Sachihiro

I float within the pool of water used as a communal bath house. Soaking gently and drifting to and fro slightly. Only Om and I in this particular pool. The water temperature and pressure perfect as I occasionally sink down to fully relax before coming up for a breath. I miss my baby.

The talk with ma after the fight yesterday wasn't about the fight specifically. She asked me about Vigdis Saya del'Mira again. My daughter with Mira, conceived on the trip to the Hito people. At the time we didn't know where we were going, we didn't know how long it would take to get there and we didn't even know if we would survive the trip.

There are creatures in those mountains even Asriel as an Awakened Lord made sure we skirted well and far away from. We had been traveling together, training together, learning everything we could from Asriel together, surviving a few close calls together.

By the time we first had sex we had developed a mutual respect and a slight attraction to one another. Mira is beautiful there is no question about that. With her fiery red hair, beautiful brown eyes, well symmetrical face, toned yet supple body and narrow waist with wide hips.

But she had a very foul mouth which at first prevented me from seeing those qualities and dismissing her as a southern savage. But we got to know each other, respect each other and rely on each other throughout the journey. We managed to open all our chakra points on that journey through the mountains and valleys and we did that by opening up about ourselves.

Asriel and Mira learnt a bit about my personal life, some of my shames, some of my aspirations and private dreams. And I learnt about theirs, even Asriel's with his son he never knew he had, Monk. The son who surpassed him in every way causing jealousy within my mentor who confronted him, only to find out that Monk was his son.

I still think that's an odd thing not to know, who your son is. Ma asked about Mira, about whether we had intentions to be mated, about our child Vigdis and the child expected to be born.

Mira was raised a happy and carefree child but ended up a slave. Her own ma trading her to slavery to save herself the same fate. Knowing what she now knows would have happened to her ma Mira sometimes wonders whether or not to hate her still. But that hate and anger has been the only thing keeping her warm some nights where others would have given up.

I told ma Mira and I wouldn't mate, but could possibly have other children besides the two. Sex with Mira is not something I see myself giving up if I can help it. And her absence is felt more than ever now that I have no release. Especially after getting used to having sex almost on a daily basis. The woman is incorrigible, but now I have a sex drive that is driving me along the wall without release. I sigh.

Among my own people I have always been a bit awkward, a bit misunderstood and only tenuously fit into the mold of a normal tribesman. Now though I've changed. I wash often, dress strangely to them in a combination of my tribal roots and some comforts I got accustomed to in Shimane village.

I am slightly smaller than most Barbarian warriors, outright lean by Barbarian standards. The Hito diet and training shaping my body more for speed and flexibility than the usual power and endurance, though I have those too. My mother is a foundling, not a tribeswoman by birth and Daewon and I are slightly shorter than average at 6'2" and 6'1". Or at least the last time we spoke he was taller.

Now Dee is off somewhere with a few seers trying to establish his dungeon having picked a decisive path in life, one never before taken by one of our people. I look to my nodachi placed at the side of the pool so its not to far from me. Om follows my gaze but says nothing as he usually does. Only grunting and going back to soaking. Since I've been back he has been by my side.

Though he was mainly Daewon's friend I can't deny that I missed his stoic presence at times. And he is very easy to talk to, and I have been going on and on about Vigdis this Vigdis that a while now and he endures it. Only half listening but he takes it in none the less. An admirable trait. A dependable friend.

I sigh, there is so much to do now that I'm home. The seers say the southerners are amassing for another big battle after a series of skirmishes and are to be reinforced by over a hundred thousand Stone Dwarves. The dwarves we refused to treaty with because they required we sever our ties to the Dawn Dwarves, really their arrogance is astounding.

There is a force of the reclusive Undine that has silently invaded our waters and have been spying on us. But because we are starting to get weary of making any more enemies they have largely been ignored. Our emissaries sent directly to their people in their homelands instead to see what they want and what we can get from them.

