[Graded][Closed] Hanging around in the Sun

[Varian]

The waves splashed over Ichi's face, he had been in worse situations although none as embarrassing as this. Chained to a rock on the coast of the land of tides, left naked with several arrows protruding out of his body by most people's standards he should have been dead Ichi was not most people however. His persecutors had been kind enough to leave his weapons and clothing all neatly folded and put together above him on the rock, while the tide had yet to reach any higher as to cause a threat to them he was concerned by the ever rising water level. When he had been tied here initially there was still a beach here, the tide had risen quickly ever since and now only a small path was visible leading up along a cliff face back in the direction of the fishing village. A seagull flew overhead, Ichi swore he heard it calling him a moron.

"How about ya come down here and say it to my face?! Eh?! C'mon down ya bastard! I will gnaw off your fecking wings!" Ichi shook at his chains in defiance at this offensive seagull, if he had been handcuffed normally rather than spread eagle like he was on this rock then slipping out of these chains wouldn't have been too much of an issue he used to be a thief after all. The cuffs on his ankles and wrists began to chafe against the skin, in addition with each breath he took the arrows stuck in his body found their way deeper in. How exactly had he come into this mess?

---

The morning was beautiful, the sun had just begun to rise from it's hiding place within the ever evasive horizon. Ichi had gone out late in the night to enjoy a spot of fishing, the menfolk of the small fishing village he was temporarily residing in were preparing to set out for their days work also he was greeted cheerily despite the early hour. Ichi waved a greeting back in response, in the few weeks he had been here he had helped repair nets and with some of the larger hauls that had been brought in. Ichi yawned rather loudly and seemingly in response someone cleared their voice behind him.

"Ichi-Kun, you will catch a death of a cold if you stay out all night like this." A kindly elderly voice spoke up, Ichi turned his head around to see the village elder a small smiling old man.

"Mornin' Gramps." They were not related but Ichi had become quite fond of him, it was also probably incorrect to call him that if anything Ichi was the grandpa here.

"Don't you just morning me young man!" The elder ushered Ichi down from the rock and into his home, he was rather strong for both his age and size not that Ichi resisted much. Ichi vocally protested as he was pushed into the room he had been given to sleep in, however the protesting soon became snoring as fatigue caught up with him late night fishing had taken it's toll.

It was the smell of smoke that woke Ichi some time later, he rose quickly from the ground he was lying on. Voices could be heard outside, screams muffled only by the walls of the home he was in. Ichi ran for the door opening it to a scene of chaos, a large ship was resting out in water off the coast firing burning arrows down upon the village as raiding parties landed hacking people apart and hunting for anything of value. Ichi stepped forward ready to engage in combat with these coastal raiders, something struck the back of his head and he was unconscious within moments.

Ichi awoke when the first arrow hit his body, he screamed out in pain as the pirates laughed at their sport. The ringleader of this little group was a weasel faced man with a degree of scruff on his face that he likely considered a beard but was laughable at best, he wore well worn travelling clothes and a katana that looked rather out of place with the rest of his attire most likely plundered. Ichi spat on the ground in defiance to the men, they had a handful of village folk tied up behind them along with a large amounts of fish and a much smaller pile of various ornaments that were likely worth something when added together. The raiders were loading them up on their ship via a wooden boarding ramp, they continued to fire arrows into him somewhat surprised by his resilience the captain of this group approached him just before the set sail.

"We coul' use a tough guy like you, whaddaya say uh? Money, fame... heh women too it coul' all be yers." He slurred his words quite a bit, a likely symptom of his poor upbringing which led him down this path, Ichi didn't care for any of that right now he wanted to break this guy's nose and insert his katana up him side ways before taking on his entire crew and rescuing the villagers. Ichi settled for spitting in his face in the meantime much to the disappointment of the captain, he wiped the spittle from his face and shook his head. "Suit yerself, lads!" He yelled gaining the attention of his crew almost immediately, likely out of fear as much as respect that was how these types tended to operate. "We have a day's voyage ahead of us, set a course due east we are goin' home!"

