Day of Firsts

[Servant]

There was no way for Juusha to ignore the nervous feelings he had in his stomach. If others had butterflies, the young man had a pack of wolves and ferocious ones at that. Despite his instincts, Juusha had headed to Heiji Day in Steam Country. Mak, naturally, wasn't concerned in the slightest: That tracks with her personality though, I'm not sure she cares about anything. He wasn't just lamenting her lack of worry in regards to being in the same place with a plethora of shinobi, but also her knack for getting the twosome into trouble that, usually, led to Juu having to fight someone. Sometimes he wondered if she actually cared for him or just liked to mess with him - or maybe both, but more likely the latter. Another reason that had him highly concerned was that he'd learned that the former ruler of the Holy City of Towers, the Eternal Mother, had migrated to Kirigakure at some point during or after the war. This made the young spearman hesitant to go hang out with a bunch of Kiri's shinobi, but he'd been guaranteed that the place was very secure and that shinobi wouldn't try anything suspicious. He also hoped that with everything that had happened to the Holy City and the Eternal Mother, she'd have forgotten about the twosome that had managed to escape.

The young lady who now went by Mak was excited to see the world fair that took place in Steam Country during the festival. She wasn't keen on waiting in line as the two awaited entrance to Steam Country, but the prospect of fun festival games and sweet treats gave her the motivation not to cause trouble. "You'll buy me a funnel cake as soon as we find a vendor, right Juujuu?!" Her eyes did their best to resemble a puppy's. She didn't carry money, though they did often do odd jobs to make ends meet. Juu was much better at keeping track of the couple's money.

After peering around the line, Juu answered "Well, we're supposed to meet Fuhen. If we have time, maybe I'll get you one." Being only 20 and having been romantically linked with Mak for the last 5 years, Juu was not an expert on women. He was a very goal oriented individual and didn't like to be late, especially for superfluous things like funnel cake. Mak, of course, had grown accustomed to this sort of response from Juu; she'd gotten many of them over the last half decade.

She poked Juu in the side, able to tell that he was anxious about the whole ordeal. "If you get me some funnel cake before we meet Frogdaddy," she said, taking a breath before finishing her statement. "I'll do that thing with my mouth that you like" Her volume was noticeably louder at this point and her tone was definitely suggestive for everyone in the line to hear. Juu turned to her quickly, a look of embarrassed shock written all over his face, though it did grow a shade redder when he saw her tongue licking her lips.

A part of him knew she was just trying to embarrass him in front of all these people, and it had worked, but he also knew that she was absolutely being serious if he made time for some funnel cake. And while he was red-faced and embarrassed, he wasn't actively anxious about the rest of the day. "She's just kidding." Juu told the other people in line, trying to downplay Mak's salacious comment. Their looks suggested they didn't really believe the naginata-carrying man.

After another couple minutes, the couple headed into the country and the size of the fair before them was truly amazing. There were headbands from all the ninja villages and plenty of others. Without a word, Mak took off to her right, her head tilted back a bit more than normal. Juu could tell she had caught a whiff of funnel cake and was heading straight towards the smell. He also knew that Mak wouldn't hesitate to try to steal some funnel cake if Juu didn't get there early enough to pay for it so without a second thought, Juu rushed after her already beginning to worry about being late for his meeting with Fuhen.

[Nick]

Fuhen rubbed his temples, and then his eyeballs, having read another supplementary document for yet another meeting. It wasn't that he found them boring, but he was only just learning how to read, and the words and letters were a tougher enemy than some swordsmen he'd fought. If only his father could see him now. The rambunctious and loud young Frog who had spent his youth traveling the minor countries and swinging swords was now quietly listening to a man go on about crop yields while a festival raged on outside.

