Ryoumei has a minion!

Totem the Jakyl

I pulled my hands from the bowl of rice when I heard the soft footsteps and the whisper of chimes as someone tripped the wires. Wiping my hands on a piece of nearby cloth, I left the small room I had deemed the cooking area and stalked to my front door.

"Who would bother me at this time?" I pondered, knowing that my reputation preceded me in the community. Not only was my small hut secluded deep in the woods, but I also let it be known that I was partial to solitude. I didn’t know what I expected, but a short blonde girl cowering in my doorway was not it.

My gaze swept her from crown to toe. Her sun-bleached hair caught my eye first, the colour exceedingly rare in my area. Her eyes darted back and forth. Twin knives hung from a belt around her waist and her clothing was a mixture of natural colours.

Her nerves were strung tight, but I wasn’t going to put this stranger at ease until I knew what she wanted. My reputation also brought around a lot of unsavory people asking for things that should not be asked for. "Yes?" I snarled, an unhappy smile gracing my lips as she jumped and seemed to quiver in place.

"Um, I"m looking for Ryoumei?" she squeaked, her gaze locking on my one good eye.

"That would be me."

She fidgeted and I swear I heard her squeak yet again. Murmuring something under her breath, she looked at me once more. Confidence tried to push passed her jitters, but seemed to dwindle as my level look didn"t change. "Yes, I, um, well... you see,"

I snorted and motioned for this person to get to her point.

"You’re a voodoo priest, right?" she blurted, as her eyes skittered over my paraphernalia.

I sighed, suspecting that this would be a long night. "In a sense, yes," I replied. "What do you want?" If she was asking about my work and prodding to find my house, the foreigner was probably going to make some nonsensical request, like trying to get me to raise the dead or poke pins into some doll in order to get her revenge on some poor sap.

Curiosity alit in her eyes and her voice grew stronger. "So you make zombies and voodoo dolls and things?"

"No," I stated. I prayed for the Loa to give me strength, moving to escort her from my domicile. "And now, I’m making my supper and must ask you to leave, if that is what you came here for."

"Oh no!" she cried, a hand coming to cover her open mouth, "That"s not what I’m looking for at all! I was told you know where I can find some annatto and allspice."

I cocked an inquisitive eyebrow. "That"s it?"

"Yes. I"m the ship"s only cook and we need something new to spice up the meals," she replied, her sudden grin a stark contrast to her earlier nervousness. "So I asked about in port where I could find some good ingredients and some nice folk directed me to you. Though, I didn’t really get what they were laughing about when they said I should "watch my soul"."

I sighed. Yes, my reputation, incorrect as it was, did precede any mention of my name. I ran a hand through my black bangs as I considered her once again. The woman was painfully open and cheerful once she established that I wasn’t going to eat her. "You may as well come in and join me for dinner," I told her, motioning towards my dining area. "Though, it"s not anything special this evening. Just rice and beans, though I would be interested in your name before we eat."

She beamed at me and practically skipped to one of the few chairs in my home. "Oh wow! I rarely get any food that isn't made by me." She crinkled her nose, her face twisting into an adorable grimace. "Not like I"d want any of the crew to cook for me anyways. I"m Aria, by the way."

A corner of my mouth quirked up as I considered her words and continued cleaning my rice. "Like I said, don’t expect too much. Afterwards, we can go collect your spices, but why didn’t you just purchase them in town? I know Old Matlia keeps herself well stocked and is more than willing to sell to sailors."

A blush exploded across her cheeks and she dropped her gaze to the floor. "We may be... kind of..." her voice dropped to a small whisper, "broke." She fidgeted in her seat.

Putting the rice on to boil, I turned to her and cocked my head. "Don"t you have a bosun to track expenses?" I asked. To my knowledge, it was common practice to have someone other than the captain keeping the count of the money and spoils. I also had a sinking suspicion I knew what ship this one had come from. Our port town was small, so when any ship came in, news was spread faster than wildfire.

"Captain hasn’t found anyone that she likes enough to trust with that, yet," she replied, "but enough of that. So, what does being a voodoo priest entail?"

I sighed and slumped into my chair, gazing at this anomaly that entered my hut. "I don’t really like the term voodoo priest. It gives off the wrong feeling. I"m a bokor. I speak to the spirits of the dead and serve the loa with both hands."

"Loa?"

"The spirit servants of Bondy"."

"Who is?"

"Probably what you call God."

She nodded and looked thoughtful. "I see." She smiled at me and leaned forward. "You look so stoic. Do you ever really smile?"

I frowned at her and scooped out some food into a bowl. "What does that mean?"

"Well," she started, accepting the bowl with the quick grin and a nod of thanks, "you’re so interesting, I’m going to mention you to the captain. If I talk to the captain about you, you can bet that she’ll be here knocking on your door faster than you can holy moley."

I groaned as I took my first bite. "I wish you wouldn"t. I don’t want to deal with the pirate Suzaku. I"d rather not anger her with some slip of my less than polite tongue."

Aria started, dropping her spoon. "How did you know I was from Suzaku"s ship?"

"Small town," I replied.

She shook her head, her grin splitting her face once more. I wondered briefly if she ever got sick of being so cheerful all the time.

I was going on an adventure, whether I wanted to or not.

Story under construction.

---

My New Fanmi

Meeca: The Captain
You brought me suddenly into your world. I wasn't sure that you or your crew could deal with my religion or spells. It turns out I had nothing to fear.

Xian Zhu: The First Mate
You should know that I would never hurt those who have done no wrong. As for answering to you, well, perhaps you should fear my whips more than you currently do, sir.

Kai-Ryu: The Warrior
A man of few words and extreme stoicism. How the captain convinced you to join her crew is still a mystery to me.

Dell Wright: The Shipwright
I think that you are fearful of my punishment, and that makes my smiles seem more sinister than they are. Have I mentioned that you are on strike three?

Aimee: The Cannoneer
I am happy another person aboard this ship can help keep the books balanced. Not that you do it very often, but it's nice to know that if something happens to me, I won't return to chaos.

Coyote Frost: The Sharpshooter
Watching you get fished out of the ocean was a site to see. It is the only time I have ever seen you look so human.

Blaze: The Berserker
The Captain has asked that I tell you to stop killing people. I don't know why she insists that I do it, but if you don't at least try, I will be forced to inflict some sort of punishment upon you.

Skoli: The Informant
If we had met while not aboard the ship, I would have walked in the other direction, quickly. Why are you looking at me like that? It was a comment on how scary... wait! Put down the scythe!

Tara: The Navigator
Your fluff and flowers are an affront to every villainous pirate on the Earth. Good job. Keep it up.

Marine: The Doctor
The dark gleam in your eyes while you stitch our wounds without anesthetic puts more fear in the crew members than I do.

Aria: The Cook
What is that rancid smell? Why are you looking at me like that? No, no I will not taste that for you. No. Can't you just trust that you think it tastes off for once? No. No. No. ...fine.

Chloe: The Apprentice
You and I don't spend any time together, which is both good and bad, in a sense. You're not getting in trouble, but that means I don't get a lot of time to dote on you like the others.

---

Stock Image: Riktorsashen
Profile, Overlay, Story: Seiryuu