Homelands (Guan Yu)

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Not faltering in the face of the giant man and club aimed at her, the priestess hopped forward to deliver a descending strike of massive proportions. Soon, a bloody line erupted in Kuchinawa's wake, cloth, flesh and bone each giving away under her strenght and the extraordinary sharpness of the ancestral katana. Some how managing to keep the blood-splattering onto herself in a minimum, Tomoe backed away after completing her attack, facing the hulk of a man again in a stance of readiness. Sword held diagonally down to her side, the miko saw her opponent still attempt a final attack, but it was too late for the lethally cut creature. With the weight of his club pulling him backwards, the huge person fell like severed tree trunk, the woman offering a final prayer to his departing soul. "Hopefully you can find peace there, in the next life..."

Having finished her opponent, Tomoe was joined by her two companions shortly, who had not really gotten to take swipes against the now deceased giant. "Thank you... I have practised this long and hard, but it's the first time I ever used it. Looks like it's as powerful as I imagined..." the shrine maiden shared her thoughts, cleaning up a bit of blood from her sword with a quick swish to the side before digging out the cleaning rag from the folds of her robe to finish up the cleaning. "I think I could track the lowlifes still. Should we go after them? After this encounter, I'm beginning to consider doing it." she continued, asking Kei for her opinion. If the bandit hunt went up too long, they might have to make a risky wilderness camp, but that was something she was willing to risk. If the fellow warrior was willing to hunt the bandits with her, Tomoe would begin to track and find them. Not necessarily with the intention of killing them though, she still believed firmly in chances of redemption.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

Spoiler

I'm assuming by your last line that Tomoe goes on the hunt for bandits, given Kei and Shenron's general willingness to go along with it!

Also: I'm posting with a broken thumb and a chunk of my index finger missing. I apologize in advance for any particularly bad typos or undue brevity.

Kei gave a small shrug at the miko's question. "If we don't, they might make another attempt on us, not that they're exactly threatening. I've seen children wield better weapons with more aptitude than the thugs that have accosted us so far." The red-haired woman stretched her arms up, closing her eyes as she arched her back and yawned. The traveler's hands came to a rest on the top of her head as she relaxed, though she didn't bother to open her eyes. "I'll tag along if you want to see this to an end. Acheron will probably still be around by the time we've figured this out. The choice is up to you, Tomoe." Shenron seemed to agree with Kei's general logic, stoically watching the shrine maiden for her decision.

Given that both seemed ready to go along with it, Tomoe began the process of tracking the thugs. It quickly occurred to her that the men were experts at fleeing, though not very good at keeping themselves from being tracked. In terms of keeping up, the trio had little luck. But, thanks to the tricks she had learned in her time around Argent Vale, the men might as well have painted a giant yellow arrow leading Tomoe directly to them, for how easy their trail was to follow. The ranger maiden followed their tracks, which happened to coincide with the path she was already on, for the better part of half an hour with no incident. The sun had made a little bit of progress in the sky overhead by the time she came upon a hamlet on the road. One that the tracks happened to lead directly to. It was a collection of probably not more than a dozen houses, all small, that sprawled out along the main road and off of smaller paths that branched off of it, none of which seemed to have any great planning put into them. There were a few small fields for farming a little ways outside of the village.

As she approached, Tomoe spotted a group, all of them obviously very nervous, of two women and a man on the road. All were garbed in peasant clothing, several holes in the dingy, old fabric. They did not seem to have noticed the shrine maiden, which was potentially a good thing given the nature of her companions. Shenron eyed the village with a sense of pragmatic caution. Kei looked positively carefree. Both of the two accompanied Tomoe on her right and left, respectively. The miko could, of course, approach and hail them. Or, she could make some other plan, too.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

(Yes, that was the idea. Darn robbers, harassing innocent shrine maidens!)

"She sure manages to take things easy..." the miko thought as she watched Kei's reactions to the thing she was asking for. "Alright, thank you for your assistance..." Tomoe offered another set of thanks to the woman before turning her attention towards the road and the trail of the bandits that had hightailed from the scene of battle.

