[D6, LM](Soyokaze's Forge) Charging Storm [Expecting]

[Asahina Soyokaze]

Location Description: Inside a small stall at the far end of the artisan's market lives Soyokaze's temporary forge. A pair of cushions sit upon a single tatami mat just inside the stall's curtains, a small table for taking tea sits to one side. A waist high shelf covered in tool serves as a divider between the "reception area" and the heart of the forge. A number of unfinished pieces of varying quality sit about the space, while others are obscured by silk covers. A peg on one of the support beams holds Soyokaze's kimono when he is working.
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Soyokaze hammered away furiously, his small frame shuddering with each impact while his attendant tried her hardest to keep the block of iron in place. They were both stripped to the waste under the vast heat and humidity despite the flaps of the stall being pinned open to let in air. A freshly bandaged wound covered what was sure to be yet another scar on his already badly scarred back. “Damnit.” He barked as he threw his hammer aside.

[Moto Mitsuki]

Mitsuki entered the stall and knocked twice on the counter to make a her presence known. She then dropped off on the ground the package she was carrying, something the size and the shape of a big plate in a simple bag, removed and spin-dried her soaked raincoat, and finally took a seat.

[Asahina Soyokaze]

Soyokaze was slightly startled by the sound behind him but quickly recovered his kimono and turned to meet his visitor. "Greetings Moto-sama and welcome to my humble forge, I am Asahina Soyokaze. I hope Inari-no-kami has blessed you this day, to what do I owe this pleasant visit?" He moved over to his cushion and placed a pot of tea down on the table between them.

[Moto Mitsuki]

"Hello Asahina-sama,

You've been recommended to me as an exceptional smith by Kaito-sama. I was wondering if maybe you could have a look at this."

She opened her bag, revealing a simple round shield, roughly the size of her torso. It had clearly seen a lot of use, showing vestiges of previous repairs, superficial scratches not taken care of yet, and a decorative painting of a red demon withered heavily by blows and the sandy wind.

"I take it you're familiar with the concept of shields even if they're uncommon on that side of the world? I've brought mine with me all the way from the Burning Sands, and it has suffered some minor damages during the trip. I've fixed it to the limits of my own skills, but there's still work to be done.

I was wondering if maybe you could cast an eye over it? While the shield itself is mostly made of wicker, it's more or less designed like any armor, with several layers to soften blows and a curve to deviate them.

For reference, the straps are made of leathers, and the front side is reinforced with strips of leather, and, sometimes, other hide, as temporary repairs that ended up not that temporary."

[Asahina Soyokaze]

Soyokaze's face lit up and his assistant in the back of the stall couldn't help but sneak a glace. "It is wonderful! I was shown an example of shield while I trained at the academy but it was smaller and not nearly as detailed." Soyokaze produced a pair of white gloves that looked thick and soft and put them on. "I am honored that you would come to me with this as am I honored that Oubaihime-san would mention me. I have never worked on a shield before but you are in saying that it looks similar to armor. I do not know what the Unicorn etiquette is with these items, with your permission I would like my attendant to assist me with this, I think it would be a rather unique moment of her education."

[Moto Mitsuki]

Mitsuki offered a reassuring smile:

"We value our shields because they can easily save our lives, but as we value a good saddle or good clothes. They're important, not sacred. You and your assistant can handle mine in any way you want as long as you return it in as good a shape or in better shape."

[Asahina Soyokaze]

"Thank you for this honor, it will likely take a day; no more. This is from the Burning Sands you say? I am surprised that's it's construction seems so similar to our own. Was this made by the Moto tribes or some other group?" He poured tea for the both of them and sat back. "And you say you brought it back from there yourself, my apologies as I am sure you have been asked about it a lot but have you spent much time there?" The questions carried no judgement only curiosity."

[Moto Mitsuki]

She took no offense at the Asahina's curiosity, on the contrary answering them with a luxury of details:

"It has been made following the shield-making tradition of the Burning Sands, passed down from the Ujik nomads to the Moto and then the Unicorn as a whole.

But the design of shields isn't nearly as unalterable as the one of, say, a daisho, and they evolve depending on technological progress and the resources naturally available near the place they were made.

This one more precisely comes from a small Ujik encampment deep into the desert that I just happened to go through soon after my grow spurt. I needed a new shield to match my new frame and I simply acquired one. As far as I know, the nomad who made it was an artisan skilled in making many objects, but not what we will call a master in any of these crafts. Small communities encourage people to become jack-of-all-trades rather than fully dedicating oneself to a single specialty.

Still, they know what there were doing, and the shield has served me well all these years.

As for your last question, I was born in the Burning Sands, and I've spent most of my life there. This miai is the longest time I've ever spent east of the Spine of the World actually."

[Asahina Soyokaze]

"Many of us are dealing with the prospects of leaving our homes and you've already done it once. I imagine you must miss your home, how does the Emerald Empire compare?"

[Moto Mitsuki]

"It's rainier.

Outside that joke I've already beaten to death, the Burning Sands themselves are a harsher place in absolute. But they're also a crossroads between many places that can each stand the comparison with Rokugan in their own way: the savant Qamarist Caliphate, the luxuriant Ivory Kingdoms, the buoyant city-states of the Sands themselves.

There is no real best or worst here. It all depends what you're looking for."