As the lunch hour approached the young mantis found his way into crew quarters eyes open for anyone lying about or otherwise avoiding duty to eat. He had brought back some fish yesterday and sea of shadows or not he was gonna cook him. all he really needed now was someone to hold a bucket.

Two furry things scurry across the floor making odd chittering noises as they run and bound, hopping in a weird gait towards the kitchen where sounds of chopping and slicing can be heard. The two creatures, one white and the other black, disappear under a sheet which has been placed over the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen. Over the sound of chopping Kaito can make out the voice of a perhaps older woman singing a tune rather lively.

What was that! Kaito's eyes follow the fuzz balls as they move across the floor. Curious as to what exactly they were the young sailor approaches the entry to the Kitchen pausing to rap on the entry way to the kitchen. It seems like the room was occupied likely by the cook and he didn't want to step on her bad side by just walking in uninvited.

"Food isn't ready yet." Came the calm and automatic reply from behind the curtain. "Be an hour or so yet dearie."

"Ah sorry for disturbing ya Ma'am I was wondering if ya minded if I came in. I saw a pair of odd looking furry creatures scurry inside and I was wondering what they were." His tone his polite as he continued. "There was also something I was wanting to ask ya myself when I got the chance."

"Long as you don't disturb dinner lad." Was the reply. Once Kaito was inside, he could see a rather portly middle-aged woman who looked very matronly. In one corner of the kitchen, the pair of fluffballs, which the Yoritomo could now see were both ferrets were play fighting.

"That's just Salt and Pepper. My pets. They help with the rats."

There was a pained squeak and the woman immediately yelled out without even looking back. "Salt, quit hurting your brother!"

Both ferrets immediately stopped in their play and started chittering again.

"Oh no ya don't. I don't want you two getting near them cats either. Get me all stuffy and miserable." She looked back at the Yoritomo and shook her head with amusement. "Those two are troublemakers but they mean well enough. Now what did you need Yoritomo-sama?"

The mantis watched the two critters play for a few moments before turning back to the cook. She had said the meal was about ready so there was really no reason to cook today it seemed. He might as well as ask couldn't hurt for the future.

"Well Ma'am I talked a bit to Isawa-gunso the other day and he said He'd talk to you about it but since I was near and I heard you here so I thought I'd stop in. Ya see I know a thing er two about cooking and I figured I'd ask ya if ya minded if I came in and cooked up something warm occasionally when there weren't any meals planned and I had the time for it. Course if I can I'll be sure to bring someone in with me to manthe buckets "

The woman's mood changed slightly as she eyes Kaito with much more scrutiny. The bearing changes to be more fitting of a commander of an army examining and judging the worth of a recruit for a prestigious duty. Akin to guarding the Clan Champion or serving in the vanguard of the army, or a vital scouting mission.

Eventually, the woman nodded. "Hai, I suppose that'd be all right. I warn ya though, last year a Matsu recruit made much the same claim. She burned the rice so I used my powers and I turned her into a fish."

The old woman said that with a completely serious face.

The mantis nodded gravely. "Aye Ma'am I'll be sure a be extra careful. I've had to eat burnt rice before and it's a experience I'd never want to repeat if given the chance." Kaito's own tone was quite serious food was a serious matter after all and you didn't waste a thing on a boat. Plus nice as fish were to eat he didn't want to be one.

The matron nodded once again and then smiled as she laughed good naturedly. "Goodness, where are my manners? I am Supaisu, but most people just call me Cook."

The mantis flashed a smile as the moment passed. Mission Complete! "Ah nice to meet ya Supaisu-san. This one is Yoritomo Kaito." She had told him her name so it would be nice to use it at least once.

The ferrets had decided that they needed a new target and quickly set about chasing each other around Kaito's feet, their long sharp claws digging into the wood. They scampered and continued their fight at the base of the towering (to them) Yoritomo.

Supaisu for her part had moved on to a pair of lemons that she was starting to slice thinly with a rather large knife. "If Yoritomo-sama doesn't mind, could you help a poor old woman with the meal? I'm certain your fellow shipmates would be very appreciative of your hard work on it." She gave the Mantis a winning smile of her own.

The mantis eyes on the mini battle at his feet glanced up at the cooks words. "Sure I would be glad to give ya some help." He replied as he moved forward being sure to watch his feet around the combatant. "I was gonna ask if I could have a look around anyways to help get my self acquainted with the kitchen anyways. Might as well do that by helping." It didn't hurt that he thought getting on the cooks good side was likely one of the most important things to do on a ship either.

Victory! She'd managed to rope another sailor in to helping her and listening to her stories. "Alright, I'm gonna finish with this soy, you chop up these carrots and get the onions ready."

Then the woman went back to the meal, cooking and chaping and beating the meal into submission while the Yoritomo did his own part. And she talked, oh how she talked. "I heard from the captain once that he was born on the Osaku Route, that's why he knows it so well. There's an island he always stops at and prays at, remembering that he was born there. Blessed to have him on board we are."

Kaito worked away skillfully chopping up the carrots and preparing the onions while the older woman chatted. Half of sailing was doing repetitive tasks over and over again and the stories helped break the monotony. Sure he loved the sea as much as the next sailor but if there weren't stories to swap and jokes to tell it'd likely get a bit dull after a couple decades.

At the comment about the capn the young man's ears perk up. "Quite good fortune indeed especially with all us recruits on board." He replied from his work. "Do you figure we'll stop on the island on the morrow or is it still a bit of travel tell we get there?" He asked dutifully filling in the appropriate places in her stories with questions.

"Mmm, probably. It's a good place to rest up and recover while we can. We'll get there tomorrow." She smiled some. "Good thing too. Spending too long in the Sea of Shadows can attract all sorts of nasty attention. I remember once, oh, 10 years ago. We were on our way through the pass when one night half the crew just got up and walked off the edge of the boat."

Supaisu made a warding gesture at that.

The mantis repeats the sign himself a makes a furtive glance at the deck above. Drowning wasn't a pleasant idea in the best of waters but in those like these.... Saying it would be worse isn't nearly a strong enough word for it. "Perhaps then I should try to visit the island to pay my own respects on the morrow that is if I can." A few more prayers to the fortune of thunder might not help but it couldn't hurt either.

"Most try to get out oncewhile passing through. It's good to worship the fortunes for their actions on this realm." She nodded, then added. "And pray for that other Yoritomo. The one who brought cats on board. Bad luck bringing newborn cats on board. They don't know how to give out their luck yet so it turns bad."

The mantis nodded slightly at that it made sense after all. If the Kittens hadn't learned from their mama yet how to give out good like like as not that they did give out was like to be poor. I mean you can't expect a cat just to know how to give out good luck after all.

"I will at that Supaisu-san." He says with a nod moving on to whatever task the woman decided to hand him next. "Ya figure I should warn him about it so he can make his own prayers? Or do you think he's likely infected with bad luck already?"

"A boy that cursed can use all the prayers he can get, neh? Couldn't hurt him though." The woman smiled and handed him over a pot of soup to stir the ingredients he'd just chopped up into.