It was not a good thing that the tracks went along with the road towards the small settlement she knew about, already giving slight worry to the kindly priestess as she followed the telltale signs left behind by the fleeing scoundrels in the wilderness. "They better leave that peaceful place alone..." Tomoe thought while leading the two other adventurers, some time passing in the tracking process. Then there was a collection of farmhouses in sight, your typical farming hamlet with it's fields, houses and half-thought roads. Unfortunately for the inhabitants, the trail headed towards them, directing the easterner there as well.

Only a quick moment later, there was movement ahead of them. Focusing her attention on the incoming group, the shrine maiden saw a trio of people who looked rather farmerish types. The peasant collection had not noticed her own group yet, but this hardly mattered to Tomoe, who intended to go and talk to them about what was going on despite their nervous dispositions. After seeing how her companions looked, the miko calmly approached the farmers in an attempt to speak with them and get a general idea about what was going on, showing them her most polite demeanor. And if someone could be polite, it was her.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

As Tomoe approached the villagers and hailed them, a woman immediately greeted the miko and her party. "G-go away! We don't have any room for travelers here! Leave!" The response to her approach was markedly less friendly than the shrine maiden. Despite it, however, the woman seemed conflicted. She was nervous, even scared. All three of the peasant-garbed townsfolk frequently glanced at the surrounding buildings, as if frightened rabbits expecting predators to pounce on them at any moment. The woman who had spoken up frantically tried to mouth something to Tomoe. The miko couldn't make out for the speed at which it happened, though it looked like a warning. Even as the first woman continued to nervously gesture for the trio to leave, the second woman, barely more than a girl, spoke up. "Y-yeah! Just leave! We don't want strangers here!"

During the rude greeting, none of the trio seemed to take notice of the alien that accompanied the miko. They were too busy glancing from place to place and trying to gesture for the group to leave. Kei, for her part, looked at the group with dull amusement. Shenron stood stoically by Tomoe's side, as ready as he always was. Tomoe and her group were barely past the first house on their path through the hamlet when the women had spoke up. They were still about twenty feet away from the group of townspeople.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

"Something is not right here..." the eastern priestess could easily see from the nervous, scary dispositions of the group. Their answers and quiet signs of warning confirmed this, but it wouldn't be enough to persuade her away from the situation. Easing her way towards them, she broke away from the usual polite and ever-kind face, instead approaching with a much more serious look. "That is not what you want to say, your words and body language give this away. Tell me what's going on and I'll see if I can be of assistance." the miko asked them again, applying some more authority on her voice as she said it.

She would not go next to them to hear the group reply, but unless there was something dramatic in their answer, the shrine maiden would fake a departure afterwards. There might be a threat against loved ones here, or some other such foul play. The group would lurk around the outskirts of the farming community to see if there would be any signs of possible trouble before looking for a way to approach the place undetected. Such sneaking was not Tomoe's style or desire, but it seemed like there might not be another option here.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception: Tomoe wins.

Short post is short. I am exhausted, sorry. ;_;

"Just don't come any closer. Bandits have taken control of the town. Turn around now and run," the first woman whispered as Tomoe came closer.

By then, however, it was too late. The priestess noticed shadows moving in the windows of one of the two single-story buildings she had found herself between, specifically, the one to the right, before she could put distance between herself and the group of peasants. The windows shattered as two slung rocks came flying through them, aimed at the priestess and her group. It was obviously blind fire, though, as both of the projectiles missed the trio completely. Three club-wielding thugs emerged, one from inside the house that the slingers were firing from, two from the house on the other side of Tomoe. All in all, it wasn't a very impressive ambush force, the first two had been much more impressive. The miko appeared to have taken her toll on the amount of lowlifes in the area. Still, they would need to be dealt with. Thankfully, the trio of townspeople ran for cover and was out of the way of the skirmish about to occur.