The man finished speaking, and Fuhen's aide, a gaunt man whose body was wrapped in bandages and with sharp features on his face, finished recording it. He didn't need to personally be here for these, but these WERE his people, he delegated quite a bit, but tried to be present for at least some of it. The aide set his pen down, and both him and the Shogun thanked the man for his time, sending him off to enjoy the rest of the holiday.

The aide looked at Fuhen and smiled gently. "Just one more for the day, Iyashii-sama. " He said in a placating fashion. "Sadame, Juusha..." He opened up a ledger and skimmed through it. "A young samurai, I believe? Ah, and his... Companion... Hmm, I don't have her name, I'm afraid." The Shogun nodded. He'd met the pair before and it seemed like they were rarely seen apart. He didn't quite know them yet though, and while it was normal for a leader to not know many of his men, Juusha was at a strength level that deserved a bit of attention.

"Aye, I asked to speak with 'im, I dinnae know what kind o' warrior he is. And his tail..." Fuhen laughed. He'd heard stories from other men about the pair and their strange relationship, but it wasn't totally unfamiliar to Fuhen. In truth, they somehow reminded him of himself during his youthful travels. Would Juusha grow to be a leader, like Fuhen? Would his partner pull him to eblven greater heights? Or drag him down? Only time would tell. They'd have to show up to their meeting first.

jutsuShow

Hard Work Style Promising Soldier
S-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Despite being full of limitless potential and filled with vigor, Fuhen appears as nothing more than your average man in all aspects. This 'technique' implies that nothing about Fuhen's body language portrays that he is a trained/experienced killer, and everything from the way he walks to how his chakra appears to casual observers reinforces the idea that he is, if anything, clumsy and likely incapable of fighting. This is most useful in passing himself off as nothing special, putting most into a false sense of security, though with minimal effort Fuhen can break out of this technique to reveal his true self.

[Servant]

"You can't just take that!" a man yelled as the young Mak ran off with some funnel cake.

"No no, I'm paying for it," Juu called out, hoping to keep anyone else that may be about to give chase from doing so. Pretending to be a little out of breath, Juu reached into his pocket to grab some ryo to pay the man. "Sorry, as you can see, she's a little hard to keep up with." The man seemed to understand, though he also retained a bit of skepticism. It was clear the girl was old enough to know better. After their financial exchange was complete, Juu headed off in the direction Mak had gone.

He wasn't sure where she'd gone but she was, at least, going the direction that he'd been instructed to go to meet Fuhen. He looked around, but with the crowds and the unfamiliar terrain, Juu wasn't having much luck. There were also crowds of people meandering about, hindering his movement and providing a good deal of cover should Mak attempt to hide amongst them. He wondered if he should head to the meeting alone and catch up with Mak later, though he was sure that would likely upset her; but its her fault for running off without me. He peaked around the corner of a building, still not seeing his bo wielding lady friend. He shrugged and turned to go meet Fuhen, hopefully she remembers the name of the inn we're staying at and can find her way there. He was a little nervous about the two of them being separated in an unfamiliar place, but there wasn't much he could do about it at this point.

Juu still wasn't entirely sure how to get where he was supposed to be going, but his directions would get him close and if he was pretty confident he'd be able to ask people the rest of the way because Fuhen was a pretty big deal and amazingly well known. He weaved his way through the crowd, ignoring the smells and sights around him, purely focused on his goal of arriving for his meeting. He still wasn't entirely sure what he had been summoned for, but he hoped that he wasn't in trouble. It'd been almost 5 years since Juu first met Fuhen while he and Mak were trying to escape Holy City of Towers. Already a legend at that point, Fuhen had aided in getting them to safety. When he asked for them to join his cause and help to build a nation, Juu jumped at the chance. Maybe he's calling us up to the big leagues, to help with stuff like Ikuto instead of small time stuff like we've been doing. I mean, I'm pretty good at carrying manure, but I have other skills.

