[Evening 9 - Hold] "Home Sweet Home"

[Amaya]

"Sounds like a plan," she said with a quick nod. It never hurt to be on Isora and Suitengu's good side, though she only had the one statue. How many peasants carried more than one statue? Hell, how many peasants carried one in the first place. It wasn't great quality, but it had served well enough in the past.

Her next roll caused a scowl that made the skin along her face pucker in an ugly fashion while she muttered something about luck. "So, gotta ask... how many of these folks try talking to us around here?"

[Rixy]

"Depends, really." It was gentle Kugi who answered for once, her gaze following the dice as they flew from Nuime's hand. The older man had finally caught the favor of whatever Fortune oversaw dice, it seemed, because they came up with a very high score. "The officers will, at the least, talk at us, by name even...well...by nickname, at least. Captain's a true Mantis...if you pull your weight he'll leave you to do your job without much fussing. He's a good man and no mistake...he can be kind, too, makes sure that we get a bit of a rest and a bit of good sake for festival days and the like."

Her smile, which had been growing quite wide as she discussed the Yoritomo, fell. "Moshi-sama is...well..."

While the girl struggled for a good term, Hanma supplied one. "An angry devil ray of a woman. Still...not the sort to go after you in particular less you pike her off. If'n you do, well, then you'll be damned glad the Captain looks out fer us."

Kugi took the dice and then went on, a little red. "Um...yes. Isawa-sama...well...he's..." She trailed off, once again at a loss, though by the look the two men exchanged her distraction wasn't entirely motivated by fear. "He remember's we're below him, but he can be kind, just like the Captain...and he has such gentle hands..."

At this, Nuime couldn't contain himself. "Ah, an' how'd ye be knowin' tha'?" He elbowed Hanma, who almost, ALMOST smiled. "Tol' ye she broke 'er han' apuprpose, just so'n he'd be tendin' it."

Kugi, at this, blushed furiously and ducked her head. Nuime started to laugh, sounding like nothing so much as a braying mule.

[Amaya]

She laughed along with them and gave the girl a clap on the shoulder, shaking her head a little as she got a bit of a smirk on her face. "I'm not as sure about the new folks. Some of 'em seem more talkative than I'm used to. Damned near want to chat," she said, sighing and looking over at the others. "The one with the milky eyes freaks me the hell out. I try to avoid priests as is... but that's just weird."

[Rixy]

At once, the three lost their grins. Kugi's eyes dropped and she began to fuss with the bottle on the table. Hanma looked as unpleasant as he ever had and even cheerful Nuime looked uncomfortable, warding himself. "Eerie, that'n. Tain't natural, eyes like that still seein', bein' that tiny an' all."

Kugi, very quietly, said, "Shiba shouldn't be priests...they're s'posed to be protectors."

[Amaya]

"Eh? You can tell the differences? I just catch the names and repeat them back," she said, chuckling a little in an effort to lighten the suddenly sour mood. "I don't know bout priests in general. I kinda figured all the reds n oranges knew a bit of that sort of thing. The creamy eyed one kinda wanted to talk... it was weird. What were they like last trip?"

[Rixy]

"Heard her talking with some of the others about it." Kugi was happy to let it drop, though, and willingly shut up when Nuime jumped back in.

"Always a few. Some of 'em, they don't usually deal w' heimen much an' so they don't know quite wha' ta do w' us. Can't ignore those that 'r right beside ye in a ship this small. That make most of 'em prone ta chat."

[Amaya]

"gonna take some getting used to," she said, nodding at that. "But enough talk. Let's let the dice do some talking for a bit. I want to see if I can get my streak back on."

[Rixy]

This was regarded as universally agreeable and the dice went back around for a while, the talk turning to more general things like the health of Nuime's expectant daughter (good, at least it had been when the latest letter was scribed for her two months ago), the relative tastiness of Cook's latest cod batter (regarded highly but still, they all thought, able to be improved in crunch) and, lastly, it turned to the brew currently doing it's fermenting in O-washi's barrels.

Nuime, who would be broke if they were actually gambling, offered "Which o' the eta d'ya think he'll make test it this time?"

Kugi shrugged but Hanma, who was doing well but not so well as his junior, grunted and offered "Bet he'll get whichever idiot new blood it is that's gone an' piked off him or the Capt'n."

[Amaya]

She grinned at that. Rotgut distilleries on a ship weren't something she'd ever heard of, but the longest voyage she'd ever taken was a day out and back, so it made a certain amount of sense. "So how bad's the stuff, usually? I gotta ask," she said with a bit of a dry add-on to her throaty voice. "I don't drink that often, but if there's booze around and I'm not expecting to go on duty, a sip's not such a bad thing to warm a night."

[Rixy]

The three exchanged a look and then Hanma shrugged. "He's actually not too bad, if'n it's somethin' he's made 'afore. Trouble is when he get's it into his damn fool head to 'experiment'." This last was said in carefully overcultured tones, followed by an eye-roll.

Nuime nodded his agreement. "Just now, he's tryin' ta manage t' brew only a Mantis should be makin'...'ll be suited ta peelin' paint or firin' cross to burn other ships more'n drinkin' or so seems ta me."

Kugi nibbled her lower lip. "I hear Cook was helping...so it shouldn't be dreadful..."

The other two looked at her and she grimaced. "Alright, fine...I wouldn't want to drink it either."

[Amaya]

"I've tried some rotgut in the past, but that sounds... risky," she said with a barked laugh, shrugging and not sounding all that worried regardless of the topic. "Still, if it turns out ok, and whoever gets to try it doesn't end up hurling their guts out afterwards, maybe we'll get a taste. But... let's hope someone else gets that tester."

[Rixy]

All three nodded their agreement. Hanma, thoughtfully, added, 'He's never poisoned anyone to more than a day a' layin' in bed, though, give 'im that much. Real sorry 'bout it too, not that it made the poor sod feel much better at the time."

[Amaya]

"Good to know. I knew a guy, used to think he was a brewer. He wasn't quite so good though," she said with a bit of a snort and a fiendish sort of grin there as she shook her head. "Last time he ever tried brewing anything, someone went blind. Least this guy's not that bad, eh?"

[Rixy]

"Nope, never had anythin' worse than someone pukin' hard enough they gave themself a nosebleed." Hanma snorted, even as Kugi turned a shade paler. "Hasn't done that in a while but, then, he ain't tried nothin' new, either."