Day One

The ‘hospital’ for Jun’Jo was a place called the Garden of Healing; the name given to it by Kautuka, the right hand to the lord of the village. The Garden was a single story, fifteen hundred square foot building made primarily of wood that was sectioned off into three main areas. There would be the front which would serve as a receptionist area; then in the back there would be a place for patients being treated and on the other side, separated by a thin wall of cloth would be the area where herbs and tools would be kept, among other things. There would be a few padded beddings where the injured or those being treated would rest; in the room where Kichi currently was, there would only be 6 pads out at the moment with three against the front and back walls of the room. There would be three others as well as Kichi, two simply resting from the exhaustion of the bandit fiasco and the third would be a lumberjack who lost a bet against a falling tree. He would have been lucky to survive with only having broken his arm, but for the moment he was resting like the others.

Up to this point, the nurses had primarily been in charge of treating Kichi, but the doctor of the establishment would waltz into the patient holding room on his way to the equipment room. His hand would be on his head as it seemed he had just woken up, though it wasn’t necessarily early in the morning. He pauses for a moment, in his walking and turns to see the awaking Kichi as well as three others he didn’t remember. One of the nurses, dressed in simple garments and an apron like front covering, makes her way from the back and passes the doctor to see his inquiring glance. She would explain, “a group was attacked by bandits, but luckily their injuries were minimal.” Busy, she would pass by the doctor who would release her with that information gained and turn to Kichi speaking, “good morning. How are you feeling?” He would probably go to her first seeing as she was the beautiful young lady in need of clothing.

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The doctor would listen to her complaint and smile speaking, “well, let me see what I can do about that.” Stepping forward he would hold out his hand as if signaling he was going to touch her and making sure it was okay. His hand would then come to her head, his palm resting on her crown, and from there he would close his eye for a moment. In that moment, Kichi’s head should feel a warm glow for a moment with the expectations of the pain from the headache to subside and fade away. Opening his eyes, the doctor would say, “yeah, you probably should get something to eat; it looks like there’s nothing else the matter with you. There’s actually an Inn nearby where you can get lodging, food as well as a bath.” At the current moment, he would not be aware of her lack of funds, so he would continue, “we have a pretty nice marketplace as well. There should be something there for you to change in, though we could probably loan you some clothe so you’re not walking around half naked.” For the most part of his talk, his eye would be at a respectable height, though he did take several liberties in trying to sneak glances over her body, but would pass it off as checking her out… medically.

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After hearing her plight, the kind doctor would run a few ideas over in his head. But alas, he had just recently got this gig. Though blessed as he was in healing, it was hard to find a stable place to attempt to build up a reputation and practice in, thus he didn’t want to go down the route of harassment just yet. Still, she was good eye candy to have around and he wanted to see if he could get to know her better, so with that his plan is devised. He would begin, “well, it depends on how long you tend on staying in town. This is a good a place to live as any and to make a new start. There’s plenty of work to go around; I actually know one of the village leaders, so I might be able to arrange something for you…” Tact comes into play as he figures he should talk about the rest outside of the office. First he would speak, “but we can do this; if you help me out around here and do errands for me then I will clothe and feed you an honest pays worth for as long as you like. It wouldn’t be sword work, but it may open your eyes to new things.”

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Entranced by her charms already, the doctor could see he might have a bit of leeway in his interactions with her. He wasn’t going to get into the lodging until a little bit later, but with her words, she seemed to seal the deal. He figured he would introduce his place, rather than the hospital, later on in the evening. With the introduction, he would counter, “I am called Rin around these parts. I didn’t too much, since I have to give credit to my staff, but maybe I can change that in the near future.” Peeling his eye off of her for the moment, he would turn to catch one of his nurses coming from the front receptionist area. He would inquire with ‘Gladys’ if she could spare any clothing. With one look at Kichi, the answer from the older lady is “nothing that would do her justice…” But plain clothes would be available assuming the doctor made it up to the nurse. Of course he assures that he would pay her back she goes to the back and gets the clothing before coming back with it. Remembering the issue about her getting a bath and meal out of the way, the doc would announce that he would be out for lunch and would ask for Kichi to follow him. The nurses complaint that he had just arrived would go ignored as the doc would wait for Kichi to perhaps cover up a little before motioning for her to follow him outside.

Once outside, the sun would be beaming down on a radiant day basking over Jun’Jo. Rin would inform, “I didn’t want to get into the detail inside the Garden, but I’ll be able to lodge you for a while.” There’s a soft smirk on his face as he continues, “so long as you don’t mind it being my place.”

