The commotion of the villagers traveling to and fro, setting up tents for the injured and chairs for the elderly was captivating, the collective moved with order and purpose, Genryu watched in amazement. While witnessing the event unfold, he didn't notice when a small boy approached, carrying a small cylinder container. He stops abruptly upon reaching the porch and stretches out his small arms "Do you want some water, mister?" the boy utters innocently. Genryu's eyes widen before slowly responding "um... yes", he reaches out grabbing the container before saying "Thank you" awkwardly. The boy smiles at him exclaiming "You're welcome!" before running off. The interaction left him a bit stunned, but it was nice, having an interaction with someone that wasn't prefaced with distrustful sneers or toxic comments about him being a freak, as he begins to sip his drink, he slumps down a bit in the chair letting himself relax.
The temporary camp took about an hour to get completely set up and organize, thanks to the efforts of Basmet. He also took the lead in treating the wounded, ensuring those who had severe injuries or broken bones were dealt with first. He directed anyone who had knowledge of first aid to assist those less critically injured so that he could focus on the larger problems. He also designated key individuals to tend to temporary housing for those whose homes collapsed and cooks to prepare large portions of food for everyone. The entire village was united in their efforts to assist one another, They followed their given roles which led to the operation proceeding smoothly. After several hours of hard work, the property had five large tents set up with enough bedrolls to offer a temporary sanctuary for those who had lost their home during the quake.
The collective constructed a large bonfire for both warmth and food preparation for the entire village. The long and terrifying day rolled into a soothing and festive evening as the village celebrated the fact that the only losses were those of material possessions. After everyone was settled in by the warm flames, the local innkeeper began to play a soft melody on his lute. Several moments passed then a pleasant feminine voice accompanied the innkeeper's medley which helped to soothe the weary spirits of those in attendance for this impromptu concert. The celebration and concert served to rouse Genryu from his restful state, he slowly opened his eyes to witness the festivities, this was the first time he had heard someone perform and he couldn't help but to smile.
The alleviating tune is suddenly interrupted by the sounds of rapid shuffling, Genryu takes immediate notice of this noise; searching around for where the mysterious sound was originating from. The same child from earlier comes barreling toward him from the other side of the courtyard, his small stature made it difficult to notice him at first. The boy abruptly stops himself just before he crashes into Genryu, almost tripping over in the process. He quickly recovers before saying "Hi mister! Did you have a nice nap?" the boy had the biggest grin on his face, Genryu chuckled a bit before replying "Yeah, I did". He places his hands into the front pockets of his blue overalls before muttering "That's good... I don't always like naps but sometimes I need them too" the boy says kicking a pebble at his feet. "So!" he exclaims a bit louder than he intended, "My name is Shu, what's yours?" The boy's eyes were practically glistening with excitement as he stared intensely at Genryu.
"It's nice to meet you, Shu, My name is Genryu Fukuda," He announces with a gentle smile, "Where are your parents? It's already dark, you shouldn't stray too far from them" he adds. Shu turns and points toward the innkeeper and songstress performing and says "It's ok, I'm not too far from them... Our inn was broken up pretty bad when everything started shaking.'' Shu's spirits seem to drop for just a moment before he jumps up, "But! It's ok because my papa said that the repairs would only take a couple of weeks... I have to be a big boy and stay strong..." he says half-heartedly. Genryu can tell that Shu is trying to convince himself more than he's trying to convince him, Genryu stretches out his hand and places it softly on Shu's head before saying "Your papa is right, did you see how fast everyone set up camp here? They'll have the repairs done so quickly you won't even notice." Shu's expression immediately brightened, "Thank you... Big Bro Gen!'' Shu exclaims before lunging at Genryu for a hug. Genryu is shocked by this sudden display of affection and blushes, "Y-you're welcome k-kid" he stutters bashfully, Shu releases Genryu and waves to him as he dashes back over to his parents. "A little brother... that would be pretty nice", he mutters to himself as he stands scratching the back of his head.
The bright full moon illuminating the sky, accompanied by the dazzling twinkle of starlight made the night feels almost restorative. As Genryu strolls along a path leading into the forest, he replays the day's events out in his head; today could have been much worse... If he hadn't healed Basmet or didn't find him in time. That thought makes him pause "I healed him..." he's still processing that fact, and this midnight stroll should help to clear his head. New powers, unsettling dreams, and life-threatening earthquakes on an island where nothing like that has ever happened before. "What are you doing all the way out here?" A disembodied voice says condescendingly, hearing this, Genryu is visibly startled and immediately scans his surroundings. "Why so jumpy, orphan?" A figure swings down from the tree line, landing on the path in front of him. Genryu identifies him as the boy who was harassing him earlier, "Sorry, I just didn't want to take another rock to the head" he replies snidely.
"You look fine to me, not even a bandage" he states with a shrug, at that moment Ginta realized he wasn't wearing the bandages from earlier. He considers the fact that his gash must have been healed when he was with Basmet, "What, cat got your tongue?" he said mockingly. The comment snapped Genryu out of his own head long enough for him to glare at the young man with intense frustration. Genryu wasn't familiar with a lot of residents in the village but he knew specifically who the person before him was, The obnoxious son of the mayor "Lukas Kiah". "Why are you even here Lukas? Don't you have a manor to return to?" he replies in a similar mocking tone.
"Woah, look at who's finally biting back..." Lukas sneers with a half-grin on his face, he struts up to Genryu standing about an arm's length away. "Are you gonna start glowing again? puff up your chest and try to scare me off?" he takes a single step forward, "You aren't intimidating, you're the same sniveling freak as you've always been", he shoulder-checks Genryu strolling past him. Genryu clenches his fist tightly, "You don't know anything about me..." He turns to face his aggressor as his light walnut brown eyes flicker gold.