I came as quickly as I could."
as evidence by the Anjing's hair
"I've so many theories...oh this will be very exciting"
Nodding politely she enters into the tent.

[Seppun Chisei]

"Do you? Very good." Chisei said agreeably. After fiddling with the tent flap a bit, he pinned it slightly open. Enough to let in a bit of light, hopefully enough to keep distracting sounds mostly out.

The inside of the tent was, by necessity, mostly bare. Two packs and a wider bedroll was likely the only difference between this tent and any other. Well, that plus the sticks.

"Well, here we are." Chisei said, waving a hand at the little collection. "What do you think?"

[Anjing Xia]

"Do you? Very good." Chisei said agreeably. After fiddling with the tent flap a bit, he pinned it slightly open. Enough to let in a bit of light, hopefully enough to keep distracting sounds mostly out.

The inside of the tent was, by necessity, mostly bare. Two packs and a wider bedroll was likely the only difference between this tent and any other. Well, that plus the sticks.

"Well, here we are." Chisei said, waving a hand at the little collection. "What do you think?"

"I think it's a good foundation for what's to come. I must say, I took the liberty of cleaning my nostrils earlier to ensure I was at peak smelling efficiency. It is astounding what can be done with ground spices."
She wiggles her nose to demonstrate
"We simple need to start with a message that we already know, then we can map the language out from that."

[Seppun Chisei]

"Very good." Chisei said again, squinting to more effectively study Xia's nose. "What did you use? Nothing that will linger, I trust. If you tell me every stick smells like ginger, I shall grow suspicious."

Clearing his throat, he turned to the sticks. "Yes... in theory. But here, you try." He reached out, picking one up. "This one supposedly reminds one of T'ikk T'ok, the Nezumi inventor, and how he became the head of his village." Carefully, he offered it to Xia.

[Anjing Xia]

"Very good." Chisei said again, squinting to more effectively study Xia's nose. "What did you use? Nothing that will linger, I trust. If you tell me every stick smells like ginger, I shall grow suspicious."

Clearing his throat, he turned to the sticks. "Yes... in theory. But here, you try." He reached out, picking one up. "This one supposedly reminds one of T'ikk T'ok, the Nezumi inventor, and how he became the head of his village." Carefully, he offered it to Xia.

"Oh I just used some of the black powder the cooks use...oh it was very painful, effective though."
She takes the stick and sniffs it daintily, turning it this way and that way for a few long moments as she flares her nose
"Ah....it smells like fur, rat fur?"

[Seppun Chisei]

"Yes, I thought so too." Chisei said. "But perhaps something else. Maybe something sweet?"

He selected another stick. "This one I'm told is for the night I'Zakk performed his first song, won fame as a vocal performer, and spectators wept from the beauty of his voice." He offered Xia the stick.

[Anjing Xia]

"Yes, I thought so too." Chisei said. "But perhaps something else. Maybe something sweet?"

He selected another stick. "This one I'm told is for the night I'Zakk performed his first song, won fame as a vocal performer, and spectators wept from the beauty of his voice." He offered Xia the stick.

She carefully takes the stick and runs her nose up and down it, frowning intensly
"Oh it's different! Sort of a...mouldy dry smell. Maybe mouldy dry means music? Art?"

[Seppun Chisei]

Chisei's eyebrows went up. "Perhaps so. If I may..." He took another sniff of the stick, frowning thoughtfully. "Goodness, they must need to care for these assiduously. I must protect my scrolls from damage or from water. They must do the same, but also from outside scents."

"Perhaps we should try to find another one having to do with art." Chisei frowned at the sticks, his forehead creasing, until he reached out to select another. "This one is T'ikk K'lll, and the mournful song she sang when her family was lost in battle. She went on to become a warrior herself." Chisei grimaced. "It has singing, at least."

[Anjing Xia]

Chisei's eyebrows went up. "Perhaps so. If I may..." He took another sniff of the stick, frowning thoughtfully. "Goodness, they must need to care for these assiduously. I must protect my scrolls from damage or from water. They must do the same, but also from outside scents."

