[Open] Back when I was a brat, I found a sparrow with a broken leg

[justbeingknife]

CHARACTERS: Majima and [you]
DATE: After the festival to the present
WARNINGS: Typical mildly salty language, probably. Mentions of death? Mentions of death.
SUMMARY: Leaving flowers for the dead, bounties, bullshit subquests that will only end in tears

Laying flowers;
[ It wasn't as though death was anything new to Majima. Sure. People died all the time, and all it took was ending up on the wrong side of someone else's bad day. And it wasn't like he'd personally been acquainted with any of these people, either -- so it certainly wasn't his place to cry about it or anything. That'd be disrespecting the actual family members, people who actually knew a damn thing about the lost.

One thing did prod him to act, though: finding out one of those people had been killed by a teammate of his. That was something they were responsible for.

With a small bundle of wildflowers in hand, he made his way to a spot near the former festival grounds, where it appeared several people had already been by to make small offerings in memoriam. He set down the flowers without a word -- a little bloom of wild color against the dark earth. ]

Falcon it up; (slightly earlier)
[ Should someone end up near the raptor mews one fine morning, they might be addressed by a six-foot tall Japanese man who frankly did not look like someone who should be anywhere near a bunch of baby hunting birds. ]

Hey. You like birds?

[ sketchy af, tbh

ooc: Limited to one, please! This is for the For the Birds bounty. ]

Got my goat;
[ Somehow, for some godforsaken reason, Majima was in the middle of an argument with a young commoner woman. Well, maybe 'argument' wasn't quite the right word here... ]

Listen, lady, I don't know anything about goats, much less tracking one down! Don't you have a... goat whisperer or somethin'?

[ "A goat what? See here -- novice or not, there's no one else I can ask! I need to look after the flock here, and you're obviously free. If you track down my Maisy for me, I'll even throw in some compensation!" The woman crossed her arms obstinately over her chest, fixing him with a look that did not inspire high hopes that she was just going to let this go.

ugh......... ]

Wildcard;
[ this space reserved for whatever your terrible grinch heart desires ]

Comments

goatssss

[kisha]

[It was not Hayame's intent to search for goats this day... but, it was not her intent not to search for them... and trotting by, she cannot help but overhear the newly familiar voice of a certain Japanese man who she felt she could recognize at even a single word after how long he had talked about strange topics beneath the cherry trees.

Not that she should be lingering on memories such as that, indecent as they were by very nature.

But the point is... she changes course, hooves announcing presence before her arrival, bowing slightly to the woman he spoke to in acknowledgement before she turns her gaze to Majima.]

You cannot track animals?

[What skills do they teach these Showa men?]

[justbeingknife]

It ain't a matter of trackin' em, Hayame-han. It's a matter of --

[ The woman seized on this opportunity to double-team Majima at once. "Ah! Finally, someone speaks some sense! Besides, it's not as though the men around here have anything better to do."

Majima's expression suggested that the world was one filled with injustice.

"If you have some free time, why not see to it that this man does his task properly? I'll even throw in a special reward." ]

[kisha]

[A matter of... ?

Hayame could fill in the blanks herself if she wished to, but there was something to be said about not assuming (when one was in calm enough spirits to heed that advice), and so she merely raises an eyebrow at him before turning to the woman.

She did so enjoy that part of this world being different from her own.]

If there is some way we might assist you, good woman, I am sure it can be done. We shall return with your livestock or not at all.

[She had things she could do that might serve better... but there was still some merit to drumming up good will amongst the people of this world. One never knew when one might have to rely on such... and though looking for goats was something she liked to believe was beneath her...

Hayame flicks her tail, gesturing for Majima to walk ahead.]

Do get moving, Majima-dono. A woman's livelihood is at stake.

[justbeingknife]

[ She was enjoying this. She might not be grinning from ear to horse-lady-ear, but Majima was pretty damn sure Hayame was inwardly laughing it up. ]

Of course...

[ Ugh. At the very least, a recent light rain had made the distinctive footprints of Maisy the goat fairly easy to spot. Majima walked alongside them, feeling slightly mutinous but resigned to the task now that he'd accepted it. ]

It's a miracle anyone gets anything done around here.

[ he'd say, once they were out of earshot. ]

If ya can't even run an errand without three other people tryin' to make you do theirs.

[kisha]

[Just slightly. In her own world, she had not been allowed to go where she wished, eat where she wished, or even help who she wished... and while there was something terrifying, in a way, a world without that order and that structure... there was a part of her that enjoyed it.

And for women to be the lauded ones while men had to wish and hope to be acknowledged or allowed... she cannot help but revel in the irony.]

What better use for outsiders? It is not as if we would be trusted for actual work.

