[Masamune no Gin]

Gin was starting to get used to this place. Though many of its little idiosyncrasies were a little irritating. For example, while she hardly expected people to bow and scrape before her, most everyone in a related trade knew of and respected the Masamune. Envious of their prowess, or eager to see their materials used in their fabled, holy blades. Here, she was forced to use her connections to the leadership of Nohara no Kuni in order to receive a fraction of the deference she was owed.

It was also a shame that the land was apparently so lawless that she needed an escort, though it fortunately tended to keep its distance. Something about being a 'national asset.' Though, considering her run-in with that Muramasa ruffian, perhaps that minor irritation was for the best.

Hohei-chō was more to her taste than Hirata. Older, more noble. A fortress, not a trap for travelers and those with a poor grasp on their own coin purse. It almost felt familiar, though the fact that most of the soldiery were mere ashigaru and these strange shinobi still struck her as decidedly odd. Especially when they tried to forge weapons.

"Again, no! How many times must we go over this?" Gin's raised voice cut through the crowd, emanating from a trade goods store, whose proprietor looked equal parts placating and exasperated.
"What appears to be the issue, Masamune-san?" The merchant was trying very hard to keep irritation out of his voice.
"The issue is that you keep trying to fill my orders with steel, instead of coke and iron! Even now!" Gin slammed her hand on the counter for emphasis. "I've seen how you people prepare the steel - typical shortcutting. If you'd read that manual I'd so kindly sent you-"
"With all due respect, Masamune-san, the foundries here aren't going to switch to an entirely new method for a single order. Especially when the results would seem to be virtually identical, just less efficient." Gin rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms.
"Then send me the iron and coke, and I'll do it myself!" Irritation was rising in both parties now.
"Don't you have swords to make...? The steel is of high quality, I assure you. I'm just concerned you'll fall behind on your quota." An impasse seemed to have been reached. Steel was easier to transport than iron and coke, and had a much higher profit margin compared to raw iron and the coke needed to carbonize it into steel. That much made sense, but it seemed Gin's talk of spiritual impurities was reaching plugged ears. These simpletons only cared about physical impurities. And knew nothing of how exacting the art of creating reactive and conductive alloys was.

"Send me the coke and iron," Gin warned, her eyes narrowed. "You know where to send the invoice." With that, Gin turned on a heel and stormed out, rolling her eyes, and flicking her hair back dramatically as she strode out onto the street.

Striking a passerby with her dyed red-and-white locks. Gin turned to them, and quelled the bit of irritation that was still within her. She wasn't some churlish noble, who trampled over her lessers without regret. "Ah, my apologies. I forget myself when dealing with the incompetent," Gin said loudly enough for the store owner to hear. "I do hope I've not caused you any distress."

[Akatsuki]

 

- Watch for me by moonlight -

"I’ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!"

Akatsuki no longer had a taste for adventure--though, truthfully, that spirit had died the day her brother was taken from her. In the following years, she had found much joy and peace in interacting with the world as she traversed it for her search, but the goal had never been simply to explore. And, after her quest had come to a dim end and she'd retired her dreams, she found herself idling like a ghost. Not straying too far from her temple, and never seeking out any dramatic changes to the simple life she had since crafted for herself.
    Not yet, at least.
    That did not mean, however, that she was afraid to leave--and whenever she felt compelled to stray, she followed her heart as she always did.
    For now, what brought her from her home hadn't been some grandiose plan or plot for adventure, but rather seeking something specific in mind. It was what had brought her here--perhaps unorthodox and awfully brave for her to try engaging with the residents of the town, but she was never one to exhibit too much fear.
    As she walked down the street of the town of smiths, a door opened and a flip of hair smacked Akatsuki right in the face--causing the woman to halt her gait a bit in surprise. "Oh-!" It didn't hurt, of course, though the woman who had exited the building seemed to be in quite a huffy mood. Irate and temperamental, by the mere first impression at least.
    "Not at all, there was no harm done," Akatsuki spoke lightly in response to the woman's apology. Of all the first encounters she'd had with strangers, this was far from the worst. Though, of speaking of distress--the other woman certainly seemed to have something bothering her. Interacting with "incompetent" people, by the sound of it. Regardless, it certainly seemed that she had more steam to blow off than Akatsuki had. "Is anything the matter?"