Juu arrived outside, a little out of breath. He told the attendant who he was and that he was supposed to be meeting Fuhen. "What took you so long?" Mak called as she stepped out from behind a building. Juu was equal parts furious and embarrassed, mad cause she'd left him and embarrassed cause she made it seem like she was the responsible one. His face turned red as he turned to face her, but as he caught sight of her he burst out laughing. Her characteristic shit-eating grin suffered from a definite dusting of powdered sugar.

As the attendant ignored the two to ensure Fuhen was ready for them, Juu approached Mak and wiped her face with his sleeve "You can't meet the Grand Shogun with sugar all over your face, silly." She didn't seem to care one way or the other, but she also didn't mind if Juu cleaned her up a bit so she allowed him to do it. Then they were shown into the room where Fuhen and his bandaged-aide were. Juu was surprised when he walked in because Fuhen seemed... average, like most of those people that Juu had just weaved through in trying to get to this meeting. "Sorry," he said, regaining his awareness of who was standing in front of him, even if his stature wasn't as imposing as Juu had expected. He bowed, adding "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Mak just stared dumbly at Fuhen, obviously not very impressed nor did she act terribly respectful. She turned to Juu "You sure this is the guy?" Doesn't seem very special to me... you could take him, I bet."

Once again, Juu's face filled with rage and shame as he turned to Mak, "Yes! We've met him at least a hundred times." He was clearly upset, he turned back to Fuhen and began apologizing "Sorry about her, she has trouble respecting authority and doesn't have a very good filter. There's no way I could beat you, that's just absurd. I'm a nobody in this world and you're... you're you, ya know? So please, just ignore her, if you can."

[Nick]

Fuhen was almost disappointed when the pair walked in, he'd smelled the delicious scent of funnelcake, and was just about to sneak out to grab some when in walked the man and woman of the hour. He smiled at them all the same, he wasn't likely to hold a grudge over being slightly late, or over not bringing him any funnel cake with them. An amused smile crossed his face as he was insulted by Makumi, and the resulting interaction between her and Juusha was like watching a comedy on stage play out right before him. They were youthful, for sure.

He stood from his seat and gave a small bow to the pair before him, laughing. "Aye, I suppose some of the rumors are true, at least!" He turned to his aide. "Yutaka, would ye mind fetchin' tea?" The aide smiled and nodded wordlessly, stepping out of the room. His capacity as an aide meant a lot more than a servant to fetch Tea, but he seemed to enjoy being a man of many hats, rather than relegated to a single duty. It took some time for Fuhen to get used to him being around for such things.

The Frog had to resist the urge to tell Juusha not to call him 'sir', or other such honorable titles. It was still an adjustment, but especially from a fresh-faced young warrior, it was what he should be called. Rather than sit back down, he walked around the other side of his temporary desk, and sized up the pair before him. "Aye, wartime makes us all monsters that we hope t'nae be in peacetime." He said, leaning back against his desk as he locked eyes, first with Juusha and then with Makumi.

They were warriors, samurai, perhaps not in the traditional sense, but at least in spirit. "Ah've done ye a disservice in not makin' time for a meetin' like this sooner. I hear from some o' the other samurai that yer one o' the strongest." He was looking at Juusha when he said this. The things he'd heard about Makumi were usually not near so kind. "Ye dinnae seem like the type t'show off, so I dinnae think callin' yerself a nobody is quite right, eh?" A smile crossed his lips. "But, I cannae just trust hearsay. Normally I'd ask ye to fight me so I could get a good gauge on ye, but not a lot o' good spaces fer that here in Steam."

He paused for a moment, thinking of how best to handle the pair. This was the first time he'd interviewed his warriors personally like this, with the intent of figuring them out. Slowly, he held up a hand with two fingers. "Two parts." He said aloud, nodding to himself. One of his fingers dropped, leaving just the pointer finger sticking up. "Hit me. Doesnae matter how." He looked at both of them, and straightened his posture a bit. "Both of ye. Just don't tear up the office, it's just a rental, aye?"

