[FIN Oba] Homecoming ~ Bushi & Phaedra ~

[Orpheus Solon]

The trek from Sulburi to Awat where Bushi's residence was located was one that seemed to be a bit on the dull side. It was a long path that didn't have a lot to see given that Oba wasn't exactly know for it's lush forests or grand rivers or anything of the like. Bushi didn't mind though because he knew the path back would lead him, as well as those he was bringing with him, home. A home that he hadn't visited for a while now due to him going on such a long tour to gather new things to sell. His trading in the North and the subsequent selling back home had all gone well and now it was time to go to Awat to drop off the money so the one taking care of his place could see to any repairs it needed as well as the upgrades that Bushi had been planning for some time.

"Awat is really super small, very out of the way as well, but it's peaceful. I hope that you like it, Sprite." He said, glancing toward Phaedra who was currently walking along near to him and gave her a smile. Here was to hoping that she would enjoy the trip to Awat. He was fond of the place after all and it would be a shame if it turned out that the small village wasn't to her tastes.

Looking forward again one could start to make out the village now. It was still a distance away but he could see it and that had his heart thudding in his chest. He couldn't wait to get back to his place, to unload everything off of Aatos, and let the big turtle, as well as Profit run around and have fun. Once everything was unloaded and brought inside then Phaedra and himself would be able to take a load off as well. Glancing her way again he said, "We are almost there. Once we arrive you're welcome to sit down and relax while I unload Aatos's packs if you like."  

[Heras Box]

Orpheus Solon

While there hadn't been much to look at during the journey to Bushi's hometown Phaedra didn't seem to be bothered by it. She was curious to see what a man like him called home. As he explained to her that the town was small and out of the way she smiled at him. "As long as it's peaceful I'm sure I'll like it." Phaedra had lived in big cities all her life and while she knew how to navigate them, once she learned where things were, she was never very fond of all the people. Not because she was antisocial but because they always seemed to want to back stab someone.

She moved her eyes forward and spotted the beginnings of the village. The leafling was surprised by the small size, despite Bushi's warning. "Oh!" A chuckle came from her and her smile turned into a grin. "It's adorable!" Phae was happy that she could see one end of the village and then the other, even as the got closer.

"Mm? Are you sure?" She didn't want to leave him to all the work after the long walk.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

Bushi gave a nod of his head, "It is definitely that." He said, giving a smile at the village that they were getting closer to, "It will be rather nice after the long journey I've been on to be able to just rest up here a while." For Bushi 'a while' would probably just mean a day or two because he wasn't very good at just sitting still, but it was better then nothing when it came to a vacation.

Looking at Phaedra as she said the village was 'adorable' he gave a smile and a nod, "I'm glad to hear you say that." Awat was small but getting complimented by someone did put him in a good mood.

"I don't mind doing it. Aatos is my responsibility after all." He said, giving her a smile before he said, "If you want to play with Profit while I take care of Aatos and take off all of his packs that would be good for her. She needs to stretch out her wings now that she is allowed to run around instead of being stuck on Aatos's back."  

[Heras Box]

Orpheus Solon

The change in pace was welcome. Phaedra thought about what life would be like in a small village versus a large city. It made her want to start looking for a place. Of course she wasn't sure where she wanted to live. Things had been a little on the rough side for her lately.

As he mentioned playing with Profit she turned her attention to the kinfa and smiled. "I think I can do that." Phae had never had a familiar of her own, so she might be a little awkward at first, but she was looking forward to playing with the bird. If only because she could feel useful that way.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

Bushi continued along, his eyes darting back and forth, seeming as though he was trying to take everything in at once. It had been a while since he'd been home and he wanted nothing more then to see if there was anything new that had happened while he was away. Given that it was Awat and the place was so small it really wasn't hard to pick out all of the new things, the new residents, and any changes to already existing things. After a moment he gave a smile, turning to Phaedra, "My place is at the edge of the back of the village. Don't worry though, it won't take us long to get there." Sure, it was at the back of the village but when a village was as small as Awat it didn't really mean that they would have a ton of extra walking to do.