Masamune no Gin | 325 Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Masamune no Gin]

"Just despairing that it seems that every land teems with the mediocre and the incompetent," Gin said dramatically, keeping her voice loud enough to carry. It seemed, if nothing else, that Gin would rather people know that she was badmouthing them, even if indirectly. "But unless you happen to be a wholesaler of raw iron, it's not something you can aid me with."

Gin looked at the woman properly, raising a hand to her chin. She was polite, and not obnoxious like many of the people she met. She seemed cultured as well - making connections in this strange land could be a good idea. Assuming, of course, that she wasn't just some nameless commoner.

"Masamune no Gin, of Tetsu no Kuni," Gin introduced herself abruptly, righting her hair in lieu of a bow. "Now, I must make up for my prior discourtesy. What refreshments does this land offer? My throat is parched from lodging complaints." It didn't sound like an invitation. Rather, Gin clearly assumed the other woman would simply drop whatever errand she was running to entertain her for a time.

[Akatsuki]

 

- Watch for me by moonlight -

"I’ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!"

"Ah... that's... too bad," Akatsuki said awkwardly in response to the woman's explanation. Mediocre and incompetent? Akatsuki hoped she was just frustrated and lashing out verbally at those around her, but... well, she supposed there were plenty of people around who held such beliefs sincerely. A difference of opinions, perhaps. If she felt that way, there was likely very little that Akatsuki could do in the moment to change her outlook on the world. "Unfortunately, I am not," she confirmed the other woman's suspicions.
    If nothing else, at least she'd been able to vent momentarily about her frustration, so Akatsuki was content to leave it there.
    The two shared passing glances for a moment. While the other woman looked Akatsuki over, Akatsuki glanced back in return. The other woman also had long white hair--and judging by her eyes, she did not seem to be a Kyōbō. Something that probably was for the best, anyway. The other woman was dressed quite practically--while Akatsuki had begun favoring dresses with flowing skirts now that she'd settled down a bit in the land of fields--and unlike Akatsuki, the woman had her hair tied up in a high ponytail and out of her face. She was cute, and while Akatsuki did not hope to attain friendship from their brief encounter, she hoped it could stay a pleasant first meeting.
    Just as Akatsuki thought about giving her farewells--the woman instead introduced herself.
    Masamune no Gin, of Tetsu no Kuni.
    Akatsuki's eyes lit up for a moment. "Ah--Tetsu no Kuni?" Then, she smiled and a slight giggle escaped from her. "You are very far from home, then!" Giving a slight bow of her own in turn, curtseying with her skirts, Akatsuki introduced herself in turn. It only seemed polite to accept the invitation of introduction, after all! "I am Akatsuki the Bleeding Sun. I hail from Tsuchi no Kuni, but my home is anywhere the sun touches."
    Rather, her birth place meant nothing to her.
    She had traveled the world and while she resided in Nohara no Kuni for now, she understood that may change at any moment. And she would be content with that.
    "Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with this settlement, myself," Akatsuki admitted when Gin asked where she might find somewhere to drink. "I came seeking the services of the craftsmen that I heard stay here. If you seek companionship on your search, however, I would not mind accompanying you temporarily." She could keep her eye out for a workshop while also helping the woman find somewhere to get something to drink, could she not? And, besides, she hardly considered her own quest to be all too pressing a matter. 

Masamune no Gin | 446 Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Masamune no Gin]

"'The Bleeding Sun?' Quite the macabre epithet, though I confess it means little to me." Gin's interest was piqued. These shinobi had all manner of confusing titles and terms, to which Gin paid little heed. Only the clan hierarchy and the general concept of social standing meant much to her.

Gin failed to silence the annoyed clock of her tongue when Akatsuki confessed that she was also unfamiliar with the area. Just her luck that the first interesting and halfway polite person she had met was just as ignorant as she. But that mild annoyance soon passed with the next sentence.

