Open Between the Stars and the Sea

[Yuda Taue]

After the rainy season, clouds would part from their incessant embrace in the sky. The rivers and streams would run wild and rapid from the long period of rain. They would swell and reach new places, splashing against both tree and rock. Kids were warned about playing in the rivers around this time, with extra eyes on the younger ones in case they were determined to test their might in the river's current, copying the tale of Yenkai.

The great azure dragon had humble beginnings as an orange koi filled with wanderlust and dreams of visiting the sea. Leaving the safety of its pond, it followed a family of silver carp, struggling to keep up with them but persisting nonetheless. Along the way, the koi met salmon and dark chub, who helped it grow stronger with swimming upstream, allowing the koi to keep pace with the silver carp. Soon, the koi befriended the silver carp, who taught the koi how to leap over waterfalls. Just as the journey seemed easy, the koi faced its greatest challenge yet: a fierce river from an even fiercer waterfall as tall as it was wide.

"The silver carp had crossed this waterfall before and had no issues leaping over it, looking more like birds than fish in that moment," Yuda told his nephew, showing how the carp would have arced over the waterfall with one large hand, fingers pressed tight together to resemble a fish. "Beni-goi tried to follow after them, leaping again and again, but the wall of water would just push him down. Over and over, he tried with all his might. Sometimes, he thought he could see the edge of the waterfall; other times, he was nowhere near it. But Beni-goi didn't give up, even when the salmon leaped over him or the dark chubs told him to return before the rainy season took place. Still, Beni-goi kept trying to leap over the river even when the sky became dark with storm clouds from the East. The waterfall grew stronger as Beni-goi grew weak. Waters became unpredictable from the days of rain with no end in sight."

His nephew's dark eyes were wide despite knowing this tale himself. But Yuda couldn't blame his nephew for holding his breath. This was the best part, after all.

"On the eighth day, when the storm was at its greatest with strong, cold winds and raindrops as big as pears, Beni-goi was still trying to leap over the waterfall despite having no strength left. Just as he was making his final leap, for even Beni-goi knew he was at his end, having long passed his limits, the Divine Spirit-"

"Da Gui gave the koi the ability to fly and swim as it pleased, making him large and long and powerful and as blue as the rivers that the koi had swam to get to the sea." Gemi interrupted as she opened the fabric flap to let in the smell of grilled fish. She looked smug and simultaneously exasperated, giving Yuda a look that only an older sister could. "Da Gui turned him into a dragon so he could swim in the sky or sea and dive as low as he pleased. The dragon stayed in the sea for a hundred years, receiving the name Yenkai in return. Come here," Gemi scooped her son up in her arms, looking into the basket in which Yuda was placing deboned fish skewers. "Yuda, you done yet? We're nearly out."

"Nearly done." Yuda said, gesturing to the few filets he had left.

"Well, hurry up. We're the busiest we've ever been, and there's a whole line outside. Don't make me keep you here during the water splashing." His sister pivoted on her heel, exiting the small tent they had set up behind the outside food stall they rented this year. No longer needing to entertain his nephew, Yuda quickly finished his work. He hefted up the birch basket with ease, using one broad shoulder to push aside the tent flap. Gentle sunlight greeted his eyes, but still, Yuda had to blink the warmth of the smoke away. Gemi stood off to the side, still holding her son against her, and watched over her brothers as they fanned the coals or flipped the fish, taking orders or coin, brushing sauce on the fillets or sprinkling salt on the white, moist flesh.

On the street, children were already running around with koi lanterns, following the dragon dancers holding up the many poles of a long blue dragon made in Yenkai's likeness, noticing each scale must have been crafted individually. In Sonshan, the three-day water festival manifested itself from multiple stories and cultures that had fit together like puzzle pieces from all the people who made a home in the Capital. Yuda was certain the tradition of eating roasted mackerel daily came from the provinces from the Eastern Strait, his home. Wasn't his sister saying something about the Morikami and the dragon dance this year? Then, there was the endorsement from the Intendant Nuyen about being lifted to the sky on a mechanical koi by one of their famous inventors. Each province shared its traditions with the melting pot that was Sonshan, like a Kokori hearty soup, to turn the festival in the capital into a sight to behold.