As they walked along he gave a snap of his fingers, as though recalling something, before he turned to Phaedra and said, "My place is taken care of by an older Oban woman that lives in Awat while I am away. You might get to meet her if she is around today." She was mostly in charge of holding down the fort, making sure it was taken care of, and saw to bringing in craftsmen to take care of anything that might go wrong. She was the one that allowed Bushi to roam in the manner that he did because he knew his place would still be standing when he got home.

Motioning to his place as it came into view he said, "It's that one." It was a good sized house, one with a few rooms in it, and a stable built alongside it. That was something that he'd had built before he'd gotten Aatos or Profit, though at the time he'd actually been considering getting a pair of janarim to carry things around for him. What he ended up with, a bushi and a kinfa, were both pleasent surprises he got along the way. Once they arrived Bushi got the keys out of one of Aatos's packs, handing the over to Phaedra, "Here you are, in case you want to head inside first." Motioning with a hand to Profit he allowed the steadily growing blue bird to hop down from Aatos's back so that she could walk around on her own. Once that was down he set to work on the task that was unloading all the pack the rust colored bushi wore.  

[Heras Box]

Orpheus Solon

Her eyes mimicked Bushi's though where he was looking for changes that happened in his absence she was looking at everything that was new in general. Since Phaedra had never been to the small town before it was a lot to take in. She saw the streets, the houses, and small stores. When her companions voice cut in and told her that his home was at the very back she turned her head to look at him before she returned it to the small village. Even if he had said such a thing and they were in a large city she wouldn't have expected anything less from Bushi. He seemed like the type of man that liked his space and secrets.

Learning that he had an older lady taking care of his home she did look a little surprised. Phae didn't think he would have trusted someone else to care for his things. Then again, if he wasn't around... She did wonder why it was an older woman and not a man. Or even a younger female. Though the last thought seemed to make her a bit moody.

Phae brushed away the envy and spotted the house he pointed to. "It looks cozy." It was larger than the house she had shared with her father. So she wasn't exactly sure how Bushi managed to fill each room with things, unless he kept his wares in them. The leaf woman took the keys from him and grinned. "I don't suppose you have a fully stocked kitchen?" She could entertain Profit and start cooking so that they would all have something decent to eat once the unpacking was taken care of.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

Bushi seemed to think about it, lifting a hand to scratch his beard in a thoughtful manner before he said, "The kitchen itself is fairly well set up but as far as food is concerned we will probably have to go shopping for that once we are done here. Feel free to look around, maybe you can figure out what we need?" He said as took the packs off of Aatos one by one until the bushi was finally free of the weight. Once that was done he lead him over to the stables, allowing him to head into the large, covered area, then closed the gate behind him, "You rest up Aatos, you've worked very hard since I got you."

After studying the big turtle as he walked around the area, getting a feel for it, he found that he needed to add more space then he'd guessed he'd need. Maybe he could get some fencing to add to it that would allow Aatos more room to move around. He'd do that late though since Aatos didn't need a lot of space right now since it was likely he'd just walk around a bit before dozing off after the long walk here. He gave the big beast a pat on the shell before walking back over to where the pile of packs were sitting, picking a few of them up, and headed inside with them. The packs were placed in one of the side rooms before he went back out, getting a few more, then a few more, until he'd finally carried them all inside and put them all in the one room. That done he moved to find Phaedra and Profit.

The bright blue bird was currently racing from place to place, seemingly trying to get a feel for the new building that she was in. When she wasn't exploring she was chirping at Phaedra, running circles around her, before she was off again. Clearly the young Kinfa wanted the Leaf woman to explore with her, liking Phaedra fairly well.  

