Training [Open]

[Kyoya Naotora]

Naotora was off-duty today, and she was told she could go out and relax, and have a good time. Though, she wasn't really feeling "relaxation" today. She would rather get some training in, keep herself in good shape. Any slack would give the men she worked with a chance to say she didn't deserve to be in the army, and she was going to prove all of them wrong. She'd been doing so the last four years, she could continue.

The warrior found herself just outside Oshu, her chain wrapped around her hand and the iron ball held over her shoulder. Bending at the knees, she took the chain in both hands, tossing it forward and unraveling it, and launching the ball a great distance away from herself. From the look of it, her throw was a few yards short of her usual... with a sigh, the woman popped her neck and retrieved her weapon, only to continue whirling it around and practicing her technique.

The best part of practicing on the main road into her capital was that anyone who intended to do her lord harm was quickly scared off.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Katsumi was out once more looking for work, having finished up her other jobs. It seemed no matter what she did, she never had enough money. The woe of the commonfolk. There was often luck in the various factions and, while she didn't care about any of the sides and knew little about them, that didn't matter. She was a mercenary and, if you offered the right amount, she would work for whoever.

The woman masquerading as a man released a sigh, halting a ways off from the crossroads. She had been walking for some time and stretched her muscles, scratching her head. Pulling her hair out of her ponytail, she put it back up, this time higher, dark locks cascading in waves down her neck and back. Her men's black kimono and charcoal hakama kept her warm from the breeze, and she inhaled deeply, cool air filling her lungs.

Kat's eyes were closed and she relaxed for several moments, taking a brief break from her journey, before the lids fluttered open once more. She kept going and made a turn, going further along, and eventually a figure came into sight. It appeared as though someone were working out, and Katsumi didn't think much of it.

But as she drew nearer, the archer realized it was a woman, and she halted in place, eyes widening and jaw dropped. A woman with a weapon, working out. She was clearly a warrior, and yet... her sex was absolutely obvious. Kat's mouth felt dry and she slowly shook her head. There was just no way! Katsumi was absolutely petrified of anyone finding out her sex. If they did, who knew what would happen!? After the abuse she endured for years with her father, Katsumi could only believe terrible things, was convinced of them.

"A... A w-woman?!"

Katsumi gulped, swallowing roughly, and she glanced from side-to-side. Was this woman just being careless? Maybe no one saw and she could go in disguise again? That's what anyone else who was a female fighter would do, yes? That's what Kat had to do.

The petite merc rushed forward and exclaimed in a hushed voice, eyes nervously gazing about, searching for any potential people who could see this other woman exposed like this, "W-What are you d-doing? O-Out in the open... If... If people saw you like this...!"

[[So yeah. Kat dresses like a man and hides being a woman, in fear of being found out. ^^;]]

[Kyoya Naotora]

Naotora had gotten a few good throws in with her weapon, and her muscles had already started to ache. She'd seen no one coming in or out of the town, which surprised her, but it gave her much more room to practice. Now, though, she opted to rest, setting her ball on the ground and seating herself on top of it. It was around this time she heard someone cry out something about a woman, and she turned her head to see down the road. A chuckle left her lips as she stood up from her weapon. Her hands gripped the chain and she pulled the large iron ball over her shoulder.

"If anyone's got a problem with it, they can come say it to my face. Then I'll gladly show 'em what I'm capable of."

The warrior smiled, not seeing much in the stranger's surprise. The people in this city had been used to seeing the woman fight, but she'd forgotten no one else really had. "You got a problem, little one?" The last statement was delivered jokingly. She meant no hostility, but that was hard to determine when someone was lugging around a giant weapon like hers.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Katsumi was convinced this woman was insane. She had to be. The warrior was completely out in the open with a weapon for everyone to see, and in these times, and for a long time to come, that was unacceptable for a woman. It just wasn't done, and Katsumi was scared enough about being found out as an archer. There was simply too much hostility towards women, and, while afraid of blowing her cover, this was a fellow woman and a fighter, and Katsumi, while primarily concerned about her own survival, could not just stand idly by. Not in this case.

"Are... Are you i-insane!?!?" she exclaimed in a hushed voice, skidding to a stop in front of Kyoya.

Katsumi bit down on her bottom lip. The woman herself didn't have a problem, but... but everyone else would. Her father hated Kat, and she knew what other men were like. They all were pretty much the same, right? Or if they weren't, they would be if she allowed them the chance. Right?

"N-No! I... I don't! But... But it isn't safe. It's... It's just not accepted. Not here," she stammered, gulping and shifting her eyes nervously. Please let no one find them out!