His men cheered at the prospect of going home, they set off eastward following the coast along Ichi made note of their ship and committed it's appearance along with the likeness of it's captain to memory.

---

The seagull had landed down on his clothing, it strutted around before taking a dump on Ichi's shoulder a sigh escaped his lips. "Seagull... When I get out of here, I am going to cook you up and have you for afternoon snack and then I am going to collect your bones and all the other leftovers and then I am going to force feed it all to the son of a bitch who tied me to this fecking rock!!!"

[Nick]

It was a long way from home. His most recent adventures had taken him fairly far from home, and after he spent a month or two back with his family, he was out and about once more, taking a ship this time around the coast from River Country, all the way to the land of tides. It had been quite the venture, and the trip alone was already making him homesick, but there was also the roil of excitement inside of him, prepared to see the far side of the continent that he had yet to travel to.

As with most of his trips, he didn't have much in the way of a plan for what to do while he was there, but he was earning his keep as a novice sailor on the ship, and figured he could probably find bounties when he got to where he was going. He didn't have to travel this far to support his village, but sometimes the traveling was for himself just as much as it was for them. Even the young and selfless deserve a small vacation now and again.

His arrival hadn't been the most unwelcomed he'd ever been, though those who got a closer look at him, and more specifically his frog-like features, showed a good amount of caution. It wasn't impossible to to find food or a room, though people found it hard to trust a stranger with jobs, which left the Frog mostly wandering. It was after a little bit of time that he stumbled upon a sight that almost made him want to puke.

He had seen similar things before, but the uneasiness never went away. Houses burned. People butchered in the streets. Weapons strewn about the place by careless attackers, and defeated defenders. A village razed to the ground by assaulters, whether it be from war or banditry, there was little difference. It made a bit of rage well up inside of him, and he would have screamed had he any less self control.

Fuhen was wandering once more, though this time he went about searching for survivors, only to be very disappointed that none had been left. Neither women nor children had been spared from the atrocity, and while he knew none of them personally, he hoped that he'd at least be able to give them some form of proper burials later. It was this that took him down to the beach, and led him to... A man yelling at a bird? The Frog looked this way and that, trying to pinpoint the location, and there he was...

An idiot strapped to a rock, impaled with multiple arrows. "Oi!" he called out towards him, scaring off the bird. "Yanno seagulls shouldnae be 'et, doncha?" Which, of course, was not the primary concern, as he made his way over to the man chained up.

[Varian]

Ichi heard the voice calling out to him, he glanced around as much as his bindings would allow. "Who are ya? A fecking food connoisseur?! Don't tell me ya are with those raider bastards, come back to mock me some more. I tell ya now ya wouldn't be laughin' if I wasn't bound up." Ichi violently shook the chains as the man began to approach in an attempt to further his point, his temper seemed to fade once the man was much closer.

"Ah! Ya ain't one of them I woulda recognised you otherwise, my apologies brother. Mind cutting me loose? I have bodies to bury and thugs to hunt, I will find the bastards who hurt those innocent people." The anger had been replaced by a patient rage, Ichi wasn't exactly going to drop dead any time soon he had the time to see justice done upon these vagabonds even if it took him a few decades. His voice came through much more friendly towards the new arrival, Ichi had enough enemies on his list today and he wasn't about to make a new one out of someone he had only just met especially since he hadn't done anything to deserve such ire.

The arrows had missed most of the vital portions of his body however the number of them should have bled him dry long ago, if he was to tear them out the holes would no doubt remain until the bodies' natural healing took it's course which was a painful ordeal in it's own right not to mention he had suffered infections before and while it presented no risk to his health it usually debilitated him through pain and fever just as it would anyone else. "Oh one more thing do you have any alcohol on you perchance? I am a bit parched and I could do without these wounds getting infected." Ichi did not have a lot of medical knowledge but he had watched a bit of first aid done once or twice in his life, he at least knew you had to clean a wound even if he could not dress it like that of someone trained in the medical arts.

