[Day 1, Late Evening, open] Open Air

[Daidoji Fuichi]

The ending of his shift left Daidoji Fuichi a little listless. He hadn't been sleeping well the past few years, so going to bed this early was a little out of the question; he'd only be cranky in the morning. Insomnia, and more than his fair share of guilt from the Dageki fiasco, sent Fuichi back to the scene of his folly, paradoxically one of the few places designed to give those born of the Air a measure of peace.

He stared up at the rigging. Today, for Isawa-sama, I will climb.

The ascent was challenging, but he reached the top. There, surrounded by the playful hum of the air kami, he produced his knife, a block of wood, and set to work.

[Yoritomo Choukichi]

Not long after Fuichi starts carving, Choukichi starts making his way up to the nest. Upon reaching the top he sees a familliar, and not all too pleasant sight. He spends a moment debating whether he should go back down, but then deciding he has probably been seen and that it would be rude to leave now, he finishes climbing up and takes a seat nearby, but tries not to disturb Fuichi.

[Daidoji Fuichi]

Fuichi seems utterly oblivious to the Yoritomo's presence. His every effort is focused solely on the block of wood, which seems to slowly be taking the form of a person of some kind.

[Yoritomo Choukichi]

Choukichi doesn't bother him and just watches, interested in seeing how someone with more than his own sad skills works and produces anything besides ofuda.

[Daidoji Fuichi]

The knife pares down the wood plane by plane, until the rough outline of a spear-carrying man is visible. It is then that Fuichi begins to work on the finer details. He begins with the musculature of the arms, painstakingly carving every possible detail, from the squared shoulders described by the deep grooves separating them from the neck and the bicep, to the fine hair on the forearms suggested by hundreds of tiny notches.

Through it all, the Crane's focus never shifts for an instant from the work. Indeed, he barely seems to blink.

[Yoritomo Choukichi]

Choukichi gets bored of watching him work quickly and turns his attention to the sky around them, pleased to finally be able to see the proper sky, not shrouded by the cursed sea.

[Daidoji Fuichi]

The Daidoji's captivity takes on a feverish intensity as his focus shifts to the torso. One had to be careful with torsos, especially with clothed ones. Too many sculptors waste their time on the overall shape of the structure which, while important, has little to do with the essential quality of the work. Fuichi grimaced even thinking about it. No, tonight he is interested in the way a body fills its clothing, the way the clothing suggests the dimensions and the proportions of the flesh underneath it. He had to be certain of the naturalism. In this, his act of pennance, there could be nothing but perfection.

Outwardly, a grimace is followed by a deep breath of the pure air, and then a bead of sweat winds its way down the Crane's perfect cheek to dangle from his jawline.

[Ichiro Yakusoku]

Her shift was over but as far as Yakusoku was concerned, it was too beautiful a night to turn in already. No instead the Badger stays above deck, first milling about and eventually making her way up into the rigging. There was a night full of stars this evening and she fully intended to enjoy them. The hard day's work left a pleasant, familiar ache in her hands but it wasn't about to stop her ascent. No, being out of the Sea of Shadow had her full of energy.

Seeing a familiar Mantis on the ropes and Fuichi in the Crow's Nest she clears her throat softly. Not that someone else moving on the rigging wouldn't be noticeable, but it would be rude to approach silently all the same. "Ey," she makes her way closer to the pair, focusing on Choukichi once she sees the Daidoji is occupied, "nice evenin' for a climb, eh?"

[Daidoji Fuichi]

Oblivious, the Daidoji's focus has drifted to back up to the head of his figure. The hair took some time, as his subject was young and healthy, in his prime, the hair was thick, wavy, and would therefore require extra work. The face came next. Certainly not a Crane face, it was round, though the impression of strength, perhaps even aggression, could be felt emmanating from the harsh, close-set eyes. There was a fierce sort of nobility to the expression, a determined independence made all the more powerful by the intense grip the strong, thick hands had on the spear.

[Yoritomo Choukichi]

Fairly confident he knows that the Daidoji is doing, Choukichi focuses his attention on the new arrival, and offers a polite nod of his head.

