"I like chocolate as well, but I alsso love cinnamon. The two go together well." Kāma replies smiling.
"So do I" Hitome says with satisfaction. "Want to head back out now and look around a bit more?"
She kind of makes a face as she tries to imagine the two flavors going together, "Really?"
She feels her hair before nodding, "Yeah, I think it's dry enough now." She says before twisting it and pulling it back out of her face before placing her hair combs in it to hold it in place. Taking out a couple gold she lays them on the table, "Okay, I'm ready to go when you are."
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Elena looks at Kama with a face similar to Rajni's. "I'm curious about that as well."
Rajni seems to think for a moment or two as she looks between her sisters. Finishing her tea and second cookie she wipes her mouth before speaking up a bit hesitantly, "I....I could go to Hadrinn if you like and ask him to make up a few different samples of things for you to try...if you want me to. I could ask him about making a few different varieties and then bring them to you whenever they're ready and we could have a little taste testing to see what you really want for your cake. We could even see about doing different layers in different flavors if you can't decide on just one....what do you think?"
"It's an idea."
Getting an excited look on her face she tries to control her enthusiasm. Taking a deep breath she asks, "Soooo...would it be okay with you guys if I went and talked to Hadrinn about it? I....I have a few thoughts about flavors and stuff...but I promise it won't be anything icky...you know I won't taste it if it's icky. I'll see what he thinks about trying to make a sample chocolate cinnamon type thing and then we can try it and see okay?" Trying to keep her drooling under control as she thinks over the possibilities she adds, "Oh...if you wanted to go with me Juhi you could. It might be a good idea to have someone with me so I don't get carried away." She chuckles slightly before looking back up at Kama and Elena, "So...is that okay? I could go see him after we're done and I get things cleaned up in here..." She forces herself to quiet down as she gets up from her seat at the table to take her empty tea cup to the sink. She was actually just really excited about getting to help them plan a part of their wedding, she hoped she didn't sound too silly.
Elena snickers. "Sure. Surprise us."
"You really think I can stop you from getting carried away?" Juhi asks.
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Her grin widening she turns on the water and takes a deep breath while quickly washing out her cup before returning to the table. She can't keep the grin off of her face as she looks at her sisters, "Okay...okay...it'll be great, I promise. Once he has the samples ready I'll bring them to you so we can all try them." Taking another deep breath she looks at Juhi and holds up her hand in an oath type fashion, "I promise that if you go with me I won't go all crazy with it okay? I just...I don't know, I thought it would be something fun you and me could do together and it might help to have another opinion. Sooo...wanna come with?" She tries but miserably fails at keeping the mischievous smile off her face.
Juhi gives Rajni an apprehensive look. "Okay, but I better come back in one piece."
"Okay any idea what you want to see next?" Hitome asks holding the door open.
She smiles at Kama and then Juhi, "May I live a thousand years and never hunt again if you come back with even a scratch. I promise...everything will be great."
Looking around for a bit as they walk back outside she seems to think, "Maybe some of the other shops, that large structure over there by that bluff, there was also that interesting looking thing on that island across the way from where we docked...I don't know...there's just so much here...I just don't know where to start." She gets quiet for a moment as they wander down the street, "Hitome....what do you think the others are doing? I mean...do you think they're just out getting used to the town, or enjoying some quiet time before thinking about rescuing people? I...I would be lying if I didn't say that I'm at least a little curious about what Ms. Toni was talking about. I feel weird just sort of wandering about town if someone needs help....I don't know." She says before looking out towards the water again.
"I know what you mean, kind of want to grasp our purpose here." Hitome replies."I feel the same way."
She just stops walking and stands there for a moment as she tries to process exactly what she's feeling. Sighing she rubs her arms while trying to figure out how to say what was going through her head, "I...maybe it's why I feel like...like I'm all over the place right now? I just feel like....I'm sorry, I don't know how to explain it...but since you feel the same way I guess I don't have to? It's nice here....I just....I don't like feeling like there's something I should be doing and not even know what it is." She says before expelling an exasperated breath.
"Perhaps we should go and find Toni, and speak to her then." Hitome suggests thoughtfully. "Do you think Gyo might have more of an idea? Would she be able to connect to this place or communicate with others of her kind that may be here?"
She sort of shrugs, "I'm not sure if she would or not. We didn't really know or meet any other summoners until we got on that boat. I can understand why Ms. Toni wanted to give us a chance to get used to our surroundings and everything and she seems very nice like a lot of the other people here....but I think it would help if I understood better what was going on." Looking around for a moment she says just a bit quieter, "While I'm pretty sure these people are nothing like the ones I've known before....I'm just not ready to bring Gyo here yet. I'm not embarrassed or anything...I just...I just need a little time to get used to it first." She sighs, "I'm sorry if I'm having trouble getting to the point. Do you think it would be alright if we just found Toni first and talked to her about it? Maybe it would make me feel better if we had more details and then maybe we could talk to Gyo? I'm not sure where to start looking for her though....should we head back to the place she lives at and ask them? They were at The Old Fish when we left, but I'm sure they're not there now." She rubs her arms again, "Anything is better than just standing here in this cold though so let's just head in that direction and maybe we'll find her?" She asks while looking around.
