You awaken in the early light, and can hear the villagers beyond the edge of the wood starting their work. A twinge of morning hunger and thirst hits you, but you remember that you have a journey ahead, and start through the woods in the direction you recall.
--M. J. Young
I ignore the hunger and thirst and continue to my destination.
The slope increases; you veer off some looking for a path, and eventually find a dirt road which seems to head up between the mountains.
Climbing this you reach the top around sunset. The view of the world ahead is stunning--snow-capped mountains between which are lush valleys.
As you stand taking in the view, a voice, an elderly male voice, speaks from your left. However, you did not understand a word of it.
--M. J. Young
I turn to the elderly mans voice and say
"I'm sorry, I don't understand Japanese that well.
Could you please say that slower and in simpler terms?"
The man peers at you as if you just said something absolutely ridiculous.
He answers with something that sounds very insulting, about you being a complete imbecile or something like that.
--M. J. Young
"I've hit my head on something and now I cant remember much about the world and I have to relearn the language like a child"
He throws his arms in the air, and turns away. He appears to have given up trying to communicate with you.
--M. J. Young
I try to say it again with the proper enunciation.
He turns, gives you a puzzled look, and waves a hand in a come-along way, but he does not try to answer you.
--M. J. Young
I follow him.
He leads you to a hut, larger than the one in which you last stayed but if possible more sparsely appointed. He indicates a mat on the floor where there is a blanket, and turns his attention to the stove.
--M. J. Young
I wait to see what he is doing.
He seems to be making some kind of tea. When he glances back and sees you still standing, he scowls and adopts something of a scolding voice as he points again at the pallet and blanket on the floor.
--M. J. Young
I sit down and wait.
After a moment he turns toward you, holding what looks to be a piece of clean cloth soaked in hot water. He gives a look of exasperation, but comes over and begins running the fingers of his left hand through your hair, apparently examining your scalp and neck for something. He is holding the cloth in his right hand.
--M. J. Young
I wait and let him examine me.
He mutters something and checks your head again, this time feeling the contours and applying gentle pressure, as if looking to see what hurts.
--M. J. Young
I try to say "The head injury has healed completely, but I can't talk very well."
The man stops searching your skull, and nods. He answers, "It is unfortunate. Sometimes you can recover; sometimes you can re-learn. Some never do."
He pauses a moment, and then returns to the stove and comes back with two bowls of tea.
"We will help you recover, if you are able. It may take many days."
--M. J. Young
"Thank you for your help. Is there anything I can do to help you while I recover?"
"We will find things. Rest now. Drink tea; it is good for you."
He drinks his.
--M. J. Young
I drink the tea and wait.
OOC: I don't have much to say to him unless he asks some questions.
I wouldn't mind if you move ahead a few days.
Your host is a bit confused about you. On the one hand, you have not regained any significant facility with the language--learned a few words here and there, picked up a bit better construction on some phrasings, but in the main you're not returning to native facility. On the other hand, there does not seem to be any impairment on your other faculties--your muscular strength and coordination are fine in both fine and gross motor skills, your vision and hearing seem normal, you appear to understand the reality around you fairly well.
Sometimes you understand what is being said to and around you, and sometimes you just can't follow what is being said.
--M. J. Young
Over the next week I will help the old man with whatever he ask me to.
Whenever we eat or I feel that it is appropriate, I try to ask him about world history, religion,The Bushi, and the Ninja.
If I have a large amount of free time, I try to find a clearing near the old mans house where I can practice my style. I'll continue to go there to practice during my free time
The old man seems to be some sort of herbalist, tending the sick who come to him from surrounding villages or dispensing medicines to those who come on their behalf.
What you can gather from your conversations includes that there is only one country without borders, all ruled by the Mikado, cared for by his Bushi, chief of whom is the Shogun and the other Daimyos, their Samurai, and the rest of the rank and file Bushi. The Mikado, of course, being son of the Goddess (Amaterasu Omikami), does not dirty his hands with mortal affairs, but entrusts his Shogun to care for these and lives within the care of the Kuge, of whom the Kanpaku is the chief below him.
The ninja do not exist. There is nothing to say about them. That, at least, is what he says, although he says it with a bit too much certitude.
--M. J. Young
hmmm. the ninja don't exist. I'll have to talk to him about it later. I'm guessing that he ether is a retired ninja or knows about their ways.
I'll continue doing the routine but, I will try to find a hour each day to practice my style.
After another week, you wake very early one morning to find the herbalist dressed in traveling clothes with a cloth bag on a stick, something like a hobo's pack. He says something to you which you do not understand at all, but points to the fireplace where the dishes and such are kept, and then heads out the door.
--M. J. Young
Before he leaves, I ask if I can go with him.
If yes
I change into traveling clothes, grab my bag and follow him.
If no
Most of the day I do physical training(running and practicing my style)and I stop during meal times to prepare some food for myself
You attempt to ask, and the babble that comes pouring out of your mouth is so convoluted you're not sure you understand it yourself. He gives you a puzzled look, throws his hands up in despair, and heads down the road.
You've already seen where the rice and tea are kept, and have seen him pull scallions and garlic and a few other herbs from his garden to flavor the rice. I don't see cooking skill on your sheet, but I presume you have some skill at making your own food. What do you rate yourself on this?
--M. J. Young
I would say my cooking skill is average amateur. I can prepare simple things easily.
I'm trying to prepare the rice like the old man prepares it and flavor it with a few pieces of garlic.
Assuming you're here alone for a few days, do you have any plans besides preparing and eating rice (and I presume tea), harvesting a bit of garlic and scallion to go with it, and practicing your martial arts?
--M. J. Young
I'm going to be running around for cardiovascular exercise.
I'm going to stay in sight of the house while running.
The old man is gone for about a week, and returns tired but smiling. It happens that he gets back as you are preparing yourself dinner, and you throw in some extra rice and are able to feed him as well as yourself.
He speaks a bit about having had to take care of a very ill villager, but that he believes he pulled the man through, and if things go well there will be some plants next month. He asks how you were in his absence.
--M. J. Young
"I was good. I occupied the time with practicing my martial arts and cardiovascular exercise"
You're not going to be able to say "cardiovascular exercise" but you will manage "running".
He nods appreciatively. "Keeping up your skills. Your memory has gaps, but your body remembers."
--M. J. Young
"That's very true. You sound like you practiced martial arts before.
Who was your teacher? Did he teach you herbal medicine too?"
"I picked up a few things from my brother, but he is long gone. I learned medicine so I could help without fighting."
--M. J. Young
"... I sorry to hear that your bother is gone... Who was your medicine teacher?"
OOC: Did the old man say whether or not the Bushi train in unarmed combat during our previous conversations?
The old man did not say that anyone trains in unarmed combat, nor did he suggest that you did.
"It was long ago. He died young, as so many do."
"That is a strange question I do not know how to answer. If I tell you his name, it will have no meaning to you. He, too, is with his ancestors now, so it will not help you find him to know who he is. To tell you who he was in life would be to say that he was a healer and a teacher, and that you must already know. What is it you ask?"
--M. J. Young
"You're right, I asked nothing. The reason I asked was that I was curious.
Another question that's on my mind is,Do the Bushi ever train in unarmed combat?"
OOC:You made is sound like it never turned up in our conversations, so I'm asking it directly now.