Unlike the last two bandit ambushes she had dealt with, this time the bandits had few places to run. Both of the Easterner's companions were ready at her side as soon as the group had emerged, perhaps even before it had happened. It was unlikely that Tomoe and company would have any problem dispatching wounded and already shaken thugs. But, she might also try to capture them in order to gain some insight as to why they were so prevalent in the area.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

(It might be shorter than your usual ones, but still alright. Makes things clear. And it's not like this post is any longer >_<)

"I knew it..." the shrine maiden thought as she heard the warning, now being close enough to hear it. Before she could make a further move, the enemy launched their ambush with some more rocks flying through the air. But the blind-fired projectiles were anything but accurate, coming nowhere near anyone from the group as they found their spots in the dirt somewhere in the background. As the initial barrage had passed, a few more clubbers sprinted forth from the nearby buildings to try and initiate melee. With the trio of civilians out of the way, they could engage the scum without risking the innocents.

Letting her companions do what they saw fit, the miko rushed forward and towards the house with the slingers. There was a club-wielding thug in her way, but he would not be a distraction on the determined shrine maiden's path. Reaching behind her back to grab hold of Kuchinawa's handle, Tomoe prepared to strike at the lowlife heading towards her. He would fall like a blade of grass in face of her sword and it's fine-honed edge.

(Dash forward to attack the sling house defender, using both Death from the Draw and a 20-point supreme might for an attack of +62 to hit and d10+88 damage)

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Tomoe: Engage murder mode.
Attack: Hit
Damage: 6 + 88 = 94. Dead.
Resistance (Slingers vs Fear): Tomoe wins handily. They're too afraid to do anything else.

Kei: Charge, Death from the Draw, Whirlwind with a two-handed strike against the other thugs.
Attack: Both hit.
Damage: 65 - 1 = 64. Both dead.

Shenron moves to stop the slingers from jumping out of the windows and trying to flee.

Both slingers surrender, solely so I don't have to roll another round of combat where-in Tomoe destroys a whole lotta chumps. >.>

The thug continued his charge with club held high, obviously thinking Tomoe to be unprepared with her blade still in its sheath. He would be proven woefully wrong as he came into striking distance of the warrior priestess only to find Kuchinawa jumping out of its scabbard and cutting through his midsection. He stumbled a few more steps past the shrine maiden before coming to a staggering halt. Then, he collapsed in a heap. The skilled miko didn't need to spare a glance to know that he was a dead man. While she had handled the thug defending the ranged combatants, Kei had slain the other two so quickly that Tomoe hadn't even had the time to see how she had done it.

Shenron moved forward for the final remaining combatants. At the sight of a few hundred pounds of muscled lizardman coming toward them with wicked claws at the ready, the slingers simply threw their hands into the air and surrendered. "I'm not paid enough for this! I give up!" One called vocally, his comrade seemed to agree. Kei scoffed with disgust at their words as she turned around and began the walk to Tomoe's side. The hunter looked to the shrine maiden for guidance on what to do with the cowering men. Of the three villagers, only the woman who had called out a warning was brave enough to return. "Is it... Is it over?" The two men were still inside of the building with their arms held high, apparently too afraid of Shenron to come out, but the battle was all but over.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

With a raised club, the thug met with Tomoe in a pass of attacks. "Too late!" she snapped at the opponent as Kuchinawa slid from it's sheath, changing the direction of approach in a flash, cleaving through the man's midsection when it had just been over the shrine maiden's head. Having felt her blade sink into the opposition and then come out, the easterner knew not to bother looking behind her as the eventual thud came. He was already dead.

