32- In civilized company, cover your twig and plums.

2/2/5/4353 M.A.C - Great Western Rainforest- Late morning

"Strong Armor Spear! You three are leaving in an hour, you need to choose a name so I can fill out the last bit of the letter!"

Quiet down Grandpa! My head.....Shouldn't have gone to the afterparty.

The three had finished packing up and loading their provision onto a pushcart and were just getting the final preparations out of the way, so that they could be ready to leave after a quick meal, when Majusculus came running in.

"Emi you choose. You choose for Arctic so can choose for me. Or leader choose. Can't decide."

"Well I can give you some ideas, but it would be better if you decided on one yourself. I'm still hungover from last night, so might not be too helpful. What kind of feeling do you want your name to give."

Strong Armor Spear scratched his head as he pondered over Emi's question.

Well, if you left it entirely to me, you'd end up with a pun, or reference, for a name. I would have taken it more seriously for Arctic if I had known it would become official. Luckily he likes it.

"Not sure. Something strong but kind. Like Big Brother. Also, headache your fault. Need be stupid accept drinking duel with Iron Liver. He strongest stomach in tribe, test for poison when need."

"Yeah, I know now, he only introduced himself after we'd started. At that point, I was already too drunk to make good decisions. When it comes to your name, to tell you the truth, the first time I saw you I was reminded of an old legend from my homeworld. There was this powerful monkey who had a flaw in his character that brought him great trouble. He was forced on a journey where he had to protect a monk on his mission and grew into a kinder, better person. I can't remember the original ending, but I think he eventually became a benevolent immortal after finishing his journey. His name was Sun Wukong, the monkey king."

Strong Armor Spear's eyes started to twinkle as he listened to Emi with rapt attention.

"I choose! My name is Sun Hanukong!"

Sun Hanukong wrote the name down in the dirt, using the butt of his spear, as he had no way of spelling it with sign language. At this point in time, Emi was unaware of the cultural atrocity she had just committed, as she didn't know of the legend of Hanuman from which Hanu had originally chosen his name.

"There you go, getting another of my descendants to pick a strange name..."

"You are one to talk, your name is Majusculus Majusculus... I'll admit Sun Hanukong is a bit more peculiar than I'd anticipated, but it's in no way worse. Nothing wrong with Arctic as a name either, well aside from it being a bit hard to pronounce. If we left it to you he would have ended up being called something like "Minusculus"."

"Yes leader. I choose. It is done. I don't want the name Emi say last."

Majusculus face-palmed and then told the three to follow him back to his cabin.

"We trade goods directly for other goods, so I don't have many Imperial Marks left, but here is something to help you start your journey."

Majusculus handed a gold Imperial Mark to each of his young charges as he explained that it should cover somewhere between one and two months of food and lodging each, if they were to spend them intelligently. He then retrieved a newly bound vellum booklet and handed it to Emi.

"This contains the next steps in your lessons on body tempering, some general information, and the common price of a few different items to help you understand the value of currency, so you don't get scammed. I know you don't speak Imperial yet, and that your translation Ability only works on text while you see it being written, so have Arctic read it and sign it out for you. Now for the last thing."

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Majusculus retrieved three sculpted wooden pendants attached to silky thin white ropes.

"This is the symbol of the Majusculus tribe, a capital M with an open book underneath and a pair of scales above. The rope is made from my fur and treated with vital energy. It is quite strong and will become almost invisible when worn, taking on the color of what is beneath it. It isn't anything fancy, but a reminder that you all have a home waiting for you here when you need it."

"We did enough crying last night old man, don't get us started again."

Majusculus smiled at Emi as he set three wooden bowls filled, with some root vegetable soup, and a loaf of dark bread on the table.

"Too true. Here have lunch and be on your way. You need to leave soon if you want to make it to the first shelter by nightfall. It would normally take a fully loaded convoy a full day to get there, but, since the three of you are only taking basic necessities and rations for the journey, you should be able to make it there faster. One last thing."

Majusculus turned towards Arctic and tossed a simple linen robe and a cord to him.

"Put that on and tie the robe around your waist with the cord before you get to a settlement. Emi is fine because her feather coat covers all the important bits, and more, but your fur is not long enough to hide your growing twig and plums. The people of the empire tend to frown upon people not covering their lower bits, at the very least. Strong Armor Spear is an adult, so he and I already had the talk, but I'm sure you noticed all the adults start wearing a loincloth after they come of age. Things can get distracting and in the way of work otherwise. Here are also some sandals for you. You haven't journeyed long distances on foot before, if you don't wear those, your feet are sure to get very sore."

Yeah, he's got a point. People in an inn might not enjoy seeing his sausage and beans swinging as they have their meal. Gives "dinner and a show" a whole new meaning.

"Anything else any of you want to say before you go?"

Emi thought for a second and then answered.

"Yes. You just called Sun Hanukong "Strong Armor Spear". Since he chose a name, you should use it. Sorry, just being a bit difficult so you don't miss me too much after I'm gone."

"Think you are smart? I can't call him by that name with my hands because we haven't had the time to come up with a unique sign for it. Come back when you've grown at least half as smart as me and not before!"

Majusculus teased Emi a bit as she winced.

Damn, he got me. I hate leaving on a loss...but we gotta go.

Emi had thought that they would be able to simply leave at this point, but most of the tribe members who weren't attending to time-sensitive tasks had grouped up for a last farewell. Their plan for a tear-free farewell had failed, as by the time they had passed through the gate and into the forest, the three travelers all had watering eyes.

"I no cry...Is dust."

"Sure, sure, big guy, and I got attacked by onion-cutting ninjas."

Arctic turned to Emi, his eyes now filled with as much glittering excitement as tears.

"Wait! Big Sis's world has ninjas too? So cool!"

Did he just say "too"!?

"How do you know about ninjas?"

"Our leader told us a story where he met one on his travels, and one of our tribes of cousins in the jungle train in something called "Ninjutsu". Maybe we'll see a ninja on our adventure."

"Meh. If we see them, then they can't really be that good at being ninjas right?"

"Even a bad ninja is more interesting than just another warrior with a spear."

Sun Hanukong appeared to take offense to that statement as he took a brief pause from pushing the cart.

"Stop talk stupid or you want take turn push now? Then I walk behind show you if spear too boring for you. No worry I no use sharp end."

Arctic turned toward Emi, hoping that she would come to his defense, but this time she decided to agree with the enemy.

"You know, he has two good points. First, I'd rather have to fight a bad ninja I can see coming than a good warrior with a spear. His second good point is at the end of his stick."

Sun Hanukong smiled and pulled the cart with a little more pep in his step, until Emi continued speaking.

"Then, since he already has the pointy spear bit covered, you should start worrying as soon as he becomes a good warrior."

Sun Hanukong nearly tripped as this sudden betrayal hit him right in the vanity. The vindicative smile on Arctic's face betrayed exactly how he felt about this exchange.

"I can say what I want. Since I'm not strong or heavy enough to pull the cart, you can't threaten me with that punishment."

Sun Hanukong's aura started displaying signs of exhaustion as Emi found a loophole in what was probably his only plan for retribution.

"I'm just teasing. Don't worry I'll make sure that Arctic and I don't slack off in our body tempering practice, so you won't be the only one working hard. Arctic, get ready, since we are not using our arms, we have no excuse for not gathering as much as we can from them for now."

Thus, the strange trio made their way east through the forest. One of them was preparing himself for the challenges ahead. Another was imagining a new world he had only ever dreamed of before. The last? She was busy checking over her shoulder every few minutes, just to make sure ninja monkeys weren't secretly following them.