The prideful elves are also on the edge about the proposed treaty. Thinking even less of humans than the fae do and dismissive and disdainful in any meeting without a fae present. An attitude no tribesman can tolerate for long making diplomacy with them very difficult at the best of times.

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I have been busy catching up and trying to involve myself in the toils of my people but I am yet to truly find my place again. Om has taken me to the work crews twice and under his supervision and that of the overseer I helped build a house from the ground up in just under a hundred hours of work.

A hard day's labour that made me feel like I finally contributed to something positive since I've been back. I paddle closer to my nodachi again. That was coming close to melancholy again. I get depressed whenever I'm too far from my zanpakutō. I think we all do, maybe this is why Kazimoto drinks so much.

His zanpakutō has been reforming within him for almost two millennia now if his age estimates are correct. The Beautiful Madman. The first to form a zanpakutō, doing so using so much of his soul, direct ether and spirit energy that it has taken him over a thousand years to recover. But rumours claim that he is almost to full health again.

"We gonna stay here till our skin shrivels?" Om suddenly asks and I grin. Om has gotten more assertive as well, and I like it. I know what he's thinking more often these days.

"You want to go meet that highlander girl that has eyes for you?" I tease.

I met some of his new friends after the first construction work crew. A family of highland brothers and an uncle with a sister they dot on who has eyes for Om. I forget her name but I know ma and Tadita have met with her family to talk about a union.

Om grunts a neutral none committal grunt. The fact that I can now interpret the sounds he makes probably another benefit of my language blessing from the cult of knowledge more than anything else. Too bad they all died in the raid on their monastery. Only a few priests of the cult of night, light, darkness, rain and ironically death survived the attack.

"Well isn't this a pretty sight." Says a voice prompting me to follow the sound. My eyes landing on a tall beautiful woman placing her clothes and weapons on the side of the pool as she walks into the water naked.

The sight of her has an immediate and noticeable effect on my naked body, while Om grunts, looks her over and says nothing else.

"You look familiar." I say, trying to wreck my brain into remembering where I know the long haired, slightly blue tinged, tall, slender, muscular beautiful woman from. I don't think I know any of the Jotnar personally.

She grins. "I promised to let you clean my blades," she says floating around the pool as though she were a merwoman. Moving with ease in the water and swimming between Om and myself.

I smile and look at the hilts of her sheath twin blades on the stone table under her folded garments.

"Yes, I remember now. You stole my loot," I say as I move towards her. Herming her in between Om and myself.

"You've grown young pup, so brazen now," she says with a smile as she somehow eludes me, swimming away. Om now as affected as I am by the sight of her floating breasts and scowling as though mad at us, or himself.

"I am an old soul." I say teasingly as I try to catch her again. The woman looks to be in her thirties or forties but that means nothing to a tribesman.

Many of the older women avail themselves to the younger men for their pleasure and to teach them experience. Something I was never fortunate enough to encounter in my village though I had eyes for Tadita, Om and Harold's ma that's not something I am likely to ever reveal, ever.

"What are your names Norsemen?" She asks looking at Om's loins eagerly.

Om is very well endowed, even for a Barbarian tribesman he is big and I'm only average going on small for my people as far as I've noticed. Om is bigger than average and downright scary erect and it's an intimidating sight. I had gotten used to having one of the biggest cocks when bathing amongst the Hito, now though...

"Om," Om says as he sways towards her slowly. He gives me a look and I nod.

"I'm Hiro, this is Om. What is your name"? I ask smoothly.

"I am known as Henrietta."

"Ruler of the house." I automatically translate. She gives me a slightly surprised look.

"Yes, very good. Well then Hiro, Om. Do you care to catch me today or not?" She asks while swimming around us.

"Oh, we most definitely do," I say as I redouble my efforts. Om just grunts and tries herming her in with his long arms. The scowl replaced by a look of determination. The young man is too serious for a 20 year old, 21 year old? Not sure anymore but younger than my 23 years of age.