The harsh counter-attack had the desired effect, freezing the two slingbearers in their tracks. Taking a quick look to the side, Tomoe saw that Kei too had taken into schooling the criminals, already done with two of them. With her companions in tow and the situation defused with a swift counter-attack, it looked like it was time to talk with the remaining two scummers. "Yes. You can come out now." she replied to the farmer who was the only brave enough soul from the trio, the two others still hiding behind the cover. Motioning Shenron to follow her, the miko went over into the building where the slingers were, not having any particular hurry in her stride. Once there, she ordered the men to sit down so they could move onto the questions part. "Paid enough? Somebody is paying you to harass travellers and take over little communities like this? Is that why there has been so much of your kind during the time I've been here?" Tomoe asked away, maintaining awareness and keeping her blade in hand still while she questioned the pair, looking uncharacterically grim as she did. The situation had passed, but who knew what might happen still.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

"I think I'll make sure that they don't get any bad ideas about trying to squeeze out and flee," the traveler noted before wandering away from the miko's side. The two men waited where they were, their decision-making no doubt assisted by Kei strolling over to the windows with a bloody blade in hand. Shenron entered the building at Tomoe's back. While the peasant woman was brave enough to come out, she wasn't brave enough to follow the Easterner inside the home.

The thugs were in an open room to the shrine maiden's immediate left, it was a plain affair in which was decorated only with a pair of chairs and a table. They seemed all the tenser for the casual speed at which Tomoe had entered the room. The men were so frightened that when they were ordered to sit, they chose to plant themselves on the floor. The chairs were just a few steps too close to the dangerous miko and hunter for their comfort. "Yes! I'm just a refugee! The boss offered to feed us and take care of us in return for our services! There haven't been any options for us since the invasion. We had to do it to live!" The first man babbled out, almost as soon as she asked. The second seemed too afraid to say anything.

When they both got a glance at Kuchinawa, still stained by their fallen comrade, both seemed to share that primal fear. "I-I don't want to die," the first whispered. The second began to sob uncontrollably. Kei scoffed again, from outside the window, obviously not moved by the pitiful display. Shenron stood as stoically as ever. The only person who seemed affected by it all was the villager who had warned Tomoe, who shied her gaze away from the scene and ducked away from the window.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

"So there is someone behind this wave of harassment and harm..." Tomoe thought upon hearing the first answers from one of the pair. It was a saddening thing that they had to lower themselves into doing something like this, but supposedly it was necessary for them with the world's miserable condition. Still, the miko had no tolerance towards abusing the weaker ones, the people who had no real skills to defend themselves. They had gotten what was coming for them.

Not wanting to scare the men into an uncontrollable panic, the priestess took out her cleaning rag to get the remains of the hopeless club enthusiast of from the blade of her sword. To highlight her non-hostility, she went a bit closer to them, lowering herself into a kneeling sit. Such was the tradition. "So, tell me about your boss. What kind of man is he, where is he, those kinds of things." she carried on with the questions, finishing up the cleaning and sheathing the blade before looking at both of them in turn, slipping back to her usual polite and easily smiling state of mind. These two wouldn't be off any danger, and if they got rowdy on the seated shrine maiden, the seated sword techniques of her training would come into play. Shenron would surely be quick to fix any unwanted unruliness as well, despite standing a bit further in the back from Tomoe.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

The shrine maiden's less aggressive posture and her choice to sit down only removed a little bit of the fear. The second man's sobbing was muffled slightly, though it persisted. At least the man who had originally responded seemed able to talk again. "He's... They say he's really strong. That he could slay hordes of aliens without raising a hand. I've never seen him in person, myself. He usually sends out his right-hand man if he wants to deliver a message from himself." Through every word, the man watched Tomoe carefully, frightfully even, obviously afraid that he might insult or enrage her and that she would end his life. Whether he was telling the truth or not was hard to say, but he was quite obviously a coward. "I heard he started recruiting a few months after the invasions. He said he was going to create a people's army and protect villages that couldn't defend themselves, from aliens or the other things lurking the countryside." The second man offered a nod of his head, still crying as he did so, it was the first input he had offered up until that point.