Yuda wasn't sure where the water splashing part of the festival came from, only that it emanated from a second story about Yenkai. All the water raakgui would fight and battle in the lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, even in the sea surrounding the island, to claim the title of king for a year. It made travel after the rainy season dangerous for the peoples of Aetochi, with all the water spirits being particularly aggressive towards one another. Yenkai, distressed by the destruction of boats and villages, took the title of king, once and for all, and.... Yuda's thick brows furrowed. This story was about how Yenkai became associated with alacrity, but Yuda couldn't remember why. Perhaps something to do with him turning the splashing into an auspicious act instead of a dangerous one?

It didn't matter, since this water splashing was different. In Yuda's fishing village, everyone would splash water on each other. It would start with fresh water from the river to wish various notes of good health on the body depending on age and gender, and then finish with everyone splashing each other in the frothy waves of the sea to wish prosperity. It didn't matter if it was family or a stranger; everyone would splash everyone. But in Sonshan? Children would walk down the street for anyone to throw water from their buckets at them as a way to wish the youth prosperity through tenacity and perseverance, good health, and bright futures (and it wasn't uncommon for the parents to dunk an entire bucketful of water on their child to wish for good fortune, too). That, Yuda smiled at.

But on the second day, the men walked down the streets, either shirtless or only wearing white, with the women on the side with buckets ready. On the downward slope of the city, it would look like hundreds of men wading through a woman-made river to those overlooking the scene from the high towers. Some used it today to confess feelings; others used it to rekindle love with wives, wasting all their water on their husbands. Plenty used it to express desire, with the most attractive men drenched afterwards, and Yuda wasn't sure how he felt about the possibility of having so many strangers sprinkle water on his frame. But by Yenkai's azure tail, Yuda hoped he wouldn't have the misfortune of walking off that street as dry as a summer's drought.

"Not a single bone," a customer remarked, tossing the bamboo skewers into the many baskets along the vendor's street nooks and crannies. The baskets were reserved for throwing things away, like broken paper lanterns or boats, sticks for stabbing dango, and even discarded notes and matches. Each night, the baskets would be collected and tossed onto the great logs of the nightly bonfire. "Worth the wait." She added, winking at a Yuda who had been staring. He blushed, though his tanned skin probably didn't let the pink seep through years of cormorant fishing. Maybe he wouldn't be dry after all.

 

[Juusha Khuam]

Those stories about the water spirits getting excitable during the festival and fighting were mostly not true. Mostly.

But just in case, Sonshan employed a few shaman to watch over the celebrations. This year, Juusha had been the one picked from Iron Clan. She clomped down the colorful streets in dour grey, bells of her swords tinkling at her side. Young men in white tittered and glanced as she passed them. The older ones avoided her altogether.

A sweet, salty, ocean-smell set Juusha's nostrils to flare. Her head tracked the smell until she spotted a food stall, its attendants roasting skewers over fresh coals. Ah, how the steam rose up amongst the colorful banners that lined the streets, and how the ends of the fish skewers curled against the heat. Against her own sensibilities, Juusha changed her route.

She was one of a few dozen who'd decided the fishmonger's stall was worth a stop. The line was long. The people behind her were chatty. Juusha's ears twitched at this gossip or that noise as she waited. She was only sustained by the smell and the sight of the fish grilling -- chunks of salt beading out moisture, flame licking drips of fat off dewy flesh.

After an eternity of longing, she was next in line.

"Fish." Juusha said to the seller. The hunger that possessed her left her monosyllabic. "What kind?"

Her eyes were dark and wide. She looked ready to pounce.

 

[Hazanko Miya]

A paper fan beat the hot air steady with its quick rhythm. A silvered serpent's smile worn proudly atop loose white robes that hung open. Tanned skin glistening with sweat beneath the bright spring sun. "One would think it was nearly summer," Hazanko lightly bemoaned, lip curled into a half smile as he eased onto one leg, and rest a hand on his hip.

A little toad spirit sat upon his shoulder, no bigger than a tea cup. It Shimmered indigo and was dotted with black. Its eyes, wide and golden, speckled like so much sun kissed sand and silt along a riverbed. "One would think," it croaked. "That you mortals knew nothing of Yenkai and his journeys," it squint, anger there in the dark pit of its gaze. "Splashing water, willy nilly, as if the war of the Spirit Kings were some trivial child's game," the little toad huffed, and its midnight body shook.

