AUTHOR'S NOTES: And after a bit of a delay last week due to life-related things and a personal funk of mine, we now get to the big five-zero. We've come a long way and there's still a long way to go as we prepare to reach the game's 9th stage, which will definitely be what gets covered in the following chapter or two. For now though, the focus shifts a bit over towards Mozu and Oboro, who possess several interesting dynamics that make interactions between them very fun to write. As such, we're bound to see a lot more of those in the future. Also I'm sometimes bad at titles.
In the meantime, Happy Reading!
CHAPTER 50: The Farmer and the Tailor
Sing with me a song of Trauma and Dreams...
Mozu had a difficult time at first adjusting to her new life in New Kamui. The people there gave her no problems, and in fact were more the reason she kept a level head. The nightmares from that horrific night where the Faceless hordes had slain her mother and razed her entire village were still fresh on her mind though, and the next couple of days were plagued with flashbacks from that terrifying moment where her life was turned upside-down.
It was not just in her dreams either; sometimes even as she was just scouting the grounds she had visions of the monsters, even rubbing her eyes to double check to see if what she was viewing was real or not. Fortunately, it seemed there were no Faceless here.
"Don't worry," Kamui reassured her, "New Kamui has impregnable defenses against any intruder, and so far it doesn't seem like anyone can reach this place without knowing what and where it is to begin with."
"I know…" Mozu sighed, clutching her chest, "I reckon I just need something to help me pass the time. Can you make anything you want in this place?" She had heard how Kamui was able to manipulate these grounds with the power of Dragon Veins, but she didn't seem fully convinced that that was actually where this all had come from.
"Time to find out…" Kamui stamped her foot and suddenly a large patch of previously empty space turned into a well-tilled field.
"I dunno what you like growing, but I know you like farming." Kamui smiled. "Maybe that'll help keep you occupied?"
Mozu's face lit up like her birthday had come early. "You'd do all that for little ol' me?" she seemed flattered and impressed.
"It literally took almost no effort," Kamui chuckled, "besides, I'm happy to help."
It did help Mozu's morale over the next few days as she left no patch of ground unplanted. Kamui worked with Corrin to try and navigate closer to the Wind Tribe to help make transporting the army easier when the time came. Mozu was mostly left to her own devices, although Sakura came by every now and again, and the two of them bonded almost immediately.
The one that frequented Mozu's little farm the most, however, was Oboro.
Mozu was not alarmed; Oboro knew how to not be disruptive as she conversed, and she seemed to know a little about farming herself. More than that though, she was skilled at household chores (as Kamui knew rather well by now), which helped Mozu warm up to her rather quickly. There was one thing about the blue-haired spear master that Mozu couldn't shake off though, and eventually, she voiced it.
"Don't take this the wrong way or nothin', Oboro," she began, "but you always seem to be lookin' me over like I'm bein' evaluated or somethin'. I mean, if that's what you're into…"
"Gods no, Mozu!" Oboro laughed, though there was a mixture of incredulity in there as well ,"I was looking at you for something completely different. See, you know about my hobby of putting outfits together for people, yeah?"
"Well of course," Mozu stopped what she was doing and met Oboro's gaze. While humble, Mozu was not necessarily shy, so making eye contact was not difficult for her the way it was for other people. "Why?"
"Well… you're my next project." Oboro beamed, "I want to figure out a nice outfit for you, Mozu. Even when you're not caked in dirt your outfits are all a bit drab. No offense or anything; I just wanna help you fix that."
"Whaa?!" Mozu recoiled, putting her hands up to her chest as if defending herself, "B-but I like these clothes. They're comfy 'n practical for what I do."
"It can't hurt to try a few things on though, can it?" Oboro offered, "besides, it's not like you're out here farming 24 hours a day, right?"
"Aw, shucks," Mozu shook her head, "a country girl like me'd just be a waste of space in some of those fancy do's. I doubt I'd look half as good as you or any of them princesses."
"Psh," Oboro snorted, "it doesn't matter where you're from or even what you do. Part of my talent is being able to make anyone look their best no matter how humble their origins. Any girl can look good in the right outfit, you know…" She deliberately cut herself off there because she could see that Mozu was about to interject. Almost like clockwork, she did exactly that.
"And I look just fine in what I'm wearin' now." she pointed out.
"Not going to make this easy for me, are you…" Oboro mused before speaking again, "Well of course you're not going to want to wear fancy dresses when you're out tilling fields, silly!" she pointed out, "don't worry. I'll teach you how to carry the look once I decide on the right one…"
"Now I just know I'd be the laughingstock of the army if I tried putting on fancy clothes." Mozu argued, "those cute outfits and all that makeup would just look silly on me."
"That's ridiculous!" Oboro exclaimed, "first off, you already look great in what you've got on; and secondly, I never dress two people the same way. I would find colors and styles that suited you and really brought out the best in you. It'd be really easy actually. You're very pretty."
