The Rewards of Plunder (OPEN)

[Zhuo Jina]

"Instead of fighting about it, how about you just be reasonable!" Jina was shouting at the pirates who had landed at a small pirate town that was almost carved out of the coast. The men were fighting about the gold that they had taken from a ship that they had boarded out at sea. Jina knew these men weren't keen on being fair, but they usually were able to own up to what they truly earned.

"You see?" The men quieted around her. "Who killed the captain?" A few hands rose into the air, but most went down once they saw that others were also fake-claiming the gold.

Jina sighed and sorted out the problems amongst the men, harvesting a few gold for herself as a reward for dealing with the pirates.

She left the bar and walked to the place that she had made her home. It was a small, one room shack that sat near the ocean. She was just a few hundred yards from the sea and she often took barefoot walks in the sand. She smiled, knowing that she would be able to relax now.

She did decide to take a walk tonight, and in the distance, saw a fire with a few people sitting around it. Curious, she approached.

[Morei Haji]

"Alright, alright! I'm beat!"

I declared as I sat down in the sand. I was training with Takehiro, and man, the guy was on a whole new level from me. Even with the light magic I had at my disposal, it didn't put me at a level where I could match him, especially with his dark magic.

I sheathed my weapons, wiping the sweat from my forehead. I took a moment to catch my breath and compose myself. Using my whip sword, I would swing it into the water, producing a fish stylishly. I would do this several times until we had a plentiful supply. This whip was really handy, that or I just got really lucky.

Getting together some wood, I set it in a pile while my light doppleganger borrowed Takehiro's fire glaive, swinging it at the wood to set it on fire. I stared at him for a moment. "Was that really necessary?" My doppleganger just looked at me, shrugged, saying "Iuno." Afterwards, I sat down, beginning to cook some of the fish while Takehiro... did his own thing. Soon, the fish would be cooked, and my stomach began to rumble.

"Alright, let's eat!"

Darkness was coming, and I didn't notice someone else was walking up behind us. My doppleganger and I munched hungrily on the fish.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

"Man, these flavor sticks really add to the... flavor!" The mercenary remarked, grinning. He poured a powder from a strange stick onto a piece of the fish the two cooked over the open flame, and took a bite out of it. It wasn't amazing by any means, but it was certainly something. Grinning, he handed the food to Nega-Takehiro, the dark doppelganger himself taking a large bite as well. He, too, grinned, nodding in agreement. "They really do!" The doppelganger regarded, before finishing off the meal. Takehiro looked at his dark self for a moment, frowning.

"Dick."

He muttered some other stuff under his breath, taking another fish and beginning to cook it. While he was doing so, he took a moment to look around, and in doing so, noticed a smaller figure approaching. "Hey!" he called, waving. "Wanna try some flavor sticks?!"

[Shinomori Katsumi]

"Do you like it, Tetsuya?" softly asked Katsumi to the Arabian gelding. It munched on the slices of apple on her palm as the woman stroked his dark, velvety muzzle. The horse was calm and collected, much how like she was, and Katsumi leaned against his front flank, lids fluttering closed and listening to his strong, steady heartbeat.

The woman felt a breeze blow against her face and her fingers curled into the mane of Tetsuya. Inhaling deeply herself, Katsumi concentrated and the very wind seemed to match her breathing, slowing to a near stop while inhaling before growing stronger as she exhaled. She was connected with the very wind and lost herself in that moment, only coming to when her head fell to the side as she lolled, and Katsumi gasp, jerking her head up.

Momentarily, the woman forgot where she was and what she was doing, but at hearing Haji's voice in the distance and feeling her steed next to her, Katsumi sighed and the tension released. Patting Tetsuya's neck, the archer moved towards Takehiro and Haji, plopping next to the latter. Her lids were drooped low, showing she was on the tired side. She really wanted to lean against Haji, beginning to move to the side to do so, but Katsumi stopped herself. Takehiro was here and it simply wasn't appropriate. Plus... well, there was her secret.

But as she neared, Katsumi blinked at seeing man next to her. That wasn't Haji...

"Oh.... right."

Dopplegangers. Katsumi kept forgetting about Tak's and Haji's abilities, and she hadn't been playing close enough attention. Blushing a little in embarrassment, Katsumi stood up and headed over to the real Haji, sitting next to him. The two men and their counterparts all ate food, but Katsumi didn't feel particularly hungry, instead laying back on the sand, staring up at the star-filled sky.

Maybe it was her new ability manifesting within her that was wearing her out. She had practiced earlier and had been awake since before the sun came up, training physically, mentally, and spiritually, the latter the most difficult for her at the moment. Sighing, Katsumi curled up and faced the direction of her horse, the tiredness making her not particularly talkative at that moment.

Brown hues set on the bag of oats, Katsumi extended her arm and bit down on her bottom lip, brows furrowing. Concentrating, the woman used her ability to create a small whirlwind to pick up some of the feed and bring it over to Tetsuya, further testing out being able to target small things and control the wind in smaller concentration.