"Hey now, don't begrudge us mortals our fun, Oh Lord of Generosity," Hazanko shift his eyes toward the toad, and wore his smile all the more.

"Do not mock me, Shaman," the little toad croaked. Its feet slip-slapped as it turned its back to the man's head.

"Is it the heat?" Hazanko teased. Gave a snap of his fan with a flick of his wrist. Began to fan the little toad.

Its eyes went wide. "Stop that!" it warned.

Hazanko fanned it the more with a laugh.

"You'll dry my skin out!" the little toad protested.

 

[Yuda Taue]

It was Yuda's brother, Bima, who had the better nose. He quickly flipped the fish and immediately removed the skewers from the heat, not needing to even look at the flesh. He handed out each skewer while steam wafted between the fat and muscle. Beside him, Yuda felt slow with his ox-like shoulders and large, square hands. He had to watch the fillets, check for the color, and second guess when he needed to flip.

Gemi had moved Yuda to taking orders and collecting coins instead, exasperated by her brother's bovine movements.

Yuda dipped his head to greet the next customer, only to look up and see a pair of unique eyes. Yuda's own eyes widen, though his pupils could never mirror the woman before him. He saw his reflection in her eyes as clear as if he were looking into still waters, with only a thin ring of orange-red to frame his reflection. Those irises were the same color as Beni-goi, Yuda thought as he fixed his face to a respectful smile. His sister would surely scold him later for staring so openly. He did his best to ignore the ears on the top of her head and tried not to wonder if there were human ears on the side of the woman's head, too.

"Mackerel," He said softly. There was a brief second of thought, and then he added, "Saba shioyaki." He gestured to the fillets grilled only with salt. "We have horse mackerel roasted with savory sauce. And if you are willing to wait, there's also yellowtail collar for sale, too. We've been keeping it cold." That was supposed to be for tonight, to draw in the wanderers heading to or from the bonfire, but... would it not be beneficial to offer it to this cat spirit?

"What shall I get you?"

@Juusha Khuam

 

[Yaen]

Abundant with vibrant lanterns, motifs and beautifully woven tapestries, the city was a chorus of life. Booming sounds of laughter and chinging metal disks shuffled through the streets, in the wake of the mighty dragon dancers. Merchants cried out the quality of their limited-edition goods and the delightful aromas of cooked seafood filled the air.

Breath-taken to behold such beauty, a pale young half-elf with brown braided hair, meandered gob struck across the pave stones in an elegant pale ceremonial garb embroidered with glittering silver flowers; whose reflection caught in the light.

Known to those who could see Raakgui, two small spirits followed her. One, a small squirrel perched cheerfully on her right shoulder, gnawing away at a nut. The other, an iridescent green butterfly that hovered above the girl’s head.

“Wow,” she whispered in amazement as she watched a small group of young children wave their koi lanterns in delight. Warmth lifted the young shaman’s heart as she watched them sprawl across the streets, and then the water came.

From behind the young woman, buckets of water splashed onto her clothing. Sodden, the young woman watched with bewilderment as more children passed, their parents seemingly unphased by the strange assault of water that had just been thrown over her. A gust of hot air swept past, clinging to the patches of wet cloth. Yaen winced at the touch of the elements against her skin, she anticipated the festival may quickly turn uncomfortable.

A knot churned within the young woman’s stomach, people. Yaen had been ordered by her teacher Vasha to go the festival and speak to the locals about the stories of the festival to learn of the Raakgui, fish, the sea and what it had to offer that land did not in the realms of health and decay. The young half-elf’s eyes scanned the stalls, nearby a fishmonger cooked skewers of fish on bamboo. If anyone were to know the information she needed, it would be a fish man.

“Fish, what kind?” the question came from a woman of shorter stature, with grey catlike ears covered in grey fur that extended down her scalp to create bangs and a head of human hair. Marveled, Yaen studied the cat woman’s appearance more attentively. Present at a social event in a dour grey with two swords sheathed at her side, told the shaman that the stranger was ready for combat. Few ordinary citizens Yaen had seen carried weaponry.

