(D0, EM) Trouble at the Gates

[Saibankan]

You run them through, pick them off the ground as if they were straw and your yari the pitchfork, then shake their bleeding corpse around, their flailing limbs resemble a puppet's.

Not that the kid needed to know the Scorpion version.

"I wonder, your father must be a great master."

Ichiro nodded proudly.

"Second only to Zang-sensei himself! " he said, with the full confidence only young boys could have.

He paused but a beat.

"Hey Shosuro-sama...can I ask you a question about your mask?"

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

"You can, will you ask a Scorpion about their mask though?" An eyebrow arched above the blank, dead eyes.

[Saibankan]

"You can, will you ask a Scorpion about their mask though?" An eyebrow arched above the blank, dead eyes.

Ichiro looked thoughtful about that.

"Are you not supposed to? My dad said you're not supposed to ask women about their age or their weight, but he never said why." he responded. "Shosuro-sama, why shouldn't you ask women about their age or their weight?"

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

"Because as brave as men should be, we don't risk our lives so recklessly", he said. "It's not something easily explained, only something to be believed or experienced."

A slight bit of mirth had crept into his voice.

[Saibankan]

"Because as brave as men should be, we don't risk our lives so recklessly", he said. "It's not something easily explained, only something to be believed or experienced."

A slight bit of mirth had crept into his voice.

"Ooooohhhh. Um, ok" Ichiro offered. "Is that why you shouldn't ask a Scorpion about their mask?"

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

"Not at all", he said, waving his free hand, the other keeping Yūdaina in place among the early morning traffic. "Scorpion are all too happy to talk about the unfortunate reasons they have to hide their face from people."

[Saibankan]

"Not at all", he said, waving his free hand, the other keeping Yūdaina in place among the early morning traffic. "Scorpion are all too happy to talk about the unfortunate reasons they have to hide their face from people."

"Oh. I was wondering isn't it hot in the summer?" Ichiro clarified, the greater themes behind Scorpion masks being completely beyond him.

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

"Honestly? Not here, the forest is cooler, where I'm from it's much hotter in summer. Though it is a nice thing sometimes."

There are usually far fewer layers between even Hikimasu and a pretty lady at that point, at least physically. Social layers only increase when he looks their way.

[Saibankan]

"Honestly? Not here, the forest is cooler, where I'm from it's much hotter in summer. Though it is a nice thing sometimes."

There are usually far fewer layers between even Hikimasu and a pretty lady at that point, at least physically. Social layers only increase when he looks their way.

"So what do you do at home when summer is really hot?" asked Ichiro.

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

"Wear a different kind of mask, something lighter", he offered logically. "Either that or suffer and sweat to death. Sometimes people just fall over in the heat, it's sudden and horrible, and everyone blames us, I don't understand. Perhaps if they were more pious Amaterasu wouldn't have smote them."