Setting
"Are you ready to head to shore Marco?" It took Catia a moment to realize that the voice was talking to her, but when it did dawn on her she quickly turned to address them. There she saw Brother Rolfe standing, staring out towards the shore. She had grown close to this man, learning all she could of this new place they were heading. He had lived here in Japan for five years, learning the language and the culture, before heading back to Portugal to teach any who wished to learn the local language. Catia had always had a knack for languages, knowing Portuguese, Spanish, Latin, and the language of the Danes. So for the last seven months on this ship she spent as much time as possible learning Japanese and had surprisingly become rather fluent with it. Because of this she quickly befriended Brother Rolfe, looking to him almost as a fatherly figure.
"Mm yes I am quite anxious to go ashore. Do you really think I'll be able to converse with the locals?" She questioned nervously. Although she could pick up languages quickly, this one was very different from any she had learned. She knew she could speak the language, but she definitely couldn't read the language yet. This made her very nervous.
"Yes you will do just fine. Even if you mess up a few words I'm sure you can win them over with your personality. Now go get your things, you'll accompany me to shore." Brother Rolfe laughed as he shooed Catia away. Catia couldn't hide her smile as she took off to gather her things. In the process she double checked to make sure her bindings were secure. She'd already had a few close calls, now she was paranoid with it.
She gathered her two pistols she had taken from her father's shop, these being the two things she treasured most. She also gathered together plenty of ammunition and gunpowder to last her for quite some time along with a string of throwing daggers before joining Brother Rolfe on deck. Soon she was heading for shore, unsure of what was to await her there.
Once her feet touched the land she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The feeling if solid ground was comforting to her. She was permitted to now go off on her own, she was just asked not to cause any trouble. She promised she would do her best before making her way through what looked like a market. She stopped and examined almost every little stand with excitement, conversing with people here and there. Rolfe was right, she was having no problem with the language.
Before long she found herself walking into a shop where there were men seated at low tables. She was directed here when she asked someone for a place to find food. She gulped a little as all eyes focused on her small frame. Many of these men had two strange swords attatched to themselves, one long and one shorter. She quickly found an empty table and sat down, hoping people would stop staring soon.
Before long a young girl approached her asking if she'd like some tea and perhaps something to eat. Catia could only nod as she nervously glanced around at the stares. "Don't worry about them, most are only curious. It's not often we see someone with hair the color of yours." The reassuring smile helped Catia to calm some as the girl left and brought her some tea. She happily began sipping it as she examined some of the items she had already bought.
"You'll find the man you're looking for inside Hiroto's tea shop," a man had told her. The word's echoed in her mind as she glanced at the signs littered about. The city of Kyoto was a bustling thing, merchants trying to sell their produce or trinkets, and villagers trying to negotiate prices. The only signs she was able to discern were those of the vendors. She couldn't find this Hiroto's shop. She must have passed by another four shops before a sigh of defeat escaped her thin lips. She placed her hand on the hilt of her katana, pushing it forward a bit before allowing her hand to rest gently on it. Perhaps she should ask for more direction? She glanced around for the first person she could spot, and pulled the soft smile off of her lips, replacing it instead with a tight frown. Her entire features, once soft and serene, were now harsh and calloused.
"Excuse me, can you tell me where to find Hiroto-san's shop?" she asked, her voice deeper and at once light. This was, perhaps, the hardest part in pulling of her guise. Her voice was naturally frail sounding and light, almost too feminine for even herself, however; she managed to sharpen the soft corners of it to muster a more masculine voice. The man she spoke to, however, seemed a little skepitcal. He glanced at her, an eyebrow raised in slight confusion before glancing over her attire and posture. Anything out of place would surely give her away as a woman, however; she was used to the scrutiny. She was used to getting weird stares because of her appearance. Even as a child, people would look at her with mild curiosity or plain disgust.
"Yer standing in front of it," the man finally replied, his kansai-ben dialect apparent. Shizuka merely blinked slowly, turned and glanced upon the building she was, indeed, looking for. She turned back towards the man, her face pulled in total neutrality, and offered him a bow and thanks. "All kinds of weird folk coming up here," he spoke beneath his breath. Shizuka merely ignored him and walked into the small shop. It was filled with scents that overwhelmed her at first, some of the jasmine tea that was being served, and most of it from the smell of the men who occupied it.
The shop itself wasn't dirty, but it could have used a bit of a tender hand, something that caused Shizuka's own hand to twitch. She ignored it, and surveyed the perimeter. She was looking for a man who stuck out like a sore thumb, but none seemed to stand out in that way - at least not at first. It wasn't until she spotted a man with unusual hair the color of the sun, and she immediately made her way towards him. Once she was near him, she stopped a few feet back, adjusted herself and posture before resuming her walk.
"Are you him" she spoke, asking if he was the man. She had no other description to go by, and this man was the only one who fit the description given.
“Perhaps, I suppose you have to be more specific in order for me to answer that question.” She finally responded, hoping it was the right thing to say. As she said this, though, she noticed out of the corner of her eye another man watching them and he had a smirk on his face. She found this rather odd, but didn’t want him to be aware of her noticing him. So she decided just to silently keep a watchful eye on him in case he decided to make some sort of move.
Kiyoshi had entered the tea shop quite a while ago and was silently enjoying tea as he watched people come and go. He was becoming hungry, but this hunger wasn’t something the rice in front of him could satisfy. It was a hunger that accumulated over the last few weeks since he had his last meal, since he last feasted on the soul of a human. In fact he could go several months without feasting again and survive just fine, but it didn’t mean he’d like it. So he had come into this town two weeks ago in hopes to ensnare another meal.
His eyes had flicked to the door as he sensed quite the delicious soul walking in and when he saw the source he realized not only was he delicious smelling, but quite the interesting sight. His rosey colored skin, eyes the color of the ocean, and hair as yellow of the sun he had come to the conclusion that this was the soul he wanted to lure so he could feast. Now all he had to do was listen to any conversations this man had an determine what he most desired.
Not long after another man walked in and this one's scent hit him like a brick. He was almost irresistible and it took Kiyoshi everything in him to keep from pouncing on him. Patience and cleverness was how he always won his meals and this could be no exception. When he stopped by the yellow haired man’s table a smile grew across his face. Perhaps he could win two delicious meals if these two ended up knowing each other. So he carefully listened into the conversation between the two that was about to follow.
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