“Stop that!” a cute little toad exclaimed from the shoulder of a battle-worn traveler adorned with the scars on his past torn across his face, similarly, dressed for combat. Yaen’s gaze drifted toward the traveler, he too had silver-tinted hair albeit peppered and accompanied by a tawny complexion in contrast to the cat woman’s pale hue.

Laughter escaped the war-torn man’s lips, the frog continuing to protest its disdain against the heat. Yaen smiled. Spirits must be normal in the capital, she thought.

Her attention drew away from the frog and without an ounce of hesitation, Yaen wandered over and stood next to the cat woman ordering at the front. With no concept of a queue, or why in the world people would stand there doing nothing in a straight line; she waited for an attempt to talk.

“Mackrel, Saba shioyaki,” a soft reply came from one of the fish cook men. He was taller with long dark, black hair laid against his stocky shoulders, slightly frizzed from the heat and a small sign of sweat seeped from his swarthy brow. The man gestured to a line of cured meat fillets. "We have horse mackerel roasted with savoury sauce. And if you are willing to wait, there's also yellowtail collar for sale, too. We've been keeping it cold. What shall I get you?"

Yaen took a deep breath and seized that moment to interject.

“Uhh, heh- Hi. You were talking, sorry- but- um-” the young half-elf’s gaze bore into the fish man’s doe-eyed and filled with hope “do you teach about fish? or fish and poison? Or Raakugi, fish and poison? Or fish, poison, Raakugi and culture? or...” Yaen trailed off briefly, her eyes flickered to the surrounding festivities, “-about what is going on here?”

 

[Juusha Khuam]

An iron grey tail flicked one way, then the other, as Juusha listened keenly to the fishmonger's words. She was vaguely aware that he was tall and gentle-toned, with longsofthair, but mostly she saw the fire reflected on greasy fish and tasted the salt-steam on the back of her tongue.

And the thought of fish collar! She could already feel the meat slippery as butter, digging the tenderest parts out from behind the fin bones with her claws, discovering with each bite where the spice and sauce had pooled against the uneven cut of meat.

Juusha swallowed. She was about to give her order, when someone cut in line.

Her ears peeled back and she nearly hissed, but well... this stranger wasn't exactly cutting in line, was she? At least, what the pointy-eared hume said wasn't the same as the other hungry patrons in line. Curiosity cut her anger short. Juusha watched a shimmer of green flutter above the girl's head. A harmless elemental raakgui, just like the squirrel-thing. She paid them both no mind. Lots of little spirits came out during festivities, attracted by the crush of sound and color and life. These ones did not seem to be bothering the girl.

The girl, however, was bothering Juusha.

“-about what is going on here?”

"I'm ordering fish," Juusha said flatly in response to the girl's last question. "That's what's going on here."

 

[Enomi Hemoshi]

For the great festivals, her family always came into the city. Which meant she had to abandon her post at the shop and participate appropriately. She would much rather be sitting at the festival stall that had been set up selling the various calligraphy pieces meant to be hung in the temples or in the home. The words and phrases encouraging prosperity, good health, love in the coming years. She'd created many of them as one of the steadiest hands at the workshop. The others working to mount them on the decorative papers in various blues and greens of the sea. There was also the calligrapher at the booth, one who would entwine the symbols of a couple's names with the symbol of love and then glue it to a paper color of choice. There was no promise that the union would end up successful, but many engaged couples or married couples liked to have such a piece hanging in their home.

Enomi, on the other hand, was dressed in an elegant kimono. Collar, obi, and hair all perfect lest her mother find an opportunity to critic her outfit. Though like any festival goer who walked to close to the streets, her shoes, socks, and the hem of her outfit were wet. A hazard most accepted today. "A husband hasn't found you yet. That's because you spend too much time in that shop." Even with her appearance in order, her mother would still find something to complain about. "Look there's a fine looking gentleman. Go talk to him. Splash him. Show him your interest."

"Mother!" She protested, face flushing brightly in embarrassment.