"I don't know, I just joined a few months ago. By then he was already demanding taxes from the villages under his protection and he didn't care how we got them. If we didn't collect them then we would be punished." The second part was added all too hastily. "And... And... Just a few weeks ago he started demanding..." His voice lowered to a whisper. "Women." The thug winced away, apparently certain that Tomoe would end him for the revelation. The tense moment was quickly stolen by, of all things, a yawn. Kei was stretching, visible due to her position on the other side of one of the broken windows, openly yawning at the story. The traveler seemed to find the information boring enough that she ended up losing all interest in it and turning away to lean against the wall outside. The peasant woman peered in with morbid fear, despite the other Easterner's actions. "He lives somewhere in the plains, I'm not exactly sure where," the lowlife timidly admitted. "I've heard he wasn't always like this..."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Going with her usual calmess despite the two men being scared out of their pants, Tomoe listened to the pair's explanation with complete attention, facing whoever happened to be talking at any given time. It was an interesting story to say the least, this story about a rebellious leader seemingly turned tyrant. "Hmmh, your leader seems to have lost his way..." she eventually spoke up to them, not entirely sure how to approach this problem, if at all. It might be helping the little people, but there was a more important thing to consider as well. Such potent-sounding opponents might not be within her ability to handle as well. "Well, that is all I wanted from you two." the priestess eventually finished her listening period, going as far as giving a slight bow to these two haphazard bandits. "Do not take up this path again. Help the people farm and protect them instead, it will be more beneficial to the common cause of humanity." she addressed the frightened duo one last time when getting up. It was probably time for her to leave.

With Shenron following after her, the miko turned back to Kei once she got out. "Doesn't seem like this is the first time you've heard such stories, given your way of acting. Is it like this everywhere, with the more powerful ones using the weak for their own ends?" Tomoe inquired from the traveller. After hearing her answer, the shrine maiden pondered if they should carry on further today or seek a resting place here. She asked Kei about her opinion on the matter as well, knowing her to be experienced enough to know if it was safe to meet her standards.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

"... Thank you! Thank you!" The first man babbled as Tomoe stood up and took her leave of the small building, Shenron close behind her. "We'll never prey on the weak and innocent again!" He seemed in utter disbelief that the priestess had offered them another chance. Similarly, he didn't seem to want to stick around long enough for her to change her mind. Shortly after the miko left the home, he was pulling his friend by the arm, away from the building and out of the shrine maiden's sight.

Tomoe's return to Kei was relatively uneventful. At her question, the haori-wearing woman scoffed. "It's how it's always been, isn't it?" Her initial tone was sharp, more-so than it had been in the short time that Tomoe had known her. "Even before the invasion, the strong forced their whims on the weak, all the while talking about how it was for their own good. Worse than that were the weak who found themselves with some scrap of power and tried to leash the truly strong." Kei scowled as she came to the conclusion of her statement. It was only a few seconds before she sighed, returning to the same lazy expression that she had worn when Tomoe first met her only hours before. At the priestess's pondering of what to do, it was the peasant who spoke up first, rather than the other Easterner. "Please! Stay a while and rest! Hospitality is the least we could offer you for saving us from another day of occupation by those thugs, Miss!" Kei offered the townswoman a sideways glance before offering her own opinion in a calmer tone than she had used moments before. "Some thugs might come looking to find out what happened to their men. If we stay, we might get bogged down in it. If we don't, the people here might have to deal with worse oppressors. We've got plenty of daylight left and enough time to be away from here before anything comes knocking, but it's your call, Tomoe." Perhaps surprisingly, Shenron offered an opinion from his position behind the miko. "Protect the weak..."

Of course, the rumbling voice of the lizardman seemed to finally cause the peasant girl to realize that she was dealing with, well, a lizardman. The woman fell to her backside in surprise as the realization visibly washed over her, blinking several times at Shenron as she sat on the ground.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

"Hmm, once again you are right. Maybe the passed seclusion time has dulled me rememberance of such things..." Tomoe replied to the initial statements about power and the related stuff.The peasant woman's offer and the following remarks about staying in the village by both Kei and Shenron gave her some pause. This was not a decision she was having an easy time with. Still, the reaction that the hunter got made deciding on the issue much easier. "I suppose we need to move on... The offer is appreciated, but I have to refrain from accepting your kindness." the miko gave her answer, seeing how Shenron's presence might draw unwanted attention and fright from the people of the village, not to mention about further bandit attacks.

