Trying to Find Grandpa's Friend

Kiki wandered through the market place. It was much bigger and busier than the one in Osami. She looked around for a guy that fit her grandfather's description. She could hardly make out what the people around her looked like let alone try to see if they fit her grandfather's description.

Leon waited at the market. The innkeeper had asked a favor of him, and seeing as he'd been provided free board recently, Leon was happy to help.

Waiting with the parcel, he looked over the heads of scraggly merchants and their bargainers, looking for a girl fitting the right description.

She spotted someone in the distance that seemed like it might be the person that she was looking for. 'I hope this is him... I just want to go home, this place is too crowded.' She started walking towards him.

Scanning the crowd in what was a clearly systematic manner, Leon soon spotted a young woman not too far away. Making eye contact, he raised the parcel to a height where it would be visible to her, and gave her a questioning glance.

Over the noise and crowd of the market, it was effective communication.

Kiki saw the parcel and figured that was the guy she was looking for. She walked over to him. "Hi I'm Kiki. And you are?"

Standing stock straight, he bowed; it was polite, but it almost seemed like he forced it to be less formal than he was accustomed to. All in all, unless one recognized it, it would seem as nothing out of the ordinary - a polite greeting between strangers with mutual business.

"Leon, Miss. According to the innkeeper, I'm to pass to someone of your description - and thankfully, name - a parcel for the Blacksmith in Osami. As it stands, I think you'll find it in order."

Kiki wasn't used to things being this formal. "Ah.. Umm... Yeah of course." She said as she accepted the parcel from Leon. "So how did you get stuck doing the innkeeper's business?" She said while leaning up against a nearby solid thing. She didn't really pay attention to what it was.

Realizing she was uncomfortable with his stance, he toned things down a bit.

"Just doing a favor; the innkeeper here has given me free board since I broke in his colt, and I'm grateful for that, so running an errand was a start to showing my gratitude."

"Ahh, makes sense. At least you're getting something out of this." She said trying to joke around.

"And you're not? Ah, forgive me; it's hardly my business."

Leon masked his thoughts with a smile, but internally, the awkwardness of things being less than regimented was getting to him.

Kiki figured that he took her seriously. "No I was only joking..." The conversation was getting more and more awkward.

"I see; again, forgive me, it's been a while since I was in humorous company. However, in sincerity, so that you can say you are getting something out of this exchange, may I offer you an escort back to Osami?" Leon was determined to continue as if normal, despite the unsteady communication between himself and the girl.

Kiki thought for a second. "Sure, if you don't mind, that is." She didn't want to be a burden to Leon, but she wouldn't mind getting to know him better.

"Of course; I would not offer if I intended not to follow through. With times as they are, it may be wiser to travel in company."

Smiling disarmingly, he said "It seems my practicing with the village militia is effecting me already; serve and protect, as they say. Shall we?"

What he didn't mention was that, in training with the militia, he had corrected a man's grip on a blade in the first session - that man just happened to be the corporal in charge of the drill. A sparring match had ensued, and since then, Leon had reformed the majority of their weapons practices. Any bandit setting upon Kyoshi as a target would be in for a hell of a fight.

She smiled and turned to walk back home. At least she wasn't alone. "So... You practise with the village militia? You must be really strong."

"Not especially. Anyone can learn to use a spear, and I reasoned that it's a useful skill, with bandit attacks becoming more frequent."

Walking along with her, he asked "So, what about yourself?"

"I'm a blacksmith in Osami. I work with my grandfather. When we're not busy he has me running little errands like this for him."
Usually when she told people that she was a blacksmith they were kind of surprised that a girl was interetsed in that stuff.

Leon had honestly no idea what trades most villagers worked - some, he knew by association, but otherwise, he was fairly clueless to what was normal and what was strange.

Aiming to converse in a manner that would seem normal no matter the commonality of her trade, he said "And you said I must be strong! Surely a vocation like that is more strenuous than mere militia training."

"Well it's not that hard when you've done it for as long as you can remember." It was true. Even though she was only 16 for as long as she could remember she had been working with her grandfather.

"I guess that's true. You'd build up an aptitude for it, eventually."

"Yeah." She looked at the surroundings trying to figure out how close they were to Osami.

Kitsune ran out of the village. "Kiki, Grandpa just woke me up to go...." Kitsune eyed the man near her questioningly and put his hand to his sword. "And you are?"

"Kitsu, this is Leon." She said as she stepped forward and took his hand off of his sword. "Leon this is is Kitsune. He lives with me and my grandfather." She than turned back to Kitsune. "Kitsune, why are you here?"

Leon bowed to Kitsune, understanding the hostility, and not begrudging it in the least.

"Just offered to escort her back to Osami, friend." His tone was pleasant; reasoning with people was a forte.

"Hmph," the young Fox quickly sized him up, saying, "You're a soldier, aren't you? Anyways," He turned to Kiki, "Grandpa sent me to find you, he told me you left a while ago, so I went to find you," He leaned in close to her and whispered, "I don't like this guy, he's shady. Keep your guard up with him." He looked back at Leon, "Well then," Kitsune smiled, "Let's go!"