[Heras Box]

Phaedra smiled as she thought about what to make. Knowing what they needed depended on the food she'd cook. When Bushi led Aatos to the stables she went to unlock the door so that if anything needed to be brought in there would be no trouble. From there she made her way into the home of her friend and searched for the kitchen. Phae managed to find it fairly easily. The leafling had enough time to set the keys down on the table before Profit came running in to get her attention.

With a laugh she shook her head but followed after the kinfa. Phaedra did her best to keep pace with the bird without actually being too close. She didn't want to step on her if the little thing suddenly stopped or made a turn. "Where are we going Profit?" She asked with a chuckle. To say she was amused by the kinfa would be accurate.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

The bright blue bird gave a happy chirping sound, continuing forward, leading Phaedra about, but didn't seem to have much of an end goal in mind. She was just rushing around, inspecting the house that she'd never been to before. Her rushing about drew the attention of Bushi as he left the side room and almost found himself being run over by the kinfa. He blinked a couples, looking down at the bird, then took a step to the side to let her run by.

Giving a shake of his head and a chuckle he looked over at Phaedra and said, "She's never been here before. I actually got her while I was traveling through Tale at the start of my journey." He gave a chuckle then asked, "How is the kitchen doing? Do you know what we should pick up?"  

[Heras Box]

Orpheus Solon

When Profit almost ran into Bushi so did she and she had to stop before she collided with him. Phaedra chuckled at the kinfa and watched as she took off to continue her inspection. Turning her green gaze on Bushi she shook her head. "I'm afraid Profit didn't give me a chance to look." Leaning to the side she peeked around her companion to see where the blue beast had gone.

After a moment she simply shook her head and gave her attention back to the man in front of her. "From what I glimpsed in my tour with Profit you have a nice home, Bear." Phae stepped to the side so that she wasn't in Bushi's way and also so that the kinfa could see that she was still where she had left her. "So apart from my cooking, what else do you like?" She was hoping that she could get to know him just a little better.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

Bushi turned to glance at the bird as Phaedra said that she didn't get a chance to look because of the young kinfa. He watched as the bird rushed around, taking everything in while squawking up a storm. He gave a slow nod of his head before he said, "Yeah... I can see that she's being quite excitable... I do apologize for that. Shall we go and look the kitchen over together then?" He felt that it might be best for them to inspect it together so that they could see about making a list of what they might need while they were here. It wouldn't be a super long visit but he wanted things comfortable while they were here.

"Hm? Thank you. I do enjoy this place... though I don't visit as often as I really should." He said as he gave a glance around his home. It was a place that made him want to hang around... but his desire to work was one that ran rampant and made it impossible for Bushi to sit still. One would think that his desire to move from place to place would put him in better shape but his other habits ruined that. Not that he really minded too much.

As Phaedra spoke up he gave her a curious look, "What else do I like? About? You?" He asked, curious if she meant what else he liked about her or what else he liked in general. Her wording could go either way and he really didn't want to insult her or anything like that.  

[Heras Box]

Orpheus Solon

She waved it off. "She's fine, Bushi. I would be excited if I were her." Phaedra honestly wasn't that bothered by the energy the little bird had. When the Oban man mentioned checking the kitchen together she nodded her head, but gave a last look toward Profit. "Should we just let her explore on her own then?" Since she had no familiar it was interesting to learn that one didn't have to constantly look after them like one would with a child.

"Why not? It seems like this is a good place to spend some time." The brunette couldn't imagine why one would have such a nice home and not visit it more. Of course she saw the appeal of travel but Phae had a longing for home. Someplace she could always go back to. A safe bed to sleep in. It was different for her to know that someone had that and still spent more time on the road.

