Thankfully, the man got the message.
Thankfully, the delivery arrived when I was home alone.
“Oh, ho, some good stuff this time?” The old man is nearly toothless and his grin looks about like Ai-chan’s.
“Well, my husband takes good care of me,” I smile. Although I can -feel- his look take in my hand, and the cane in my hand.
But I put it aside in our room. There’s generally been some sort of sake in the house, it’s indispensable – used in many recipes, even though it’s merely a basic kind I keep for that. However, my stores and supplies in the kitchen are diminished since I’ve returned. I’ve taught Yukiko-san a lot about cooking and she did the marketing for me, but there’s a fine art to stocking a kitchen that I still need to show her.
Marketing… I miss that. First, with the pregnancy, and now, hobbled by my injuries. I wonder what the old man who sells plants and flowers has? Our winter food garden is getting a good start…
I go out with my cane in the last of the light, after dinner. Standing on the engawa, for a minute, nervous. It was a night like this that the imposter made his way in…. I shiver, even though it’s not too cool yet… how long will that live with me?
Ah! The laundry is still hanging out! Shaken out of my moping by the need to be -useful- I make my way down to the ground and then to the clothesline.
(OOC – anyone can interact with Hide if they wish)
EIJI:
I go outside to stretch my legs. Though it’s odd to be living here, one of the highlights is the food and we had a good dinner! Too bad Otou-san missed it. I see Yagi-san getting to the clothes. She can’t possibly do that yet can she? Well if Yukiko was here…
“I can do that for you Yagi-san!” I call out as I run up to her and start taking the clothes. “These can be heavy. ” I remind her and smile as I get the rest of the clothes.
I can do that for you Yagi-san!
I turn around at Eiji-san’s voice. “Thank you,” I say, as he rushes to pull down the rest. After picking up the clothespins I dropped, I turn to him. “They’re dry now, but still a bit cumbersome, you’re right.”
I smile over at him. “I heard that you helped with the laundry, back at the Fujita house?”
EIJI:
“Well it was the least I could do. Tokio-san liked working in the garden and cooking. I tried to help out in other ways like picking up, laundry,
house cleaning and watching the boys.” I tell her. “Two boys and holding down a teaching job can be a lot of work.”
I pause, I didn’t want it to sound like Otou-san dumped all the house duties and rearing Tsutomu and Yoshi to Tokio-san but between the two of them she was more present… in a way. And saving a village like mine isn’t exactly a 9 to 5 job. So it couldn’t be helped I guess.
“Now where would you like to put these Yagi-san?”
Ooc. Sorry I kept thinking I was getting an email notification. I forget that it only sends to the original poster.
He tells me something of the life of the house. “And I guess Tsutomu-kun and Tsuyoshi-kun were too young to help much?” Although… I started helping out when I was very young. But we were probably not a “proper” samurai family to some…
I look at the sheets that have been pulled off the line – they’re one of the sets I have in Tsutomu-kun’s room. “He’s getting the hang of this pretty quickly,” I say. “He must have been watching you, back in those days.”
“Fold them up – those go back up to Tsutomu-kun’s room. I asked him to help out with some of the household chores in order to lighten Yukiko-san’s burden – she’s done so much around here, and I thought it would be easier for her by now, until this,” I say, looking at my hand.
“And I guess Tsutomu-kun and Tsuyoshi-kun were too young to help much?”
“Well the boys were rather care free, especially Tomu.” I laugh softly, “he was such a naughty boy back then, he gets dead snakes and freak out Yoshi but he’d be such a good boy by the time the evening comes and Fujita-san gets home. ” that was a long time ago. How things have drastically changed.
Yagi-san tells me about how Tomu is doing chores now? I’m… surprised. He can’t be fine with that but he seems to be doing it and didn’t say anything to complain about it. There must be a reason why, aside from helping out Yukiko.
“Sure I’ll make sure to bring these upstairs. ” I think for a moment. “I hate to ask Yagi-san but did Otou-san tell you why he gave up the machiya?” I look too the side, “I know I’ve not been paying for the place but if he had asked me, I would paid the rent since I’ve been doing of his around town.” And ever since Tomu didn’t show up at the Akabeko, I had another job to go to.