"You are a tall bugger ain'tcha I can tell you ain't a local, the name is Ichi. What might I be calling you brother?" Ichi glanced the stranger up and down, he stood a good few inches above Ichi Sun which was a refreshing change many of the villagers around here had been on the shorter side and it had made things awkward at times. The man looked odd for sure, Ichi would have thought him to have the Short-Man's Rice Heaving Plague if it had not died out a five decades ago. The features reminded him of someone else but the face was a blur buried deep in the recesses of his mind, Ichi had gotten rather lax at remembering the people who he had helped on his seemingly eternal journey.

Ichi still wasn't entirely sure what he searched for if anything, he had been to more places than he could count helping out in small way while maintaining a low profile he did not visit the same place again if he could help it for fear of people remembering him. Ichi had gone by foot most places to lengthen the journey, earning money wherever he could doing small tasks for people although the need to eat had pretty much left him he still felt the hunger pains even if it didn't exactly kill him it was never a pleasant experience so he kept up the habit of eating. Ichi would likely continue to roam the world till he found a more suitable purpose for his immortality.

[Nick]

"I's t'figurin' a dead man needs a bit o' mockery, y'ken? A bit o' laughter in the last minutes o' yer life." It was morbid, but as far as the Frog was concerned, there was no point in lying to the dying man as he approached within visible range, moving around to the front of him, and taking stock of his injuries. The sooner he accepted he was going to die, the sooner he could move on. Quite clever, really, avoiding ghosts.

A bit of observation led to confusion, however. There were no other bodies laying around, and yet the sheer amount of blood splattered about the rocks and sand beneath his feet told him that the man should already be dead, and yet there he was, talking as though it were an every day activity. A tough bastard, indeed. "Well, I could be untyin' ye, but..." Fuhen scratched his head, listening to the man wallow on about his duties and whatnot. "But eh, if'n yer movin' around much more, methinks you'll bite the dust for good, infection or nae."

The man from River knew all too well about infections and diseases, as many children and old folks alike ended up succumbing to the sicknesses from either. There was a reason most families had many, many children to compensate, including Fuhen's own family of nine children. "Maybe it's best I leave ye tied down while I do a bit o' field medicine?" The Frog was far from a medic, of course, but he did have a few tricks in terms of sealing up wounds that your average samurai couldn't replicate.

Pulling out a flask of clear alcohol, he swished it around to show he had it, before taking a swig himself, and then drizzling some into the man on the rocks mouth. Fuhen didn't swallow, however, instead swishing it around in his mouth, mixing it with his spit, and reaching a hand out to the man... Suddenly yanking out one of the arrows in one smooth, swift motion. Luckily they weren't barbed arrows, as he had seen many used before, and came out relatively easily, allowing the man to lean down, put his mouth on the wound, and spit into it, filling it with the mixture of his saliva and alcohol. The stickiness would seal and fill the wound, while the alcohol would purify it to avoid infection.

This process would have to be repeated multiple times, but by the time he was done, the man would be as patched up as he could be, and despite the fact that he would likely be very upset at the Frog, he decided to cut the man free regardless. "That'll set ye for a bit, but eh... Can ye even walk? Nae many survive wounds like what ye had, let alone gettin' 'em fixed up."

[Varian]

"Dead man?" Ichi had a look of genuine confusion on his face, had he finally kicked the bucket? It had been a long time coming but the afterlife certainly was not what he had expected it to be, he had thought it would be more tranquil gardens and gentle streams. No he was definitely still alive Ichi looked down to check his body, the look of confusions lasted on his face while an awkward silence passed. Suddenly his expression jumped from one of confusion to one of shock and surprise. "AH! I have been shot! AAAAHHHHH!" It was as if he had registered the arrows protruding from his body, now however his head was frantically flailing about as he screamed bloody murder. Briefly he would calm down only to spot another arrow and start all over again, he finally settled down as the stranger began pulling the arrows out and spitting in his wounds.

"Huh, that saliva seems kinda weird. Is that common where ya are from?" Ichi had seen a few strange people in his time wandering, this was up at the top of that weird scale however. Ichi noted that the man hadn't introduced himself, he certainly hoped he hadn't bumped into one of those paranoid types there were too many of them wandering around these days there was nothing wrong with being trusting it was the people who were untrustworthy that were at fault.

