Moriko kept a passive expression on her face all through her grandparents' funeral.
She, like all the others of the family and her grandparents' friends, was wearing white. Tsurara burial customs were a little different than normal Sunan ones, so some of these friends were a little surprised by how it was held near the ceremonial fireplace in the large central clan building as opposed to outdoors. Or how the objects, her grandparents' possessions, were laid out around their bodies--objects that the family members made sure to rip up or break as applicable.
Or how the rest of it was a celebration, with singing, story-telling, and some dancing. She did not mind this part much, per se. If she'd actually had to be solemn throughout, like other funerals she'd heard of, she would've cracked up.
It was the first time she'd seen her mother in a while, too. Yuri was required to be one of the storytellers, leaving off the ending of the story as was tradition. But, Moriko thought, which was also very applicable to her as a person. Tsurara Yuri was not particularly great at follow-through. Who knew what would happen with her as the clan leader.
It was obvious how the Tsurara had carried over traditions from long ago and far away, as everyone knew the burial was adapted. That being said, it was as close as it could be. There was a graveyard off isolated in the mountains, and several ninja clan members--not direct lines descendants, not ever--would carry the bodies there in woven mats, and others would follow with those objects to place in and around the graves. Not everyone would go, since it was too far off; it had to be far off, but in the old days it had been in walking distance for others, if not easily. The Tsurara family did not believe in visiting grave sites after the funeral.
Moriko, as a direct descendant, was not to be going. Nor was her mother. Instead they sent along offerings. Moriko had been allowed to carefully go through her grandmother's things, and selected an old harp to snap in two and send along. Yuri had rended a garment, a favourite of her mother's.
There was a lot to the ceremony. Moriko had seen it before. More than a few times, really. She just...didn't feel anything from it. Never had. She had heard her family's traditions called both beautiful and odd before--sometimes by the same person--but it was just...how it was.
After the procession had departed, Yuri went home to change out of her pristine white flowing garment. Moriko followed because she had to do the same thing; she might not be superstitious about the colour, but wearing it alone made her look washed-out. All of them were pale, especially for a clan of the desert, but she sometimes felt moreso than the others.
Though no one had yet said it out loud, her mother was now in charge--which meant Moriko was now the heir. Directly. No one else in-between, now.
"I'm going to have to cut back on patrol hours," Yuri said distantly after Moriko emerged from her room, clad more normally. "And they might need to replace me for the Sennin Games patrol. You aren't ready for that, of course."
It would be a conflict of interest, but then her mother didn't know that. Moriko kept her expression flat as ever. "Probably not. Is there anything I need to do?"
"Find a marriage," her mother said.
Moriko gave her an incredulous look. "One, I'm fifteen. Two, do you somehow not know I've had a boyfriend for over two years now?"
"I met your father..." Yuri trailed off and shook her head, as if banishing a feeling before it had time to set in at all. "Never mind. That's good. Other than that, no. You might be called to make decisions more often but you won't be specifically taught how. Go with what you think best."
The only thing Moriko appreciated about her mother was not being treated like a child. Granted, that was because Yuri barely seemed conscious of children being a thing, but it was sometimes nice all the same.
"Right," Moriko said. Her mother might regret saying that at some point. "Can I go?"
"What? Yes." Yuri gave her an evaluating look. "Should I meet this boyfriend?"
Bit late to pretend you care now. "Plenty others have and they like him. Bye."
She didn't slam her way out of the house, but she did leave the compound as fast as she could manage. She hadn't wanted to bring Tsukiya to the funeral, not as a slight at him--never that--but because it was supposed to be for those close to the deceased and Tsukiya had met her grandparents all of once. They had decided that he'd 'do' as a suitor. Tsukiya had waited until they were alone to say they clearly didn't know anything about anyone then. Moriko had agreed.
She met Tsukiya on the rooftops near the Bazaar, where he was perched watching over it. He had less to do with his family's stall these days, since like her he went more into ninja work.
"How was it?" he asked. She'd explained ahead of time what was going on, and why he wasn't invited.
"Nothing, really," she said, sitting next to him and carefully arranging her skirt. "I've been to a few before. I don't even get to go to the grave site. Their friends looked a bit surprised when we started ripping and breaking most of their things; that was the most interesting thing that happened, to my mind."
"Hm," Tsukiya said. "My family lays round stones on graves. I suppose we all have our traditions. You don't feel anything?"