[It makes enough sense by her, walking easily along the path. Once they left this soft terrain she would pay more actual attention, but for now... the tracking was child's play.]

Unless you had somewhere pressing to be?

[justbeingknife]

[ Majima sighed. ]

Since it sounds like people're planning to ingratiate themselves with the nobility, I was gonna look for some clothes and other props that might make the act a little more convincing. Most of the agents on this mission couldn't pick out a fittin' pattern if it slapped 'em in the face. Plus, a good gift can help deal with the right personality...

But now that we're doing this, might as well see it through.

[ He did his work properly, ok

There was a man busy carrying a large bundle of sticks, who called out to them as they passed. "Roped into looking for Maisy, were you? Best of luck!"

...was this goat infamous ]

[kisha]

[At the mention of the plan Hayame found in her opinion to be... poorly formed, to be polite, her lips twist into a small sneer. Parading about as nobles when they had no actual idea of how to conduct themselves in a place like this, acting like announcing themselves would somehow get themselves an audience with the highest ranked person in the entire land...

But that wasn't something she had any interest in rehashing and getting all bothered over again, so she grits her teeth to keep her mouth shut, to physically prevent herself from complaining that would get her nowhere closer to satisfied with what some members of their team were doing.

Even she is a bit surprised that this goat's fame, though, muttering,]

It is a good thing I have become better acquainted with goats of late.

[Sharing a stable with Toothgrinder those months in ALASTAIR might actually become useful.]

[justbeingknife]

[ Oh, boy. Looked like someone didn't like The Plan (TM). Granted, there was... plenty of room for things to go wrong.

wait what ]

...Better acquainted how?

[ Majima's last interaction with a goat was probably at a petting zoo. Civilized people did not keep goats in their city apartment.

Up ahead, the ground was harder, and the tracks more difficult to follow with a small riot of human footprints complicating the issue. However, Maisy's path did seem to be heading away from the center of town. ]

[kisha]

My-

[Far better option to talk about goats.

Even though she immediately almost puts her hoof in her mouth, snapping it shut suddenly with a click of teeth and stopping to examine the tracks a bit too intently for how obvious they were, looking almost embarrassed for a second before it passes, knowing she is overreacting, that she should keep talking and surely no one will notice anything-]

In ALASTAIR's base Oska, I shared the stables with a... goat said to be the god of such creatures.

[Toothgrinder was an excellent specimen, but. She's still out on whether she considers it a god or not...]

[justbeingknife]

[ Majima opened his mouth, closed it. Looked at her.

There were so many questions here. Where could he even start. Hayame lived in a stable?

With a goat??

A goat god??? ]

Uh... was the goat an agent?

[kisha]

[Of course she lived in the stables, Majima! What was she supposed to do, walk about inside a castle like that was normal to be surrounded by cold stone all the time, and live in a room as if she was human?

She'd never thought to miss Oska, to miss that stable... but compared to the echoing metal ship in the deep black, to the room she now is assigned... it seems a paradise in retrospect.]

No. It's keeper is Odinson, who is a god in his world.

[Play it cool, Hayame.]

It's stall was next to mine, so I doubt I will forget the scent of goat any time soon.

[justbeingknife]

[ Ye...s? Didn't they have rooms for for horse ladies? Rooms with, like... horse lady beds??

Not that Majima was really one to talk -- he didn't even have a proper futon back home, why bother when you barely sleep... but it was sort of baffling that someone with an exacting as Hayame's would be a-okay with sleeping with a goat.

Even a really special goat. ]

...yer a real mystery, Hayame-han.

[ Now the town was falling away; apparently, this non-special goat had decided to book it for the forest. Not particularly good news, considering that ogres apparently had a taste for them. ]

And just how far is this Maisy going?

[kisha]

[Humans slept in houses. Jinba slept in stalls. That's how it had always been, and it was easier to feel more comfortable there... even with the reasons involved.

But she rounds on him somewhat defensively for that comment, studying his reaction for a moment to see if there was something behind those words.]

There is nothing mysterious about me, or him, or the goat.

[OK?????

Just focus on this damned goat.]

Perhaps we should pick up the pace.

[If he was jogging maybe he couldn't talk.]

[justbeingknife]

...'him'?

[ Did she mean this Odinson guy? What did he have to do with anything? Why even bring him up? Why the defensive reaction? Unless.......



oh ]

[ Unfortunately for Hayame, jogging didn't really seem to phase Majima all that much. He could practically do it all day, though he was a little concerned they might miss something with the increased pace. Still, she had a much faster top speed than he did, and so she was probably going to start outpacing him if they went on for long, especially on a fairly straight shot like this one. It looked like there was some kind of notice up ahead. ]

[kisha]

The goat. It's a buck.