A question brought Ichi's focus back to current events, could he walk? Ichi glanced down at his feet, his toes wiggled in response to his attempt to move them. "I can walk, we are all ship shape and good to go." Free from his restraints Ichi sprang up to his feet with youthful vigour, he began doing a series of stretches. One of the wounds sealed by the saliva opened, blood tricked from the tear but Ichi continued to do his stretches.

Once done he collected his gear, tearing a piece of cloth from his attire and tying it around the freshly opened wound. He felt it somewhat saddened by the wound knowing it wouldn't scar, nothing would be left to give him a reminder of this encounter. The curse would revert his body to exactly how it appeared when he was first placed under it, some people would call that a blessing Ichi was not one of them. There was always a nagging in the back of his mind a worry that he would forget even the most important things given time, already he could no longer remember the faces of his parents even the sound of their voice he was fairly sure was only fragments that his mind had pieced together.

Finally dressed and geared up once again, Ichi turned to the man and gave a slight bow. "Thank ya for cutting me loose brother, I have some business to attend I don't suppose ya could point me in the direction of a fishing village somewhere near here? There are bodies needing burials, then I am going to hunt me down a few good for nothings." Ichi began doing stretches in the mean time, joints occasionally creaked and cracked as he did so as his body began to wake from the stiffness it had experienced tied up to that rock.

[Nick]

The samurai was truly flabbergasted by the whole situation. The man seemed to be either completely crazy, or an idiot, or perhaps both, depending how good you were at reading these kinds of people. His reaction to noticing his wounds for the first time was as though he didn't feel notice them at all before, and the same to when he had begun to pull them out, when normally such an action would have left all but the toughest of fighters screaming in pain.

With the man cut free, when he began stretching about, the Frog immediately sucked in air and went to try and stop him, but the way the man moved without a care in the world was... off putting, and caused him to shut his mouth and stare wide-eyed for a moment. "Are ye... some kinda zombie?" He asked, his eyes following the blood that trickled from one of his re-opened wounds. He didn't quite have the presence of mind to answer the mans questions in a timely manner, but eventually he would shake his head and work out what to say.

"Nae common, but issa... Happens once in a blue moon, aye?" The Frog chuckled, it was a bit of an in-joke, as Takiyasha-Hime, the goddess from whom his 'people' were supposedly descended from, was said to have jumped over the moon. "Listen, eh... Ichi? Oi'm's t'bein' Fuhen, but eh... Are ye sure ye kin go about on a revenge mission like ye are? Y'don't, yanno, wanna lay down and sleep for a few months?" Most people in Ichi's position would be dead, or at the very least, permanently bedridden from their wounds, not ready to fight.

"Look eh, if you're really convinced y'need t'get back out and about, there's another village I saw out by the north o' here, but ye should probably let me walk ye there, yanno? Yer some kinda miracle, if'n I let ye die now, I think it's probably a curse on me."

[Varian]

Ichi finished his stretches before answering Fuhen's questions "I don't think I am a zombie brother, I imagine I would have fecking rotted away by now." Ichi checked the blade of his spear for any signs of damage, running his hand over the flat of it in a gentle manner looking for any chips in the metal work. While he was not giving his entire attention to Fuhen he was making sure to pay heed to what the man said, he did just help him out after all Ichi was not keen to find out how long it took chains to rust enough for him to break through them. "Any other perks than your spit come with that blue moon?"

"Revenge? I guess you could call it that; not yet, I have somethings I need to do first. Those degenerates might have left bodies and I don't like the idea of leaving them to wildlife, good people like that deserve a decent burial. Then I would settle for beating seven bells out of their leader, I don't fancy my chances taking on his entire crew all at once." Ichi had not counted them up but their ship was not something to snort at, he would imagine it would house a good number of individuals on it. Ichi finished inspecting his blade and looked back up once more at Fuhen he took a measure of the man, it certainly wouldn't hurt to take another person along with him for this venture.