"A beautiful night, especially when compared to the last few."

[Ichiro Yakusoku]

"Hai," she nods in agreement, moving along the ropes easily, looking for a decent spot to come to a stop. "Glad to be outta that stretch. Lookin' forward to being out here enjoyin' the weather a lot more now. How 'bout you Yoritomo-san? Gonna be enjoyin' yer new duties?"

[Yoritomo Choukichi]

Choukichi frowns just slightly.

"Ah, that remains to be seen, I have never had a below decks assignment before, nor do I have much experience with ships maintenance. Where were you assigned?"

[Isawa Junpei]

It had been so long since Junpei had been allowed such freedom of movement. Even during his time as a student, the Isawa had rarely had the opportunity to remain aloft for his whole day. For the first time in longer than he could remember (made even longer by their trip through the Sea of Sorrows), he had stripped off the fetters of the earth and joined the air spirits almost as soon as he'd awoken and not touched down since then.

Sitting in the air, above the forward mast, he'd preoccupied his evening hours with simple meditation and the endless vista of a moonlit sea. The faint sound of voices, however, roused him from his reverie as he pivoted to find their source. Spying the two men in the crow's nest, he unfolded his legs and crossed the distance. "Konbanwa," he called in a voice that was not so much loud as it carried well on the wind.

[Ichiro Yakusoku]

Choukichi frowns just slightly.

"Ah, that remains to be seen, I have never had a below decks assignment before, nor do I have much experience with ships maintenance. Where were you assigned?"

"Foredeck. Fightin' and sailin'; nothing special," the smile twitching at the corner of her mouth suggests Yakusoku is perfectly fine with the new assignment.

Hearing the Phoenix's voice from above, the Badger glances up his way, exhaling softly. "Evenin'," she murmurs, unsure as to whether or not the words would reach Fulmar.

[Isawa Junpei]

Hearing the voice from the back of the sail, Junpei gave a curious look, and maneuvered to better peer down the anterior. "Oh, konbanwa, Ichiro-san. I didn't see you there."

[Yoritomo Choukichi]

Floating thin whispy man with hair flying around in the middle of the night, for Choukichi there is only one explanation, evil spirit, here to devour his soul. He clutches the ofuda around his neck, and for a brief moment it looks like he might dive off the crows nest to escape his certain terrible death up here. His common sense kicks in in time to save him though and he immediately calms down upon recognizing the wraith and offers a polite bow.

"...Good evening Isawa-san."

[Isawa Junpei]

Looking back up to the crow's nest, Junpei inclined his head with a small smile on his face, "It seems being out of...well, being in the fresh air has had more than a few people climbing the rigging this evening. I certainly don't blame you," he made a slow whirl in the air, his robes drifting along with his movements. "This far south the cool nighttime breeze, high above the deck is very appealing."

[Daidoji Fuichi]

Finally, the time has come for the legs. They are made strong, doubly so to support the weight of the rest of the sturdy statue without a serious base. The musculature is heavily invested with care, the Daidoji's mouth formed into a sickle's-edge of pure concentration.

Then, finally, it is finished. The Crane remains fixated on his perfect work for a moment, then, with the slightest of sighs, he closes his eyes.

When he opens them, it is with the first inklings of there being others in his presence.

"Oh! Yoritomo-san, Ichiro-san, Isawa-san. Pleasant evenings to each of you."

[Yoritomo Choukichi]

"Yes, the air up here is very pleasant, though it must be a different experience all together being up as high as you can get."

Quite happy with his feet on something solid, Choukichi doesn't seem particularly interested in finding out how it feels though. When Fuichi acknowledges him he turns and bows.

"Good evening Daidoji-san."

[Ichiro Yakusoku]

"Evenin' Daidoji-san," Yakusoku nods his way, glancing between the trio of men with her usual, crooked smile. The night air certainly did feel nice but she wasn't about to lapse into small talk about the weather. No, for the time being she'd linger on the edge of the conversation and enjoy the company of the familiar recruits.