(D1 EM, The Sea Fox) Necessary Cleansing

[Yoritomo Koemi]

Koemi pictured the little one with a prostitute of all people, holding hands. She assumed they were prostitutes, at the very least. Seemed even seedier than the average geisha den. "Never pay for hand holding," she advised, trying her best this time not to break this Moshi's innocence. One step at a time. "It wouldn't be genuine. It'd be tainted, even, by the transaction of coin."

[Moshi Meiko]

Koemi pictured the little one with a prostitute of all people, holding hands. She assumed they were prostitutes, at the very least. Seemed even seedier than the average geisha den. "Never pay for hand holding," she advised, trying her best this time not to break this Moshi's innocence. One step at a time. "It wouldn't be genuine. It'd be tainted, even, by the transaction of coin."

Meiko nods solemnly
“Right! It should be a beautiful and happy thing. Samurai aren’t really meant to be going around buying things anyway.”

[Yoritomo Koemi]

"Exactly. See, you know how to do it proper as a cultural attache," she said with a wink. It didn't really matter to her whether or not the Moshi got her wish as long as she didn't embarrass the Mantis.

[Moshi Meiko]

"Exactly. See, you know how to do it proper as a cultural attache," she said with a wink. It didn't really matter to her whether or not the Moshi got her wish as long as she didn't embarrass the Mantis.

“That’s my job! What about you though Koemi-san. What are you going to be doing in port? You’re not really a hand holder.”

[Yoritomo Koemi]

"I'm not," Koemi confirmed. Romance wasn't a real concern of hers. Whether that was due to her history, personality, or something else entirely was up to debate. "As for my time spent here, I don't know. I suppose I should exercise less and let my body recover."

[Moshi Meiko]

"I'm not," Koemi confirmed. Romance wasn't a real concern of hers. Whether that was due to her history, personality, or something else entirely was up to debate. "As for my time spent here, I don't know. I suppose I should exercise less and let my body recover."

“That sounds great! We can fix your nails and your hair and your skin too! Just a fun week of healing and making you a better you.”

[Yoritomo Koemi]

"What's wrong with all of those?" Koemi asked, genuinely perplexed. "I keep myself clean."

[Moshi Meiko]

"What's wrong with all of those?" Koemi asked, genuinely perplexed. "I keep myself clean."

“Oh there’s nothing wrongwith them. But everyone can always improve.... improve a lot!”

[Yoritomo Koemi]

"And how exactly would you improve upon them." Koemi looked at her nails. They were cut short, just as someone with a rougher life would have. Her hair was sometimes marred with sweat and never really styled. And her skin managed to stay rather pale despite her time out in the sun. Perhaps a less subtle blemish upon her, just like that discolored eye.

[Moshi Meiko]

"And how exactly would you improve upon them." Koemi looked at her nails. They were cut short, just as someone with a rougher life would have. Her hair was sometimes marred with sweat and never really styled. And her skin managed to stay rather pale despite her time out in the sun. Perhaps a less subtle blemish upon her, just like that discolored eye.

“First we gently sand the points. Unless you want the scorpion style where you shape them into sharp little daggers, that is all the rage in Kyuden Bayushi these days.

Your hair, well I need to see it all washed and combed and pampered before we make any decisions. I like it short on you though, but we might make some minor changes. As for you skin...”

Rubbing her chin
“It’s also very clean! But I think we could maybe do some work on your face, just a little!”

[Yoritomo Koemi]

"Gently sand the points? Like at the beach? Wouldn't the sand get everywhere?" she asked. Even if she did like the ocean, she didn't like being on the beach specifically because of sand. Damn stuff was so coarse.

"Ah, what, are you trying to make me a Crane? And what could we even do with my face?"

[Moshi Meiko]

"Gently sand the points? Like at the beach? Wouldn't the sand get everywhere?" she asked. Even if she did like the ocean, she didn't like being on the beach specifically because of sand. Damn stuff was so coarse.

"Ah, what, are you trying to make me a Crane? And what could we even do with my face?"

“No no, sand down the point. Like when use sand on you foot calluses... or when other people use sand on their calluses.”

Thinking
“Well I don’t think you’d want to get to Crane standards. But there are a few simple tricks we could do to hide the odd spot or scar here and there. Oooooh, or you could accentuate them, really lean into your tough sailor image.”

[Yoritomo Koemi]

"I still think that'd get sand under my nails or something." Damn irritating stuff.

"Isn't my current look already fitting that? I don't know how else I come off as."

[Moshi Meiko]

"I still think that'd get sand under my nails or something." Damn irritating stuff.

"Isn't my current look already fitting that? I don't know how else I come off as."

"It's very fitting but...like"
furrowing her brow
"No matter how good you are, you can always be better, right? Unless you're just satisfied with yourself completely? We can all be trying to improve ourselves for the Mantis Clan!"

[Yoritomo Koemi]

Koemi bit her lip. "Yes, there is always room for improvement. I cannot so arrogantly assume perfection in regards to myself."

[Moshi Meiko]

Koemi bit her lip. "Yes, there is always room for improvement. I cannot so arrogantly assume perfection in regards to myself."

"Right? Even though I think you're really close to Koemi-san! But why don't we just push you a little closer?"
Meiko beams

[Yoritomo Koemi]

"Yes, yes, yes, oh my god," Koemi said, covering her face with her palm. She didn't really know what 'god' Thrane was talking about. She just thought it properly represented her frustration there.

[Moshi Meiko]

"Yes, yes, yes, oh my god," Koemi said, covering her face with her palm. She didn't really know what 'god' Thrane was talking about. She just thought it properly represented her frustration there.

"Great! We'll catch up in a day or two and I'll do my best to make you look even better! Soon the whole village will be intimidated by Yoritomo Koemi...the Eastern Shark!"
Meiko appears to do a little dance

[Yoritomo Koemi]

"The Eastern Shark. Interesting choice," Koemi said. She made a bite motion, which from anyone else, might have been cute.

[Moshi Meiko]

"The Eastern Shark. Interesting choice," Koemi said. She made a bite motion, which from anyone else, might have been cute.

Meiko resists the urge to jump back at the teeth snappung
"Right? It's fearsome and faithful to your roots, but also a little bit mysterious. And mysterious is good."

[Yoritomo Koemi]

"Is it? Is that why the Scorpion wear masks?" she asked, mostly as a joke. She had heard their speel before about their origins and how they can apparently swim.

[Moshi Meiko]

"Is it? Is that why the Scorpion wear masks?" she asked, mostly as a joke. She had heard their speel before about their origins and how they can apparently swim.

"Half of them wear masks because it makes them look cool, and the other half where masks so they can dramatically take them off later and reveal they were somebody else the whole time."
At least, that's what the stories said.

[Yoritomo Koemi]

"Right, right," Koemi said. She held a hand over the side of her face with the discolored eye, leaving a gap for it to peek through. "If I was a Scorpion, that'd accentuate the spookiness, right?"

[Moshi Meiko]

"Right, right," Koemi said. She held a hand over the side of her face with the discolored eye, leaving a gap for it to peek through. "If I was a Scorpion, that'd accentuate the spookiness, right?"

“Exactly! But then you could go to court and change which side your mask was on and you could have this real ‘good and evil’ thing going on to freak everyone out.”

Beaming
“It would be perfect!”

[Yoritomo Koemi]

"Don't get too ahead of yourself. That'd be in a world where I was married off to some Scorpion." Koemi crossed her arms in thought. It wasn't something that she ever wanted but she was in a contemplative mood. Maybe the Moshi was rubbing off on her. "I guess a Soshi would be my top choice."