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“…of course,” the grin would slide across his face as he shifts his gaze from her freshly licked lips and down to the side before turning and proceeding to lead the way. Given his profession, his house wouldn’t be that far from the Garden of Healing. Since he would be expected to handle emergencies, it was good policy to have him within earshot of the hospital. The streets they would meander about would be cleaner and more organized that most villages that were around these days. Care had been made to upgrade the street system here. As he walked and led the way, he would speak, “I’m actually pretty new to this area myself… so my abode may be a little humble by most standards.” He didn’t want her expecting a mansion or anything to that nature. Still, as her current guide, he felt it would be good conversation to speak about the village, since it was the most immediate thing they had in common. Thinking back to the time he decided to make the decision, he speaks, “I heard the rumors about the place and thought that it might be a good fit. I’m liking it so far… the people seem pretty nice, it’s growing, and the co leader seems like a pretty nice guy. I don’t know too much about the actually leader and the right hand, though…” Looking to Kichi, he would inquire, “what place were you before fate brought you here?”

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The realization resettles in that she had just recently been through a rough fiasco before coming here. Rin would be able to tell that she must be a pretty strong woman to be this social and casual after what he could only assume was a traumatic experience. She seemed very mature to him on various levels. “That’s right…” his voice would trail as he recalled what the nurse had spoken. The fact that she didn’t stick around in one place too long did raise a cause for question; maybe things were going too easily for him. He realized that he could very well find himself robbed out of house and home. Another glancing look is given to her as he looks her over, then back forwards as he figures that what she had to give was probably worth more than he had to steal at his house.

In her speaking about not fitting in, the doctor would mention, “well, I have an eye for these types of things; I think you’re a good fit…” He would remember to add “here” after that and then comes to pause in front of an ordinary wooden house in the style of a yurt; five hundred square feet of the doctor’s personal space here in Jun’Jo. He would open the wooden door into the square like structure revealing a simple single room dwelling decorated with a stone circular fire pit in the center, a bedding area at the far end with a table holding various instruments, a few barrels and boxes as well as a simple wooden tub lining the outer walls. A box containing his clothing was to the side of a low padded bed which sat on top of a red circular rug that looked like it may be from the east with the bathing area opposite of that. It was situated in a manner where the different areas wouldn’t be separated by walls, but more loosely by what was where. The center portion would be set as more of a living space by the fire as well as serving as the cooking area with the various pots and pans resting about the border of the central fire pit. Moving into the abode, he would comment, “and this is home for me… as I work, I’ll probably get something larger, but these are my humble beginnings.”

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“Of course,” he would answer without hesitation for the benevolent reason of, “I wouldn’t want you sleeping on the cold floor.” He didn’t think his place was too dirty; though it was evident it was a bachelor’s squatting grounds until this moment right now. He would have simply chuckle modestly a bit at the question preceded the subject of his answer. Still, he knew that the day wasn’t for too much lollygagging on his new gig. Momentarily bringing pause to the playful banter for the time being, he would inform, “but as for our deal of what I’m going to have you do during the day… we should probably get you acquainted and started on that.” Motioning to the bath, he would explain, “oh, the houses here are unique in how they have the water set up.” He would move to a large barrel that seemed to have an inlet from the outside. Rubbing the back of his neck he would speak, “I’m not entirely sure how it all works, but if you lift the panel here…” there would be one in front of a long spout that leads into the tub, “then water flows out and into the tub. Under the tub, there’s a place where you can light it to heat it, and then you can basically cook yourself until you’re clean. I figure you’d want something warm, so I will go by the tavern to get you something to eat and bring it here to you, then after that, we can put you to work. Sound good?”

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“Oh,” Rin would point to the drain plug in the bottom, “pull that and water goes away…” With the way things were set up, the bath water generally just drained out to the side of the house where the ground would eventually soak up the wet spot over time. He would look to her to make sure she was okay with things; the robe would come off, he would notice and answer her thanks with, “don’t worry about it, you’re working for it; that’s how things operate.” Turning towards the door, he would look back at her for a moment before walking through it and leaving.

The trip would be swift for Rin; he would make it to the tavern greeting people he knew along the way. Once there, he would request a meal to go that consisted of boar’s meat, boiled roots and rice. The food is given to him on a plate that’s covered with another plate; since it was the doctor, the tavern owner new that he would either bring the plate back, or he knew where to find Rin if he cared to get it back. After paying, Rin would exit the tavern and head back towards his house.

Making it back home, Rin would hold the covered plate in one hand and open the door with the other. Stepping in, he would pause for a moment, seeing the wet strands of Kichi’s hair leading down to her nude rear between whisks of the towel drying her. “I brought the food,” he would announce his presents and move over to a small round table to sit the plate down; since he was a doctor, he was used to people not being bashful about their nudity around him; though they all didn’t look as inviting as Kichi. Still, he figured it would be rude to stare, though if she invited his glance, he would welcome himself to a hearty eyeful. He comments, though, “…but perhaps I should have knocked? I thought you’d be done with the bath by now…” He sets down the plate of warm food, a meaty seasoned smell wafting from the boar’s steak, and it was around that time that he would notice, “oh… you cleaned up the place.” A grin comes to his lips, “thanks.”