"Well if you want to list things about me sure, but I meant in general." A laugh escaped her as she teased him. Phaedra wan't so sure she wanted to know if Bushi liked anything thing else about her, or even if there was something worth liking beyond her cooking. "Music you like to hear, a book you love to read, or maybe a favorite Inn?"  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

Bushi seemed to think about it for a time before he finally said, "The rooms where I keep everything important are closed up for now so it should be alright for her to wander around on her own." So long as it was just while they were checking out the kitchen then he trusted the kinfa to entertain herself. Once they were done with the inspection of the kitchen and they ended up going shopping he could always see about wrangling her and putting her in with Aatos.

"Hm? Well, this is home, but I am rarely at home. I tend to spend more time going from place to place doing the buying, selling, and trading that I am known for. If I were to sit still here for too long I would likely fall behind some of the other, older merchants and I can have that." Not only that but he had various contacts among thieves and bandits that he didn't want coming to Awat. Not that he'd say that much out loud. He didn't really share that aspect of his business with anyone but said contacts, wanting everything to seem very legit from the outside.

Giving a smile he said, "I see, I see." For a moment he'd thought that the Sprite was demanding compliments from him but it seemed as though she was just trying to get to know him better. After a moment of thought he decided to answer inquiries that she'd actually mentioned, "Let's see... well, all music is fine by me. I need to see about bringing Profit to listen to more of it. The more she hears the more she will be able to sing and a singing kinfa will definitely bring in more business. Books... books... well, I read a little of everything, but my favorites are those that teach you how to make things. The more I can create with my bare hands the better after all... and as for inns... hm... no favorites that come to mind. So long as it has a comfortable bed and stables it's good by me."

Making a motion with his hand he asked, "And what about you?"  

[Heras Box]

Orpheus Solon

Once she was comfortable knowing all the important things were tucked away she seemed to head back to the kitchen without too much fuss. Bushi's answer about why he was never really home also made sense to her. If he wanted to stay on top of the game he needed to be out and about.

When he answered her general inquiries about what he liked she seemed to suck on her bottom lip in thought. Phaedra hadn't really thought he would be the type of man to like all types of music, but again he gave a sound reasoning as to why. His interest in books was something, though. It showed that he liked to learn. It also told her that he favored making things as opposed to buying them. The last question hadn't really been anything important other than a conversation starter but his answer made her chuckle. As the questions were turned on her Phae found herself shrugging in silence before speaking. "Wh- well.. I really like the northern Jauhar music. It's sharp to the ear but has great melody to it." Since wood was aplenty in the north flutes were more popular and that made the high notes of the music come alive.

"As for books.. mostly recipes. I like learning different styles of cooking. However, there is a tale from the past I'm fond of. It's not really in book form though. The Shamans and Elders of Tale tell all the children the story." One about early tribe members and how they came to speak with the spirits. Then she shook her head. "No Inns, sadly. I didn't really get a chance to stay in any." Her trip south had been spent mostly in the woods and the place she had stay at in Oba didn't feel like an Inn, oddly enough.  

[Orpheus Solon]

Heras Box

"Do you do much in the way of musical things yourself? Singing or playing an instrument?" If she was able to do that then maybe she would be able to teach Profit some songs he thought to himself in an excited manner. She seemed as though she at least had an ear for music, especially that of northern Jauhar, so maybe it would be a possibility? He wouldn't ask that of her now though since they had just arrived in Awat. For now he felt that what they should be doing was mostly relaxing... at least once they had gone to the market to pick up the various things that they would need while they were here.

Giving a nod of his head as she mentioned that she liked recipe books he decided to make a note of that. While they were in Awat's market he could keep an eye out for such books and pick her one up. It would be a nice gift to give to the woman that was keeping him company a lot of late. It was something that Bushi wasn't really used to, having gotten used to his interactions with people being more broken up because he was always on the move. To actually spend extended amounts of time with a person was something new for him.

"You will have to tell me the story sometime. I must say I am curious." Bushi said before he smiled, "Well, I am sorry to say that you will miss out on visiting an inn again since you will be staying instead in the guest room of this place." Something he said with a chuckle.