"Well if you can't put forth the effort to attract a husband, then I'll just have to do it for you." Her mother said with a snap of her fan as she covered the irate look on her face for a moment. It wasn't like Enomi needed to find a husband. Her mother had three other daughters before her that could help to solidify the family's line. She didn't need her as well. She certainly didn't need to thrust her needlessly at men on the street.

"Oh Mother. Leave Enomi alone. She's still young. There's time left." Her oldest sister said coming to her rescue. Her hands resting on her slightly swollen stomach. She was having her second child sometime toward the end of the summer. Her mother huffed again, but stopped harassing her for the time being.

"Go Enomi. There are plenty of eligible men here today. Go find one before I find one for you." The calligrapher didn't need a second urging before she slipped from the Intendant's party to go explore the festival on her own. Not with the intention of attracting a husband like her mother wanted, but to just get away from the expectations. She couldn't make her way back to stall, that would invoke too much of her mother's wrath. Instead, she wandered the festival just people watching.

"...about what's going on here?"

Enomi stepped forward toward the young woman to answer her the question in her curiosity. "This is the Water Festival, a celebration of Yenkai the divine Raakgui and the trials he faced. Careful of where you stand though. It's best to stay out of the main street." She offered with a smile as she took in the young woman's drenched form.

 

[Hazanko Miya]

A string of questions, more a mess, came from a voice like breeze come across spring leaf.

"...about what's going on here?"

Hazanko raised a brow, and saw the youth to whom it belonged to. The spirits orbited about her. Healthy and proud things all. A smirk as he thought on how best to give an answer. Something quick. Sharp. To show just how much she still had to-

"I'm ordering fish,"

Slapped a voice across his ears. Soft as the flat growl was. Ironborne. He remembered, and found the steel haired menace.

He redoubled. Took in breath-

"This is the Water Festival.."

Came another. Hair as dark as finest ink. A countenance that rose from furthest fog of his mind's waters. Hemoshi. Fuck.

He snapped his fan up over his face and turned away from the ink mistress. Was her whole clan here? Well, this wasn't good.

"Why are you hiding?" came the little croak of violet toad.

Hazanko shrank behind the clean white paper of his fan, frozen mid slink.

"They can't see me, sept the murderous one,"

"You don't know that," he whispered in a hiss, and took another step.

 

[Yuda Taue]

Yuda blanched. He stared at not one, not two, but three women who had all made their way to the stall. The gray one was blunt, perhaps skittish, which reminded him of the cats in the village that belonged to no one in particular but belonged to everyone in the town. The second one was also not human, yet it was human-like, like the gray-haired woman. She was quiet, with a sweet lilt to her voice, and curious. The third was the most shocking of all. His dark eyes saw the thickness of her clothes, the remarkable colors and embroidery, and he was amazed at the style and structure of her dark hair. She was quiet but in a different way than the second; her soft voice came from a lifetime of never needing to be raised.

It was nearly too much for Yuda. Where to begin, where to ignore, these loose threads frayed and flew in the wind. If it weren't for Gemi, Yuda would have kept gawking.

"Ladies, ladies, one at a time!" His sister said in a sing-song voice, smile wide and curved-- which quickly turned into a frown when she looked at her frozen younger brother. "Yuda, prepare the yellowtail collar for our esteemed guest." Her hand gestured towards the woman in the fanciful clothes with immaculate hair, not the gray one.

"But, Gemi," Yuda protested, "the cat spirit girl was first." His nephew, once nestled against his sister's breasts, shifted his head to look at the women. His own eyes widened at the three of them, all different, all in front, and perhaps, all hungry.

"Yu... duh." Gemi said between a closed-lip smile. There was a twitch in her left eye that was hard to ignore. "Yellow collar for the INTENDANT family. Now." His sister was far scarier when she didn't yell. Yuda was still for a second too long, earning himself a light slap against the side of his brow. He got up then and went back to the tent to retrieve yellowtail collar. His sister didn't correct him when he pulled out three instead of one, instead only sighing in exasperation.

"Yenkai was a koi fish," the little boy said, still staring at the ladies. "Like the color of her eyes." He pointed at the shaman's eyes.