"Okay, let's go find her." Hitome says putting a comforting hand on Jin's shoulder. "It's okay if you can't always find the words for how you feel."
She just nods and heads back in the direction of the Tailor Shop.
Jin and Hitome find the tailor's shop quite easily enough.
Jin hesitates briefly before knocking lightly on the door.
"Can I help you?" the woman who opens the door asks.
"Hello, we're looking for Toni. We are among the Summoners who arrived here this morning. I am Hitome, and this is Jin." Hitome says with a slight bow.
"Ah, okay," Elena says. "Did you want me to get her for you or would you like to come in?"
"We'd like to come in, thank you. Is there somewhere you would like for us to wait for her?" She asks, hoping that they're not imposing.
"Sure, you can wait on the couch," Elena replies, holding the door open for the two women. She then goes to Toni's room and knocks. "You have some guests, Toni."
"Thank you." Hitome says as they enter and take a seat.
Jin nods as she follows Hitome to the couch and sits down. She takes a few deep cleansing breaths to try and clear her mind so she could try and figure out exactly what she wanted to ask and/or tell Ms. Toni. She was their Szef....their leader, and she felt bad about not being honest with her from the beginning. It was just so hard to talk about and Hitome was the only one she had told since Makoto passed on to the next life. Shaking the thoughts from her head she just tries to concentrate on her breathing and gives a small brief smile when she feels Gyo's comforting presence.
Toni walks out of her room, dressed in dark breeches and a light blue top. "Hi, what's going on? Everything okay?"
Standing up she gives her a small bow, " Yes Ms. Toni...well mostly anyways. I'm sorry for disturbing you at home....but I...I had some more questions. Thank you for telling us about the common house, we found their baths to be quite refreshing after our long trip here. We had lunch and were trying to think of what else we could look at...but then I thought of something." Taking a breath she tries to sort out what it is she's trying to say. If only it was easier for her to speak to people. Sitting back down on the couch she folds her hands and looks up at the Szef with an uncertain expression, "You said...you told us this morning that there was someone that needed help but you wanted to give us time to get used to our surroundings and each other....but, it's just....it's hard for me to enjoy your nice town when I know there is someone out there that needs our help." Shaking her head she takes another breath, "I'm sorry....expressing myself to other people isn't one of my strong suits. I was just wondering if there was a way you could tell us more about what our purpose here is? As in...how can we help this person that needs to be rescued and just how much are you able to tell us about it right now? I'm sorry Ms. Toni...I don't mean to bother you with endless questions, I just...I'm trying to figure out what we're supposed to be doing. I just didn't know how we could learn to work together if we're just all wandering about aimlessly." She pauses for a moment and looks up at Toni as if trying to figure out what she's trying to get at and feeling frustrated that she can't quite get it out.
Taking another breath or two she lets it out slowly, "I feel the need to tell you something that I don't know how to say and it's hard for me....no one else can hear us can they?" She asks while looking around to see just how alone they were before looking over at Hitome questioningly. Should she really tell Toni who she really was? Was it important? Would it change a single thing that they had to do or how she would see her? She just wasn't sure how she felt about keeping something like that from the person who they were supposed to be able to trust to lead them.
"Come with me," Toni says. "My room is a little more private."
She nods, "Okay....it's okay if Hitome comes with us...she already knows about it. I just...I don't know how to explain what I'm thinking without explaining the other stuff too. I'm really sorry if I'm being a bother." She says as she stands up from the couch and prepares to follow Toni to her room.
Getting a glance at the nervous looking visitor she goes over to Elena and says quietly, "I know she's new here and everything and I have no idea what she came from....but she just seems more nervous than a mountain lion in a room full of rocking chairs." She says before shaking her head. She could understand how she might be feeling being in a strange place for the first time and not really knowing what to do. She was sure that Toni would be able to help her figure things out though. Toni was good at the talking and listening thing, it's one of things that made her such a good friend.
"Don't worry about it," Toni says. "It's my job to see that you're comfortable here...with everything."
Elena nods. "She'll be alright with Toni looking after her."
She nods as she follows her, "Okay."
Toni walks into her room and waits for Jin and Hitome to enter before closing the door. She goes to a small shelf and takes a small item off of it. "So...what's going on?"
