Today, our story began with Jomei trekking through the west-side highlands of the city. Thousands of steps chiseled out of mortar and stone took him on a journey through the expanses of the village he called home. The Hidden Stone was more like a metropolis, though. It was a city-state that served as the capital to a nation ready to begin the next industrial revolution. The Stone had at least five communities separated by elevation, blockaded by armed guards, and distanced by design. Jomei was on a day-long moving trip from the Ninja Academy. He was boarding there for the past year, but now it was back to his home on the seaboard side of the Diamond Complex. The condominium was hidden beneath a mountainside cliff facing the sea, and sat abandoned. As an underage student, Jomei lived as a pauper in a charade meant to build character. He took up a room at the Spartan Quarters; degenerated housing so bad that it was a step down from his housing as a slave. On the morning of Benjiro’s homecoming, the dean slipped an eviction letter under Jomei’s door.
Jomei’s boarding privileges expired. Expectations were for him to return to the small palace he reluctantly called home. And rather than web slinging, Jomei emptied the hourglass and chose to walk with his camera in hand. It was unlike him to wander all day, but today was a special occasion. His father Benjiro was finally coming home after a year spent on the Water Country Tundra.
It was past five by the time Jomei made it home. The sun had fled over the horizon and the sky was a rich with shades of blood orange by the moment Jomei approached his front doors. He had taken steep stairs chiseled from the stone of the mountainside. A smooth stone wall shielded Jomei from the onslaught of the updraft rolling in from the high seas. Estates like the one granted to the Matsui were like the gifts given to the village's elite. They were status symbols, and shells for the rich hermit crabs. They were also incredibly high and altitude and the perfect places to dump a body. You couldn't find anything in waters churning that violently below. You would have even more trouble just getting someone to dive in. At the doorstep a collection of dead plants began and spread around the property like the symbol of youth coming here to wither up and die. Jomei waited there for a moment like a visitor hesitant to knock; hesitant to find out what awaited him within.
A single rose was surviving with ragged petals in an otherwise barren pot, and Jomei plucked it. As the twig snapped, the doors to the estate swung open, revealing a tall and buxom maiden in the entrance. Golden tresses fell past shoulder length, and reflected gold in the sunset. Her complexion was immaculate and defied the laws of time. A corset and low-cut top pushed up her bosom into quite the display. My how his father had good taste in women, and the best of luck with them, too. Jomei first noticed how robust her biceps were with her rolled up sleeves. She was a tough-looking cookie with a stiff Jaw and some war wounds. “Ah! Zde je malý muž!” Her tone was warm and inviting, and she invited Jomei to cling to her bosom with a fiery hug. She was voluptuous, carefree at first glance, and joyful meet her new stepson. She must have been Benjiro’s newest conquest in love; another lovely girl, and this one was a stocky bohemian beer maid. Her tongue was harsh in nature, but was soothed by the sweetness of her attitude as she welcomed Jomei into the home. “Slyšel jsem o vás tolik ze svého otce, Jomei. Je hezké, že vás konečně poznávám.” She was talking about how nice it was to meet Jomei, but he couldn’t pretend to share her sentiment. She was a stranger, not even Yuri, the girlfriend Benjiro mentioned in the last letter he sent home. Regardless, Benjiro thought every new woman he dated was the love of his life. “Jsem Reon”. Her name was Reon.
“Je pěkné meet you, taky.” Jomei gave a pitiful reply and struggled to recite bohemian. A language barrier was slowly rising between him and his lovely new housemate, Reon. She merely laughed it off and followed Jomei into the Main Gallery. Reon was observant of her new son; watching his every move and absorbed his unique appearance. She marched behind him as he entered the palace and got a look at her handy work. In the single of day of their return, she had restored order the home. Every broken lamp was fixed, and each cobweb was cleared. Of course she didn’t dirty herself, but hired a small staff to come along each day. As if on cue, a young servant fell into the main hallway, struggling to carry a box of clothing marked with “Yuri” on it. He couldn’t have been older than Jomei, but was below the ninja class. He remained on his knees and looked up as the family members passed. The servant then resumed his clean up. “When did we start hiring servants to do our dirty work?” Jomei grunted below his breath. He crossed his arms into a shell like shape and sneered.
“When I came along” she replied sourly, “I reminded your father what it was like to have class, Jomei. It is my duty to add some culture to his life. To make him feel full and invigorated” Reon revealed her rougher language skills and speech in the common language. Reon’s common speech was even scarier than her Bohemian when she spoke... Just imagine a tough Russian accent. When speaking the common language, Reon’s attitude was a bit more abrasive. “He waits for you in the observatory. He is pissed.” Of course Reon already knew Benjiro’s temper. She stopped at the steps of the ocean view room: a curved hall leading to the observatory. It was a hollow room, painted starch white and fit to be a lounge. A chimney kept a dim fire that toasted the room comfortably. Refined glass paneling revealed the village gates and face of the sea below. At the opposite end of the room there was a curling steel staircase that led to the observatory; his father's study. From here Jomei would have to venture alone, like a hero outside of the boss battle. Reon stepped into the ocean view and took a seat on one of several cube-shaped stools. “Take a time if you need it, Jomei. Do not enter that room with a heated head.”
“Do you know what he's upset over?” Jomei looked to Reon for insight, but faced the horizon. He laid his eyes on the Hidden Stone’s mammoth brothers, which stood magnificently below. The view was nothing but an appeasing distraction. Benjiro was always disappointed with Jomei, so often that their relationship remained strained and distant. Yet in public, Benjiro did nothing but praise and promote his son as the future of the Matsui. Jomei looked to the new lover Benjiro had coerced, and wondered which story his father told her about his son.