I smile as he laughs, speaking about the boys’ childhood. And snakes! I don’t think, if he tried that now, that Makoto would be -as- put off by those, even if dead… “So when he was little, they got along?” I ask, quietly. I wonder if he ran to his father the way Makoto does now…
Eiji-san also seems surprised about the chores. My brothers didn’t really do much, so maybe the expectation wasn’t there in Aizu samurai families either.
I hate to ask Yagi-san but did Otou-san tell you why he gave up the machiya
“Money is tight,” I admit. “And he needs a new sword…” Suddenly, I think of something. I can have it ready for him – even if he turns it down, the swords last (poorly) worn by me should at least look proper, and not all dull and neglected.
“Could you do me a favor, when you take the laundry up? In the upstairs hallway there’s a hatchway in the ceiling, that’s a small attic space. There should be a long box, not to tall? If you could bring that down to me?” I’ll just have to clean it the best I can, given my hand….
“But back to the machiya – do you have a job now? What sort?” I ask, curious. “Also… I think he knows I’ve been uneasy… honestly, everywhere, since the kidnapping. I think he knows that I’ll be comforted to have you here, until I recover.” I don’t know why he kept the place so long, even with Eiji-san. He wasn’t there the entire time since we came back and took over this house again…
I nod. “It sounds so impossible today doesn’t it Yagi-san? But that boy used to look forward to him coming home. He would make sure his younger brother looked properly clean before Yoshi ran into Otou-san’s uniform.” I shake my head and laugh, “Yoshi loved playing in the mud, making mud pies.”
“Money is tight,” “And he needs a new sword…”
“Oh… I thought he just wanted to kick me out.” Have I become too suspicious of him? But if I did, it wasn’t without reason.
“As for the sword, that’s curious, he was so careful with this last one.” I shrug, “I heard he went through swords like clothes but this last one was his favorite, lasting for almost 7 years!” It’s then I wonder, 7 years is just a year older than Makoto-chan isn’t it?
There should be a long box, not to tall? If you could bring that down to me?”
“Sure of course. I’ll bring it out to the tatami room?”
“But back to the machiya – do you have a job now? What sort?” I ask, curious. “Also… I think he knows I’ve been uneasy… honestly, everywhere, since the kidnapping. I think he knows that I’ll be comforted to have you here, until I recover.”
I scratch the back of my head, “Well I went back to work at the Akabeko part time and I’ve taken other jobs around Tokyo.” I know I should at least make an appearance in the Army, maybe try to enlist as an army reserve but oh well. Just like Yagi-san said, I’m needed here. “I’ll stay as long as you need Yagi-san but it’s odd to have taken over the main room. I didn’t mind sharing a room with Tomu.”
“Well unless you need anything else. I better take these inside and get that box.”
(OOC: Eiji will exit unless something else. You can close)
Oh, how carefree those children once were…. was it Tokio’s… actions that changed it? I had heard once, in the way that I do, of the mudballs.
As for the sword, that’s curious, he was so careful with this last one. I heard he went through swords like clothes but this last one was his favorite, lasting for almost 7 years!
“It was a good sword. Once selected… just for the bearer.” I look past him, into the darkening night sky. “But Osaka…” and -after-, “took a heavy toll.” I look at my hand. I think of promises made, the hope in that grey morning light in that nearly-empty room in a distant city. But here we are, and I’ve failed him -again-.
At least… I can provide the only sword I can, now.
Well I went back to work at the Akabeko part time and I’ve taken other jobs around Tokyo
I nod, “I’m glad you’re still working with your friends,” I say, and that he’s been given some leeway, I suppose, on his adopted family, in a way that Yukiko-san was not.
I’ll stay as long as you need Yagi-san but it’s odd to have taken over the main room. I didn’t mind sharing a room with Tomu.”
I nod. “I think… that would be for the best, really. I don’t think… he has many friends.” I smile a little. “He should at least have a companion at home.” For as close as he is to Makoto, there’s still a wide gulf between them – one I know well, having younger siblings of my own – it’s not the same as a friend. And while Eiji-san is older, the gap is closer.
He brings down the box, to the tatami room, where I meet him with all of the supplies I’ll need. Now I can get started.
(OOC – Close, starting a new thread)