Somehow feeling more nervous she goes to sit down in a chair by the bed. Taking a deep breath she lets it out slowly before folding her hands in her lap and looking up at Toni, "Okay....so here's the thing. In order for me to explain what's going on in my head, I feel like I need to be honest with you about some things first and then maybe everything else will make sense. It's a bit of a story...so I apologize for that. The truth is...I'm not really what I seem to be. I...I was born different and this is just how I appear to others. Some bad stuff happened to me when I was a kid before Gyo came to me and so....so I've hidden my true self away from almost everyone until recently...but I feel that for us to truly be partners and work together that we need to trust each other and for that....I feel like I have to be honest about who I really am so....here it is. I'm not really a human, I'm a Kitsune." She pauses briefly so that she can change into her true form, "Looking apologetically at Toni she says, [b]"I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner...it's just...people don't always understand and it's hard for me to know who to trust sometimes....but I feel like...like maybe you're different. Like the people in this town won't...won't treat me badly because of it. I had someone once...someone that knew the real me and loved me anyways...but it wasn't meant to be and I was really angry for a while and I slacked off for a while and didn't feel like helping anyone for a pretty long time." She pauses for a moment to breath and keep control of her feelings, "I've been trying very hard not to let what happened make me bitter or forget about my responsibilities....to myself, Gyo, Hitome...even you, and whoever might be out there that needs our help. So...I was just wondering if this person that needs help can really wait for us to be comfortable in our new surroundings to help them....or if we need to try and learn how to be a team quicker so that we can help them sooner rather than later. I don't...I don't want anyone to suffer because we needed time to relax and get comfortable. It makes me feel like I'm not doing what I was raised to do if I don't help people that need it. Does that make sense? Did I say that okay?" She asks as she tries to give Toni time to get used to what she just told and showed her.
Toni smiles. "You have nothing to be afraid of. A friend's aunt is a kitsune too, so I'm kinda used to shapechangers. Well, she went back to Jin Zhao a few days ago. Nobody in Valwick is going to judge you based on what you are. There's even a goblin living here."
A look of relief crosses her face, "Really? Whew...well...the people we already met seemed pretty nice...I just wanted you to know the truth. I'll probably stay in my other form for a while still until I get to know the people here. I'm not afraid...not really...it's just hard to change what you've been used to for so long. So, what do you know about this person that might need saving?" She asks, her other fears put to rest by Toni's reassurances. She shifts back into her human form before she forgets. Once she got used to the others and was more comfortable around them maybe she could stop using her disguise all together. She smiles a little at the thought of not having to hide who she really is anymore and wipes her face. Thinking about Makoto always made her feel a little down.
Toni shows Jin the small object in her hands, a small compass that appears to be made out of brass. "This is a Summoner's Compass. It can find any of the Summoners of the Five Houses, wherever they may be. It usually changes color or shape when you're looking for one of them. I guess it's an indication of where they are."
She points at the symbol for House Akulov. "I've asked Michael and, after some study, he's told me the compass is representing the City of Brass on the Plane of Fire. My best guess is the Summoner is a slave there now...but we won't really know until we get there."
She nods, "Well...I think I might have heard about it, but when we go speak with Ms. Jelks tomorrow about the housing arrangements maybe we can also see Mr. Michael about the plane of fire. Maybe he'd have some idea of how we could travel there safely? Of course we should probably talk to others first about it. I don't think we should really put it off though....not any more than actually necessary. If it helps I have spells that can help protect against energy and make it easier to endure difficult elements. I also speak about ten different languages in case that's ever important, I can use a crossbow as well...but with Gyo I rarely need to use anything. If they're there and need help getting out...I feel fairly confident that all of us together could get them back."
She gets quiet as she tries to recall anything she might have heard about that particular plane.
Jin knows that the City of Brass is a dangerous and evil place, but it is also the grandest marketplace in the multiverse. It is ruled by efreeti, also known as fire genies. They can be dealt with honestly, but it would take a clever person to get them to that point.
"I am hoping so," Toni says.
She furrows her brows slightly as she recalls the information about the plane of fire, "It's a very dangerous and evil place run by these beings called Efreet or fire genies. It's the biggest marketplace in the known multiverse and they can be dealt with honestly, but it would take someone pretty clever to get them to that point. Let's just talk to the others first and maybe we can come up with a plan to get them back." She looks over at Hitome, "What do you think?"
"Well, facing evil in it's midst is one of the things I was trained to do. Wherever you go I stand right beside you," Hitome replies.
She nods and gives Hitome a small smile and look of thanks for the support before looking back at Toni, "Well..there you have it. Whenever you're ready to undertake this task, we'll be with you. I think it would be a good idea to do some research first though before going so we have a better idea of how to deal with the enemy. Efreet are very strong though, so I think trying to....communicate and come to a mutual understanding would be the best course of action. Like I said, their marketplace is amazing and could be a valuable resource if things work out well with them." She thinks for a moment, "We won't say anything to the others until you have a chance to talk to them and decide what you want to do okay? It's just...if this person we need to help really is in danger, then I think it would be better to act sooner rather than later. Oh...while I'm here, I wasn't sure how much you knew about us or anything and I know we've spoken very little of our eidolons as of yet...but, I was wondering if you'd like to meet Gyo now...or wait until later?" She asks as a million thoughts race through her mind at the same time.