“I do not” Reon admitted. “But do tell him that dinner is ready when you two finish. I have made the stew of beef meat.” In light of Reon's wisdom, Jomei continued to sulk for a moment and she accompanied him in silence until that familiar stern voice called out to him from above. "Ah ha! Shouldn't you be the one welcoming us home?"
[Entered Thread]
Jomei’s boarding privileges expired. Expectations were for him to return to the small palace he reluctantly called home. And rather than web slinging, Jomei emptied the hourglass and chose to walk with his camera in hand. It was unlike him to wander all day, but today was a special occasion. His father Benjiro was finally coming home after a year spent on the Water Country Tundra.
It was past five by the time Jomei made it home. The sun had fled over the horizon and the sky was a rich with shades of blood orange by the moment Jomei approached his front doors. He had taken steep stairs chiseled from the stone of the mountainside. A smooth stone wall shielded Jomei from the onslaught of the updraft rolling in from the high seas. Estates like the one granted to the Matsui were like the gifts given to the village's elite. They were status symbols, and shells for the rich hermit crabs. They were also incredibly high and altitude and the perfect places to dump a body. You couldn't find anything in waters churning that violently below. You would have even more trouble just getting someone to dive in. At the doorstep a collection of dead plants began and spread around the property like the symbol of youth coming here to wither up and die. Jomei waited there for a moment like a visitor hesitant to knock; hesitant to find out what awaited him within.
A single rose was surviving with ragged petals in an otherwise barren pot, and Jomei plucked it. As the twig snapped, the doors to the estate swung open, revealing a tall and buxom maiden in the entrance. Golden tresses fell past shoulder length, and reflected gold in the sunset. Her complexion was immaculate and defied the laws of time. A corset and low-cut top pushed up her bosom into quite the display. My how his father had good taste in women, and the best of luck with them, too. Jomei first noticed how robust her biceps were with her rolled up sleeves. She was a tough-looking cookie with a stiff Jaw and some war wounds. “Ah! Zde je malý muž!” Her tone was warm and inviting, and she invited Jomei to cling to her bosom with a fiery hug. She was voluptuous, carefree at first glance, and joyful meet her new stepson. She must have been Benjiro’s newest conquest in love; another lovely girl, and this one was a stocky bohemian beer maid. Her tongue was harsh in nature, but was soothed by the sweetness of her attitude as she welcomed Jomei into the home. “Slyšel jsem o vás tolik ze svého otce, Jomei. Je hezké, že vás konečně poznávám.” She was talking about how nice it was to meet Jomei, but he couldn’t pretend to share her sentiment. She was a stranger, not even Yuri, the girlfriend Benjiro mentioned in the last letter he sent home. Regardless, Benjiro thought every new woman he dated was the love of his life. “Jsem Reon”. Her name was Reon.
“Je pěkné meet you, taky.” Jomei gave a pitiful reply and struggled to recite bohemian. A language barrier was slowly rising between him and his lovely new housemate, Reon. She merely laughed it off and followed Jomei into the Main Gallery. Reon was observant of her new son; watching his every move and absorbed his unique appearance. She marched behind him as he entered the palace and got a look at her handy work. In the single of day of their return, she had restored order the home. Every broken lamp was fixed, and each cobweb was cleared. Of course she didn’t dirty herself, but hired a small staff to come along each day. As if on cue, a young servant fell into the main hallway, struggling to carry a box of clothing marked with “Yuri” on it. He couldn’t have been older than Jomei, but was below the ninja class. He remained on his knees and looked up as the family members passed. The servant then resumed his clean up. “When did we start hiring servants to do our dirty work?” Jomei grunted below his breath. He crossed his arms into a shell like shape and sneered.
“When I came along” she replied sourly, “I reminded your father what it was like to have class, Jomei. It is my duty to add some culture to his life. To make him feel full and invigorated” Reon revealed her rougher language skills and speech in the common language. Reon’s common speech was even scarier than her Bohemian when she spoke... Just imagine a tough Russian accent. When speaking the common language, Reon’s attitude was a bit more abrasive. “He waits for you in the observatory. He is pissed.” Of course Reon already knew Benjiro’s temper. She stopped at the steps of the ocean view room: a curved hall leading to the observatory. It was a hollow room, painted starch white and fit to be a lounge. A chimney kept a dim fire that toasted the room comfortably. Refined glass paneling revealed the village gates and face of the sea below. At the opposite end of the room there was a curling steel staircase that led to the observatory; his father's study. From here Jomei would have to venture alone, like a hero outside of the boss battle. Reon stepped into the ocean view and took a seat on one of several cube-shaped stools. “Take a time if you need it, Jomei. Do not enter that room with a heated head.”“Do you know what he's upset over?” Jomei looked to Reon for insight, but faced the horizon. He laid his eyes on the Hidden Stone’s mammoth brothers, which stood magnificently below. The view was nothing but an appeasing distraction. Benjiro was always disappointed with Jomei, so often that their relationship remained strained and distant. Yet in public, Benjiro did nothing but praise and promote his son as the future of the Matsui. Jomei looked to the new lover Benjiro had coerced, and wondered which story his father told her about his son.
“I do not” Reon admitted. “But do tell him that dinner is ready when you two finish. I have made the stew of beef meat.” In light of Reon's wisdom, Jomei continued to sulk for a moment and she accompanied him in silence until that familiar stern voice called out to him from above. "Ah ha! Shouldn't you be the one welcoming us home?"
[Entered Thread]
“Well if it isn’t a sight for sore eyes. My boy.” Benjiro stood besides a large table and an open map. He was still the same old man Jomei remembered, and was much more excited to see his son than Jomei anticipated. He waved his open arms and welcomed his son into the observatory. “Look how much taller you’ve grown… and I almost didn’t recognize your voice when Reon answered the door.”