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“Not at all,” he would answer since she had his full attention. Already the reverse strip show had started a chain reaction in his pants that made him simply want to walk over to her an stop her from dressing to make himself even that much later for work; still, he knew that things were pretty much in the bag and if he wanted for tonight, he could probably help himself to something incredible and have the entire night to do it without having to worry about work nagging him in the background, or complaining citizens. His gaze follows her as she moves to the table and begins to eat. The nighttime work would probably be an unspoken given, or at least that was the vibe he was getting; as for the day time work, he would speak, “the first errand you can run for me would be to return those two plates to the tavern. That will be a good time to introduce yourself to the owner there. When you’re done with that, come by the office and see me, then from there, you’ll get your honey do list…” He pauses for a moment at the speed in which she daintily put away the food. He continues as she continues, “but yes… when you’re done with returning those, then your job at the Garden will begin. I guess if you needed a title, for now, you’ll be my gopher.” He smiles a bit at it before speaking, “well, I’ve been away for a while, so I’ll see you at the Garden. Don’t be too late.” With that, he would wait if there were any questions or comments. If there were comments, he would grin and leave, any questions, he would remain, if there were neither, he would exit and head in the direction of the hospital.

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The Jade Crow was the name of the tavern. It was a single story building about the size of a two medium house. On the outside it would have a wooden board hanging from a swing post with an emerald symbol of a crow with a mug of ale behind it. The post dawn symbols for the tavern’s name would be written below its logo. The exterior would be wooden, much like the makeup of much of the village, in log cabin fashion. The first half, or ‘house,’ of the tavern would be the part that held the bar. The bar would be closest to the wall adjacent and to the left of the front door when one enters. Behind the bar would be a small open kitchen area where food was prepared and counters were available to hold bottles of drinks that were not stored beneath the bar on the inside portion. Away from the bar, there would be a main area with a large rug covering much of the ground area with circular tables inhabiting the space. In the other half of the structure, would be its inn portions that would include ten rooms with five on each side of a narrow hallway. The rooms would have the post dawn markings of one through ten on the doors.

Currently there would be about a half dozen men sitting at the tables in the main area of the tavern. They would be dressed as workers and eating lunch, eat with a large mug of mead. Sitting at the bar would be a familiar man in a kimono with a sheathed curved sword at his waist, sitting casually with both elbows on the bar, drinking and speaking to the bartender. One hand would be down and resting on the bar while the other would be slowly lowering a cup from his lips to the bar table. After setting the mug down, Takeo would whip his mouth with the back of his fists as he continues to speak to the bartender, “…okay, I’ll seek him out and look into that. Thanks for the lead. This place might not be too bad after all.”

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The men sitting at the tables would pause for a moment and look up with the new arrival to watch Kichi walk in; it would be a slow motion moment, the type that often happens in bars when a hot chick walks in… though she could use to be in better clothing. The enjoyment of watching her is heightened by the fact that it wasn’t until recently that the village started acquiring women. For a while, it was mostly male due to the fact that it was comprised mostly of worker and lumberjacks. With the campaigns and as families started moving in, the demographics had just begun to balance out; still none of the men would recognize Kichi, but they would be sure to remember her.

As she made it to the bar, time would resume. The bartender would notice her first and stand up straight to greet her. Takeo would be last to turn around, but when he did, he would remember her from that time; she hadn’t been that social back then. He returns the smile with a welcoming nod as he watches her speak to the bar keeper and notices the glance. She seemed a bit more approachable and less traumatic and wounded than last time. The bar keeper would reach for both plates as he mentions “it looks like you cleaned them off. Thanks.” He would take the plates and store them behind the counter before returning and asking Kichi if she were having anything. Takeo would take another swallow from his drink and set down the half empty cup, giving her a look to see if Kichi would be joining him in drinking.

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The bartender would nod in understanding and move on behind the bar. When he’s addressed, Takeo would comment, “you do?” Even in her clothes, Kichi was still a looker, and Takeo wasn’t satisfied with their interaction at the bandit camp; he had a couple questions about it as well. He would push the chair beside him with his leg, ignoring the fact she spoke about the doctor. He didn’t know when he would see her again, but it did sound good that she seemed to be working here. With the gesture to sit with him, he would speak, “…since you owe me... have a drink with me.” A sly look would be emitting from the right eye that was on her. A quick glance is shifted to the barkeeper as he would request, “get the lady something, on me?” The bartender would nod and move to get a cup and a bottle of amber ale. Looking back to her, he assumed that she had time, but to keep her engaged, he would say in a casual manner, “I ended up catching up with our friend from the camp. That’s taken care of.” The bartender would come in front of Kichi with the cup and the bottle and raise his eyebrows as if to ask if she were okay with accepting the free drink which Takeo offered to pay for.

