(D5 LE, Yuzuki's Tent) Are We Friends Now?

[Yuzuki]

"Hmm," she brought a finger up to her lips as her eyes shifted upward in thought.

"Something about asking if he was food. It seemed like he didn't know what a cat was."

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

Yue laughed as she continued to feel the cat's fur. "I do not think your cat would make good food, Yuzuki-san. I am sure that she would be hard to hunt too." She put on a coy grin. "Isn't that right, you little, sneaky thing?!"

[Yuzuki]

She blinked as the strange language emerged. She'd heard bits and pieces of it before, and it was curious indeed.

"May I ask, what language is that you're speaking?"

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"Ah. Gomennasai." The Shinjo bowed her head as an apology. "I was speaking Mekhem, Yuzuki-san. It is the language of the Burning Sands. I am most comfortable with it."

[Yuzuki]

"More than Rokugani though?"

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

Yue nodded. "Hai. My Rokugani is not the best, Yuzuki-san." She smiled at the notion that perhaps it was not as poor as she believed.

[Yuzuki]

"It seems strange, did the Unicorn not speak much Rokugani among themselves while out there?"

Surely her family would've spoken the mother language to her as a child.

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"Hai. We spoke Rokugani. However, we spoke Mekhem primarily in my immediate family." She shrugged. "My father often dealt with the natives of the Burning Sands."

[Yuzuki]

"I see," she said, still confused.

Why would they speak Mekhem in their immediate family even if they dealt with the natives so often? It was a question she decided not to ask, so as to not be rude.

"I can not imagine what that must've been like."

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

Yue was unaware of how odd her situation was. "There are many people outside of the Empire. However, I am enjoying learning more about the different Clans." She scooted in closer. "What are the Mantis known for most?" she asked with a big, expecting grin on her face.

[Yuzuki]

The truthful answer was probably something along the lines of 'piracy'. But that was not, of course, the answer she gave.

"We control the islands to the east, and keep the empire safe from naval invasion. Ours is the largest navy in Rokugan."

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"A navy? I have never been on a boat before." Yue smiled more. "How is sailing? How is the ocean? How do you get food? How do you sleep with the waves?"

[Yuzuki]

So many questions again. And they weren't unexpected. She'd had to answer quite a few very similar questions these past few days.

"The ocean is vast. Stretching far beyond the horizon. When the winds are calm, it is like there is a second sky below. And during a storm, the waves can grow as tall as cliffs. For food, there are many fish, creatures, and plants in the ocean, though our islands also have many fruits and spices. Sleep is easy so long as it's not storming. The waves make you feel like a baby being rocked back and forth."

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

"Wow," was all she had to say. She had not even absorbed all of the information. However, she was not about to ask Yuzuki to repeat herself. "How big are the boats? Are they bigger than this village? I am sure they are bigger than that monster."

[Yuzuki]

"Uhm..."

Bigger than the village? Seriously?

"They're not quite as big as a village, Shinjo-san. Some of the largest warships can have crews of up to a hundred people, maybe even more, but most have a crew of around 50 or so."