[Day 1 - Late Afternoon] G-G-Ghosts?

[Yue]

After roaming the farmlands for both potential game for food and work prospects, Yue continued on foot past the countryside and found much to her surprise a beach not too far from the area. She cautiously stepped foot on the beach, perhaps wary of the sand itself. Were they so close to the sea, after all?

Nevertheless, she had heard rumours in passing from the farmers about this place. As pleasant and peaceful as it looked, it was a place where ghosts roamed. She could almost imagine the tides pushing the sands enough to reveal a gravesite and that thought was enough to cause her to shiver at the possibility. Not wanting to get haunted or earn the wrath of ghosts, she offered a prayer to the fallen here and hoped they would find a way back to the cycle. It was bound to be better than eternal damnation here.

[Dapper Dog]

On the beach she saw a single person, a large man training with a katana.

A samurai.

[Yue]

Yue blinked at the large form on the beach. Did ghosts appear in broad daylight? That seemed unlikely.

She slowly shuffled her feet forward to approach the man to get a better look at what he was doing.

[Dapper Dog]

The samurai was shirtless and bore a tattoo on his shoulder of a green lotus, he was in good shape as he worked through a precise and well practiced kata. This was a swordsman of either great skill or this kata was well practiced after thousands of hours, perhaps both.

Upon her approach he sheathed the weapon in one smooth motion. Then he greeted her, “Good afternoon, it is this one’s sincere wish that he was not interrupting your time here on the beach.”

[Yue]

Green lotus? She thought to herself curiously and made a mental note of it. However, when the swordsman halted his kata, she took a few steps back and bowed. This was done more as an apology than an intended greeting.

She stammered several thoughts together. "Good day...and sorry...I guess I interrupted you in what you were doing. I wasn't doing anything, just exploring. Please, continue if you wish."

[Dapper Dog]

"It is nothing, this one is Kojitsu, one of the lordless," he said calmly.

"Are you a guest for the wedding?"

[Yue]

"Yue, a samurai for hire...also one of the lordless," she added in after a pause,

She frowned faintly and scratched her cheek, "...sorry, I don't know how this work exactly. Is there a registry somewhere or are the Crab accepting anyone for the wedding? I had just hoped to find some work and there's bound to be work at a wedding, maybe?"

[Dapper Dog]

"I was here before the wedding, not sure how the Crab are handling things with the ronin. I do work around the Inn, keeps me fed," he responded calmly.

[Yue]

"If you're even not sure about the wedding then I don't know where that puts us..." she shrugged, "I'll be here for the wedding if they allow it but a wedding by itself doesn't really keep me fed. Is the local inn where they take ronin around here?"

[Dapper Dog]

"The innkeep, Ishii, allows us to work for our keep. Cut wood, paint fences, or whatever labor needs doing in exchange we get some room and board. Fair deal for any ronin," he responded.

[Yue]

She nodded at the list of chores and jobs that he brought up, "Those all sound easy enough to me and pretty small things I can do if I can sleep with a roof over my head tonight. Whatever to keep the stomach from growling, right? I mostly do hunting work, sometimes people need a hand with getting some game from their trips in the wilderness."

[Dapper Dog]

"I think the Castle has scheduled a hunt?" was his best offer.

"Not sure if that is helpful, though."

[Yue]

"That's something, thank you..." she gave a few sure nods at that, "I was roaming around to see what sort of critters were found here other than rabbits and rats...but I haven't really been out in the wilderness yet. I would have to think twice if deer or bears were common here."

She crossed her arms after a pause, "How about work inside the city, do you know anything about that?"

[Dapper Dog]

"I don't have any leads for you, I apologize. I have not really sought out work," he admitted.

[Yue]

"Oh..." she said as she slowly glanced around the beach, "So you just spend time around the inn and out here?"

[Dapper Dog]

“Well when you put it that way it makes me sound like a loaf, simply existing. I consider it time spent mastering the riddle of steel. A samurai must always be ready for battle, as Akodo-kami stated, and thus I try to live up to that,” he said in reply.

“And now having said that out loud realize that it won’t really help you much, my apologies.”

[Yue]

"Sorry..." she murmured, looking hurt herself that she may have sounded like she implied that. "I didn't mean to make it sound like that. I was just trying to get an idea of the work around here."

She frowned as she thought about the old man but decided to keep that to herself.

"...Is that a Dragon tattoo?" she asked as an overestimation.

[Dapper Dog]

He glanced at it and then moved to put a top back on and said, “No… it is, I mean was a symbol of training at the Imperial Academy for the Ikeda. A remnant of a past life, now… dead.”

“It means nothing now.”

[Yue]

Yue didn't think she would land on something like that. At first, she merely thought it was a gang tattoo or something.

"Sorry...I didn't know. I've never seen something like that before up close. I can see why you'd spend so much practicing your sword then and it's a good routine to have," she nodded.

[Bayushi Shitoru]

Shitoru had come to the beach to train. Traveling had given opportunity, and it had saved him from the tiring aspects of being too social. Some time with his blade to focus was always welcome.

Seeing others along the beach he didn't seem to mind. He could be alone around other people, he was good at that.

With a nod of acknowledgement to the two...ronin? ...he settled into his stance and with a flash his hiltless blade was drawn. He focused on the waves and his breathing.

[Yue]

The presence of the Scorpion was peculiar, even if he didn't wish it to be. As an outsider, she had to wonder if the Scorpion was a local, past employer of the ronin or even an enemy. There were many legendary showdowns fought on beaches between swordsman.

However, that wasn't the case. Yue relaxed a bit and merely bowed back.

[Bayushi Shitoru]

The Scorpion beguiled stillness. HIs appearance was that of one in a singular place, unchanging. Yet as time went on, very slowly, his blade did move. Noticeable only by one who looked away, then looked back a time later, a watch pot never seems to boil.

Over the course of some minutes, Shitoru brought his blade down, watching the waves, as if striking the water from a distance. It was merely him experimenting, trying yet again to find another way to attain the sense of his center.

[Dapper Dog]

The ronin chuckled and then said, “Well I think I should return to the village. It was good meeting you and I pray that you find the work you are looking for.”

He took a moment to get properly dressed and then made his way back to the village.

[Yue]

"Of course," she said with a bow before taking a step back to give him some space. "Work isn't urgent, so long as there is some place to stay. Thank you for sharing some of your insight regarding this place."

She watched him get ready and then leave. Once he was gone, she did turn her attention to the Scorpion who was now going about his own kata. She had already interrupted one swordsman already and she kept her distance for now. Her feet shuffled on the sands, as if trying to flatten the surface and find solid ground. She placed her things on the ground and say down cross-legged, letting out a sigh as she rested her legs.

[Bayushi Shitoru]

After.a. great deal of time, Shitoru finished his strike. With a steady hand he raised the blade and cleaned it with a soft cloth before sheathing it with a soft click.

The Scorpion spent a moment facing the waves still, feeling the breeze. Satisfied with a lengthy time of stillness, he approached the ronin.

"Beg pardons, ookami-san, but I pray you take no offense in me observing some restlessness within yourself."

He dipped his head slightly. "I am Bayushi Shitoru."