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Mozu saw through Oboro's facade, even if part of it was genuine.
"Mozu…" Oboro stifled a sigh, "aren't we friends?"
"We haven't known each other that long…" Mozu pointed out.
"Are you saying you don't trust me?" Oboro suddenly looked hurt.
"Shucks, I didn't mean it like that," Mozu vigorously shook her head, "but I can see what you're tryin' to do here. I ain't fallin' into your trap this time! You're just trying to guilt me so that you get your way!"
"What? I would never do such a thing!" Oboro gasped, although Mozu's surprisingly stern little glare had her cave a moment later. "Okay, maybe just a little, but really I'm just trying to help. You're adorable, Mozu, and I've always got an itch to dress up adorable things to make them even more so. Otherwise I get stuck with boorish thugs like Lady Kamui."
"Are ya sure you should be talking about a princess like that?" Mozu tilted her head, "I dunno all the honorifics for royalty just yet, but that seems a little rude."
"Nah, if she were here she'd laugh and agree with me," Oboro claimed (and incidentally, was spot-on in terms of how accurate said claim was). "But fine, if you want to turn down my offer, I'll just have to get back to you on it one of these days. Sorry if I came off as too forward or anything." Oboro was very assertive and she had not changed her ultimate goal, but at the same time she did not want to alienate the little traumatized farmer, especially when she was still likely in a very emotionally vulnerable state due to recent events.
"No… it's fine. I reckon I'm just a little frazzled right now. Usually we'd dress our best back at the village before holidays and festivals and the like… and I s'pose it just hits a little too close to home at this point."
"Ohh…" Oboro's face dropped and she suddenly felt horrible. "Gods, Mozu… why didn't just say so? I feel like SUCH an idiot now…" She was clearly beating herself up mentally, and seemed to be fighting not to do so physically.
"Are… are you doin' okay, Oboro?" Mozu tilted her head. "I didn't hurt your feelings or nothin', now, did I?"
"No, I'm just smacking myself for being such an insensitive twit," Oboro growled, before taking a deep breath and sighing. "...Nohrians killed my family too, Mozu. Not bumbling mindless monsters though; Cruel heartless bandits who were looking to make an extra coin at the expense of my mother and father's lives. Here I am pestering you right after you've gone through an event that's just as traumatic and I'm over here pressuring you and acting all insensitive towards your troubles. I'd have probably ripped someone's head off if they did it to me."
"Golly; don't do that…" Mozu gasped, "well, unless it's an enemy or somethin'... but shucks. I ain't mad at you over that or anything. It's all just kinda overwhelming, y'know? I ain't sure how well I'll be able to fit in with all these royal types."
"I used to wonder the same thing…" Oboro admitted. "It takes time, but just remember—the people here all support you. We're here to help, and that includes me."
Mozu paused, casting a curious glance at Oboro.
"And not just because I want to dress you up either," the blue-haired woman added, "although that would be a nice added bonus."
"I reckon I'll keep that in mind then." Mozu nodded. She understood at the very least that Oboro meant well, even if she came off as rather forward sometimes. One thing that was increasingly easy to accept at this point though was that Corrin and his team had not been lying. Most of them genuinely did wish to help her.
While Mozu didn't see them too much, Corrin and his soldiers had remained busy. He called another war council before the actual mobilizing would begin, to alert his sisters and their retainers about what lay ahead.
"We've tracked the monsters to the Endless Stair," Corrin began, "and should be able to beat them if we make our final preparations tonight and move out first thing in the morning."
"Doing so would be integral to our best interests," Kaze advised, "because failure would jeopardize the Wind Tribe, which could also serve as formidable allies if we gain their favour."
"We will do what we can to maintain diplomacy then," Corrin declared, "Does anyone else have anything to add?"
"Just my sword into some skulls," Kamui stated with a smirk, "although I'm also curious if those whispers about alcohol sages are true."
"That sounds like utter nonsense to me," Corrin shook his head, "especially this deep in Hoshidan territory."
"Perhaps it should not be fully discounted," Gunter advised, "but I would still like to discourage Lady Kamui from pursuing such legends when we have a war we need to be focusing on."
"Hey now," Kamui reasoned, "Drinking's fun and all, but I'm not about to go abandon everything we've worked for just to chase after some fantasy. Well… not unless I thought it would greatly help the war effort. Even then though, I'd need way more evidence and a much better lead if I was ever going to pursue anything like that. You've got my full support, Corrin. Whatever you decide to do tomorrow as we fight out way up the Endless Stair, I've got your back."
"And I've got yours," Silas promised as he smiled at Kamui. "It feels good to know that me and my soldiers are finally fighting for a good cause without having to turn on Nohr."
"I'll drink to that." Kamui smirked, "whatever these bastards try to throw at us tomorrow… we'll be ready."
When the meeting adjourned a few moments later, even Corrin left feeling a lot more confident about their predicted outcome. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.