[Kyoya Naotora]

Showing so much concern meant a few things: the stranger here was not from Oshu, nor had they ever fought for the Date; and she had to be... well, a "she." No man would express such concern. Most were cruel, bigoted, and they would curse her for not fulfilling her gender roles. That, along with her height, and stature. She held herself well, but she was small. Frail. No man Naotora had ever seen had been so small, aside from her fourteen-year-old brother.

"Listen, friend," the woman began with a chuckle. "If there's anywhere it is accepted, it's here. I've been fighting for the Date for four years, now." She dropped her ball to the side, rolling her shoulders a little. It wasn't too heavy, but it got to be a pain from just holding it for a while. "Why so much concern?" Her brow rose, and a smile crossed her lips. Her arms folded across her chest, and she watched the person in front of her.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

What Katsumi heard... it simple couldn't be true. It was accepted there? Was this warrior daft? Yet she claimed to have been fighting for the Date for years now. Could it really be true? Katsumi's shock and disbelief was clear within her wide brown hues.

"It... It is...?" she inquired hesitantly.

Could people really accept women like them? Could Katsumi be accepted for who she really was? Her Father had always hated her because Mother died giving birth to her, and she hadn't even been the son her dad always wanted. Katsumi was a disgrace no matter how fast, strong, and skilled she became, and all because she was the wrong sex. Her Father hated her literally because she was a girl, not a perfect baby boy. And, if she were honest with herself, deep down Katsumi held so much resentment for that.

But this woman was claiming it was alright here. That is was accepted. And that news was quite literally shattering the very fabric of everything Katsumi had ever known.

It was quite overwhelming, and it grew difficult to swallow. Katsumi couldn't grow emotional, so she suppressed any rush of emotions, but there were those prickles behind the backs of her eyes, that burning.

"Be...Because..."

Did Katsumi even need to say it? This woman already knew, and the merc's gaze fell, shoulders slumping. Her voice was soft and dropped the false tenor, the teenager speaking in her regular voice.

"I didn't want to see somebody else get hurt."

Not like she had been for all of those years. She cared, even with all of that training, all of that conditioning. No matter how much Kat would try to convince herself otherwise. At least in this case.

[Kyoya Naotora]

So, she was right. Naotora's smile changed a little, only to become more warm. So the woman before her had experienced some sort of prejudice in her life because of circumstances similar to Naotora's, and that was completely understandable. Never before had it been okay to fight, for a woman. Were one to masquerade, they would very likely be executed on grounds of treason should they be found out. What's more, the vast majority of men seemed to think of women as nothing more than suitors, whose lives were valued less, simply because of gender. Whatever hardships this woman faced in her life, Naotora felt she could relate - maybe not entirely, but still.

"Come, you seem unsure."

A kind hand would fall to the woman's shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. If the woman new the struggle, she had to be, herself, a warrior. In this case, why not show her a place where she could be her, and not pretend to be a man? That seemed to be no life to live, even if it was the only one you knew.

"I can show you the city that's welcomed me." If the woman would come, Naotora would lift her weapon off the ground and lead her into the city.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

The warrior gently placed her hand on Kat's shoulder and warmly welcomed her, inviting the archer into the city. Katsumi blinked a few times, mouth gaping a bit. She was going to be taken to the city that welcomed this female warrior. Was there such a thing as complete acceptance? It seemed to good to be true, and yet nothing was indicating this was a dream. No, this was, in fact, reality, and Katsumi could hardly wrap her brain around it.

Kat's eyes searched the ground before looking up at the warrior. "R... Really?"

There was no way Katsumi could say no, and so she followed after the female warrior. As they were walking, Katsumi felt she should introduce herself. This would be the first time she would be honest with someone and remove the mask, and it caused her heart to thump wildly against her rib cage. "My name... it's Shinomori Katsumi. As a mercenary for the last year on the road, I've... I've gone as Saito Hiroshi."

[Kyoya Naotora]

She realized it would indeed be hard to grasp, but maybe that was all that needed to be difficult. Naotora would waste no time getting the woman inside, but at the same time, there seemed to be no real rush. She wanted the girl to feel welcomed, not forced.

"Well, Katsumi-chan, my name is Kyoya Naotora. And, with the Date, that's the only name I've needed to use."

Even though it was not entirely her choice to fight to begin with, she'd grown to like it, and she'd come to be accepted amongst the men she worked with. This girl may or may not have chosen to be a mercenary, but regardless of that, she may have only had an opportunity to work with people who didn't want women handling any sort of fighting. Maybe, if she liked what she saw, she could enter the employ of the Date.

"So you can see this city can be bustling, at times. It's the base of operations for Lord Date's army and, as such, even as a mercenary, you can find a lot of work here. The people of this city are far more kind and tolerant than any I've met."