"No," Moriko said. "I probably should, huh. But I've known they were dying a while. They were sick for months now. If there was anything for me to say or feel, I'm already past it."
"And you won't much miss them."
She shrugged with one shoulder. "Probably not much, no. Their kids and my mother's generation in general will more, I guess. I take it nothing else interesting is going on."
"I watched to see if any of your competition entered, but didn't see anything," he said. "Slim pickings, perhaps confidence issues. There might've been a few other people watching, but I don't believe any of them saw me." Tsukiya was rather good at fading into the environment when he wanted to be. If he'd felt inclined to jump into a specialty branch, ANBU might well have loved him.
"I'd guess a lot of people are watching," she said.
"Probably some are watching you, too, now you've entered," Tsukiya said. She started. "I don't know if it gets back to your family or not. Even if it did, they can't make you not go."
"They wouldn't if they could; we'd lose face. It'd just be annoying." Then again, if they were over more than a day, she'd have to deal with their attitudes in-between anyway. "My mother actually told me to get married. I'm tempted to say we should just never do that to annoy her."
"That would be a shame," he said. "I would very much like to make you my spouse some day."
He just said things like that sometimes, and meant them moreover, which made Moriko's cheeks go red. "I'm not serious, anyway," she mumbled. "Rather elope or something. Don't invite her."
"That I can live with." He stood and brushed off his pants, and she copied him, curious. "I thought of somewhere we can go. What with you reminding me of differences and so on--does your family have an old language?"
"Sooort of," she said, wobbling her hand. "It was never like, written down or anything. Why?"
"It'd be nice to know we aren't being overheard and understood when we talk or communicate," Tsukiya said, frowning lightly before his expression cleared. "Never mind. We could use yours, or the one from my mother's family from back--but those are harder for either of us to learn. Back to Plan A, then. I was going to propose we go to the Oracle Library and pick up Runic Terran."
"For...secret communication?" Moriko gave him a look. "Just about any ninja in Sand can do that."
"And how many do?" he asked with an arched eyebrow. "Not to mention you did say once you might have, in some world, liked to be an Oracle some day...it could be a decent look at it."
"I...guess." A lot of things would have had to have gone differently, but Moriko did not know if anyone in her family was in any of the Orders. It certainly wasn't a way to stand out, with how secretive they were. Which was the point of all of this in the first place. "I'd have to be a very different person for that. But it couldn't hurt to go make the try."
"It could if either of us were closed-minded, as I understand," Tsukiya said. His expression and the way his eyebrow was quirked made it very obvious he didn't think either of them would have that issue.
They made it to the library in short order. The structure itself was impressive, Moriko had to admit. Particularly for the sheen and polish of it. Inside, the sheer volume of books and scrolls even more so. The place seemed to go on forever with it all.
The volume of The Annals of the Conqueror itself was very easy to find, made explicitly so by the Oracles. Moriko and Tsukiya beelined for it, standing on either side of the tome, eyeing it.
"Supposedly you don't even have to read it," Tsukiya said.
"Mm," Moriko said, and reached out to pick it up.
The instant she lifted it in her hands a shiver went over her, as if a great spirit had brushed through her and found her just worthy enough. She shook it off and passed the book over. He paused for a full five seconds, handling it gently and with the respect it deserved before setting it back down. Both of them turned and exited.
It was one thing to not have to study--another to have a whole language dumped in your head on instant.
"I don't know if it liked me very much," Tsukiya said as they made their way back into the city proper, to head back to a good sitting spot--perhaps stopping for a snack on the way. "Or possibly, too much."
Yes, certainly if there was any remnant of the Conqueror himself around, someone with a title like that might well like someone like Tsukiya. And, for that matter, her.
"Never mind that," she said. "We'll have to learn each others' languages the harder way. If you're all right with mine lacking a writing system, I mean."
"Of course," he said. "And if you're all right with mine's writing system being different again."
Moriko shrugged. "I like a challenge as much as you do. Why else are we here?"
"Why else indeed." He stretched. "Fancy some dried fruit before we go back to people-watching?"
"Why not." There was a stand on the way to the Bazaar. "Let's go."
Fingers laced together, her right hand to his left, they could have looked just like any normal couple. That was. If one disregarded the weapons, and how they were murmuring to each other in very foreign tongues.
Ah well. Neither of them wanted 'normal' anyway.
