Izumi noticed that the others in the inn were listening intently to Yousei's story. Right, this was the Hundred Tales Inn after all, it was only natural that people would be drawn to tales. It was half the reason why most of them stayed there anyway, accompanied by the good food that was served, it was the best selling point for the inn. Izumi also listened to the story, captivated by every word. She had heard little bits and pieces of information about the takeover of Konoha, but not enough to make anything into a full story. She had also been under the impression that what was taught in school or passed down to the general public of Kumo was watered down on purpose, to save face for those involved and make light of an otherwise dark situation. And nobody could blame those who made that choice, since it was much safer to omit the controversial parts than one day be held responsible for passing along information that could be viewed as unpolitical to any one country. [break][break]
She wasn't even sure if Kaminari was part of the three countries that Yousei mentioned, but she dared not ask. Although not as patriotic as the others in her village, she had grown up in Kumo, grown up to love and serve its people and the presiding country. Izumi didn't want anything to taint her image of the place that gave her the most comfort. But what had caught her off-guard was the mention of samurai, angry that people would taint the reputation of such a noble and otherwise well-respected profession. To Izumi, being a samurai was not just a profession. The Niijima family were proud samurai, believing that it was a gift that their ancestors had been swordsman and thus honored the samurai code even to this day, long past the fall of her people. She respected her elders, respected her family and what they believed, wanting for as long as she could remember to be a samurai just like her father. To think that countries would use samurai as a camouflage for their own selfish reasons was unfathomable for the young woman. She would take a sip of her umeshu, her hand clenching the glass tightly until her knuckles were white.[break][break]
"Such despicable people..." she muttered under her breath, perhaps audible to Yousei but definitely not to those around them. She didn't want to disrupt the story telling, her eyes staring at the liquid in her glass as the red-haired woman continued. The next part of her story would answer her questions about Kaminari, relieved that her country had had no part in this gruesome business. It still made her angry that the three countries involved had not only taken over Konoha entirely, but also most of Hi no Kuni. Of course, it was natural for the strong to prevail, but for them to join forces like that was far from noble in her opinion. "I wonder why they wanted to take over Konoha in the first place..." she whispered to herself. If one day this so-called Empire wanted to take over her country, she would do everything in her power to stop it, regardless of the cost. [break][break]
As Yousei finished her story, Izumi couldn't help but fall into silence. There were many things she could say about the entire situation, some not-so-nice things to say the least. But she bit her tongue, her careful nature once more taking over. She was in Otogakure, which meant that the people around her could be from anywhere. One slip of her tongue and she could put herself, her new acquaintance and possibly her own country at risk. So instead, she took another sip of her drink, putting down the now empty glass on the table gently. "That is quite the story..." she would finally say. choosing her words carefully. She would think of something, a change of topic, to lighten to mood. "You are quite the storyteller, Yousei-san! You should be one in your free time, to supplement that shinobi income." It was possibly the first time the girl had made a comment like this to anyone, not at all in her nature. But she did mean what she said, for Yousei's personality was quite fit to be a storyteller or a rakugo performer.[break][break]
[attr="class","pwf1body"] "Ehehe..." Yousei rubbed the back of her head with an embarrassed chuckle at Izumi's sudden praise. She wasn't really used to compliments, so it was always a little awkward when situations like these came up, mostly because she just didn't know how to deal with them. [break][break]
"That's our Yousei for you!" Gama cackled, as he made his way over from the kitchen and sat two steaming hot bowls of oshiruko down on the table. "She's always had a way with words, this one; been a natural born storyteller as long as I've known her! You know it's going to be a good night for business when she comes in and starts regaling everyone with her latest exploits." [break][break]
"Oi, you don't have to frame me like some sort of local celebrity!" She shot back, her cheeks flushing as she pulled the bowl closer and started trying to drown her bashfulness in the comfortingly familiar taste of red beans and mochi. Big dummy, ganging up on her like this... [break][break]
"You said you were from Kaminari, right little miss?" It was Kusari speaking this time, his question clearly directed towards Izumi. It's quite a trek from here to the Land of Lightning, and it's already well past light to boot. Why don't you spend the night? I'll get you set up with a room once you're done eating, on the house. Any friend of Yousei's is a friend of ours!" [break][break]
Yousei, in the meantime, had emptied her bowl faster than one might think humanly possible, steam still rising from her breath as she sat back with a satisfied look on her face. [break][break]
"Good idea! I don't need to be back in the village until tomorrow afternoon, so I can stay too and guide you back to the Land of Hot Water in the morning. Should be easy to find your way back from there!" [break][break]
Izumi smiled at the banter between the weasels and Yousei, obvious that they were quite close. She was rather jealous, never really having close friends like that. The samurai was a loner, to say the least, but that was partially because she had chosen to be one. Not at all socially awkward, she normally found being around people and having conversations with them somewhat tiresome, so she tended to avoid it as much as possible. But for some reason, as she took a sip of her own red bean soup, she found that talking to Yousei and the staff here at the inn wasn't so bad after all. To think that she could make a friend all the way out in Oto surprised the onnabusha. [break][break]