@Juusha Khuam @Yaen @Enomi Hemoshi

 

[Yoite]

"Don't know what?" Yoite whispered as he stood next to the old shaman, a bowl of white, translucent jelly covered in a sweet red paste and topped with sugary peach and orange slices. A small, wooden bamboo spoon was speared into one particularly dripping peach slice, waiting to be picked up and shoved into an open mouth. The smell of the dessert was both floral and fruity, though slightly overwhelming.

"Greetings, Generous One," the feather clan shaman said to the violet toad, shaking off the peach from the curved spoon to then scoop up a glistening slice of orange and hold it towards the raakgui. Golden eyes curved up into mischievous half moons as he looked back towards an old friend. "You heard it, too, huh? Hinoka will perform tonight," He ruffled his wings ever slightly, too nervous about them getting damaged from the crowd. "I'm going to make my way to the front. It's rumored she'll play a new song tonight. Want me to save you a spot?"

@Hazanko Miya

 

[Yaen]

“I’m ordering fish. That’s what’s going on here,” the cats’ words were as empty as the stomachs of the people that babbled around her. It was already apparent to Yaen that the human-cat spirit was trading for fish, what the girl couldn’t fathom was how the cat-human got to the conclusion her actions were a mystery.

Yaen nodded slowly, her gaze carefully considered as it settled briefly onto the fish crazed half spirit, alive with patient curiosity.

Much to the young shaman’s relief, a soft, authoritative voice spoke from behind her. Yaen knew not who she was, only that the stranger had saved her from a conversation with the cat spirit that she didn’t know how to have. "This is the Water Festival, a celebration of Yenkai the divine Raakgui and the trials he faced. Careful of where you stand though. It's best to stay out of the main street."

Void of objection, Yaen instantly accepted the advice and took a step back away from the stall to turn to the stranger for the first time. Warmth greeted her in the form of a smile, gifted to her by a woman, a little older than herself who was elegantly dressed and endowed with beauty.

“Thank you, I will try to do that!” Yaen exclaimed gleefully “I was never taught what a divine wa-” shouts interrupted the sodden young half elf’s statement.

"Yellow collar for the INTENDANT family. Now." A shout from within the stall shifted Yaen’s focus, when she suddenly realized that a whole lot of attention was aimed in their direction. In a single snap of a wonderfully ornate fan, a physically surreptitious response came from the frog warrior. Followed by the advent of another soul, a man painted with dark tattoos, folded down wings and a broad muscular physique that was shrouded in a proud sense of mystery. It only took a moment, but a moment too long when had Yaen caught her gaze lingering on the man. She hastily turned away.

“I understand the desire to shy in the face of beauty,” Yaen returned her attention back to Enomi “this strikes me as odd though, do people usually look at you like this? Who are the intend-”

“Yenkai was a koi fish!” a young child from the stall injected, his hand in a pointed motion toward the cat spirit “Like the colour of her eyes.”

“The colour of blood,” the words fell from her lips as her fingers weaved around to pet the squirrel on her shoulder “Do you think he’s still alive?”

Risu thumped his little foot in happiness at the gesture “Who knows?”

“I see.” the young half-elf looked at Enomi and affectionately took a hold of her hand into hers with a gentle tug “Want to go on an adventure to find him? I have so many questions to ask.”

 

[Juusha Khuam]

Tch. Juusha clicked her tongue, a human noise and not a cat's. Playing second fiddle to an intendant family wasn't anything new for her. But how annoying still, to be reminded of her duty in such everyday ways!

She squared her feet and went back to standing at attention. Did not look directly at the intendant or her guest, the young, plain-looking girl who didn't seem to understand her place in the world - or the fishmonger's line. But Juusha was far from diligent, ears continuing to prick forward no matter how many times she pulled them back. They were straining to hear inside the cook's tent, trying to figure out what the fish man was doing in there.

Then, the light of hope and grilled fatty fish came back to her eyes. The collar was here, three of them! The fish man had not forgotten about her! Even though everyone else was so determined to get between Juusha and culinary bliss. Including the little boy who pointed a sticky finger at her. His innocent remark brought the attention of those other two line-cutters back her way.

“Want to go on an adventure to find him? I have so many questions to ask," the doe-eyed one said. Juusha's ears flatted back against her head.