"Well, my fair Bleeding Sun, if you are in need of arms or armor, you won't find a finer craftsman in the entirety of Nohara no Kuni." Her chest puffed up on clear pride, and she crossed her arms as she made an imperious pose. "I take it you're unfamiliar with the Masamune? A shame that tales of our surpassing blades are most confined to the samurai of my homeland." Gin turned, narrowing her eyes as she tried to find a cafe, or something. She motioned Akatsuki to follow. There was business to discuss, now! "What do you need made? A lady like yourself... a naginata? A kodachi? Oh! Armor for your husband?"

[Akatsuki]

 

- Watch for me by moonlight -

"I’ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!"

Macabre? Well, Akatsuki hadn't quite heard that one, before, but she supposed it wasn't inaccurate. In it's own way, she felt that any understanding of the namesake was probably accurate. In one way, or another. While she tried to be a positive force in other's lives, she hardly considered herself pure. No, quite the opposite, really. She was tainted with curses and damnation, and she was a creature who knew suffering with an intimacy most did not.
    So, she simply smiled a little in response, giving a light shrug.
    The name meant nothing to Gin, and that was perfectly fine--her name often didn't mean anything to people she hadn't met, before.
    Then, the other woman puffed her chest and declared her greatness. She was more than happy to explain the status of her clan's craftsmanship, and Akatsuki's light smile did not fade. Instead, she grinned more brightly. "I am not entirely unfamiliar with the Masamune. I have visited Tetsu no Kuni, personally! In fact, there is almost no country I have not stepped foot in," she explained. While she did not know every secret of each corner of the world--having explored and traveled as much as she had, and with memory as keen as hers was, there was much that she had heard and picked up over the years. Knowledge, information, culture, language--she did not know it all, but she was acquainted with most of it. She blushed at the thought of having a husband, and quickly shook her head to dismiss the idea. "I am seeking a new saya for my companion--my katana. The one I had prior got busted, and I need something sturdy."
    Her "companion" was no ordinary blade, after all.
    "It will need to be able to handle a great deal of force, simple wood will not do." Wood broke too easily, she'd found. More often than not, in the past, when her saya broke, she kept her blade bare. Though, then, the weapon often cut through whatever leather she used as a belt--which meant having to carry it by hand.
    Which she could do--but it left one of her hands occupied when she'd prefer to keep both available when necessary. It was nicer travelling without carrying a bunch of things in her arms.
    "Though, I don't mean to burden you. I'm sure you're very busy with a long list of orders you must complete," Akatsuki said. She had no expectations that the woman would drop everything she already had planned to help Akatsuki. In truth, she considered herself lucky that one such craftsman happened to quite literally bump into her--but the woman's services were not expected! She'd hoped instead to find someone who had been actively seeking new projects to take on, rather than burden someone who was already busy with her request.

Masamune no Gin | 468 Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Masamune no Gin]

Gin found her prior irritation fading. So, there were people of culture and who possessed manners in this ninja-infested backwater!
"With how pleasant you are, I'm certain you receive a warm welcome wherever you go," It was a bit of flattery, perhaps, and it wasn't that genuine. But this was a potential client, and one of the few tolerable people she had met since leaving her homeland.

Bleeding Sun or not, she did speak a little familiarly to Gin, but such a lack of niceties could be overlooked. Sycophancy, bowing, and scraping became so tiring, as satisfying as it was to receive every now and again.

"It is true: I am highly in demand, with many commissions to fulfil. But many of them are challenging in their own right, so these... unorthodox requests may serve as fertile ground for experimentation." Gin mentally waved off the more common weapons she had been expected to make. "Besides, the errors of my supplier have to be remedied first." Gin grew distracted, searching Akatsuki's expression as gears started to turn.

"Wood is chosen for a saya because it is light and durable. The edge of the blade ideally does not even touch the wood itself..." Gin tapped her chin in thought, cocking her head and hip as she pondered the problem. "Steel and iron would be far too heavy... if hardness is required, fire-hardened wood would be an option. Or perhaps supple leather..."

Gin was mostly speaking to herself, clearly interested in this latest puzzle. "Well, perhaps if you told me the nature of your unusual blade? I've not heard of even the most clumsy of iaijutsu practitioners having an issue with splitting their saya. Nor those who use ōdachi or zanbatō."