The girl giggled as she watched Yousei try to hide the blush from the compliments she was receiving, eating her soup and mochi at an inhuman speed. It was quite cute, Izumi thought to herself, slowing eating her portion as she heard Kusari's suggestion. Staying the night here at the inn seemed like a great idea, as she was not a fan of night travel. The girl nodded her head and gave him a smile. "You're too kind for hosting me. Although I'm not as good a chef as you, allow me to make you, your staff, and Yousei some breakfast tomorrow morning as a show of gratitude to your hospitality." She was following the samurai code of honor, not allowing appreciation to pass without showing. Being an early riser from an almost non-existent sleep schedule, the girl didn't mind getting up to make breakfast at all.[break][break]
Turning towards her friend again, she would nod her head. "Is there anything you would like to eat for breakfast? At my geisha lodgings, they always told me I make good tamagoyaki with rice and miso soup. Simple but hearty just the same. But if you would like something else, just let me know." She extended her offer to the other staff members of the inn. Unlike the regular sweet egg rolls, her tamagoyaki had a hint of dashi, or Japanese broth, that gave it a subtle salty taste that went very well with rice. As a geisha, the girls often had to watch their diet, but seeing as breakfast was the most important meal of the day, most of them would indulge just a little. "And thank you for being my guide back to Yuu no Kuni. I am horrible at directions so it would probably take me days to go back if I was wandering on my own." The woman admitted sheepishly, knowing that one day of lack of awareness would probably get her into trouble. It was her luck that she hadn't already been met with trouble seeing as she often traveled alone to these tea parties. "Usually I have a carriage to take me to and from the lands so I take it for granted. But I'm glad I didn't have one today or else I wouldn't have met you and the others."[break][break]
[attr="class","pwf1body"] "Well, aren't you well mannered!" Gama responded, laughing heartily at the young girl's proposal. "There's really no need for all that, but if you're offering, then I suppose it wouldn't be so bad to have someone else do the cooking for once! Hahaha." [break][break]
"I love tamagoyaki!" Yousei chimed in gleefully. The plucky redhead had always been a big fan of eggs for breakfast, especially in the omelette configuration; tamagoyaki, omurice, you name it! There was no better way to start the day. [break][break]
"Oh, it's no trouble! The terrain can be pretty tough to navigate, especially if you didn't grow up here. Merchants and travelers get lost all the time; search and rescue is actually one of the most common missions you see people getting assigned as genin! And that's not even mentioning how complex and decentralized the layout of the Sound Village itself is. It can be a real nightmare if you don't know where you're headed." [break][break]
It was true, the topology of Otogakure had been designed from its inception to be as singularly confusing as humanly possible; a confusing network of caves and tunnels, split up and hidden across every corner of the wilderness known as the Northern Fire Country. [break][break]
Strategically, this offered them a considerable advantage when fighting in their home territory, and greatly bolstered the efficacy of the guerilla tactics that they were known to employ against invaders. [break][break]
Sure made it a pain to get to the grocery store, though. [break][break]
Yawning deeply as the excellent meal and the day's exhaustion finally began to hit her with their combined assault, Yousei sprawled out in her chair unabashedly, having herself one of those blissful stretches that were so elastic you could feel your fatigue just melting away. [break][break]
"We should probably go to bed soon." She said drowsily, slumping back in her seat like a puppet with its strings cut. "Will you be okay sleeping alone? Need a bodyguard or anything? I don't really know much about geisha sleeping arrangements." [break][break]
Izumi nodded at Gama's response. She was not a great cook but had enough practice making breakfast for the others at her okiya that she had become fond of it. It made her feel good when she could make something others enjoyed and cooking was strangely therapeutic despite it being somewhat of a nuisance to clean up. "The pleasure is all mine." She smiled and turned her attention back to Yousei, who had commented that she too loved tamagoyaki. "Indeed! There is nothing better than a simple breakfast of fluffy eggs, rice and miso soup. We have this every morning, it's kind of like a ritual." The best part about the combination was that it never got too boring since what went inside the miso soup changed daily and all that was needed was some toppings on the rice to make it more flavorful. [break][break]
"I'm a very light sleeper so there's no need for a bodyguard." The girl chuckled as she gave her katana a little pat. "And then there's my trusted partner in case anything comes up at night." She always trusted her sword to help her through the most trying of times. "As a samurai, we are not used to having others protect us when we live to protect other people, although as a geisha I can understand the need. But no matter, I will be fine, no worries." Izumi stifled a yawn as she turned to Gama. "It's getting a little late and I want to wake up early to prepare breakfast for everyone. Would you mind showing me to the sleeping quarters?" She bowed her head to the redhead. "Thank you for keeping me company tonight, I haven't had such a good time with anyone in a long time." And she meant it sincerely. Had she learned to make more friends, perhaps it would have not been the case. [break][break]
The girl would then take to the comforts of her room at the inn, all the while musing over the details Yousei had spoken about during their little chat. She had learned a lot about Otogakure and the fall of Konoha just in the hour or so alone. Of course, there was still a lot that she probably wasn't aware of, but it provided her with much insight to a world that was otherwise unknown to her. She had thought that that would be the end of their encounter, minus the trip back to Yuu no Kuni the following morning. But a pleasant yet unpleasant surprise in the middle of the night would once more allow Izumi and Yousei to cross paths, this time perhaps allowing the red-haired woman to see for herself that amidst being a samurai and a geisha, Izumi was also a kunoichi from Kumo. It would be in the dark of night when three shadows tiptoed outside the inn, making their way softly around the building, as not to wake its sleeping occupants. Only one thing would come between them, it was the fact that neither kunoichi would have actually been asleep for the intruders to have interrupted their slumber. [break][break]