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“Kichi, I’ll remember that,” Takeo speaks before offering, “I’m Takeo, if I didn’t mention it earlier. You didn’t seem the talkative type when we last met…” With a shrug, it’s as if he realizes, “…heh, but who would be?” He was a bit curious about her having to return to the hospital; he hadn’t pegged her to be a nurse and she looked fine from what he could tell by looking at her. The bartender would ask Takeo if he wanted his cup refilled to which Takeo would shake his head and decline politely. With that, the bartender would leave the two to talk in peace as he moves to greet another male who comes into the tavern after a hard day’s work. Takeo would continue, “Something tells me that you owing me would be a good thing… but it’s good to see you’ve recovered from that night pretty quickly. Either the hospital here must work wonders or you clean up pretty well.” There would be enough of a pause there for a comment to be made her on part if there was one to be made. Moving off of that topic, he would comment, “you had some good moves out there… you a warrior of some type?”

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The ronin would understand her anger and could only imagine what those bandits had done thus far in their grand get rich quick scheme of kidnapping people to sell into slavery, or whatever their intentions were. As his question is answered, he simply nods; the basics were good to know… but that gave him an opening where he could insert himself into assisting her. He knew a thing or two; with that, they might have something in common. His single eyed gaze would glance down as she crossed her legs. “Both,” he would answer as his gaze would swiftly trail back up the length of her body coming back to her face. Clarifying what he meant, his head shifts back to the front as he lifts the cup to his lips, drinks and then says, “or rather, I’m trying to decide what I want to do now. Wandering brought me here and I’ve got some time on my hands. This little village is pretty interesting, and the bartender here gave me a good tip on perhaps some gainful employment. I suppose we’ll see how things pan out.” Shifting the topic back to her, Takeo would ask, “how about you? Do you have someone you have to get back to, or will you be staying in this little village for a while?”

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So with her word, Takeo comes to find out that he had even more in common with Kichi due to the fact that they were both wanders. He noticed that she kept her answer short about why she was wandering, so when she asked him his reasons, he could assume that they may have even more in common. Everyone had their secrets and things that didn’t come up in normal conversation between strangers; pillow talk maybe, but there was a proper etiquette among those who didn’t follow the flowing rivers of picture perfect life. He would observe, “…so debt keeps you around. So if I wanted you to stay around, then I’d have to buy you drinks on a regular basis.” He would be partially teasing with the remark. In answering why he wanders, he would answer vaguely, “I guess I wander because I haven’t found what I’m looking for in a particular place.” Looking back to her, Takeo would speak, “…but maybe that’s over. Who knows, even if this lead doesn’t pan out, maybe I’ll give sword lessons or something…” He offers, “I may be able to teach you a thing or two a little later on when you have more free time?”

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Takeo would indeed see that she had things to do and people to see, so for that he would allow her to leave. He watches her as she stands and finishes off his own drink, pleasing, “I’ll walk you outside.” Looking over to the barkeeper, he would reach into a pouch on his wait and take out a few trinkets that were scavenged from the bandits that he had helped dispatch. The bartender would look over the items for a moment and then nod, collecting what the thought was sufficient pay and Takeo would have no qualms with it. He places his bag back onto his side and picks up the straw hat that had been resting on the counter and places it atop his head. Excusing himself, he walks out with Kichi as he speaks, “well, if you ever are looking for me, I’m in room 7. Help yourself to come by later this evening.” Reaching the doorway, he would open it for her and follow in exiting, “but until then, enjoy your new job with the doctor. I’ll keep an eye out for you around the village too.” There’s a slight grin with that as he would give a short wave by lifting his hand and then turn heading the opposite way of her, allowing her to continue on with her day.

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Rin would look up from doing his work as the young lady walks in and makes her way into the back area to join him. He seemed to have previously been concentrating on his work, but as if taking a stretch break, his shoulders loosen up and a relaxed smile mirrors the one given to him. Sitting up, straight on the stool from his previously leaned over position he would look to her with his one eyed glance and tease about the length of time it took, “hope you didn’t get lost; I probably should have told you were the place was.” Moving on to answer her question, he would say, “I’ve got a pretty relaxing job lined up for you.” He would lower his gaze and shift his hand to a small plant that was sitting on the table next to the bowl that he was mixing herbs in. Picking up a leafy stalk with purple buds on it as well as large flat leaves, he would hand it to her and speak, “I just need you to pick a bushel of these for me from the meadows to the east right outside the village walls.” After handing her the herb, he would motion to a small basket on the floor and say, “if you can fill that up, then I’ll be satisfied.” It was a fairly simple task that she would be able to do leisurely that would save the doctor the time of having to go out and do it himself. “Any questions?”

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