[Servant]

Mak could tell that she'd embarrassed Juu with her statement about Fuhen but she enjoyed making him scramble. She followed the man Fuhen had called Yutaka to the door, sticking her head out to watch him walk away. She seemed somewhat interested in the fellow, but quickly turned back to the conversation with Fuhen and Juu, whose face had gotten red from Fuhen's kind words regarding Juu's strength.

"We all have our strengths, sir." Juu's comment was an attempt at being modest without disagreeing with Fuhen. He knew that he was better than lots of other warriors, but there were plenty out there that could wipe the floor with him; one of those was standing in front of him. It was then Fuhen informed the pair of his normal methods of fighting to determine his subordinates strength and Juu got excited. He would love to exchange pointers with a fellow warrior like Fuhen. Meanwhile, Mak was staring off to Fuhen's right, seemingly a hundred miles away. Juu got a bit let down when he heard that they had no where in Steam to spar.

Fuhen went on, finally telling the pair to hit him. "Whoa whoa whoa," Mak started, already noticing Juu's knuckles go white as he gripped his naginata. She took a couple steps from the doorway towards Fuhen before speaking again "You just want us to hit you, right?" she confirmed before turning to Juu. "So a naginata probably isn't a good idea, dingleberry, especially if he doesn't want..." But her actions cut off her statements as she attempted to utilize a backhand thrust to poke Fuhen with her trusty bo staff.

Juu couldn't believe that she would attempt to attack the Grand Shogun of the Heart Empire without even waiting to see if he was ready first. That wasn't kind, nice, or called for. But, he also appreciated her desire to accomplish the task and her own ability to think outside the box that Juu thought in, it had helped them stay alive throughout their time together. "... us to destroy the place," she finally concluded.

[Nick]

Fuhen smiled at Juusha's modesty, quirking a brow. In many ways the two were opposites. Fuhen had been brash, loud, and a renowned braggart by the time he'd turned twenty. Now pushing thirty, he really hadn't changed much, though perhaps the advent of his strength had made him less of a braggart. Now he had power, and just about everyone knew it, he didn't need to stress his strength. He wondered if it really was modesty in the hands of Juu, or was it confidence issues? Did he understand his own strength? Such things could lead to death on the battlefield, a dangerous trait in the wrong hands.

As he pondered this, his heightened senses tuned in first on Juu, clearly getting ready to strike out with his naginata. He did say that it didn't matter how, and he was surprised still that the modest boy was going for a weapon attack, but he certainly wasn't going to stop him, when instead his companion did. The Shogun quirked a brow to her, the rumors among the men had made her seem like the less responsible of the two, the one always getting into...

And then she hit him. It wasn't that she was too fast, but the element of surprise had certainly worked in her favor, and he let out a grunt of pain as he felt her strength directly from the crack of her staff. She didn't have him doubled over even as the staff left a visible mark immediately, caving in his skin a bit. With a chuckle, he opened his jacket a bit and pulled his top up to show off the wound, poking at it tenderly. "Ooh, practicin' the art o' the shinobi, are ye?" He said, bringing a hand to his face and blowing into his thumb, as if inflating himself, his shogun ability popping the skin back to its intended position, the cracked rib underneath audibly righting itself as well.

"A little bit o' blood'll come out of the carpet." He said, coughing and spitting up some saliva mixed with blood onto the floor next to him, before readjusting himself, looking none the worse for wear. "Makumi performs the actions that Juusha is thinkin' on. A mirror of thoughts to body, methinks." He sniffed and wrinkled his face, just as his aide brought the tea in the room, setting it down on the desk he was leaned against, pouring a cup for each of them, before bowing and exiting the room once more. Slowly, he reached behind him and held out a cup to Mak, turning to face Juu instead. "Does she always hit fer ye, should I put yer name as Makjuumi in the personnel file? I gotta say, ye hit like a girl."