Moving back towards the road, the priestess looked at her two companions. "Let us move on and see how far we can get before rest becomes necessary." she told them. Leaving the little farming hamlet to the mercy of future events was not something she liked to do, but it was probably better this way.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

"Oh, okay..." The villager was obviously disappointed as she spoke. Although the woman seemed to have preferred that they would have stayed, she said nothing more as the trio continued on their way through the hamlet. Shenron offered an uncharacteristic frown, or something akin to it, it was hard to tell with alien lizardmen, but it was difficult to say what his displeasure was towards. Kei looked about as carefree as she did in most every situation, bringing her hands behind her head and stretching as they strode along the path.

The three continued their walking for hours without any real interruption. Neither the hunter nor the other easterner took the initiative in starting any conversations. The scenery blended together as, step by step, they made their lengthy journey. Minutes passed by with no activity beyond the movement of their feet. It was almost boring. In the times the trio had found themselves in, however, boring was probably a nice change of pace.

Their journey went unmolested all the way to the setting of the sun, when they were finally forced to pull off of the road and make camp. The ranger miko managed to find a suitable area that would be hidden from the eyes of any random traveler who might happen to stumble through. The spot where they would make camp was hidden by some rocky outcroppings a short distance away from the path.

It was only when they were getting ready to prepare their campsite that Kei finally started a conversation. "So, Tomoe," the haori-wearing woman began, as casually as if they had been speaking for the entire day. The woman was in the middle of unrolling her own bedroll as she spoke. Shenron, meanwhile, was collecting rocks and wood to set up a fire for the trio. "I admit I was never very pious, so I'm unfamiliar with most shrines, but who trained you to fight like you do?" She halted her busywork to look at the warrior priestess, her carmine-colored eyes seemed to shine with interest.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Despite noticing the strange, frown-ish look on Shenron's alien features, Tomoe's determination to leave was not hampered. She would ask the lizardman about his feelings later, when they were more settled down. Now was the time to advance, daylight was preciously short and they should find a campsite before the darkness descended over the land.

Much like the shrine maiden had hoped, their remaining trek across the countryside was boringly uneventful. Kei seemed bored as ever about the whole thing, but Tomoe herself was enjoying the peaceful walking, despite there never being anyone else on the road besides them. Once the sun began to set, the trio began to look for a resting spot. With her learned wilderness skills, the miko was able to find them a suitable area almost immidiately. Hidden from sight and near the road, almost perfect for a wilderness traveller. The group moved in, starting to get preparations going.

Among the workings Kei spoke up, having remained quiet for most of the trip since the village. It was a question Tomoe had not expected to hear, but it was not something she wouldn't want to answer. "I learned the entire compilation of forms in this style from the same person as every other sister at the shrine. My teacher is the high priestess of the Serene Blossom shrine, Yoshino. She always had a few assistants during the combat lessons, but the main body of the work was always taught by her personally. I was born in a warrior family, but an accident drove our honor down. A year later I left the house and lived in the shrine since. Some things from the family have slipped into my style, so it's not as pure a style as it could be." the priestess answered the inquiry.

Letting Kei digest the info for a bit, Tomoe briefly turned her attention to Shenron. "Hmmm, are you angry at me Shenron? It's just what I thought to be the best decision for us three to do. It does pain me to leave them behind like that..." she talked briefly to the hunter, still not quite sure what to make of it's previous frowning.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

"That so?" Kei remarked curiously, though said nothing else as Tomoe chose to question Shenron. The hunter halted his own efforts when the miko spoke to him, completing the small rock circle and adding another piece of wood to the already impressive pile. "No... Tomoe..." The alien started uncertainly, obviously not having expected the question. "You did what you thought best... I just wished I could help..." The lizardman trailed off, uncertain of what to add. In the meantime, Kei finished her efforts and returned to her pack. After a bit of fishing around, she pulled out three more oranges.