"I would never rest if it resulted in someone else being cursed, I guess I will have to accept your offer then. You mentioned another village? I don't suppose you have seen a village close by here? It is possibly a ruin by now, I want to go there first before we go anywhere else." Ichi was fixed on the idea of putting the dead to rest, it was an ideology he had become more attached to the longer he had lived part of it may have been because he had been denied that ability. It was strange that someone whom Ichi had never met before was willing to help him out a second time after freeing him, there were not many who would display kindness to strangers especially ones in such situations most would tend to move on not wishing to get involved.

Ichi made his way towards the base of the path leading up away from the beach heading inland, hopefully the village would not be too much of a trek. His memory was a tad hazy but it was possible that the raiders had taken prisoners and while they would not trade them off immediately, time was certainly against him. Ichi turned around once more to Fuhen gesturing up the path. "Lead the way brother, I will follow."

[Nick]

The man was clearly some sort of revenant, and if Fuhen was familiar with the term, and he wasn't, then he would have been terrified. He shook his head slowly, wondering what he'd gotten himself into before gesturing for the man to follow him, leading him back along to the burned village slowly.

"Well, there's also my good looks and that all the women love me." The Frog said, trying to lighten the mood a bit despite the rather dire circumstances that had come to pass. Unfortunately, he couldn't even really find himself chuckling at his own joke, not looking forward to the sight of the burned village again. "The other village is uh... that way..." He said, pointing in the direction of the still functional one he'd passed. "But the erm... Ransacked one is down by 'ere..." He then indicated the direction they were walking. "Is nae bein' a pretty sight, ye ken? May be just best t'walk away from it..."

But he recognized the look in the mans eyes. He'd had it himself a few times, and he'd also seen it in the eyes of the woman from the Holy City of Towers, whose sister needed to be transported back to her home. There would be no talking the man out of his actions, and serious attempts to do so might just end up in a worse situation. "Every man's got his gold to chase..." The Frog mumbled under his breath, sighing and continuing their walk.

"Ye don't speak like anyone ah've met in my travels, are ye a local?"

[Varian]

Ichi followed the man giving Fuhen a slight smile to the joke he had made but not the slightest guffaw or chuckle to follow, it would have been inappropriate to do so having an inkling of what awaited them in the village ahead. "Some things you can't just walk away from brother." Ichi spoke in a sombre manner as they came closer to the raided fishing village, he heard Fuhen mumble but did not make out what he had said. Perhaps he thought Ichi a fool for returning to this scene of violence, he did not blame the man or curse him if Fuhen did hold such thoughts. There were times when Ichi also questioned his actions, he could be chasing after the people who did this right now but instead he was taking the time to put these people to rest.

"I am not local, my home is across the seas on the mainland. In fact I imagine it is not all that far from here once I hit the mainland." Ichi's voice was less grim as he spoke of his home, he gazed off out to the ocean as they continued walking. "I have not been back in so long, I don't even remember what it looks like anymore or if it is even still the country I call my home." The pair twisted around the coast, smoke still rose from the ruins of the village as it came into view in the distance. It would almost look peaceful in it's abandoned state if it were not for the obvious damage, Ichi could not yet make out the exact amount of casualties but he could see that there were some.

"How about ya brother? Where is home for you?" Ichi had picked up slight hints of an northern accent or at least far more north than Dungeon Country, that left a rather large area to guess from and Ichi would never claim to be an expert on accents. Places however he was good at remembering those, he had visited many countries over the past century each one burned into his memory as best as he was able all except the land he was born in.

When they at last arrived at the ruins of the village it indeed was a mess, bodies strewn haphazardly about the place. Ichi clenched his fist pushing all his anger into that motion before letting out a sigh calming himself, Ichi began to move into the village. "Give me a hand will you?" Ichi would go to hold the legs of a deceased villager hoping that Fuhen would help, if not Ichi was prepared to fireman lift each one of them up to the hill. Once they had moved them all he would then search for a shovel or some form of implement to dig with, he would eventually find something and begin to dig graves for each of the village members and a single member of the raiding party who must have been unlucky. He buried them all leaving a small stone cairn atop each grave to mark them out, he stood back from them all and placed his hands together palm to palm bowing in respect to the fallen. "Thanks for the hospitality, rest well."