[Topic Entered/Left]
She, like all the others of the family and her grandparents' friends, was wearing white. Tsurara burial customs were a little different than normal Sunan ones, so some of these friends were a little surprised by how it was held near the ceremonial fireplace in the large central clan building as opposed to outdoors. Or how the objects, her grandparents' possessions, were laid out around their bodies--objects that the family members made sure to rip up or break as applicable.
Or how the rest of it was a celebration, with singing, story-telling, and some dancing. She did not mind this part much, per se. If she'd actually had to be solemn throughout, like other funerals she'd heard of, she would've cracked up.
It was the first time she'd seen her mother in a while, too. Yuri was required to be one of the storytellers, leaving off the ending of the story as was tradition. But, Moriko thought, which was also very applicable to her as a person. Tsurara Yuri was not particularly great at follow-through. Who knew what would happen with her as the clan leader.
It was obvious how the Tsurara had carried over traditions from long ago and far away, as everyone knew the burial was adapted. That being said, it was as close as it could be. There was a graveyard off isolated in the mountains, and several ninja clan members--not direct lines descendants, not ever--would carry the bodies there in woven mats, and others would follow with those objects to place in and around the graves. Not everyone would go, since it was too far off; it had to be far off, but in the old days it had been in walking distance for others, if not easily. The Tsurara family did not believe in visiting grave sites after the funeral.
Moriko, as a direct descendant, was not to be going. Nor was her mother. Instead they sent along offerings. Moriko had been allowed to carefully go through her grandmother's things, and selected an old harp to snap in two and send along. Yuri had rended a garment, a favourite of her mother's.
There was a lot to the ceremony. Moriko had seen it before. More than a few times, really. She just...didn't feel anything from it. Never had. She had heard her family's traditions called both beautiful and odd before--sometimes by the same person--but it was just...how it was.
After the procession had departed, Yuri went home to change out of her pristine white flowing garment. Moriko followed because she had to do the same thing; she might not be superstitious about the colour, but wearing it alone made her look washed-out. All of them were pale, especially for a clan of the desert, but she sometimes felt moreso than the others.
Though no one had yet said it out loud, her mother was now in charge--which meant Moriko was now the heir. Directly. No one else in-between, now.
"I'm going to have to cut back on patrol hours," Yuri said distantly after Moriko emerged from her room, clad more normally. "And they might need to replace me for the Sennin Games patrol. You aren't ready for that, of course."
It would be a conflict of interest, but then her mother didn't know that. Moriko kept her expression flat as ever. "Probably not. Is there anything I need to do?"
"Find a marriage," her mother said.
Moriko gave her an incredulous look. "One, I'm fifteen. Two, do you somehow not know I've had a boyfriend for over two years now?"
"I met your father..." Yuri trailed off and shook her head, as if banishing a feeling before it had time to set in at all. "Never mind. That's good. Other than that, no. You might be called to make decisions more often but you won't be specifically taught how. Go with what you think best."
The only thing Moriko appreciated about her mother was not being treated like a child. Granted, that was because Yuri barely seemed conscious of children being a thing, but it was sometimes nice all the same.
"Right," Moriko said. Her mother might regret saying that at some point. "Can I go?"
"What? Yes." Yuri gave her an evaluating look. "Should I meet this boyfriend?"
Bit late to pretend you care now. "Plenty others have and they like him. Bye."
She didn't slam her way out of the house, but she did leave the compound as fast as she could manage. She hadn't wanted to bring Tsukiya to the funeral, not as a slight at him--never that--but because it was supposed to be for those close to the deceased and Tsukiya had met her grandparents all of once. They had decided that he'd 'do' as a suitor. Tsukiya had waited until they were alone to say they clearly didn't know anything about anyone then. Moriko had agreed.
She met Tsukiya on the rooftops near the Bazaar, where he was perched watching over it. He had less to do with his family's stall these days, since like her he went more into ninja work.
"How was it?" he asked. She'd explained ahead of time what was going on, and why he wasn't invited.
"Nothing, really," she said, sitting next to him and carefully arranging her skirt. "I've been to a few before. I don't even get to go to the grave site. Their friends looked a bit surprised when we started ripping and breaking most of their things; that was the most interesting thing that happened, to my mind."
"Hm," Tsukiya said. "My family lays round stones on graves. I suppose we all have our traditions. You don't feel anything?"