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina saw five figures sitting near the fire. One of them called out to her, something about flavor sticks? They seemed friendly enough, so Jina continued to approach. If anything, she wanted to make sure these people weren't going to harm her which was just out of sight.

When she got within a reasonable distance, she could smell the fish being cooked and the warmth of the fire radiated, mixing with the cool ocean breeze. 

There were five men seated there, two pairs that looked...well, the same? She was confused but decided it wasn't her place to question. Another man in black clothes laid on the ground, motioning with his hands.

"Flavor sticks?" This was a concept unknown to her. In China, many spices were kept in jars and pouches, needing to be ground before use. Maybe he was referring to cinnamon, something she had only ever heard about but had never actually seen. They said that cinnamon was shaped like hollow twigs.

She approached the group, the strong aroma of the food penetrating her senses. Her mouth watered slightly, it certainly smelled better than what she could cook - rice. Jina ate lots of rice. It was cheap, and seeing that she couldn't find many jobs, cheap was what she needed.

[Morei Haji]

I looked at Takehiro. "Why are you calling them flavor sticks? Where did you even get that? What is that? Are you on drugs?"

I was highly inquisitive, but after my previous misadventure when I first met Takehiro, I was really weary of everything strange with this guy. I scooted closer to Katsumi as a new person had arrived at our merry little fire. My doppleganger looked at her too, before randomly deciding to tackle Takehiro's doppleganger to the floor for no real reason.

"Oh, uh, hello! Would you like to join us, miss?" I asked politely. We had plenty of fish to go around. And it was always nice to meet someone new.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro just looked at Haji with a really blank expression. He didn't pay attention to the question, honestly, he just noticed how the man and the (wo)man got closer to each other. Maybe they really were gay? It wasn't like, a big deal or anything, just, Takehiro had no idea Haji was into that. But Hiroshi did LOOk enough like a woman, so...

"Pay attention to your woman, not my terminology, kid."

A smile appeared on his face as he turned back to the woman. Why did no one know what flavor sticks were? "They're these sticks I got from a foreign trader that really add to the flavor of whatever meal you happen to be eating. Super delicious, Miss."

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina hesitated. She didn't know these people and the curious statement from one of the twins threw her off. "Are they drugs...?" Jina asked hesitantly. She didn't want to be drugged of course, and these were just five men sitting around a fire.

She didn't wait for a reaction, but did sit next to the kind one that offered her some of their fish.

"I'll take one without the flavor sticks." She smiled at the man as she talked, "if you don't mind."

She had just been going on a walk on the beach and did happen upon some nice strangers. She had been eating rice for weeks, having to give almost all of the paycheck she received to the man who sold her a horse. 

Jina noticed the few horses standing around. "Can one of you show me how to jump some time?"

[Shinomori Katsumi]

The oats twisted in the air, turning at her will from the wind. The motions with her hand made it easier, wrist turning in circles. She inhaled and, again, it seemed to make the wind a little stronger.

"What a curious feeling?" she murmured to herself.

At sensing Haji scoot closer to her, despite her weariness, Katsumi felt a little warmer inside, feeling a small flutter. Even with them not speaking, just being next to one another made her happy. Very happy.

The food reached the horse and Tetsuya nibbled at some from the air, and Katsumi wriggled a little backwards (half-unwittingly) until her back lightly brushed against Haji's leg. She felt calm and closed her eyes, continuing to manipulate the small amount of air.

But then Takehiro's comment hit Kat's ears and her eyes snapped open. With a gasp, she immediately shot up, the oats falling to the ground and some flying out, one proceeding to hit Takehiro in the head on accident (oops!)

"What?!?" she exclaimed, body tensing up until her back was rigid and her shoulders were raised. Kat's eyes were wide and her heart raced. 'H-How...'

How is it that he could know? He had never mentioned anything before and didn't seem to indicate any knowledge, which made Katsumi wonder about his certainty. She wasn't very good with jokes or sarcasm, and so she simply stared at Takehiro, surprise written clearly across her features.

Another voice called out and it was familiar, and Kat slowly shook her head and looked over to the source. She then blinked at seeing who it was.

"J... Jina-san?" Again there was surprise in her voice. Kat quickly glanced over at Takehiro and then back to Jina, hoping she wouldn't confirm her gender when Katsumi still wasn't sure whether the other knew yet.

Katsumi was nervous to say the least, and the fingers of her hand beside Haji gripped lightly at the cloth over his thigh. She simply couldn't help herself, even with being there in front of Takehiro (not that he would likely be able to see due to the darkness.) Even that small amount of contact helped make the petite archer feel even a little bit safer.

[[Kat can answer the question about the horses in the next post. She just needs to get over her shock. xD]]

[Morei Haji]

I was about to take another bite of fish, but Takehiro's comment caught me surprise and I dropped the fish. It fell to the ground, and strangely bounced up and smacked him in the face too. He'd be covered in greasy fish and oats.

"T-Takehiro. That's, um..."

I glanced up at Katsumi in her surprise. She hadn't told him the secret, and I recalled Takehiro's playful prodding at Numa Castle. He was probably joking again, but Katsumi's reaction would definitely confirm it at this rate... Her hand tightened onto the cloth on my thigh, and it made me blush lightly, but it probably wasn't too visible right now.