"Thank you for bringing me here, if you wouldn't mind leading me to that other village I can stop being your problem." Ichi turned to Fuhen giving him a slight nod, he couldn't well ask him to come along to a fight that wasn't his.

[Nick]

It was a grim scene, one the Fuhen hoped he would never have to see in a way that hit as close to home as it clearly did for this man. The tall samurai kept a respectful silence when they fell on the scene, but happy to help Ichi when he asked. It was too much of a burden for even two men to share, but it was better than bearing it alone.

"I'm's hailin' from River Country." The Frog said, after belated silence in their work, between moving bodies and digging graves. "Beautiful country. Beautiful people. I go back to visit as often as I can." Which, after seeing this, and working with dead bodies, the next visit back to his home couldn't be soon enough. "Maybe we'll return ye to yer country some day, eh? See if it's anything like ye remember."

Their work would be thankless, in the grand scheme of things, as even birds would spout their ire at the removal of free carrion meals, but it seemed to make the strange man happier, which Fuhen could perhaps consider a good deed for the day. "Aye, if we hurry, we might make it afore nightfall." He said, in response to the request to be a guide, though the sun was already setting, and it was likely hopeful thinking that they'd travel by much more than moonlight. I'm beginning to think people like this never stop being my problem Fuhen thought, sighing and leading the way once more.

[Varian]

Ichi smiled slightly at Fuhen's fond memories of home, he wished he could share a few of his own. It was a nice reprieve from the dire situation that had befallen the fishing village. "Perhaps one day, it would be nice to see it again. For now I am content travelling, perhaps I will even visit your home land one day also." Ichi had spent many a years wandering this world on his own taking a slow pace allowing him to experience many things that most people sometimes miss when they are in a rush to explore places in their finite life time. One such example was an excellent little shrimping village tucked away isolated from much of the rest of the shrimp continent, it held some of the best tasting shrimp Ichi had ever come across especially when compared to the poor quality of the rest of the continent. Even now he can remember it's taste as he thought on it, very memorable with an enjoyable atmosphere and excellent food.

The Samurai had finished putting these people to rest and while it was not for gratitude he felt better about himself, the next task was to find some form of justice for these people. He followed the Samurai along the winding coast once more as the sun began to set and the moon began to rose, a bright crescent that lit up the sky but did little to light the path before them. "What will you do once we reach this village you spoke of?" Ichi was set upon his plan to track down these raiders, he did hold some interest in his saviour though it seemed as if the man was travelling around the world as to the purpose he did not know.

They began to near the other village, a small dock stretched out from the edge of it into the ocean where a series of small ships sat bobbing on the tidal surface. "Well there it is, tell me Fuhen why did you set out to travel from your home?" Ichi was curious as to why someone with fond memories decided to travel so extensively as to place as remote as this, Ichi did it because he had nothing better to do and nowhere to belong. This man had a place to belong to still and yet he seemingly chose to expand his horizons further than anyone with wanderlust would. Ichi began to descend down towards the village as he waited on the answer from Fuhen, it was a quaint little place peaceful despite the ruckus with their neighbouring village.

[Nick]

Fuhen was somewhat uncharacteristically quiet for most of the trip, where normally he might be cracking jokes, telling stories, and trying to have a good time. Perhaps it was the grim nature of his quest, or perhaps he had something on his mind, but it was hard to tell. Because of this, he didn't even respond right away when Ichi asked what his plans were for the future. The village started to be visible off in the horizon when he was asked a question that stopped the Frog in his tracks. Why did he travel? Surely, his village was poor, and needed his help in the form of money in order to pay taxes to River Country, but why else? Why was he always leaving home, which he loved so much? Wanderlust had something to do with it, and perhaps he knew internally that there was more out there than just the suffering of his own people...