Naotora would lead Katsumi down the main street, showing her some of the sights to be seen, and key locations like the tavern and the smithy. Further down the street would be Date's castle.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

When Kyoya used the endearing suffix, a blush coloured Katsumi's cheeks. She had only heard friends use that before, and Katsumi... well, she didn't really have any friends. Not like the girls she would see walking together on the streets. She had certainly never been called that before.

She looked up at the taller woman in amazement. She never had to use an alias and pretend to be a man? "R... Really?"

They walked and the woman talked, and Katsumi listened in absolute fascination. She was silent and didn't speak a word as she was shown around, but it was clear with her wide, shimmering hues that she was listening and hanging onto every word.

At the end, Katsumi slowly shook her head in disbelief, amazed by it all, and murmured quietly, eyes searching the ground, "This... it's amazing. I... I can't imagine... being accepted... and by a whole town. To be... myself..."

She really couldn't. What the hell would she do? How would she do it? Would it change everything? Her mind was boggled and she was starting to feel a little lightheaded, mind on overdrive. One could practically see her eyes spinning like a whirlpool.

A small hand clutched at her chest, and she whispered, looking up into Kyoya's eyes, "It's... It's terrifying, but exhilarating...!"

Katsumi... why, she didn't even know where to start. Wearing men's clothing made her feel safe, and she shrunk down a little bit, clutching at the black kimono.

[Kyoya Naotora]

Katsumi's enthusiasm was amazing! Even for a girl Naotora just met, she felt good being able to see this kind of happiness in a person's eyes. It was a huge contrast to the fear she showed earlier, that was for sure. Maybe this woman had never known what it was like to have some freedom in your decisions. If she stuck around Oshu, though, she was bound to discover what it was like, experience life how it should be.

"I imagine it must be a lot to take in," Naotora laughed, supporting Katsumi's excitement. "But I can assure you, if you were to find yourself with the Date, you would find yourself among kind souls." The woman smiled a friendly smile, then addressed Katsumi's clothing. "As soon as you're comfortable, you could try putting on women's clothes."

A giggle of sorts would follow. The girl didn't need to feel restricted, here.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

It really was a ton to take in, and the girl nodded in response, large eyes and ears taking in as much as they possibly could. She was like a sponge absorbing information, and Katsumi was dripped, entirely soaked. There was simply so much to take in.

Katsumi couldn't imagine herself truly siding with any faction. The archer simply didn't care enough about the politics of her country. She was a mercenary through and through, but... to work here where she could be herself and not have to be in disguise... that sounded incredible. And scary too. To be perfectly honest, Katsumi didn't really even know who she was or what she was like. She had been living a lie for so long, being everything her Father wanted her to be, that she had no idea what she liked, disliked... anything. It was as though she were machine, following commands and just going by instinct, and now she was a blank slate. She didn't really know where to start but... well, this may as well be a good place to start. Katsumi couldn't really begin until she put away the mask. At least here. She seriously doubted she would do such a thing outside of this town.

"I... don't see myself being apart of any faction, I... I think. I... I've done mercenary work for so long. Picking sides for non-monetary purposes... it seems... unnatural for me," she admitted slowly, brows furrowing a bit as she thought through and expressed her opinion, something else she wasn't all that used to.

Katsumi blushed and ducked her head, hiding behind her side-swept bangs. "I... I've never worn women's clothing."

[[As I wrote that first bit, it started to seem kinda sexual... NO CRACKS! NON-INTENTIONAL! Dx]]

[Kyoya Naotora]

"Well, then don't take sides with a faction - there's always long-term mercenary work to help you decide." That was delivered jokingly. While it would be nice to give this woman something to appreciate and feel good about, a sense of pride in herself as a female in battle, not a man, she didn't want to impose on the woman after having just met her. She could focus on other things right now.

The fact that Katsumi had never worn women's clothes was a shock to Naotora. She could hardly believe it! Even if the woman was masquerading as a man, it can't have been her whole life, could it? "How about we go get you some clothes then, Missy?" It couldn't hurt!

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Long-term mercenary work. That sounded like the life for Katsumi, and so she nodded in response. Let everyone else have their petty fights over land, or whatever it was they were fighting for, and Katsumi could just fight for whoever and make money off of it. While she wasn't an advocate for fighting and war, it would put food on the table, and Katsumi needed to eat.

Yes. Katsumi had never worn women's clothing before. As a baby and young child, it was just various robes and cloths, and when she got older, it was hand-me-downs from her Father. Never any clothes that properly fit, and they were certainly not women's clothing. It was always something with pants, clothing Katsumi could run and fight in. She had never worn a woman's kimono before, and wouldn't even know where to begin with putting one one.

Wearing women's clothing so soon left Kat a bit uneasy, but what was the harm in at least buying some. Her hands nervously tugged at the sleeves of her black kimono, and, with a gulp, she nodded again.

"O... Okay... That sounds... nice. T-Thank you."