[She clarifies as if that is a good explanation for what she'd said without realizing she'd listed off the goat separately, moving into a slow trot, intended to keep him moving but not actively trying to outpace him.

The notice she glances at... but only long enough not to recognize any of the characters. The magitech seemed to help some with these... but she had never wished to draw attention to her illiteracy by asking why no one else seemed to struggle despite the other worlds they were on.

So she ignores it.]

[justbeingknife]

[ Maisy's trail veered off the road, into one of the smaller side paths. In fact, it had probably been luck on their part that she'd followed the main path for as long as she had. Now, though the tracks were still fairly clear, there was leaf litter about and far less human footprints running alongside.

Majima might not have even paid attention to the sign himself, distracted as he was by The Great Hayame Question, but his eye swept instinctively over the written surface, and --

wait, what? ]

Hey! Hold up!

[kisha]

[To Hayame's eye, the trail remains fairly clear yet, raised in the near wilderness of Echigo's frontier lands, the farthest into the mountains and forests those humans had pushed, hunting bear, boar, deer, and more. A goat was even easier to track... they were domesticated, not as used to actively hiding their locations.

But he speaks, and she does stop, hooves already veering off the path before she turns to look back over her shoulder.]

- what?

[justbeingknife]

[ 'What?'

What 'what'? ]

There's a bunch of pitfalls down this way. If we keep up this pace, we could get caught in one of 'em.

[ Even distracted, Hayame didn't seem the type to just... ignore a notice... ]

[kisha]

[Despite the four hundred years that separate them... Majima looks just like the men she is accustomed to working with. The shade of skin, the hair, the eyes, even the eyepatch- Echigo’s frontier was not kind. And without thinking... she has labeled him in much the same way. Jinba weren’t taught to read more than their own names and a few basic characters that might be used in orders or missives, and the men out laboring, toiling at the stables or for a master, they weren’t educated.

She doesn’t even consider at first that he could read.]

Did one of the village women tell you that? Say something earlier.

[Hayame looks about a bit more critically, making note to herself to watch for more than just goat tracks.]

[justbeingknife]

What? No.

Didn't ya see that sign back there? It said --

[ Majima gestured back at the sign, the words out of his mouth before he could really digest the question. He stopped mid-sentence, however, as he put 'completely blew past sign' and 'ancient Japan' together, and... ]

You can't read?

[kisha]

[She isn’t quite facing him when he asks the question, gaze turned groundward... but the reaction to what to her feels like an accusation is immediate, muscles stiffening along her withers and haunches, tail rising slightly, shoulders squaring. Weakness and ignorance invites ridicule, brings pity and disgust, and she instinctively prepares for such a reaction even as she forces herself to turn.]

I know enough.

[Her name. Her brother’s name. Her master’s. Tea. Money. Retreat. Attack. Jinba. Rice. Water.]

[justbeingknife]

Sorry, I should've realized earlier.

[ Man, now he felt bad about it, totally blundering into the question like that. Even in modern Japan, there were guys who were never good at studying, or people that for whatever reason had fallen through the cracks. They almost inevitably tried to bluff their way through -- better than the alternative, looking stupid or weak.

She looked just like they did.

(Maybe not quite as filled with belligerent bluster.) ]

It said to stay on the main path. I'm assumin' they set up those traps to discourage ogres from wandering into town.

[ He paused, tilting his head up to look at her. ]

...You wanna learn more?

[kisha]

[It sounds like it’s supposed to be an apology, but it just puts Hayame more on edge. Should have realized earlier? Why- had she betrayed herself in some other way? She tries to think back quickly, to remember if she had been ignorant of a sign or noticeboard in his presence before, but she cannot recall one...

Tch, to think he was educated... she’d read him wrong. (Well, read his era wrong.)]

Well we are going off the path- just watch your step and look for disguised patches of dirt and leaves.

[The question, though, gives her pause, looking down at him.]

What- you are a scholar?

[justbeingknife]

Wouldn't go that far, but I did get through about a decade's worth of classes. So I can read and write just fine.

[ He started a few steps forward off path, more careful now that he knew what was up ahead. And in fact, further down the path was a suspicious patch of earth that looked like it had been disturbed fairly recently. ]

[kisha]

[A decade's worth.

Hayame's eyes are keen, and she may not have a decade's worth of schooling but she has a decade's worth of hunting experience, and so she can read somewhat easily the goat's tracks, a hint of hoof here, half eaten branches with bark nibbled off here...]

I did not realize your clan was so wealthy.

[And hooves skitter around that disturbed earth, pausing to sniff the air.

Though that still isn't an answer to his actual question.]