Long time, no Shibuya

Jazz is back in Shibuya after a rather long absence.

Jazuhanzu
Shibuya

Fresh off the boat.

Jazz, of course, dislikes boats. Perhaps some might consider that funny for a girl with gills, but she couldn't possibly look more relieved than she does when she's stepping off one. Her tentacles twitch as if they're tasting the air before coiling neatly intertwined with the rest of her hair, which never seems to stop almost-floating in a cloud around her like she's underwater even now. She takes a moment at the bottom of the gangplank to take a deep breath in and ...

"...still smells like shit," she utters.
Yeowang
Shibuya

Yeowang has had no problem with the boat, though she was relieved when we took on supplies in Shimonoseki before coming here. She's got business here, too, it seems, though she spent most of the trip off in a corner, training. Mainly shadowboxing, ferociously shadowboxing, and dodging and weaving, even training with Uta for a bit. When she arrives in Shibuya and disembarks behind Jazz, she will scoot out past her, though she pauses to ask, "What does?"
Haru
Shibuya

Haru is in the camp of 'boats are cool'. The sea breeze. The waves. The fishing. He spent a fair amount of time above deck during the trip back when weather was good. When it wasn't, he was helping Landers make necklaces out of the seashells he collected during a isle resupply away mission. The white-haired man keeps busy. Keeps positive.

"Land," Haru states, a noble's air and posture as he walks on into Shibuya. "Safe and sound," he adds in. The ship didn't sink. Sea monsters didn't eat them. Cosmic Cupcakes didn't spit tobacco at them. A hand runs through his tussled hair as he looks out from he docks. "No short in part to the assembled," he fabricates like silver on a wire. Smile.
Miho
Shibuya

Miho is also quite fresh off the boat herself. She's going to end up burrying herself in her forge soon. War is coming and arms will be needed. Well that was the plan at least for the near future.

"It's good to be on shore again. Sadly war is a coming and we'll need to deal wioth it. Could be worse, you ever used an out house?"
Jazuhanzu
Shibuya

Truthfully, the boat back to Shibuya had been more packed than Jazz had cared for. In fact, she had done her level best to hide out in the hold of the ship more or less the entire time. So stridently did she avoid contact, in fact, that some might be surprised that she was on the boat at all!

In any event, she's here now and on the dock, and a glance at Yeowang has her sigh.

"The docks. They never smell good. Not that they would." And why would they, anyway?

She takes a moment to focus herself and her hair descends back down around herself, shrouding her instead, leaving her looking like the absurdly cute anime caricature she is. Right down to her voice, even. Whoever cast her did an excellent job with tropes.

"We don't even know what war is going to look like in this case," she utters.
Yeowang
Shibuya

Yeowang sniffs, wrinkles her nose, shrugs, but she agrees, "It's not nice." The implication is she's too classy to notice it. Or at least to mention it. Maybe wishing will make it so? "Well, we're here now," she notes, "and yes but by the time we know what the war will look like, it will be too late to take action. What we do now will have to be based on supposition and guesswork, mainly.

"I had thought about blocking the harbor, if we have srong earth mages to raise up rocks from the sea floor. It can at least inconvenience ships coming in, if they're not wary." She smirks to Haru, also glad the ship didn't sink. Miho draws a nod also, "We'll need weapons, of course, and as much ammunition for bows as we can muster."
Haru
Shibuya

There is a deep breath in. Exhale. Haru voices his thoughts, "Only one step off and the first thing off of anyone's lips is about the war." His smile is replaced by thin lips and a distant stare from his blue eyes. They lose their shine, like glass plated over a picture of the sky. A breeze against his white hair. Smile. "Guess its a good thing that serious people are putting serious thoughts into it so the rest of us can enjoy the here and now," he says to the sea. Because thats whats its good for.

Drowning.

"First thing on the docket after landfall? A nice meal, a good cup, and a warm place to sleep before checking into the workshop," Haru continues on, taking a turn and placing his hands behind his head in devil-may-care attitude, even if it is insincere.
Miho
Shibuya

Miho says "Arms will be needed one way or another."

Miho Shrugs a bit. "Look my family's been at this for a very long time. There is a lot of work to do. You are never ready to fight the war before you, only the one before it."

She notes with a tail swish.

"I admit I have to get to work honestly but I think I can do food first at the very least."

She looks to Yeowang and Jazz.

"So wanna join us?"
Jazuhanzu
Shibuya

"It's unlikely they'd try to invade Shibuya from the sea, but not impossible. We don't know what this 'war' is going to look like, to be honest. There's no harm in building Shibuya some additional coastal defenses, but typically, settlements were attacked from the land, even by invading forces from over the sea. They'd go up a river and disembark and then march down the way, because trying to land directly into the city port was ill-advised."

She pauses a moment, then glances towards Haru to just stare at him for a long moment. Stare.

"...nnggh," she declares, helpfully.