"Aye, why..." He conceded, reach a hand back and scratching the back of his head. "I s'pose it's 'cause I'm always needed somewhere, eh? Sometimes people track me down t'ask fer help, sometimes folks stumble across me, not expectin' any help..." Fuhen sighed, dropping his hand back down. "And I guess sometimes I find 'em chained to a rock with more holes than a sponge." He smiled a bit at his new companion, turning to face him fully, and reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. "So I guess t'answer yer previous question, it just wouldnae sit right if'n I let ye run off on yer own without a bit o' help from yer new pal, aye? So I's guessin' we're doin' about this thing together. If'n ye don't mind a bit o' help in your quest for vengeance, eh?"

[Varian]

"Not vengeance, justice we are gonna hand them over to some authority or at the very least the mercy of the villages around here. Although it would be naive to think we could probably take them all alive, are you sure you want to come a long it must have been... a lot of men." Ichi had counted about forty men which seemed right for a ship of that size, he did not want to presume the Frog knew how to count it was not the most common skill and one Ichi had only learnt from his days as a thief. After all he had to understand the valuation of things to be a successful thief, also to avoid being cheated by the many shadier customers he had dealt with.

"Well if ya are dead set on the idea of coming along with me, we can divide up get our tasks if you want to see if you can secure us some form of transportation on the sea I will see what the locals know about this group of marauders. I got a good look at the ship I am sure someone around here must recognise it." As they approached the fishing village Ichi pointed to a public house, likely a place for the sailors to unwind drinking their evening away after a hard week. "We can meet back up there although I doubt it will take either of us very long, this place isn't so big." With that Ichi began making his way through the village introducing himself to people and trying to garner any clues on the ship he had seen.

After exhausting every avenue Ichi found himself making his way towards the Public House, satisfied with what he had gathered he wondered how his new friend had fared it would seem they would need a ship of some degree to reach their next destination. Ichi stood now outside the entrance, inside he could hear hearty laughter and friendly voices the place certainly seemed welcoming as a warm glow emitted from within. Ichi took a step inside wondering if Fuhen perhaps had already got ahead of him.

[Nick]

The Frog could only smile at his companion's words, thinking back to something his father had said years ago about 'frontier justice' and how the only thing that separated justice from revenge was having a headman do the dirty work, at the end of the day. "Maybe we's t'be the justice bringers, aye?" He agreed, "Oh, there's about sixty o' me own swords in this here, that's more than one for each of the bastards, ye ken? I'm's thinkin' between the two's of us we kin manage." And that seemed to seal a sort of pact between them, mostly unspoken, and of course unwritten, a bond of men.

As the two broke up upon reaching the town, the Frog headed off to the port, assuming the role of the transportation getter as he once had with Aimi Kaguyamai. The docks were bustling as people hurried to end their workdays, wanting to return either to their families, their drinks, or their beds. It wasn't hard to spot the dock master, going over information on a clipboard and occasionally yelling out to people that they were putting the wrong boxes in the wrong spots. Quickly asking him if there were any boats scheduled to depart soon, he looked down at the sheet before shrugging, informing the Frog that the next one planning on leaving was a little over a week away. There was one exception, though... There was a boat that had yet to pay its docking fees, and wouldn't be allowed to leave until they were paid.

Fuhen quickly got the name of the ship and of the man that owned it, before taking off to it, striking a deal with the captain that they would pay his docking fees in exchange for passage to anywhere he needed to go. They shook on it, the kind of dirty shake where both parties spat into their hands, and because of Fuhen's saliva, both regretted it immediately.

It hadn't taken him very long, and so he'd made his way back to the tavern they agreed to meet at with plenty of time to spare, ordering himself a drink, and chatting up the locals, teaching a few of them traditional river country drinking songs. Merry times were to be had by the time Ichi would arrive.

[Varian]

Ichi stepped inside the inn to enjoy the merry making held within, it seems Fuhen had already started. Ichi began to approach his new found friend avoiding the various obstacles that a public house presented, the occasional drunken patron stumbling into your path telling you how much he cared for you and how you go way back. The bar maid rushing around trying to keep the customer's ale full and turning down the offers of more lecherous drunks. Ichi made it over to Fuhen through the tightly packed building, he saw that his companion was already drinking. Ichi decided not to ask why one of the palms of his hand was so red, it looked as if someone had dragged his hand over series of increasingly coarse materials. "Did ya manage to get us some transport brother?"

