Through the cargo hold, a man's bass laughter rolled and boomed like the waves outside.

Isawa O-Washi leaned a hip against one of the many cabinets holding bandages, arms comfortably crossed over his chest. A great grin, fit to split his face, turned his pleasant features into something that was almost handsome, blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

The source of his good humor, a young heimen man perched on a crate, seemed well pleased by the reaction of his audience, grinning and laughing himself despite a rather bad case of blushing.

"...'an after how them ladies were talkin'...well, I got a bet on with a few of t'others that Moshi-sama has ta burn 'em out of a bunk 'fore we're half way ta the Isles."

O-washi laughed even harder at that. "Yes, well, lad, be glad they're not Utaku." At the boy's raised brow, he smirked. "Unicorn of all sorts are riders...but those Utaku girls will ride at a hard gallop for hours and, well, your lot are sleeping right below the ladies' quarters, aren't you?"

At the look on the ashigaru's face, half horror, half interest, O-washi started roaring in laughter again, all but doubling over with the force of his mirth.

This is where they told me to come for the time being, right? Let's see... They told me to find a big guy... Qulan carefully made her way through the cargo hold when a loud roaring laugh made her jump back in surprise. That laugh could only be from a large man, so this might be...

She came across both men, and sheepishly approached them. "Ummm... Excuse me..." She didn't want to intrude and make a bad first impression.

Happy's eyes almost bugged out of his head when the Shinjo made an appearance. He flushed beneath his tan and mumbled something incoherent before bowing. The ashigaru bravely fled.

The reaction of the poor heimen only made the big man, comfortably clad in a loose orange vest over a bare chest and red hakama, laugh harder as he pushed up to stand at his full height before bowing, politely enough, to the young Shinjo. With laughter still in his eyes and coloring his voice, O-washi returned her courtesy. "Konnichiwa, Shinjo-san." Eyes the shade of calm, deep waters studied the young woman as if seeking something in particular. "Looking for something?"

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you... I was told to come here and find an Isawa O-Washi if I had questions about anything medical related." Qulan quietly and calmly explained. "I... Wanted to ask a few questions about seasickness. I've never been on a kobune before."

Was that an eye roll?

Yes, yes it was.

Still, the smile on the big man's face didn't so much as twitch. "That's me, sure enough, and I'm happy to answer whatever questions you have."

"I've been on here a good few hours and I'm not feeling any different than when I'm on land." Qulan didn't seem to notice the eyeroll at all. "From what I've heard, I expected to be feeling ill within the first hour of boarding. Or at least dizzy. But... Nothing. Is that normal?"

One dark eyebrow rose a few inches and the priest suddenly looked much more interested than he had been before.

"For some people, being at anchor in a port's a far cry from the actual rolling waves. You might be one of those, in which case you won't notice until we ship out tomorrow." O-Washi continued to look at her as though she had turned blue or something similarly unusual. "You ever been drunk? Seasickness is like when things start spinning right about the time when the fun wears off and you realize you're due to offer up to the Fortune of Bad Choices."

"Errr... Well, I don't feel a thing. At all." Qulan blushed slightly at being observed so closely. "My dad said I'd probably be so sick it'd be hard to move for a while. But, not even the slightest bit... Spinny."

"Well then." One corner of his mouth quirked up. "Count yourself lucky...you might not be feeding the fish. It happens, sometimes. Some people are blessed with natural beauty, some folks hear the kami, and some folks, well...some folks feel the rocking of the sea like the gentle rocking of a cradle and no more."

This time, instead of rolling his eyes the Gunso winked at Qulan. "Two out of three's not bad."

"Haha... Thanks Isawa-sama." She smiled sincerely and bowed politely. "Oh! How rude of me... I forgot to introduce myself. I am Shinjo Qulan, a new recruit. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She said as she made another bow, it seemed that she was an oddly polite girl.

Footsteps approached the distillery that sounded more like a bouncing trot than a normal person's walking, and soon a tiny brunette with warm eyes and a smile became apparent. Seeing the pair already there, though, she stopped short and bowed quickly but deeply to both of them.

"Good afternoon!" she said brightly. "I hope I'm not interrupting?"

"I should hope you were...this isn't a ship for a pleasure cruise, after all."

Before he could inquire further into the Shinjo's skills, however, the new arrival had the big man's gaze turning in her direction. Blue eyes widened, slightly, at the sight of the almost childlike figure but his warm friendly smile didn't change. 'Ah...no, Suzume-san. Shinjo Qulan-san here and I were just getting acquainted." He bowed, neatly. "I'm Isawa O-washi, Gunso of this fine ship."

She blinked as the oh-so bright Suzume walked in. She certainly was taken aback by the childish charm the other girl had. Qulan then turned her bow to the Suzume, quietly speaking. "Good afternoon, Suzume-san."

"I'm Suzume Satsuki. I was just getting the lay of the... ship," she finished after a brief hesitation, but no flag in enthusiasm. She hadn't been sure if 'land' had been appropriate. "It's an honor to meet you both, Isawa-gunso, Shinjo-san. It really is a fine ship, from everything I've seen so far. I'm looking forward to working on it with both of you!"

She finishes her sentence with another quick bow. With a better view, it is clear that she's dressed in an archer's outfit, from the elbow-length sleeves with no hanging portion.

"Ah! You're an archer? I know how to handle a bow as well." Qulan offered a friendly smile, finally finding another person to have something in common with.

"Hai," the small woman replied brightly. "I'm glad to meet another archer! We should trade stories about it sometime soon... though don't worry, I'll pace any story I tell quickly," she added with a playful grin.

"Well, I have heard Sparrows tell some of the best stories." Qulan grinned back. "Ever shot an arrow on horseback?"

Archery being something that O-Washi was less than interested in, the big man simply watched the two females chatter.

They reminded him, a bit, of his two nearest sisters. It made him smile, just a little.

"Never! I hope you'll tell me about it when we trade stories later," she says with a warm smile before turning toward the Isawa. "Visiting here has made me look forward all the more to working on this ship. I should probably get back to familiarizing myself with it, though."

She bows deeply to the Isawa and the Unicorn. "It was very nice meeting you both!"