(Moon 11, afternoon, crew quarters) Shiny!

[Shiba Naomi]

"Ah, good to know," Naomi said in a delighted and bubbly tone. "Your skills at the orientation today was impressive, Bayushi-san. I've heard of the speed of the Bayushi bushi, but I had not thought it to be that fast until I saw it today with my own eyes."

[Hida Sayuri]

"Uhm, I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" Naomi glanced between Sayuri and Nobuyoshi.

"Nah, just cleanin'."

She simply nods at Naomi's assessment of the Scorpion's skills.

[Bayushi Nobuyoshi]

At the Phoenix's words, Nobuyoshi drops the piece of armor he's working on and brings his hand up to the forehead of his mask.

"I...can do...better" the words coming out pained, and much much louder than he normally speaks. "Just a....demonstration....not allowed....to kill....crewmates."

Which is about all the conversation he can manage, apparently suffering from a massive headache suddenly, his hands pressed tightly to his mask.

[Hida Sayuri]

Sayuri frowns. "you alright? Twas just a bit of trainin'. It's always harder pulling blows after trainin' over and over to kill things good and fast." She pauses, armor in her hands, watching the odd behavior.

[Bayushi Nobuyoshi]

"I'm...fine....fine" Nobuyoshi says in a voice laced with pain. Not crying or bleeding, just apparently suffering a truly awful headache.

[Hida Sayuri]

She shrugs, not about to suggest her favorite home remedy for a headache. There wasn't a bottle of shochu to hand, and he'd probably hurt all the worse for it when he woke up anyway.

[Shiba Naomi]

Oh my, was it something I said?

Naomi looked worriedly at the Scorpion. "... Is there anything I can do to help, Bayushi-san?"

[Bayushi Nobuyoshi]

The Scorpion waves off the Phoenix concerns, and starts to regain his composure.

"No, no thank you Shiba-san" he says his voice returning to a more normal level...for him.

[Hida Sayuri]

Well that's that then. Sayuri pours a bit more oil on the cloth she's using, the smell of oil growing stronger through the smell of cheap floral perfume.

"You been sailin' much before Shiba-san?" Hey, it's an easy question. Don't expect the Hida to take any prizes for their conversation starting skills.

[Shiba Naomi]

Naomi nodded. "Hai, but not on a military-vessel. My father oversees trade from Shiawasena Ningyo no Minato* and ever since I was small I've had the chance to travel on their ships from time to time. The Shiba's merchant-ships are significantly smaller than the Half Moon."

"What about you?" The question seemed open enough for both of them.


(*= Happy Ningyo Port)

[Hida Sayuri]

"Grew up near rivers, so I'd enough experience gettin' ma feet wet to be assigned a few tours on the turtle boats as patrol Earthquake Fish Bay. They're heavier and slower." She thinks to their lessons. "The Shadows never came so far in while I was servin'. But it sounded like there wasn't much point ta throwin' down a rope is someone went overboard in the Sea of Shadows. Never know what ye'd draw back up."

[Bayushi Nobuyoshi]

A small shake of the head while the Scorpion works on his armor.

"No" is his quiet reply.

However, he is not so poor a conversationalist as to leave it that.

"What's Shiawasena Ningyo no Minato like? demonstrating that he is, in fact, capable of asking questions.

[Shiba Naomi]

"Uhm, well, it's a rather small town in the Shiba lands. According to the stories of the locals, it started out as just a fishing village, but grew as the fishers began trading with ships that passed up the coast to more important locations of the Phoenix coastline. Eventually, it became a minor trading-hub for the Phoenix, and my father oversees it."

She smiled happily as she chatted. "It's a small town, but very peaceful and beautiful, especially since it's been mostly untouched by war. The yobanjin didn't come to it, and the Mantis didn't care for it during the War of Fire and Thunder."

[Hida Sayuri]

Sayuri smiles as she continues polish and clean. “Does sound nice. So ya’ve never really been military, then?”

[Shiba Naomi]

Naomi gave a shake of her head. "... No... that duty was given to my brothers. My mother died when we were young, so it became my duty early on to take on the role of the woman of the household. My oldest brother has married now, so the task is now hers."

[Hida Sayuri]

Sayuri looks up quizzically. "And they sent you straight to this from there? Well, there's a bit o'trainin' I guess, but that's a rough jump." After a moment of thinking she adds, "won't ya just go back to mindin' house once *you're* wed?" That seems more common among the other clans, particularly the dainty ones.

[Shiba Naomi]

""Uh... thing is, I kinda like having the chance to do more than just be wife and all that. I don't hate that life, but, everyone else is working so hard and all, and I want to be of use too."
She shrugged. "I've grown up with merchants vessels, I'm used to the sea, and I was trained as a bushi, like the rest of my family... I'm not completely as a fish out of the water."

[Bayushi Nobuyoshi]

Either Nobuyoshi is singularly disinterested in the plight of bored Phoenix housewives, or he's decided to focus his attention solely on repairing and cleaning his armor, and makes no comment. Perhaps both.