"No," Moriko said. "I probably should, huh. But I've known they were dying a while. They were sick for months now. If there was anything for me to say or feel, I'm already past it."
"And you won't much miss them."
She shrugged with one shoulder. "Probably not much, no. Their kids and my mother's generation in general will more, I guess. I take it nothing else interesting is going on."
"I watched to see if any of your competition entered, but didn't see anything," he said. "Slim pickings, perhaps confidence issues. There might've been a few other people watching, but I don't believe any of them saw me." Tsukiya was rather good at fading into the environment when he wanted to be. If he'd felt inclined to jump into a specialty branch, ANBU might well have loved him.
"I'd guess a lot of people are watching," she said.
"Probably some are watching you, too, now you've entered," Tsukiya said. She started. "I don't know if it gets back to your family or not. Even if it did, they can't make you not go."
"They wouldn't if they could; we'd lose face. It'd just be annoying." Then again, if they were over more than a day, she'd have to deal with their attitudes in-between anyway. "My mother actually told me to get married. I'm tempted to say we should just never do that to annoy her."
"That would be a shame," he said. "I would very much like to make you my spouse some day."
He just said things like that sometimes, and meant them moreover, which made Moriko's cheeks go red. "I'm not serious, anyway," she mumbled. "Rather elope or something. Don't invite her."
"That I can live with." He stood and brushed off his pants, and she copied him, curious. "I thought of somewhere we can go. What with you reminding me of differences and so on--does your family have an old language?"
"Sooort of," she said, wobbling her hand. "It was never like, written down or anything. Why?"
"It'd be nice to know we aren't being overheard and understood when we talk or communicate," Tsukiya said, frowning lightly before his expression cleared. "Never mind. We could use yours, or the one from my mother's family from back--but those are harder for either of us to learn. Back to Plan A, then. I was going to propose we go to the Oracle Library and pick up Runic Terran."
"For...secret communication?" Moriko gave him a look. "Just about any ninja in Sand can do that."
"And how many do?" he asked with an arched eyebrow. "Not to mention you did say once you might have, in some world, liked to be an Oracle some day...it could be a decent look at it."
"I...guess." A lot of things would have had to have gone differently, but Moriko did not know if anyone in her family was in any of the Orders. It certainly wasn't a way to stand out, with how secretive they were. Which was the point of all of this in the first place. "I'd have to be a very different person for that. But it couldn't hurt to go make the try."
"It could if either of us were closed-minded, as I understand," Tsukiya said. His expression and the way his eyebrow was quirked made it very obvious he didn't think either of them would have that issue.
They made it to the library in short order. The structure itself was impressive, Moriko had to admit. Particularly for the sheen and polish of it. Inside, the sheer volume of books and scrolls even more so. The place seemed to go on forever with it all.
The volume of The Annals of the Conqueror itself was very easy to find, made explicitly so by the Oracles. Moriko and Tsukiya beelined for it, standing on either side of the tome, eyeing it.
"Supposedly you don't even have to read it," Tsukiya said.
"Mm," Moriko said, and reached out to pick it up.
The instant she lifted it in her hands a shiver went over her, as if a great spirit had brushed through her and found her just worthy enough. She shook it off and passed the book over. He paused for a full five seconds, handling it gently and with the respect it deserved before setting it back down. Both of them turned and exited.
It was one thing to not have to study--another to have a whole language dumped in your head on instant.
"I don't know if it liked me very much," Tsukiya said as they made their way back into the city proper, to head back to a good sitting spot--perhaps stopping for a snack on the way. "Or possibly, too much."
Yes, certainly if there was any remnant of the Conqueror himself around, someone with a title like that might well like someone like Tsukiya. And, for that matter, her.
"Never mind that," she said. "We'll have to learn each others' languages the harder way. If you're all right with mine lacking a writing system, I mean."
"Of course," he said. "And if you're all right with mine's writing system being different again."
Moriko shrugged. "I like a challenge as much as you do. Why else are we here?"
"Why else indeed." He stretched. "Fancy some dried fruit before we go back to people-watching?"
"Why not." There was a stand on the way to the Bazaar. "Let's go."
Fingers laced together, her right hand to his left, they could have looked just like any normal couple. That was. If one disregarded the weapons, and how they were murmuring to each other in very foreign tongues.
Ah well. Neither of them wanted 'normal' anyway.
[Topic Entered/Left]