The air stunk of dead fish and sea mold, mixed in with some fire smoke. Not that sent mattered to him, our main character. The boat rocked as the sailors tied it down to the port. They were good Dutch sailors who were stuck delivering necessities like iron and some other European trade. Most of the men who came were Dutch except for one English hitchhiker.
"It will take us at least a month before we are back on sea again men. Take this time to reacquaint yourselves to land, but don't go too far from this city," the ship captain shouted in Dutch to his men. By a month the crew would be bringing Japanese porcelain and silk back to the Netherlands and make a fortune.
The young English hitchhiker walked out of the bunkers and was met with the captain, "You said you have family here, Ace?" The hitchhiker boy, who was not much older than fourteen said, "yes, a cousin actually." The captain understood but warned him, "you should still be careful, I had to pull some strings to get you here, but don't go getting yourself in trouble. They don't like foreigners too much here, and you, my friend stick out like a stick in the mud. But like I said, they really don't like foreigners, ya' know? Them all had already posted some law about it. If you get caught you're sure to be hacked."
"Right, my cousin told me. But she also taught me some Japanese so I should be fine," the young English boy tugged on a big black case and stung it on his back. "You're right," the captain replied, "but if it were anyone other than you I would be worried." The English boy nodded and gave him a final handshake before walking off the boat and into the port.
While finding his land legs the boy tottered by the port and onto the land. The Dutch captain was right in one thing, he did stick out. The Japanese people in the port were so serious, or scared he couldn't tell which. They wore layers of robes like his cousin would unlike his confortable black suit. Their hair was a lot like his cousin's too, nice thick and strait. Not a curled black mess of a mop of his hair.
Speaking of his cousin, she did say that she would meet him at the port. She would just be hard to find, among the dead fish and all. He looked out into the crowd and spotted her.
The English boy found her and said in broken Japanese, "Earth, there you are. I almost didn't see you in the sea of people," he walked up to his cousin, whose name was Earth. She was his cousin, and half-Japanese. "I am doing well Renoir, It was nice of you to come and visit," Earth greeted with a smile. The boy looked confused, "Earth, you won't call me KuroAce anymore?" Earth turned so that she and her cousin would not be lost in the port and answered, "No, seeing as I can pronounce your name now I don't see the reason to." (*the name Renoir is a French name, and the reason that Earth used to call him Kuro is because Noir in Renoir means black, as does kuro. When Earth was younger, kuro was easier to pronounce*)
"Goodness Earth you sure made a life for yourself here, it seems I needn't worry after all." Renoir looked around his cousin's new home. It was smaller than the last, but at least this time she did not have to bend any wills to get it. As gorgeous as it was, though, Renoir still did not see the beauty in such a small amount. He was an English man, er boy who saw beauty in the abundance of things like an overflowing bouquet and couldn't understand the beauty the Japanese found in only one flower.
"Renoir, it is so fascinating. This is the real world, and yet it is even more so large than I have ever imagined," Earth helped her cousin find an empty place on the floorboards for his luggage. It could not be leaned against a wall since most of them were screen doors. The room was colored vaguely beige by the small amount of sunlight being let in from outside.
Seeing a slight hint of anxiety, Renoir quickly replied," I'm sure you figured this out by now Earth, but unlike land, people are identical no matter where you are."
"On the subject of where we are," Earth kneeled down on a thin mat, "you picked a bad time to visit me. The people here are shutting themselves out from any foreigners. If you get found out of this city though-"
"Yes, yes, Earth. I have been warned by my Dutch friends already. And it is not like I have never been chased after by a mob holding torches before. " Renoir giggled at his own sarcasm, "Besides the people here bring me back to the middle ages. When times just consisted of harvesting wheat and when every man had their own chivalry. I think I will stay for a while."
"I suppose. But stay indoors, and work on your Japanese. You structure your sentences oddly, like a child." Earth added. Renoir's face sunk, he just hadn't had the time to work on his Japanese in England, he didn't mean for it to get rusty.
"But in all seriousness," Earth continued, "you really shouldn't go outside so much. Oh, and let me remind you that you should treat my new family with manners." Earth had a charming ability, like the rest of Renoir's family, but Earth's only involved with the ability be become familiar to others. This making it easy for her to just come out of nowhere and become a part of any family. Her charm was not nearly as hypnosis-based as some other's but it is still useful in finding a place to stay. At the moment, she was living with a wealthy middle-classed Japanese family. The family was well off enough to own a large house with plenty rooms, and a small garden.
"I understand your concern, Earth, but it is not as if they are that irreplaceable," he looked over at Earth to see if he got a rise out of her but found no response, darn, "but I will still use my manners, after all it is proper to do so while being a guest."
"Just be sure to use Japanese manners, not any European ones. As much as I enjoy your company, I will not be able to protect you from any judging eyes." Renoir winced; it was not like it was his plan to use his nice British manners. Earth had obviously already known that, for it was easy to tell what he was thinking when usually it never is.
(Earth would be pronounced E-ar-stu and Renoir Ace as Ren-wa A-stu or even Kuro A-stu) (Sarcasm is shown by italicized, it's not like there's a lot of that.)