"Perhaps we should try to find another one having to do with art." Chisei frowned at the sticks, his forehead creasing, until he reached out to select another. "This one is T'ikk K'lll, and the mournful song she sang when her family was lost in battle. She went on to become a warrior herself." Chisei grimaced. "It has singing, at least."

Sniff......sniiiiiif
"I'm uh.....hmmm, not really getting the mould smell. Although if Tikk was a female maybe the sticks smell different?....I've never compared Nezumi smells by gender"

[Seppun Chisei]

Chisei grimaced. "Yes, another possibility." He frowned. "There are some Nezumi accompanying our expedition. I know one is male. Are they all male?"

His frown deepened. "We can't... smell them, can we? I mean, we shouldn't. Right?" The pursuit of knowledge was sometimes fraught...

[Anjing Xia]

Chisei grimaced. "Yes, another possibility." He frowned. "There are some Nezumi accompanying our expedition. I know one is male. Are they all male?"

His frown deepened. "We can't... smell them, can we? I mean, we shouldn't. Right?" The pursuit of knowledge was sometimes fraught...

"There have to be lady Nezumi....right? Although maybe they're like flowers."
This could fundamentally change Human-Nezumi relations forever.
"We can smell them if they give us permission, in their colour there's probably a lot of smelling, so it's really not weird....not weird for them, I guess."

[Seppun Chisei]

"So..." Chisei frowned, "Perhaps smelling one another is like bowing, or showing open palms is to us?" Chisei considered that a few moments, then shook his head. "As you say, not weird for then."

"I would assume-" the faint stress indicated that he was aware that it was just an assumption, "-that they breed in the manner of rats. Although less often, one hopes. There may be other reasons that only male Nezumi accompany us."

[Anjing Xia]

"So..." Chisei frowned, "Perhaps smelling one another is like bowing, or showing open palms is to us?" Chisei considered that a few moments, then shook his head. "As you say, not weird for then."

"I would assume-" the faint stress indicated that he was aware that it was just an assumption, "-that they breed in the manner of rats. Although less often, one hopes. There may be other reasons that only male Nezumi accompany us."

"Ah...Nezumi breeding....yes...yes that's...oh, now I'm seeing images. Just going to push that...that out of my mind. Let's think of happier thoughts, like the Nezumi treating their women poorly and not letting them do anything?"

[Seppun Chisei]

Chisei grinned. "Sorry. The dangers of an active imagination, hmmm? We can move on from that. Smell some more sticks, if you prefer."

He held up the last one. "And this was a woman warrior, so they must exist. Perhaps the rats here are just too small of a sample size."

[Anjing Xia]

Chisei grinned. "Sorry. The dangers of an active imagination, hmmm? We can move on from that. Smell some more sticks, if you prefer."

He held up the last one. "And this was a woman warrior, so they must exist. Perhaps the rats here are just too small of a sample size."

"That's a good point...how many are there actually? I'm not sure if I keep seeing the same rat dressed up differently or if it's different Nezumi?"
A dainty sniff of the stick
"This one is completely different! Much more spicy."

[Seppun Chisei]

"Not unless they can change sizes." Chisei said. "One of them is much shorter than me. But I've seen another that might be half again as tall." He frowned. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure if they're both unusual, or if just one is, or if Nezumi just have that much variation in their average height. Although that last seems least likely."

His eyebrows went up. "Really? May I?" He held out his hand. "I only tried a few of them before. It... well..." He cleared his throat. "I suppose I felt strange, spending my morning smelling sticks by myself."

[Anjing Xia]

"Not unless they can change sizes." Chisei said. "One of them is much shorter than me. But I've seen another that might be half again as tall." He frowned. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure if they're both unusual, or if just one is, or if Nezumi just have that much variation in their average height. Although that last seems least likely."

His eyebrows went up. "Really? May I?" He held out his hand. "I only tried a few of them before. It... well..." He cleared his throat. "I suppose I felt strange, spending my morning smelling sticks by myself."

Xia smiles reassuringly
"Chisei-san, there is absolutely nothing weird about smell rat sticks alone in your tent. Frankly, it feels like a relaxing way to start the day. On the quest for knowledge there is no second guessing."