Looking at the new girl, Katsumi seemed to know her. "Please, help yourself." I would smile, ignoring the drugs comment because anything I said would probably raise even more concerns even if I adamantly refused that there were anything in the fish. Takehiro's weird flavor sticks were... really weird. As for the jumping question... I'd leave that to Katsumi to answer.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro stood to his feet, letting out an almighty roar as the food hit him in the face. He questioned how that even happened, but at this point it was irrelevant. His doppelganger was even upset, standing to its feet and tackling Haji's into the dirt and punching it in its light face!

"What the hell," he said quietly, wiping the grease off his face with his DAMAGE NEGATING GLOVES, before he sat back down and handed the woman a fish on a stick. "It's already done, uh... Jina." He took a hint from Hiroshi's little outburst that that happened to be the woman's name. Then his gaze went back to Haji and Hiroshi, and he sighed. "Didn't mean to offend, but I already knew about you two."

Now that that was done, the red-eyed man turned to the woman! "The name's Amakusa Takehiro, Miss."

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina's mouth hung open slightly. There was quite a bit happening around her and she wasn't sure how to react. The twins were fighting each other, there was a guy with red eyes, Katsumi was here and someone seemed to have exposed her secret and there was the possibility that it was all drug related.

"What...." Jina murmured, "...the hell..."

Her hand was extended, ready to be handed a plate or stick of fish, but her mind was swirling with all of the craziness. She shook her head slightly, a physical indication of the clearing.

"Uh...what?"

Damn, was that all she could say? Other words were supposed to come out of her mouth but she was so utterly confused that she wasn't sure what else to say.

"N-not to be rude," Jina started, hoping Katsumi would remember that she had never actually told Jina her pseudonym, "I forget your name." Jina wasn't sure if the man actually knew she was a girl, so she figured it would be best to play neutral for now.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

At Takehiro's comment, a beet-red blush coloured Katsumi's cheeks and when she inhaled and exhaled sharply from the embarrassment there was a very strong and sudden gust of wind aimed towards Takehiro. Sand would fly up at him, along with embers from the fire, and the wind very well may have been able to cause him to topple over. She didn't really do it intentionally though. It was simply that her musou went a little out of control from her strong emotions.

Man, was she embarrassed!

Gulping, Katsumi went on to say with a stammer, "W-What's that s-supposed to mean?!"

Shaking her head, she would turn to Jina after that thing with Tak, and say, "Uh, H... Hiroshi. Saito Hiroshi."

Remembering Jina's words from earlier, Katsumi shifted in her seat on the ground beside Haji and added, "Oh, and... as for jumping... I can help you, Jina-san. Did... you buy a horse more recently? In the morning, we could ride, if you like."

[Morei Haji]

Knew about us two? So Takehiro really did figure it out? I stared at him, wondering why he chose now to bring it all up. Was he just messing with us? He was joking around back in Numa Castle, but Katsumi wasn't around to hear the jokes... and certainly, her sense of humor was practically non-existent.

I looked over to the new girl, Jina, as she spoke. "What are you talking about? Her name's Katsu-...Roshi..." I stopped halfway, correcting myself badly, forgetting about Katsumi's alias. Oh boy. I hoped she wouldn't chastise me about this, I sat in fear wondering if Takehiro would even pick up on that...

In the back, my doppleganger just fell to the floor upon being punched. He just stopped moving like he got knocked out. But it was weird because he couldn't feel any pain.

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina was still confused by the whole situation, but pretended like this was some kind of normal occurrence for her.

"Uh, yeah I did. His name is Huī, meaning Brilliance in my native language. One of the guys at the cove sold him to me, well...is selling. You see, I have to learn to ride him and until I do, I pay almost all of my wages to the Groom. Some kind of test, I think..."

She munched happily on the fish. She didn't eat much other than rice because of the deal for the horse. She was tired of the bland grain, but glad to have such flavorful fish. Maybe that's a skill that I need to learn, too. Jina was enjoying the fish so much that she briefly lost track of what was going on around her.

"Uh, sorry. It's just so good."

[Amakusa Takehiro]

[OoC: NO ONE TOLD ME IT WAS MY TURN UNTIL LIKE TWO DAYS AGO.]

Takehiro's eyes darted from Haji to Hiroshi to Jina and then to each of them, and then he would squint. Something... fishy (Get it?!) was going on here, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Was Haji trying to pretend Hiroshi was a girl, because the two were ashamed of being homosexual?! That was preposterous! Regardless of their sexual orientation, the two were wonderful people, and the mercenary wanted them to know that!

"Haaaaajiiiii!" Takehiro shouted rather dramatically, his voice booming and echoing across the sea. He would stare directly into Haji's eyes and take a long pause, finishing off his flavor-fish before continuing. "There is no reason for you two to hide behind such secrecy! I accept you two for who you are, you should do the same! Stop living a lie!"

Totally thought they were gay.

Oh, and Takehiro's doppelganger is now tea-bagging Haji's!