"I guess I should eat something," she adds to Miho. Something she did not do on the ship, much, it would appear.
Yeowang
Shibuya

Yeowang eyes Haru, but sighs as he announces his priorities. There'll be no help there, then. At least Miho seems to understand the necessily for action. But at the request for a meal first, her stomach rumbles aloud before she can reply, and so it seems like she's been outvoted. "All right," she replies to Miho. She's been eating well enough, if infrequently lately. It seems like she always has the coin for hand-crafted food, if not in great amounts.

She considers Jazz's assertion about arriving by land, and agrees, "So, there's plenty of coastline north and south they could disembark at, by longboat anyhow, if they were denied the use of the harbor here. We have no river for then to sail up, so that's at least off the table. The difference between here and historical conflicts is the presence of magic, for what advantages it may give. A seawall may be a useful thing for the harbor eventually, anyhow, but I agree, it would not slow them long. On the other hand, if it's subtle and quick to do, it may not be a bad precaution. For that matter, someone strong at earth may walk days up the coastline, raising rocks to just under the surface."
Haru
Shibuya

As if aware to the point where 'Stare' can be heard, Haru's blue eyes slide to the periphery to the staring Undine. Staaaaarrreee. And victory! He turns fully to Miho and gives a friendly nod of his head that sends the short white hair ashake with the port winds blowing against it. "Thank you," he says with a stately level of sincerity, "and I bet all those plans will come out a little better with a smile. Have to remember what we are fighting for, right?" Smile.

The young Artificer starts to head inward with feet barely making a sound against the paved stone. It is not that Haru is particularly stealthy or an edgelord ninja, but his frame is svelte and doesn't want for gravity's embrace. His outfit fits more here than it does in the field. "I was at Seeker's Landing, you know," he tells Miho, "but I don't think introductions were in order during the evacuation. I'm Haru Nox, a humble Artificer." Friendly voice. Smile.
Miho
Shibuya

Miho says "We'll see what happens but we can't sit around and do nothing. Then again they would have no problem throwing waves against us if they are anything like the Palace Lands where we used to be from." She makles a sad face at this as she falls in behind Yeowang.

"We might want to see to some bolt holes with supplies and such. Food will at least improve our moral. Miho Mithrilscale Black Smith."
Yeowang
Shibuya

Yeowang peers at Haru, but nods slowly. "If formal introductions are in order, I am Yeowang," she says to Haru. The others know her well enough. She'd inspected him some time since for his name, but she'll go along with the niceties. Two men from the settlement come out to greet her, and there's a whispered conversation, and they depart. Notably, they're wearing white armbands on which red chain links have been painted.

Jazz and Miho will of course recognize members of the Red Chain, the aid organization serving in roughly the same capacity as the Red Cross does in real life. They were conspicuously absent from the Wave and the Palace Lands, there are not enough members yet to spread them very far, so few if any had come over. Which was just as well, probably.

Yeowang nods about doing nothing not being an acceptable alternative, but she's no military strategist. "I have to get going, it seems," she apologizes to the three, and will trail off in the direction the Red Chain people left.
Jazuhanzu
Shibuya

"..mhmm," says Jazz to Yeowang as they depart, seeming absently distracted by something or other. She stares after Yeowang's departure for a long moment, then shrugs her shoulders and turns her attention back to Haru. "I guess I'm Jazz," she offers, with a wry note in her tone.

"We're not going to do nothing. I'm not going to do nothing. anyway. A few signal towers and observation points around Shibuya can't hurt. The more warning we have, the better -- but really, that's not up to me."
Haru
Shibuya

The quiet steps of Haru's feet hit against the stone. There, but muted. He raises a hand to wave Yeowang off as pressing matters press on. His eyes wander to the store and the denizens as he topic finds its way back to the conflict. It is like gravity. One can pull away from it only in short bursts before it returns right back where it starts.

Reading the room, Haru snaps his fingers and says without facing anyone, "and this is where we part. Have a wonderful rest of your day, you two," he says, looking over to a nearby cafe and settling in there with the book he was using to capture notes in he area. Mostly inspiration for new accessories that come about through travel.
Miho
Shibuya

Miho waves good bye to Yeoang as she heds off.

"Well take care."

The Red Chain were doing good and they would be needed more in what is to come.

"Ah you need to head off as well? Very wellI'll get moving to head to get something to eat. My forge isn't here but I'm sure I can borrow Gigan's if he's not around for a few things. The towers do seem like a good idea Jazz, get in contact with Rizadoman about that. I should get going as well I think. I got to get something to eat."

There was that Inn she'd been meaning to try so why the heck not?
Jazuhanzu
Shibuya

"...Yeowang really ought to be looking at expanding them," says Jazz of the Red Chain after they leave. An absent, distracted wave towards Haru follows. She isn't sure what to make of them, but it's clear the good cheer is something shef inds entirely bothersome.

Then she looks at Miho and just casually nods. "Yeah, scouting posts. Look outs."
Miho
Shibuya

Miho says "That is a good plan I'll catch you later. I need to go eat or I'm going to fall over. Haru was right." With a tail swish the Salamander is gone.