"I thought we should eat up before they went bad, these are the last of the ones I had picked so make sure to savor them," she noted, before tossing one to Tomoe and one to Shenron. The shrine maiden would have no issue catching the fruit. The hunter seemed surprised by the gesture, although he still managed to catch his own orange by skewering it on one of his dangerous claws. Beyond her offer of sustenance, the other easterner said nothing, allowing Tomoe to choose if and how to continue the conversation, if at all. The camp was ready enough, with bedrolls spread around the unlit fire. It didn't seem like it would rain, so the lack of overhead coverage probably wouldn't bother anyone.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

"That is so." was the easterner's answer to her kinswoman as she observed the other companion. Somewhat surprised by the lizardman's answer to her question, Tomoe moved a bit closer to give him petting on the head. "That's nice of you. Please, express yourself more often. I'll listen to your opinion, even if no-one else does." she gave her honest thoughts to the creature.

Having said her bit, the miko turned around to be greeted by an incoming fruit, which she had no difficulty nabbing up. Even Shenron received one, spiking it up with his claw as the flying orange caught him somewhat surprised. Upon hearing the origin of the fruit, the priestess assured her travelling companion about enjoying it. "I will not let this one go to waste. It will surely be a treat." she replied, sitting down on her bedroll to start the peeling process. Like before, she hurled the peels away into the forest for nature to deal with them. Eating each bit of fruit with utmost care, she enjoyed the juicyness as best as she could. Eventually, there was nothing left of the evening snack. "Looks like we might have to hunt and forage for food tomorrow..." the miko thought out aloud, if these had indeed been the last things in Kei's pack of stuff. But it did not worry her, since the forest had always been a plentiful source of edible things. Maybe nature liked her, who knew.

Lighting up the fire, Tomoe laid down on her bedroll. Since Kei apparently had nothing to say, she would respect her apparent desire for silence. Unless there was something they had to talk about with the two others, she would try and get sleep as soon as possible. There would likely be a turn for her to take during the night if they wanted to maintain the fire.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Homelands (Guan Yu) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

Tomoe: HP = 74, PP = 48, EP = 70, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception: 3

The miko received a simple nod from Shenron and Kei at the matter of hunting. Shenron devoured his orange, peel and all, in a fairly gruesome display, either not familiar with the fruit or the peel not bothering him much. Kei enjoyed hers slowly. Tomoe found that the fruit was just as good as it had been earlier, obviously fresh-picked not too long before she had met the traveler. When the meal had been consumed and the miko laid down, Kei spoke up. "I'll take first watch."

With that, the shrine maiden was free to drift into sleep.

≈≈≈≈≈​

Tomoe was awoken by a gentle shake. She quickly realized that it was a human's hand upon her shoulder doing so. As her eyes opened, she immediately noticed Kei kneeling next to her. "Your shift, Tomoe." The traveler allowed the warrior priestess to wake up fully before she, herself, laid down in her own bedroll. Although once she had lain down, Kei immediately fell asleep

It was difficult to tell the difference between the crimson-haired woman while she was sleeping and awake, besides the fact that her eyes were closed. There wasn't really a change in her breathing pattern. She remained almost deathly still. Both of her swords rested on the ground at her side, within immediate reach if she needed them. Shenron was asleep too, across the flickering fire from her, though he was laying on the ground instead of a bedroll. Judging by the erect state of his crotch he was having some interesting dreams...

Before Tomoe could think much about that, she heard a rustling and saw a quick movement in the corner of her eye. By the time she turned there was nothing there, potentially having darted behind one of the rocks. It was difficult, even for the miko who had survived in the wild for several years, to tell exactly what had caused the disturbance. Tomoe could investigate the source of the noise, of course. She might also wake up her comrades first, though it was hard to say whether or not it was necessary without knowing what was upon them. For all she knew, it was only a hare. Although, it might have also been something considerably larger and more dangerous than a rabbit, for all she had seen of it.