Ichi took a seat next to his froggy compadre, he rested his spear on his shoulder letting it stick out behind the back of his. "I got us a lead on where can begin our search, there is a small island not far from here where they make it their business on dealing with smugglers and ill repute ship captains. I figure if there is anywhere we can hit up there seems to be the smartest place. I need a drink first though we can leave soon after." Ichi joined in the merry making learning a few river country songs along the way and even recognising a few of the tunes from his time spent travelling, with those ones Ichi especially joined in filling the room with a hearty voice that would make many a bard proud.

A rather annoyed looking local approached their table at one point and thrust a finger accusingly at Ichi, he took a deep breath that seemed to make his eyes roll into the back of his head. "Hey buddy! That is my seat!" Ichi stopped mid laughter with a serious expression on his face, he set his drink down looking a little flushed in the face from drinking. Ichi brought himself up to his full height towering over the man in an intimidating fashion, then almost immediately his face took on a goofy look as he began apologising.

"Sorry I didn't realise this seat belonged to ya, here let me just get it for ya." Ichi lifted up the seat and placed it into the arms of the man who nearly keeled over backwards from the sudden object thrust upon him, Ichi grabbed another empty chair and sat down at the table once again picked up his drink and started off another song. Soon after turned out to be a much later, it was morning and Ichi began to rouse from his drunken slumber on the table of the tavern they had visited that night. "Damage report." He called out to the tavern to see if Fuhen was still around.

[Nick]

When Ichi finally decided to join the party, Fuhen had his first few beers into him, and was already riding a nice buzz. "Oi, brother! Take a seat!" He called out to his new friend, nodding in reply to the mans words. "Some sill ol' cappin prolly gambled away the last o' his coin, couldn't even afford to leave! He'll take us where we need t'go as long as we pay his way outta here!" The tone in his voice seemed to suggest he wasn't too worried about paying the cost, either.

As the strange immortal told his side of the story, the Frog could only let out a laugh. "So yer sayin' we're walkin' our way intae a wretched hive o' scum n' villainy? Sounds like just the right place for a pair o' vagabonds like us!" And with that, the night was had, jokes were told, stories were exchanged, chairs were handed out to strangers, waitresses were groped, and gropers were tossed out the door. As the morning came, and men passed out on the floor began to groan there way back up so they could go back to their routines of fishing, farming, or other such jobs, Fuhen jolted up all at once when Ichi called out to wake him.

His body moved strangely, standing bolt upright from a prone position as if he levitated into a ninety degree angle, before bringing one hand up in a smart salute. "Captain! We drank as much as we could, but the enemy still has more alcohol! Permission to retreat, sir!" He called out, with as straight of a face as possible for several moments, before the reality of being hungover hit him, and he grimaced at the headache that began to take over.

[Varian]

Ichi groaned further as he began to peel himself from the floor various clutter sliding off him the interior of the tavern was in disarray, he took in the damage report made by Commander Fuhen. "Permission granted, all hands abandon ship! Women, Children and overly armed Samurai to the lifeboats!" He stumbled out a window of the tavern while still trying to gain his bearings and stop the room from spinning. A moment passed before he suddenly sprung back into view from the window like a jack in the box, he turned left then right before deciding on his direction and headed for the dock with a brisk stride.

Once Fuhen had caught up the pair boarded the ship that was to grant them passage, they were underway long before any local authorities could inquire about the state of the tavern along with the broken window. The waves splashed up the bow of the ship occasional light sprays hitting Ichi on his face as he glanced forwards dramatically, their destination was indeed a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Ichi felt like he would fit right in, although there were somethings the retired thief could not abide and slavery was one of them. If these marauders were taking prisoners and auctioning them off there would be a reckoning, Fuhen may very well be right justice might have to be taken in their own hands. He felt conflicting emotions, anger at the wrong that had been committed and something else a feeling that had not surfaced in almost a century. No more was he to roam the land aimlessly, even if he did not continue to accompany Fuhen this chance meeting had set in motion something.

Ichi felt excited at the prospect of adventure.