"Better hope Lord Yenkai doesn't make an appearance," she responded with a cruel rasp to her voice. "He only comes around when the other spirits are fighting. Brings them back in line with one flick of his giant tail!" Head tilted ever so, Juusha smiled so that her sharp canines poked against her lower lip. Her eyes were squinted up too far, mimicking the visage of a cat mask, the kind that always played the trickster in those roadside plays. The theatrics were mostly for the young boy, who she turned to. "The wave he makes sweeps everything up, even good little boys. So work hard and feed every spirit you meet tonight - that way they'll be too fat and lazy to cause trouble."

 

[Enomi Hemoshi]

Another woman appeared, this time from behind the stall, her eyes deftly taking in the situation at hand before giving orders to the young man who'd been working the front. A brilliant bit of marketing if one took the time to consider the nature of today's festival. Enomi couldn't help but look down the line of waiting patrons, a majority of them women. He might end up quite wet by the end of the day if he ever stepped out onto the main street.

She didn't have a chance to respond to the young half-elf before a shout at the stall caught her attention. "Yellow collar for the Intendant family. Now." The calligrapher turned hastily back toward the woman. "It's okay. I don't..." She tried to start, but it was too late. She hadn't meant to be interpreted as being in line. She'd just wanted to help clarify the festival for the woman who seemed confused, new even, to the large festival of the capital. The festivals were celebrated all over the island, but the capital's often the grandest.

Her fingers itched to reach down for the fan hanging from her belt. To snap it up like a shield before breezing along her way, but to leave now would be rude. Enomi felt a hand take hers, tugging lightly and she looked back toward the half-elf. By the spirits, an adventure seemed most ideal. Anything to get her away from this unwanted attention. She longed for her little shop where she could forget about all her family's ties and position.

The young man returned, three yellowtail collar in hand. Enomi took one, giving a slight bow at her waist. "Thank you." She offered before reaching fingers into the purse at her side and pulling out three golden coins, which she hastily placed into his hand. Far more than what the skewer of fish was worth, but she felt partially responsible for the trouble and the confusion in the moment. "To help feed the spirits tonight, so this little one doesn't get swept away." She added, an excuse really, but at least this way the gentleman couldn't refuse.

"You're wanting to find Lord Yenkai?" Enomi asked looking back at the half-elf with her own Yellowtail collar. "I can help with the questions, but finding a spirit Lord might be a bit out of my capabilities." She admitted. Enomi was no shaman, though she often wished she could see the Raakgui spirits, she could not.

Enomi blew on the fish a moment before taking a bite. The fish was delicate, tender and melted in her mouth. Suddenly she was glad that the woman had insisted giving her a skewer. It was well worth the mistake. "This is quite delicious sir. My thanks to both you and..." There was a slight pause. Either his sister or his wife? To young to be his mother. "Your sister." She settled on because of the similar features in their face.

 

[Hazanko Miya]

"Yoite," the grey mistborne hissed. eyes pulled to shards of ice. "You-," he stood up straight. Set his shoulders back. No way he was letting this Feather see him so low and slinking. Redoubled the guard of his fan with a sure snap, the paper shield his only hope in this duel. "You wouldn't know of such sophisticated operations,"

"He is worried about those mortals seeing me," the purple toad croaked.

Hazanko reeled, face snapped back as if he had been slapped. An arm outstretched and feet stumble stepping all knees and searching for solid ground as his clog sandals clacked against the earth. Fan never leaving his face.

"What in the eight eggs are you doing, Shaman!" the little toad asked as he clung to the white robes. Climbed back up to his perch, sticky hand, after sticky foot. A pathetic little pull saw the midnight toad back unto Hazanko's shoulder. Out of breath, and wide eyed as he rest a moment.

"Hinoka will be here?" Hazanko asked, voice like a rush of wind. He folded his fan away, and let his friend see his face as he shook his head. "Why would I care about that, Yoite?" he sighed. Snatched up a sticky peach slice with his off hand, like a fox might a chicken's egg. Stared at it dripping sweet syrup that ran down his fingers, glistening, and unto the butt of his hand. He brought his hand up and kissed the bead of syrup off.

The toad's eyes went wide at the sight of the food. A croak rumbled from his throat. "Embody my spirit, and," another croak. "be generous!" he hopped on Hazanko's shoulder with a wet little squelch.